Far from the Earth Kingdom, Tai Lung's ship finally arrived at the Eastern Air Temple. From the deck, Tai Lung stood still, his golden eyes fixed on the ancient building carved into the peaks of the towering mountains. The temple seemed to float in the sky itself, unreachable and untouchable. Beside him, Han and the rest of the crew stared upward with open curiosity.
"When the war first started," Han said, his voice carrying a note of respect, "Fire Lord Sozin targeted the Air Nomad temples. Not only because of the avatar born next among them but also due to their location, the location made them nearly impossible to conquer. Without the comet's power, reaching and fighting them would've been hopeless."
Tai tilted his head, still studying the temple. "How long would it take you to climb this mountain and reach the temple?"
Han rubbed his chin, humming thoughtfully. "An entire day. Maybe longer. The soldiers a century ago destroyed even the stairs leading to the top. There's no easy way anymore."
He turned to Tai Lung with a wary look. "Captain… are you sure about this? It's been abandoned for a hundred years. No one lives up there."
Tai Lung nodded without hesitation. "I've seen how Earth and Water benders fight, how they move. I want to understand the Air Nomads. Maybe I'll find something about their way of living and training."
Han let out a long sigh. "Then I'll speak for everyone here when I say, we don't want to climb that ghostly place. We'd rather wait on the ship."
"That's fine," Tai Lung said evenly. "Depending on what I find, I might stay a few days."
Han gave a small bow of his head. "Then I wish you a safe trip… and fine finds."
Tai Lung smiled. Flames burst from his hands and feet, propelling him upward like a blazing arrow. The crew leaned against the railing, watching their captain soar higher and higher toward the temple peak.
One of them whistled low. "Think we could ever learn to fly like that?"
Han scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. Our captain's not normal. Who else learns to fly just because he got jealous of the Avatar's flying pet?"
The crew broke into laughter. Indeed, their captain was one of a kind.
——————
The climb hadn't taken Tai Lung long at all. Fire still faintly smoked from his limbs as he landed lightly on the courtyard stones of the Eastern Air Temple. He walked forward slowly, his golden eyes scanning the wide and silent halls. The mountain wind whistled through broken arches, carrying with it the faint scent of old ash. All around him lay scars of war, burned walls, shattered tiles, gouges in stone where fire had raged a century ago. Yet what he found strange was not the destruction, but the absence of corpses, neither monk nor soldier. It was as if the temple had bled, then cleaned.
He explored for hours, moving from one hall to another. In a small chamber, he discovered scrolls, records of the Air Nomads' philosophy of peace and detachment. In another, he found stories written in flowing calligraphy about the cycles of the world and harmony of the elements. Eventually he stumbled upon what seemed to be a training ground. The faded rings marked into the floor hinted at movements and practices foreign to him. Tai Lung studied it all carefully.
Finally, he climbed to the temple's highest peak, where a small courtyard opened to the endless sky. To his surprise, he was not alone. An old man sat cross-legged in the center, eyes closed, posture serene, as if untouched by time. As Tai Lung stepped closer, the man opened his eyes and smiled gently.
"Ah… a visitor. I did not expect one today."
Tai Lung tilted his head. "Nor did I expect to find someone living here. Are you… a survivor of the Air Nomads?"
The man shook his head, smile never fading. "No, not an Air Nomad. But you could call me their spiritual brother. I am Guru Pathik."
Tai Lung's brow furrowed. "Then why stay here, alone? It must be a lonely existence."
"It is not so bad," Pathik replied. "The skies are full of birds, and the mountains are full of life. Loneliness is only a burden if you resist it. The universe guided me here, so I wait. I wait to teach someone inner balance. But…" He looked at Tai Lung more closely, eyes glimmering with quiet certainty. "It is not you. Of that, I am sure."
Tai Lung chuckled softly, though curiosity flickered in his eyes. "And how do you teach inner balance? Isn't that something achieved only through meditation and peace within?"
Pathik nodded. "Yes. But peace is not always simple to reach. Many do not see what holds them back. Sometimes only reflection, or another's guidance, can reveal it."
For a moment, Tai Lung's mind drifted back to the Jade Palace. He remembered Shifu's teachings, and the whispered truth that the highest mastery of chi required inner peace. Yet no master had ever explained how one was to find it. It was always… left to the kung fu master to stumble into.
Pathik's gaze sharpened, sensing the storm beneath Tai Lung's calm. "I can feel it within you, rage. A storm unchecked. One day it may consume you, drive you to commit acts you can never take back. If you are willing, I can teach you to erase that rage."
Tai Lung stiffened, genuinely caught off guard, his mind drifted to his past life and actions. After a long pause, he muttered, "Thanks for the offer. But I am fine as I am."
"Denying imbalance is imbalance itself," Pathik replied gently. "Peace begins with admitting your chains. Only then can you release them."
The words gnawed at Tai Lung's pride. He stayed silent, his jaw tight, his mind circling old teachings, old failures, old fury. At last, he gave a curt nod. "…Fine. How do we start finding inner peace?"
The guru's face lit up with a smile. From his side, he lifted a wooden bowl brimming with a yellowish liquid, with a sharp scent of onion.
Tai Lung blinked at it. "You don't expect me to drink that, do you?"
Pathik chuckled, took a long sip himself, and smacked his lips. "Ah. Tasty."
He extended the bowl once more.
Reluctantly, Tai Lung accepted it. He raised the bowl to his mouth, took a gulp, then lowered it again. "You must have a unique taste to enjoy something like this."
Pathik laughed warmly, the sound echoing into the vast mountains around them.
——————
Pathik led Tai Lung deep into the mountain, through a narrow passage that eventually opened into a vast cavern. The cave's ceiling had cracks that let faint streaks of light spill inside. Scattered across the rocky floor were several small ponds, their surfaces reflecting the faint glow. The silence here was heavy but comforting, broken only by the faint dripping of water.
The guru sat cross-legged in front of one of the ponds and gestured for Tai Lung to join him. "Tell me," Pathik began softly, "what do you know about chakras?"
Tai Lung lowered himself onto the floor "There are seven chakras within the body," he replied calmly. "They connect the chi pathways, and by opening them you gain mastery of chi and even increase its flow."
Pathik nodded. "That is true. But when you open all seven, you achieve something greater, true inner peace and balance."
"I opened them long ago," Tai Lung said without hesitation.
But Pathik shook his head, his eyes narrowing slightly as though peering into the ex-leopard's soul. "No. I can feel your chakras. They are half-open. It is strange… I have never encountered someone like you. Usually, they are open or closed. But you… you stand in the middle. Your body is ready, but your spirit is not."
For once, Tai Lung was silent, unsure how to respond. At last, he said simply, "How do we start?"
"We unlock them one by one," Pathik replied. "First, we must free your spirit of its burdens and shackles. Sit. Breathe. Close your eyes."
Tai Lung obeyed, closing his eyes as the guru's voice echoed through the chamber.
"The first chakra," Pathik said, "is the Earth chakra. It lies at the base of the spine. It deals with survival and is blocked by fear. Tell me, Tai Lung… what do you truly fear? Search deep within yourself."
"I fear no one," Tai Lung answered immediately, his voice calm, almost dismissive.
Pathik tilted his head. "Then perhaps you fear not someone, but something. Something yet to come."
The words stirred something within him. Images flickered in Tai Lung's mind, memories of Fire Lord Ozai, brought low, defeated and humiliated. Then, sharper still, the humiliation of his own defeats: at Po's hands, at Kai's, at the chameleon's. Each failure gnawed at him, each memory threatening to drag him down into bitterness. He didn't want to become like Ozai, a once-great power reduced to a pitiful shadow in front of the world.
But then he remembered the years of training, the endless hours of discipline. He steadied himself. If defeat came, he would not be like Ozai. He would fall with honor, with courage, not in disgrace.
When he opened his eyes again, they were steady. Pathik smiled warmly. "Congratulations. You have opened your first chakra. That is the fastest I have ever seen."
Tai Lung inclined his head lightly. "What comes next?"
"The second," Pathik said, "is the Water chakra. It lies in the sacrum, and it deals with pleasure. But it is blocked by guilt. What do you blame yourself for?"
Tai Lung hesitated. His mind drifted back to the Jade Palace, to his master, to his adopted father. He remembered the disappointment etched in Shifu's face the day he failed to become the Dragon Warrior. Worse still, he remembered the pain in Shifu's eyes when Tai Lung finally turned on the village, consumed by pride. He remembered when he attacked and nearly killed his father after twenty years of imprisonment.
If only he had accepted his shortcomings. If only he had humbled himself instead of demanding destiny. If only he didn't see his father turning back on him as a betrayal. Perhaps things could have been different. Perhaps Shifu's eyes would not have been filled with sorrow.
For hours, the visions replayed themselves, his arrogance, his bitterness, his anger, his fall, the hurt he had caused. And yet, beneath it all, a single thought rose: if he ever returned to that world, if fate allowed him to stand before Shifu again, he would apologize. He would admit his foolishness.
When Tai Lung finally opened his eyes, there was a serene calm in them, a softness that had not been there before.
Pathik studied him and nodded. "You have accepted your guilt. And more, you wish to make amends. Your second chakra is open."