2 Chapter 2 : "A Strange Awakening"

October 3, 2017

Qiu Li Zhao lay to sleep on his cold concrete floor. A breeze travels up his back making him tremble in his sleep. As he slept on the floor he felt a slight tug to his sleeve.

'Qiu Li... Qui Li wake up!'

The gentle voice entered his consciousness, Qiu Li woke up to his room crumbled. ...What happened. he wondered. He focuses his gaze onto the girl who spoke to him in his slumber. It was his mother, who he hasn't seen in over a year. She was thought to be dead.. and now she sits before him!

'Great!.. your up.'

Still trying to grasp the situation Qiu Li backs himself into a corner. His mother Aiyun Li Zhang, carries a different surname than her son and husband. She walked over to Qiu Li and placed her palm over his head.

 'It's okay, I know you might hate me but you have to trust me. We don't have that much time... Gather up your clothes and meet me behind the house!' 

Qiu Li only being 14 doesn't hold most stuff in his name. He grabs his personal belongings such as clothes and deodorant. Before leaving his room, he almost forgot his toothbrush. On his way out the house, he grabs his key's off the counter. He opens his back door and glances around his yard, his stand confused. Was he seeing his mother a hallucination? 

'Took you long enough. You really got big haven't you!'

He jumps back in her sudden pop-up. The mother that he knew is standing before him. The only difference was she looked smaller to him, yet her innocent face remained the same. The mother who he was told passed away a year ago is standing right in front of him. He can't believe his eyes.

'.....'

He tries to talk, but nothing comes out. Confusion respectively carves his face. 

'Your wondering why you can't talk right now. I'm going to explain..'

*Boom*

A loud 'boom' sound appears behind them. Qiu Li turns and backs away from the house. What does he see? smoke surfacing from his neighbor areas. Aiyun Li clenches Qiu Li's wrist and pulled him away from the house.

'We gotta go.NOW!'

She drags him to the woods behind his house and told him to begin running. They run as fast as they can, Qiu Li confused by the entire situation continues to run with his mother. Thoughts begin to fill his head. 

"What's happening.." "What was that explosion?" "Is this really his mother?" Thoughts like this forced him into a mild state of paranoia. Qiu Li run and jump over branches, he almost trips over a tree root sprouting from the ground. Rain began to fall from the sky, and the wind blows leaves into Qiu Li's eyes. He trips over a pile of matted leaves and scrapes his leg on a bunch of thorns and sticks. Aiyun turns and helped Qiu Li up. 'Come on.' she told him and held his wrist while running. They finally make their way to a large brick building. Aiyun took them to the door, It was made out of rusty copper. Once she opened the door she hurried them into the building.

'Are you okay sweetie.'

Before he knew it, she already hugged him. The feel of his mother touch warmed him. Tears began to form in his eyes, falling under his eyelids. She wiped the tears from his eyes and kissed his forehead. Even though he found it a blessing to finally see his mother he knew more was going on. Also in the back of his thoughts, he was still alert, was this truly his mother?

She fills Qiu Li on what's happening. Apparently, the next tournament is beginning in two months. The tournament also known as the 'Three-Axis Tournament' is held every two years. They gather every Ranker around the world to fight a martial arts tournament to win an island. This island is so desired because this Island is the source of the Ranker's powers. "But what does that have to do with me?" Qiu Li asked himself. Xiyun being his mother easily detected what he was thinking. Qiu Li qualifies for the Three-Axis Tournament at the age of 14 is the usual time for a ranker to awaken. Qiu Li, however, didn't know this because he always lived on the outskirts of town. The reasoning of his inability to speak was because of the awakening took place, apparently every ranker experience different outcomes. And the reason as to why they are hiding is because team china is looking for him. 

They moved from China when Qiu Li was only 3 years old. They moved to America as that was his father's home country. When they moved back to America they relocated to the outskirts of texas later relocating to Japan when he was 6. Qiu Li's father was deemed a hero after saving 10 children from a kidnapper. They still live in Japan and his father is still a "hero".

Qiu Li finds himself in a difficult place of being. How does he react to such a thing? He's had zero training for the tournament, his father always believed that education was far more important than physical training your body; meaning no sports, and especially no fighting of any cause. Thinking about his father made him anxious. "Where is my father!?!.." he thought. The thought of father being killed made him enter a panic attack.

Aiyun clenches Qiu Li. 

'I don't know what it is.. but you're clearly in a panic.'

The feeling of his mother comforting him once again made him relax. Aiyun combs her hand through Qiu Li's hair. This made him think of his childhood. Aiyun was a young mother, having a son at the age of 21, her face didn't change much. Qiu Li noticed a clear change from his mother. His mother was always gentle, sweet and kind to him, but then she was always regretful. There was always holding her back, and now that's gone. Mostly. Qiu Li gathers onto his feet, and glance around the room. The walls and floor were pure concrete, there was a lot of rusty equipment lying around and an old dirty bed. 

'Question, why were you sleeping on the floor?'

Even though she knew Qiu Li couldn't respond she waited for a reaction. And she got it. By staring in his green eyes she could tell that his bed was taken by his drunken father. A cold expression draws on her face. By the look in her eyes, he sensed the blood lust in her eyes. He steps in worry, he attempts to calm her but the look in her eyes stayed the same. He knew that if he didn't stop her she would kill his father.  

All that he remembers between his mother and father were the toxic arguments they tried to hide from him. 

'Come on we got to go.'

She grabs Qiu Li and runs out the door, when they are running she continues to look back every so often. Qiu Li almost trips but catches himself. Suddenly words enter his mind.

"Awaken!"