The Hardy Family Chronicles V

A Tale of Several Sims The Prophecy Years – Part 2

Hannah was aging too. She had spent so much time in Shang Simla she was now a young adult.

She stopped working with Lin Mai as she had far surpassed her. In truth she was relived that as an adult, she could dispense with her teaching. She had never warmed to her fully.

Her life in the retreat was getting harder as well. As the only female student there, she got a lot of attention.

Laura didn’t mind, despite not reciprocating any of their feelings. She used them to improve her sparring skills.

Fah Lu was more persistent that the others. He poured his passion into their fights, so Laura spent plenty of time with him.

One night he tried to kiss her. Laura was so surprised he had the guts she laughed in his face. Fah Lu was crushed at her reaction, but vowed to try again.

Laura realised after that encounter how much she was stirring the men up. The idea of the retreat was to find peace, so sexual relationships were prohibited. Instead, she tracked down her old mentor Shen Su to help her train. It was good to be reunited with her old friend. And the feelings she had for him as a teenager returned in full force now they were both adults... It was unfortunate that any relationship was still forbidden within the retreats walls.

Though the chemistry was undoubtable.

Eventually, their feelings for each other became too strong to stay on the correct side of the rules.

The Prophecy of the Scarlet Woman

7.2... Love conquers all...

7.9.. But love must labour always against many battles, both from within and from without...

In public, they struggled to remain impartially polite to one another.

Eventually, they slipped up. Fah Lu, of all people, saw them holding hands in the indoor training room.

Laura was told she had to leave the retreat for a short time, to gain perspective.

She decided to take the opportunity to have a check up.

Just as the prophecy said, she was now completely healthy. The doctors were baffled, unable to explain her recovery. They thought she was dead. After leaving instructions not to contact her parents, she returned to the retreat.

On her return, she threw herself back into her studies with renewed vigour, trying her best not to think about Shen Su.

She spent years denying her feelings, working harder than ever.

One day, whilst meditating, she achieved a state of mind not seen in hundreds of years.

Laura discovered that she had the power to levitate, and not only that, she could transport herself around with the power of her mind.

Her adventures were getting more difficult too. She was encountering hidden doors...

... Traps that threatened her life with poisonous bugs...

...and pools of tainted water leading to hidden rooms....

Laura always felt drawn to the larger boxes, but was never sure why. Her finds increased, cultural treasures thought to be long lost – but she still felt as if there was more she ought to be doing.

One night, Lin mai came with a message from Sing Pu. Laura’s life was about to get a lot more complicated.

The mouth of the Dragons Maw temple had stopped smoking. And there was a prophecy that mentioned such an eventuality...

The Prophecy of the Scarlet Woman

9... And a great lamentation was heard, for the smoking had ceased, something had awoken...

9.2... No longer, because of her l....

9.5... The time of the battle was upon her, when old scars would surface, and choices must be made...

9.9... Good and evil...

Laura was to defeat a slumbering evil beneath the mountain. Instead of mentally preparing, she ran to Shen Su for comfort.

On this, possibly the last night she would have on earth, they decided to break the final rule.

If she came out of her prophesied battle alive, they vowed to wrap up their affairs in the retreat, and start a life together.

Shen Su couldn’t go with her, it was her destiny and hers alone.

She hugged her lover goodbye, wishing he could come with her. But there was no way to know what she’d be up against. And he did not have the experience in adventures she did, despite his martial arts prowess.