INT. JADE PALACE, HALL OF HEROES - NIGHT
The Jade Palace is silent and still. Moonlight streams through the large, open doors, bathing the Hall of Heroes in a serene, silver light. The artifacts of legendary masters stand like sleeping sentinels. In the center of the hall, kneeling before the shimmering Moon Pool, Master Shifu is in a deep state of meditation. He is the picture of absolute tranquility.
The profound silence is broken by a faint, distant sound... thump... thump... thump...
It's the rhythmic, heavy sound of someone running up the great stairs. Shifu's ears twitch, but his eyes remain closed. The sound grows rapidly louder, more urgent, more panicked. It is a sound Shifu knows well. It is the sound of Po running with all his might.
Shifu's brow furrows slightly. His meditation is broken.
Suddenly, the doors to the Hall are thrown open with a loud bang.
Po stands silhouetted in the doorway, his body heaving as he gasps for air. His face is a mask of pure terror.
Shifu's eyes snap open. He rises in a single, fluid motion, his calm instantly replaced with sharp, focused concern.
SHIFU: "Po! What is it? What has happened?"
Po stumbles forward, his words tumbling out in a panicked rush.
PO: "Xian! He's coming! His whole army is on the march-they're coming to the Valley now!"
SHIFU: (His expression hardening) "The Furious Five?"
PO: "He has them! Shifu, he captured them all! He's coming for Master Yang... and he's coming for you."
Shifu takes in the terrible news. While Po is panicking, the old master's face becomes a mask of grim, unshakable resolve. He walks past Po to the edge of the Jade Palace balcony and looks down toward the sleeping Valley of Peace, as if he can already feel the approaching darkness.
SHIFU: (His voice low and dangerous) "Then he will find we are not so easily erased."
He turns, his eyes filled with the fire of a warrior.
SHIFU: "Zeng! Sound the alarm! Bar the gates! The Jade Palace is under siege!"
In response to Shifu's command, Zeng squawks in terrified affirmation, "Sound the alarm! Bar the gates! Yes, Master Shifu!" and flies off into the night. The great gongs of the Jade Palace begin to ring, their deep, urgent tones echoing across the sleeping valley.
Palace servants and geese rush to bar the massive front gates. Shifu turns back to a frantic Zeng.
SHIFU: "Take the others! Secure the Sacred Hall! The artifacts, the scrolls in the archives-they must be protected! Preserve our history! Go!"
Zeng nods and quickly mobilizes a team of servants, who begin carefully but quickly moving ancient scrolls and relics to safer locations. Amidst the sounds of hurried preparation, Shifu and Po stand alone in the center of the now-barren Hall of Heroes.
Shifu looks at the empty pedestals where priceless artifacts once stood.
SHIFU: "For a thousand years, this palace has stood as a symbol of peace and strength. It has faced many threats." He turns to Po, his expression grim. "But none like this."
PO: (His voice trembling slightly) "Master, he... he beat Tigress with a single punch. That's a level of power I've never seen."
Shifu places a firm hand on Po's shoulder, his gaze steady and full of a master's final, unwavering faith.
SHIFU: "He will attack you with rage, with a storm of power. You cannot defeat a storm by becoming a bigger storm, Po. You must become the mountain. The storm will break against you, but you will remain." He looks Po directly in the eyes. "Find that unbreakable stillness inside you. That is your final lesson."
BOOM!
A thunderous impact shakes the entire palace. The newly barred gates at the far end of the courtyard explode inward, ripped from their hinges.
Dust and moonlight swirl in the ruined gateway. Through the haze, Xian walks forward. He looks at the two masters standing together, then at the empty pedestals in the hall.
XIAN: "The student and the master. Standing together to defend a pile of rocks and forgotten memories. How... sentimental."