From Pain to Inner Peace

This chapter is dedicated to the memory of Bruce Lee, who tragically passed away on this very day back in 1973. RIP, Bruce.

In the turtle's lair, the turtles and Splinter had just finished watching the news. The entrance to the lair opened with the Four Stars arriving, with sorrowful looks on their faces, especially Ben. The turtles and rat approached them, their faces also had solemn looks.

"Ben. We just saw the news. What happened there?" Asked Leo.

"Yeah, is your uncle going to be ok?" Asked Donnie.

"And what about your secret lair? Are you also worried people are gonna find it?" Asked Mikey.

"My sons! Please, this young warrior needs his space, do not bombard him with questions." Splinter said.

"I'll get us some tea. Then we'll sit in the living room to talk." Donnie said.

"Wise suggestion, Donatello." Agreed Splinter.

As everyone sat in the living room with their drinks, Ben explained how he was told by Lei to leave behind the water scroll so he could study it before the dragon went out on patrol with his friends. He then explained how he sensed something bad was happening at his home and rushed to find the place burning and his uncle critically wounded. Even worse, the water scroll was stolen by none other than Qin Lao himself. The Stars, turtles and rat gasped at the last part.

"Wait wait wait! You're saying the man himself paid your uncle a visit and pummeled him before the fucker took the scroll!?" Asked Raph loudly.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. And my uncle is being rushed to the emergency room as we speak." Explained Ben.

"My auntie will be visiting the hospital frequently for any news." Said Maggie.

"As will my dad and Sam's mom." Said Jet. "All we can do now is pray to the gods for his recovery."

"I'll call Casey and April to check on him too." Said Don.

"Thank you everyone." Ben thanked.

"And what about your secret lair, Ben? Aren't you worried someone will find it in the wreckage?" Asked Leo.

"No. It is hidden and protected by magical barriers which only me and my uncle could access." Explained Ben.

"Same with our places." Added Maggie.

"Yeah, our homes are all hidden in plain sight by invisible magic barriers cast by our elders." Sam finished.

"Do you have a place you can stay, dragon man?" Asked Mikey.

Ben thought for a moment, then looked up.

"At first, I planned to stay at Maggie's, but after going through a very bad day, and still pissed off about it, I do not want my beloved's home to have a dark atmosphere due to my presence right now." Said Ben. "I have decided to stay with you five for the time being."

Maggie looked at her lover saddened he didn't want to stay with her but understood the reasons. She knew her boyfriend needed some space.

"You are welcome to stay with us, Ben Lung." Splinter declared. "I will have my sons prepare a room for you."

"And it's time for the three of us to go. It's past our bedtime." Said Jet.

"And starting tomorrow we must train extra hard since our enemy has one of the scrolls." Said Sam.

"We better train harder too if we're gonna join you in taking this guy down." Leo said.

"Agreed. One stolen scroll is bad enough. We better practice our skills." Agreed Maggie. "Thanks for the tea, guys."

The Phoenix, Tiger and tortoise all got up and walked towards the entrance. Before they stepped out the entrance they looked back at Ben. They were worried about their dragon friend, especially Maggie.

"Ben? Call us if you need us, ok?" Maggie said.

Ben simply gave a small smile and said thank you before they left.

"Ok guys, let's get a room ready for our guest." Said Donnie.

The brothers got up and proceeded to set up a room while Ben still sits on the sofa and stares into space, dark thoughts plaguing his mind. Splinter notices this but decides to ask him about it in the morning as he retreats to his quarters.

After the spare room was finished, Ben entered and saw that it contained a simple bed as well as a dressing table and a closet. The dragon took off his pants and got into bed in his underwear. But he was having trouble sleeping. His eyes locked on the ceiling. The memories of what happened to his uncle still haunted him. After a long while he was finally drifting off to sleep. Unfortunately it wasn't a pleasant dream.

Ben was standing in a sort of white void. As he walked around, he heard a couple voices behind him.

"Son."

"Nephew."

Ben turned around and saw his father and uncle standing before him smiling.

Ben was overjoyed to see his beloved father alive and his uncle unharmed. He smiled and his eyes water with joy. But that joy immediately turned to horror when his father was suddenly shot from behind his legs bringing him to his knees. Lei didn't even react much except his smile vanishing.

"Uncle, help him!" Shouted Ben, but again, Lei showed little reaction.

His father was then shot through the head making him fall face first onto the ground which turned into a small pool of water the instant he made contact and sank in the dark depths. Lei then gasped as he was suddenly slashed and stabbed from behind. Then he was grabbed telekineticly in a green aura then lifted up, revealing Qin Lao as the attacker, much to Ben's shock and anger. Qin then proceeded to crush and twist Lei to near death before tossing him aside.

"UNCLE!!!" Ben yelled as he ran to his injured uncle.

But just as the dragon was about to grab the old man, the ground broke and Lei fell into a pit of fire!

"NOOOO!!!" Ben screamed in the air.

The dragon then heard Qin's evil laugh and turned around, fury in his eyes.

"You could never have saved them, boy. Because you were weak. And always will be." Qin said mockingly.

Ben angrily shot out his arms and tried to blast his nemesis with ice and water but very little of each came out.

"Fool! I have the water scroll now. Your power is now mine!" Bellowed Qin as he raised his arms to summon a sea of water tendrils with sharp ice tips.

Ben looked up in fear at the many thousands of sharp tipped tendrils.

"Now join your family in Hell!" Qin yelled before shooting out his arms and the tendrils all launched at Ben aiming their ice tips at him.

Ben awoke with a gasp, his body covered in sweat. He rubbed his face and became deeply troubled by his nightmare.

"I gotta train starting tomorrow. I have to kill that son of a bitch! I must train all day if I must! No patrol! No socializing! No rest! Only training!" Ben thought as his eyes narrowed with determination.

Next morning, everyone woke up. Leo in particular awoke hearing grunts. Curious, he got up, put on his mask, belt and paddings and left the room. He looked over the training area where he saw Ben practicing his fighting skills. The rest of the turtles and splinter also came out of their rooms to check the commotion. Ben was punching and kicking in the air with great ferocity, perhaps a little too ferocious. There were wooden dummies and brick targets. Ben smashed each target to pieces with an intimidating roar. The ninjas watched in concern, especially Leo and Splinter.

"Something tells me a volcano is about to explode." Said Mikey.

"That hot head. I hate it when people remind me of me." Commented Raph.

"I remember all too well what happened to the last warrior who got this edgy." Leo said. "I think we need to intervene."

"Wise decision, Leonardo." Agreed Splinter.

The ninjas hopped down to the training area and approached the angry dragon.

"Ben, we're about to have some breakfast. Why don't you come join us? Wouldn't want you training and fighting on an empty stomach, do we?" Leo asked, before Ben stopped practicing and turned to the ninjas. He was about to refuse until his stomach growled.

"I suppose not." Answered Ben in a quiet voice.

"Then come to our kitchen, dragon man. Mikey makes the best breakfast meals. Especially eggs. And man, he knows how to scramble them." Said Raph as everyone walked to the kitchen.

Everyone sat at the dinner table awaiting their food. Mikey was finishing cooking their breakfast. When he was done. He happily passed them out. Everyone got scrambled eggs and pancakes along with bacon and sausage. Butter and syrup was also on the food. The breakfast looked so good. Everyone happily dug in. Though Leo and Splinter noticed Ben eating quietly and slowly with a disturbing morbid look on his face. Both the eldest turtles and the elderly rat looked at each other in worry.

"Ben, may I see you in my quarters after breakfast?" Splinter asked which the dragon simply nodded before looking at Leo. "Leonardo, will you accompany me?"

"Yes, sensei." Leo replied.

Just then, Donnie's shell cell rang. The brainy turtle answered and his face turned solem. He then thanked the caller and hung up then looked at Ben.

"It's April, your uncle just got out of surgery, but he's in critical but stable condition." Donnie informed Ben .

Everyone looked at each other sadly.

"All we can do for him now is pray." Said Splinter.

After everyone finished their food. Mikey and Donnie cleaned the dishes while Raph decided to work out by lifting weights. Ben followed Leo and Splinter to the latter's quarters. Splinter lit some incense to create a calm atmosphere before sitting on one side of a table while Ben sat on the opposite while Leo sat beside his sensei.

"Chen Lung. Leonardo and I can see you have a growing darkness in your eyes. They show us a vengeful and violent soul eager to enact its revenge on the ones who wronged it. We understand your pain, but your inner rage will not work." Said Splinter.

"He's right, Ben. If you go out and face Qin with that attitude, it's NOT going to go well with you. Your own anger will defeat you, Ben. You remind me of a turtle I used to know." Leo added.

As the leader said that, Splinter reached at his head where he was hiding a scar from a sword.

"I appreciate your concern, my friends. But not only I may lose the only family I have left thanks to that monster, but that same monster has one of the scrolls in his possession!" Ben said. "I mustn't rest until I have perfected my techniques and skills because as each day passes, Qin grows stronger thanks to the scroll."

"We understand, Mister Lung, but you will not succeed with that much anger in your heart. Rage is a monster that will destroy you from within. Chen Lung, a true warrior finds balance in all things." Said Splinter.

"In order to prepare to fulfill your destiny, you need to find inner peace within yourself. You need to heal those scars in your soul." Explained Leo. "Your uncle said you need to do so in order to unlock your inner power, right?"

Ben looked down for a moment. He hated to admit it, but he knew they were right. The dragon looked up.

"You're right." Ben agreed. "I'm not in the right state of mind right now. I might need somewhere quieter and more natural to find my inner peace."

"Ok. We'll go to Central Park later. It's still raining but it's not that rough anymore." Leo suggested. "Also, there aren't any humans there during bad weather, so it's the perfect place and time."

"Agreed, Leonardo. We will go after a couple hours. And I will accompany you as well to aid in your spiritual recovery." Said Splinter before he and Leo bowed and Ben returned it before all three left the room.

Later, it was time to go to Central Park. Donnie informed the Stars about helping to find Ben's inner peace and agreed to meet them there. The mutants made their way to the park. They soon found a large open space right next to Turtle Pond where Ben can find his inner peace, but not before they made sure no humans were nearby. It was still raining, but only lightly. Thunder still rumbled though. Ben stood near the edge of the pond while the rest of the mutants stood back several feet.

"Are you ready, Ben?" Leo asked.

Ben took several slow breaths before answering.

"I am." Ben replied.

"You can do this, baby." Said Maggie.

"You got this, buddy." Jet cheered.

"We believe in you, Dragon man." Raph encouraged.

"Yeah, unlock your secret super power!" Said Mikey to which Raph whacked him up his head.

"Remember, when you look within yourself, don't fight your past. Let it flow." Splinter said.

"Yes, Splinter." Replied Ben before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

The dragon slid his right feet back and slowly waved his arms. As the raindrops continued to fall, Ben caught several drops as he raised his hands to the sky while still maintaining his form. The drops combined to a single small body of water that Ben moved from arm to arm. At the same time the dragon allowed the painful memories to come back to him. And this time he allowed it to flow through him.

He was back at the terrible night he and his father were killed. How they were cornered by Triads while walking home. How they tried to defend themselves against the Triads, each scoring a few good hits and even taking some goons down, only to be taken down by bullets in the legs to incapacitate them. He then flashed forward to when he and his father were dragged at the docks and were in the presence of their boss, Qin Lao. He then interrogated my father about his stolen property, only to get spat in the face and told that he wouldn't see it again. Ben then saw Qin produce an ancient Chinese straight sword and walked behind the young man. He then felt a sharp excruciating pain as the blade went through his heart from behind while his father simply sobbed softly. Qin nodded at the thug holding him and the latter took out a pistol to execute the father but not before the latter managed a small smile of his fatally stabbed son before the gangster shot the man's brains out. The thugs then kicked Ben's father into the water in front of the impaled young man. Ben then felt great agony as the sword was pulled out of his chest but before he could react, the sword sliced across his throat, spilling lots of blood and quickly had trouble breathing. The crime lord looked down at Ben as the latter was on the floor bleeding profusely from his wounds. Qin had a look of disgust and snapped his fingers signaling two of his men grabbed Ben and tossed him into the sea. Ben looked at the surface of the water as he sunk down and felt the coldness take his body. The image of the triads looking down before walking away would be the last thing he sees before darkness took him.

Back at the present, Ben gently deposited the shape of water into the Pond. His scales were glowing blue lightly, shocking the audience, before dimming out. He looked down and tears streamed from his eyes and sniffled. The turtles, Splinter, and stars all slowly approached him looking at him solemnly. Maggie gently grabbed the dragon by the shoulders and hugged him. Ben hugged her back. He needed that. The Phoenix then broke away gently and stepped back a few inches.

"Master Lung. You may not have had a happy beginning. But that does not make you who you are. It is the events that come after and who you choose to be." Said Splinter.

"He's right. The past doesn't make you. It's the choices you make." Donnie added.

"Every hero makes his own story." Mikey said.

"Your journey depends on whatever road you pick."

"You must choose your destiny." Leo finished.

"So warrior, who are you? And what is your destiny?" Asked Splinter.

Ben looked at his friends and then a flood of memories came to him.

Him emerging from his ice cocoon as a dragon. Being found by Lei and being taken in by him. Being trained by his uncle. Perfecting his first ice technique. Going out on patrol for the first time and taking down his first thug. Retrieving the scroll from the warehouse. Meeting the turtles for the first time. Forming a bond with Leonardo. Reuniting with his old friends, especially Maggie. Fighting alongside Maggie then kissing her.

All those moments have given him meaning. And he treasured every bit of them. He then stood up straight and looked at the groups with a determined look.

"I am Chen Lung. The Azure Dragon of the East. Protector of the Innocent. Warrior of Righteousness." The dragon mutant announced. "And we're gonna need a plan to take down Qin."

That was one of the longest chapters I've worked on! But it was worth it! And just in time for the anniversary of Bruce Lee's tragic passing.

In case anyone forgot, one of my OCs Chen or Ben Lung, the mutant Azure Dragon is based on the legendary Kung Fu star.

And speaking of our boy Ben, he started off a little edgy. And I don't blame him. Who wouldn't act like that if their loved ones suffered an attack like that?

But with the help of the turtles and Splinter, our dragon has finally found inner peace. And we even get a glimpse of his hidden power!

And now with a correct state of mind and determined resolve, he has declared to finally end his enemy and fulfill his destiny. How will that go?

Stick around and find out!

MergingEmperor7, bowing out.