For cislynA long time ago, when dragons and demons roamed the lands of the Jade Empire, when Tang Seng had yet to make his Journey to the West with Song Wu Kong and Niulang had just fallen in love with Zhinu, there was a little boy growing up called Xiaodi - in our tongue, little brother ( Read more... )

They have her cornered, and he knows that her death is not too far away. And in the past, he wouldn't have done anything about it; he would've watched, would've waited, and would've added to the memorial on the wall, a small scribble among many that indicated where a runner had tried and failed, another life lost. He had never lifted a finger for ( Read more... )

The cheering of the crowds fuels his confidence, enough that it almost dispels the tremors in his hands. But tremors or not, he has accepted his duty. One last chance, he thinks, and with a courage he does not feel, beats on his chest and raises his sword to the heavens, pumping it up once, twice, three times to the roar of the audience. He meets ( Read more... )

For yachiruI hear that you are on your way to visit our glorious capital city of Donoln, yes? You must visit the Hall of Legends, where tall, thirty foot bronze statues line the sides of the great corridor, each depicting a figure who made our Meridia the center of the world that it is today. Most of them you have read about in the schoolbooks - there is ( Read more... )

Oh, my son ( Read more... )

For Darius Turing, the ritual started the night after his twelfth birthday. After he had his double-chocolate cake - with six of his friends, his mother insisting that more would be too tiring for him - he happily spent the time with his new gifts, playing with the others until late in the afternoon. That night, he was tucked into bed by his mother ( Read more... )

For Rose

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Nita said the five words and took a careful step, and then another, dodging the breakers and running over the water towards the Made Rocks. Kit had said something about investigating a hotspot before she fell asleep, she thought, but she didn't quite remember why she had to be there.

As she got closer, though, she realized that it was ( Read more... )

For Rachel

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The shop’s sign was so old that she couldn’t make out what it actually said on it. Perhaps it was ‘Treasures of Men’ or ‘Dragons Den’; all she knew was that she had been here for years and had never seen it - surprising, because it clearly looked to be older than she was. She walked up to the door and tried to peer inside, but couldn’t ( Read more... )

Today we're going to be talking about alter-selves. I know it's a departure from what is written in our syllabus, however, in light of recent events, I believe it necessary to ( Read more... )