Chapter Four - Dreams
"Shall we go put it to use?" Mia Mia asked as she walked over to Aloradyth and adjusted the thick blanket on her lap. Aloradyth smiled and nodded her head. Mia Mia took hold of the wooden wheelchair and started pushing her toward her room. Aloradyths Uncle Mou stared after them his mouth slightly open. Had they forgotten the beating he had just suffered trying to protect them?
He sulked as he stomped over to the group of soldiers. The soldiers all paused as they saw the dark look on his face. They gulped and started to back away as fast as they could. "Stop! Extra training for all the troops for the next week!" Mou snapped as he stormed past his fists clenched. All three of his brothers flinched as they watched the reactions of the terror stricken soldiers.
Tears of fear welled up in their eyes as they thought of what was about to happen to them and the torture they were about to face. They probably wouldn't be able to walk come morning. It was so bad that a couple turned to their friends and begged for them to put them out of their misery. Others made religous gestures while falling to there knees whimpering. The rest fell to their knees crying for their mommy's to save them.
On the other side Aloradyth was being hoisted in to a large wooden tub full of hot medical water by three girl and her mother. Still fully dressed she settled down and rested her back against the side of the tub. Her mother and the girls seeing her settle down left the room. Aloradyth sat waiting for any form of discomfort as steam floated all around her lulling her. Before she was even aware of what was happening she had drifted off to sleep.
In her dream she saw the capital city burning as soldiers marched through the streets cutting down any who tried to stop them. Screams and cries echoed all around her as she felt the cold metal of a blade in her hand. Looking down she saw herself standing in full armor in a pool of blood. A voice came from beside her. "Are you satisfied with what you see?" The voice was haunting and achingly cold sending chills down her spine. She turned but saw nothing.
She suddenly felt a sharp pain tear through her stomach she looked down only to watch her stomach slowly begin to distend growing lar and as it grew she felt the pain grown. It almost looked as if she was going through every stage of pregnancy in only a couple of minutes. Soon the pain grew so bad it felt as if her bones themselves were being torn apart and rearranged. She felt her stomach suddenly contract over and over again sending her to her knees screaming in pain as it just continued to grow.
She was just about to black out when she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder. Looking up she saw a man in gold and yellow robes with black dragon embroidered on it leaning over her. She collapsed and felt this stranger catch her and lift her in to his arms. Her eyes by this time were closed tightly from pain so she couldn't see this strangers face but she did hear him when he said. "Its time to wake up you've been sitting in the tub for quite awhile now." Then she felt his lips on hers. Gasping her eyes flew open and she jerked violently as she tried her best to catch her breath as she felt the real pain in her body.
She looked down at the water and screamed her voice rising until it completely stopped making any sound at all. The water was not black, like she had been told it was going to be, but blood red. The texture was the constantly of blood as well. MiaMia burst in to the room panic on her face that just got worse when her eyes fell to the water as well. She squeaked before rushing forward and grabbing Aloradyth and pulling her out of the tub. "What happened!?" Mia Mia yelled holding Aloradyth close as she sat on the floor staring at the tub.
Aloradyth shook her head and told Mia Mia her dream. Mia Mia's face went pale and she began shaking uncontrollably before she screamed for her brother's. All four of Aloradyths uncles were there within only a couple of minutes but as soon as they saw Aloradyth and Mia Mia's condition they encircle them with their backs to them and drew their swords. "What happened?" Young Jun asked turning and kneeling in front of Mia Mia. She shook her head and pointed to the tub. "We have to go. We have to go now!!" Young Lei said scooping Aloradyth up and running out the door the others hot on his heels.
Ming shouted ordered to the soldiers and within half an hour they had everything packed and out of there. Aloradyth rapped in thick blanket was still in her uncles arms half an hour ahead of the rest of the army. Jun, Mou, and Mia Mia still sticking close to his heels. They didn't even slow for another hour and when they did they hid in a deep cave far from the road side. When Aloradyth was finally put down she demanded to know what was going on but no one would look at her or even talk to her. Mou light a fire and Mia Mia handed her a change of clothing before turning her back to her and walking away with her uncles.
Aloradyth waited for a long time after changing, into the male clothes she was give, but they didn't come back. Aloradyth added wood to the fire as she sat thinking things over. Had her family just abandoned her? Why? What was going on? What was so important that they had to leave right then and there? Why had they left her here? Why would no one talk to her? Why wouldn't they help her? All these questions raced around her head over and over again she doubted herself and the love of her family. Suddenly it dawned on her she had been pacing back and forth this entire time. She! Had! Been!Walking! Not for just a couple of minutes but for almost three hours as she waited for her family to return.
"How!?" She thought sitting down hard on the ground her head spinning even faster now. Had her family known? Was this why they had left her? What was happening?! Panic started to set in as she jumped up and ran towards the entrance of the cave. She couldn't see anything because of the dark and ended up running straight into a large boulder that had been pushed in front of the entrance. She slammed into it and felt pain erupt through her body before she lost consciousness.
She stood once again on the same hill overlooking the capital city but this time as she watched the city began to shift and turn into a city she had never seen before. In the distance stood a large palace of white jade and other stones Aloradyth had never seen before. The city streets were peaceful and almost no one walked them. The city was filled with mostly large homes and estates that left almost no room for anything else. She once again looked down at herself and saw that she was dressed in the same clothes she had been in when she had collapsed.
"You made it." A voice said coming from behind her. She turned around and saw it was the same man that had helped her in her last dream. This time she could see he was wearing a mask that covered his entire face. The only feature visible was his dark brown eyes. He was tall and lean with white hair that was left hanging down his muscular back. He was so tall, in fact Aloradyth felt like a child when she walked over standing only a foot away from him.
"Welcome Young Aloradyth." He said his voice holding no emotion at all. "From today on you will be learning from me as well as your uncles. You have a lot of questions. I won't be answering any of them except for one. They are waiting out side the cave for you to be strong enough to open the cave on your own." With that everything began to fade and she woke up on the floor with a bloody nose and a nasty headache. Sitting up she pressed her head against the stone.
"Can you hear me?" She asked but continued before anyone could answer. "I have a lot of questions for you. But I'm beginning to understand. You just want me to be strong. Don't worry I will not disappoint you." She stood and began walking away as her mother's sobs filled the air around her. Squaring her shoulders she smirked as she walked back to were the fire still burned. It was finally time to pull her old training out of the closet.
Watch out everyone it was time for the Echoing Ghost to return. Aloradyths laughter filled the cave as she let power flow down her arms and into her palms. Light flashed softly before two blades appeared. She laughed out loud. She had been working with her body for the last little while and she could finally say she was at Mortal Level 3 and rising every day. She spent the next hour stretching and preparing her muscles for a hard workout. By the time soft light began filtering in to the cave Aloradyth had pushed herself to the point of passing out several time.
Mia Mia entered the cave and left two weeks worth of food and enough herbs to last six years for a normal person. She also left all the necessary items for making medicine. She turned and started to walk out when she felt a cold chill run down her back. She turned around slowly to see a man she never thought she would see kneeling beside her daughter hand feeding her medicine. He looked at her and glared. "Not a word." He said coldly before leaning over to kiss Aloradyth on the forehead and vanishing leaving a small stack of pills and books behind. Mia Mia stumbled backwards whispering. "The Crown Prince of Immortals likes my daughter?" Then turned a large smile on her face and ran from the cave vowing she wouldn't say a word about it to anyone.