004

I tumble down wishing I don't hit my head.

"What in Xiang's name" I curse.

The kids all laugh at once.

"It was only because I didn't use magic, okay. I'm still a great Junan soldier and you know it" I pout.

"Hua sana, teach me" says Lotus.

"Me too sana" Bree tugs at my shirt.

"Okay okay! Look at me do it" I say, very clearly depicting the mudra. "You put your fingers like this and with your eyes closed, focus your chakras at your feet" I say closing my eyes and putting a foot to the tree "then you climb up without opening your eyes" I say as I climb up the tree.

"Mind me when i say you don't have to open your eyes."

"But what if the enemy attacks right then" Lotus asks, her eyes shining.

"Eventually, you will learn to do it with your eyes open. But when we start learning, we need our focus to not be disrupted so that the chakras are aligned" I explain like a true philosopher.

"And what if a bird shits on you Hua sana" Lotus asks again, curiosity radiating out of her body.

"That I fear, can not be helped baby girl" I laugh. Bree bursts into laughter too.

The view from up there is so different, so beautiful. I look around to see the people of my village go back and forth, getting their chores done. At some distance in the right, there is a kid sword-fighting with someone who's probably his Baba. A little more towards the right, I see three children drawing on the sand with sticks while men pull their food laiden carts. It feels so good to look at them. We used to do that a lot. As I turn a little more, there is a...

"Noooo" I scream.

I jump down the tree and run towards the fields. I saw a Megasaur coming towards an infant. My magic doesn't work from as far or it would've been way easier. There was still some distance between the two. The parents were nowhere to be seen. Can't they even hear the sound of the Megasaur approaching. Dumb folks ! I run with tears turning my shirt to a darker shade of grey. This cannot happen. Not with me on the watch. Not with that small a kid.

I keep running and running. The space between us only seeming to grow. I feel my legs turn to jelly and I fall to the ground. Taking a deep breath, I get back up. I can not afford to be resting right now. I feel the sun scorch up.

"Nooo" I scream as i cut through the air.

As I come close enough to the scene, there is already someone fighting the beast. It's a girl. She stands in front of the infant, her arms stretched to the sides and she's reciting something. In a blink of eye, she forces her hands forward and the Megasaur is thrown away. It's a Jun ! A Jun fighting a Megasaur!?

I am baffled.

Questions cloud my mind. I narrow my eyes at her.

"Who are you?" I ask.

The Megasaur growls and shakes it's head.

"Can you please just help me now, instead of asking those questions?" she screams, tears threatening to burst out of the tiny eyes.

I think for a moment. What should I do right now? Should I use my powers or go for close combat? I don't even have my power-sword with me. I pull my scimitar out and dash towards the beast. I am already exhausted from the running. I can not risk using my magic. I will have to save it for when it gets worse.

The Megasaur growls and comes towards me running. It pounces up and i step back at once. I focus and jump as high as I can. I did not train all those days in the sun for nothing. It pounces again. This time, I am so close to it that I think it's gonna grab me. I fall to the ground with a loud thump. I crawl a little towards the back, gesturing the girl to take the baby away. Getting up, I do a flip just so I can confuse the beast. Then I jump again, in an attempt to get to the Megasaur's back. In an instant, it pounces again and hits me with it's large paw, taking the bait. I try to roll my way through. It's hard to do it while in the air. I still give it my all. After two failed attemps and with a burning butt, I somehow land on it's back but I'm so close to it's tail that I can not hold on.

"What in Xiang's name" I curse out loud as I slip further down. I try to dig my nails into the hard skin. I can not hold on. I stab it with my scimitar. It growls so loud, I feel my ears being pierced by hot needles. I'm still slipping and the sword is only opening a gash. Coming to my rescue, the girl runs towards me. She throws a tiny knife up and I risk it all to grab it. "It should do" she says as she pulls her power-sword ready to face the beast.

"A knife? Is this a joke to her" I think.

I try to use it. Suprisingly, it tears open the Megasaur's skin at once. I use their support to climb up. They're less helpful in climbing up to it's back, but they certainly are doing it great damage in cutting open the skin. The Megasaur growls. I can hear a metal clink. The girl is probably fighting it in the front. It's a two on one. I would've said it was unfair but apparently, that beast alone can kill both of us in a swoop. I push my body up while I scream. I can feel my fingers burn. They are bleeding. The prints I leave on the hard skin just prove it. I climb up with great difficulty. On it's back is the best place to be at while fighting a Megasaur. Their paws don't reach there and hitting the Chi point on the back is the cue to winning. All you need is a superb grip and some balls to go for it. I dig my scimitar into it's back and it growls fiercely, yet again. I scream, trying to pull it back. Filthy beast!

I raise it high in the air to stab the beast again when I look at something that makes the hair on my neck rise. I see crimson. I see blood.

The girl is hanging limp, blood dripping from the whole of her arms. Her sword broken in two. I gasp as I jump down.