A Nightmare

"Young master!" Shaoming lifted the shield to protect the crown prince from the explosion.

However, the sudden dazzling light made him unable to gauge his position. He could neither see nor hear for a few moments.

As the light faded slowly, the view became clearer. The house was intact as it was. Changmin was standing right in front of the room holding a small crystal sphere. It radiated a warm glow with the almost transparent material inside scintillating in the dark.

"This…..

"It's the core element. I didn't realize earlier that a member of the clan that has inherited the element had to sacrifice their soul. What a pity."

Shaoming was taken aback by the explanation. So does that mean the head of An family is now dead? His soul can't be preserved as well.

"Then, should we report it to the royal court?" He asked pensively.

"Not yet, the element is locked and can't be used in the formation presently. Investigate the remaining members of their clan and report to me as soon as possible."

Changmin examined it for one last time before keeping it inside his inner space storage.

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The sun was about to shine through the clouds. The sky was tinted with a soft red hue. The room was still shrouded with darkness. An Lanying was deep in sleep. Her face was pale with fright and her eyelids scrunching once in a while. Her face-framing locks were stuck to her skin glistening with sweat.

"No, don't leave me, father. I would rather ….have you than be safe." She murmured with her lips barely parted. She opened her eyes slowly, still in a daze. It's been a while since she had last dreamt of her dad. And every time in the past, it had just been regarding their memories before he disappeared.

In her dream, her father smiled at her ever so remorsefully. As if he regretted something. His figure faded away within moments. It resembled a last goodbye.

Maybe her father's spirit finally found peace. Lanying tried to be optimistic.

She opened the windows and focused on labeling the potions she had prepared in the past few days.

With accurate measures, she poured the elixirs inside the glass vials. Once the last bottle had been filled, she took a breath of relief.

'Finally. These should last this academic term for sure. I wonder if they assign personal space for students though.'

"Ah Ying, you have prepared everything for tomorrow?" Meifeng entered the room breaking her trail of thoughts.

"Ah yes. I was just putting everything in order. Say are you here, because you just realized you will miss me?"

Lanying asked daintily, hugging her mother from the back, resting her head on her neck.

"You smell so good mother, why don't I smell like you?" She said again before Meifeng could respond.

"Maybe take a shower daily instead of always cooping yourself up inside this room and you would stop giving off wild animal-like body odor." She said, lightly flicking Lanying's forehead.

"And stop with your antics now. I am here to give you this."

She gently placed the folded handkerchief she had been embroidering for the past few days on Lanying's palm.

"Oh, such an elegant design." She commented. Her eyes gazed over the sophisticated stitches and embroidering techniques. The silk fabric felt soft on her fingertips.

"This is my family's symbol. Only the descendants are aware of this. Not even your father knew it."

She examined the sword shape even more closely. Although it appeared to be like any other regular sword from a distance, when scrutinized closely, one could see it had a distinct build. The edges were more curved inwards. On both sides of the hilt there were crescent moon-shaped extensions, further making it stand out.

"The Lan family in the south?" An Lanying pondered loudly.

"No, the Ji family in the north. You don't need to probe into anything more at this moment. Unless it's an emergency, don't let yourself be discovered by the Jis."

Her words were strict, leaving no room for negotiation.

The Ji family of the north anyways has never been involved with the matter regarding the disappearance of either her dad or sister. So far she had never looked into the family. Even after knowing this, she won't do so. Especially because her mother was also against it.

She nodded obediently.

"Alright, you can do your thing now. You are to set out tomorrow. Make sure all the essentials are packed properly. I won't send anyone to deliver anything for your negligence, remember that. Sleep early tonight." Meifeng nagged at her. She still couldn't feel at ease. After all, Lanying had never been much of an organized person. Always so careless.

"Ok ok mother, you resemble an old lady now. Go go. I will take care of everything. Stop worrying. Oh and I will sleep with you today. You can't refuse." An Lanying said the last part loudly with pouty lips.

"Alright." Meifeng left, not before rolling her eyes in exasperation.