Legacy 203: Dragon Tale

Xxx

Centuries ago in the mountains of Asia, a magical battle was raging. A hidden monastery was under attack and several buildings were burning, filling the skies with smoke and ashes. The once peaceful and beautiful valley had turned into a warzone where Zen disciples were fighting to protect their home and secrets. Their attackers were creatures dressed in black armor, with the faces of men but capable of flight and breathing fire. They were known as Dragon Warlocks, the twisted spawn of an ancient sorceress and a dragon. In the middle of the battlefield, a young woman named Daiyu was fighting one of the warlocks while wielding a magical blade, the very thing the creatures were after. She had retrieved it from the vault before they could find it.

"Hand over the blade." The warlock demanded.

"Never." Daiyu replied. "We have sworn to protect it with our lives."

"Then you will die for it!" The warlock growled.

The warlock opened his mouth and fired a stream of fire at Daiyu. She leaped up in a twirl, causing a gust of wind around her as she rose to inhuman heights. The warlock leaped up into the air after her through his power of flight. Daiyu landed on the roof of the monastery with a roll and ducked to avoid another stream of fire.

"We own the skies, Zen disciple." The warlock said as he hovered above her. "You cannot defeat me up here."

"The blade will never be yours." Daiyu replied. "Why do you seek it in the first place?"

"It has the power to absorb souls. If we gather enough souls, we can bring them back." The warlock said.

"No, you cannot." Daiyu said shocked. "Their time has passed, they have become relics of the past. This world has forgotten them, as it should remain."

"We haven't forgotten." The warlock replied. "We found them in the depths of the earth after searching for ages. The blade has the power to bring them back and we will rule with them."

"We will not allow it." Daiyu said determined.

The Dragon Warlock unleashed another stream of fire and the Zen disciple avoided it with an agile back flip. She leaped up into the air and kicked the warlock in the chest, causing him to fall down to the roof. With the blade in her hand, Daiyu ran toward the warlock and tried to stab him. However, the warlock was too fast and grabbed her arm, painfully twisting and breaking it. Daiyu flinched for a moment and dropped the blade, though she quickly spun around and grabbed it with her other hand, stabbing the warlock in the abdomen. Her enemy hissed and screamed in agony and his essence was transferred into the blade, leaving only ashes behind.

Daiyu leaped down from the roof and was greeted by an elderly man in robes, her master. She looked around the monastery and saw her fellow disciples had defeated most of the warlocks. Those who remained flew up and disappeared into the smoke. The battle was won, but it had come at a price. Their monastery was nearly destroyed.

"You did well, my student." Her master said. "You protected the blade."

The elderly man took her arm and placed his hand on the fracture. His hand started to glow and she would feel his chi enter her, greatly accelerating her healing. Her arm would still be weak for a while, but the facture was healed.

"Thank you, master." Daiyu said. "But the warlocks will know where to find us now. They will be back."

"Perhaps, but they suffered heavy losses." Her master noted. "With their leader gone, they will need time to regroup while we rebuild."

"Master." One of the other disciples said as he arrived while holding an ornate wooden box. "One of the warlocks dropped this as they fled."

"I see." The master said. "Open it, carefully."

The disciple nodded and opened the box, revealing several ancient-looking stones inside. They were strangely smooth and oval-shaped. Daiyu stared at them with wonder. She could feel something pulsing from inside the stones with her chi. Her eyes widened as she realized that they were not simple stones, but eggs. The warlocks had intended to hatch them with the blade.

"Impossible." Daiyu whispered.

"Not impossible, just very rare." Her master said. "I would have not have suspected any egg to survive all these centuries."

"They look like fossils." The other disciple noted. "Could they actually still be alive?"

"Focus on them with your chi, my student." The master said. "You should be able to sense them. These eggs neither living nor dead, but they could be brought back with sufficient power."

"That is why the Dragon Warlocks are after the Dragon Blade." Daiyu concluded. "They want to use human souls to restore the eggs and bring them back to life."

"What should we do with them?" The other disciple asked. "Destroy them?"

"It is not our place to destroy." The master said. "We cannot know the meaning or reason why these eggs survived, we must not act out of fear or anger. We must keep the eggs safe and hidden until their true path is revealed."

"But Master, we cannot allow the eggs and the blade to remain here." Daiyu said. "It is too dangerous."

"Indeed." The master said. "That is why the blade must leave this monastery."

"What?" Daiyu asked surprised. "But Master, we have always protected it."

"And we shall continue to protect it, away from here." Her master replied. "The Dragon Warlocks know we have the blade, but they do not know that we have the eggs. Therefore, the best way to protect both is to move the blade elsewhere and hide the eggs here."

"Where will you take it?" Daiyu asked.

"The question is where you will take it, Daiyu." Her master replied. "My place is here with my students, but you have learned all that you can. You must take the blade away and protect it."

"You want me to leave?" Daiyu asked. "This place is all I know."

"As my best student, it was only a matter of time before you left, child. I have nothing left to teach you." Her master said. "Focus your chi through meditation and your path will reveal itself."

"I understand." Daiyu replied. "I will make you proud, master."

Daiyu looked at the blade in her hand. The monastery had been her home for as long as she could remember. She had been taken in as an orphan and trained in the ways of the Zen Masters. She had learned to harness her chi and do incredible things no other mortal could. Now she had been given the responsibility to protect the Dragon Blade, the most sacred artifact in the monastery. Leaving would be difficult, but she would need to be brave as she traveled to unknown lands, hoping to find a place where the blade would be safe until she could pass it on to a successor.

Xxx

Centuries later, in the present day, Julian Turner was sitting on a stone platform in the same monastery. He was dressed in the traditional robes of the disciples and was attempting to meditate, though he kept losing focus as memories troubled his mind. After what felt like hours, he let out a frustrated sigh and opened his eyes. The valley before him was beautiful and serene. It was one of the reasons why he had decided to stay here, to find some inner peace. However, he was finding it very difficult to achieve it in the chaos that was his mind.

Someone behind him chuckled and Julian looked over his shoulder with an annoyed look. Sheng Li was leaning against a cherry blossom behind him. The Zen disciple was around his age, with short black hair and a tall and lean appearance. Sheng Li was actually the reason Julian was here, after they had crossed paths in Bangkok. The disciple had offered him a place to work out his issues.

"Still finding it difficult to meditate?" Sheng Li remarked. "It does take a certain skill to clear your mind."

"Well, it's easier when your mind is already pretty empty, right?" Julian noted.

"Maybe so." Sheng Li replied with a smile. "We are getting ready for dinner and the master would like a word."

"Is he finally kicking me out?" Julian asked.

"I don't know." Sheng Li replied. "We'll have to wait and see."

The young disciple extended his hand and Julian grabbed his arm, pulling himself up. As they walked toward the monastery, Julian wondered why the master wanted to see him, though he expected the worst. The residents of the monastery were not the most welcoming to a half-demon, though the master had agreed to let Julian stay after a plea from Sheng Li. Julian often wondered why, since he was not good at making friends. He was used to being alone and he wasn't the social type. Being hunted by bounty hunters didn't make it any easier either. That was how they had met in the first place. Sheng Li had interfered in a fight with a few Zotars when Julian was surrounded.

"Why did you help me in Bangkok?" Julian asked.

"I saw someone in need and stepped in." Sheng Li replied. "Easy as that."

"But you saw me use my powers." Julian said. "You knew what I was the moment we met."

"What you are is not the same as who you are." Sheng Li noted. "I used my chi to sense you were part demon, but I also sensed your inner conflict and desire to be good."

"Is that why you brought me here?" Julian asked. "To help me be good?"

"I mostly wanted a traveling buddy." Sheng Li remarked. "But no, I don't think you need help being good, Julian. I just think you need help finding your path."

"Maybe you're right." Julian replied.

"You should see the master." Sheng Li said. "I'll meet you in the mess hall when you're done."

"If he lets me stay." Julian noted.

The two of them entered the monastery and parted ways, as Julian went left to meet the master in his quarters while Sheng Li went right to the mess hall. Julian went up some stairs and took a deep breath before knocking on the door. He went inside and found the master standing by the window, overlooking the valley. He was an old little man with a long beard that was almost comical, but he radiated a wisdom that demanded respect.

"You wanted to see me?" Julian asked.

"Please, join me." The master said.

Julian did as he was asked and joined the master by the window, after which an awkward silence followed. He wasn't sure if he should speak, so he just waited.

"Do you know why you are here?" The master finally asked.

"I'm looking for inner peace." Julian replied.

"That may be true, but it is only scratching the surface." The master said. "You will not find anything unless you are honest with yourself about what it is you seek."

"Do you know what I seek?" Julian asked.

"Only you can answer that question, I'm afraid." The master said. "Let's start at the beginning. You left your home and family behind. Why?"

"I am being hunted by demons." Julian replied. "I needed to keep my family safe."

"Again, that is only scratching the surface." The master noted. "What is the true reason?"

"I… I guess I was scared." Julian admitted for the first time. "I'm not sure how to be a part of a family. I lost people that were important to me and I didn't know what to do about it, so I figured it was best to leave."

"Did it help?" The master asked.

"No." Julian replied. "I just traveled, never staying in one place for too long. If I did, the demons would find me."

"You're not just running from physical demons." The master said. "I sense there is a struggle going on inside of you, a conflict between light and dark. Something happened, am I right?"

"I'm not sure what happened." Julian replied. "I… I don't want to talk about it."

"You are never going to find what you're looking for unless you face those inner demons." The master said.

"So are you kicking me out?" Julian asked. "I know the others are scared of me."

"You are welcome to stay as long as you like." The master replied. "But simply hiding away in the mountains is not going to solve anything. The path will only reveal itself once you allow it."

"What if there is only darkness at the end?" Julian asked.

The master fell silent as he looked out of the window again. Julian knew what he had to do, but taking the necessary steps was difficult. Something had happened in Bangkok, something that had scared him more than he was willing to admit. That was the thing that was holding him back, the reason why he couldn't find peace.

A sudden explosion snapped Julian to his senses and a moment later, a gong sounded to raise the alarm. Julian was instantly worried that he had led the bounty hunters to this peaceful place, so he quickly flamed out of the office and into the garden. A fire had broken out in one of the buildings, causing a panic among the disciples. Two beings were hovering over the monastery. One was a man with silvering blond hair and stern face, while the second was a young woman with black hair and caramel skin, around his own age. They didn't look like bounty hunters.

"Stop!" Julian called out. "It's me you're after. Leave these people alone."

"I don't even know who you are." The woman remarked.

The woman opened her mouth and unleashed a powerful stream of fire from it. Julian quickly raised his hand and blocked the flames with his telekinesis, pushing it back at the attackers. Both flew out of the way of the flames and circled him. The woman crashed into him with high speed and slammed him through one of the walls, burying him in rubble.

"Stay out of our way." The woman warned him.

"We are here for the thing you are hiding." The man announced to the entire monastery. "Hand it over and nobody has to get hurt."

"You have no right to attack us." Sheng Li said as he stepped forward. "Leave this place."

"Your ancestors stole from us." The man said. "We have every right."

"We will defend ourselves." Sheng Li warned him. "Do not make me repeat myself."

"You honestly think you can beat us?" The man asked. "Our magic has grown stronger over the centuries while your chi has weakened. Your numbers have dwindled as mankind has evolved and forgotten your ways."

"Enough, dad." The woman remarked impatiently. "Let's just kill them."

"You always were impatient, Shula." The man replied. "Fine, have a little fun. Perhaps that will persuade them."

"No!" Julian said as he got up from underneath the rubble. "If you're after them, you'll have to go through me first."

Julian raised his hand and fired a bolt of lightning at Shula. She tried to avoid it by flying away, but was hit in the shoulder and hit the ground. Her father landed next to her and checked on her wound. He growled as he turned to face Julian and unleashed a breath of fire, which Julian countered with a stream of fire from his hands. The attacks collided in midair and cancelled each other out.

"This is not your fight." The man said.

"These people gave me a place to stay." Julian replied. "I'm simply thanking them for their hospitality."

"You can't protect them forever." The man remarked. "We have another target anyway."

The man picked up his daughter and shot up into the sky, disappeared from sight with incredible speed. Julian looked around at the disciples and saw a few grateful faces, though most of them still seemed to distrust or even fear him. Sheng Li quickly ordered them to put of the fire and make sure nobody had been injured. As they met in the middle of the garden, they were joined by the master, who was walking with an ornate cane.

"Who were they?" Julian asked.

"Rhys and his daughter Shula." The master replied. "They are Dragon Warlocks, powerful beings with the strength of their namesake."

"Dragon Warlocks." Julian repeated. "I only ever heard stories about them, but they seem to match the description. What were they after?"

"We are grateful for your help, Julian." The master said. "But we cannot reveal the secrets of his monastery to an outsider."

"Julian just saved us." Sheng Li countered. "A lot of people would have gotten hurt without his help. The warlock was right, we're nowhere near as strong as our ancestors."

"It's alright, Sheng Li." Julian said. "I don't need to know the secret to help you protect it."

"I believe your help is more needed elsewhere." The master noted. "Rhys mentioned another target, which means he has likely located the Dragon Blade. If you truly want to help, find the blade before they do and keep it safe."

"Alright." Julian said. "Just point me in the right direction."

"I shall go as well." Sheng Li said determined.

"Very well." The master replied. "Perhaps finding the blade will also help you find your path, Julian. If you want the answers you seek, you must not fear the darkness."

"Where is the blade hidden?" Julian asked.

"You will find near the very place you are running from." The master replied.

An amused smile formed on the master's face and Julian had a sneaking suspicion what he was referring to. This mysterious path everyone talked about was leading him straight back to San Francisco. He would try to avoid his family, as he feared pulling them into his mess again.

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