Tai Qiu

Pain fills me as I hold the young girl in my arms. I had messed up. I had let the illusion gain power over me and now Jia Lin was paying the price for my mistake. 

“I-I am sorry.” I say, my voice catching as I try to stop myself from crying from the guilt. 

Her arms wrap around me, holding herself to me. 

I lower my head, my cheek resting against her head. After I’m certain that I’ve completely calmed her qi, I pull back from our embrace. 

“I shouldn’t have used my qi like that. I’m sorry Junior Sister.” I say to her, unable to look into her eyes.

“I-it’s alright.” she says, trying to put on a brave face. I look at her eyes to see them red from the pain. “Now I know what happens when a Requiem is forcefully broken.”

I knew the consequences of forcefully breaking a technique like that, there is no excuse for my actions. “It isn’t alright. But thank you for forgiving me.”

Jia Lin stands up, looking up and away from me. To my surprise, she bows to me with none of the hateful emotions I expected. 

“Will I be able to return to our lessons tomorrow?” She asks.

“For as long as you’ll have me as your teacher.” I respond. I can’t force her to stay with me after I’ve hurt her, it would be wrong. 

To my surprise she smiles at me, showing none of the pain she felt earlier. I miss her next words as she turns around to leave. 

I turn my gaze vacantly to the trees. 

The blood, the screams, they were too real. How does a young girl of thirteen live with seeing such things every time she plays her music? Even I had felt my qi change with the scene of the battle, flowing with a familiar resonance. It has been a long time since I was truly caught in such bloodshed, but I remember it clearly. 

When the illusion had tried to kill me, I acted on instinct, forgetting the magic that I was surrounded by. 

I remember her words when I asked her why she didn’t play her music.

“I’m scared of what I will see when I play.”

That was only one technique in a book named after the remembrance of death. What other horrors must she have experienced? Here I am, turning a blind eye to what she goes through, and even causing her more pain.

I failed.

I failed as a-

Music more beautiful than anything I’ve ever heard reaches my ears, drawing me from my thoughts. The notes flow as if an angel is playing. The song speaks of what comes after destruction, the renewal of life. I find myself completely caught in it as I turn my gaze to Jia Lin. 

She plays, the music itself bringing beauty to her. 

She opens her eyes, meeting mine and holding a depth beyond imagining. 

Flowers begin to grow all around us, from the trees, from the ground, and surrounding the portal itself.

The music ends and I quickly wipe away the tears that had come with it. 

“Will you formally accept me as your disciple, Master Tai Qiu?” She asks quietly, her eyes not meeting mine.

I recognize the importance of the moment, so I answer her honestly, my qi resonating with my words. “I will.” The words are a promise to her and myself. No matter what happens, I will be there for her. I will protect her with my life. I will guide her to become someone that will never be forgotten.