Astral Odyssey: Dying Ember

"You still aren't performing well enough for a member of this family. Is this really your best?"This was the umpteenth time Luna has heard this sentence in her life, and the fourth time she has heard it today. It was another normal Sunday at home for Luna. Back to back tuitions for different subjects. Now that she was 18 years old, this was something she has long grown used. Her parents believed that she would one day find her talent as long as they kept trying. Once they found that talent, they would hone it without neglecting her other skills. It was exactly what her siblings went through, only that their talents showed themselves from much earlier on as compared to her.Her older brother, Desmond, was smart but his strength laid in his physical abilities. He was well-built and strong, but agile and flexible. He basically took after their father.Her younger sister, Erica, was overall intelligent and began excelling in subjects related to

Days passed with Erica trying to heed Luna's words and forget about Victor./He's only the best in this school. Beyond it, he's just another fish in the sea./ Erica repeatedly reminded herself every time she caught sight of him, which was considerably often.However, her ill feelings towards Rina remained.What made matters worse was that Erica felt as if she was being taunted everyday. Everywhere she went, there would be news or gossip about Rina. Whether it was about her kind act for the day, her beauty, her gentleness, or how she got saved yet again./What's so good about a damsel in distress? Does she even try to solve any of the issues herself? Some of the problems were even created because she was kind to people who held ill intentions towards her./ Erica was plugged with thoughts like these. She hated weak people who did nothing but cause trouble to the people around the most.Her feelings were related to her fami

The next day, everyone in school heard the news that something big would go down in the hall after school, including the three siblings who just walked through the school gate.Before they parted ways to head to their individual faculties, Desmond turned to his sisters and ruffled their hair. "You girls stay safe and contact me if anything goes wrong, okay? I'll be here in a jiffy."Out of concern for Luna, Erica had told Desmond of everything that happened while they were in the car on the way to school.The two sisters nodded their heads with a smile on their faces. Erica's smile was brighter and more carefree while Luna's was much more reserved. Straight after class ended, Erica exited her classroom to find Luna outside standing by the wall and reading a book. Nobody paid her any attention. Erica asked her friends to wait then went to Luna."Jie? What're you doing here?" Erica asked with a slight tilt to her head."I'm takin

The days passed by uneventfully.Since Victor no longer tried to hunt Luna down in school, she could return to peacefully studying in the library once more. Although Luna could come up with several possible reasons for Victor's behaviour, she believed that it was no mere coincidence that he would suddenly be so obedient now.The same private investigator from before was hired to follow Erica again. The reports she received this time were very normal. Unlike before, nothing stood out to Luna. Erica went to classes in the morning, then went for her extra curricular activities or hung out with her friends after class. Like Desmond, Erica was doing a good job at establishing the contacts they may need in the future.Luna glanced at her laptop and books in front of her. Compared to her siblings, she already had her hands full with just her studies. As such, the only times she could attempt at networking was during class and group works. However, it was never successf

Stifling heat and stuffiness suffocated her the moment she regained consciousness. A thick smell of sandalwood all around made it even harder to breathe. It did not help that the breaths she took were already shallow and weak. Luna tried to open her eyes, but found that it took significant effort before her eyelids finally lifted. Ugly dark yellow draperies and a wooden bed frame was all that she could see. It took awhile for her to register that it resembled the top of a traditional Chinese bed frame. /What in the world… What happened? What's happening? Am I dying again? Where am I?/ As if in response to her questions, she experienced a migraine attack that was so painful it made her nauseous. At the same time, memories and knowledge that were not hers flashed before her eyes.   Everything she saw was from the eyes of a girl named Chen Xinyi. Xinyi was the only child of the second concubine to a high-ranking court offici