Dream of a Dynasty

Sky Storm

"'We'?" Master Ling questioned. He nodded. "We had her use her skills to look into the different paths this sword would come across and to pick one that would seem...favorable. She said that mostly the sword's future was shrouded in darkness but from what she could glean, it may be or may not be the best. She said that the sword has to be conquered and its secrets revealed. There was one person that may be able to do it and, if all goes as she hopes, would be beneficial in the salvation of this Kingdom."

"Who? Who is the person?" Ling pressed.

"She said, 'The person has to have these six qualities: 1—the person's life has been altered by Swift Black Bone of the Wind; 2—the person must have a touch of the divine to be able to have a chance to control the sword that's closest to the Heavenly beings; 3—the person must have endured much hardships and haven't faltered from the beliefs and morals instilled upon them; 4—the person is young, not a child yet not an adult to allow for growth and sway; 5—the person's got keen insight and a will that absorbs all teachings and experiences faster than most; 6—the person was born outside the realm of martial arts. Only then, can the sword be given the chance for good and not evil,'" Xu Xing-Long quietly recited. A silence fell across the three of them. Wu Ming-Li was confused. Specifically have these six qualities? How can they find someone that matches this? The chances are so low! She placed her head in her hands, staring at the table, oblivious to Master Ling and Sir Xu eyeing her with glittering eyes. "Master Ling how are we going to—why are you two looking at me like that?" she asked, her eyes shooting between the two of them.

"Xu Xing-Long, is there a chance?" asked Master Ling warily.

"I didn't believe so till I came here tonight," he smirked.

"What are you two talking about? Do you know who this person can be? Are we going to get him?" Ming Li asked quickly.

"We've already found the person," Xu Xing-Long smirked as he took a drink. Ming-Li scrunched her eyebrows together and frowned. "Who?" she asked. They both looked at her. Then, it hit her and she started shaking her head. "No...impossible. You can't be meaning to tell me that its—it can't possibly be me!"

"You're living the life that Swift Black Bone of the Wind cleaved for you," Master Ling said.

"Your mother was adored by the late Emperor and was his young sister. The royal family is sanctioned to be one step below the sky deities," he added.

"You lived and travelled the regions with that drunk and gambling Uncle. You've worked hard as a commoner and learned much about the world the people face. You're neither a child nor an adult now, Ming-Li," Master Ling muttered.

"No—still it can't—"

"The things I've taught you—you've been learning and accelerating at such a fast pace. It took you just one week to figure out how to control Chi through meditation. It usually takes over a year to fully understand and control our Chi," Ling Hong-Ting stressed.

"Last but not least, your family was the farthest from associating with the martial arts! Your father stressed peace, harmony and prosperity not through arms but through words. How much further could you be from relation to martial arts?" Xu Xing-Long asked playing with his cup. Ming-Li took a deep breath and shook her head, still not believing the Prophet Su Mei-Yun was saying it was her. Just a few months ago she was still a kid trying to survive the world and now she is the one to help an entire Kingdom? "Prophecies can mean anyone. I believe there may be others that would qualify these traits--not just me. This is just a coincidence. Many lives would fall into--no way it is me," Ming-Li shook her head. 

Xu Xing-Long huffed, "Well there is one more way to figure out if you are or are not the one to weld this sword."

"What way is that Mister Xu Xing-Long?"

"Follow me," he said and stood up, grabbing his bag and headed down the stairs. Master Ling grabbed her sword, and Ming-Li stood up and walked behind them. They quickly made it down the steps and out the doors. They went walking through the paths till less and less people were milling around. They made it to an inner secluded courtyard near the shore of the river. He halted and the other two waited for him to turn to look back at them. "Like I said, there is one more way to see if you are the one the sword is able to be welded and used by," he said slowly.

"The sword is made with old spells and powers deep within this world. If you are the rightful one, it shall sing to you," he explained, slowly turning around and slipping his duffle off his back. He crouched to the ground and untied the knot, revealing a sword. The sword's sheath was black and looked old and worn. The hilt of the sword was intricately done with little gold embellishments and details that shined when the moonlight touched it. If not looked at closely, the delicate design would be invisible and look like a normal hilt. "I am a direct descendent of the man who made this sword, Sky Storm. It is my duty to protect it and see that it reaches the right owner. For years, I have done nothing but waited, hoping that by the time this sword's name is echoed and talked about through the lands, that she finds the right one to wield and use her righteously. I feared that I was too late, when word reached me that the sword's name was being spoken by the wrong people." He gently picked the sword up and held it out to Wu Ming-Li. "Go ahead. Draw the sword and see what happens. If you aren't the one the sword will sing to, nothing will happen. If the sword answers to you, you will know." Ming-Li gulped and eyed the sword warily before reaching for it. The sword felt light, nothing what she expected from the design and by how it was over half as long as her. She placed a hand on the sword hilt and felt a pulse, surprising her, but didn't make her let go.