Way of Xia: The Hongmoon Path

by orphan_account

Summary:

(ASoUE x Blade and Soul)

After a series of rather unfortunate events, the Buadelaires and Quagmires may have finally found hope within a new life as students of the Hongmoon clan's school of martial arts on Heaven's Reach. Overcoming their past, fears, and the V.F.D. warrior clan's shortcomings, can they be better than the V.F.D. ever were? The Earthenrealm is in need of a new generation of heroes, the evil of the Ebondrake coupled with the Dark Lord are descending quickly upon it. "This is only the beginning!"
Sadly this series has been discontinued. It was planned to be in three arcs, but Blade & Soul's lore/etc. was far too complicated, and the game and info itself isn't as accessible to outsiders, so this is the only arc that will exist. Thanks for anyone who supported it, though !

Notes:

Windrest... a beautiful collection of floating isles, tall mountainous isles, a plethora of waterfalls, flora, and fauna. The sunny skies are dotted with soft clouds, and the night sky is unbelievably gorgeous. This is where the Baudelaires spent their year in quiet refuge, away from the rest of the world.
The official Xia AU character index: (https://violetbaudebunni.tumblr.com/post/185357232235/the-way-of-xia-au-character-index)
Way of Xia First Arc play list!: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CIBBYqpHEmbAXx9T1rmGZ?si=BW4SaRe6Sd-wCKl4IxvPow)

If you have any questions, concerns, or etc., please contact me here or via my tumblr blog: https://violetbaudebunni.tumblr.com/

Thank you so much for your interest. The winds of Fate beckon. Follow the path of Xia, my fellow warriors!

Chapter 1: Windrest

               “Klaus?”

                A faint voice came to him in his dreams – it was happening again. The eclipse was happening, the dark pillars plummeting down to the surface from the darkened portal in the sky - blocking the moon- the screams, the-

                “Klaus~…”

                The voice came again, this time, clearer, in a sort of sing-song voice…

                “Klaus!”

                Klaus was shaken awake by his elder sister, Violet, who was giggling, “Wake up, sleepy head. You’ve missed the sunrise! Today is Bea’s birthday, you know!”

                The fourteen year old sat up groggily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Are… are you alright?” The sixteen year old asked, clutching his shoulder tightly. Klaus looked at her and arched his brows, “Y-yeah… why?” “…You were crying.” She said, taking part of the blanket and wiping his face tenderly. Crying? Why was he-

“Oh… I… had the uh…"

” -The dream again?” She finished for him, taking him into a deep hug, “It’s over now, Klaus. We’re safe. Everything is fine. We’re together and we’re safe.”

Klaus hugged her back, feeling the warmth and safety of her arms. His sisters and Kit’s child were all they had left at this point. Though the eclipse was gone and they were safe on Windrest… the nightmares…

                The Nightmares never ceased.

                “I… I know, but,” he said, pulling away suddenly, “Lemony said that… we’d be on Windrest for only a year and, well, that year has come and passed…” Little Sunny came in carrying a small cake and placing it on the table nearby. “It’ll be fine. The future may look daunting and grim, but at least we have each other, yes?” Violet reassured, standing up and walking to the crib to pluck Bea from it. Klaus got up from his bed and trudged over to the dining table in the center of the room. Sunny was putting the finishing touches on the small cake as Violet set baby Bea into her high chair.

               The little babe giggled happily as she slapped her tiny hands on the table in front of her. The two elder siblings knelt down beside Bea as Sunny then carried the cake over to them and set it in front of the little baby, who let out a loud squeal.

               “Happy birthday, Beatrice!” Violet grinned, taking the little hand into her fingers and rubbing it tenderly. The three siblings then blew out the candle, Bea then blowing raspberries, trying to imitate them. Klaus laughed,

               “I can’t believe it’s already been a whole year…”

               Violet nodded as she began to cut the cake.

---

 

               Klaus stretched his arms as he and his two sisters stepped outside the little cottage that their parents had inhabited on the floating isles long ago, Violet holding Bea closely in her arms.

               They looked upon the beautiful islands, waterfalls, and mountains that made up Windrest. “I suppose we should do what we usually do-“ Violet started, “Take care of the crops. Feed the pigs. Check the fishing nets.” Sunny listed off immediately, and started over the rickety bridge to the main island. Violet sat Bea down in a small makeshift sand pit for her to play in, and she chirped happily. Violet looked at the cottage and sighed, putting her hair up, “To think we’ll have to leave this behind, soon.”

               Klaus placed a hand on the wooden door frame, gazing at nothing and everything at once,

               “…Yeah.”

              The two began their usual routine; Violet with the laundry machine she had made and Klaus blowing out the lanterns that were lit around the area for the night before.

              “Violet! Klaus!” Sunny’s voice sudden, shrill voice sounded worried and startled. The two siblings looked up from their work and saw the small child running across the bridge in a panic, “A dragon pulse has opened! On the main island!” Violet and Klaus gave each other a stunned look. The eldest plucked up Bea in a hurry and placed her inside, the middle grabbed two makeshift spears. Violet grabbed one and raced quickly out the door and across the bridge, minding not to sway it too much, the other two followed behind.

              Violet stopped short at the swirling, blue portal in front of them, and shakily brought up the spear before her. Klaus caught up and squinted at it, “It’s… it’s not a twisted dragon pulse, so I don’t think-“ “-Klaus, the last time we thought we were safe, Olaf followed us through a pulse, and it wasn’t a twisted one.” She spat, not even looking at him. Her eyes were glued on the portal.

             Then, a man with dark hair fell through it and landed with ease, as he got up, the two eldest lowered their weapons, and Sunny clapped her hands in delight.

            “Now, I don’t think you know how to wield those.”

            “Lemony!” The three shouted, smiles wide. Violet and Klaus dropped their spears as they each ran towards him. Lemony turned his mouth up softly, bowing lightly,

               “It has been a year, precisely a year.”

               Violet’s smile then fell, “Oh… right.”

               “Do… we… have to go back?” Klaus’s face had turned just as sullen as Violet’s, Sunny gripping his leg tightly.

               “That depends on if you would like to or not. You have all the safety and comfort you need here on Windrest. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want to return to the main continent…” Lemony placed a hand on his chest, his eyes darting between the children.

           Klaus winced, suddenly remembering the deaths.

              The Ebondrake.

              The eclipse.

              The demons.

              Zaiwei in near shambles.

              The eyes of the corrupted.

              Violet placed a hand onto his shoulder and squeezed tightly, “We… we can’t stay here forever.” She glanced at him. Sunny nodded gently as she looked up at Klaus. Violet pulled the ribbon out of her hair and tied it back to her wrist, “If… if we wait until we’re ready…”

           “We’ll… be waiting for the rest of our lives.” Klaus finished.

           “Well said, Baudelaires. Well said.” Lemony said, placing a hand on each of the two eldest’s heads. “Now,” He removed his hands, placing them behind his back, “There are some people that would like to meet with you, if you’d choose to do so.”

              “Meet… with us?” Klaus cocked his head, perplexed. Violet crossed her arms.

              “Yes, Captain Dochun and the Hongmoon Hero.”

           The Hongmoon Hero.

              The one who had stopped the eclipse. The one who slew Lady Blackrose. The great savior of the Earthenrealm…

            …Wanted to speak to them?

            “…Why?” Klaus’s eyes darted between his sisters and Lemony. “Well, for starters, there is an interesting deal that you might be so inclined to know.” The man said. The siblings looked at each other in silent communication, throwing looks of confusion, argumentation, and finally agreement.

           “Fine, we’ll go. But-“ Violet started,

              “I can understand your mistrust, but I swear to you no harm will come to you. Not this time.” Lemony stated. Klaus squinted, looking deep into his eyes – sincerity was all he could see. “I… suppose we’ll go gather our things, then.” Violet said. She then turned, starting off to the cottage again. Sunny reluctantly let go of Klaus’s leg and toddled after Violet, trying to keep up with her pace. Klaus gave an irritated huff and followed.

           “By the way,” Lemony shouted after them, “The Quagmires will be there as well.”

           The three stopped dead in their tracks.

            All three of them? Isadora, Duncan, and Quigley?

            Violet immediately began moving after this brief pause, her pace quickened. Klaus then resumed as well, plucking up Sunny (Which she loudly objected to.) and rushing after his older sister.

---

 

            Within the hour they had packed everything they could, made their way back over the bridge, and stood before Lemony Snicket with glittering eyes. Lemony was examining his surroundings when he looked back to see the three standing at ready with their things in hand, but noticed something different –

            “And… who is that?” Lemony said, pointing to the small babe in Violet’s left arm.

              She smiled, “I was actually wondering when I was going to be able to introduce you to her…” She said, handing the child to him, “This is Beatrice II, Kit’s daughter.”

              Lemony blinked down at the baby, who placed a small hand on his chin and gave another raspberry. “Kit..?”

            “Kit… died, actually.” Klaus winced.

            Lemony placed a thumb on Bea’s cheek and sighed, “I’d thought as much.”

              The little baby grabbed at his thumb and laughed, tugging on it. His smile was warm, but his eyes were sorrowful, “You have your mother’s same annoying demeanor.”

            The three siblings smiled up at them.

            “Alright then, shall we go?” He asked, raising his eyebrows, adjusting the babe in his arm.

            “Yes.” The three said eagerly.

            Lemony made a gentle motion with his hand, presenting the dragon pulse before him. Violet adjusted her things in her hands and, followed by Sunny (Who’s things were mostly carried by her elder siblings. The only thing she carried was a makeshift pack on her back.), passed through the pulse.

            Klaus took one last look back at the floating isles all around him.

            For some reason he had a gut feeling this wouldn’t be the last time he saw this place.

            Finally, he faced the dragon pulse and passed through it, followed by Lemony. It closed shut behind the group immediately, leaving nothing but the breeze, the trees, and memories.

Chapter 2: Royal Chambers

Summary:

After Lemony appeared on Windrest via a dragon pulse to greet the Baudelaires after their one year self exile, he was greeted by the daughter of his passed sister Kit, Beatrice II. He tells them there is someone that would like to meet them. They decide to go with Lemony, diving into the now changed world, a year after the near-world ending eclipse.

Their entire lives are about to change right from under their feet. A new guardian awaits them, but this time they won't be found by the man who hunted them moons ago. Well, because he's... dead and all.

However, this doesn't mean they're... entirely safe from the outside world's evils.

Notes:

The official Xia AU character index: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/post/185357232235/the-way-of-xia-au-character-index)
Way of Xia First Arc play list!: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CIBBYqpHEmbAXx9T1rmGZ?si=BW4SaRe6Sd-wCKl4IxvPow)

If you have any questions, concerns, or etc., please contact me here or via my tumblr blog: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/)

Thank you so much for your interest. The winds of Fate beckon. Follow the path of Xia, my fellow warriors!

Music

                A soft chill fell over the three orphans as they exited the dragon pulse into a large courtyard filled with soft sunshine. Bea was clearly a little shaken up from the dragon pulse, but her annoyance subsided to giggles when she felt the sunshine on her little cheeks.

              “Is… this… Zaiwei?” Violet asked, looking around at the high, white stone walls and fanciful buildings surrounding her. Klaus glanced around, “I… I think so?”

              Lemony smiled, “Considering how you three exiled yourselves-“

              “By choice-“ Sunny noted.

              “-Yes, by choice- on Windrest for about a year, things have changed. For example, they began to repair and rebuild many areas of Zaiwei almost immediately. These are the Royal Chambers, where Empress Yunma Fei lives.”

Music

                “…The hotel…” Klaus said quietly.

              “The area where it was has been cleared out and is now an empty lot.” Lemony said, matter-of-factly.

              “…Cleared… out?” Violet asked slowly, looking up at Lemony.

              “Yes, exactly. Any building that was completely destroyed was cleared out.”

                On one hand, the children were relieved to hear that they didn’t have to see the aftermath of the carnage and destruction of the eclipse, but on the other hand, they were surprised to hear how quickly things had moved on since their leaving.

                They looked at each other. They themselves still hadn’t moved on from the very real nightmare that had happened to them such a short while ago. It was almost like whiplash.

                “Ah, Mr. Snicket! Good to see you. Are these the children you spoke of?” A deep voice came from not far off.

              Under a large tree stood a tall, dark Gon man with graying hair. “Ah, yes, the other three will be arriving soon, however. These are the Baudelaires.” Lemony went to greet the man, and the three orphans followed closely behind, Violet slightly hiding behind Lemony, and Klaus and Sunny doing the same behind Violet. The tall man smiled gently, “I can understand your distrust, young ones. You’ve been through so much.” Klaus softly grabbed Violet’s arm, and Lemony placed his hand reassuringly on Violet’s shoulder, “This is Dochun, he used to be the captain of the Bamboo Guard before he passed the title onto his son, Dodun.”

                “…How do you do?” Violet asked politely. Klaus gripped her arm tighter and she winced. Sunny was busy eyeing the girl who was hiding behind Dochun.

                The girl was clearly a small child, possibly a little older than Sunny, a Yun, dark hair and large dark eyes, pale skin. She clung to Dochun’s sleeve, looking around with interest. She glanced at Sunny and then up at the other two orphans, “Uh…”

                Dochun laughed, “Where are my manners!” He placed a large hand on the small child’s head, and she hugged his leg, “This is little Jinsoyun. She will be a close friend of yours’, assuming you accept the idea that Snicket has in mind.”

                Jinsoyun?

                Why did that sound so… familiar?

                “An… idea?” Klaus asked, squinting down at Jinsoyun and then up at Dochun.

                Suddenly-

                “Are they all here, yet, Dochun?” A loud voice came, and everyone looked over at a Lyn woman walking down the steps from the main building. She had tall, white jack rabbit ears and a fluffy pink tail, pale skin, and long pastel, purple locks.

                “Is that…” Klaus asked, looking over at the woman walking over to them and the shade of the tree. “…The Hongmoon Hero?” Violet finished, moving to stand beside Lemony. The two elder orphans looked bewildered, “You- you…” Klaus stuttered, attempting to find words, he slid to his sister’s side quickly -

                “Saved us.” Sunny said, doing the same.

                The three orphans attempted to bow to her, but she waved them off,

              “Don’t- please, don’t bow. You… don’t need to.” The woman said.

              “But… you… you helped us find cover during the demon attack on Zaiwei, you-“ Klaus stammered, Violet looking between he and she, nodding.

              “-I only did that so you could live to see another day,” she interrupted, “Because I don’t like seeing children get hurt. Especially after what I’ve been through myself.”

              Dochun nodded slightly, an empathetic smile on his lips, “Jyansei, or should I say, Master, would you like to introduce yourself?”

                The woman looked around, “I’d rather wait until all of the kids are here. You said there were six more coming, I see three, where are the other three?” she asked, cocking her head, “The four I’ve been having to keep under control are currently in the Empress’s quarters  - never mind…”

                Suddenly, three more children came running out of the same main building, laughing, shouting, and chasing each other. The fourth came out quietly, walking down the stairs and over to the Lyn woman, “There you are, Ryu, how are the others?” She asked, looking down at the young man, who merely shrugged in reply.

                The other three were a short Jin boy, and two Lyn, a boy and a girl, the two were clearly twins. They chased each other around the courtyard, whooping and hollering. Dochun laughed heartily at them, while the Lyn woman crossed her arms and returned her attention to Lemony-

                “Alright, Lemon man, where are the other three?”

                Lemony smiled, “They should be here soon.” Bea cooed softly, grabbing at Lemony’s face.

                The Baudelaires knew exactly who they were mentioning,

              “The Quagmires.” Violet and Klaus said together.

              They hadn’t seen them in so long. To finally know that they were safe was such a relief. It was like the first breath of fresh air they had had in months.

              “Yes, the Quagmires, Hector will be bringing them. We will inform you of the situation once they arrive.” Lemony nodded, glancing at the Lyn woman.

                The woman walked over to Jinsoyun and knelt down, and the small girl responded by placing her small hands on the woman’s knees. The two looked at each other for a moment. Finally, the Lyn woman gently placed a hand on the girl’s head, and then got up.

                The distinct swoosh of a dragon pulse opening was heard behind the group. Lemony and the Baudelaires looked behind them to see four bodies arrive through it-

                “ISADORA!”

                “DUNCAN!  QUIGLEY!”

                The two eldest Baudelaires ran over to the group, and they fell into a huge pile of hugs and tears. “It’s so good to see you again, Baudelaires!” Hector smiled, taking off his hat. He was clearly very nervous about the reunion, “I was so worried we were too late or that we weren’t in the right place-“

              ”It’s perfectly fine, Hector.” Violet said, her voice muffled in-between the necks of Duncan and Quigley.

              “I’m so happy you guys are safe…” Duncan sobbed, placing a hand on Violet’s head and another on Klaus’s, “Grand Creator, I was so damn worried that we’d never see you again, that you’d never know that we were safe-“ Klaus smiled through thick tears.

              “It’s ok now, we’re together. We’re all here, and… and we’re safe.” Quigley said, clutching Violet’s hair in his hand. Sunny ran over and hugged their legs tightly. Isadora placed a tender hand on her small head.

                The Lyn woman looked longingly at the group of teens and small child, she then back at Dochun and Lemony,

              “Well, now that we’re all here, let’s get right down to it.”

                “Right,” Lemony said, “Now, children,” He announced, turning to face the group. Dochun walked to his side, leading Jinsoyun with her hand in his, the Lyn woman and Ryu went beside Dochun. The three others kept on, until the Lyn woman called out “Hey!”

                They immediately ran over to the front of her and stood at attention, almost mockingly. “Very funny.” She said, a snarky tone in her voice.

                The group before them finally ceased their tearful reunion and walked over to the others, Hector waved them off, “Please, let me know if you need anything! Well, not… anything, but you know what I mean!” He called after them. The Quagmires turned and waved sorrowfully as he slipped through the pulse, watching it close.

                “Now, I have a… proposition for you all.” The Lyn woman said, placing her arms behind her back, “I am Neomi Eclipse, the Hongmoon Hero… savior of the Earthenrealm… new master of the Hongmoon school… yadda yadda…” She rolled her eyes, “I’m looking to take in you all as your guardian, teacher, and protector. I’ll teach you all the important stuff and then some.”

                “T-take… take us in?” Klaus asked, “Whatever do you mean?”

                “I’d think it’d be good for you all to have a good, stable home, in Heaven’s Reach. Home of the Hongmoon school of martial arts.” Neomi said, her face softening.

                “Will you… train us to become warriors?” Isadora asked, gripping her own arm.

                “Only if you so desire.” Neomi replied, straightening herself.

                The six looked at each other, as if trying to converse via telepathy.

                “If ya’ll need a moment, then that’s cool.” Neomi stated.

                “Awww come on “Master”! If they don’t wanna go, just take us and we can get started on learning how to kick demon’s butts!!” The small lyn boy said, “Yeah!!” his sister shouted in reply.

                “Bunyang, Bunah, knock it off.” Neomi snipped, not even looking at them. Bunyang stuck out his tongue, playfully taunting the Lyn woman. She merely ignored this.

                “Can we… take… a minute to speak with each other on this matter?” Duncan asked nobody in particular.

                “Sure.” Neomi said, shrugging her shoulders.

                The six went off as a group a ways from the others,

                “I… I don’t know about this.” Violet said, crossing her arms, holding her shoulders tightly. “I understand your grief, Violet, but what if… what if we could start over? This could give us a new chance at life. We can be better than our parents and the others could have ever been,” Quigley rushed out, “We could do what they couldn’t. We can finally find happiness, and help other people, instead of just hunting down nothing but… the… Ebondrake.”

                The rest of the group looked physically uncomfortable at the mention of the name. Duncan shivered, Klaus rubbed the back of his neck.

                “Give it a chance?” Sunny let out, looking up at each of them.

                Violet arched her brows and glanced over at Neomi, then back at them, “But what if it doesn’t work? What if something happens? Misfortune seems to follow us everywhere, and-“

                Duncan stopped her short,

                “Has anything unfortunate happened to you in the last year?”

                Violet, Klaus, and Sunny looked at each other, trying to search for something to argue with.

                “…Well… besides the minor inconveniences… not really.” Klaus answered. Isadora nodded her head, “Same with us.”

                “Maybe it is time to turn the page. Close the book. Start anew.” Violet said, smiling.

                This was their chance to become something better. Something new. To be able to learn to fight back was something that intrigued them. To harness their chi, to wield weapons of their own, to protect the ones who their parents and the rest of the V.F.D. couldn’t, and wouldn’t.

                The group returned to the others.

                “We’ll go with you.” Duncan spoke.

                “But… you have to promise you won’t keep secrets from us, and that you’ll listen to us.” Violet added.

                Neomi nodded, and ran her hand over her ears, causing them to fwip back up as it passed over them, “Of course. Master Hong Sokyun never kept a thing from me and my Hongmoon brothers and sister back in the day, so I will do the very same.”

                The six orphans smiled, some more giddy than others, and it felt as if a heavy weight had suddenly fallen off their shoulders.

                Then, Master Eclipse walked past them all to the center of the courtyard,

                “Shall we go, then?”

                “G-go… go where?” Klaus asked her, “How? All of us at once..?”

                “To Heaven’s Reach, obviously. I… know a special windstriding technique that will get us all there, at once, in the nick of time.” Master Eclipse responded, as she stretched her arms vigorously, “Gather ‘round, now, no time to lose. Gotta get ya’ll settled. Get your junk, now, come on, then.”

                Jinsoyun, Ryu, and the other three went to her as she said this, and the rest hesitantly followed, gathering their things.

                “Wait, what about Beatrice II?” Violet asked, glancing over at Lemony. Lemony smiled, holding the little child tenderly, “I’ll watch over her, keep her safe - don’t you worry. I feel like it’s… my obligation to do so at this point.” Violet only smiled and nodded,

                “I suppose… it’s for the best?” She glanced at Klaus.

                He smirked sadly.

                The Baudelaires waved sadly at Bea, and she waved back, giggling wildly.

                “Look at me, looking as if I’m collecting orphans. Grand Creator, what a life.” Neomi stated, finishing up her stretching.

                Isadora rose an eyebrow, “The… the others are orphans, too?”

                The small Jin boy nodded, “Yeah! I don’t have anyone left. I’m Jinbin, by the way! Bunyang and Bunah only have their Grandpa Cho, and Jinsoyun is all by herself, too.”

                Violet winced. How many lives had the Ebondrake stolen? Would they ever cease their carnage?

                “Well, no time like the present,” Master Eclipse said, beginning the motions of the mass windstride technique, “This is apparently,” she huffed,” A secret,” puffed, “Hongmoon windstriding,” hooh! “Technique,”

                A bright blue circle with various symbols appeared around the group, Neomi at the center. They felt a sudden pull, and just like that, they were whisked off into one of the most powerful dragon pulses they had felt in their lives.

Chapter 3: Heaven's Reach

Summary:

After a swift arrival to the Royal Chambers in Zaiwei, a quick introduction of Dochun, Neomi Eclipse, and the other orphans, and a tearful reunion with long-lost close friends, the Quagmires and Baudelaires take off with the new Hongmoon Master, Neomi, and their fellow new students to the beautiful place that houses the Hongmoon school, Heaven's Reach.

Though it may be beautiful and reserved, the two groups of three orphans can't help but feel unnerved.

Notes:

Music for this chapter: (https://youtu.be/-zdhKf6qQDU)

 

Enjoy some new faces as well as some pleasant interactions.

The official Xia AU character index: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/post/185357232235/the-way-of-xia-au-character-index)
Way of Xia First Arc play list!: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CIBBYqpHEmbAXx9T1rmGZ?si=BW4SaRe6Sd-wCKl4IxvPow)

If you have any questions, concerns, or etc., please contact me here or via my tumblr blog: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/)

Thank you so much for your interest. The winds of Fate beckon. Follow the path of Xia, my fellow warriors!

Music

     It could be said that Klaus's screaming could be heard even before the mass dragon pulse even opened.

     A shorter Lyn woman, one with white lop rabbit ears and a small, white bunny tail, walked down the steps of the Master's Quarters toward a sudden bright flash of white and blue light. Thankfully, the opening wasn't far up, possibly a couple feet in the air, maybe. More or less. The Lyn woman stopped before the falling group of children and Neomi. She looked up with a tired expression and simply rolled her eyes.

 

     Oh, all the kids were yelling, but Klaus was the loudest.

     Neomi, letting out a couple of swears, managed to land with an air of ease. She quickly caught Sunny in one arm, and Jinsoyun in the other.

     However, the others weren't as lucky.

     The Baudelaires, Quagmires, Jinbin, and the Lyn twins crashed onto the ground. The lop eared Lyn woman walked over to them and began to help them up.

     "Sheesh, Master! You nearly killed us!" Bunyang shouted, getting up and dusting his clothes off. Bunah was busy trying to regain her bearings, and Jinbin lay flat on his back, an expression of both fear and relief plastered onto the young boy's face. Ryu had landed somewhat safely, but not as skillfully as Neomi.

     Neomi let out an awkward laugh, “Well, kids, welcome to Heaven’s Reach, home of the Hongmoon warrior clan..!”

     "Rough landing. Good catch!" Sunny said, giggling.

     "Right, thanks, well, is everyone all right?" Neomi said, letting down the two younger girls.

     "That felt. Weird." Violet said dizzily, inspecting her brother's body for any bruises or cuts. "Yeah," Klaus said, his voice somewhat hoarse from screeching like a banshee, "Like being sucked down a giant drain." Violet snickered,

     “You know, you didn’t have to scream that much.”

     Klaus simply looked at her with disdain.

     Quigley suddenly shot up from his laying-down position,

     "Let's do that again!"

     Isadora gave him with a bewildered look, "Are you insane?”

     “Absolutely.” He replied softly, looking at his sister with a stupid grin. Isadora shook her head and hesitantly took the lop woman’s hand, standing up.

     "My ass hurts." Duncan quipped weakly, rolling over onto his stomach, pushing himself up with his hands. Jinbin groaned as he got up, "Agh, my head!"

     Bunyang hurried over to his sister to help her up, while Ryu stretched out his limbs, attempting to alleviate the soreness.

     As each of the children stood up and dusted themselves off, they finally took a good look at their surroundings. Heaven’s Reach was a gorgeous place, high above the Viridian Coast. Odd sculptures of what they assumed to be the faces of ancient warriors jutted out of some of the massive, floating rocks. Various buildings on both the mainland and on other floating isles, being connected by bridges. Tattered flags dotted the area, all with what looked like a full moon and some ancient text. Cranes waded in the shallow river nearby, and waterfalls cascaded down into a shallow pond. A couple of dogs were lazily lying about, undisturbed by the sudden loud arrival.

     Heaven’s Reach gave them a sense of calming reassurance.

     The lop Lyn woman walked up to Neomi and glared at her. "Hey~ Crystallene! ...I've uh... got the kids?" Neomi smiled meekly, raising her shoulders and presenting the recovering children with her hands.

     Crystallene shoved the palm of her hand into Neomi's forehead, providing the calm late-morning air with a nice sounding smack.

     "Ow-! Wh-" Neomi let out, rubbing her head. "You dumbass, you told me you had the Mass Windstride Technique handled!" Crystallene hissed. "I did-! Or, well, at least, I thought I did? I mean-" Neomi whispered back.

     Suddenly, a large cat ran up to Crystallene and stood up on its’ hind legs, “They’re here!” The cat meowed loudly. Crystallene sighed and placed a hand on its’ head.

     “Is… is that a large, talking cat?” Duncan asked, he face looking as confused as it did when they had first learned that the Quagmires and the Baudelaires lived in the same village but never spoke to each other.

     The cat waved to them with a large, soft paw, “I’m Mochi, Crystallene’s furrmiliar!”

     “Yes,” Crystallene then tapped the tip of the staff on her back, “I’m a summoner- Mochi, where is Demetria?” she then looked around steadily.

     “Oh, she’s coming! She just had to get her furriends together!” Mochi purred. Crystallene sighed,

     “I told her to keep her party away from the children until they’re more familiar with their surroundings, we don’t want them to get overwhelmed upon their arrival, I swear to-“

     “Hi~!” A sickening sweet voice came from not far off,

     “Welcome to Heaven’s Reach! I’m your blade master sensei, Demetria Celestise!”

     A short, thick Yun woman with long, brown hair walked up to them, four others walked with her.

     “Yes, hello Demetria. If I remember correctly, I explicitly told you to-“

     The tall, well-built Gon man beside Demetria spoke up, “We heard, however, I thought it’d be best to see to them now, instead of later, since we also live here after all.” His deep voice startled some of the children.

     Crystallene grumbled, “Right. Of course. Why not. To hell with my plan, of course-!”

     “That’s enough, please. We need to get the kids settled, I have some… important errands to run, if I remember correctly.” Neomi squinted at the lop Lyn woman with great irritation.

     “Well, fine. I suppose introductions, explanations, tours, and settling into your dorms should begin.” Crystallene threw her hands up in front of her.

---

     “Welcome to the Hongmoon school of martial arts. Here in the Hongmoon warrior clan we teach a variety of martial arts, as well as windwalking and dragon pulse skills, how to harness one’s chi, meditation and forms, and other various teachings. You are encouraged to follow the Hongmoon path,” Crystallene spoke quickly and matter-of-factly, each of the children attempting to follow along, they all sat with their legs crossed in front of their new caretakers, “Which is to fight for justice, and not revenge. I am Crystallene Lune, your summoner sensei, and this is my familiar, Mochi.” The cat sat up triumphantly.

     Justice? Violet and Klaus looked at each other. The last time “justice” was involved with them, they were harshly cheated of it, a multitude of times. Both the Quagmires and the Baudelaires felt squeamish – distrustful even. But Olaf was dead, now. Esme and Carmelita nowhere to be found. But… those two Ebondrake officers…

     Would they really be safe here? They could be coming to hunt them right now.

     “This is your blade master sensei, Demetria Celestise. Her boyfriend, Wil Val, a destroyer. Then there is Selene Solaris, a soul fighter. These two are the Aurora brothers, Nic and Ji, They are a gunslinger and an assassin, respectively. They act as Demetria’s team members on missions as well as guardians for Heaven’s Reach. Please expect we will do everything in our power to keep you safe, students.” Crystallene skillfully rambled on.

     Everything in their power. The Quagmires and the Baudelaires gave each other worried glances. Gee, where have they heard this, before?

     “And finally, this is the master of the Hongmoon clan, Neomi Eclipse. Known as the ‘Hongmoon Hero’ or the ‘Savior of the Earthenrealm’.” Crystallene waved her hand around sarcastically at her closest friend, in the most loving way possible.

     “Golly, thanks for that, Crysty. Appreciate it.” Neomi cocked her head towards Crystallene. Demetria and Ji snickered.

     “This is the first time the Hongmoon will be active again after the attack many months ago. A moment of silence for our lost Hongmoon brothers and sister, as well as the Earthbreaker, Master Hong Sokyun.” Crystallene spoke, and they each put their heads down. The children did this as well out of respect.

     That’s right. Klaus gripped his pant legs. The Hongmoon school was attacked by Lady Blackrose. Are we really safe here?

     After a lengthy introduction and a brief moment of prayer, a tour was given to the children while Neomi soon left to tend to her said errands. Demetria and the others went off to prepare their living quarters and place their belongings.

     “You will be given your Hongmoon uniforms after Master Eclipse returns. Out of respect, I would like you to call her Master Eclipse, I, Sensei Lune, and so on.” Crystallene said at one point.

     “What about the guards – er Dem- Sensei Celestise’s party members?” Duncan piped up from behind.

     “You may call them by their first name, I don’t mind. They aren’t sensei, though they might teach you some things, but that depends on which martial art you so... choose. We’re searching for more sensei as we speak, so no worries.”

     This struck some fear into the Baudelaire’s hearts.

     “Ahmn… searching for more sensei?” Violet repeated. She felt like something had gotten stuck in her throat.

     “Yes, but worry not. Neomi is the only one doing so, and she can read a person’s chi quite easily.” Crystallene attempted to reassure them, though she knew it would take a while until they felt truly safe.

---

 

     Soon, they were each brought to their living quarters. Jinbin, Ryu, and Jinsoyun were placed in the cottage by the outdoor dining area. The Lyn twins were going to be placed in a small hut (They asked for something small and simple), but they rather enjoyed a large crane’s nest they saw over by the windwalking overlook.

     The Quagmires and Baudelaires were given a large cottage, to which acted like apartments. The Quagmires would live on the top floor while the Baudelaires would settle in the bottom.

     It was a comfy cottage, not small, but not huge. Each apartment had various bookcases, desks, three comfortable beds, and other furnishings. Wall scrolls depicting nature and ancient warriors hung on the walls, as well as other pleasant decorations. The two groups of three felt comfortable, and it felt far too good to be true.

     Something bad was bound to happen.

     They were sure of it.

     “I don’t know, Violet,” Klaus said, beginning to unpack his belongings alongside his sisters, “I have a bad feeling about all of this. I’m starting to feel like we shouldn’t have come here.”

     Violet placed some clothes into the wardrobe chest at the end of her bed, “What choice do we have, Klaus? Would you rather we stayed on Windrest for the rest of our lives? Scared of the outside world? I know how you feel, I’m skeptical, too, but we have to start making progress. We have to move on. We need to come to terms with our past some day.”

     Sunny nodded up at Klaus, “Let it happen.” She remarked.

     Klaus stood dumbfounded for a second, but then shook his head, “I mean, you’re right, and you should say it, but-“ He felt a deep fear crawl up within his gut, “I… I don’t like thinking about – remembering – whatever.”

     Violet walked up to him while he said this and hugged him tightly, Sunny held his leg.

     Klaus sighed and simply hugged her back, “You’re really dead-set on this, aren’t you?” Violet pulled away and held his shoulders with tight hands,

     “Yes. I feel like it’s… it is what we need to do.”

     They smiled at each other, and Klaus picked up Sunny and placed her on one of the beds.

     Just as he did this, a loud voice came from outside,

     “Can you believe this place? It’s so damn cool! Did you see those massive face statues?”

     They heard the thumping of feet from the stairs that lead up to the Quagmire’s place outside quickly stomp down, and suddenly Quigley appeared their doorway,

     “I don’t know what martial art I wanna learn but holy crap can you imagine me with a gargantuan axe like Wil?” He made a large swinging motion as his sister slid in from behind him and walked over to the Baudelaires,

     “You would fall on your face, getting a mouthful of dirt to taste. Besides, you’re too puny for a destroyer’s axe.” Isadora mocked, “I think I’d like to study a martial art that requires some rather graceful movements.” She stated, smiling at Violet and Klaus.

     Violet laughed at Quigley as he continued to even more stupid poses with an imaginary axe.

     “Duncan?” Sunny asked between her giggles.

     “Right here. Sorry, had to get my journal. I felt like I was going to need to take note of something, and now I know what it was.” He remarked, scribbling down his brother’s idiocy.

     Quigley lightly slapped the back of his head. This was the first time they had felt joyful in a long while.

     Hopefully it was to last.

Chapter 4: Heaven's Sunrise

Summary:

Upon coming to Heaven's Reach, the new students of the Hongmoon were delighted with the pleasant aura it presented, even with the unpleasant fall they had on their arrival. Introductions were made, tours, and soon living spaces were settled. How will the main six settle on their first night, more importantly... how will the Baudelaires settle?

Notes:

The official Xia AU character index: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/post/185357232235/the-way-of-xia-au-character-index)
Way of Xia First Arc play list!: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CIBBYqpHEmbAXx9T1rmGZ?si=BW4SaRe6Sd-wCKl4IxvPow)

If you have any questions, concerns, or etc., please contact me here or via my tumblr blog: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/)

Thank you so much for your interest. The winds of Fate beckon. Follow the path of Xia, my fellow warriors!

Music

                Violet stretched out her legs and feet in the cool water of the pond, and Isadora stood knee deep near the center. The waterfalls fell gracefully, splashing droplets of water onto them. The air was a tad warm, the setting sun turning the sky a lovely selection of colors.

                “When do you think Master Eclipse is going to get back?” Violet said, dipping her hands into the water and watching the ripples.

                “Who’s to know? I would like to see what our uniforms look like.” Isadora remarked, kicking up some water, holding her arms out for balance.

                “I just hope the Hongmoon school is better than Zaiwei Preparatory School. Grand Creator, that place was cursed.” Violet said, rolling her eyes.

                “I think the Hongmoon will be far better than that place. By leaps and bounds, even.” Isadora said, sloshing over to her.

                “I hope so. We’ve suffered enough, and quite frankly, I’m getting really damn tired of being stuck in this… this fog, you know?” Violet brought her hands out of the water and placed them onto her cheeks, feeling the coolness of her wet hands. Isadora sat down beside her, laughing,

                “Very, very true.”

---

 

                Back at the cottage, Sunny lay in her bed, dozing off. Klaus sat at his new desk with a pile of books he had borrowed from the Master’s Quarters. Books about the Four Guardians, various martial arts, a journal or two from a past Hongmoon student, he was, of course, doing his research on the Hongmoon clan.

                Crystallene happily leant him the books, “As long as you get them back to these shelves.” “Of course, thank you, Sensei Lune.” He had bowed his head in response.

                Now, he would probably spend a large part of the night flipping through the pages of ages long past, learning about what being a warrior was actually all about, and not just trying to apprehend a cult for the sake of apprehending a cult, like his parent’s clan had.

                “Hey, my dude! Watcha doin’?” Quigley came in, eyeing the stacks of books among Klaus’s desk.

                The spectacled boy glanced up, but kept his eyes on his book, “Reading about the Hongmoon – Quigley,” He breathed, “When do you think Master Eclipse will return? I have some questions for her.”

                The elder boy shrugged, “No idea. You could ask Sensei Lune or – well maybe not Sensei Celestise. She seems a bit ditzy..?”

                Klaus smirked, “Quig, we barely know the woman. Don’t be rude.”

                “Right~, sure. Wouldn’t want Wil to beat the shit out of me.” Quigley snorted, “Don’t stay up too late, now, buddy. I’m sure we’ll be starting our training as soon as we all get settled.” He said, sliding out of the home.

                “Sure.” Klaus responded absentmindedly.

                To tell the truth, he didn’t want to sleep. He was afraid of his dreams and what were in them. The memories. The horrors of the demons he’d seen. The evils Count Olaf had done to he, his sisters, and so many others.

                He hated sleeping any more.

                There was something different about this night, though.

                It was different from all other nights.

                He didn’t know whether to feel at ease or to feel alert. It was a mixture of several different feelings, and it made him all too anxious.

                Reading, though his favorite thing to do, wasn’t helping him calm down.

                This was all happening too quickly – why did he even bother –

                “Klaus?” His elder sister’s voice awoke him from the depth of his thoughts.

                Violet and Isadora walked in, semi-damp.

                “Where have you two been for the last couple of hours?” Klaus asked them, cocking an eyebrow at their appearance.

                “We were wading in the pond by the waterfalls, talking.” Isadora replied, walking over to him. She placed a hand on the top of his head, “What, reading again?” She said playfully.

                Klaus shook her hand off his head, “Yes, while you two were busy fooling about, I’ve been reading up on the Hongmoon,” he closed the book he was reading, clearly he wasn’t going to get any peace and quiet any time soon,

                “And it appears as though we’re safe, though I still have my doubts, since an undesirable person could easily find us.”

                Violet, a towel on her head, walked over to her brother, “I, for one, am a tad tired of being afraid all the time. Though you are right to worry, we really need to start trying to find some peace.” Her voice muffled slightly as she attempted to dry her hair.

                Isadora chuckled, “Right, besides, we’ve gotten through worse before, we’ll get through worse again.”

                Klaus gave her a worried look while yanking the towel away from Violet, which granted a sharp, irritated “Hey-“.

---

               The silvered moon began to rise as Violet flopped onto her bed after settling Sunny into her’s (The toddler was currently deep in her sleep.).

                “Grand Creator I’m exhausted.” She said, rubbing her face.

                Klaus was standing at the doorway, looking out onto the main grounds below. Selene and Nic were up first for the night on guard rounds, they stood talking near the end of the steps to the Master’s Quarters.

                He shifted his weight from leaning on the doorframe to both feet,

                “I’m going to speak with Sensei Lune.”

                “Don’t be too long. You need to sleep.” Violet said, blowing out the last lantern by her bed.

                “Gotcha.” Klaus reluctantly replied back as he walked out off.

---

 

                Klaus crossed the bridge from their cottage to the main island, approaching the two guardian warriors. He felt a pang of nervousness well up within his stomach.

                He’d never actually spoken with them, yet, and he wasn’t sure how they would react to them, or what he would even say.

                He would have to decide, fast, however. Soon he stood right in front of them,

                “Uh, ex-excuse me…” he let out, and the two turned to look at them mid conversation.

                Selene was around his height, and Nic was a few inches taller.

                “Oh, hello, Klaus! Do you need something?” Selene said, her voice soothing and gentle.

                “I- Wait, how do you know my name already?” Klaus asked, surprised.

                “Well, you’re part of the Hongmoon, now. You’re a student, and it’s very important that we know you, especially when we need to keep you all safe at whatever cost.”

                Klaus blinked quickly, he didn’t expect this, but it was better than what he was imaging, none the less,

                “I see, well, thank you.”

                “It’s no problem, buddy.” Nic smiled. Klaus cleared his throat, “Well, uh, is Sensei Lune still awake? I would like to, uh, speak- speak with her.” He stumbled around with his words.

                “She should be in the Master’s Quarter’s, still. She’s like Neomi’s right hand, since they’ve been friends for so long, so she acts as a ‘substitute master’ while Neomi is off doing whatever.” Selene cocked her head towards the top of the steps while doing a few matter-of-factly motions with her hand.

                Klaus thanked them and climbed the steps to the still lit quarters. He saw a small dog laying outside the doorway, snoozing away peacefully.

                Careful not to wake it, he gently knocked on the door, “Sensei Lune?” A few seconds later, the door opened, revealing the lop-eared Lyn woman. She was a tad shorter than he was. Her silver eyes darted around his face,

                “Yes, Jyan Klaus? What do you need?”

                Jyan was a term to warriors within a clan that were still newer students, regardless of their age.

                Klaus, again, surprised at someone brand new knowing his name, though it made some sense since she was a sensei, licked his lips before speaking, trying to find his words,

                “I have a… few questions for you?”

                Crystallene lifted her chin slightly, “Of course,” she looked behind her,

                “You’re not the only one with questions, it seems, Jyan.” She called back.

                Klaus stood in confusion until the Lyn sensei invited him in, and he saw Isadora sitting on the floor at a low table. She smiled up at him,

                “Oh, Klaus! I somewhat knew you’d come, based on what Quigley had said.”

                Klaus nodded and came in, “Now I know why he had suggested it. I suppose you and I had the same idea.”

                She nodded, looking at the tea kettle on the table and back at him, “Would you like some tea? Sensei Lune was kind enough to brew some rose petal tea.”

                Klaus, now noticing his parched mouth due to extreme nervousness, agreed, and sat down beside her. Isadora took a cup from the tray and began to pour as Crystallene sat on the other side of the table.

                “Now that both of you are here, you may ask me whatever you need to.” Crystallene said, taking her cup in both hands.

                “You haven’t asked any, yet?” Klaus looked from Isadora to Crystallene and back.

                “No, not yet. I wanted to wait for you.” She replied with a tone of obviousness. Klaus merely cocked an eyebrow as he took a small sip of the tea.

                It was sweet, but light and airy. He felt some relief wash over him.

                Isadora looked at Crystallene, “So, what exactly will we be doing once we get our uniforms?”

                Crystallene took a sip of her tea, “Well, to tell you the truth, Neomi actually went off to run some… last minute errands.”

                Klaus shook his head slightly in surprise, while Isadora turned her cup slightly.

                “Last minute errands?” Klaus asked, eyeing Crystallene suspiciously.

                Crystallene, placing her cup down, looked between the both of them,

                “She received a letter just after we arrived to Heaven’s Reach. It was from Priest Hyundam of the Snowforest Monastery, the monks needed her help right away.” She spoke quickly yet gently, “They were under attack by the Ebondrake.”

                Klaus and Isadora looked at each other with heavily worried looks.

                “Worry not, my young Jyan,” Crystallene said, noticing their anxiety, “She will return, soon. She simply said she would be off to fetch your uniforms so you wouldn’t worry, apparently.” Crystallene fell off her soothing voice into a somewhat irritated voice into the end of her sentence.

                “I was wondering how she would get us our uniforms without knowing our measurements…” Isadora quipped, taking another sip of her tea.

                Klaus looked into his cup.

                The Ebondrake.

                The thought came to him like a stab in the gut.

                “She will return tomorrow and take each of you students to Rural Outfitters in the Skypetal Plains. There, you will be fitted for your uniforms and also shop for other clothing you might take a liking to.” Crystallene spoke up, snapping Klaus out of his fearful thoughts.

                “Oh, Rural Outfitters? That’s the hub of the Radiant Ring, right?” Isadora spoke somewhat interested, trying to keep the conversation off the obvious unpleasant topic. “Yes, the small village dabbles in making a majority of the clothing for many allied organizations in the mainlands, as well as other fashionable garments, dyes, and the like.” Crystallene happily chatted on, “It’s the same place I got my most favorite outfit, Master Eclipse did the same. They were happy to take care of your uniforms.”

                Isadora nudged Klaus, who was currently sitting confused at the subtle girl talk happening, “Well I certainly can’t wait to go tomorrow, then!” she spoke. Crystallene nodded.

                Klaus blinked, “But, this begs the question,” trying to return to the meat of the conversation, “What are we going to do after we get our uniforms… and… such.”

                Crystallene took another sip of her tea, “We will begin meditation to awaken your chi. That is the first step to becoming a warrior.”

                “Awaken… our… chi?” Isadora and Klaus said together. They exchanged a look.

                “Yes. Through harnessing your chi, you can control your weapon and learn advanced windwalking and windstriding techniques, as well as learning to open dragon pulses and such on your own.” Crystallene spoke matter-of-factly. “I remember our parents teaching us how to meditate when we were younger…” Klaus prodded far back into his memory, before the demon attack had happened on their village, the death of their parents. “Ours as well.” Remarked Isadora.

                Klaus was lost in his memories, now. It flashed all too quickly in his mind…

---

 

                “Now, children,” Their mother, Beatrice, had said many a time, “Remember to focus on your senses. The world around you. The very essence of life.” He remembered looking over at Violet, who was already deep within her meditation, the calm look on her face, her fists touched in her lap, her legs crossed under her. He had tried to replicate his elder sister’s look, in an attempt to impress his mother. “

                Listen to the rushing of the water, the birds’ chirps, the winds’ song.”

                It was as if his mother was with him right now, her voice was so clear within his mind, all those days they had meditated together. He, Violet, their mother and father…

---

 

                “Klaus?”

                Isadora’s voice suddenly snapped him out of his long lost memories, and he turned to Isadora quickly,

                “Apologies, I was just…”

                “…In your time long past?” Isadora finished.

                Klaus nodded. “I can tell.” She said, placing a thumb on his cheek, “You started crying.” She wiped away a tear as he quickly touched his face after her words. “I remembered those times as well, just as you did, now.” She said, then placing both her hands on his shoulders,

                “But, I hope you can find comfort in knowing that they, along with my parents, and all the others who tried to help us, are resting well within the Divine Realm, now, watching over us.”

                Klaus turned up his eyebrows and grabbed Isadora into a tight hug. This surprised her at first, but she quickly wrapped her arms around him as well. Crystallene felt her heart fill with warmth as she watched the two teens embrace. She placed her cup onto the table,

                “It is getting late,” The two broke their hug to look at the sensei, “You two might want to get to your beds. Tomorrow will surely be plenty busy.”

                “Right, thank you, sensei.” Klaus bowed his head. Isadora finished her tea and got up as he said this, “Thank you for indulging us, Sensei Lune.”

                “Of course. If you have any more questions, please, come ask any of us. We’ll be more than happy to be transparent with you.” Crystallene said reassuringly.

                The two teens felt a comfort in this as they made their way to the doorway. They each turned to Crystallene before heading out, bowing with one hand folded over a fist, thanking her, and then exiting the Master’s Quarters.

                As the two walked back to their combined cottage, they surveyed their surroundings in silence. Eventually, Isadora spoke up,

                “I suppose there shouldn’t be much to worry about for now.”

                Klaus looked at her, then the moon above them.

                “I suppose not.”

---

               When Klaus was finally settled into his bed, he looked at each of his sisters. Both Violet and Sunny were sleeping soundly in their beds. The moonlight drifted through the sheer curtains of the window and into the apartment, gently illuminating it with a soft, silvery glow. For once, Klaus felt calm. He drifted off into a deep sleep...

---

Music

                “WE NEED TO MOVE!”

                Screaming could be heard from all around. Loud, thundering booms could be heard from outside the hotel. The attendees of the trial were suddenly in frenzy. The initial shout was from his own sister, Violet, who was already trying to shake him from his shock.

                It had all happened so fast. The truth about what happened so long ago. The trigger that started this entire stream of unfortunate events. What they had done. What they had all done. But right when the Baudelaires had seen that the high judges were in fact foes and not allies, everything was coming apart. Unraveling.

                The sky had turned blood red. It’s shade leaked through the windows of the hotel. It had dimmed the massive hall, and as it did this, Esme and Olaf suddenly looked at it with the most twisted grins anyone could have ever imagined.

                “And so it begins.” Olaf had said. Suddenly, the two disappeared.

                Lady Blackrose had succeeded. The first part of her despicable plan had begun.

                The Heaven’s Mandate had succeeded. …Well… “succeeded” in terms of swinging the celestial door the wrong way.

                Justice Strauss was panicking, attempting to calm the “court” as best as she could, but all hell had already broken loose. Quite literally.

                A massive, dark, spiked pillar crashed through the ceiling and landed nearby the podium, causing Strauss to jump aside all too close for comfort. She screamed, Violet grabbed his hand, snatched up Sunny, and they began to run for the exit.

                The world was falling down all around them. Literally. Violet dragged him along through the rushing crowd. Everyone was trying to escape. Certain areas had already erupted in flames.

                Then… the demons came.

                Their twisted forms sprouted from the ground around the pillar. They latched on to whoever was nearby, and…

                Klaus turned away, looking only at his sisters before him. He felt hot tears stain his face. How could this happen? Why was this happening? What would become of what was left? The Quagmires… where were they? Is Justice Strauss going to be safe? The others? Carmelita…

                No, Carmelita was too far gone. The last time he had seen her, she was following Esme’s every word, making stupid remarks, like she always did, but this time they dripped with venom. She was corrupted. It was too late.

                Violet had managed to push their way through the crowd and to the outside of the hotel.

                Zaiwei was blood red. Demons everywhere. The same kind of dark pillar that had plummeted through the hotel was seen everywhere. Demons of all sizes were lumbering around, the faster ones slaughtering civilians and lesser-trained guards. Violet’s hand was squeezing his so tightly that he couldn’t feel it. Sunny was screaming – crying. He looked at Violet, and for the first time in a long while, he saw his sister in pieces. Lost.

                Her face was soaked with tears, she looked up at the sky and let out a gasp, sputtered, and shook her head, clenching her teeth. Klaus took a chance and tore his eyes away from his sister to look at the sky-

 

                The moon had been covered – swallowed it seemed like – in a pitch dark blackness. The portal to the Dark Realm had been split open.

                “Grand Creator, Divines, no… NO!” Violet had choked out, “I thought,we- the- no NO NO-“ Klaus looked from the gaping hole in the sky, to his sisters, to the wasted expanse around him.

                This was not a tragedy. This was not an accident.

                This was something done purposefully. This was done to completely wipe out an entire world. The apocalypse was here.

                And there was nothing he or those he knew in that hotel could do about it.

                “We-we have to keep- VIOLET, we have to keep MOVING!” Klaus had shouted. “Move WHERE? It’s already DONE, Klaus. It’s OVER. It’s-“ Violet shouted at him, pained, panicked, Sunny clutching onto her for dear life, letting out the kind of cries that can only be heard from the most pained of babes.

                Suddenly, a pillar struck the stone right in front of them, causing them to fall backwards. Violet clung to Sunny and Klaus’s hand as they toppled back, screaming. “FUCK!”

                A sickening scratching, cracking, popping was heard as the fiends began to crawl from the depths before them…

---

Music

               “Klaus, KLAUS!”

                The boy felt his form being shaken awake. He snapped his eyes open, seeing Violet bent over him, her hands clutched to the sides of his arms, Sunny beside her, peeking at him with a frightened face. He was cold, sweating, his face soaked from tears. Violet and Sunny’s faces were stained with streaks of tears as well. He gasped, looking wildly around, trying to calm himself. The Quagmires stood nearby, the three of them each in their own arm clutching, pain-faced expressions.

                Sunlight spilled into the room through the sheer curtains, the soft amber and gold hues soon relaxing the stunned, half awake boy. “G

                rand Creator, Klaus, don’t tell me you-“ Violet started softly,

                “Had the same wicked dream again?” Klaus finished, sitting up. Violet let go of his arms and fell to her knees. It was clear that all three of them had the same, horrifying flashback to that cursed day.

                The Day of The Eclipse.

                “I heard… I heard Sunny screaming so I came down and… and she was already awake and crying and then I saw Violet thrashing about in her sleep and,” Duncan softly came from behind Violet and sat down next to her.

                Quigley and Isadora quickly followed, Quigley standing at the head of Klaus’s bed, and Isadora sitting at the end of it.

                “Well, I managed to get Sunny under control and Isadora woke and comforted Violet. However, you were particularly quiet until Violet completely came to.” He continued.

                “It’s like… she knew.” Isadora commented, looking from Klaus to Violet.

                Violet rubbed her face with both hands,

                “We’ve been having this nightmare every so often since … since that day… even on Windrest. We eventually got to where we were used to comforting each other the mornings after it happened.”

                Klaus looked down at his hands, and then looking at each of them as he spoke,

                “But this… this time it felt so vivid. So real. It hasn’t ever been like this before. I- I don’t know wh- I don’t know-“

                “It may be because, well, we’re here, you know? Maybe?” Quigley said, absentmindedly rubbing Violet’s back.

                Duncan reached out to stroke Klaus’s head, “You’ll... you guys will get through it. Trust in that. I’m sure once we get going, things will fall into place.”

                Soft voices came from outside,

                “I heard shouting, Nene, I’m glad you came back soon after it started. I fear the events some of them witnessed have come to haunt them at full force and-“ Crystallene’s voice carried to the inside as Neomi soon appeared in the open doorway, “I hear you, Crysty, I got ya.” She turned her head from the outside to the inside, looking at them with a horribly worried look,

                “Ya’ll good?”

                Mochi squeezed between Crystallene and Neomi, making her way through the doorway and over to Sunny, who giggled delightfully at the familiar. The cat held Sunny in her soft arms, licking at the little toddler’s hair like a mother would its’ kittens. The teens looked up at the two older Lyn women as this happened.

                “Am I, are we,” He stuttered, “Good?”

                Violet tried to force a small smile, “We’re… mostly fine. Just past events rearing their ugly head, I suppose.”

                “Right, so, we’re not good, we’re suffering, thank you for asking.” Klaus looked from Violet to Neomi, whose face fell,

                “I apologize for seeming… nonchalant about it. The Eclipse wasn’t a cakewalk for anyone present,” she squeezed her eyes shut, “And I wish I could have… stopped it sooner. Before anything happened.”

                Crystallene set a small hand on her shoulder.

                Klaus suddenly fell silent.

                He had forgotten she was the one who- right.

                “I didn’t mean to… to lash out like that, Master, it’s just that-“

                Neomi waved her hand, “You’re good, you’re fine, my little dude. No worries. We’re family, now. All of us. We’ll get through it, no problemo.”

                The way she spoke caused Quigley to snort slightly.

                Violet smiled down at Klaus and then looked at Neomi. Isadora watched Mochi and Sunny snuggle together, and Duncan leaned down to hug Klaus tenderly, who placed a content hand on his arm. Violet’s eyes glittered,

                “Right. Family.”

Chapter 5: As It Goes

Summary:

After a restful evening the night before, the Baudelaires are plagued with highly vivid nightmares of the Eclipse. This seemed to only be the beginning of their new lives, for the plot ever so thickens...
Now the new Hongmoon students will be taking a pleasant little field trip, while elsewhere, something is brewing...

Notes:

Greetings, warriors! Welcome back to this pleasant little AU. No worries, nothing bad shall happen to the children for some time, though you may want to be on the look out...
The official Xia AU character index: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/post/185357232235/the-way-of-xia-au-character-index)
Way of Xia First Arc play list!: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CIBBYqpHEmbAXx9T1rmGZ?si=BW4SaRe6Sd-wCKl4IxvPow)

If you have any questions, concerns, or etc., please contact me here or via my tumblr blog: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/)

Thank you so much for your interest. The winds of Fate beckon. Follow the path of Xia, my fellow warriors!

 

                “Ooook~, funny little babies, ladies, and gents!” Neomi hopped lightly about on her feet as the newest generation of Hongmoon students stood before her.

                Duncan and Quigley were flicking each other in the arms. Violet cleaning up Sunny’s hair (Who was objecting loudly.), Klaus trying his best to focus on Neomi, but was stealing glances at the Quagmire boys and trying not to laugh. Isadora had her arms crossed in a sort of irritated huff. Bunyang and Bunah stood in front of her, who were currently trying to make her laugh with the stupidest of puns (What do you call a dead Ploggle? Croaked!!), Jinbin was laughing his head off beside them, and Ryu stood silently beside Klaus, looking from the ragtag group of other orphans, to Neomi, and back. Jinsoyun stood silently near Sunny, twiddling her thumbs in a nervous fashion.

                Neomi stopped beside Crystallene, who was currently holding an unfurled scroll before her, scanning it carefully. “I’ve never controlled kids before.” The jack rabbit Lyn knelt down slightly to whisper.

                “Clearly,” Crystallene remarked, without looking up from the scroll, “I will take care of that in a second – We should have enough on us for now without having to dig into the safe. They’re giving us a hefty discount for numerous reasons – now,” She rambled on, suddenly then rolling the scroll back up, “I’ve had to deal with younger children before back when I was in the Gilded Star,”

                Crystallene then stepped forward, Neomi watching her with a raised eyebrow, her tail twitching slightly. The short lop Lyn clapped her hands quite loudly about three times,

                “Unless you’d like to stay in those old clothes, I’d recommend you listen, before I do something I’ll regret… like throwing you off the isles.”

                If looks could kill…

                All of the children suddenly looked at her with varying degrees of shock, then straightening up, becoming attentive.

                “Fantastic, now, Master Eclipse?”

                Neomi nodded to Crystallene and stepped forward alongside her, “Alright, my little nerds, we’re goin’ on our first field trip! I want you lot to be on your best behavior. We’re going to the Rural Outfitters to get your new Hongmoon uniforms and some other clothes you might like.” She clapped her hands together and waved them in a side-to-side motion as she said this, trying her best to sound as exciting as possible.

                “Rural Outfitters? Never been there, before.” Bunyang commented, Bunah nodding her head.

                “Oh, boy, our first field trip! And we’re getting stuff, too! I can’t wait!” Jinbin grinned happily.

                Violet looked from Neomi to Crystallene, “I thought you were-“

                “Turns out she had to go to a monastery to help them with something important, she didn’t want us to worry.” Isadora interrupted her.

                Klaus nodded, “We decided to speak with Crystallene last night, apparently the Ebondrake were giving them trouble…” he trailed off as the others looked worriedly at Neomi, who set her hands on her hips,

                “And don’t you worry – Those motherf-“

                Crystallene nudged her hard in the side.

                “-Those, uh, dudes didn’t stand a chance against me, no problem. Nup!” She gave a triumphant, slightly awkward smile.

                (You almost swore in front of little children, woman.).

                “What did they… want?” Duncan piped up, some of the others looked at him and then back at Neomi.

                “Well, apparently they wanted a piece of the Twilight’s Edge. It was hidden away in the Sanctum of the Eight at the monastery.” Neomi spoke quickly, not wanting to go much into it. They had a trip to get to.

                Crystallene took notice of this, “We will fill you in on anything you need to know once we return. Time is of the essence, now, my Jyan.”

                The group of orphans gave each other each perplexed or worried looks, but chose to not speak any further, for fear of Crystallene and her… motherly look.

---

Music

                The sky was soft and cloudy over Zaiwei that same day. The sun glittered through the many clouds, allowing for a beautiful sight for those who enjoyed nature and perusing the city.

                Within the room of an inn located near the market district, Lemony Snicket sat at a typewriter, ticking quickly away at its’ worn keys, Beatrice II sleeping peacefully in the bed nearby.

                “Survivors of the anguish and plight of the Ebondrake, those who were in aid of the orphaned children of our late comrades, the Baudelaires and Quagmires are  now safe within the hands of the Earthbumper, Neomi Eclipse. They are to train alongside other orphaned children within the Hongmoon school. You are welcome to visit them at any time upon the beautiful isles the school rests on, though you must provide I, Jacquelyn, and Master Eclipse a “heads up” (A term here in which means a notification before visiting said children, for their safety.). I commend you for surviving this long, and we do owe the Baudelaires and Quagmires each a deep apology for our lack of attention and great ignorance.

                Pleasantly yours,

Lemony Snicket

                P.S., It appears the survivor of the attack of the past was not just Quigley Quagmire, but from the family of the Baudelaires. Be on the lookout for either Bertrand or Beatrice. Notify I or Jacquelyn immediately. We must let the Baudelaires know ASAP (A term here in which means to notify one as soon as one possibly can.) that one of their parents is alive and well.”

                He wrote a few letters like this, exactly the same, carefully checking and double checking to see if each one was precisely the same. He then neatly folded each of them and placed them inside of envelopes, sealed them shut with the mark, and placed them at the corner of the desk.

                Beatrice II rolled in her sleep slightly. Lemony looked over at her and smiled. His face then fell and he gave a hefty sigh, “I’m sorry, Kit. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.”

                You had your reasons.

                Lemony stopped suddenly, a shiver ran down his spine. He looked from Beatrice II, then wildly around the room. That voice? Could it have been-

                “Are you finished with those letters, yet, Snicket?”

                Lemony jumped suddenly as Jacquelyn stepped into the room quickly, sliding her assassin razor into its sheath. She looked up and noticed his face was nearly white, “What seems to be the matter? You look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

                “Perhaps heard one…” He turned back to his desk slowly, plucking up the pile of letters,

                “To the matter at hand, yes, I have completed the letters. Get these to the remaining survivors immediately.” He handed them to the woman stiffly, and she took them slowly,

                “You’re hoping the survivor of the Baudelaire family is-“ She started-

                “Whoever survived is not the matter. It matters the most to the Baudelaires. Whoever it was, they’ve been hiding. And for good reason. Surely they’re being hunted by the Ebondrake.” Lemony interrupted suddenly.

                Jacquelyn nodded off to the side with a slight raise in her eyebrow, “Right. Now, down to business, once these letters are all delivered, we need to completely be rid of V.F.D. “ She stepped gently over to Beatrice II, then sitting down on the edge of the bed, “Our ignorance cost us greatly. The children deserve so much more than what we had done. It was… wrong, to say the least.”

                Lemony sank into his chair, placing a hand over his forehead, “Yes, well,” He looked over at the small child, “They won’t be safe for long, I’m sure. It is better that they’re within a warrior clan that doesn’t focus on… only what we were.”

                “They will be fine, as long as they follow the way of Xia.” Jacquelyn said, clutching the letters, “V.F.D. were hellbent on destroying the Ebondrake and only the Ebondrake. Ignorance blinded us from seeing the entire picture.” She quickly got up as she said this, moving toward the door-

                “I’ve heard certain things. The future does not look as bright as we hope it to be, Snicket.”

                Lemony rubbed his temples slowly, his eyes closed tight, “I know of this, I understand. We just need to try and keep them safe as long as we can. Just until they’re free to make their own decisions. Until they know how to defend themselves.”

                Jacquelyn nodded slightly, and exited silently to begin her mission.

                So much was at stake.

---

                “Welcome to Rural Outfitters, warriors!”

                A tall woman in a jade green dress, dark gloves, and small spectacles greeted the new generation of Hongmoon students, Neomi, and Crystallene as they entered the entryway. Once again, the Mass Windstride Technique was used, but this time it was done correctly, thanks to Crystallene.

                “Glad I didn’t almost die this time!” Bunyang said triumphantly as he marched along with the others, Bunah cackling behind him. Neomi merely rolled her eyes.

                Neomi and Crystallene bowed to the woman, “I’m Niyong, and I will be assisting you, today. We’re so ecstatic to be in assistance to the great Hongmoon, Master Eclipse! We’ll try to get everything done by the end of the day.”

                Crystallene nodded, “Yes, thank you Niyong, the pleasure is all ours’. No need to rush, though, I wouldn’t want the uniforms to be unpleasant.”

                Niyong clapped her hands together, “No, no, of course not! We at the base of operations of the Radiant Ring would never rush, and only strive in perfection for some of the best warriors in the realms!”

                Neomi looked slightly uncomfortable, and Crystallene crossed her arms, “Yes, right, well, the day is young, let us begin, hm?”

                Niyong nodded happily as she bowed once again, and then lead them to the main building.

                Isadora and Violet were looking wildly around as all of this happened. The hub housed three large buildings, various trading stalls, and many large stone pools filled with dyed liquids, which artisans were busily dipping various clothing and other items into. Klaus noticed various charm-enchanted items floating about – fabrics, brushes, jewels and more – And couldn’t help but stare in great interest. Jinbin was trying to keep Bunyang from running over to one of the pools and jumping in, while Bunah was babbling excitedly about the various fabrics she’d noticed. Quigley, Duncan, and Ryu stood silently, occasionally looking to their fellow students and nodding or making small comments if they were spoken to, but they were mostly disinterested. Sunny clung to Violet’s hand closely, stealing looks at various food stalls around the village.

 

                Though, all of them were interested in their new uniforms and clothing they would acquire.

                “Boys and Girls will be taken into separate wings for fitting and measurements. You may shop freely once the measurements have been completed!” Niyong noted as they entered the main building.

                The groups were formed, and the two followed two more artisans to the fitting rooms.

---

                "Lift your arms, please, my lady.” One of the artisans said as she unfurled a roll of measuring tape. Violet did as such.

                So many questions flew through her head-

                Who else survived the Eclipse? Where is Lemony and Beatrice II? Justice Strauss? Are we really safe?

                These and dozens more plagued her mind, but only one managed to come out, seeing as how it was the only one to fit the current situation at hand-

                “What will our… uniforms be like?”

                Isadora was currently crossing her arms, clearly bored as the artisan attending to her measured her legs.

                “They will be made from the finest of materials in our arsenal, my lady!” The artisan with Violet said, wrapping the measure around her waist.

                Bunah clapped excitedly, “Oh, oh! I can’t wait!! I really can’t!! I haven’t had nice clothes ever!”

                This made Isadora and Violet look sadly at each other, remembering that certain orphans in the group hadn’t known such pleasant lives as they had before they lost their own parents. Jinsoyun and Sunny sat happily on a couch in the corner of the room, their measurements already taken.

                “Grandpa Dochun made sure I was comfortable, and I am very thankful for it. I hope Master does the same for you, Bunah!” Jinsoyun gleefully spoke out.

                Bunah nodded, “I know she will, Master Eclipse seems like she really cares about our wellbeing – Grandpa Cho taught us how to read chi!”

                Violet and Isadora looked from the two younger girls to each other once again. “Right… though I am still unsure…” Violet spoke up-

                “We met her before, Bunyang and I, tons of times, even! Grandpa Cho taught her all he knows in windwalking! She’s a good person. She’s just dealt with a lot.” Bunah noted, hopping down from the stool she stood on as the artisan thanked her for her cooperation.

                “…Dealt with a lot?” Isadora asked, looking to Bunah with a raised eyebrow.

                Bunah nodded, “She lost a lot of people, and she’s seen a lot of bad stuff. She even suffered with the Mark of the Black Rose.”

                Isadora then looked to Violet with a worried looked in her eye, Violet doing the same.

                The Mark of the Black Rose?

                “I didn’t know that she… suffered with more than just… losing her Hongmoon family.” Violet spoke respectfully.

                Bunah stretched her arms out, “Yep, she’s had to bear a big~ burden. It’s ok, now, though! We can help her out!” Jinsoyun smiled happily from her seat, nodding.

                “Thank you for your cooperation, my ladies. You may go, now. We will notify you once your uniforms have been completed by the end of the day!” An artisan near the doorway of the large fitting room said, as the last two tending to Isadora and Violet finished up their work. Each of the girls thanked them and bowed, exiting the room.

                “I just… hope these uniforms are better than the ones at Zaiwei Prep.” Isadora remarked, walking along the corridor beside Violet.

                Bunyang, Sunny and Jinsoyun ran along front of them, babbling loudly. Violet nodded toward her,

                “Definitely. They looked nice, but were quite stiff and uncomfortable. I think Lady Blackrose stole funding from the school for the Heaven’s Mandate…” she trailed off, suddenly remembering the Eclipse.

                She shuddered.

                “Are you alright?” Isadora asked, suddenly clutching Violet’s hand as they walked. Violet looked at her, a slight blush dusting her cheeks, “I’ll be ok, I’m sure. We’ll all be ok.”

                The two teenagers smiled at each other as they walked into the main hall.

---

 

                Bunyang lay on the floor of the shop,

                “Auuughh, this is so boring~!” He said as he threw up his arms and legs into the air, and then flopped them down again with a soft thoomp.

                “Quit complaining or I’ll throttle you, squirt.” Neomi said playfully, leaning on a wall on the far end of the room with her arms crossed.

                Crystallene was helping Jinsoyun and Sunny, while Violet and Isadora playfully tried on various hats and jewelry. Klaus was currently having a hard time choosing between two different wraps (They were nearly identical in color, Duncan was trying to explain to him this.), and Bunah and Jinbin were trying to help Ryu smile all-the-while picking their newest duds as well. He still stood stoned-faced and silent as he quickly chose his items.

                “Now remember, Jadestone Village holds a big~ summer festival each year, so I’d like you guys to choose some nice outfits to fit, yeah?” Neomi called from the far wall.

                Crystallene nodded, “Yes, yes. Though it might be the start of spring, now, it’s not too bad of an idea to plan ahead, children.”

                “The Viridian Coast is primarily a warmer area, right?” Ryu suddenly spoke up, causing a few of the students and even Neomi to look in his direction.

                They had rarely heard his voice, and did not speak unless spoken to. Crystallene didn’t miss a beat, “Yes, so you may want to lean toward cooler clothing. Though… you may want at least one warmer outfit if we ever journey to, say, Silverfrost.”

                The Baudelaires felt a sharp twinge of fear run through them at the mention of the region’s name.

                Crystallene immediately felt this, pursing her lips, “Apologies.”

                Bunyang and Bunah merely shrugged at each other.

                Eventually, each of the children had chosen their new clothing, and Niyong returned to them, informing them that their uniforms were finished. The younger students gleefully spoke out with joy, while the teenagers’ faces brightened.

                The Hongmoon uniforms were far from what the Baudelaires and Quagmires had imagined.

                The pristine white cloth draped comfortably over them, the Hongmoon symbol stitched to the back. The black accents were simple and splendid, and the rope belt draped carefully around the white cloth. The shoes fit well on their feet. The children each felt happy with their new official garbs.

                “It’s like I’m wearing a silken cloud…” Isadora remarked, walking out of the dressing room, looking at herself in the mirror.

                Violet and Klaus laughed with Sunny as she clapped with Jinsoyun and Bunah. Bunyang and Jinbin were yanking at each other’s belts, much to Crystallene’s dismay. Ryu looked at himself in the mirror, and you could say a small smile caught his lips.

                “Man, do I look good or do I. Look. Good? “ Quigley announced jokingly, exiting his dressing room and spreading his arms out wide. Those who paid attention laughed, while Duncan went over and slapped him on the arm.

                As the group exited the building, Neomi and Crystallene bowed and thanked Niyong and the other artisans, bidding them farewell. The sun was setting low in the sky, casting beautiful pink and orange hues once more, the clouds that dotted the skies earlier in the day had since dispersed.

                “Alright, let’s get back home, yeah? We’ve a lot of work to do, my little dudes and dudettes. But don’t you worry, I’ll try and make it as painless as I possibly can, yeah?” Neomi spoke happily, as she and Crystallene began the motions for the Mass Windstriding Technique once more.

                The two groups of three orphans smiled at each other. Maybe they could make Heaven’s Reach their home.

Chapter 6: Upon Dawn

Summary:

The students of the Hongmoon have received their wonderful new garments! However, it seems as though something unbeknownst to them is unfolding...
The past haunts the Baudelaires in their dreams, and much to their dismay, it's far too vivid for comfort.
Whatever could this mean?

Notes:

Hello, there, warriors! Thank you for returning to the Earthenrealm. There is still so much to see, and the plot thickens ever so lightly...
The official Xia AU character index: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/post/185357232235/the-way-of-xia-au-character-index)
Way of Xia First Arc play list!: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CIBBYqpHEmbAXx9T1rmGZ?si=BW4SaRe6Sd-wCKl4IxvPow)

If you have any questions, concerns, or etc., please contact me here or via my tumblr blog: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/)

Thank you so much for your interest. The winds of Fate beckon. Follow the path of Xia, my fellow warriors!

Music

                The day was dark, for the sun was shrouded in clouds as black as pitch. The massive tower they rested over sat far off from the coast of the Moonwater Plains, far from the prying eyes of good-hearted warriors.

                The storm brewing over the tower was not just figurative, but literal as well, for the man within the highest reaches of this tower had already began spinning a demonic plot. That was literal, as well.

                Within the highest reaches, the highest floor, was a dimly lit room filled with fanciful decorative silks and elaborately decorated pillars, all in black and gold, some flags bearing the sigil of a specific group –

                The Ebondrake.

 

                A woman with a broad hat, shrouded by silk, with her body also covered in silk (They must like silk. A lot.), dark hair, and skin so pale you would think that she was a ghost – in a way, she is – sauntered into the room. Two hooded guards bowed as she entered.

                “Yura. You are here.” The man’s voice was deep and grating.

                Yura bowed deeply before his seat, a gilded throne in shadow, and held out a scroll, “Yes, Master, I am indeed,” She cooed, “I have brought to you a letter from her ever-so-great majesty, the Empress Dowager.”

                The man reached out and took the scroll slowly, his hands large, scarred, and mighty. They disappeared within the shadows, again. The sound of unfurling parchment was heard as he flung the tie that held the scroll together to the floor before Yura’s feet. “What does it say, my Lord?” she questioned, nearly purring. The man chuckled,

                “It appears as though we have an alliance.”

                Yura clapped her hands together, her long, claw like nails tapping against one-another.

                This all seems far too stereotypically evil.

                The man then threw the scroll down as well, “Tell the Dark Vicar that we shall move on with our plans. All we need to do, now, is… bide our time.” Yura nodded while plucking up the scroll and tie,

                “Of course. I will have the messengers send word right away. The key shall be as good as ours, soon, Master.”

                The man’s silver eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, “As long as all goes to plan, we shall have this pathetic world bend to us.” He shifted his position,

                “On that note, how are our other pawns?”

                Yura smiled,

                “The officers we assigned to them have been attending to them since they were plucked up from the Eclipse’s aftermath, Master,” She stated happily, “The child, however, will take some doing, but she has already pledged her allegiance to my Lord. They are both filled with so much venom.”

                The man’s eyes glittered something awful, “Excellent... excellent. Such a shame the third was wasted. One step at a time. Everything shall fall into place.”

---

               Violet lay in bed that night, staring up at the moon through the sheer curtains. Sunny had already fallen asleep, and Klaus was attempting to read himself to sleep, as per usual. Something about “Basic Incantations: Beginner’s Paper Charms” or whatever. He wouldn’t stop talking about the charmed objects he’d seen at Rural Outfitters until they finally became quiet for the night.

                She eyed her Hongmoon uniform hanging over the chest at the end of her bed and quietly sighed, turning over. She tried to lull herself to sleep with nonsensical thoughts until she eventually slipped off.

---

Music

                “Jyan! Welcome to my humble abode.” Dr. Montgomery Montgomery said, leading them into the front door of his large cottage. It rested within the heart of the Everdusk, and the Baudelaires had heard that he was quite the connoisseur of Earthenrealm reptiles from across the continents.

                Violet held Sunny close to her chest, Klaus following beside. “Now, I have an extra piece of coconut crème cake… who could I give it to?” He asked, looking from the children to Mr. Poe, “Oh, well I suppose I’ll have it for myself!” he joked, “Ah, I’m just kidding, Mr. Poe, would you like-“ “

                I really must be getting back to the bank in Zaiwei, now. It has been busy, so much work to do,” The man cut Montgomery off.

                “Oh, of course, of course.” He said, walking him to the door. Mr. Poe then turned back to the children,

                “Remember, Baudelaires, if you need ANYTHING, please just come by-“

                “Yes, well, they won’t be needing YOUR help any more, I’m SURE. They’re in my capable hands, after all!” The Dr. said, then closing the door on him.

                Violet and Klaus then looked at each other –

                “Dr. Montgomery, our fortune can’t be handled until-“ Klaus started.

                “-Until Violet comes of age, yes, of course. I need not worry about that, for I get enough money from the Herpetological Society! Now, come with me, my Jyan. I’ll show you around, yes? And please, just call me Uncle Monty.”

                Violet looked at Klaus as they followed Uncle Monty through his foyer, “What… what does ‘Jyan’ mean?” She asked, as they walked up to a complicated looking door.

                “It’s a name for young warriors – ah, I’m sorry, I suppose it’s a slip of the tongue,” He cut himself off, then facing the door, “Now-“

                They had wondered why had had called them that.

                It became evident when they explored his home a little more during the day, before Olaf – “Stephano” – came. They saw various items that would have belonged to a gunslinger hung up on the walls and around the house; Two shotguns in showcases, a few pistols hung on the walls, and old, worn grappling hook strung across the ceiling, and even some photos of Uncle Monty himself, one showing him posing, taking aim with a shotgun.

                There was a photo of a large, clay jar. He had told the children that it was a picture of he and their parents. “There’s… nobody in that picture.”

                “Yes, well, we’re in the jar! We had much fun during those days…”

                Later, this was proven true when Olaf had told them that, yes, they were in the jar, and he had taken the photo.

                It was a wonderful place. Uncle Monty was a wonderful person. But, unfortunately, he had been caught off guard by Olaf. Poisoned, killed. Murdered.

                The last thing she had seen of their favorite guardian at the time was his cold, dead face. Her tears felt hot, stinging her face. They burned, almost like fire, it felt like. It was painful. Awful. Horrible. There wasn’t a precise word to explain the amount of grief she had felt during that day.

                And she was the one who had to prove that “Stephano” had done it all, and that he was the vile man who tried to marry her and then slaughter her siblings in a demon attack at the theatre just outside the Jadestone Village. That theatre no longer stood where it once did.

                She got into the back of Mr. Poe’s carriage with Klaus, Sunny sitting in her lap, all of them quiet. What they had seen raised so many questions, questions that she had hoped Uncle Monty would answer, but that never came to pass. Warriors? She hadn’t remembered her parents ever being warriors, or mentioning it.

                This would haunt she and her siblings for a long time to come.

---

Music

                “Sensei Celestise?” Klaus asked, his voice muffled tiredly into his pillow. Violet sat up, her eyes still closed, “…Yep.”

                They each got up and dressed in their new uniforms, Violet ending up having to help Sunny, who tried to attempt it on her own (The belt gave her trouble.).

                Breakfast was made by Crystallene, and it was delightfully pleasant.

                However, Violet couldn’t stop thinking about the memories coming back to her within her dreams, and how vivid they had become. Klaus looked a tad uncomfortable as well, poking at his pork buns. Sunny had devoured everything on her plate, though. Her appetite couldn’t be squelched.

                Crystallene noticed the two teen’s silence while all of the other orphans were chattering loudly,

                “Now then, children.” She called attention with a few claps, “We will begin our lessons for this morning. Proceed to the building on the highest isle to the west. Afterward, we will go to the springs beside the Master’s Quarters to begin your meditation.”

                A few excited exclamations were heard as everyone began to move themselves to the outside of the dining hut.

                Violet looked to Klaus, who was still absentmindedly poking at the now prod-to-death pork bun, and nudged him, “We have to go. Eat or you’ll go hungry. They’re good, I promise.” She gave him a small smile. Klaus looked from her to the bun,

                “I know. I’m just. Worried. That’s all.”

                “Worried?” She asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

                “Yeah.” Klaus said, then forcing himself to stuff the remains of the bun into his mouth, “These dreams – really nightmares – are making me…” he swallowed, “Uncomfortable? To say the least. Can’t find a good word for something like this.” That was rare.

                Violet nodded off to the side, noticing Crystallene standing outside the doorway. Neomi had already returned to her quarters, and Demetria was out by the springs, sweeping away petals and leaves from the rocks. “I understand. I dreamt… about Uncle Monty last night. I miss him, dearly. If only we could have stopped it from happening – “ Klaus cut her off,

                “Yes, but, I remember what Aunt Josephine said at one time… everything… happens for a reason…” He felt a pang of both anger and sadness. Violet squeezed her eyes shut, “It doesn’t always have to be that way.”

                “It’s kind of like… Master Eclipse’s name.” He noted, staring at his plate.

                “…What do you mean?” Violet asked, her head tilted to the side in question.

                He huffed and rolled his eyes, “Eclipse? The Eclipse? Her name? Isn’t it odd? Ironic, even?”

                Violet suddenly felt her stomach drop.

                It was… oddly ironic.

                The event that had caused the greatest pain in their lives, and almost ended the world, was also the last name of the hero who kept it from ending, and took them in.

                “…Such is fate.” She uttered suddenly, causing Klaus to look at her with a raised eyebrow, “I’m getting tired of all this ‘fate’ shit, quite honestly. People have died, Vi. Have you not noticed that?” Violet suddenly looked at him with a severely exasperated look on her face, “Yes, I am aware.” She almost spat, trying to keep venom from dripping into her words. Klaus stood up, “I’m afraid of so many things, right now, Violet. Everyone seems so comfortable, but they forget we’re so vulnerable right now.”

                Violet looked up at him, “Things?” She had an idea, but…

                “What if someone finds us? Lays waste to Heaven’s Reach? Slaughters the sensei and somehow gets the best of Master? And because of how vivid our dreams have been, now, for some reason, that when we meditate, what then? Will it… What about Lemony and Beatrice II? And Justice Strauss? And Fiona? And-“ Violet cut him off, standing up and pulling him into a hug.

                “Those are things we can’t control. We need to… be brave. We need to figure out how to move on. We can’t keep… dwelling on it all.”

                Klaus felt angry tears run down his face, but he slowly held onto his elder sister.

                Crystallene then began to walk away, sighing quietly.

---

               “Welcome to your first day in the Hongmoon, Jyan. In this classroom, you will learn the necessary knowledge needed to become warriors, as well as history, mathematics, language, and other various subjects, depending on your level of knowledge. I will be handing out a starter test to each of you to see where your level lies, so we don’t end up teaching you things you already know…” Crystallene rambled on flawlessly.

                Each of the students sat upon a soft cushion at a low desk. Duncan was doodling on a scrap piece of paper, while Quigley was attempting to stick a quill into Duncan’s hair without he or Crystallene noticing. Violet, Isadora, Jinsoyun, Ryu, and Bunah sat attentively. Klaus sat with his head in his palm, trying his best to keep a somewhat positive attitude. Jinbin and Bunah were eyeing Quigley and softly snickering. Sunny lightly drummed her hands on the tabletop.

                Klaus suddenly raised his hand after she had paused,

                “Do we get time to prepare?”

                Crystallene nodded towards him, quickly throwing a piece of chalk at Quigley, which hit him square on the forehead,

                “Yes, of course. We have freedom to visit the small library in Jadestone, or the royal library in Zaiwei, which may be more helpful.”

                Jinbin and Bunah laughed loudly as Quigley scrambled, placing a hand over his forehead and facing forward. Duncan smirked as he continued to doodle.

                “Pay attention, now.” She said, eyeing them. The laughter died down quickly, Quigley’s face beet red. Klaus shivered at the thought of Zaiwei again,

                “How… helpful would the Jadestone village library be?”

                “As I said before, it is small, so some subjects may be missing. The royal library has books from everything from advanced studies on soulstones to Earthenrealm history.” Crystallene noted.

                Klaus raised an eyebrow, his sister glancing at him, smiling slightly. If there was any way to get him into a better mood, it was books. Thousands of them. “I… suppose that would be the best option.” He said, interested.

                “Splendid.” Crystallene chirped, “Those who desire to study in advance for your placement test, please let me know, and the day after tomorrow, we shall take a little trip to the royal library, yes?” A couple of “Yes Sensei” were heard, a few nods, a grumble or two.

                “Excellent, now, all supplies will be provided, as well as schedules…”

---

               The lyn twins ran out of the small building, Jinbin and Jinsoyun tagging behind quickly.

                “Don’t sway the bridge, you guys!” Violet called after them.

                She didn’t know she’d be gaining four younger siblings, or she would have better mentally prepared herself for such an endeavor.

                “They’re kinda chaotic, huh?” Quigley quipped as he and his siblings exited. He stopped beside Violet as the other two carefully tried to cross the bridge.

                Violet crossed her arms, her brother walking past them with Sunny’s hand in his, “Jinsoyun isn’t bad. Bunah is ok. However…” Violet started.

                “Jinbin and Bunyang are definitely up there.” Klaus called back.

                “As chaotic as Quigley.” Sunny noted.

                Violet giggled, “Chaotic Quigley, is it?”

                Quigley looked at her with a smug look on his face,

                “You have no idea.”

                He then raced off, causing Violet to let out an exasperated noise, “Don’t-! Oh, forget it.”

                Jinsoyun still felt like a very familiar name, though. Where had she heard it before?

                She shook off the notion and followed her siblings over the bridge.

Chapter 7: Rising

Summary:

Life is pleasantly wonderful for our little Jyan. However, they will soon learn that it won't be as easy as they think it will be...
The shadows are growing, but just as foes are appearing, heroes are rising with the moon.

Notes:

The official Xia AU character index: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/post/185357232235/the-way-of-xia-au-character-index)
Way of Xia First Arc play list!: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CIBBYqpHEmbAXx9T1rmGZ?si=BW4SaRe6Sd-wCKl4IxvPow)

If you have any questions, concerns, or etc., please contact me here or via my tumblr blog: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/)

Thank you so much for your interest. The winds of Fate beckon. Follow the path of Xia, my fellow warriors!

Music

                The twin waterfall spring that lay beside the Master’s Quarters boasted crystal clear water and delicate lilies. The sun above hung just past mid-day, clouds dotting the skies like a wondrous painting.

                Demetria sat on top of a rock formation nearby the waterfalls, while the other students sat on their own rock formations or near the bank of the shallow spring, cross legged.

                “Now, my little Jyan, today is the day you begin walking the path of Xia. Does anyone know what Xia is?” the sensei asked delicately.

                Klaus’s hand shot up, and she nodded to him.

                Quigley snorted and Isadora playfully rolled her eyes,

                “Xia is the righteous path of the warrior, to act out of justice and not revenge. It can, however, be a hard path to follow… morally.” He rattled on, recalling what he had learned along he and his sister’s endeavors many moons ago, and what he’d read in the books he had borrowed recently.

                “Smartass.” Quigley joked. A few giggles were heard as Klaus turned back to him, “Shut up, nerd.”

                “Now, now. No need to disturb the harmony, boys.” Demetria said peacefully, “You are indeed correct, my dear Jyan. The path of Xia can be a complicated one. Some beings just aren’t redeemable, so we must put them out of their misery for the sake of the innocent. You will have to look past your own ideals to keep others safe. Master Eclipse herself has dealt with this many a time. You shall deal with this yourselves, I am sure. Some day.”

                Violet felt a twinge of discomfort arise in her stomach. She didn't exactly agree with the idea of... killing someone, even if they did deserve it.

                “The path of Xia is not an easy one. Though, it is necessary to protect the innocent and keep the evil of the Dark Lord at bay. When you become full-fledged warriors, you will endure great hardships and come across many a challenge. But remember, you will hold the power of the Hongmoon. Do not ever forget that, my Jyan.” Demetria continued.

                Some of the students looked at each other in surprise. Klaus looked at Violet with raised eyebrows and she shrugged at him in response. They hadn't expected a woman like Demetria to roll out something like that. She had seemed so... flighty up until now.

                Perhaps she wasn't that way all the time.

                She then clapped her hands together, “Well, then, now we shall begin your first session of meditation. This shall aid you in truly awakening your chi, so that you may wield a weapon, windwalk, etc. etc… Now, become silent. Listen to the world around you. The wind, the birds, the waters. Focus. Close your eyes. Rest your minds.”

                Violet slowly closed her eyes and tried to remember what her mother had taught her about meditation. Soon, she drifted off.

                She felt a sudden pang of discomfort as she faded off, but she fought it.

                “Good day, Baudelaires!”

                “Yes, it is a nice day, isn’t it?”

                “I’m sorry to say, but… your village has been under a massive demon attack. Your parents have perished.”

                She felt something twist. It was a dull pain, and she forced herself to ignore it.

                “Hello, hello, hello! Welcome, children, to my humble abode…”

                She suddenly felt sick as a familiar, wicked voice slipped into her space.

                “I hope you come to realize that… you haven’t the slightest idea what I am capable of.”

                “I have acquired the Baudelaire fortune, and now, I shall end this performance… with an encore from some… close friends.”

                 She felt something burn in her throat.

 

                Klaus was deep within his own mediation as well, his knuckles white, clutching at his knees.

                “Captain Sham has offered to show me around the cliffs of the Sentinel Coast! Isn’t that kind of him, children?”

                He suddenly felt clammy.

                “The beasts are going to return, soon, Aunt Josephine, we need to leave!”

                He suddenly heard faint screams within the depths of his mind, and he clenched his jaw.

                He knew this would happen.

                “These children will need to work to earn their keep around here! Besides, Lady Blackrose needs a hefty amount of soulstone, and has promised to pay me generously for it!”

                He remembered the sight of a shadowed woman’s body deep in a pit, sharp rock jutting through her-

                He squeezed his eyes tighter.

 

                 Duncan and Isadora suddenly grabbed each other’s hands as they felt something hot creep up the back of their necks.

                “We’re triplets. Not twins. Quigley perished in the demon attack on our village.”

                “SHUT THEM UP”

                “Enjoy your confines? Shame I have to waste food on you. Could just leave one of you alive.”

                “G-goodbye, Baudelaires…”

                The two of them squirmed slightly, squeezing each other’s hands tighter.

 

                Quigley felt hot tears slide down his cheeks. The empty loneliness was back. It wasn’t the truth. He was with his friends and siblings, again. These were just memories. All that he thought wasn’t true. They’re ok. They’re right here! It’s fine. Nothing can happen.

                “T-the headquarters…”

                His hands curled into fists, and he clenched his jaw ever tighter.

 

                Sunny felt a thick confusion fall over her. She couldn’t remember a lot of things. Just bits and pieces? Did that actually happen? Was that real? Or did that happen? Was that a dream? What was that? Where was she?

 

                Suddenly, Jinsoyun cried out and clutched her head. Demetria’s eyes snapped open as she quickly rushed over to her, kicking up water, and held onto her, swearing under her breath and something about “She said this would happen-“.

                The Baudelaires and Quagmires were snapped out of their own meditations. They felt exhausted. Something had slipped off but held on all at once. A cross between confusion and relief. Duncan immediately used his sleeve to wipe away Quigley’s tears upon noticing them, and Isadora consoled him, “I’m here, we’re here, it’s fine.” Violet immediately grabbed her brother into a hug, who merely sat there, his head faintly pounding. Sunny grabbed onto Klaus’s arm and clung there, not sure what to think.

                The other students scrambled to the others in various fashions, worried for their Hongmoon brothers and sisters.

                Off by the entrance to the Master’s Quarters, Neomi stood with her arms crossed and Crystallene beside her with her hands behind her back. “A day of painful progress, the first of many.” Neomi noted. Crystallene merely nodded. “They’re smart kids, those Bauds ‘n’ Quags. They’ll be fine. I hope.” She spoke again, moving her hands to her hips.

                “Though, I’m worried about little Soyun.”

---

                “FUCK me, what the hell was that?” Quigley spat, walking up the bridge to their cottage. Violet followed behind him, “Our past, haunting us.” She simply said.

                Klaus snorted, “Yeah, fun, cool, but it’s hell on wheels and I knew something like that was going to happen.”

                “I feel weird.” Sunny called after them, her hand in Isadora’s, who was silently following the others.

                Duncan’s arms were crossed, clutching at his arms, “Yeah. But it’s probably… all part of the… process…”

                “Well, the process is fucking hell.” Klaus spat.

                They had crossed over the bridge and stopped before the building, gathering as a group before it. Violet went to place a hand on Klaus’s shoulder,

                “It’s a healing process…” She began, but Klaus stopped her short, grabbing her wrist,

                “And I told you it’d bubble up like this, didn’t I? It’s unbearable – the pain.”

                Violet looked at him with hurt eyes.

                He slowly released his grip from his elder sister’s wrist.

                “Sorry.”

                “It’s fine. You’re fine. We’ll get through this.”

                “Nobody said it would be easy.” Quigley spoke up.

                “Not easy at all.” Sunny chirped, looking up at Isadora, who looked absent for a few seconds before saying to nobody in particular, “I forgot how awful that was.”

                “Almost starving to death and then ending up hiding on an old Blackram ship for a year, floating in the sky, constantly looking over your shoulder…” Duncan said.

                Violet looked to each of her friends and siblings, realizing the weight of their situation.

                They were safe on these floating isles, but they weren’t safe from their past.

---

                 The faded sun settled upon the horizon, the sky casting a flurry of faint purples, pinks, and oranges over the trees of a small Earthseer settlement within the Everdusk.

                Jacquelyn slipped down from a cliff nearby and silently approached a small hut, where various Earthseer women were gathered inside. She crouched carefully under the window as she heard some chatter. One of the voices sounded faintly familiar-

                -And just who she was looking for.

                A small Lyn man entered the hut, "Dinner bell, sisters. Don't be late!" he cheerfully said.

                "I'll be there in a few minutes, don't wait for me." The familiar voice spoke out as the other women slowed their chatter and filed out. "Do not take too long, Sister. You know how quickly those sweet rolls go!" Another voice said. The two laughed, and soon, the hut was silent.

                Jacquelyn took this as a chance to slip a letter from her small pack and peek into the window from the corner. The woman's back was turned, and she quickly slipped the letter into the window and onto the table below it.

                "I'm surprised you survived, Olivia." She said loudly, before slipping off into the dusk.

                Olivia whirled around, racing to the window, "J-Jacquelyn?"

                "I'll see you soon, sweetheart." Jacquelyn called back.

                OIivia looked out the window frantically, placing her hands onto the desk, only for one of them to settle on top of the letter. She looked down, and noticed the very familiar insignia.

                She tore it open quickly, reading its contents, over and over again, tears welling in her eyes.

                They were safe. All of them.

                But this also meant that trouble must be brewing.

                V.F.D. may no longer live, but that didn't mean the past was entirely forgone.

                She clutched the letter to her chest. It was time to take a visit to Zaiwei.

                The sun began to set upon the Everdusk, bringing the night before a new dawn.

---

 Music <--

                Each of the Baudelaires and Quagmires lay in their beds that night, plagued by the memories of their past. They had to move on, each of them thought, but it had proved to be more complicated than some of them had originally planned…

 

Breath, should I take a deep?

Faith, should I take the leap?

Taste, what a bittersweet...

All my, all my life.

 

                Jacquelyn stood on top of the wall facing the Bamboo Coast of the Bamboo Village, looking up, up, up, past the clouds, where she knew Heaven's Reach rested loftily within the sky. She knew it was only a matter of time before something was to happen.

                As the sun soon slipped into darkness, and the light faded, she silently slid from the wall and into the bamboo thickets.

                There were still letters to deliver.

 

 

Let me face, let me face, let me face my fears...

 

                Lemony sat on the edge of his bed, cradling Beatrice II in his arms, rocking her carefully. She cooed and placed a small hand on his chest. He smiled down at her. He kept hoping a certain Baudelaire parent was alive. Resourceful. Brave. Intelligent. And now, hidden… somewhere out there. Hopefully Jacquelyn was just as resourceful, and could track them down.

 

Oh, let me face, let me face, let me face my fears…

 

                Within the Sweetblossom Pavilion, a woman with tightly curled brown hair bowed to the head justice as he unfurled a scroll. They spoke for a moment as he then handed her a letter. She took it quickly upon noticing its familiarity. She fumbled it open and clasped a hand over her mouth. She bowed quickly, but deeply, and rushed out.

 

 

Won't be long, won't be long, I'm almost here...

 

                Hector sat in the quarters of his ship when a sudden knock came from the door, causing him to jump up. He slowly, but cautiously, went to the door, unlatching multiple locks before peering outside.

                A tall nine-tailed fox Lyn woman with odd triangular spectacles stood, handing him an already opened letter. A large Gon man stood beside her, smiling awkwardly and waving a mechanical hand.

                Hector greeted them and complimented the Gon man on his new mechanical hands. He took the letter from the woman and nervously looked it over, then smiling wildly, tears spilling from his eyes. They had made it there safely, and there were others who were ok! He hugged the Lyn and Gon tightly as the Lyn woman laughed.

 

Watch me cry all my tears.

 

                Within a comfortable mansion in Zaiwei (Parts of it were walled off, under reconstruction.), a man with a peculiar mustache sat at his desk, carefully looking over a letter. His husband slipped into the room carrying a tea tray, setting it upon the desk, asking what he was reading.

                They exchanged some excited words, and then hugged each other tightly.

 

Lose, soon have nothing to,

Space, this is what I choose...

 

                Violet lay in her bed, looking over at Klaus, then Sunny, then to the outside window yet again, staring at the now risen moon. She had done this often, as if to try and seek comfort in its' radiant glow. Something that had been swallowed in darkness not long ago, only to be freed by the woman who had nearly sacrificed herself to save many a life – taken them in.

                She then looked to the ceiling above her, the wooden panels carefully placed, a few decorative paper cranes hung from it. She wondered who made them, and how long they'd been there.

 

A mile, could you walk in my shoes?

All your, all your life.

 

                Isadora sat upright in her bed, scribbling away in a journal. Quigley noted at how late it was, hinting she'd have to sleep soon. Isadora threw him a look, Duncan then noting to Quigley how she wouldn't be able to sleep until whatever thoughts she had in her head were out and onto paper. Quigley shrugged, flopping onto his bed and blowing out the lantern beside it.

                Duncan put up his own journals and eventually blew out his lantern, leaving Isadora the only one actively awake.

                She then glanced up at the moon, trying to find some sort of comfort.

 

Let me face, let me face, let me face my fears...

Oh, let me face, let me face, let me face my fears...

Won't be long, won't be long, I'm almost here...

Watch me cry... all my tears...

 

                Neomi Eclipse stood before the small table within her quarters. A small photo containing people from her past placed upon it, surrounded by a few spring rolls, candles, and a scroll she had written herself.

                She then bowed deeply, slipping to the floor, her forehead touching the rug under her. She placed her hands before her head, which soon curled into fists.

                Crystallene stood outside the Master's Quarters as she heard her close friend sob quietly, her back to the door. She sighed deeply.

 

Watch me cry all my tears

 

                A girl sat within a shadowy room, dark circles hung under her eyes. Her head bowed before two towering figures in black and gold garb. One of them made a snide comment, gently placing a hand upon her head. She blinked slightly, trying to keep tears from falling. The hand then grabbed her light red hair and yanked her head back. The girl clenched her jaw, and the tears began to slip from her eyes. The other figure gave a disappointed look and turned, walking away. The one holding her yanked back and threw her backwards to the ground.

                She slid back, curling into a fetal position, sobbing softly. The figure spat out something disappointed, and then followed the other figure.

 

Let me face, let me face, let me face my fears...

Oh, let me face, let me face, let me face my fears...

Won’t be long, won’t be long, I'm almost here,

 

Watch me cry

all

my

tears...

Chapter 8: Progress

Summary:

The days have come and passed, the world is ever changing, a new age coming fast.
I hope you like exposition.

Notes:

Hello once again, fellow warriors! The plot is slowly building up within our pleasant little realm, no need to worry! Just as light conquers dark, heroes shall rise. And perhaps fall. I mean - who knows!

The official Xia AU character index: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/post/185357232235/the-way-of-xia-au-character-index)
Way of Xia First Arc play list!: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CIBBYqpHEmbAXx9T1rmGZ?si=BW4SaRe6Sd-wCKl4IxvPow)

If you have any questions, concerns, or etc., please contact me here or via my tumblr blog: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/)

Thank you so much for your interest. The winds of Fate beckon. Follow the path of Xia, my fellow warriors!

Music

                It had been a couple of months since their first day.

                Klaus was astounded and excited with the royal library in Zaiwei, shelves upon shelves of books, towering above them. The empress herself came to greet them, being a personal friend to Neomi. Apparently Master Eclipse had aided her in bringing down the false emperor in a hard-fought uprising.

                Their testing went well, and Crystallene was pleasantly surprised, especially with the Baudelaires, Quagmires, Ryu, and Jinsoyun. They had shown exemplary scores, impressing the usually hard-to-impress summoner Lyn. “It won’t be hard at all to teach some of these children, they’re incredibly adept with their studies.” Crystallene had noted to Neomi while she was grading their tests one warm evening.

                Though the Baudelaires’ and Quagmires’ scholarly advances were nearly void of imperfections, their meditation sessions contained much pain.

                Klaus didn’t quite enjoy remembering seeing Aunt Josephine being devoured by the beasts that roamed the Sentinel Coast. Or he and his sisters being forced to mine for soulstone in Smokey’s Soulstone mines in the hot desert of the Cinderlands (Not forgetting the fact that he was hypnotized by Orwell.).

                The only content moment they enjoyed remembering was meeting the Quagmires at Zaiwei Prepitory School, but that was cut short when remembering the torture they endured via having to study late into the night with odd brambles squeezing and scratching at their feet and calves. Klaus didn’t particularly like looking at those scars to this day.

                Or their first brush with the Ebondrake while living in the mansion in Zaiwei with Jerome and Esme. They didn’t understand how pivotal this moment would be.

                Nor did they expect how annoying the Sandstone Refuge would be with its’ elder council and their many rules (“For the sake of keeping out demons.” So much for that.).

                Nor did the Quagmires enjoy remembering being kidnapped and being held captive, nearly starving to death (As forementioned by Duncan.). Duncan and Isadora eventually explained to Quigley that they had only escaped thanks to the Baudelaires, for Hector had found an old, abandoned Blackram pirate ship and had repurposed it into a somewhat livable space for several people. They were able to take flight thanks to a chondra crystal (A special type of soulstone crystal that can enable ships to take flight.) that Hector had been keeping safe with him for quite some time (Though they still didn’t discover how he found it.).

                Nor did Violet find comfort in remembering being captured by Olaf and nearly being sacrificed to a hoard of hungry demons within the Highland Necropolis, fleeing with her siblings deeper into the forests of the city to the Orchard of Souls, and seeing Olivia and three “devoted” Ebondrake members being thrown into a deep pit where the Profane Jiangshi awaited their blood and flesh.

                They couldn’t see into the pit, thankfully. Who knows what the carnage would have looked like.

                Quigley was deeply pained with remembering seeing the headquarters completely destroyed within the Shiverstone Range. He had hoped to find some answers, as did the Baudelaires. There, in the rubble, they found none. Just traces of dark chi. Sunny wasn’t fond of one of the only things she could remember: being held captive by Olaf. Being poked at by the sharp thorns that entrapped her wasn’t exactly the best thing.

                However, another small pleasant memory was meeting the Blackram pirate captain Fiona Widdershins, a blade dancer Lyn of the nine-tailed fox variety. She was a skilled warrior, only a year older than Violet. She helped them escape from her ship while fighting off Olaf and Esme, Fernald aiding her.

                Quigley hated the empty feeling of loneliness that sat in his stomach like a bad batch of takoyaki. He had wandered the main continents for ages, looking for his siblings, looking for the Baudelaires, only to lose said Baudelaires and then wind up all alone once again. Lost. Wandering. Alone.

                Alone.

                Isadora and Duncan had certain pleasant memories, including being found by another Blackram ship, which happened to be Fiona’s. She’d listened to their story and claimed them as allies, saying she’d help them whenever the need arose.

                Though, they didn’t like the fact that they could have been found at any time by unpleasant people. The Ebondrake. Olaf or Esme. Demons.

                Then, the memory that plagued them all came to them, after days of enduring the other memories, sweating, crying, being clammy, some sleepless nights-

                -The Eclipse.

                This was the worst one.

                The absolute worst.

                Seeing innocent people being struck down, buildings destroyed, the sky blood red, the moon blackened by the portal that lead to the Dark Realm itself. The Baudelaires were there in person for the entire thing. All they had to do was get to the “Last Safe Place”, Hotel Denouement. All they needed to do was condemn Olaf for his crimes, set the record straight with themselves. Little did they know, Zaiwei was about to be the epicenter of the near end of the world…

                The screams. The screams. The panic.

                The Quagmires remember seeing the sky turn red, the moon being covered. They knew something was wrong, clearly. Something was very wrong. All they could do was hide. Hector obviously wasn’t any help.

                It had taken the Baudelaires weeks to overcome the memory. Hours spent in pain, late into the night. Neomi had spoken to them of her experience with the Eclipse, how she was able to stop the literal apocalypse from happening. The Baudelaires told the Quagmires about the day – which was much worse than what the Quagmires had imagined, clearly.

                The Baudelaire’s memories of Windrest weren’t as terrifying as others, mostly painful and sad. Losing Kit, seeing a batch of people disappear into the clouds on a small chondra crystal-powered dingy in hopes of finding a healer fast enough to purge them of the dark chi that Olaf had brought with him. The year of isolation.

                Though their happy memory of Beatrice II was one that brought them comfort.

                All of these memories brought a well of emotions that some of them had been keeping dormant for so long. Some of them hid them deep within their hearts under lock and key, only for them to break out and shatter the chains that they had so carefully placed over them. It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t pleasant.

                But it was progress.

                Painful progress.

                And Neomi Eclipse felt guilty every time they had to endure another day of it.

                The Baudelaires and Quagmires found comfort in their scholarly studies and interactions with each other and their fellow students, however. It helped them in the healing process. The past may have been painful, but the present is pleasant.

                Their daily routine went as such:

                Ryu and Jinbin were usually the first to wake up, even before the morning call. The Baudelaires were next, then Isadora and Duncan. Jinsoyun followed. Quigley and the Lyn twins were always last. Violet and Isadora helped each other with their uniforms, Violet dressing Sunny (Who eventually learned how to get the uniform on herself.). Violet did her hair up in a somewhat bun with an ornament Demetria had given her. Sunny played with Mochi while the others got ready for the morning.

                Breakfast was always delicious, thanks to “Momma Crysty” as Neomi liked to call her (Which she greatly despised, but put up with anyhow.). She had a variety of recipes she enjoyed making, in which Sunny loved helping her. Sunny learned how to pinch dumplings quite easily, Klaus sometimes commented how Sunny’s dumplings may even be better than Crystallene’s, who shot him “The Mom Look” (As she usually did with snide comments from her students.).

                Class was always lively. One morning when Crystallene was late due to Neomi needing to speak with her about something to do with a “Weapon Calling”, Violet and Quigley stepped up to the chalk board and started to doodle. Klaus and Duncan stood at Crystallene’s desk and argued with each other over different types of stones, attempting to teach everyone about them (To no avail.), eventually leading to Duncan slapping Klaus on the back of the head with an eraser, then Klaus placing Duncan in a chokehold, then leading Violet to try and pry them apart with Isadora’s help, Quigley and the Lyn Twins cheering on a boy of their choice (“Fight, fight, fight!!”). Needless to say Crystallene was Very Upset.

                Lunch time was a free for all, both for the students acquiring food, and for mayhem of course. Sunny enjoyed making lunch for everyone, using this time to experiment with recipes. Usually, this lead to success, but sometimes it lead to some less-than-desirable results (Much to Crystallene’s dismay.).

                If it ever devolved into a food fight, it was mostly the Lyn twins’ fault. Violet and Isadora would hide out by the cottage to talk eat. Occasionally Klaus and Duncan would join. Quigley would as well, sometimes, and usually when he joined, conversations would devolve into ridiculous comedy bits, with Klaus or Quigley being the butt of various jokes. A certain afternoon, Violet and Quigley were coming up with some funny quips about Klaus, leading to Klaus saying “I am going to deconstruct your DNA from the ground up-“ to which the two responded by laughing hysterically.

                After lunch was meditation time, which some students clearly dreaded. But, it seemed, that each time they meditated, they felt something heavy fall off of them, like they were slowly unlocking chains and slipping them off, freeing them of their past.

                “All you need to do is confront your past, come to terms with it. This doesn’t mean you’re ‘getting over it’, necessarily.” Demetria had told them one afternoon,

                “This will help you unlock your true potential as warriors.”

                After a while the Baudelaires and Quagmires had taken to sitting in a circle, holding hands, to try and keep themselves from absolutely losing it while they meditated. It helped on some days, but the harder days it took some real comforting and self-control.

                After meditation it was the end of the day, classes were over. The girls went to the bath house on another floating isle to the east, then the boys afterward. The bath house was a very calming place. Many of the students found themselves dozing while bathing in the warm waters, the steam melting their worries away.

                “The thing I hate is getting out and being hit with some chilly fuckin air.” Quigley said once, making Violet and Klaus laugh. “Grin and bear it, dear brother of mine.” Isadora noted sarcastically while throwing a pillow at his head.

                Dinner was the calmest of meals on Heaven’s Reach, for everyone was too tired (Most of the time.) to cause any trouble or be loud.

                Then came the evening down time, and eventually a night’s sleep.

---

 

                The moon slowly rose above Heaven’s Reach, a cloudless sky, stars glittering brightly. Several lanterns flickered softly in the nightfall.

                “Hey what do you think would happen if I like. Fell off the cliff side.” Quigley said, standing by the edge of the isle that their cottage rested on.

                Violet didn’t look up from brushing Sunny’s hair, who was biting on a wooden spoon she had nabbed from the dining area (Crystallene definitely would not take a liking to that.), “Not anything good, probably.”

                “It’d be fun, though.”

                “Let’s not find out.”

                “But I’d like to?”

                “Maybe don’t, maybe?”

                Violet giggled after she spoke, and Quigley turned to her, “You think one of the sensei would come flying after me?” “Definitely,” Violet spoke through her giggles, “And then they’d scold you for being a giant fucking idiot.” “Big idiot!” Sunny babbled.

                Quigley shrugged and went to sit near the doorway where she sat, plopping down beside her. Klaus popped out of the doorway and chucked a book at the back of his head, then slid back inside.

                “Dude, bruh, the fuck-“ the boy said, grabbing his head and throwing the book at the door. Violet and Sunny cackled loudly.

                Just as this happened, Crystallene walked delicately up the bridge, “Greetings, Jyan.” Quigley, Violet, and Sunny looked up at her as she approached them, “S-Sensei Lune, how do you do?” Violet spoke up, trying to hide the wooden spoon for Sunny’s sake (The sensei would have found out sooner or later.) “It’s kinda late for a visit, sensei.” Quigley joked.

                Crystallene blinked, “I have a small announcement to make, and also a request for that spoon back.” She held out a small, pale hand. Sunny blew raspberries as she handed Crystallene the spoon. “Much thanks.”

                “An… announcement?” Violet piped up. Klaus opened the door at this, an eyebrow raised.

                Crystallene nodded, “Yes, I’ve already told the others, now call your siblings, Jyan Quigley.” Quigley nodded and called for Isadora and Duncan.

---

 

                “Hold on, waitaminuteholdon – a new student??” Quigley spoke quickly, Duncan was writing furiously in one of his journals. Klaus crossed his arms, “I thought Master Eclipse said we’re the only ones she was going to teach?”

                The group sat in the Baudelaire’s living quarters, Klaus sitting on the side of his bed with Duncan beside him, Violet on her’s with Sunny in her lap, Isadora sitting in front of her on the floor. Quigley stood beside Violet and his sister.

                “I thought as much as well,” Crystallene said, Mochi currently lounging on Klaus’s desk, much to his dismay, “But hopefully this will be the last student we will be receiving.”

                “Who are they?”

                “Where is this person from?”

                “Are they nice?”

                Crystallene waved a dismissive hand at the multitude of questions, “We will know once she arrives. And another thing-“

                “Oh for fuck’s sake-“ Klaus let out under his breath. Violet shot him a look.

                “-The Master has found two new sensei. They will arrive tomorrow as well. They will be the new gunslinger and blade dancer sensei. I’m sure the day will be very lively.” Crystallene continued, ignoring Klaus’s disrespect, and clenching her teeth on the last sentence.

                Quigley snorted at her reaction. “Well, Master did say she was searching for more sensei…” Isadora remarked. Sunny nodded. Violet and Klaus looked at each other with worried eyes. They had hoped these two were not the two that they were thinking of.

                Only time would tell.

Chapter 9: Meanwhile, Back At The Ranch

Summary:

Meditation is one thing, but knowing more people are coming onto Heaven's Reach is another, especially if they're strangers. Worry not, it won't be as abhorred as you think.
For now, let's see how things are going on the flip side.

Notes:

Hello, fellow warriors! A lot is going on, and this is only a small bit of it all. Daunting, I know. Is for me, too.

The official Xia AU character index: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/post/185357232235/the-way-of-xia-au-character-index)
Way of Xia First Arc play list!: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CIBBYqpHEmbAXx9T1rmGZ?si=BW4SaRe6Sd-wCKl4IxvPow)

If you have any questions, concerns, or etc., please contact me here or via my tumblr blog: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/)

Thank you so much for your interest. The winds of Fate beckon. Follow the path of Xia, my fellow warriors!

Music

                Over those same two months, those who had received letters had arrived at Lemony’s room at the Zaiwei  inn to speak with him. Lemony was damn surprised that Olivia had survived, “I clung to some rocks on the wall of the pit, faked my death. I was able to go into hiding as an Earthseer.” was her long story short.

                Olivia and Jacquelyn then talked for several hours at a time every time she visited.

                On occasion, the inn room became so crowded that Lemony decided to move the group meetings to a more spacious area, and to a place where they wouldn’t be as easily compromised (Since the Ebondrake were still lurking about Zaiwei, much to Empress Yunma Fei’s dismay.). Everyone agreed.

                Thus, Lemony and Jacquelyn moved their base of operations to a pleasant little place in the middle of the Scorching Sands within the Cinderlands; Yehara’s Mirage, a large inn that was surrounded by a quaint desert village. It was a center for trade, partying, and various other gatherings of business and pleasure. This made it perfect to hide themselves in plain sight.

                “You know, Snicket,” Yehara had said, “The only reason why I’m letting you stay for free is because you’re a friend of Master Eclipse’s, and because you could help me find my niece.” Lemony glanced up at her while he was tending to Beatrice II, “Yes, well, our main goal is to protect the children, keep them safe from whatever the Dark Lord is planning.” Yehara crossed her arms, “Yes, well, however, it would be nice if you flung a couple coins my direction every now and then. I do have a business to run, you know.” Lemony merely laughed at her comments, since she was only half serious.

                Within the inn room, which was large enough to house a small party, the new nameless group met and spoke of the children’s progress, the whereabouts of Yehara’s niece (Yunwa was her name.), and various other topics concerning the spreading of dark chi and such.

                Olivia noted that after practicing Earthseeing for so long, she might be able to commune with spirits, which caused everyone to immediately bombard her with questions. Lemony had stood up, “Don’t overwhelm the poor woman; the time will come.”

                Lemony had asked Jacquelyn time and time again about the Baudelaire parent survivor. She only had the short answer of “I haven’t found anything yet, Lemony.” in an exasperated voice each time. Though, after a few weeks, she did have a small idea, “If Olivia can manage to commune with our past friend’s spirits, then perhaps we can find out who it is.” Which was a mistake on her part, because then Lemony started to badger both Jacquelyn and Olivia. Olivia had started to practice spirit communing more often because of this (She really didn’t feel annoyed by it… too much.), and through this, found children the Ebondrake had sacrificed to aid the Dark Lord, which pissed everyone off, needless to say.

                “I know the Ebondrake aren’t the sole source to all of his hell, but damnit if they don’t piss. Me. Off.” Jacquelyn had said, Olivia rubbing her back in comfort.

                Charles and Jerome (Whom of which everyone congratulated their marriage.) were worried sick about the children constantly, to which Hector related. “Now isn’t the time to visit them, just yet. We need to give them time to recover.” Lemony ordered.

                Fiona was deeply worried about them and ached to see them again. She’d helped both the Baudelaires and the Quagmires, and wanted to speak with them again, let them know that she and Fernald (Who was excited to show him his new mechanical hands.) were perfectly fine, but her step-father was nowhere to be found, unfortunately (Nobody knew whether he was dead or had deserted the Blackram, which was punishable by death.). Lemony and Jacquelyn took more sympathy for her, and said they’d plan to let her visit sooner than the others.

                Justice Strauss was absolutely beside herself. She would windstride right to the Mirage after she was done with her work for the day, and did nothing but ask questions and listen intently to the conversations within the room. Jacquelyn put her down on the “Let Visit The Baudelaires ASAP” list.

                Current day, they received a visit from someone they did not expect.

---

 

                Jacquelyn stood within the doorway to the room, blocking the entrance of their visitor.

                “Wicked, vile woman. You have no place, here.” She spat, her arms crossed, her legs in a far-apart stance. Lemony stood nearby, nearly sweating. “I don’t remember giving you any note, nor did I know you survived. If I had, I would’ve tracked you down solely to slay you myself.”

                The blonde haired woman looked hurt, and she clasped her hands together, “Jacquelyn, please, I’m a changed woman, you have to understand. After the evil I had seen, the darkness that had so consumed me, I couldn’t let it corrupt me any further, please-“

                Jacquelyn stopped her short,

                “Esmé, I can feel the dark chi spilling from your being. Don’t try it, demon.”

                “I haven’t been able to completely purge my soul of the darkness, please, I only came here because I knew you could help-“

                “Enough.”

                Lemony was now standing directly behind Jacquelyn, who had whipped her head around at his sudden word. He stared coldly into Esmé’s eyes, “I don’t know how you found us, but it would have been ignorant of me to assume that the Dark Lord’s eyes aren’t everywhere.” Esmé flinched at his appearance, she felt something burn inside her, “Lemony, darling, I’m not part of the Dark Lord’s twisted agenda any more. I’m appalled that you would even make such an assumption-“

                “I’m not stupid, Esmé.” Lemony said darkly.

                Jacquelyn snapped her fingers and two of Yehara’s guards suddenly appeared behind Esmé, taking hold of her. The blonde woman made an exasperated, desperate noise, “Please, no, I promise you-!”

                “We can’t take any chances, Esmé.” Jacquelyn said, turning into the room. Lemony looked down at the floor, “I’m sorry, Esmé. I really am. But you must understand our trust has been shot.”

                Esmé looked woefully at her old friend, who closed the double doors and locked them. The guards then took her away to the village’s holding cells.

---

 

                Fiona stood on the bow of her ship, arms behind her back. Her mind wandered from one thing to another. Her step-father, the Baudelaires and Quagmires, Fernald, the spreading darkness, Vice Admiral Poharan’s constant meddling even though the South Fleet was clearly not her place, and how Admiral Chol Mugo was seemingly slowly coming unglued for some odd reason.

                “Captain, the searches for Captain Widdershins has come up dry, again.” Fernald’s voice caused Fiona to jump slightly, her nine-tails straightening out for a short second. Fernald laughed, “Sorry, sis, I didn’t think you’d be so distracted.”

                Fiona whipped around, a forced blank look on her face, “I was not distracted - I was merely thinking of our next move in the operation.” Fernald smiled warmly, walking over to his younger sister and placing a loving arm around her shoulder, “You really need to settle down a tad. You can’t worry about everything, all the time, always.”

                Fiona let out an exasperated huff and crossed her arms, “I’m very settled, thank you very much, dear brother,” she said as her soft ears lowered, “I’ve had quite enough with these searches ending in failure. Where IS he? Does he not know that he’s causing so much trouble? The Admiral is already in a mood enough and-“

                “It will be fine, trust me.” Fernald said, placing his head on top of her’s. She sighed deeply, rubbing her face with her hands,

                “Right, yes, fine. Of course.”

---

 

                Olivia poured more tea into Jacquelyn’s cup, placing the kettle back on the tray and then sat across from her. The auburn haired woman was currently pouring over several scrolls; reports of new dark pillars and demon sightings, new Ebondrake bases popping up, etc. etc.

                “You need to rest, my love.” Olivia said, placing a hand on Jacquelyn’s.

                “I realize that, but I need to make sure none of these reports are on, near, or around Heaven’s Reach. Protecting those children is our top priority.” Jacquelyn flipped to another paper, double checking it for the third time.

                Olivia shook her head, “Just remember to take care of yourself. I want to keep those precious children safe, as well, but you’ve been at this for hours, now.”

                Jacquelyn sighed, “Yes, well, now that Esmé has shown up, I’ve been on pins and needles. Clearly, the Dark Lord has more eyes in more places than we thought.” Olivia sighed and looked over at the tray, “It’s worrying, yes, but perhaps she really has been reformed? That she really is asking for our help?”

                Jacquelyn looked up from the pile of scattered papers that covered the table, “Don’t be so naïve, sweetheart. You’ve seen and heard what she’s done. There’s a reason why-“ She cut herself off suddenly and dropped her voice to a low, low whisper, she and Olivia leaning in closely, “There’s a reason why that damn bowl is being hidden in a Blackram fleet. If the Ebondrake get a hold of that curative substance, all hell will break loose.”

                Olivia looked at her with worried eyes, placing a hand on her cheek, “Everything will be fine. My time as an Earthseer has taught me that… even in darkness, there will be a light that shines. Just as light conquers dark, the sun rises after the moon.”

                Jacquelyn smiled softly. She loved how Olivia was so poetic, how reassuring she was. She placed a chaste kiss on the woman’s lips, “You’re right. I’ll pause for tonight. Let’s get some rest.” Olivia grinned.

Chapter 10: Newcomers

Summary:

The "ranch" seems to be as busy as ever. Good to know.

The day has arrived that some new faces arrive on Heaven's Reach. Nervous? Don't be.

Notes:

Music: https://youtu.be/-zdhKf6qQDU

Hey there, fellow warriors. Lots to see, here. Don't worry, we're going to be picking up some more speed very soon.

The official Xia AU character index: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/post/185357232235/the-way-of-xia-au-character-index)
Way of Xia First Arc play list!: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CIBBYqpHEmbAXx9T1rmGZ?si=BW4SaRe6Sd-wCKl4IxvPow)

If you have any questions, concerns, or etc., please contact me here or via my tumblr blog: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/)

Thank you so much for your interest. The winds of Fate beckon. Follow the path of Xia, my fellow warriors!

                The sky was covered in grayed clouds, yet the sun glittered through openings. A soft rain fell, a gentle sound. The rays of light fell upon the droplets that rested on the various flora that dotted Heaven’s reach, as well as the rivers, puddles, and spring, causing them to glitter.

                It was a calming Saturday, the day the new sensei and student would arrive.

                Violet sat sleepily in the doorway, leaning on the frame, watching the rain fall with heavy eyelids. Isadora sat back to back with her, writing in her journal. Klaus lay on the floor, his legs resting up on the side of his bed, reading a book about incantations. Quigley snoozed away on Sunny’s bed, Sunny snuggled into his side. Ryu, Duncan and Jinsoyun watched some dragonflies flitter around a puddle nearby. The Lyn twins hopped happily around in the rain, Jinbin sitting on the stairs with an umbrella, calling to them occasionally to “Be careful!”

                Many people would call this a “Lazy Saturday”, and they were right. It was the first Saturday in a long while that the students had felt so at ease. Something just felt right in the world. The Baudelaires and Quagmires had felt dread ever since the announcement yesterday, but now with this sun shower, they each had felt something calm flutter into them.

                Violet’s eyes wandered from the cranes bathing in the rippling river, to the Lyn twins kicking up water at each other, to the Master’s Quarter’s on the main isle. She blinked, trying to stay awake as she saw Neomi and Crystallene exit the building, clearly speaking about the arrival of the new Hongmoon members.

                The two women parted, Crystallene starting her way to the cottage.

                “Ya’ll.” She said suddenly.

                Isadora looked behind her to Violet, touching her head to her’s. “What?” Klaus glanced from the book to his sister. The others clearly showed an intent of listening (Except for Quigley and Sunny, clearly.).

                “Sensei comin’ up. Wake dumbass and sunshine.” She spoke groggily.

                Isadora flung her pencil at Quigley with some pretty good accuracy, hitting him on the leg. He snorted, his head shooting up. Sunny made a vaguely annoyed noise as she lifted her head. “Rise and shine, sleeping beauties. Sensei Lune is making an appearance.” Isadora remarked, closing her journal and placing it onto the floor before her.

                “Wakemewhenshe’sdone.” Quigley slurred, half awake. Sunny slid off her bed and made her way over to the doorway, yawning. As she did this, Klaus shut his book and flung it at Quigley, it flying over Sunny’s head, and hitting him in the forehead. Quigley squawked and sat upright, rubbing his forehead, “Why is it always the fucking same place?” He spat, glaring at Klaus, who started to laugh heartily.

                Violet and Isadora stood up, both yawned as Violet stretched. Jinbin hopped down from the steps, umbrella still in hand. The three staring at the playful dragonfly puddle gathered with the others at the doorway. Klaus leaned out the window, Quigley doing the same (After slugging Klaus in the arm, who was still trying to catch his breath.).

                The Lyn twins waved at Crystallene as she came up the bridge, “Good afternoon, my little Jyan.”

                A few scattered “Good afternoon, sensei”s were heard, along with some bowing (Some of the words were said through yawns.).

                “Now, the newest members of the Hongmoon will be arriving very soon, I’ll need all of you at the main isle ASAP. Please be on your. Best behavior.” Crystallene said, her eyes darting between the twins and Quigley. An audible snort was heard from the window, clearly Quigley. Klaus slapped him on the arm, “Bruh-“ the chaotic boy retorted.

                Crystallene squinted for a moment before continuing, “I will see each of you soon. Don’t be late.” She adjusted her parasol and turned back down the bridge.

                “Don’t be late.” Was Crystallene’s way of saying “Or else I’ll throw my shoe at you.”

                After the lop Lyn left, the students immediately began to wake themselves up and make themselves look presentable (As presentable as a Lazy Saturday group could be.), and made their way to the main isle.

---

 

                “Alright, my little dudes and dudettes, we’ve got two new sensei and one more student to introduce.” Neomi said, resting an elbow on Crystallene’s shoulder . Crystallene side eyed Neomi, “Yes, and hopefully this will be the last student we receive.” Neomi snorted, “Don’t worry, I don’t think I could handle more than twelve kids.”

                “You can’t handle the current number, now, Master.”

                “Shut yer mouth.”

                “Master-“

                “Don’t be a killjoy, look, the pulses are opening.”

                Neomi noted, hearing the ever-familiar noise of opening dragon pulses, pointing over near the end of the Master’s Quarter’s steps where they were all gathered. A few snickers were heard at their exchange. Demetria and her posse stood nearby waiting to help the newcomers.

                Two dragon pulses had opened. Two figures landed in front of the first one, then another two at the second one.

                In front of the first, stood a Jin woman with dark skin and dark pink hair. The other was a short, black-cat Lyn girl with dark skin and dark locks. The two bowed, the Jin woman did so gently, while the Lyn did so wildly.

                In front of the second, an old fox Lyn man with white hair and pale skin stood up slowly, clutching a cane in his left hand, and a nine-tailed fox Lyn girl with dirty-blonde hair and crème skin bowed quickly. A cat familiar stood closely beside the Lyn girl, it waved both paws at everyone excitedly. Demetria tried to help the old Lyn, but he batted her away grumpily.

                The dragon pulses closed as each of the beings stood before them, the helpers soon picking up luggage and exchanging small greetings.

                “Greetings, welcome to Heaven’s Reach, home of the Hongmoon school.” Crystallene said, bowing deeply.

                “Hey~! What’s boppin’, I’m Yue Oamra, your new blade dancer sensei!” The black cat Lyn chirped, winking and shooting a thumbs up.

                “Hello, I am Miyu Deva, your gunslinger sensei. I’m happy to be part of the Hongmoon family.” The Jin woman spoke with a deep, calming voice.

                The Baudelaires and Quagmires glanced at each other. Yue seemed… a little wild (And not to mention as young as they were?), while Miyu gave off some very strong big sister vibes. Violet shrugged at Klaus, who raised his eyebrows.

                The old man Lyn walked forward a bit, “Yes, well, I am Sir Jexius Thundercrask the III. I am only here to drop off my… daughter.” He spoke with a harsh voice. The Lyn girl nodded and bowed again, “Hi, u-um, I’m Rosethorn! But please call me Rosie. I’m super happy to be here! And, um, this is my familiar, Bun! I’m a summoner warrior.” Bun mewled loudly beside her.

                “How do you do?” Violet said, speaking to each of the newcomers.

                “How old are you?” Duncan piped up, looking at Rosie.

                “How old are you, more importantly.” Isadora spoke, surprised at Yue.

                “You’ve already awakened your chi?” Jinbin squeaked, staring in awe at the two Lyn girls. The Lyn twins had their arms crossed, Bunyang looking particularly grumpy “Yeah, what the heck!”

                “Ah, yes! I’ve been training for about… two years, now? I’m fourteen…” Rosie spoke, placing a finger on her chin, trying to recall memories.

                “I’m fourteen as well!” Yue remarked.

                Klaus shook his head in disbelief, “I’m- I’m fourteen…” How was it that at his age, there were two people here that were already far ahead of him? And one of them was now his teacher?

                “Oh, really? That’s so cool! I hope I can become very good friends with all of you, uh-“ Rosie said quickly. Yue went over and patted Klaus on the head (She had to stand on her tip toes, due to her shortness.), “-Don’t worry, this is all by stupid circumstance, and I’m mostly here to help you guys laugh more.” Neomi made a “Well, technically she’s right.” noise.

                Crystallene cleared her throat, “Jexius is a powerful warrior, this strength runs in their family, though I assure you she has a long way to go.” Jex nodded, then turning to Rosie, “Rosethorn, behave. I must go, now. Don’t… muck anything up.” He said simply. Rosie nodded nonchalantly, “Yeah, yeah, Jex, I know.” She waved at him as he reopened the dragon pulse, slowly slipping through.

                Violet and Klaus shot each other a look while Sunny looked at her perplexed.

                Rosie then turned to the group of students and noticed the smallest ones.

                She stared at Jinsoyun and Sunny before saying, deadpanned,

                “I will die for you.”

                Quigley and Duncan laughed slightly, Klaus looking at her in disbelief.

                Violet merely looked from them to Rosie, “Same here.”

                At that point, it had seemed the two girls had already formed a sort of kinship.

                Crystallene motioned toward Rosie, “Now, Jyan, do you have any living preferences?”

                “No, I’m just happy to be here!”

                “Pleasant, well, in that case you will be living in the dorms by the dining area. You’ll room with little Soyun.” Crystallene said, walking off. Rosie followed her (Nic helping her carry her things), “Okie dokie!”

                Jinsoyun made an audible sigh, “Awww, now I won’t have my room to myself any more…”

                Neomi walked up to the two new sensei, “Alrighty, Miyu, Yue, I’ll show ya to your place. The sensei’s living quarters were recently built do they’re not as furnished but we can fix that, I’m sure.”

                “Of course, Master.” Miyu said, following Neomi as she lead them off. Neomi scoffed, “You don’t have to call me that, just call me Neomi. Please. If you could.” She said looking back. “Sure, whatever, cool beans.” Yue retorted.

                The students began to disperse, the drizzle had now stopped, and the rays of sunlight drifted through parts of the clouds ever still.

                “What the hell is even going on any more.” Quigley said suddenly.

                “Our life is already weird enough, this might as well happen.” Violet noted.

                “You right, you right.” Quigley replied as they walked back to the cottage.

---

 

                “So what’s up with you and your dad?” Quigley asked Rosie, who was currently unpacking her things. Bun lay sprawled out on Rosie’s new bed, Sunny beside the cat, patting her soft tummy. The sun now shown in a clear sky, warming the wet earth.

                “Whaddya mean?”

                “You call him by his first name..?” Isadora spoke up.

                “Oh, I’ve always done that. For as long as I can remember.”

                “…Is he ok?” Klaus asked.

                “Yeah, he’s just super old - kinda sick, I think? He’ll be fine, though. It’ll take a lot more than that to take him down, trust~ me.” Rosie said, throwing a small toy mouse at Bun, who caught it effortlessly.

                Isadora and Klaus exchanged a worried look.

                The Baudelaires and Quagmires each sat or lounged in Jinsoyun and Rosie’s room, the sky slowly clearing up from the earlier sun shower.

                “So, did you take Crystallene’s standardized test?” Quigley joked, shoving Duncan playfully as they both laughed afterward.

                “Yes, I did, actually! She said I did pretty well. No surprise, since Jex knows loads.” Rosie said, shoving some clothes into the chest at the end of her bed.

                “Guess you won’t be joining us for meditation, then?” Klaus asked, slightly bitter.

                “Oh, no, actually. I like meditating. I wouldn’t wanna miss doing that with you guys for the world! I’m super excited to have new friends!” Rosie turned around quickly to explain. She had a big, excited smile as her eyes glittered.

                Something told them she didn’t get out much before coming here.

                “Oh, I see. Well that’s… good, I suppose?” Klaus said, a tad worried about how she’d react to seeing them… struggle.

                “If you notice us having trouble, worry not. We’ve just been… through a lot.” Isadora said, then clearing her throat.

                “You can talk to me about it if you’d like to. I’d love to help you guys get through it. You guys are gonna be a family to me, now!” Rosie spoke with deep sympathy. Violet blinked at her, “Ah, well, thank you. That’s very kind of you.” Rosie nodded, “Of course. No problem.”

                Yue then popped her head into the window nearby,

                “Sup nerds.”

                They all turned to look at her, and Rosie waved quickly, her face looked a tad flushed suddenly, “H-hi Yue!! I’m so happy that we’re, well, um-“ She was struggling to find words, “Here together and stuff! It was super nice to meet you!” She then gave an exasperated sigh and then pinched herself on the arm.

                Yue snorted, “I get you, don’t worry, my dudette.” She looked around the room, “So I’m gonna be ‘teaching’ you guys, huh?” the Lyn girl said, moving her fingers in a quotation motion.

                “Wh- that sounded like you’re not going to..?” Duncan asked, perplexed.

                “Nah, I will be.”

                “What are you going to be teaching us, exactly? You’re… fourteen.”

                As Duncan and Yue had this exchange, Klaus stood up suddenly, “I’m wondering the same thing.” Yue blinked at the two boys, “For now, helping you guys cope with your past. Also teaching you some basic self-defense moves while you’re still awakening your chi.”

                “How long have you been… y’know, a warrior?” Quigley asked.

                “I’ve been doing this gig my whole life, really. Grew up in the ‘back alleys’ of the Cinderlands. I used to be a thief, actually.” Yue said, shrugging.

                “A thief!?” Violet said suddenly, shocked.

                “Hell yea. I was pretty good at it, actually.”

                There was a small twinge of distrust in the room. Except for…

                “That’s super interesting!” Rosie squeaked. She now sat on top of the clothing chest, listening very intently.

                “What made you change your mind?” Duncan spoke up.

                “When the great ‘Hongmoon Hero’ comes up to you and says that you could be using your skills for something better, you kinda drop the whole life-on-the-lam thing.” Yue said, waving her hands around slowly.

                The Baudelaires and Quagmires simply looked around at each other, perplexed as all hell.

                Violet was right. This might as well get weirder.

---

 

                “Now, Miyu, this is the daily schedule. I, again, cannot stress enough how thankful I am that you will be helping out around here.” Crystallene said, placing yet another couple of scrolls on top of the woman’s desk, which was currently covered with several other scrolls, papers, and books.

                Miyu nodded, chuckling, “Right, well, taking care of children has always been my forte.” She was currently trying to organize the desk mess to the best of her ability.

                Demetria leaned on the wall behind them, “Don’t overwhelm the poor woman, Crysty.” Crystallene huffed, “I am not, I’m simply trying to make sure she has everything she needs!” Miyu smiled at their exchange.

                “With the way the elder Baudelaires and the Quagmires are going, in a few more months time, their chi should awaken. I do hope you know how to handle teenagers with weapons-?” Crystallene said, a slight twinge of worry in her voice. Miyu laughed heartily, “Of course, of course. It will be a challenge, I’m sure, but things will get along.”

                The Jin woman shuffled some papers, “I am excited about the Weapon Calling, though.”

                “Oh, absolutely. I’ve been trying to pin point who’s going to be a blade master in the group.” Demetria said jokingly, moving some hair out of her face.

                Crystallene chuckled and nodded, “It’s always a life-changing day for new warriors. I’m sure they’ll do great things.”

Chapter 11: Dive Into The Heart

Summary:

New faces, new places, new beginnings.

It all starts today.

Notes:

Welcome, warriors, to the dawn of a new age. Good or bad? Who's to know.

The official Xia AU character index: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/post/185357232235/the-way-of-xia-au-character-index)
Way of Xia First Arc play list!: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CIBBYqpHEmbAXx9T1rmGZ?si=BW4SaRe6Sd-wCKl4IxvPow)

If you have any questions, concerns, or etc., please contact me here or via my tumblr blog: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/)

Thank you so much for your interest. The winds of Fate beckon. Follow the path of Xia, my fellow warriors!

                Two more months had passed; summer was in full swing, now. The warmth of the sun beat down on the residents of Heaven’s Reach, and plenty of progress had been made by the Baudelaires and Quagmires.

                Yue had proved to be an excellent sensei - she taught yoga, martial art forms, and various self-defense tactics that didn't require a weapon. Demetria had helped greatly with meditation and Crystallene and Miyu were both very knowledgeable of various subjects within the classroom. Bonds had formed between the students, and Rosie was a wonderful addition to the Hongmoon school, her constant optimism and excitement was uplifting to many (Though Isadora and Klaus did grow tired of her at times, but that was a small thing compared to all else.), Quigley loved her constant high energy.

                Violet, Klaus, and the Quagmires were very close to finally awakening their chi – something that usually took an average warrior a year or two – which proved to the sensei that they were far from normal students. There was something special about them, and Neomi Eclipse could feel it.

                “Fate has chosen these teens.” Neomi said while looking over a familiar letter, “And it seems as though that this is only the beginning of their journey. Prodigies, the lot of 'em.”

                Crystallene stood beside her close friend, one hand on the back of her chair and another resting on the desk, “I’d thought as much.”

                Neomi slid the letter to the side, took out a scratch piece of parchment, and began to write…

---

 

                Light filled the Baudelaire’s cottage room with gentle pink hues, Violet gently hummed as she worked on a small mechanical item as Klaus walked into the cottage.

                "...What... what is that?" Klaus asked, stopping short to look at the odd pile of scrap.

                Violet ceased her humming as she then smiled, "Oh, just some bits and pieces of Naryu tech that Demetria and her crew found while they were out on a mission."

                "And why did she give it to you?"

                Violet shifted in her seat, "I may have told the Master that I was feeling antsy about not having anything to fiddle with, so she may have put in a good word..." she continued to tinker with the odd pile of metal, gears, and other bits.

                Klaus raised an eyebrow and the silvery pile that her hands poked at, pinched, pulled, and pushed.

                "Naryu tech, huh?"

                "Yep. You've read about the Naryu, right?" Violet asked.

                Klaus recalled the several books he had read on Earthenrealm history and ancient Naryu technology, "Yes, well, I know the Naryu weren't exactly..."

                "They ended up being their own undoing, precisely." Violet interrupted, clicking two pieces together, "But that doesn't mean their technology wasn't incredible. Hopefully we will learn from their falsehoods, yes?"

                Klaus nodded, her memory never failed when it came to things she held great interest in, "The problem is... the... Dark Lord."

                "Exactly." Violet said.

                The Naryu, so many millennia ago, where the ones who started the entire domino effect - mining far too much soulstone, causing a rift to form within the Earthenrealm, splitting open the door to the Dark Realm, allowing demons to spill through. Now the Earthenrealm would be forever cursed by dark chi and the Dark Lord's evils...

                It's why warriors existed - the ones who followed the path of Xia.

                "Any whom," Violet's voice shook Klaus from his thoughts, "I'd like to see what I can make out of this scrap." Klaus nodded, "Right, yeah, have fun, sis." He said, walking over to his desk.

                “You betcha.”

                She continued to hum as Sunny and Rosie wandered into the doorway of the cottage as well, Sunny carrying some apples in her arms. The little Baudelaire dumped them on her bed, "Snack time!" she declared. Klaus chuckled, "Thanks, sunshine." She hopped up onto her bed, her draconic tail flopping onto the cushions, and picked up an apple. Klaus moved to her side, taking an apple as well. He looked at it strangely – it had a faint blue glow about it. This was definitely familiar to him.

                Rosie's ears twitched as she heard Violet's humming, she walked over to the side of her desk,

                "Watcha humming?"

                Violet glanced up at her surprised, her face turning pink, "Ah, well, nothing, just a small song mother and father would sing to us often."

                "A song?" Rosie asked, her hands clasped behind her back.

                "Y-yes... well, um, it's an old one. Apparently from when the Four Guardians were on the rise..." Violet responded, trying to remember what Bertrand had told her.

                "It was about the Twilight's Edge, and the split between the Divine and Dark realms, and which path a warrior would so choose..." Klaus responded from Sunny's side. Sunny nodded, "We were told the story by some fish people."

                "Fish people?" Rosie asked, utterly confused.

                Violet laughed, "The Snapjaw Sages."

                "Never heard of 'em."

                "That's a surprise, seeing as how they're one of the Sacred Beasts of the Earthenrealm." Klaus said, staring at the apple in his hand.

                “Sunny… where did you get these?”

                Sunny smiled, "Got them from Windrest!"

                Rosie sat on the floor beside Violet's chair, "Windrest?"

                Klaus looked at her dumbfounded, Violet immediately stopped her work and whipped her head around to Sunny, "What!?" the elder siblings said at the same time.

                "Turns out Windrest is right by Heaven's Reach!" Sunny replied, taking a bite out of her apple.

                Violet and Klaus looked at each other with bewildered looks.

                "I knew that wasn't the last time I'd see that place." Klaus muttered. Violet rolled her eyes, "And when was the Master going to tell us this?"

                "Prolly soon." Sunny said, "Maybe."

                "What's Windrest? Why're those apples so important?" Rosie asked again.

                "Well, we, uh, spent a year on those floating isles..." Violet began, Klaus cut her off, "After what we'd been through we just wanted some time away from the world. That was like our... sanctuary for a bit!" he said, trying to sound optimistic.

                "Sounds... nice?" Rosie said, wincing. "Was." Sunny responded, crunching away.

                "And, the apples, well... they contain a powerful substance that can purify dark chi in an instant." Violet said, side-eyeing the apples.

                "Oh~, that's super cool!" Rosie said, her tails swayed in interest. She looked at the apple Sunny ate on.

                “Anyways, I’m definitely going to ask Master about Windrest.” Klaus said, sounding gruff.

                The air felt deeply uncomfortable. Rosie's ears twitched yet again, noticing it,

                "So about that song-" she changed the subject, "Can I hear it?"

                Violet took a couple of gears and clicked them together nervously, "W-well I've... never... sung it before in front of... someone else..." She said slowly.

                "Except for Sunny and I when you tried to calm us down at times." Klaus said, placing the apple beside him.

                Violet clenched her jaw, "Right, yeah, that, well-"

                "Could I hear you?" Rosie asked, looking at Violet with big, sparkling brown eyes.

                Violet looked at Rosie with nervous eyes and bright red cheeks, "W-well, I, um, I've never-"

                "I won't say anything! I won't even stare at you! Just act like I'm not even here!!" Rosie said excitedly, turning away from her quickly, stuffing her hands in her lap. Her nine-tails wiggled.

                Violet sighed, "You're not going to leave me alone about this, are you, Rosie?"

                "...Prolly not." Rosie chirped.

                Klaus shrugged, smiling, and Sunny placed her half-finished apple in her lap, clapping, "Please sing, sis!"

                Violet felt her mouth go a tad dry, "I, well, it-"

                "I'm not even here!" Rosie said, scooting to the side of Violet's desk, trying to get out of her view. Klaus snorted.

                Violet rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh, "...Fine..."

                She cleared her throat, and searched for the words she had to start with, hearing the melody from within her head.

                She then started to softly sing,

 

You are an ocean of waves,
weaving a dream,
like thoughts, become a river stream...
yet, may the tide ever change, flowing like time...
to the path, yours to climb...

 

                She then quickly placed her hands over her hot face and looked down, blushing furiously. Klaus smiled, and Sunny clapped her hands.

                Rosie hopped up and clapped wildly, "You sound so good!! Your voice is beautiful! Ah~, I love it!" "Yeah, yeah!" Sunny agreed, hopping off the bed and patting over to Violet, pushing on her.

                "I, fuck, well, I- th-thank you..." Violet said, deeply embarrassed. Klaus got up and walked over to them, crossing his arms, "You do have mother's singing talents."

                While still looking down, she took one hand off her face and hit him on the arm, causing him to laugh.

---

 

                “How do we know when we’ve, like, ‘awakened our chi’ or whatever.” Quigley asked, laying his chin onto his classroom desk.

                “I don’t know. Maybe when it happens we suddenly feel super powerful or something.” Violet said, doodling on the chalk board again.

                Class was nearly over, Miyu had left the room to get the finished work to Crystallene for grading. All they were waiting for was Demetria to come to the doorway as per usual.

                The Lyn twins were lying on the floor near a wall, Bunyang bouncing a small ball off it and catching it. Ryu and Jinbin had slid their desks together and were looking at a book full of self-defense forms.

                Jinsoyun, Rosie, and Sunny were stacking some books in an odd fashion to see how tall they could make it before it tumbled to the floor.

                Duncan and Klaus were quietly chatting and laughing with each other. Isadora kept looking up at Violet and back to her journal.

                Quigley got up from his desk and slid up to the board beside Violet, took a piece of chalk, and started to draw.

                “Hey, there, Quiggles, watcha drawin’?” Violet asked in a silly-sounding voice.

                “A map of your eyes, since I keep getting lost in them.”

                “Shut the fuck up.” She laughed and shoved him.

                “Knock it off, I’m gonna vomit.” Bunyang called. Bunah laughed.

                “Don’t do it while lying down, you’ll die, buddy.” Quigley said. Bunyang snorted.

                Violet snatched up Quigley’s chalk and ran off to the back of the room.

                “No- you- give me that.” Quigley said calmly, making his way to Violet, who slid beside some desks and back to the front. Soon they were chasing each other around the room, giggling wildly.

                “Ya’ll are gonna break your fuckin’ legs or something.” Rosie said as Violet bumped into the desk and their book stack finally toppled over. “Fiddlesticks!” Sunny said, putting her small hands on her hips. Jinsoyun laughed and watched the two teens chase each other around the classroom. Bunyang yelled to not step on he and his sister.

                "Please be careful, guys!" Jinbin called without looking up from the book. Ryu smiled and shook his head.

                Klaus and Duncan were merely ignoring the entire interaction, and Isadora smiled softly.

---

 

                “Take deep breaths, now, everyone. Focus. Enter the depths of your minds. Become one with the energy within your soul…” Demetria spoke softly and slowly, watching the students begin their meditation.

                The waterfalls behind her fell gracefully, splashing into the shallow pond of the spring. The water glittered in the sunlight. The pink and white water lilies floated gently on the surface, an occasional dragonfly or two landing on top of them.

                For once, the Baudelaires and Quagmires felt at ease. These past few months had been hell on wheels for their emotional and mental state, but recently… things had gotten better. The more of their past they faced… the lighter the weight got. The more they accepted, the more at ease they felt, ever so slightly.

                They were safe, here. Happy. Things were normal, and regular. They had love, patience, and understanding.

                For a few minutes, they were calmly wandering their minds, looking through their thoughts…

                Until…

 

                “There ARE no noble people in the world.”

 

                Violet and Klaus heard the voice clear as crystal. It spilled into their thoughts like some kind of twisted poison, threatening to infect their minds.

 

                That’s not entirely true! Violet thought angrily, there may not be noble people, but there were good people. Like Master, and Dochun, and Miyu…

 

                Klaus arched his eyebrows in frustration. Noble people may not exist, but good-hearted people - good-hearted warriors… those exist. We’re in their company. They’re teaching us.

                I… I want to be a good-hearted warrior. Klaus thought, clenching his fists, I want to help people.

 

                The Quagmires remembered their constant fights over the goals of V.F.D., Quigley was once hell-bent on saying that they were noble people, wanting to take down the Ebondrake, save the Earthenrealm.

 

                That wasn’t true. I was blind. I wasn’t… seeing the whole thing. Quigley bit his lip, remembering how Isadora had shaken him so violently one time, trying to get him to understand what had happened to she and Duncan. What they’d seen, what they’d endured.

                Then, later, Violet and Klaus explained to him various things.

                He soon felt ashamed.

 

                “Don’t feel bad – you didn’t know.”

                Violet’s voice slipped into his thoughts, calming him. It wasn’t his fault… he wanted to help. Now he really could. He could make things better. He could… he could do something about all the pain people were enduring.

 

                Isadora and Duncan suddenly felt a pang of anger – no, not anger… something like… frustration?

                How many people had V.F.D. tricked? How many had died because of them? Innocent people, villages razed and burned to the ground by demons, all ignored. The Ebondrake may have been aiding the Dark Lord, but they weren’t the only ones in league with him. They weren’t the only ones. They weren’t…

 

                We have a purpose. There's something we can do. Something... we need to do. We need to try.

 

                Then,

 

                Suddenly,

 

                Violet, Klaus, Isadora, Duncan, and Quigley found themselves in a plain within their minds. The sky above them was a clear blue dotted with gentle clouds. The ground - or water - reflected below them. They stood with each other in a circle.

 

---

                (https://youtu.be/K_4wVXpX-xs)

 

                “Wh- what the fuck?” Quigley said suddenly, looking around wildly. He shifted his foot, and as he did, the “water” below them rippled off far into the endless horizon.

                “Where… are we…” Violet spoke. Their voices were echoed in the infinite space.

 

                “Welcome, children.”

 

                A voice called to them from somewhere beyond. It sounded tired – old.

                They each looked around wildly, not wanting to move from their spots.

 

                “Your time has come. Welcome... to the Infinite Expanse.”

 

                The voice came again, and from within the center of the circle that they each stood in, a bright, blue light shown, and when it faded, there stood an elderly Lyn man.

                Violet gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth. Klaus blinked quickly, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. Quigley swallowed. Duncan felt himself move forward slightly,

                “M-Master Hong… Sokyun?”

                How did they know this? How did they know this person?

                “Yes, Jyan. I am the past master of the Hongmoon. I see cricket, well, Neomi, has taught you well so far, along with her associates.”

                “You’re… you… How...” Isadora choked, suddenly feeling a deep well of emotions flooding up.

                “You’ve struggled greatly, and you’ve survived. Today is the day your lives start anew. The day you finally take your first steps into the way of Xia – the Hongmoon path.”

                Duncan looked all around him – the infinite, heavenly void – back to Master Hong, “You mean…”

                Violet and Klaus looked at the elderly man’s spirit. He smiled, looking around at each of them,

 

                “Now is the time to awaken, Jyan. Today is the day you begin. Today is the day you move on.”

 

                The group of teenagers looked at each other with happy tears, some of them smiling, some of them utterly confused but thankful.

 

                “Today… you are warriors.”

 

                He then raised his staff, and gently lowered it downward, causing several ripples of water to move past them. The teens then felt a great presence within them - within their souls. A soft, pale blue whisp appeared before each of them. Violet tried to cup it into her hands, but they moved through it. Quigley ran his hand through the airy whisp, puzzled. Klaus looked utterly fascinated. This is my soul?

                "Your souls are small, and weak. But they will grow. You will grow. You each have made the decision to right the wrongs that have been done to you and others. Your parents, and our ancestors, have made many mistakes - but, it is not too late to make things better. All the problems you have faced will have places in your lives. If Neomi can overcome it, you shall, as well. You must have faith. Faith in yourselves. Faith in each other. Faith in the world."

                They each listened intently to the old Lyn. They couldn't be afraid any more.

                My past... won't define me. Violet thought, looking into the whisp. Klaus raised his hand within the whisp, then making a fist, It's not... everything happens for a reason. It's... all problems have their place.

                Master Hong then smiled, and his figure began to fade away, "I bid you well, my dear Jyan. Know this - whenever you are in need, the Hongmoon will not fail you."

---

 

                The splashing of the waterfalls came back to them as if they had awakened from a deep sleep.

                “Jyan – Jyan! Are you alright? Oh, shit, oh,” They heard Demetria panic.

                Violet blinked, her vision a tad blurry. Klaus shook his head slightly, trying to regain his focus. Isadora squeezed her eyes shut,

                “What... happened?”

                Quigley sat dumbfounded, a hand on his chest, “I feel... light.”

                Demetria ran over to the group and looked them over, “Each of you suddenly become very... very still, and then a strange, white aura appeared around each of you-“

 

                “Their chi has been awakened.”

 

                Neomi spoke as they all turned to see the new Hongmoon master walking over to them, Crystallene in tow. Demetria let out a sigh of relief, “I know everyone's chi awakening is different but, fuck, if I didn't worry about these kids for a second, oh God, oh fuck.” She placed a hand over her forehead in relief. Violet snickered.

                “They’re perfectly fine. I felt a presence.” Neomi said, her voice cracking on the last sentence,

                “He has visited you.”

                The teens looked at her.

                “Master… Master Hong…” Klaus replied automatically.

                “Yes. Your chi has awakened, Jyan.” Neomi replied, placing her hands behind her back. Crystallene smiled softly, “Today, you will train to be warriors of Xia.”

                Bunyang grumbled loudly, crossing his arms, “Awww come on! That’s not fair!” Neomi laughed. Crystallene waved him off, “Your time will come, some of you are still young, you have time.” The small Lyn boy fell backwards into the water behind him in protest. The water splashed onto his sister, causing her to laugh out loud.

                Sunny ran over to Violet and Klaus and hugged them, “Warriors! Real warriors!” She cheered happily. Klaus and Violet both laughed heartily as they held onto her. The Quagmires each smiled at each other and at their friends.

 

                The Fates had aligned.

 

                It was time for all to truly begin.

Chapter 12: Changing Tides

Summary:

Now with their chi awakened, the elder Baudelaires and the Quagmires will soon attend their Weapon Calling ceremony. But... some things have been unearthing themselves.
Let's find out, shall we?

Notes:

Time for things to get a little messy. :^)

The official Xia AU character index: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/post/185357232235/the-way-of-xia-au-character-index)
Way of Xia First Arc play list!: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CIBBYqpHEmbAXx9T1rmGZ?si=BW4SaRe6Sd-wCKl4IxvPow)

If you have any questions, concerns, or etc., please contact me here or via my tumblr blog: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/)

Thank you so much for your interest. The winds of Fate beckon. Follow the path of Xia, my fellow warriors!

                A couple of days had passed when a letter arrived for Lemony at Yehara’s Mirage. Two letters, in fact.

                One, a reply. The other, urgent.

                Jacquelyn entered quickly into the room and slammed them down onto the table before Lemony, who was quickly ticking away at the worn typewriter keys –

                “A reply, and an update, Snicket.”

                Olivia, who was organizing a shelf of books to keep herself busy, suddenly ran over beside Jacquelyn, “The children-“

                “Let me see,” Lemony said, picking up the letters, and then tearing them open. He looked over them quickly, the two women before him waiting with bated breath. He smiled,

                “The children are doing perfectly fine. In fact, Violet, Klaus, and the Quagmires have awakened their chi.”

                Olivia squeaked in happiness, clutching onto Jacquelyn and swaying her about. Jacquelyn smirked and patted at her back, “Yes- well, sweetie please, you’re killing me-“

                Olivia immediately stopped and smoothed out her Earthseer uniform, “I’m – I’m sorry, I just… I’m so excited! They can truly become full-fledged warriors, now!” Jacquelyn rolled her eyes with a smile, crossing her arms. Lemony cleared his throat. They looked at him.

                “That may be, but, however, this also means the target on certain people’s backs will be bigger than ever.” He spoke.

                The two women looked at each other.

                “You don’t think-“ Olivia said slowly.

                “Keep an eye on Esmé. We’ll be visiting Heaven’s Reach in a few days time. I will write a letter now.” Lemony said, preparing a fresh piece of paper for his typewriter.

---

 

                “What the hell is a Weapon Calling?” Quigley asked, crossing his arms at his low desk. Violet slid off her cushion to flip it over and fluff it. Sunny chewed on a piece of pork jerky. Klaus pushed up his glasses, “I’ve read about it.”

                “’Course you have, nerd lord.” Violet said, plopping back down onto the cushion. Klaus squinted at her, she stuck her tongue out.

                The day was partly cloudy, the sun spilling through the spaces in the clouds. The air was warm and humid, but comforting. More rain had recently fallen, but it was a slight shower. Dew settled upon various surfaces outside.

                Crystallene smiled, “The Weapon Calling is a ceremony for warriors who have awakened their chi – to choose their weapons.”

                The teens suddenly fell at attention.

                “However,” The lop Lyn continued, “It is not the warrior who chooses the weapon, but the weapon that chooses the warrior.”

                “What in the hell and fuck does that mean.” Quigley cocked his head to the side.

                A few scattered laughs were heard, Klaus threw a balled up piece of parchment in his direction, which Quilgey reacted quickly by batting it away, “Yeet, bitch.” Violet snorted and cackled.

                Crystallene shot the look at the room.

                “Oop, shit-“ Violet said quietly, motioning at Quigley to Cease His Bullshit. Klaus smirked.

                “It means that the weapon you will wield will call to you. This may depend on several factors – but mainly on if you had direct family members who were warriors. You will inherit their skills in that martial art.” Crystallene spoke quickly, raising an eyebrow.

                “Oh shit, nice.” Duncan suddenly said, causing a few glances his way. “Don’t swear it doesn’t look good on you.” Isadora said. Duncan let out an exasperated noise.

                “Viva la swearing.” Violet whispered quietly. A few giggles were heard.

                “ANYWHOM,” Crystallene suddenly elevated her voice from the front, “The Weapon Calling will be taking place, soon. Expect to dress nicely, act appropriately. Or I will assign you extra homework, and Yue will give you three extra hours of yoga and formation lessons.”

                They all winced. Three extra hours of stretches, tree poses, and yelling “HYAH!” while punching didn’t sound fun.

                “Be prepared for the unexpected, well rested, and perhaps disappointment if you don’t get the weapon you so desire.” She continued.

                Isadora rolled her eyes and glanced at Quigley.

                “What, I want a giant axe.” He retorted to her.

                “I will be off to help Master Eclipse with the planning, now. Please wait here for Sensei Celestise.” Crystallene said, then collecting her things and making her way out the door.

                Bunyang fell backwards onto the floor, “You guys get to be cool warriors while the rest of us get to meditate and do other stupid junk.”

                Isadora laughed, “I’m sure you’ll get to join us, soon!”

                The Lyn boy crossed his arms.

                Sunny had finished her pork jerky and then grabbed onto her tail, “I’m a Lyn, gramma was a Lyn.” She said. Violet nodded, “She was a summoner, apparently. I’m sure once you’re ready, you’ll awaken your chi. You’re still so tiny, sunshine.”

                “Don’t want to wait.” She argued, hugging her draconic tail. Klaus laughed. Rosie hopped up from her seat and went over to the others, “You guys get to come with me to the training grounds, now! It’s super fun, you’ll love it-!”

                Klaus cut her off,

                “I have a question… or two.”

                Rosie stopped and looked at him, her head cocked to the side, “What’s it?”

                “When did you awaken your chi? What was it like?” the spectacled boy asked.

                Rosie’s ears lowered, “Well, it was… during a… tougher time in my life.” She fiddled with her fingers.

                Klaus suddenly felt guilt shoot through him, “I… I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to pry, I-“

                “It’s ok, really!” Rosie said, trying to reassure him, “I just did what was necessary to help Jex-“

                “Your dad?” Violet interrupted.

                “Yeah, right, uh, anyways,” The Lyn said, brushing that aside, “We were in a tough situation, so I meditated a whole lot, until it finally happened. He said he wanted to teach me some things before-“

                Rosie suddenly stopped.

                She cleared her throat,

                “But, yeah! It was weird. I think I saw my mom? Can’t remember. I know I saw a weird lady in white clothes, though. She was super nice.”

                Isadora closed her journal, “…Your mom is…”

                “Not here, any more. No.” Rosie said quickly, “Anyways, I’ve been wanting to ask Master who the lady was, since, y’know, she’s the Hongmoon Master and everything!”

                “What makes you think Master’d know her?” Quigley retorted.

                Klaus went over to the boy and shoved him, who let out an irritated noise.

                Rosie shrugged, “I just think she would? I have this feeling.”

                “Maybe you’re right. It wouldn’t hurt to ask her.” Klaus said, feeling as if it was definitely possible.

---

 

                The day slipped into night as the students each went to their living spaces to relax and eventually turn in. Neomi and Crystallene were making their way to the Baudelaire and Quagmire cottage to fill them in on the coming ceremony, Rosie following in tow, “I have a question to ask you, Master, and I was hoping you could answer it?” in which Neomi replied “Yeah, of course, after I let these nerds know what’s gonna happen.”

                After the group of teens had been gathered (Sunny sat in Violet’s lap.), Neomi began to speak,

                “So, in about a week, we’ll hold the Weapon Calling ceremony. This is a big, important ceremony, a life-changing event, yadda yadda. You get the deal, yeah?” she looked at the group with raised eyebrows. They all nodded, Quigley and Violet very excited.

                “Excellent. Rad. Basically, all you need to do is dress nice - you’ve got the duds do whatever just don’t look like garbage – and show up. From there, Crysty and I will instruct you. Sound kosher, little dudes?” Neomi continued. They all nodded again, Klaus enjoyed how jovial she was. Quigley cackled at her, like always, Sunny clapped.

                “Radical, cool, nice, ok, now,” She turned to Rosie, “I know you had a question, and if anyone else has questions, yell at me.” She placed a hand on the girl’s head, “Talk to me, squirt.”

                “Well, when I awakened my chi a long time ago, I saw a woman in white. She talked to me, I think? Said Fate was on my side, or something.” Rosie spoke quickly.

                “A woman in white? You got a better description?” Neomi asked, interested.

                “Ummm, how do you mean?” Rosie said.

                “Hair color? Whatever?”

                “…She had… dark hair? Pale skin, I think.” Rosie replied.

                Neomi stopped. She looked at Rosie, almost through her, and thought.

                “Jiwan.”

                Rosie blinked,

                “Jiwan?”

                Neomi nodded, still slightly spacing out, “Jiwan, the Righteous Blade. One of the Four Guardians. Wielded the Twilight’s Edge. Remarkable woman, though she was slain by Mushin a long time ago. She contacted me on multiple occasions during my own journey, and, well, it’s no surprise she contacted you.”

                “Why… why is that?” Klaus asked. He rubbed his chest with his hand.

                “Well, it seems as though anyone who is connected to me somehow is either connected to or visited by Jiwan. Weird stuff.” Neomi replied.

                Klaus looked down at his lap for a second, then something struck him,

                “Mushin… why did he kill Jiwan? I thought he was also one of the Four Guardians? The… the Divine Fist?” he recalled.

                Neomi stretched her arms, “Boy, oh boy, oh boy, I was wondering when I was going to be able to get into this story.” Crystallene rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

                “Well, to make a long story short, Mushin ended up going Big Evil with dark chi, and since the Twilight’s Edge is the lock and key to the Dark Realm, he went after Jiwan, killing her, and framing… someone else in the process.” Neomi suddenly stumbled on her words near the end.

                “Framing someone? What do you mean?” Violet piped up.

                “Well, let’s just say they’re a close friend, and I managed to save them.” Neomi said, waving it off. “They’re… around here somewhere.” Crystallene nudged her again.

                “I’m guessing you’re not going to tell us?” Duncan piped up.

                Neomi looked at each of them, “Not unless you ask at a… better time.”

                Each of the teens looked at each other, absolutely perplexed. Sunny shrugged, grabbing her own tail to nibble on the end of it.

                “Any whom, get some sleep, I’ve gotta plan this whole shebang and get some… stuff set up – anyways, good night, nerdlings.” Neomi waved off, making her way to the door. Crystallene bowed and followed her. Scattered “Good night”s were heard, anyone who was standing bowed back.

                The Quagmires eventually went up to their apartment, and Klaus was left lying in his bed.

                “Violet, I’ve been… having… weird dreams lately.” He spoke up. Violet looked up at him from her desk (She was tinkering with the Naryu tech parts, again.),

                “What do you mean?”

                “Like… I’ve been… seeing things before they happen? And I’ve been… seeing… people.” He said, interlacing his fingers onto his chest.

                “Like… visions, basically?” his elder sister responded, turning around to face him.

                “Yeah. Visions.”

                “What have you seen?”

                Klaus stopped to think a moment,

                “I’ve seen Jiwan, a man in dark clothing, demons…” He started, “…I’ve seen the Weapon Calling. Lemony, and… a woman who… looked like… mother.”

                Violet stared at him.

                She stared at him for a while until she found her voice again,

                “That’s a lot to. Take in.”

                Klaus nodded.

                “What… do you… mean?”

                Klaus looked at her, “The Weapon Calling visions have mostly been me… with my weapon. I think I already know what I’m going to wield. It looks like a knife.”

                “A knife?”

                “A knife.”

                “Alright, cool”. She said.

                “And… Lemony looks fine, he’s holding Bea, she looks fine, too. I can’t tell where they are, though.” He spoke again.

                “Ok…” Violet spoke, “And… the… last one?”

                “The woman who looks like mother.”

                “Right. That one. That’s the one that has me.”

                Klaus looked from her to the ceiling.

                “I don’t know what to make of it. It looks like she’s… hiding. From something. Or… someone?”

                Violet glanced at the moon, trying to find words.

                Klaus stared at the paper cranes that hung from the ceiling.

                “I wouldn’t… think too much on it.” Violet finally said, “Just… let’s just worry about the Weapon Calling, for now.” Klaus nodded,

                “Right.”

---

 

                Olivia sat cross-legged on the floor, her eyes closed, surrounded by a few lanterns, which dimly lit the inn room, the light dancing softly on the walls. Her face looked serene, but she was clearly deeply focused on something far beyond herself.

                Jacquelyn and Lemony stood nearby, Lemony watching her carefully. This had become the normal routine for a few weeks, now. But… tonight felt different. Different from… all other nights.

                Jacquelyn looked at her girlfriend’s static form. A strong energy had surrounded her not long ago, but it had stagnated.

                Lemony had slowly inched his way over to the Earthseer, and was now waiting impatiently near her.

                Olivia finally gave an irritated sigh,

                “Lemony, excuse my rudeness, but I cannot focus on this soul with you lingering over me like this.”

                Lemony stepped back quickly, “I… apologize. I’m just-“

                “I know. But if I cannot get a hold of this soul, then we’re going to be at yet another dead end.” She spoke abruptly, but politely.

                “Should I take him out of the room?” Jacquelyn spoke up.

                “If you could, sweetheart.” Olivia replied.

                Jacquelyn replied by walking over to Lemony, grabbing his arm, and nearly dragging him out of the room, him protesting all the while.

                When the door finally shut, and all was quiet, Olivia could finally fully focus.

                She breathed deeply, once more entering the depths of her mind, looking deep into the soul that was trying to contact her.

                Suddenly, the energy she felt grew stronger.

 

                “You are… Olivia?”

 

                A voice called out to her, causing her to jump at first. It was faint, but the spirit was strong, she could connect to it…

                “Yes.” She replied.

                “Your chi is strong… pure enough to contact me. You have… good intentions.” It called back.

                “Who… Who are you?” Olivia spoke back.

                A white light appeared in front of her eyelids, causing her to open them, squinting into the sudden brightness.

                When it faded, there before her, stood a woman with short brown hair, wearing a worn gown.

                Olivia blinked at the spirit’s form, and stood up.

                “I am… Kit Snicket. Lemony’s sister.” The woman finally spoke.

                Olivia swallowed, “Oh… oh my God.” She clasped her hands over her mouth.

---

 

                Olivia sat in a chair as Kit stood before her. The Earthseer was still having trouble comprehending the contact.

                “You’re… Lemony’s sister?”

                “Yes. I’m… sorry. I had to get Lemony out of the room before I could commune with you.” Kit replied, looking sorrowful.

                “I could bring him in, I’m sure he’d be happy to see-“

                “You could try, but he won’t be able to see me.” Kit said, “His chi is still muddled. He won’t be able to see me. There are… some things he still needs to face.”

                “Things… things like what?” Olivia asked.

                “That’s the thing. He knows what they are. It’s why he’s trying to get you to find the surviving Baudelaire parent.”

                Olivia placed a hand on the table beside her,

                “Who is the surviving Baudelaire parent?”

                Kit looked to the door, then to the floor, then to Olivia,

                “…It’s her.”

Chapter 13: Touch The Sky

Summary:

After making the announcement for the Weapon Calling, the elder Baudelaires and the Quagmires are a tad nervous. Elsewhere, something life-changing came about.
Now is the time, after a few days of preparations and letters, for the Weapon Calling to finally take place.

Notes:

Some small trouble brews. But, before that, it is time for the Weapon Calling ceremony. And some emotional, gooey happiness. :^)c

The official Xia AU character index: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/post/185357232235/the-way-of-xia-au-character-index)
Way of Xia First Arc play list!: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CIBBYqpHEmbAXx9T1rmGZ?si=BW4SaRe6Sd-wCKl4IxvPow)

If you have any questions, concerns, or etc., please contact me here or via my tumblr blog: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/)

Thank you so much for your interest. The winds of Fate beckon. Follow the path of Xia, my fellow warriors!

                Olivia threw the doors open after Kit’s spirit faded, Jacquelyn and Lemony jumped backwards in shock,

                “It was your sister, Lemony. Grand Creator as my witness, she told me that Beatrice is alive.”

                Lemony stood motionless, his eyes glazed over. He had hoped, and hadn’t expected much… but to actually hear it…

                “Divines.” Jacquelyn spoke, “This is certainly a can of worms.”

                Lemony fell to his knees, his face without any emotion.

---

                “I’ve sent out the letter, stop worrying, dumb-of-ass.” Neomi said to Crystallene, who was currently rushing about. Yue sat on the floor before Neomi’s desk, Miyu trying to help Crystallene to the best of her ability, and Demetria filing her nails in the corner of the quarters.

                “Yes, yes, alright, well, I’ve scheduled the ceremony to be in a few days, then afterwards we must start their training, then there’s the summer festival in two weeks time-“ Crystallene rattled on.

                Neomi waved her off, rubbing her temples, “Yep, yes, and I know. Everyone will be here, things will go swimmingly, I’m sure. Quit running about, you’re stressing me the fuck out.”

                Crystallene slowly stopped running about and sighed, “I-I apologize, Nene. I’m just. I’m worried.” She turned to look at her dear friend.

                Neomi smiled, “The kids will be alright. Besides, I’m sure they’ll be happy to see some old, friendly faces, again, yeah?”

---

                 “Wh-what about this one?” Violet asked, stepping out from behind the changing screen. Isadora laughed, “Vi, please, we’ve been over this, I’m sure it doesn’t matter what we wear as long as we look decent.”

                The female students were all currently gathered in the Baudelaire’s apartment, a day before the Weapon Calling ceremony. Picking outfits was hard for some, while for others they just… chose whatever they deemed as “fancy”.

                “Pretty dress!” Sunny commented, walking over to Violet to gently pull on the robes she was currently wearing. Violet giggled, “Sunny, you’ve said that for every other outfit I’ve tried on.”

                “Still pretty.” The little Lyn grumbled. Jinsoyun laughed.

                Bunah hopped up from Sunny’s bed and marched into the middle of the room, “I for one don’t know why some of you are so worried about LOOKS when we’re ignoring the big picture, here!” She huffed, turning to Violet and Isadora,

                “YOU’RE GETTING YOUR WEAPONS FOR PLOG’S SAKE!”

                “She’s right and she should say it.” Isadora quipped, “You’ve looked gorgeous in everything you’ve tried on so far and-“ She suddenly stopped herself, realizing what she was saying.

                A bright blush crossed her cheeks,

                “I-mean-I-well-“ Isadora stuttered. Violet giggled and blushed as well,

                “I get what you’re saying, Isa.”

                Rosie let out a small squeal.

                Sunny let out a raspberry.

                Bunah went over to Sunny and nudged her. Sunny then pushed her in return.

                Soon, the two Lyn children were chasing each other around the room and giggling, the others laughing along with them.

                “If ya’ll are done being disgustingly cute in there, we’ve gotta talk about how this is gonna go, tomorrow.” Neomi suddenly popped her head into the doorway.

                “Oh, Master! Hello!” Isadora said between giggles, bowing to her.

                The girls slowly tried to contain themselves as Neomi slid inside, Crystallene following behind her. They all eventually bowed to each of them, and sat or stood to face them.

                “Alright, nerdlings. I’ve already told the dudes, which was much harder to do because Quig and Bunyang are little gremlins and Ryu has that vacant look so I can’t tell if he’s actually listening or not.” Neomi rambled on. Crystallene rolled her eyes.

                “But anyways,” She said, waving her hands around, “Here’s how it’ll go.”

                They all nodded.

                “There will be a long table set up with training weapons from each martial art. You’ll all go up to the table and focus your chi – close your eyes, whatever helps you focus I don’t care – and you’ll notice a pretty blue glow around a couple or so of the weapons. Whichever one glows the brightest is the one you’ll wield. Basically, it’s ‘calling’ to you.” Neomi explained as carefully as she could, knowing her.

                “Yes, then we’ll have a celebratory feast.” Crystallene commented, “Please don’t cause any havoc. You’ll have plenty of time to show your guests around Heaven’s Reach.”

                “Our guests?” Isadora asked, perplexed.

                “Yep. Some familiar faces have wanted to see you again for a real long time, now.” Neomi replied.

                “Like… who.” Violet said, a tad worried.

                “Lemony… Jacquelyn… Oliva I think’s her name? Then there’s… Crysty do you have that list?” Neomi counted on her fingers, then looked at Crystallene. She grumbled and pulled out a small scroll, unfurling it,

                “Lemony, Jacquelyn, Olivia-“

                “I said those already”

                “Cease. Olivia, Fiona, Fernald, Hector, Jerome, Charles and Strauss.”

                “Who’s ‘Cease’?” Neomi asked her with a shitty grin.

                Crystallene rolled the scroll back up and thwacked her on the head with it. Neomi cackled.

                Violet, Isadora, and Sunny looked at them with shocked faces, trying to process what they had heard. Meanwhile, Bunah, Jinsoyun and Rosie were giggling at the women’s exchange.

                “Strauss? Justice Strauss?” Violet gently asked, “Olivia?”

                Neomi nodded, an eyebrow raised.

                “They’re alive?”

                Neomi suddenly realized Violet’s plight.

                “Oh, right, uh, yeah.”

                Violet and Sunny looked at each other.

                “Saw librarian lady die!” Sunny squeaked. “Exactly…” Violet said quietly.

                “I guess she survived somehow? Woman must be made of iron. I know how that is.” Neomi commented helpfully.

                “Fiona and Fernald, too! And Hector!” Isadora said happily, “I haven’t seen them in so long! And… you Violet, you and your siblings haven’t seen Fiona or Fernald for longer.”

                Violet merely rubbed her face with her hands, Sunny picked up her tail and began to nibble on the end of it.

                “This is going to be more stressful than I originally thought. What am I going to say? Ask? Oh, Grand Creator-“ Violet whined pathetically.

                Isadora smiled and rubbed Violet’s back,

                “Don’t worry about it too much.”

                “Yeah! I’m sure things will fall into place.” Rosie piped up.

                “I suppose.” Violet sighed.

---

                The rising sun glittered through the clouds, delicately touching Heaven’s Reach with its softness. Ji and Nic were finishing up with the decorative lanterns and paper dragons, Selene and Wil were setting up the feast table by the dining area. Neomi and Crystallene were finishing up with the Weapon Calling table nearby (Crystallene being very particular with the weapons’ placement.). Demetria and Miyu were helping the Hongmoon students with their outfits, Miyu helping the younger ones, while Demetria helped the elder students.

                Violet and Klaus were both pacing back and forth, Violet wringing her hands.

                “Guys, seriously, it’s gonna be ok.” Quigley said, lying back against a wall in the Baudelaire’s quarters. Sunny was nervously gnawing on an apple.

                “I know, I know, I know,” Klaus repeated, “But, well, what am – what are we going to say? To them? I mean-“

                “Exactly! Exactly. Olivia not bothering to tell us she’s alive – Fiona and Fernald not coming to see us?” Violet said, just a smidge upset.

                “They were probably trying to protect us.” Isadora commented.

                “Protect us? How? From what? Hello?” Klaus bombarded her with questions.

                “From the Ebondrake, and whoever else is still out there to get us.” Duncan answered. Isadora nodded, “We don’t know who else survived the Eclipse, and it was better safe than sorry to leave us alone for a bit.”

                The elder Baudelaires ceased their pacing.

                “We needed time to process all the shit that happened, anyways.” Quigley piped up, pointing at Isadora. She pointed back at him, “Precisely.”

                Violet shook her head. They had a point, but she hated it even still. Klaus grumbled.

                “Ok, let’s just try and stay positive! You’ll still get to see them, again! They’re ok and they’re alive and you guys get to start training and it’s going to be great.” Rosie suddenly hopped up, rambling on.

                Each of the Baudelaires looked at each other and then to Rosie.

                “You’re right.” Violet gave a small smile.

---

                 “Okiedokie, kiddos, today’s the day!” Neomi said, looking at each of the elder Baudelaires and the Quagmires, “Today’s the day you get to finally be real warriors – be all cool and tough and stuff.” She then did a sweeping motion with her hands at the weapon table beside them.

                Quigley giggled, excited. Duncan nudged him. Violet felt extremely nervous, Klaus holding onto the sleeve of her robes.

                The other students were gathered a little ways off, Crystallene trying to keep them from ruining their clothes with dirt or grime.

                “But, uh, one thing.” Neomi said suddenly, “I’m not going to send you on missions, or make you fight demons or anything of the sort. You’re still young. You’ve been through a lot of shit. I’m not going to let you or make you do any of that. You’ve got a childhood to live.” Her eyes looked sad and pleading, which was rare for her to show in front of anyone.

                Isadora and Duncan nodded. Violet and Klaus felt some relief wash over them. Quigley merely grumbled.

                “Now, they’ll be arriving soon. Don’t hide your emotions. Don’t lock them up.” She said.

                Violet felt a lump form in her throat. Neomi made her feel a little safer. Don’t cry yet. Violet thought, Wait.

                Neomi held out her arms, “Bring it in, you bunch of babies.”

                They all smiled as they got into a huddle of hugs.

                The familiar noise of a dragon pulse made them pull away as they saw Demetria’s friends help the guests through.

                The teenagers all looked at each other, then didn’t hesitate to run over to the pulse and gathering crowd of people. Neomi only looked on with a soft smile.

                Crystallene went over and bowed to them, “Welcome to Heaven’s Reach, honored guests. I am Crystallene Lune, the summoner sensei.” The other sensei gathered alongside her, Neomi slowly walking over to them as the teenagers quickly gathered nearby.

                Each of the sensei introduced themselves, Yue, Demetria, and Miyu. Finally, Neomi went before the guests and bowed deeply,

                “I am Master Neomi Eclipse. It has been an honor to protect and guide these teens.” She said, then gently presenting them.

                There they all were. Lemony. Jacquelyn. Hector. Jerome. Charles.

                Fiona and Fernald.

                Olivia. Strauss.

                Justice Strauss clasped her hands over her mouth, tears threatening to fall, “B-Baudelaires!” Olivia ran over to them, “I’ve missed you so much! I’ve even brought gifts, oh, Divines, you all look so healthy and well-!”

                Hector ran over to them and quickly hugged the Quagmires, who returned the favor just as enthusiastically.

                Violet suddenly burst into tears and latched onto Olivia, Klaus doing the same.

                “We thought you-you-we thought you had died-! The Profane J-J-“ Violet sobbed happily, her voice muffled into Olivia’s Earthseer uniform. Olivia felt her own happy tears slide down her face, “I’m ok, it’s ok! I was able to latch onto the side of the pit and escape.”

                “That’s some fucking luck you’ve got there.” Quigley was smiling as widely as he possibly could. Isadora pulled from Hector and looked at Olivia, “You didn’t have to bring us anything, your presence here is a blessing.”

                Strauss ran over to them. Sunny sprinted over to her, “Strauss!!”

                The woman turned and saw the little draconic Lyn dashing towards her. She leaned down and held out her arms, to which Sunny replied by jumping into them and hugging onto Strauss’s neck.

                “Oh, Grand Creator, Sunny! You’ve gotten so big!” Justice Strauss said, standing and turning to the elder Baudelaires. Violet and Klaus broke their hug from Olivia to give Strauss the same treatment. “I was so worried about you! Oh, Lemony wouldn’t let any of us visit you for so long! He wanted to make sure you were all safe and sound before we came.”

                “It’s ok. You’re here now and that’s all that matters. You helped keep us safe.” Violet answered back, wiping her eye with the back of her hand.

                “And we’ll continue to keep you safe.” Justice Strauss answered sternly, “It is my duty to do so after what happened… I still feel so horrible about-“

                Klaus smiled, “Don’t worry about it. All problems have their place.” Justice Strauss nodded at him happily, Sunny hopping down from her arms.

                Jacquelyn was next to approach them, going over to the still-in-absolute-pieces Olivia, “Honey, calm down – come on, now. Oh, you’re going to be an absolute wreck when they actually get their weapons, aren’t you?” Olivia merely nodded.

                “Jacquelyn!” The Baudelaires said gleefully, turning to she and Olivia.

                “Yes, hello, Baudelaires. Splendid to see you, again – Olivia, sweetheart, please, control yourself.” She replied, then placing a gentle hand on Olivia’s face.

                “They’re dating.” Duncan said quietly to his siblings.

                “Oh, they’re definitely dating.” Quigley replied.

                Isadora blinked at the two women, then looked at Violet. She felt her stomach flutter.

                Fernald and Fiona ran over to them while Jacquelyn was trying to calm Olivia down, and the teens happily greeted them. Fiona was ecstatic to see the Baudelaires again, “Oh my God, I’ve been so stressed about you lot for… I don’t know how long? Who cares! You’re ok! And you’re gettin’ your weapons today!”

                Violet nodded, “We’re so happy to see you! And… Fernald… are those new hands..?”

                Fernald happily brought up his hands to show them off, “Yes! Fiona was able to find someone to make them for me. They’re a combination of ancient Naryu technology and modern mechanics!” Violet looked at them with childlike wonder, “Holy shit… that’s fucking rad as hell…” Fiona laughed, “Sure is!”

                Jerome and Charles walked up to the Baudelaires, they gleefully spoke for a while, Violet congratulated them on their marriage. Klaus was smiling so much his cheeks began to hurt.

                Lemony was the last to approach them, Beatrice II in his arms. Upon seeing the two, the Baudelaires ran up to him. Beatrice II squealed at seeing her old family, and reached out to Violet frantically, giggling. Violet smiled wide, taking the little baby into her arms, “I’ve missed you, too, little Bea!” Klaus thanked Lemony for keeping her safe, and Sunny hopped up and down in joy.

                Lemony looked absent, worried – but he still had a smile on his face.

                How was he going to tell them?

                When was the right time?

                Not… not now. It would ruin everything, he was sure. Later. Tell them later.

---

 

(https://youtu.be/cfp8u7YurXo)

                After the joyful, emotional reunion, it was time for the Weapon Calling ceremony.

                The lanterns hung suspended in the air by chi energy, and the paper dragons attached to various trees flew gently in the wind.

                The honored guests and other Hongmoon students sat in a group down the first set of steps to the master’s quarters. Up those steps is where the teens had gathered in a line in front of the table of weapons. The sensei stood behind the table, and Neomi walked to the front of it, standing before the teens.

                “Violet Baudelaire. Klaus Baudelaire. Isadora Quagmire. Quigley Quagmire. Duncan Quagmire.” She began. All was quiet except for the wind chimes nearby, the gentle wind and birds, and rushing water.

                Each of the teens looked at her, standing straight and tall, their hands behind their backs. They bowed to her. Neomi bowed back.

                “You have proven yourselves worthy of wielding a weapon. By awakening your chi, you will now take up your weapon and begin to walk the path of the warrior – The Way of Xia. A path of justice and righteousness. Do you accept this responsibility, Jyan?” Neomi asked ceremoniously.

                Each of the teens replied with an at-attention “Yes, Master.”

                Neomi nodded, “You will protect the weak and innocent, slay the irredeemable and vile, and carry the name of the Hongmoon clan with modesty.”

                “Yes, Master.”

                “As long as you stay true to your soul, and to your heart, the Hongmoon will never fail you.” Neomi finished.

                “And now,” Neomi said, turning around to the table. She then summoned a paper charm that was marked with the word “blessing”, and carefully placed it on the center edge of the table. The sensei and Neomi then fiercely held out their hands, transferring their chi to the charm.

                The charm shown a bright blue as the table was then encircled by a number of symbols. The charm burned off with a white flame, the sensei and master lowered their arms, and the circle stayed.

                The teens looked in awe as this happened, looking down at the ground before them, where the circle waited.

                “It is time to commence the ceremonial Weapon Calling.” Neomi spoke again.

                A sudden hard gust of wind came, shaking the wind chimes, moving the lanterns around them about. Neomi moved to the left side of the table… as a spirit appeared at the right side.

                “M-Master Hong-!” Violet spoke up.

                The spirit nodded at them, then looked to Neomi, as if a parent was looking proudly at their child. Neomi gently smiled in return.

                “Step within the circle, my Jyan. Claim what is yours’. Listen to it calling to you. See it reaching out to you.” Master Hong’s voice echoed through their ears.

                Each of the teens then slowly stepped into the gently glowing circle, and then felt a rush of exhilaration sweep through them.

---

                Violet looked at the weapons on the table. C-close your eyes. Focus. She shut her eyes, trying to calm her nerves.

                She heard a few soft hums sang out in various directions. She furrowed her brows, confused, slowly opening her eyes.

                Four weapons had a tiny, gentle white flame above them, but some flickered brighter than others. She blinked, rubbed her eyes, the flames were still there.

                A blade master’s sword, a gunslingers pistols, a kung fu master’s bracers and a force master’s bangle. The bracers and the bangle were fainter than the sword, and the sword even fainter than the pistols… which shown the brightest.

                As the others moved towards theirs’, Violet moved to the pistols and slowly, but gently, picked them up. They felt warm and light in her hands. They felt like a perfect fit.

                “Oh…” She said, holding one up, looking at it carefully.

---

                Klaus did the same as his sister, but instead, he heard some gentle chimes ring out. His eyes flew open, and three tiny flames flickered. A blade master’s sword, a force master’s bangle, and… a… warlock’s razor knife.

                This is… just like my vision… Klaus’s eyes grew wide, staring at the brightest flame that graced the razor knife.

                He watched as Violet approached the table, and he followed. His fingers touched the hilt of the razor knife, and he felt a gentle warmth shoot through his arm, then immediately picking it up. He looked at his reflection in the blade itself, and a large, spiked, blue beast looked alongside him within the reflection. Klaus double took the image, then looking to his side. It wasn’t there.

---

                Isadora heard some flutes call out to her, and she slowly opened her eyes. A blade master’s sword, a kung fu master’s bracers, a warden’s greatsword and a force master’s bangle flickered for her.

                She squinted at the blade with the brightest flame – the blade master’s sword. She glanced at the greatsword and chuckled, thinking of Quigley. She walked up briskly to the blade, being the first one to approach the table, plucking up the graceful looking sword, and smiled.

                She then held the blade in front of her with two hands, closed her eyes, and breathed deeply, feeling it’s warmth in her hands.

---

                Duncan heard gentle, pounding drums. Upon opening his eyes, he saw a blade master’s sword, a soul fighter’s bracers, a warlock’s razor knife and a force master’s bangle.

                Bracers? Duncan looked perplexed at the brightest flame above his weapon. He didn’t think that he’d wield a weapon that would be forceful. If it’s what I’m meant to do…

                He stepped carefully up to the table and picked up the bracers, and slid them onto his hands. They were warm and light as he curled his hands into fists, staring at them.

---

                Quigley heard the gentle calling of plucked violin strings, causing him to raise a confused eyebrow. He opened one eye, seeing the tiny flames on his weapons: . A blade master’s sword, an assassin’s razor knife, a warden’s greatsword and a force master’s bangle.

                His eyes immediately flew open upon seeing the massive greatsword… but it’s flame was weak. He furrowed his brows.

                His eyes then scanned the other weapons, stopping on the bangle.

                You’ve gotta be kidding me. Quigley reluctantly walked up to the bangle, just as briskly as his sister walked, and picked up the bangle, sliding it over his wrist. …Or this could be ok, I guess.

                He felt comfortable as he waved his hand around, and suddenly, a transparent looking, cloth-like silk glittered down from the bangle, a collection of symbols appearing on the back of his hand, glowing, “Gentle Heart” it read.

                Quigley snorted at the symbol, waving his hand through the odd silk.

---

                Neomi and the sensei watched their reactions to each of their weapons. Demetria held in a squeal as she excitedly watched Isadora pick up her blade. Neomi laughed when she saw Klaus double-take the reflection, “That’s gonna be your thrall familiar, Jyan!” causing the boy to look at her with a confused face.

                Miyu smiled gently as she saw Violet pick up her pistols and inspect them closely. She could see the gears in the girl’s head turning. Crystallene nudged Neomi as Quigley fiddled with his bangle, “Eh, Selene can help him out.” She replied to the lop Lyn.

                Lemony sighed as he saw Violet with the pistols. He may have to tell her sooner rather than later, after all.

                Fiona clapped wildly upon noticing Isadora’s blade, and as the teens turned towards the crowd with their new weapons, the others clapped wildly along with Fiona, many standing up, smiling, laughing, some even whistling excitedly.

                Violet felt her cheeks get hot from embarrassment, and awkwardly smiled and waved with one of her pistols. Klaus started laughing, Quigley shrugged and playfully bowed. Duncan put his hands on his hips with a raised eyebrow, just as embarrassed as Violet.

                Neomi and Master Hong’s spirit walked to the left and right of the teens.

                “Congratulations, Jyan, on your new weapons. Train well, fight the good fight… love yourselves.” Neomi said playfully. Master Hong nodded.

                “This concludes the Weapon Calling Ceremony.” She continued as the circle began to fade. She then bowed deeply to Master Hong, who bowed back. The teens, crowd, and sensei mimicked this.

                “It has been an honor to witness this day. Be good, little crickets. You are each destined for greatness. I can feel it.” Master Hong spoke as he began to fade.

                It was quiet for a few minutes before Neomi then piped up,

                “Now it’s time to party, my dudes!” she shouted.

                “Woo!” Rosie called out, causing Sunny to laugh.

Chapter 14: A Window To The Past

Summary:

After a successful Weapon Calling ceremony, the elder Baudelaires and Quagmires go to ask Master Eclipse one of their many burning questions...

Notes:

The story of Jinsoyun is canon to the game, and bears some resemblances to certain characters within ASoUE. Her story will hold importance later on in the AU as well.
Meanwhile, Lemony's got some shit to work out, I'm sure.

The official Xia AU character index: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/post/185357232235/the-way-of-xia-au-character-index)

If you have any questions, concerns, or etc., please contact me here or via my tumblr blog: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/)

Thank you so much for your interest. The winds of Fate beckon. Follow the path of Xia, my fellow warriors!

                The celebratory banquet that followed the Weapon Calling ceremony was filled with laughter and chatter. The teens spoke endlessly of their time on Heaven’s Reach, Duncan recalling all the humorous antics of his siblings and fellow Hongmoon students. Violet described her research on the Naryu technology she had acquired from Demetria and her posse, and Klaus explained the history of the Hongmoon clan (To those who were unaware.).

                Many other stories were told between many other guests, sensei, and students. The afternoon sun soon rose high in the sky, and the teens showed their guests around Heaven’s Reach, including the delicate springs, their humble living abodes, and various other areas.

                Bea II was pleased as punch to meet the newest friends of her Baudelaire family, and Rosie was especially ecstatic to meet yet another “precious little baby oh my GOD”.

                Though Lemony was happy to see the children safe and sound… he couldn’t help but feel greatly stressed.

                Olivia had been receiving visions of twisted things to come, and even worse, Klaus had spoken to them about his own visions… including ones that contained a woman who looked much like his mother.

                Beatrice.

                Lemony watched Violet attempt to playfully spin her new training pistols in her hands, Sunny running around her elder sister excitedly.

                How am I supposed to tell them? Do I tell them now?

                He swallowed hard. Soon, the truth would have to come out, whether she wanted to be found or not.

                Violet had to know the truth. He was done lying.

                V.F.D. was long gone.

                He was tired of keeping secrets. Tired of lying.

---

                 Near the end of the day, the Hongmoon clan saw off their guests, Neomi noting that they could visit any time they wished, as long as they notified them beforehand.

                Soon, the moon rose over the gentle cliffs of the grounds once again, the teens still filled with many questions.

                One poked at their minds since Neomi mentioned it –

                “… Framing… someone else in the process”

                “Well, let’s just say they’re a close friend, and I managed to save them.”

                “They’re… around here somewhere.”

                “Not unless you ask at a… better time.”

                Klaus had a bet this was the “better time”.

                “Who wants to come with me and ask Master about that ‘close friend who was framed?’” He said simply, walking into the Baudelaire cottage where his siblings and the Quagmires sat.

                They all looked at him.

                “I mean, I’ve been wondering about it, too, but-“ Duncan started.

                “Yeah, sure. Why not. Love me some story time.” Quigley cut his brother off, standing up. Violet shrugged, doing the same, “Crystallene did say that they’d be as transparent with us as possible. I’d like to hear this story.”

                “I have a feeling this story is going to grant us some pain.” Klaus crossed his arms. They glanced at each other, and he looked over at Sunny, who was sleeping soundly on her bed.

                “Leave her here..?” Violet asked, looking at her younger brother.

                “It might be the best. She’s already dealt with enough shit as is.” He motioned to the toddler, “When the time comes, we’ll tell her.” Violet nodded off to the side, a pang of guilt shot through her.

                Isadora sighed, “Shall we go, then?”

                “Sure. Let’s go find out who fucked up, now!” Quigley half-playfully said, nudging Violet in the side. She rolled her eyes at him.

---

                 The teens had made their way to the master’s quarters, greeting Wil and Ji, who were on guard that hour.

                Crystallene, as per usual, answered the knock at the door, and invited them in.

                Neomi had been poring over some various, important-looking papers, but she was happy to help her students.

                “So, my lil nerds, what’s goin’ on?” She asked, sitting on the front of her desk.

                They all looked between each other before Klaus spoke up,

                “What’s… what’s the story behind the person who was framed..?”

                Neomi looked at them with a look of “ah, fuck.”, and then motioned at Crystallene, who then left the quarters.

                “I know we told ya’ll we’d tell you everything, but, I didn’t think you’d ask that question so soon…” Neomi said, hopping down to the floor in front of her desk, crossing her legs.

                “Take a seat.” She said, nodding at them, her ears waving about.

                The teens gave her a worried looked before they took the same seating stance.

                “Now… I’m gonna warn you, now. This story is kinda fucked. You’re… you’re not gonna see a certain someone, or even a couple of people… the same, again. You’ll have mixed feelings, it might suck, I dunno. Depends on how you want to take it.” Neomi spoke as carefully as she could, being Neomi.

                “What… do you mean?” Violet asked her, furrowing her brows.

                “I mean that I’ll be telling you… well, showing you the truth,” Neomi stated,

                “And you might not like it.”

                Klaus sat up straight, “I’m ready to hear it – er – see it, then.”

                “…Okiedokie, then. If you’re so sure.” Neomi replied, “Now… In order for you to get this wholeass story, I’ll be using a soul-separation technique I learned from the Snapjaw Sages. You’ll be seeing the past replay before your eyes. It’ll take a lot of my own energy, so bear with me.”

                They all nodded carefully.

                “Now it’ll feel kinda weird, clearly, like when you went to the – what was it – The Infinite Expanse?” The spectacled Lyn woman asked, raising an eyebrow.

                “You’d think we’d be used to weird by now.” Quigley snorted.

                Neomi pointed at him, “Right-o, my dude. You guys ready?” She asked, double checking.

                Some various “Yes, Master.”s were heard.

                “Cool, cool. Hold on to your hats, little dudes.” Neomi replied, “Focus, just like you do when you meditate.”

                They then closed their eyes, and attempted to clear their minds.

                Soon, things went quiet.

                Not even the crickets or the splashing of the falls outside could be heard.

---

                 The teens each opened their eyes to a place that was familiar to the Baudelaires, but not the Quagmires.

                “Oh, God…” Violet said, clasping her hands over her mouth.

                “The… is this… the Highland Necropolis..?” Klaus asked shakily, looking around. Their voices were echoed.

                The Quagmires looked around carefully. Something felt different about this Highland Necropolis.

                It wasn’t the same as the one Violet had been kidnapped in.

                Demons were all around, citizens were fleeing, the red sky, the blackened moon - it felt all too familiar to the Baudelaires.

                “It… the… the Heaven’s Mandate…” Klaus felt himself say, looking wildly around him.

                “Yep.” Neomi’s voice came, but she wasn’t present, “Some chump of a prince was tricked by a demoness named Yura into performing the damn thing incorrectly, causing him to sacrifice his sister… and his kingdom.”

                Quigley blinked, “Yo, Master – where’re you at..?”

                “I’m the one allowing you guys to see all this, so, well, can’t exactly be there with you.” She came weakly, “I don’t have a ton of energy for this, so we’ll have to make good time.”

                “Wait… did you say… this place used to be a kingdom?” Violet asked, looking at the palace she was dragged into so many moons ago.

                “Clearly.” Klaus answered, walking over to her.

                Suddenly, four, powerful looking warriors arrived on the scene.

                “The-The Four Masters-!” Klaus pointed, “That’s – that’s the woman in white, from my visions-!”

                “Jiwan,” Neomi replied, “The Righteous Blade. The keeper of the Twilight’s Edge. The one who held the lock and key to realms beyond this one.”

                “Master Hong…” Isadora spoke softly, seeing the old lop Lyn man land beside Jiwan. "The Earthbreaker." Neomi noted,

                “And Mushin, the Divine Fist…” She continued as a large, dark haired man landed beside them, “Finally, Iksanun, the Realmwalker.” An elderly fox-like Lyn landed beside Mushin.

                The Four Guardians stood beside each other, surveying the chaos that had engulfed Highland Central.

                The teens then watched as the Four Masters did their work – slaying demons without a problem, working together in an attempt to keep the evil from slipping through the cracks.

                The teens were in awe of their absolute power, the way they so easily handled their weapons, how they meshed together so well, how they knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

                Quigley stood with his mouth hanging open as he saw Master Hong transform into a hulking being, "YO, HE COULD DO THAT AND NOBODY TOLD ME!?" They heard Neomi weakly laugh.

                Soon, after a small bit of demon slaying, they met on the bridge in front of the Sealed Palace.

                Violet shivered at the sight of it.

                Iksanun walked up to Mushin and laughed heartily, “It’s good to have ya back, buddy! I thought we’d never see you again after you vanished into the Dark Realm!”

                Mushin waved him off, seemingly embarrassed, “Oh, nonsense, dear friend!” Hong Sokyun laughed at him.

                Just then, the Twilight’s Edge trembled in Jiwan’s hand, the blade pointing towards a pile of rubble. She raised her hand up to the jovial group.

                “What is it, Jiwan?” Hong asked, looking from her to the rock pile in front of her. She slowly walked towards it,

                “Help me move this.” She said suddenly.

                When the last rock was moved, a small, shaking girl was revealed.

                Duncan squinted at the figure. Klaus looked at the girl, to Jiwan, and back, “…That looks like…”

                “An older version… of Jinsoyun..?” Violet finished.

                “How… how would that be Jinsoyun..?” Isadora spoke, thoroughly confused.

                “You’ll see.” Neomi spoke. She sounded a tad tired.

                Jiwan picked up the tween, holding her closely in her arms. Iksanun looked at her, perplexed, “You can’t be serious, Jiwan, she’s infected, she could turn-!”

                Jiwan then placed her hand over the child’s chest, infusing her with chi, attempting to purify some of the darkness that threatened to infect her. The girl then started to stir, looking up at Jiwan,

                “What is your name, sweetheart?” Jiwan asked, looking down upon the girl like a mother would her newborn.

                The girl blinked, weak, confused,

                “J-Jin-Jinsoyun…” She spoke.

                Each of the teens gawked in various fashions. Violet held a hand over her mouth. Klaus looked utterly bewildered. Duncan and Quigley looked at each other, waiting for some sort of explanation. Isadora swallowed hard.

---

                The next thing they knew, they were transported through a whirlwind of visions.

                Jinsoyun was with Jiwan on the tall, chilly mountains of Silverfrost, where she trained alongside her new guardian and master to become the next wielder of the Twilight’s Edge. These were happier times in the girl’s life, after the terror that was the fall of Highland Central.

                But… that would soon come to an end… all too soon.

                An unfortunate series of events were to unfold before the elder Baudelaire and Quagmire’s eyes.

                They watched as Mushin himself betrayed Jiwan, his own dear friend, in his greedy quest for power, slaying her with his own hands.

                “You’ve grown weak, Jiwan. What… have you invested too much chi into your little pet..?” The wicked man asked. Jiwan looked up to Jinsoyun, blood spilling from her mouth, “Jinsyoun… take-take the blade! Take the blade and run! Warn the others..!”

                Jinsoyun snatched the blade from Jiwan’s side, tears spilling from her eyes, and sped off as Mushin quickly finished her off.

                “Follow her.” Neomi said. The teens snapped out of their astonishment to follow the teenage Jinsoyun down the steps from Jiwan’s temple,

                To Hong, Iksanun, and Mushin awaiting her at the entrance.

                “There, see..! She’s slain Jiwan and taken the Twilight’s Edge for herself..!” Mushin cried theatrically. Iksanun sneered, “Damned wretch – I knew we shouldn’t have trusted you-!”

                Hong Sokyun looked sorrowfully at Jinsoyun, “Jinsoyun, please, tell us what happened!”

                Jinsoyun looked between the three older men, sobbing, “N-no, that’s not-!”

                “Filthy murderer, your end is here!” Mushin yelled, then lunging at the teen, throwing her from the high cliffs of the mountain,

                Down,

                Down,

                Down,

                Violet, Klaus, and the Quagmires looked upon in terror as the events played out. Violet dropped to her knees, watching Jinsoyun plummet from the peaks of the mountain, her hands down by her sides. Klaus stared in terror.

                Something similar had happened to them. Being framed. Nobody listening to them.

                The Quagmires looked from the falling figure of Jinsoyun to the Baudelaires.

---

                 They saw the fallen body of Jinsoyun on the grounds of an unfamiliar area.

                “What… What is this place..?” Quigley asked suddenly, surveying Jinsoyun’s body. “Oh my God, oh my God, is she ok!?” Violet asked frantically, running over to Jinsoyun.

                “Worry not, she’s fine. And… this was the Aransu clan. They trained warlocks.” Neomi spoke.

                “…Was..?” Klaus asked nervously.

                A small child with dark hair approached Jinsoyun carefully, then attempting to shake her awake, “Hey… hey..! Are you ok..?”

                Jinsoyun stirred, once again, and looked at the child.

                “Oh, thank the Divines, you’re ok! I thought you were dead or somethin’!” She spoke to a very confused Jinsoyun,

                “My name’s Sanzu!”

                The teens then heard Neomi give a sorrowful sigh.

---

                 Sanzu and Jinsoyun had a happy few days, Jinsoyun being terrified of opening up about what happened upon the mountain’s peaks.

                But little did the teenaged Jinsoyun know that Mushin’s lies would catch up to her.

                Sanzu’s father, the master of the Aransu clan, exposed her, refused to listen to Jinsoyun, and Sanzu was both confused and terrified.

                “Wicked, vile woman! You killed your own master, and have claimed the Twilight’s Edge as your own-!” The man cried, pointing accusingly at the girl. Jinsoyun looked hopelessly from the man to Sanzu and back, “No, please, YOU MUST UNDERSTAND-“

                Then, a dark, horrible voice came into the elder Baudelaire’s and Quagmire’s minds…

                “Get… revenge…”

                Each of their hands flew to their ears, clutching their heads. Jinsoyun looked around wildly.

                “Punish those who have failed you…”

                The voice rang through their minds, loud and twisted. Violet squeezed her eyes shut, “Who- who is that-!” She shouted. Klaus gasped as he shook his head back and forth.

                “…The Dark Lord.” Neomi answered painfully.

                Jinsoyun fell to her knees, covering her face with her hands, her face covered in tears.

                “GET.”

                “REVENGE.”

                Jinsoyun then threw her upper body backwards, screaming, the dark chi that slept within her overtaking her body.

                Sanzu and her father watched in terror as the dark chi completely consumed the teen, soon poisoning her – corrupting her…

                And then before all of them…

                Stood a woman draped in black,

                Holding the Twilight’s Edge,

                Her eyes dark and awful.

                “No… no…” Violet shook her head. Klaus merely stared in horror at the now turned Jinsoyun. Quigley cried out, and Duncan let out a plethora of swears. Isadora remained quiet.

                Violet stepped back, “That’s… that’s… that’s Lady B-Blackrose…”

---

                 The teens then watched in horror as the corrupted Jinsoyun slew Sanzu’s father, causing the young girl to scream out in horror, calling to claim revenge.

                They then witnessed the countless slaughters and takeovers the dark-chi ridden woman committed.

                “The Dark Lord took control of Mushin, then took control of Jinsyoun… and then everything began to fall apart.” Neomi’s voice came weakly.

                The elder Baudelaires and Quagmires saw the abhorred event of “Lady Blackrose” slaying Hong Sokyun and Neomi’s Hongmoon brothers and sisters… and throwing Neomi off the isles of Heaven’s Reach. Then a scene where Iksanun was betrayed - and killed - by his own son, all thanks to her.

                “Oh… Oh my God… holy fuck…” Quigley let out, a hand over his mouth. The tears that fell down Violet’s face threatened to never cease, watching has this chain of events had even affected their current guardian – their teacher.

                “Jinsoyun… the one with us now… she…” Klaus stuttered, trying to find words.

                “She was puppeted by the Dark Lord for so long. She slew countless innocent people, brought down kingdoms… all while being under the control of the Dark Lord.” Neomi spoke,

                “All because of Mushin’s selfishness. His greed.”

                Violet fell to her knees, slamming her fist onto the ground, “Mushin. MUSHIN. MUSHIN DID THIS. ALL OF THIS-“ She screamed angrily. Klaus ran over to his elder sister, hugging her.

                “There’s a reason why the way of Xia is of justice and righteousness, and not revenge.” Neomi came again, “The Dark Lord feeds off of negative emotions. The dark chi that develops within an angry soul can easily be corrupted.”

                Violet looked up from her fit. Her eyes grew wide. Klaus noticed this, and looked as well.

                There, doubled over, was a past form of Neomi. The teens watched in disgust and terror as a wicked-looking purple and black collection of vines sprung from the younger Lyn’s back, a large, darkened flower blooming. The blood dripped from her split back, tears falling from her eyes.

                Klaus felt sick, and he turned away from the sight. Violet covered her eyes, still sobbing.

                “I still… remember that… that pain.” Neomi suddenly came, “The Mark of the Black Rose.”

                Isadora couldn’t turn away from the sight. Duncan let out a cry of fear.

                “Lady Blackrose inflicted me with that curse so the Dark Lord could use me as a puppet.” Neomi continued, “But it didn’t work, clearly. I wouldn’t let it.”

---

                 Finally, they came upon a red sky – a blackened moon once again. They were on a huge platform, high in the sky, right under the darkened moon.

                “This is the Eclipse-“ Isadora said, looking up at the massive portal in the sky – the door that lead to the Dark Realm.

                “That’s – that’s… Jinsoyun and Master are fighting..!” Duncan pointed at the two women from the past, currently duking it out.

                “Lady Blackrose performed the Heaven’s Mandate in an attempt to summon the Dark Lord to our realm, thus bringing an end to everything. She used the Twilight’s Edge to open the gate, and a vessel for the Dark Lord to corrupt so he could enter our world.” Neomi explained tiredly,

                “That vessel happened to be Mushin’s descendant and heir – Yunwa.”

                The teens looked up from the battle to see a girl’s unconscious body being dragged ever closer to the dark portal above them, then back to the battle, and soon, they saw Neomi with the Twilight’s Edge.

                “You… did you…” Quigley asked, his mouth dry.

                “Kill her? No.” Neomi replied, “I saved her.”

                They watched as Neomi plunged the blade into Jinsoyun’s shoulder, where a growing mass of dark chi had gathered. With this, she fell to her side, passing out, choking up blood.

                “Those who are poisoned and corrupted by the Dark Lord need our help. Her past made it easy for him to do so. She wasn’t herself. So, I didn’t kill Jinsoyun, I killed Lady Blackrose.” Neomi said.

                The past Neomi then leapt into the air, catching up to Yunwa’s unconscious body, and then throwing the Twilight’s Edge straight up to the portal.

                The glowing, blue blade tore through the air, and as it grew closer to the portal… it began to crack… and split…

                Until it completely shattered into several pieces, flying in various directions through the air.

                The portal sealed itself shut.

                “That- that was the light we saw that day, Violet!” Klaus shouted, pointing upward wildly in different directions. The blue light that scattered that day. That was the Twilight’s Edge

                “Yep. And now the blade that was lock and key to realms beyond ours is now broken, scattered throughout the main continents.” Neomi said weakly.

                “Oh, shit.” Quigley spoke.

                “It’s… funny.” Isadora spoke, “Not in like… a ‘haha’ kind of way… just in… and odd way.”

                “What’s it, sis?” Quigley asked her, raising an eyebrow.

                “She was found during an Eclipse, then she fell during an Eclipse…” Isadora replied.

                “And now she’s being taught by someone with the name Eclipse.” Duncan finished for her.

                They all looked at each other. Neomi was quiet.

                The scene around them changed once again.

---

                 “Heaven’s Reach!” Violet chirped.

                The teens then saw the spirits of Hong Sokyun and the past Hongmoon students around a battle-worn Neomi, who were congratulating her.

                “We can finally rest, now, cricket!” A Lyn boy said.

                “You’ve done so well, cricket. I’m so proud of you.” A Gon man smiled.

                Master Hong held onto Neomi’s hand, and nodded his head, grinning. Tears ran down Neomi’s face as she smiled gently.

                Then, a white light appeared behind them. They and the teens turned,

                And there was Jiwan, holding the unconscious body of the corrupted Jinsoyun. The spirits and Neomi looked at her, puzzled.

                “I know this may be asking for much, but,” Jiwan’s spirit said, looking at them, “I want to give Soyun a chance… a chance to start anew.”

                The past Neomi looked at the woman to Jiwan and back, skeptical.

                “…From a place and time without the dark chi poisoning her.” Jiwan continued.

                Violet squinted at them. Klaus stepped over to his sister slowly, “What is she… doing?”

                “With your power… we can turn her back.” The woman in white looked at the Hongmoon spirits and Neomi with begging eyes.

                She then bowed deeply to them, “I ask for mercy.”

                Isadora opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Klaus stepped backward.

                “Shit…” Quigley said in astonishment.

                The various spirits of the Hongmoon students looked around at each other. Two of them shrugged. Hong Sokyun nodded, looking up at Neomi, who sighed.

                The past Lyn then walk forward, and began to do some motions with her arms and hands, summoning a bright, blue circle containing ancient runes. The Hongmoon spirits bowed their heads, and Jiwan did the same.

                Soon, Jinsoyun’s body lifted slowly above them as a white light consumed her body…

                And then…

                Little Soyun appeared as the light faded, Jiwan taking the small girl into her arms again. The woman smiled gently, “Thank you, Jyansei.” She said simply, before fading away.

                Then the vision faded to white.

---

                 They all awoke again in the master’s quarters, Neomi with her back and head laying against the front of her desk, “Fucking hell, I forgot how tired that actually makes me, shit.” She swore, breathing deeply.

                “Are-are you alright, Master?” Klaus asked, rubbing his eye. Violet blinked, feeling her face, which was covered in tears.

                “Well. Holy shit.” Quigley piped up, blank faced. Isadora clutched her arms,

                “I didn’t… that was…”

                “Definitely a ride.” Duncan said.

                “Yeah.” Quigley said weakly.

                “Ah, well, shit happens. That’s the story, though. Don’t, oogh-“ Neomi panted, “Don’t feel, uh, bad about Jinsoyun, she was subject to mind control and corruption-“ She waved her hand around.

                “No, it’s fine. If anything, I feel even more obligated to protect her, now.” Violet said stubbornly.

                “Does she… does she know?” Klaus asked carefully.

                “Nope. She has no semblance of her past life, and I’d like to keep it that way – for now.” Neomi replied.

                “Well, shut my mouth.” Quigley said playfully, thomping back onto the floor behind him.

                Crystallene peeked into the quarters, seeing a thoroughly tired Neomi, then rushing in to her side.

                “Oh, hey sensei.” Quigley waved up at her as she rushed in.

                “Greetings, Jyan. Welcome back.” She said quickly. Her voice then fell to a whisper, “Nene, I told you to be careful, you absolute moron, God,” she hissed, helping Neomi up.

                Isadora giggled slightly. The two Lyn women were as close as sisters.

                “Your-your, uh, back-“ Duncan asked, standing up, “Is it… ok?”

                Neomi waved him off, “Awww, yeah, def. I’ve got this sick-ass back scar, though, here lemmie show you-“ She said, turning around (To which Crystallene protested, and then slapped a hand over her own forehead in defeat.), “Check it – from here to liiiike… here, or something.” Neomi said, reaching behind and pointing out the scar with her open-backed robes.

                Violet looked in horror at the dark scar, running from the bottom of Neomi’s neck, straight down the middle, to the bottom of her back. Klaus’s eyes widened at the sight, and Quigley sat up quickly, “Oh, shit. Ok.” The boy said, squinting at it.

                “Does… does it still hurt..?” Isadora asked, moving over to Violet’s side to get a better view.

                Neomi turned back around, “Naaah, not really.” Crystallene rolled her eyes, “You lot should really get to bed, it’s been a couple of hours, now. And, Neomi, you need to rest – don’t stick your tongue out at me that’s juvenile.”

                Each of the teens looked at each other before getting up and making their way out of the master’s quarters.

---

                 “So that was… something.” Klaus said, lying in his bed that night.

                “Yep.” Violet replied from her own.

                “I didn’t think things would be so… weird and like… come full circle like that.” The boy continued, trying to find the correct words.

                “Yep.” Violet replied again, lost in her own thoughts.

                “I swear, when we see Soyun tomorrow morning, I’m going to give her the biggest fucking hug.” Klaus spoke quickly.

                “I’ve adopted her. She’s a Baudelaire, now. Jinsoyun Baudelaire. Protect her at all costs.” Violet said quickly, pointing his direction. Klaus smiled,

                “Sounds fine by me.”

                It was quiet for a while.

                “We’ve all been through some shit, huh?” Violet asked suddenly.

                Klaus closed his eyes,

                “…Yeah. Yeah, we have.”

Chapter 15: Raveling

Summary:

A blast to the past has given the elder teens a better understanding of various people and things. Now, their weapon training begins.

Notes:

Just a nice lil chill chapter.... mostly. uwu

A festival episode? In this fic? oh, absolutely.

The official Xia AU character index: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/post/185357232235/the-way-of-xia-au-character-index)
Way of Xia First Arc play list!: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CIBBYqpHEmbAXx9T1rmGZ?si=BW4SaRe6Sd-wCKl4IxvPow)

If you have any questions, concerns, or etc., please contact me here or via my tumblr blog: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/)

Thank you so much for your interest. The winds of Fate beckon. Follow the path of Xia, my fellow warriors!

                The following days were spent with the Baudelaires and Quagmires doting over Jinsoyun, training, and receiving visits from their various friends.

                Olivia’s gifts were sweet, and the six orphans loved them. Klaus received a wonderfully large book full of information about the varieties of soul incantations. Sunny was given a metal teething ring with pleasant little star shapes. Violet got a wonderful little set of tinkering tools, which she found perfect to start fiddling with her new pistols. Isadora and Duncan were given several new journals and writing materials. Finally, Quigley received a book filled with extensive maps on the lands of the Earthenrealm, to which he immediately started to scribble in once he got back to his desk.

                Strauss visited as often as she could, and told the Baudelaires about how Empress Yunma Fei was trying to rid the city of Zaiwei, as well as her inner courts, of the Ebondrake cult. The justice system was incredibly busy, obviously.

                Fiona and Fernald spoke to the orphans about the Blackram, and their search for her step-father, which she had decided to eventually give up on. “Besides,” Fiona huffed, “If he was found by now, he’d either be dead or charged for abandoning the Blackram. Stupid bastard.”

                “Do you regret joining the Blackram in his stead..?” Klaus had asked her.

                “Not one bit. In fact, I’m going to help make it better.” Fiona crossed her arms stubbornly. Fernald nodded, “So far, she’s put Vice Admiral Poharan of the East Fleet in her place a handful of times!” he grinned. Fiona smirked, “If that little spoiled shit thinks she can step on my feet just because I’m merely a captain, she has another thing comin’.”

                Violet laughed, “That much of a brat, is she?”

                “You have no idea.” Fernald groaned. Fiona rolled her eyes.

                Jacquelyn came to speak with Neomi often. Quigley and Bunyang eavesdropped on them once or twice, and it was mostly about sightings of Ebondrake near the Viridian Coast, Neomi sending Demetria and her crew down to chase them off, various events and festivities coming up, and certain things lying under the category of “Protecting The Kids”.

---

 

                Onto their training, they were starting out quite well. Neomi was right about the teens – they were prodigies, incredibly smart and gifted.

                Miyu taught Violet various sharp-shooting techniques with her new shotgun, strafing movements while shooting at targets with her pistols, and how to properly handle the gunslinger’s grappling hook. Violet was a natural. She had taken to tech-enhancing her pistols, using some of the ancient Naryu technology she was given.

                “Reloading your pistol’s chi energy is simple,” Miyu had said to Violet, “All you need to do is spin your pistols in your hands once, focusing your chi on them.” The woman then quickly raised her pistols, spinning them, and grabbing tightly onto the handles. Throughout this, her two pistols glowed a bright white, fading afterwards.

                Violet nodded carefully, then assumed a wider stance, going through the same motions the sensei did. She felt a rush of energy run from her, to her pistols. They shown a soft purple.

                “Excellent work, Jyan!” Miyu clapped after holstering her pistols. Violet smiled, “Thank you, sensei. It felt… kinda weird, though.”

                “You’ll get used to it.” Miyu reassured her, “Now, let’s see if that tinkering has made your shots any faster.”

                Neomi soon introduced Klaus to the warlock’s familiar: The thrall. Neomi snapped her fingers, summoning her own thrall, causing the boy to jump back. “Ay, don’t be afraid, little dude! This here’s Jimmy. He’s a cool, rad dude - aren’t ya Jim?” She laughed, elbowing the large, blue, spiked creature. He nodded jovially and waved at Klaus with one clawed hand. Klaus meekly waved back, “I’m going to… get one of those?”

                “Yep, today.” Neomi replied.

                “T-today!?” Klaus stuttered.

                “Don’t be scared, little dude. Thralls are as nice as you treat ‘em.” Neomi patted Jimmy, who nodded once again. “…Well, I mean-If you say so.” Klaus said nervously.

                After some basic mediation and deep focusing, a thrall like Neomi’s burst from the ground before him in a flurry of chi energy, causing Klaus to stumble backward from his mediation position. The thrall looked down at him, cocking its head.

                “…Uh… hi..?” Klaus’s voice wavered as he slowly got up. The thrall opened and closed its sharp mouth, blinking at him.

                “It likes ya!” Neomi said. Jimmy clapped his claws together and waved at the other thrall, who wiggled its own claws in greeting.

                “Do… I have to… name it, too?” Klaus asked, slowly making his way to the beast. “It might help, but you don’t gotta.” Neomi shrugged.

                Klaus stepped up to the hulking monster, looking up at its spiked form. He thought for a moment, studying its face and its glowing, blue, vacant eyes,

                “Rory.” Klaus finally said. The thrall nodded at him in response, placing a single, gentle claw on his head. Rory let out a low, echoed noise in agreement. Klaus smiled.

                Duncan worked with Wil for now, who knew a thing or two about throwing some punches. A soul fighter’s movements were fast and heavy, to which the small and sensitive Duncan had to grow accustomed to.

                “Don’t worry, little man, you’re doing really well for a newbie!” Wil said, placing a heavy hand on the boy’s head. Duncan looked down at his bracers, “I rather like the energy throwing movements more than the… kicking and punching.” He sighed. Wil laughed,

                “You’ll get there, buddy! No worries. Besides, Master Eclipse is still searching for new sensei, so you’ll have just who you need to help you, soon.”

                Duncan gave a swift punch to the dummy in front of him, “I hope so.”

                Demetria was ecstatic to receive her new student, Isadora. “Now,” Demetria said, holding out her blade, “The art of the blade master is delicate and complicated… but I’m sure you’ll do just fine!” she said jovially to the girl. Isadora looked at her own blade, “I’ve heard that this martial art is one of the most graceful ones.”

                “ Exactly! And that’s why you’re super duper lucky to have been chosen by the way of the blade!” Demetria chattered, “Blade masters can set their swords ablaze, summon six other swords at once, and even move lighter than air!”

                “…Set my sword ablaze?” Isadora hesitated.

                Demetria pursed her lips for a second, “It’s not actual fire, darling, worry not. Six other spirit swords, though, how cool is that! To command all your own!” The woman said quickly. Isadora nodded, “Of course. That sounds delightfully pleasant.” Isadora offered.

                “Exactly!” Demetria winked at the teen.

                Quigley was a bit peeved with his situation. How would he impress Violet without a giant weapon at his side? Did she even like huge weapons? Maybe this was ok. Maybe.

                Selene proved to be a very reassuring teacher, and though she wasn’t a sensei at all, she clearly knew what she was doing. “Now,” she spoke gently, “I know you may find discomfort in fire, so let’s start off with ice. Besides, judging by the title your bangle has graced you with, you might find more comfort in the force master’s art of defense than offense.” Quigley let out a raspberry, “I’m not a weenie, Selene. I’m pretty sure I can handle a little… fire.” He hesitated.

                “Focus your chi on the chilling element, and try shooting an ice crystal with your right fist at the training dummy in front of you.” Selene ignored him. Quigley sighed deeply.

                Maybe if he learned how to shoot fire rather than ice Violet would be impressed? Or not. Maybe not. Aw, hell. He thought.

                Each of the teens were making fantastic strides in their first lessons, which brought Neomi some relief. If they were ever forced to defend themselves (Hopefully that wouldn’t have to happen.), then they would be able to fend for themselves at least somewhat before she or the others stepped in.

---

 

                Lemony paced frantically around in the inn room at Yehara’s Mirage, clearly annoying Jacquelyn to the nth degree.

                “Snicket.” She said suddenly, looking up from her tea cup.

                He kept pacing.

                “ Snicket.” She said again.

                He kept on pacing.

                She grumbled.

                “ MISTER SNICKET.” Olivia said abruptly from the far bookcase, startling Lemony out of his frantic episode, “Yes, right. Sorry, yes?” Lemony asked, looking from Olivia to Jacquelyn, who squinted at him.

                “The only way you’re going to be able to calm down is if you tell. Her. The. TRUTH.” Jacquelyn stated simply. Lemony gulped,

                “You do understand how this could unravel everything Violet thinks she knows, right?”

                “Facing the truth head on is better than hiding it from her forever. Beatrice will eventually be found by them or she will find them.” Jacquelyn spat.

                “She’s right.” Olivia chirped from behind them. Jacquelyn pointed at her in agreement.

                “I… can’t decide when a good time would be to tell her, however.” Lemony said.

                “A good point. The summer festival is in a couple of days, though.” Jacquelyn replied.

                Olivia brightened and ran over to the table where her love sat, “Oh, the festival in Jadestone!? I haven’t gone to that in years!” The spectacled woman spoke excitedly. Jacquelyn nodded, “We shall be going as well. I’d like to see how the children are getting along with their training.”

                Lemony cleared his throat,

                “I suppose I can… attempt to speak with Violet then.”

                Jacquelyn merely raised an eyebrow at him.

---

 

                The summer sun glimmered beautifully past the graying clouds, an occasional drizzle started and stopped. Violet sat in the middle of Isadora and Quigley under a tree on a large blanket, their hair and skin dotted with small raindrops. The light filtered through the trees, creating a nice pattern on Quigley’s journal, which he traced. Isadora scribbled away in her own journal. Violet’s head lay sleepily on Quigley’s shoulder, her hand touching Isadora’s leg.

                “I’m exhausted.” Violet spoke up amongst the various sounds of nature.

                “You get sick guns and what do I get? A fancy piece of jewelry with some weird chi fabric stuck to it. Of course you’re tired.” Quigley snorted. She bumped her head against his, “Shut up, both our weapons are cool, and yours is fuckin gorgeous.”

                “I learned how to summon two other swords this afternoon.” Isadora said, not looking up from her writing.

                “Oh, fuckin sick, bro.” Quigley said, looking at his sister, “How long d’you think it’ll take you to get the whole set out?”

                Isadora shrugged, “Sensei Celestise said it should only take me about a month or so at my rate, which is reassuring.”

                “Seven swords, holy shit.” Violet giggled, “I don’t think I’d be able to go up against you.” Isadora chuckled, “A gunslinger’s might is as strong as their bite.” Violet blushed furiously, laughing.

                “Apparently I’ll be able to freeze myself in a statue of protective ice dragons.” Quigley noted.

                “Oh, damn, a dragon ice statue?” Violet snorted.

                “Yeah, and something that can protect the whole team from being hit for a bit called ‘frost sheath’.” Quigley continued, clearly trying to impress the girl.

                “…Ok that sounds pretty sick, actually.” Violet commented. Isadora rolled her eyes.

                It slowly started to sprinkle again, and Violet reached out her hand in the humid air to feel the cool, small rain drops on her hand.

                “Late month sun showers always bring pleasant flowers.” Isadora noted, watching Violet from the corner of her eye.

                “Oh, most definitely.” Violet smiled. Quigley placed his pencil on the top of her head, to which she leaned her head over a tad, letting the pencil slipping off. “Ma’am-“ He said quietly, giggling.

                Some small, splashing footsteps were heard, and each of the teens looked up. Little Sunny was toddling her way over to them, Jinsoyun following behind her.

                “An important announcement!” Sunny blurted out before reaching them, “Master wants to see us!” Jinsoyun caught up and nodded happily, “The summer festival is in a couple of days, she wants to bring all of us!”

                The two Quagmires and Violet looked between each other before smiling, “We’ll clean up here and be there, soon, Sunshine.” Violet said, leaning forward to place a gentle hand on her little sister’s head. Sunny wagged her tail happily.

---

 

                “Alright, kiddos! Good to see you all in fantastic shape – keep those horns sharp, Sun.” Neomi joked. Sunny rose up a hand, “Hai~!” She replied enthusiastically. Violet giggled.

                The Hongmoon students, the sensei, and Demetria’s crew had gathered around the side-porch of the master’s quarters for Neomi’s announcement.

                “So, as we know, the summer festival in Jadestone village is in a couple of days, and we’ll be attending – except for Sensei Celestise’s crew, since they’ve gotta keep an eye on Heaven’s Reach.” Neomi continued. Ji, Nic, and Selene nodded. “Except for Wil, clearly.” Ji commented, waving a presenting hand to the large, tall, dark and handsome Gon man. He snorted, “Clearly.” Placing a loving hand on Demetria’s shoulder. She giggled.

                Sunny opened her mouth and pointed inside it, signifying gagging. Klaus playfully grabbed her and set the Lyn child in his lap. She giggled.

                “Now, this will mean you guys gotta be on your best behavior, again. And you’ve gotta wear some nice ‘traditional’ clothing. You’ve got those. Remember?” Neomi noted. The students nodded.

                Certain elder students felt suddenly flushed upon remembering this, and then realizing that they’d have to wear them in front of their crushes. Fancy kimonos and the like. Wuh oh.

                “However,” Crystallene spoke up, “This evening is still supposed to be a… fun one… so please feel free to-“

                “Go crazy! Go stupid!” Neomi added quickly, waving her hands around. Crystallene hit Neomi lightly on the head with her summoner staff. Various giggles were heard.

                “You know better, Jyan.” Miyu said gently, “Just don’t cause trouble.”

                Various “Yes sensei”s were heard.

                Everyone then retired to their quarters for a restful night’s sleep.

Chapter 16: Windswept

Summary:

As the elder students prepare for the festival and learn advanced windwalking techniques, we meet three unlikely orphans who have fallen from another world, and are now training to be battle monks.

Notes:

The official Xia AU character index: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/post/185357232235/the-way-of-xia-au-character-index)
Way of Xia First Arc play list!: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CIBBYqpHEmbAXx9T1rmGZ?si=BW4SaRe6Sd-wCKl4IxvPow)

If you have any questions, concerns, or etc., please contact me here or via my tumblr blog: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/)

Thank you so much for your interest. The winds of Fate beckon. Follow the path of Xia, my fellow warriors!

Music

                Violet violently slapped her hands onto her face the next morning, falling backwards off a bench in the training hall,

                “OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGOD-” She spoke quickly, causing Isadora to walk over to her and stare down,

                “What’s up, buttercup?”

                Violet sat up, then thumping her head down on the bench in front of her,

                “I’m going to have to wear the cute kimono we got a while back in front of-” She stopped suddenly.

                “Quigley and I?” Isadora smirked leaning down beside her.

                “ Divines- shut up I’m-” Violet said before giving an agitated, embarrassed grumble. 

                Klaus and Duncan walked onto the grounds, Klaus rambling on about his thrall. Duncan was grinning; He loved seeing Klaus get excited like this.

                Isadora turned her head towards them, “Hey, thanks for joining us.”

                “And it can even - Oh, shit, we’re not late, are we?” Klaus cut himself off. Duncan waved her off, “Nah, she’s just messing with us.”

                “Oh, no, that wasn’t what I meant.” Isadora smirked, turning her body around. She pointed a thumb down toward the distressed girl beside her,

                “Your silly sister is stressing over the festival.” She quipped.

                Violet gave another irritated grumble.

                Klaus and Duncan suddenly went white. They looked at each other, then to the girls in front of them.

                “ Well-!” Klaus said suddenly, making quick steps ahead of Duncan, “I better get ready to train with Rory, super important! Neomi said she was going to teach me some thrall techniques - super interesting stuff!”

                Isadora furrowed her brows.

                Duncan cleared his throat, “Y-yeah! Yep! I’ve gotta… punch… Punch stuff! That’s - Yep!” He stuttered.

                Isadora slouched, “You have to be kidding me.”

                Violet groaned. Again.

                Rosie marched up through the gate, Bun trotting behind her, “G’moooorrrning, everyone-!” Only to stop upon seeing the group of agitated, nervous, love-struck teens - save for Isadora.

                Rosie stopped mid march and Bun ran between her legs and over to Violet, “... Ya’ll good?” The girl asked. Bun poked at Violet’s arm with her nose. Violet didn’t move.

                Bun looked at Rosie,

                “I think she’s dead.” She mewed.

                “I’m going to die.” Violet groaned, “Of a heart attack.”

                Rosie blinked,

                “What?”

                “The festival starts in around a day or so,” Isadora helped the confused nine-tailed fox Lyn, “In case you forgot - and some people have… crushes.” She then leaned down to Violet, grinning.

                “ Shuut uuuuuuuup!!” Violet cried in embarrassment.

                “ Oh~.” Rosie replied, “Gotcha.”

                Quigley walked through the gates after this, waving, “Hey gu- Violet are you ok?” He said, trotting over to her. Violet shot up, looking straight ahead, her face suddenly as pink as a summer blossom,

                “Y-yes! Yes I am, thank you for, uh, asking..!” The girl stuttered, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. The boy smirked and knelt down beside her. Isadora opted to wander off.

                “You sure, waterlily?” Quigley offered.

                This only made Violet’s face get even hotter.

                Rosie stopped herself from snorting. Bun looked up at Quigley,

                “ Waterlily?” The cat meowed.

                Quigley gave the familiar’s head a good pet, “She smells sweet like one, looks beautiful like one, and would look good with any outfit.”

                Violet then turned into a giggling mess.

                Rosie’s face dropped into shock, “Damn that was smooth.” Bun rolled her eyes and trotted back over to Rosie, “Young love is so grody sometimes, I swear.”

                “...Is not.” Rosie said in soft defiance.

                There was a gentle gust of wind before all the teens looked back to see Neomi had landed just past the entrance. She then stood straight up, hands on her hips,

                “Alright, nerds and noodles, it’s time for your first advanced windwalking session today!”

                Each of the teens looked between each other, some excited, others a little nervous. Rosie hopped up and down, “Advanced windwalking!!! Oh this is gonna be so FUN!! ” She squealed, excited.

                “Uuuh…” Duncan said slowly, “Like… wall running and...  vaulting..?”

                Neomi nodded, “Yepperoo, lil doo, all the advanced techniques! You guys have been excellent with sprinting, gliding, and water-running, now you’re gonna learn the bigger stuff.”

                Violet let out a soft sigh of relief - Maybe this will help get my mind off of… that…

                “Oh hell yeah!” Quigley shouted, “ Running up walls time, ya’ll!”

                “Eh-xactly!” Neomi pointed to Quigley,

                “Now let’s get going to the hottest place to train for such feats - Dragonscale!”

---

 

                

                A gentle rain fell from a soft, cloudy sky. The grayness of it wasn’t sad - but rather tired.

                Tired in the same way these three orphans were.

                Under this graying sky lies the temple of the Snowforest Monastery - the home of the monks of the Silverfrost region. 

                These three orphans bore the same last name as the three this story started with - 

                - However, they are not of this timeline.

                Their timeline ended in fire, destruction, and death.

                The Dark Lord had succeeded in his endeavors, and the Eclipse consumed the Earthenrealm in an apocalyptic flame.

                Though…

                Something had other plans for these three.

                They were plucked up from their last moments,

                And placed in the fields of the Skypetal plains of Silverfrost, safe in this timeline.

                They were found by some traveling monks and brought back to the temple, where they awakened in panic and confusion. Now, this is where they’ve lived and trained.

                Getting through their trauma has been… far harder for them than the other group.

                Their world was gone. Everyone they knew. Everyone they had helped and everyone who had hindered them.

                Were gone.

                Now, they were all that was left.

                The three sat in a warm cottage within the grounds of the monastery, lazing… thinking.

                “Lilac.” The middle boy said, looking up from staring at his hands, “I still feel like there could have been a way to save it all.”

                Lilac, the eldest, sighed and looked sorrowfully at her brother,

                “Nick-”

                “Don’t start. I don’t care how many times I’ve said this in the past - There had to have been something. It’s what you always say! There’s always something-!”

                “-That time, there wasn’t something. The fate of our world was decided from the start-”

                “-Why us? Why us? Why are we the only ones left? What is the point, Lilac?”

                Nick slammed his fist down onto the low table before them, causing the youngest to wake up. She looked at him with worried eyes.

                Lilac glared at him, Nick looking down at the toddler,

                “Sorry Soli.”

                Solitude sat up, looking between her elder siblings,

                “...Priest Hyundam...” She spoke.

                Nick sneered and Lilac smiled at her, “You’re right, Soli. We have to keep remembering what Priest Hyundam said.”

                Nick glared at her.

                “Don’t.”

                “I don’t care if you’re tired of hearing it.” Lilac said sternly, “We have a purpose. We need to live on. To fight. For the world we lost. For everything we lost. So this one doesn’t go up in flames like our’s did.”

                Nick suddenly stood up, “We’ve been training - unlocked our chi, fought off those demons a while ago - I’ve seen so much death, Lilac. It doesn’t even feel like death matters anymore. I feel nothing. Every time I saw a member of the monastery fall, I haven’t felt SHIT .” The boy slammed his fist into the wall, causing Solitude to flinch.

                Lilac looked at her brother with solemn eyes,

                “I know. I… I know.” She said simply.

                It was quiet for a moment, the rain pitter-pattering against the cottage.

                “...Go and see the priest again.” Solitude recommended.

                Nick stared at her.

                Lilac looked between the two.

                “We’ll go tonight, then. Fuck it.” Nick spat. Lilac looked up at him, “What good what that do? He’d tell us the same thing again-”

                “ You don’t KNOW that.” Nick spoke venomously, “It’s been months , Lilac. I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt to go back and get our fucking ‘fortune told’ again.” He said sarcastically.

                Lilac looked hurt, and Solitude fiddled with her robes nervously.

                Nick clenched his jaw.

                “Look.” He said, looking to the wall - no damage had been done, “I just. I need to know why the hell we didn’t die like… Like everyone else. Like all the rest,”

                Lilac blinked, looking away from him and to Solitude.

                “I want to know what we’re supposed to do. ” 

                Lilac sighed and nodded at him,

                “We’ll go tonight, then.”

---

 

                

                The elder students of the Hongmoon had been training all day in the ways of windwalking. It was an exhilarating feeling - using chi to run up walls, jump from rock to rock, walk across walls…

                Quigley and Klaus lay on the mossy rocks on a cliff high above the grounds of Dragonscale, listening to the crashing waterfalls. “I’m sore like… everywhere.” Quigley groaned, opening and closing his hands, staring up at the colorful evening sky.

                “We’ll probably get used to it the more we do it.” Klaus groaned. He attempted to sit up, but the soreness in his abdominal muscles made him think again. Quigley snickered.

                Bunyang and Bunah were giggling nearby on another cliff, chasing each other. Duncan sat under a waterfall just behind the boys to try and rest his aches.

                Quigley and Klaus heard some hard, fast footsteps coming from down below.

                “Here they come to show off, again.” Klaus grumbled, looking at the cliff’s edge.

                Then, Violet and Isadora shot up, Violet doing a pleasant little flip in the air before landing on her feet in front of Quigley, who had quickly sat up to stare in wonder at her. She winked at him.

                Isadora landed beside her and huffed.

                Violet grinned, “Beat you. Again.” She giggled. Isadora grit her teeth, “You cheated that time, waterlily.” The poet mocked jovially. Klaus snorted. Duncan stood up, shaking some water from his hands, “You’re getting faster, though, Isa! You almost had Vivi beat, there.”

                Violet rose an eyebrow at Duncan. He only smiled.

                “Who’s side are you on?”

                “Both, really. Seeing friends get better at things is nice.” Duncan smiled at the gunslinging inventor. She smirked, “Of course.”

                “ WATCH OUT BELOOOWWWW~!” Came a loud, shrill voice from above. The teens immediately moved to make a clear space. Down came Yue, Crystallene, and Neomi, landing with ever perfect ease.

                “S-sensei! Master!” Duncan said, then bowing. The others did as well. Crystalline turned to Yue while smoothing out her robes, “Honestly, Yue, must you yell?”

                “Duuuuh.” Yue said, wiggling her tail. Crystallene cornered her eyes and sighed.

                Neomi stretched her arms upwards, “Alright, kiddies, time to get back home. We’ve got a festival to attend tomorrow. Gotta be nice ‘n’ well rested for the partayy.” She grinned. Violet smiled. Quigley stood up beside Violet, “Aw, hell yeah, party~.”

                Klaus looked tiredly at him.

                “Come along then, children. Gather around, yes, yes. Bunyang, stop messing with Jinbin. Good, Ryu, you’re here.” Crystallene went on as she began the motions for a mass windstride, “Quigley quit trying to smudge up Klaus’s glasses, you know better. Rosie, pay attention, darling.”

                And off they went, back home.

---

 

                

                Priest Hyundam was sitting before the altar in the main temple, performing the usual nighttime prayers when Lilac poked her head in,

                “...P-Priest..?”

                The elder opened his eyes,

                “Yes, Lilac?

                “...Could we… speak with you?”

                “Of course.”

                Solitude toddled in as Lilac took her brother’s hand, leading him inside. This place was all too familiar to him. Nick had come here daily to pray. To try and figure out what was happening. Why it was happening. If it was all real.

                Needless to say he didn’t feel any different. Something wasn’t right.

                The children sat beside the priest, Solitude taking to Nick’s lap.

                “Are you still unsure?” Priest Hyundam asked. Nick didn’t want to seem rude. The priest and the other monks helped them. They’d given the Baudelaires a place to stay. They’d been teaching them to be battle monks. Priest Hyundam had even taught them some amazing incantations to ward off demons and dark chi.

                Nick… didn’t want to seem rude.

                “Clearly.” Nick muttered bitterly. The priest chuckled,

                “I think you three need a little break.” He said, looking at them. Lilac blinked, “Whatever do you mean, Priest?”

                “The summer festival in Jadestone has begun. Why don’t you go to the Viridian Coast and rest your weary minds?” Priest Hyundam asked, smiling.

                Nick sighed, as if that was going to help any.

                Lilac swallowed. The last time they’d been to a festival like that was…

                She mentally shook her head,

                “That sounds like a wonderful idea, Priest Hyundam.” Lilac smiled, “Doesn’t it, Nick? Solitude?”

                Solitude clapped her little hands in glee, “We can play games!! And eat good food!!”

                The corners of Nick’s mouth edged up slightly as he looked down at his younger sister, “...Sure. Why not.”

                Priest Hyundam nodded, “Good. I will see you again once the festival ends. I’ll be sure to put in a good word to the Inn.”

                The three orphans agreed, then standing up, bowing, and exiting the temple.

                “The winds of Fate beckon.” Priest Hyundam said to himself.

Chapter 17: Summer Sun Celebration

Summary:

The festival went along swimmingly,
Until...

The petals fly carefully along the winds of Fate,
As if their route was planned solely for this meeting.

Notes:

The official Xia AU character index: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/post/185357232235/the-way-of-xia-au-character-index)
Way of Xia First Arc play list!: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CIBBYqpHEmbAXx9T1rmGZ?si=BW4SaRe6Sd-wCKl4IxvPow)

If you have any questions, concerns, or etc., please contact me here or via my tumblr blog: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/)

Thank you so much for your interest. The winds of Fate beckon. Follow the path of Xia, my fellow warriors!

                The night sky glittered with beautiful stars. A bright, glowing moon hung high. The air was warm, and filled with ornate flickering lanterns that had a plethora of different designs. Jadestone was enveloped in music, laughter - all the usual sights of a happy festival.

                Yue had a fantastic little idea of putting blindfolds on the Baudelaire and Quagmire teens - for obvious reasons. Crystallene attempted to argue, but Neomi and Miyu agreed that she needed to “lighten up a little”.

                Once they had arrived, a wonderful scent had hit Violet’s nose, making her forget all her worldly worries,

                “I- they have dumplings..?” The girl said, going to lift her blindfold when Rosie grabbed her wrist, “Not yet, silly! You need to see your squeeze~!”

                Violet was immediately taken back to reality, her face flushing a wild pink. Bunyang and Bunah cackled, running off. Jinbin ran off after them, Ryu following along at a brisk walking pace, carrying Sunny on his back.

                “You can take those silly things off, now, Jyan.” Crystallene sighed, “What a ridiculous idea-” The lop Lyn began as Yue cut her off to complain.

                While the sensei and master had their squabble and chat, Violet, Klaus, Duncan, Isadora, and Quigley removed their blindfolds.

                Violet felt her face burn even more than it was before. Quigley stared right back at her with equal fervor. Duncan and Klaus stood in stunned silence with each other. Isadora blinked at Violet and felt her mouth go dry.

                

                Quigley swallowed hard, “Vi- You look- I-”

                Violet bit her lip at him.

                Klaus began to giggle nervously, “W-well, Duncan you look..! Uh-! G-great!” He attempted, his voice cracking. Duncan nodded, dazed, “Your… you look… n-nice…”

                Quigley swallowed his nervousness and went up to Violet, brushing a loose strand from her face, then cupping her cheek with the same hand,

                “You look gorgeous, baby.”

                Violet’s face felt as if it was on fire.

                Duncan glanced at the other two, then grit his teeth for a moment before letting out, “That color really suits you, sweetheart.”

                Klaus felt as if fireworks were going off in his mind, his heart racing.

                Isadora huffed softly, crossing her arms. After a few moments, though, a familiar voice made her eyes light up,

                “...Baudebrats? Quaggies? That you..?”

                They all turned to see Fiona, all dolled up in her own festival attire.

                

                “By the Fates, it is you! I guessed you lot would show up to the festival, but I didn’t know when-!” Fiona babbled, running over to them,

                Then noticing Isadora.

                Some kind of… alarm went off inside the pirate captain’s head…

                Oh no… she’s cute.  

                Isadora blinked at her, “Are… you alright, Fi?”

                Fiona only nodded, “You look positively exquisite, Isadora. Just thought you’d like to know that obvious fact.”

                Isadora’s face felt warm, “A-ah! Th-thanks- thank you…” The poet stuttered, gazing at the ninetailed fox Lyn.

                Rosie stood nearby, smiling slyly, “Heeeeey~ guys! I heard there’s lots to do here- forcouples- so let’s get a move on!” She slid in.

                Quigley grabbed onto Violet’s hand and pulled her off to who knows where, Fiona doing the same to Isadora. Duncan and Klaus were left.

                “...W-we could get some food or… play some games…” Klaus offered. Duncan nodded,

                “Let’s - we could walk around a little..? I mean-” The boy attempted. Klaus smiled,

                “No, walking sounds nice. Let’s… let’s do that.”

                Duncan returned a warm smile of his own, and off they went, hand in hand.

                Rosie lightly clapped her hands together before running off to find the other students.

---

                Quigley pulled Violet to a very specific stall that he knew she’d like - 

                Fresh, steamed veggie-and-chicken dumplings.

                “Want to grab a bite?” Quigley smiled at Violet, whose mouth was clearly watering at the delicious scent and sight of the dumplings before her. She only nodded. Quigley giggled.

                There was quite a crowd, too. Once they had pushed their way to the front, Violet saw quite the familiar face at the counter. He was making a show out of the dumpling making, causing the crowd to ooh and aah.

                “L-Larry!?” Violet sputtered, looking at the man. The cook almost ceased his feats when noticing the blue-eyed survivor,

                “Why, Violet Baudelaire! I never thought I’d see you again!” Larry exclaimed excitedly, “I assume you’re one of the Quagmire boys? Your siblings are all alright?”

Violet nodded, Quigley a tad confused. The inventor giggled, “Oh, Quiggles, this is Larry, Your-Waiter, he helped my siblings and your’s multiple times in the past… you survived the Eclipse, thankfully!” She then turned to Larry after explaining to Quigley.

                Larry nodded, pinching some dumplings closed, “It’ll take more than that to bring me down!” He then smiled, “Here, I’ll give you some dumplings, on the house! Anything for students of the great Hongmoon Hero!”

                Violet blinked, “How do you know we’re students of the Hongmoon..?”

                “Well, word travels fast, and Master Eclipse is quite the celebrity, as you might know.” Larry explained, placing some dumplings in a bag, “I myself have just been working some odd food service jobs - I’ve mostly found myself as a barkeep in the House of Pleasures in Zaiwei - you’d be surprised at the amount of gossip that travels through those halls.” He lowered his voice for a moment.

                Violet snorted, “I can only imagine.” Quigley smirked, taking the bag of dumplings from Larry, “Thanks, Larry.”

                “Not a problem! Tell Olivia and Jacquelyn I’m alive and well. I’ll be here for the entire festival. Happy summer, kids!” Larry smiled.

                The two said they’d relay the message and bid him farewell.

                The two then walked to a quieter place near the shore of the shallow lake in the town, sitting on a log.

                “What should we do after we eat?” Violet asked after swallowing. Quigley glanced around with curious eyes… then looking to see various couples out on small boats in the lake.

                Romantic…. He thought.

                Excellent.

                “How about we go for a boat ride?” Quigley recommended, smiling, “I bet it’d delight those creative eyes of yours to see the lanterns against the rippling waters.”

                Violet giggled, nodding, “It would be aesthetically pleasing, really. The light touching the water in such a way is a gorgeous sight - I’d love to see it up close.”

                Quigley grinned. There are other things I’d enjoy to see up close, as well. Like… her lips. Perhaps.

                Would he dare say such things out loud?

                After they’d finished their dumplings, they found the docks where the boat rides were being set off. They easily acquired one, and off they went.

                Quigley took to the oars, pushing them slowly outward, watching Violet’s face in the dim light. She was smiling softly, looking up, all around. The lantern’s golden glow made the water sparkle.

                Her eyes… sparkle…

                Quigley slowed his rowing as they came to a quieter area of the lake, then pulled them up and into the boat. Violet had barely noticed any of this - the inventor was too engrossed with her gorgeous surroundings.

                He moved closer to her.

                “‘Giving you any ideas?” Quigley asked softly. Violet giggled, still staring at the light, “I could replicate this for our cottage - the lanterns would be easy to make, though we’d need a lot of chi to help them float for so long-” She looked back to him…

                To notice his face was quite close to her’s.

                She took in a sharp breath,

                “ Ah-!”

                Quigley chuckled, “Did I frighten you?”

                She swallowed, “N-no! No… I just…” She began. Her face was heating up, again. Uh oh…

                Quigley took one of her hands, placing another on her waist. Was this too fast? No. Maybe?

                Both of their minds were flooded. Their hearts were racing.

                Are we a thing?

                The cartographer moved closer to Violet, “I don’t think we’ve had… this much time alone… in a while…”

                Violet only nodded, her lids heavy, staring into his eyes.

                “There’s nobody here to mock us…” Violet said softly, thinking of Sunny, the Lyn twins, or perhaps Rosie.

                Quigley giggled at her, “That’s correct.”

                The festival’s music was soft in the background. The lanterns’ glow floated about them in the dimness.

                Was this it?

                Violet closed the gap between them, wrapping her arms around Quigley’s neck.

                Their lips brushed against each other. Quigley felt the girl shiver. He smirked.

                This had to be it.

                “Quiggy?” Violet asked faintly, rubbing her nose on his, “What was the first thing you thought when you saw me?”

                “...A dream. A dream among nightmares… Mine.” Quigley breathed.

                Violet felt a rush of excitement run through her body.

                The boy captured her lips to his, and it felt as if fireworks had gone off.

                It is.

---

                Klaus and Duncan had run throughout the festival’s grounds, laughing and talking. They stopped by a food stall for some dango, and ate happily as they walked to more game stalls.

                “Oh! Oh!!” Klaus said excitedly, “It’s one of those goldfish catching games! We’ve gotta try it!”

                Duncan giggled, “Alright, sure, but any gold we lose is on your shoulders.” Klaus stuck his tongue out at the boy.

                The two ran over to the stall in question, and Klaus noticed the stall keeper was a familiar red-headed bearded man… but he couldn’t quite place why he was familiar.

                “Well, hey there, brothers! You wantin’ to try some fishin’?” The man asked, bright eyed. Klaus nodded, smiling.

                Why does he remind me of someone?

                Duncan gave the man a gold piece, and got three, tiny nets in return.

                “Good luck, boys!” He said, then going to tend to some other festival goers.

                Klaus plucked one of the nets from Duncan’s hand and looked at the little makeshift pool carefully, as if calculating his first move. The journalist giggled.

                “ShSHSHHH- Don’t laugh, I’m trying to focus! ” Klaus hissed, then dipping the tiny net into the water. Duncan snorted.

                A few goldfish swam around the gently moving net.

                Don’t chase. Just wait. Klaus thought. Just like mother taught you.

                Duncan rested his elbow on his knee, gazing at Klaus, smiling.

                A particularly bright goldfish swam right into the net, causing Klaus to grin.

                It then broke through with ease.

                “Shit-!” Klaus swore under his breath, flicking the net to the ground under him. Duncan covered his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. The journalist handed the bookworm another.

                Klaus took it quickly. He rested the net into the water again, trying to keep his hand relaxed.

                A faded goldfish swam toward the net in interest.

                Duncan smiled at Klaus’s focused face.

                He’s so… cute when he’s like this…

                It reminded him of all the times he’d walked into the Baudelaire portion of the cottage, seeing Klaus pouring himself over a book. His determined eyes, has arched brows. A commonplace book beside his reading material to take notes in - if needed.

                Memory like a steel trap.

                Or so he thought.

                Memories could be fuzzy. For the most part.

                Picking and choosing.

                The faded goldfish swam around Klaus’s tiny net, making him slightly impatient.

                “ Just get in the net-!” The bookworm mumbled harshly, trying not to shake his hand. Duncan felt himself giggling again.

                The faded goldfish swam against the back of the net, pushing it through to the front… causing it to break.

                Klaus rolled his eyes, huffing in frustration.

                Duncan laughed, “You’ve still got one more left, hon, don’t be so down on yourself!”

                Klaus squinted at him. Duncan only pursed his lips, grinning. He handed the boy the last tiny net.

                Klaus took it from Duncan with a single, hard raised eyebrow.

                He gently dipped it into the water.

                Come OoOoOoOoN.

                He waited, watching various goldfish swim about. Duncan looked on, bored.

                Duncan thought back to all the times he asked Klaus and Violet about what they’d gone through.

                Memory like a steel trap.

                Though, there were things Klaus had said he’d rather forget. Memories he’d rather forgo.

                The same bright goldfish approached Klaus’s net again. Duncan looked at the glimmering, gilded fish with slacked interest.

                Klaus bit his lip in anguish.

                Come ooooon…..!

                The little goldfish swam around the front of the net in small circles, as if trying to feel for something.

                The bookworm held painfully still. Patient.

                So patient.

                Like a steel trap.

                Duncan’s eyes widened as the goldfish then swam into the net… and stayed there.

                Klaus quickly, but carefully, pulled the tiny net out, bringing the fish carefully to his other hand toward Duncan,

                “ I DID IT!” He nearly hollered. Duncan laughed loudly, clapping his hands. The bearded man congratulated them, then bagging the radiant fish in some water.

                They continued to walk, Klaus holding onto the little fish carefully, tenderly.

                “Well, damn, I wish you’d hold me like that.” Duncan joked.

                Klaus’s face flushed, then turning from cooing at “Bedisa” to Duncan. The journalist then realized what he’d said,

                “I-I mean, I-” Duncan laughed nervously. Klaus blinked at him,

                “Duncan, riddle me this, just to humor me - or perhaps more-” The boy began.

                Duncan swallowed.

                Klaus looked to Duncan with soft, glittering eyes,

                “ Do you like me?”

                Duncan felt his body become warm, his heart racing, his mouth dry.

                He searched for words,

                “W-well- I… I uh..!”

                Klaus cocked his head at the stammering boy in front of him.

                “It’s just that-!” Duncan tried.

                Klaus arched his brows.

                Duncan breathed in slowly, clenching his jaw for a moment,

                Then, in the soft light,

                The shy journalist gave the nervous bookworm a soft kiss.

                Klaus nearly dropped the radiant fish, Bedisa, but held onto them tightly. He felt something flutter within his chest.

                Patient. Strong.

                Like steel.

---

                Fiona sat, leaning on Isadora’s shoulder, slurping up some noodles from a disposable cup. Isadora sat, rigid. A disaster.

                “Ya haven’t touched your noodles, love.” Fiona said, poking another shrimp into her mouth.

                Isadora looked down at the steaming food in her lap.

                “It’s… I’m waiting for it to cool off. I… don’t want to burn my mouth like an auf.”

                Fiona laughed after swallowing, “You’ve always got the way with words, doncha, Quag?”

                Isadora’s cheeks flushed violently.

                “Ay, tell me,” Fiona said, placing the cup to her side on the bench,

                “You ever kissed someone, love?”

                Isadora’s gaze shot up to the lyn beside her, who’s eyes were dark and romantic. The poet’s face felt red hot,

                “N-no? I mean, I- w-well, that’s-!”

                Fiona chuckled, growing closer to her,

                Bunyang and Bunah ran past them, shouting, causing them to stop suddenly. Fiona grumbled, irritated.

---

                Violet and Quigley walked closely together, whispering and giggling. Klaus and Duncan walked hand in hand shyly.

                Eventually, the two couples had come upon Isadora and Fiona again, who had just been interrupted by two fairly rambunctious Hongmoon students.

                Fiona sighed, placing her hands behind her on the bench, leaning back, defeated.

                “You guys look bummed out.” Violet giggled. Klaus shot her a look.

                “Oh, Klaus! ...You get some?” Violet smiled, teasing her little brother. He gasped, then shouted at her, Duncan covering his face with his sleeves in embarrassment.

                Fiona got up, feeling provoked, “Alright then, miss Baudebitch, you get any?”

                “I certainly did, Fiona.” Violet droned tauntingly, wrapping her arms around Quigley’s neck, “And his lips tasted like fresh grapefruit.”

                Quigley hummed, “Oh, really?”

                Fiona cornered her eyes, feeling like she had to gag.

                Klaus felt something odd, and he slowly turned around.

                Oh.

                “...Guys..?” He called to the others.

                They continued to bicker and chatter, Duncan slowly lowering a fabric-covered hand to notice Klaus.

                “G-guys..?” The bookworm said again, now looking toward a group of three very familiar looking people.

                As if they were mirror images.

                Duncan turned to look in the same direction as Klaus was looking, then feeling himself freeze in place as he saw the same sight as Klaus was currently seeing-

                Violet was flirtily pulling at Fiona’s tails, causing the pirate lyn to go into a blushing, shouting mess. Quigley and Isadora were doubled over, laughing.

                “ GUYS! ”

                The others finally turned to see Klaus as he screamed at them, and pointed toward the figures standing near the shore of the Jadestone Village lake, talking softly. The girl giggled at the little toddler who stood at her feet. The little one clung to the elder one’s kimono skirts.

                

                Violet blinked, staring directly at the two teens and the toddler,

                “ No… fucking way…”

---

Solitude was busy babbling on about the dozens of floating, colorful lanterns and glittering water lilies, Lilac giggling and nodding, when Nick glanced up at the group who had begun to stare at them. He looked wide eyed in surprise,

                “Uh, Li?”

                “What, Nick?” Lilac replied, looking up at him while Solitude went to pat her hands on the water.

                “There’s some… other kids looking at us like they’ve seen the dead or something.”

                “ What?”

                It couldn’t be…

                Not here.

                Really?

                “...Come on.” Nick said suddenly, plucking up Solitude, who gazed up at him in confusion. Lilac wanted to say something, she really did, but at this point…

                This kind of meeting was inevitable.

---

                “thEY’RE COMING TOWARD US-” Duncan said, then hiding behind Klaus, “ WhatDoWeDo?!?!?”

                “We say hi,” Violet said plainly, “Obviously.”

                “You whot?” Fiona asked, “Just simply say ‘Ay, hello, doppelgangers! Fancy seein’ you here!’ FOCKING WHOT?”

                Isadora placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Fiona’s wild eyes met the poet’s gentle ones. The pirate only clenched her jaw, shaking her head gently.

                “Sunny’ll be with Ryu - Klaus, focus.” Violet said as Klaus swallowed nervously. He looked at her,

                “R-right.”

                The two teens made their way over to them, the little toddler in the boy’s arms.

                “Any reason why two of you look somewhat similar to us..?” The boy asked as he arrived. The girl quickly arrived at his side, looking apologetic.

                “We could ask you the same thing.” Violet stated, her shoulders back, “Unless that’s some sort of secret-”

                “No secrets here, sis.” The boy stated, “What are your names?”

                Violet and Klaus glanced at each other, the others in the group looking a tad worried.

                “I’m Violet Baudelaire,” VIolet spoke cooly, “And this is my brother, Klaus Baudelaire.”

                “I’m Nick Baudelaire. That’s my older sister, Lilac, and this is my younger sister, Solitude.” Nick spoke.

                Lilac felt her stomach drop.

                “Our little sister, S-Sunny, she’s with a fellow student of our’s-” Klaus spoke quickly.

                “A student?” Nick asked, interrupting.

                “...We’re… part of the Hongmoon school.” Violet answered, trying to remain calm.

                Nick’s eyes darkened. Lilac felt her breathing hitch. Solitude looked clueless.

                “...The… Hongmoon?” Nick asked gruffly.

                Violet, Klaus, and the others stared at the other Baudelaires in confused worry.

---

                The group had sat down with the other Baudelaires for an explanation-

                Lilac, Nick, and Solitude were from another timeline - one that was ended by the Dark Lord.

                They were the only ones left.

                Violet slowly put a hand over her mouth, “Oh… oh my God, I’m… I’m so sorry…”

                “Don’t be.” Nick grumbled, “If anything, it was destined to happen - seeing as how the Hongmoon Hero of our timeline failed us.”

                “Nick-” Lilac said desperately, placing a hand on his arm. He scoffed, “You know I’m right, Lilac.”

                “Master Eclipse is a kind and benevolent woman,” Isadora stated, “Nothing like how the failed hero of your world sounded.”

                Nick shifted his eyes to the poet, “Reassuring.” He replied gruffly.

                “She’d be happy to meet you.” Quigley replied, “A little freaked, I’m sure, but like, happy nonetheless.”

                Nick swallowed at the sight of the other Quagmires and Fiona. Lilac sighed,

                “As we had explained - your counterparts are dead,” She breathed, “So please excuse us for acting weird around you.”

                “That’s alright, then.” Fiona spoke up, her face dusted with pink. Isadora looked at Lilac carefully,

                “We’ll help you in any way we can.”

                Lilac’s eyes glittered as she gazed upon Fiona and Isadora. Nick noticed his elder sister’s love-struck look and cornered his eyes.

---

                Violet and Klaus eventually found Neomi and the others at Jadestone’s bar, and Neomi was certainly a little tipsy.

                She didn’t seem to be as surprised as the others had imagined. The others waited outside, the other Baudelaires waiting. Lilac seemed nervous, and Nick impatient.

                When Neomi finally came out, Lilac and Nick stared at her in awe.

                She was nothing like the so-called hero from their world.

                She was quite the contrast, really.

                The “hero” from their world was hauty, bathed in darkness and lusted after revenge for what had happened to their Hongmoon brothers and sisters.

                Master Eclipse, however, was not like this.

                She was a glowing individual. Though burdened, she didn’t let the weight of her life completely weigh on her. She kept fighting to keep this world alive.

                To keep what was left of what she loved alive.

                Lilac felt as if she was going to break down and sob. Nick was angry. And confused. And… thankful. All at once.

                “So,” Neomi asked, crossing her arms,

                “You’re the Baudebabies from another world, huh?”

Chapter 18: Shadow of the Lake

Summary:

Time descends upon us quickly.
The winds of change are quickly sweeping us away...

Notes:

I apologize for the sudden abruptness this chapter may have, but I've decided I really need to get this AU moving along since I have, like, a bunch of different AU's I need to work on. 😵
Regardless - please enjoy !

The official Xia AU character index: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/post/185357232235/the-way-of-xia-au-character-index)
Way of Xia First Arc play list!: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CIBBYqpHEmbAXx9T1rmGZ?si=BW4SaRe6Sd-wCKl4IxvPow)

If you have any questions, concerns, or etc., please contact me here or via my tumblr blog: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/)

Thank you so much for your interest. The winds of Fate beckon. Follow the path of Xia, my fellow warriors!

                Jacquelyn walked quickly up the stairs of Yehara's Mirage, down the halls, and then to the room where she and the others had been meeting for many a moon, now,

                Slamming the door open,

                Lemony looked up from his typewriter, seeing the auburn haired assassin gazing at him with angry, dark eyes.

                “Snicket,” She said, yanking down her face mask.

                “...Scieszka…” Lemony only replied with an air of worry.

                “Esmé has escaped.” She said, her voice shaking with anger.

                Lemony face turned from shock to sudden anger, slamming his fist down on the desk before him, shaking its contents.

                “Yehara has sent out her personal guard; They are currently trying to track down any trace of her.” Jacquelyn explained, “Where is Olivia?”

                “...She went down to the kitchen earlier to get more tea.” Lemony responded. Jacquelyn sighed,

                “Well, she’s going to need to get us something a lot stronger than tea, Snicket.”

---

                The night was coming to an end, and the other Baudelaires said they would keep in touch, “If you need us, just remember, we’re training as battle monks in the Snowforest Monastery.” Lilac informed them. 

                She, Nick, and Solitude managed to explain where they were “from” and what had happened to them. Neomi was only half surprised, seeing as how insane everything already was.

                Nick was still skeptical of Neomi… but he felt a little safer, nonetheless.

                ... Nonetheless.

                It was time to return home and rest.

                Fiona and Isadora were a little peeved they didn’t really have any time to themselves… but upon seeing Lilac, they had begun to plot their own little ideas together.

                Upon returning to Heaven’s Reach and settling back in for the night, Klaus took it upon himself to do some research about the other Baudelaire’s circumstances, to which the sensei and Neomi wholeheartedly agreed to.

                The older students began to feel some odd uneasiness as the night wore on, keeping many of them awake for most of the night, tossing and turning. Klaus had momentarily dozed off while reading as the moon moved across the sky, causing him to slip into his seeing sessions again. Each time he awoke with a silent start, sweating and shaking slightly.

                Something is coming.

                The next morning, the older students were tired, and younger ones confused as to why they were so exhausted. Klaus asked to see Neomi right away in the Master’s Quarters.

                The warlock told the Hongmoon Master about the things he had seen in his dreams last night - golden eyes. A familiar, vile man from he, his siblings, and his friend’s past, draped in shadow and bathed in flames. A shining blue sword-

                “The Twilight’s Edge.” Neomi whispered, “ Mushin.” She then whispered with anger. Klaus blinked at her, “Are the two connected?”

                The boy chose to glaze over the other detail.

                “Mushin is after me, I know this much.” Neomi replied, standing up, “And he’s also after the Twilight’s Edge.”

                “...That sword-” Klaus began. Neomi nodded,

                “That blade is capable of ending the world, as you’ve already seen. It can be used as an anchor and a key.” Neomi explained, “And in the wrong hands…”

                “...That’s why he wants it.” Klaus said in fear.

                Neomi walked over to Klaus, placing her hands on his shoulders,

                “Klaus, your talents in seeing are incredible. You need to focus on them - they will be a great help to both you and your siblings.”

                Klaus blinked at her. She sighed,

                “You Baudelaires and Quagmires have unlimited potential.”

                She then placed a caring hand on his cheek, like a loving mother,

                “ Don’t waste it.”

                The bookworm only nodded, feeling sorrowful.

                The weight was heavy.

---

                Klaus returned to the others that afternoon to explain what he’d seen and what Neomi had explained. They all had gathered under the main tree near the cookery. Violet exhaled heavily through her nose, then saying she’d have to tinker with her pistols even further. Duncan and Quigley glanced at each other, the cartographer sighing,

                “Looks like we’ll all have to train even harder, huh?”

                Isadora snorted as she wiped down her blade with a cloth, “Yeah, if we want to survive.”

                “This Mushin bastard sounds like a real piece of work.” Violet grumbled as she sat up straighter.

                “We should… still enjoy ourselves while we have the chance to, however.” Duncan replied, “Before the storm.”

                “The inevitable storm.” Isadora replied.

                “We’ll get the balance of it.” The inventive gunslinger replied. 

                Violet went to retrieve her pistols and tools, while Klaus slumped down, mentally spent. Duncan said he’d fetch the books and scrolls he’d been looking through, and the bookworm thanked the journalist.

---

                “I really thought we could trust her…” Olivia whispered as she stared into her teacup. Jacquelyn sighed,

                “Listen, love, you felt her chi. She’s under their control, now.”

                “We could have saved her!” Olivia cried out, looking up at the auburn-haired assassin. Jacquelyn winced slightly at the seer’s pain. She shook her head slightly,

                “With a poison that runs that deep…” Jacquelyn whispered, “It’d take a lot more than just us to save her.”

                Olivia stared up at her.

                “...It’ll take her saving herself… and a much more powerful force.” Jacquelyn finished. Olivia looked back down, gazing at her reflection in the liquid.

                Lemony then got up, beginning to walk to the doors.  Jacquelyn looked at him,

                “Where are you off to, Snicket?”

                Lemony looked back a moment,

                “To speak with Lady Yehara.”

---

                Crystallene ran briskly through Bamboo Village, past the wood cottages, huts, flowering bamboo, and lazy brooks. Dochun noticed her from the corner of his eye and sighed.

                The lop rabbit lyn flew through the exit of the village to the sands of the beach, then preparing a windstride, dashing off into the skies, vanishing within a flurry of draconic winds.

---

                “You’re driving me fucking nuts. ” Klaus said as Quigley and Sunny playfully placed waterlilies and small geckos onto his head. He was trying to read more into Lilac, Nick, and Solitude's predicament (So far, he’d found nearly nothing.), but the cartographer and the chef were making it impossible for him to focus.

                Isadora was busy braiding Violet’s hair as she recited poetry to the inventor, who had begun to work on her pistols as she had promised. Duncan sat nearby Klaus, dozing, his commonplace book in his lap.

                “If you want nuts, we can find you some!” Quigley tittered, Sunny placing a waterlily behind her brother’s ear. Klaus tried to hide a smile as he snapped the book in his hands shut.

                Crystallene landed near the entrance with an air of urgency, then immediately began to make her way to the master’s quarters.

                The teens looked over at the sensei.

                “Sensei Lune!” Klaus called happily, “You’re back!”

                “How was the errand?” Quigley asked jokingly.

                The lop lyn kept moving as if she didn’t hear them.

                “...Must be serious.” Sunny said simply.

                The others had stopped, and now each of them had a worried look on their face.

                Quigley motioned to Violet, who then got up and began to follow him,

                “We’ll do some eavesdropping - be right back.” The eldest Baudelaire said.

                Klaus only nodded.

                Crystallene made her way up the steps, Miyu coming out of the quarters,

                “Miyu. Where is Neomi?” The lop lyn asked urgently.

                “Inside, why? ‘Somethin’ wrong?” Miyu asked carefully, a worried look on her face.

                “I need to speak with her. The situation is dire.”

                Quigley and Violet looked at each other in alarm.

---

                Yue slammed her hands down onto Neomi’s desk,

                “WHAT DO YOU MEAN ESMÉ’S MISSING!?” The cat lyn shouted, causing Demetria to place a gentle hand on the young sensei’s head.

                “The Mirage’s guard have been trying to find her, but no no avail. Lady Yehara said she apologizes greatly - they’re doing all they can.” Crystallene explained sternly.

                Neomi only sat, a rigid hand on her forehead, staring down at the floor.

                We had our one piece in this game. We could have gained so much information.

                And yet,

                “How could I have been so stupid?” Neomi grit her teeth, “The Ebondrake are sneaky motherfuckers, one of those higher ups could have easily gotten her out-”

                “Neomi, please,” Miyu said calmly, “We did all we could-”

                “All we could wasn’t enough. ” Neomi argued in irritation. Miyu merely looked down, shaking her head.

                Demetria looked around at them,

                “We at least got some information out of her, right?”

                Crystallene looked at the yun woman with cold eyes,

                “ Yes , but that doesn’t mean we were able to get the entire picture…” She then squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, trying to calm down,

                “...Besides. We weren’t going to get everything we needed, anyhow-- Neomi, you felt that woman’s chi. She was still trapped in the darkness.”

                The Hongmoon master only sighed,

                “I know. I know… I know.” Was all she could say.

                Quigley and Violet stared at each other, fear gripping at them like the claws of a dark beast.

                They silently ran back to the others.

---

                “No.” Klaus muttered upon hearing what the feral lovers had returned to relay to them, “No, no, no, no, no..!”

                “Klaus, it’ll be fine-” Duncan began, holding the bookworm close to him. Klaus’s hands were now glued to the sides of his head,

                “No! No it’s not!” He spat. Violet gripped her own arm tightly.

                “Esmé is working with Mushin - there’s no denying it. I’ve seen it. I know-” Klaus rambled. Violet and Isadora looked at him with shock, the others confused.

                “ Waaaait, wait, wait, wait-” Violet said, then going to kneel down in front of her brother,

                “You’ve seen that? That she’s working with Mushin? Are you sure?”

                “She was there, standing, and the golden eyes - Mushin has gold eyes-” Klaus prattled on, causing Duncan to place a worried hand over his mouth.

                “I should have fucking known.” Quigley snarled, “Only people as wicked as she and that motherFUCKER could be in cahoots with the fucking DARK LORD.”

                Violet grabbed onto Quigley’s hand, trying to calm him.

                “Grand Creator, in all the realms,” Duncan cried, “What are we going to do!?”

                Klaus looked up at Violet through tearful eyes, She gave him the same gaze. Isadora glanced from them, to her brothers, and back.

                “Like we said earlier,” Violet spoke determined,

                “We prepare.”

---

                A red-headed girl donned in dark clothing angrily struck at a large training dummy with a razor knife. She ran this way and that, striking at the tall object in a variety of ways, shouting with each blow.

                “Carmelita.” A smooth voice came from the far end of the hall. The girl turned quickly to see Esmé. They stood there for a moment, and a smile threatened Carmelita’s lips.

                “Y-you’re back! I thought they’d killed you!” The girl said in relief, but then straightened herself up, “I-I-mean, not that they would, s-sensei-”

                “Enough.” The blonde responded, her voice cold. She began to walk towards the girl, her heels clicking against the dark floor, echoing.

                Carmelita swallowed, bowing a couple of times, as if to apologize.

                “Have you been working hard while I was… out, darling?” Esmé said, adjusting her robes, “Or have you allowed my absence to put a dent in your training?”

                Carmelita fervently shook her head, “No, no! I’ve been working super hard! I was able to take down two of Master Mushin’s shadows in the past few days-- you should have seen it-!”

                “Yes, yes, I’m sure it was quite the wonder, darling.” Esmé cut her off again, “Though, I’m not sure you’re capable of doing the job.”

                “...What?” The girl responded softly.

                “You may be improving, but the Hongmoon clan is very powerful. Even the most pitiful of their students could strike you down in an instant.” Esmé explained with a flourish, stopping in front of the short red-head.

                Carmelita felt herself fume,

                “I AM capable of taking down those damn cakesniffers!” She shouted, “I WANT to be a warrior and I WILL do it! I’ll PROVE to you that I can !”

                Esmé only smiled, “ There’s that fire. Use that anger to fuel the revenge that you so crave.” She patted the girl’s head softly,

                “Avenge your parent’s deaths, and maybe you’ll be something.”

                Carmelita’s eyes seemed to burn with anger as she then whipped back around to the training dummy, then attacking it far harder than she was before.

                Esmé smiled, then stepped quickly, haughtily, through the training hall and out.

                She passed a dark, towering figure, stopping at his shoulder,

                “She is nearly ready, Lord Master Mushin.”

                The figure’s golden eyes glinted down toward her,

                “Excellent.”

                Two down, one to go.

---

                Violet quickly lifted her right pistol, releasing the grappling hook, swinging herself toward and around Quigley’s side, who watched her carefully, his stance sturdy and steadfast. He suddenly grabbed onto her free arm with a chilled hand, throwing her around, the grappling hook snapping back into her pistol. She grunted, aiming her right pistol at him, sending off a strong shot, causing him to release her arm and slide backwards. He dug a fiery hand into the Duel Hall’s grounds before him, slowing his skid to a stop. The feral girl smirked at her boyfriend before quickly aiming both pistols at the ground and launching herself backward, bringing out her shotgun, aiming carefully. Quigley responded quickly by dashing towards her with gleaming eyes.

                Klaus snapped his fingers, summoning Rory, his Thrall, and then quickly stepping back, sending Rory forward toward Duncan. The journalist slid to the side before the Thrall’s claw could lay his heavy blow onto the boy, then dashing toward the bookworm. Klaus quickly summoned a glimmering red paper charm, raising a short-term shield to block Duncan’s single, devastating blow. Klaus then summoned a chain to knock his boyfriend to the ground, stepping back further in and out of a cloud of shadowy bats. Duncan quickly regained his stance, wiping some blood off his face with the back of his hand. He huffed as he saw Klaus summon two blue, glowing dragons, then quickly dodging out of the way as they flew towards him, past him, then slamming into the ground behind, exploding.

                Fiona had agreed to help Isadora with her training. The nine-tailed fox lyn was excited to see how the yun poet’s progress had gone. Both of the girl’s blade clashed together with a few sparks of strong chi, Fiona then sliding her foot, trying to knock over Isadora. The poet, however, jumped quickly over, hopping back, then summoning her six other blades. 

                Fiona’s eyebrows rose, “‘Mastered flock of blades already, have ye?”

                “Don’t patronize me, pirate.” Isadora spat playfully. She then raised the blade in her hand carefully, the others pointing directly at Fiona, who ran a careful finger along her own blade, causing it to erupt with electricity,

                “Show me what you’re about then, love.” Fiona cooed to the poet. Isadora grinned,

                “ Gladly.” 

                Lilac drew her bow's string back quickly, then letting loose several shots toward her brother. Nick responded by dodging each of them, weaving in and out within shadows, making his way closer to his elder sister. As Nick was close to her with his razor knife, Lilac stepped backward, flipping gracefully, then landing on her feet with ease, and released another flurry of arrows from above. Nick scoffed, managing to block some of them, breathing heavily,

                “Don’t lose your footing, brother.” Lilac said snidely. Nick snorted at her,

                “Shut it.”

                He then quickly threw several kunai at Lilac, to which she responded with a solid shield of chi, raising her bow in front of her.

                The other students had finished their training for the day, save for Sunny and Solitude - they were still too young to do such things. They all watched as the older students kept training - hard at work.

                A couple of years had now passed. Time had flew on.

                And they knew with each and every day, as they planned and trained and worked… the Ebondrake and Mushin were as well.

                The very fear of the Dark Lord being brought about to destroy their world was what kept them from halting. Klaus kept seeing, Violet kept tinkering with her weapons (And even looking into the other’s weapons as well.),Fiona and Isadora kept sharpening their blades, Duncan kept bruising his knuckles, Quigley kept his fear of fire at bay for the sake of everything, Lilac kept rebuilding her bow, and Nick kept throwing knife after knife, kunai after kunai, increasing his accuracy.

                All for the sake of protecting the world they called home.

                All for protecting each other.

                Lilac and Fiona were now 19. Violet and the Quagmires now 18. Klaus and Nick now 17. Sunny and Solitude, watching carefully from the sidelines, doing their best to support their siblings and friends, now four and five respectively.

                Neomi watched from near the entrance with crossed arms. Crystallene stood beside her with her arms behind her back,

                “They’re doing well, Master.”

                Neomi only hummed worriedly in reply. The lop lyn then turned to her, a gentle look gracing her eyes,

                “Neomi…”

                “I’ve fought Mushin myself - if they aim to go up against him…” Neomi interrupted Crystallene. The lop lyn arched her brows, slowly shaking her head. The Hongmoon Master then shifted her eyes to her dear friend,

                “...They’re going to have to be stronger than they’ve ever imagined.”

                “Strength is not just about one’s physical being, however.” A familiar voice came. Neomi’s ears twitched as she whirled around to see Dochun walking over to them. The jackrabbit lyn smiled softly,

                “Grandpa Dochun-!” Neomi began to say, but then giggled in spite of herself,

                “I mean, Dochun-!”

                The tall gon man laughed, “I might as well be.”

                Crystallene bowed, “Dochun, it is splendid to see you.” She smiled, “To what to we owe this visit to?”

                Dochun hummed, “As is well to see you all,” He then turned serious,

                “I’m afraid there’s some grim news you must hear - in regards to the Baudelaires and Quagmires.”

                Neomi’s ears drooped in worry,

                “ ...What do you mean? ”

                “The Bamboo Guard had intercepted a message, originally for you, from some Ebondrake agents,” Dochun explained,

                “Apparently it was taken from one of Yehara’s messenger birds - from Lemony Snicket.”

                Crystallene immediately went to cease the teen’s training. Neomi’s eyes darkened as she furrowed her brows,

                “Let me see the letter.”

---

                To Neomi Eclipse, esteemed Master of the Hongmoon School of Martial Arts,

                It is of my utmost urgency to inform you that Mushin is apparently attempting to resurrect the vile Count Olaf. Lady Esmé Squalor and Miss Carmelita Spats are currently under his dark control.

                We are assuming that Mushin is planning an all out attack on Heaven’s Reach. Seer O has told us that Mushin is using these three’s thirst for revenge to gain the upper hand.

                I am formally warning and advising you to take all precautions necessary. A war is coming.

                L. Snicket.

                Neomi slowly looked from the tattered letter to the students and sensei gathered before her. The older teens looked terrified, the younger teens and kids worried and antsy. Neomi looked directly at Dochun,

                “How old is this letter.”

                Dochun sighed, “I’m assuming a few weeks.”

                “ ShhhhIT-” Neomi swore, turning around swiftly, not knowing where to go or what to do - her mind was racing.

                “It would be far too dangerous to infiltrate the tower, now.” Demetria spoke up, “They’d know.”

                “So, what? We just fucking wait? Sit here like a bunch of fucking idiots?” Nick spat loudly from Lilac’s side. The zen archer gripped onto his shoulder tightly.

                “It would be foolish to run in so blindly,” Crystallene explained, “Unprepared and unknowing of what to expect.”

                “So, what,” Quigley hissed, “We just sit. Here. And wait for those motherFUCKERS to BRING HIM BACK FROM THE DEAD?”

                Violet had turned white as a sheet - so had Isadora. Duncan and Klaus were busy trying to comfort them.

                “Enough.” Lilac said shakily, causing the others to turn to her,

                “We need to. Keep going.” She said simply, “Keep training. Keep… keep in mind what we’re up against.”

                Nick grumbled fiercely. 

                “We can’t show weakness.” Klaus spoke up. Lilac looked at him. She nodded.

                Violet’s face suddenly grew angry. She clenched her hands into fists, her knuckles turning white,

                “ We’ll fucking show them how strong we really are.”

                Quigley nodded quickly, the younger children shouting battle cries.

                Neomi cleared her throat, then looked to Crystallene. The lop lyn looked at the Master with curious eyes.

                “We have some planning to do, then.” Neomi said.

                Crystallene only nodded.

Chapter 19: Epilogue

Summary:

The fight has only just begun.

Notes:

The official Xia AU character index: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/post/185357232235/the-way-of-xia-au-character-index)
Way of Xia First Arc play list!: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CIBBYqpHEmbAXx9T1rmGZ?si=BW4SaRe6Sd-wCKl4IxvPow)

If you have any questions, concerns, or etc., please contact me here or via my tumblr blog: (https://hongmoondescendant.tumblr.com/)

Thank you so much for your interest. The winds of Fate beckon. Follow the path of Xia, my fellow warriors!

                The dark figure of Mushin stepped swiftly through the shadowed halls of his domain, several Ebondrake officers behind him. The two at either side of him walked carefully with their canes, leading a haughty blonde woman and a temperamental red-headed older teen.

                The group came upon a massive set of metal double doors. They were intricately designed with eerie symbols, including a massive dragon head with one, gleaming dark, blue eye.

                “Remember to stay in line, child.” Said the wicked sounding female officer to the red-head. The girl only grumbled. The woman sniffed, “Don’t give me attitude, girl. Do not speak unless spoken to.”

                Mushin swung the doors open, and a rush of thick, suffocating dark chi swept over them, causing the red-head and the blonde to cover their faces momentarily, feeling a sudden fright.

                Maybe I shouldn’t be here. The red-head gazed past Mushin’s massive build to see a massive twisted dragon pulse before them - right in the center of the room.

                “Not too late, I presume.” Mushin spoke through the silence, save for the disturbing noises coming from the pulse. Yura’s heels clicked as she stepped from the darkness of the room, “Not at all, Lord Master Mushin. Just in time, actually!” She smized.

                Mushin grunted, “Excellent. Zulia should arrive soon with the soul, then.” The hulking man then turned to the blonde,

                “You will soon be reunited with your beloved arsonist, Lady Esmé.”

                Esmé clasped her hands together giddily, suddenly forgetting about the dark aura, “Oh, my sweet Olaf~!”

                “Yes, yes,” The man replied from her side, “His death was from his own idiocy - nothing we can’t fix however.”

                Yura chuckled darkly, “Any soul in the Dark Realm is fair game.”

                The red-head swallowed,

                “O-Olaf..?”

                “Carmelita, darling,” Esmé hissed semi-sweetly, “I told you we’d be seeing an... old friend again, yes?”

                “Didn’t you two cakesniffers break up?” Carmelita snapped. The woman whacked the back of Carmelita’s head harshly with her cane, causing the girl to yelp in pain, clutching her head.

                “Personal relationships do not matter within this business.” The man snarled. Esmé only cleared her throat.

                There was an odd flourish before them as a high-pitched, maniacal giggle rang out in the large hall. A woman with snow white hair had appeared in front of the twisted dragon pulse, waving a large paper fan toward her face,

                “ Saaaalutations, Master Mushin and company!” She said. Mushin grinned, “ Zulia. You have brought the soul, I assume?”

                

                Zulia only nodded, then stepping to the side, bowing deeply, presenting a newly arriving figure with her fan-

                What landed from the twisted dragon pulse made Carmelita’s skin crawl. She suddenly felt sick.

                Dark char crawled up his limbs. Pulsating, bright red veins stretched across his body like cursed cracks. His form was hunched over, as if he was in great pain - 

                “ Ssssplendid to return to this wretched world.” He droned, then looking up to the crowd.

                His eyes - the whites were now a dark red, and the pupils a bright yellow with dark slits.

                “O-Olaf…” Carmelita whispered fearfully under her breath. Esmé blinked quickly, surprised and somewhat disgusted by his appearance.

                That… that’s not Olaf.

                “You know your mission, Olaf.” Mushin spoke gruffly, “And you do as well, Zulia. Do not fail me.”

                It can't be. The blonde and the red-head both stared at the wicked man in distress.

                Zulia giggled as Count Olaf chuckled darkly. The white haired woman bowed quickly, waving her fan around, “Of course, Master Mushin! Kill the kiddies, find the blade - easy. As. Pie~!”

                Mushin nodded, then turned to leave,

                He looked back at the group,

                “Get to work.”

                The various members then began to move out, Zulia ushering Olaf, Esmé, and the unsure Carmelita through the twisted dragon pulse. Mushin walked back through the massive double doors, a few Ebondrake members bowing at him as he passed,

                “Mark my words,” He said loudly,

                “I will have the Hongmoon clan… eliminated.”

---

                “So you’re sure of it?” Crystallene asked carefully, looking over the documents that lay scattered on Master Eclipse’s desk.

                Neomi nodded,

                “In three more years, we let the older Bauds and the Quags loose,” She explained, “We’ll have them prove themselves by going on a journey across the Earthenrealm.”

                Crystallene hummed,

                “Following the same steps you took on your own journey.”

                Neomi leaned back in her seat,

                “The Rite of the Hongmoon Disciple.”

                Yue snorted, “Nice name!”

                “Thank Crystallene for that.” Demetria noted.

                Miyu giggled, “Don’t make fun - it’s very important that these young adults prove to us that they’re ready to take on the world outside Heaven’s Reach.”

                “...Fiends and all.” Neomi said softly, "Then... they'll finally be ready."

---

                “Hey Vi,” Quigley said. Violet sat at her desk once again, fiddling with her firearms and grappling hooks,

                “Hmmh?” Was her absent minded reply.

                She felt a sharp slap on her skin as Quigley fired a small, round glass marble into her cheek, causing her to yelp, grabbing her face with a hand. The tools she had held clattered onto the desk.

                Quigley grinned teasingly as Solitude and Sunny began to giggle loudly, Rosie and Bunyang running quickly away from the window nearby.

                “You little shits-!” Violet smiled, then got up to chase Quigley and the two toddlers. The cartographing force master scooped up the two tiny girls and quickly ran out the door.

                Klaus sat nearby, stacks of books and scrolls scattered around him. Several charms floated around him as brushes carefully inked on various inscriptions. He felt a breeze as his siblings and friends ran past him, running down the bridge.

                He grumbled, glancing up. Nick slid down from the roof above, landing nearby,

                “It’s been years. You haven’t found shit.”

                Klaus grumbled once again.

                “Klaus,” Nick walked over to him, “Earth to dipshit!”

                Klaus looked up at him, irritated,

                “It’s only been a couple of years and a few months - and besides, I don’t think it would be easy to find something about your circumstances quickly.”

                Nick rolled his eyes,

                “It couldn’t help to fucking ask somebody, y’know.”

                “We have.” Klaus snapped at him, then returning to the scroll in his hands.

                Nick grit his teeth for a second,

                “I mean, besides the sensei, or the Master, or any of her friends or whatever.”

                “Where would we even start.” Klaus mumbled. Nick knelt down,

                “One; I heard that. Two; We could go and fuckin’ find somebody like-” He thought for a moment,

                “Like a monk at the Snowforest Monastery. Li, Soli, and I live there - one of the monks is bound to know another monk somewhere who knows some shit.” Nick explained, nearly rambling.

                Klaus hummed, thinking about this idea.

                “They won’t let us go gallivanting off right now, boys.” Lilac said as she got off the bridge, “ Honestly, they shouldn’t run across this fucking thing. ” She then hissed, looking back at the others, who were still dashing around on the main isle, whooping and hollering distantly.

                “A lil ole’ birdy told me some of you nerds'll be taking a fun lil trip in about three years.” Nick said, “But three years is a far ass way away and-”

                “I’m sure what the fuck is up with us can wait.” Lilac snipped, crossing her arms. Nick leapt up, stepping around gracefully to his sister, “Weeellll,” He then reached for the string on her bow at her back, pulling on it,

                “I’m sure Mushin ‘n’ Co. would be happy to hear we’d be willing to stay here for three more years while they plan our imminent doom~!” Nick grinned sarcastically, releasing the string with a loud twang.

                “They’d have to find those sword pieces first.” Klaus said, “And that’ll take a longass time. Right now, they know Master Eclipse has one.”

                Lilac hummed, “And they know how strong the Master and her friends are. Going after her first would be silly.”

                “How the fuck do you know-” Nick asked, squinting at Klaus,

                “Violet and Quigley like to eavesdrop on the Master and sensei’s meetings, and I’m a seer - remember?” The well-read warlock looked up at the well-read assassin from the corner of his eye.

                Nick blinked,

                “Smart motherfuckers.” He whispered,

                “...Tell Vi and Quig that I want in on that gig next time they’re up to it.”

                “ Nick Liam-” Lilac furrowed her brows at her younger brother,

                “Shut it, you want info or not, you messy ass lesbian?” Nick spat, grinning, mocking.

                Lilac gasped at him.

                “Also, why were you on the roof?” Klaus looked up at him. Nick looked from a pissed off Lilac to Klaus, still smiling,

                “It’s quiet up there. You hoes are loud as hell.” Nick complained.

                “I’m not.” Klaus said, then continued to read.

                “Well tell Violet and Quigley to shut the fuck up, then.”

                “They’re just laughing - “

                “Buddy?” Nick asked, lowering his voice,

                “ It ain’t just laughin’.”

                Klaus’s eyes got wider, and Lilac’s face grew bright red (Whether in anger or embarrassment, who knows.). The zen archer then turned on her heel, walking quickly back down the bridge.

                “DON’T SWING THE BRIDGE, DUMBASS!” Nick called after her, mocking. She threw up a stern middle finger behind her, marching on.

                Klaus gave a tired, heavy sigh as he rested his head on the wall of the BaudeQuag cottage.

---

                It is said that the brilliant blue blade, once held by the mighty Jiwan, the Righteous Blade, the mighty sword created by the Divines, can act as a lock and key to all the realms of our world. This blade is known as the Twilight’s Edge.

                Only a chosen warrior can truly wield such a weapon and use it as intended. The passed Master Jiwan had planned to hand it down to her next, brightest pupil. The only pupil she had left.

                This pupil is now placed in the hands of the great Hongmoon Master, Neomi Eclipse. The reborn child, Jinsoyun, does not know of her past, nor her predestined future.

                Mushin is well aware of this.

                Neomi is well aware of this as well, however.

                There are many mysteries that grace this unforgiving realm known as the Earthenrealm. Some of which our band of brave teenaged heroes many never find out.

                Unless their prying nature so regretfully wills them to find out.

                ...May the winds of Fate beckon.

Notes:

hewwo all! Arisa Bunni here.

This is indeed the ending of xia's first arc! This means this fic will be on hiatus as I work on other fics, like H2A and Dreamscape!

Q&A time:

"When is the next arc of Blood & Vengeance?" and "There's gonna be more B&V?"
1. We'll get there when we get there, gaymers. I got a lot on my mind and on my plate. Right now I'll be working on Happy 2 Apartments, since I already have a mapped out plan for various chapters. It's more of an episodic AU, but still follows a SORT of timeline.
2. Yes! I have originally planned for there to be two more arcs. The second arc will be more episodic like H2A, and will majorly be on the island, thus as of right now, I'm calling it the "Island Arc". I'm initially planning it to be an arc that spans across five years. The third arc will be back in the city - the Cru will take on whoever is left, and some new villains as well. Right now I'm calling it the "Apocalyptic Arc". :^)

"How long will H2A and arc 2 of B&V go?"
Since they'll episodic, I really don't know. I AM planning for H2A to span across their high school years, though. Beyond that? I dunno. Depends on where I am at that point. For arc 2 of B&V, I kinda wanna make it half as many chapters as arc 1. It'll mostly be filled with character and world development, as well as some funnies, I suppose. You nerds know how much I love comedy.
[cough]
Anyways.

"What's up with Dreamscape?"
I am currently planning no other separate arcs for this AU. It's a pretty complicated fucking AU within itself, and there will be a lot of twists n turns and it'll be YEETING off book/show bc YEA BABEY WE LOVE THE DRAMAAAAAAA.
[c o u g h]
ANYWAYS,

rn Happy 2 Apartments (H2A) holds priority over all other AU's bc it is the AU that is a comfort fic for me, as well as the one I have planned out THE MOST.

"How many arcs will Xia be?"
Three in total. The second one will be the "Rite of Hongmoon" arc. The third arc's title is a secwet. uwu

so ty for enjoying my fics so far if you've been keeping up w/ me and supporting me!!!!
catch u on the flippiddy flob,

Arisa "Bunni" Artisan

Chapter 20: Update.

Sadly this series has been discontinued. It was planned to be in three arcs, but Blade & Soul's lore/etc. was far too complicated, and the game and info itself isn't as accessible to outsiders, so this is the only arc that will exist. Thanks for anyone who supported it, though !

I am currently working on the Dreamscape au, and hopefully after this I will be doing more work on the Happy 2 Apartments AU.

I've also been working on a Genshin Impact au - the Teyvat AU - since the lore and general info is easier to understand and the game is far more accessible to outsiders. I'm hoping this will be the replacement to the Xia au !!!!

 

Thanks a ton and ty for your understanding - 

Arisa Bunni <3

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 3 of Way of Xia (ASoUE Blade & Soul AU)