The notes start out soft this time.

  My tears slow to a stop, the drops disappearing into my robes. The tension flows out of me with the melody of the music. It is a memory of good things, with a tinge of sadness buried beneath it.

  I play a soft and hopeful tune. The sound of two people whispering to each other reaches my ear.

  One of them, a young girl, laughs at some joke the other made.

  I blink away my tears to see a couple leaning against each other. They look out on a lake, reflecting the setting sun in a thousand hues of orange and purple.

  The woman playfully slaps the man’s shoulder. Laughing as he says something. Then she gives a happy smile and leans her head against him. The whispers turn softer, more caring.

  The sweet fresh air reaches me as I watch the two hold each other.

  The requiem changes, becoming more upbeat, and the scenery changes with it.

  Men laugh all around me as servants hurry to serve them more ale.

  One of the men sings, his words are in a different language, but still match the flute’s music.

  The rest of the men join in the song and I notice the same woman from earlier, now wearing black, sitting next to the men.

  Next to her sits a drawing of the man who was with her in my first vision.

  Tears flow down her face as the whole tavern sings a song of remembrance for the man who had passed away.

  As the song comes to an end, the man who had first started singing raises his mug of ale. Everyone in the tavern joins him and they finish the song with cheers. Even the woman gives a small cheer as tears stream down her cheeks.

  I place my flute down, a small smile on my face, replacing the tears I’d just had.

  I am not sure how to feel.

  It takes me a second to notice there is a noticeable change to the qi flowing through my body. Its very essence changes with the Requiems. My qi increased a small amount as well.

  I sigh, looking out of the small window in my room. It is deep into the night. I can’t say how much time has passed. My visions felt instantaneous, yet the darkness outside shows more time had passed than I thought.

  I stand up and blow out my lamp.

  I can’t handle the emotions flowing through my body, so I’ll deal with them tomorrow. Definitely. Probably. Hopefully.

  ***

  “Senior Disciple, please wake up.” I am woken by the maid who lit my lantern last night. Her blurry face is barely visible through my tired eyes.

  “What?” I ask.

  “Sister Lin! Don’t be late!” Xia Jing calls from outside my room.

  What is she doing up so early?

  I shake my head, stumbling out of the bed. The maid offers me some robes. These ones are different from the ones I wore last night. They look lighter and easier to move in, they also don’t have any pockets or folds.

  I frown, then yawn into my hand. “I liked my old robes.”

  The maid sighs. “These robes are better for martial arts. Now please, Senior Disciple, put them on.”

  “Martial Arts?” I ask, trying to get my brain moving again. The servant puts my robes on as I think.

  “Yes.”

  I nod once, then walk towards the door of my room.

  “Senior Disciple!” The servant calls out before I can open the door. “Your hair!”

  Heat comes to my face as the servant runs up to me. She pulls some twine from her pocket and ties my hair up.

  Stolen story; please report.

  “Thank you.”

  “There is no need to thank me, Senior Disciple. But you should hurry, you do not want to be late.” The servant pushes me out the door, where Xia Jing and Lai Ming wait for me.

  “Why do we have to get up so early?” I rub my eyes, “The sun isn’t even out yet.”

  “Because the Elders have decided that early morning is the best time for training” Sister Lai responds, “Hurry up, you don’t want to be late on your first day.” She doesn’t wait for a response as she starts walking.

  Xia Jing smiles at me before following Sister Lai.

  I glance back at my room longingly, the two Requiems had kept me up late into the night and I hadn’t been exaggerating when I’d said that the sun isn’t even up.

  I rub my eyes and pinch my nose, trying to wake myself up. I open my eyes to see the last of the other disciples leaving the building.

  I don’t know where I’m going. The thought drifts through my head for a moment, before I realize what it means.

  I run towards where I’d seen the last of the disciples, my wooden sandals clacking against the floor.

  I stop running when I leave the building. I don’t want my cheeks to be flushed when I arrive to my training.

  Straightening my robes I look for the other girls. They are on their way to a large courtyard. I hurry to catch up to them, trying to not run.

  Xia Jing looks at me, amused by something. Sister Lai doesn’t even look at me, her eyes lost in thought.

  We walk into a large courtyard along with the other inner disciples. Eight men and two women wait for us wearing black robes. Two Elders stand behind them, Elder Yu from the entrance tests and a woman I don’t recognize.

  The senior disciples create orderly lines in front of the men and women, leaving a meter of space in between each disciple in the line.

  Following the senior disciple’s examples, Xia Jing and I find our own spots.

  All of the disciples bow to the men and women. The instructors bow back.

  One of the instructors, a man with a long, slightly curved blade strapped to his back, steps forward after his bow. “We are masters of the sect, you will treat us with the respect you would show an Elder.” His voice booms over the crowd, easy to hear despite the distance.

  The man directs the newest disciples, including me and Xia Jing, to gather in front of two of the masters. One of them, a woman, wears a curved blade at her waist. The second master, a wry elderly man, wears two swords clasped to his hip, my gaze catches on the end of his swords, where the blades curve into hooks.

  “Master Meng An.” The elderly man introduces himself with a smile.

  “I am Master Wan Chao.” The woman introduces herself.

  After their introductions, they lead us through a series of exercises, forcing us to circulate our qi through our bodies in order to keep up with them.

  Having made it to the Second Level of Qi Awakening, I find myself pulling ahead of most of the class, which just makes the masters work me all the harder.

  When I feel like collapsing, they choose to make us move through the flowing movements of martial arts.

  We don’t use any weapons, but at times I can see the shadow of a weapon in the movements they teach us.

  I had been taught some martial arts by my father, as all noblewomen are expected to have at least basic training. A tradition from when war and assassination were far more common.

  I notice how different the style I had learned from my father was, compared to the sect’s. My father’s style was all about strong swift blows. The sect teaches us fluid, almost dance-like motions. When practicing the sect’s martial arts, I never stop moving, I use my momentum, or the momentum of an imaginary opponent, to keep the fight flowing.

  At least, that’s the idea, I’m not sure if I am doing the movements correctly.

  By the end of the practice, I lie on the grass of the courtyard. I control my breathing to help me circulate my qi and to stop me from passing out. The sun is just beginning to rise above the mountains, and I welcome its rays with a tired smile.

  I turn my head to look at the other disciples. They don’t look any better than I do. Some of them are passed out where they lie. I grin at having stayed conscious longer than them.

  Groaning, I sit up. My vision blurs, making me regret moving. Thankfully, the sensation passes.

  Every muscle aching, I stretch my legs. I had been taught to stretch after every training session by one of my previous instructors.

  Old habits are hard to break.

  The masters and Elders are talking in a small group, their conversation quiet enough, I can’t catch any of it. I ignore them in favor of my aching muscles.

  None of my muscles were left alone by the grueling workout the sect masters had put me through.

  It’s an effort to stand up, but after a few dizzying seconds I find myself on my feet, stretching out my arms. A few of the other disciples do the same thing, stretching out their weary limbs.

  Sister Lai enters the courtyard, flushed from whatever workout she had been doing.

  She sees Xia Jing first and walks over to where she is lying down. They say something I can’t hear and Xia Jing pushes herself to her feet.

  It takes them a moment to spot me. As soon as they do, they walk over to me. Xia Jing has a slight limp, but it doesn’t look serious.

  “You don’t look very tired.” I say to Sister Lai.

  “I went through a different kind of training.” At our curious looks, she continues. “And I’m more exhausted than I look.”

  I lie down in the grass, my eyes narrowing in disbelief.

  Sister Lai shakes her head, “I came to get you because food is being served in our rooms. Our next four hours are free for us to use as we wish.”

  I feel a twinge from my stomach at the mention of food, but my mind catches on to the last part. “Is there more of this?”

  Sister Lai smiles, “Yes, but not today. The Master Scholars will be teaching us in four hours.” Sister Lai motions for us to hurry and follow her. “Come on, the food won’t stay warm forever.”

  We eat breakfast in Sister Lai’s room, where she tells us about the sect. The fighting rings for outer disciples, the rivers filled with water Qi and the hall of history, where all of the sect’s greatest accomplishments are shown.

  I listen to her with a curious ear. Life in the sect is so different compared to what I am used to.

  It’s magical.

  A tiny seed of excitement grows in my belly. It is a strange feeling, I am no longer the Lady of the Lin family. I am just Lin Jia, inner disciple of the Flowing River Sect, cultivator of the Twelve Requiems Of Illusion.