Letter to the Palace — Jianyun

My name is Jianyun.

Yesterday, I met a witch named Meilin and her companions: Himari, Yulan, and the flying cat Haruki.

Meilin adjusted her hat, a typical witch's hat. The only thing that set her apart from an everyday witch was her youthful look. I’m not saying witches can’t be young, I just expected witches to be older than me. Meilin looked to be around my age, possibly even younger. Her hair was well-kept, her appearance tidy. She gave the impression of a princess, setting aside her lack of dining etiquette.

Himari, on the other hand, was energetic and bubbly, giving off the impression of a joyful village girl. Haruki was an interesting one. He was a cat with the ability to fly and speak. If the emperor were still alive, he would definitely take Haruki in as a royal pet.

The last person wasn’t quite fond of me. Her name was Yulan, which has roots in the language of Tian Cheng. If I had to guess why she disliked me, I would say it’s because I was part of the military tasked with the mission of saving Tian Cheng from the devastating attack. It wouldn’t be surprising if she hated me for not being able to save Tian Cheng from the attack. I blamed myself too.

We continued ahead, through the vast lands of Tian Cheng. We should be nearing the Imperial Palace.

A white bird perched on top of a decayed tree, squawking loudly while flapping its wings.

Himari ducked behind Meilin, as Meilin grabbed a letter from the bird’s beak. I suppose she’s afraid of birds.

The letter had neat handwriting, with the large letters “Meilin” written on the envelope.

Meilin’s eyes glowed faintly as she read the letter. “What is it? What is it?” Himari asked repeatedly, circling Meilin in excitement.

“It’s from Ruri.”

Meilin read the letter out loud. It turns out that the letter was from a young girl whom Meilin and Himari met in Kazemura. She notified them that her mentor was currently residing in the Imperial Palace and was expecting them to pay a visit. Ruri had told her mentor all about Meilin and her crew, which now includes me, I suppose, even though I only agreed to accompany them through Tian Cheng.

Tian Cheng was a dangerous place. They had already gotten themselves into a tough spot yesterday; if this continues, they won’t be able to survive for too long. I joined them to prevent that from happening. You can say it’s a way of coping with my biggest failure.

I was the son of a general. The second son, to be exact. My parents were blessed to have given birth to two sons, since they were much more sought after than daughters. That was just the sad truth.

As the second son, I wasn’t expected to inherit most of my family's possessions. Therefore, I was constantly being overshadowed by my brother. He fought better. He learned quicker. He was always the role model I couldn’t catch up to.

The memory of the attack played in my brain. My brother and I, led by our father, the general, fought the monsters with all the men we had.

I saw warrior after warrior, defeated by the mighty force of monsters, until it was my turn…

I was fatigued after fighting monsters for hours, and one particular beast had noticed that. It snarled and lunged at me, claws outstretched. I braced myself for the attack, expecting the worst.

But my brother had sprung in front of me. He held his sword high. But he knew he wasn’t going to last long. The other monsters had already cornered us.

“Take me, if you dare!” He roared with all the energy he had. His voice cracked, but his stance remained strong.

My brother decided to protect me till the end. In contrast, I froze on the spot, watching my brother fight for our lives.

Before long, we approached the Imperial Palace.

“Whoa!” Himari ran around the place, eyes sparkling like diamonds. “This is amazing!”

Meilin and the others followed closely behind, and we all admired the interior of the former palace. The walls were a garnet red, embedded with golden accessories. It was spacious and luxurious, despite being damaged by the attack. Visible holes and cracks echoed through the corridors, clear evidence of the monsters’ raid. The atmosphere was oddly welcoming.

Sniff sniff—

Meilin’s nose was twitching as a strange aroma led her to a mysterious room. We went after her, and Haruki peeked into the keyhole. “Nya, someone’s inside.” The said person spoke in a lovely, polite manner, saying, “Please come in.”

So this is the mentor Meilin had wanted to meet.

Each of us stepped into the room, one after another. The room was surprisingly complete, without any cracks or noticeable damage. Vases of flowers have been placed around the room, and it has been decorated quite eccentrically, with ornaments from different regions all stuffed into one place. Despite having so many distinct styles in one place, they were woven together perfectly as one cohesive piece.

From the looks of the room, I would’ve guessed the mentor was an experienced adventurer with a strange taste for souvenirs. She was preparing something, which was the source of the smell, behind the red curtains.

“Please. Take a seat.”

The mentor stepped away from the curtains, allowing us to have a good look at her face. She was stirring something, and her gown swept the floors, trailing behind her.

The most shocking thing was that…She was not an adventurer, but another witch.

The mentor introduced herself as Celeste and offered us some tea. I smelled the tea and frowned. That wasn’t the source of the weird smell. I looked up at Celeste, who returned the stare with a gentle smile.

She looked slightly older than Meilin, but not quite as mature as Yulan. Her long, mauve purple hair was tied up into braids. She wore oversized glasses, which she constantly had to push up to prevent them from falling off.

“Ruri had told me everything about you, Miss Meilin.” She approached Meilin in such an enthusiastic way that it made her pull back slightly. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you. And of course, your companions.”

“Nya, Haruki is not just her companion! Haruki was the one who taught Madame Meilin how to cast spells!”

Celeste laughed in such a hysterical way that it made most of us uncomfortable. “That’s right, how rude of me not to address you by your names. Nice to meet you, Himari, Haruki, Yulan and Jianyun.”

She stared at me, dead in the eye.

How did she know my name?

Is this a type of spell?