Ch 7: Familial Duties

The Li Clan kept a structured hierarchy to manage it's members. At the bottom are individual families that are divided geographically according to their state of residence. Each family is encouraged to train their children in the arts of magic. Once every few years, a survey is held by Clan officials amongst the families to find magically talented individuals. The members that are old enough and show promise are then selected and tested in their abilities. From these tests, a select few are chosen. They are then trained further in the magical arts. From there, they may be appointed an official position in the Clan and when they have earned their way through the ranks, become a Head Sorcerer. The majority of the families were centered mostly in China's populated and bustling provinces like Hong Kong. Each Head is given jurisdiction over one province and is in charge of the members of the Li Clan that live in said province, such as keeping track of new members and families, along with giving and passing down orders when necessary. Yelan Li was the Head Sorceress of Hong Kong and therefore charged with the families of the Li bloodline that reside there.

Above the Heads stood the Elder Council, shortly referred to as the Elders. These comprised of men who had served as Heads and/or in their lifetime showed great devotion and provided great service to the Clan. They were at the top of the hierarchy of the whole Clan, and thus in charge of it's policies. They were a reclusive bunch, and other than a select few, not many Lis could ever hope to meet them. A compound was reserved in each region for them with a room reserved for their meetings, and it was here in their Hong Kong headquarters where Yelan Li was currently facing them.

Standing in the center of the room, Yelan surveyed the five figures sitting high in their chairs. They wore identical robes of black decorated with golden dragons embroidered into the fabric, symbolizing their power over the whole Clan. On the right chest was a badge with the Li family name in it. Their faces were obscured by the shadows but she recognized them nonetheless. The two on the left were Huo Shan Li and Xiao Qing Li, the two on the right were Yu Fei Li and Jiang Bao Li, and their center, the Head Elder, Long Wang Li. Sitting straight upwards, the man's hardened features cut through the shadows. His long white beard and mustache added further to his aged yet harsh appearance. His imposing presence towered even amongst the others, but their collective presence which was more powerful than the sum of it's parts. Combined, the Elders held large influence and wealth throughout China. This fact alone allowed them to intimidate almost anyone they came across by sheer presence.

Almost anyone.

"Now with the pleasantries out of the way, let's get on with the matter at hand, shall we?" said Long Wang. Yelan nodded. She was eager to get this over with.

"Now, I trust you have collected Xiao Lang's mission report. Tell us what exactly happened."

And so Yelan did. She relayed everything her son told her; from his mission in Japan all the way to the end of Clow's trials. Any mention of Syaoran's feelings was, of course, omitted from her report. Even without such complications, the report she presented was already putting him in a negative light in their eyes as she thought it would. That being said, Clow Reed's involvement was the one thing they did not expect. She hadn't even finished before the room erupted into chaos.

"Preposterous! To favor a stranger over his own blood?! The very idea is laughable!" said Jiang Bao.

"I have told you the proceeding of events as they were told to me." she replied calmly.

"Yes" Huo Shan cut in. "Told to you by your son, who failed his mission. His word is hardly the most reliable testimony!"

"His word is the only one that matters. I know my son well enough and he is not the type of person who would lie, even if his reputation's on the line. If he wanted to deceive me, he would've omitted his own mistakes from his report, not admit them." She had expected this strong reaction from them. The Li Clan owe a great deal of it's reputation to it's connection to Clow Reed. The idea that he would work against them would deal a blow to the Li Clan's reputation should the word spread. Even she had been doubtful when she first heard about it. The evidence Syaoran provided supported his story so Yelan let the matter go for now, though she suspected Syaoran knew more than he was telling. It irritated her nonetheless, how easily the Elders were reduced to pointing fingers at the news.

"Enough" said the Head Elder. His thunderous voice immediately silenced the room. He made everyone was back on attention before turning to Yelan. "Huo Shan brings up a solid point. Is there proof of these claims, or will we have to take your son's word for it?"

Yelan responded by bringing up her fan, which glowed as she gathered magic onto it. She made a slow deliberate swing of her fan towards the Head Elder. In an instant a wave of air circulated above him, forming a small dot of white light. The air around the center spun faster as the dot enlarged itself to become a sphere. As it reached the size of a football the sphere exploded outwards, dispensing the air around it. Where the sphere had been was now a book. Still glowing in it's edges, the book slowly descended to the desk in front of the Head Elder.

The Elders immediately brought their attention towards the book and examined it. It was fairly small in size but quite thick. On the front of the book a golden circle decorated the brown leather cover. In the center of the circle was a large ornate symbol of the sun with a similar golden color. On the right side there was a smaller circle depicting the crescent moon which covered a part of the sun. Both were easily recognizable as the symbol of Clow Reed, however it was the magic within it which lent weight to it's credibility. Even as traces of Yelan's magic faded away, the book still radiated a strong magical energy with an unmistakably unique signature; that of Clow Reed's.

"This is Clow Reed's diary, which he left behind in his old residence in Tomoeda. He made it's location known to the girl when she went back in time to meet him. As you can tell, the book is imbued with Clow's magic. We know that his magic in itself is practically impossible to replicate, but regardless I have examined it thoroughly myself and found no evidence of forgery. As for it's contents, I have read them and compared them to our own records of Clow Reed. There were some things I couldn't verify but for the most part it matches with what we know. All this leads me to the conclusion that this book was indeed written by Clow Reed himself."

The Elders looked the book with cautious interest. An artifact of Clow Reed's would normally be a welcome find for the Li Clan. This time however, it was presented as proof of a bitter truth. "Does it state the reason for him choosing to entrust the Cards to another person other than his ancestors?" asked Xiao Qing.

"Yes." Yelan replied. "In the diary, Clow Reed detailed his feelings towards his power and legacy. It appears Clow Reed disliked his status as the most powerful magician ever born and sought of a way to be rid of his title. He then detailed how he foresaw the birth of a child who would one day succeed him, one born of the Stars, and then made preparations for this child long before her birth so that everything would proceed as he planned even after he was long gone."

"The Japanese girl." Jiang Bao commented.

Yelan nodded affirmatively. "It's all written in the book."

The room was silent for a moment save the murmurs of the Elders whispering to one another regarding this new information. They opened a few pages and skimmed the contents then talked amongst themselves before facing her again.

Long Wang spoke up. "This girl, you have met her once before haven't you? Is she as powerful as your son says she is?"

"I cannot speak for her current state. I met her when her powers were not yet fully awakened, but I could tell that she had a natural affinity for magic even though she was untrained. Before she left my care I was able to gauge her powers. I sensed she possessed a strong latent magic then, so it is within reason thats she would be powerful if she has realized her full potential."

"This was at the time of the Water Witch's resurgence, wasn't it? If I recall, she was the one who neutralized the rogue spirit."

"That is true." Yelan replied.

"And Xiao Lang was unable to defeat the Witch and ended up captured."

"Yes."

"And during the Final Judgement, he also failed to neutralize the Moon Guardian due to using the wrong Card."

"Yes."

"And to add to it all, he assisted her in converting the Cards to her own instead of attempting to reclaim them, a decision which you allowed."

"We both know that once the ownership of the Cards cannot be changed once it has been decided through the Final Judgement. As for letting him extend his stay, my son had reasonable motivation to investigate the magical disturbances, so I allowed him to do so. In the end, his investigation did bear fruit; it gave us this diary containing details of Clow Reed's life, even information not contained in our records." Yelan stated.

"Perhaps," said the Head Elder. He stroked his beard contemplatively. "But that is beside the point."

'And what point are you trying to make, Head Elder?" Yelan asked, but she already knew where this conversation was heading.

"Putting aside Clow Reed's interference, the failure of this mission was mostly due to your son's lack of wisdom. Firstly, he lost to the Witch while the girl was able to defeat her. By your own admission, she had not realized her full powers and was undisciplined in the magical arts, and yet she was able to defeat the Witch while Xiao Lang was unable to despite his training and possessing magic power. This is unrelated to the mission, but it does highlight the problem is with Xiao Lang. His tactical blunder during the Final Judgement further confirms this pattern. By using a Card under the Moon Guardian's jurisdiction instead of one under the Sun's, he denied himself an advantage during the fight and cost us all the Cards. Finally, he didn't return immediately after the mission, but extended his stay and assist his rival in converting the Cards. Even if his intent was to investigate the magical disturbances, it did not mean he had to assist her while doing so. This leads to the fact that you son was unable to assess his situation and lacked strategic prowess in his approach."

Yelan could feel the anger rising within her. Only her self-control, trained and tested through the years, kept her from unleashing her full-blown rage. She limited herself to a slightly hotter tone as she spoke. "Perhaps that is true, but such is the characteristic of young untrained mage. Despite his powers he is still a mage-in-training, and yet this Council saw fit to send my son to retrieve the Clow Cards anyway. Blunders in strategy are to be expected from one who has been put in the field for the first time, so my son's actions should not come as a surprise to this Council, especially since it was the decision made by the members here."

"Know your place, Head Sorceress!" shouted Huo Shan. "It is not to question our decisions!"

Yu Fei nodded. "We have already discussed this matter before. Xiao Lang is the most magically endowed child to be born to the Li Clan in recent years. It is only fitting that he be sent on a crucial mission such as this one and besides, you already know regarding the foretelling. Do you doubt the accuracy of our best seers?"

"Yes, this matter was discussed and my stance on the matter has not changed from back then. Foretelling or not, I warned this Council of the possible outcome of the decision and so far my warnings have proven true. Despite Xiao Lang's great affinity for magic, he is still a child." Yelan reminded.

"That's hardly relevant. The Li Clan has always trained mages from a young age, something you should know well, Head Sorceress. I'll grant you that Xiao Lang's training started earlier than most, but nevertheless he has been provided with the best training we have to master his powers and until now has never disappointed with his results. That he could not apply his training to this mission is a fault in his part, not ours. Or did you forget that his competition was also a child his age?"

"All the more reason to have sent someone more experienced who would've had a clear advantage. Excelling in training and being put in the field are two different things, something this Council should be aware of. You judge his abilities from reports of others passed on to you, but I'm his mother. I know his capabilities, I've seen them firsthand countless ti-"

"Enough!" Long Wang shouted. "This matter is settled. We will not hear any more of your protests, Head Sorceress. You have tested us far enough. Drop the matter unless you want to end up in a worse position than you're already in."

"… Very well, then." Yelan spoke begrudgingly. Long Wang's face remained unmoved but a few of them gave a satisfied smile at silencing the sorceress. They immediately concealed them once Long Wang spoke again.

"Anything else you would like to report?" he spoke almost tauntingly.

"No, I've reported everything I needed to." Yelan replied. As it is there was nothing more she could say to improve the situation.

"Very well, then. You have given us a lot of information to process. The Council will now discuss the next action to take based on this information. You may leave the room for now. We will notify you when we have reached a decision."

Yelan bowed to them and made to exit the room. As she made to open the door, Long Wang called out to her. "Head Sorceress, you would do well to remember who you serve."

Yelan didn't turn around but gave her reply. "I serve my family."

"The Li Clan is your family, Yelan."

Yelan stayed silent and left the room. She was immediately met with the two guards standing by the door. One of them took a curious side glance at her. She greeted it with a side glare, which made the guard quickly avert his eyes forward. Paying no mind to the awkward exchange, Yelan made her way away from the room towards the headquarters' garden. It was filled with various flowers of various colors and trees of various sizes. She walked along the garden's stone pathway and settled on a small bridge overlooking it's pond. Yelan surveyed the garden, where various gardeners were tending to the plants. The place was maintained all year round, but the arrival of the Elders had sent the staff into overdrive. After all, the headquarters' only function was to be used for the Elders but it was a rare occasion when they did come. As she looked around, the extravagance of the place reminded her of how much of pain it was to cater to the Elders. Truthfully, she didn't like to spend money maintaining a facility that barely saw use and kept the place to the most economical she could, which was already pretty lavish by normal standards. She knew for a fact some other Heads spent a lot more on their own region's headquarters to curry favor towards the Elders. Still, she was thankful for the lush garden now as its serene atmosphere calmed her raging heart.

She looked at her own left hand, which she had kept hidden within her sleeve during the meeting. At some point in her frustration she had clenched the hand hard enough for her nails to pierce her palms and blood was still pouring from the crescent grooves. She closed her hands again and focused magic in her palms. A light appeared in her closed palm and disappeared just as quickly. She opened her hand again to see her palm now clear of blood and injury. Closing small wounds was a simple trick for her. Her mind then drifted back to her current situation.

'If only it was this easy.' she thought.

Thinking to the meeting she had just now brought back the anger and frustration. It had proceeded the way she feared it would. She knew that the Elders were being unreasonable because their decision to send Syaoran had backfired. Now they were left with only themselves to blame and they would not point fingers towards themselves. She had hoped the diary would surmount their defensiveness when they saw that Clow Reed had also played a significant part in the affair, but that truth was too bitter to swallow. So they turned the blame to the only person they could: Syaoran. If she were against anyone else, even a fellow Head Sorcerer, the matter would be easier to handle. But she faced the Elders, who were at the top of the hierarchy and had the power to make themselves right. She detested the situation and how powerless she was to help her son.

With a deep breath she recomposed herself. There was no use in dwelling in things that have happened. All she could do now was await their verdict and act accordingly to it. Yelan shifted her attention to her surroundings again and left to patrol the compound. While the Elders convened, she did her job and made her rounds in the compound to ensure their accommodations were taken care of while she waited. She had finished inspecting the security and was in the middle of inspecting the kitchen when she was approached. It was the guard which had peeked at her before. This time he kept his eyes to the side, afraid to meet her eyes. His presence here could only mean one thing.

"Um- Head Sorceress, the Elders request your presence."

"Very well, I shall be there shortly." The guard bowed and made to leave.

"And guardsman?"

He turned his head nervously. "Yes, Head Sorceress?"

"It is impolite to speak to someone without looking at their eyes."

He gulped. "O-Of course, Head Sorceress. My apologies." he said, making sure to keep his eyes on hers this time. Yelan watched as he made an awkward turn and walked in a hurried pace back to his post. She allowed herself the small satisfaction from unnerving the guard before walking in the same direction to the Elders' room.

'If only it was this easy.'

It was already dark when Yelan finally arrived back at her home. The orange sky was already making it's way to darkness as her limousine entered the mansion's gate and made it's way to the porch, where Wei was already standing by to greet her. Seeing her old guardian and friend brought some relief to her troubled mind and she greeted him with a gentle smile as she got out of her car.

"Good evening Wei. I've returned."

Wei returned the greeting with a bow. "Welcome back, Mistress. Let me carry your bag." However, Wei's smile quickly turned to a look of concern as he saw her face. As the two of them made their way up the mansion's steps, Wei carrying her luggage, he asked her the big question.

"How did it go?"

Yelan had to smile a little at the butler's forthrightness. Having known her for a long time, he was one of the few people who was able to speak freely to her. Even her own children would hesitate at asking her such a direct question.

"The way I thought it would." Yelan replied.

"It didn't go well, then?"

"No, it didn't."

Wei nodded understandingly. He walked a few steps ahead and opened the door for her. As Yelan entered, she was greeted with another welcome sight; all five of her children were standing side by side, waiting to greet her. Upon seeing her enter, they immediately bowed.

"Welcome home, Mother." They said in unison.

It was rare to see all of them so unified and connected. She sensed something and suspected must have happened while she was away, but it was clear that they were also unified in their concern for her. It both touched and saddened her. She could see the worry in their eyes, with Syaoran understandably looking the most stressed. Looking at them reminded her of what she was fighting for. She needed to be strong for them in these hard times.

"It's good to be back. I trust everything was in order during my absence." Yelan said in her business-as-usual tone. The children nodded.

"Good then. Now, I will unpack my things. I will see you all at dinner." Yelan's tone darkened slightly. "I have an announcement to make."

For a second time since his return, dinner had a tense atmosphere. Not a word was said in dining room until dinner was over. Thankfully, this time Yelan didn't prolong their suffering. After the servants left, Yelan immediately cast a spell that encompassed the dining room so that the room was not audible to the outside. Having ensured that there would be no eavesdropping, Yelan addressed all of them.

"As all of you know, the Elders personally tasked Xiao Lang with the mission to capture the Clow Cards. A few days ago, I received a summons from them requesting my presence at the Headquarters, so I left for the weekend to meet them. I have told the Elders everything that had transpired over the course of Xiao Lang's stay in Japan. Suffice to say, they were not pleased with the results." Syaoran winced at her last sentence. He had been expecting those words but now that his mother had said them made his problem all the more real. His guilt towards his mother resurfaced and once again wished he could've been there to face the Elders himself. At least he would be able to see and judge their reactions himself. There was one particular part which he was concerned about.

"What about the book? How did they respond to it?" he inquired. He had hoped that Eriol's "diary" would at least alleviate some of the burden off of him.

Yelan looked at him with sharp intensity, which made his whole body stiffen. He could feel her studying him and tried desperately to act inconspicuous. Fortunately, she didn't stay for long. "I presented the book to your Elders as evidence and vouched for it's credibility, which they themselves couldn't dispute. Regardless, they did not take it well." Those words and her mother's somber expression while she said them told him everything he needed to know. So much for improving his position, but at least they bought Eriol's ruse. Getting caught lying would've definitely made things worse.

"With all that considered, the Elders have made their decision on the next course of action to take. This matter mainly concerns Xiao Lang, but since you four have included yourselves in the matter, keeping you out of the loop would only present problems in the long run, so listen carefully." This time it was the sisters' turn to squirm in their seats, but Syaoran was too focused on his mother to notice.

"After much consideration, the Elders have come to the conclusion that the failure to capture the Clow Cards was due to Xiao Lang's lack of strategic thinking and mastery of his powers. As such, they have decided that Xiao Lang's training be more focused. Xiao Lang, you will be trained by a personal instructor appointed by the Elders themselves. I will notify you when they have selected who it is. Your training schedule will also be changed. You will now train during both Saturday and Sunday. Prepare yourself physically and mentally."

Syaoran processed what he had just heard. Truth be told, it didn't seem as bad as he thought it would be. He had expected more coming from the Elders. Still, he wasn't going to let his guard down. He knew that increased training could be tiring and his mother's warning wasn't to be taken lightly, but he must face these challenges. He had to be responsible for his mistakes.

"That's not fair!" Fuutie interjected. "How could they blame everything on Xiao Lang like that? They were the ones who sent him there in the first place!" The rest of the sisters nodded spiritedly in agreement. "They can't just say everything is his-"

"Do not raise your voice, Fudie." Yelan said sternly, and that was all it took. The girls immediately settled down and Fuutie made a bow towards her mother. "I'm sorry, Mother."

Yelan relaxed slightly at her daughter's apology, which relieved the children. "I understand your frustration, but now is not the time to be consumed by emotion. Right now, we have earned the Elders's disapproval. We must be careful what we say or do lest we find ourselves in a worse position than we are now. Of course, that extends to the matter of Xiao Lang's feelings. Not a word about that is to be discussed openly. Is that understood?" The children nodded affirmatively. Sensing their tension, Yelan relaxed her tone. "I know this may be tough on you, especially on you Xiao Lang, but we will get through this together as a family." That brought the children some level of strength. Yelan rarely encouraged them, but they treasured the moments when she did. She had her way of pulling them all together.

"Now with that done and over with," she said back in her business-as-usual tone. "You four, have you been practicing your magic?" The sisters tensed up at the question. Having spent the whole day being love consultants, they had forgotten to do just that.

"Um, well-" Fuutie began. What followed was a scolding from Yelan as the sisters tried to explain their excuses. In a moment of rarity, Syaoran also tried to stick up for them. Ultimately though, the sisters were punished for neglecting their obligations for other matters. Underneath the scolding though was a shared relief between all of them and whatever disappointment they had in being reprimanded was outclassed by the feeling that their mother was still strong, enough that she can still act as her usual self even under her stress. She was truly the head of the family, for better or worse.