Kung Fu Panda: The Spirit Rifts

Scores & Schemes

"Kai?!" The Spiritual Leader alongside his peers looked back to witness a bullish figure emerge from the shadow, his aura glowing a wisdom-evoking green; yet that glow couldn't overpower the determined jade glimmer filling his eyes.

"Who else would it be?" Kai quipped back with a determined smirk filling his face.

"I mean- how did you get here? I thought I sent you back to the Spirit Realm! I've done that twice now, how do you keep escaping?" Po briefly readied himself for battle, preparing for the worst as he assumed Qianzhi had summoned Kai to confront him. "Qianzhi sent you, didn't she?"

"Hah, as if I'd work with that amateur. Ugh, the thirty years she spent outrunning me before I turned her into an amulet were the worst. Constantly stubborn, using her army as a meatshield, I don't understand how they could remain so loyal to her when she treated them so awfully!" Kai let off a soft chuckle, even demonstrating he was there on united business by putting away his glowing jade blades. "To answer your question, no, Qianzhi hasn't sent me here. The reason I'm here is a long, arduous and boring story that not everyone wishes for me to repeat, but in short... I am the ruler of the Spirit Realm. It is my duty to protect the bridge between the Mortal Realm and the Spirit Realm. Qianzhi stands in the way of my objective, therefore, she must be sentenced to oblivion. I knew you needed help from when I caught a glimpse of her when re-entering the Spirit Realm, just know I'm not the only one here," Kai then stepped to the side, revealing a revitalised Lord Shen with his glowing jade aura alongside Tai Lung, who promptly cracked every joint in his body.

"Li Shan-" Shen couldn't even get a word in before the panda warrior was attempting to jump over the table with his warhammer in hand.

"YOU! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO GENOCIDED MY RACE! KILLED MY WIFE! LED MY SON ON A PERILOUS JOURNEY! YOU WERE THE CAUSE OF MY MISERY! MY HATRED FOR WAR, SOMETHING I TOOK SO MUCH PRIDE IN! YOU LEFT US WITH NOTHING BUT SCRAPS AND YET WE STILL BUILT UP AND PO WAS SENT TWENTY YEARS LATER TO END YOU!" Po and Zhen were forced to hold back the infuriated panda as Po attempted to talk him out of his anger.

"Dad! What did I tell you about forgiveness? I forgave Shen despite what he did to our kind, despite what he did to mother..."

"MY ANGER IS BIGGER THAN THAT!" Li Shan attempted to wrestle Po off him yet was going nowhere, all the while Lord Shen watched on whilst checking his talons to see where this situation would lead. "HE TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!"

"He didn't take me," Po managed to spin his father's vision from a daze into a straight line as their jade eyes met. "He didn't take me away from you, he didn't take Ping away from you; and you two are happily wed husbands! He may have taken things from you in the past, from me in the past! But you have so much to enjoy now, why be mad at something that happened twenty years ago? What would mother think?"

"Please, stop calling her mother- her name is Jade... And Jade would be disappointed if I kept acting like this," Li Shan then awkwardly looked up, joining both of his paws together whilst locking eyes with Lord Shen. "Apologies for that, Commander Shen. Pleasure meeting you, once again."

"Pleasure indeed, Chief Shan," Lord Shen extended his wing to shake the paw of the previously infuriated panda. "A lot has changed since our last encounter, I have evolved... I am very sorry for taking Jade from you and before you say it... Yes, I know I cannot simply use words to apologise, but I'm going to run out of Guan Dao's to give away as tokens of forgiveness alongside peace at this rate," A tense silence soon fell upon the cavernous chambers all six warriors were sitting within as both Shen and Li couldn't keep their eyes off one another.