CHINA
The Gifts of Luna
Stage 2
Story by Wilson Ye
Edit by the CLA Editing Team
Illustrated by Farren Febiola Darmawi
Prologue
Shun’s father was the king of the Ming country. He was talking to the people from the castle gate.
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”I’m glad we are here today. Now, many people are sick in this country. However, we don’t have enough medicine, so it is no longer possible to cure them. I have decided to send my men abroad to look for more medicine.”
"Wonderful king! Ming is a great country!” The people said again and again.
Chapter 1
One day, when Shun was sleeping, a stranger came into her room.
“My name is Kang. I’m working for the king." He said and gave a golden stone to Shun.
“I use this stone to make gold. I work hard every day, but the king is angry with me. Please help me!” he said.
The king and Tan, a subordinate of the king, entered the room.
“Please get this man out of my room!” Shun said.
“Please help me! I don’t know how to cure the sickness.” Kang asked for help, but the king and his men took Kang somewhere.
Shun put the gold stone in her pocket without thinking.
“What will happen to him?” Shun asked Tan.
“He will go to a hospital and cure his sickness. I will go to Yuan to look for the medicine.” Tanh answered.
“I want to go together!” Shun said.
However, the king said, “No, you can’t. “
Tan said, “It is dangerous out there. Your father is trying to protect you!”
“I’m old enough to take care of myself. I’ve never been outside Ming.” Said Shun.
That night, Shun left her room and decided to go to the hospital alone.
Chapter 2
Shun went north and found the hospital.
“It’s the full moon! Watch out!”
“Be careful! This guy has changed!”
She could hear people’s voices. Then, a large creature appeared and walked toward her.
“Please, don’t…” said Shun.
The creature looked like a lion. However, the eyes were the eyes of the man she had seen in her room. It was Kang!
“Shoot him!” Someone ran toward them.
An arrow flew and hit Kang. He fell to the ground.
Shun tried to help Kang, but people came and took him away.
Suddenly, Shun’s head began to ache, and she also fell.
❊
Shun woke up, hearing Tan’s voice. “Master Shun, what were you thinking? Here, try to drink this.” Tan gave her a cup of tea.
“Tan, it’s hard to explain…” She drank the tea and told Tan everything, except about the stone.
“Master Shun, I believe you are also ill.” said Tan, showing the stone he had found in her pocket.
“I'm afraid you can't stay here any longer. You should join me on the journey and find a way to cure the disease together.” Tan said.
Chapter 3
Shun and Tan started their journey. To get to Yuan, they had to go over the snowy mountains. They started to climb and were soon deep in the snow.
“Horses can’t go any further. We need to walk from here.” said Tan.
“We have to lighten the luggage!” said Shun.
Shun opened the luggage and found a lot of weapons inside.
“What are these for?” She asked.
“Just for self-defense.” Tan answered.
“Please tell me the truth. What happened to finding medicine to cure the sick? Is this for the conquest of Yuan?”
“Yes, it’s for the conquest.” Said Tan.
“Why? How about the people of Ming who are sick?”
“We must go, Master Shun.”
“I’m going back.”
“I said we should go!!” Tan said loudly.
Suddenly, Shun turned red and her body started to move.
“What…have you done to me?” Shun realized that Tan was controlling her.
“You don’t know anything about this, Master Shun.”
“Don’t control…me!” Shun tried to walk straight. “STOP IT!” Shun said. Her anger at Tan became a fire. Her chest was hot. Then her legs became strong, and her eyes red. Suddenly, Shun grew into a giant creature and turned against Tan and his men. Then she ran up the mountain into the snowstorm.
Tan stood in the snow and said, “I won't let you go. I will find you!” Just then, the snowstorm became so severe that Tan and his men had to go back down the mountain and wait for spring.
Chapter 4
Shun woke up.
“You’re awake.” said a strange old man.
“Where am I?” Shun asked.
“This is Yuan.” The old man answered.
“What?” Shun was a bit confused.
“You’re from the country of Ming with the man named Tan and his men,” he answered.
Then the old man named Ze explained to Shun that Tan was from Yuan originally. He told Shun about the person Tan had been before he left Yuan. Tan liked money, had a bad character, and used a magic tea to control people.
“Tan left Yuan because he used the Luna’s stones for a bad purpose.” Ze said
.
“Luna?” Shun asked.
“Luna is an old word for “Yue”. It means queen of the moon.”
“Is Luna who caused the disease?”
“No. Luna is the cure for the disease. If you can keep your heart calm, you can cure your sickness. If you practice fighting and believe in Luna, you will cure your illness. Would you like to try?”
“Yes, I do!” Shun answered without hesitation.
❊
Shun was good at martial arts. There were lots of wood pieces in the training area. Shun could break some easily. However, she still couldn’t break the one in the center ring.
“You can’t learn how to fight in one day. Train up your strength until you break it.” Ze said.
Shun practiced for days. One day, she finally broke the central wood.
“Well done.” Ze praised.
Then Ze climbed the mountain with Shun. When they arrived, they found lots of shiny stones.
“This is the secret place for the God of Luna. Those stones were left by her. There were more in the past, but Tan took many of them…”
Shun suddenly remembered the stone that Kang had. Although she knew it was a bad thing, she wanted to take one.
Chapter 5
One night, when the full moon rose, Ze took out his fishing rod.
“Tonight’s our task is fishing.” Ze said.
Shun was confused but still sat down.
“People who trust in Luna can receive great power from her.” Ze said.
Just then, Ze’s rod moved, and a big fish jumped. Ze caught the fish.
“Do you see that power?” Shun remembered Kang’s strengths.
“That’s why I lost my mind in the snow?”
“No, it was because of the power you received.”
Ze slowly took the hook from the fish’s mouth.
“On the night of full moon, your body might change. There are some who have lost their mind, but those who have the right mind can stay well. Can you do that?” Ze said and released the fish back to the lake.
“Why are you putting back the fish?” Shun asked.
“Tan is like a fish, caught by his hunger for more. I want you to be free from that feeling.” Ze answered.
❊
Suddenly there was someone screaming from the village. Tan’s army had arrived in the village. Shun rushed to fight. Because she had been training, she was able to save the villagers.
“Tan, come out!” Shun shouted.
“Hello....Princess Shun!” A giant figure appeared out of the darkness. It had the head of a snake and legs of a human.
“Tan, why are you…”
“After I got sick, I became strong. Now, nothing can stop me!” Tan ran towards Shun but Ze jumped between them and stopped him. Tan laughed and he opened his huge mouth to eat Ze.
“Master!” Shun was shocked. She flew toward Tan and Ze, growing half into a lion on the way. Shun saved Ze.
“Master, are you alright?”
“This is his trap. You mustn't be angry…” Ze said as his eyes closed.
“Master, master!” Shun burst into tears beside Ze.
“I came here with you when I knew you were sick. We could have conquered the world together!” Tan said.
“You killed my master! Is this what you want to do!?” Shun said.
“No! It’s not the end. I will take more moonstones, make more people sick, and they will join me!”
“I won’t let you do that!” Shun hit Tan.
“You lied to me and my father! You had hurt the people in Ming, and Yuan’s people!” With her sharp claws, Shun hit Tan hard again and again.
“Go on, go on, go on! Kill me!” Tan said loudly. He didn’t try to escape. Tan hoped that Shun would keep hitting and lose her mind.
Shun’s face and hands turned red from Tan’s blood. It was as if a scary animal had crushed a weak one.
At that moment, music began to play. Villagers started playing their instruments, singing a chorus,
“Luna, please don’t be angry!”
Then Shun stopped fighting and turned back into a human being.
“Don’t listen to them! You should kill me! Those people don’t understand!” Tan yelled.
“You are the only one who doesn’t understand! Since I came here, I learned how the world outside Ming is good. I also understand how to calm myself down. I will use this power in the right way, and I won’t listen to you anymore. Thank you for always taking care of me when I was a child. If you leave now, I will let you go.” Shun said.
“Damn it! I will be back! Shhhhh…” said Tan angrily and escaped.
❊
Shun ran to where Ze had fallen.
“Master, I listened to you.” Shun took two stones from her pocket.
“These are the stones I took. I’m sure that there is another way to cure the disease. Master, please wake up!” Shun said tearfully. Then Ze woke up.
“Master, you are alive!” said Shun.
“I knew about the stones. Thank you for being honest. Could you give me some quiet time?” Ze closed his eyes and rested.
“Yes!” Shun lay down beside Ze and looked at the stars.
“It’s time for you to go back to your country.” Ze said.
“Yes, I get home to save my father, my people. Oh look! The moon is rising again! It is so bright!”
“Yes, it is.”
THE END