Epilogue

After the fall of the Shadowkhan, Uncle and Tohru once again ran intensive tests on Jade to make sure that the Queen of the Shadowkhan was gone for good. Fortunately, the results of their tests concluded that there were no traces of Shadowkhan energy left within her, which was something everybody was happy to hear, Jade more than anyone.

When Uncle went to Section 13 to leave the Ring of Kur-Asan and the Urn of Wei Cheng under their care, Tohru told Jade he had something important to tell her.

"What is it, Big T? I hope it's not about Shadowkhan, is it?" Jade inquired.

"Oh no, no, don't worry, it's not that. I wanted to tell you that after all these events, Uncle said that, while I still have a lot to learn about magic, there's nothing else he can teach me, meaning that I'm officially a chi wizard."

"Really? That's so awesome!"

"Uncle also said that having an apprentice would hone my skills as well, and I couldn't think of anyone better than you for the position."

Jade's face beamed with joy. "You mean it?"

"Yes. I talked with Jackie about it and he agrees, but he has a series of conditions that-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, to get good grades, do all my chores, yadda, yadda. When do we start?" Jade asked, smiling excitedly at him.

Tohru sighed, knowing that having Jade for an apprentice would be an exhausting experience. Maybe that was the reason why Uncle suggested Tohru to train her instead of him.

…

Two days later, Captain Black called the Chans, Tohru and Viper to Section 13 for an important meeting. No one knew what could be the reason for them being summoned, but they were hoping there wasn't any bad news, like a new villain wreaking havoc or an old one escaping. Still, when they were in front of the leader of Section 13, he immediately addressed their worry by assuring them that none of that was happening.

"At least for the moment," Black said, making the others stare at him in confusion.

"What do you mean by that?" Jackie asked.

"You see Jackie, ever since I knocked you out at that park and brought you here for the first time in order to ask you for help against the Dark Hand, we have faced several supernatural threats, one after another. And if it wasn't for you and your family, God only knows what would have happened."

"So, what do you want to say? Are we going to be decorated?" Jade ventured to ask.

Black decided to get to the point. "I'm going to create a subdivision within Section 13 to deal with supernatural threats, and I want you, Uncle, and Tohru to oversee it."

"Listen, Captain Black, I'm sorry, but after what happened with Jade, I don't want to get involved in any kind of magical stuff anymore, even if I did allow Jade to be trained as a chi wizard," Jackie replied.

"Jackie, if I'm doing this, it's because I don't want you to get involved in whatever future crisis occurs, and I don't want to depend on you forever. We're going to get a bunch of new recruits fresh from the academy, as well as some transfers from other departments, such as the FBI and Homeland Security. All I want you to do is to give them a little training on how to deal with this kind of opponent."

"That's all?" Jackie asked, not fully convinced.

"That would be for starters. I will plan what to do next depending on how the first stage of this project goes."

Jackie took a few moments to think about the offer before giving a final answer.

"Alright Captain, I'll do it," Jackie said, with a hint of regret in his voice.

"You can count on Tohru and Uncle as well," Uncle said, "The forces of darkness never rest, and so neither will we."

"And Viper," Black said, turning to the former thief, "I believe that you now work as a security consultant. Would you like an indefinite contract with Section 13, for a security upgrade?"

"I'd love to, Captain," Viper replied.

"It's settled then. Well, that was all. I'll give you a call when the project begins," Black said, dismissing Jackie and the others.

…

Jackie and Viper finally got that date Viper asked for in exchange for her translation of Solomon's Archive (though she didn't make Jackie pay for her in the end). After that date, came another one. Then another, and another…

Nobody knew exactly when it happened, but after a month and a half, Jackie and Viper were considered a couple. And as anybody would imagine, Jade was the one who showed more enthusiasm about this, even more than Jackie or Viper themselves, and usually asked them questions like when they were going to get married or what they would name their first child. It took her some time to understand the meaning of "taking things slowly".

Six months later, Jackie and Viper decided to live together, and bought a nice flat, making sure that it was relatively near all the places they went on a regular basis, such as Uncle's shop, Section 13, Jade's school, and the university Jackie worked in. Jade at first was thrilled at the news, but then she realized that this might mean that she'd have to go back to Hong Kong. It was obvious that Jackie and Viper would want to be left alone.

Fortunately for her, that wasn't what happened, since Jackie never planned to push Jade out of his life, even if he was dating somebody now. In fact, Viper was also quite happy to have Jade living with them as well.

It wouldn't be long until the Chans would have to face another world-threatening foe again. Until then, Jade continued to train in martial arts with Jackie and Viper, and in magic with Tohru and sometimes Uncle. She also took part in the seminars Uncle and Tohru gave to the agents that would form the special division specialized in magic threats, so she'd have an spot on Section 13 when she was old enough.

…

Daolon Wong's Fortress, China, Six Days After The Queen's Defeat

A woman walked through the dark and creepy halls of the fallen dark chi wizard's fortress. She didn't remember the last time she had been here… nevertheless, it was not the time to think about the past, but to prepare for the future. She found the fortress to be abandoned, and thus unguarded, leaving the treasures that rested inside vulnerable to looters. But luck was on her side.

As she traversed the castle, she wondered why Wong had chosen to keep his lair looking like a haunted house. Dark magic didn't have to be at odds with good taste in interior design, after all. She always dreamed that, once Wong was out of the way and she was in charge, she'd give the place a much-needed makeover. And now that it was all hers to claim… she didn't want it. She felt that she should cut all ties to the dark wizard.

The woman didn't look to be older than thirty, yet she was more than a hundred years old. Another thing she never got about Wong was why he never cared to give himself better looks. It's been said that you shouldn't rely on good looks too much since they will eventually go away with age, but when you have the power to stop that from happening, then why should you let yourself succumb to the ravages of time?

Nevertheless, her master was a really complicated man.

Her short trek reached its end when she entered the library. She looked around at the vast collection of books and scrolls, the only thing in this place worth keeping. But first, she spent several hours looking through the books for a certain something until she found it.

"Ironfist, Fang, Tempest, I summon thee!" the woman said.

From three clouds of blue smoke, the three Dark Chi Warriors appeared. They were about to ask for their master's orders, but the person who summoned them wasn't Daolon Wong, but a Chinese woman with long, white hair that shined as if it was silver, who wore pink and black robes.

"Greeting, warriors," she saluted.

"Who are you?" Tempest was quick to ask.

"Your new master. That's all what you need to know for now," she said in an authoritarian manner, before smirking at them.

It took them a few moments, but the three warriors sensed that the magical bond that linked them to Daolon Wong was now connected to this woman instead. She wasn't lying.

"What are your orders, mistress?" Fang asked.

"I'm glad you asked, because there is a lot of work to do…"

The End

Author's note: Well, that was fun while it lasted. I hope that you enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it. Special thanks to Eduard Kassel, whose work inspired me to write this story, and ZimsMostlOyalServant, for betareading the story and giving me useful tips at the beginning.

As you can see by the last part of this chapter, there's going to be a sequel. However, it's not going to be a Dark Jade story, since there's not going to be Shadowkhan nor Jade is going to be evil. Still, I'm pretty sure you'll like it, as it will mark the return of many fan favorites that did not make it into this story, such as the Enforcers. However, that will have to wait, since now I want to focus on finishing college (hopefully I will graduate this summer).

And last, but not least, thanks a lot to all the people who supported this story, either be via reviews or favorites.

See you sooner than you expect ;)