'Swoosh'
The dagger hit the red dot in the center of the circular target board placed on the tree. With swift movements, she dodged the incoming arrows while wafting some away from its projectiles using her gauntlets. Flipping and doing a stand just using her hands down and legs upwards she avoided a hidden trap. Bending her elbows slightly while keeping her body upright and balanced, she bounced using her arms and flung her legs on a branch of a tree. Swinging a couple of times to gain momentum, she finally landed on the branch completely and climbed to the very top finding herself a comfortable branch to stand on one leg. The last part of the session was meditation and focus while dodging all incoming attacks with closed eyes.
"Very good Ming-Yue, you managed to complete the entire drill in ten minutes." Master Dan said, looking at his pupil proudly. Ming-Yue had done many such drills ever since her accession ceremony and had excelled in every single one of them.
Ming-Yue smiled brightly at teacher Dan. It always felt good after a good workout session. She was already good in martial arts but ever since the ceremony she had been feeling this surge of energy waking inside her. Sometimes, she would be burning with so much energy, that she was compelled to do fast and high-level drills to calm the magma burning inside her.
The old great master told her that with every new generation the power that was passed on got stronger and add on the individuality of each heir/heiress, the pull would be stronger for the one to maintain balance. She could tell that neither the master nor her parents were going to explain what they meant by this 'Pull' thing. She could see some kind of hidden unease in their eyes so she never asked too many questions ever since she realized that she could control the awakening energy using fast-paced drills. However, she knew that for some reason her powers were unstable, and she needed something that was missing from her. Something that would balance her, but she did not know what that was.
Hence, she concentrated wholeheartedly on customized workouts with meditation-based circuits.
It has been a couple of months since she had been doing her training in a mountainous area of Country A under various masters sent by her family. She had two months left before leaving for her high school and start her revenge, so she was getting nervous to stabilize her power to a certain extent.
…
The clouds formed over the area in an ominous way as Ming-Yue went back to her cabin. The caretaker, Mrs Ning filled up the tub with warm water and added a few drops of the medicated oil after which she prepared dinner. Ming-Yue soaked in the tub as the special herbal oil relaxed her as if seeping right into her bones. She couldn't help but let out a sigh of contentment. At this moment, all her previous nervousness had melted away as she knew the importance of relaxation. She had to be relaxed to be able to prepare for what to do next.
After the long soak, she wrapped herself in a white robe and made her way towards the dining table. This cabin was located a couple of miles away from the Bloodmoon Forest in the mountainous area of Country A. According to her father, this was where many of her ancestors had come to when they needed to let off some steam. Hence, she chose to train in this very area to stay motivated.
The cabin had two small bedrooms with attached bathrooms, one open kitchen with a dining and living room, and a study room. When she came towards the kitchen, the small circular dining table was already filled with some of Mrs Ning's delicacies. Fresh braised fish, meat and potatoes, mixed crispy salad, chicken & sweetcorn soup, and freshly baked bread. Most of Qian Fei's staff were highly experienced and versatile, but Mrs Ning was one of her oldest and one she had personally nurtured to be a caretaker for her and her children. So, she couldn't help but feel a certain warmth every time she cooked.
"These look delicious, thank you, Aunty Ning." Ming-Yue grinned widely at the middle-aged woman and dived into the food, unable to resist any longer. Ever since she had come back, there wasn't a day she had to sleep feeling hungry. Which was why she was not picky and appreciated food very much. Even if she couldn't eat a lot, she would make sure that she had tried every single item that was made for her with so much kindness and love.
Mrs Ning chuckled and stared at the child warmly, she was there when this child was born and now, she was here when the young miss finally returned to her rightful place. She couldn't even imagine what she must have gone through in all those years. The way she appreciated food, and every little thing that she was given, she felt her eyes swell up upon thinking about it every time. For royal blood to have gone through such misfortunes… was truly sad.
…
After dinner, Ming-Yue sipped on some camomile tea as she stared out of the living room window. Even though the Bloodmoon Forest was a few miles away, with her increasing spiritual powers, she could see it from the living room. There was an eerie silence in that forest. It looked completely different from during the day when she trained there. Her teachers and parents have told her not to go there alone and especially at night. Since the first day she had gone there, it was always during the day and was always accompanied by one of the masters. Even then, they never went in too deep. She would be lying if she was not curious.
"Come to me," suddenly a voice rang in her head as her eyes glazed over into complete stillness.