17 From Beyond

A force carried her, making her head spin. It evoked the same weightless feeling one would get on an amusement park ride; but frankly speaking, it was much, much worse. She would probably hurl if she opened her eyes, but her heart was just as uneasy as her stomach.

Her feet met solid ground, but she stumbled and fell. Yun Da Xia let out a curse and rubbed her hip; the area sore from the harsh impact. Her ears caught the sounds of trickling water and leaves brushing against a breeze. She was definitely not within the confines of her bedroom.

She blinked rapidly to dispel black spots marring her vision; anxious to see what kind of situation she had found herself in. With a motion, her poisoned dagger appeared in her hand. Best to be prepared.

What greeted her was the sight of a beautiful courtyard. Lush greenery cushioned her feet while bright blooms grew in the vicinity. A sparkling aquamarine pond lay beneath an ornately constructed bridge. She had no idea how it had that color because there seemed to be no blue sky; only an expanse of gray. Trees decorated the area, unwithered despite the absence of sun.

She stepped back, turning her head to observe her surroundings more. There was something strange about the place. She found it too quiet– too lonely. There wasn't even the buzz of bugs to be heard.

"Ah!" Yun Da Xia gasped; pivoting and falling into a defensive position as she felt something touch her back.

Her dagger only met air.

Her eyes settled on the structure that had been behind her. It was a simple single storied house, clean and beautifully adorned. A tea table was situated on its porch; a single chair readied. The setup was complete with cups and a teacup arranged on its surface. Her eyes zeroed in on the cutlery.

A shudder wracked through her spine.

Steam rose from a white teacup.

She hurriedly looked around for an escape; hoping to avoid any contact with whoever resided in this place. Her heart thumped painfully in her chest, skipping while it ran. How could she be in this situation? The last thing she remembered was that she took initiative to finally bond with masters inter spacial ring, and she was pretty confident she didn't do anything wrong.

She hoped.

When Yun Da Xia moved to find somewhere to hide, the same force that had swept her into this place restricted her movements. She struggled against it as it pulled her towards the house. No matter what she did, she couldn't control her body. The knife in her hands was pulled away and merely hovered beside her as they neared the tea table.

She was forced into the chair; her hands and feet unable to move an inch. The steaming white cup moved closer to her. It looked like… it was being offered to her? Yun Da Xia was looked at it and caught a flash of her reflection in the tea. The area between her brows creased.

What was that? That couldn't be right.

Before she could look into it further, a thick notebook appeared on the table; the teacup moved away quickly as if it had been surprised. The cover flipped over; slightly yellowed papers were filled to the brim in a familiar scrawl. She inhaled sharply, placing her focus on everything before her.

It was her master's handwriting.

Warily, she twitched her fingers; relieved to find that they once again moved by her will. She carefully took the notes, scanning through the words on its surface. Shock filled her chest as she attempted to make sense of the words.

There were only lines upon lines of his research throughout the years; styled in the form of a journal. Diagrams of energy flow and light littered most of the writing space. She flipped through more pages, watching a timeline of his handwritings transformation into near incomprehensible scribbles.

After a long time of tearing through the pages, she still couldn't find anything addressed to her. A groan escaped her lips and her head ached. How was she supposed to find master's brother? What about those men—those people who had wanted to take their lives?

Frustration bubbled in her chest. Yun Da Xia was sure that he knew they would come. She had seen the resignation on his face, she knew that his words were meant for a permanent parting. So what's with all the secrecy? Even a hastily scribbled note could have cleared some of the air.

An even thicker book than her master's notes appeared on her lap, startling her. She held her breath as the force from before opened it, making the pages flip along. It seemed as if it was looking for something. There seemed to be no malice in the actions, so she only waited warily. There was nothing else she could do anyway.

At last, it stopped its search on a spread near the end of the book. Yun Da Xia felt the force move her hand over the pages; placing her index over a word.

'I'

When she read that, the force moved again. It found another spread.

'am'

On the same page, the force directed her finger over a different word.

'yours.'

She blinked in concern and surprise. "What do you mean?" Although she was hesitant, she voiced her question; unsure if it could understand her. The pages moved again, and after a period of time it finally settled and she read the word.

'ring,'

Although her knowledge of spiritual artifacts was surface level at best, she knew that powerful and ancient artifacts had guardian spirits.

Master had said that they usually take on a humanoid form, but this, this was something else. It seemed like the space held some form of consciousness or sentience.

Yun Da Xia had already known that her master's inter spacial ring was a treasure, but now she understood how valuable it was.

The corners of her mouth turned down, highlighting a new thought.

Why hadn't he told her about this place before?