Chapter 9: Crystals and Memories
The room looked luxurious with all sorts of expensive treasures in each corner, her big four poster bed and fluffy pillows with wall painting hung on the wall, indoor plants all around the room, and a small fish pool arranged at the balcony of her chamber where a swing has been set with climbers in the door and window. She imagined how amazing the nights with full moons would be to watch from such a beautiful place.
"Aqua," she suddenly heard a long lost familiar voice. She jumped up in surprise and turned around. She asked the maids to help her stand up. It troubled her everytime she felt that something is familiar to her and cannot recall it from her memory. She was having a hard time familiarising with the new world. An after life that only been explained and assumed in fictional novels turned out to be true.
Aqua as she got up from her bed, dressed in a white and grey gown that had water droplet embroidery all over with a long train lying on the floor behind her as she walked, and tiara of the crown princess on her head. It was pretty heavy and she tried her best to handle it. She never imagined it to be heavy whenever she saw the actresses wearing them in dramas. She smirked at her thought.
The maids walked aside paving way for her to walk forward, being careful since she looked fragile and troubled carrying it all. She thanked god that high heels are not a thing here. Or else she couldn't imagine wearing those walking around in this heavy costumes.
Queen mother stood watching her daughter proud, even though she is only a human at the moment. She looked at the man standing next to her mother, looking confused.
"Greet your master Aqua," Rivera said. Aqua bowed to the old man standing in front of her, who was close to tears. She felt the atmosphere around her very sorrowful.
"Shifu," she said.
"That's right," he said. He removed the charms around her. The face, the aura cleansed, the silky long black hair, and the powers unsealed, letting the flow of blood take different course from the human nature.
Aqua was back to normal, looking like herself. "Why didn't you remove them?" he asked her queen mother. Aqua felt getting stronger and healthier. The lethargy disappeared and she felt something extremely powerful flowing through her. Her vision turned clearer, her hair, much beautiful, the change in her facial features that she couldn't it was her. She felt something moving in her shoulders. She looked at her mother.
"Shenlong is waking up from hibernation, embrace yourself daughter, welcome to our world," Her mother welcomed her.
"I was afraid," Rivera then looked at Master Bo Hai and said. "What if she get," she hesitated to say it.
"There is something you still don't know about," Shifu said.
"What?" and Aqua stood there completely like a third person, having no clue.
"When the time comes I will reveal them to you,"
"Where are the crystals?" Aqua asked again. Queen mother led the way to the other room holding Aqua's hands.
The door opened and the bright lights ejecting hurt Aqua's eyes. She covered her eyes and looked away. Master Bo Hai asked everyone to leave him and Aqua alone. Aqua grew tensed.
"Relax," her mother said and left the room. Aqua took the chance to walk around the hall and looked at each of the crystal floating. She touched one and felt like pricked with a needle. She withdrew her hands back immediately and stayed away from them. "What are these?" she asked her so called master.
Master instantly used his water technique, tamed the floating crystals and led its way into Aqua's body. Aqua was shocked to see it coming for her, she shut her eyes tight, tried to block them, and knelt down as soon as it touched her skin. She fell on her right side, twisting with pain as it blended in her blood. she screamed loud that it almost was heard around the heaven. Nobody knew that it could be torturous.
Queen mother walked back in to the hall with Aqua's father in her heels. Milan rushed over to her sister and took her hands. The body temperature was soaring up. Aidan held unconscious Aqua in his arms and looked at Master Bo Hai. Seeing the struggle for the first time, it broke everyone's heart.
"It is normal," Shifu said and turned away. The pain equal to the bones breaking in the body like undergoing labour. "This is only half, for her to return to her previous state, she has to restore the other half," he informed others. "For the next few days she is going to be sick, take care of her," Shifu warned them. "Call me if you need me, but I have to go now, let me see if I can retrieve her crystals, but I cannot assure you, lives depend on that,"
"But Huo'er?" Milan said.
"Why wouldn't he return Aqua's belongings, you know him, can't you ask him back?" Aiden asked the elders.
"We don't know him anymore, We wonder if he remembers anything, acting cold, and walking around with that woman, who killed my daughter" Father said fuming with anger. "My daughter made great mistakes, but I won't let her repeat it again this time,"
"If those were mistakes, heavens wouldn't have brought her back alive," Master said to others. "Think before you speak Aenon," and left the palace.
Aiden carried Aqua back to her bed chamber and settled her on the bed. He also asked the maids to bring in some towels and cold water. She was burning hot. Queen mother ordered the maid to open all the windows and bring in the imperial doctor some medicines. She checked Aqua's pulse and perplexed. Even though it is natural to go through this process, it worried her to see her daughter keep suffering from different levels of pain throughout. The tears glistened in her eyes as she saw tears flowing down from Aqua's eyes. Little did the mother know that Aqua has entered the memory world.