It was the day before the Xiaolin monks were due to return to the Empress's mountain. Shun had finished her training and tai chi earlier and now sat cross-legged before the Clarity Orb's pool to meditate. She had her hands folded in the sleeves of her dress and eyes closed, listening in silence to nature's whispers. By focusing the draconic powers she had been training for so many years, she could hear all of the activity upon the mountain, from the peak all the way down to its base and one mountain over.

Birds were chirping and singing in the fruit trees of the neighboring mountain as the flowing spring there poured over the edge of the cliff. Approximately six yards in front of her, she could hear the light tip-tapping of tiny sparrow claws hopping on her stone training ground as they searched for small insects to eat. A faint breeze lightly rustled the trees and grass all around. High above, a large crow soared, circling like a buzzard as it watched her with keen interest. Further down the mountain, hidden in the mist, a snake slithered stealthily through ancient moss-covered roots and cracked stone steps in its pursuit of an unassuming mouse gnawing away at seeds it had collected at some point earlier on. A large beetle stepped cautiously out of the snake's way and watched it go by. Even further down the mountain, someone was beginning their ascent up the steps.

"I see…" Shun said to herself. She opened her eyes to look down at the Orb. "As always, you were correct." She closed her eyes again and continued to wait.

Finally, after some time no longer than an hour, she heard the light footsteps of a man approaching and the sound of tiny sparrow wings fluttering away in panic. The steps halted where the sparrows had just fled.

"Greetings," Shun said serenely. "Chase Young, correct?" She opened her strikingly blue eyes to look at him.

Even he found her gaze to be piercing, as if she could see right through a person's body and peer into their very soul. "Empress Shun," he said with a smirk. "So, the stories are true."

"I commend you on your powerful resolve and will," she told him. She had a soft smile upon her lips. It was the same gentle expression she gave to the young monks when they had visited her a few weeks before. "Not everyone who has encountered this mountain has managed to reach its peak."

"This was not just any encounter," he told her. "I came here with a purpose. My resolve is strong." He paused a moment, his smile gone now. "Surely you must know why I am here?"

She nodded. "You have come to take the Clarity Orb and set the chain in motion."

"So, you do know… Then why the warm welcome? Sick of being trapped up here?"

"I have no reason to be tired of this place, and no desire to leave. As for the welcome… All who pass through the mountain's mist of trickery are truly great and are welcome here. Who am I to oppose what nature itself has decreed?"

"Well then." He took a battle-ready stance. "Let's get this over with, shall we, Your Highness?"

She closed her eyes and did not shift her position at all. "I have no intention of fighting you, Chase."

He remained where he was, not fully believing her but also not finding any hint of deceit. "Oh? Is it not your job to protect the Orb with your life?"

"I already know that you will not kill me," she said, her eyes remaining closed. "Only I can use the Orb, after all. The Orb has already shown me what will occur here if we were to do battle."

He remained still and listened.

"If we fight now, I will defeat you. However, as it is against my true nature, I would not kill you. I could not. You would then return at a later point with a wicked contraption to trap me. Something that would prevent me from transforming into my dragon form. Then, you would remove the Orb anyway and take us away. Your removing of the Orb is an unfortunately inevitable event. Delaying it would not change what is to come."

"Is that so?" He stood up straight. "And I'm just supposed to believe you on that? You could be lying to trick me into a false sense of security."

"Were lying in my nature then I suppose that would be a reasonable assumption," she said. "Either way, you and I both know that you are not going to turn around and leave without trying." She opened her eyes again and tilted her head ever so slightly. "It is only a matter of just how much time will pass before you decide to do it."

They stared at each other for a long time as he mulled the information over in his mind. He wanted to be careful with this one. The Empress of the Lóngshén was supposedly very powerful, even with her limited power. In truth, he had more planned than just setting the chain in motion.

"Can the Orb reveal one's thoughts?" he asked her.

"Thoughts?" She seemed mildly surprised by the question. "No. The Orb can only see and hear in a third-person point of view. The mind is exempt from its prying eye. Intention can only be assumed. Hypothesized from the person of interest's actions. And from your question, I can assume that you have far more planned than just setting off the foul chain of events that lead to Lei's return."

"Indeed."

"Hm… I see."

"Have you not looked that far into the future yet?" He raised an eyebrow.

She shook her head. "The Orb has a mind of its own. It follows laws that even the Lóngshén cannot fully comprehend. There are some things that it will not show to me, or anyone else. It cannot be helped. Now then… Are you going to get on with it, or not?"

"Hmph."

He walked over to the small pool, stopping just a few feet in front of Shun. They stared at each other for a moment longer, exchanging no more words, before he turned to the Orb and reached for it. Shun watched silently as he grabbed the Clarity Orb and, with some necessary force, ripped it away from its magical binding. She felt a brief but sharp pain in her chest, like something had snapped, but she did not outwardly react to it. The chain had been broken. This was but the first step of what would either end up being the end…or a new beginning.

Chase held the Orb up to examine it against the sunlight. Its pearly body was flawless, perfectly rounded, smooth, and beautiful. Anyone who did not know better would think that it would fetch quite a nice price on the market. But he knew better. The potential this beautiful round object held for mass destruction made it worth far more than any coin, dollar, or jewel. He grinned.

Shun stood up now.

"Let's go," he told her as he turned and began to walk away.

Without another word, the Empress followed.

To be continued…