Chapter One: The Painting

Jade Azura never thought that she’d be spending her birthday weekend roaming around the National Museum alone. The truth was, she had other things planned. Other exciting things like spending a whole day in front of the TV and indulging in all of her favorite shows. Yes. That was the epitome of an amazing weekend. But of course, a student’s life is always subject to uncertainty. Right after rejecting a friend’s invitation to go watch an upcoming band’s gig, her own plans were broken by their professor’s unwelcome announcement.

“You can talk about any cultural aspect of any country you choose,” the professor said, unbothered by the eruption of collective sighs of disappointment.

“But, sir! It’s the weekend!” a disgruntled boy said.

“I am aware, Mr. What’s-Your-Name,” the professor said as he rolled his eyes.

“Can’t we just do the assignment next week?” a female classmate quipped.

“You most certainly cannot, Miss Fancy Pants. Besides,” the professor continued, “…the weekend is the perfect time to go visit a library or a museum.”

Jade rolled her eyes and hung her head back as the whole class erupted in protest. There goes her brilliantly planned weekend.

“What are you thinking about?” Marie Gener asked.

“Oh, nothing important,” Jade answered. “I was just mourning over my wasted weekend.”

Marie laughed. “Do you want me to come over to your place? I haven’t forgotten that it’s your birthday, you know. Maybe we can have a small celebration?”

Jade smiled. Although she didn’t really care that much about people showering her with birthday greetings on social media, it was still really nice to know that some people remembered her birthday. Aside from that, ever since starting college, she’s been away from the rest of her family for months at a time—a sacrifice every small-town girl had to make if they wanted to have a quality education. “You know what? I would love that,” she said.

Yes, indeed. Jade would love to have someone over for her birthday. At least, now that she thought about it clearly, it beats spending the whole day alone. After all, people don’t turn twenty-one every day. On the other hand, it also means that she wouldn’t be able to catch up on her TV shows.

Jade sighed to herself.

The National Museum opened at exactly 10 a.m. Although her original plan was to visit in the afternoon, Marie had convinced her to hold her party at that time. According to Marie, some of the other girls might not be able to make it to a 7 p.m. party.

“Alright,” Jade said through the phone. She had half a mind to cancel her party as she was unsure if she could make it to her own party herself. It’s because she’d already assumed that she’d be spending a great part of the day in the museum. Lastly, who the hell held parties at 3 p.m. anyway?

Though it was hard to brush off the negative thoughts that plagued her, Jade did her best to appear sprightly as she crossed the museum’s lobby. As expected, the museum was almost empty, save for a custodian who was busily mopping the floor. Jade went straight to the curator’s desk and asked if there were any cultural exhibits that day.

“Preferably one that has a lot to do with… you know? Culture.”

The curator eyed Jade suspiciously. Jade gave a sheepish grin.

“Second floor, left-wing.”

“Thank you so much!”

Jade left immediately. She threw a couple of glances back at the curator, who continued to eye her until she disappeared from her view.

Upon reaching the second floor, Jade found herself in front of a huge poster that announced the showcase of an exhibit of ancient Chinese artifacts. Today was its last day. Feeling some sort of relief, Jade continued towards the exhibit.

The left-wing was nearly empty, save for an elderly woman standing in front of a collection of swords and a younger man who was wandering about. Jade started to walk around, stopping by now and then to view some of the artifacts on display. She was particularly interested in an elaborate costume that supposedly came from the collection of a princess who lived during the Qin dynasty.

“I know someone who’d look good in that,” Jade thought as she pictured the dress on Marie. The mental image made her laugh a little too loud, much to the disapproval of the older lady.

After muttering an embarrassed apology, Jade moved on. The exhibit, though very informative, wasn’t as interesting as she had anticipated. Save for the Qin dynasty dress, the majority of the display was of ancient Chinese weapons and jewelry—things that didn’t pique her interest at all. Nevertheless, she wasn’t about to give up just yet. After all, there was still more to be seen.

When the section on the ornaments and metalworks ended, the art gallery began. She was particularly interested in the paintings, most of which were painted on silk canvas. There was something about all those faded lines and dotted brushstrokes that amazed her. There were painted scrolls that contained both images and calligraphy, and some colorful fans that were decorated with some of the most beautiful flowers.  

As Jade examined each piece of art, one particular painting caught her attention. Unlike the others, the painting wasn’t a portrait or landscape. It was an image of four animals surrounding a man dressed in an elegant golden robe. There was something about the painting that felt familiar in a strange, unexplained way. Curious, Jade held out a finger and reached out to touch the painting.

“Don’t you just love it?” a voice said.

Startled, Jade turned around and saw the young man from earlier standing behind her. He was looking at the painting, too. Jade lowered her hand.

“I beg your pardon?”

“The painting,” the man said. “Don’t you just love it?”

“I see…” Jade said, turning her attention back towards the painting. “I think I do. It’s really pretty. I wonder what it’s about?”

“It shows the Emperor of Heaven surrounded by the Holy Beasts,” the man continued.

The man smiled before clearing his throat. “Well, the ancient Chinese people believed that the world was ruled by a deity who they called the Yellow Emperor.”

“That’s easy to understand,” Jade said, looking back at the picture. “What about those four animals around him? What are they for?”

“Those four animals, or Holy Beasts, are considered as the guardians of the four cardinal directions.”

“Fascinating.”

“Would you like to hear more?”

Jade nodded. “Yes please.”

The man smiled and continued. “As you can see, the Black Tortoise represents the North, the Vermillion Bird represents the South, the Azure Dragon represents the East, the White Tiger represents the West. That man in the center, he’s known as the Yellow Emperor, and he holds them all together.”

“That’s very interesting,” Jade said, her full attention focused on the image in front of her. It seems like she has finally found her topic.  

“Isn’t it? If you’d like to know more about it, there are a couple of books you can read,” the man continued.

“Thank you. I certainly will.”

Jade took out her phone to snap a photo of the painting. But the man held out a hand. “I’m sorry, miss. Museum policy prohibits the use of cameras to take pictures.”

Although a bit irritated, Jade muttered an apology and said that she wouldn’t take a photo. Realizing that he wasn’t needed any longer, the man left with a curt nod. Jade let a few more seconds pass before taking out her phone again. After making sure that the man was out of her sight, she snapped a photo.

GRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWLLLL!

Jade dropped her phone in surprise as a disembodied roar filled the hall. She looked around her, confused to see the other visitors looking undisturbed. What the hell was that?

She hastily returned her phone to her bag, determined to leave the museum. But something else had caught her eye. Turning back to the painting, she stared in shock as the very stationary picture started to move. Jade blinked once, and then twice. She rubbed her eyes just to make sure that she wasn’t seeing things.

It was true—the painting was moving! The robes of the emperor bellowed through an invisible wind, while the four animals surrounding him started to move in circles. Jade moved her face closer. The animals stopped. Then, without warning, started to move forward and towards her—the white tiger, the red bird, the blue dragon, and the black tortoise! Mesmerized by what she was seeing, Jade lifted her hand to touch the painting.

CRAAAACK!

A loud rumbling sound filled the room. Then, there was a sudden sensation from her belly—as though an invisible hook had tethered itself and yanked her forward and up. Jade let out a scream that was drowned by another deafening roar.