FATE\Deus Decipit

Chapter 13: Spring and Autumn

About the same time, A mountain mansion in China, North of Beijing

Heping sat kneeling on the floor next to her brother. Her parents had called a family meeting, and she could hear them having a heated discussion in the other room.

Clearly, there was much to discuss.

Even though her parents were in the other room, they may as well have been right in front of her with how anxious she felt. It seemed that no matter how long she was with them, she would never feel comfortable in their home. She never knew what to do or how to please them, and their cold and almost mechanical demeanor only made things worse. No matter what she did she only ever received cold admonishment or empty looks in return. She assumed this "meeting" was likely something to do with her and how she wasn't measuring up to their expectations. It was a long time coming as far as she was concerned.

Her older brother was hardly any better than her parents. Shenghuo was truly their child, but, at the same time, he was also her salvation. Whenever she didn't know what to do, she would just copy him, and whenever she didn't understand her parents, which was very common, she would ask him what they meant. Even now she was just copying his position: kneeling with head bowed and hands rested on knees, palms down. And so, even though she was smart enough to know the feeling wasn't mutual, she had come to appreciate his presence. He thought of her as a nuisance, yes, but he also tolerated her and helped her adapt to her new life, though it wasn't all too different from before.

Mages were all the same.

She had been born in the midst of her country's "One-Child Policy", and, being the second child, was bound to be separated from her family or otherwise disposed of. However, the Chinese government had been expanding its influence into circles of Magecraft; how they uncovered the existence of mages was a mystery to her. Regardless, in exchange for funds and materials, mages were contracted to work for the government, but there were other ways to contribute as well, namely, The Army of Spring and Autumn. This army was composed of children, including many victims of the One-Child Policy, with strong magical circuits. They were taught martial arts, specifically combat techniques utilizing their circuits to empower themselves: an army of superhumans under the government's control.

Her parents, specifically her mother, who herself was a government-employed mage, gave her to this army for reasons that she'll likely never have the heart to understand, and that was how she was raised. Her life had been one of routine: wake up, train, study, eat, sleep, repeat. She had been among the top of her class, but was still mostly unappreciated by her superiors as she could never adapt to life as a number, a nameless soldier. Still, she wasn't rebellious, she did as she was told and never complained; her "insubordination" was never worse than the odd book hidden underneath her pillow, or talking with her friends past curfew. Neither did she ever hold animosity towards her officers or doubt her cause. But that didn't mean she didn't want more, either.

She recalled how intrigued she was when she studied the history of her country, especially the art and sciences her country was known for. She loved the arts, the pictures and the expression, and these passions translated into her Martial training, since it was the only art-form she was allowed to express freely. Even with this in mind, her supervisors' main complaints were that she wasn't taking her training seriously, citing her resistance to sparring and more... graphic exercises. They had a point, she wasn't cut out to be a soldier, and so she wasn't surprised when they told her that she wasn't needed in the army anymore- but she was very surprised, even elated, to learn that she was getting sent home to her parents, the parents that she'd never met.

Her heart still hurt when she remembered her anticipation, the life she thought she'd get. Instead, she continued a life of suffocating routine, just a different routine than she was used to, and a lifestyle she was unfamiliar with. She supposed she had yet to entirely cope with her disappointment, and assumed that the same was true of her parents...