19 Years Ago
Mayan Empire
Aztec priests gathered around a woman who was tied up and bound; one of them yelled, "She's cursed! She's a witch!"
The woman smiled darkly. "These people will stop at nothing to kill me."
Mei only watched the scene unfold, the voice beside her—taking the form of Kai—held her hand and whispered, "You must watch closely at everything that happens."
Mei was confused. "Where am I? Everything seems... weird."
The voice smiled, unwavered by Mei's anxiety. "This is the safest place in your mind domain. You are in grave danger. Putting you here was the best I could do."
Mei stomped her feet. "You keep saying that! What danger am I in?"
The voice raised its hand and whispered, "Shhh."
Mei folded her arms and continued watching.
The woman, whose hands were already hurting from the tight chains, winced. Suddenly, Selena, her friend, moved past the crowd and stood in front of her.
The people murmured, their voices growing restless.
Selena shouted, "Everyone... what wrong has this woman done? We were all blessed with abilities, weren't we? What makes hers different?"
The crowd burst into laughter. A priest stepped forward and answered her, "Her powers are too powerful to be called 'blessed.'"
He turned to the congregation and bellowed, "She's cursed! Her abilities surpass anything we've seen before! The ability to harness the mind..."
The people gasped. The priest's eyes darkened. "That is a destructive power. And destructive power must be destroyed."
Selena's eyes widened in shock. She clutched Elysia's arm. But Elysia only smiled and shakily stood up. She turned to the priest and whispered, "Fine, then."
Elysia gripped Selena's hand and said, "Run. As far as possible."
Selena shook her head. "No. I can't leave you, Elysia."
Elysia hugged Selena and whispered into her ear, "You will still see me. I promise."
Selena sobbed, then ran away.
The priest and the crowd continued murmuring. One of the guards approached with a sword, prepared to strike Elysia down.
Mei covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh no."
Elysia's eyes beamed white. She faced the entire congregation, and instantly, they dissolved into particles.
She turned to the approaching guard. He exploded into dust.
Mei's eyes widened. "Whoa..."
Finally, Elysia exhaled, and the energy around her subsided. She sighed. "Mind powers were never a curse."
Stab!
A sword pierced through her stomach. Elysia gasped, gripping the blade as blood spilled onto the ground. She staggered but still managed to stand, summoning a final blast of energy to incinerate her attacker.
She clutched her wound and stumbled forward. Mei and the voice followed closely.
Selena screamed. "I told you! I told you!"
Elysia, struggling to breathe, managed a smile. "Is the child safe?"
Selena, holding a small Mei in her arms, moved closer to Elysia, who lay on the floor, moments from death. Elysia reached for Mei's tiny hands and smiled.
She coughed and looked at Selena. "I said to myself that I couldn't die without seeing my little princess... and I did just that."
Selena, holding back tears, replied softly, "Yeah. You sure did."
Elysia's breath was shallow. "You must flee this city. Take her somewhere far away. Start a new life, and don't ever tell her she has abilities."
Selena hesitated. "But—"
"They are not a curse. I know that," Elysia said. "But if the Shadows find out... Ha! They've been after me my whole life."
Selena gripped the Mei tightly and nodded. "And what happens when she figures it out on her own?"
Elysia smiled. "She will be more powerful than I ever was. But I was hoping I could defeat this nemesis, the Shadows, once and for all... so she wouldn't have to be hunted."
Selena placed her hand on Elysia's shoulder. "You did your best, Mind Cultivator. You are the only one gifted with such great ability, and now you're passing it on."
Mei sobbed, trying to reach for her mother, but she could not be seen or heard.
Elysia sighed. "That is true... But with me gone and her not knowing her power yet, the Shadows will grow stronger."
She coughed again, her voice weakening. "My old friend Jin should get my message when I die. He will train her. He will help her... And I'll be there in spirit, guiding her."
Selena carried little Mei on her back. "We will leave for the city."
Elysia had already passed. Her tilted head made that very clear.
Selena masked herself before stepping outside. A few guards approached her.
"Have you seen Elysia?"
Selena raised her hand. The guards froze in motion.
"Fools."
Mei held the voice's hand. "Now it all makes sense. This means I have more power than I even realize."
The voice smiled. "I thought the Shadows made that clear to you already."
Mei's eyes darkened, "but my mums ability how did she make them explode like that ? "
The voice chuckled , " well its not like you dont have the power to do that , you just need to unlock it ".
Mei walked further into the blank space , " i want to unlock it now , how long have i even been in this realm ".
The voice followed her kicking some stones , " a few months ".
Mei shouted and turned back , " what ".
Mei ran her hands through her hair , " okay just cool down mei ".
The voice walked towards her and tapped her , " hey , hey !".
Mei began to panic , " ok its fine , am i conscious or unconscious ".
The voice stayed quiet for a while , scratched his head then answered.
" youre dead mei "
Mei in shock , still holding her head , screamed, " what , how ? ".
The voice held her and said ; " look lets process one information at a time ...okay ?, look you just discovered your history and your mum was a mind cultivator ".
Mei rolled her eyes , " dont change the topic kai ".
The voice faked a smile and said , " im not kai and im not changing the topic , well you're not entirely dead but you were killed by that witch ".
" so they didnt know you have a life span given to you by your mum and i can proudly say by next month , you gonna come back to life ".
Mei only stared at him and shooked her head, " sounds like this is all made up ".
The voice chuckled, " then what we will be doing here huh , look is there anything like life here ...all blank ".
Mei stood up and looked at the sky , there were no clouds , no moon , no sun , no stars ...".
She faced the voice , " so..what is this place "
The voice stared at the sky , " a place of nothingness, an abstract of your mind ".
" you're a mind cultivator, your mind has many places that you can create , have lived or seen once before...so precisely you were the one that put us here ".
Mei rolled her eyes and said , " you're supposed to guide me but since all ive seen is just ...".
The voice turned its sight from the sky to mei face , " is just...complete your statement ".
Mei walked towards the voice , " forget about that , next month is too far , who knows what has happened since i left ".
The voice shifted and said , " one month is more than a enough , im not the one who gave the lifespan afterall...am i ".
Mei frozed in movements for a while , before walking further, " ok im done asking help from you , im gonna help myself ".
The voice sat on a rock and said , "you've not even learn how to put you and i in the right mind domain ".
Mei stopped again in her tracks and faced back , staring at him , " at least im gonna try ".
The voice tilted its head and stared at mei
Mei removed her eyes and yelled , " ughh ok i dont know ".
The voice stood up and walked towards her, " you see...precisely why its a month till you come back , you need to train ".
Mei clenched her fist , " whatever it takes im ready ".