《Overturning the World》 Meeting Jun and Meiling On a long forgotten continent that spans 20,000,000km^2, Vermillion Kingdom resides. On the north coast is a dilapidated forest dully stretching a couple million kilometres, with every ounce of luster and shine lost to history. The once emerald-like green that shone in every leaf and stalk is now replaced with a dark brown, as if a colourblind thief came through and offered an obvious impostor to stand in for his new treasure. The trees, with a healthy circumference of 32 metres, no longer have the imposing, heaven piercing heights they used too, instead forced by an unknown supernatural to stop growing at six metres, with no crown to boot. This forest, named Vermillion Forest, was coveted by deities and immortals alike, but not even inhabitants of a higher plane could not prevent its tragic fall from majesty. In the deep of the forest, the aforementioned kingdom lies, bustling with fifty million people. While on the smaller side, Vermillion Kingdom has a grand history. Built into a large mountain where social status increases alongside elevation, those that are uneducated or work physically demanding jobs typically dominate the base, while merchants settle the middle. Nobles, of course, dominate near the top with the palace resting aloft, only below a dainty shrine dedicated to three Goddesses no longer truly believed in, and only kept for the sake of tradition. The highway runs straight, with space for four carriages and little protection for those on foot in case the mounted animals run amok. This lack of consideration for the lower rungs of society, like the highways, only got higher and higher as one approaches the palace. Merchants, while dominating the trade and fine crafts of society, often faced the brunt of discrimination from both nobles and the working class, with both sides thinking the merchants are working with the other. However, a merchant cares not for man; only profit can feed the stomach, and thus nourish the mind. As the highway passes the market square, it branches and splits off to two separate districts. The left road from the market square leads to government offices, while the right road is for noble residences. The two roads then converge together into a main path towards the palace, where all nobles meet once a month for a report on the general affairs of the state. The noble residences were for nobles staying an extended amount of time away from their territory, with the mansions closest to the palace reserved for Grand Dukes only. Each manor was at least 600m^2, having two floors and a basement. The upper floor were for the masters and their family, the lower floor for the servants, and the basement for slaves. The noble highway, also known as the ¡°Golden Road¡± for how often money drops out of careless purses, was freshly paved every month to insure no cracks damage the prized horses¡¯ hooves or carriage wheels. While technically not against the law for the common man to enter the Golden Road, almost all non-servants are taken into jail on account of suspicious behavior. At the base of the mountain, where the brunt of the poor reside, is a district nicknamed ¡°Angel Town¡± for how often death occurs. Angel Town was, for all intents and purposes, a dumping ground of orphans and children that the Church of Three could not sustain. The sick, veterans, criminals, and all other outcasts call Angel Town home. With no infirmaries or clinics, a common cold could end a fully grown adult in Angel Town. Angel Town¡¯s layout was that of a long winding corridor with run down shanties and dubious allies peeking out into the main street. Gangs often hide within the dark, like vampires afraid of the sun. Every shack is littered with holes, and the smell of rot perspires all around. Orphans, if lucky, live to about 10 years old until they step on an irritable thief¡¯s foot and their neck meets cold metal. If a child wishes to live till adulthood in Angel Town, they learn that buttering up and joining a gang is the only way to gain any semblance of longevity. Near the end of Angel Town is a common shanty with uncommon residents. The house, if you can call it that, has no windows nor light but is instead littered with small holes. A wooden plank held up by a tower of bricks is used as a clothesline for the once in a blue moon that rain pours down and can be used for washing. Inside the house is cauldron charred pitch black from overuse, a dirt floor, a single blanket, and makeshift clothes strewn all about. Inside the shanty is currently a single individual, stirring a porridge with the cauldron. The individual is a beauty of about 16 years of age. She is currently wearing a roughly stitched brown sweater covered by an apron, along with an incredibly short dress that barely covered her sacred place. Her hair, raven black, went straight down to her waist. The eyes were big and bright, with black irises and unusual clarity emitting within them. Her skin, while covered in grime, gave an inkling of jade-like quality that made one wholeheartedly regret the lack of care given. Her legs were long and strangely clean, and made all men stare with an unhealthy desire. Even the beauty¡¯s expression, while normally icy and off-putting, was currently beaming with slightly flushed cheeks like an innocent maiden in love. This lovely girl was named Meiling Chang, and was currently cooking for the unrequited love of her life, so-called worthless cripple Jun Chang. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. As Meiling finished cooking, she heard a rapping sound from the shanty entrance. Meiling turned around and immediately smiled. She saw a young man with flawless white hair, tanned skin, brows slightly arched downward, blue eyes, a straight back, and calluses on the hands with light muscles showing the physical labor the young man undertakes. If any impressionable girl saw such a handsome visage, they¡¯d most certainly blush. However, upon seeing this particular man, most girls would turn away when looking downward and seeing the man was crippled and in a wheelchair! Indeed, while pitiable, society views the handicapped and weak with an undeserved hatred, while only the strong receive respect. However, even when other girls would turn away, Meiling would continue to stare straight ahead. Why? Because this man was none other than Jun Chang, the love of her life! ¡°Jun, you¡¯re finally back! I expected you to come home sooner.¡± Meiling said with sweet adoration. ¡°Sorry, today was a longer work day due to the tournament in two months. I wanted to hurry, but the library was on overload with all the nobles studying.¡± Jun quickly replied with an apologetic manner. Jun works at the Royal Library as illegal labor due to his perfect memory and understanding of text. If Jun was a noble¡¯s son, he would undoubtedly be considered one of the greatest scholar Vermillion Kingdom has ever had. And all this was despite Jun being blind! Indeed the prime example of a troubled genius. ¡°I understand. It just gets boring without you sometimes¡­¡± Meiling said with an unintentionally seductive voice and pained expression. Jun, upon hearing Meiling¡¯s voice that could be mistaken as addressing a lover, had a troubled smile. Jun, while blind, has the inexplicable ability to see all living things souls, and if he concentrates hard enough he can have a normal view for one minute. Knowing Meiling¡¯s beauty and personality, Jun is certain she could easily live a good life if she meets a good man. However, despite being brother and sister, Meiling is deeply in love with Jun. Incest, while not exactly against the law, is frowned upon. Furthermore, how could Jun take away Meiling¡¯s chance at a nice life by engaging in his own deep desires? ¡°You know what, since it¡¯s my fault, I¡¯ll make it up to you. Before I left today I was gifted some canvas to paint. I smell something good right now, let¡¯s eat first and then I¡¯ll paint something good for you. How does that sound?¡± Jun said, confident in his proposal. ¡°That works out great! How about drawing the stars again?¡± Meiling replied while she put her apron away, with the brown sweater slightly exposing ample breasts that would spill out of your hands. ¡°Stars again? This is like the 5th time you asked. Are you sure? I¡¯m only doing one.¡± Jun said with a voice that seemed scolding at first. ¡°Come on, you know I love the stars! Please? For me?¡± Meiling¡¯s voice sounded like that of a spoilt child trying to get their way. Jun breathed out exasperated, as if like the request was troublesome. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll paint the stars AGAIN. But first, let us eat okay? I¡¯m incredibly hungry.¡± Meiling smiled. ¡°Okay. It¡¯s a promise!¡± Meiling and Jun sat down at the cauldron, using two large spoons to eat from the same pot. When viewed from a distance, the cauldron was the only light in Angel Town, and was like a fire fading into dark. However, when Jun looks back on this seemingly normal day, he will remember it forever not as an ember fading, but an ember growing. Angel Town, a Fools Grave Author''s message: Hey readers! I tried to write a longer chapter, ending about 800 words longer than the prologue. Besides essays, I''ve never written so much! As you might be able to tell, I''m quite proud. Either way, I wanted to ask a few things: First, is this a good length of a chapter? If so, I could probably post one a day unless something unexpected happened. Second, the fight scene at the end, while short, is about the level of detail I''m going for. Is it too little, or do you understand what was going okay? Obviously, once stronger opponents come, I''ll try to go for a bit more action. Third, does it seem like an info dump? I know when I read info dumps can get real annoying. And last but not least, can you follow which character is speaking? I''ve never done dialogue since this is my first real creative writing involving characters talking, and I didn''t want to do brackets or parentheses to indicate who was talking. Anyway, enjoy reading after the break! ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ After eating, Jun reached behind him and pulled out a large board wrapped in cloth that was strapped to his wheelchair. After untying the cloth, one could see the board was a starched white canvas with a yellow tinge, signifying a rather cheap material for painting; nevertheless, a canvas in the possessing of an Angel Town resident was unthinkable! The only reason Jun has access to canvases and other craft material is due to his labor at the Vermillion Collection of Antiquities and Scholarly Works Library, often shortened to Vermillion Library. Jun¡¯s aptitude for the fine arts is unique, and his excellent memory plays no small part towards this talent. While the Vermillion Library is sponsored by the royal family, it still pays its employees and expeditions into underground ruins out of its own pockets. Artists like Jun, who can paint exquisite renditions of famous artifacts, are valued as an extra source of income for the library. As such, while the library may not pay Jun the usual amount for others in his position, they offer other privileges that cannot be so easily given up. Jun, guided by Meiling, rolled towards the entrance and behind their shack where a log for Meiling to sit down and view the stars was placed. Jun, in his usual painting area, sat the canvas on a lowered tree branch that was breast height, and reached inside log Meiling sat on, where Jun stores his painting supplies. Soon after, Jun ¡°opened¡± his eyes which allowed him to see the souls of all living things, sparkling like the afterimage of a sun. Strangely enough, Jun could see the stars, as if they themselves were living. Jun doubted this, but thought that perhaps these stars were other worlds that possessed powerful living creatures, or somehow tied to souls somehow. Either way, Jun set to painting the stars, by layering black upon the canvas, and then slowly applying light strokes of increasingly brighter whites upon the black. Meiling watched Jun set to work, mesmerized by the sight. When comparing the astronomical bodies to Jun¡¯s painting, Meiling noted the difference of size and positioning that followed a light pattern. This was why Meiling loves when Jun paints stars, because it shows how Jun views the world, which is of obvious interest to Meiling. Hours passed before Jun finished, and despite the time of night Meiling was widely awake watching. Jun quickly collected his tools and put them back into the log, then grabbed the canvas off the branch and showed it to Meiling. ¡°Well? How is it?¡± Jun asked inquisitively. Meiling¡¯s face bloomed like a flower when given a full view of the painting. ¡°I love it! Thank you so so much Jun! I¡¯ll treasure it forever.¡± Jun¡¯s face broke a light smile, knowing Meiling¡¯s answer holds no exaggeration nor falsehood. While not believing his work warrants such care, no artist could help feeling glee at receiving such a comment. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s head to bed. Tomorrow is most likely going to be as long as today, and I¡¯ll need as much sleep as I can get. And I imagine the church gets a similar workload right now.¡± Meiling¡¯s face darkened for a moment before quickly returning to its happy expression. It¡¯s true, the Church of Three is just as busy right now as tournament participants come in for prayers, talismans, and guidance from the Three. Meiling, as a face not seen in a thousand faces, was quickly forced when turning 16 to join the Church¡¯s ranks, who place great important on using woman as the figureheads. Meiling sells talismans to tournament participants who hope to scour the old underground Vermillion City for artifacts that could be used for the preliminaries. The Vermillion Placement Exam and Tournament occurs every four years for noble heirs and commoners under 18 years old to show off their skills and gain recognition. Because it¡¯s a kingdom wide event where even the king watches the final match, the tournament serves as a good time for commoners to join noble militias and for heirs to form connections with prominent merchants and families. Of course, for Jun and Meiling who are relatively secure in their current position, the tournament means nothing but longer work days. Jun was rolled back into the shack by Meiling, and was helped undress into fresher clothing. While Meiling was assuredly flustered and blushing up to her ears, one could see Jun¡¯s face had a slight red tinge as well. While calm and cool during his work, Jun was still a young man currently being undressed by a curvaceous woman. It took Jun¡¯s utmost will every night to not throw away his morals. Jun never understood why he was tempted so by his sister. Could they not be related? Jun has thought of this multiple times, especially considering their different color of hair and irises. Jun doesn¡¯t know his parents and nor does Meiling know hers. However, Meiling has been calling Jun brother for as long as he can remember. If they truly aren¡¯t related, then Jun has no idea why Meiling called him brother. After being undressed and redressed into lighter clothing, Meiling helped Jun out of his chair to their single blanket, where they slept together. Hearts pounding, breath tingling the others face, it made one cringe and want to say ¡°get on with it!¡±, but alas the twos¡¯ love is forbidden between the two, and unless they had sufficient strength to ward off all criticism, they can never affirm their love publicly through consummation. Meiling awoke before dawn and started making breakfast. While fishing through the cabinets for cheap herbs and eggs bought at the Angel Town black-market, where one can buy food at a lower price than the market square, Meiling noticed how empty the shelves were. As Meiling grasped the last of their food supplies, she sighed and inwardly thought ¡°Looks like I need to get some more today. Just another errand added onto an already busy day¡­¡± While Meiling was somewhat crestfallen, she would never show it on her face around Jun. Even if he is blind, Jun is incredibly perceptive; if he noticed Meiling¡¯s sadness, Jun would even kill the king if it made Meiling happy. This is one of the reasons Meiling loves Jun despite their familial relationship. What person wouldn¡¯t be moved if someone did everything in their power to make them happy? Even ice will melt when it¡¯s hot. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. As Meiling finished cooking, she quietly shook Jun awake and helped him into his chair, and once more they began eating together. After eating, in order to not waste water, the two bathe together completely naked. Jun, while a learned man of morals and integrity, has more than once used his ability to see for one minute to peek at Meiling¡¯s mesmerizing body. After showering, Meiling dresses Jun in his work attire which consists of wooden getas, a long white inner robe, and a blue outer robe with dull streaks of gold. Jun¡¯s white hair is brushed straight and long, with the top bound together into a bun covered by a black cap that strongly contrasts with his hair color. Meiling took a step back and gazed with admiration. ¡°You¡¯re so handsome, Jun! If I didn¡¯t know you till now, I¡¯d fall in love with you all over again.¡± Meiling sweetly said, with affection coloring her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t hear that last part.¡± Jun thought. ¡°Please, you see me like this every morning. And just because a man looks good cannot overcome the fact that he¡¯s a cripple much less blind.¡± ¡°But I¡¯d still love you all the same, Jun. I just know it.¡± Meiling said with such surety that it would make anyone think the two were lovers that couldn¡¯t even be torn apart by the stars. Jun awkwardly smiled and scratched his cheek. ¡°Good grief, who would have thought her feelings were so strong.¡± Jun thought. ¡°Either way, I¡¯m off. See you tonight, Meiling.¡± Jun put on a slight smile as he rolled away from his darling sister, and made his way towards the highway. As he went onward, he spotted four souls surrounding another. Jun clicked his tongue, mumbling ¡°Mud Peony gang is extorting people again¡­ I thought Zhizhu Anming sent a declaration through the ranks to stop doing that?¡± Mud Peony gang is one of the two biggest gangs in all of Vermillion City, backed by Grand Duke Aiguo. Mud Peony gang may be no stranger to criminal activity, but compared to its counterpart the Spider gang, it is somewhat righteous in appearance. However, members of the Mud Peony gang have recently been extorting money and goods from folk in Angel Town, which has caused a drop in reputation. While gangs may be made up of ruthless criminals, they often occupy a necessary role of authority, maintaining order and punishing violent crime offenders that get away from the law. However, the difference between an authority figure and a tyrant is often paper thin, and having bad reputation can turn even the most trusting of people cautious. As such, gangs committing extortion in the middle of the day is tantamount of suicide. Jun rolled over towards the figures and overheard the figures. ¡°Hey saw, me and my friends here were hoping, since you and I are such great friends, you¡¯d be willing to give us some money for a drink or two. I know you got extra money stored away.¡± ¡°But I already paid you at the beginning of the month! I haven¡¯t missed a single date in over six months, man! Come on, can¡¯t you just let me go? My baby girl¡¯s turning ten in a few weeks and I¡¯ve been saving up to buy her something nice.¡± ¡±Look, if you hand it over quietly, we¡¯ll let you go. But if you keep being difficult, not only will we take all your silver coins, but we¡¯ll beat you half to death too. So what¡¯s it going to-¡°¡°What¡¯s going on here!?¡± The extortionist turned around and saw Jun staring straight at him. The extortionist looked like a typical lowlife, with dirty hair and clothing, a scar running along his face, and tattoos detailed across any exposed skin besides his face. His right shoulder, while covered, showed slight markings of the Mud Peony tattoo that all members must have. The insignia was a white peony blooming out of mud, a simple and easy way to identify members of the Mud Peony gang. As the extortionist and his ¡°friends¡± turned towards Jun, their faces showed their disgruntled attitude. However, when they saw his eyes closed and wheelchair beneath him, their faces soon sported a mocking sneer, as if staring at a child starting a fight with an adult. ¡°Look here, cripple. Oh, sorry, you¡¯re blind too. How¡¯d that happen, did some horse or something fuck your mom?¡± The extortionist seemed proud of his ¡°clever¡± comment. Jun, while his eyebrow twitched a little, was not unused to such derogatory comments, especially by the residents of Angel Town. Angel Town residents were used to being looked down upon, and when given the chance encounter to happen upon the even less fortunate, they relish the opportunity to act superior for even a few seconds. ¡°I didn¡¯t come here to discuss my birth heritage, hooligan. I came to ask what exactly is going on here. This doesn¡¯t exactly look like a friendly chat when four men surround another.¡± ¡°Heh, well me and my friends here were just having a nice conversation. Isn¡¯t that right, guys?¡± The other three quickly agreed. ¡°So why don¡¯t you go on your way yeah? You¡¯re disturbing us. We don¡¯t want to catch your¡­symptoms.¡± The extortionist attempted to shoo Jun away, ending with a mocking tone. ¡°Well your ¡°conversation¡± sounds an awful like extortion. Didn¡¯t Zhizhu declare that forbidden? I thought Mud Peony¡¯s motto was ¡°If a Mud Peony ain¡¯t loyal, then he ain¡¯t a Mud Peony.¡± Or am I wrong? Does the Mud Peony gang now engage in acts of dishonor and deceit?¡± Jun cut straight into the heart of the matter, no longer giving the extortionists a chance to explain themselves. ¡°Hey cripple, stay out of this, or you¡¯ll end up losing more than what you already have.¡± The extortionist growled, and quickly pulled out a thick, makeshift club with dried blood on it. Jun concentrated and regained a normal sight for one minute. Upon seeing the blood, Jun no longer had a serious, dignified gaze, but instead a cold expression that seemed eager to cut the men where they stand. ¡°I see you already have performed unforgivable acts. It seems I have been too lenient. Forget it, I¡¯ll rectify the mistake.¡± Jun pulled out from behind him in a sheath a silver dagger engraved with the symbol for the Vermillion Library. Upon seeing Jun pull his dagger, the four extortionists quickly rushed him, with the scarred one taking the lead. Jun immediately rummaged through a sack hanging on his wheelchair, and pulled out four silver needles with a sharp gleam. Using skills not unlike that of a trained assassin, Jun accurately aimed the first needle towards the scarred man¡¯s neck, quickly penetrating and leaving the man keeling on the floor grasping his neck as if he was out of breath. The other three, not minding their apparent friend¡¯s injury, continued rushing like mad dogs towards Jun. Jun rolled his wheelchair forward with one hand, while the other threw all three needles towards the right legs of the others. After successfully hitting a vital point, thus making all the men fall to the ground, Jun slashed the throat of the one closest to him before he hit the ground. The other two, their faces planted, were paralyzed on the ground. Instead of fearing Jun¡¯s approach like that of facing a grim reaper, they instead seemed dazed, unable to comprehend that a crippled and blind man could possibly hurt them, much less kill them. Jun finished the job quickly, not allowing any potential escapes. By looking at his expression, one could tell Jun had experience in killing. And how could he not? To live in Angel Town, even the purest of men and woman soon learn a few dirty tricks needed to survive.