Post by xiulan zhou on Aug 5, 2021 17:48:43 GMT -7
March 19, 2026
Water rushed past like a river, its force heavy enough for someone to be swept away in the current. From her vantage point, Xiulan couldn't tell its source, yet she could see that all manner of furniture had gotten caught up in it. Wooden tables and chairs were carried on by her field of vision, and it was likely that they wouldn't be salvageable. Particularly after the report of arson that she had read in the newspaper that morning, it reminded her a little too much of the story of the Chinese mother goddess Nüwa and her needing to mend the Pillars of Heaven to restore order on Earth.
As the story went, Nüwa had had to fix the damage caused by Gonggong, the water god, and Zhurong, the fire god, after the two had battled one another. Gonggong, who had lost the battle, had been a sore loser and had taken down Mount Buzhou—one of the four pillars that held up the sky—along with him. In that tale, Nüwa had to cut off the legs of the turtle Ao to replace the pillars, but she was ultimately forced to sacrifice herself, too.
The last thing that Xiulan wanted to face was some sort of heroic sacrifice, least of all her own, yet she could see doors opening and heads popping out to get a better look at what was happening. If it were up to her, she would have done something to try to stop it… But what could she do, really? No one was up to their necks, at least, but she could see that the water had begun to rush down the nearest set of stairs. There, it created a waterfall of sorts, and she tensed as it became clear that the water was moving more quickly than it had been before.
At least it wasn't fire, Xiulan thought. Flames—especially Fiendfyre—would have been worse, and that was coming from someone who kept a phoenix. The destruction from something like that would have been unbearable, particularly if left to burn out of control.
Taking in a deep breath that filled her lungs, Xiulan pulled her head away from the crystal ball into which she had been looking. She had no idea whom to warn, yet she was nevertheless filled with a sense of urgency about what she had witnessed.
As the story went, Nüwa had had to fix the damage caused by Gonggong, the water god, and Zhurong, the fire god, after the two had battled one another. Gonggong, who had lost the battle, had been a sore loser and had taken down Mount Buzhou—one of the four pillars that held up the sky—along with him. In that tale, Nüwa had to cut off the legs of the turtle Ao to replace the pillars, but she was ultimately forced to sacrifice herself, too.
The last thing that Xiulan wanted to face was some sort of heroic sacrifice, least of all her own, yet she could see doors opening and heads popping out to get a better look at what was happening. If it were up to her, she would have done something to try to stop it… But what could she do, really? No one was up to their necks, at least, but she could see that the water had begun to rush down the nearest set of stairs. There, it created a waterfall of sorts, and she tensed as it became clear that the water was moving more quickly than it had been before.
At least it wasn't fire, Xiulan thought. Flames—especially Fiendfyre—would have been worse, and that was coming from someone who kept a phoenix. The destruction from something like that would have been unbearable, particularly if left to burn out of control.
Taking in a deep breath that filled her lungs, Xiulan pulled her head away from the crystal ball into which she had been looking. She had no idea whom to warn, yet she was nevertheless filled with a sense of urgency about what she had witnessed.
