Chapter Six- Possibilities
The next morning, Shifu stayed in his room. Everybody, even Kivu, got up to train as the gong rang. Nobody dared to even approach his room. They just went to the Training Hall to practice.
Kivu showed excellent skills in kung fu, despite being a wild zebra that walks on all fours. Tigress seemed a bit suspicious about the newcomer. Yes, he helped save Shifu from the evil warlock Dai, but Tigress still didn't qualify him as a friend. Plus, she was extremely jealous of Kivu's skill, seeing how he was almost up to her level.
"Question: how did you get here if you don't have any magic?" she inquired.
"I prayed to Nemesis, who sent me a boat." Kivu told her. "After that, I just ran here."
"What did Nemesis say when she found out her daughter was missing?" Po asked.
Kivu sighed. "Remember that storm last night?"
"Yeah." Po said. "Worst storm in years." Today was still cloudy and gray.
"Well, that was Nemesis and her grief." Kivu said.
"That storm was Nemesis' doing?" Viper asked. Kivu only nodded.
"She's extremely angry." Kivu explained. "She has no idea who could've done it or why."
"Could it have been another god?" Crane asked.
"That's highly unlikely." Kivu retorted. "True, it happened to Persephone, but she was a minor goddess, not powerful enough to defend herself. Shinjitsu is a lot stronger than that. And the fact that they took Lin as well just makes it ten times worse."
Everyone continued to train except Tigress. She was really worried for Lin, seeing how the little dragon had taken her as a mother figure, even giving her the nickname "Tiga". Tigress knew Shifu must've felt really bad as well. Sneaking away from the others, she walked about the palace, searching for places she knew Shifu might be in. But, in every place she looked, he wasn't there. She was about ready to give up when she heard noises. Following the sounds, Tigress realized they were coming from the library. She opened the door quietly and peered in. She saw many books stacked on the table and not a soul could be found. But she could clearly hear pages being turned and soft murmuring. Then, she noticed Shifu getting up from the table and rushing to one of the shelves. He browsed it quickly, then scurried up a ladder and checked the books up top. Since the ladder had wheels, Shifu was able to push off the wall to the other side of the room to the thicker volumes. Shifu scanned the bindings and found something. But, he soon realized it was stuck. He tugged on it with both hands and two things happened:
The book came out. Then
Shifu fell off the ladder and hit the ground with a CRASH!
Tigress rushed to her master's side. "You alright?"
Shifu groaned as he stood up. "I'm fine." He blew the dust off the large book he had gotten and set it on the table. He flipped thru it, Tigress watching silently. It was deathly quiet except for the sound of page turning. Then, Shifu growled and slammed the book shut. "There has to be something!" he snarled.
"What are you talking about?" Tigress asked.
"Nothing." Shifu muttered.
"Don't shut me out." Tigress scoffed. "You're looking for something and I want to know why. I can help." Shifu turned away. "You were looking for something to save Lin, aren't you?"
You could've heard a pin drop, it was so quiet then. Shifu sighed. "Yes. Apart from you, she was a daughter to me."
Tigress sighed as well. "She was my daughter, too." Shifu didn't even turn around. "Are you sure there isn't something you already know that can help her and Shinjitsu?"
"There is one thing." Shifu said. "But it's suicidal. That's why I'm looking thru these books; there has to be some sort of…..spell or something that I've forgotten." Shifu went back to the shelves, searching thru scrolls. Tigress stared at him.
"Were you up all night?" she asked.
"No." Shifu said. "But I've been looking all morning."
"Well…..I'm just…..going to go back to training." Tigress started to walk off, but Shifu stopped her.
"Tigress….I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Kivu about this." Shifu warned her. "I don't want him to get his hopes up." Tigress nodded and walked off.
That night, at dinner, it was pretty quiet. Kivu was having a hard time eating without being embarrassed by the fact that he didn't have fingers, just hooves; he was just dipping his head into the bowl to eat. Shifu didn't join them; he was still in the library. Nobody talked much except for a couple half-hearted good night bids when they went to bed.
Kivu was in a spare bedroom, and he had a dream that night.
Kivu was walking in what looked like a Kansas wheat field. But the wheat, dirt, even the sky above him was pitch black. Seeing no stars but instead stalactites, Kivu realized it was a cave ceiling. He kept walking, passing nobody except for a group of children who stared at him with hunger in their eyes. Kivu kept going, not knowing where he was going in the first place. Soon, he found himself at a small fountain. It was pitch black stone, with a serpent's head spewing mist. There was a bit of a rainbow showing, but there was no sunlight, so Kivu was left wondering how it was possible. Then, he saw a scene in the colors of the soft rainbow. He looked closer and watched what was taking place.
What was taking place was a great battle…..between three people. Kivu recognized Shinjitsu and Lin, both of them looking pretty beaten up. The third person was an albino ferret that Kivu didn't recognize. The albino ferret was fighting the nymph and the dragon hard, using some sort of magic that looked like fire bending, but the fire was black. Shinjitsu was desperately trying to use her magic to defend herself. Lin, who would usually only use her horns, claws, and teeth for defense, was attacking like a wild animal. Though the girls fought hard, the albino ferret launched a powerful blast of dark magic. The girls were enveloped in twin cocoons of the black fire, both struggling to break free.
The albino ferret started speaking in Ancient Greek. She may have been speaking a language Kivu was fluent in, but the zebra had no idea what she was saying. When the ferret was done, the cocoons disappeared. Lin and Shinjitsu were out cold.
The albino ferret smirked. "You two are such strong warriors." She sighed. "It's such a shame that you'll have to die." The ferret snapped her fingers, and shadows swirled around them in a large tornado.
Kivu woke with a start, panting. His eyes were wide with what he had just seen. Then, there was a knock on the door.
"Kivu?" Master Shifu's voice called. "You alright?"
"Fine." Kivu said. "Come on in." Shifu walked in and the two of them stared at each other for a long time.
"Is something wrong?" Kivu finally asked.
"I heard you scream." Shifu said. Kivu looked away. "You had a dream, didn't you? A dream about Shinjitsu."
Kivu sighed and told Shifu about his dream. Shifu stared off into space.
"What does it mean?" Kivu asked. "Do you know where Shinjitsu might be?"
"With what you're describing, I can't say." Shifu admitted.
Kivu gave Shifu a look. "You know how to save her, don't you?"
Shifu sighed. "We'll talk tomorrow."
"I've checked every book, searched every memory, meditated for hours, but I couldn't find anything." Shifu said.
"Anything except the one thing you don't want to use." Kivu reminded him.
Shifu sighed. "I don't want to use it. It's too dangerous."
"Shifu." Kivu said. "I'm desperate here. You're talking to a guy that just lost the one he loves. I know it's hard, but try to understand that-"
"Hard?" Shifu snarled. "You think I've never felt the pain you're feeling? I lost the woman I love scarcely a month after I proposed. I'll never see her again until the day I die."
There was an eerie silence, so quiet you could hear the Five and Po training in the distance.
Kivu sighed this time. "I'm serious about the desperate part."
Shifu turned to him, his anger melting. "There is a power." He explained. "A power like no other. It is said that Yin and Yang stand for balance. Generally, it's the balance between darkness and light. There is, a spell, I guess you could call it, which releases this power and can be used for anything you wish. It can turn you into royalty; cure any sickness or injury…"
"It can save Shinjitsu and Lin." Kivu guessed.
"Yes."
"So, what's so bad about it?"
"It's extremely dangerous." Shifu told him. "In order to do the spell properly, you must keep the forces of light and dark in balance. If the scale is tipped either way even the slightest, the consequences would be disastrous."
"How so?" Kivu asked.
"Instant death." Shifu replied gravely. There was a deathly silence.
"Are you sure there's not another way?" Kivu asked.
Shifu thought for a long time. "Death….." he muttered.
"What?"
"Describe the setting of your dream." Shifu ordered. Kivu obeyed, and Shifu's eyes brightened ever so slightly. "I think I know where the girls are."
"Where?" Kivu asked.
"The Underworld." Shifu said. "And, from what you're suggesting, the Greek Underworld."
A/N: I'm soooooo sorry I haven't updated in a while! I've been SUPER busy! I'll be updating a lot more over the summer.