The Tales of the Dragon Warrior

Shifu stood at the doors of the Jade Palace, his hands behind his back and eyes serious. The village below was dark and deserted, with the only light coming from the lanterns the trail of evacuees carried. Dry lightning cracked across the sky behind him. Shifu was ready to face the monster he had created. He was ready to die.

The doors of the Jade Palace courtyard creaked open, as if the breeze had blown them open. But Shifu knew better. Shifu closed his eyes. Thunder boomed from above, and lightning flashed, charging the already tense air. When Shifu opened his eyes, a dark silhouette stood before him at the top of the Palace steps, seeming to have appeared out of nowhere. It only took one look at the figure's glowing yellow eyes for him to know who he was. It was Tai-lung.

"I have come home, Master.", Tai-lung said, his face perfectly neutral in the light of the flashing lightning, and his voice deceptively calm. Tai-lung inclined his head slightly downwards, as if in a show of respect to Shifu, but Shifu knew the man had no respect left to give for him

Shifu took a few seconds to take in the young man's appearance. He looked much different from the last time he had seen him five years ago. His face was harder, his years in prison having made him seem less boyish than he was before. His eyes were wrathful, swirling with a storm of emotions, and not at all calm like they used to be. His muscles were more well defined, despite the fact he had been kept completely imobile for five years. He wore no shirt. Shifu knew this was because it had to be taken off him so the acupuncture shell could be placed on him. Chains, even after so many weeks since his escape, still clung to his wrists. Shifu wondered if that was because he couldn't take them off, or because he didn't see the point in fully removing them. Shifu felt the slight nagging of the instinct to help the boy he had raised and remove his chains for him.

But this was no longer his son, Shifu had to remind himself, this was someone different. This was someone clouded with rage and frustration, who would likely kill him before the night's end. Shifu glared steadily at Tai-lung.

"This is no longer your home, and I am no longer your master.", Shifu responded coldly. Tai-lung stopped inclining his head, dropping his act of respect. Disinterest entered his eyes, and he tilted his head to the side curiously.

"Oh, yes. You have a new favorite. So where is this 'Jade'? Did I scare her off? I must have. Perhaps that's why Laofu and his little friends were so adamant on keeping her from me.", Tai-lung guessed with a dark chuckle. Shifu narrowed his eyes.

"This battle is between you and me.", the old master responded. Tai-lung sighed and loosened his posture a bit.

"So, that is how it's going to be.", he stated, twisting his body around so he looked like he was leaving. His yellow eyes stayed honed on Shifu from over his shoulder, carefully watching his reaction. Shifu remained firm.

"That is how it must be.", the old man insisted, before swiftly moving into a battle stance.

For a moment, Tai-lung remained in place. He made a deep growling noise in the back of his throat, but didn't move to take a battle stance of his own. Then with only a yell as his warning, he leapt up into the sky and extended his leg in a kick. Shifu looked up at him, trying to figure out what the man was doing, before quickly moving backwards to dodge Tai-lung's kick.

When the white haired man landed, his kick shattered the stone steps underneath him. He then kicked up a piece of stone five times his size out of the rubble, and propelled it towards Shifu with another kick. Shifu managed to break the stone with a single strike of his hand, causing bits of rock to go flying everywhere in an eerie green glow.

But unfortunately for him, Tai-lung's attack with the rock was only a distraction. Shifu's eyes widened as he saw that Tai-lung was flying at him, his fist pulled back in a punch. Shifu was sent crashing through the Palace's wooden doors, but managed to land on his feet with a 'screech' from his shoes sliding on the marble floor. He resumed a fighting position with a loud scream of 'heeyah!' and prepared for another attack. Tai-lung, however, decided to take his time after landing his first hit. He marched through the gaping hole he had made in the Palace doors, looking as shadowy and ominous as he had when he arrived. His gaze was bitter, and he had a cruel snarl on his face.