PART I: The Hooded Woman, the Empress, and the Last Celestial
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MINGXIA POV
"Tell me, you stupid cripple! Why do you have my mother's picture?" Zi Xieren hollered. She shoved the picture into my face, forcing me to look at it. "You know photographs are expensive. Were you hoping to sell it?"
Tao Li giggled in response. The mischievous glint in her eyes told me she was the person who tucked Xieren's family photo in one of my herbal medicine books when I wasn't looking. After planting the evidence, all she needed to do was alert Xieren to deliver the killing blow.
"I didn't take it, Xieren," I said, growing annoyed. It was always the same cycle—find an excuse to torment me or hold me accountable for something I didn't do.
"If you didn't take it, then why is it in your book? Were you planning to buy beauty products with the money? No amount of make-up would do anything to improve your filthy face." The picture fell to the ground, and dust settled on its surface. She grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me roughly. "Admit you stole it, and I won't have my father throw you in prison with the village criminals!"
"I didn't take it," I repeated.
"Stop it, Mingxia. Just admit you took Xieren's picture and this will be over quickly," Mao My tried to persuade me.
She avoided my gaze like she was guilty of something. My gaze shifted between Mao My and Tao Li, and that's when I realized. Mao My knew Tao Li planted the image, but didn't want to say. Tao Li took advantage of this, wanting to see if Mao My would have the backbone to reveal the truth. Just like Xieren, she had a heart of evil and she didn't care who she hurt.
"Yeah, Mingxia. Just tell Xieren the truth," Tao Li said with a smirk.
"I have no reason to steal a photograph of your mother, Xieren. You know I want to become a healer in this village. Why would I ruin my chances by stealing something?" A splash of red infiltrated my vision, threatening to turn the world a bright scarlet. The strange presence in my mind beckoned me to accept its help, and I could feel my consciousness slipping away. 'No, please,' I pleaded to the beast in the shadows of my mind, its vermilion eyes visible to my mind's eye.
My heart rate raced, my desperation to keep the beast at bay fueled my growing anxiety. In the past, I succeeded at keeping it dormant, but my recent interactions with Xieren awakened it. I could feel its gnawing hunger. It sought vengeance and retribution, and it would not dissipate until Xieren was neutralized, or worse, dead.
"You're an embarrassment to Shangzihua, Mingxia. You always will be. Once I've married the Crown Prince and Tao Li and Mao My have married respectable nobles, you'll be the only girl left in this disgusting village," she sneered.
"Stop it," I whispered.
"Maybe after your parents die, my father will kick you out into the forests where you belong!" A fit of sinister laughter followed.
"Shut your mouth, Xieren." Fury bubbled inside me. The beast had taken a step out of the shadows, and that was all it took to gather the reins to my mind. I couldn't lose control.
"Or what? You're going to go running into the forests so your father can find you and carry you home? Your parents never should have given birth to you. Don't you know they would have had a better life without you?"
"Shut the fuck up!" My hand moved on its own and before I knew it, Xieren was on the ground, clutching the side of her face. She wailed in agony. The metallic scent of her blood filled the air. My fingers tingled, and the pain radiated up to my wrist before settling in my forearm. The fog of anger disappeared just as the beast retreated to the far corners of my mind.
"You're a monster, Shen Mingxia! They'll execute you for what you've done!" Zi Xieren exclaimed as she clutched onto the left side of her face. Her brown eyes widened with madness, as if she had seen something that popped out of a nightmarish storybook. Her jet-black hair clung to her skin amidst the caked dirt and sweat. However, something else was off. It wasn't until I saw red droplets spilling onto the ground did I understand what happened. What have I done?
"I'm not a killer," I chanted to myself. I could feel my humanity fading away. The beast inside me smiled. It was pleased with itself. My presence would only serve as a catalyst for the villagers' rampage. Various scenarios went through my mind, but they all ended with my death and the death of my parents. I couldn't let my own mistakes cost my parents a lifetime of unhappiness.
"Her hand!" Tao Li said, pointing to my hand in fear. "She's a demon!"
My fingers had elongated into large, gold claws, tipped in Xieren's blood. Gold scales snaked its way up my arm, replacing human flesh. My body trembled at the monstrous sight. 'Who am I? What am I?' I thought. My stomach churned at the powerful scent mixing with the rainfall's soft petrichor. Bile rose in the back of my throat, I fought the urge to vomit. The stench of blood overpowered me and soon enough, it was all I could smell.
"Someone help me! Help! Help!" Xieren shouted, her voice echoing beyond the path we were on. The villagers would arrive soon. And they would side with her like they usually did. Her father, Zi Kang-Wu, was one of the most influential men of our village. Although he was friends with my father, it didn't mean he was automatically friends with me, and I doubted he even liked me. The village already viewed me as a troublesome girl because my legs weren't normal. I didn't ask to be crippled. And yet, why did it feel like it was my fault?
With this incident, it would only solidify my presence as the village yaoguai and the shame of Shangzihua. They would wipe my existence from their minds and I would no longer be the pitiful, shameful Shen girl, but the person who didn't exist, or rather, the person who didn't deserve to exist.
The rain turned from a soft sprinkle to a harsh downpour. "I didn't mean to. It was an accident..." Terror seized my heart, and I ran as fast as my legs would allow me. I'd left my cane at home, so I had to rely on my inner strength to propel me. My feet dragged on the ground, and my legs remained stiff with every step. A searing pain entered my shins. They weren't used to supporting my full weight. The pebbles on the ground dug into the soles of my feet, reminding me I was still alive. "I'm sorry, Māmā. I'm sorry, Bàba." Tears streamed down my face, but the rain quickly washed them away.
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I found security within the dark shrubbery of the Forbidden Forest. No one would dare to go there. They were too afraid of what lurked behind every tree, every rock, and within every crevice. Words of the villagers plagued my mind: Look, it's the village yaoguai!
Shen Mingxia, you're an embarrassment to Shangzihua.
Look at that poor Shen girl, she won't be able to secure a marriage with those frail legs!
Why don't you go back to the Forbidden Forest with the other yaoguai?
Hiding my face in my arms, my body wracked with loud sobs, the thunderous clap within the skies drowning out my cries. The cold raindrops landed on my bare skin, sending chills through my bones, and my teeth chattered from the monsoon's icy embrace. I drew my knees to my chest and withdrew, trying to maintain what little warmth I could.
"Mingxia?" someone asked.
I flinched at the sound of my name being called but didn't move. 'Just pretend you heard nothing, they will leave soon enough. They will surely send me to the Emperor for punishment, or maybe they'll ship me directly to Xesal.'
Xesal was a jail-like country in the southern region of the realm where all criminals were sent to repent. The most dangerous spirits were in Juno, the major part of the prison. It was no place for humans, and certainly not for twelve-year-old girls.
"There you are," the stranger said as he pushed back the brush to reveal me in the moonlight. The rain had finally stopped, and the clouds slowly drifted away. I looked up to see my father's face smiling down at me. "Your mother and I have been looking all over for you. Are you hurt?"
I searched his eyes for deception, thinking, 'Have you come to lock me away, Bàba?' Worry lurked within the depths of his eyes, as he waited patiently. "Bàba? Why are you here?" I asked.
'You should have left me. I have dishonored the Shen family and cursed us all.'
"Why wouldn't I be? You're my daughter and I'm here to take you home. Come now, you'll catch a cold in this weather." He held a hand out, waiting for me to take it.
"No, Bàba. I can't."
"Of course you can. All you have to do is take my hand."
"I don't deserve to be your daughter."
"Mingxia, don't say that. You are our precious daughter and you always will be. Now come out from there before we both get sick. Your mother is worried."
"I'm a monster, Bàba." I hid my face in my arms again as soft sobs shook my body. "The village yaoguai has no place in your family."
"My family?" The leaves rustled, drawing my attention to my father who sat beside me. "We're still your family, Mingxia. Whatever mistake you made, we can fix it. This remorse you feel now will fade in time, but you have to learn to accept yourself. I know it's difficult seeing all the other young women talk about marriage, but you're not like them. You're destined for greatness, I know it."
A moment of silence passed, and he said, "Look at me, Mingxia." I raised my head to meet his confident gaze. "Everyone makes mistakes and sometimes you might disappoint someone. The only thing you could ever do to disappoint me is to deny your identity. Never forget who you are."
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Thank you StarbucksMocha for all the word sprints we did together. If it weren't for you, this story never would have been completed, let alone written.