When I reach my room, I lean against the wall, taking a moment.

Once I feel in control of myself, I look for the servant who usually works near my room. She easily agrees to show me the way to Master Tai Qiu’s room.

A short walk and a soft knock later, Tai Qiu opens the door to her room. I pause, surprised to see her with her hair down.

“Junior Sister Lin,” Tai Qiu says with surprise, her gaze becoming cautious. “What brings you here?”

“Master Chung Zhao called me to speak with him.” I say, some of my worry leaking into my voice.

Tai Qiu’s eyes sharpen. “Come in.” She says to me, before turning to the servant who brought me. “Thank you for bringing her to me.”

The servant bows, “Of course Master Tai Qiu.” She says, before turning to leave.

Tai Qiu watches as the servant leaves before closing the door and turning to me “What happened?”

I tell her the entire conversation as I remember it. She sits calmly as I recite what we discussed, her expression not showing any of her thoughts. When I’m finished, she exhales in relief.

“You worried me, Junior Sister. From your expression, I’d thought something truly horrible had happened.” She says, her expression softening into a smile.. “I suppose that I have been showing you quite a lot of attention lately, I’m not surprised that Chung Zhao became curious.”

Her nonchalance calms me down, and as I look back at our conversation, I realize that Master Chung Zhao hadn’t actually done anything wrong.

“Your response to his question was perfectly reasonable. You shouldn’t be telling anyone you don’t want to, your cultivation arts.” Tai Qiu continues. “In fact, I would recommend not telling anyone you don’t trust with your life.”

“So I was just overthinking things? I don’t need to be wary of him?” I ask her, feeling a little embarrassed about my overreaction.

“Well…” Tai Qiu starts, making me look up at her. “Master Chung Zhao is not someone to take lightly. Him and I, we both want the same thing. We will both go to great lengths to achieve what we want.”

“What do you both want?” I ask the obvious question.

“It’s not exactly a secret.” Tai Qiu pauses, her eyes seeming to weigh me and who I am. “We both want to be the next Elder of the sect.”

I look down into my palms, thinking. In other words, by supporting Tai Qiu, I’ve chosen a side in a political battle. Chung Zhao is no longer an ally I can trust.

I nod, looking back up at Tai Qiu. “I understand.”

Tai Qiu smiles, holding her hand out to me.

I hold her hand as we both stand up.

“Good. You should get to sleep then. I’m sure you have much to do tomorrow”

***

I spend the next few weeks practicing my spirit sense, solidifying my foundation and continuing to learn the art of the sword from the first Requiem. After two weeks, I feel comfortable enough to play the third requiem again. This time, I cry after watching the woman murder the man. A month later, and a week before my thirteenth birthday, I feel myself become ready for the next step.

The Fourth Requiem: Sacrifice

Every Requiem brings with it emotions that I find hard to handle. The very sight of the page where it is written, twists my heart.

I sit in my room, my flute in my lap and The Twelve Requiems of Illusion open in front of me.

I close my eyes, breathing in and out as I prepare myself to play.

Gently, with my eyes still closed, I bring the flute up to my lips. I open my eyes, to see the manual aloft in front of me.

Softly I start to play.

Each note starts out strong before fading.

Low, soft notes play out into my room.

The world shifts around me.

My softly lit room twists into a cold room surrounded by stone walls and lit by torch light.

A man holds a woman there, both softly swaying to the beat of the music.

A loud drum starts to beat as the sounds of shouts echo down the hallway into the room.

The man leans forward, whispering into the woman’s ear.

Then he pulls away from her.

She reaches for him, her hand tugging on the back of his shirt.

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He turns briefly to smile at her.

He holds his hand out, qi gathering within him.

Shadow bursts from him, gathering around her until only the wall behind her can be seen and she is invisible.

The drums draw closer, their beat growing louder with the notes of my music.

Each note of my flute sounds loud with the drum, before fading with it.

Humans in bloodied armor burst into the room.

The man calls to them, yelling at them before running.

They follow him and my vision follows him as well.

Eventually, he turns, drawing the sword at his waist.

He fights bravely, his strikes following the music of my song.

Soon he dies, a sword through his heart killing him near instantly.

A look of triumph, however, never leaves his eyes.

My vision is brought back to the woman.

She leaves the shadow long after the battle, and she sees him.

He lies there, dead, but with a smile on his face.

I know why he smiles. He smiles because she lives.

The song fades, and I set my flute down. This time, it wasn’t what I expected. I stare at my flute thoughtfully. A single tear streams down my face before I wipe it away with the sleeve of my robe.

It’s strange, witnessing death over and over again. I can’t really describe the feeling, but it no longer gives me the burst of emotion it used to. Instead, I feel this deep sorrow to the core of my spirit.

The man died for that woman.

Would I do the same for another person?

I don’t know. I want to think that I would.

I leave my room, walking out of the building to stare at the star filled sky. I stay there for the rest of the night, only the sound of the flowing water from a nearby stream to accompany me.

***

The morning of my thirteenth birthday is a normal day. A far cry from my birthday last year where my father had thrown a large party, inviting every influential person he could to attend.

I lay in bed for a moment, having woken up earlier than usual. I feel a small ache in my heart from remembering my father. I wonder how he is doing? First mother, and now I, have gone from his life.

I get up slowly from my bed, opening the shutters of my window to show that the sun is just starting to rise in the sky.

I pull out my flute, playing softly on it. Another song that my mother taught me, almost gone from my memory now.

It will be at least another two years before I’m allowed to leave the sect. When I do, I hope to check up on my father. I wonder if he’ll recognize me? I’ll have grown so much by then.

A bird lands on the tree outside of my window, looking almost as if it is listening to my music. The small creature starts to hop on the branch, another bird joining in the fun a moment later.

I try not to smile as I watch the birds dance. Eventually, I can’t help it and I have to set the flute down to laugh at the playful creatures.

“It seems that your morning is going well.” An elderly voice says from behind me.

I turn around with a large smile “Uncle Zhu! It’s been so long!” I say happily, hugging the old man. I pull away, frowning. “Have you gotten shorter?”

“Bah!” Elder Zhu gently pushes me away, trying to hide a happy smile. “I’ve been busy, and you’ve been growing taller Little Miss Lin. My height hasn’t changed.”

“Maybe…” I tease him, my good mood from the birds impossible to hide.

Elder Zhu sagely ignores my comment. “I’ve been hearing good things about you, Little Miss Lin. Already at the fourth level of Qi Awakening, handily defeating another cultivator in a duel…. You’re making quite the name for yourself.”

I blush at the compliment, fiddling with my flute to hide my embarrassment. “What brings you here this morning Uncle Zhu?”

He raises an eyebrow at me, “How could I miss your first birthday in the sect?”

“I’m surprised you remember.” I look back out the window at the birds, a small smile on my face in spite of my next words “I thought no one would remember.”

“I’m sure those two friends of yours already have something planned.” Elder Zhu says confidently.

I look back at him, jumping up and down a little bit as I change the topic. “What’d you bring me?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Elder Zhu looks away from me.

“Oh,” I say, looking down as I sit on the edge of my bed.

“Now that you mention it, I do have this ring…”

I jump up, grabbing the ring from his hand to look at it. It looks like a plain bronze ring, but I know better than to judge items by their appearance. “What is it?”

“A ring of protection. It’s designed to save your life from a fatal attack up to the nascent soul level. “ Elder Zhu says smugly.

My eyes widen as I stare at the ring, then back to Elder Zhu, then back to the ring. “This is more than I ever expected. Thank you Uncle Zhu.”

Elder Zhu scratches his beard, trying to hide his embarrassment from being thanked. “Think nothing of it. I promised your father that I would keep you safe, and that’s what I intend to do.”

“How is my father? I’ve been worried.” I say, placing the bronze ring on my finger and studying it on my hand.

“He’s been busy with the news of the dying emperor.” An expression I can’t read flashes over his face before he continues, “He asked after you the last time I saw him.”

“The Emperor’s dying?” I ask, surprised that I hadn’t already heard the news.

“Indeed. Every royal in the imperial palace is vying for favor and power. There will likely be war soon.” Elder Zhu walks over to stare out the same window I’d been looking through.

“What will the sect do if there is war?” Nervousness enters my voice. The last war had been five years before I was born. I’ve been told many times how much destruction it caused.

“That is up for the patriarch to decide. Whatever she decides, the Elders will follow and so will the rest of the sect.” Elder Zhu lifts his hand and the bird I was watching earlier flies over, landing on his finger. He turns to look at me, the bird still perched happily. “No matter what, no harm will come to you, I will make sure of that.”

“What of my father?” I know the answer, but I ask anyway.

“He is his own man. Which side he chooses will decide his fate.” The Elder’s words carry weight with them, and the bird flies off of his finger.

The room is quiet for a moment, as we watch the sun slowly rise.

“The sun will rise every morning and set every night… and yet, no one knows what the future might hold Little Miss Lin. Things always change, anyone who claims to know what changes are coming is a fool.” Elder Zhu looks off into the distance. “I’m afraid I must leave. Enjoy your birthday little one, and do not let this old man’s words weigh heavily on your heart.”

With those words, Elder Zhu disappears from my room.

I set my gaze out my window, watching the sky slowly brighten until a knock on my door reminds me of the world outside my thoughts.

“Sister Lin! Are you awake yet?” Jing Xia asks through the door.

“One moment,” I reply, grabbing my sword and adjusting my flute. “I’ll be right out.”