More than a Dragon Warrior

[Tai Lung's POV]

The world around me was a blur as I was moving through the plains at a speed far surpassing that of what should be possible.

I ran on all fours and my limbs spent more time in the air than in contact with the ground. I was almost hovering above the ground as my body cut through the air.

The wind crashed on my fur due to the speed I was going. My head was held low to avoid the wind blowing in my eyes.

It was amazing, it was freeing and it was proof of the supernatural feats that I was now capable of.

Yet running on all four was foreign, both because of my other life as a human and my imprisonment. 

I ran and ran and ran through the different environments and lands. I ran through forests, plains, grasslands and hills.

My stamina seemed to be infinite as I was unable to tire no matter how long or fast I was running. 

My body was trained to endure harder activities for days so the mere action of running was of no strain to my body. In fact, it was quite an enjoyable and calming activity.

The sun was at the highest point in the sky and I was running up a particularly tall mountain. I came across travellers and other people as I was on my journey but I paid them no mind and rushed past them in a blur of speed.

When I reached the top of the mountain, my speed slowed down as I took in the sight of my surroundings.

I satisfied my warrior's instinct and paranoia and scanned the surroundings. My ears perked up to listen to the faintest sounds, the rustling of leaves, the sound of the small stream rushing down the mountain, and the gentle whisper of the breeze.

My nose, one of my greatest senses went to work as I took in the scent of the soil, the warm smell of the sunlight, the smell of the trees and the the scent of everything else in a 3-mile radius which was carried by the wind.

These kneen senses I now possess were especially pronounced and remarkable to me as a former human. It was incredible how many colours and perspectives exist in the world.

It was the same world, but depending on your senses, how you view it can differ greatly. Reality really was simply bound by our individual knowledge and awareness.

One's reality was another's fantasy.

I finally came to a stop when I was at the very peak of the mountain and stood up to my full height which was a staggering 6'8 feet. My tall frame was filled with rugged fur which hid muscles sculpted by hardships and training. 

My lower jaw was big and my lower canines were peeking out, displaying their sharpness to the world. My upper body was bigger than my lower body and my huge arms reached my knees.

I also had a giant tail behind which was remarkably long compared to other felines. It was an important factor in my physical performance as it helped me have impeccable balance even when I scaled impossible landscapes.

"Haaaaa~ Let's take a break here." I said out loud even though there was no one present. 

There was actually a reason why I was talking out loud like this even though I was all alone.

"My voice." I said in a slow slur and with a smile on my face. My voice was deep yet it carried an elegant and wise tone to its vibration.

It was soothing and it reminded me of a cup of rich black coffee. It came with an unhurried tone yet it left an everlasting sensation.

I had the voice of lan MacShan. How could I possibly remain silent?

"It would be a crime to rob the world of the sound of my voice." I said and chuckled to myself.

I gazed at the mesmerizing landscape of China and took in all of it's beauty.

The wind was a soothing melody as I dived into thought.

How long has it been since I awakened in this world? It matters not as much as the impossible fact that I did, awaken.

At first, it was confusing and scary even for a seasoned warrior like me. Two souls melding to become one. Two lives trying to exist in one soul.

And two set of different memories working to build up a new character, a new personality.

The existential crises that follow did not help the matter.

But the infinite silence of Chorh Gom prison gave me more than enough time to figure myself out.

And I did.

I struck a middle ground between my two identities. 

Tai Lung, the adopted son of Shifu, the first to master the thousand scroll of kung fu and a fierce warrior turned bad, I was the first villain in the movie of Kung Fu Panda. A stepping stone for the Dragon Warrior Po.

And then there was my other self. 

Tai Lung, a human born in a modern world where the current world I was living in was nothing but fiction. He was a prodigious martial artist who had learned everything there was to know about the art of combat. With mastery over different kung fu and martial arts, he was a young man of 24 who was about to bring change to the world. He had dreams and ambitions but death claimed him too soon.

"Who am I?" That was the question I had asked myself countless times.

The answer was rather simple.

I was both of them and neither of them at the same time. 

"I think Po went through something similar in the third movie?" I hummed, trying to recall my memory of the movies.

"How does it go again? 'Am I the son of a Panda, son of a Goose? A student? A teacher? Turns out I am all of them. I am the Dragon Warrior'," I said and repeated the lines in the movie out loud because as I said, I love my voice.

"Ah, I remember how epic it was when I first watched the movie. I almost feel bad for the absolute trashing I plan to give him in the future." I said with a hum.

Now that brought us to another topic, the movies. Or should I say my knowledge of the future. 

There were countless adversaries Po faced as the Dragon Warrior. Lord Shen and his weapons, the shapeshifting Chamelion, and there was the final villain I feel Po beat by pure luck, Kai.

Here's the thing, I was in no way going to leave these threats to the Dragon Warrior or the so-called will of the universe and fate.

My very existence has altered fate now and it would be evident when Po would be unable to defeat me since I was 'me' now.

It was entirely up to me to deal with these threats and enemies. 

"How fortunate." I said.

My dreams in both lives were left unaccomplished. I was unable to become the Dragon Warrior and I was unable to achieve my ambition of changing the world with Kung Fu.

But I had a new dream. A new path that I have chosen for myself when I struck a middle ground to my identities.

It could be said that this ambition was what tied my whole being together. It was what made my two existence morph into one again.

.

.

.

"The strongest." I declared to the world and there was a change in the wind.

The world listened.

The path towards power was a road almost all of the villains in Kung Fu had taken. It includes Kai, Jindiao, and even Shen who went after power in his own way.

Yet all of them failed. In the end, they were defeated by pacifists who wanted nothing but peace and balance in the world.

The universe gave power to those who did not desire it. The examples were Po and Master Oogway.

These two were never interested in power yet the world bestowed upon them the greatest power. They held untold strength even though they were not willing to go to the extreme like all those who failed before them.

In order to protect, they gained strength. Yeah right, how convenient. 

It was not even them, it was fate, or should I say plot armour. The universe was in their favor because they were good and they were the chosen ones.

I am going to reject that. I am going to reject fate and the universe itself and become the strongest, surpassing even the likes of Oogway.

I do not need to be good, I do not need to be chosen. I was fated to be defeated and become a stepping stone for the Dragon Warrior but I am not going to play along with the whims of the universe.

"I am going to become strongest and leave a permanent mark in this world." I said as I saw the sky darken.

The once clear sky and perfect weather took a dark turn as gigantic black clouds rolled around in the sky and rumbled. The wind picked up speed and became violent as it foretold a storm.

I looked towards the sky and observe in silence how the world react to my declaration. To my defiance to the fate it had set on stone.

"What? You don't like that? Hahahaha." I said and laughed madly as the world rumbled.

The sky had become dark and even though it was noon, the world experienced night. There was a flash of light and the sky thundered.

Then there was a downpour. The heavy rain descended from the sky and took the world by surprise. There was no starting of the rain like it normally would, it simply rained heavily from the start.

It was almost unnatural how quickly the weather shifted. From calm and soothing to angry and bothered.

As hinted many times in the movie, there really was such a thing as the universe's will, and it had plans.

Plans which I just rejected and rebelled against.

A popular quote and the one of the main theme in the Kung Fu Panda movies came to mind.

.

'There are no accidents.'

.

It was a saying that hinted at how everything happened for a reason.

There are no meaningless events in the universe, they are all linked and interconnected by fate.

Except me, of course.

I was an anomaly to the fate of this universe, a factor beyond it's plan.

The wind, once again picked up pace, brewing a storm quite unlike this world has ever seen before. The trees around me bent and fell to the will of the world yet I stood still and upright.

The sky rumbled and lightning struck me. I put up my hand to block the lighting and a searing pain assaulted me as the lighting surged through my body.

But that was the extent of it. Weirdly enough, my body was able to absorb the lighting as it disappeared inside my body before dispersing beneath my feet.

A sizzle of lighting crackled around my fur as the ground under me cracked under my weight.

I stood still and remained unfazed.

Surprise surprise, the old tortoise was wrong.

There are accidents.

.

.

.

.

[IMAGE]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author : Good job everyone. Thank you for all the stones.

More helps still.

If you like the storyt then consider supporting me on patreon and read 15 advanced chapters.

Patreon : Emmamuel_Capricorn