Yiyun's POV

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"Tell me what to do."

There is nothing I want in this world but to be with my parents again, but before that, I will make sure that I will take all those evil serpents to hell just where they deserve to be.

"Good. Now tell me, are you willing to do everything I say to achieve our mission"

"I do Mr. SooMan"

"Ahahaha! Don't be too formal my child. Just call me father, I will take care of you from now on." He said and I trusted him. He saved me and give me hope, this is the least I can do to repay him.

"Yes... Fa...father."

"Now, lets go home my child." He said and helped me stood up and climbed up to his horse. When we reached the foot of the cliff, I observed the whole place. The sounds made by the waves as it crashed to the shore were very calming. The blue sky, the green fields,  and the glittering water look very serene... Contrary to the devastating event that happened last night. Overall, this place looks like heaven at first glance, but I know better. Behind the beauty of this heavenly paradise, were evil serpents waiting for their next victims. And speaking of victims...

"Father! There is something moving behind the rocks!" I yelled. It was crawling at the shore. No it can't be a serpent, as for I saw, it has limbs...

It looks like a child to me, about my age or younger. It has long hair that extends up to its hips, swaying through the wind, with its body covered by the rocks. I can't see it clearly but I have a feeling it was looking at me.

I tried to call father's attention again, afraid that it might be a survivor from last night's tragedy and another serpent could prey on it anytime, but every time I do so, it will be gone on our sight like magic.

He said that he believes I was seeing something. But its impossible that it is a child survivor because the fleet only consists of grown up men. So I just have to think that it was a ghost hoping to have justice for it's death, caused by the serpents. He said that it might be seeking for my help.

Well, I don't believe in ghosts but I know that there are things in this place that cannot be explained by science yet, spirits perse.

"But can we just go there and check it out before we leave, please..." I beg. I desperately wanted to save it, something I wasn't able to do to my parents. 

"Listen, if you really want to help it and ultimately your parents, you have to do what I say."

"I understand, father." I wiped my tears that blurred my vision.

"Now, let's bury the weak Josephine in the middle of this sea. From now on, you will be Yiyun. The tough, brave and warrior Yiyun that will kill all the remaining evil serpents."

"A Chinese name?"

"Yes. I will put you on a facility where young aspirants are being train to join the Chinese imperial navy." He explained.

I thought about it for a second.
Although I am a foreigner, my parents have Chinese blood on them, and its actually dominant in my features. Language barrier wouldn't be a problem as well for I know how to speak Chinese. Well... I can converse a little in 5 different languages, the number of countries that I and my parents had already explored together.
Though I am more fluent in hangul now and my native tongue is English. BUT... There is still a problem...

"Will they accept me on their fleet even if I'm a..."

"Forget it." He cut me off "If you are ready to die for your parents' justice, then you should also be ready to throw everything about you. Remember, Josephine is dead and now, you are Yiyun." I'm still skeptical but I accepted it anyway.

He said that, to avoid complications, I have to disguise as a man just like what Hua Mulan(花木蘭) did, years ago.

••••••••

Through the years I trained so hard knowing that humans are no match with those creatures. I specialized on archery, but I should also learn how to use other weapons like swords and spears.

The trainings were hard but what's harder was to keep my secret to my colleagues. We can't deny the fact that men are physically stronger than women (generally speaking) and they think differently so one on one fist fight is the most dreadful one for me.

During puberty,  my gender gets harder to conceal. The difference on physical attributes are becoming more visible than ever before. I didn't know how I survived that phase but thankfully, our first real battle came earlier than we expected. I was one of the few who survived and that made all the people erase all the speculations about me.

Battle after battle, war after war, I survived with barely no bruises. My thinking is that, battle is just a practice ground for my mission. If I can't win it, then I can't be able to kill even one serpent.

Through breaks between battles, in which we are granted to go home with our family, I spent it researching with father. I learned that he is also a herpetologist just like my parents. He said that they were collaborating about the studies about those creatures. He said that they seek for his help but sadly, he weren't able to save them, and he blame his self for their death. And so hand in hand, we formulate ways on how to catch and kill the serpents without risking our own lives.

After my last battle, I knew I was more than ready. Father wants me to build my own fleet that will help me kill those serpents, just like what he did before. But I want to kill them with my own two hands. So without informing father, I went directly to the mystic sea.

•••••••

Right where I stand, came the death of Josephine, the old and weak me and the birth of Yiyun - the warrior.

I spent my first night surveiling the dark sea making sure that I am well camouflaged. Nothing seems to be quite unusual, aside from the eerie atmosphere surrounding the sea.

I closed my eyes trying to feel the movement of the wind. But instead, through my closed eyes, I saw the thing that I thought I already forgot.

The specter.

After the night my parents died, I was bothered by nightmares every time I sleep. Its the vision of my mom and dad that says ‘find her’, with my mom holding the necklace she gave me. She swung it like a pendulum. The sparkly particles inside the bottle pendant is slowly turning to pale white fine ashes as the darkness fills with light until all I see is white. And then the vision of the unknown being I saw behind the rocks the morning after my parent's death flashes back on me.

The vision of the said being is zooming in front of my eyes like it was saying my name, not Yiyun, but Josephine. It suddenly popped out right in front of my face that made me see its green snake eyes. It startled me that it made me shot my eyes wide open.

‘It was that dream again.’ I muttered. Until now, I can't still figure out the meaning of that dream. ‘what do they want to tell me?’

"Use what we thought in finding out" I remembered my mom said after she gave me this necklace. Just like on my dream, the glittery particles now turns to dust. It always happens when the sun rises and the process reverses when the sun comes down.

I noticed that the sun already peeked in. I didn't know that I slept and its already morning. I decided to pack up, knowing the creatures I'd been searching for are nocturnal.

But just like a déjà vu, when I walked down the cliff and reached the shore, I saw a moving thing behind the big rocks, crawling. I took a look at it and was surprised with what I saw:

It was a girl... With no clothes on and was literally bathing with her own blood. I quickly ran up to her and wrapped her with my robe.

She opened her eyes and this shock expression was evident in her face. She caressed my cheek and muttered something I cannot decipher.

Her bloody hand ran down my chest as she lost her consciousness.

"Another victim? No I won't let anyone die because of them! Not on my watch!" I said on my thoughts.