Dian Qie dashed from shadow to shadow, through the stronghold. Her brother instructed her to guard the back, secure their escape option. But he was taking too long. Something was wrong. He should have been out by now. She ran faster towards the heart of the stronghold. She froze.
Jingzhe was on the ground. Crossbows were pointed at him. Half a dozen men. He was surrounded.
She didn’t even think, couldn’t even make a plan. She leapt forward, placing herself between her brother and the crossbows. She attacked. Her body moved by instinct. She made no move to protect herself, only to attack, only to take out the men who dared try to harm her brother. She didn’t move forward. She kept her position, between her brother and the arrows.
Arrows flew. She couldn’t be distracted, couldn’t check if her brother was hurt. She didn’t hear any cry or grunt of pain. He was fine. He had to be. She couldn’t lose her brother. She couldn’t be alone again.
She took down the men. Her eyes darted towards the leader, the 7th candidate. No ranged weapons. She dashed towards him. He swung his blade at her. She didn’t bother to dodge, to parry the attack. She let it contact before pushing forward, slicing his sword arm open. He dropped his weapon. She cut his achilles tendon, pushing him forward, to his knees. “Yours, brother.”
Jingzhe didn’t say anything. He was silent. Was he hurt? He raised his Jian and slit the man’s throat clean open. “We leave now.”
Dian Qie nodded and ran forward. Clear a path. Keep her brother safe. Remove threats. Keep brother alive.
The stronghold was chaos with the 7th candidate dead. She slowed, “Brother, this is your best chance to take their loyalty.”
“We leave now.”
“Brother-”
“I said now.”
Dian Qie bowed before surging forward, clearing the path for their exit. They ran until they reached their hideout. She turned towards her brother, “Are you hurt?”
“What were you thinking?”
She startled, “Did… did I do something wrong, brother?”
“You…” He gestured towards her, “Look at you. Were you trying to get yourself killed? You fought foolishly and recklessly.”
She looked down and finally took account of her injuries. An arrow to the shoulder, two to the chest, no iron taste, unlikely hitting anything vital, another to the thigh, able to stand, not incapacitating, slashing wound to her abdomen, no exposed organs, healable. She looked up at her brother, “They will heal in a week. I will still be able to function as required.”
Jingzhe made a sound of disbelief, “Still able to function.”
“I am functional, brother.”
“It’s not… it’s not about functionality."
She furrowed her brow in confusion, “Did I do something wrong? Was I wrong to go after the 7th Candidate? Should I have left him fully to you? I won’t make that mistake again, brother.”
Jingzhe made a sound of frustration, “It’s not about the candidate. Look at you, sister.”
She looked at herself again, “I don’t understand, brother. The injuries are not debilitating."
“And you did that on purpose, right sister? You positioned yourself in such a way that you would not be injured severely.”
“Well, no. But-”
“And that’s my point. What the hell was that? You don’t fight like that. You’ve always calculated every strike. That was reckless.”
“I didn’t want them to hurt you. If I dodged the arrows, they might have hit you. If I wasn’t an easy target, they might have gone after you instead. I needed them focused on me.”
Jingzhe fell silent before he turned away from her.
“Brother, what did I do wrong? I’ll be better. I’ll be more useful. Just tell me how to fix it.”
Jingzhe didn’t look at her, “I don’t need such a reckless weapon. You’re going to break yourself before you are of any use to me.”
“What… what are you saying?”
“I have no use for you. I am discarding you.”
“Brother, I don’t understand. What did Dian Qie do wrong? Dian Qie will be better. Dian Qie will be useful. Please, don’t leave me. I will be better.”
“I have no use for you. Dress your wounds, take your things and leave.”
“Brother please.”
“A useless tool is discarded.”
Dian Qie froze. Her face turned blank and she bowed deeply, “Dian Qie will follow orders.” She turned and returned to her room.
*
Jingzhe stared at his sister’s door. She hadn’t opened it since she went in. He had expected his words would cause her to leave. What if her assessment of her injuries were wrong? What if she was more injured than she thought?
He approached her door, he didn’t know which version of his sister he would find. The weapon coldly bandaging her wounds before following orders and leaving. Or his sister pouting on her bed, trying not to cry, waiting for him to cajole her.
He knocked before opening the door. He froze to see her sister on the ground, her wounds untreated. Blood pooled on the ground but not from the arrows. “Sister, what are you doing?”
She didn’t look at him. Her dagger digging into her skin, her arms and legs a series of deep long cuts. “Dian Qie doesn’t feel pain. Master trained. Dian Qie practiced. Dian Qie doesn’t feel pain.” She dug her dagger deeper. “Not enough. Break bones. Practice.” She held her arm straight in front of her, stiff. Her other hand darted forward towards it.
Jingzhe grabbed her arm, “Stop.”
“Break bones. Hold weapon with broken bones. Then Dian Qie would be perfect. No pain. Dian Qie doesn’t feel pain.”
Jingzhe grabbed her arm tighter, “Sister, stop.”
She pulled her arm back from him. “Dian Qie is broken. It hurts. It hurts so much. Dian Qie isn’t supposed to feel pain. Dian Qie failed.” Her hand shot back towards her dagger. “Hurts. Need to practice. Cause more pain. Then no more pain.” She dug her dagger into her chest above her heart. “Make it stop hurting. More pain. Then no more pain.”
Jingzhe grabbed her the hand holding the dagger, “Stop it.”
Her other hand lunged towards their hands, trying to push the dagger in. “Dian Qie need to train. Useless weapon. Feels pain. Need to stop feeling pain.”
Jingzhe used both his hands to grab and force the dagger away from her chest. The dagger clattered to the ground. “Sister, look at me. You’re not a weapon. Your Master isn’t here. You don’t have to hurt yourself anymore. Look at me.”
“Failed Master. Left Master. Betrayed him. Abandoned him. For new Master. But new Master does not want Dian Qie. Broken. Useless. Discarded. Alone again. Dian Qie alone again. Must be perfect. Perfect weapon won’t be discarded.”
Jingzhe pulled her towards him, holding her tight. “You’re not a weapon. You’re my sister.”
“Sister, look at me.” He pulled her face upwards to face him.
She looked to the ground, “Dian Qie has no right. Cannot look Master in the eye.”
He forced her to look at him, “You were being reckless. You nearly got yourself killed trying to protect me. You didn’t even need to risk yourself and we would have both gotten out of there alive. But you chose to be foolishly reckless.”
“Master wants Dian Qie to protect the weapon?”
“*I* want my *sister* to keep herself alive. *I* want my *sister* to not throw her life away because she thinks its worth less than mine. *I* want my *sister* to be safe.”
Dian Qie stopped fighting him, “You ordered me to leave.”
“To keep you safe. You would have destroyed yourself to protect me. If not the next fight then the one after that.”
“Because a broken weapon is useless?”
He met her eyes, “Because I don’t want to lose my sister. I don’t want my sister to die for me.”
“If Dian Qie stops being reckless, can Dian Qie stay?”
He pressed his forehead against hers, “Yes sister. You can stay. I won’t abandon you. I’m sorry. I miscalculated. I shouldn’t have tried to make you leave.”
“Brother still wants me?”
“Yes sister. I still want you. I want you alive and by my side. No more recklessness. We fight together, as siblings, as equals. I don’t need you to die to protect me. I need you by my side. Do you understand?”
She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against her brother’s, “Dian Qie will follow orders.”
Jingzhe sighed but didn’t argue. He held her until she stopped shaking and her breathing evened out. He pulled away but didn’t say anything. She didn’t move, as if awaiting orders. He took her hand and led her to bed. He gently pushed her to sit down. He started dressing her wounds. She didn’t say anything, didn’t react. She just sat there, allowing him to work.
His hands stopped at the wound above her heart. “Does it still hurt?” He didn’t mean the physical pain.
She stared forward, “A little. It won’t go away.”
He resumed dressing her wounds, “It will fade eventually.”
“Are you going to keep making it hurt until I get used to the pain and stop feeling it?”
Jingzhe’s hands stopped moving. “Is that what you want sister?”
“It’s how to make a perfect weapon.”
He pulled his hands from her wound and caressed her face, “I can’t promise I will never make it hurt. But I swear I will never intentionally cause you pain again.”
“If you die, I will be alone and in pain.”
“We protect each other, sister. We survive together. I don’t need you throwing your life away for me.”
She nodded slowly. “I will try.”
“That’s all I ask.” He resumed dressing her wounds as the both of them sat in silence.
The girl ran through the streets, her tiny 4 year old bare feet quiet on the snow. She ran to the next corner and found the alley full but no fire lit.
“There’s nothing left to burn. And the wind is too strong to keep the fire lit.” One of the bigger men said to the child next to him.
She turned and searched the next alley and the next. There were no fires. It was cold. Everyone was shivering.
“It’s the worst winter in years. Not many will survive the night.”
She heard the words but only understood some of it. She only knew she had to find warmth. If not fire then shelter. Somewhere to hide from the cold. But all her usual hiding spots were taken. She didn’t know where to go. Her stomach growled. She pushed it down. It didn’t matter. The cold was more important. She had to get out of the cold.
Her feet slowed, she was too tired to run anymore. Her legs were shaking. It was too cold.
“Mommy, it’s cold.”
“I know, little one. Just stay under the covers. It’ll be warmer in the morning.”
Her eyes followed the voices into a window of a tiny hut. She watched the woman tuck the girl into bed, covering her with more blankets. There was a small fire by the bed giving the room a warm golden glow. She couldn’t feel the heat from the window but if she closed her eyes she could pretend a bit.
“Mommy, cold.”
“I know, Xiao Hua. Mommy will keep you warm.” The woman wrapped the girl in her arms.
She placed a hand against the windowsill, staring at the scene.
“Mommy, someone outside.”
She jumped.
The woman went to the window and shut it, “Keep the cold out.”
She looked at the closed window before she continued walking, her whole body shivering now. She stopped by another opened window and looked in. There was a family of four. The fire was bigger. She could feel it by the window. Maybe if she sat there quietly she could be a bit warm. But she couldn’t help but stare. The mother was tucking the children into bed, her hand tenderly keeping them safe.
“Mommy, outside.”
“Stay in bed, Bing An.”
She quickly ducked under the window. Please don’t close the window. The fire was warm. The door opened and she just stared at the man and woman wide-eyed. She had to run. But her legs won’t move.
The man approached her slowly before holding out a lit candle to her, “It’s all we can spare. But can you not sleep here? We don’t want to clear a corpse in the morn-”
The woman placed a hand on his arm. “Please sleep somewhere else.” They went back inside.
She held the candle towards her, her small body protecting the flickering flame. It was warm. Her fingers were warm at least. She stood and walked away from the houses. She went to a nearby alleyway that was empty. There was no shelter from the cold or the wind. But she faced the wall and held the candle in front of her, shielding the small flame. Her whole body was shaking but she could feel her fingers.
She just stared at the flame but her thoughts were on the houses she saw. She wished not for warmth or a bed or a shelter. “Want a mommy.” The candle just flickered in the wind. “Want name.” The flame flickered harder, “Not alone.” The candle went out.
She placed the candle on the ground and wrapped her arms around her knees. She wasn’t getting her wish, was she? Her body shook harder, she couldn’t feel her hands and feet. Everything was so cold. She felt her eyes droop close.
No.
No falling asleep in the cold. If she fell asleep, she wouldn’t wake up. “No sleep.” But her eyes betrayed her as they refused to stay open. “No sleep.”
She curled into a ball on the ground beside the wall. She couldn’t feel her body anymore. She couldn’t even think. “No one.” She fought her eyes closing. “Alone.” Her body shivered harder, “No sleep.”
But her eyes closed and all she could think was she wasn’t going to wake up. She was going to sleep alone, forgotten, unknown.
*
Dian Qie wrapped the blanket tighter around her. Her body was shaking. She hated it. Every winter, it was as if her body was stuck on the streets again. It shook as if she was freezing. But she wasn’t freezing anymore. She had been saved.
She looked around the room. It was more than she ever imagined. She had a bed. She had food. She wasn’t freezing. She looked at the locked door. Master hadn’t come for her today. It was her day rest from training. It was expected. So why was she waiting for him to come?
“I have a name. I have a bed. I’m not alone.” She had her Master. So why did she still feel so alone? No she was being spoiled and ridiculous. Her Master was here. Her Master took care of her. She wasn’t alone anymore.
She wrapped the blanket tighter around herself, the blanket dwarfing her tiny 8 year old body. A shame, her Master had said. That the prolonged starvation on the streets kept her so small and fragile. She wouldn’t be fragile. She would be strong for him. She could fight. She’s proven that over and over. Being small didn’t matter. She was strong.
The door opened.
Dian Qie jumped up, excitement filling her before she schooled her face into a neutral expression. She bowed low, her forehead pressed onto the ground. “Master. Welcome home.”
“You’re still shaking.”
She pressed her head harder, “Forgive Dian Qie, Master. Dian Qie is trying. Dian Qie’s body shakes beyond her control. Dian Qie isn’t scared. Dian Qie promises.”
He removed the blanket from her.
Her body panicked and shook harder. No matter how hard she tried to stop it, it wouldn’t listen to her. “Forgive Dian Qie. Dian Qie will try harder. Dian Qie’s not scared.”
“Tomorrow your training will be in the cold. We will remove the fear from you.”
Her body froze in fear. She wasn’t scared. She wasn’t supposed to be scared. She failed, “Dian Qie understands. Dian Qie will wear the thinnest clothes tomorrow.”
“I’m only doing this to make you strong. Fear is a weakness.”
“Dian Qie understands. Dian Qie failed. Dian Qie will be better.” But even as she said that she could feel her body betraying her as it trembled.
“It’s a particularly cruel winter this year.”
Dian Qie remained quiet, her head pressed against the ground. “Dian Qie isn’t scared of the cold. Dian Qie will prove it. Tomorrow Dian Qie will sit in the river. Dian Qie’s not scared.”
Her Master didn’t say anything. Did she say something wrong? Did she upset him? She didn’t mean to.
Warmth filled the room. Dian Qie looked up to see that her Master had lit the fireplace. “Dian Qie doesn’t understand. Master said Dian Qie must get used to the cold.”
“It’s a cruel winter, colder than the one I found you. We will continue that aspect of your training next year.”
“Dian Qie can do it. Dian Qie isn’t scared.” She looked up at him, her eyes desperate to please.
“Next year.” He said with a finality. He headed towards the door.
She called out before she could stop herself, “Master, maybe Dian Qie can continue with learning to read and write?”
“Your language proficiency is at the level of someone twice your age. You do not require further training. You have enough books to read to continue practice.”
“I know… but…” She trailed off.
“What is it, child?”
“Dian Qie has become proficient with self-training. Master doesn’t train Dian Qie anymore. Dian Qie wants-” She cut herself off. She couldn’t finish that sentence. She changed direction, “Dian Qie cannot be better if she trains herself. She can only practice. She can’t learn anything new.”
“And what skills do you find yourself lacking?”
“Master looks tired everyday. Dian Qie wants to understand what Master does. Dian Qie wants to help.”
“I look tired?”
Dian Qie pressed her head against the ground, “Dian Qie did not mean to be rude.”
“It would perhaps be wise for you to understand the political landscape of the Nation.” He placed a stack of documents on the table, “The first would be reading and understanding the Royal Family, their history and succession laws. Report to me once you’ve memorized them.”
“Dian Qie thought Master would train her-” She cut herself off and pressed her head against the ground, “Dian Qie will follow orders.”
“I will visit again soon. I trust you would have completed your task by then.”
Her heart sank. Soon could mean tomorrow, three days, a week. “Dian Qie understands.” Her eyes trailed to the fire. It was warm. No. She would make her Master proud. She wouldn’t fail him. She would put out the fire and prove she wasn’t afraid of the cold.
His eyes followed hers, “I expect the room to be warm when I visit. Do not put out that fire.”
She jumped at being caught, “Dian Qie will follow orders.”
“Good. Now go to bed. I’ll arrange for thicker blankets to be made.”
She opened her mouth to protest but averted her eyes and bowed, “Goodnight Master.”
“Rest well, Flower.”
She raised her head when the door closed and locked. Her eyes trailed to the fire. He was always disappointed at her fear of the cold. Was this a test? But he ordered her not to put out the fire. He knew she always followed orders. She stepped closer to the fire, it was so warm. Her body had stopped shaking. Her chest wasn’t tight with fear. “Thank you, Father.”
*
Dian Qie stood stiff as she stared out the window, a blanket of white covered the ground. Her body didn’t shake anymore. But she could still feel it panic. But she could hide it. She could function. That was all that mattered.
“Sister, why are you standing at the window?”
“Winter is going to be brutal this year.” She recognized the signs. She remembered the way the adults on the street could always tell which winter would take the most people. She felt something heavy around her shoulders. She looked down to see a cloak draped over her. It smelled like her brother. “You’ll need it brother. It’s going to get colder soon.”
“Keep it. This is the perfect temperature for me.”
But Dian Qie could see the way his breath fogged the air. “Liar.” She stubbornly held out his cloak back towards him. “My cloak is sufficiently thick enough.”
“You’re shaking.”
“It’s not the cold.”
“Now who’s lying?”
“I’m not lying. It’s not the cold.” she placed her brother’s cloak onto the table before she sat beside the fire. She hugged her knees to her. “Master tried very hard to train the fear of the cold out of me. I failed. It was the one lesson I consistently failed.”
Jingzhe sat beside her, before throwing his cloak around them both. “So my fearless sister is scared of something.”
“I’m not scared.” She protested. “My body is scared. It’s better now. It used to just shut down and refused to move.”
“How did you get over it?”
“Master would leave me out in the cold until I stopped being scared. Or at least until I could force my body to act like it wasn’t scared. But I think Master always knew I failed.” She shivered.
Jingzhe pulled the cloak tighter around them but said nothing, giving her a chance to continue. But she remained silent, staring into the fire. Finally Jingzhe asked, “What happened?”
“I don’t understand what you’re asking.”
“Why are you scared of the cold?”
“I don’t know. Everytime it’s cold, I feel like I’m a child on those streets again. Alone, unwanted, nameless. And I would fall asleep in the cold and no one would even know, no one would care. I would be thrown into one of the holes they threw the others and it would be like I never existed.”
“I cannot promise you would never be cold again, sister. But I can promise you would never be alone or unwanted.”
“Promise?”
“I promise, sister.”
She leaned her head against his arm. “I wish I could tell that to the scared little girl on the streets. I wish I could tell her she had a brother out there somewhere, that she wasn’t alone, that she wasn’t nothing. And that one day even if it was cold, it wouldn’t matter because she would be warm. She would have a name. It may not be the name she was born with but it was still a name given to her because she wasn’t no one.”
Jingzhe pulled her closer to him. “You are not no one, sister. You never have been. Even if you were lost, even if we were separated, you are still my sister.”
She closed her eyes and leaned into his embrace. She was not alone. She was not alone.
“What do you want to eat, sister? I’ll make something to warm you up.”
“You can cook, brother?”
He laughed, “I can cook to not starve. Would that be enough?”
“That would be more than enough, brother. That is perfect.” She stood, “And here I thought I was learning to cook for you. Who knew you could cook all along?”
“Please sister, I’m still recovering from your last cooking attempt.”
She laughed, “I can train to be better.”
“Leave the cooking to me. It’s the least I can do for my precious sister.”
She smiled before leaning against him once more.
“We’ll never starve again sister. We’ll never grow hungry again. I will never allow it.”
“Even if I have to do the cooking.”
“Maybe then I would choose to go hungry, sister.”
Dian Qie laughed and for a moment, she forgot the cold. Even as the cold winter air blew, she was warm.
Dian Qie looked down at the body before them, “That’s the last one, brother.” She smiled brightly at him, “Your ambition is so close.”
“All 12 candidates have been eliminated. It was almost disappointingly easy.” Jingzhe looked at the corpse for a moment before looking towards the distance at the direction of the Heavenly Demon Cult headquarters, “Come on, sister. I have a throne to claim.”
She smiled and nodded, “And you would finally build that home you always promised, right brother?”
“Of course, sister. I’ve achieved my goals. Now it’s time to achieve yours.” He caressed her face gently. “Have you imagined what do you want in our home?”
“A garden. The biggest garden with the most colorful flowers. There’s no winter in the volcano’s, the flowers won’t die in winter.”
“Then we’ll have the biggest garden with all the poisonous flowers you could ever wish for.”
She grinned brighter, “I’d get to train to be resistant to poisons. If you become Heavenly Demon, there would be others eyeing your throne. This is how I get to protect you.”
“There’s no need for protecting, sister. We would have all the safety and security with this power I now command. Come. Let’s go claim our new home.”
*
Dian Qie stood as Jingzhe walked into the room, “How did it go, brother? Did they accept your legitimacy as the new Heavenly Demon?”
He looked at her and nodded stiffly, deep in thought, “There is a ceremony. And then I would be Heavenly Demon.”
She smiled wider, “It’s everything you ever dreamed about, brother.”
“It is, isn’t it?” He fell quiet and looked out the window.
“Brother, is something wrong?”
“No. I’m just admiring my new kingdom.”
She approached him and almost hesitatingly placed her head against his arm. “I’m glad you’re happy, brother.”
“I suppose I am.” He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer. “What do you want? What is your purpose?”
“Nothing’s changed, brother. I want to stay by your side. I want to help you fulfill your ambition. I want you to be happy.”
“And that’s all you want, sister? That truly is your only purpose?”
She nodded and leaned heavier against him. “It’s the only thing I want. I don’t want to be alone again. I just want you.”
“Your wish is my command, sister.”
She just held him tighter, “Have you thought about what our home would look like? I was thinking about having a huge fireplace in the living room.”
“Sister, the volcano may have been collapsed, but this place is still hot even through the windiest night.”
She pouted, “I don’t want to risk it. I don’t like the cold. When winter comes-“
“There’s no winter here, sister. You’ll never ever feel cold again. You’ll never freeze again. I swear it.”
She hugged him tighter, “I know, brother. You’re warm.”
He kissed her forehead gently, “The ceremony is tomorrow. I want you to be there.”
Her eyes brightened, “Really, brother? You want me there?”
“Of course.”
“Then I will be there. I will watch you get everything you’ve ever wanted. You’ll finally be happy.”
“Sister, I-” He cut himself off.
“Brother, what is it? Are you nervous? Everything’s going to be fine.”
“Let’s have a nice family dinner.”
“You want me to cook?”
He turned pale, “No I would like to be alive for the ceremony tomorrow. I’ll cook. What do you want to eat?”
“Whatever you make would be lovely, brother.”
“What are you craving?”
“Something warm. Soup noodles!”
“It’s sweltering in- You know what? Fine. Soup noodles it is.”
“With vegetables.”
“No.”
“You need a balanced diet, brother.
“No. Vegetables are evil.”
“Fine. Then I’ll cook the vegetables.”
Jingzhe paused then sighed, “Fine. I’ll add vegetables to the soup noodles. Happy?”
“Yay.”
*
Dian Qie walked a step behind her brother, her head bowed as if in submission but her eyes studying her surrounding for any threats. The ceremony stage was simple, the HDC elders already gathered around it. They bowed to Jingzhe and Dian Qie forced back a smile. This was everything her brother wanted. He would have power and security. He would be safe. He would be happy.
A senior member walked up to them, “Heavenly Demon, the ceremony is prepared.”
Jingzhe nodded, “You may begin.” He turned away from them and headed towards the iron throne, overlooking the ceremony.
Dian Qie tilted her head in confusion but didn’t question him. She moved towards him when hands grabbed her. Her training and instincts kicked in and she prepared to fight back.
“Don’t fight.” Came the cold voice of her brother from the throne.
Dian Qie obeyed immediately, confusion filling her but still trusting her brother. “What’s going on, brother?”
“The ceremony is not for me.”
Dian Qie felt the hands drag her to the middle of the stage. Everything in her was screaming to fight. But her brother told her not to. “I don’t understand.”
“The Heavenly Demon cannot have weaknesses.”
The cold and final way he said it made Dian Qie understand immediately. “Our home-”
“A fairytale to make you follow orders.”
Dian Qie froze, “You don’t mean that.”
“Didn’t you say your purpose was to help me achieve my ambition, sister? This is how I become Heavenly Demon. You won’t deny me now, would you?”
She looked up at him, her eyes wide with pain and betrayal. And trust. She still trusted him. Still believed that it was a ploy. A voice sounded in his head, her voice. ‘What’s the plan, brother? Do you want me to take them out?’
Jingzhe’s face remained blank and cold on the throne as he mentally replied his sister, ‘There is no plan. This is the plan.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘You’ve said so many times you would die to help me achieve my ambition, didn’t you? I’m giving you that chance.’
“Was everything a lie!?” Dian Qie cried out from the platform, pain and fury in her eyes.
“Of course.” Jingzhe said simply before replying her mentally, ‘Not out loud, sister. There is an image I need to maintain.’
‘Was it all a lie?’
‘No my dear sister, I meant every word. You are important to me.’
She looked at him, her eyes imploring an answer, an explanation.
He sighed mentally, ‘This is the only way I can sit on this throne. The sacrifice to be Heavenly Demon is to give up the most important thing to me.’
‘I am important to you?’
‘Yes. But not more than my ambition. Not more than this throne. This has been everything I’ve worked for. I won’t let anyone stand in my way.’
He expected shock, anger, betrayal. He expected her to fight the guards there and then to try and escape. Instead she just sunk to her knees, head bowed. Her voice rang out through the hall, “Dian Qie will follow orders.”
‘Sister, it’s everything I’ve worked for.’
‘I know, brother. You’re getting everything you wanted. I’m happy for you.’
‘Sister-’
‘I knew I would never be more important than your ambition or the throne. But I had hoped I would be important enough. But I am. I’m the most important thing to you and that’s why I am part of this ritual. I get to help at the most important part.’
‘Sister-‘
‘I’m letting you have everything you want, brother? Isn’t that what you want?’
He growled mentally, ‘Fight sister. Don’t give up like this.’
‘Why? I just want you to be happy, brother. All I ever wanted was to stay by your side, so that no one could ever part us again. I could never live without you. But I always knew you could live without me. I was just a pawn, a weapon to be used. Some days I believed your words that I was more. But most of the time I could see the truth. But I told myself, as long as you were happy, I wouldn’t care.’
‘My words weren’t lies! I care about you, sister. You are everything. You-‘
‘It’s ok, brother. I will do this for you. You don’t have to pretend anymore. It must be tiring.’
‘Sister-’
‘I really wish I could have at least seen that home you promised us. But that’s a lie too, right brother? You never intended to make us a home.’
‘I didn’t know this was the cost. Not until yesterday. Not until my ambition was right in my grasp. I’m so close, sister. You can’t expect me to give it up now.’
‘Of course not, brother. Just promise me this, brother. Our home… your home… it doesn’t have to be a whole garden. Would you at least plant Nightshades (Dian Qie means Nightshade)? At least I can pretend that you want me by your side?’
‘Sister, you said your purpose was helping me fulfill my ambition. I’ve asked you so many times. I’m helping you fulfill your purpose too.’
‘My purpose? Yes. I suppose so. I just wanted to always be by your side, to never be alone again. But it’s ok, if I die here now, you are here. You haven’t abandoned me yet. I won’t ever be alone.’ Her expression finally broke from the empty mask to one of pure pain and sadness, ‘Then why do I feel so alone?’ Tears escaped her eyes. She dug her nails into her palm to stop herself from crying. ‘I’m making you happy, brother. I should be happy too. But why do I feel so sad?’
‘Sister, please don’t cry.’
She shook her head, ‘I don’t even know why I’m crying. I’m making you happy. I’m fulfilling my purpose. A weapon is used and discarded. There’s no reason to cry.’ She raised her head and looked at the one who seemed to be her executioner in the eye, “I’m ready.”
‘Sister-’
‘Would you at least keep your words, brother? That you would make sure no children would have to grow up like us again?’
‘Sister, if there was another way, I would take it. But there is no other way. This is the only way I can be Heavenly Demon.’
The executioner bowed, “Heavenly Demon, we await your orders.”
‘It’s ok brother. You’re getting everything you’ve ever wanted. My life for that is worth it.’ She bowed onto the ground, “The weapon awaits decommissioning.”
‘You’re not a weapon! You’re my sister!’
‘Yes I suppose the sacrifice of a weapon would not be enough. Would you want me to play the part of the betrayed sister? I could scream and beg and cry if it would sell your narrative.’
‘Sister, if there was another way-’
‘It’s ok brother. You don’t have to pretend to care anymore. I’ll still do this. You’re all I have.’
“Heavenly Demon?”
‘Give the order, brother. Don’t prolong this anymore.’
‘Are you scared?’
‘No. I’ve never feared death. Just the cold. Just dying alone.’ She was quiet for a moment, ‘Brother would you lie to me and tell me you love me?’
‘I love you, sister.’
She closed her eyes as more tears fell down her face and smiled, ‘Thank you, brother.’
‘It’s not a lie.’
‘It’s ok brother. You don’t have to convince me. I’m forcing myself to believe.’
‘It’s not a lie, sister!’
“Heavenly Demon.”
‘Brother, if I was different, if I was better, if I was more, would you have kept me?’
‘I would have destroyed the world to keep you by my side, sister.’
“Heavenly Demon.”
“Carry out the execution.”
‘You’ll be happy right, brother, without me? I was too clingy, too much of a burden. This is for the best.’
‘Sister, you are perfect.’
‘Perfect weapon don’t get discarded.’
The executioner walked up to her, blade in hand. Dian Qie’s eyes were fixed on the ground.
‘Sister, look at me.’
‘Do you think we can be twins again in the next life? I’ll be a more useful sister. I promise.’
The executioner raised his blade.
‘Look at me!’
‘A part of me still believes in you. Still expects you to call this off or reveal it was a test or something.’ She pressed her forehead to the ground, still bowing, her shoulders shaking.
‘Sister, don’t cry. Look at me. It’s the only way. The only way. Or everything would have been for nothing. Everything we’ve worked for in the last few years would have been for nothing. I thought you would understand.’
‘I love you, brother. Please don’t forget me.’
Jingzhe watched the executioner prepare to strike. Everything in him was telling him to order him to stop. But he couldn’t summon his voice. He couldn’t renounce his throne. ‘Sister, I’m sorry. I have to. You were supposed to understand. You understand, right? The HDC is everything. I have to. I-”
The executioner brought down the blade.
‘Brother-’ The connection snapped like a taut wire.
“Heavenly Demon.” The executioner bowed and the rest of the room followed suit. It was everything he wanted.
‘You understand, right, sister?’ but there was only silence on the other end.
WHUMPTOBER is a month-long, prompt-based creation CHALLENGE (think: Inktober, but whumpier). There are four prompts for each day of the month, giving 124 for you to play with! There is also a list of 18 alternative prompts that can be subbed in for any day to give participants as much creative freedom as possible.
All prompts are meant to serve as inspiration without being taken literally (e.g. you don’t have to include the exact wording of prompts into your work). Feel free to run rampant on interpretation. For example, if the prompt is “flame", you could create something with reference to a candle/campfire, your character could have suffered a burn, or the flame could be a reference to an ‘old flame’ - an old relationship. It’s truly down to you!
You can produce work in any media you choose, including but not limited to: writing, visual artwork, photo/video/audio edits, paper crafts and elaborate recommendation lists (not just a list of links). You can participate as much or as little as you want (i.e. you don’t have to do ALL the prompts if you don’t want to) and prompts can be used in any order. They are also free to use even after the event ends.
Please make sure to read the Event Info and FAQ carefully, as most of your questions will be answered there already. For everything else, you are welcome to come to our ask box or ask questions in our Discord server here.
Information on how to TAG is here.
This year’s AO3 Collection can be found here.
This year’s playlist can be found here.
The ‘Anatomy of a Whumptober Prompt’ post can be found here.
And our 'Resources for Writing Sensitive Topics’ post is here.
We’re very excited to see the community come together for yet another year of Whumptober! Go ham with the prompts, and support your fellow creators - we wish you all the best of luck, but most importantly: HAVE FUN!
Happy whumping,
Mods Vanne, Yenn, Kitty and Surro
Text versions of the prompts, including a google doc format, are posted below the cut!
A Google Doc of the prompts can be found here for easy copy-and-pasting!
Whumptober 2025 Prompt List
No. 1: “Please don’t cry”
Lamb to Slaughter | Ceremony | Beg for Forgiveness
No. 2: “You’ve got a lot of nerve to dredge up all my fears.”
Prophecy | Sewer | Taking Accountability
No. 3: “I look in people’s windows, transfixed by rose golden glows.”
Isolation | Candlelight | Found Family
No. 4: “Don’t be scared, I’ve done this before.”
Non-Human Whumper | Iron Rod | Loss of Powers
No. 5: “My panic’s at the ceiling, but I’m face down on the carpet.”
Quivering | Dream Journal | Phobia
No. 6: “No grave can hold my body down.”
Caught in a Net | Medical Restraints | Pinned to the Wall
No. 7: “Tell me that you’re okay, and I’m fine.”
Trapped with the Enemy | Elevator | Pushed Beyond Breaking Point
No. 8: “Oh horror, oh horror, what did you see?”
Self-Inflicted Injury | Held at Gunpoint | Dissociation
No. 9: “We’ll make it alright to come undone.”
Touch | Flashbacks | Scalding
No. 10: “There’s nothing you can ever say, nothing you can ever do.”
Without Consent | Secrets | Lips Sewn Shut
No. 11: “Can you get through all the pain inside you?”
Hidden Injury | Laceration | Forced Reveal
No. 12: “It’ll be for nothing.”
Cardiac Arrest | Sacred Place | Withholding Medical Treatment
No. 13: “How dull is it to pause, to make an end, to rust unburnished.”
Never Enough | Insignia | Forced Retirement
No. 14: “In the end, it’s worthwhile.”
Ignoring an Illness | Body Bag | Wounded Caretaker
No. 15: “You can take a break, if you just tell me that it hurts.”
Failed Rescue Attempt | Body Part in the Mail | Live-Streamed Torture
No. 16: “I’ve had the rug pulled beneath my feet.”
Repressed Trauma | Permanent Marker | Disorientation
No. 17: “Tell me there’s a hope for me.”
Internal Bleeding | Coma | Redemption
No. 18: “As the world caves in.”
Dystopia | Ruins | Environmental Whump
No. 19: “You’re on your own, lost in the wild.”
Dehumanisation | Living Weapon | On Patrol
Welcome to Whumptober 2024 — Seventh Time's a Charm!
Please make sure to read the Event Info and FAQ below carefully, as most of your questions will be answered there already. For everything else, you are welcome to come to our ask box or ask questions in our Discord server here.
This year’s AO3 Collection can be found here.
This year's playlist can be found here.
The 'Anatomy of a Whumptober Prompt' post can be found here.
And our 'Resources for Writing Sensitive Topics' post is here.
We’re very excited to see the community come together for another year of Whumptober! Go wild with the prompts, and support your fellow creators - we wish you all the fun!
Best of luck and happy whumping,
Mods Vanne, Yenn, Kitty and Surro
(Text versions of the prompts, as well as event information, rules and FAQ are posted below the cut!)
Whumptober 2024 Prompt List
No. 1: RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK
Search Party | Panic Attack | "If only we could hold on.” (Icysami x Renegaderr, Strangers.)
No. 2: TRUST ISSUES
Amusement Park | Role Reversal | “You got away with the crime while the knife's in my back.” (Charlotte Sands, Rollercoaster)
No. 3: SET UP FOR FAILURE
Fingerprints | Wrongfully Arrested | "I warned you."
No. 4: HALLUCINATIONS
Hypnosis | Sensory Deprivation | “You're still alive in my head.” (Billy Lockett, More)
No. 5: SUNBURN
Healing Salve | Heatstroke | "If my pain will stretch that far." (Lottery Winners, Burning House)
No. 6: NOT REALISING THEY'RE INJURED
Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms | Healed Wrong | "It's not my blood."
No. 7: ONLY FOR EMERGENCIES
Unconventional Weapon | Magic with a Cost | "It's us or them."
No. 8: SLEEP DEPRIVATION
Isolation Chamber | Forced to Stay Awake | "Leave the lights on." (Coldplay, Midnight)
No. 9: OBSESSION
Broken Window | Bruises | “Frame me up on the wall, just to keep me out of trouble.” (Fall Out Boy, Irresistible)
No. 10: BLOW TO THE HEAD
Slurred Words | Passing Out from Pain | "I can't think straight."
No. 11: SEEING DOUBLE
Convenience Store | Loneliness | “Leave no trace behind, like you don't even exist.” (Taylor Swift, Illicit Affairs)
No. 12: STARVATION
Underground Caverns | Cannibalism | "Just a little more."
No. 13: TEAM AS A FAMILY
Familial Curse | Multiple Whumpees | "Death will do us part." (Set It Off, Partner's In Crime)
No. 14: LEFT FOR DEAD
Hunting Gear | Blackmail | “Because I want you to know what it feels like to be haunted” (tiLLie, kooL aiD mAn)
No. 15: CHILDHOOD TRAUMA
Painful Hug | Moment of Clarity | "I did good, right?"
No. 16: NECROSIS
Swamp | Wound Cleaning | "No, I can't feel anything."
No. 17: NOWHERE ELSE TO GO
Ruined Map | Shipwrecked | "We had a good run."
No. 18: REVENGE
Unreliable Narrator | Loss of Identity | “I see what's mine and take it.” (Panic! at the Disco, Emperor's New Clothes)
No. 19: BLOOD TRAIL
Abandoned Cabin | One Way Out | "Is there anybody alive out there?" (Bruce Springsteen, Radio Nowhere)
No. 20: EMOTIONAL ANGST
Shoulder to Cry On | Giving Permission to Die | "It's not your fault."
No. 21: BODY HORROR
Body Horror | Tattoo Gun | Spirit Possession | “Let the bedsheet soak up the tears.” (Apparat feat. Soap & Skin, Goodbye)
No. 22: BLEEDING THROUGH BANDAGES
Tourniquet | Reopening Wounds | "Oh that's not good."
No. 23: FORCED CHOICE
Public Display | Broken Pedestal | "I'm doing this for you."
No. 24: RADIATION POISONING
Collapsed Building | Equipment Failure | “I never knew daylight could be so violent.” (Florence + The Machine, No Light, No Light)
No. 25: SURGERY
Stitches | Being Monitored | "It's for your own good."
No. 26: NIGHTMARES
Breakfast Table | Parting Words of Regret | “I'm haunted by the lies that I have loved, the actions I have hated.” (Poe, Haunted)
No. 27: VOICELESS
Laboratory | Muzzled | “I have no mouth and I must scream.”
No. 28: DENIAL
CCTV | Exposure | "They caught me red handed."
No. 29: FATIGUE
Labyrinth | Burnout | "Who said you could rest?"
No. 30: RECOVERY
Hospital Bed | Holding Back Tears | "What have I done?"
No. 31: ASKING FOR HELP
Therapy | Making Amends | "I'm alive, I'm just not well." (Elliot Lee, Alive, Not Well.)
Alternatives List:
Body Swap
Communication Barrier
Finding Old Messages
Forgotten
Friendly Fire
Motion Sickness
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown
Regret
Secrets Revealed
Shivering
Survivor's Guilt
Time Loop
Used As Bait
Venom
Vermin
Event Info & Rules
WHUMPTOBER is a month-long, prompt-based creation challenge (think: Inktober, but whumpier). There are 31 official themes this year - one for each day of the month - which can be used, skipped, or combined in any way you’d like. They are meant to serve as inspiration without being taken literally (e.g. you don’t have to include the exact wording of prompts into your work). Feel free to run rampant on interpretation. For example, if the prompt is “flame", you could create something with reference to a candle/campfire, your character could have suffered a burn, or the flame could be a reference to an ‘old flame’ - an old relationship. It’s truly down to you!
In total, there are 4 prompts for each day. These are optional suggestions and can be used in conjunction with the theme, or as options/alternatives. We want to give everyone as much creative freedom as possible, as well as increase event accessibility for folks with triggers and squicks. There is also a list of 15 alternative prompts that can be subbed in for any day, again to give participants as much creative freedom as possible.
Creators can PRODUCE work in any media they choose, including but not limited to: writing, visual artwork, photo/video/audio edits, paper crafts and elaborate recommendation lists (not just a list of links). Creators can PARTICIPATE as much or as little as they want (i.e. you don’t have to do ALL the prompts if you don’t want to) and prompts can be used in any order. They are also free to use even after the event ends.
When uploading Whumptober content to your blog, be sure to tag it with:
#whumptober2024 …..(the event tag)
#no.1, #no.2, #no.3, …..(theme number)
#bruises, #stabbing, …..(the theme or specific prompt you chose)
#altprompt …..(if you use an altprompt, tag the post with the number of the prompt you replace)
#fandom or #OC, …..(ironman, original content, oc, etc.)
#medium …..(gifs, fic, podcast, art, etc.)
#teeth, #etc …..(trigger warnings & any additional tags. Keep in mind not to add “tw” in front but only use the word/trigger itself)
#nsfwhump …..(only for nsfw content)
#your own tags go here
PLEASE BE DILIGENT WITH YOUR TAGGING. Only properly tagged posts are considered for archiving on the official @whumptober-archive blog. They must be tagged in the order above. An elaborate post about our tagging system can be found [here]
Unfortunately, due to the sheer number of participants in recent years, we cannot guarantee your work will be archived. A random selection of properly tagged posts from all genres will be reblogged each day.
Whumpers who produce content for 31 total theme days are considered event completionists and will be tagged in a masterpost at the end of the month. A form will be published at the beginning of November asking you to tell us if you completed. This is based on trust and we will not check this.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please read this before you send an ask!
TIMELINE
July: Trope voting form released.
Late August: Prompt list is released for at least four weeks of preparation time. Tropes cannot be posted earlier than August 25th because of Moderator obligations in real life. (But, you know, go ahead and start writing/drawing, and add the themes in later, if you want!)
September: Do as much or as little on your works as you want. You can prepare everything in advance or let September go by with vibes and start working in October. It’s up to you.
October 1st: Challenge begins! A storm of whump breaks upon us all! During this time, some posts will be reblogged to the whumptober archive blog. We open the yearly AO3 collection for posting (optional).
November 1st: The challenge is officially over! Completionist form opens for those who want to be included in the hall-of-fame.
Early November: We release completionist and participant badges, solicit feedback, and post a hall-of-fame list of completionists by the 10th.
PARTICIPATION AND COMPLETION
Q: What counts as participation?
Create or continue at least one work inspired by one of this year’s prompts.
Q: What counts as completion?
Creating work(s) inspired by at least one prompt from each day (or alts), for a total of 31 unique prompts.
Q: Do I need to create 31 works?
No. You can, if you want. Or you can create one work that you add to every day with a new prompt. Or several works that combine prompts. You can also update an existing work by adding new material with the current prompts.
Q: Do I need to post my works somewhere to be a completionist or a participant?
No.
Q: How do you know I actually completed the challenge?
We’ll take your word for it!
Q: Do I have to finish my work(s) to be a completionist?
No, you can post WIPs. And you’re not obligated to finish them in October, but if you want it to count towards being a completionist, you must have completed 31 prompts by the end of the month. So for example, if you’re writing a long fic and you fit 31 different prompts into the writing you did in October, it’s okay if that fic isn’t finished by the time October ends, you’ll still be a completionist.
Q: Is co-writing/illustrating allowed?
Yes, absolutely, and it would count towards being a completionist for both/all of you.
Q: Is there a min/max limit on word count for written works?
No.
Q: Is there a min/max limit of quality for art?
No.
Q: Do I have to do something each day to be a completionist?
No. You can skip days whenever you want, and as long as 31 daily prompts (or alts) are in your works done in October, you can be a completionist. For example, if you wrote a 1000-word ficlet that covers prompts in days 2, 3, and 17, you can check all three days off your list even though it’s only one work.
Q: Is this challenge just for fics?
No! Artworks, GIFsets, headcannons, rec lists, poetry, moodboards, or any other creative work is encouraged.
Q: Can I combine Whumptober with other creation challenges?
Absolutely, as long as the other challenges allow it too.
PROMPTS
Q: How do the prompts work?
There are FOUR prompts per day: a theme and three ideas. You can use one, two, three, or all four prompts for each day. If you don’t like any of the daily prompts, you can substitute one of the ALT prompts instead.
Q: How strictly/literally should we interpret the prompts?
As literally or as figuratively as you want. For example, if the theme is WATER, that could mean drowning, waterboarding, raining, swimming, take place underwater, be lost at sea, construct a metaphor about a character’s mood that changes like a flowing river, crying, or whatever else you can think of that fits that theme.
Q: Can I combine prompts? Is there a limit on how many?
No limit and combine as many as you’d like. If you create a work that checks off multiple prompts, that work will count for a fill of multiple prompts. You need to address 31 different prompts to be an official completionist, but you don’t have to produce 31 separate works.
WORKS
Q: What’s whump?
Hurting a character, whether that’s physically, emotionally, intellectually, psychologically, or any other way you can think of. Comfort afterwards is optional. Angst is emotional whump, so it counts.
Q: How do I know if it’s whumpy enough?
If your character is just mildly inconvenienced, it probably needs more whump. However, no participant has to prove whumpiness to the mods. Whatever you write is up to you.
Q: What kind of characters can I create for?
Anything. Generic “whumpee,” OC, PC, NPC, major characters, minor characters, or whatever you want. There are no limits.
Q: Does it have to take place in a specific fandom?
No, you can create works for your own worlds or for fandoms or for both. You can also create more generic or pan-fandom works. You can do cross-overs or use OCs, whatever you want.
Q: Can I create AI-created works?
We will not reblog or promote any works we know to be generative AI-created.
Q: Is there anything we’re not allowed to write?
As long as it contains whump and is based on our prompts, it’s fine. Please courtesy tag your works if you post them so people who follow the #whumptober2024 tag can filter according to their preferences.
Q: What about sex, minor characters, and potentially disturbing content?
You can create whatever works are legal in your country and post them accordingly. Please courtesy tag anything you think might be objectionable if you post to Tumblr so people who follow the #whumptober2024 tag can filter according to their preferences.
POSTING
Q: Where can I post my work?
Post where and how you want. You don’t even have to (cross)post it to Tumblr. Just keep in mind if it’s not on Tumblr we will not be able to add it to the blog archive. There is an AO3 archive for Whumptober 2024, as well as the parent collection for works completed outside of the event.
Q: Can I start posting early?
You can, but this is an October event and wouldn’t it be more fun with everyone doing it at the same time? We won’t be reblogging any work predating October 1st.
Q: Can I post late?
Yes. For the sake of our hardworking Post Fairies, only a day’s themes will be reblogged to @whumptober-archive each day of October. But you can post whenever. Some of us are still working on and posting Whumptober fics from years ago.
Q: Do I have to use your tags?
Only on Tumblr and only if you want us to reblog your work on @whumptober-archive.
Q: How do I have my works reblogged to the archive?
Properly tagged posts will be reblogged to @whumptober-archive. If you want the official archive blog to reblog you, post on Tumblr and tag correctly (see this FAQ link for more info on tagging). Please note not all posts will be reblogged each day.
Q: Can we @ you?
For questions and comments, of course. We’ll be getting a flood of notifications, so if you really want us to see something send an ask.
Q: Can I cross post on other blogs?
Yes, multiple platforms and blogs are perfectly acceptable, as long as they allow cross-posting (to us). You can also post different works to different accounts under different names, without posting them everywhere at once. If you post some works under your main and others under an alt blog, that’s fine for completionist purposes.
Q: Can I upload/repost my Whumptober content to other social media platforms?
Of course! We’ve created an AO3 Collection to archive any fics posted there, which can be found here. The blog is the official archive, so please respect the personal boundaries of any whumpers in your social circle (don’t out anyone as a participant who would prefer not to be outed).
Most importantly, have fun, create, and enjoy all the whump posted this October!
Guys...I legitly forgot about Whumptober this year. I hadn't even realized it's way through October. I'm disappointed cause I've been trying to at least make an attempt every year... and I still wanna do it. There's no way I'm getting it done be 31st October so I'll probably just write slowly through the year. Topic well...
I've spoken previously about my Wuxia campaign and even though the campaign is pretty much dead, I am legitly so attached to my character and her story is not even close to ended. So I'm going to focus 2024 whumptober on Dian Qie. I'm sorry it's still not Repo! To be honest I've written everything there is to write and it's just gonna be alot of rehashes so Dian Qie it is. Thankfully Dian Qie's story or at least the part I'll focus on is the thing I love to write the most, sibling drama. The problem that i always face with writing my DND characters is that the other characters arent mine and I never feel comfortable writing them. So I'm gonna put this as a preface, the other characters are not mine, their personalities may not be exact or even close to the real thing (in a campaign where everyone has secrets and hidden agendas, i can't even be sure if what they're portraying is true) So mainly I'm going to focus on Dian Qie's relationship with her brother that may or may not be accurate depending on if our campaign ever moves forward. I will try to keep away from her brother's point of view since it's not my character and whatever that comes out is going to be my interpretation of that character whether true or not (like fanfiction if you will). So here's to hoping that I will write a good amount of fills this year, cause i'm crazy obsessed with Dian Qie.
Dian Qie froze at the letter on her desk. She couldn’t breathe for a moment. It wasn’t addressed to Dian Qie, it was addressed to ‘Kingfisher’. How? Who could have placed the letter here? How did anyone get into her room? She closed her eyes and breathed. If they were working for him then she couldn’t fault them for going into her room. But if it was so easy to sneak in…
She took another breath, feeling the weight of her failure fill her. She had nothing to tell him. She’s been going around, talking to her classmates. But there has been nothing suspicious. Or maybe she just wasn’t looking hard enough. Should she be talking to the Masters as well? She wanted to please him, give him good news but she had failed, she had nothing.
Slowly she unfurled the letter,
Dear Kingfisher, I hope this letter finds you in great health.
How have you been? Are you settling well within the academy?
Do you need anything sent to you?
Someone sent note to me that there was some unusual activity in the academy. There was a brief surge of elemental Qi which did not come from any of the instructors, which has piqued my interest. Could you kindly help me find out more about what happened?
Also, I have sources that tell me that there are also there could be potential outside infiltrators into the academy. Do what you do best, learn of their identity and report back to me.
The Crown Princess, Third Princess and Fourth Princess are in the academy. Do keep a lookout to see what kind of alliances they are building as well. Lastly, I believe the Empress will be paying a visit to the academy personally in the future. Knowing her antics, she might just visit without any entourage, and in disguise.
Your report can be left under a hidden compartment in the female hot bath of the Azure Dragon. It is located within the main hot water spout, so be careful of yourself when you put it there. You know how to make it waterproof.
Until your next report, stay safe.
She placed the letter quickly on the table as it lit itself on fire and burned to ash, just as all the letters from before.
She just stared at the ashes as a flash of pain filled her. She missed him. She just wanted to go home. She shook off the feeling, she had a mission to complete. She didn’t have time for such childish feelings. But the homesickness grew in her chest making her feel more lonely than ever. 6 years. He sent her away 6 years ago. She thought it would be a short mission. She thought she could go home after. She hadn’t realized this mission would take… It was never going to end. As long as Hao Shou stayed by the Crown Princess side, she would always have to be there, gathering information. She was never going to go home. That thought sent an ache in her chest and she had to sit down for a moment.
Did she do something wrong? Was that why he sent her away? Was that why he hasn’t seen her in almost 6 years? No. It was because she wasn’t useful enough. She hadn’t gotten the information he needed. She’s been failing her mission. No more. She would do this right. She would get the information he needed then he would let her go home.
Brief surge of elemental Qi.
Goddamnit, Shou.
Why did she bring him to the stupid lake?
No. She just had to reply the letter, Hao Shou has Wood Qi. That was all she had to do. Then he would be happy with her. Then he would let her go home.
But what would happen to Shou?
Why did she care? Why was she loyal to him? Because he didn’t treat her badly? Was that really such a low bar to cross that she would betray her Master for him? No. She just had to reply the letter. She just had to…
She would gather the other information first. She would give him everything he asked her for. Then he would have no reason not to call her home. It wasn’t to buy Hao Shou time. Of course not. She just wanted to give him all the information he needed, that’s all.
She was being unfilial.
She would tell him. Just not now. She will find the other information first.
First the Princesses. Yang Mi would be easy. If there’s anyone she would tell of her plans, it would be Shou. All she needed to do was find out where they were meeting from Shou, under the guise of concern, then she just had to listen in. She would find her information that way. Second would be the new Black Tortoise representative. Her Secrets class assignment. The Shaolin monk was supposed to be Head Representative. Did the Princess even join the contest? She doubted it. Each of the Princesses were now Head Representatives of each of the Houses. Nepotism at its finest. She shook the bitterness off. Black Tortoise would be next. If she was caught, she would use her Secrets class assignment as an excuse. Constable Miao would know which assignment she received. There shouldn’t be anything suspicious. The third, the one in Vermillion, would be the hardest. She knew the Princess the least and with the number of constables stationed outside the dorm…it would be difficult. She would focus on her last.
Next, infiltrators. How was she even supposed to start looking? She took a breath. It was fine. She was already talking to her classmates for anyone suspicious. Someone would slip up eventually. This would be the most difficult task but she won’t fail. She can’t fail her Master. She won’t be discarded. She had to be too useful to be discarded, that was the only way.
Third…third she already had the answer. She just had to tell him. Why was she so hesitant? Her Master held her loyalty, no one else. So why? She thought about Shou and her heart softened, a warmth in her chest. She shook it off. She was loyal to her Master, no one else. She will succeed her mission. She has to.
She changed into her pure black outfit, perfect for hiding when night fell. Shou was meeting Yang Mi tonight. She would follow and see what she could gather. Hopefully, she could get her answers by tonight.
Once Shou was safely back at the dorms, Dian Qie headed back to the lakeside and stared at Hao Yang’s pile of clothes. She picked it up. She could throw it into the lake. Once he resurfaced, she could slit his throat. Then there would be no one left to talk. She dumped the clothes back onto the ground. No. She had no orders to kill. And if a student disappeared, there would be more questions, an investigation. That was too dangerous.
She sat at the lake edge, feeling the brunt of her recklessness and failure. She should have never brought Shou here. He wasn’t careful with his powers and he was desperate for answers. She should have known this would happen. So foolish and careless.
She was so lost in thought that she didn’t even hear Hao Yang swim up to her.
“Pardon me.”
She nearly jumped and attacked. Her hand nearly darted for her dagger. She forced herself to calm, her eyes focused on the water. "Oh. You didn't drown." She pointed at his clothes, "Was debating whether to destroy the evidence." She said but there was no malice in her voice. She had to play nice. She needed to know how much he knew. If that meant she had to pretend she could stomach his presence then that’s what she would do. She looked down into the water, cold and wet. "Found anything down there? Other than water I mean."
Hao Yang used his Qi to dry himself off and put his clothes back on. He seemed different, almost like he was in a good mood, “Let’s just say that this lake is far more interesting than it looks.. You should explore it some time. Perhaps we’ll find a way for you to be able to do so one of these days.” Dian Qie was surprised at how genuine his words sounded, neither mocking nor sarcastic.
Good. If he could act civil towards her, maybe she could get him to like her enough to answer her questions. How should she play this? Underappreciated servant who wasn’t happy with her life always worked wonders. She let out a sigh."It would be nice to just slip under and not have to think about anything else." She shook her head and acted as if she hadn’t meant to say that out loud. "Shit. I mean." She took a breath and paused for a moment before looking back towards the lake. "What's so nice down there anyway? Fish? Seaweed? Maybe a singing crab?" She hesitated for a moment before removing her shoes, dipping her legs into the lake. The cold sent a jolt of shock through her. Calm down. Stay calm. She shivered. No. Don’t let anyone see her fear.
“Heh you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Hao Yang settled down next to her and lay on the grass, “This lake is a mystery, for certain. It is far deeper than it looks. But it’s clean and refreshing. I’m more used to the salty water, roiling currents and waves of the sea. This is… calm. Serene. I could get used to this.”
And Dian Qie couldn’t help but notice how different this Hao Yang was. Had she been too quick to judge him? But it didn’t change the way he spoke to her or rather spoke about her to Shou, like she wasn’t even her own person. Part of her wanted to continue fighting, but she wasn’t in the mood. "Listen. You went in there for who knows how many hours without taking a breath. To be honest, with all the different qi techniques from all the different sects, nothing really surprises me anymore." She sighed, but there’s a fear in her chest. What did he see? "So try to surprise me then. What was so incredible down there that I won't believe?" Her face fell as she stared at the water, "I won't deny it's very peaceful here. We'll just pretend classes ran long. I just want to stay here for a bit."
Hao Yang chuckled, “Yes, I suppose everyone has interesting little techniques of their own.” He looked at Dian Qie “I’m sure you have some surprises of your own up your sleeve which you have not revealed. And perhaps I’ll get the opportunity to witness it myself.” His eyes turned grim las he turned back to the serene lake. “Ships. Dead ships of every size and make. Ships that do not belong on a lake this size. But still, not something any sailor likes to see.”
Dian Qie shrugs, "You've seen everything there was to see at the tournament. I'm not much of a fighter as you've clearly seen. I just need to make sure I don't get hit. Which unfortunately, you've proven I still have much to learn in that regard." Dian Qie tilted her head in confusion as she tried to remember the map of the lands from her lessons. "Did you see their flags? Were they Imperial ships? I guess that would make sense in terms of location."
Hao Yang let out an amused laugh and Dian Qie still cannot get over how different he seemed, “Heh very well, I’ll take your word for it.” But he didn’t seem convinced. “The ships? No I didn’t get a good look at their heraldry.. but these were sea-going ships. What on earth were they doing at the bottom of a lake is a mystery.”
Dian Qie shrugged, having no idea about maritime ships. "I mean it is a big lake. Maybe the Imperial city needed to protect from an attack from the desert lands." Or could it be the academy itself? Curiosity filled her. Wait. Stop this. She was here to find out other things, not shipwrecks. But her curiosity peaked, "Are you planning to go back to find out more about them?"
“You’re curious now too aren’t you?” He said with a crooked smile before turning back to the lake. “Yes, but I’m in no rush. They’ll still be there.”
Dian Qie sighed and she's very obviously trying to hold back saying something sarcastic, "Like you said, what are maritime ships doing in this lake? Maybe the lake is deeper than we think and leads all the way to the sea. Or maybe...there was a war in these waters a long time ago. There aren't many cities that border this lake. The martial alliance and the imperial family's relationship has always been tense. What if things were tenser than the public were led to believe?" Stop talking. She shouldn’t know all this. She was no one. Just a servant of a clan of information gatherers, that’s all. She shouldn’t know so much about the political climate.
“Possibly. But we’ll never know for sure unless we take a closer look will we?” Hao Yang flashed a crooked smile, "But not today. There's still plenty more important things to do, I think."
"No we won't." she sighed. "And here I thought, we would have a nice distraction here." She turned her head back to the lake, acting like it pained her to think about leaving. "Don't think you have anything else interesting down there you can distract me with right?"
Hao Yang stayed silent for a moment, as if hesitating. "I'm not sure. Unless you're interested in fish."
Her eyes darted for a moment, he wasn’t lying but he was hiding something."Fishes only interest me if I can eat them." She said smoothly with a half-smile.
Hao Yang shrugged but seemed disappointed, "Well I am hungry. And I have no patience to catch something and cook it. I take it, you know where the mess hall is?"
Dian Qie raises her eyebrows as she sensed his disappointment. "Why? Upset I'm not yelling at you some more? I can, if you want. It's been a good stress relief." She smiled sadly and shrugged. "Forget it. Let's just go to the mess hall then. It would be boring to just let you starve."
“Very considerate of you.” He replied dryly with a smile as he stood, brushing his robe.
She led him to the mess hall and just watched him eat, having already eaten with Shou earlier. Before either of them could say anything, Bou walked into the mess hall, groaning only one word, ‘food’, before piling his plate full.
“Bou?” Hao Yang called out as Bou joined them at their table, mouth already stuffed with food.
“Oh..Hao Yang..didnt see you there.. What..chew chew..were you..chomp..up to?"
“Hm yes.. I remember. Just like that time.. anyway. Well we’ve just finished eating when you barged in like a ravenous dog that hadn’t seen food in a month. Where were you from?”
Dian Qie couldn’t help but noticed the way the two spoke, like they knew each other from before. They hadn’t acted that way in cultivation class. Were they hiding their relationship?
"Oh i went for a little adventure in the lake..you would not believe how deep it is.”
Dian Qie froze. He was in the lake too. Could he have seen what happened? Two people could know. Her eyes darted to Bou to study him and then, she remembered something from her times in the caves. A boy had jumped into the water and never resurfaced. She assumed he drowned but if he could hold his breath underwater…
“Oh? You were in the lake? I didn’t see you there.”
"You look like you found adventure as well."
“You go first. Although i’m not sure which story Dian Qie would believe more.”
"Well..it turns out there are caverns underneath the lake..and they lead to some places around the academy..i spent quite a while exploring..until i realized i was starving..luckily i found a way out..you would not believe where-”
“Dian Qie.”
Shit.
Shou approached the table they were sitting at.
She didn’t know how to gesture him to leave without making it obvious. She needed to know how much they saw in the lake. And him being here, wasn’t helping.
"Ah, Dian Qie, perfect.. I need you to help me look at these not.......es…” He trailed off, “Oh, am I interrupting something here.... Apologies there."
Yes. Yes he was. Go away. Let her work. She stood and bowed towards Shou, deeper than she usually did, hoping he would take the hint. “Young Master. I was just showing my classmates where the mess hall was." She refused to meet his gaze. Hao Yang would notice. It would play into his idea that she was unhappy working for Shou. She just needed Shou to leave.
"hmm... Seems like I am intruding. Well I just need you to help me review these later on. In any case I shall take my leave now then." He gave a sharp glare towards Hao Yang before leaving.
Dian Qie furrowed her brow, what the hell was that? But she just bowed once more, “Of course, young master. I live to serve you." She turned to Hao Yang and whispered, "Can we just meet up at the lake? I don't want to be where he can find me." Was it too obvious?
Hao Yang looked at the retreating back of Hao Shou with wry amusement. “He wants you to review his notes? Are you his instructor now?”
Dian Qie glared at the table, "Instructor, errand girl. I am his servant, of course. Whatever her master commands." She took a breath.
He smiled in amusement as he suggested meditation for her anger. And all she could think was he was lucky she was only pretending to be angry, because that comment would have set her off. “Come on. I haven’t told you yet what I found down there.” He gestured back towards the lake.
She got him. If he saw anything, he would tell her. She got him. Her eyes darted to Bou. One more. “Let’s go back to the lake then.”
“Tomorrow. We’ve all had long days.”
She wanted to protest but relented and sighed, “Fine. Back to my young master.”
“I promise I will tell you what I found tomorrow. You just need to be patient and less short-tempered.”
“I’m not short-tempered!” She snapped and froze, sheepish. “I will keep more control of my temper as a good servant should. Shall we head to bed then?”
“Good night, Dian Qie.”
"Good night, Hao Yang, Bou." She bowed at each of them in respect.
Dian Qie managed to find an empty storeroom in the academy, far enough from where classes were held and isolated enough that no one could overhear them. She sends a message to Shou, telling him the location of the room, then scouted the area to make sure that it truly was secure.
When she returned, Shou was already waiting for her. She bowed towards him. "Young Master, it seems cultivation class was the right choice for a subject indeed. From what I can understand, when we reach the cultivation stage, we should obtain Qi expanding pills from the apothecary. We were also shown the best place to perform cultivation that's rich in wood chi that's been fed water chi as well as the roots there that should protect us if things go wrong." She paused, "Though I do wonder...if it would be wise to bring you to that location? If the wood chi is as strong as Master Ying told us, maybe it could...help you. But it would be risky. Out in the open, even if not many of us know the location, anyone could see you."
Shou gestured to the seat and tea before him, ''Please sit first, Dian Qie.” She obeyed, “To be quite frank, Dian Qie, I am still having issues controlling my abilities... if this location can assist us in cultivating these Qi pills for our work and to perhaps allow me to understand my abilities… then i believe it is worth the risk.'' Shou said calmly as he brought a wilted flower back to life.
Dian Qie just eyed the use of his power with disapproval. "But we still should be careful. We still don't understand what these powers could mean. But if water chi would feed wood chi then..." She sipped her tea as she gets lost in her thoughts, then smiled cheekily, "Maybe it means we should go dunk you in the lake." She paused, "But yes, I think it would be best if I show you the location first. If anything were to happen, at least you would know where it is."
Shou nodded, “Then it’s settled. We will go there tonight.”
“How were your classes today, young master?”
Shou thought for a moment, ''There is this particular classmate of mine... He seems to be quite proficient with the GuZheng... if i manage to make acquintances with him... perhaps he might be able to assist you further with your training, Dian Qie.''
Dian Qie sipped her empty cup to hide her expression. She had been trained in the art of GuZheng under the Hao clan but her skills have been...less than stellar to put it politely. "As much as I appreciate your offer, young master, and it would give us a good reason to run off ever so often, don't you feel we have more pressing issues at hand?" Then watching her absolutely butchering the GuZheng.
Shou stood up from his chair and gave Dian Qie a gentle but firm head-pat with a warm smile, “Yes there are, but so is practicing your GuZheng alright?'' He smiled warmly, ''Never forget your training, and always remember what our clan lead..my father... says… ‘A Sparrow that rushes his hunt will get no supper at dusk.....we do what we can at the present first before worrying about the future’.''
Dian Qie sighed but bowed anyway, "As my young master commands." She gave a half-smile, remembering the events of the tournament, "Can't be embarrassing the Hao clan now, can I?"
“Of course not.”
She bit back a sigh and changed the subject, “The tea at the cafeteria, it was full of wood Qi. Did it make you feel any different, young master?”
''The tea you gave me… The wood qi within me somehow stirred for a moment.. I could feel stronger for just a moment before it faded away. '''You know....you can be a little less formal around me. We are alone here, you can drop your guard slightly. 'We are suppose to be Academy students together, just relax a bit ok''
Dian Qie took a breath, her voice tight, "I know my place, young master. But if it makes you uncomfortable around the other students, I will try to cut it down." She fell silent. She looked up at Shou and changed the subject, "So the effect for you is temporary." She sighed. "I guess maybe we would still need to go there to see if it helps you. And maybe we should pick more roots to make tea for you. Ignoring the...unfortunate effect...it may be able to keep you safe."
''I know, Dian Qie, its ok. Treat me as you always have alright, I wouldn't want no less or no more from you. The effect of the tea was temporary but.....i definitely felt its abilities Dian Qie. Well done I am proud of you in finding this for us, though its just temporary it is a good start for us'' He placed another gentle headpat on Dian Qie
Dian Qie bowed, "I live to serve you."
"Dian Qie," he said firmly, "You live to serve no one. The clan is not your keeper and we are family, not master and servant. Do you understand?" He looked at her with a serious look in his eye. "You are no caged bird, Dian Qie. The YinYue merely gave you your wings. It's up to you if you wish to fly.”
Dian Qie looked at Hao Shou then looked away. "You can give wings to a pìtī, it doesn't mean that they will ever fly. But thank you for your words, Shou. I know you and your family have been very kind to me. It's just difficult to remember sometimes when others treat me like..." She trailed off. It was the same story everytime. Just because she was playing Shou’s servant, everyone else treated her like she was their servant, like she was less than them. She should be used to it by now. She was used to it by now. She was just foolish to think the Academy would be different.
''It doesn't matter what the others think..... You will always have Me and the family by your side. Father and Mother has always had a fondness for you. And Dian Qie... Without you, I wouldn't have survived those cold nights inside that damn cave. Having you there... it kept me alive... You have more worth than you see yourself... it doesn't matter how you began the journey, what matters is how you end it. You will always have me on your side regardless of whatever happens next alright?” There’s a warm and genuine smile on Shou’s face and Dian Qie had to look away. Perhaps he was right. The others didn’t matter. Only the mission mattered.
“Let’s go then, before it gets too late. Everyone should be at the cafeteria for dinner now.” She led Shou towards the Toadstool Root patch. “Anything?”
Shou closed his eyes, “I feel it.”
Her sense of Qi was still untrained but she could feel something in the air around her. She watched as the flowers and grass began to grow. “Shou, this is too open.”
But he didn’t reply her, eyes still closed as the Qi around him flared. The toadstool roots over the lake started to grow. “Shou, enough.”
But his eyes were still closed. His skin was beginning to turn to a bark-like texture. “Shou, wake up.” He still couldn’t hear her.
She slapped him hard across the face.
He didn’t react and the bark continued to cover his skin.
She slapped him once more.
Roots began to form, tethering Shou to the ground.
She took out her dagger and sliced him. His skin was hard and any cut she made healed immediately.
“Wake up!” She slapped him hard across the face.
The Qi subsided and Shou looked at her, his skin turning back to normal. “Dian Qie, what happened?”
“We have to go. That was too big of a show.”
Dian Qie headed towards the Toadstool patch, taking as many herbs as she could, trying to hide evidence of anything that’s happened there. Her eyes darted into the lake and she noticed the plants overgrown at the bottom of the lake as well. There was no way she was hiding that. Maybe no one would notice. Maybe-
She spotted Hao Yang’s clothes, still folded in a neat pile next to the lake. He was still in the water. Would he have seen that? Could he have seen Shou?
There wasn’t time. They had to get out of there before the Masters arrived. The Masters would have felt that.
Dian Qie followed Shou to the cafeteria, walking three steps behind him as she was expected to. Her head was bowed towards the ground but her eyes darted around her, studying the other students, seeing if there was anything suspicious, trying to hear distant conversations that could catch her attention.
She took a plate of food for herself before sitting opposite Shou. Her fork darted to his plate, testing for poisons.
“Dian Qie, we all took from the same tray. If it was poisoned, all the students here will be poisoned as well. You don’t have to steal my food.”
“As you wish, master.” Her voice was stiff and formal. She still hadn’t forgiven him for what happened at the tournament. Not that Shou noticed she was upset of course. He never did.
Her eyes darted suddenly, someone was approaching them. She dropped her head further, adopting an even more submissive posture.
“Good evening. My name is Twillight Flame. May I join you?”
Her eyes darted towards Twillight once more before back downwards. She’d spoken a few words to Twillight at the tournament grounds. Nothing in particular stood out about her. But - and she had to bite back a smile - it was nice seeing Twillight defeat Hao Yang. He deserved to be knocked down a peg. But she couldn’t push back the name, Twilight Flame. An obvious alias. Why? Were people not able to pronounce her name in her culture’s tongue? Or was there something more sinister she was hiding? She would have to find out.
Dian Qie bowed, “Greetings, Miss Twillight. It’s nice to see you again.”
Twilight sat with them and began speaking with Shou.
Dian Qie quietly ate and studied her. Her words were bare and superficial, nothing that would trigger a warning. But why an alias? She waited for Twillight to bring it up, to explain her name but she never did. Should she ask? No. Too forward too soon. Let her gain Twillight’s trust first. Then she would ask.
Crash!
It took all she could to not jump on her feet and draw her dagger. She forced herself to sit still, letting her eyes widen in shock as the ceiling broke open and a figure fell onto the table. Her eyes darted to Shou, making sure he was unharmed. Her hand was inches from her dagger, ready to draw it if the figure tried anything.
The boy was young, maybe around their age. A lost student, perhaps? But why wasn’t he in uniform? The boy introduced himself as Fei Jinn, saying he got lost and ended up in the ceiling. Her eyes darted towards him, how does one accidentally end up in the ceiling? She studied him, trying to see what his goal was. But it became apparent very quickly, the boy was an idiot. He was an open book. There was nothing hidden on the inside. He was just…dumb.
She didn’t want to just brush him off yet. It could be an act, using stupidity as a cover. But when he started dancing on the table in the middle of the cafeteria, Dian Qie lost interest. Her eyes darted around the cafeteria once more, reading lips, trying to find suspicious conversations she could overhear as Shou entertained his two guests.
They speak about the tournament and how Hao Yang managed to win a decent number of matches. Something she refused to admit as anger stirred in her gut and she replied, “Hopefully he’s drowned at the bottom of the lake by now.”
Fei Jinn leaned over to Shou, and muttered under his breath, thinking himself safe. But Dian Qie saw the way his lips moved, “She’s a little rough, isn’t she?”
The anger she felt from that morning still hadn’t settled and it flared again. She bit her tongue as her eyes darted to Shou, waiting for his reaction, for him to come to her defense, something. He just agreed with Fei Jinn under his breath.
She tried to take a breath. She already made a spectacle of herself at the tournament. She couldn’t draw more attention to herself. Just forget it. It didn’t matter what they thought about her. As long as she played her part, completed her mission. Screw Fei Jinn. And screw Hao Yang.
And then she remembered cultivation class and Hao Yang’s little accident.
She bowed towards them, “I’ve been trying to learn new ways to brew tea. And this is a new leaf I managed to find. Would you like to try it? It might be a bit cold.” She poured the tea she had ‘borrowed’ from Hao Yang after he went into the lake.
She just sat there and watched as all three of their features changed. One by one, they ran towards the washroom. Her eyes were still focused on Fei Jinn. Rough. Unclassed. Lesser than them. She would show him. She darted past the tables and stood between Fei Jinn and the bathrooms. “Where are you going?” She asked innocently, “Was my tea really that bad?” She let her lips quiver.
“No. I just need the bathroom. Please.”
“To throw up? I’m sorry that my tea was terrible.”
“No please. Move out of the way. I-”
She smelled the ammonium as Fei Jinn’s cheeks turned red. She leaned in close towards Fei Jinn’s ear, “Call me rough one more time. I dare you.”
“I’m sorry.” He whimpered.
Finally Dian Qie stepped out of the way, letting him towards the bathroom. She closed her eyes. Why did she do that? Why did she let herself lose control again? She was trained better than this. What was wrong with her? She had to be better. She should be better. She-
She heard someone trying to sneak up behind her.
She turned, her hand nearly darting towards her dagger.
She saw Twilight behind her, trying to sneak a firework into the back of her shirt. She had to stop herself from reacting. Was she trying to hurt her? But Dian Qie bowed formally instead, “my apologies. I only wanted to teach Fei Jinn a lesson.”
Twilight placed a hand on the back of her head and pushed her head downwards, deepening the bow, until she was nearly 90 degrees bowed towards her. Her anger flared once more and something else, shame? No. She was playing servant. This was nothing. She would bow if she had to. But she didn’t have to. Why did she have to bow like this to Twilight? Who was she? How dare she? She looked up to see Twillight’s satisfied smirk at seeing her in such a submissive position.
She was playing servant.
Dian Qie voluntarily lowered her head a bit more. “My apologies. It will not happen again.”
Twilight’s smile widened, as if she was proud of her actions. Dian Qie imagined a hundred ways she could kill Twilight in her sleep. Twilight held out the firecracker towards Dian Qie, “A gift for you to show you I forgive you.”
Dian Qie doesn’t raise her head as she thanked Twilight for her gift. When she looked up, she saw Fei Jinn and Shou watching them. Neither of them acted like they saw what happened. Dian Qie raised her head. She was playing servant. She had a mission. She had a role. Let them treat her how they want. It would be easier for her to work. She pushed down her wounded pride and hurt that bubbled in her chest. She was a tool. She had no pride. She didn’t feel hurt. She just had to complete her mission. Everything else was secondary.
Shou offered to bring Fei Jinn to the administrative office and Dian Qie just followed quietly behind. She was playing servant here, just as she did in the Hao Clan. Nothing’s changed. So why did she think things would be different here? Why did she expect anything to change? Just play servant to Hao Shou, that’s all she needed to do. As long as Shou didn’t treat her like a servant, why should she care about the others? Just play servant.
Her eyes darted upwards as they heard noise from in front of them. Her eyes darted around. They were close to the White Tiger dorms. And true enough, there were dozens of male White Tiger students, surrounding someone. She tried to see who it was, who was so important that they got the White Tiger students in a frenzy. And then she spotted her.
Yang Mi spotted them as well, no not them. No one else would be important enough for her eyes, no one except Shou. She approached them and Dian Qie bowed deeply. Fei Jinn and Twillight didn’t react, neither of them recognizing her. But Shou knelt on the ground before the Crown Princess, “Yang Mi.”
Yang Mi just glared at him, “You broke your promise.” Was all she said before she took Shou’s hand. She bit down hard on his finger but Shou didn’t react. “Don’t do it again.” Was all she said before she walked off, not even sparing Dian Qie a glance.
Of course not, why would she? She was a servant, nothing more. Forget the fact that she has been by Shou’s side since they were 10. Forget the fact that she’s met the Princess so many times over the years. Who was she to even deserve a greeting or acknowledgement? She’s never given it to her before.
Well, once. Before coming to the academy. The Princess finally graced Dian Qie with her presence, ordering her to keep the other female students away from Shou. Dian Qie had only bowed and told her she would follow her command. It was the first and only conversation the Princess had ever bothered striking with her in the 6 years they’ve known each other. It didn’t matter, she was a servant, nothing more. Why would she deserve a Princess’ attention?
She watched silently as Shou explained to Fei Jinn and Twilight his relationship with the Princess, swearing them to secrecy. The best way to secrecy was to not say anything. But she supposed the Princess was too obvious with her actions. She could see the White Tiger students whispering and muttering amongst themselves. So much for keeping a low profile.
Dian Qie entered the next classroom, hidden deep in a storeroom near Vermillon Bird. She furrowed her brow, why? It was a strange place for a classroom, that was for sure. Secrets class. It was a dangerous class to take, for what she was. And it wasn’t as if she couldn’t already find secrets. But the others who took this class, they would want secrets for a reason. They would be suspicious. They would be the first people she would need to question.
She saw the teacher asleep at the desk. She stood there and bowed deeply, not saying a word.
Face still on table, Constable Miao muttered, "At least you have manners. Come in and have a seat while the other student arrive."
“Yes sir.” She bowed once more before taking a seat at the desk.
"Flowers bloom with the kindness of the vibrant sun. Roots grow downwards shying away from its radiance."
Dian Qie pauses, her eyes darting towards the Constable. He knew who she was. The message was clear, he was here protecting somewhere from the Imperial Family. Something twisted in her gut. Was Yang Mi here? She took a breath. It was fine.
Another student entered the classroom just as the constable finished his words. Dian Qie bowed and quickly replied, "My apologies, sir. I am not as educated as the rest of my peers. I do not know how to understand such poetry. But please do continue if you wish."
Her eyes darted to the door and widened slightly to see Bou enter. Him? Why would he need secrets? Was the friendly persona all an act? She found her first target.
The Constable stood, face clear awake and took a long look at the two students. "Question. How many trees above 8 feet of height did you pass on the way here?"
Dian Qie thought back. She wouldn’t have noticed, normally. But she remembered studying the trees, trying to see if there was anyone hiding among them, watching her. "I believe I saw 13 trees of that height, though I may have miscounted in my distraction, sir." Was that a mistake? Should she have lied? What other reason could she have of paying attention to the trees?
Bou stared at his feet, "I saw many trees on the way here Constable, probably why i got lost…"
Dian Qie’s eyes darted towards Bou. Was he just playing ignorant? Why else would he be at this class? Was getting lost an act as well? No one was this innocent. Especially not the Jade Cranes. This was a trick.
"Student Dian Qie is correct. You still need to grow more, student Bou."
"I will try to pay more attention…Constable." He was still looking at his feet. True shame? Or an act? But why lie about something like this?
"Now, my class will teach you first and foremost, information. The name secrets is just part of the whole picture. How to gather them. How to interpret them. How to use them to gain more. You will learn what you can from me."
Dian Qie saw how Bou’s eyes light up at the Constable’s words. He slipped up.
"First, your senses." The Constable then tapped beside his eyes, “We will start with what you can see." He handed them two separate pieces of papers to each of them, “Your first assignment."
Dian Qie read her assignment, "Tell me the words written on the handkerchief owned by the current House Representative of House Black Tortoise. PS : I know the words. Don't cheat." A strange assignment but it shouldn’t be too difficult. The House Representatives all have their own private dorms after all. But if they kept the handkerchief on their person… She needed to find the type of person they were. If they were a decent person, crying in front of them should be enough for them to offer her their handkerchief to dry her eyes.
"Do you have any advice you can bestow on me for the assignment..." Bou asked.
"Look really hard. But try not to arise ire." The Constable stoically replied. "Remember. What I want is the answer. How you do it, has nothing to do with me."
She bowed, “I will try my best and not let you down.” She looked at her assignment once more, "It's tough but not impossible." She paused as she turned to Bou, "You look a bit pale, are you alright?"
"I hope so…this is certainly a difficult treasure to find..."
"I see. Well we did say we'll work together. How about if either of us completes our assignment early, we help out the other?" She needed an excuse to spend more time with him, to find out what his motives were.
" I would…” Bou hesitated, looking at Dian Qie, “No...i can't...I'm afraid i will have to go at mine alone for now...I am really sorry…”
"Understood. I would not force you of course. But we did promise to work together and I'm very appreciative of your honesty in Cultivation class. But I agree. Let's go on it on our own first."
"As do I your offer..I truly hope i will not require your assistance for this assignment.." He stared at the Constable, then at the paper before finally folding and keeping it.
Dian Qie bowed at Constable Miao as she took her leave. Outside, out of earshot of the constables, she turned to Bou, "I'm curious. Why did you choose such a class? To sneak into the girl's dorm?"
He looked back at Dian Qie.."I thought it would help me solve puzzles. What about you? Are you trying to sneak into the men's dorm?"
She had to stop herself from scoffing, she didn’t need Secrets class to sneak into the male dorms. She already figured out how to get in easily, in case Shou needed her. "Solve puzzles? I don't know how secrets are supposed to help solve puzzles but I guess it helps you notice things." She studied Bou, trying to discern the lies from his answer. But it seemed genuine, almost childishly so. Was that really it? He really just wanted to solve puzzles? It seemed too simple but she couldn’t find any tells if he was lying. She was thinking too much. These were all just children. She’d almost forgotten not everyone was raised like her. Maybe they truly were just innocent children here to study.
Bou was still staring at her expectantly, awaiting answers. Right. Why did she join Secrets class. To find and determine suspicious people in this Academy that she needed to look out for. Well, she couldn’t very much answer that, could she? She paused as if hesitant to answer the question, "I need to protect someone.” She let her voice drop to a self-deprecating whisper, “And I'm not strong. So the only way I can do it is to be his eyes and ears. So I was hoping this would help."
"Ah...to have something to protect is a great goal indeed. I’m sure he is grateful for your help." He smiled at Dian Qie.
Her smile faltered, remembering the events at the House Representative selection, "I think he's grateful to have a pet." She let her eyes widen, as if just realizing what she had said. Let them think she was an underappreciated servant who was mistreated by her Master. That was how she would get their pity. "I mean, I am here to serve him, nothing more."
"Well he must be very fortunate then to have you..."
"The fortune is mine. If it was not for his family, I would have starved a long time ago. But that's an old story." She paused and looked at Bou, "But it would be nice to have friends outside of Shou." She averted her eyes quickly, as if shy. "I mean we have so many classes together. It would be easier to work together. I mean...it's ok. Forget I said anything." She let herself trail off, as if she thought herself unworthy of asking, her eyes sank to the ground.
Bou let out a laugh, "Of course. The more the merrier, always happy to make new friends. I’m sure we will both find more as we get along." Bou was back to a chipper mood, deep in thought.
A shy, wide smile formed on Dian Qie’s face, her demeanor still submissive. "That's nice to hear." She gave a bow to Bou before leaving. Perhaps Bou wasn’t suspicious, but this ‘friendship’ they’ve formed would be enough to keep him in her view in case he ever slipped up.
For now, she had an assignment to complete. She headed over towards the Black Tortoise House, her uniform a stark contrast in the field of black, but she maintained a submissive, respectful manner. Eventually she found out that a student from Shaolin was the closest to winning the House Representative title, but as he was still engaged in the competition, she would have to wait for another day. Strange. Why would a man have a handkerchief? And more than that… if the House Representative hasn’t been chosen, how would the Constable have decided the assignment? Did they just assume all the students carried handkerchieves? She didn’t. Well… hers was hidden in a box in the floorboards. It was too precious to lose. But she certainly hadn’t embroidered anything on it. She shook her head and headed back to the Azure Dragon dorms.
Dian Qie bowed deeply to Venerable Ying before sitting among the plum blossom trees. She had parchment and brushes before her, ready to take notes.
"As you all are currently martial stage cultivators, the next stage you all will reach soon will be the Body Cultivation Stage. What happens at that instance is the opening of your body's major meridians. For that transition to happen, you would have to forcefully inject a large amount of Qi into your veins to expand them. Then the mass of Qi in those meridians will start to transform your bones & muscles to suit better for the development of more advanced martial techniques. This is where the danger lies.
Your body needs to be able handle the influx of qi as it transforms your meridians. As such, you must be able to handle the pain that comes with it. Should you fail, there might be a backlash to your meridians, that may only heal after a successful breakthrough into the Body Cultivation Stage. As so, you should prepare resources to temporarily strengthen your body while you are breaking through, or prepare some medicine to heal your wounded meridians in case of failure"
Dian Qie tried to copy down as much as she could. It all sounded so foreign. She felt lost. She should know this. She knew about breakthroughs. Why did she feel so lost? She turned to see the rest of the class. There were only three of them. Her face darkened on seeing Hao Yang and there was another student she had yet to meet. He did not participate in the sparring tournament.
She went back to her notes as the Venerable Ying continued on. It was an influx of information and then she froze at his words.
"There are simply too many list. But the most common ones that are greatly beneficial, are herbs or pills with strong life energy. That means rich with Wood Elemental Qi"
Wood Qi… Did that mean she wouldn’t need to look for herbs or pills? But would it work the same way? She couldn’t ask. But she made sure to make a note of it.
"Master, you are implying that we risk damage to our very essences to obtain this power. But I believe we, as practitioners ourselves, have gone through much pain to get to this point. If we have come this far, it would be wasteful to stop now." Hao Yang said and all Dian Qie could think was how poorly he treated her at the sparring arena.
She smirked, "Why? Scared to die? You seemed very brave in the field earlier."
Her smirk widened as it clearly affected him as he scoffed, "Isn't that supposed to be my line? You were the one who got upset, not me."
"Of course. I am nothing more than a weak woman who is terrified of death and would need all the help that she can get. I'm sure a strong, skilled, brave man like yourself would be able to face the cultivation without any external aid." She taunted his ego.
"If weak is how you see yourself, then no one can help you."
"Don't worry. I have learned long ago not to rely on anyone for help. If they do help you, they're expecting something in return."
“A ship remains afloat not by the strength of its sails nor the wood in its hull, but by virtue of its crew.”
"And the crew gets paid in return. They're not on the ship out of the kindness of their hearts."
Hao Yang scoffed, “I’m not too sure what exactly you expect but yes, that is generally how we compensate our crew. They don’t contribute their skills out of charity. But regardless of motivations, a crew works together to ensure the ship gets to where it needs to.”
“So it's not exactly helping is it. Give and take. That's the way the world works." Dian Qie pondered for a moment then smiled, "But sure. You want to talk about working together, then fine. Let's all work together," She said sarcastically chipper, "With no expected tit-for-tat, and figure out together how to solve our cultivation problem." And then she realized the other student staring at them. She stopped herself realizing how much she wasn’t playing her role. She bowed at him, "Nice to meet you. I'm Dian Qie. Please forgive my outburst. But please, let's all work together to solve this issue."
“That’s the spirit” The boy chimed in, “We are all in it together after all. Pleased to meet you.” He bowed, ”Name’s Bou hehe let’s have a crack at this shall we?”
Dian Qie stared at her notes and tried to figure it out, but her own knowledge of Qi is minimal at best, "So from what I can understand, this process is going to force our body to take in more Qi and we just have to survive the process? No it can't be that simple or they wouldn't have a class on it." She turned to Bou and bowed again, "Do you have any ideas how to survive this?"
“Well, as how our teacher has shared, we can do it slowly to open the barrier or push it hard. High risk, high reward. I think it will be important for us to consider which path would work..also if we can find ways to temporarily strengthen our body would likely increase our chances of success.”
Dian Qie's face fell, "Right, cultivation merchants." Soul coins. She was already lucky to have been able to study in the academy. It wasn't like she could write back, asking for money. She sighed, "Don't think any of us took Agriculture class to try to grow our own herbs right?"
“I’m sure there are ways to increase our chances of survival as well that we could consider. Perhaps if we try this in places rich in natural energy it might help.”
Dian Qie cocked her head to the side, "Natural energy? Venerable Qing did say Wood Element would help? Does this mean we should perform our cultivation in the forest?""
Bou shakes his head, “Maybe we can forage or do work to get some of these items. That might help?” And Dian Qie recognizes the reaction, the shame of not being able to afford something.
She smiles. "Yes. I suppose that there are other ways of getting such materials. Better not to lose hope." She bows to him once more, "I believe we share another class together as well. It is difficult to find friends of similar...standing here. Let us work together to pass our classes and survive."
“Likewise..it’s an honor to know you let us not only pass and survive we should strive to thrive.” He says with a bright smile.
"Yes I suppose it would be nice if we were able to thrive here. Let's work together and thrive then." She turns to Hao Yang and she can barely hide the way her expression twitches, "Even you I suppose."
He raises an eyebrow and rolls his eyes at Dian Qie’s snide remark but just says. “Then let us go find these herbs. It would be a good opportunity to explore the grounds around the academy, as well.”
"Any idea what we would be looking for?" Dian Qie said snidely. "Or are we gonna be putting random plants in our mouths?"
The Venerable looks on with amusement and then chuckles at the trio. He then brings out a herb from his storage ring and shows it to them. "Nearby the lake side of the Academy there should be a spot where these herbs grow. Abundant with Wood Qi, thrives on Water Qi, it is called Toad Roots. This venerable suggest to chew a handful while trying to breakthrough, and ONLY swallow it when you sustain some injuries during that moment. Personally, this Venerable would also recommend to attempt the breakthrough nearby the Toad Root patch, it should lighten the burden you will face then.”
Bou bows to The Venerable, "Thank you for your wisdom..I will certainly keep that in mind"
Dian Qie bows deeply towards Venerable Ying, "Thank you so much Master. And I...apologize for our...antics."
"Ho ho, its not youth if antics were absent. This Venerable remembers some antics with my scan... cough cough junior sisters once upon a time. Treasure these interactions for these are what that will keep you all grounded in the future ho ho ho." The Venerable then leads them to a secret part of the lake where the Toadroot patch grows, before leaving them to explore.
Dian Qie plucks one of the roots and looks at them, "Let's try not to destroy too many of the roots then. We don't know when we would need them again."
"Yes of course..we only take what we would need.." as Bou harvests a bit of the root and puts it in his gourd..i wonder if this will infuse..
Dian Qie tilted her head to the side, "That is actually smart. But...Venerable Ying did ask us not to swallow unless we sustained injury. Are you sure you want to try that?"
He looked at Dian Qie confused, “I’m making tea..maybe i can prolong its effects and carry it around.”
And Dian Qie nearly wanted to tell him off, used to Shou’s own careless nature. She takes a breath, what Bou does is none of her business, "I can't stop you if you want to try. I guess trying would be the best way to learn."
"Well trying new things is an adventure in itself, i'd be happy to share if you’d like some later." He said while he flashed Dian Qie a grin.
Hao Yang turned to them, “I suppose we can experiment with them little by little. Since these herbs are rare we would not want to waste them too much. If only there was some way to dry them quickly before they begin to wilt...”
Dian Qie just watched him grind the leaves into dust and used his Qi to heat up the water, allowing the roots to seep into a tea. He took a sip and there’s nothing for a moment, before he suddenly dashes to a nearby bush. Dian Qie smells the distinct smell of ammonia before hearing curse words escape Hao Yang’s lips. She slowly realized what was happening. A laugh escaped her lips. She tried to bite it back before she began laughing even louder and harder. Tears streamed down her eyes.
She watched Hao Yang use his Qi to clean his clothes and she couldn’t catch her breath as her laughs just got louder, “ Did you… did you learn that because you had problems with bladder control? You don't have to be embarrassed." She laughed harder. "Ok. Maybe you do." She took a breath and managed to stifle her laughter to a manageable chuckle. "Maybe next time you'll listen to people wiser than you when they warn you not to do it."
Dian Qie’s eyes darted towards Hao Yang’s back, noting a huge tattoo of two intertwining eels against a backdrop of crashing waves. His body is wiry and taut with several layers of overlapping scars. Training perhaps. It was only normal to have such injuries in training. Hers were healed so they wouldn’t scar, it wouldn’t be proper for a lady to have scars like that. Especially not one from the Hao clan, with how suggestive alot of their clothing were. She was lucky he was so thoughtful of her. She wouldn’t know how to answer questions if her clothes revealed more than they should.
Hao Yang let out an exclamation of surprise at Dian Qie appearing behind him. He moved his hands in reflex and a column of water splashed onto Dian Qie.
Dian Qie froze as she was suddenly drenched in cold water. She shivered and she felt her body start to panic. No. She had more control. Don’t show anything. Don’t react to the cold. Her body shivered harder. She took a breath, trying to force her body to calm. She turned towards Hao Yang, glaring at him. "How childish. Is this really the way you conduct yourself?" She turned towards Bou, "Is there a chi technique that can age someone up? Because with him having an accident on himself and his childish reactions, I swear that that's a child pretending to be a man."
“Excuse m-“ Hao Yang stopped himself and took a breath before continuing in an even tone “I would have thought you’d know better than to spy. If you’d wanted to observe, you could have come forward earlier. Then you would have seen for yourself that my experiment failed.” He took another breath and continued. “I apologize for my reaction, it was unbecoming of me. Allow me to dry you off.” He waved his hand and Dian Qie was filled with surprise as her clothes began drying off.
"I wasn't spying. It's not my fault, you have the grace of an oxen and everyone can see you run into a bush." She shivered but didn't protest Hao Yang drying again. Never again. She never wanted to feel cold again. "Yes, it failed. As Venerable Ying warned us. As I tried to warn Bou earlier. But I'm sure you know better than the Master." She tried to squeeze water from her uniform, wanting to get dry faster. It was cold. Too cold. And she hated it. Cold meant death. She had to get out of the cold. "It was. It showed a lack of control. Learn it." She said sharply. Then she paused, "So if you can just dry your clothes with your Qi, is there a reason you're shirtless or you just want to show off your body?"
“Well of course Venerable Ying knows better. But sometimes you need to experience it firsthand. And besides, I don’t think it was entirely fruitless. It feels like if the process was better refined instead of my own rudimentary methods, we could have some success. So I am not closing the door on this yet. If we gave up at the first sign of difficulty we would not be here. Besides, have you ever had excrement soil your robes before? If you have, you’d know that it’s very uncomfortable and the last thing you want to do is to keep it on you. But I do apologize if I have offended your delicate sensibilities. On a ship it’s fairly commonplace to see your crewmembers undress in front of you, such is the close proximity of a ship’s bowels. Only the captain and the first mate have their own quarters. The action came thoughtlessly to me. I apologise if I have… offended you.” Hao Yang bows theatrically.
Dian Qie fell silent, as memories of her life on the streets filled her. Excrement on her robes? She was a child on the streets with no one to teach her better. She had to learn the hard- She pushed it back, not wanting to remember. She smiled snidely, "Of course not. I for one have control of my faculties." She cocked her head to the side, "No offense taken. I just find it strange that's all. I mean, even beggars on the streets know how to protect their dignity. I guess seamen have different ways of thinking." She watched Hao Yang's sarcastic bow and just smiles wider, "Ah so you do know manners. Nice to see you still know how to show respect. And regarding your experiments, I am sure all the great masters have already tried their hands at this. But since you know better, sure. Just please, do let me know if you ever try it again. I would love to watch your progress."
“My manners were never in question.” Hao Yang smiled. “‘Til next time then.” With that, Hao Yang turned and walked into the lake, deeper and deeper towards the center before disappearing completely beneath the surface.
Dian Qie stared at Hao Yang's back and muttered to herself, "It would be too much to hope that he drowns right?" He did not surface after some time. 5 minutes… 10 minutes… still no sign of him. Dian Qie shrugged, already gathering all the information she needed. She sat at the edge of the lake, watching the waters and how peaceful it is now that it was silent.
Dian Qie walked into the dueling grounds 3 steps behind Hao Shou. Her eyes darted around scanning for potential dangers and threats. Everyone carried weapons but no one was holding them in a manner that was threatening an attack. She checked the shadows but found no one suspicious. She continued to follow Hao Shou towards the arena and found a pair of empty seats.
"My name is Ouyang Pi! Youngest son of the Head of Ouyang Clan. I hereby stake my rightful claim as House Representative of the Azure Dragons! I, this prince, will lead the house to glory and trample over the other houses! Any weakling here dares to challenge my mighty saber?"
Dian Qie studied the man who walked to the front. He wasn’t built nor nimble. He seemed of an average size and stature if not for the fact that his nose was 3 feet in the air. Arrogance radiated off him in waves. He would be defeated in a match, she predicted. She sat back and watched to see which arrogant idiot would respond to his call.
"Oh great prince,” Oh no. “I believe you are forgetting yourself here. Though I do not doubt your strength, martial prowess isn't the only thing important in this academy. Perhaps sheath your blade before you hurt yourself." That arrogant idiot.
Ouyang Pi responds equally haughtily, "Ah! My first stepping stone to greatness! Come, show me what you got plebian! Please tell all your name, so you may you be forever recognized as the first loser of this grand battle!" He took an offensive stance and Dian Qie knew she was right. One battle and he would lose.
“Hao Shou from the Hao clan.” Shou held out his hand towards her.
She quietly passed him his sword before she muttered under her breath, “"I know you're excited, young master. But perhaps we should watch him for any weaknesses first. We shouldn't be hasty in this.” But she knew her words would fall on deaf ears and it took all she could to not rub her forehead.
“Just a noisy cricket that needs to be put in place for now. Don't worry I will be fine, we went through worse together after all.” Shou gave her a charismatic smile.
Dian Qie’s gaze dropped, "The thing about noisy crickets is they always attract other noisy crickets and you let them tear each other apart." She realized what she said, looked at the noisy crickets before her, and resisted rubbing her head and sighed, “Forget it. Just be careful.”
Shou walked to the middle of the arena and the pair started dueling. Ouyang Pi was beaten in a matter of seconds. He was all talk, as expected. Shou just looked out proudly towards her, before he bowed and returned to sitting next to her.
“Stop showing off.”
“I’m not. Just putting him in his place.”
Dian Qie watched the next challenger. A young man from the Southern Seas. There’s a firm look on his face, back straight, ramrod. Was he part of the army? No. The Southern Seas did not have Imperial ties. Perhaps a man of the navy. She watched as he beat opponent after opponent. He would be an interesting candidate. Likely Jade Crane as well. He fit the age.
"You know, Dian Qie, you can always try to challenge him yourself. You are stronger than you know."
She sighed internally once more. She wanted to keep a low profile, to go around unnoticed. But Shou had put a spotlight on himself and now her. She needed to work in the shadows.
"There are perks to being the House Representative, you know, Dian Qie. One of it being your own private dorm." He gave her a smirk.
Was that an order? A private dorm meant she would be able to work easily and slip in and out undetected. But more than that, she needed the opportunity to leave the Academy Grounds unquestioned. She may need the shadows, but at this moment, being Head Representative may bring sufficient benefit. “Then it will be my turn, young master.”
Dian Qie stood and entered the arena before bowing deeply to Hao Yang. “Master Hao.”
He bowed in greeting, back still ramrod straight. Navy. “Please.” He gestured towards her before getting into position.
She stared at him blankly and unassuming. But she studied his stance and the way his weight focused. Her own legs were only slightly spread, her weight on the balls of her feet but she just stood there, silent and unassuming. She was ready.
She watched Hao Yang dash forward towards her, his left hand readied into a fist. She darted to the left to avoid it, only for the right hand to strike, sending an open palm into the middle of her chest. She stumbled back, wind knocked out of her, slightly. She reacted too quickly. She let more weight rest onto her stance. She needed to be more focused, watch, not just react.
Hao Yang darted forward once more, sending a knee into her gut, winding her once more.
Interesting. There was something about the way he fought, feral almost. Not a noble. Nobles would never fight like that, it was too improper. But the navy wouldn’t fight like that either. Or at least they weren’t supposed to. Fine. She was sick of getting hit. Defensive wasn’t working, it was time to take the offense.
She saw the elbow swinging down towards the back of her neck. She dodged downwards, forcing the elbow to lose momentum and miss. The fighting style was vicious. A smirk entered her lips before she could stop it. Vicious was…vicious was familiar. Vicious was fun. As she rose from her dodge, she used the momentum to kick at Hao Yang’s abdomen.
Hao Yang stumbles back before he stands still, calming himself. Before he darted forward once more, sending three successive strikes towards her face.
She tasted blood. Her first instinct was to spit it out. But Hao Yang’s changed demeanor caught her attention. She forgot. She may be at the academy to learn, but she was still playing servant. She dabbed her mouth with her sleeve, studying Hao Yang for a moment. She would see how he would react to a distraction.
She let out a cry of pain, making her voice to be as pitiful as possible. "Did you have to strike my face? Do you know how important a woman's face is?" She covered her face as if she was crying. And then, at the last moment, she let out her chi, summoning an invisible blade, striking Hao Yang across the chest. Easily distracted by strangeness. Interesting.
A sneer crept up on his face, was his ego bruised? “Nice trick. Unluckily for you, I have my own.” He grabbed her throat and before she could attempt to slip out, she felt a jolt of electricity course through her throat. Her muscles seized and contracted, shocking her. She nearly forgot to scream.
She grabbed her throat as her eyes narrowed. A simple sparring match and he chose this platform to show off what he could do? A jolt of electricity to the throat; a murder attempt? Confident control of his qi? Or just plain foolish ignorance? Any one of those reasons were unacceptable. She glared at him and darted forward, aiming a fist at his face.
Hao Yang sidestepped and sent a chop against her throat, “You lack control.”
The blow shocked her system, turning her vision black. She felt her body panicking as it struggled to remember how to take a breath. Second throat strike. All three still valid options but… She coughed as she forced her throat to remember how to breathe. But he was right. She lacked control. She should have never gotten close. If it was a murder attempt and not ignorance, she would be dead. She stood to bow at him when his next words stopped her in her place.
"Your companion needs to control her temper. Remind her of that before she gets you or herself killed." He said to Shou.
Speak to her. Why was he speaking to Shou about what she needed to learn? She hadn’t even introduced herself as ‘servant’ and he was already treating her like she was nothing. Arrogant bastard. And the words escaped her mouth before she could stop it. "And you lack honour. This is nothing more than a bout between classmates and you've tried to kill me twice." She sneered as she rubbed her throat, taking quick desperate breaths, "Do not speak to me on control when you so obviously have none."
Hao Yang had the audacity to look surprised. "You enter this arena with the intent to fight. The fact that you hold yourself back is an insult to your opponent because you don't feel the need to honor him with your skills. If anything, I am the one who should feel insulted. If you cannot understand that, then you are a disgrace to this school even before you've started."
She bit her tongue, tempted to tell him if she honored him with her skills, he would be bleeding out on the ground. But she had the self control at least not to. Her expression darkened as he called her a disgrace but before she could say a word, a voice interrupted.
"Enough both of you.” Shou entered the arena. "There are plenty of times to fight amongst each other during this semester but this is neither the time nor the place.” He turns to her, "Dian Qie you have lost, accept it."
She gives him an incredulous look. It wasn’t the losing she had a problem with. It-
"You'd better teach your companion here some manners and etiquette. She is sorely lacking in that respect."
Respect her betters. He was not her ‘better’. She owed him none of that. She-
“I apologize for the behavior of my company, she will be told off strictly later on. Come, Dian Qie."
Dian Qie’s back was stiff. She was not a dog. She was not something to be apologized for. She-
"She will learn on her own, I'm sure. I simply hope this was but one of her lessons."
Her eyes narrowed at him. She raised a hand towards her braids but took a breath. "Of course. I am nothing more than a disgrace to this school. Unlike you of oh so high noble birth." She bowed deeply but there's nothing but contempt in her bow. A needle through the heart would end him instantly.
She turned towards Shou and bowed deeper, no contempt this time. “My apologies for embarrassing you, young master." She followed Hao Shou. She thought the Academy would be different. She thought… They were right. This was just another mission, nothing more. She lost control. She would not make that mistake again. Just complete the mission. She wasn’t here to have fun.
So I have an idea for my next project. I have been on this Westmarch-esque Wuxia DND campaign. And if I believed I loved DND before, nothing compared when I get to write my RPs and not have to worry about being shy and insecure. And good god the twists and turns, I love it soooo much. Unfortunately it's been ~~dying~~ slowing down and I've been craving to RP so badly. So I decided, it's been what 6 months since the campaign started, my character has gone through so much character growth from the start that she's barely recognizable as the same character ~~or more because she had so many secrets she couldn't rp as she is~~. It was always my intention to compile the RPs into a short book at the end of the the campaign, but why not start now? I will try to preserve other people's RPs/dialogues as much as I can to the original, the most maybe typos and flow. But other than that I will leave them untouched. I will probably add thoughts and intentions to my own character's RP to flavour it since I don't need to worry about Metagaming and all that. Is this going to be fun? I don't know. But it will be nice to have something distract me from the campaign dying.
TW: Child whump, Serious talks about planning to kill a child
Notes: Another character to bring in for you. Yikes. Was just going down the whumptober list to see what I haven't filled. And this idea jumped up immediately. Context cause I realized I didn't explain it, Seraphina is a wild magic sorcerer, meaning she has absolutely no control of her powers. It was fun cause I just wanted to make the most chaotic character i could whose chaos was all accidents. So the wild magic things was all meant to be jokes. Well...you know me. I cannot leave characters happy for long. I get bored (and I also didn't know what to do with her. Like ok chaos...then?) We go the usual route of, oh character learns to control her powers. Then? So I dunno, what came out is easily one of the darker backstories for my characters?
Dear Diary,
Mommy and Daddy locked me in my room. I know I’ve done something bad again. But they won’t tell me what. The house doesn’t smell burnt again. But I know I’ve done something bad. I don’t remember what happened. I usually do. I usually remember causing a fire or summoning monsters or making people sick. But this time I don’t remember. Some of the neighbours had come over for dinner and we were all laughing and having fun. Then one of the girls pulled my hair and called me the village freak then…then… I don’t remember. I woke up in my room and they locked the door. I called out to mommy and daddy but they just asked me to stay in the room for awhile. Did I hurt anyone? Did I do something really bad? I didn’t mean to. I never mean to. It just happens. I hope everyone isn’t angry with me. Maybe they just need to calm down. I’ll stay here and wait for awhile. It’s ok.
Dear Diary,
They still won’t let me out. They won’t even open the door. They send in food to me through a small teleportation circle. They won’t say anything else to me. Why? What did I do wrong? Why can’t I remember? I’m scared. I tried knocking on the door but no one answered me. I think everyone’s very angry at me. I’m trying to learn the scriptures and pray to Lord Torm. But…why won’t anyone at least talk to me? Why won’t anyone say anything? I’m sorry. I really am sorry.
Dear Diary,
I can’t do this anymore. I kept banging on the door and begging them to let me out. But they wouldn’t let me out. They won’t even talk to me. Please talk to me. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to do whatever I did. I’m sorry. I’ll be good. Please just let me out. I don’t want to stay in here alone anymore. Please. I’ll be good. Just let it out.
The next few pages of the diaries are tear-streaked, then blood streaked. Some of the pages have been burned off. The entries are mostly indecipherable.
Dear Diary,
I keep praying to Lord Torm to help me. To take this curse away from me. Why won’t he help me? I don’t want to do this anymore. Please make it stop. It won’t stop. It’s happening more and more. Mommy and Daddy had long removed anything that could catch fire in my room. But it still burns. It still hurts. It hurts. Mommy usually made the pain go away. But she’s not here. No one’s here. Do they hate me? Is that why-
Diary,
It hurts. I’m hiding under my bed. I’m scared to go out. A monster appeared. It was so big and scary. I tried to scream but I couldn’t make a sound. Only bubbles escaped my throat. It hurt me. There’s so much blood. I crawled under the bed and it couldn’t reach me. I kept trying to scream but I couldn’t. And then the monster disappeared. But I’m still scared to go out and see. My stomach hurts. Everything hurts. I still can’t scream. I can’t make a sound. I…I’m getting sleepy. Maybe when I wake up, it will just be a nightmare.
*
“Seraphina?” There was a sound from outside the door. Did they stop being angry with her? “Seraphina, can you hear me?” Brother? It hurt. She couldn’t move. She felt too tired to move. Something was wrong. “I’m sorry we left you alone for so many days. There was an urgent meeting at the church that we couldn’t get out off. Did you have fun with Selise at least?”
Seraphina still didn’t say anything. They weren’t ignoring her on purpose? But why did they lock the door? And her big sister was here, why didn’t she come in and talk to her? But Selise never hid how much she didn’t like Seraphina.
“I know you’re upset but would you at least answer me?”
Seraphina’s voice was weak. It wasn’t bubbles anymore but she struggled to find her voice. “Hurts.”
“What hurts, little one?”
She blinked, it was so hard to think. “Hurts.” He brother was there. Her brother was talking to her. He didn’t hate her. “Help.”
“Seraphina, what’s wrong?” She heard the doorknob rattle before the door flew open, revealing her brother standing there, still in his armor. His eyes darted to the blood stained ground, before landing on her hiding under the bed. He ran towards her, his armor clanking noisily. “What happened?”
She whimpered then cried out in pain as her brother pulled her from under the bed. She gripped her stomach harder as tears rolled down her face.
“It’s ok. It’s ok.” He repeated soothingly. “We’ll find mother to heal you, alright?” He gathered her tightly in his arms. His eyes darted towards her stomach before his face turned pale, “Did Selise do this?”
“No…. M…Monster… I… did bad a…gain…” Her voice was trembling as she struggled to speak.
“Ok. It’s ok. We’ll find Mother. It won’t hurt anymore.” He left the room, moving quickly but careful enough not to jostle her wound further.
“Sc…scared….”
“I know. It’s ok. There’s nothing to be afraid off.”
She nodded weakly, “You’re…here.” She felt sleepy. She closed her eyes. Her brother was here. She was safe now.
“Seraphina, don’t close your eyes! Just keep talking to me.”
But Seraphina couldn’t keep her eyes open. She was so tired. She just wanted to sleep for a minute.
“Seraphina!” She could hear worry in her brother’s voice. Why was he worried? She was just sleepy. “Mother!”
“She went out for a while. What do you need, brother?” She recognized Selise’s voice.
“We asked you to watch her. Is this how you take care of her?” Her brother was angry. She didn’t want her brother to be angry. She was the one who was bad again.
“I didn’t…” Selise’s voice turned cold. “That brat made me sick the whole week. I couldn’t even get up of bed. She should have been grateful I used what little energy I had to make sure she didn’t starve.”
“You-”
“Sorry….didn’t…mean…hurt…” She couldn’t speak again. Was her magic acting up again? Why couldn’t she speak?
Her brother hushed her. “Can you heal her?”
“I couldn’t replenish my magic. I’ll get Leora.”
She felt herself being lowered closer to the ground, but her brother still clutched her tight. “You’re going to be ok, little one. You’re going to be fine.”
“Slee…py…”
“I know. Just a bit more. Leora will be here soon.”
“Bro…ther…so…rry…”
He sighed. “I know. I know none of this is you. I’ll find a way to end this curse. I swear.”
“Brother, what-” Big sister was here. “Put her on the ground.” Her voice was serious.
She was lowered onto the ground and the movement sent a jostle through her stomach. She cried out in pain and gripped her stomach harder.
“Let me see. Seraphina, move your hands. Let me see.” Leora pulled her hands away from her stomach. She froze and let out a word that Seraphina knew their mother wouldn’t approve. “What happened?”
“M…mon…ster… so…rry…”
Leora sighed but Seraphina could feel her hands over her stomach. “Just relax. It’ll stop hurting in a bit.”
Seraphina could only nod weakly. Her eyes drooped close once more.
“Seraphina, don’t-“
“It’s alright, brother. Let her rest. I’m here. I won’t let her go.”
Seraphina’s head drooped to the side as she closed her eyes, exhaustion filling her. She could feel her brother’s hand around hers, gripping her tight.
*
Leora looked down at the wound again and shut her eyes tight. She took a breath and continued healing her sis… Seraphina.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…”
“Look at her. Her skin is burnt. She was attacked. How did you not hear or notice? Did you not check up on her at all?” There was pure fury in her brother’s eyes.
Selise’s voice was quiet, “No. No I didn’t.”
“I knew you hated her but I should have realized…”
“No brother. I’m not that cruel. Whatever she did to me… Brother, it was bad. If I wasn’t a healer myself, I think it would have killed me. It took everything in me to send food to her room. I couldn’t even lift my head out of bed.”
Leora was silent. She tried to focus on healing Seraphina’s insides. Whatever monster Seraphina summoned…
“How did the meeting go? What did the church say?”
“One year. They’re giving us one year to get Seraphina in control of her powers or to find a way to end the curse. Or…”
“And how many more people will she kill in a year?”
“That’s enough, Selise.”
“Brother, I’m serious. I may not be as trained as mother or sister but… I’ve never met an ailment I couldn’t heal. She’s a child. She summoned a lightning bolt, a spell that required a highly trained wizard to do, and killed that poor boy and his parents.”
“She didn’t mean any of that.”
“That’s the worst part. Because it means she has no control of her powers at all. And she’s only getting stronger. Look at what she’s done to herself. Giant rats we can handle, whatever did this, is dangerous.”
“You’re just saying that because you’re not her real sister.” Her brother hissed.
“How dare you? I treat this whole family like my own. This is the only family I know. How dare you say-”
“How else can you suggest such a thing?”
“Brother, Selise is right.” Leora said quietly, her eyes never leaving Seraphina’s gapping abdomen, her hands diligently working.
“If you really feel that way, then stop healing her. She will die if you do. Go on then.”
Leora removed her hands. Seraphina whimpered as the relief disappeared. Leora could only stare at her chest rising and falling labouredly and she knew it would only be a matter of time before… She couldn’t. Her hands went back to Seraphina’s abdomen, muttering another healing spell as she tried to keep her sister alive. Her sister. Fuck. She didn’t want to…
Selise sighed, “Keeping her locked up is not going to be an option then.”
“Not locked up. But I’m sure I can convince her to stay inside. We don’t have anymore guests. If we need to meet anyone, we meet them outside.”
“Do you really believe she can control her powers in a year?”
Her brother shook his head. “We just need to make sure she doesn’t kill anyone. Whatever else we can hide.”
“Brother…” Leora looked up at him.
“I won’t fight you if the whole family truly believes killing her is the best option.”
“It’s the right thing to do and you know it.”
“I do. As a Paladin of Torm, I do. But as a brother…”
“You’re getting too attached, brother.”
“Attached? Don’t act like this is some sort of pet that we adopted. This is our sister.”
“I know, brother. But our sister is now a rabid dog that must be put down!”
“Sister…” Came Selise’s quiet voice.
Leora turned and saw Seraphina’s eyes staring up at her in pain, tears trailing down her cheeks. “I didn’t… Seraphina, I didn’t mean…”
“W…would you…be happier…if I was gone?”
From the corner of her eye, Leora could see both Selise and her brother look away. But she couldn’t, she had to fix this. “It’s complicated. It’s not that we… It’s just… you…” And she couldn’t fix it. She couldn’t find the right words to say.
“It…it’s ok, big sis. Y…you don’t have to heal me.” Seraphina’s hand touched hers, trying to push her hands away but too weak to do so.
The betrayal and hurt in Seraphina’s eyes broke her heart and she…she…she couldn’t find the right words. Instead she quickly hummed a lullaby, placing a sleep spell on Seraphina. Seraphina’s eyes drooped close, faster than before. Leora placed a gentle hand on Seraphina’s face, “I’m sorry.” She took a breath and continued healing her. The look of acceptance in her sister’s eyes had shaken her. Her hands started to shake. She knew this was coming. From the day they realized how dangerous Seraphina truly was, they knew what they needed to do. She pushed away all feeling for her sister. She readied herself for that day. She reminded herself that she was a cursed monster, nothing more. But seeing that broken look in her sister’s eyes…
Leora let out a sob.
Selise’s arms were around her sister in an instant. “It’s ok. Sister, it’s ok.”
“No I have to focus on healing her. I have to…” And Leora casted another spell that calmed her emotions immediately. She took a shuddering breath, and focused back towards healing.
She felt her brother’s eyes on her before he finally said, “Is that how you-”
“Yes.” Leora said, calmly. “I knew everyone would be emotional about this. And I thought maybe one of us should make the logical decision. And then…it just got easier to not feel.”
“Thanks for sharing.” Her brother said bitterly.
“I wasn’t wrong, brother. As much as it would have pained me to say it, if we can’t find a cure, she will have to die. Whether by one of our hands, or if the other Paladins of Thorm have the mercy to take this from our hands. You can’t keep doting and being attached to her like this. I know you, brother. It would break you. Even if we can keep her locked away for the next 10 years and we can hide her lack of control, what happens after that? Are we going to lock her away until she’s an old woman? It’s going to happen sooner or later, and you need to accept it and keep away from her. If I have to lose my sister, I don’t want to lose my brother as well.”
Her brother closed his eyes and sighed, “I will try.” He looked down at his sleeping sister, “I don’t even know what to tell her when she wakes up.”
Leora nodded. “When Mother gets back, she’ll just make her forget again. Seraphina won’t have to remember what we said. Let her live the next year in ignorance. She doesn’t need to know.”
Her brother sighed. “I’ll find a cure. I will do everything in my power to find a cure. I won’t give up like that.”
“Ok brother. However is easier for you to process this.” Leora said as she focused all her energy on saving her little sister.
Notes: When the writing mood strikes, I can't stop writing. When I need to complete Whumptober on time, nothing comes. (Shrugs)
Dormaia hugged herself tighter as screams resounded in her ears. She couldn’t breathe. She could see the bodies surrounding her. She could recognize each one of those bodies. Her family, her friends, her… Her breathing became faster. The screams suffocated her. Each cry for help pressed onto her chest, choking her. Her body shook and she gripped herself tighter to stop herself from shaking.
Another scream joined the chorus, this one different, new. And Dormaia could only clench her eyes shut, forcing the voice out. She didn’t want to think about that now. Another one she’s failed. Another one she couldn’t save. Another time she ran.
“Dormaia, are you alright?” The rogue’s voice was gentle but it couldn’t pierce through the screams that resounded through her ears.
“Get out!” She tried to sound harsh, but her voice shook. She didn’t want her to see her like this. She didn’t want anyone to see her like this. She wasn’t weak. But she was. She couldn’t save anyone. She couldn’t save… She ran again. She fucking ran.
She felt a gentle hand on hers. And she wanted to pull away, fight back, but she couldn’t. She could only shake harder. She felt tears streaming down her face but she couldn’t force it back. “It’s ok, Dormaia.”
The screams only grew louder, desperate. “Shut up!”
The rogue’s hand released hers in shock.
The grounding presence disappeared and the screams resounded through her head, growing louder, dragging her deeper and deeper into a void. “Shut up. Please just stop. Stop!”
There was a hesitant hand on her arm. It grounded her for a moment. But the void’s pull was strong and she sunk further. Her body shook harder.
Hands wrapped around her holding her tight, holding her present, keeping her from sinking deeper into the void. The screams resounded in protest and her body shook. But the arms held her tighter refusing to let her fall.
“I’m sorry. I tried. I tried.”
“I know, Dormaia. It wasn’t your fault.”
It was. It was her fault. She let him die. She left him behind to die.
*
Dormaia froze as she saw her little sister lying on the ground before her, arrow sticking out of her chest. “No.” She ran towards her, picking her gently into her arms. “No.”
“Help me. Big sis, help me.”
“You’re going to be ok. You’re going to be-”
The small Tiefling started choking in her arms as blood trailed down the side of her lips.
“No. No. Please.”
And then a scream. Her mother’s scream filled the air. And she looked around and searched but she couldn’t find her. “Mother!” But only her screams answered her.
And then her father appeared on the ground before her, his body twisted and contorting as he was burned from the inside. And then his screams joined the chorus, the never-ending chorus of screams and pain.
“Stop.” Dormaia tried to clench her eyes shut but she couldn’t move. She could only stare forward and watched the carnage before her.
“Some protector you are.”
“Brother.” She turned to see her brother standing before, skin burnt to an almost unrecognizable level. She whimpered.
“Look at this sister. You failed to protect us. You failed to protect anyone. You ran as we died.”
“I didn’t mean…I was scared. I couldn’t do anything.”
“You failed.” He grabbed her hair roughly and forced her eyes down to her little sister staring up at her with wide, blank eyes. “You failed everyone.” He pulled her hair back and there were more bodies on the ground. Her friends. “You’re going to fail them all too.”
*
“Dormaia, wake up.”
Dormaia jumped up at the hand touching her. She pushed the figure back, fear pounding in her chest. The figure cried out and she looked down at the rogue staring up at her.
“You were screaming in your sleep.”
Dormaia’s eyes darted across the room, the screams from her nightmares still echoing through her head. But there were no bodies. Her eyes darted towards the Rogue. “I told you I didn’t want to share a room.” She hissed, before forcing her legs to stand. She ignored the Rogue on the ground and headed outside, she needed air. She needed to breathe.
She gasped in the cold night air but it wasn’t enough. She couldn’t breathe. Her cheeks were wet and she couldn’t breathe. She clenched her eyes shut forcing herself to breathe, to calm down, something. It’s been so long since she’s woken up screaming like this. She hadn’t realized…
There’s a hand on the small of her back, and Dormaia just froze. Her body tensed and she was ready to attack. Even though she knew… “Leave me alone.”
“Just breathe, Dormaia.”
She forced herself to pull away from the Rogue’s hand. She turned towards her and looked down. She knew the gnome was an adult. But seeing her so small reminded her so much of- And as soon as she thought that, the Rogue turned into a small Tiefling, arrow sticking out of her chest. Dormaia forced her eyes away.
“It’s ok. Just take it easy. Just breathe.”
“I thought I was getting better.” She said in a shaky breath. She closed her eyes in shame. “I thought I was stronger than this.”
Hands wrapped around her waist, “You’re not weak, Dormaia.”
“I can’t save anyone.” Her voice broke. And once more she could see the bodies of everyone she’s lost, everyone she’s failed. “I should have never have begged Lord Levistus to save me. I should have died there with them. But I was a coward. I didn’t want to die. Pathetic.”
“It’s not wrong to survive.”
Dormaia sunk to her knees. The rogue couldn’t hold her up and sunk to the ground with her. Dormaia’s shoulders shook as pain and grief filled her. For years she’s done nothing but focus on her vengeance. But she couldn’t do it anymore. It was all too much.
“We are all here by our own choices. It’s not your job to protect us. Things happen. Shitty things happen. But it’s not your fault.”
“I ran again.”
“You survived. You would have died in that room.”
Dormaia shook her head. “I should have. I should have.”
“Dormaia…”
“He still had magic. Fieron still had magic. He could have healed himself. Instead he saved me. Why?”
“Because he wanted you to live, Dormaia. We all do.” The rogue held her tighter. “Now I need you to want to live too.”
Dormaia clenched her eyes shut. “I don’t have the right.”
“You do. You have every right to live.”
Dormaia couldn’t believe her words no matter how hard she tried. She just wept until she was spent and she just felt empty. Vengeance was the only thing keeping her going and she held on to that. “I want to kill him. I want to kill the wizard who did this. I want to tear him apart.”
The rogue sighed, “I shouldn’t be encouraging you but…I want the same. We all do. Let’s do this together, Dormaia. We’re a team. We’ll find him and kill him, I promise.”
