Chaper 1

It was dawn and the sky tinted red, just like the ground littered with bodies. Jue Lian was one of them. She had a rusty sword driven straight through her chest, having pierced the armor with ease. The other warriors in her age had also fallen, leaving only their superiors left standing against the hoard from the North. The sky was turning pink, such a beautiful sky to spend the last breaths soaking in. Jue Lian closed her eyes, finally letting herself rest after the painful battle she had lost. She couldn't help but feel bad for her Master however. He was also somewhere on the battlefield, fighting for not only his own life but all of his treasured disciples. If he knew that the whole left formation had been killed, he'd likely let the enemies take him too. That was the kind of master he was, he cared about his students more than any other masters back at the temple. He cared so much in fact that the second he got word about their formation breaking, he was riding back to where his disciples had been stationed and began counting the wounded. He was a skilled warrior, and carried the dying youths one by one onto the carriage while at the same time handling the enemies attacks with his free hand. To his relief, no one seemed to beyond saving, if they got to safety before that changed that was. Jue Lian smiled, knowing that her fellow trainees were safe with Master. Suddenly someone yelled what sounded like her name. "Jue Lian! She was stabbed!" One of the wounded who were still conscious roared. Master crouched down to her, lifting her into a sitting position in attempt to get her back with the rest of the youths but she was too far gone. She couldn't be saved with just medicine and bandages. "Take my students back to the temple! NOW!" He ordered his horses, who were now also stained with crimson. They obeyed and Jue Lian found herself alone with her Master to say her final farewell. She had never seen him so enraged. He'd always taught them to not lose their composure in a battle, because showing weakness to the enemy would lead to certain death. "Don't close your eyes!" The screech sounded so desperate, a tone Jue Lian never in her life would've belonged to her master. "Don't take her! Please, Destiny...." He gathered his strength and pulled his palms together, swiftly forming multiple hand signs one after another and then came the explosion as he single-handedly took out both of the enemy troupes in one blow. Jue Lian winced at the impact but knew it didn't matter anymore, she was going to die because that's what Destiny wanted. She'd never agreed with Destiny, always wanted her voice to be her own but this time was different. She had submitted to Her just like everyone else. Even as a child, she'd pester Master with relentless questions. He'd call her too curious for her own good and respond with the same vague riddle each time. "We are all allowed the choice of choice, but that doesn't mean the road wont make it's own bumps once you walk it's path." Jue Lian coughed up a bitter laugh. Here she was dying and suddenly all she was thinking about were the strange riddles her master had taught her when she was a child. Master was recovering from the intense use of energy but pulled his palms back together. If Jue Lian couldn't be saved by medicine, then there was only one option left and he didn't have time to hesitate. "Master! No!" Jue Lian's eyes widened in fear as she recognized his technique. It was The Hand Sign of The Snake, the very technique he has preached to be forbidden. It had grave consequences, everyone under the roof of The Lotus Temple knew that. The Hand Sign of The snake is to oppose Destiny herself, which was not anything anyone wanted to even imagine. She was almighty, and the tales told that she ruled over multiple worlds as an all knowing god. Jue Lian couldn't stop the ritual as she suddenly froze completely still. Master had pressed his index fingers onto her third eye and everything went black. Was this the end? She thought quietly in the void of her own mind. Did she die anyway? "Is this hell?" She whispered faintly.

Chaper 2

It was evening and the sun had already begun to set. The sky had shifted to a beautiful shade of red as Julia saw out her window. It was almost the same shade of crimson red that she was drawing with, drawing long and bright lines along the paper. After lifting her pencil, that familiar ache in her chest hit again but she ignored it and kept drawing. It was okay because that's just how things were. Everyone felt a bit down now and then, so Julia was just glad that her friends could get help when they needed it. She was already beyond repair, she'd told herself. The light of the sunset was beautiful and Julia found herself resting her head on the desk and closing her eyes for a rest. Maybe she had been drawing too much, and that's why the exhaustion now threatened to pull her under. No matter why, she felt bad for her parents. They were in the kitchen, discussing how to get Julia to come eat dinner together after she'd refused over and over again. But she was too tired, and slowly let herself drift off on the crimson painting in front of her. If her parents knew that she had gone to sleep, they would've likely come in with dinner to her bedroom instead just to make sure she could eat at least a little bit. That's just how they were, loving and caring of their child. The night went on and it was soon completely dark outside the window. Julia slid off her chair and curled up under her desk, a habit she'd developed after years of unease. She wasn't paying any mind to the paint that had been knocked over and dripped onto the pavement, that's just how tings were. She had plenty of classmates who also made a mes when they painted. Sleepiness was winning and she only whispered softly before everything went dark. "Is this hell?" Her voice echoed in the void of her mind.

Chaper 3

Jue Lian awoke from a obnoxiously loud beep repeating beside her bed roll. One of the other disciples were definitely pulling a prank on her and she ignored it. The bed roll was just so comfortable, and someone had even given her a blanket. It must've been Master, since she had been injured and needed to be gentle with. Jue Lian sat up suddenly at the memory, she had been injured but nothing hurt. Everything felt fine, more than fine actually. The beeping noise wouldn't stop and she reached out to brush off whoever was beside her now only to feel a strange device instead. She opened her eyes fully and

General Idea:

The sun was rising and I could hear the birds chirp outside the temple's window. And the sound of… wait, what was that? A loud beeping came from beside my bedding. I opened my eyes groggily to see what was going on and was jolted straight to full awareness as I registered my surroundings. ”Where am I?” The room was filled with trinkets of strange materials and the walls were covered in paper? The window had a clear barrier across it, separating me from the birds outside. Then there was a shiny device beeping loudly next to me. It was blinking, like stars but in an unatrual red hue. There were scripts on it, numbers even. I recognised it from the teachings Master used to hold during last years summer practices. Zero, seven, two dots, zero, and zero. I reached for the device in attempt to shut it up, this was all most likely just a prank from my fellow students that had gone way too far. Where did they even get all these things? And the room, it must've cost a fortune. I manage to silence the machine and sit up on my bedding. My very comfortable bedding, not mine. Why was it so thick, and the blanket so fluffy? ”Sweetie? Can I come in?” A voice called out. It felt familiar but I knew it wasn't anyone from the temple, I could hear it on their footsteps. My senses went on full alert, had I been kidnapped? No way, not with this comfortable of a setting. ”Who's there!?” I yell with a guarded expression but when the person entered i was sure she wasn't a threat. Her eyes were also sleepy, and she smiled softly at me as of relieved I was awake. ”Slept well? You scared us last night, when you refused dinner.” My brows furrowed as she sat down beside me. Her hands completely open for me to see, with no hidden weapons or murderous intent. ”Who are you?” I asked cautiously, backing up slightly against the soft mattress. ”Sweetie? Is everything alright? I'll go tell dad you're awake and he can brew you some tea if you're unwell.” I froze. Dad? But I hadn't met my dad since I was a baby, why was he here? Something was amiss but I did as Master had taught us and played their game until I knew the rules. ”No, mom.” She was mother, right? ”Everything's alright, I must've just had a nightmare. In the flash of an eye, the woman leant forward and both arms clasped around my body. I reacted instantly, ready to throw her onto the ground roughly when I realise that she wasn't attacking me. She held me, gently. And she didn't let go, even when I readied for violence. It was as if she had no knowledge of battle at all, and didn't even recognise my combat stance. I stayed still, waiting to see what her next move would be. ”It's okay.” I suddenly froze in my tracks at her whispered reassurance. A sudden sense of familiarity hit me as if I had been in this exact time and place before. Memories intruded my mind, memories from last night but they were blurry. Did I really have a nightmare? I dreamt there was a battle, and Master had been there. He was crouched beside me, crying. I remembered the intense pain shooting through my chest, and the fear of leaving him behind to grieve alone. But then the memory went foggy again morphed into a scene of darkness. It was in this exact room, but I was laying underneath the bed. The pain was the exact same, that sharp ache in my heart. I was crying, and overwhelmed by sudden fear of needing to leave someone to grieve alone. ”Mom…?” I heard myself speak up, my voice weak from being close to tears. ”Yes, sweetie?” Her voice was gentle, as if handling a child. ”Can you tell me a story? About when I was little?” The lady smiled warmly and began telling the story of a girl playing in puddles. The girl had been happy, jumping around in the water and exploring the world. Always a curious one, collecting rocks and leaves everywhere. Then she told the story of when the girl had gotten in the bath with her clothes on and laughed softly at the memory. I couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth, and envy to be that girl. A carefree child, not needing to worry a Destiny taking it away and just playing with my loving family.