The temple was quiet, far quieter than usual; the four Xiaolin Dragons had been sent off on a mission of great importance. Actually, it was one, big lie. In reality, Master Fung had sent the monks away so as not to complicate the tea he was putting together. The appearance of young Jack Spicer could rattle his monks and he'd rather not trigger an impromptu skirmish on the temple ground; he'd just planted the daffodils.

Whirring reached his aged yet keen ears and he looked up. The teenager was landing in the garden, flanked by two hovering robots. Master Fung personally found this to be a very wise decision; Jack had, after all, been invited to tea by someone he presumed to be the enemy. Upon seeing that Master Fung was the only one there to greet him, Jack waved the robots away and they hovered off to wander.

Jack stepped onto the patio.

"Welcome, Jack. Please," Master Fung gestured to the seat across the table from him, "Have a seat. And please, help yourself to anything you might like."

Jack did so, watching the aged monk warily. On the table in front of him was a small bowl of oranges, a bowl of what looked to be light brown boiled eggs, and a beautifully ornate teapot. According to what Jack had learned since moving to China, the teapot was inlaid with flowers of jade with gold leaf lining. It was from this teapot that Master Fung poured out the tea, first for Jack then for himself.

"Um…" Jack cleared his throat, "What are…?" He kind of gestured to the eggs and the monk chuckled.

"Tea eggs. They are normal boiled eggs except they're-"

"They're boiled in tea?" Jack interrupted in his excitement, plucking a brown egg from the bowl. He examined it in fascination. "That's so cool!"

Master Fung chuckled. Jack looked up and blushed, ducking his head slightly, suddenly aware that he'd interrupted.

"Sorry…" He muttered.

"Never apologize for enthusiasm in learning," Master Fung soothed with a wave of his hand, "It is an admirable quality to possess."

"Really?" Jack sat up a little straighter with a goofy half-smile, "I always get in trouble at school for getting carried away."

"If you keep that love of learning, you'll never stop learning," Master Fung reaffirmed, taking a measured sip of tea, "And speaking of learning…"

Jack nearly dropped his tea egg.

"Oh, yeah! What did you have to tell me?"

"First, I must tell you a story… I suggest you make yourself comfortable." He raised an eyebrow as Jack shifting, crossing his legs instead of sitting on them, "This story is an ancient Chinese philosophy known as Wu Xing. The English translation of this is 'Five Elements' and refers to the balance of everything in the universe. This means absolutely everything, including the balance of the human body, the cosmos, even medicine and political regimes."

Jack listened intently, biting into the tea egg. It tasted simultaneously of tea and egg which, while confusing, wasn't entirely unpleasant. Master Fung continued, refilling Jack's teacup.

"These Wu Xing are water, fire, earth, wind, and metal. Of these five things, the entirety of the universe is composed. Without one, it would crumble. For years, the purpose of the Xiaolin Warriors is to protect the universe by keeping the balance, meaning the balance between both good and evil and between the elements. But perhaps you have noticed… We've been out of balance." He looked at Jack meaningfully. Jack, of course, missed the look entirely, as he had busied himself with peeling an orange. Master Fung sighed but continued, "Evil, although kept at bay, has prevailed many times over the last few years. We are missing one element, and therefore one Xiaolin Dragon, here at the temple."

"And you're saying…." Jack said slowly, pausing in his orange-peeling. He looked at Master Fung, who raised an eyebrow. "… I'm the final element?"

"Raimundo resides over wind, Clay over earth, Kimiko over fire, and Omi over water. From what I've come to believe, you have shown the ability to manipulate metal. So, in this case, yes. I have called you here not only to inform you but to extend a formal invitation." Master Fung slide a folded bundle across the table. Jack took it slowly and unfolded it, the white material sturdy but soft. It was a martial arts belt and Jack looked up in Master Fung in shock. "Stay. Learn the Xiaolin way. Master your element. I think you will find that this is what you have always been destined for."

For a moment, Jack couldn't say anything. Stay? How could he? The belt shook in his hands. He'd dedicated his life, his work, to the side of evil, to the hope of world domination. Stay?

"I… While I appreciate the offer…" Jack struggled to find the right words, "I need some time to… To think."

"Quite understandable. Take all the time you need." Master Fung stood and Jack scrambled to his feet. The old monk bowed and Jack turned to leave, chest slamming against something very solid. He stumbled back, dazed.

"Spicer?" Cold dread pooled in Jack's stomach as he looked up. Chase Young, the last person Jack had expected to see, was standing in front of him. He was looking as majestic as usual, armor and all, wild black hair pushed back off his sharp face. The yellow eyes sized him up. "What are you-?"

"What are you doing here?!" Jack blurted out, mortified that his evil idol had seen him having tea with the enemy. Chase narrowed his eyes.

"Gentlemen," Master Fung interrupted sharply, "You are both here at my invitation. I suggest you behave accordingly."

Chase brushed Jack aside with ease.

"Weren't you leaving, worm?"

"What? Intimidated by my presence?" Jack smirked at the overlord, slipping back with ease into his evil-genius mindset.

"Hardly. Your presence is insulting." Chase sneered, unperturbed. Master Fung sighed in exasperation.

"Take a seat, Chase."

"Do you regularly have tea with evil villains?"

"I hope to hear your decision soon, Jack."

Chase, who had taken a a seat at the table, raised an inquisitive eyebrow. He wondered what decision that was. What proposition had Master Fung asked of the boy?

Jack didn't argue. Instead, at being dismissed, he left without much fuss, stepping off the patio. His helibot opened up, carrying him up and out.

-ooo-

Jack didn't know what to do. He'd showered immediately after the tea and now found himself curled up on his bed. Not in his room; after falling asleep at his work table on several occasions, he'd finally put a bed in the corner of his basement. It was this bed that he was in now, clad in basketball shorts and a tank top. He stared at the pipes sprawling across the ceiling.

A Xiaolin Dragon? Him? It was a baffling idea but… And Jack was rather ashamed to admit this, awfully enticing. Hadn't he always wanted to do something great? He turned his head with a sigh, glancing a the work tables covered in plans, tools, his own creations. Yes, always. Something great. But something good? He guessed… In a lot of ways, it made sense; wasn't he failing miserable at being evil? He was the laughing stock of the Heylin side, the scapegoat in all situations, the bumbling fool. Not that it was always that way. He'd had his moments of triumph and his seconds of sweet revenge. His brilliance had shown through on occasions. But every time, the downfall was inevitable, and he'd always be taken for granted the next time around.

Jack rolled over to face the wall and sniffled; he was starting to feel sorry for himself. He hated this feeling, this deep-seated self-loathing that he strived so hard to beat down on the daily.

What if you're looking for happiness in all the wrong places?

The thought was so intrusive and so sudden that Jack sat up in bed in realization. Did being evil make him happy? Why did he even want to be evil? He frowned. He knew the answers to that and tried not to dwell on them for too long. Maybe the reason why nothing had worked out thus far was because he was looking for approval in all the wrong places. Places like… His parents. Chase Young and the other Heylins. The fear of strangers.

Jack looked at the martial arts belt on the work table. he could feel emotion creep up in his throat and he blinked to clear the fog. Master Fung seemed to believe he was meant for greatness. That had to be something…

He'd made his decision.

-ooo-

This had to be the dumbest, most ridiculous decision of Chase's entire life. And yes, that included accepting the Lao Mang Lone Soup from Hannibal.

"And where exactly are you going again?" Wuya asked as he packed a leather suitcase. She was painting her nails a shade called Rebellion Red, still miffed that Chase had sprung a departure on her.

"The purpose of a mental retreat is to get away. And that means from everyone."

"Aw but Chase," She pouted, batting her eyelashes at him, "Even from me? Your dearest and most trusted ally?"

"Now, where did you get that idea?" Chase smirked at her, clicking the suitcase closed. Wuya huffed.

"So cruel. But so, so handsome." She said as she stalked from the room. Chase shuddered; to say the least, she was not his type.

He refused to tell her that he would be staying at the Xiaolin Temple for an extended period of time. Three months. No Lao Mang Lone Soup. To… Detox. In a way, it was scientific experiment. It had been the reason why Chase had arranged to meet Master Fung for tea. The temple was safe, a controlled environment, separate from outside influences. The meeting had gone as planned; a private room awaited for him, tucked away in a back corner. No doubt the Xiaolin monks would be absolutely delighted to have him.

Chase smirked to himself. This was going to be hilarious.

Something that he hadn't expected had been the presence of Jack Spicer. Chase frowned as he thought back to the puzzling encounter. Why had Master Fung invited the annoying insect to tea? That had been quite odd indeed…

-ooo-

Jack zipped up his duffle-bag. He wasn't entirely sure what he needed to bring with him but had packed all the necessities. He even packed a separate drawstring bag with all the Shen Gong Wu in his possession: the Changing Chopsticks, the Reversing Mirror, the Shroud of Shadows, the Monkey Staff, and the latest Wu. It was a very odd-looking object. At first glance, it looked like a bottle made of sea-glass. The surface was covered in swirling indentations of bright red. Jack had no idea what it was called or what it did, to be honest. If anyone could tell him, it would be the Xiaolin Monks. The other Monks. Whatever. He tossed it in the bag.

He'd ordered several of his bots to tidy up his basement lab before closing it off. It all left a bittersweet taste in his mouth; yes, he was closing the door and turning off the lights on a way of life but… Wasn't he opening a new door?

He wondered if he should bother telling his parents that he was leaving. They probably wouldn't even realize he was gone; their priorities were on business trips, parties, alcohol, and money, always money. Most of the time, the house was his.

Yeah… He'd write later.

Locking the door behind him, Jack switched on the helibot and headed in the direction of the Xiaolin Temple as the sun set beyond the horizon.