《What Did You Say? I Am The Chosen One?!!》


 Chapter 1: The Lost Ones

    One cold summer day a young girl was carried in a palanquin, and she was brought to the shaman house; and when she stepped out the shamans led her inside, she strode with elegance down the hall where servants bowed their heads to her. She was led to a room and there she sat waiting for whomever had summoned her to come. An older lady soon walked in and sat down across from her. Now that old lady had a golden knife with her, which she handed over to the young girl; and the young girl took it, tracing the elaborate engravings on the knife.


    The older lady placed a golden bowl in front of the young girl and then open a brown packet, pouring a white powder into the golden bowl. The older lady nodded her head to one of the servants; and that servant quickly pulled back one of the sleeves of the young girl, holding the young girl¡¯s hand high. ¡®It is time for you to do as you have come here to do.¡¯ The old lady said.


    The young girl looked back at the old lady for a moment before taking the knife and pushing the sharp end into one of her hand, not even wincing as she watched her blood pour into the golden bowl. The droplet of blood fell onto the white powder and the white powder sizzled before turning into a dark blue liquid. The old lady¡¯s eyes widen before she sighed a big sigh and the young girl kept her blood dripping into the bowl until the bowl was full of the blue liquid.


    ¡®It is as they have said,¡¯ the old lady looked into the young girl¡¯s eyes, ¡®you are the chosen one.¡¯ The young girl set the knife on the table and then pushed the bowl back to the old lady. The old lady looked at the servants behind the young girl and then motion her head for them to take away the girl. The two servants nodded as each one of them grabbed one of her arms and dragged her away to another room. The old lady watched as the young girl was dragged away and a tear escaped on of her eyes as she muttered, ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    The young girl was taken to a room where there was a huge bath tub and she was stripped of her clothes, and her hairpins were pulled out of her head to let down her long dark hair. The girl did not protest, or resist and entered the bath tub obediently as she was told to do. She breathed in sharply due to the cold water, however submerged herself completely. She stayed in the bath until she was shivering and trembling before the servants allowed her to come out. They then dried her off, and then they dressed her in a golden dress embroidered with elaborate and delicate designs. They braided her long hair and then decorated it with golden flower clips. They put on her golden butterfly earrings, and a huge golden crown.


    After they were done dressing her up, they blindfolded her and led her to a huge room where the emperor waited for her. ¡®You must remember to do your job properly. You are not to look the emperor in the eyes nor speak to him unless he gives you permission to speak.¡¯ One of the servants sternly said to her before opening the door and leading her inside to sit on a chair. The servant then left the room after taking off her blindfold, and she was left there all alone with the emperor. She bowed her head and kept her eyes on the ground.


    The emperor looked at the girl and then approached her, setting his hand on her shoulder. The emperor then asked the girl, ¡®What is your name?¡¯


    The young girl kept her eyes on the ground as she answered, ¡®This loyal subject goes by the name of Choko.¡¯ She bowed her head showing her respect. The emperor eyed her curiously however she kept her expression blank.


    ¡®Let us go.¡¯ The emperor picked the girl up with one hand under her knees and another on her back. He carried her deeper into the room until and stopped in front of the bed. He laid her down, and then blew out all the candles lighting up the room, before laying down next to her.


    ¡®Do your magic.¡¯ He said staring at her face. The girl nodded before looking up to meet his eyes. She then took his hand, laced her fingers in his, and then leaned her head forwards so both their foreheads touched.


    ¡®Close your eyes,¡¯ she whispered, ¡®and think of nothing.¡¯ He waited doubting her words, but did as she said when he saw no contempt in her eyes. When she saw that he closed his eyes she quietly mumbled something before leaning in and planting her lips on his. Feeling the sudden softness and pressure, he shot open his eyes however, before him was not the girl but darkness that surrounded him.


    ¡®We are here. The world where humans shall never go.¡¯ The girl said. The emperor turned to see her holding his hand in one hand, and a lantern in the other. ¡®Never let go of my hand emperor. If you let go, you may never be able to return to the real world.¡¯ She warned, and then squeezed his hand. The emperor nodded his head and laced his fingers into hers. ¡®Who do you wish to speak to emperor?¡¯


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    He responded, ¡®I wish to speak to my father, the late emperor.¡¯ She nodded her head understanding, before chanting a spell.


    She then said, ¡®Close your eyes and think of the last place and time you saw your father, and then slowly open your eyes.¡¯ He did as she said and when he opened his eyes again, he saw his father lying in front of him in a bed. He walked up to him suppressing the tears in his eyes. He grabbed his father¡¯s hand, brought it to his face, and kissed it lightly.


    ¡®Father,¡¯ he said squeezing his father¡¯s hand, ¡®what should I do? What did you want me to do?¡¯


    ¡®My son,¡¯ the emperor looked up to see his father smiling at him, ¡®what are you doing here in this world?¡¯


    ¡®Father! You¡­ you are speaking to me?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t help himself as tears strolled down his face.


    ¡®My son. My young son that I left behind, I am sorry. This useless father of yours couldn¡¯t leave you anything memorable or helpful for your reign. I can only hope that you forgive my carelessness.¡¯ His father stroke the emperor¡¯s forehead.


    ¡®Father, please don¡¯t say that. You have done more than enough for me.¡¯ His father stroke the son¡¯s tears away.


    ¡®Why are you here anyways?¡¯ His father asked. The emperor stood up and cleared his throat.


    ¡®The scroll has not been found yet father. The scroll that you left behind. I have come here to ask you about it.¡¯ The emperor whispered. The late emperor looked at him shocked.


    ¡®You haven¡¯t found the scroll yet? That¡¯s strange. I am sure that no has moved it from its place. So-¡¯ The late emperor was interrupted by sounds of people banging on the door. The emperor looked at the young girl and the young girl¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡®It¡¯s dangerous emperor. We must leave.¡¯ She pulled his hand towards a side door.


    ¡®What do you mean it is dangerous?¡¯ He followed behind her. She pushed open the door, which led the two to a dark hall, and she held her lantern up to lead their way forward.


    ¡®Someone from the human realm is restricting us through controlling the dead. Remember never to let go of my hand emperor.¡¯ She said in a stern voice, and kept pulling him forward


    ¡®Where are we going?¡¯ He asked and she replied,


    ¡®Back to the human realm. Our bodies may be in danger.¡¯ She began to run as she felt a malicious intent towards them.  They both heard heavy footsteps after them, and she grew alert to keep both of them safe. Soon they reached another door and she quickly pushed it open. They entered the room that they were in before they left the human realm, and the emperor spotted their bodies on the bed.  ¡®Quickly, run!¡¯ She yelled as they both dashed towards their bodies.


    Seeing how the young girl¡¯s dress was restricting her, the emperor picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and ran as fast as he could. The young girl held onto him tightly and then she looked up. Her eyes widen as she saw who was chasing after them, and gripped tightly onto the emperor¡¯s robe. The emperor reached the bed and he placed her down next to her body, and she pulled him back.


    ¡®Hurry!¡¯ She pulled him towards the bed however hands had gripped his foot as he started to fall. She did not let go of him as she dropped her lantern and grabbed him with both her arms.


    ¡®Wha-¡¯ The emperor began to turn his head, however the girl then shouted,


    ¡®No! Do not look back!¡¯ She said as she continued pulling on him, and he froze keeping his eyes on her. The emperor tried to kick whoever was pulling on to him however he continued to miss. The girl couldn¡¯t hold on to him much longer and then, her jaw dropped as she saw millions of dark shadows enter the room. They all started to pull on the emperor and the young girl couldn¡¯t hold on anymore, as his hand slipped out of hers. She watched as he screamed terrified, the shadows dragging him out the door. The young girl got up and started to chase after the emperor leaving behind her lantern in the hurry.


    When the shamans enter the room that night, they found two bodies with their hands held together, and lips pressed together,  so still it was as if they were dead, however a slight pulse could be felt from both their wrists. The shamans feared for the worst, and kept the bodies hidden inside a secret chamber. The bodies never aged, never moved, was always cold, however they were alive. Through the generations many of the shamans that had watched over the bodies had brutals death, and overtime due to fear, the location of the bodies were lost. No one knows if they ever woke up, or if they just died in the secret chamber. Our story start 500 years after the lost of the emperor and the chosen one.

 Chapter 2: The Three Men

    A group of men crowded around a table as they watched a young boy tell a story as he made giant gestures, swinging his arms in circles and making varied expressions.


    ¡®And,¡¯ the young boy said,  ¡®they said the two bodies were never found again.¡¯ The group of men had their eyes wide open paying attention to every word that the young boy was saying, their expression glowed with curiosity and amazement. ¡®But,¡¯ the boy quietly whispered, ¡®do you want to know a secret about this tale?¡¯ He eyed all the men and they all nodded, eager to hear the rest. The young boy smiled, knowing that he got them wrapped around his finger, and he held out his hand. The faces of the men changed as they looked at him and groaned.


    ¡®Eyyy.¡¯ Some whined.


    ¡®What?¡¯ Others groaned.


    ¡®Just continue. If it¡¯s good then we will give you copper coins.¡¯ One of them said.


    ¡®If you don¡¯t continue, then we are all just going to leave.¡¯ Another one threatened. The boy looked at them and knew that whatever they said were lies, or were empty threats. He knew that they were all hooked on his story already and they wanted to hear the end no matter what, and he knew this to be true for he had done this in the past and all the customers reacted the same.


    ¡®Then I will leave. See if you guys can hear the secret from another storyteller. Bye.¡¯ The boy got up ready to leave but all the men stopped him, pushing him gently back down in his seat.


    ¡®We got it. We got it. We will give you the money so just finish the story first.¡¯ They urged him but he didn¡¯t budge and held his hand out.


    ¡®Money first.¡¯ He said. The men all around him groaned however reached for their money pouch and pulled out copper coins for him. The boy suppressed the smile that was forcing itself on his face as he watch them pile the copper coins on the table. I¡¯m going to make a lot of money today! He thought as he felt the heavenly cold smooth surface of the copper coins, however he knew that he could make more. He slammed his hand down on the table and all the men looked up at him shocked. He looked back at them with dark eyes. ¡®Is my story worth only this many coins?¡¯ He asked with an offended tone.


    ¡®Honored storyteller,¡¯ one of the men spoke up, ¡®if I could give you 100 copper coins, I would, however we here are all just poor farmers. We have given you the most we can.¡¯ The man tried to flatter the young boy. All the other men nodded agreeing with the man however the young boy didn¡¯t buy it. The young boy¡¯s face changed from disapproval to sadness, as he looked away from the men, and tears began to seep out of his eyes.


    ¡®Honored farmers,¡¯ his voice quivered, ¡®my dream since I was young, was to become a storyteller. My father beaten me when the sun rose in the east, and didn¡¯t stop until it set in the west. I, once had a chance to become a farmer like you guys, however, due to my passion to tell stories, I gave up the comfort of being a farmer to bear the hardships of being a storyteller. I have not eaten in the last three days trying to come up with stories, trying to remember tales of our wonderful kingdom to retell, yet all I could make to survive the month is this.¡¯ The young boy cried out as he slammed his arms on top of the coins, and buried his face into them. The men looked at him and pity pulled at their heartstrings. They all knew what kind of path a storyteller took, and they have all seen them suffering as some did not have the creativity to make people stay to listen to them. The men also knew that since they were all farmers they did have it better off than storytellers, although they were poor, at least they had food to eat.


    ¡®We got it, we got it. You can stop crying now.¡¯ They said as they all reached into their money pouch and pulled out more copper coins. To the men the boy looked like he was sniffling, however buried in all that copper coins, the boy was laughing out of joy as he heard the copper coins hitting the table. He raised his head up, making sure to keep a sad expression on as he pulled out an empty money pouch, and began to stuff it with the copper coins on the table.


    ¡®Thank you honored farmers. May the gods blessed all your kindness for helping out this poor storyteller!¡¯ He exclaimed. After all the coins were in his money pouch, he securely tied it to his sash, and sat back up. ¡®Now then,¡¯ he smiled, ¡®do you guys want to know the secret?¡¯ All the men¡¯s eyes grew bigger and they all nodded their heads like little kids. The boy smiled and motioned for them to come closer to him, and they all came closer not wanting to miss a word he said. The boy waited, making them feel and taste the silence of suspense, before he opened his mouth. ¡®Rumor has it that the empress dowager found out about the emperor''s plan, and she had them murdered, then bribed the shamans to keep their mouths shut.¡¯ He whispered just loud enough for all of them to hear. They all backed away, shocked on some of their faces, and others nod.


    ¡®I knew it!¡¯ Some exclaimed, while others were too speechless to say anything.


    ¡®Why did the empress dowager do it?¡¯ One of them asked. The young boy smiled expecting this question, and he was ready to give out the best part of the story.


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    ¡®Do you not know why honored farmer?¡¯ He said feigning a look of surprise on his face. The farmer nodded and others along with him. The boy motion for them to come closer, and they all leaned in, even the ones who said they knew it.


    ¡®They said she did it bec-¡¯ The boy looked passed the farmers to see a man with a murderous look on his face, as if he was ready to kill his target. Chills went up the young boy¡¯s back as she quickly sat up. The farmers backed away in surprised and then looked at him.


    ¡®What is wrong?¡¯ The farmers asked a they saw his terrified face.


    ¡®I will tell you guys when I see you guys next time.¡¯ The young boy grabbed his bag that laid on the ground and threw it on his shoulder.


    ¡®What do you mean? Just finished the story right now!¡¯ One of the men shouted.


    ¡®Shh!¡¯ The young boy quickly said, but it was too late, because the man with the murderous look turned his head at the sound and made eye contact with the young boy. The man pointed his pointer at the young boy.


    ¡®Stop right there!¡¯ The man shouted and he started to run towards the boy. The boy quickly scrambled to his feet before turning around, and started to run away. ¡®Yah! Don¡¯t you run away. If you stop now I won¡¯t kill you, I will just let you get away with crippled legs, but if you run away and I catch you¡­ you¡¯re dead.¡¯ The man shouted.


    ¡®Say that when you do catch me you stupid old fart!¡¯ The boy shouted back and then ran as fast as he could.


    ¡®Yah!¡¯ The man screamed. The young boy quickly reached the market of the city, the busiest part of the city during the day, and made his way around all the people.


    ¡®Excuse me.¡¯ He said politely as he ran around them, and quickly made a sharp turn. He quickly went through the alleys of the houses in the markets, before finally hiding behind the corner of a house. He heard the man¡¯s footstep and he held his breath, feeling his heart beat faster and faster. He heard the man screamed out of anger.


    ¡®Chun Soka, you little wench. Don¡¯t let me catch you, you little girl, or else you¡¯re dead.¡¯ He yelled before turning and running the other direction. Soka slowly peeked out the corner and watched as the man disappear as he turned behind a house.


    ¡®Tch. Second uncle is always so persistent..¡¯ She scoffed as h-she began to walk the other way. ¡®Who says that only men can be storytellers, I can be one too!¡¯ She muttered to herself as she walked down an alley alone. She looked up after a while then suddenly stopped, frozen in place, as her eyes grew big and she swallowed. Just look away. Just pretend you don¡¯t see them. She thought to herself as she continued walking forwards.


    In front of Soka were men with dark grey skin, and wounds on their bodies. The first one had his intestine hanging out, the second had a huge sword cut on his neck with blood gushing out, while the third had huge burns all over his body. Soka swallowed hard, balling her hands into a fist, and proceeded to walk past them. Why does this always have to happen? She screamed inside. As she was walking past them her foot stepped over something hard, and she lifted her foot to see what she stepped on. Her eyes glowed as she saw a copper coin on the floor.


    ¡®Who would lose something as precious as this?¡¯ She exclaimed as she bent over to pick it up from the dirt ground. When she lifted her head to get up she saw a man with a burn face staring back at her with curiosity. She made eye contact with him and her body grew stiff from shock. The man leaned in and Soka could smell his burnt skin, as the man stopped right in front of her face.


    ¡®You, you can¡­ see¡­ me?¡¯ The man asked in a low voice. Soka ignored him as she quickly stood up and stiffly continued to walk forward. ¡®Hey kid. You forgot another copper coin.¡¯ She heard behind her and she quickly turned around at the words of copper coin.


    ¡®Where?¡¯ She smiled and then immediately regretted her decision. She saw all three men¡¯s face contorting to a smile and they began to run towards her. She turned on her heals and began running also.  Why does this always happen to me?! She thought,  Stupid ghosts!

 Chapter 3: The Three Men Part Two

    Soka continued running and running however she knew that it was futile, for when she turned her head to look at them occasionally they got closer and closer. Shrine! Shrine! Shrine! She chanted in her head as she ran out of the city into a forest, following a path. Her legs were weak, and her lungs burned for air however she kept going, to protect her freedom.


    The shrine came to her view on top of a mountain and she groaned inwardly as she climbed the stairs up to the shrine, however she knew that once she got past the top steps the men would not be able to bother her anymore. Climb Soka! Climb! Remember the last time you got caught by one of them? You lost up to 250 copper coins! Climb! She cheered herself on. She glanced behind her occasionally to see the men closing in on the distance, however legs never stopped moving despite the pain she was feeling. You¡¯re almost there. Just one more step!


    She smiled as she saw her haven in front of her and she lifted her feet to get inside, however fate just did not love her as the top of her sandal got cut on the step and time seemed to stop as she slowly fell on top of the stairs. Noooo! She landed on the palms of her hand as one of her knees scraped the stairs and began to bleed. She quickly got up however she was too slow for her pursuers as she felt arms wrap herself underneath her armpits, holding her up in the air.


    ¡®Gotcha.¡¯ The burnt man said as he smiled. ¡®Let¡¯s go down to talk now, shall we?¡¯ He began to half carry half drag her down. Soka kicked her foot, trying to get off, however the burnt man was too strong.


    ¡®Let me go. The dead should not bother the living!¡¯ She screamed however the three men didn¡¯t listen to her protests as they continued down the steps. When they got to the bottom the burnt man dropped her on the ground, and she landed on her butt. ¡®Ah!¡¯ She yelped rubbing her behind, and then she looked up to glare at the three dead men before her. ¡®I don¡¯t know why you guys are still here, however I am not going to help you. Go to a shaman or find someone else!¡¯ She yelled. She reached into a pocket hanging on her sash to grab some red beans, however when her hand got in there it felt nothing. That¡¯s right. I was so hungry yesterday I ate all of them. Damnit!¡¯ She pursed her lips together. The three men looked at her not knowing what to say or where to start, and then the one with blood gushing out of his neck opened his mouth.


    ¡®Just hear us out first. We need your help. We have been looking for someone to see us and no one has for two whole months. You are the first person we had encountered.¡¯ He pleaded, however Soka refused to listen as she turned her back and began walking away. She didn¡¯t get far though, as the burnt man dragged her back.


    ¡®Just leave! Pass already! Why do you guys always have to stay and lurk around, causing me problems?¡¯ She screamed and then let out a yelp as the burnt man dropped her back on the dirt ground. She looked up and glared at them, before she stood up on her feet again. ¡®Is this how you treat someone who you want help from?!¡¯ The burnt man leaned close to her face and she backed away holding her breath from the foul stench of burning skin.


    ¡®Just listen to us first.¡¯ He hissed. She stepped back and held her hands out, nodding her head.


    ¡®Alright I will lis-¡¯ She quickly turned on her heel and try to run up the steps to the shrine, however just like before she felt herself getting pulled back, before she landed on her behind again. She didn¡¯t give up though, as she quickly scrambled to her feet to get away, however the burnt man would always catch her and drag her back to the other two men. After several attempts at escaping she grew tired and her irritation was as deep as the sea. These damn dead scums. Why do I always run into them after I make good money? Why?!¡¯ She scratched and pulled on her hair, as the three men looked at her curiously as if they were looking at rampant animal. Money. Money. Money. The word echoed in her head. My money. Money always getting wasted by these dead scums. She dug her fingers into the dirt ground pulling out piles and piles of grass.


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    ¡®Hey kid are you going to listen to us or not?¡¯ The burnt man put his hand on his hips. Money. Money. ¡®Kid? Are you here?¡¯ Money. Money. ¡®Yah!¡¯ The burnt man shouted and the girl snapped her head up glaring at the man.


    ¡®I am not deaf! I can hear you stupid dead scum!¡¯ She yelled. The burnt man cocked his head an annoyed expression on his face.


    ¡®If you aren¡¯t deaf then you should have answered! Stupid little kid.¡¯ The burnt man yelled back.


    ¡®I already told you guys. I don¡¯t want to help you guys. Find someone else. Stop looking for me!¡¯ Soka yelled as she pointed to the other two. Something caught her eyes and she turned her head to look at the man with his intestines hanging out of his stomach. ¡®That¡­ tha-tha-that¡­ robe¡­¡¯ Her eyes grew bigger as she noticed what the man was wearing.


    When people died and turn into ghosts that can¡¯t move on, they look like how they were moments before their actual death. Soka knew this and her eyes brightened up. A young noble. She smiled and then quickly stood back up. The burnt man jumped back startled at her sudden movements however he was prepared to capture her if she tried to escape again. Soka patted her behind, tucked her hair behind her ear, and then smiled a sweet smile at them.


    ¡®I understand,¡¯ she said in a high pitched voice, ¡®I will listen to you guys, and help you guys.¡¯ She gave them a big smile. ¡®The only problem is,¡¯ she pouted and looked up at them as if she was a lost puppy, ¡®I am only a poor storyteller. I have no money.¡¯ The three men looked at her and cringed. ¡®But honored young lord, you must have some kind of fortune left behind. If you don¡¯t mind sharing just a little bit of your wealth, then I wouldn¡¯t mind helping out.¡¯ She blinked her eyes innocently. The man with his intestines hanging out looked away disgusted at her behavior, before turning back and nodding his head.


    ¡®I understand. If you help us, I will tell you a big secret about where I keep my secret stash of silver coins.¡¯ The man said. Soka¡¯s eyes grew big. Silver? Silver! I am going to be rich! She inwardly celebrated. Why didn¡¯t I think of this plan earlier? I wouldn¡¯t have need to spend a single copper coin if I had just told the other damn ghosts to give me their valuables when they were still alive!


    ¡®Really?¡¯ Soka asked looking at them with her big eyes.


    ¡®Really.¡¯ The man said sternly. She gave them a smile and then bowed her head down low. The three men looked at her uncomfortably as they witnessed her sudden change in behavior.


    ¡®Honored young lord, and honored young lord¡¯s companions, we should not be speaking in such place. Let us go somewhere more comfortable.¡¯ Soka grinned. The burnt man looked at her suspicious, thinking that this was a scheme for her to run away again.


    ¡®No, let¡¯s talk here.¡¯ The burnt man said. Soka looked up at him carefully observing the parts of his clothes that were not burnt and then smiled when she saw how built the man was, and that he was wearing a light armor before he died.


    ¡®Honored warrior, are you afraid that I am going to run?¡¯ She observed her reaction and just as she had assumed he grew quiet, not sure of what to say. ¡®Do not be afraid honored warrior. I am true to my words. If I say I will help you guys, then I will help you guys until the end.¡¯ Soka gave him a reassuring smile. The burnt man furrowed his eyebrows before slowly nodding his head, remembering how earlier she turned around when he had said that she missed a copper coin. He, of course, did not trust in Soka¡¯s word, but rather in Soka¡¯s greed for money.


    ¡®Let us go to where you want us to then.¡¯ He said and Soka smiled.


    ¡®Of course,¡¯ she started walking, ¡®follow me this way.¡¯ She started to walk deeper into the forest. The three men looked at her suspiciously, wondering why she did not just go back into town, however followed her anyways.