"None can escape the justice of the High Immortals, just as none can break a promise. Can Nü was found dead, wrapped around the very horse she promised to marry and later skinned, and hung from a tree."

The Silk Lady—The Tome of Evil

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

The morning before our wedding, I ordered Eunuch Gui to Wulin's hall. Wulin had gone to visit the sick Emperor and promised he would be back by nightfall.

I sat on Wulin's throne, my gold circlet on my head. Wulin had it forged for me to mark my status as the crown princess. It wasn't as ornate as his, and I wasn't allowed to wear the feather-style of Qiliu court until I was married into the household. I was dressed in the richest of gowns and the most splendid of jewelry. If I was going to see the man who destroyed my life, I would do it in my finest.

Gui entered the hall, a look of confusion on his face. If I were him, I too would be confused. I was the crown princess, a new addition to the court with no relations to the Imperial family until now. I had never summoned him until now.

"My lady," he said in his oily voice. "How may I be of service?"

"Look at me," I said.

Gui looked up and stared at me.

"Tell me what you see."

The eunuch frowned. "Am I supposed to see something apart from the future Empress, your Highness?"

I smiled, reached for the tiny seams of Qara's face, and removed it.

His widened, and he stumbled backward, stubby fingers forming warding symbols in the air. If he had chicken blood, he'd had grabbed it and splashed me with it, for High Demons were rumored to fear chicken blood.

"High Demon," he whispered. "Be gone!"

"My name is Sarna Jinyu," I said. "Facechanger of Zichuan Theater. I am here to tell you I will be delivering my part of the bargain."

It took Gui a few moments to process the fact that I wasn't a High Demon, but the theater girl he had struck a bargain with three months ago.

"Ah," he said seedily. "It seems that you have found the path of the High Immortals. I thought you'd fail. It was a close to impossible mission."

"Meet me in the garden outside the Pearl Hall after the Imperial wedding," I said. "Whatever was bargained, I shall deliver."

Gui bowed. "Our paths will cross again very soon. I look forward to the grand finale, your Highness." And he left.

An interesting choice of words. I leaned against the soft back of the throne. Gui was right. Ending the crown prince also marked the end of my assignment. I could finally shed the skins I'd been wearing for so long and reunite with the people I loved.

This time, I'd have all the gold and silver pins from my time as Qara, which were more than enough to pay for two Visas. I had dreamed of this ever since I was a child, the moment I could shed my iron shackles and walk as a free person.

You're just a little girl, the dark voices inside my head had mocked. What can a little girl do in this world created to spite you?

Little girls wouldn't stay little forever. They would grow into something so savage, the world would quake in their presence.

I couldn't stop the smile tugging at my lips. I touched the circlet on my head, the symbol of my status and power.

Freedom was so near, and it would be the sweetest thing I'd ever tasted.

#

I stood in front of the mirror in my wedding gown. It was redder than a rose, embellished with beautiful stitches of golden phoenixes. A heavy golden headdress sat on my head where diamonds hung from filigreed tassels, and my face was covered with so much makeup, I felt as if I was back in my Facechanger's attire.

Today was the day I extracted vengeance. For Wanru, the woman who died in my place in the slave pents, for Miya, for Zichuan Theater. For me.

Ara looked like a proud mother. She hovered around me, straightening my dress and my jewelry, making sure I looked as perfect as possible.

"You've come a long way, my lady," she said. "May the High Immortals light your way when you become the Empress."

I could only smile in return. Oh, she would never know I had a blade hidden underneath my clothes nor what state of chaos Erden would be tossed in at the murder of their crown prince. I'd vanish like darkness fleeing light.

Gone without even a whisper.

Ara drew a red silk muslin over my head, covering it entirely. Traditionally, the bride and the groom were not supposed to see each other before marriage, as it was believed such encounters attracted bad luck. However, our marriage was not arranged.

As I approached the sedan outside, I was stopped by the sight of a familiar man. He was wearing a dirty white shirt and long, torn breeches. His face was smudged with dirt, as though he just came back from a day of toiling in the fields. He didn't seem to care the judgemental looks of the people, the disdain of the nobility as they shuffled away from him, as if he was a disgusting beast.

"Your Highness?" I asked, surprised to see him here and even more so at his current state.

The second prince's eyes were sad as he surveyed me, taking in the brilliance of my dress and red veil over my face.

"Do you love him?" he asked.

I stared at him. "Does it matter?"

"Do you love him?" Bowen repeated.

No words followed. I didn't owe him any answers.

Bowen took another step forward. "You don't have to marry him."

"Please," I begged. Bowen was causing a scene, as more people had flocked around us. "Leave me alone."

He lurched forward and grabbed me by the shoulder. A pang of pain shot up my injured side, and I hissed in pain. Bowen didn't seem to care. "He's using you!" he roared. "He's been steering you like a puppet, can't you see? Stay at his side, and you'll never be happy. You'll never be able to light another Wishing Lantern or nibble date candies by the streets. You will become a slave of the Jade Palace."

"I said, leave me alone!" I shoved past him and clambered onto the sedan. I waved at the footmen, who nodded and lifted the sedan up at once.

As I neared the Imperial Temple, I closed my eyes, blinking away the tears. Why was I crying? I shouldn't be crying. I was so close to the end, but there was an unexplainable feeling of sadness gnawing at my heart.

Bowen was right. Wulin had never stopped using me, as I had never stopped using him. But now, he had fallen for me, leaped right into my trap. I felt a slight twinge of guilt. Bowen hated the throne, he hated everything that had to do with Erden, but those were his claims. I still hadn't found out whose side he was on, or whether Eunuch Gui and Bowen had been plotting Wulin's demise all along. Wulin, on the other hand, had shown me nothing but blind affection, even jeopardizing the safety of the Erdenese people for me.

I wanted to think I had played them like fools, but the urgency in Bowen's voice lowered my confidence.

I gritted my teeth. This was not the time to hesitate. I had a plan, and I'd better stick to it.

The sedan stopped. A slave helped me down and led me toward the Imperial Temple where hundreds of courtiers, generals, and other nobility stood in their finest. Confetti rained from the sky as the servants standing on the balcony tossed handful after handful. The whole Temple was draped in red and gold—red tapestries, red ribbons, red tassels with golden beads.

My eyes were not on the cheering crowd or the fancy clothes they wore but on the man dressed in red waiting for me in front of the altar. The man I'd soon behead and deliver him to the eunuch supposedly faithful to the Imperials.

Wulin wore a robe of the richest red and the most brilliant gold. His hair was tied back with a long red ribbon which fell down to his waist. He was smiling. If happiness could break the world, he would shatter it with a simple quirk of his lips.

I made my way down the stone pavement and toward the altar, feeling my scalpel bulge against my naked skin. With every step I took, the scalpel seemed to grow hotter, until it was scalding. My headdress was heavy on my head, and I had difficulty moving without tripping over the hem of my long dress. He reached out for me and guided me toward the altar.

I gave him a smile, hoping it looked genuine.

The Head Priest sauntered up to us, bowed, and then addressed the crowd outside the temple.

"We are here today on this auspicious day to witness the union of two souls. By the power invested in me, I call upon the Nine Heavens and all the High Immortals for their blessings. May your love prevail till the end of days."

Wulin and I held hands and turned to face the sky.

"Salute the Heavens," the Priest said. "May the Heavenly Father bless your union."

Together, we bowed at the heavens.

"Salute the Hall. May the High Immortals smile down upon you with fortune and health."

We bowed toward the altar and at the statues of the High Immortals.

"Salute each other. May you pledge your love, honor, devotion, faith, and lives for each other."

Wulin and I faced each other and bowed. He then reached out for me, our fingers intertwined. "My Empress. Here in this Temple and in front of all the High Immortals, I swear that I'll protect you against all that wishes you harm, and my love and faith toward you shall persevere even through the bleakest of times."

The rest of the wedding celebration was a blur. I sat, a smile frozen on my face, next to Wulin, watching the dancers twirl in their white, feathery dresses, the bards singing praises of Wulin and the Empire, and countless nobles presenting their gifts to us.

There was so much jewelry, countless daggers, endless promises of tributes after our ascension as Emperor and Empress, but none of that mattered. Nothing in this temple mattered. The only thing that mattered was our wedding night, where we would consummate our marriage. And when my scalpel would find its true home in Wulin's throat.

Wulin's hand was on mine the whole time, running his thumb gently up and down. I stole a glance at him. He was smiling, a bit too much. The Wulin I knew was not a person of emotions. Even when he professed his love to me, he was quiet.

Unless, this was the real him. The breathing, living crown prince of Erden. It was a smile of victory, that he had secured the throne and a wife supposedly loyal to him.

I scanned the crowd for a familiar face. Apart from Ara, I recognized no one else. Bowen was absent. I looked at my right hand. The ring he gave me was still on my finger. I felt I should give it back. It was his mother's, and he needed it more than I did.

"Did Bowen tell you where he went?" I asked.

Wulin sat up straighter. "Why do you care about him so much?"

"He's my friend and your brother. Of course, I care."

"I don't think this is a suitable time to think about another man," Wulin said, a bit too quickly.

"Are you jealous, my husband?"

He scowled. "Of course, you're my wife. How can I bear the thought of you thinking of another man?" Without warning, he rose to his feet, swept me into his arms, and jogged out of the Temple.

No one followed him. Or rather, no one dared to. His horse was waiting for him next to my sedan. The servants rushed to greet him but retreated at the fire burning in his eyes. He helped me up the saddle and leaped behind me, digging his feet into the stirrups, and gave the horse a kick.

The horse broke into a run, taking us out of the Temple into Qiliu court. Servants scattered as we tore through the stone arch like a hurricane.

We rode until we reached Wulin's bedchamber. I sat on the bed as he locked the door. I itched for my scalpel. The final moment was so near; it pounded in my ears, surged through my blood, burning and burning.

He released a sharp intake of breath. I watched him sit next to me and lifted the red bridal veil from my head.

Our gazes locked.

"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Wulin's gentle hands were on my face. Then, we were kissing. We kissed until we tumbled onto the bed. My hand went to the back of his head, and his around my waist.

My other hand went to his heart, feeling the strong and steady pulse of it. I imagined plunging my scalpel through it, ripping open the arteries and letting blood spray across the wall, seep into the bed, and staining my hands.

He was going to claim me again. For the last time, I allowed him to. I traced my fingers across his sharp cheekbones, the small scar above his brow. Everything about him was refined—something I hadn't noticed until now. He was so sharp, like sword and arrows, so much so, it could cut me.

Very soon, Wulin's faint snores filled the chamber. I gently raised myself up until I was crouching beside him.

Do it, my inner voice hissed. It's now or never.

My hand slid into my chemise, bringing out my scalpel. Trembling, I positioned it above his neck, the cold metal barely an inch away from his skin.

He could bring so much change to Erden. If I was crowned Empress, I could change the laws.

Biyu is waiting for you, my inner voice whispered. He needs you. You promised Mr. Long that you'd protect him. Don't turn back on him now.

I clenched the scalpel hard in my hand, the handle cutting grooves in my palm.

What are you waiting for? my inner voice had risen into a shout. Do it. Now!

I slashed Wulin's throat open with the scalpel.

His gray eyes flew open. Terror flooded his face. Blood burst out of the wound like a river. Like how I imagined, his blood erupted in a spray, drenching the front of my wedding robes with it, splattering the wall with a mosaic of red.

He glanced at me in disbelief, choking and spluttering. He struggled to get up, but I pushed him down, drawing another gash in his throat.

The steely coldness I'd felt during the morning returned, and I latched onto it greedily, letting it take over my body as I drew Wulin's sword from his scabbard and chopped off his head.

The Endgame was here, and it passed swifter than HouYi's arrow could fly.

I wrapped Wulin's head in a quilt and knotted the bundle, then wrapped it up in yet another layer of cloth. I let my blood-sodden wedding robes slide to the floor as I changed into another dress. I returned my scalpel to its scabbard and slid it under my chemise.

Tonight, there were no servants of guards stationed outside the door. No one would dare disturb the night the crown prince and the crown princess consummated their marriage. No one would enter our chamber without us giving consent. His body would not be discovered until I was out of the Jade Palace.

I pushed Wulin's headless corpse into a pile of pillows and drew the curtains. With the bundle slung over my shoulders, I blew out the candles to feint sleep, then slipped out of the court and made my way toward the appointed place.

The Petrifi leered at me as I waited for Gui's arrival. The moon as high, as was the night. Soon enough, Gui appeared. The eunuch took one look at the bloodied bundle at my feet and clapped. "Bravo," he said. "Quite frankly, I did not expect you to keep your word."

"I've fulfilled my part of the bargain. Now, let my friends go."

Gui held up a finger. "Before we continue our business, let's check the prize. Now, if I may?"

I lobbed the bundle in his direction. Gui caught it, slightly startled at how I handled the head. He then knelt down on the ground, untied the knot, took a peek, and laughed.

"Oh my, the crown prince is indeed dead. Finally, Erden receives its one and true Emperor!"

"Indeed." A deep voice drawled out from the Petrifi. Wulin walked out of the circle of Petrifi. His eyes sparkled with amusement, and he clapped. "Bravo to you, Gui," he said. "Bravo to you too, Sarna."

I froze. I had killed this man. I let his blood flow and cut off his head with his own sword.

"I-I killed you," I whispered. "How are you still alive?"

Wulin laughed again. It was a cold, heartless laugh, just like the crown prince I remembered. "You disgrace the Facechangers and Donghwa. I'm surprised you know so little about our craft and our abilities."

I goggled as he pulled out the severed head from the bundle and shoved it in my arms.

"Watch and learn." His fingers dug into the head's chin and pulled off a layer of skin, revealing the Emperor's blank face underneath. "Congratulations. You've officially murdered the Emperor of Erden."

I dropped the head. It rolled into a bush, leaving a bloody trail behind. Wulin showed me the face. It was a piece of paper painted in the likeness of the Emperor's face.

"Donghwa has made only four Facechangers in his life. I was the third, and you're the fourth."

He smiled at me. A crippling pain suddenly overwhelmed me. A low voice was in my head, my inner voice, stabbing me in the head.

You thought you were the only one who could Whisper? Wulin smirked in that ever-familiar voice. All Facechangers are equipped with Bodystealing, as I had stolen the mind and body of my father. You limited your powers by thinking you couldn't influence the healthy. You thought you were the one holding the reigns, the sole gamemaester. You were never so wrong in your life, Sarna.

I screamed, falling to my knees, clutching my head.

Wulin continued to crow in my head, his face echoing all around the walls I had so desperately built to keep out old memories.

You thought you had a choice. The audacity. You are only a slave. No matter what clothes you wear, who you marry, or whatever crown you wear on your head, your blood will forever run as vile as murky waters.

"Why?" I demanded, tears running down my cheeks.

Wulin laughed and drew his sword. "Storytime," he said. "But first, let's get rid of prying eyes and ears."

He ran Gui through with his sword, tearing open his stomach and spilling his insides on the grass. The eunuch collapsed, convulsed, and was still.

Wulin's Whisper was still strong in my head, pinning me down on the ground.

"He worked for you," I hissed. "You killed your own eunuch. You killed your own father."

"Everything happens for a reason." Wulin started pacing, drawing dark lines on the soil with his sword. "Come with me. I've got something to show you."

I shoved him back with all my strength, throwing him off from my head.

We were both Facechangers. We both had the same blood. I refused to be overpowered by him.

The force of my mental shove caused Wulin to stumble. He grabbed a nearby tree for support, humor sparkling in his eyes. "This is why I admire you," he said. "You never stop fighting, even when you're at the losing end."

He darted forward, latched onto my arm, and dragged me over to the rock with Hundun's face. Its four bulbous yellow eyes were as sinister as ever, seeming to mock me.

"This is the prison of the High Demon Hundun. He was the Lord of Chaos, and would've won the war against the High Immortals, but he was betrayed by a Facechanger he regarded as an ally. The Facechanger blinded him and sealed him beneath this tomb, compressing all his powers into a single mask. Hundun was all-powerful, but he could not escape as he had lost his sight. Only the sight of a Facechanger can give him back what he lost. That was when realized I needed another Facechanger."

Wulin had a faraway look on his face, one that masked the thousands of schemes, his thousands of lies. The masks were to pacify the public, to fool his family, and to blind me; so much so, when the masks were burned away, whatever that was left frightened me.

I hadn't felt fear in so long. I was so confident under my different faces and the blood of the High Immortals rushing through my veins. But none of those faces mattered now. They were just masks to cover up the part of me I hated and was ashamed of.

I tried to break free, but he tightened his grip. He stroked the four eyes of the statue, and then touched the dried blood on two of them.

"Did you know why the High Demons rebelled against the High Immortals?" he asked, his fingers never leaving the tomb. "They were promised a seat in the Nine Heavens, a representative of their kind. The High Demons fought tooth and nail for fair treatment, to eliminate the oppression and lies the High Immortals had spread to the mortals about them. They had a birthright to be equal to the High Immortals, but they were denied."

I clenched my hands. No matter what I did, it would never be enough. Tell me, little brother. What do I have to do in order to make father love me as he loved you? How many more despicable things do I have to carry out to get my birthright? I have fought tooth and nail for the throne, yet father throws it away to some bumbling fool.

"Gui never worked for Bowen," I said.

"Smart girl." Wulin smiled. "That's why I chose you. Because of you, I've won over the hearts of everyone in Erden. You killed the Emperor for me. Because of you, Shila is dead, and Zmerkï is preparing to march to war on Erden. And because of you, I could tear down all opposition in my way. There will be no need for petty power struggles or the need for order."

He kissed me, but I kicked and spat in his face.

"You are disgusting."

Wulin wiped the spit from his face, his eyes narrowing. "Have you seen the state of this pitiful nation? Everyone is fighting for the same, arbitrary cause. The slaves want to be free from their slavers. The slavers want to be free from the Imperials. The commoners desire to be free from poverty. But ah, freedom is an illusion. Chaos is the natural order, and all shall be equal in its rise."

"Donghwa will kill you. He will end you with a snap of his fingers."

Wulin threw back his head and howled.

"Did you really think Donghwa ever helped mortals if it wasn't to help himself, my sweet wife? If so, you're more foolish than I thought."

Wulin shoved me into a tree, whipped out a dagger, and stabbed my hand into the trunk. I screamed. Then, he drew a second dagger and stabbed my other hand, pinning me onto the tree like animal skin hung to dry.

He laughed but stopped as his eyes darted through and fro, like a hawk surveying prey. "Ooh," he said. "We have a little eavesdropper. Naughty."

I turned and saw Bowen hidden behind a bush, his sword drawn and eyes wide.

"Come out and have some tea, little brother," Wulin said. "Don't just hide there."

Bowen entered the clearing cautiously, his eyes tracing the bloodied cloth which held his father's head to Gui's corpse, and then finally on me.

The look of shock and extreme betrayal. "You lied to me, Sarna," he said.

"I didn't have a choice," I said. "I had to do it."

"Then, your words mean nothing." Bowen's face was grim. "I thought we were finally agreeing on the same ideology. It turns out that you're like this monster here.

He lifted his sword and pointed the tip at Wulin.

"Watch where you point that thing," Wulin said crossly. "A sword is not a plaything."

"And neither was I," Bowen said. "Or Erden."

Bowen charged forward, sword raised, his mouth widening into a cry of anger.

With speed I had ever seen Wulin possess, he darted forward, drew his own sword, and buried that in Bowen's heart.

The blade protruded from Bowen's back, gleaming red. It was like how I'd reminded myself, over and over again. What was a mortal when pitched against half-High Immortal?

The second prince choked, blood dripping from his lips. He glanced at me out of his blood-shot eyes. "T-traitor."

And he crumpled next to Gui's body.

Helpless and sobbing, I could only watch the life leave Bowen's eyes. He didn't deserve to die. He never wanted the Emperor dead or even thought of sitting on the throne.

He was the Emperor none of us deserved.

"You're going to hell," I seethed. "You've killed your own father and brother."

Wulin backhanded me. My face flew to the left from the force of his slap. My cheek burned, and I tasted blood.

"First of all, he is not my brother. He is just a bastard. His mother was a whore. He is not fit to run the kingdom. Secondly, I didn't kill my father. As far as I am concerned, and all of Erden is concerned, you're the murderer."

"You won't get away with this. As long as I am still alive, I'm going to ruin you."

Wulin chuckled. "I'd like to see you try."

He pulled out his sword from Bowen's chest and wiped the blood on the grass.

"Now, Sarna dear. Please remain silent. You're about to witness the rebirth of the High Demon of Chaos, and the reign of Erden's one true Emperor."

He removed a long silver pin from my head. My hair cascaded over my shoulders, spilling down like a waterfall.

Wulin grimaced. "This is going to hurt." And he stabbed himself in the left eye.

Every strand of hair on my body stood up as blood flowed from his eye socket, drenching the front of his sky-blue robes. He flinched but did not scream. He twisted the pin and dug out his own eyeball. Like meat on a stick, his bloody eyeball stared back at him.

"A sacrifice," he announced. "To give Hundun sight again."

Wulin plucked his eyeball from the pin, walked toward the tombstone, and pressed it against one of the two clean eyes of the tombstone. He then removed the eye from the pin and advanced toward me.

I shrunk back against the tree. "Please," I begged. "You don't have to do this."

Humiliation eroded every inch of confidence I had built over the months. I had sworn never to beg, especially not to an Imperial. But here and now, I groveled like the pathetic girl I hated so much.

Wulin ruined eye wept so much blood, half of his face was covered in scarlet. He wiped the blood from his face and grinned.

"Hold very still." He gouged out my left eye.

I screamed and screamed. Birds beat their wings and fluttered away. My screams echoed throughout the woods, shaking leaves from trees. Even the Petrifi shivered.

My eye, MY EYE!

Wulin pressed my eye against the last eye of the stone demon. The earth trembled like a giant trying to throw the land off its back. A deep, guttural moan penetrated the sky. It was like nothing I'd ever heard of—the waking cry of a beast that had spent thousands of years locked in a dark cavern, nursing its fury and dissent into choking flowers of vengeance. Every part of my body wanted to flee its cry. It was a cry so ancient, even the rocks bowed in defeat.

Green seeped into the snarling stone face on the tombstone as its four eyes lit up like torches in the night.

An evil aura slew the air. The Petrifi surrounding the tomb grew dark and crumbled into ashes. The grass shriveled, and insects dropped from the trees, littering the floor with their glittering carapaces.

Wulin's hands were trembling. He reached for the face on the tombstone. It came off in his hands as a flat piece of skin, as though it was never stone.

"I hope you're seeing this, father," he whispered. "I am more capable than the bastard you loved so much. I am worth so much more, as much as the king of the High Demons himself."

Wulin's pressed the face upon his own. The face rippled, then latched on with greedy fingers. He howled, dropping onto the ground in agony, his hands upon his face.

When he looked up, the mark of Hundun was branded on his forehead—a green shriveled fern. Unlike mortal faces where Facechangers take on the physical appearance of the face they wore, he still looked like the crown prince of Erden, if not crueler.

"What about the people?" I said through clenched teeth. "You promised you'd care for them, to set the slaves free."

He knelt down beside me and grabbed me by the chin, tilted my face up until I was staring directly at him. "You think I care?" he whispered. "The slaves resent me. The nobility detests me because of my father's influence. I want them to burn. I will crush out the nobility and the peasants, anyone who does not acknowledge me as their new Emperor."

Wulin cocked his head to the side and surveyed me with his glowing green eyes. "The more important question now is what I should do with you? Should I kill you? Or should I parade you around Erden like the little pest you are?"

He ripped the daggers from my hands and cast them aside. The agony intensified. I fell, crippled by pain. Unwilling tears streamed down my cheeks, and I crumpled at the foot of the tree.

He grabbed me by the hair and yanked it back, then brushed his lips against my ear, his tongue flicking the tip.

"Don't be sad, dearest. I know exactly how you feel. My father treated me as though I was weak, a man who couldn't shoulder his expectations. Even when I had all the power in the Palace, I still had to grovel at my father's feet, to endure the humiliation of being insignificant compared to my brother. You thought you could kill me with your High Immortal powers, but at the very end, you still have to bow in defeat."

"I'll kill you," I hissed. "I swear to the Eighteen Hells, I'll put a knife through your pathetic face."

Wulin only smiled as he dragged me out of the woods and toward the Imperial Dungeons. The guards were baffled to see their half-blind crown prince drag their future Empress into a cell and slam the door in place.

"My wife has murdered my father and my brother," he told the guards. "Let it be known so."

The guards fell to their knees. "Your wish is our command, my prince."

"Emperor," he roared. "I am your Emperor now."

They cowered and pressed their foreheads on Wulin's boots. "Yes, my Emperor. Your word is my command."

With that, they scuttled off, heads still bowed, and shoulders hunched in fear. I grabbed the rusted bars and hauled myself to my feet. "You're going to die. I will make sure of it."

Wulin's eyes twinkled with the eerie green glow of Hundun's powers. "In that case, my sweet. I give you all my blessings."

Howling with laughter, he exited the dungeons. I screamed and hit the bars, calling him every last name I could think of. Bleeding and broken, I lay on the ground. Letting the pain burn. Letting myself cry.

A/N

MUAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Ok, I'm done.

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

*****

Wulin/Hundun