Chi Myst'wing 19 A New Vow Of Destiny

They reached Good Hope Village. The villagers there were warm and welcoming. They knew Chi and her friends were kind and friendly. There was little possibility that the villagers knew Chi and her friends were fugitive since there was no poster of Vindicta sighted. Or it might be the villagers knew Chi and her friends were not like what Benevence had said. That was fortunate for Chi and most of her friends but not Zhu Ming as he had only a day of his life left.

"Where's Zhu Ming and Mirai?" said Zhans.h.i.+, sitting on the gra.s.s while facing Violetia and Ziwo.

"To the lake," said Sunu. "Zhu Ming and Mirai want to have a beautiful view for their last time. Pity Zhu Ming. Mirai would be very sad." Sunu was gazing the location of the lake; it was at the hill of a brown forest.

"It didn't feel right," said Violetia. "Don't you all feel strange?"

"What do you mean?" said Zhans.h.i.+.

Violetia had an edgy look. "How could we find Vincere so fast. Did Benevence let him free so easily because Vincere can take him to the treasures?"

The unrest from Violetia spread like a plague to all over the group. But Sunu and Chi were unaffected.

"Sister Violetia," said Chi. "We can find Vincere easily because of my papa's help."

"Yes," said Violetia. "But there is no fight. It's not that I like to fight, but isn't that is suspicious?"

"I agreed at both of you," said Sunu though she agreed at Brother Jing's help and the suspicious of an easy finding of Vincere. "It came to me that we escaped from River Spring Village quite easily. We must be careful."

"Perhaps Benevence is using us to lead him to the treasure," said Ziwo. His head tilted toward the warriors, and he had spoken in soft voice only they could hear.

"What if Benevence could find out the treasure of the Invicta Draven," said Vincere.

"Don't worry, Vincere," said Chi. "It's well kept far from here. Sister Nuwa had told me about the Invicta Draven's treasures. It is now safe in the tomb in Nuwa's Sanctuary."

A strong wind blew, trees swayed, and then something heavy landed at one of the trees. Chi and the rest examined the tree and what they saw jolted them.

"So, you all are here," said Benevence.

Chi gasped. Her words could have been heard by Benevence.

"What else you want?" said Ziwo.

"Benevence, you ungrateful leader," said Zhans.h.i.+. "After what we have done for you, yet you hunt us?"

"Like what people say," said Benevence. "The hunting dog becomes food as well after it is used to hunt game. A good bow is discarded when there are no birds left for shooting."

"All this time you have treated us like dogs?�� said Zhans.h.i.+. Chi was disguised when Benevence laughing after compared them to a dog and a bow.

"Vincere already gave me his half piece of the treasure," said Benevence. "But the clue I got when I combined two pieces is so hard. I let him free so you Chi, could save him, as I expected. And you have told me the location of Draven's treasure. Thank you so much. It's a pity that you'll have to die." Benevence then drew out both his swords, each embedded and empowered with red-glowing ignium metal. He launched himself with his swords swung full force at Chi's group.

Benevence was swift that the Chi and her friends couldn't see him coming. All of them was started and unprepared. They had to leap off the path. But the energy wave had hit Sunu, Violetia and Ziwo, the wave exploded and rendered them injured. Chi, Zhans.h.i.+ and Vincere managed to leap away from the blast.

"Mama!" bellowed Chi as she could hear Zhans.h.i.+ and Vincere shouting as they launched their offensives toward Benevence. In a split-second, she heard another blast of waves which she believed they came from Benevence and then several loud booms.

Chi then launched her golden orb toward Benevence, but he could deflect it so easy. He switched his focus to Chi, startling her. Zhans.h.i.+ and Vincere gave Benevence some swings with a blast of red waves only to be stopped by Benevence's crosses of swords. Both of them then leapt toward Benevence, giving him slashes and swings of red blasts. Benevence was now busy handling Zhans.h.i.+ and Vincere that Chi saw her opportunity that she launched a bigger orb to Benevence.

The orb boomed, pus.h.i.+ng Benevence away from Zhans.h.i.+ and Vincere. And Benevence crashed on the hut, smas.h.i.+ng the bamboo wall. Though he had a hard fall, he could stand up as though nothing had happened.

Now, the trio of Chi, Zhans.h.i.+ and Vincere headed toward Benevence, with their hands preparing to strike. With each swing of the Zhans.h.i.+'s sabre and Vincere's sword, Benevence could deflect it with his swords and Chi launched bigger bolt each time she saw her chance to attack. The fight escalated further into the woods and near the lake; red and transparent waves and golden orbs blasting everywhere, with faint sounds of explosion.

Benevence saw his chance to escape, and he skied across the lake. Zhans.h.i.+ launched a red blast of energy toward Benevence which he could deflect Zhans.h.i.+'s attack with just his sword. The waves. .h.i.t the lake surface and exploded with a great hail of water. Vincere swung his sword, launching blast of energy, cutting across the lake surface...

But Benevence just leapt out of the lake. Chi swung her hand in great circular motion, calling streams of water to her hands. The scene of Chi controlling the natural element appalled Zhans.h.i.+, Vincere and even Benevence. When the water had acc.u.mulated to be a vast crystal-like orb, she hurled the crystal orb toward Benevence –

By swinging both his swords, Benevence sliced the orb of water, creating a violent explosion of water and a huge downpour followed afterwards. Everyone ducked and took cover from the downpour.

Once the downpour stopped, the trio heroes looked up at Benevence, having realized they were all wet and soaked through, but Benevence was dry. Almost every attack they launched had no effect on their former lord.

"It's time to finish you all!" said Benevence. "It's a pity that your story ends here, my former warriors."

Before Benevence could launch any attack, Chi, Zhans.h.i.+ and Vincere launched their attacks together with the hope that they could defeat Benevence or force him to escape. The blows from both sides collided and resulted in a loud bang.

Chi launched another orb. Zhans.h.i.+ and Vincere swung their weapons together. Benevence withdrew his swords in a way that his sword's aura withstood Chi's...o...b..in mid-air. While Zhans.h.i.+ and Vincere with their weapon's red wave pushed Chi's...o...b..toward Benevence. Chi also forced her orb toward Benevence.

Even still, Benevence was far more powerful than the trio's combined attack. He had pushed Chi's...o...b..toward the trio with his own strength. The trio was struggling with strenuous effort to repel the orb back to Benevence. They were now wet not with the hail of water an attack ago, but with their own sweat. And Benevence swung his swords again, blasting the ma.s.sive red waves toward the golden orb, resulting in big boom –

The trio was thrown away, each landed in different locations.

Chi, Zhans.h.i.+ and Vincere groaned in pain, as they flinched. Seeing how painful the trio was having now, Benevence had a smirk of pleasure. "Well, well, well. All my warriors are weak. There's no point in fighting me. I shall kill the most powerful one first."

Chi sensed a deadly gaze from Benevence. She knew Benevence was referring to her when he gliding toward her. Where was her mama? And Sister Nuwa? She knew Sister Nuwa could defeat Benevence, but how could she come right in time? Where was her papa? Her papa had long death and could only appear in her dream. Look like Chi shall meet her cruel fate today. But she would not give up her life without any fight. With all the strength left, she crawled away from Benevence, but he was gliding to her faster than she could crawl away.

When Benevence was just a few feet from Chi, she knew her life was about to end. The quivering of fear spread all over her. The sadness of having to leave her mama and Nuwa sprang tears on her eyes. When Benevence raised his sword, she felt the time was slowing down…

"Papa… Mama… Sister Nuwa…" Images of Chi's important person all played in her mind. Thousands of thoughts and memories flashed like a series of images inside her. Every of her unfortunate event had led her to a fortunate one. She had a strange feeling. Either it was a feeling of harmony or epiphany, she could not know. But she could feel a warm sensation surrounded her. And her surrounding had turned into golden light as though she was in a vast golden orb. On her left, she saw an ethereal form of a redragon with wings of a misty vapour. She knew who it was.

Her papa had manifested before her… Jing beamed at her and said "Chi-dear, everything's alright. Papa's here." She then heard another voice calling her, and she turned to her right – her mama was gliding toward her. When she looked at Benevence, she spotted a baffled look on his face. Sunu had reached Chi's side and said, "Jing-dear, I'm here." That meant her mama could see her papa too, and her mama pulled her up to her feet.

"Let's do it together, my dear Sunu and Chi," said Jing. When her papa raised both his hands, Sunu and Chi raised theirs too. The golden orb of energy appeared on Chi's palms, and it was expanding in size. It grew large enough until she saw her papa's smiling face nodded. "Chi-dear, now."

"Yes, Papa," said Chi as she pushed the orb, blasting toward Benevence.

Benevence was lucky that he managed to reduce the heat from the blast with both his swords and his swords melted and he spun around to evade the full blast of the large orb. He made a huge leap, then gliding himself to escape.

The golden aura around Chi dissipated into thin air. She managed to catch a glance of her papa, giving her a warm smile before her papa dissipated too. And she turned to her mama when her mama said, "Chi-dear, you alright?" When Sunu placed her palm on Chi's cheek, she could feel the warmness of her mama's hand. Chi nodded and heard her mama words m.u.f.fled by tears. "You're alright. Thank you, Jing-dear."

"Chi, are you all right?" Ziwo and Violetia yelled and were hurrying across toward her.

"Yes, me alright."

"You seemed suddenly become so powerful. How you did that?" From such question that came from Zhans.h.i.+ and Vincere, Chi knew they couldn't see her papa. What they could have seen was that it was Chi who had launched the big orb.

"It was my papa," said Chi, but her sentence was hung when there was a boom at a distant. All directed their vision to a remote dam. Now the dam ruptured and a tidal wave of water gus.h.i.+ng down toward the lower valley, which was the place where they were standing. Even the dam was far, they could not mistake the roar of a ma.s.sive rush of water. "Let's run for it!" A second later, when they were about to run, Chi said, "How about the Cyaians living below?" They know they could run, but the Cyaians who lived in the valley could not do so.

They have to think a fast plan in a short time of emergency.

"Mama and Violetia shall repair the dam," said Chi. "While the rest will redirect the water!"

Sunu hesitated for a moment.

"Mama, don't worry. Papa will protect me."

Her mama nodded and brought Violetia as she rocketed from the ground toward the dam.

"Zhans.h.i.+, Vincere," said Chi. "Do make a deep pit."

Zhans.h.i.+ and Vincere did understand what Chi's plan was.

"Sir Amo and me will direct the water," said Chi. She knew it would not be a problem for Ziwo to manipulated water to his palms as how he had used it to pull up a large tree.

Zhans.h.i.+ and Vincere marched several forward and began to swing their weapons. The forces and blows from their weapons were so loud that they left a ma.s.sive crack on the ground. They continued to swing again and again until the crack became a pit, deeper and deeper with each swing.

Chi and Ziwo stood side by side. At the moment, they turned to one another. An affection may have sprouted between them. Both had a relations.h.i.+p with Jing Myst'wing: one was his daughter, and the other one was his brother, both close and bonded by deep relations.h.i.+p.

The sound of rus.h.i.+ng water became louder as the water was rus.h.i.+ng down fast on them. The wave reached the deep pit first, slowing down its' advance. Most water drained down into the pit while there was some pa.s.sed the pit... and Chi and Ziwo raised their palms while facing the gus.h.i.+ng water.

Streams of water began moving toward Chi and Ziwo's hand, forming two orbs of water on each of their palms. More and more streams joining in until the two orbs became larger and combined into a larger one. The orb grew larger and larger with each stream of water flowing into it. There was no more flow of rus.h.i.+ng water. It seemed that Sunu and Violetia had in their success repaired the dam. All the water had flowed into the pit and the only water left was at the orb.

Now the orb was so large, perhaps gigantic. It was the biggest orb of water Chi ever created. Far, far larger than the one she had created to hurl at Benevence. Chi had sweats trickled down her brows and her chin. She could see Ziwo was sweating too.

"Hurl it to the sky," said Ziwo.

In immediate speed, Zhans.h.i.+ and Vincere came to their aid. With their weapons, they swung their weapons so the force could lift the orb, but it did lift a little. The orb was dense with water that it could weight a thousand tonnes. Chi had never felt so exhausted to the point that she wanted to give up. She had the feeling that anytime they slipped, the ma.s.sive orb of water could crush her and her friends. Her eyes sprang tears, flowing down her cheek.

"Hang on…"

Sunu, Violetia came in high velocity toward them. And Zhu Ming and Mirai appeared from nowhere, joining them. They both used their strength to lift the ma.s.sive orb of water. Yet it still weighted so heavy that they couldn't even lift it a little. How could they have any strength to hurl it far away from them?

"Let's push the water together," said Ziwo. "One, two, pus.h.!.+"

They used all their strength to push the ma.s.sive blue orb again and again. Each push drained their strength. But the orb of water never raised any higher but instead, it sank lower and lower.

At that time, Chi felt they all going to die soon. There was nothing more they could do. When they all losses strength, the huge weight of water would crush them to death. And when they die, the valley will be flooded with hundreds of casualties.

"Chi," said Ziwo, looking at her with bliss. "I'm happy to know you, the daughter of Brother Jing. And I'm glad that I can soon rest here with you. Not long, we can be together with Brother Jing."

"Chi-dear," said Sunu. "This all will be over soon. We will together with Jing-dear."

"Yes, Chi," said Zhans.h.i.+. "I feel very honoured to die with you all, wonderful friends and heroes."

"Yes, me too," said Vincere. "May we meet together in heaven!"

"Let's meet next life again," said Zhu Ming as Mirai nodded with a teary smile to him.

"Papa," said Violetia. "I wish to be your daughter again the next life." And she spotted Ziwo's eyes began to swell.

"Yes, mama," said Chi. "And all my friends. It is very wonderful to have you all as my family and friends…"

And then, a sudden burst of warmness surrounded her hand that she saw a golden glow surrounded her. Her hands felt a lot more strength. "Chi-dear, it's not yet the time." It was her papa's voice.

"Papa!"

"Chi-dear," said Jing. "Stay strong…"

"Yes, papa," said Chi. "Me will…"

"Jing-dear," said Sunu as Ziwo muttered, "Brother Jing…"

The ma.s.sive orb began to raise up.

"Let's use all our strength at the same time," said Ziwo. "One, two, pus.h.!.+"

"Let's hurl it to the sky!" Jing bellowed.

Every one lifted the same moment, the orb was raised higher than before, when all their strength combined. With the power from Jing, the spherical water was hurled high to the sky….

The gigantic orb rose high until it became a palm-size ball from a naked eye and exploded. A moment later, huge downpour rained down on them. They were all soaked and shaky that their palms and knees supported them; their breathing all ragged. Inside their heart, they could carve a smile that they had saved the Cyaians who lived down the valley.

"Thank you, Universe. Thank you, papa," said Chi to herself with heaving breaths.

Sunu did mutter thanks to her Jing-dear. Ziwo, Zhans.h.i.+, Vincere and the rest had breaths of grat.i.tude. All of them were saved again. Unknown to them, the one who had saved them was Chi's papa.

"Zhu Ming," said Chi. "Everything happens so coincidently. Even you are here to be with us."

"Yes, Chi," said Zhu Ming. "We happened to be in the vicinity all the time. We could even see blasts and explosions from there."

"But Zhu Ming chose to ignore it," said Mirai. "When the dam exploded by the blast, we know we can't ignore it anymore. And we decided to repair it when we meet Sunu and Violetia on the way to the dam."

"Benevence fear of our power," said Ziwo. "And hopefully, he will be gone forever and would not ever return."

"Let's head to Nuwa's Sanctuary," said Chi as she took out her flute and blew into it.

"Let's go, Chi-dear," said Sunu and after some time, five equines appeared from the distant plain. With their equines, the group began their travel to Nuwa's Sanctuary.

During their journey, Zhu Ming seemed so healthy that it caused the others, much to Mirai a total curiosity. Mirai slipped from her equine and fortunate for her, Zhu Ming managed to grab her from falling. She had her hand on Zhu Ming's cheek, and her face was filled with wonder and pleasing expression.

"Ming," said Mirai. "You're not dying today. Not today! I can't foresee it!"

Mirai filled everyone with question and surprise. How could Zhu Ming's death which had been foreseen but he was still alive? And why now Mirai could not foresee his death? The only one who looked as though without any question was Chi. She recalled what had her papa had told her. "Saving others is actually saving yourself," said Chi. "Those who save lives will be received blessings from the lives they have saved. My papa had told me that." With the answer, Zhu Ming and the others nodded that they agree with Chi's answer. They had the feeling Chi could know more than meets her eyes.