And here it is, the second part of the chapter just like I promise. This is probably a short chapter(it's only like almost 9 pages) so I'm sorry if this feels short but this also the saddest chapter that I ever wrote. I cried a little while writing this. So just a small warning, there will be feels so prepare your eyes and your heart for it, I ain't holding back.
Also, the next chapter after this will be a little late because I'll be spending my summertime and I have a lot of cool things I wanna do before it flys by. So I hope all of you understand and enjoy part 2!
Chapter 16: The Truth Comes Forward part2
Lord Shen was the type of peacock who never let fear get the better of him. Whatever challenge stood in his way, he would easily take it down. If he ever felt any fear crawling under his feathers he would shake off the feeling away and focus on what is ahead. However, it all changed since meeting Po the panda.
He was terrified of what his fate would be, but it wasn't like what Shen feared. After some time, he has gotten to know the Dragon Warrior, his friends, and his entire story. It was becoming to that point where Po almost considered Shen as his friend. But now, Shen was sure it would never happen with the situation he was in right now.
Shen came back to the campsite to find Po reading his scroll, he dropped everything he was carrying and just stared. The panda faced him as he stared right back, emerald eyes staring at ruby eyes. The panda asked him something but Shen was not listening. He was too stunned to what was going on; he did not expect the panda to find out about his plans. He didn't even think about what to do with his plans since he was having doubts.
"Shen! What. Is. This?" Po raised his voice, demanding some answers.
Shen did not respond. He just continued to stare, his eyes wide and his body slightly shaking. The fear was coming back taking over every muscle of the peacock's body with full force. It almost made him want to run away.
"Oh c'mon!" Po cried out, "You're just gonna stand there and not say anything!?"
Po was sounding very despite. He just wanted an answer. He wanted to be wrong about this, wanted to hear from Shen that this was something else, that he has misunderstood the whole thing. But the peacock's silence was not helping, it was only confirming his worst fear.
There was nothing for Shen to say, he was caught and there no words that can fix this. He watched Po tighten his paw around the scroll while he ran his other paw through his fur on his head. The panda couldn't even look at him.
Eventually, Shen found his voice.
"Po…I-"
"So this is what you been doing?" Po cut him off, turning back to him.
"This is what you have been busy with while we're not looking?" Po held up the scroll as his eyes narrowed, "Making more of these horrible weapons to kill more innocent people?"
Shen lost his voice again, he couldn't deny that fact. When Po still didn't get an answer from him, he grew even more frustrated.
"You know, I thought you can change. I wanted to help you but you were just playing with my mind like before! Like an idiot, I fell for it! I mean maybe I should have seen this coming but, I really thought…"
He paused. He was having a hard time processing all of it. Po never felt this upset before, he just wanted to help Shen and show him a better path and this was the result of them bonding. It wasn't that he felt betrayed it was more like he hadn't done enough from perverting this from happening. Realizing that, Po just frowned and gripped tighter on the scroll. He stared back at the warlord and lashed out.
"I don't even understand why you're still doing this!" he exclaimed, "What exactly are you trying to accomplish? How are you even going to do this again? You lost your army, you lost cannons, you lost everything Shen!"
This was true, planning to conquer China took years. He knew what he wanted to accomplish, to claim what belongs to him and to show dominance over those who saw him weak. Those who frowned upon him, who had no faith in their prince and only saw him as death. That was the whole reason. But Shen never spoke out their reasons as he remained quiet and Po continued on.
"You know they we're going to send you to death for your crimes and I was the one who stood up for you. Even Ah-ma stood up for you, even after all the crap you put her through she didn't want you to die," Po cried, "I stood up for you because I was willing to forgive you, I find my inner peace by learning how to forgive you, and even told you that what matters was who you choose to be right now."
The panda sighed looking very tried from yelling, "I thought you maybe you finally understood that but you haven't. You still want to kill us after we showed you mercy."
Shen tried to talk back, tried to speak out his reasons but he couldn't find his voice. Even if he wanted to speak Po would bring out a fact that would just stop him in his tracks and these facts made Shen think back when first arrived in the Valley of Peace. He saw how the Five were so hesitant being around him, but he also saw they at least try to connect to him by telling their stories. Shen always said that he will never be apart of their group but now he was thinking maybe they did wanted him to be apart of it. They learned to trust and talked to him like he was already one of them.
Shen had finally seen that he had a chance to be one of them, he denied there was no second chance so many times but it was there and he threw it away. And it looked like he was not getting another chance seeing how the panda was upset. He watched Po as he glanced down to the scroll once more and then his eyes turned to the flames. Shen knew what he was going to do, he almost cried out to stop him but he saw there was no point in doing so.
The peacock lowered his head in shame and closed his eyes. He waited to hear Po throw scroll in the campfire. Ready to hear the crackling sound of paper being eaten by the flames, none of it came. Instead, something else happened that made Shen shocked.
"Here."
His eyelids snapped opened and he looked to see the panda returning the rolled-up scroll to him. He put it back inside the tube and placed it in Shen's wings.
"Do whatever you want with it," Po said with seriousness, "If you choose to go back to that path then, I'll be ready to stop you."
The way Po said this was almost threatening like he was giving the bird a warning. Shen almost felt that familiar terrifying anxiety, but does it really matter what he felt. He looked at the scroll and then looked at the panda, he saw the threating look and anger quickly faded and was replaced by sadness. He had never seen Po looked so disappointed.
Po then walked away and back to his spot and to the fire.
Shen stood there to what felt like hours stunned by the bear's actions. Po could have gotten rid of his plans but he didn't, he simply returned it to him like he has given up. Shen looked down at the scroll, no longer seeing its purpose.
He thought he knew the answer to what he needed to do, but he wasn't sure anymore. His desire for revenge was long gone. The panda had given him so much patience and hope and going as far as calling him as a friend. Shen thought it was all an act but he sees that Po really did want to show him a better path. He could've lived his life angry and wanted vengeance but Po didn't choose any of it. He was really the symbol of yin and yang.
The prophecy did end but not in a way Shen imagined it. Nobody died and nobody had to. It took him this long to see that thanks to Po, but now he has completely failed him. Shen understood what he has been feeling, it has been there since this journey started, it made him stick when thinking about Po's mother.
It was guilt.
The guilt of doing this and all the other event that was caused by him. Out of nowhere, Shen thought about his memories from the past and current ones filled his head. The memories of his parents, the Soothsayer and Lang to his current ones of Po and the Furious Five. The past was so different than the present that it made Shen wished he could fix this. Not just with Po but his parents too, then a flash of a memory came to him. It was the one when Shen was being banished by his mother and father. The look of disappointment and sadness matched exactly like Po's expression.
The peacock felt his body quiver with emotions consuming him. The simple thought of his parents filled him with such emotions he cannot control. This was the real reason why all of this started. It was because he desired for their approval and the feeling of happiness. He got none of it and now he lost that his chance to retain real happiness.
Then Shen felt something on his face. Very slowly yet still trembling his wing touched the side of his cheek. He looked at his wing only to see a small drop of water, but it had not started raining yet. It was a tear. There were more falling but some strange reason, he let them fall.
This is what sent Shen off.
Looking at the scroll again Shen could no longer control his contained emotions and let out a scream.
Po's ears twitched and quickly looked to see the peacock screaming. He then saw Shen threw the scroll away, the panda watched as the scroll flew out of sight and landed somewhere deep in the forest.
Po was so surprised by this that he turned his attention back to Shen who was still screaming. He watched as Shen let everything that he kept locked inside out for the first time.
"I don't know what I'm doing anymore!" Shen cried letting his tears fall more.
The peacock fell to his knees and stared at the ground.
"I couldn't turn back," he cried out more, "No matter how many times I tried to get them to see me, it only led me to that same path. I couldn't see any hope for me because there was none! There was no hope for me nor for my existence!"
It was Po's turn to be stunned.
He had never seen Shen let out this kind of emotion, he never even thought that he could cry. And yet he was watching the warlord peacock, having a breakdown. Po stood up but wasn't sure how he should approach this.
Shen continued to cry. All the years of holding his anger, his pain, and his sorrow in his heart have now been released. It was so much for Shen, it made his body feel so heavy as if his emotions were trying to weigh him further to the ground. His beak opened to let an anguished sob, not bothering to hold it back. Shen was tired of holding everything in inside him back, he was so tired.
He has come to the realization that his plans for revenge and to conquer China was never going to happen. Even when he was so close he knew he was never going to reach that goal and he knew that he was trying to deny that fact. He had always denied what his fate was, he tried so hard to change it but it was always the same. Shen finally saw that all he was doing was setting his own doom, despite the warnings.
Because of his foolishness, he had lost everything. Now he was alone, everyone that he knew was dead and gone because of him. There was no one there to comfort him and this Shen cries out more of his sorrows.
He heard footsteps approach him but he doesn't bother to look up. The person in front of him crouched down to his level. Shen felt a pair of paws settling on his shoulders and heard someone calling his name. He finally looked up. It was the panda.
Shen stared at Po and the bear stared back. Po had a look of regret than anger like he had shown minutes before. The panda shows a small smile, it wasn't a cheerful smile but it was a pity smile. Seeing how much pain Shen was in he did the only thing that a friend could do. He pulled him into a hug.
Shen was beyond confused, Po was disappointed with him but now he was comforting him. He felt he didn't deserve it. He tried to pull out of the hug, but the panda refused to let go. His grip around him was stronger than his own.
Po closed his eyes as his own tears began to fall, "It's okay…"
"N-no, no it's not…" Shen whimpered shaking his head.
Po sniffed, "It can be. You don't have to go through this alone."
Shen stopped pulling and took in the panda's words. This made him cried harder as he realized that Po has forgiven him again. He was giving him another chance and this time he going to take it. Eventually, Shen returned the hug as he sobs his heart out. Po let him cried on his shoulder as he stayed as still as he can, hugging him tighter.
The panda and the peacock stayed on the ground holding each other for a while, not saying anything. They didn't even notice that the thundering clouds rolled by and it started to rain.
She woke up with a start.
Ah-ma was sleeping peacefully in her bed when a sudden strange and strong feeling was telling her to wake up. Her eyes were wide as she breathed heavily and slow. She grabbed her glasses and looked around the room.
She almost forgot she was not in her old room from the tower, but a small wooden house in the ruined village that she has been living or a month. The old goat sighed and relaxed her breathing as she slowly got out of bed. She made herself some tea and toddled her way to the front door. The outside was still cold and foggy.
Ah-ma sipped her tea and placed by her rug. She sat down on the floor and pulled her fortune bowl towards her. The old soothsayer stared at the bowl as if she was in a trance. Then the thought of the peacock made a strange feeling returned. It was trying to show her something but the image was too blurry for her old eyes to see. She could hear what sounded like sobbing. It tugged at her heartstring, this crying was familiar to her. She blinked and looked in the bowl again, there was nothing.
She turned to the pile of jars next to her, took one and opened it but saw she didn't have what needed to help her see the vision. She may need to buy more ingredients later. She sighed again as she looked up to the sky.
Ah-ma stared into the foggy sky, wondering if the peacock was safe out there.
"Ah Shen, I hope you are well…"
"Oh crap! Now I'm all wet!" cried Gang. He shook off the water off his body.
He was shivering from the cold rain, he had no choice but to hide in a bush. His wings got so wet that they became too heavy to fly and he couldn't fly to a higher tree branch. Gang was not pleased at all. He has been searching for days and still couldn't find him. The crow growled in annoyance.
"This is ridiculous" he grumbled, "I'm never going to find that peacock. He might as well be dead."
Just then more raindrops fell where Gang was hiding and he was wet again.
He cawed in anger, "Can this get any worse?!"
Out of nowhere, something was tumbling in the forest, it landed in the bush and hit Gang in the head with a clunk. The crow fell out of the bush and to the muddy ground.
"Ow! Why does this keep happing?!" he exclaimed.
He turned to whatever hit him and picked it up. He was about to throw it away but he stopped. He looked at the thing closely, it was a tube that was holding something inside. Gang gently placed on it the ground and opened it, he pulled out a scroll and looked at it. He then gasped, now realizing what he was holding.
"How did…?" The crow looked around expecting to see someone or Shen but he saw no one. He couldn't believe he's got the plans of the new weapons. Gang thought that he's luck had finally changed as he reads through the notes of each weapon. He put the scroll back, not wanting it to get wet.
"Oh Shen, you're about to get what coming for you," Gang said menacingly. He found himself laughing, he will soon get his revenge on that bird.
Suddenly a flash of lighting made him jumped and yelped, silencing him and he was bought back to reality.
"Okay I better get out of here," Gang said as he carried the scroll with and goes to find a place to hide from the rain.
I noticed that I'm leaving a lot of cliffhangers in my chapters, I like it! I hope all of you enjoyed this the 2nd part and if I may you cry I'm sorry. Anyway if you see any mistakes that I miss let me know and have a nice summer everyone!
