"I am born of the Shadows," he said quietly. "And I need the help of one who can speak to the great Xuanwu, my patron. There is a man— my enemy; the enemy of all those in the darkness. I have tried to face him, but failed in the endeavor. I must kill him."

"You are a powerful man. Why do you need the help of the gods?" Yuen Yee asked, feeling the aura of the man in front of her. She had worked with many such men; those who sought the power of the ancient wu, held in such disregard by the great powers of the West and the East alike, tended to be men with strong connections to it themselves. Dark or light, yin or yang, good or evil; it was not for Yuen Yee to judge those who came to her. Those judgements were given only by the gods and the Immortals.

"He is Shaolin," he replied, as if it explained everything, and perhaps it did. "A true Shaolin." He sat down on the supplicant's cushion before her, back straight and eyes cold.

"A holy man." His lip curled at her words, but she lit the incense, breathed in the sweet, heady smoke, and called for Xiwangmu. Her hands clasped around ancient shells, passed down through her family for many, many years. Was she to help this man, or should she send him away? She could give him no advice without the permission of the Goddess of the West acting as intermediary. She tossed the shells between them: yin and yang.

"Xiwangmu has given me permission to help you," said Yuen Yee. She looked at the man before her, who smiled slightly and nodded. She pulled out her yarrow sticks and passed them through the incense.

"Great Xiwangmu, you who preside over life and death, you who tend the peaches in the garden of immortality, bless us now. I call forth Beidi, who is also called Xuanwu: answer the prayers of your supplicant. Bring him the knowledge he seeks."

She passed her cards through the incense, allowing the blessings of the two deities to suffuse them before placing them carefully in front of her. She felt out the meaning of the cards slowly, thinking carefully about her answer as she did so. It was strange: usually, she did not feel quite this meaning from the cards... as if celestial forces were involved in this battle.

Yang, and yang. She pursed her lips. "There are two," she said slowly. "Two men of light, who are the enemies of all the darkness. First, there is the one you seek: he is strong, both physically and spiritually. It will be difficult for you to defeat him alone.

"The second is an old man. He is a man of great light. A wise man, a light bringer... He has carried the flame to our realm. I believe this man has partaken of immortality."

"Perhaps not immortality," said her client. "But I think I know him. He is known as the Ancient. He is an ally to Kwai Chang Caine, but I had hoped he would not be my enemy."

She nodded in response. "But there is... another force here." She turned the card over. "A third man whose path is uncertain: the son of a dragon; the son of a holy man... meant for something..."

She needed more guidance. Her fingers reached out and touched the statue of the Goddess. Images flooded her mind, flashing before her eyes as if she flailed under turbulent water and could only catch glimpses as she surfaced. She pulled her hand away as if burned. "I do not understand..." She shook her head slightly, staring at the sticks as though she might pull additional wisdom from them. "If you are to defeat the father, it must be before the son becomes what he will become." She paused and touched the statue once more. "Ah! Tian Di Ren..."

The Chiru Master frowned. "Heaven, earth, and mankind?"

It felt as though a hand was around her heart. "It is an ancient concept, the three... heaven, earth and man. Any two are incomplete without the third. As are you." Two more cards on the table. She turned the first. "This one is you—" then the second. "This is the one that you serve—"

"I? Serve another?"

She waved him into silence. "Your patron, the Dark Warrior, Xuanwu." This knowledge that she had been given was delicate, and incomplete. "He will give you power, and you will serve him. You will be two, and they will be two. Five cards, with this younger man in the middle... he will be the third. But to which trinity... that is for you to reveal. There is power in dark and in light, but who takes his soul will complete the triad... They will acquire the power."

"The son of a dragon and a holy man..." The Shadow Assassin frowned for a moment, then nodded as if realizing something. "I know who he must be. This younger one... he is far less dangerous than his elders. Far less powerful. Yet you believe he is pivotal?"

She hummed and did a quick tangram reading. "If given the chance, he will be very strong and very dangerous," she said, gathering up her sticks, "but he has not yet come into his power. You must take him from the path the priest sets for him, and place him firmly on yours."

He nodded slowly. "That... will be difficult. He broke faith with the Dragon, and I have sworn vengeance on his line. Have you any advice?"

She took a deep breath, opening her heart to the Goddess of the West— only to be filled with the terrifying force of the Black Deity of the North. She was filled with the knowledge, opening eyes that blazed in her head like the bright pinpricks of stars in the fathomless sky.

She could do nothing but speak quickly, as fast as she could to let him know everything that the terror spoke into her. "Sever him from root and branch. Find the book; he can open it for you! Your ally is waiting, trapped in the hallowed halls of light. Call upon Heidi! He will send you an aspect of the Dark Warrior, and you will know power!"

The God left as quickly as he had arrived, between one breath and the next, and Yuen Yee fell forward onto the table, exhausted, trembling, panting.

The supplicant watched as she regained her composure, then stood and bowed towards her, deep and respectful, as only one who knows he has been given a true Vision might be. "You will speak with me again?"

"As our patrons demand," she replied— but she hoped he would not return.