“Voices in My Head”: fantasy powers, Asian setting, nonbinary MC // StayHomeWriMo Day 7

Hey, everyone!

I hope you liked yesterday’s surprise with me naming all the characters off of bloggers XD. It was super fun to write and I’ll be making sequels for ‘Kore’, ‘Switcheroo’, and any others that get requests!

I really liked my worldbuilding in this short story, I wonder what Sophie thinks 😉

Prompt: Write a 400-word story in the fantasy genre. It’s about a confusing power and a frustrated hero.

Be quiet, Ying thought. Just be quiet!

Ying grabbed their head and groaned, their fingers digging into their forehead and scalp. The voices blabbered meaninglessly. As much as Ying tried to make out their words, they were never able to.

Leave peacefully, Ying tried. Be at rest.

Ying’s mother had always told Ying to be kind and gentle to the voices in their head. Ying had tried, for about a month, before they broke down and became frustrated.

It was supposed to be a power, really. But Ying was certain that the voices in their head was more of a curse than any sort of power.

They had first come around six months ago when Ying came out to their mother and friends as nonbinary. Ying had been eagerly hoping for a power since they were a little child since Ying had first learned of the powerful Magicka.

Only about ten percent of all people were Magicka and had powers. And even among them, some were the Simple Magicka; like Taelors, who could weave with their minds and Valens, who had heightened senses.

Others were more intricate and were called the Complex Mackica; Herba, who grew vines and plants, Kansa, who could manipulate metal, and Pulsa, who could start and slow heartbeats.

The most formidable were the Elemental Magicka, who had the most powerful gifts Nature could offer. Caelum could harness the winds and levitate, Humidum had the tides at their hand, and Incaendium owned the gift of fire.

Those were the only powers that any Magicka had ever had, but when Ying started to hear the voices in their head, their mother, Rushi, immediately rushed Ying to the town priest, who was as alarmed as Ying.

Neither Rushi nor Ying’s father, an unknown man, had been Magicka. Ying’s ‘power’ was unheard of and no one had a clue about what it meant except for Shu Baobao, the old man in the village.

He had said that when Ying came out, they had changed so much and embraced themselves that they had brought out a power in themselves. This power, Baobao said, would only truly reveal itself when Ying had completely adjusted to her new self.

But when Ying did, he said a new, dangerous power would emerge. One that no one had ever had, one that was unlike anything that anyone had seen.

Of course, that was just old man talk, everyone else said. Only Rushi and Ying believed it. Even Ying was still unsure of whether or not to believe an old man with such an outlandish claim that was unheard of.

Just then, Ying gasped, opening their eyes. The voices in their head were clearing up!

Grocers open… tomorrow? Hopefully… she is such a stuck-up brat!… when will the toilet cleaner come?… my school bag is missing… I’ll never find my dog again… Hurry up…

Ying felt a chill come through their body. They recognized some of these voices; the first was Ying’s mother, Rushi. And the others belonged to Ying’s neighbors: Zhi Lai, the girl two years younger than Ying, Zhi Lai’s father, Fat Chung and Ying’s other neighbors Yue Suyin and Wu Mao.

Ying’s powers had manifested. They could hear others’ voices telepathically.

Take a deep breath, Ying thought. Don’t scream, Ying.

Ying screamed anyways.

Okay, NOT at all happy with the ending to be honest. I have no idea how I could have ended it, though! Any ideas?

Have you read any Asian fantasies? What books does this remind you of? How do you think I could have ended this story differently?

Have a great day and stay safe!