Chapter Seven: His Daughter is Important

"Wei… Feiyan…?" Yu repeated breathlessly, her eyes widened and she turned her head away from the woman to stare at the lake incredulously.

Wei Feiyan.

It was a name that she'd heard mention only a hand full of times. Occasionally, she over hear Camille and her father speaking of the woman in hushed tones, but she hadn't known who the woman was until Stingerella told her.

It was the name of her mother. Her dead mother.

The half blood glanced at the woman with slight skepticism. She knew of cases when the dead were able to communicate with the living, but to see something like that happen before her own eyes seemed impossible.

Why here? Why now?

The woman, seeming to sense Yu's questions, she offered a weak smile, "Please, there isn't much time for me to explain everything… but there are some things that you must know," she expressed, raising a hand to brush some of the girl's hair out of her face.

The half breed nodded carefully, not trusting herself to speak.

The woman—her mother, she guessed was the right title—nodded back, preparing herself with a deep inhale and a strong exhale. "Your… father…" she began carefully, struggling with the word, "is following a dark path." It was easy to see that she wanted to say something a bit harsher, but held back, "I hope that you do not follow in his footsteps." She gave Yu a hard stare, "You must understand that you are much stronger than you realize, Yu. You have the power to do great good… or to cause great destruction."

The half breed frowned at this, eyebrows furrowing, "What do you mean?"

Feiyan patted her on the hand, "You are special, Yu. How many offspring do you know that are a product of a human and beast?"

"None."

"That's because you are the only one and your parents are not just any random people. Dai Shi—as… ruthless as he is—is a powerful leader and one of the strongest beasts of his kind… and I was one of the first Pai Zhuq women warriors of my generation."

Yu gaped at the woman, "You were part of Pai Zhuq?" Now she was wholly confused. Her father not only hated anything and everything that was human, but he utterly despised those of the Pai Zhuq.

"Do not ask me to try and figure out that beast's motives…" her mother frowned, fingering her braid, "I am just as clueless as you are on the subject." Her dark eyes scanned the lake before she closed them, shaking her head. "But we are getting off topic and time is running out," turning to her daughter, the woman leaned forward, "Yu, there will come a time when you will have to choose between your beast and human sides. You must figure out where your alliance lies, for it will affect not just you but the fate of the world."

The half breed paled, "I don't understand you… I can't… Why would such a great responsibility rest on my shoulders? I can never be fully beast, nor fully human… How can I choose between the two?"

How could she expect her to pick between two halves of herself? How was that fair?

Something—some raw emotion—bubbled inside of her and Yu withdrew her hand, standing as she felt a sudden burst of outrage she hadn't know she possessed. "Why do you come to me with such a prophecy? I have never met you a day in my life, though I've always wanted to, and when I finally get the chance this is what you have to tell me?!" Her voice was shaking now and tears gathered in her eyes, threating to fall, "I… I…"

Feiyan rose from her seat and embraced her daughter, "I'm sorry. I know, it's not fair to you… but this is your destiny. You must be strong."

Yu buried her face into the crook of her mother's neck and sobbed. She felt a sense of fear that she couldn't explain and she knew it had to do with her mother's words.

Did she really have such an influence over everyone's fate?

She—having been born with the gift to give prophecies—had never realized she would ever receive one for herself. She knew that this was no joking matter, all of her own prophecies had come true so far and she had learned to trust in them… but could she trust in this one? Could she trust that this woman claiming to be her mother was telling the truth?

And if she could… then what was to become of herself? Why did she have to choose? Why did the fate of others rest on her shoulders?

She had always seen prophecies, but she had never actually seen herself in one. It was impossible for herself to look into her own future—dangerous even. That was what her father told her when he forbidden her from doing it. Apparently she had tried before but had almost died because of it.

Was this choice she had to make the reason for that?

"Yu," he mother called, pulling the half breed from her thoughts as she leaned away so that their eyes met, "My time with you is almost up," she explained, wiping tears from her daughter's eyes, "The choice is one that only you can make, no one can make if for you. You must learn to trust in yourself.—Follow your own path."

The half breed sniffed, rubbing her face with a sleeve, "How will I know what to do? When will I have to make this choice?"

Feiyan rubbed her thumb across Yu's cheek, "You'll know when the time comes."

"But—"

The woman held up a hand to silence her, "Yu, are you familiar with the meaning behind the Jade stone?"

"No…" Yu frowned, unsure of what a stone had to do with anything.

Her mother reached down for a shining green pendulum-shaped pendant dangling at her hip and fondled it, "In our culture, there are eleven virtues represented within the jade. Its polish and brilliancy represent the whole of purity; its perfect compactness and extreme hardness represent the sureness of intelligence; its angles, which do not cut, although they seem sharp, represent justice; the pure and prolonged sound, which it gives forth when one strikes it, represents music. Its color represents loyalty; its interior flaws, always showing themselves through the transparency, call to mind sincerity; its iridescent brightness represents heaven; its admirable substance, born of mountain and of water, represents the earth. Used alone without ornamentation it represents chastity. The price that the entire world attaches to it represents the truth." Untying the pendant, she slipped it around Yu's neck. "Those are the principles I have always tried to live by—even in death."

"What is this for?" the half breed questioned, a hand raising to finger the stone.

"I want you to have it so that you'll remember me, and everything I've told you. It's a good luck charm."

As she said this, the fog around them began to thicken and what had once been clear began to become hazy. Instantly, Yu reached out for her mother's hand, afraid that she would disappear in the fog. "Time's up?"

The woman nodded in response.

"Will I not see you again? There are so many things I haven't asked you yet."

Feiyan pulled her into another hug, "I know. I apologize, but I am very glad I was able to see you again. You've grown so much."

The fog continued to thicken around them, clouding the half breed's vision. Her eyes lids grew heavy and her body relaxed. Somehow it was soothing to her.

Her mother gave her one last smile before letting go of her daughter's hand and fading into the white haze.

Yu wanted to reach out to her, to tell her not to leave, but she lost all will to do anything and, with a light exhale, she unwillingly closed her eyes.

xXx

When Yu opened them she found herself back in her room, the fog and the lakeside feeling like a distant memory. Groggy, the half breed felt her face, the liquid that she found there told her that she had cried in her sleep.

Sleep…

Could she call it that? If so, didn't that meant that the whole conversation with her mother was a dream?

It was possible. All her life she had grown up without a mother. Couldn't it be that some subconscious thought could have produced the experience she'd had?

Part of her wanted to accept this logic as truth… but the other part of her couldn't help but be skeptical.

As a child, she'd had fantasies of what her mother looked like. In the 'dream' just moments ago, the woman had been every bit as beautiful as she had imagined, but she was too clear.

The whole thing was just too real, for her to be fully convinced that she had dreamt it.

But at the same time she hoped that it had been a dream.

Then she wouldn't have to face whatever it was that Wei Feiyan had tried to warn her about. Even now, she still couldn't fully grasp what it was the woman told her. All that talk about her having power and how making the wrong choice could be dangerous, she didn't understand any of it.

Groaning, Yu sat up, her muscles aching from a restless sleep.

Hoping to get rid of the feeling, she stretched, reaching her arms up toward the ceiling. When she dropped them back down to her sides, something caught her eye.

Glancing down, the half breed was surprised to find a jade pendant dangling from around her neck, glittering in the sunlight that peaked through her bedroom curtains.

"So it wasn't a dream after all," she mused, not being able to decide whether or not the discovery was a good thing.

A/N: F.Y.I - Feiyan's explanation of the Jade stone comes from Confucius' own words as there wasn't a better way to put it than that.

Also, my apologies for taking so long to write this. It took a bit to get it the way I wanted it and, of course, life held me up a bit. I hope you are as happy with it as I am.

Lastly, thank you for the wonderful reviews. They really help me keep going!