The Princess And The Lord

"If Emperor Lei Yu and his people can kill the Demonic Parasites, so can you and so does everyone else," Huo Long said.

"But Lory doesn't know about this…" Zhao Li Xin tightened his grip on the bottle as his emotions stirred.

Huo Long looked into the distance, an inexplicable bitterness sweeping across his face, "There are many things Lory doesn't know…. yet she still forces to carry the weight of the world with her two little hands, it's too much for her to bear and King Marcus has foreseen this future that's why he trained Lory very hard, he forced Lory to mature faster, and pushed her to become stronger not only in body but also in mind, Marcus couldn't help but do what a father never wanted to do which is letting his daughter got hurt so she can grow stronger and faster than anyone else, although it was harsh, unfortunately, that's the only way Marcus knows to ensure Lory ready for what's coming to her."

Zhao Li Xin muffled under his gritted teeth "Lory will not face this alone, I will take this burden off her… one way or another I will free her from this unfair fate" there was an unshakable determination in Zhao Li Xin's dark onyx eyes.

Huo Long smile in resign, "Well, we can start by killing this Demon parasite"

Zhao Li Xin turned his gaze to Huo Long, "Can you teach me how to kill this thing?"

Huo Long nodded firmly, "Yes, and then you will teach the others how to kill him" Huo Long raised his hand, a streak of flame appeared in his hand "You see this, this is an Immortal flame, this is Destructive Power like every cultivator's art, this powerful art only has one purpose which is to kill and destroy but it's not always like that, long time ago people used their Qi to nourish the nature around them...." Huo Long walked towards a nearby bush then he put his hand on the ground under the bush, gradually the orange flower buds on the bush turned into full bloom.

"That was how people used their Qi at one time, but along the way, they have forgotten. They become greedy, envious, jealous as soon as they start abusing the power given to them before long they forget the old teachings and make up their own doctrines to justify their evil-doing." Huo Long's face was shrouded in deep sadness and melancholy.

"It's like Lory's healing power" Zhao Li Xin muttered in amazement.

"No, what we're doing is refining what already exists while what Lory is doing is… a miracle, you know Lory can heal tens or even hundreds of humans at one time. In the entire universe, only Lory has this power, she is one last God's miracles, still what makes her special is not his lineage, her title, nor her strength..." Huo Long said.

"It was her heart.." Zhao Li Xin interrupted.

Huo Long smile grew brighter than the sun, he look at Zhao Li Xin and he said solemnly "That's why she was  the chosen one," 

_________________________________

Meanwhile, Lory was meditating, she lay on the floor while closing her eyes and starting to adjust her breathing with her heartbeat then slowly the mana inside her begin pulsating and moved harmoniously through her veins then spread to her nerves and slowly filled her internal organs, immediately the mana strengthened her five senses it engulfs her body with pure energy that later would make it easier for her to summon her powers.

In Lory's world this is called 'mana breathing' it is considered in many theories but the execution is different for each individual, some do it while running, some while sitting, some while playing instruments some even do it during battle, in the end, it depends on their own which method suits them best.

As Lory said, learning about 'Gifts' is like learning about love, there are many theories but in the end, the conclusions are still vague. In Lory's situation, she realizes she can do better mana breathing while she sleeps which makes her condition similar to hibernating, even though she is sleeping but all his senses are alerted and she becomes very sensitive, Lory found this very uncomfortable since her sleeping time didn't feel like sleep anymore when she was doing Mana breathing.

It took Lory a while to find the best Mana breathing method that suited her, unlike Lucas, he found out much earlier than her and since they were twins, it give her quite a pressure.

"Father, do you think I'm stupid?" Lory's big eyes gleamed under the sunlight that pierce through the window glass, Lory look aggrieved she pursed her little mouth and bulged her cheeks like a squirrel. Lory makes herself look pathetic and adorable at the same time.

Marcus suppressed a smile carefully not to hurt his little daughter's pride then he put down the paper on his hands to the table then patted his lap while beckoning his sad little daughter "Come here Lory!" he said affectionately.

Lory obediently got up from the sofa then her little feet run toward her father and climb to his father's lap, Lory was seven years old at the time. 

Lory was dejected when Lucas found a way to do mana breathing through combat before her, which means the more he fought the stronger Lucas will become and this method suited him very well Lucas' ability to control his gifts had been improved by leaps and bound. It wasn't that Lory didn't feel happy for Lucas it was just she felt afraid of being left behind while Lucas keeps improving by himself, Lory was scared Lucas will think she was useless and she will only drag him down, what if Lucas hate her?

"I tried to do as Lucas did but it didn't work for me, I don't know how Luc can do mana breathing during the fight, that was crazy..." Lory grumbled feeling disappointed to herself "What if Luc thinks I'm stupid, will he hate me? what if he doesn't want to play with me anymore?" as her imagination goes wild Lory's eyes moist with tears.

Marcus saw his daughter's anxious face chuckling lightly, "What about you, will you hate Luc if he becomes stupid?" he turn the question back.

Lory looked down while fiddling with her fingers then answered in a muffled voice "No…"

"Now you know the answer" Marcus stroked Lory's head gently.

When Lorenna died he chatted with Lucas as man to man. At that time Marcus told Lucas now there were only three of them so they had to protect each other even better now, he told Lucas as a King he has to be strong, to be resilient, to be wise, He has to be ready to carry the weight of this legacy because, in the end, it will be up to him to protect everyone including Lory. 

Lucas was shaken a little bit but then he nodded his little head firmly and his purple eyes filled with unchanging resolution then he said in his childish voice "I can't save mom but I will protect Lory and everyone with everything I had, I will not fail you can count on me!"

Lucas was only six when he said those words to him, Marcus was not sure is the right decision to put such a heavy burden on the young kid, however, he had a glimpse to the future and see what will come, Marcus doesn't know which is right or wrong decision anymore what he can do is thrives and do her best for the sake both of her children.

Marcus holds his daughter tightly, her arms are so small and her body was so small and soft, Marcus doesn't;t know how could someone so frail as his daughter able to face that cruel fate alone, no….his princess and prince need to be strong, they need to be smart to make the right decision, they need to be wise to find their own path and most of all they need to be strong….so much stronger so they will alive even when they were separated.

"Lory some people are lucky to be able to traverse two islands with one swoop, they are blessed with simple and easy life but there are also people like us who have to fight relentlessly, we have to try harder, the path we take is hard and perilous  but it doesn't mean we wouldn't get there, we just take longer time than everybody else so no matter what you cannot give up, you must try - try - try again no matter how many time you go down because I believe you will prevail and soon or later you will get where you needed to be"

Lory pulled herself from Marcus's hug then she look tilted her head and look at him with a confused face "I don't really understand what you mean father but, if I really take a long - long  time to catch you and Luc, will you wait for me?"

Marcus smiles and kisses her forehead tenderly "Always…"

___________________________________

"Mistress"

Lory opened one eye and he saw Bai Zi sitting beside her head, "Your back? Lory lifted her back off the floor and leaned against the wall, the room didn't have a stove or carpet so the place was very cold, white smoke came from her breath as she speak, luckily with her gift and her mana become more stabler, this little chill didn't bother her other than that, people in this world wearing multiple layers of clothing so Lory's condition is pretty good.

"Do you find Shin Jiu?"

"Not yet, but there is strange aura came from the empty well," Bai Zi said.

"A well?" Lory was curious, "What strange aura are you feeling?"

Bai Zi shook her head in uncertainty, "I'm not sure what it is, but it doesn't feel good and when I threw a pebble into the well, the pebble didn't make a sound for a long time and I didn't hear the splash either so the well must be dry and very deep" Bai Zi concluded.

Lory rubbed her chin thoughtfully, she wondered if there was more in the well? it seems she needed to check it herself. Suddenly Bai Zi's head jerked then quickly entered Lory's ring without asking permission, not long after that the door suddenly opened and it was Zi Quan Mei…again.

Lory didn't look surprised instead Lory teased Zi Quan Mei in a playful manner "Miss me already?" 

Zi Quan Mei sneered with great disdain, "I will enjoy myself while I tear you apart bit by bit"

Lory clenched her chest pretend to be shocked but then she smile coquettishly "So, you did think about me?~" 

Zi Quan Mei face darkens, she holds the urge to slap Lory face again then she glares at Lory "Get up, Master Wei wants to meet you"

Lory heard that and her playful smiles faded and replace with blatant disgust "Now that's unpleasant…" Lory click her tongue in annoyance while slowly raised from the floor. To be honest Lory didn't pretend to be sarcastic she truly didn't want to see Wei Zu Tian wanton smile since it's nauseating and piss her off in every way.