"The scent of salt and decay greeted me as I stepped into the manor, a graveyard of memories."
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Mei's POV:
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A salt-imbued breeze blew across my face, coaxing strands of hair across my cheek as I stood there, staring at the manor. How long had it been? Too long, and yet not long enough. The sight of those familiar shores stirred something deep within me, a strange mix of comfort and unease.
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So many years had passed since i, a carefree child, had roamed around these grounds but some things never fade. The pungent, earthy scent of the soil filled my lungs, the scent of home. It was as if the land itself was calling out to me, pulling at the thread that had always bound me here, no matter how far I roamed.
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My fingers brushed the worn hilt of my sword, my old companion through trials I had long lost count of. It had seen me through battle and blood, through moments of triumph and despair.
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As I stepped through the gate, my heart clenched with a crippling fear. Something was wrong.
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The courtyard was empty, in a way that was not right. Dust had settled over everything, like a shroud draped over the life that once thrived here. No voices, no laughter, no warmth. The stillness felt unnatural, and my senses screamed a warning.
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I gripped my sword tighter, so tight that my knuckles turned white, and I forced myself forward, past the threshold of the manor. My eyes darted across the empty hallways, searching for any spark of life, any sign that someone—anyone—was still here. But the farther I went, the more my heart sank. The signs were unmistakable. Overturned furniture, shattered pottery, torn fabrics clinging to broken windows. There had been a struggle, a violent one.
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And then, amidst the suffocating stillness, something shore in the distance, faint but there. I latched onto it, desperate, my breath catching in my throat as I made my way to the meditation room. My father used to spend his mornings there, practicing Tai Chi with serene grace.
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I rushed through the doorway, my feet faltering as I froze. A gasp tore from my lips, and the world tilted on its axis. Blood roared in my ears, drowning out all thought.
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My father lay broken before me, his bones stilled in death. That gentle smile I had always known, now silenced forever. And there, cradled in his arms, was a smaller form—my brother. He had been trying to protect him.
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I dropped to my knees, my sword clattering uselessly to the floor as grief surged through me, a tidal wave that shattered the walls I had spent years building. My strength, my discipline, all of it drained from me as I knelt there, my heart torn apart by a loss I could not bear.
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"No...plea.... no," she sobbed, clutching the dried bloody shells in her arms, her mind refusing to accept the reality set before her.
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After a while, mei managed to regain her feet on unsteady legs as she walked out of the meditation room, she mechanically walked across the center courtyard. A place that was meant to spend most days with mother and sisters, chatting or doing chores; but instead had turned into a place of nightmares.
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Dried blood stained the stone pathways, while the remains of scattered belongings were torn and shredded. Against the far wall lay crumbled bones flung carelessly in a pile. Amongst the bones she saw a glint of silver - her mother's favorite hairpin, the one Mei had gifted her on her birthday.
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Mei fell again to her knees, tears streaming freely. Her fingers clutched the hairpin so tightly it cut into her skin. The courtyard where she played as a child was now a scene of brutal slaughter. All those who had loved and supported her throughout the years, gone in an instant.
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She thumbed through, her tears welling in her eyes for some clue, something to describe this tragedy and show her in whose direction to seek vengeance. A glint near her mother's ribcage drew her closer; she retrieved a broken medallion with a unique symbol carved into it.
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It was a design she recognized, Uncle Sha, a well-placed government officials. She felt a sharp pain swelled within her chest. All those years away from home, training to protect her family.
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Protect - was what she had failed to do for those she loved.
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More tears flowed down her cheeks, but she felt the anger rising; her face went stone. Whoever had done this would pay a hundredfold. She would raze the bitter earth itself to avenge her family.
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As the sun began to set, painting the sky orange, Mei remained motionless amongst the ruins of her past. Darkness would soon fall, as it had upon her family.
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Night had fallen by the time Mei regained herself, with only the moon as her companion among the dead. She knew she couldn't remain there, sleeping amidst such tragedy, not while her family's souls cried out for peace.
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She rose to her feet, a little unsteadily, took an oil lamp, and went forth into the orchards.This is where they had scattered petals for celebrations and held picnics beneath the blossoms.
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Wiping away ardent tears with her sleeve, Mei pushed deeper into the grove, the lamp cast dancing shadows as she walked.
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Arriving at a spot, Mei lay her light in the uneven soil. She knelt to the ground, fingers plunged deep, tears rained onto the dirt over the rough burial mound. Finally, she could give her family peace; it was just a bit late for goodbyes now. As she completed the burials of her family, artifacts of memory continued to bob up during the whispered prayers. She felt herself eight again, hidden in the tall grasses, watching village boys practicing. The lithe movements, the dances held her in total thrall. That night, mei fashioned two crude swords from wooden branches and copied their movements.
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Morning found her thoroughly occupied with practice, unaware of an audience until her father cleared his voice. Mei froze, expecting wrath for such unseemly activities.
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Instead, her father's eyes shone with pride that was somehow discomfited. "You show promise, but the road ahead for a girl is not so easy my child," he whispered. "However I'll teach you a bit of what I have mastered through the years" And that marked the beginning of her clandestine training, her body and will tempered by her father.
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Now those treasured moments felt like daggers in mei's heart, letting rage and sorrow fuel her mind.
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Whoever was responsible for this would learn to fear her name! she muttered within.
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As the first rays of dawn broke above the treeline, Mei finally bowed deeply to the grave site, feeling bitter relief, this treachery would not stand she vowed.
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