Chapter 1 – Her World, Her Future
Mister Tong: You see here Chelsea, be careful when you insert a needle anywhere on the back of the neck. Normally it will relieve all pressure built up and relax the nerves. But push it in too deep and you could puncture an artery that will bleed out and drown the brain.
Chelsea: Way to not pressure me Mister Tong.
Mister Tong: Don't worry, you'll have to forcefully insert it in if you want that effect.
ooo
There is a village out in the countryside on the western side of the empire. This was the only world that Chelsea knew of. Anything and everything was so foreign, so exotic to her. As a child, she couldn't help but wonder what was out there in the world. However, as she grew up to a young teenager, it became more and more apparent to her the reality of the place she called her world.
Often times she would see poorer families forced off their homes because they couldn't pay the painstakingly high taxes that were imposed. Rumors spread that those families would be sold off as slaves, and despite trying to deny it, Chelsea couldn't eliminate the possibility.
Other times, she would see beggars on the streets, asking for money. Their hearts were made of gold, but with each time they asked and begged, they would lose a bit of their pride, until eventually, they gave up. Days later she would see them, lying there, no longer begging.
Times would be so bad that girls her age would be forced to prostitution. Chelsea would sometimes see them accompany some older women in order to get patrons. But it was of no use, and no matter what Chelsea could think of to help these girls out, it would already be too late. Their beautiful veins were accompanied by bloodshot eyes. Drugs seemed inescapable, like a plague riding through the slums.
Fortunately for her though, her family made just enough income to avoid all that. Her father worked for a government official who managed to get her into a good school. Not passing up the opportunity, she studied well, and hard, for her parents sake.
"What's your deal Chelse?" The voice of a boy called out as he flicked her on the noggin. "You day dreaming again?"
His finger hit with a stinging pain on Chelsea's forehead as she held both hands up to rub the red spot, "Ow! You're gonna pay for that Donney!" She squealed in return as she began slapping him in randomized spots. That's the price they pay for going to school. So many people cannot afford it.
"Ack ack alright!" Donney squawked in return, flinching in retaliation, "Sorry jeez!"
Chelsea sighed, as she took a look around herself. The campus of school was quiet, since there were so few students enrolled.
"No seriously, what's on your mind Chelse?" The boy Donney asked as he sat down on the grass next to her, legs spread out and a carrot in his mouth, munching away.
The breeze blew her hair as her butterfly headband rustled with the wind, "Nothing..." She turned to look at him, but he was already staring at her with a skeptical face.
Donney was smiling, "You're thinking about me aren't you?" he leered.
"Only about the way I'll punch you if you say something like that again!" She threatened in reply as she flicked him in the noggin the same way he did to her just moments before.
Donney is a classmate of Chelsea's who sits right next to her in class. Often times they would get paired up for assignments, and they became fast friends. He was a very upiddity boy with a bubbly personality. Although he was quite scrawny, he was somewhat lean and stood upright. His black hair had a very faint tint of blue, and he would usually wear a grin on his face, or be seen munching on a carrot. His eyesight surprised Chelsea when she first met him. It was like he had the eyes of a hawk, probably because of all the carrots he ate.
The boy only grimaced in return as he turned away, "It's about the families isn't it?" Donney knew the situation well enough to understand what was on Chelsea's mind. "If you're scared you might become like them-"
"I'm not."
Her reaction came as no surprise to Donney.
"I'll get a good job someday, and then I'll make a comfortable living, and then marry into a comfortable family. That way, we don't have to worry about becoming slaves and beggars." Chelsea determinately said as she stood up as the bells rang to go to class.
"I know the story Chelse" Donney replied as he wiped his hands on his pants after finish his carrot. "Maybe I'll join the military, help fight crime and all that stuff. Hell, maybe I'll even work under General Esdese!" He cupped his hands behind his head.
"You honestly think you've think you've got what it takes to join?" Chelsea asked skeptically as they began walking.
Donney shrugged in response, "Sure, why not you know?"
ooo
School ended like usual as Chelsea began walking back from school. "It's just a normal day..." Usually she would take a left turn at this street to head home, but instead, she took a right and kept walking until she reached the entrance of a small clinic. On the front glass, it said "Acupuncturist", and as she entered, an elderly sounding man greeted her.
'Why hello there Chelsea! You're quite early today you know" He said with a very lively tone.
"Hello to you too Mister Tong" Chelsea replied, popping a lolipop into her mouth, "I just got out of school, so I figured that I might as well come here right after."
Mister Tong, as everyone called him, was an oriental man who hailed from the Western Kingdom. Despite people being racist against those who came from the West, he always maintained a positive and kind nature. Chelsea seemed not to mind too much about it, as, he did take her in as his apprentice after all.
She had been working for him for the last month or so to help bring in some more money just in case her parents slipped. Chelsea thought of it as a precaution, a backup plan just in case. Honestly, the reason he picked her up was quite strange. She remembered walking home from school, and she took a wrong turn and ended up wandering into his clinic asking for directions. But instead of replying with directions, he simply asked,
"Are you stressed?"
It was a question Chelsea was ill-prepared to reply to, but she slightly nodded, "I j-just got into a new school. "
Mister Tong nodded in reply, "Can I see your arm?"
A little bit hesitant, Chelsea held her hand out, trying hard not to trust him too much.
He held it gently and pulled her shirt sleeve back. Running his fingers across her palm and wrist. Then, with a gentle face, he reached into a box and pulled a small needle out, "Try to relax as much as you can. This won't hurt, trust me" Holding the needle tip close to his gripped fingers, he pressed it into her wrist and held it there for a second. It felt like a prick, but not painful, rather, different. After a few seconds, he pulled it out and massaged Chelsea's palm. "Do you feel your stress going away?"
It didn't seem like anything changed, but within a few seconds, her mind was clearing up a bit, and she began to panic less and less. "Y-yea..."
"Good, now to get back, you go to the street where you took a right, and make a left instead." Mister Tong said patting her shoulder. Before she stood up to leave, the oriental man added, "Oh, and would you like a job here? Your hands seem very capable for this kind of work, and I kind of want someone to pass my knowledge onto." And just like that, Mister Tong offered her a job.
As the glass window says, Mister Tong is an acupuncturist, and the only one in the village and the areas surrounding the area. So often times he would get very high profile customers such as government officials and royalty from nearby lands.
"So tell me Chelsea..." Mister Tong began to say as he laid a few plates of food on the table for dinner, "What do you hope to gain out of going to school?"
Chelsea thought about it for a moment while scooping rice into her mouth with chopsticks, "I want to just live comfortably. Not having to worry about anything that will interrupt my daily life"
Mister Tong nodded as he scooped himself some rice, "You know, there's a saying back where I come from. No one can live comfortably if others do not."
The girl gave him a tilted head of confusion, "What's that mean?"
"Think of it this way. If others are suffering around you, how can you live comfortably knowing they don't?" Tong challenged. It took Chelsea rather speechless to try to respond, but she couldn't. The old man chuckled when he saw this, "Don't give it too much mind. It's not like a girl like you or an old man like me can do anything to help them"
As they sat down for a meal, a voice was calling from outside, "Oi! Chelsea!" That was he muffled voice of a boy Chelsea knew all too well. As she opened the window, she was not surprised to see Donney waving his arms out with a blunt smile on his face, "I don't want to walk home alone! And I smell food! Mind if I join you?"
"No! Go away-" Chelsea began to holler back before Mister Tong covered her mouth with has hand and pulled her back, "Come now child! There's plenty for one more person!"
Chelsea freed her mouth and asked, "Now why'd you go and do that for?"
Mister Tong simply chuckled in reply, "Hear hear Chelsea, he's clearly a friend of yours right?"
"I guess..." She replied with a slight roll of her eyes and a pout.
ooo
"Thank you for the meal Mister Tong!" Donney replied with a customary bow of appreciation.
"Don't mention it Donney" The elderly man replied as he rubbed Chelsea's head, "Any friend of Chelsea's is a friend of mine."
Chelsea was busy holding a cup of tea close to her mouth as she smiled slightly at Mister Tong.
"Well, look at the time" Mister Tong said, standing up, "It's about time for you two to get home. Otherwise, murderers and thieves will show up in the night"
"Good bye Mister Tong!" Chelsea called out as both she and Donney ventured out. "Thank you for the meal!"
Mister Tong waved in reply, "Stay safe you two. And see you tomorrow Chelsea." And with that, Chelsea and Donney made their way back home.
"Can't believe you work for such a nice guy!" Donney expressed his jealousy towards Chelsea as they walked down the main street of town.
Chelsea glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, "What, you jealous I've got a job?" she sneered at him.
"Oohhh yea suurrre" he replied sarcastically, crossing his arms. "Not my fault no one is hiring in tough times like these"
"Or maybe it's because no one wants to hire you" A purposeful tease was thrown straight at Donney.
Without saying anything, he simple smiled sarcastically again and rolled his eyes away.
"That's not to say though..." Chelsea began, "Mister Tong is a very kind man. He's taught me so much so far. He even said I had a lot of potential." A glistening sparkle shone in her eyes as she said that.
Donney simply cupped his hands behind his head, "Well you are pretty pinpoint Chelse, I have to admit that much"
"It's really weird though..." She continued as Donney gave her his undivided attention, "He teaches me all these things about the pressure points and sensitive areas, but a lot of them don't have to do with acupuncture from what I've read."
"So? Maybe he feels like it's just good to know, you know?"
"I suppose, but it's still rather odd... " Popping a lollipop into her mouth, Chelsea scratched her head, "But if Mister Tong feels like it's necessary to understand, then I guess I can't question him."
"Well I wouldn't say that~" Donney replied, expressing his differing view. "Sometimes, you just have to question what they're saying."
Thoughts were churning in Chelsea's head as she thought about it for a moment.
Donney slapped her lightly on the back, "Hey now, take it with a grain of salt and move on."
"I guess..." She shrugged in reply, still not shaking his words from her mind. "Question what they tell me..."
ooo
"Hey" It was the voice of a young girl. She seemed so young, yet, the expression in her eyes was that of blood lust and insanity. "That charm just now, it's not working. It's very painful, and I'm suffering quite a lot..."
Her mere sight surprised Chelsea, as she spoke even without thinking it, "I'm sure I gouged into a vital spot!" The same spot that Mister Tong had shown her years back.
The girl muttered a few more words that Chelsea could not comprehend due to her immense fear. Next thing she knew, the girl was charging straight for her with a sword in hand. Then suddenly, she saw herself running, followed by a "BANG!"
It was almost as if she felt it, and when she looked at what red had been spilled, her fingers were gone, and the strange makeup kit she held was sent flying to the ground. In her mind, Chelsea was panic stricken, not knowing what was going on. "Why, wh-what's happenening? Why am I here?"
As she continued to run, the figure of a young man had jumped out from behind her. His gaze was sharp, and his spear even sharper. Before she had time to react, she saw more red. And then, her arm was sent flying off followed by another "BANG!"
The sky was the only thing she saw now, lying on the ground. The man was on top of her, screaming out of fierce rage as he raised his spear, cleaving downward.
"Just what... is going on?" Chelsea asked herself as she saw the blade cut downward on her neck.
"Gah!" A young Chelsea screamed as she suddenly woke up. She was panting and sweating, her eyes were blinking with lights as she tried to compose herself. Gripping the sides of her head, she looked down at her shaking legs. It was as if she were still running through that forest, trying to run away as desperately as she can. Taking two large sighs, she hugged her knees and began to cry. "That dream..." She couldn't even describe it. It all seemed too real to be imaginary. Then, the image of her head on a pole flashed in her mind, causing her to sob even harder. "What is going to happen to me?"
It was too much for her to handle, and she continued to sob until eventually, she went to sleep.
A/N: Hey hey guys! Here's the start of Chelsea's past life! I'll try my best to stay canon with what the manga and prequel manga has to offer. But since Chelsea is dead in the parent story, and the prequel doesn't update as frequently, I'll be forced to deviate from canon a bit. Hope that doesn't stop my creative drive though! Welp, that's all for this chapter, please rate and review, it would be greatly appreciated!