“To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order; we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right”, Confucius said. I love Confucius. Great Dude. Although I didn’t always appreciate him. Okay, I lied, I just recently learned to cherish his teachings. My parents forced me to read them when I was young, over and over again. That was some hard sutra. At the end of the day, he is the only buddy I can constantly count on. Giving me all the life advice I need. Not like this horoscope which says about my constellation:

“It is not your day. Nothing good will happen. Stay in bed or you might meet old acquaintances. Everyone has some, most will hold meaningless small-talk, fewer will just ignore you but there are some who still have an account to settle. You will definitely meet the latter kind. This horoscope was sponsored by Damus Cookies, predestined to be delicious.”

Whoever invented those really didn’t calculate loners like me into their divinations. Can’t meet anyone if you don’t know a single person. I relaxed and swiped my holo-ring to old-people-feed. Ah yes, that is my jam.

“Julius Tang of the Tang Clan was elected to be the 36th President of the Martial Alliance. After the five great houses' huge campaign in favor of Tang, the vote went nearly unanimously. The Shaolin traditionally withhold their vote and stayed neutral. Only the Wudang objected. They did not offer any public explanation. The cries of some politicians to revoke their status as one of the ten great sects are getting louder and louder. “The Wudang are only thugs roaming the streets. Tell me one thing they contributed to making our city greater. You can’t!”

Politics were a sham. I always thought policy deals were done in sutra smoke-filled back rooms with courtesans in one hand and alcohol in the other. Who cared about the untitled cultivators if you were on the top? Those people would do anything to stay in power.

“Another bombing occurred this morning in Tang Central. Secret Security officers did identify a potential suspect: ‘A boyish-looking cultivator was arrested this morning on the charges of terrorism, treason, and attempted assassination of an elected official. The hammer of justice will strike true. He will be subject to enhanced interrogation then he will be presented before a jury of his peers.’”

Wudang objected to the election of a Tang official… A boyish suspect… They can’t mean Yang, right? No, that's impossible! Ugh, anyway! I can’t involve myself in the dealings of immortals. I’m bound to lose this way. Yes, Meadow, focus on school, remember you have a huge-ass debt to clear before the end of the semester.

The feed was interrupted by an artificial voice “Next Station: Earth Gate. Please hold your ID-card at the ready. Immigration officers will check you as soon as you exit the train. Thank you for traveling with Red Stallion. We hope you will enjoy your stay. This message was brought to you by Novacell incorp. ‘Ascending with Style’.”

That is my stop. I stood and stretched. I moved towards the ruby doors but I glimpsed something at the end of the train, a figure clad in a common-looking dark grey hoodie. I couldn’t make out his face but he seemed a bit creepy. “Well, none of my concern”, I told myself, “my quiet school life begins today!”

A blinding light erupted from the end of the train. My left arm moved by itself to block a bolt of brutal golden lightning. Before I could even comprehend what was going on an explosion occurred on the other end of the train which derailed our wagon.

The train sled on its side for a while. I was thrown against the crimson door and tasted the steel of the newborn ground. When I looked up the hooded figure vanished. What the fuck was that!? The train stopped eventually. Shouts emerged from everywhere.

Shit, here we go again!

I hate this fucking city!