The thatched roof of Mae Rim's hut trapped the afternoon heat, thick with the smell of dried lotus and jasmine tea. Mae Rim's fingers moved slowly as she folded a lotus leaf into a tiny boat, her knuckles gnarled with age, but each crease of the leaf was precise—like she'd folded a thousand just like it. Tan Kai sat cross-legged on the bamboo mat, the golden lotus hovering above his palm; its light dimmed, as if holding its breath, waiting for what she'd say. Yara Yu stood by the door, her veil slipping a little to reveal the curve of her jaw, her eyes fixed on the forest beyond the village—like she already sensed the storm of words coming.
Tan Kai leaned forward, his hands resting on his knees. "You can't teach me?" he said, voice softer than he meant it to be. He'd clung to the hope that Mae Rim—with her sharp eyes and quiet wisdom—could show him how to free his mother.
Mae Rim set the lotus boat down on a wooden tray, then pushed a cup of tea toward him. The amber liquid steamed, carrying the faint sweetness of lotus honey. "I know how to tend lotus ponds, how to mix salves for mortal wounds, how to remember stories no one else will keep. But magic? The kind that breaks celestial seals? That's not my gift." She paused, her gaze shifting to Yara Ya. "Yours, though… your story's tied to the only one who can teach him. Master Tai Chu —the True Person of Primordial Beginning."
Yara Yu breath hitched. She reached up, fingers twisting the edge of her white saree—something Tan Kai had never seen her do, not even when they'd snuck past Black Scorpion guards. "Master Tai Chu? The hermit in the Ironwood Forest? The stories say he's a ghost—never talks, never lets anyone near his cave."
"Stories don't tell half the truth," Mae Rim said. She took a sip of tea, her eyes distant, like she was staring through the hut's walls to a time long past. "Five hundred years ago, he wasn't a hermit. He was a celestial—so powerful, even the Jade Emperor's generals avoided crossing him. He didn't answer to Heaven's rules. Only to the cosmos… and to his apprentice."
"Kael Yu," Tan Kai whispered, remembering the name Mae Rim had mentioned earlier.
Mae Rim nodded. "A mortal boy, smart and kind, who'd wander the Mekong picking lotus dew for his sick mother. Master Tai Chu took him in, taught him to call winds, to turn river water into ice shields—magic no mortal should wield. But then Kael Yu met Yao Gee." She paused, glancing at Yara Yu. "The Jade Emperor's youngest daughter. She'd run away from the Heavenly Realm, tired of being locked in her palace, tired of being told who to love. They married in secret, in a little village by the lotus ponds. Had a baby girl."
Yara Yu hands flew to her mouth. Her veil slipped off entirely, revealing tears pooling in her eyes—bright, starry eyes, just like Mae Rim had said. "That… that girl is me?"
Mae Rim's voice softened. "Li Na found you. You were just a baby, wrapped in Yao Gee silk robe, hidden in a lotus pond during the fight. The Jade Emperor had sent his best warriors Erlang Shen, with his third eye that sees through lies; Ne Zha, the Lotus Prince, with his fire spear; Lei Zhenzi, the God of Thunder who calls lightning with his wings. They came to drag Yao Gee and Kael Yu back to the Heavenly Realm for breaking the rules—celestials and mortals aren't supposed to love, you know."
Tan Kai throat went dry. He'd heard those names in village bedtime stories—gods who fought demons, who kept the sky from falling. To think they'd hunted Yara Yu's family… it made his chest ache.
"The fight was ugly," Mae Rim said, her voice low. "Kael Yu used Master Tai Chu magic to shield Yao Gee , but there were too many Heavenly Soldiers. They took them both. Li Na grabbed you and ran—hid you in a remote village, raised you like her own. She taught you to use the Lotus's light, but never told you who you were. She was scared—scared the Jade Emperor would find you, scared Master Tai Chu would, too."
"Scared of Master Tai Chu ?" Tan Kai frowned. "Why?"
"Because when Master Tai Chu heard Kael Yu was 'executed'… he lost his mind." Mae Rim's hands tightened around her teacup. "He grabbed his fly whisk—you'd think it's just an old man's tool, but it's a weapon that can cut through celestial armor like paper—and flew to the Heavenly Palace. Killed hundreds of Heavenly Soldiers. Broke through the Jade Emperor's palace gates. Stood right in front of the throne, fly whisk raised, ready to split the Emperor's head open."
Yara Yu gasped. "He almost killed the Jade Emperor?"
Mae Rim nodded. "Would've, too—if Yun Gui Shang Ren hadn't stopped him. No one knows what they said. Just that after, Master Tai Chu lowered his whisk, turned his back on the Heavenly Realm, and came down to the mortal world. Hid in the Ironwood Forest. Haven't seen him talk to a soul since… till now."
Tan Kai gaze fell to the golden lotus in his palm. It glowed brighter, like it was trying to say this is true. "But… Kael Yu didn't really die, did he?" He remembered Yara Yu' quiet hope, the way she'd clung to the idea her father might be alive.
Mae Rim smiled, a small, sad thing. "Ne Zha saved him. That boy's always been a rebel—hated the Jade Emperor's rules as much as Master Tai Chu . He snuck Kael Yu out of the Heavenly Realm, sent him to the Outer Realm—a place even the Jade Emperor can't reach. No one's heard from him since, but… he's alive. Yao Gee, though… she's locked in a 'Mystery Boundary'—a prison between the Heavenly Realm and the mortal world. The Emperor thought it'd break her. But Yao Gee tough. She's waiting."
The hut fell silent. Tan Kai thought of his mother, trapped in the Soul-Binding Pagoda. Of Yara Yu, finally knowing where she came from. Of Master Tai Chu , hiding in his cave, carrying five hundred years of grief. All their stories tangled together—like lotus roots in mud.
"I have to go to him," Tan Kai said, standing up. The golden lotus hovered by his shoulder, its light warm on his cheek.
Mae Rim nodded, picking up the tiny lotus boat she'd made. "He won't see Yara Yu. Not yet. Too many memories—your face looks like Yao Gee. But he'll see you. You carry the Sacred Lotus's light—the same light that runs in Yao Gee veins. Take this boat. When you reach his cave—hidden behind a waterfall of lotus petals—set it on the water. It'll show you the way in. And tell him this: 'The lotus blooms again. The apprentice's legacy lives.' He'll know what it means."
Yara Yu stepped forward, pulling a pouch from her sleeve. It was filled with dried lotus petals, the same ones she'd given Tan Kai before. "Take this. It'll hide you from dark magic—like the cursed lotus roots in the forest. And… be careful. Master Tai Chu heart's still broken. He might not be kind."
Tan Kai took the pouch, then pulled Yara Yu into a quick hug. She stiffened at first, then relaxed, her hands resting lightly on his back. "I'll come back," he said. "With the power to free my mother. And to help you find your parents."
Yara yu nodded, her voice tight. "I know. Now go—the sun's starting to set. The forest gets dark fast."
Tan Kai and Yara Yu walked to the door, then turned back. Mae Rim was watching them quietly, the lotus boat trembling slightly in her hand.
Yara Yu paused beside Tan kai, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Don't forget why we started," she whispered, her smile trembling but resolute.
Tan Kai took a deep breath, nodded once, and stepped into the afternoon light—toward the Ironwood Forest, toward Master Tai Chu , toward the truth of his own power.