TRAINING WITH DETERMINATION

"Your parents are no more." It was the statement that haunted my dreams for a long time. I don't remember what followed the revelation. All I could recall was my sister crying out loud and hugging me, covering my face with her body. It was as if she was trying to protect me from the evil effect this news would bring upon both of us.

I couldn't hear even the loudest sound, as my face felt moist. It took me some time to realize that these were the tears leaking out of my eyes. My immature mind seemed unable to make any sense of the situation. I just hoped that it was a bad dream which would be gone when I wake up the next morning.

My sister lifted me in her arms and helped me reach my room. She laid me down on the bed and covered me with sheets. I couldn't find a trace of any tears flowing through her eyes. It wasn't until sometime later that I managed to understand the reason behind them. She caressed my head and closed my eyes. She then stood up to leave my room, closing the door behind her.

I tried to fall asleep while hearing some faint noises of someone crying on the other side of my door. I somehow managed to convince myself about the events being an illusion my mind was playing on me. Sleep finally managed to hug me in its blossom as I became unconscious.

......…

When I opened my eyes, the sun was shining bright outside my window. I guess my sleep had been more than my regular habit. My expectations were instantly shattered when I couldn't find my mother or sister to have provided the wake-up call.

I rushed downstairs, just to find a horde of people gathering in our garden. A venue was being set up, and everyone was in a black & white outfit. I was still trying to convince myself that the occasion was something other than the obvious. Reality decided to give me the perfect kick when I finally got to see the central stage.

A grand pedestal was established at what was essentially the center of our garden. Two wooden boxes were placed on top of it. My legs started to lose their strength. I continued to move forward, and with each step, the wobbling got worse. I finally managed to climb up the stage and rushed my hands through the coffins.

My limbs were disobeying every single one of my commands. With almost an instinctive move, I lifted the lid on the coffin. My mind felt like it was being clutched by a thousand hands, and there seemed to be a sword pointed at my heart. There was even a moment where I forgot to even breathe.

"Please let it all just be a nightmare."

The lid fell, and my eyelids decided to cover my eyes at the same moment. My conscience was trying to prevent me from looking into the coffin. I forced open my eyes, and to my relief, all that lay within the coffin was emptiness. I couldn't remember being happier than that particular moment.

But happiness doesn't last long. Mr. Han ( My father's friend from the day before) came up and put his hands on my shoulders. I looked up, just to see a pair of swollen, bloodshot eyes, with dried tears below them. He clutched into a hug and said in consolation: "I wish to always be the bearer of good news for you, but I can't find words to describe the situation. Just know that the two of them will always be looking at you from the heavens."

My sister was standing afar, dressed in a black dress and a transparent drape. I couldn't see any kind of sorrow on her face, nor was there a single droplet of a tear. But I could feel in the depths of my heart, that she was trying to hold it in hard. She couldn't let her emotions get the better of this situation. It was one of the responsibilities of the eldest siblings in the house. A huge burden of responsibilities was now lying on her shoulders.

The funeral passed as usual, with me not being able to remember a single bit of it. I was too busy consoling myself.

.......................

Life changed after that day. My sister became much more strict with herself. As she was nearing her awakening ceremony and decided to triple the efforts put into training herself. All I could do was to shut myself in the room for whole days, without doing a single bit of productive activity.

I guess I was just using the sorrow as an excuse to become lazier and lazier with life. It continued until the day the lawyer arrived.

Both my sister and myself were requested to have a meeting with the handler of our parent's will.

"I am sorry for your loss. Although I couldn't provide any help to the two of you to get through the process, I am in charge of handling the wills of your parents. As both of you already know, either of them were A-rank hunters, and the number of resources they gathered throughout their hard-working lives is to be handed down to you two."

"The monetary part is equally divided between the two of you. While I shouldn't be handing either of you the rights yet, your sister is nearing her awakening ceremony. Once she completes it, she can officially be in charge of the money left by your parents. She will also be named as your guardian starting today."

"Now the personal belongings that were left for you." The guy opened his briefcase. The first thing which came out of it was two wooden boxes. One contained a pendant, while the other contained an old ring. " Both of these are the family heirlooms of madam and sire. The ring is hereby presented to their son David Chang, while the pendant goes to their daughter, Mia Chang."

Two more boxes soon appeared. " These are two belongings which are programmed to be opened only by the designated person. One goes to Mia, while the other goes to David. You would be able to open the boxes once you reach the age of awakening. Mia will be able to open hers once she goes through the process."

"Your parents also asked me to remind either of you that, the contents of these boxes should be kept secret. You are not allowed to share it with anyone, it includes the two of you. These boxes are specific inheritances left for the two of you."

"Mia will be the handler of all the properties in and around the world. Our firm will be supporting you in cases of need and you will also be handed full clearance to your accounts, which were created separately. Although the amount will not be disclosed by me, it should be enough to last you a lifetime."

"I once again offer my condolences. Both your parents were dear friends of mine, in addition to being the clients of my organization. In the case of an emergency, I hope you wouldn't categorize me as a stranger."

"I would like to have a small talk with you." Mia signaled to me to leave the room. I happily obliged, but something made me eavesdrop on their conversation.

.....................…..

"I would like to make a minor modification in the proceedings. Once my awakening is over, I would like for you to act according to the results. If I can gain a rank similar to or higher than my parents, I would prefer if the money in my name is transferred into David's account."

"I would also like to discuss a foolproof plan in case of any mishappenings in my brother's case. I would like for him to get the best facilities since childhood. Although our parents left us for the heavenly abode, I am still present to take care of him."

Tears started jerking from my eyes. This sentence marked the end of my laziness. Just like Mia said, I am the only family she has left in the world. I will do my best to support her.

...........................

Our parents had left us with a huge collection of martial arts, body tempering techniques, and cultivation resources that would be required in cultivation. Mia was quite dedicated to the training regime which was specifically formulated by her. Some of the old colleagues of our parents decided to train her before the awakening process.

Mia Chang was carrying the burden of being the descendant of two A-rank hunters. All the pressure made her work even harder. There came a time when she decided to give up on academic activities and trained day and night for the awakening exam.

In a faraway place-

Kaiser palace was known to be one of the ten strongest hunter organizations within China. It was one of the spearheads in the offensive domain of China's hunter associations. Each hunter was known to have extreme strength and abilities. The organization stood atop the food chain, unaffected by the world around it.

Yet it went through a short period of depression. Two of its prominent hunter met an unfortunate incident during one of the excursions into the dungeons. Xiao and Beatrice Chang were a duo of A-rank hunters who had successfully spearheaded numerous operations for Kaiser.

At the head office-

A board meeting was on its way.

"Are there any new reports regarding the Chang siblings?"

"Mia is going to appear in the awakening procedure within the next ten days." It was non-other than

"Do you have a rough estimate of her abilities?"

"From the data we have collected, her potential is rated way above her parents. She should at least rank at the top of the A-rankers. I have high hopes for her to enter the S-grade."

The board was sent into brief silence. A top grade-A hunter was already quite valuable to any organization around the world, nevertheless an S-grade.

"Keep tabs on the awakening ceremony. I would like for you to give her an employment proposal in advance. Make sure it is of an A-grade hunter. It is better to know how to appreciate raw talent. Let's hope the daughter of the tenacious duo doesn't betray our expectations."