When Mantis was a kid, he had a friend who came from a family of five million. Little Dun split his time training for the day he joined the worker section of the colony next door to Mantis's hometown he and Mantis played kids games in the town square, as well as the occasional strength contest. It was a bright Sunday and Mantis had managed to lift the biggest rock when a grown up worker ant showed up to take Dun home. "Aw come on! Five more minutes!" Dun groaned.
"No. It is time for prayers." Said the worker. With that, they were gone.
Mantis pouted, thinking that the grown up sucked for cutting their play time short. He was turning round to head back home himself when he saw that Dun had left his toothpick of a shovel by the twig that dwarfed them both. Mantis could occasionally be hot-headed and impatient, but he wasn't a thief. He didn't hesitate in picking up the shovel and making his way in the direction of the colony.
When he caught sight of the anthill he grew apprehensive as he remembered that he'd never stepped foot inside until now. For obvious reasons no-one but the ants themselves did. Perhaps he should go home after all. He could always give the shovel to Dun tomorrow.
But he'd never stepped foot inside until now.
What the heck, he was here anyway. Mantis climbed the anthill, found the big hole that led underground, and went into it.
As a juvenile Mantis could fit, even though he was still bigger than the average ant. The colony was just like Dun had described it: made up of a labyrinth of circular tunnels, loads of cool looking glow in the dark fungus to light the way, and above all, dirty.
However, there was one thing. According to Dun they were always full of soldiers and workers going about their business. But today all the tunnels he strolled through were empty. However, he soon discovered why.
His jaw dropped when he discovered the gargantuan chamber. With its sculpted pillars and fungus glowing like red fire, he'd initially mistaken it for a cathedral. Even more jaw-dropping was the five million ants that carpeted the dirt floor, bowed before a large lady ant with pretty green wings. The Queen in turn stood before a great mural painted in white, green and blue. The being depicted looked more like a lizard than an ant.
Mantis stood there for several minutes, gaping like an idiot, before the Queen spotted him over the many, many heads of her brood. Not used to visitors, the Queen blinked twice before deciding that Mantis wasn't doing any harm by being there and continuing whatever ceremony she was conducting. Afterward, a mortified Mantis was assured that he wasn't going to get in trouble before being kindly escorted out the anthill.
He never asked about the giant lizard on the mural until Dun came round the next day, gobsmacked that his buddy ended up being the first outsider to ever enter the hive.
"I'm sorry!" Mantis pleaded, more embarrassed than ever. "I just wanted to return your stupid shovel!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know that!" Dun's eyes were bigger than pebbles. "You didn' do anything stupid, did you?"
"No! I just watched you guys praying to that giant picture. Who is it, anyway?"
Dun took a few seconds to calm himself. "Nuwa. The First Queen of China."
Mantis's antennae twitched. "But I thought the first Emperor was a guy."
"Not that kind of queen!" Dun rolled his eyes. "More like our queen. You know, one super-lady who rules everything and makes all the babies."
"Oh right. Was she the first one who ruled your colony, or what?"
"Nah, nah. She wasn't no bug. Sit down an' I'll tell ya!" They sat on the big log outside Mantis's house. "Y'see, a bazillion years ago, a great calamity struck the world, destroying nearly all life. Only a few people survived. Two of them were the Great Serpent, Fuxi, and his baby sister, Nuwa. Fuxi was big and uber powerful, but Nuwa had something really special. The Queen tells us that Nuwa had a really strong connection with the world's chi, that allowed her to do something really cool."
"What? What?" Mantis asked, always excited for a good story.
"Nuwa had the ability to use chi to create life. By combining chi with something natural like water or mud, she could make people such as pigs, snakes, and even bugs! At first she used 'er own chi to do it, and the people she made were born wi' magic powers, longi- longiva- super long life, and other cool stuff. But using her own chi would make her not feel very well, so she figured out how to use the world's chi to make even more people. They weren't as powerful, but they 'ad the power to make babies so even more people would be made! Nuwa used her power to repopulate China, with Fuxi as king. When he died, Nuwa took over and became the First Queen."
"Woah." Mantis whispered. "What happened to her?"
Dun's antennae went flat. "Nine hundred years ago, a really evil monster invaded the mortal realm, wantin' Nuwa's power for 'imself. In the process, he tore a hole in the Wall of Heaven."
"The what?"
"It's the barrier between the mortal realm and the spirit realm. The monster tore a hole in it, and really bad stuff started happening. The weather got really wacky and monsters showed up and started killing people. Though she managed to defeat the monster, Nuwa had to give her life to seal up the hole and save both realms."
"Aw man." Mantis sighed.
"Yeah. It really sucks that most people nowadays don' remember her."
Mantis grinned cheerily. "I won't forget her, Dun. I promise."
Years later, in a shack on the outskirts of the Imperial City, Mantis watched as Mr. Ping and Haoxin frantically told Xian what they now believed to be Ember's true identity. Xian, Mantis, Eagle Jr. and everyone else had the same reaction: pure, undiluted shock.
Mantis stayed out of the argument that ensued. As Xian, Mei Ling, Crane and Eagle Jr. debated whether or not the two geese's theory was correct, the insect wondered if he should bring forth his own theory, the theory he'd had since learning the name of the organisation they were opposing. The theory that Ember and Hei Nuwang were two of the 'special people' that the First Queen had created.
Izumi was stunned to find Hei Nuwang in high spirits even after she reported her failure to recapture the royal family.
"But Mistress, I thought you wanted them back." Izumi asked as she bowed before the panther.
"I did." Hei Nuwang said. "But the panda remained and I convinced him to confront Ember even with the royals out of danger. Their usefulness is finished."
"I am not questioning your judgement, Mistress, but what makes you sure so he will be able to defeat her?"
"Oogway chose the panda for a reason. I see no reason to doubt that he will succeed."
"So what do we do now? We will be follow the butterball to the throne room?"
"Not yet. We still have a rat to catch."
"Great." Izumi muttered under her breath.
No more was said as they left the main hall of the library and stalked silently towards the dark room where Izumi's trap had gone horribly wrong. The panda had left by now, so Hei Nuwang saw no reason to not seal the exit with amethyst so the battle outside would not spill into the building and interrupt the hunt. With no way to track the creature, Hei Nuwang had agreed with Izumi's suggestion to track down the masked panther in the hope that the creature was also following him. Izumi had a bad feeling that the reason it seemed to intent on killing the masked panther was because he was a high-ranking member of the Children of Nuwa. It was just a feeling, but if she was right...
"Mistress, I'm not so sure this is a good idea." Izumi spoke as they neared the open doors to the storeroom. "What if the creature wants you to come looking for it?"
"Then it clearly doesn't know what it's dealing with." A purple shard formed in Hei Nuwang's paw. "You underestimate me."
"I do not doubt how strong you are. I'm just afraid that the creature may be stronger."
"Only one way to find out, my friend. Remember, I want it alive."
"Aw, do we have to?" Izumi whined.
"We do. Compared to Ember, that beast is a complete enigma. I want to know what it is and what it has against me." Hei Nuwang smirked as they stepped inside.
The massive room was still dark and full of fallen crates. Izumi felt sour at the thought of traversing the labyrinth again, but then two walls of amethyst rose from the floor in the middle, and pushed outwards until all the crates were forced to the sides. Many of the crates were crushed as they stacked together, spilling their various contents. The walls crumbled, leaving a wide, empty space.
"Isn't that much better?" Hei Nuwang said, smiling.
Izumi smiled back, heartened by Hei Nuwang's confidence. "Much."
Hei Nuwang's smile grew wider as she looked towards one of the stacked crates. She walked over and plucked a small metal shuriken that had been embedded in the wood. "I believe our masked friend fights with these. You can track him with this, right?"
Izumi nodded.
The masked panther's trail led to the last place Izumi wanted to be: the prison, the site of her first failed trap.
The deeper they delved into the prison, the clearer it was that they weren't alone. There were shadows in places they shouldn't be, and Izumi had just discovered a piece of the panther's black clothing on a broken cell bar. There were drops of very fresh blood on the fabric. Hei Nuwang had gone very quiet. There was no doubt that the creature was here.
They reached the room where they had initially trapped the panda with the creature. Hei Nuwang held out an arm, signalling Izumi to stop. Izumi swallowed and pulled out several knives. She had to survive this, if only so she can eventually give Viper what was coming to her. She'd long ago decided to start by smashing the no-legger's face into a mirror, and from there make it up as she went along.
"You have that look on your face again." Hei Nuwang spoke. "You're fantasising about the snake again, aren't you?"
"I can't help it. You see what she's done to me." Izumi pointed out her hated scars.
"She and her friends have caused trouble for me as well." Hei Nuwang replied, her eyes hardening. "So don't even think about killing her without me present. I want to watch."
"Very well, Mistress." Izumi said, thinking how nice it was that she and Hei Nuwang had so much in common.
With that she went back to fantasising. Maybe she would skin the snake lengthwise for a big finish. Pluck her azure eyes out and replace them with her ridiculous lily flowers. Now that was something to look forward to.
In fact, Izumi liked the sound of it so much that she almost didn't notice the black tendril curling around her upper arm.
She yelled and lashed out. The knife failed to cut through, but it pushed the tendril away before it could tighten its grip. She jumped away from the tendril as it slid back into the black spot on the floor, fur standing up on end.
Hei Nuwang glowered at the bobtail. "You need to be more careful."
Fuming, Izumi unsheathed her longest knife and held her ground, eyes and ears open for the creature's next move. She saw a thick tendril rise out the ground behind Hei Nuwang.
Before Izumi could warn her, Hei Nuwang turned her hip and lashed out, catching the tendril by the tip. The tendril twisted in her paw, the very end lunging at her face like a cobra, not quite reaching. Hei Nuwang tilted her head towards her catch, intrigued. With her amethyst shard she tried to sever the tendril, but like Izumi's knife it didn't even make a scratch. "Interesting."
Izumi smirked at how pathetic the tendril looked as it struggled in Hei Nuwang's grasp. Perhaps this creature wasn't so tough after all.
Then Izumi noticed that the world had changed. Everything she saw, even the red torches, had taken a sapphire blue tint. There was a chill in the air. The walls and floor shed water from a hundred cracks.
Hei Nuwang uttered a soft sound. The tendril, unable to return to the floor, instead disintegrated in the panther's paw. The darkness fell away in a black mist and dissipated. Hei Nuwang frowned and opened her paw, revealing a clear liquid gathered on her palm.
"What is this?" She muttered, a strange look on her face.
Izumi took a closer look. "Water. It's just water."
Hei Nuwang released a shudder and threw the water away. Izumi blinked at her reaction. "Mistress?"
Two more tendrils rose and reached for them. When Hei Nuwang didn't move Izumi leapt to intercept, sparring with dual blades. Unable to cut, the bobtail instead wielded the knives like clubs, striking the tendrils over and over until they retreated. Izumi stepped back towards Hei Nuwang, staying alert for the next attack. "Is that why we haven't been able to hurt the creature? It's made entirely out of water?"
She heard Hei Nuwang release a soft, strangled cry. Izumi turned to see the panther's expression as a mask of pure horror. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Something large and black flew between them and struck the wall behind. The masked panther slid to the wet stone floor in a dazed heap.
Izumi and Hei Nuwang looked to see what had thrown him. On the far wall, the creature slid out of a black shadow like an icicle growing from the ceiling. There was no splash as it stepped onto the floor and slowly advanced. Its blank blue eyes glistened with malice, fixed on Hei Nuwang.
Hei Nuwang was rooted to the spot. She shook her head and muttered nonsense syllables, unable to articulate proper sentences. Her purple eyes seemed unable to turn away from the monster as it got closer.
"Mistress?!" Izumi shouted. The masked panther groaned as he slowly got to his feet. Hei Nuwang showed no response. Izumi cursed and launched herself at the creature. It swatted her aside and continued towards the frozen panther.
Izumi hit the floor with a splash. The moment she hit the thin layer of water several clear liquid tendrils tightened around her limbs and lifted her into the air. As she struggled, she watched more tendrils approach the masked panther, who pulled out a short sword and started fighting.
As for Hei Nuwang, she made no resistance as the creature grabbed her by the shoulders. Their eyes locked. Wide, appalled, terrified purple and narrowed, hateful, accusing blue. Water rained from the ceiling, drenching them all.
"Mistess?! Snap out of it!" Izumi shouted. "NUWANG, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
Hei Nuwang's eyes were brimming. "It's her."
Her?! The creature's a girl?!
Hei Nuwang was lifted off her feet. The creature's claws pierced her clothing and her flesh. Beads of blood began to form, but Hei Nuwang was nearly catatonic. "It's her. The energy... it's the same as hers. She's returned, reborn as this creature..."
Izumi tried to reply, but the masked panther beat her too it. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" He roared.
"The chi... those eyes... they're just like the child's... it was born from her... The child is..." Hei Nuwang's tears mixed with the water that already soaked her face. "Mother... what have you become?"
Straining against the tendrils, Izumi finally reached the crystal dagger in her belt. She pulled it out and sliced at her watery captors. This time the blade sliced clean through the tendrils and she dropped to the now completely flooded floor. Without missing a beat she rushed at the creature, swinging the dagger. The creature suffered a cut on its forearm before it stepped out of her range, dropping Hei Nuwang. More water tendrils rose up from the flood, blocking Izumi before she could try again. The creature stared daggers at Hei Nuwang before melting into the water.
Silence fell. Izumi panted, clutching the dagger with both paws, her arms and legs aching where the tendrils had restrained her. The masked panther sheathed his sword and cautiously approached the still froze Hei Nuwang. "Mistress?"
"IT WASN'T MY FAULT!" Hei Nuwang shrieked startling them both. She put her paws over her face, her entire body shaking. She stayed this way for a long time. Izumi and the masked panther didn't dare do anything but watch. When she finally lowered her paws, her face was cold and dry. "New orders. Anyone who harms that creature or the girl who birthed it dies." Izumi and the masked panther quickly nodded. "Izumi, give me the dagger."
Izumi handed over the weapon. "Are we going to the throne room, now?"
Hei Nuwang clenched her teeth and fists. "I'm going to the throne room. I want you two to gather as many men as you can and wait for me at the gates to the city. Once Ember is dead, we're leaving."
"What about the battle?" The masked panther asked.
"What about it?" Hei Nuwang asked back.
