Chapter 8 - Lode Stone

Yuzu examined the smooth, crystal globe in Edwin's hand with skepticism, wondering what the trick with this object would be.

She had been impressed by his display of finesse with handling the silver chain; It reminded her of performance troupes that would put on shows of athleticism and martial arts. She was convinced, however, that the performance with the candles were a trick.

Perhaps he had prepared the candles beforehand, and had made an arrangement with Uncle Zhao to make the demonstration seem spontaneous. She looked over at Uncle Zhao, whose doting eyes were on his granddaughter. He had always taken great joy in bringing a smile to Char Char's face. Perhaps he had arranged this show specifically for her.

Yuzu nodded imperceptibly as she felt that this was the most likely explanation. The different coloured flames could be explained by special powders or wicks on each candle. Yuzu didn’t know how he could light the wicks from a distance, but just because she didn’t know how a magician’s trick worked didn’t mean she believed it could be real magic.

In any case, even such a performance could be entertaining. But the monk was clearly an inexperienced actor who was trying too hard to impress his audience. His wind up to the performance was overeager and exaggerated, and it took too long to light each flame.

If it were her, she would have lit them all in a clean sweep of her hand. She would have done it in such a way to make it seem effortless. The performance was so amateur that the adults probably saw through the trick too, and their pleased reactions were a result of suspending their belief to save face for the poor "monk".

As she contemplated these things in solitude, Edwin explained the method for activating the ball. Yuzu had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't hear his instructions, but when he cleared his throat and held the ball up dramatically, Yuzu looked up.

The monk held the orb out on his palm and relaxed the tension in his body. Then, closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply for ten seconds. As he did, a light in the ball began to flicker, little bolts of lightning zapped out silently from the smoky core, bouncing along the inside surface of the orb.

As he exhaled, the lightning gathered, and the ball began illuminating in a pulsing silvery white light. As his breath ran out the light faded, and the orb returned to its original smoky appearance.

Yuzu had never heard of such an item, nor did she have any idea how it worked. However, she was convinced that there was a trick to it and so remained unimpressed. She saw his lips twitch in a barely concealed smirk of satisfaction as he maintained a serious expression, which further convinced her that his whole “spiritualism” act was a ruse. Walking around the table, he gently offered the lode stone to Lily Fang.

"Would you like to try?"

The serious mannered lady held the ball up on her fingertips, rotating the orb as she studied it through her thin framed spectacles. She didn't seem particularly interested in participating in the exercise and leisurely passed it to Aunt Sue Ying beside her.

Aunt Sue Ying seemed a little more willing to cooperate. She had a joyful smile on her pudgy face as she cupped the ball in both hands. Beside her, Char leaned in close, her eyes fixated on the ball.

Aunt Sue Ying closed her eyes as she started to concentrate, inhaling deeply. After about ten seconds she exhaled slowly, and mid way she peeked open one eye expectantly. Seeing no reaction she closed her eyes and focused extra hard for the last bit of breath.

"Did it work?" She asked.

Char Char shook her head, disappointed.

"Perhaps you need to do a bit more meditation!" Old man Reza chortled from across from her.

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"I'd like to see you do better!" The older woman put on an overly haughty expression that quickly turned into a smile.

"May I try, Auntie Sue Ying?" Char Char asked politely. The young girl happily received the ball, and turned it over in her hand once before cupping it from below in both hands. She then grew serious, her smile turning into a thin line as she locked her focus on the ball. She calmly took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, directing her concentration into the orb.

Little bolts of lightning began sparking in the orb through the smoke. They collided with the surface and scattered noiselessly. This continued consistently for several seconds, though it didn't congeal into a light as it had with Edwin. At the end of her breath she paused, watching the sparks fade into the smoke. Then, she looked up at everyone with bright eyes.

"Did you see? It worked!" She beamed.

"For your first time, that's quite impressive!" Edwin congratulated her, "Clearly you have a lot of potential."

"Here Char Char, pass me the stone. Let your old grandpa give it a try." Uncle Zhao chuckled, reaching over and taking the orb out of Char Char’s hands. He repeated the process of inhaling and exhaling slowly, and it seemed that nothing was happening until sparks shot out from the center at the very end of his breath.

"Two, there were two!" He declared, handing it over to Old man Reza. "Not quite as impressive as Char Char but there's still some life in me."

With utmost seriousness, Old man Reza held the orb in his hands. First, he turned it over and examined it thoroughly. He gave off the impression of a professional appraiser assessing a piece of jewelry or art. Finding nothing unusual, he leaned his elbows on the table and held the orb up close to his face and focused for a cycle of his breath.

Three discrete sparks emerged from the fog.

"Three!" He laughed, after completing the task. "That is better than you, Sansen."

"That's still nothing compared to Char Char" Aunt Sue Ying giggled.

"Yes, well, youth is a blessing." Old man Reza pined briefly, then made a motion to pass it to Police Chief Fang. Jintang Fang had been sitting relaxed with his hands crossed during the whole time, simply observing without showing any emotion.

He shook his head, frowning as he didn't even bother uncrossing his hands, "I'm fine, let Jingyi try."

Grandma Jingyi recieved the ball and then held it out to Yuzu, "Here, Yuzu. You can go for both of us."

Yuzu had no interest in participating, and so cupped her hands under Grandma Jingyi's to take the orb, intending to promptly hand it over to Edwin. However, as soon as she touched the stone ball, a bright light began shining from within!

A murmur of bewilderment came from the people at the table as the light quickly grew in intensity. Yuzu squinted her eyes as she instinctively leaned her head away from the ball, though her eyes remained locked on to it.

Cold! A single word overcame her thoughts as she felt the warmth from her body being drawn out through her fingertips, as if the orb was devouring her body heat. It was so sudden that Yuzu could only gasp in surprise, her body shivering violently.

She tried to drop the orb, but it felt like the signals from her brain didn't reach her arms!

For a brief moment, she wondered if the orb would suck her life out completely!

The light in the orb grew brighter and brighter as it engulfed her, causing the rest of the world to start fading into white. However, this was only from her own perspective. Everyone else only saw that she was trembling while holding the brightly glowing orb, her blank expression frozen from shock.

Suddenly, the orb flew out of her hands and hit the table, where it rolled towards the opposite edge. Edwin caught it to stop it from falling, but his mouth was agape as he looked at her.

"Yuzu! That was incredible!" Char Char's voice rang in Yuzu's ears, feeling like cylinders crashing against her eardrums.

There were other voices speaking to her, but she couldn't understand them. Her head was swimming. The light from the orb faded slowly after losing contact with her hands, but for Yuzu, the world continued to dissolve into an endless whiteness. She felt violently weak, and began collapsing in her seat.

Grandma Jingyi caught her and held on to her with her thin fingers, gently supporting Yuzu before a pair of rough, stronger hands firmly took hold.

Police Chief Fang lifted the fainting girl out of her chair and carried her over to the sitting room next door. He gently laid her down on the couch while everyone crowded around. They were not overly concerned, as this was not the first time Yuzu had fainted. Her weak constitution meant that she would often feel nauseous and sick in times of excitement, but she would recover before long and regain her strength after some rest.

This was typical of Yuzu. However for Yuzu, what she was experiencing at that moment was unlike anything she had gone through before! Her mind reeled, lost in an endless void of blinding light, and she was unaware of what was happening in the outside world.

She heard the illusory howling of strange beasts, and the snapping of frothing jaws on flesh.

She heard the harsh clanging of heavy chains, holding back a giant metal door that was being endlessly bashed in from the other side.

She heard the intense rushing of air as it enveloped her body in a storm. The winds blasted through her, penetrating her body.

She felt herself fading away in the torrent of light.