25 More than ever

Plutarch, Year 198 of the Dragon

Yi Lan slapped her hand on her head, when she remembered that she had forgotten to go to the market. The two of them looked at Lan's actions curiously.

"Something wrong?" Feng Wang asked.

"I forgot to go to the market. I planned to go to the market to check out a weapon, but I saw you hanging onto a cliff and forgot all about it." Lan said.

Chun Jie raised an eyebrow and asked Feng Wang why he had been there in the first place. Both of them conversed for a while. A bit later, Lan interrupted them asking "Are you going to break my seals today?", to which Chun Jie reploed with a nod.

Chun Jie got up and went to fetch something. When she returned, she held a fat book in her hand. She opened it and studied the neat notes written in it.

"Mmm. This is it." She mumbled and closed the book, handing it over to Feng Wang.

"Brat, this is going to hurt a lot. Are you prepared?" Chun Jie asked with concern.

Yi Lan said with confidence, "More than ever."

"Good." Chun Jie smiled on seeing Lan's resolve.

Her hands glowed slightly as her body's Qi collected in her palms. This was an act which Chun Jie had never done, but knew she would be successful.

"To remove the seals, there is only one method, and that is to place a stronger seal over it. The stronger seal should be opposite in nature. This means that not only will it canvel the effects of the previous seal, it will also enhance the tensile strength of that part." Chun Jie recited, remembering what her Teacher had said.

"You mean by nullifying the seal by adding one with opposite nature but stronger power, you can make my arm's physical strength better?" Lan asked excitedly.

Chun Jie blinked and nodded. She was glad to see that Lan was more clever than she seemed.

"Ah Wang, hold her by the shoulders tightly. She shouldn't move because of the pain. Any wrong movements and the result may cause her too much damage." She said sternly.

Feng Wang followed ber instructions.

Chun Jie's hands were clasped together such that her forefingers touched each other. The action, made her hands glow even more brightly. Her fingertips had small magic circle like patterns. She quickly placed them on Yi Lan's hands, at her inner wrist.

Yi Lan almost jolted at the sudden shock of Qi she had received. Her expression remained the same, even though the pain she was undergoing made her want to cut off her hands.

Chun Jie was surprised. Even she was feeling a slight burning feeling in her palms, so she knew Lan must be in immense pain. But why was it that she gave no reaction?

A few pain filled moments later, a magic circle like pattern rose up from Yi Lan's arms, making Lan sigh in relief.

"What are these circles?" Lan asked in wonder. She had only seen them in magic animes.

"These are seal circles. The more intricate a seal circle's pattern is, the stronger it is." Chun Jie informed her. "Ah! That's right. I forgot to explain to you about seals."

Yi Lan groaned, "There's still something left?!"

"Incomplete knowledge is deadlier than no knowledge." Chun Jie preached.

"I think I prefer the drunk version after all." Lan muttered, tired of hearing so many things.

"I'll pretend you didn't say that. Listen up, you're not a person who specialises in making seals, you're a person who can only make seals with Qi. And not just any seal, there are two types. One is an enhancing one and the other is a limiting one."

"Lemme guess. I can increase someone's Qi or seal it off. Wow, now I know that guy must have been OP*." Lan said dreamily. She was never against the idea of having too much power.

Chun Jie gave a questioning look, but continued. "You must have noticed something different about your palms, right?"

Yi Lan nodded, gazing at her palm. "I have an exceptional condition called adhermatoglyphia, where I'm born without fingerprints."

Chun Jie frowned, unfamiliar with the term Lan had just used.

Lan quickly covered up her mistake on seeing her expression. "It's a word I made up myself."

Chun Jie made an 'oh' shape and then said, "The two people before you who had the cursed body, had the same problem. But in fact, this is common for you all. You see, when you make seals, a pattern appears on your hand. This pattern is different depending on what type of seal you make."

Yi Lan's eyes grew interested at this piece of news. "Does this have something to do with the fact that the grooves on our fingertips are a mirror of the innate talents that accompany us when we are born?"

Chun Jie nodded in surprise. Before, no one had never known this fact except hers. How did Lan come to know this, if as she had said, she had lost her memories?

"I don't what pattern it will be, my Teacher hadn't discovered that yet. But there is one thing that he had confirmed- as the complexity of seals increases, they become strangely humane in nature. They begin develop feelings and can shift." Chun Jie bit her lip, aware of the danger Yi Lan would have to face.

"Shift?" Yi Lan was pissed. As if the problems she had weren't enough, another one jusy came waltzing in.

"If you use your Qi too much, the seals on your body will take this chance of your exhausted body, and will move to another part of your body. And this part can be anything- your arms, legs and even.... Your heart." Chun Jie's face was slightly pale. She had lived enough to see the horrors of the world, but this matter was sensitive for her. Maybe because her Teacher's last wish was for her to guide a person like him and take care of the person.

Yi Lan let out a sigh as she laid her head on her palm.

"I'll be careful to not overuse it. So tell me, when do I come for training?" She looked at Chun Jie.

"Tomorrow morning at 9."

Lan nodded and got up.

Before she could leave, Chun Jie asked her "I forgot to ask you, are you attending school?"

Yi Lan stopped for a moment and then turned back saying "No idea. I'll let you know by tomorrow."

She walked outwards quickly.

But before closing the door, she said in a soft voice "Thank you."

The door shut with a slight thud.

Chun Jie gave a small smile.

Outside, the sky had become dark even though it was still 4 in the afternoon. Yi Lan gazed at the sky, her dark violet eyes reflecting the white clouds.

The sun disappeared behind the dark clouds.

Cool wind blew through the land, making Yi Lan's hair fly in the air. Yi Lan's eyes automatically closed as she felt small droplets of water fall on her face.

Lan couldn't deny the fact that she hated the rain. But at the same time, she had an unexplainable love for it.

"Is it possible that you love something so much that you begin to hate them?" She whispered, a sad smile on her face.

The rain started pouring heavily, making her words drown in the noise.

Nostalgic memories and a familiar song's lyrics appeared in Lan's minds.

"It's been years

Since I saw you last

My eyes remain closed

As the rain falls.

Memories surface

Our precious moments

Why can't we ever

Return to them again?

Somewhere along the way

I lost....my will to live

Someday along the way

I forgot.... who I really am

Somehow along the way

I just lost my whole self....

And then your words came back to me

Whispering, I'm always with you

Don't cry, Don't be afraid

'Cause if it's you, you'll be the same.

The memories are back with the rain

Droplets falling on my face

Why don't they ever get away,

Why do I have to remember everyday?

I don't want to see,

I don't want to hear,

I don't want to ever lose you again

So would you please just leave me alone...

Now I can't really tell..

Whether I really care...

If I want you back or not...

Can someone please tell?

And then your words came back to me

Whispering, I'm always with you

Don't cry, Don't be afraid

'Cause if it's you, you'll be the same.

Everytime it rains, you say that you'll be the first to reach me..

I whisper back,

'Thank you saving me,

Reaching my heart truly,

Being my firm shelter,

And never giving up on me...'

Contradictions and afflictions, never know what I want,

Bitter sweet memories, just how do I tear you apart?

And then your words came back to me Whispering, I'm always with you

Don't cry, Don't be afraid

'Cause if it's you, you'll be the same...

You'll be the same..."

Yi Lan' s voice was soft and melodic, making the melancholic song's lyrics sound more sad than before.

She only regretted that she had loved the person so much that she hated the person for leaving her alone.

"Now you see... I'll never be the same." She sang in the same tune, as if answering the person in the song.

The rain had drenched her completely, making her hair drip with water.

Not far away, a voice shouted for Yi Lan.

Lan turned back, only to see Yoru running over with an umbrella in hand.

"Big Sister!" He yelled,his voice barely audible because of the rain.

Lan looked at him shocked, not having expected him to come for her.

A small smile graced her face, as she though that maybe she wasn't as alone as before.

The rain slowly increased as the two figures went back, huddled under one umbrella. Both of them took cover under a roof of a building to wait for the rain to become less.

Yi Lan let out a cold breath, the water making her cold. Seeing her shivering hands, Yoru took off his robe and placed it over Lan's shoulders. Lan's violet eyes met his gold ones and silently thanked them.

Lan looked at the rain falling down silently.

Yoru, who had previously been concerned about Yi Lan being stuck in the rain, now noticed Yi Lan's state.

She was drenched from the top to bottom, making her clothes stick to her body. Her thin shirt showed the outline of her lacking, but nonetheless female chest. The loose pants clung tightly to her bottom. Her wet hair was let down, and now hung around her face. Drops of water glistened on her face, and a pearl like drop moved down slowly from her neck to the valley between her two jade rabbits.

Yoru involuntarily gulped, his face becoming slightly red. He ran a hand through his smooth hair to calm himself.

Yi Lan, tired of seeing the rain, twisted her head to gaze at Yoru. She unconsciously bit her lip on seeing a slightly wet Yoru running a hand through his hair. He was unusually muscular for his age. The muscles on his chest and hand flexed with every action. For some reason, Lan felt strangely attracted to this sight of Yoru. Her body moved closer to his on its own. Yoru noticed her moving closer and his heart skipped a beat.

Her face drifted very close to his, he could feel her warm breath on his face. Her pale hand rose up, as if wanting to touch his handsome face. Yoru's heart beat faster in his chest. A faint scent of jasmine reached his nose.

Just as her hand was going to touch his face, he blurted out "Big Sister??"

Those two words snapped Lan out of her trance like behaviour. She said lazily, "There's a leaf in your hair." She pretended to remove it.

Yoru felt relieved but disappointed at the same time.

Meanwhile, Lan almost hit herself, wondering what she was doing.

It was then that Yoru noticed a strange pulse like light on Lan's hands.

"Big Sister! You're able to use Qi now?!" He asked grabbing her hands tenderly in excitement.

She blinked and nodded. "How do you know?"

"I can sense it. It's faint but it's there. I'm so happy!" He smiled and embraced Yi Lan.

The moment their wet bodies made contact, a shiver ran through both their bodies, making them both jump backwards.

The atmosphere between them became awkward, but was soon resolved when Yoru asked Lan, "Big Sister, what's that mark on your neck?"

Lan craned down to look at her neck, confused. Her eyes became dark as she was reminded of her pedophile Master, who had left a hickey on her.

"It's nothing. Just a bite from an annoying insect." She gave a sarcastic smile. "Look, the rain has slowed down. Now's the best time to go back."

"Yes."

Both the brother-sister duo went back while chatting about random stuff.

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OP means when a person is too powerful or in other words over powered.