37 A prophecy

[Tai Lung]

"Soothsayer." I called her and she smiled.

She was sitting under the small bridge and she looked like an ordinary old goat. But she was nothing but ordinary, she used to be the trusted advisor of the Royal Peacocks and as her name suggests, she was a soothsayer, someone who could foresee the future.

I quickly scanned the surroundings to see if there were guards secretly protecting an important figure like her and also to see if we attracted any attention by calling out each other's names.

"You look splendid my boy." She said with a fond smile.

"And you look like you could die of old age any moment." I turned back to her and replied. Her true age was unknown but she was the advisor for the Royal Peacocks since the beginning. She held that position for many generations but now that the Peacocks were all gone, she no longer held such position.

It could be said that she was one of the main reasons why Gongmen City was as grand as it is now. It was through her ability to foresee the future and advice.

"Oh shush you." She said, "I have lived a long life. But I am sure I would outlive you, and your son, and your grandson. And your grandson's grandson."

"Sounds like a lonely life ahead of you."

"It is."

"You should've proposed to Oogway while he was alive." I said and she was taken aback. She coughed in embarrassment and red found her cheeks.

She always had a thing for Oogway. I realized that when I was young and we all went to Gongemn City for the coming age of their prince Shen.

It was an unspoken secret, to be honest. She was so different whenever she was around Oogway after all.

"Don't bring up such things to an old lady." She said and tried to keep cool.

"You had hundreds of years, I don't know how you fumbled so badly." I teased her. It was nice to see her so thrown off while I knew without a double she wanted to act wise and mysterious.

"Well, Oogway always valued his peace. And a wife seemed like a complete opposite to his desire and belief." She said sadly. "Hopefully, he is now truly resting in eternal peace."

I smiled at that. I knew he was not at peace and he must be busy fighting Kai right about now. I couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at that thought.

"I am sure he is."

"So.." She drawls and looked up and down at me, "What brings you to Gongmen City? Last time you said you hated the city due to the constant fireworks."

I was no stranger to Gongmen City since we often visited it while I was a student under Shifu. It was a big City and they always admired Kung Fu masters, therefore it was kinda like a place of congregation for Kung Fu masters.

This way, the city was favored by masters and in times of need, would be more than happy to help the city fend off invaders. So if you are a master worth your title, you would naturally like the city.

It was kind of ironic how Shen in the second movie made a weapon that was meant to end Kung Fu. He resented his parents and beliefs so in a petty way, it was the reason why he hated Kung Fu and it's masters.

"After years of imprisonment, I thought it would be a good idea to travel around and see the changes." I said, "And naturally I had to visit here first when I heard the city had gone under the rule of Master Thundering Rhino and the Kung Fu council."

"Your thoughts?"

"It's insufferable as ever." I said. My senses were constantly overloaded due to the scent, noise and the bright fireworks that frequently exploded in the sky. They were annoying and put me on edge.

It was not just Gongmen City in specific either, I never really liked big cities and would prefer a quiet village instead.

Soothsayer smiled, "I see. Well, at least the city is in good condition. The Kung Fu council had exceeded my expectations in how they are ruling the city."

We went silent after that and I looked at the mundane trinkets she was selling. But amongst them, the bowl of prophecy caught my eyes. Was she really selling that?

"Soothsayer. Would you mind looking at my future?" I asked curiously. I had a feeling that it won't work on me or at least it won't tell the truth since I was an anomaly.

But I really wanted to try it. The Royal Peacocks forbade her from telling the future to anyone else while she worked as their advisor but now that she was not bound by such position, I reckoned she should be able to look at mine.

"I don't do that anymore." She said, "After what my last prophecy had let to, I had refrained from looking at the future again."

She must be talking about Shen who went crazy due to the prophecy and ended up committing a genocide. He thought he was saving himself from the prophecy by killing off the Pandas but his own action to prevent it had sealed his fate.

Like Oogway used to say, 'A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it'. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy.

She must be blaming herself for all the deaths of the Pandas and for giving the prince a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I can understand how she no longer wanted to tell the future-

"Although I shall make an exception for you." She said, cutting off my thought.

"Really?"

"Yes, I am curious. You are not supposed to be here." She said with a glint in her eyes, "And I cannot see even a little into your future or what you might do. I see nothing."

I remember in the movies that she had the ability to see the future of anyone she looked at. At least a few seconds into the future.

This was not explicitly stated but it was shown in how she was seemingly one step ahead whenever she dealt with someone.

"But what do you mean I am not supposed to be here?" I asked although I knew exactly what she meant by that.

"I might not have talked about it but I have seen your future." She said, "This was not supposed to happen, you were meant for something else."

"You changed your own future. Something I thought only Oogway and the Dragon Warrior were able to do." She said thoughtfully.

"So yes, I shall look into your future." She said and put out her hand, "Give me your hand."

I put my hand on top of hers and I thought she was going to read my handprints but she plucked out my fur instead.

"Ouch."

She was not done as she quickly clipped off my claw with a cutter. I was quick to pull my hand away as I stared in disbelief at my claw which was chipped off.

My claws were supposed to be tougher than metal, capable of cutting through iron with ease.

"How did you-" My words were cut off when I turned to look at her but she was no longer there. I immediately felt her presence behind me as I winced in pain when I saw her pluck the fur from my tail.

"Hey!!" I said and grabbed my tail away from her.

She came back to her position and put everything in her bowl. She threw in a few other items which I did not know, before she finished off by throwing gunpowder in there.

The gunpowder exploded and her eyes went white. Thick white smoke was released as they gathered to form an image.

"I see." She said while humming and her eyes were completely white, "I see."

I could feel how her Chi and the Chi of the world were doing something. I was not able to sense exactly what was happening but I knew something was happening.

I watched in rapt attention as the smoke turned into different colours to form something. It was soon revealed to be a snow leopard.

It was me.

"A warrior unlike anything the world had ever seen." She said while she continued humming.

"With a heart that could not decide black or white. Not a villain yet far from a hero, draped in the shades of grey." She said and the smoke highlighted my grey fur.

"The path you walk shall not lead to glory as you wish. Your quest for validation, a failure." She said as the snow leopard in the smoke knelt down in defeat

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"For Destiny is not kind to those who defy her. The Universe worked to right the accident." She said and continued humming. There were beads of sweat on her face as she tried to look further.

"History remembers a villain you never wished to be. Your legacy and ambition died at the hands of someone whose's was forgotten." She said and the snow leopard in the smoke was suddenly destroyed by a green light.

...

She continued humming and tired to see further and more detail but she failed. In the end, her eyes returned to normal and the smoke disappeared.

She was breathing heavily and she seemed shaken by what she saw.

Her shaky eyes locked on mine as we stared at each other. I took in the information and the prophecy for a few seconds before I smiled.

"The future does not look good for me does it." I chuckled. Soothsayer shook her head at that, the future was not bright for me.

"Did I at least get a smoking hot snow leopard as a girlfriend?" I asked jokingly but surprisingly she nodded.

"You can say that." She said.

Damn.

"Although it is weird, I could not see a concrete future for you. I can only tell the present and the failure of your ambition. Not how or when. I can't even see the person who defeated you." She said thoughtfully, "This is way above my power."

"Well, thanks for the prophecy. I will keep it in mind." I said and threw her a couple of silver coins.

"I will leave you then." I said and quickly went away from her. I might act calm and unaffected but I was completely shaken inside.

Not in a bad way though. I did not despair as I was an anomaly, I could change anything. I have done it before and Shootsayer said it herself, she couldn't see it clearly.

But to think that I would be defeated in the hands of Kai. To be honest, if I was to ever be defeated it would be him.

He was not only powerful but he could steal other people's Chi and that can make him more powerful. And to even face him you need to be a master of Chi, something which I was far from being able to achieve currently.

If things happened like canon, I knew he would return in a few years. Would I be able to become strong enough to face him?

I don't know.

'Damn it.' I thought to myself as I made a beeline to the first district of Gongmen City.

I went to an inn and booked a room for a night. I immediately went into my room and mediated to process my thoughts better.

Maybe it would've been better if I had not asked for the prophecy at all because even though I knew it was not certain.

It affected me.

"Inner Peace." I said and spent the rest of the night in that position.

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[IMAGE]

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