The road to the docks wasn't as safe as it was seen at the first sight there had been several encounters with the trolls' together with a stone monster who were incredibly defeated easily. On the road near the docks the group also encountered several other groups of wolves from Shen's army who tried to attack them, it was expected by Shen for that to happen, only when they saw him they stopped or didn't attacked, he given them new orders to be on the side of the masters and help them liberate the city. Now the group that was now consisting of 19 wolf soldiers arrived at the docks with success, everything seemed clear for but there could be a trap and a surprise attack at any moment.
"Well, here we are." Mantis said at the docks with all the ships still docked and covered in a ghostly blue mist.
"Great and what we have to do now?" Po asked.
"We are looking for a boathouse." Shen said taking several steps ahead of them
"Yeah, we are in a port there are dozens of boathouses." Po said.
"I know, but we are looking for a specific boathouse, one that has the peacock symbol. In that boathouse is the entrance to the secret passage." Shen said while looking around.
"It will take a while till we find it; we have separate and search for it." Shen said. Everyone spread out to search for the boathouse, all the masters and wolves began to search both the front and around all the boathouses at the docks, many of them had all kinds of different symbols from fish to fireworks to silk, wool and others but no peacock. Po was looking at one who was near a ship with red sales anchored nearby he looked first around it before turning to the front, where he noticed a peacock with its tail feathers wide open above the door.
"Guys I found it." Po called tracking everyone's attention and went there.
"This is it." Shen said and moved forward to open it, but right before touching the door they heard a large growl from behind them and looked back to see five trolls and 10 living statue like soldiers.
"Now this is going to be harder than we thought." Monkey said moving in attack position, but right before they noticed a group of 5 wolves and three gorillas came in and attacked the monsters with spears, crossbows, swords and fighting axes, the gorillas attacked the stone soldiers first and put down six, hitting them very hard before throwing them to the trolls' heads while the wolves dealt with the rest of them. But then stone monsters came out from the earth and attacked them.
"What do we do?" Harry asked worried about soldiers.
"We should help them." Mantis said wanting to go into battle.
"No, they will attack you they don't know of the change of plans." The one wolf said.
"Then what do we do now?" Po asked. The wolf boss thought for a moment and said.
"You must go and stop that monster; we will take care of them."
"My friend I want to help you." Shen said wanting to aid him.
"My lord, with all due respect, but you can't you must show them the way through the tunnels. It seems that instead of occupying it you will liberate it." The wolf boss said.
"But you could be killed." Po said.
"My clan had always encountered situations like this, it isn't unusual for us, we will be all right we are warriors." He said and everyone got inside the house, Shen was the last to enter but just before he entered the Chang called back.
"Shen!" he turned around.
"It was an honor being you're friend." He said.
"The same for me Chang, the same for me." He said before the Wolf Boss go to his troops and Shen entered in.
"Let's show those demons what we are made of." He said loud and charged at the monsters shouting " WRAAA"
"All right then so where is the entrance?" Monkey asked inside the boathouse, Shen looked around to remember how to open it he looked around it and noticed something like three sailing boats and some fishing nets, before noticing a line of wooden squares lined up on the wall. He approached them and pressed the second one from right to left and from the ground beneath them a small door opened revealing a dark tunnel.
"Here it is." Shen said before turning to the others.
"We have to walk through the tunnel straight forward for a time. Later we will notice five other tunnels each one leads in different parts of the palace; First from the left leads outside at the main gate, the second in the palace grounds, the third inside the palace, the fourth in the gardens, and the fifth in the palace temple."
"So we will take the third one that leads inside the palace." Tigress said taking a few steps forward; Shen placed a wing in front of her to stop.
"If we take the third one we will encounter other two passages; one takes us to the living room, the other to the throne room." He said.
"Then we take the one to the throne room he is certainly there." Mantis said.
"I agree but there is one thing to take notice. The passage is very narrow it is not suitable for the ones with a giant mass." He said and all looked at Po.
"What?" He asked.
"It seems that you will have to work hard in getting to the throne room." Crane said.
"I haven't referred only him." Shen said turning to the masters Ox and Croc.
"We will take the one to the living room then we will come and help." Master Ox said.
"Now let's go there is no time to lose." Master Croc said and everyone entered the dark tunnel. Shen leaned a torch on the right side of the tunnel closing the tunnel's hatch before taking one torch, lightened it with two rocks and began to walk forward, the tunnel wasn't very large or very narrow, it was in the middle of them, there was also a small channel of running water near. Everything was really gloomy but not as gloomy as outside with all the creatures (hope there was none in the tunnels). After a couple of minutes of walking in complete silence Po speaks.
"Hey, Shen I wish to know, why does the first tunnel to the left leads to the front gates of the palace."
"The tunnels were made by my great-great-great-grandfather who sometimes considered himself a great architect but he often had his head buried in the clouds, he also couldn't see too well, when he drew the plan for the tunnels he was distracted by something outside and he mistakenly drew in the direction outside the main gate. He only realized that after the tunnel was completed." Shen explained.
"Right and the third one, that goes into two directions."
"Back then the present living room was the throne room, he had to change it because one time at a festival an assassin almost cut his trout with a dagger, because of this he moved it high up at the seventh floor and when he drew the second tunnel it was the same story, he got distracted by the weather outside and wanted to write a poem, and instead of writing 32m for the size of the tunnel he wrote 23m. He in was rather a poet then an architect. Some buildings from his reign that still exist today also have strange designs. The Gongmen Hospital for example looks leaned on the right side while the rooms are straight." He explained, they had walked for another 15 minutes until Shen noticed the five tunnels before stopping he stopped.
"We arrived." He said before lightening the other torches near the tunnels with the one he was holding.
"Great and we know which one." Po said in confidence and walked to the one in the middle, he barely entered before being almost electrified and thrown on his back.
"Aw. What happened?" He asked getting his head up to watch. Shen who was near and noticed what happened took a step in the tunnel to see what could have made the Panda to be thrown back, he extended his wing forward just three inches and some green sparks appeared, busting it throughout his body causing him to retreat.
"It is barred, by a spell. We can't go through."
"We have to try the others then." Tigress said before looking to the others to choose another one. Harry went behind the group and concentrated his power into his right wing and whispered "Lumos." For a small beam of light to come from his fore feather before consulting his note book, he looked at every page but couldn't find any spell for the door.
"Nothing." He whispered for no one to hear "it must be a much more advanced one that didn't appeared in my books." He placed the notebook back in his bag, and just in that moment he thought.
'If that tunnel is blocked with a spell then the others must contain traps.' He went back to the front of the group.
"If we can't go through this one, we will go through the one next to it." Tigress said wanting to take the fourth tunnel.
"Ah, mistress." Harry came forward tracking her attention. "Maybe we should first check the other tunnels, the third one is blocked with a spell but the others might contain traps." Tigress thought for a moment about this issue, in her mind the young one could be right, but the issue was how exactly they could check this theory, in that moment he noticed some round rocks on the ground, she took one in her hand and said.
"In this case we will throw those rocks in each tunnel to see which one is clear." She turned around and threw the rock in the tunnel, in just a matter of seconds they heard something moving inside and a strange vine appeared and stopped after five centimeters. Everyone was thoughtful about this, how could a plant grow in a place without sun.
"A vine? I knew of alleges and moss growing in old places, but even they need sunlight." Mantis said.
"What kind of vine is this to grow so fast?" Viper asked.
"Oh I know what that is; it almost strangled me when Harry and I were trapped in that building." Po said everyone turning to him.
"And how have you survived?" Master Ox said.
"I tried at first to fight it off, but Harry told me to relax and find inner peace and when I did that it realist me. He surely observed everything really fast." He explained.
"Or he read about it." Tigress said looking at the young crane with a bit of suspicion. Harry gulped at her expression; she was surely suspecting he was hiding something but he prayed in his mind that she will not advance further and think he was a wizard.
"Any way, we can't go in this direction if we will be strangled by the vines." Tigress said turning to the last one to the right that leads to the temple. He threw another rock inside it rolled until it began to heat something, it was clear they thought before hearing the rock hitting something again, Tigress thought for a moment and took a lightened torch to go inside and kneeled on the ground bringing the torch closer, it was something much further and moved another step and noticed a giant bottomless hole under a translucent floor, she began to stand up and the floor seemed to be back to normal. "Another trick." She said to herself.
"Tigress what's going on. Is the path clear?" Viper asked.
"No, the floor has been spelled to cover a bottomless pit we can't go this way." She said coming back to the group.
"In this case we have to try one of the first two." Crane said and took a rock and threw it in the second tunnel from the left, they remained silent to hear a sound of any kind, they waited for a minute to wait but there was nothing unusual.
"Well it seems that this one is clear." Po said and took several steps forward everything seemed ok, but just when he entered the tunnel Viper sensed a chill while the others didn't. She began to tremble tracking Crane's attention.
"Viper, are you all right?" He said concerned about his colleague, Harry then turned around to see what is happening.
"Sorry, but I sense a chill everything seems to get colder." She said.
"Oh yeah now I began to sense that as well. It's coming from the tunnel" Mantis said breathing some steam out from his mouth.
'An unusual cold, steam from the mouth.' Shen thought in his mind realizing what that could mean and looked at the Soothsayer who had the same thing in mind.
"Dragon Warrior, get out of there!" She shouted but Po was too concerned about the cold coming from the tunnel.
"Oh boy what is this cold?" He asked with his hands around him to get warm.
"Get out of there now! The tunnel is guarded by a demon." Shen said and Po ran out from the tunnel.
"We must take the last tunnel we have, the colder it gets the closer it is we need to go now." Shen said, he didn't want him or the others to be near those things again.
"But we don't know if it is safe." Monkey said and right in that moment a strong wind came out and put out the fires from the torches in the room.
"There is no time now for checking we need to take the risk." Tigress said and ran in the tunnel followed by Shen, Soothsayer and the Masters council, the others looked at each other for a moment and decided that there is no other option and rushed in, just in time the black hooded creature came out and looked around confused to see no one there. The group was running in the tunnel as fast as they could.
"How long it will take us to get to the gates?" Tigress asked while running.
"We must go forward, then turn left and then right, when we reach a room with a ladder, we will be at the tower's main staircase. Then we will only have to get inside." Shen said. "If we continue to run we will be there in only five minutes."
In the meantime.
Professor Quirrel was at the balcony of the Tower of the Sacred Flame waiting for his trap to be unleashed and accomplish the plan that will bring the Dark Lord back to life.
"Soon they will arrive, I sense it." Voldemort said from the back of his head, Quirrel was buried in thoughts about the plan of his lord especially by a certain detail; the Dark Lord could sense his thoughts and could tell what his concerns are, he could of course let him find out on his own but he would rather preferred to ask him out loud.
"I can sense your concerns my follower, tell me, what is the thing that bothers you?" He asked with a weak voice.
"Master, you told me to put traps at the tunnels that leads here, but why you told me to let the one that leads outside the main gates instead of the one that leads in the palace grounds and to get rid of the guards inside and outside?" Quirrel asked.
"It is simple, if they would have entered inside the palace grounds they would have directly went inside together with Potter, which would have ruined the plan and I also planned for them to witness the arrival of the dark lord in they're world. And show them that we will be the rulers and submit them to our will." He said.
"Excellent plan my lord, but what if Potter would want to resist and stop us?" Quirrel asked.
"You shall destroy him in front of his beloved animals. Besides what he learned will be useless against us." He said and began to make an evil laugh together with his apprentice same.
…..
"Here we are." Shen said after arriving in a room with an iron ladder.
"We need to know if the path is clear before climbing." Tigress said before turning to the others.
"We need someone see if there are any creatures out there." Tigress said, but no one moved an inch which made Tigress to growl a little. Harry raised his right wing to offer as volunteer, the others thought that even this might be too dangerous.
"Harry, you are too young yet." Tigress said to him.
"But Master Tigress how hard could it be to check if there are any guards out there?" Harry asked.
"They are not average guards you encounter every day. They are a whole different story." Tigress said and he placed his wing down.
"I will go and see." Monkey said before going to the staircase and began to climb as fast as he could. He then used all his strength to move the stone on one side and started watching around for any guards, he at first expected to see lots of creatures but there were none, nor at the gates or around them. He was now intending to go outside to see more.
"Monkey do you see something?" Po asked.
"Well how could I explain this to you?" Monkey asked.
"What do you mean by that Monkey?" Po asked.
"Just tell us how many they are." Tigress said.
"You will believe I am joking, but there are none, there are no creatures of any kind out there." He said.
"What! But that is impossible when they took me to the Gongmen Prison there were dozens of them; it is not possible for them to disappear." Shen commented it was foolish to let you're self defenseless, only if there was a trap. Everyone was dump stuck if there were no guards where are they. Surely there was something, but what. In any case they better get out from the tunnel while there were none at the moment, thinking for a moment if there weren't outside then maybe they were at the palace grounds ready for a trap. They all began to climb the ladder or fly up, for most except Po it was easy to climb while he was having more difficult to pull all his weight, he usually doesn't have good relationships with stairs or ladders.
"One should get on the wall and see if there are any guards but it should be one that wouldn't be spotted." Crane said thinking for a moment.
"Mantis you're in. Jump on the wall and see if there are any guards inside." He said turning to the insect who nodded, he immediately went to the stairs and started jumping on the wall until he reached the top while the others were watching; he stayed there for several minutes before coming back to the others.
"So how is the situation, will be easy, will be hard?" Po asked.
"I don't know what word to place on our situation. There are no creatures inside." Mantis exclaimed.
"What do you mean there are none? They should have been many by now." Master Ox said.
"There is certainly a trap." Shen said tracking everyone's attention.
"When I came here the first time there were no guards as well. I only saw empty streets and the palace grounds were completely deserted, only he appeared and engaged me and my army on his own and beaten us. He also used a spell to throw the wolf soldiers in the air and outside the city, only after that the creatures came in." He said.
"But if he did that to you already, why he is doing this again?" Viper asked and in just several seconds the peacock remembered something.
"How fool I am. I now remember." Shen said slapping his head with his wing. "He wants to get something."
"What does he wants?" Tigress asked.
"When he came to the prison, he told me of a boy that has the key to an object that would give back his master's powers. But I haven't understood what he wanted to say by that exactly" Shen said.
"Whatever he meant, he will have nothing from us except a taste of kung fu." Po said smiling really confident and clenching his fists in his hands.
"Let's go and finish off the job." He said turning to the others.
"Panda think just for a moment, it really could be a trap." Shen said but Po began to run to the gates ready to hit them as hard as he could for them to open.
"Is he always like that?" Shen asked the tiger master.
"Many times." Po jumped in the air ready to hit the gates but before hitting them, they had opened and the panda crashed inside he immediately came back on his feet and looked around for any enemy creature, but nothing, there was no trace of any monster. The rest then followed.
"We must move slowly and with cautions. We don't know what we will encounter." Master Croc said. The courtyard was immense, everything was perfectly arranged and paved, and the main road had flags blown by the wind on each side, everything seemed quite for the moment. Harry was impressed by the size of the Palace and of the good taking of it, the Jade Palace was also beautiful and had everything arranged, but this palace seemed much more big, the only thing was that the Tower of the Sacred Flame didn't had the flower arrangements that the Jade Palace had.
After looking around he noticed a strange mirror with golden marks around it and with some ornaments, for Harry it was like any other mirror he encountered nothing too unusual. He moved closer, to his disbelief he saw aside from his present reflection as a crane he also saw his human form together with people around him all humans some older and some around 30-45 years of age; Some had the same green eyes, one had the same knees as his human form, one of the older woman that was probably of his grandmothers was nodding and smiling at the same time. There were also other two people that were standing beside him, a man and a woman; the man had the same characteristics as his human form and the woman the same green eyes like him.
"M-mother, f-father, how?" He asked confused almost shedding a tear, the woman in that moment placed a hand on his crane form shoulder. He then looked around him but saw none of the people shown in the mirror. He turned back to his reflection, everything was there but how he asked, he moved his head up and saw an inscription (translate in Chinese) but he couldn't work it out what he wanted to say. He tried to figure out what it wanted to mean but his vision was always moving back to his reflection, he after a time noticed that his human reflection was doing the same as his crane reflection.
While looking back at the inscription he felt a touch on his shoulder at the part where his father was. He moved his head and noticed his Master and Lord Shen with a concerned look on they're face.
"Harry is everything all right?" Crane asked.
"Yes master I am only trying to describe what this inscription means." He said pointing at the inscription on the mirror. "I can't figure out what it means."
"Hm, no wonder, it's written backward." He said, turning his face to him. "It is very clear, all the characters are written on the opposite side, if you would read through a mirror you would understand much easier what it means."
"What means written correctly?" He asked.
"I show not your face but you're heart's desire." Crane said.
"So, it shows what your heart wants to see not the reality like at the average mirror." Harry whispered to himself.
"A beautiful quota, but still it is only a mirror, do not let yourself fooled by those things, you need to live in the reality, those things must not change your life."
"Yes master." Harry said, after looking at his reflection one last time but no more seeing his parents and maybe the other dead relatives left with his master. Shen then came and looked at the mirror, he looked at his reflection that was near two other peacocks, his parents who were smiling at him, they both looked proud and happy for him, he also began to notice a crowd of people who were smiling and seemed to look at him with great confidence and love. Looking at the inscription above, he started to realize what his desire was from all along, to be accepted by the others and by his parents, and now he could do it, that is now the right moment.
"If I haven't done what was right when you lived, I shall do it now." Shen said and left, determined to do it. He went to the masters that were gathered in the center of the courtyard behind him.
"Everything seems clear. There is no sign of any anomaly for now." Monkey said.
"Now it is the best time to go and beat him inside the tower." Mantis said. Behind them a man with a black hood on his head appeared and was staying in front of the mirror he was actually waiting for them to see him and put his plan into practice, and it worked Po noticed him and asked.
"Hey you, what are you doing there?" Po asked.
"I was just waiting for you to notice my presence." He said taking his hood off his head. The Master council, Shen and Soothsayer immediately recognized him.
"It's him!" Croc said
"Him?" Po asked.
"Capture him!" Ox said and all the masters began charging at him.
"I don't think so." He said taking his wand from his sleeve and silently casted a spell throwing everyone backwards, some hitting the wall.
"Calm down, I didn't came here to fight now." The man said turning his face to them.
"Really, and what do you call everything you have done all this time." Master Ox asked sternly getting back on his feet.
"I am only doing my masters wishes." He said smiling evilly. "Of course I fought against you, in order to get rid of you and have an opportunity to get what I wanted. Thing, that you have just delivered me on the plate."
"And what would be that, murderer?" Master Croc said.
"One of you, young, small, with eyes green as the purest emerald." He said, and Crane turned to his student.
"Harry?" Monkey asked confused.
"He has the key for what I came for." The man said.
"The key to what, what are you talking about?" Tigress asked angrily.
"He will help me, to get the thing that will give back the powers of the dark lord." He said.
"You are a madman he will never help you." Crane said with anger.
"Oh, but he will." He said and extended his hand towards him. Without doing anything Harry began to move towards the man's direction, his legs seem to just slip and he was dragged in his direction, Crane cathead him by the wing but he seemed to don't stop and slipped. "NO!"
"Goth yeah." Po caught him but even with his weight he couldn't stop.
"Foolish Panda." He said and cast a spell throwing him backwards; he then had the young crane flying towards him and got him by the wing very tight and placed him in front of the mirror.
"Get him." Tigress ordered, all tried to charge at him again, but the Quirrel took his wand, a red beam came from it towards the ground and a giant green fire circle formed around them, all the masters stopped in shock at the circle, Crane tried to go throw it but was thrown back by the fire. His student watched in horror and tried to go and help him but the man was holding his shoulder so tight that he couldn't go.
"Don't think about him, now look in the mirror." He said to him in an aggressive tone.
"But what you want?!" He exclaimed.
"There is something in the mirror that would help my master regain his power. And you have the key in gaining it." He said.
"He doesn't have any key for what you and you're master want, let him go." Tigress said.
"SILENCE!" The fire went up several centimeters in the air.
"You know the mirror it's magical it will show you something that could bring people back." He said.
'What is he talking about something that would…...' He remembered something that he read about before leaving for the mission 'The Philosopher's Stone! The mirror holds the Philosopher's Stone' he said in his mind shocked, if it is in the mirror it means that he could bring back his parents, the thought was amazing, he looked in the mirror where his parents were but behind them he saw his masters behind the circle especially Crane that looked concerned for him. Remembering all the time spent with them, the training and everything, and rolled his eyes towards the man near him, he was also interested in the stone, but judging for what he did in Gongmen he knew why he needed him, if there was something he would do in that moment would be protecting the stone rather than letting him take it.
He moved back to his reflection and saw he was now alone, but he noticed something in the right pocket of his trousers, his crane reflection took out in his wing what it seemed to be a red stone, he then noticed that his pocket was now larger than before, he had the stone in his pocket the stone that can create the elixir of life and turn any metal into pure gold.
"What do you see?" He asked, Harry didn't want to tell him what it was he will not betray himself and the others.
"Tell me now." He said out loud in anger.
"I don't understand, what is this all about?" Viper asked concerned about what was happening. Shen thought for a moment, before making a shocked face.
"Oh no." He said.
"What is it?" Po asked.
"I have just remembered. When I was in the prison he told me of a boy that has a key to gain something, I didn't remember properly, only now I realized what he was talking about. The mirror is holding a magical artifact that could make people regains lost powers, but it needed a certain key."
"And what, you mean Harry has the key." Viper asked.
"No I'm afraid he is the key. Because, he is willing to protect it." The Soothsayer said. All the masters then turned to see what was happening, none were certain what could happen now. Except the fact that the worst was yet to come.
"Tell me now what you see?" Quirrel said again this time much louder.
"I see myself, back at the Jade Palace; I became a great kung fu warrior fighting alongside the others." He lied hoping he would believe.
"He lies." They heard a strange weak voice; Harry noticed that the voice came from him, but how, he hasn't moved his lips.
"Let me speak with him." The voice now seemed to have actually come from his turban, but how could that be possible.
"Master you are too weak for that." The man said concerned.
"I have enough strength for this." The voice said. Quirrel turned his back to the mirror and began to unravel his turban, Harry and the others watch his moves in every detail as possible, what they saw horrified the masters beyond imagination, behind the man's head was another face that was totally white, with sharp blue eyes and no nose except two holes.
"Wha….What is that thing?!" Monkey asked horrified.
"Harry Potter, we meet again." The face said in a dark cold weak tone. Harry began to tremble it was like he heard that voice before in his nightmares.
"That voice." He said.
"Don't remember me I presume." He said again. Harry's heart was almost ready to explode from his chest with every word that face was saying.
"It all happened such a long time ago." The face said.
Flashback
"Not Harry."
"Step aside…Silly girl."
A bright light came from and he was laughing maniacally.
"Aaaaa."
End Flashback Harry realized.
"YOU." He said with anger in his voice.
"Aaa, you remembered at last." He said.
"So, you were the one who I see in my nightmares, you are the one that cause suffering, and…" He thought for a moment "You were the one who killed my parents and then you tried to kill me." Harry said in full rage.
"That was a long time ago, I had tried to bring people to true power but you're parents resisted and fought against me, but look what I became, weak and with no power." He said and the body came closer, Harry immediately went backwards, he didn't wanted to be near that thing.
"Your mother took all the measures to protect you; I have almost died because of it." He said weak.
"Why have you survived?" He asked angrily.
"My loyal apprentice found me and drank unicorn blood in order to shear his body….but….even with that…I need the stone to regain my powers."
"And you used me for this purpose, haven't you?!" Harry asked.
"The stone you have can create a potion that would prolong the life of people and can also bring others to life; I am giving you the chance to bring back your loved ones." Voldemort said, Harry didn't want to believe him but that really attracted his attention now, the thought that he could bring back his parents was really intriguing. The other masters were looking in total horror; all of them knew that they have to do something but what if they can't fight him.
"Harry don't listen to him he will only use you." Crane said, Quirrel rolled his hand and a ball of energy hit the bird, throwing him back several meters, Shen, Tigress and Viper went to him to help get up.
"No." Harry said looking at his master concerned.
"Think about this opportunity." Voldemort said. Harry looked to him and thought, what he said about bringing his parents back seems like a generous offer but by looking in his eyes have hidden intentions, he thought that if he would help him he would do again what he did in the past murdering and cause suffering, and if he will move here in China it means only one thing, do what he had done in Gongmen City.
"So what is your answer?" He asked. Harry took several powerful breaths.
"I….I….WILL NOT A HELP A MURDERE LIKE YOU." He shouted.
"I always appreciated courageous people like you, if you join me we will rule this world, you will be the master of the land." He said trying to intrigue him. Harry then clenched his fist; his parents would rather die again then giving him the stone.
"YOU LIAR!" He shouted moving in fighting position with his right leg in front and left behind, left wing above his head and right in front. "I would rather die with honor then live in shame for helping you."
"Kill him." Voldemort ordered. And Quirrel flew towards him; Harry punched his face with his feet on both sides throwing him backwards. 'He is much powerful then he looks.' He thought.
"If you want the stone, capture me first." Harry said flying in the air showing the stone in his right wing. He then flew high up in the sky as fast as he could.
"Fool, after him." Voldemort ordered and Quirrel flew after him.
"We have to help him." Po said shocked.
"He is too young to fight that thing." Monkey said.
"But how, they are up in the air." Viper said.
"I will go to help him. The sky is our ground." Crane said determined.
"Crane, be careful." Tigress said. Crane flew up at maximum speed to get to his student as quickly as possible, he was determined to help his student beat that murderer, when was at the height to pass the Tower of the Sacred Flame he felt something like a wall hitting him that stopped him from flying was now in free fall and crash landed. Po helped him get on his feet and asked.
"What happened?" he asked.
"I…don't know." He said with his wing on his head. "It was like hitting a wall."
"Shen analyzed what was above them; it looked like an invisible dome that surrounded the palace complex. He took a small stone in his wing before running back and threw it as powerful as he could above the wall just to see that it was thrown back to him and didn't go outside.
"Blas! The complex is covered by an invisible energy dome, we can't go anywhere above the wall or fly higher than the tower." He said.
"What! But we have to help him. He can't fight him on his own." Viper said concerned about the boy.
"He is too young; he didn't learn many moves to fighting someone like him." Mantis said.
"We don't have any comments about that." Master Croc said looking in the sky. "But I am afraid this time, he has to fight this on his own."
"But this could mean certain death for him." Tigress said.
"He has encountered a demon from his past; he has to do this on his own." The Soothsayer said with sorrow in his mouth, with great uncertainty all the masters moved their looks to the sky with black clouds with thundering lightnings.
"You know there is no way out of here, Harry Potter." Quirrel said in the air.
"That, we shall see." He said, Quirrel charged at him, but Harry hit him with his right wing to throw him back.
"Use magic." Voldemort said, Quirrel began to throw spell after spell at him but Harry avoided them with ease and hit him with his wings and went behind his back, he then turned around.
"You don't remember who you were; you were a human like us before." Quirrel said before casting a spell that passed him.
"Maybe, but I didn't sold my own body for him like you did." He said, the wizard attacked him again this time much more vicious, out from his hands he launched wave after wave of spells, and Harry then began to fly much higher in the sky, but Voldemort and Quirrel were in pursuit. Harry is flying as fast as he could to lose them and went to hide in the clouds to make a surprise attack. Voldemort and Quirrel stopped and looked around.
"You know you can't escape the dark lord Voldemort, Harry Potter. If you don't give the stone to us, you shall die. If you will give it to us now, you and your animals shall leave in peace under our protection." Voldemort said but there was no response.
"We are telling you again, give the stone to us." Quirrel said but still no response, he stayed there for a moment until something dive-bombed and hit them hard.
"I will never give it to you." Harry said while fighting him with all he had. He then cut his face with one of his claws from his left foot. From the ground all the masters, Shen and Soothsayer were watching the sky with fear for the youngling, they could see the battle from the clouds with every powerful thunderbolt, the tension about the battle was high and very uncertain. Crane was with a high sense of fear of what was to come he hoped that his student would survive this cursed battle.
"Come on Harry, I believe in you." Crane said.
"You will not win boy, you will fall." Quirrel said trying to fight against his kung fu, without noticing Quirrel tried to take the stone from his pocket but it slipped, Harry went after it, Voldemort used Quirrel's body and took him by his right wing throwing him away, and at full speed Harry went after the stone.
"Accio." Quirrel said and the stone came into his hand before stopping and saying in confidence looking at the young.
"Told you, your kung fu will fail; now you will fall." Voldemort said.
"We will fall together!" Harry shouted and dive-bombed at him, both of them were now in free fall, Quirrel tried to hold the stone in his hand but Harry byte it and let it escaped, in a blink of an eye they all went in a pile of smoke once they hit the ground in the fire circle. All the masters went to the circle to, all of them were having mixed feeling of what could have happened, they saw the red stone coming outside from the smoke but what interested them is who survived.
The smoke was clearing and from it they saw a wing taking the stone, in just a moment the young one came, all of them began almost smile in relief that he survived, but in a second Shen began to notice that there was another figure in the smoke.
"BEHIND YOU!" He shouted, the young one turned around too late, Quirrel took him by the wing and putted him to the ground. The man had his face full of scars, with eyes full of anger and his cloths were lightly ripped apart.
"Well it seems you did great while flying, let's see how you do without a wing." He said took Harry's left wing and immediately folded it breaking a bone, Harry was screaming total pain.
"NO!" His master shouted wanting to help him but was hold by Tigress and Monkey. Quirrel then placed both hands at his neck in order to strangle him.
"It seems that you are no match for us now and that is because you are now a silly….puny…..little….bird." Harry couldn't breathe he placed his wings at Quirrel's hands to fight him off.
Harry watched the group and noticed they're fear of what was happening his master was totally horrified. But now he couldn't do anything he tried to fight but was defeated in his attempt to save the stone and the closest family he ever had at heart, his master together with the others. Now if he was to die he only wishes that at least they will be safe. He never wanted them to see this. In that moment he began to sense that something was burning his eyes turned to the man's hands he was holding in his wings, they were turning black like coal, Quirrle saw that as well and turned back but his hands were now falling apart piece by piece.
"What kind of magic is this?" He asked in shock.
"Fool, take the stone." Voldemort said, he took out his wand from his pocket and charged back and Harry placed his wings on his face that also began to burn, he screamed in pain and went back, Harry watched his wings in shocked, what he had done?, what happened?
Quirrel turned back towards him with his face completely burned, Harry took a step back and waited for what could come, the man took only one step forward and in just one second he turned into ash, leaving only his cloths and wand behind. Harry holding his bad wing with his right one he took the wand from the ash looked at it for a moment before placing both wings on it and breaking it in two, several sparks coming from it. Once the wand was broken the circle disappeared and the black clouds began to disperse, the people outside the Tower began to open their windows and see that everything began to turn back to normal, they were now free.
Harry while watching the sky didn't noticed being taken by Po in his right arm who shouted happily.
"HA, HA, That was the most awesome thing I ever saw in my life."
"You made, you truly made it." Monkey said.
"Well done young one." Master Croc said while he was taken to the others who were looking at him with pride.
"You really showed something today kid." Tigress said placing a smile of pride on her face.
"Thank you, Master Tigress." He said with a smile. Then something came from outside throw the main gates, there was the wolf boss who was holding his wounded arm and other four soldiers who said.
"The creatures have perished." Shen nodded the report, before turning to the young crane.
"Well done, I knew you had something special in you." he said with a proud smile before hearing something coming from outside. He went on the palace wall and saw a crowd of people gathered around the palace, they saw Shen and didn't ran they instead began to shout cheers and the phrase "Long Live The Lord." He was dump stuck of what was happening, he was then beginning to feel in his heart something he never felt before.
"What is this?" He asked.
"They cheer their hero who liberated them." Po together with the master council and the Soothsayer near him said.
"No there is something I feel, something I never felt before." He said.
"That is acceptance and appreciation." His nanny said making the white peacock place his wing on his chest 'acceptance, appreciation?' The feeling he had never felt until now, it was something unusual for him but in the same time it was greater than the sweetest treats and deserts ever in existents.
"I never felt this before."He said with a pause placing a smile. "It is, magical."
"Well, we now have reconsidered something." Master Ox said.
"What do you mean, Grand Master Ox?" Shen asked turning to him.
"Well, you officially liberated the kingdom and the people want you back to lead them and so you are now ruling." Master Croc explained. That made Shen to think, what the young one said really came to reality, but now he must be much more careful with what decisions he will do as ruler of Gongmen.
"Since I was young I promised that I will continue my parent's legacy and rule the city, when I wanted to conquer it in the first place I had bad intentions." He said turning towards them. "But now everything has changed, I saw the truth. I will not rule alone I shall always take advice from the Masters Council in all the decisions I will take and make, and together we will rebuild and take the kingdom back to its prestige and glory, and I want to turn the city into what it should be; a city of peace, prosperity, unity, tolerance, culture, kung fu, science and arts."
"And my invention, at first I wanted to create a weapon of defense, not of wiping out kung fu, this was and shall be the main purpose of my invention." He said and all the masters smiled at the idea.
"Your parents would have been so proud of you." The Soothsayer said.
"I believe they are now." He said with a smile at the sky, and began to walk down the wall. While walking he turned to Po.
"Dragon Warrior."
"Hm."
"Thank you for opening my eyes. And I am sorry for what I did to you when you were young." He said.
"It's understandable, when you are angry or afraid you no more judge clearly. I understand that and also I learned that inner peace comes through forgiveness, of yourself, and of the people who did bad things to you in the past, you just need to let go, because what you will do from now matters. And I think you should rather thank Harry then me." Po said.
"I believe all of us contributed." Shen said looking at the young boy. Everyone was still cheering him for his courage; Monkey and Mantis were friendly punching him but carefully since his left wing was broken. He also had the red stone in his right wing.
"All right I think it's enough." He said.
"You know this is your first victory right?" Monkey said.
"I know that." Harry said.
"But still what was the deal with this stone any ways." Viper asked.
"This isn't an average stone it's the Philosopher's Stone, with it you can create a potion that could turn every metal into pure gold and one that prologues the life of an individual even make someone regain lost powers." Harry explained.
"Let me guess you read about it in one of your books." Tigress said still with a smile, Harry got a little ember aced.
"No wonder he fought so hard to gain it." Mantis said.
"Yeah." He said looking at it.
"You know it is really impressive he tried to tempt you in all the way necessary to make you give the stone, but you still refused." Mantis said.
"It was really tempting, but I knew that if I would have given him the stone he would have started to do what he did in the past; forcing others to submit to his will, killing, making others suffer, everything. I'm sure that my parents would have rather died again then let that happen."
"You did what was right Harry."Crane said from behind his back placing his wing on his shoulder. Harry turned around to see him.
"I am very, very proud of you, in spite all the odds and all the temptations, you have stand still and hold your ground against an enemy we never fought before." While was saying with a large smile Harry noticed behind his master's back the black ash that began to rise up in the air, that only meant one thing, Voldemort would try something. He has to track his master's attention.
"Ah, Master." He said trembling but he didn't listened and no one took notice.
"Master." He tried again, no one took notice, except Shen who looked at him with suspicion of why he was stressing himself, he looked in the direction and noticed the rising ash that took the face of the other face with no nose, and just a second he began to go towards them.
"Behind you!" He shouted, Crane turned around to see the face coming towards them.
"Master! Watch out!" Harry pushed the older crane aside; the face went through the young crane and he in that moment blacked out and collapsed to the ground. All watched the face that passed near them, at the gates a strange while the light appeared before the face in the ash that went through it and he together with the light vanquished. Crane turned to the ground to watch his student. He was shocked; his best student was lying lifeless on the ground. He kneeled and took him on his wings.
"Harry, no." He said on the brink of crying, the others turned to see what happened.
"No." Viper said with her tail to her mouth.
"Is….he." Mantis couldn't finish.
"Don't dare...saying it." Crane shouted almost shedding tears.
"I should have been more careful." Crane said.
"No one knew what could have came Crane. It's not your fault." Tigress said trying to calm him down.
"But I should have." Crane said. "I was in front of him; I should have seen that he was trying to warn me." He said. Shen and Soothsayer looked at each other and she knew what must be done.
"Master Crane." She tracked his attention "Let me check his pulse."
The master let the Soothsayer come closer to him and started to examine his him with all her medical knowledge she had learned over the years, she examined him in all the details possible, it took her five minutes to finish.
"Well?"Crane asked concerned.
"He is still alive, but he is in a coma, I don't know when he would wake up." The old goat said.
"What we should do then?" Po asked. The Peacock thought for a moment before turning to the Wolf Boss.
"Chang, call a ship for The Valley of Peace." He ordered and he together with the two wolves went to the docks. Shen then turned to the masters.
"He should wake up in a place and with the people he knows the best."
"Thanks Shen, but what should we do now." Po asked.
"I will order the wolf army to reestablish order and see if there are any creatures around. We must make sure they are all gone. And all the spells and curses vanished." He said.
"Still some of us should stay here; the others should go back to the Jade Palace." Tigress said looking at Crane holding his student in his wings helped by Monkey and Viper. The stone had fallen from his wings to the ground; Shen immediately took it to examine it.
"Everything for that cursed stone." Tigress said.
"What shall we do with it?" Monkey asked. The peacock turned to them.
"With what it could do, no one shall have it." Shen said placing it on the ground and took out his blade from his sleeve, with one powerful move he hit the stone so hard that it broke into many pieces.
"Better destroyed then to fall into wrong hands again and…What the!"A light appeared and took many pieces from the stone leaving only one small curved piece.
"All right at least what happened here is over." Mantis said. But Shen in his mind thought otherwise.
"I think, this is just the beginning." He looked turned his attention to the masters. "The question is, of what."
