“Again.”

Mai gasped for air, struggling to stand. She swiped the back of her hand across her brow, her pale cheeks and messy ponytail gleaming with sweat. Her brown tunic clung against her back. A broken dagger laid pathetically on the ground beside her, and the sun sneered down from a cloudless sky, reflecting miserably off the gleaming fragments. “Master Sinh, can-”

“No.”

The elderly man threw a new dagger in her direction, clearly irritated. His wrinkled hand flicked his long, white hair from his brow. She groaned.

“I am blind, yet I can see your movements as clear as the sky is blue.” The man’s milky eyes narrowed as he scowled from the center of the practice yard. “At this rate, you will never inherit the Tessen. You need to practice more.”

Mai rolled her eyes. “Can I get some water at least?”

“Do you think your opponent will let you get water?” he snapped. He picked up his katana. “Come. We will do this again.”

Suppressing another groan, she slowly picked up the new dagger and discarded her old weapon onto the side. She stumbled to her feet.

He didn’t wait for her to regain her balance. In one motion, he unsheathed his katana and slashed forth, the blade flashing like lightning. Mai jumped backward, her muscles screaming in protest. Her heart thundered against her throat.

“Is that what I taught you, child?” Master Sinh snarled, and he slashed again, narrowly missing her shoulder as she danced away. “I did not teach you to run.”

He pressed onward, his onslaught of blows narrowly missing her with each swing. Mai felt her strength waning, but she could do nothing but dodge—the dagger felt heavy in her hand, and she knew any attempt to block would be met with the teacher’s fearsome strength.

Master Sinh growled with annoyance. “Do not just run. Your opponent will not wait for you to gather your energy, and I have waited long enough. Fight, coward!”

The instant the insult left his mouth, Mai felt her chest rumble. She swiped her tongue over her cracked lips, tasting the slight tinge of copper.

Coward?

Mai’s eyes flared bright with anger, and she dashed forward. As the edge of her dagger caught the Master’s blade, she slipped sideways, letting her mentor’s blade graze off her own. As swift as an arrow, Mai shoved her body forward. Her dagger disengaged, and she threw her arm. The weapon’s base rested against Master Sinh’s chest.

Silence. She stood still, air dragging through her parched throat. Neither of them spoke. Perspiration dripped down Mai’s face as adrenaline slammed into her ears, and she gazed at the dagger’s base in awe. Slowly, she felt the grin under her lips rise to the surface.

Master, I am no coward.

Finally, Master Sinh cleared his throat.

“Not quite, child.” The smile he hid twinkled in the corner of his eyes.

“What?”

Suddenly, she felt a light tap at the back of her leg. Dread washed over her as she turned to see the katana posed behind her calf. Master Sinh had switched the weapon in his hand as if to sheath the katana into her. Mai’s jaw dropped open.

“That’s cheating! There’s no form like that.”

“We do what we can to stay alive,” Master Sinh shrugged. “If it means breaking form, so be it.”

Mai threw her dagger at the ground, ignoring her teacher’s pointed glare. “You never told me that. You always told me form was most important!”

Master Sinh shook his head. “You are not ready yet. You cannot build a palace without a base.”

Before she could spit out a witty retort, a voice interrupted her.

“Elder Sinh.”

They both turned. A woman was walking down the stairs, one hand daintily lifting her dress, the other holding a velvet box. She stopped when she reached the broken dagger, eyeing it warily, then slipped around. After a moment, she strode onto the practice ground and looked up with a smile.

Mai spoke first. “Mother, what are you doing here?”

“I have a message for your teacher, little one.” She turned to face the master, grasping the box with both hands, and bowed respectfully, her arms outstretched. “Elder Sinh, Lord Nirin would like to present Mai with the Tessen of the Snake now.”

The old man frowned. “She is not ready, Lady Chau. She is far from it. Tell him that-”

“He would like to present Mai with the Tessen now,” Chau repeated. Mai noticed her stiff smile and the worry behind her eyes. Mai’s heart sank; despite her father’s approval, her mother agreed with Master Sinh.

Reluctantly, he plucked the velvet Tessen’s case from Lady Chau’s hands and turned towards his disciple. He lifted the cover.

Inside the case sat a grey war fan. Mai knew the Tessen was supposed to be a powerful weapon, but she couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed. The Tessen was much less impressive than she had anticipated. No spikes decorated the tips, and no intricate embellishments adorned the sticks or the silky leaves in between. Only the Souldrop stood out—an opaque, tear-shaped jade sat embedded into the head, a welcomed contrast against the bland color.

Mai carefully picked up the Tessen.

“This is not a toy, Mai; this is the Tessen of the Snake. You must take care of it,” her mentor warned. He turned to Lady Chau. “This is an enormous responsibility. Is Lord Nirin sure of his decision?”

Chau nodded solemnly. “He is, Elder Sinh.”

He grumbled under his breath and closed the Tessen’s case. Then, he turned to Mai, handing the box back to her mother. “Place the Tessen beside your heart, child.”

Mai stared at the war fan suspiciously. She prodded at the jade.

“By the Heavens and the Earth, hurry.” Master Sinh dramatically rubbed his back and grimaced as if he was in pain. “My bones will have turned to dust when you finish.”

Mai almost laughed; she knew he could’ve sparred more with her if he wanted.

Suddenly nauseous, she gripped the war fan and gulped. Her palms felt clammy, whether it be from the heat or her nerves, and her fingers warm against the guard. She closed her eyes and pressed the Tessen to her chest, making sure to place the jade directly over her heart.

Instantly, a sharp pain pierced through her. Mai cried out, her eyes flying open as she fell to the ground. As her mother shrieked, another voice boomed above her’s.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

[ Hello, Mai. ]

Chaos broke loose.

Overcome with the intense pain, Mai crumpled, unconscious. Master Sinh instantly knelt beside her, shouting her name as he pressed his fingers against the insides of her wrist. Screaming frantically for her maids to summon a doctor, Chau kicked Mai’s dagger away and rushed up the stairs. She disappeared through the gates with threats of severe punishment if their incompetence cost her daughter’s life.

Then Mai awoke with a gasp. The old man recoiled, pressing a hand to his heart with an impressive series of curses. The girl stared.

Finally, he collected himself enough to speak. “What happened?”

Mai shrugged, bewildered. “I thought you would know. You didn’t tell me that would hurt.”

“It isn’t supposed to.” Master Sinh furrowed his brows, expression darkening.

[ Oh Heavens, was I too loud? ]

The girl froze. A woman’s voice, now soft with regret, filled her mind.

[ I apologize. I didn’t mean to hurt you, little one. It’s just been so long since I’ve talked to anybody. ]

Slowly, Mai turned to her teacher.

[ I could lower my volume if you’d like? ]

“You didn’t tell me there would be voices either,” she said softly.

“Voices?”

Mai blinked. “You can’t hear her?”

[ No one but you can hear me, Mai. I am yours. ]

“You can hear the voice of the Tessen?”

Before Mai could respond, the gates flew open with an explosion of sound. Chau, erupting from between the doors, screeched at the maids and doctors to move faster as they raced towards her daughter. Her servants huffed as they struggled to keep pace with the overprotective mother. With the grace of a pigeon, she flew down the stairs and slammed to a halt beside Master Sinh. She didn’t wait for an explanation; instead, she immediately slapped the back of his head. Mai flinched from the impact.

“How dare you! If we were aware of the consequences of a female inheriting the Holy Weapon, we wouldn’t be in this situation right now,” Chau seethed. She jabbed a finger into his face. “Why didn’t you tell me about this? Or Lord Nirin? How could you not prepare her for something this terrible? What would you do if she-”

“Mother, I’m okay,” Mai interrupted. Her mother jumped, her daughter’s sudden voice surprising her, but before she could speak again, Mai smiled. “I don’t think Master Sinh knew about what happened. After all, when was the last time a woman had a Holy Weapon?”

Master Sinh nodded vigorously. “There were no records about the pain, Chau. Empress Bao Linh was the last to receive a Holy Weapon, but the history books never described any pain during the inheritance process. There were barely any mentions of Holy Weapons at all.”

Chau paused. Behind her, the doctor staggered towards them. The mother turned around.

“Tend to Mai and make sure there’s nothing wrong,” she commanded. “Maids, where is the glass of water I asked for?”

“Here, Lady Chau!” a voice squeaked from the back of the group.

“Bring it forward already!”

A maid scrambled towards Mai. Bowing held out a porcelain cup. “Ma’am, your water.”

Mai gave her a warm smile. “Thank you.”

She brought the edge of the cup to her lips.

[ Halt! ]

Without hesitation, Mai stilled her hand. The resolute authority in the Tessen’s voice was unmistakable. The Tessen’s voice lost its light tone; instead, its speech was dark, speaking calmly and deliberately.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered hesitantly.

[ From now on, please use your mind to speak to me as I have no wish for others to hear our conversations. ]

As Mai frowned, the voice spoke up again.

[ The water. It is tainted. ]

Instantly, she pulled the cup away. What do you mean?

Smothering tension hung in the air.

[ I will show you, Mai. Open my Tessen. ]

But Mai couldn’t question the Tessen any further; her hesitation to drink had been noticed. Regardless, she complied, snapping the Tessen open with a flick of her wrist.

“Little one, what are you doing?” Chau placed a hand gently on Mai’s shoulder. “Are you alright? Are you still in pain?”

“I’m alright, Mother. I just wanted to see the leaves of the Tessen again.” Mai forced a smile. Her gaze flickered to the cup in her trembling hand. “It’s-”

Then the Tessen began to glow. As it rested in Mai’s hand, an eerie golden luster encased the top of the war fan, revealing an intricate design of a hissing snake. The glint seemed to ripple as if the creature danced on the leaves, and Mai stared at it in awe as light flowed through the flaxen serpent. Several servants gasped at the sight, whispering amongst themselves. Chau only pressed her lips together, an anxious look on her face.

Just as Mai tried to comfort her, the Tessen spoke again.

[ Please wave my Tessen toward the cup. I will remove the evil from your water. ]

Reluctantly, the girl complied. She gently waved the Tessen back and forth towards the cup. Caught up in her task, she didn’t notice as Master Sinh’s eyes widened.

“Mai!” Master Sinh’s hand flashed forward to grab her arm. “You can’t use the Tessen like a-”

Suddenly, droplets began to form on the water’s surface. They began to float, gathering to create a swirling ball as it rose above the cup. Mai felt her stomach drop; was all of this ball of water polluted?

[ The poison that tainted your water, Mai. ]

The girl’s heart stop.

Poison?

[ Well, what did you think I meant? Dust? ]

Yes!

Master Sinh’s mouth dropped open. He released his grip, turning to Mai.

“Is this what I think it is?” he asked softly.

Blood draining from her face, the girl nodded. “The ball above the water is poison.”

Everyone fell silent. Even the Tessen didn’t say a word. Then Chau screamed.

“Who dares to poison my daughter?” she roared. She whirled to the maid. “You! The one who brought her the water. Are you out of your mind?”

The furious mother stomped towards the group of servants as they flinched away—all except the maid, who instantly fell to her knees and pressed her hands against the floor.

“My lady, I would never!” she cried. “I swear I didn’t try to poison her. I swear on my life! I’ve cared for her like my own for her entire life—I could never bring her any harm. I beg of you, Lady Chau, please tame your anger!”

“Be quiet, maid,” Chau seethed. She lifted her foot and drove her heel into the back of the maid’s head, slamming her head onto the ground. The servant whimpered in pain, keeping herself quiet in fear of further punishment.

Despite her efforts, Chau had a different idea.

“Guards!”

The maid scrambled against the floor. “My lady, please-”

“No one gave you permission to speak. You will be silent!”

Two men donning armor slipped to Chau’s side, their spears readied.

“Take her to a cell.” Chau sneered at the maid as she howled and thrashed against the guards. Despite the passionate pleas battering her ears, contempt didn’t waver from her face. “No one will ever harm my daughter, or they will face the consequences.”

She whirled towards the rest of the cowering servants, her glare piercing through their terrified gazes. “Do I make myself clear?”

They bowed as one, hands and knees falling to the ground.

“Yes, Lady Chau!”