*Third Person’s P.O.V.*
Sean, Sheena, and Sheila Tarver hissed in pain as the chains only tightened on their wrists, surely leaving abbrassions. It has been two days since they were held captive by these gothic-looking Chinese couple who locked them up in an ancient looking ruin that’s also about to collapse. How they were transported to this place and the means of their kidnapping is also a mystery that they can hardly believe, even if they saw it with their own eyes. Magic, yes! It was some sort of sorcery that their abductors performed that placed them where they are right now.
“How ever did you get to the Philippines?” Sean, the eldest among the three asked in frustration. After all, his sister’s appearance was followed by their abductors. Sheena and Sheila looked at him, trying to formulate an explanation while still trying to tolerate the pain that they are feeling. Both their arms and legs are tied with a green colored chain that is slowly burning their skin. It’s literally hot after all.
Their brother, who they haven’t seen for quite some time now, looked at them expectantly. They sighed and in the end it was Sheena who answered. “We had a client that’s based on the Philippines. At first we didn’t want to deal with them because they’re very far but they insisted for about two weeks so we took it in.”
“But when we got there, they weren’t even there. So much for requesting both of our presence in the supposed meeting.” Sheila added, clearly annoyed.
“Is this deal illegal?” Sean straight up asked, shocking his siblings as they were careful to hide their endeavor from their upright brother.
“Where did you get that from?” The twins asked. Now is not actually the time for a conversation like this but because it has been spoken of, they might as well talk about it now, while figuring out a way to be free from the magical chains and somehow get even a little food and water, yes, they haven’t eaten or drank anything. But there’s something that their female abductor would let them smell and they’d pass out. When they wake up, like right now, hunger and thirst won’t be recognized by their system.
“Season…” He trailed off with a sad edge on his voice as he had yet to tell them about what happened to their youngest. But of course the twins missed this because of their annoyance.
“That dimwit! Where is she anyway? Why are we all here and she’s not?” Sheena gloweered and Sean’s heart broke even more as the moment of truth came slapping on his face.
With a small voice and a tear rolling down his cheek, he answered. “She’s gone.” The twins’ annoyed expression turned into that of confusion. They looked at their brother and felt their heart racing at the vulnerability he is displaying, which could mean a bad thing.
“G-gone? What exactly do you mean by that?” Sheila asked.
“She’s dead. She died under my watch, I failed mom. I failed. It was hwe funeral when you two showed up and we were taken, it’s the reason why we were on the cemetery.” They gasped at what they heard and tears automatically slid down their cheeks. Yes, they are not a huge fan of their youngest because they believe her to be the reason why their mom died but, they never wanted her to suffer the same fate too. At a young age that is.
“W-What? H-How?” They stuttered.
“Some drug addicts attacked her, molested her, and…” Sean can’t even finish his statement as the overwhelming emotions ate him up.
“What? She can kick ass all she wants, that’s what she’s good at.” “Did she not use her martial arts to defend herself?” They reacted at the same time since they knew their sister’s capabilities and it seemed unbelievable that she would die that way. Hell, they are more susceptible to that kind of death than her! Sean was about to reply with a scold or what for the way they reacted but they heard shuffling nearby and sure enough their abductors appeared, throwing aside some of the litters in the underground ruins.
“Good, you all are awake.” The woman cackled and the siblings just held back their tongues as they know she is going to ask them the same question now as she did over three times since their abduction. “Are you going to speak up now or do you want me to level up your torture?” She threatened, raising her index finger and waving it, tightening up their already tight bounds. “Where is Wu Xia!?”
Sean flinched at her tone. Wu Xia, Wu Xia. Why would she be asking them that when they don’t even know a person named Wu Xia. But just as he thought that, Season’s voice resounded in his head. They were at the ferry heading to Capiz at that time when she had asked him if he knew a Wu Xia. This is getting stranger and stranger for him but he didn’t say a thing. He hates repeating himself to hard headed people. He already answered that question yesterday so there is no need for him to do it again.
“We told you already, we don’t know a Wu Xia!” Sheila screamed, clearly irritated by the question as well and of course, pained by the torment the woman is putting them into.
“Liar!” She roared and made their chains catch on fire, making the siblings scream in pain. It is then the man intervened, putting his hand on his wife’s shoulder.
“Let me handle this Wu Jie.” He whispered soothingly and thankfully, she listened and retracted the spell she casted on the chains. The man, Quin Xian, knelt in front of the siblings to get to their eye level, looking them straight in the eye, one by one. The fact that none of them inherited his daughter’s eyes irritated him but he spoke in a calm voice, so contrary to that of Wu Jie’s approach. “Can you tell me where your mother is?”
The sibling’s look hardened. “She’s long dead, what do you want from her?” Sean answered.
Upon hearing this, both Xian’s and Jie’s expressions cannot be fathomed. “Do not try to lir to me!” Xian thundered, pulling the younger man by the collar.
“He has no reason to lie, put him down!” The twins yelled as a plea, not wanting anything to happen to their brother but Xian’s grip on him tightened.
“Shut up!” Wu Jie said. “Tell us, what is her name? Your mother, what is her name?” She asked as she herself can’t believe what she heard. Perhaps they kidnapped the wrong siblings? They were expecting four of them after all and they only found three. But then again, they performed that spell very well so they are 100% sure that this is the right one, but then again…
“Cheng Lia, that’s her name now PUT HIM DOWN!” It was the twins that answered since their brother can hardly speak because of Xian”s choking grip. Upon hearing that, he tossed the poor man to the ground beside his sisters, watching him cough, trying to catch his breath.
Wu Jie clicked her tongue in disappointment. “It’s not her.” She said, implying that they failed but of course her partner knows more than she does because he had found his daughter at Tennessee all those years back and he knows that Cheng Lia is the new name that she had used.
“No, it’s her. They are her children.” But of course his tone is not very contrary to that of his wife for he had a very bad feeling about the cause of her death. And he guessed Wu Jie caught on to that because she abruptly used her magic to choke his neck, rage and fury firing in her eyes. The Tarver siblings looked at them in confusion as they are now fighting against each other. “Wu Jie-” Xian tried to say but she silenced him.
“Did you do it? Did you kill her!? DID YOU KILL XIA!? DID YOU? DID YOU?” The intensity of her anger shook the already crumbling ruins, opening up a new and easier path for the new duo that had been crawling their way into the lair for about an hour now.
Wu Dong and Season Wu Tarver held on to the walls when the whole place they are wheezing in from the Famous 3 pits of the widely known Terracotta Warriors started falling into pieces. Yes they trespassed into the unopened pits to the public because this is they way that their magic bubble is leading them into. It was a challenging task considering the amount of guards that littered the tourist spot but with the use of their martial arts swiftness and some rhyming phrases, a.k.a witch chanting, they made it in.
"What was that?" Season asked when the shaking ceased. Wu Dong just shook his head, not sure if it's a quake by natural cause or something else. But, it did open a much easier path for them to follow so he just beckoned her to follow along. They encountered unearthed statues of warriors on their way and they look terrifying as there's also an eerie vibe in the area but they abruptly stopped when they heard a couple screaming at each other.
"You killed her, didn't you? When I lost my connection with her, it was at the same time you told me that you found her!" A woman with a voice seemingly familiar to Season screamed at the man whose neck is held captive by an energy stream that's coming from the woman. She's a witch! Season thought as she and her master hid behind the pile of dirt and broken pieces of artifacts, trying to look around the area where their magic bubble stopped.
The man who seemed to be so under the spell of the woman suddenly pushed her away strongly, even breaking her choking spell. Season's eyes widened, realizing that this man is not ordinary as well. "So what if I did? I never meant to! She's gone now and there's nothing we can do. If these dimwits are what's left of her then we will use them to get what we wanted for so long now! Are you blinded by your affection now that you've forgotten about our original plan?" He thundered and even if there's no energy stream coming out from his body, his stance, facial expression, and tone very much radiates power that somehow frightened Season.
She looked at her master and mouthed a "Who are they?" to him. Wu Dong, who knows very well who they are and what they are talking about answered,
"It's them." Season looked back to the couple and examined them. They look… Old fashioned. Yeah, like the place that they are in. And they're supposed to be her grandparents. What more did she expect?
"She's still my daughter!" The woman roared and attempted to throw another ball of energy but the man quickly stopped her.
"And I am your emperor!" That statement of the man made Season understand why he holds such authority. "Now follow my orders." His tone became cold and the woman nodded. "Let's take them to the main chamber now." The couple picked up something or someone - no not one - but three chained persons who were previously lying on the floor and that's when Season saw her siblings and knew that they have to act now.
Sean and his sisters protested when they were dragged by the previously bickering couple. But before they could round the corner, a feminine figure blocked their way. She's wearing leather boots and a black cloak. When Sean's eyes landed on her face, with her red fiery and wavy hair and emerald green eyes, he froze. Well, they all froze. "You're not going anywhere."
"And who are you?" Wu Jie asked. But before the intruder could answer, Quin Xian did it.
"Ahhh, you must be the fourth one." He said. Wu Jie looked at the young girl and realized just how similar her features are to their first three prisoners.
"It's a good thing that you presented yourself to us dear. Would you want to join your siblings?" She cackled as she shot a stream of green chain-like energy to pull her in but the lass' next move surprised her.
"I'll join them, out of here!" With that, Season jumped up to avoid the stream of energy, she pulled out the sword that her master gave her just before they travelled out of the city of Xian,, and launched a direct attack on the couple.
"You-" The couple were shocked at her martial arts skills and started charging at her. Well, Quin Xian took the honors of dueling with her using the sword while Wu Jie made sure to secure their prisoners, suspending them high in the dirt ceiling making sure that if they'd fall, they'd fall unto the sharp blades of the automated driller that the government of Xian placed there to help excavate more parts of the buried archeological site, and it will ensure their death. Then she turned to help her partner.
"I can handle you both." Season said confidently which boiled the couple's blood that they stopped resorting to mere fighting skills. Instead they started using their powers, which she easily dodged and deflected.
"Y-you said she's dead?" Sheila asked, watching the fight with wide eyes.
"I don't understand what's going on either." Sean said, shocked at the presence of his sister who he believes to be dead. "Season!" He screamed when he saw a big rock thrown by Wu Jie her way. She doesn't have time to dodge it though because of Quin Xian's attack on her. But before it could hit her, Master Cheng Dong or Wu Dong appeared and slashed it into pieces. Now the match is even.
"You're done with it, master?" Season asked while she clashed with Quin Xian and his magic-laced sword.
"Yes." The master said as he clashed energy streams with his mother. Maybe it was a stroke of luck or a great mental synchronization but when Xian stroke an electric current from his sword to Season, she jumped at the same time that Wu Dong took a leap to attack his mother too. Their jumped opened a clear path and accidentally, the electric current pierced unto Wu Jie. They gasped as she lost grip of her powers.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion when in reality it was so fast. Season saw how the power that's holding her siblings up disappeared, along with Wu Jie's control and the three screamed as they're about to fall into the rotating blade of the driller. Season's heart skip a beat and she felt herself transform into yet another astral animal who took a powerful leap and with its broad back, caught the three in the nick of time, landing on the side and putting their overwhelmed bodies into safety. Their eyes and jaws just won't stop going wide when they saw how their sister turned into a white tiger to save them. Yes, and this transformation didn't go unnoticed at all. Even Wu Jie who was supposedly mad at Quin Xian for what he did, forgot about her anger as amazement and triumphed painted on her face.
They found her! The equivalent to their daughter. The one who holds the power that they need in order to raise an army and get to the treasure. But of course she's against them as the tiger didn't hesitate to attack them. This time, the couple didn't hold back, they used all that they can use to tame the astral animal. The entire city shook at the intensity of their match and Wu Dong had no other choice but to pull the three into safety. He pulled them into the portal that he opened for a quick escape and vowed that he'd go back and help Season, right after.
"We left her there!" Sean screamed when they were able to cross the portal and were taken to a witchy looking room a.k.a. Gao So Yu's work room where she was there, immediately attending to them.
"The intensity of their power will kill you three!" Wu Dong exclaimed as he too helped in letting them sit on a bench as they look really weak. Sheena coughed and spat a green colored liquid that made So Yu gasped.
"Wu Jie poisoned them, they need immediate treatment!"
On the other hand, still left on the underground ruins, fighting her grandparents…
"I hope they made it out safely, I hope they made it out safely." Season recited as a mantra in her head even if she feels like she's suspended in a void once again.
"They're out safely now, but you aren't." That voice! She heard it in her dreams, so this must be the astral spirit that took over her body.
"Thank you for coming to our rescue, who are you by the way?" She asked, expecting yet another lengthy introduction.
"Baihu, white tiger of the west, holding the season of autumn now if you don't mind, we have a couple to fight, get in here with me!" Now he's a little bit different. So Season climbed up and fought with him as he wielded metal stuff to throw their way. But even with the greatness of her power, Season is at a loss at experience and mastery. A concentration of energy weakened Baihu and in a flash, Season found herself on the floor, weak and defeated.
"Finally!" Wu Jie and Quin Xian cackled.