Reborn in Maleficence

Just as he thought he could go no farther, the energy intensified, wrapping around him like an unseen force. It pulsed in time with his own heartbeat, an ancient, undeniable rhythm.

[Ding!]

The sound rang again, sharper this time.

[System Activated.]

[Host is deemed to be in danger. Teleportation initializing...]

"A system?" Maximilian gasped, disbelief breaking through his fear. He had heard and read of such things in books, anime, and Mangas in the world before he was reborn. It was always about people from other realms gifted with strange, unseen forces to help them, often giving them powers and much more. But this—this was real, happening to him in real-time.

Before he could question further, the world around him shattered. The Moors disappeared, swallowed by an infinite void of shifting colors and swirling darkness. He felt weightless, suspended in a moment between existence and nothingness. Time stretched, bending and warping as he was pulled into the unknown. His breath hitched. Where was he going? Was this the end or the beginning of something even more dangerous?

Then, the world reassembled around him.

And everything changed.

Light flooded his vision, blinding in its intensity. The sudden shift left him disoriented, his mind struggling to process the new reality. The sting in his wing flared again—pain, sharp and relentless, reminded him that he was still midair, still falling. The wind rushed past him, howling in his ears as he plummeted towards the earth. Panic surged through him, but amidst the chaos, something buried deep in his consciousness stirred.

An ability—one he had scarcely trained and barely understood—surfaced in his mind.

Dream Sand. No... Nightmare Sand. No, it wasn't even that, it was now a new ability, one capable of manifesting both the dreams and nightmares of its host and others. (A/N: guys help me find a name for the ability)

The power whispered to him, urging him to act. With little choice, Maximilian stretched his hand forward, summoning the shimmering dust. At first, it came hesitantly, trickling from his fingertips like gold and black grains, signifying his limited control of them. The sand caught in the wind, dispersing chaotically. He willed it to form something—anything—to slow his descent.

At first, he thought of a plane. He imagined a sleek, gliding shape beneath him. But his mind was too rattled, too frenzied to construct something that complex. The plane did not even come to be before it dissolved into wisps of sand. Gritting his teeth, he adjusted his thoughts, simplifying his design.

A stack of thin, paper-like layers materialized beneath him. As he fell through them, they crumpled one by one, slowing his speed just enough to keep him from breaking every bone in his body upon impact. But it wasn't enough.

Then, Maximilian heard a voice.

"LOOK OUT!"

His head snapped up just in time to see a massive black-and-white blur barreling toward him. His eyes widened in horror.

A panda? Wait, no—A flying panda?

Before he could react, the enormous creature collided with him midair. The impact knocked the breath from his lungs, but instead of the bone-shattering crash he expected, he found himself clutching onto the panda's soft fur as they tumbled towards the ground.

The landing was surprisingly gentle. Maximilian barely felt the collision, cushioned by his unexpected savior. He groaned, shifting his aching body, and opened his eyes—only to be met with the sight of a large, round face staring right back at him.

The panda blinked. "Dude... that was AWESOME!"

Maximilian blinked back, his mind reeling. What…? Why was the panda speaking? Was he dreaming? Had the teleportation gone wrong?

As he scrambled to his feet, still dazed, his surroundings came into focus. He saw animals—many of them—watching him with wide, astonished eyes. Pigs, bulls, rabbits, geese… all standing on two legs, dressed in martial arts robes, whispering among themselves.

Then, a shadow loomed over him. Turning, he found himself face-to-face with an old turtle. His wise, knowing eyes seemed to peer straight into Maximilian's soul.

A name surfaced in his mind before he could even think to question it.

Master Oogway.

His stomach dropped. This couldn't be real.

He was in Kung Fu Panda.

And if that was true…

He turned, eyes darting to the panda still sprawled on the ground beside him. A sudden realization hit him like a thunderclap.

That panda was Po.

Maximilian swallowed hard, his pulse racing as he turned back to Oogway, who was now pointing a clawed finger at both him and Po. The turtle's voice, gentle yet commanding, resonated through the air.

"The two of you… are the Dragon Warrior."

Maximilian's breath caught in his throat. His vision swam. The stress, the injury, and the sheer absurdity of what was happening all crashed down on him at once.

And before he could utter another word, his body succumbed to exhaustion.

Everything faded to black.

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