NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: An empty vessel
The biting chill of the dawn seeped into the meager hut, clinging to the threadbare blankets that barely shielded Meilin the name of this body from the icy floor. Her small body, still aching from the disorienting transition, huddled closer to her mother, warmth the only comfort in the oppressive stillness. Outside, the sun, a pale disc battling the grey clouds, cast long shadows across the ramshackle dwellings of the outlying district of jade ascendence.
This wasn't the opulent court Meilin had once known. This wasn't the gilded halls of the celestial forge dynasty, where the air hummed with the subtle energies of cultivation. This was a world of practicality and hard-won survival, a world where the whispers of magic, so prominent in her fractured memories, felt distant and unreal. She, Meilin, possessed neither.
In this era she estimated to be over a millennium after her death was very different in every aspect except for the cultivators,but is seemed they were also a rare occurrence. To know if one had a spiritual root they started to test children from the age of five and if one doesn't have a spiritual root then until the age of fifteen they will test for magic awakening but truth be told once a child reaches ten then it's almost impossible to awaken magic talents.only a once in a thousand gets to awaken magic after ten years. Her mother was once a cultivator but during her first pregnancy she was poisoned,had she terminated the pregnancy maybe her cultivation would be saved but she refused to do so using her own spiritual power to safeguard her baby until the end during childbirth her meridians broke and spiritual root crippled. Things did not turn too bad for them until after her dad gave birth to a genius daughter who awakened her spiritual root at the age of three,anyways things of the past were not worth mentioning.
A single tear traced a path down her cheek, unnoticed by her mother, who was already stirring the meager fire in the hearth. It was a shared burden borne by both of them: Meilin's lack of spiritual aptitude, her inability to tap into the mystical energies that flowed through the very fabric of this world. In this clan-like structure, where cultivation was a cornerstone of family identity, Meilin was an anomaly, an unfortunate void in the tapestry of their lineage.
Her father, General Jian, a man of exceptional cultivation talent, and a revered figure in their clan, had maybe fancy her mother once but some bonds can not stand the test of setbacks. He had taken numerous concubines. Each one bore him children, each child imbued with some semblance of magical or spiritual ability, albeit of varying degrees. Her six siblings, born of these unions, each carried a unique spark of power, a testament to their lineage. Even her father's second wife, Lady Wei, had gifted the clan with two remarkable daughters. One, Ling, possessed a potent spiritual root, capable of channeling immense spiritual energy she had even awaken her spiritual root at the age of three something unseen in at least a hundred years; the other, Xin, wielded a rare and formidable thunder magic although more chaotic than the rest by mastering even a single level one could defeat a magician one level above them. The rest of her four step siblings had magic talents even if not as remarkable as Jian Xin and Jian Ling but at least it was something.
Meilin, in stark contrast, was nothing. An empty vessel in a family brimming with power. The truth was her father had the most hope for her because she was born of two cultivators but some dreams are meant to stay dreams. Her brother had also not been able to awaken his spiritual root nor his magic and since there are only two years of testing remaining he has been down on spirit feeling dejected and all
This stark difference in her family was no small matter. The Jian family living in jade ascendence district was one of the powerful families but since they started as farmers they were not put in the list of the five most powerful families. Her crippled status was the source of whispers, judgments, and the heavy weight of expectation. The elder members of the clan, the grandmothers and uncles, the clan elders, all spoke of the family's strength and the potential of their children. Meilin found herself relegated to the fringes, a quiet shadow. Her lack of magical aptitude was a constant reminder of her inadequacy, a flaw in an otherwise perfect lineage. The burden of this inadequacy pressed down on Meilin, a constant ache in her chest.
Her brother, Jian wen, the boy of eight years old with a mischievous glint in his eyes, nudged her. He was aware of the unspoken stigma, and the weight of the clan's expectations that pressed down on them. But all he saw was Meilin, his sister, his companion. He, too, craved acceptance, desperately hoping to belong. Meilin, for her part, craved to be worthy of the recognition her family bestowed on others. This was their daily life, and they would have to face the expectations of their clan as they grow up and take their next steps. The future was uncertain.
*l will make sure all the unfulfilled wishes and reluctance in your heart are fulfilled. Those who are good to you I won't touch but for those who did you wrong I'll avenge you even though I have my own debts to pay but I won't become a saint either*
They two children sat on one of the beds as their mother stirred porridge in the kitchen area, but because they were using the most primitive way of cooking according to this era's advanced technology the porridge was taking time to cook. The atmosphere was peaceful until a knock was heard form the door.
"Lin'er get the door please it might be our ration from the main house" Meilin's mother said gently.