Tai Lung.
This name was now mine. It echoed in my memory, resonating with alien recollections that I slowly, painfully digested in the darkness of this accursed prison.
The strongest student of the renowned Master Shifu and his heir.
Many years ago, Shifu found him as a mere cub. The infant, discovered by the master at the palace gates, was too weak to be sent to an orphanage, so the young master decided to keep him at the Jade Palace for a while, nursing the little one back to health and infusing his body with Chi.
Shifu intended to give him away once the child grew stronger, but over time, he grew attached to the snow leopard's character and decided to raise him as his own son.
Years passed, and at the age of three, the boy, named Tai Lung by Shifu—which means Great Dragon—showed an interest in Kung Fu for the first time. In his very first training session, he displayed incredible potential.
In China, names hold immense power. Seeing his child progress so rapidly, Shifu realized that the name given to the little snow leopard was prophetic. He intensified the training, fully convinced that Tai Lung was destined to become the Dragon Warrior.
Tai Lung did not let his father down. He progressed quickly; by the age of 16, he had mastered Chi at a high level and became the first master in history to study the thousand scrolls of Kung Fu, mastering them all.
There was no equal to this warrior in all of China, and at the age of 20, he demanded what belonged to him by right—the title of Dragon Warrior.
Tai Lung sincerely believed it was his destiny, that only he was worthy, and that the title existed specifically for him.
Oogway refused.
That day, Shifu had invited the Grand Master, and Tai Lung demonstrated all his skills.
He had wasted nearly two decades perfecting his techniques and achieved unprecedented heights. Yet, when his father proudly showcased what his student had accomplished, the turtle didn't look surprised. More than that, there was... Disappointment? on his face.
That day, Tai Lung was denied. Enraged, he decided to take the scroll by force.
The Great Dragon shoved aside Shifu, who dared to stand in his way, and ignoring the old and useless turtle—or so he thought—Tai Lung rushed for the scroll. However, Oogway was beside him in an instant. With a couple of strikes to the pressure points infused with Chi, he paralyzed Tai Lung, who hadn't expected such agility from an old man.
After that, the strongest warrior of the Jade Palace was locked in the most secure prison in all of China—Chorh-Gom.
This prison was built specifically for one prisoner—a living blizzard in human form.
Chorh-Gom is a grim fortress carved into the bowels of a mountain, where thousands of spears and chains hold just one captive. It became Tai Lung's cell for twenty long years.
Rhinos, naturally strong warriors, became the jailers for the fallen master, and their commander tortured him every day for the rampage that had claimed the lives of many valley inhabitants.
All of this was now my memory too. I sat in the darkness, bound, feeling this alien but vivid biography pressing down on my consciousness of a simple man.
Just my luck to end up in this world, and in this body, of all things...
I admit, I always thought that after death there would be nothing—something like a dreamless, eternal sleep with no return. Yet here I am... In this cold hole reeking of stale blood.
I don't know what happened in my past life, and I highly doubt I just randomly landed in a cartoon character's body for no reason. But I won't find out now, so it's better not to dwell on it. I have enough problems as it is—namely, my furry roommate called Tai Lung.
What can I say about this universe in general and my new position in it?
To start, this whole world is very similar to the beloved cartoon of my childhood, with one difference—the population isn't sentient animals, but humanoid beings with some animalistic traits.
I, for example, only have a tail, ears, and eyes with claws that are animal-like; otherwise, I look like a regular human. There's nothing strange about it here; the entire population is like this. It's important to understand that mixing people with different traits doesn't result in some monstrosity. A child inherits the father's traits—if a rabbit-girl has a child with a dog-man, the child will be a dog. This division is quite strict in small villages, where locals often live in communities consisting almost entirely of people with the same animal traits, but in larger cities, no one pays attention to this convention...
Crazy world... And now I'm part of it.
Then there are the martial arts, which emerged here only a couple of thousand years ago.
Tai Lung wasn't well-versed in global geography and only knew about China—the state where all the events of the movies took place—and a couple of small states to the north and south.
In China, over these millennia, a martial art called "Kung Fu" developed, which translates to "High Skill" in plain language.
Kung Fu itself in this world allows one to become strong enough to easily wipe out an armed squad of soldiers, but there is also something much rarer—Chi energy.
Chi permeates the entire world and is present in large quantities in every living being—from a blade of grass to a human.
The more Chi, the stronger the being, though sometimes vast amounts of Chi can kill. There's even a special shrub saturated with Chi; ordinary people die even from a slight prick of its thorns.
Using Chi is extremely difficult—even Shifu didn't master this skill. It requires not only talent and perseverance but also inner peace and an understanding of one's goal.
For Tai Lung, the goal was to become the strongest Kung Fu master and obtain the title of Dragon Warrior. Having accepted his desires, this snow leopard was able to use Chi without problems.
I suspect Shifu has some issues beyond just me, which is why he couldn't master the art.
"Issues"... Yeah, right. Raising a son for twenty years, pouring everything into him, making him your project, and then letting some old turtle ruin his life with one word? That's not "issues." That's betrayal.
...Oops. Seems those aren't my thoughts anymore...
Well, now about me... or rather, us.
Tai Lung is a grand master imprisoned in a "perfect" prison. Escaping from here without outside help is impossible, and as it turned out, Tai Lung survived here only thanks to Chi, since he was given neither food nor water... And the torture... It's terrifying to remember. Every evening. Like clockwork...
The situation, simply put, is extremely unenviable, and I just don't know how to get out of this cursed place. I felt the cold stone beneath me, the eternal, aching pain in my muscles, and that monstrous "shell" on my back, which didn't just bind me but seemed to... suck the life out of me. Likely just a trick of the mind; the "Wise Kind Turtle" (Wise Old Freak, more like) wouldn't do something evil to a defeated opponent, would he? Surely not?
In the movie, Tai Lung managed to escape only thanks to skill and luck, but I am NOT Tai Lung, and I don't possess his skills!
Yes, the reflexes and memory of the snow leopard seem to be with me, but knowing something is one thing, and using it is another. Remembering a thousand techniques is one thing; forcing this exhausted, bound body to execute them is quite another.
No, I'm not going to endure torture in a damn dungeon, but I can't just blindly break out either. I need a plan and, simultaneously, to pray that instincts and reflexes kick in as they should.
In the couple of days spent in this nightmare, I managed to briefly review Tai Lung's memory and even empathize with him, literally living through some moments of his life and understanding exactly what he felt. I felt his pride, his thirst for recognition, his... love and respect for Shifu... And that made the betrayal feel all the sharper.
I also roughly understood how Chi works and even learned a couple of tricks with it.
For example, I learned that my body felt almost numb precisely because of Tai Lung's actions—he deliberately blocked physical sensations so the daily torture wouldn't drive him insane, and also constantly cycled Chi through his body to avoid losing all strength. Genius, actually.
Even these couple of days were enough for me to hate everyone around—Shifu for locking me in here, Oogway because of whom I... Tai Lung snapped, the bastard rhino trying to break me every day...
My peaceful mentality collided with the cruelty of the real world and shamefully fled, leaving me alone in a world of pain... This hatred wasn't just a thought. It felt physical. It boiled in my chest, it itched in my fingertips, it demanded to burst out and tear all my enemies to shreds.
Yeah, I'm not great at grand speeches yet, but I'll improve; what fight goes without one, right?
I twitched the ears on top of my head. My hearing was incredible—I caught every rustle, every drop of water falling from stalactites somewhere far in the darkness. And now I caught a sound breaking the routine—the bastard torturer hadn't come down to me yet today, but he was early...
Creak. The heavy, rusty groan of metal.
"And here he is... Tai Lung," spoke the hateful voice of the chief warden as the gates lowered.
"I... I'll just wait here," replied an unfamiliar, agitated male voice... Thin, trembling.
I open my eyes and peer into the darkness. My vision was also superhuman. I immediately spotted the massive figure of the rhino bastard and... A small man, about a meter and a half tall with wings on his back, apparently a goose. He was trembling so hard it looked like he might take off any second.
Hmm, I haven't had visitors before. What changed now? My... our... heart skipped a beat.
"Hahaha, you have nothing to worry about!" The rhino assured the goose. "It is perfectly safe here!" Then he shoved the winged man forward, and the guy flew about two meters with a yelp. "Crossbows, at the ready!"
In the next second, I caught the sound of mechanisms turning huge crossbows in my direction, followed by the sound of tightening cables that served as bowstrings. Machines dealing death were aimed at me alone.
"Hey, tough guy," the visitors had walked right up to me by now. I closed my eyes. I didn't even want to look at this filth. His stench—a mix of sweat, metal, and something sour—hit my nose. "Oogway is finally going to give someone the Dragon Scroll. Someone, anyone, but NOT you!" The rhino said, savoring my helplessness, circling me and reveling in his power.
"What are you doing? Don't make him mad!" The messenger protested immediately.
Aha, so the panda has already been chosen as the new Dragon Warrior, and I... And I must escape today. This thought wasn't a calculated plan, but an instant realization. A flash in my head.
I'm not going to say I'm not ready yet—I'm not staying here longer just to get used to the new body. If anyone is willing to endure daily torture for a ghostly chance to regain skills—be my guest. No way. I've had enough!
"What's he gonna do? I've got him completely immobilized..." The rhino drawled with a grin, while the winged guy was literally shaking with fear.
At that moment, I grimaced because the bastard stepped on my tail...
The pain was sharp, but the humiliation was worse. He pressed down. Deliberately. This bastard dared to humiliate me like some mangy alley cat!
Rage flooded my consciousness, pure, searing rage! Which dissipated immediately. I can't do anything right now, but very soon... Soon...
"Oh!" The messenger recoiled, seeing the rhino's foot on my tail.
"Ahahaha!" The executioner laughed. "Oops, did I step on the kitty's tail? Awww..." the rhino continued to mock, savoring my helplessness.
Just you wait, bastard. When I get out—you, scum, will suffer. I'll remember this.
"I-I've seen everything," the messenger tried to interrupt the humiliation session. "That's enough, I'll tell Shifu there's nothing to worry about!"
"Exactly," the rhino replied, paying me no more attention as he headed for the exit.
"Right, yes, I'll tell him..." The goose exhaled, glad he no longer had to be in my company.
I, however, felt a rush of excitement because right in front of me drifted it—a feather from that goose's wing! Small, grey, nondescript. It spiraled in the weak draft, while my world narrowed down to that feather. This wasn't a chance. This was destiny!
Ha, thank the Gods, I'm getting out of here!
I need to bail now. I'll either escape this dungeon or die trying. There is no third option.
I lay my tail over the feather, hiding it, then move the tail back into place—behind my back. The movement was fluid, practiced. I didn't even think about how to do it, as if I'd had a tail all my life.
On my back all this time was the "turtle shell"—a mechanism specially created by Oogway, weakening my Chi and binding my body.
Multiple needles are stuck into special points, completely blocking certain muscles. I've felt them all these days, like a dull, ceaseless itch under the skin.
Because of this, I can't breathe properly or move.
Additionally, there are two chains, at the ends of which hang multi-ton stone boulders suspended over the abyss.
If not for Chi, I would have died long ago, and if an ordinary human were in my place, their arms would have simply been torn off.
Not the most pleasant death.
I flick the feather up. My tail acts as a third hand, and the feather darts into the special mechanism in the shell. I freeze. I strain my hearing, catching the slightest clicks. With my tail, I make the first movement of the feather—left and down... Click. Got it. I receive a click in response. Now up and right... Click. Another click, now down all the way and left...
CLICK!
The jade needles move for the first time in twenty long years, rising up and releasing me. The pain receded, replaced by... nothing. And then—sensations. I felt my shoulders. My back.
...After which I finally take a full breath... Air! Fresh, dusty air! The Air of Freedom! It burned my lungs like fire. Yes, freedom is so close...
I tense my body, releasing a small burst of Chi, causing the needles to fly outward with tremendous force. Finally regaining full mobility, I make a powerful jerk, shattering the shell on my back into small pieces.
Now to get rid of the shackles.
Finally, I stand up. The body felt foreign, somewhat weak, but it obeyed. I pull the boulders up, trying to reach the shackles with one hand to break them. Damn! No, I've grown too weak over these twenty years; I can't lift the boulders myself. I need something else...
Meanwhile, the guards were already sounding the alarm; amazed cries from my tormentors and the commanding shout of the warden echoed everywhere.
"Crossbow volley!"
This is it! My human side screamed, "We're dead!", but Tai Lung knew this was a chance.
My agility is enough to dodge a couple of shots, and if luck helps me just a little...
Crunch!
In that instant, a huge spear embedded itself a centimeter from me, burying itself ten or twenty centimeters into the stone.
If I hadn't instinctively dodged, that would have been the end of me. Lucky the body moved on its own.
I sense the second shot. I don't have time to position the chain to take the hit, so I just have to dodge it. The third shot, flying in the same second, also missed, dodging it was simple. And now, finally, a conveniently placed crossbow fires a spear in my direction and...
I jerk the left arm's chain, positioning it under the blow.
Clang!
My shackles crack merrily as the crossbow bolt destroys the manacle on my right hand, partially freeing me.
I almost fall from the imbalance to the left. The boulder pulled down, wrenching my shoulder. However, claws charged with Chi tear through the steel of the left manacle like paper, and I roar with euphoria, realizing that this Hell is finally over!
Just a little more—escape the impregnable prison...
Pfft, piece of cake!
"Tai Lung is free!" I picked out the goose's voice from the multitude of sounds. "I must fly to Shifu!"
Heh, Shifu... Maybe I should thank him for sending this feathered guy to check on me? Without him, I wouldn't have escaped.
"You're staying here, and so is he!" The rhino grabbed the winged one by the throat. "Pull it up!" He commanded his subordinates, who started raising the elevator.
"Let me go!" The goose struggled. Unsuccessfully.
And how am I supposed to get up? These cretins even abandoned their comrades to certain death, and without the elevator...
Thwack!
Another bolt-spear from a crossbow flies at me, but I'm no longer in shackles, and killing me won't be that simple.
I deflect the spear back with my palm. The strike was precise. The sound of crunching wood and screams followed.
Hmm, the bolt pierced the stone...
There's the plan!
I toss the bolts stuck in the ground around me into the air, then kick them with force, sending them flying to the nearest wall. They embedded themselves, creating an improvised ladder.
Well, Godspeed!
I jump and push off with my legs from the last bolt remaining on my platform, luckily bent at a sharp angle. Experiencing fear and delight simultaneously, I soar up a couple of dozen meters, landing on one of the bolts I kicked into the wall.
I push off from it, noting that the elevator is already quite far, and jump to the next bolt, bounce off it, and fly forward, sliding along the wall to the last projectile, grabbing it with my hand and pulling myself up.
Amazing strength, and not just because of Chi. In this world, anyone can become incredibly strong. I don't know the reason, but... I like being strong.
"He's coming this way!" The panic-stricken cry of the goose tears me from my thoughts.
Admittedly, I chickened out a bit when only the jump to the elevator remained—failure equals death. And what if they just cut the chains?
I won't be able to get out in that case...
"He won't make it!" The rhino squeezes the winged one's throat harder. "Archers!"
Ah, well, if you leave me no choice, I'll have to take the risk...
To the sound of bowstrings, I spin on the spear, then launch myself at the rising elevator, clinging to its bottom and miraculously dodging the rain of arrows. Without wasting a second, I jump onto the elevator itself and start climbing the chain, and there, just a couple of meters from the goal, I start falling.
Damn, they cut the chain after all!
I shift to the side, pulling the elevator toward me using Chi—an instinctive, desperate move—immediately pushing off from it and sending myself upward.
The laughing rhino bastards get smashed in the teeth and fly aside from my blow. I landed between them.
And how to get up further?
The passage to the higher floor is already above, I can't climb it. Then... I grab the chain, which had managed to wind around the hoist mechanism, and dive down, spinning and thereby sending myself upward.
Just a couple of meters short!
I infuse my claws and hand with Chi and drive it into the stone. Not the safest method, but there are no other options. The stone crumbled, my hand hurt, but I held on.
I push off the granite and land on the upper level. Only the exit is higher!
Here, however, dozens of armed guards meet me, but... Causing them pain will just be an extra gift for me.
And the Tai Lung within me was in complete agreement.