Just as the knob wiggles and the door hammering outside, don't let the monster devour your racing heart!

Are you ready to read one-third of horror writing?

Here, lies the illusion and reality!

-GrayZeppelin


Episode Finale: Heaven and Hell (47 - Infinite)


Chapter LIII

Visions

The Battle of Gongmen, Act Finale

I. The Claw / Demon Palace (cont.)

"TIGRESS, LOOK OUT!" the panda's agonize shout let Tigress glimpse at Po who leaped with his jade staff. Beside her, General Kai growled as he charged in full force. Tigress ducked to the floor; both panda and gray bull clashed. Po's chi on his staff forced Kai out of the open they crashed to the five-feet stairway.

Lord Shen stumbled his talons as he rose. His wrinkled head towered from the concrete Shen pressed his right wings when coughing. The white tiger's surroundings engulfed a soft shade of gray sphere, swimming. That was something Lord Shen had felt that water before, which when his body crushed by his cannon, he recognized his demise previously.

Shen's face equaled the exact expression from the harbor aftermath on that night the Dragon Warrior empowered inner peace. Same as Tigress she watched her best friend inside the Fireworks Factory shoot away, Xing's body inside the light, gloomy sphere lifted, his paws and feet pulling back.


The Demon Mountain was the Dragon Warrior's compelling tale as the panda dreamt with the Furious Five to battle thousands of demon bandits with black spears with red ribbons. Rages ahead of the white tiger snaked the dangerous terrain, piled with the dead demons and living warriors clash together, blades and fists crashing. Deep wounds skewered with spits and slices.

Tall, untamed mountains painted only gray and midnight silks, movements revealing multiple colors of dawn and crimson eye colors.

The ground hammered Xing's surroundings and led his body soar on the giant gray stairway, blended with dark crystals lying on steep hills. A whole vision went stretching through Xing's edges of his eyes; the white tiger entered the familiar replica of Jade Palace's enormous gateway. No smaragdine, or red and gold as part of Oogway's essential temple. The temple was all black, and slight gray columns, including white, slither dragons climbing on each column.

The hall's floor had a stable, reflective crimson level and paintings of wicked warriors and demons wielding their ancient artifact weapons on both sides. Somebody built this horrible temple that looked like Jade Palace! What is this place?! Xing feared.

His body soared into the darkness where the pool was. The reflective pool bled with crimson before the white tiger's arrival from the front entrance of the mysterious Jade Palace temple. Winds wailed into his black ears and entered his terror yell; the white tiger never noticed who he recognized any painful screams from the death of living villagers and warriors. A white star below him grasped his shoulders, landing Xing's feet into the red velvet pool, soaked under his ankles.


II. Six Eyes

The bandits on the Dock Hinge Harbor sprinted behind Lord Shen. Hastily rising, the peacock summoned only two feather knives he had, as the rest lost. A booming growl rushed into six bandits (three yaks, one water deer, and one mountain lion).

The snow leopard wrestled three kicks to three yaks' muzzles, their feet jarring off the harbor bridge. The Great Dragon's paws surrounded the deer's antlers, his feet locking the boar's neck Tai Lung spun his body and theirs. Both bandits wobbled their cry, and Tai Lung broke them free they plunged into the water.

"This fight seems horrible!" Tai pointed, glancing the conflict and Lord Shen the peacock withdrew his knives under his sleeves.

"Glad your presence! Where are Su and Wan Wu?" Lord Shen asked.

"Cuffed by the old buffalo's men!" the Great Dragon answered. Shen discerned the leopard's reference of the Emperor's guards captured Wu Sisters. Nodding at the leopard, Shen flickered his crests from the Dragon Warrior's struggle the albino turned.

Po and Kai on the five-feet stairs wrestled, the panda's jade staff thrusting the Collector's throat Kai pushed it back as hard as he could. Kai's hooves brightened green, as Po's staff glimmered yellow sun they growled. "PO!" Tigress hailed, the panda and bull's heads met the dawning eyes burning with embers.

Tigress banged her fists ahead of the glassy sphere her nephew was in, his body floating continuously. Po and General Kai stopped wrestling the jade pole and green hooves. Horrifying, Shen retreated his feet when Xing's body flipped many times. Tigress and Tai Lung contemplated this frightening scene in helpless.

Listening to the gale of darkness that surrounded the white tiger, Po writhed his pole and aimed the yin-yang; the light plunged Kai's head. The bull flattened his head to the top of the stairs, as the Dragon Warrior dashed into the harbor bridge in horror. Xing's body repeatedly flipped as you fall from the sky, the winds screaming at both of your ears. "XING!" the panda cried. His colleague could not hear, neither jerking his head when Xing had called from the panda. One final flip from the white tiger, his feet hammered the bridge, bones, and rocks lightly cracking apart.

The bridge was nearly collapsing. The part of the bridge's connection from both sides supported harder than just a hard impact. The strike almost tripped Shen toward the edge; Tai Lung snatched his right talon. The gray columns collided to disintegration, the roof dragging forward.

The black bear gasped out of the midnight blue depths. Phantom rigidly revolved her claws and feet she struggled her tread water, her scathe and brown armor threatening to drag the bear down. Phantom billowed her cry underneath the water; the harbor roof and columns collided above her.


"OW!" Xing wept, his knees nearly cracking to his healthy bones as you landed from the highest platform. Xing's legs flamed beneath his flesh from the fall. Without a star, he would have broken his whole body apart! He clenched his sharp fangs as if the light gray trapezoid ahead of him glanced.

A thick soil of million sparkles foamed out of the red velvet pool. The wind brushed hazy from the shape of light as the white tiger approached near it.

A trapezoid dyed with the mixture of silver and black clouds of dust, spiraling with dancing, pale stars. Most pebble sides and the center of the portal crystallized mysterious orbs; six grimace eyes of crimson, emerald, and chi roared on each person's two visions. The trapezoid pulled Xing in without warning. What were the signs of the battle and six eyes mean of the image? Everywhere was nearly dark gray. Cold. Stiff breath. Loneliness floatable rock Xing stood.


III. Realm of the Unknown

"Can you drag Xing out of this glass?!" Tigress anxiously demanded the panda.

His staff whirled to the side. The glass bumped back without shattering. He tried plunging the yin-yang with yellow sun into the whirl glass. It thudded, the pole deflecting away from the poor white tiger.

"This shield prevents me from breaking it!" Po terrified, shrinking his pupils while slamming the glass sphere. "What did the black bear spit with at him?!"

"The Void! That water can let you see visions! The longer he sees, panda, he will die!" Lord Shen snapped.

"How?!" Tigress insisted.

The bubble dimmed its gloom to reveal Xing's eyes he squared, with tiny pupils; the white tiger cried out Shen's son in front of the albino. Shen noticed his son's name that Lao and Xing became brothers he could imagine of him and his wolf companion alike. He collapsed his crests. "Lao once saw his nightmare! He said that visions hurt his strength!" the panda hurried.

Tigress hurriedly grasped glimmered her paws. She pelted the glassy, void bubble on the right side of Xing's surrounding. The shadow ground stung from the shroud of clouds slipping her chi. It refused to shatter and free Xing. "I CAN'T! My chi won't breakthrough!"

NOOO! Xing clawed as he reached out to Lord Shen.

The peacock aimed his feather knives he glanced at the frightening white tiger after withdrawing.

"What did he see?!" Po demanded.


Deep spaces of ink were punctuated by a million white stars, glimmering along the horizon. In the middle, shadows drifted it clawed — the Milky Way. The land was full of gloomy structures, abandoned terrains the white tiger balanced his—floating? The grounds were scattering in slow, and steady as the rest soared. This place Xing assumed could be another realm like the Spirit Realm.

He always thought the Realm Po once said was all smaragdine and threatening before the gold endured the entanglement. What is this realm to manifest your naked eyes at the beautiful galaxy with the dark matter snaking in all the middle of the Milky Way?

"Brother?"

A lovable, boy's voice thundered next to the white tiger Xing turned to him. His peacock brother, small and innocent perched on the soft blue rocks. Xing and the young prince Dongji/Lao met along his peahen mother on the night. How was the small peacock so small and young in this timid vision?

"Lao?" Xing gasped, stretching his eyes toward his forehead.

"I want to go home," he sobbed. "I want my mommy!"

Confusing to wonder, Xing flared his eyes as clouds of dust crumbled underneath the peacock's talons. Gray sand revealed the flesh of muscles and bones, starting to crawl and disintegrated toward Lao's skull to ashes, left his garment tear apart.

"NOOO!" Xing screamed, his paw reaching out where his brother's head once faded. This illusion was unreal to witness this horrible fade, worst than nightmares which you could not sleep for days. He dug his paws onto his brother's small robe, and nothing else touching the peacock's feathers except dust and ashes raced in between his fingers.

The tips behind Xing's back climbed slow and hairy. That was strange. He did not catch the number of even and beyond what lied and crawled closer to the white tiger's upper left shoulder. Eight was a strange position before moving. Four limbs held up, four eyes glared at him with two of its fangs.

"WHOA! GET OFF ME!" Xing screamed, sweeping his paw at the tarantula. The tarantula dashed ahead of him; it bolted upwards and puffed with fogs. Voices were swimming in the clouds.

Every time the Five and I ventured into our perilous adventures, my heart kept pressing forward to Tigress.

Since you, your grandmother, and I are the only tigers left; we are a family.

A frightening woman's scream made Xing's head look back. Grounds became softer than solid and dirt. The light strangely floated behind its shadow. Beams from the sun, however, revolved around and could not escape from it. Only the shape of the circle and fires circulated. The horizon pulled its flesh apart from the flames, no longer beautiful that seemed nature was the only prosperous. Inside—

Two eyes of fire, black nasals and red teeth of the Komodo dragon in the hole behind the rupturing star startled the white tiger.


IV. It

The front of the glass scorched, the glass beam revealing the form of the body and beast-like face. The shadows swarmed over the glass; it swung all four. Slithering heads snapped, teeth and tongues revealed charcoal red, their eyes flaring velvet red.

Bandits screamed in terror at the farther back of the Dock Hinges.

"WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!" Po demanded in frantic, crawling back to rise the pythons hissed as they hurled one another.

The firelight ahead of Xing advanced when the breaking glass locked the white tiger throat it smothered and heaved him. Its lips stretched back, revealing sixty, sharp, ember teeth-like glass arrows the shadows slammed the glass waves.

Lord Shen hurled both feather knives into the sphere. None of his broke, or penetrated. Tai Lung elbowed one of the shadowy pythons it launched near his throat. Tigress and Po fought back; Lord Shen searched his son's guandao behind him. The sword was the one he stabbed Phantom's barricade. Will the guandao and Heaven's Wrath break in the sphere?

There was the only way to find out.

The Lord of Gongmen drew his son's guandao. "Get your colleague's katana, panda!" the peacock roared, behind Po, he pointed Heaven's Wrath it had disarmed shortly. "We stab that foam, together!"


The white tiger kept widening his eyes hard. He hauled his feet back, pulling his face away. Xing's body staggered. Guarding his arms of fook-sao, Xing vacuumed his hurried air once this monster in the black hole crawled closer. You encounter the beast, as it always hungers the fear you are its prey.

Xing was not ready to challenge the monster. It soared and clawed his throat at an instant reflex, lifting him. Its claw softly crushed his whole neck. The gray tongue slipped, licked his lips, and pulled its mouth wide open. The smell of flesh and burnt fire impacted Xing's nostrils when choking. It popped its sixty teeth, saliva dripping the tongue and mouth.

Die.

Death's brittle voice whispered.

The glass shattered from nowhere to be seen, twice from both sides. The sound of whispering blades struck each other. Both guandao and Heaven's Wrath drove in the monster's heart. The last thing Xing watched, was himself jerking away with a fading vision to rough waves.


Po grasped and heaved Xing out of the shattering sphere. The water shaded with gray silk; it saturated the crumbled bridge, even the unconscious white tiger. "Xing! I got you, buddy!" Po shouted, snatching Xing's right arm around the panda's neck behind, and supporting white tiger from collapsing.

Xing detected a cookie breath from the panda's mouth. He reckoned the panda who supposedly remind of his love Lotus eating sweets every day like there is no tomorrow. Xing glimpsed the panda's jade eyes. "Po?" he quivered his own throat with a strange look.

The glass shrieked, the ball once pushed away as if the reflection face of Komodo rumbled to its corpse, the void tearing to sides, the face crushed on top and below of the vortex. Crystals smashed, the harsh wind thrust the waves and all five, the ripples beating the harbor rocks and walls of the dock hinges.

The claw from the gyre, shrinking with dancing yellow lightning sparks, hurled forward as it breathed and screeched the wind. The shadow splashed the midnight silk water, and white foams angrily billowed.

"You're gonna be okay, buddy. Relax," Po calmed Xing, nodding and tugging his mouth. "Can you walk?"

They checked at his face, never before seen of Xing quivering his whole head and paws. Xing could not open his eyes. His head refused by looking away. "My—My legs…." he stammered inaudibly.

What has that bear done to him? Po horrified. Another mind influenced he nearly forgot one who stomped forward to a roleplay. Tigress breathed in she squinted at the bull who lied down on the stairway unconscious. No other jombies swarmed in the sky or skulking behind the roads and alleyways elsewhere. "Is Kai down?"

"He is. We cuff him with our chi," he said unmistakably, the white tiger's arm loosened behind Po's neck he—

Xing's paw locked the Dragon Warrior's left shoulder, refusing to set the panda free as if Po met his colleague's wobbling tears. Trembling his head, Xing softly shook, his throat thinning to speak. Po remained with Xing instead of uniting Tigress. "I got him, you cuff Kai. We'll question him later," he cooperated the Five's alpha she nodded once and went on toward the stairs.

Po brushed the white tiger's back. "You're going to be okay, buddy. Let me help you with that."

The panda's chi paw behind Xing's back warmed the spine tremble, the yellow son meandering in his veins and lungs Xing took his deep breath.

"Whatever that thing was, it looked scarier than the warlord Kai, you know what I'm mean?" Po questioned, his concern rising and falling he tried not to start petrified.

Neither of the rest commented Po's inquiry, but only one who approached near the edgy, tearful harbor bridge. "Every eye I stare an inch of this terrain, the recognition of me wrenched the conspiration I built and almost accomplished," the peacock lord thought in his silvery voice. "The Lord of Gongmen, The Mad Peacock, Peafowl Nobles' Proud Son, fell into the depths where the cannon splintered his bones he rested."

That was painful. Tai Lung thought, nodding with empathy to Lord Shen as the Great Dragon would reflect bones crack apart. To the snow leopard's worse was the turtle shell restraint needled his back, every shot stinging him from every inch Tai motioned.

Once Po was checking the white tiger brushing off the silky gray tears underneath his eyes, Po continuously held Xing around his left arm. "Is Phantom dead?" Xing's loose, inquiry voice crawled over his throat.

A terrifying glimpse to witness Xing who flew his body and visioned the illusion by Phantom's Void, they wandered close to the edgy bridge. Underneath the gray depths, the pale foams scattered, bubbles murmured it shrunk with a faint. The waves rippled in normal directions without crashing on ships and rocks over the Harbor. "Phantom had a worse temper, don't you agree, Shen?"

"Yes," the albino admitted, perceiving the black bear's vexation to be true. "Yes, she was."

Tai Lung, Shen, Po and Xing towered at the edge of the Gongmen Bay, peering at the sea of black and red sails, including the rain of fireballs across the unpredictable yellow sky, still crashing into Kai's clouds theme. Every ball impacted many enemy ships to sink toward the sea.


The conflict held off about a half hour after Phantom's defeat. Tigress's chi handcuffed Kai's wrists which preventing his jombie magical powers and controlling his army. More than a hundred jombies Kai controlled, now returning normal by the chi, vanished to the Spirit Realm as the other two hundred jombies defeated, randomly returned but plunged to a fatality. The cannons no longer spat their breaths whose coughed five hundred fire flames of red and white sparks.

All six (Po and Tigress secured Kai behind him) strolled to the medical apartments at the eastern province of Gongmen Hills. Thousands injured, resulting in what could go mild to severe when how badly you hurt. Neither of them liked hospitals, despite when anyone had critical injuries, depended on their fate. On the other story, family and friends concerned their loved ones.

The water bull tapped his ax to the floor after he sauntered. Huangdi united aside next to all five with bright yellow eyes and smiled upon his ears. The Emperor revolved his head to Xing who straightened his neck and back from all the minor injuries. The guards surrounded the perimeters, both Masters Bear and Chicken standing behind the buffalo Emperor. "My Emperor," Xing bowed in front of the Emperor, his back aching he clasped his left leg.

The Emperor dazzled his sun eyes before stepping ahead of Xing, but his vision fell from the enormous bull warlord behind the white tiger wandering. "How marvelous…!" he stunned, towering his back.

Shen and Tai Lung strayed their right they let the Emperor proceed. The Dragon Warrior stood beside the bull forward. "Oh yeah, that right here, my Emperor, is General Kai," Po introduced in an interesting way he gestured the warlord. "Beast of Vengeance, Maker of Widows."

The Emperor observed close to Kai. The beast lifted his head; Xing brightened the sunlight paws, blending with soft gray. "Be wary, your Grace," Xing warned him. "He hungers the light, ravenously."

A cautious warrior. Huangdi presumed. "In my early days, I heard many stories about the warriors along the Supreme Warlords," the buffalo pondered the unforgettable tale, glancing the feet through the head of General Kai's characterization. "Who or what brought you back before the Prince of Darkness?"

Amusing in suppression when his lips pressured, Kai met the Emperor's surprising eyes. "Either anyone wants me alive, might be a mortal or Oogway's tacky master," Kai answered sulky, the chi swimming along with his belly Tigress and Po grasped their chi. The warlord scoffed. "Buffalos. Taiyang had the same eyes you reminded me of him. It doesn't matter. You may question me, but better get over it, because the Beast of Vengeance refuses to cooperate."

The Emperor hummed to his acceptable perception. "We'll see, General," he wished, as Huangdi signaled his head with a nod to Po. "Take him into Gongmen Jail."

"Your Grace," the peacock prince Lao called. The young warrior ambled to the Emperor's side next to his brother. "Gongmen Jail was collapsed due to cannons' destruction."

Almost one-quarter of this city had blasted by the cannons squirming and catapulting across Gongmen. As noted from the young prince, Huangdi continued furthermore. "Very well. Take him to War Tent, Master Po. For now, he's your prisoner. Lead the Five and Lord Shen beside you, Dragon Warrior."

Half of the Furious Five squared their eyes in disbelief; however, Tigress narrowed hers she refused to reveal her defiance, the fire in her head only squirming she calmed, deeply calmed with the Dragon Warrior. The Masters led onto the south road Huangdi's guards escorted them; Lord Shen glanced back to his shoulders as his son stood by his white tiger brother.

Emperor Huangdi patted the white tiger's back. "You have fought well, young warrior," Emperor Huangdi said with tenderness. "Relief your strength, and join your colleagues when you are better, my child."

"Yes, my Emperor," Xing complied, his throat groaning in soft he pressed his upper left leg.

"The black bear?" The Emperor inquired the presence of the nemesis.

Steadying his respiration, Xing noted the Emperor. "She drowned in the harbor, your Grace."

Wings flapped among the city. A loyal goose messenger in gold robe soared and landed ahead of the Emperor. Panting when his arms began to sore, the messenger informed. "My Emperor! Great news from Master Storming Ox! Huoju's flagships have surrendered!"

The Emperor towered his back. "The battle is over. Gongmen City is OURS!" His fist reached out in the air with a loud, triumphant shout.

The waves of soldiers across the districts of Gongmen City returned their triumph in endless joy of all. The rest and nearly one-third of Huoju's fighters in pressure cuffs took their fall to contemplate the city's cry.

Tai Lung credited toward the rest of soldiers he helped the Five. This battle he thought of, could crumble as the war or battles were not the answers to volunteer, especially when the wise you listened to him, you only become what you are in the village instead of the war's flower.

As the Great Dragon glanced to the right, when Xing strolled with Lao backing behind the white tiger into the medical apartments, the young leopard Peng in green pants ambled in the concrete road toward his uncle. Peng's lips curl to the side, and Tai Lung grinned back. The red panda master's voice counseled his student Tai Lung reminisced.

You trained me as the worthy student, master. You taught me fighting and talked about peace with Oogway. How do you synthesize both? Tai Lung asked.

It is better to be a warrior in the garden than a cultivator of the war.


II. The Voice

Xing's PoV

My fingers drew the bowstring after I nocked the arrow. The rain and natural grass engulfed into my senses, the bolt and my paw on the handle was dripping with water. I love the rain, as the spiritual warriors among heaven cried with a soft bang of lightning. I was a child. So was the others (tiger cubs) like me shooting at the bow target stands, marked the circles with black ink.

How have I not remember this archery training before my old village's catastrophe? What makes me the best sharpshooter than all four? The young about my mother's height shot more than three arrows below the small, middle dot. The two about my age I stand in between them released their arrows; the right one landed various directions around the circle, and the left one bolted all except two fell top and left the mark.

I shot mines in the middle. Six arrows penetrated when shooting in the middle.

"Your boy has better eyes than yours, Shui," said the colossus behind me. My grandmother was named the temple after my father's. Who was with my father and the rest of the tiger villagers? The voice was not Kai's, or any of the giants.

"Yes. Yes," the other voice revealed the nostalgia of my father's: clever, smooth, and bold like mine. "One of the youngest archery of five who landed more than five bolts."

"Bless your son, and I admire your training," the mighty cherished. "Does your boy ever miss?"

My fingers flicked the bowstring I released. The arrow sliced the fast droplets and flew over the target. "Only once." Shui chuckled.

I turned where both voices chortled. A fast blink of white light jerked my chest and head upward.


The white tiger engulfed the hazy air he awakened, lying on the bamboo stretcher. The rain brushed and dripped his body as he ever reminisced the dream. It was not a dream, he wondered. It was a memory. A long, lost memory that was nearly impossible to remember that you were a child. But a family never forget what you did as a loving child as they reminded you of their story.

And to whom did this mighty person meet Xing's father at the archery training? And his last thought what Xing was manifested before, what were those visions? The claw—He could not dig other apparitions into his swimming mind; he had it all and happened to be fading so fast. Only one glimpse of the hoof it strongly grasped the dying sun, deep orange and red. They're not real—It's not real… Xing dreaded.

The sky blue feathers stroked Xing's shoulder to his left side. The other, a light gray paw brushed his fluffy cheek to his right. "Hey," the Nine's Dancer Lotus smiled with her pleasant tone rising her throat, her lips pressed Xing's.

Xing's fingers fondled Lotus's soft fur behind her neck. He hummed.

"Oh, my star," their peahen mother tendered.

"Are you alright, brother?" Lao nursed him, with care the peacock prince cherished his white tiger brother.

Xing nodded. "What a rush," he smirked. His adoptive mother, brother, and sister amused to his shocking sleep.

The Nine's Remedy Hong mounted on the stretcher next to Xing's right foot. The bunny in heaven and blossom robe palmed Xing's forehead. "It's good to have you awake, thank Oogway's blessing!" the bunny physician said conceitedly. "Do you feel any pain on your legs and your head?"

The white tiger gently motioned his feet and legs. No snapping bones to his whole knee, or his forehead burning within. "Nothing," he shook remarkably, towering his arms to lift and sit on the stretcher. "Have I miss anything?"

The white tiger's peacock brother sunk his feathers in long sleeves. "Not really, except one. One of Huoju's aces messaged the Emperor, gave us three days to rest."

Lies.

Xing rubbed his right ear. It was not his voice or anyone right in front of him. The woman's voice spoke into his head. Lao would never lie to me. Who the heck is talking to me? Xing concerned. "Did anyone meet me while I was resting?"

The Nine's Dancer clasped Xing's paws. "The Nine, Seven, Jade Palace, and Masters of Gongmen," Lotus shared her sympathetical voice. "Mei Mei and Lei Lei did as well. My daddy, Soothsayer, and Lao's dad were the last ones meeting you before the Emperor escorted them."

"And Nana?" Xing posed his grandmother's whereabouts.

"She did come and see you earlier," Lady Xia said with certain, her feathers rubbing her adoptive white tiger son's shoulder. "Ming had to help Po's two fathers with Shifu at Undercity."

"Where are the Masters of Jade Palace?"

"They are at the South Province in War Tent, close to the Holy Flame road," Lao informed his brother. "They are briefing the beast." Xing recognized the word "beast" as referring Beast of Vengeance he instantly recalled the fight with Tigress. There's no mistake how strong the warlord is as Xing felt the jade fists hammering toward his elbow blocks, like a hammer slamming the nail.

A whispering lady's voice in Xing's head intervened.

Venture there and meet Kai, now.

What is the meaning of this? Who's—?

There's no time to answer, my child. The wrath is on the march to the mountains. Lead yourself to my husband.

No time to argue the lady's frantic voice as Xing shook his head. While managing to lean out of bed, the white tiger perceived only one thing he remembered the lady's voice from the katana sword. Wugu. "I need to go there," he only hastened his tone, springing out of the medical tent.

Xing hastily equipped Heaven's Wrath next to his waist and Mongolian bow and quiver behind his back. "Brother?" Lao confused, watching his brother rush out of the medical doorway.

"Stay with our mother, Lao. I'll be back," he urged his brother. Xing had no other time to clarify the voice and this "Lies" situation. Treading across the hilly road toward the South district when masking his concern and quiver body, Xing let out his counter. "My Lady. My brother would never lie in front of my muzzle."

The news your friend shared to you by the Emperor, gave a false statement from my brother's ace. Enemies never rest.

The horizon laid orange with light cherry clouds. The sun slowly declined toward the edge of heaven. As he even glimpsed a small scene of the vision when cutting through the crowd of rhinos and the rest of Huangdi's soldiers in the street, Xing paced his stroll as his heartbeat flown fast in his veins. Would the claw ever clench the sun?

Behind him, a she-wolf followed onto all fours.


"Under no circumstances, you turn back against me, my nephew, or Po." Tigress towered her back, leaning against the albino who glared his ember red eyes at her. "You betray anyone; only I will hunt you myself."

The reptile snake's tail grasped Tigress's right wrist. "Tigress, there's no point to judge him while we are in the middle of this catastrophe!" Viper uttered. "We talked about this with Po, so whether we like it or not to agree our panda brother's vow, the Five will help him out."

The avian stepped in, his feathers seeming to gesture and suppress both Shen and Tigress meeting her muzzle and his beak about an inch. "Let's say that only half of us could agree, and the other half do not like it, but we accept Po. Two: we do not trust the Lord of Gongmen, but all of us trust the Dragon Warrior help him." Crane reasoned, darting his eyes at Tigress's stiff, honey embers. "Po vouched for Shen because he believes in him."

For a moment hearing out the Five's argument, the peacock tugged both feathers in his long, silk sleeve. "You have my word, Female." The albino oathed without an inch of his grimace lips and eyes.

Mantis on top of Crane's hat jumped and pointed. "Whoa, hey! Xing's back."

The white tiger jogged out of the mild crowds behind him. Lotus followed as she sprinted. Shortly, the panda strode out of the war tent's path behind Crane; Lord Shen rotated where his presence met the white tiger's arrival. "Xing! Hey, buddy!" Po spread his arms wide open in exciting. "You are okay!"

"Dragon Warrior." Xing greeted, his breath softly panting.

"You are relieved." Lord Shen hummed, unmasking his face to a friendly manner toward his son's companion. "I trust that you did rest well and regain your strength?"

The white tiger nodded. "Yes, my Lord."

"What was the vision looked like?" the panda asked, genuinely treating his colleague's visions from Phantom's void water Shen discovered.

Xing did witness the unpredictable visions, similar to his old ox companion Niu. His smile faded, shaking dearly. "I can't remember it all," Xing enunciated, observing the Five, Shen, and Po's eyes as half gazed and the others listened. "There were no nightmare encounters, Po. Everything had faded, happened so fast. I was no longer feeble."

Shen rolled his head with determination. Odd. The peacock reflected, meeting Po's eyes as they concerned the white tiger. "Anyway, Dragon Warrior. Is Kai inside the tent?" Xing sought the war tent's pathway. The jade eyes dimmed into the darkness.

"Yeah. Why do you ask?" Po asked suspiciously.

He strolled toward the path. "I need to talk to him," Xing told the panda.

"Good luck with that one, Xing," the bug forewarned Xing. The Nine's leader ceased his feet near the tent's path. He met the insect's solemn orbs. "That guy hasn't let a word out of his mouth for hours."

His eyebrows stretched toward his forehead. "Not a single word from Kai?" he inquired the bug dubiously. The Five except Tigress shook their heads in a horrified expression. Xing returned his glance at the tent's path, masking his tremble from his heart as if on the inside, he dared to enter and let his chi submit. He would be ready. "That will be me if he likes to speak."

Then, the white tiger entered the tent, and Lotus behind the Furious Five strode. Tigress was not the only person who thought of her nephew, desperately to discern him. "Lotus. What's wrong with him?"

Shen immediately met Wolf Boss's daughter's ocean eyes. Her face revealed the copy to half of her father's greasy fur including the smirk, and the other half belonged to Lotus's mysterious mother Shen never met Zhong's wife. "I don't know," Lotus muddled, utterly hesitating a second before inhaling. "While we ran, Xing said the claw would grasp the sun, and some lady in his head speaks with him."


III. The Roleplay

Over four questions later from Po's demands, the warlord's eyes continued meeting the concrete floor. The bull's both hooves held on the bamboo structures beside his head height as his two feet separated on the pavement; all four limbs with Po's chi wrapped to prevent freely.

The war tent only breathed from the warlord's harsh muzzle.

"Who are you, little kitten?"

A low, mighty tone vibrated the tent's sheets elsewhere. Xing's heart seemed inaudibly thundered the white tiger balanced pacing breath from his muzzle.

Speak to my husband, my child. Wugu suppressed Xing's intense feeling, her voice relieving his veins that flown within his fur everywhere. General Kai gazed at the tiger's chi that quietly raced toward his heart and mind. "I am Xing Chen," he tapped his chest twice. "The Nine's Leader, and one of the Dragon Warrior's colleagues."

"The look of my teacher's eyes and fluffy cheeks enticed me," he spoke with honest approval.

"I shouldn't be surprised. You have recalled my ancestor, alright." Xing stated calmly. "I thought about Master Wing some other time who educated you —" he pressed his curious question without demanding. "— Does my recognition ever occur to you, even when you did remember her?"

"Only a small glimpse of my master, who raised me before stepping into war," Kai said sincerely. Giving thoughts more, the warlord met the pavement he proceeded. "Groomed, bathed, embraced, and sparred my teacher. During the war, the rest of fighters from the clans my army defeated them in a few battles; the prisoners volunteered their trial by combat. For those who dared to challenge against the Mighty, I shattered their spines back, and every widow wailed their loved ones who I brawled."

The Maker of Widows. Xing nodded, noticing the warlord's title Kai spoke out. Without flowing through words to prattle anyone from Kai, the white tiger insisted. "Tell me. You spoke to my panda colleague here that I have a chi what no one but me ever blessed. Am I your brother's next successor?"

Kai's eyes squared ahead of the white tiger. "Who? My brother?" Kai towered his voice casually. "His chi is not the same as yours." The Maker narrowed at him, tilting his head. "Did Oogway share his power to one of your kind?"

"Probably not," the white tiger pointed out, his pupils glancing at his aunt beside the Dragon Warrior they only held their lips back. "As I took a glimpse of my newest sword I touch, the past soared me into swordsmen who carried Heaven's Wrath—" Xing's paw browsed the katana sheath next to his waist; Kai guided his pupils, holding the breath under his throat. "— Through generations, until the last wielder who volunteered in the Great War beside you and Oogway, and two warlords, the she-ox warrior submitted her own life Wugu pushed you out of the house, and you wielded Heaven's Wrath against Huoju who murdered his sister."

How could this tiger know everything? Where was he when Kai fought Huoju? The bull almost grasped his tongue back without convincing the tiger in a slight moment. Every person holding the sword - the sword itself has the tale, and any man or woman rarely listened to the winds from the war and crying warriors.

Kai sharpened his pupils at Xing. "How did you get that sword, little kitten?" he demanded gravely.

You found my weapon, your ancestors' sword in the library.

The ladyship's bold, whispering, a beautiful tone echoed through Xing's ears. "It's difficult to simplify. There were voices, and yours truly, guided me in the library, and I searched this heaven sword." Xing answered.

This beast often contemplated his wife how she rewarded her sword from her last wielder, an Indian elephant, the kung fu master and a fortune teller from the western province near the Himalayas. Another tales before the elephant, Kai even thought of how one panda with snow paws handed the katana to the peahen princess from Eastern China before vanishing into the crowd of bandits toward the Northern Wall.

Kai recognized a few warriors before Wugu warned that this katana could attract a powerful nemesis, to keep them safe or away from it at a far distance instead of facing a common enemy. As the sword became precious, the valuable how the sword's metal came from the heavens, Kai wondered what if this sword could sway the demons, and the other as evil would not.

His thought interrupted from Xing who continued further. "There's a reason you came here. Not just you and your jombies break in as 'party crashers.' What I convince your bold move before all this," Xing revolved his pointy paw, "you failed Oogway to seek vengeance and justice, while you sought your brother doing his chi he once educated by panda monks."

Most warriors were sure to Oogway's history, he and Kai ventured through dangerous courses as if the beast carried his brother all the way, wherever they found the Panda Monks beyond the mountains, and later, complications between him and Oogway were severe. Perhaps the change was a better way to Oogway. Probably vengeance was a better way using the greatest gift from the pandas Kai wanted power. Maybe either of them never takes the loss from war, but only one had to move on.

Kai seemed to consider sensing more chi powers. "Well, not this revenge you are going after the Dragon Warrior and for those who brawled against you." Xing continued in veracious, ambling three steps forward near Kai about one foot away from their muzzles. "What I believe your retaliation, on the other hand, is how you truly hate Huoju more than Oogway."

The bull seemed reflecting the crimson eyes of the warlord who scorched his old house, less than one hundred dreams he visioned: the Prince's laugh, his wife's agony within the fire, and the rain absorbing through his fur and long mane. "I can give you two choices: Either Po takes you to Spirit Realm to let Oogway troll you for the next five hundred years, or you fight with me to cease Huoju's wrath." Xing narrowed at him, giving a slight grin.

Both Po and Tigress glanced at the white tiger shockingly. "Xing?! You must be crazy!" the panda stunned.

Through disbelief and shaking his head, Kai chuckled. "You remind me of my old master," he said gravely, stretching both arms and neck toward Xing. "Such lovely and encouraging. Not bad for a kitten's paw fight. What am I to you?"

The panda thrilled as his feet tapped. "Oh, I can help you that!"

"I got this, Po," Xing gestured his paw near Po; as the panda did, the white tiger held his chin up. "You might or might not have known everyone else recognizes you. As I recall, you are the Supreme Warlord, knowing Beast of Vengeance, the Maker of Widows. Additionally, the Collector who claims every warrior's chi."

"Yes," the bull nodded.

"And there's the other. You are gonna like this one, Po."

Po's eyes slid from Kai to Xing. "What?" the Dragon Warrior asked.

"You are one of the Mightiest Warriors." Xing divulged the Supreme Warlord's secret title, one of four of warlords.

Kai's pupils widened, perceiving the white tiger's prove how every master contemplated the history of him and his tortoise brother. Of course, there were other histories they including both peacock lord and snow leopard commander pledged Taiyang as the Mightiest Warriors. Their victory battles. Their lead. Their empowering styles of kung fu, wing chun, and tai chi. Their blessing from the swan who touched three (but Oogway created light) warriors to bond elements of water, earth, and fire.

The beast jerked his head. "YES!" he cried out gladly. "FINALLY!"

"Wait, for real?!" Po asked in surprising "Did I miss something important?!"

"Tigress and I forgot to mention Emperor Taiyang's Mightiest Warriors, Po," he asserted him. His left paw approached the warlord. "Kai became one of the badasses."

"Before I spare you, little kitten, beef the panda, in which case I can pardon for brawling you!" Kai smirked to wickedness.

Po and Xing glanced hastily in doubt. "Yeah, about that," Xing's head shook.

"That is your problem."

"We hate to break this to you, Kai," the panda pressed. "I can put you back where you belong."

Both hooves pressed to fists. "I accept your rematch," Kai defied menacingly.

Po hurtled toward Kai. Xing guarded his paw against Po he stopped the panda. "You will not," Xing rebuffed both.

"And why not?" Kai demanded before the Dragon Warrior nearly opened his mouth to speak.

"There's no such thing to rematch anyone like children bullying other children — for those who own the land or becoming the Supreme Warlord of all China," Xing stated boldly, crossing his arms. "You could be in here, waiting for someone like Po here to escort you back in Spirit Realm with Oogway. But that is not going to happen. As I said that you dislike Huoju more than your brother, you are in the role to play."

The bull scoffed. "What play do I care?"

"Fight with Po and others, whether you like it or not." Xing pointed out. "Since you have lost the battle, and a few days later the war ended the rebellion, you continued to rebel against the Fire Clan bandits; your style suited in the war. The other who cared you the most, vengeance and chi are not the answer to stumble every last one of the enemy." His paws seemed to clasp behind his back in understandable tale Kai kept his eyes dart at him. "Yes, your brother took you away, despite what you could not join his change, despite what you hungered hate and empowered your jade, and despite what you did to Panda Monks they healed you and gave you both their gift."

His tone almost crawled to a rough argument, as ever warrior deeply considered of the Maker's actions. Both Tigress and Po were never seeing how this white tiger expressed care in front of the warlord. "Ten years earlier, you returned and noticed most of everyone forgot about Oogway's brother. And I am deeply regretful you are for what Oogway exiled you. He didn't make a choice. He didn't want to destroy his brother, Oogway would never do that in his character."

Kai's concern thoughts swarmed to cover the face of his brother, who admired him, loved him, fought together you could imagine of their faces beaming. He knew to be true, even as his brother "betrayed" him, Oogway did put him away from arrogance and threatening. His valor engulfed into hate. "Unite with Po and the Mightiest Warriors, and after defeating Huoju, your reputation will redeem."

Redeem. That will never happen. Kai disgusted as his thoughts faded. "I hated Oogway," Kai grunted. "There will be no promises after this, boy. Claiming chi fits into my purposes."

The white tiger dazzled his eyes around his pupils. "Go ahead, steal their souls." Xing dared him stonily. "You may fail more to avenge my ancestor's palace for your brother's sake."

"Kai's testing you, Xing." Po behind Xing calmed him.

"I am the spirit warrior! You should know how to do the trick you sent us!" Kai's left hoof gestured a pinch.

Xing's aunt strode beside the white tiger she narrowed her eyes in disappointment. "Perhaps the Spirit Realm is your home then, part of isolation and banishment." Tigress expressed. "For Xing's insanity idea, there will be no clashes. After Huoju's defeat, Kai fights back. After we banish Kai, we are on our own, regarding Huoju and his army as all of us can eliminate them all however we can."

"Perhaps you are right then, Tigress," Xing admitted, then his eyes glaring at the bull warlord's pupils. "Maybe he won't help us. Maybe he will but soon jombie us."

"Can I talk with you for a moment, buddy?" the panda whispered next to Xing's right ear.

Xing had little hopes of the warlord by bringing another advantage to win this battle. Neither of the ideas could solve as if Kai wanted souls—but why not Huoju?

Following the panda behind, Xing sighed in defeat. The whisper seemed to brush over his thoughts, clawing his fur like goosebumps. Leave this city, my dear. Wrath is not far away. Look for me in the mountains. Wugu warned.

"Are you a student of history?" Xing rose his chin from Kai's demanding, stupendous inquiry. Looking back to the Maker, Xing tugged his lips back, trying not to cover praiseworthy toward Kai, regardless of the bull's contempt and reckless against the masters.

"Sadly, General, I am." Xing drained his voice, proving he studied General Kai for years.

Farther back as the white tiger followed the panda, Po grasped the yin-yang jade staff from the wooden table ahead of him. The stick staff seemed glimmering in soft light green. "Listen, Xing," Po began to clarify as Xing clasped his paws behind him. "Not going to be a serious panda here, but many who witnessed like me at his hardcore power, we faced how dangerous this big guy is from whatever Kai went across China before his last arrival in the panda village —" Po brushed his staff the white tiger thought of detailed plans. Furthermore, the Dragon Warrior added, "— Having him on your side is complete madness. What if Kai turns back on you and shifts your soul as his newest jade amulet trophy?"

"I have you, Po. You'll have to be on my back for as long as we gather the Mightiest Warriors and stop the Prince," he hinted. "If Kai strongly wishes to betray behind our necks, then you can —" Xing's finger snapped, "— obliterate him again."

The panda nodded. "You do have a point there, Xing," Po notified reasonably. "I would love to say awesome, you know because that's how you aren't the only one desirably want Kai on your side. Like me, however, wanted Shen, but here's my old enemy, anyway."

"Yeah," he copied the panda's nod. For a moment, he manifested his paw toward the panda, light chi and soft gray glimmering like diamonds. "Do you think I am Oogway's next successor, Po?"

"Chosen. An awesome student. Oogway's successor. Hardcore warrior. We all are, buddy," the Dragon Warrior spread his arms wide. "Let's be honest; you can be Kai's worst nightmare."

"I HEARD THAT!"

Kai's growl behind Xing sprang Po's back; the white tiger's spine once shivered as he flicked his black ears. The wind has ears as any dangerous, smart, or both could overhear your conspiracy to plot against warlords, cunning masters.

The white tiger's head shook naturally. "He's not that frightening," Xing discerned.

Kai will be.

They will be.

You will be.

The voice of Wugu haunted Xing to her warning call. The tone seemed quivering, combining the mix of horrors and fading warrior cries. Her voice washed away Xing rambled his head, yet going dizzy. As he did shortly, the panda rolled his head. "Are you okay, buddy?"

He could hear the panda approach him. Po's eyes brightened as he met Xing's; he drew the look away. On Xing's belt, the sword mumbled in between the sheath and tsuka. Xing glanced where Po watched the katana. The grasp was warming, and the blade revealed the forbidding letters of crimson.

Only one letter near the habaki painted natural cobalt. A name. Wugu.

The winds cracked as the War Tent within shaded a little dark. The white tiger quietly drew his katana that glowed red from the letters, visioning on the front path. Widening at the Collector and two masters inside the tent in distress, Xing hurried toward the way and out of the tent. Vibrant sounds of the growl approached from the Northwest Mountains the white tiger observed.

The sky in the North colored to a charcoal gray. And beyond the tip of the steep mountains, the clouds bent its deathly wings, its scarlet eyes threatening at the whole city of Gongmen. The shrouds formed the powerful creature it bellowed among the heaven, with the fire-spitting from its mouth.


Author's Note:

Did I frighten you all at the beginning? The nightmare part was meant to publish on Halloween, but things went crazy to such further delay. Notify me when I miss anything on this chapter!

On the side note: The 58th chapter is the finale! And an additional two epilogues will post in a later future! Moving on to the rest of the working chapters, the acts of Huoju's Wrath looms soon!