One: The Legend of EXO (Chapter Eight)
Title: One: The Legend of EXO
Rating: PG-13
When darkness descends the Dragon shall rise,
Along with twin moons and the Thief, King of Lies.
When Phoenix takes flight and sun covers sun,
When evil is vanquished, the Twelve become One.
Chapter Eight
"Thank you."
The maid flashed Chen a small smile as she filled his cup with sweet-scented chrysanthemum tea. They sat on embroidered cushions in Tao's living room, which looked like the set of some historical drama, with its scenic brush paintings and rice paper screens. Twin blue-and-white Ming vases sat on either side of a straight sword, whose edges were a little too sharp for mere display.
Chen felt as if he had gone back in time the moment he had laid eyes on Tao's house. The roofs were lined with green ceramic tiles, with upturned eaves that swept skywards into perfect points. A cherry tree still heavy with blossoms stood within the courtyard before the main building. Above a pond teeming with orange goldfish arched a small stone bridge. The place felt safe, peaceful.
"Please, make yourselves at home." Tao's grandfather gestured for them to drink as he lit his pipe and inhaled. This was the man that Tao had urged them all to meet, the man who would have the answers they were looking for. He was an old and wizened, with pure white hair and sharp eyes. His every movement spoke of grace and discipline, the kind that one learns from years of practice with a sword.
"A question, before we start," Master Huang said. "What do you know about the Wall?"
"The Great Wall was constructed in the Qin dynasty to protect the kingdom from Northerner attacks," Kris answered, as if reciting a passage from a textbook.
"Correct. But why were the Frost Fields left outside the Wall? It was not Northerner territory and would have served a strategic purpose in terms of land."
No one, not even Kris, had an answer.
"The truth is, both sides believed the Fields were cursed, and not without reason. For the past few millennia, it has been home to demons. Red-eyed creatures of darkness that were born in another world."
"You're saying the bat-thing that attacked me was a demon?" Lay sounded as if he would sooner believe that the sky was falling.
Master Huang continued, unperturbed. "A third-tier demon, to be precise. They are strong, but uncivilized, with little more mental capacity than animals. Second-tier demons, though, are more aware and are equipped with the power of human possession."
"So they can control you?" Xiumin asked.
"Yes. If your heart is weak and susceptible to darkness." Chen wondered about the state of his own heart. Was he strong enough to ward off a demon intent on seizing control of his soul? Not likely.
Chen took a nervous gulp of tea then asked, "What about the last type, the first-tier demons?"
"Are you familiar with the name Genghis Khan?"
"Yes," He had covered the topic just last week in class. "He was the first Northerner who breached the Wall and almost conquered the realm."
"Why almost?"
"Well, there was an uprising and he was overthrown."
The old man nodded in approval, then leaned towards them as if divulging a closely guarded secret. "The uprising was initiated by a secret group known as the White Lotus Society." He pointed to the lotus symbol carved onto his wooden teacup. Chen looked around the room. The white flowers were everywhere, depicted in paintings, embroidered on cushions, even floating in the small pond in the garden.
"Though names have been lost over the course of history, it is believed that the Society was founded by six families, each with an extraordinary talents."
He placed before them a hexagonal box made of dark red cherry wood. Painted across the polished lid was a dragon and a phoenix, their bodies forming a perfect circle. As Master Huang flipped open the brass clasp, they could see a golden disc-like object. Markings circled its surface and at its centre was a tiny, spinning needle. It was a compass.
"This has been passed down through generations in the Huang family, ever since the formation of the White Lotus Society. According to our ancestral records I daresay it existed long before then. These symbols are familiar, I presume?" Chen nodded. He could see Kris's winged dragon, Xiumin's diamond and his own jagged claw. However, there were just as many symbols he had never seen before, including a triangle to the north and a bird-like shape to the south.
"The reason you are sitting here before me is because the blood of the Six runs in your veins. Power, too, can be passed down, though like this compass, it can only guide you on your travels. It is you who must discover and choose your own path to follow."
The history lesson was interesting and all, but what were they supposed to with the knowledge? Chen had never even met his father so being a descendent of some famous family was meaningless to him.
Tao echoed his thoughts aloud. "Grandfather, what do we do now?"
"Train. Each of you must prepare for another encounter with demons. I assure you they will be stronger, faster and less easily subdued." Master Huang looked out the window, where the sky was now the orange-red of dusk. "We shall begin tomorrow."
They stood and were guided back to the foyer by the maid. As they gathered their backpacks and slipped on their shoes, Chen suddenly remembered the scroll.
"Sir, the phoenix and dragon on your box, what do they mean?"
Master Huang smiled. "An excellent question. They are the contrary yet interconnected forces of yin and yang, shadow and light. Two halves of a whole that together, make one."
Rating: PG-13
When darkness descends the Dragon shall rise,
Along with twin moons and the Thief, King of Lies.
When Phoenix takes flight and sun covers sun,
When evil is vanquished, the Twelve become One.
Chapter Eight
"Thank you."
The maid flashed Chen a small smile as she filled his cup with sweet-scented chrysanthemum tea. They sat on embroidered cushions in Tao's living room, which looked like the set of some historical drama, with its scenic brush paintings and rice paper screens. Twin blue-and-white Ming vases sat on either side of a straight sword, whose edges were a little too sharp for mere display.
Chen felt as if he had gone back in time the moment he had laid eyes on Tao's house. The roofs were lined with green ceramic tiles, with upturned eaves that swept skywards into perfect points. A cherry tree still heavy with blossoms stood within the courtyard before the main building. Above a pond teeming with orange goldfish arched a small stone bridge. The place felt safe, peaceful.
"Please, make yourselves at home." Tao's grandfather gestured for them to drink as he lit his pipe and inhaled. This was the man that Tao had urged them all to meet, the man who would have the answers they were looking for. He was an old and wizened, with pure white hair and sharp eyes. His every movement spoke of grace and discipline, the kind that one learns from years of practice with a sword.
"A question, before we start," Master Huang said. "What do you know about the Wall?"
"The Great Wall was constructed in the Qin dynasty to protect the kingdom from Northerner attacks," Kris answered, as if reciting a passage from a textbook.
"Correct. But why were the Frost Fields left outside the Wall? It was not Northerner territory and would have served a strategic purpose in terms of land."
No one, not even Kris, had an answer.
"The truth is, both sides believed the Fields were cursed, and not without reason. For the past few millennia, it has been home to demons. Red-eyed creatures of darkness that were born in another world."
"You're saying the bat-thing that attacked me was a demon?" Lay sounded as if he would sooner believe that the sky was falling.
Master Huang continued, unperturbed. "A third-tier demon, to be precise. They are strong, but uncivilized, with little more mental capacity than animals. Second-tier demons, though, are more aware and are equipped with the power of human possession."
"So they can control you?" Xiumin asked.
"Yes. If your heart is weak and susceptible to darkness." Chen wondered about the state of his own heart. Was he strong enough to ward off a demon intent on seizing control of his soul? Not likely.
Chen took a nervous gulp of tea then asked, "What about the last type, the first-tier demons?"
"Are you familiar with the name Genghis Khan?"
"Yes," He had covered the topic just last week in class. "He was the first Northerner who breached the Wall and almost conquered the realm."
"Why almost?"
"Well, there was an uprising and he was overthrown."
The old man nodded in approval, then leaned towards them as if divulging a closely guarded secret. "The uprising was initiated by a secret group known as the White Lotus Society." He pointed to the lotus symbol carved onto his wooden teacup. Chen looked around the room. The white flowers were everywhere, depicted in paintings, embroidered on cushions, even floating in the small pond in the garden.
"Though names have been lost over the course of history, it is believed that the Society was founded by six families, each with an extraordinary talents."
He placed before them a hexagonal box made of dark red cherry wood. Painted across the polished lid was a dragon and a phoenix, their bodies forming a perfect circle. As Master Huang flipped open the brass clasp, they could see a golden disc-like object. Markings circled its surface and at its centre was a tiny, spinning needle. It was a compass.
"This has been passed down through generations in the Huang family, ever since the formation of the White Lotus Society. According to our ancestral records I daresay it existed long before then. These symbols are familiar, I presume?" Chen nodded. He could see Kris's winged dragon, Xiumin's diamond and his own jagged claw. However, there were just as many symbols he had never seen before, including a triangle to the north and a bird-like shape to the south.
"The reason you are sitting here before me is because the blood of the Six runs in your veins. Power, too, can be passed down, though like this compass, it can only guide you on your travels. It is you who must discover and choose your own path to follow."
The history lesson was interesting and all, but what were they supposed to with the knowledge? Chen had never even met his father so being a descendent of some famous family was meaningless to him.
Tao echoed his thoughts aloud. "Grandfather, what do we do now?"
"Train. Each of you must prepare for another encounter with demons. I assure you they will be stronger, faster and less easily subdued." Master Huang looked out the window, where the sky was now the orange-red of dusk. "We shall begin tomorrow."
They stood and were guided back to the foyer by the maid. As they gathered their backpacks and slipped on their shoes, Chen suddenly remembered the scroll.
"Sir, the phoenix and dragon on your box, what do they mean?"
Master Huang smiled. "An excellent question. They are the contrary yet interconnected forces of yin and yang, shadow and light. Two halves of a whole that together, make one."