Fabricated World

Chapter 4

"Excuse me, but have you seen a man with a spear?" I asked a person on the streets. "It was strapped to his back and covered with a cloth."

The man shook his head, staring blankly at my unusual hair color and clothes. "No, I'm afraid haven't."

"Thanks." I sighed as the man returned to his business. It was harder than I thought to find one man. Given the large population and the sea of citizens, I should have thought of the chances of finding the one I'm looking for. Fighting back the urge to give up, I continued to question random people. However, none of them saw the mysterious man and I was soon left out on the empty streets. It was late and people were closing up their shops. The lights dimmed and the number of pedestrians slowly dwindled to none. There I stood, in the middle of the road, glancing around cluelessly. What should I do? There was no where for me to go, yet alone rest for the night. Grumbling, I decided to visit a few inns, asking to book a room. At first, they welcomed me, but when I showed them my 20 bucks I kept in my back pocket, they claimed me to be a foreign intruder and kicked me out. Geez, what great hospitality!

I trudged along the once-busy lanes of Luoyang, my head lowered in defeat. There must be somewhere I could sleep. It was getting cold, and my t-shirt was not enough to block the chilly wind from giving me goosebumps. Hugging my body, I decided to settle for a stables on the outskirts of town. I wouldn't want to risk being captured by those soldiers from early today, and the hay beds were the perfect place to hide. The smell was repulsive, but I just had to endure it for the night. After looking around the stalls, I found one that wasn't too smelly. I hopped over the gate door and dug a small burrow large enough for me to fit in. It was warmer than I had originally thought, and I soon drifted off to sleep.

Not long after I fell asleep, I was woken by the sounds of voices.

My eyes flickered open as I stared at my hand lying in front of me. I dug my fingernails into the hay and sat up, rubbing the sleep dust out of my eyes. There were two voices just beyond this gate door, talking about something I couldn't hear. I focused my hearing and peeked through a crack in the wooden door.

Two men stood in the middle of the stables, talking with grim expressions. Although I couldn't hear the mumbles they conversed, I managed to get a few phrases from their discussion.

"... did you get the preparations...?"

"... yes.. it's all set..."

"... Go to your places... plan... I will inform Master Kai'en..."

"Roger... send the signal when you're ready..."

"Yeah. We'll burn that palace down tonight."

Palace? Were they planing to raid the emperor's palace? I couldn't see the men's faces so I inched forward to get a better view.

The men's heads jerked towards my direction as they reached for their swords. "Who's there?!"

I bit down my lip. Crap, they heard me.

Now you've done it, Rikka. Your miserable life will end here, amidst hay and horse manure!

I found myself staring at the looming shadow of a man against the wooden wall as I pressed my back against the gate.

"Hey. It's a woman." he called out to his friend.

"A woman?" the other man repeated, walking over to him, his sword drawn. "Why is she here? Eavesdropping?"

"A spy." the other growled, pulling open the door.

I fell back and quickly picked myself up, glaring at the two. I need to escape.

I looked for my way out and took a step to leave but was blocked by one of the males.

"You heard our conversation, didn't you?" the one with a scar down his left eye stated, pointing his blade at me. "Now that you know of our plans, you'll have to die."

He lifted his blade and brought it down on me. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the pain. Then suddenly, I felt my heart-beats surge. My blood boiled and everything was blinded with a bright light. Golden Chinese characters danced around me, spinning and twirling as if trying to impress me with their show. I winced as I felt a burning sensation on my right arm, running from my wrists to my shoulder. It felt as if my arm was set on fire, until I opened my eyes and realized it literally was set on fire.

I screamed, flailing my arm around, trying to blow out the flames. It hurt. It burned. It stung. It was the worst pain I've ever felt in my whole life. But as suddenly as it happened, the pain was replaced with a soothing tingle. My body felt light and airy; I could move my arms and legs as if they were nothing.

When the golden light disappeared, I saw the two men standing with astonished expressions plastered across their faces. I was equally shocked myself, knowing that I was still alive and curious of what just happened to me. My persecutors were staring at me as if I were a monster, and the man who tried to kill me held a broken sword.

The other half of his weapon was shattered into pieces, laying at my feet.

I gazed down at my boots and noticed a soft blue glow emitting from my body. Then I turned my attention to my right arm that was burning previously. I was surprised to find a red dragon tattoo that spiraled around my forearm and disappeared up my sleeve.

"A dragon...?!" they uttered in unison. "It can't be..!"

"Okay, that's enough."

There was a clap as the men looked up at the roof. A figure jumped down from one of the beams supporting the building and landed nimbly on his feet. The man got up from his knees and chuckled, turning around to look at me. The moment I saw his face, I recognized him immediately. It was the man from this afternoon.