Chapter 1: The Escape
An explosion was heard in the distance trembling the earth beneath Jermaine causing him to turn back to see the training grounds of his dojo burning in the night.
It had only been a few moments from when the dojo had been attacked. He had tried to fight back but his opponents were numerous. Their immense numbers were not what had left him stunned. No, it was their sheer frightfulness, their horrendous looks, their urge to kill. He did not sense a healthy flow of chi from them. What energy was stored inside them flowed erratically. There was only anger, anguish and rage inside these animals.
If they could even be animals. Jermaine's thoughts ran wild. Their physical features did not resemble any animals he had seen before. They seemed to be a combination of several animals, taking the most dangerous features from the fiercest predators: the claws of a lion, the jaws and teeth of an alligator, the sharp scales of a piranha and multiplying the lust for death tenfold. Each dark creature appeared differently but just as scaly and deadly as the next.
Why had they come here? Who had sent them? Why did they attack the temple? What did they want? The thoughts were endless as they ran through Jermaine's mind as he returned his gaze towards the dark path ahead of him following his fellow monks, the ones who had escaped alive.
There was a somber silence between all the monks who huddled closely together through the back gates of the temple that lay behind them. The gates opened and the monks walked through without exchanging any words. There was no need for words or sentences they were all aware of the danger that was nearby.
Jermaine took a last glance at the temple. It now began to break down, smoke bellowing from the inside blending into the grey sky above where the moon shone. Charred wood falling to the earth where it had once been torn from. A small tear fell down Jermaine's cheek and he passed through the gates without ever looking back.
To Jermaine, it felt like a painfully long time before the smell of blood, ash and fire was out of reach. A small sigh of relief entered his chest when he was finally able to breathe in the fresh air of the forest. Although the silence still remained, Jermaine sensed the relief from the remaining eight monks who seemed to relax the farther the group traveled from the temple.
He was fighting curiosity every second of the path attempting to concentrate on the sharp rocks and vines that could cause him to trip at any second.
Thankfully, the moon lit the path ahead. The monks had decided not to use torches in fear of alerting their attackers. Jermaine looked about thoughtfully. Where were they even traveling to? Where were they going to hide? Or were they going to fight?
Fight…The thought passed through Jermaine's mind once more.
He had trained under Master Fung and Master Monk Guan and briefly under Chase Young in the past. But he was still a student. The monks, who were stronger than him with both skill and speed, chose to flee. If they were unable to defeat their hunters, how would he even be able to stand a chance?
Unless…Jermaine left the thought unfinished as the monks arrived at a large bolder which Mother Nature appeared to have claimed for herself with the vines, roots, and small beetles completely covering the large rock.
A hooded monk stepped forward into the moonlight which shone upon the boulder and unveiled himself as Master Fung. He touched three points on the boulder then moved his hands forward placing them on the center of the boulder.
Nothing seemed unusual. But Jermaine knew from Master Fung's stance the actions he was performing. Master Fung was propelling his chi in the boulder to move it. It moved backwards slowly revealing a small underground staircase which nature once again encroached.
The monks slowly descended the stairs finally lighting a torch to reveal the path ahead. It was a small narrow hallway, barely enough room for two people to walk side-by-side but enough to allow the group to travel quickly into a larger room.
The room held a dusty armoire at the end and a large circular rug that fit the oval shaped room. Three doors lay at each direction of the room, North, West, East, and South being the hallway from which they had just emerged.
A monk took the torch from Master Fung and paced himself around the room slowly spreading a small bead of fire to each lamp attached to the wall. The room immediately lit up revealing beautifully colored murals on the walls depicting the legendary masters of the past. Jermaine recognized one of the murals as Master Dashi with a young Dojo Konojo Cho wrapped around his arm.
There was a small pause of silence after the torches were lit before Master Fung finally spoke for the first time.
"We will rest here tonight, we have experienced much. All will be dealt with tomorrow."
After these words were said, the monks began to move forward to the dresser at the end of the room. Pulling out mats and pillows and passing them to one another. No words were exchanged. Jermaine gave a simple head nod as a thank you when one of the monks handed him a pillow and a mat
They all slept in a circle spreading out between the four directions. Jermaine wrapped himself in his blankets edging closer to the center and lay back. He watched the flames dance against the darkness, losing himself in their hypnotic motions, letting himself drift away from all of his questions. A face appeared in his thoughts, the face and voice of Omi who smiled at him confidently.
Omi, who had been able to master the element of water by the age of fifteen. Jermaine was now twenty-one only a couple years older than Omi and he still had not mastered the element of lightning.
He was still nulling it over when he finally fell asleep.
The monks had awaken early and apparently had not waken Jermaine who began peer open his eyes. At the end of the room he could hear the monks muttering in a small whisper.
"We cannot use the Shen Gon Wu!" exclaimed one of the monks.
He recognized the voice as Monk Yi.
"You know what will happen!" Yi continued.
"But what if it is our only option?" replied another monk.
Jermaine recognized the second voice, Monk Tsu.
The monks began to break out into an argument, the louder the argument the more Jermaine could hear.
"They have reached the temple!" One of the monks exclaimed.
Jermaine could not make out who the voice belonged to.
"They could destroy the other temples as well!"
The voices began to overlap and Jermaine could no longer distinguish one from the other.
"And who will protect the world then?"
"Who will protect the Shen Gon Wu?"
"Those are safe!"
"Are they!"
"SILENCE!" Jermaine instantly knew who spoke. It was Master Fung who was somehow able to command presence in any situation. "You have awakened our student."
The monks began to peer out from their small huddled circle glaring at Jermaine who lay completely still. Frozen.
Master Fung's back was turned to Jermaine.
How had Master Fung even known he was awake? One of the mysteries of his master but his shame enveloped his curiosity. He had eavesdropped on the monks.
"It's alright Jermaine." Fung said with a soothing voice. "This matter involves all of us. Come. Join us."
Jermaine slowly lifted himself rolling his red mat to the side then slowly walked over to the small group of monks taking a place closer to Master Fung.
"I'm sure you are quite curious about the matter we are discussing."
"Yes." Jermaine replied. "Yes, I am Master Fung. I-" Jermaine quickly glanced at the remaining monks who all glared back at him. "I don't understand why anyone would attack the temple- attack us."
"Unfortunately, none of us have an answer to your question," Master Fung paused then took a deep breath before he continued. "What we do know is there is an evil that not only threatens us, but also this world. An evil we have never encountered before."
"You feel it too?" A shudder crawled up Jermaine's spine as he remembered the grotesque creatures. "Their chi I mean. It felt dark..Cold...I've never felt anything like it…Ever"
"Yes. We felt it as well Jermaine."
The monks nodded their heads slowly, almost as if nodding their head in full agreement would cause them to feel once again the cold energy infused with hatred and lust for blood the creatures had emitted.
Master Fung continued. "But we do not have the numbers or strength our enemy has to defeat our opponents. However, it is our duty that should an evil threaten our world – we must defeat it..."
"I'm ready to fight Master Fung." Jermaine stared at his master. He thought about his trainings, his past, and his friends. It would have to be enough even if it cost him his life. He felt a sense of pride and joy.
"Now is not your time to fight young monk." Master Fung took a deep breath. His pale face looked troubled. "You must assemble the Xiaolin dragons."
Jermaine stared. "What do you mean? Omi? The rest?"
"Yes young monk. Omi, the dragon of water, Kimiko, the dragon of fire, Clay the dragon of earth, Raimundo, the dragon of the wind and finally you Jermaine, the dragon of lightning. Together, your power will be enough to –"
"Do you know what you're asking?" Monk Yi interrupted hastily. "He is still a Xiaolin monk in training. Jermaine has not mastered the element of lightning at all."
"He has had enough training to channel his chi and generate his element." Master Fung replied confidently.
"And then what?" Monk Yi snapped back. "He has no idea how to control such a dangerous element! He risks harming not only himself but the other dragons! We will never defeat whatever evil we are up against without the Xiaolin dragons!"
"The Xiaolin dragons can handle themselves." Monk Tsu interjected quickly. "But what about Jermaine's escape? The forest has now become overcome with those creatures. We are trapped below the surface, but we are also safe. If Jermaine leaves us he may not be able to fight their number or their strength."
"Which is why…" Master Fung reached into his right pocket. "We must assist him with the Shen Gon Wu." He opened his hand to reveal a large coin with a hole in the middle. The Mantis Flip Coin.
There were a few unsteady movements within the room. The monks gazed about the coin as if Master Fung held some form of forbidden material.
"Absolutely not!" Yi said furiously. "You want to bring another evil into this world?"
"This is a necessary evil we must deal with." Master Fung replied quietly.
"I must agree with Yi," replied Monk Shao who was usually a soft spoken much younger monk than the rest. "Activating the Shen Gon Yu is not an option here. Isn't one evil still better than two evils?"
"If Jermaine is not able to escape the forest above us. We will be trapped here and the Xiaolin Dragons will not be assembled. We must fight the threat while it is young" Monk Tsu answered.
Monk Yi was still furious. The lines in his forehead creasing more than ever. "And what if our evils assemble? Have you all thought of that? Our Xiaolin Dragons cannot fight two evils!"
Yi's words appeared to have an effect on the monks who turned to one another and began to mutter between themselves.
"If we were unable to defeat our opponent only the Xiaolin Dragons stand a chance now." Monk Fung hesitated for a moment. "We cannot consider the possibility of risking Jermaine's life if it means the failure to assemble the dragons. Then for sure, all hope is lost."
His words seemed to conquer whatever effect Yi had had on the monks.
Jermaine sat next to Master Fung frustrated, unable to contain his questions. "I don't understand this," Jermaine could keep silent no longer. "What evil are you talking about? The Shen Gon Wu are good. Omi, Kimiko, they used them all the time to fight evil."
There was an unsteady silence in the entire group of monks. Most of them looked down, Yi glared at Master Fung who seemed hesitant to speak.
"I know they can be used for evil things," Jermaine spoke up breaking the silence. "But I'm one of you guys. I only used them for wrong doing once. And that was with-"
"We trust you completely young monk." Master Fung interrupted giving Jermaine a small sense of confidence in himself.
"As it stands the Shen Gon Wu are completely inactive." Monk Tsu began.
"Yea, I know." Jermaine grew a little more frustrated. The monks were not divulging any information "There was no need for them. So you guys put them away after you collected them all."
"No. We did more them put them away," Shao replied. "They're lifeless. No power remains within any of the Shen Gon Wu."
Jermaine became confused. No power left within the Shen Gon Wu? How did that even happen?
"The power is there," Master Fung corrected Shao. "Just dormant. In a stasis, if you will. Unable to be tapped into or activated."
"Why? What happened?" Jermaine questioned.
"Wuya." Yi answered abruptly.
There was a foreboding silence within the room. The only sound that could be heard was the soft crackling fire of the lamps in the room. The monks all looked down, almost ashamed of themselves. Master Fung then raised his head.
"But if we are to set you on your journey to protect the world," Master Fung began. "You will need answers. Answers we can provide."
One of the lamps burned out at the far end of the room. Master Fung lifted himself slowly and walked to the wooden dresser lifting a small brown canister of oil from inside. He approached the lamp filling it slowly with oil then lit it once more using another lamp. He returned to the dresser placing the canister of oil within and closed the door returning to his place next to Jermaine.
"You never met Wuya's true form. And I truly wish you will never have to." Master Fung was stone faced. "I am sure you have heard from Omi, a great deal about the Heylin witch. But simple stories do not convey the evil she tried to reign with 1500 years ago. Destructive and treacherous her wrathful and vile Heylin magic along with herself was sealed within a box by the Great Master Dashi."
"Until she got out…" Jermaine added. He recalled his brief encounter with her in New York and his first Xiaolin Showdown with Omi.
"Yes. Then sealed once more by the Xiaolin Dragons" Master Fung replied.
"We hoped it would be for eternity." Monk Yi butted in. "That the world would never have to endure her poison ever again."
Master Fung dismissed Yi's words and simply continued. "The only way to assure Wuya would never enter this world again was to stop the Shen Gon Wu from ever being used."
"So you hid them right?" Jermaine asked curiously. "Like Master Dashi did?"
"Hiding them was not enough," Answered Master Fung. "It never was, they will always be found and since the Shen Gon Wu are responsible for Wuya's restoration, we had to disable their powers…It was our only choice to ensure her imprisonment was permanent. That she was never released from her box, and she was never restored to power with her malicious Heylin magic."
"But the Shen Gon Wu are helpful," Jermaine reasoned. "In the right hands they helped save the world. More than once!"
"But with Wuya and Chase Young defeated. We felt there was no longer any purpose for the Shen Gon Wu to serve. They were a power we were willing to sacrifice for the world to be in balance and ultimately at peace." Master Fung played with the Mantis Flip Coin between his fingers.
There was no glimmer to the coin. The glimmer Jermaine knew all too well from being poorly influenced by Chase Young to fight against Omi. The Shen Gon Wu had almost an addictive quality to them being so mysteriously magical.
He had used the Shen Gon Wu before; his only mission was to reach Omi. If he was quick enough he could travel through the forest and reach the beaches by tomorrow's nightfall.
He tore his eyes away from the coin and looked at Monk Yi. "You have been a faithful teacher to me Monk Yi. All of you have. I can do this. I know I can. Even if my life is lost after gathering the Xiaolin Dragons, I will know it was for a good cause. To preserve the peace of the world. The peace you have all told me is worth living and fighting for. We've beat Wuya twice we can do it again. But we have another evil that threatens this world an evil we have a chance of beating. I can do this. I promise."
Monk Yi glared down at Jermaine and took a deep sigh. "You must be quick Jermaine. Pay no attention to the trickery that lies above us. Escape this forest and assemble the dragons. Do not waste anytime. This is a mission, you must not fail."
Monk Yi's stare was intimidating almost as if Jermaine failed he would have to deal with the Monk himself. A threat which at the moment seemed much larger than what lay for him outside these walls on the surface.
"Do we all agree?" asked Master Fung. "To release the seal on the Shen Gon Wu? Bringing their great power to this world again?"
Each monk sitting in the circle looked to their side discussing the matter slightly nodding and then turning their heads.
"If you believe this is the way Master Fung. Then we lay our trust in you," Monk Shao turned to Jermaine. "And Jermaine as well."
The monks all agreed putting their hands forward and nodding.
"Then we will do what must be done." Master Fung placed the Mantis Flip Coin in the center of the circle. "We will now release the power of the Shen Gon Wu."
Monk Yi, Monk Shao, Monk Tsu and Master Fung put their hands forward. For few brief moments nothing happened then instantly a bright light broke out in the room blinding him. He could feel the chi flowing from the center of the circle in enormous waves. Then just as fast as it had started the flow came to a stop. The coin in the middle of the circle sizzling, the shiny glimmer had now returned.
"It is done." Master Fung's voice was burdened with a heavy pant. He was weakened. "You must leave quickly. The creatures will not find us but they will surely be drawn to this area." He picked the coin from the floor. "I am unable to trust you with the most powerful Shen Gon Wu but these will have to do."
Master Fung reached into the bag at his side pulling from it a golden helmet with small spikes emitting from the top.
"The Helmet of Jong will grant the vision you lack behind you." Master Fung continued to reach into his satchel pulling out a golden slanted trinket with a large red bead at the end and a small board with a what appeared to be a tongue on one side "The Falcon's Eye will let you see through solid objects and grant you far sight. And the Tongue of Saiping will allow you to talk to animals" He then reached towards the sizzling coin. "And finally. The Mantis Flip Coin, whoever holds the coin will leap with the skill of a mantis."
Jermaine placed the items in his satchel knowing a long journey lay before him.