"I was sitting right here in this seat, deep in my research... and she spoke to me.
It was like she was standing in this room. I could feel her breath on my cheek and her hand on my back. She told me she needs my help." He leaned on his chair as he explained the event that prompted his madness.

"To do what?" Shang asked wearily, standing closer to his father and in front of you protectively.

"To save her from her people. After we fell in love, your mother wanted us to live in Ta Lo. She asked permission from the elders, and they refused. They said I wasn't worthy.
She would still be with us. We would all be living there together. Ta Lo did this to us.
They locked her behind that gate to punish her." He spoke like a broken man as you listened with pity for him.  "Don't you see? She's leaving clues for us. She wants us to find her and bring her home, so we can be a family again." He stepped up to Shang.

"Dad, Mom's gone. She's not talking to you from behind a gate, and she's not leaving any clues for us." Shang tried to gently talk some sense into him.

"Then what are these?" He pulled the two emerald pendants out of a box on his desk.

You had followed behind him as he lead you to a calm area inside his base. The walls were beautifully carved and Wenwu stepped up to the wall. Shang looked to you as you stood slightly behind him, unsure of what was going to happen. Wenwu pressed the emerald pendants into the eyes of a dragon sculpture, stepping back as they began to glow. You watched from beside your friends, interested in what was going on. Water began running down the walls before splashing out at you all. Shang instinctively shielded your body with his own until it went silent again.

He stepped back away and looked in amazement as the water seemed to move in slow motion around you all. He carefully reached out to touch it with a smile. You reached out next, but as soon as you made contact the water fell to the ground and a frown turned on your face. Your brows furrowed as you watched the water crystallize into a forest landscape on the ground, an orange glow leading through the trees as they split like a moving maze.

"Woah" you gasped lightly.

"The passage to Ta Lo is guarded by a moving maze. But there's a direct path through the forest that only opens once a year on Qingming Jie. To get through, you need to know the route and the exact time it opens. Now I know both." Wenwu told you four. "Three days from now, we will rescue my wife from her prison and bring her home."He turned to his men as they chanted in agreement. "This is why you're here." He turned back to his children.  "To help me bring her back to us."

"And what happens if they don't let you open the gate?"  Xialing asked him, knowing they wouldn't let him barge in and take charge.

"We'll burn the village to the ground." He stated with a calm smile, thinking that was the simplest idea.

"What? You can't just march into our mom's village with this bullshit. I mean, do you have any idea how insane—" Shang started as he turned to the people and was cut off by his father flipping him harshly to the ground.

"Shang!" You called out, about to rush forward when Xialing held you back and ran forward herself to stop her father before joining Shang on the ground.

"Hey!" You shouted at him with bubbling anger.

"No! Don't!" Shang tried to warn you from where he laid on the ground. You stormed forward only to be blasted back roughly by the force of the ten rings on his fathers arms. Shang was preparing to step up and check on you when he realized he had been surrounded. Katy looked to where you laid on the ground, body limp from hitting the wall.

"Where are you taking me?" Katy asked in panic as two men grabbed onto her arms and dragged her away.

"When will you stop pretending?" He looked to his children and spoke mandarin. "Lock them up" he ordered his men sternly. Shang and Xialing were harshly pulled to their feet, taken to the dungeon where they were reunited with you and Katy.

"Y/n" Shang softly tried to wake you as he found your body weakly laying in the dirt.

"She's knocked out cold" Katy told him with a sigh. He nodded to his friend before sitting on the ground, pulling your head into his lap for your own comfort and to protect you from anything else that may threaten you.

"Oh, Y/n" Shang sighed, looking down at your peaceful face and brushing away the stay strands of hair. A frown set on his lips at the sight of blood on your head from hitting the wall earlier.

"So, um, pretty confused right now, because, uh, initially I thought your dad should definitely see a therapist for his delusions, but then that dragon vomited a magical water map, and now I have no idea what's real." Katy ramble out as she paced back and fourth, Xialing listening as Shang was distant, focused solely on you. Shang looked over at Katy briefly and your eyes fluttered open, hearing Katy's words and knowing that you were safe with your friends.

"Is what he said about your mom's village true?" You spoke up. Shang looked down with a large smile on his face at seeing your beautiful eyes open once more.

"She used to tell us stories about Ta Lo when we were kids. A village in another dimension full of magical creatures. I thought it was just a fairy tale." Shang looked down at you as he spoke softly, telling you the story.

"What if Dad's right?" Xialing spoke up with the thought.

"About Mom being locked behind a gate by her own people?" Shang looked to her like she was going insane.

"Crazier things have turned out to be true." She shrugged.

"Look, I don't know what the hell is going on, but if we don't find a way to get to Ta Lo before him, he's gonna destroy everything that's left of our family." Shang told her with determination.

"This family was destroyed a long time ago."  Xialing tells him simply. You sit up sharply, back going straight at the sound of a man groaning deep within the cave.

"Did anyone else hear that or did I hit my head too hard?" You asked as Shang helped you to stand easily.

"The hell was that?" Shang asked answering your question. More sounds were heard from down the dark dungeon. Shang started down the hallway with you right behind him.

"Oh." Katy looked to you all in confusion. "You're going toward that noise?" She asked before following behind Xialing. Shang paused at the sight of light coming out through an open door. Xialing stepped up in front of you, keeping you and Katy safe behind them. Shang opened the door, revealing what looked to be a dressing room.

"Wake Duncan with thy knocking. Oh, I would'st though could'st. My deed 'twere best not..." a man with long tangled hair spoke to himself, looking in the mirror as you all walked closer. "Oh, hello, loves. What year is it?" The man turned calmly and asked.

"Who are you?" You asked, thinking it was because you hit your head that you didn't know him.

"Trevor? Slattery? The actor from Liverpool? Wait. Are you the governor's kids? I've been preparing a monologue for your homecoming dinner. Oh. Where's she going?" He grew sad as Xialing walked off to look around without word.

"Why are you down here?" Katy questioned Trevor, growing calm at knowing he was not a threat.

"Well, some time ago, I was offered the role of a terrorist. I know, facile, trite, I couldn't agree more. But times were lean, you know what I mean? Anyway, the producer told me he worked for the BBC. But, ironic twist, it turns out he, in fact, was a terrorist, and I wasn't playing a character at all, but what I now recognise to be a rather unflattering portrait of your father. We all got our just deserts. The producer got blown up by Iron Man, and I served time in federal prison, which turned out to be the best thing for me.
I got clean, I rediscovered my passion." The man told you his life story in a short summary.

"Then my dad broke you out?" Shang asked, not understanding how this all fits together.

"Exactly." He pointed proudly.

"To kill you." Shang finished.

"Exactly." He pointed again. "But just as his men were tying me up for my execution, I launched into a performance of my Macbeth. 'Whence is that knocking? Wake Duncan with thy knocking. I would'st though could'st...'They couldn't get enough of it.
I've been doing weekly gigs for the lads ever since." He took a seat in his chair, leaning back in a relaxed posture.

"So you're like his jester?" You thought.

"I can give you a quick preview if you like. 'Nuncle, nuncle, nuncle...'" He started getting into character.

"Uh, thank you, Trevor. I think we're okay. Right now, we really just need to find a way to..." Shang started calmly and politely until you heard a creature purring out of sight. You stared in amazement at the sight of a creature walking out of the shadows.

"What the hell?" Shang jumped back upon noticing it as well.

"Is that...?" You trailed in confusion, tilting your head slightly.

"What the... Oh!" Katy gasped.  "Whoa!"

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Question of the day: were you shocked to see Trevor Slattery return?

This story is going to be shorter than most of my others because this is only based off the one movie so far. I am probably going to add to it later when we get another Shang-Chi movie, but until then there are only six chapters left!