ᵀᴵᴹᴱ/ FIVE YEARS AGO

Red...

That was the shade which echoed throughout all of my memories. My very life and destiny were drenched in the colour of both love and blood, spilling out from underneath the doorway and splattered against the walls of the Xiá clan Manor.

A full moon emitted light in the gloomy night sky but was unable to illuminate the starless night sky. A wave of black clouds drifted, blocking the only source of light periodically, seemingly welcoming the arrival of a tragedy.

Quick footsteps ran across the clan head's manor, making pattering sounds against the wooden floor as screams and a sickening lopping sound was heard outside as a twelve-year-old Xiá Xiao Hu First Young Miss of the  Xiá clan sat frightened beside her mother as the dull sounds were heard through her mother's clasped hands over her ears.

Flames crackled around the clan grounds, slowly burning the manor walls black as shouts and pottery shattering were heard as well.

"Keep looking for any remnants of the red-eyed clan! The Emperor has ordered us to not leave a single person alive!"

The running steps were moving in the opposite direction and finally left the back room they were hiding in, allowing Xiao Hu to ask.

"Mother...where's father and my brothers?" She asked with a shaking voice.

A long, steady silence was heard from outside which made her mother sit up straight, removing her hands from her daughter's ears.

"You know how busy they are, Xiao Hu. Our clan is very important and has many duties to fulfil...but I'll go check on them so stay here, alright?"

Xiao Hu wasn't a naive child and knew exactly what was happening but naive or not, she was a child inexperienced in the cruelties of a feudal reality and was thus paralyzed in fright, only able to nod her head once in a display of understanding.

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The red bead curtain clacked against the dark wood bed as Xiá Xiao Hu woke from a dream of her past, her face pale with the memory. She scowled at the remembrance of her pathetic self before standing and washing her face in the bronze basin across the room just as her personal maid, Lan Li walked in the room.

"My Lady? Did you have another nightmare?" She asked worriedly as she set down some porridge and tea for her on a low round table.

Her childhood maid was of a few years older, who although was a delicate young maiden herself, to her misfortune was born with an androgynous boyish face and was tragically flat chested as well.

Her young Mistress was of no comfort to the fact, since she felt the need to tease her for it on any given opportunity, telling her that she made for a very handsome man and that it was a shame she wasn't born one, causing her to cry.

However, she was being quite truthful to the fact since Lan Li made for a very good-looking boy, drawing in many female admirers.

"Only the same one as always," Xiao Hu sighed heavily as she sat down to eat as if the nine years weighed down on her heavily.

The two were currently staying at one of the many inns they frequented during their travels, never settling down in one place both for the reasons of security and work.

The massacre which occurred five years ago left her entire clan massacred, the only sole survivors being Xiá Xiao Hu, the first Young Miss of the clan and her maid, Lan Li, who was of a branch clan and thereby a distant enough relative to not have inherited the unmistakable crimson eyes of the clan.

"Well, if you're feeling well enough for it, I've received a prospective job offer for you!" Lan Li beamed, making Xiao Hu grateful that there weren't any innocent maidens around to swoon at the sight.

Although she was a noble lady by birth and status, Xiao Hu carried on her clan's duties by taking jobs in the field of work the crimson-eyed Xiá clan excelled in - the spiritual realm.

Officially their duty was the "keep the balance," as in maintaining the normal barriers between the material and spiritual realms and keeping them separate from each other, but since the clan was wiped out, there was no one left to maintain the seals, hence making Xiao Hu wander around the country to protect them all.

Unfortunately, she was only one person and Lan Li did not possess the amount of power that Xiao Hu held, being only of a branch family and not having the crimson eyes, so demons and spirits were slipping into this world and causing chaos.

What a fool of an Emperor to kill off the only preventors of such a disaster.

"I might as well take it up," Xiao Hu nodded, finishing off her porridge and re-tying her white ribbon around her eyes. "We've been in this town longer than I would like."

With an affirmative, "yes, miss," Lan Li ran off to begin the preparations for their journey to the neighbouring Qing He county where they had received the news from.

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ᴺᴱᴵᴳᴴᴮᴼᵁᴿᴵᴺᴳ ᴾᴿᴼᵛᴵᴺᶜᴱ / QING HE COUNTY

In the Empire of the Great Continent, there existed ten clans of prominence or otherwise known as the Great Ten. Each clan held a province which they governed by jurisdiction given to them by the Emperor himself and smaller counties within the provinces were run by the lesser branch clans of the Great Ten.

To be honest though, although they were called the Great Ten, there was actually a hierarchy to them, the first clan being the highest and most noble in rank and then tenth being the least ranked.

The Qing He county was run by one of the more distantly related branch families of the Ninth Clan or the Jiǔ Clan, so it wasn't the grandest or most marvellous place to be and was somewhat of a poorer locale.

However, Xiá Xiao Hu went wherever the spirits called her.

Entering in through the stone city gates, she walked into the town with Lan Li following close behind her, holding the reigns of their horses, with their bags on their backs.

A general depressing gloom seemed to have descended over the town which made Lan Li frown at the bleak sight of a group of women sobbing and wailing in mourning by the side of the main street.

"Has someone of note died in this town?" The boyish figure of a maid wondered, running her hands through her hair while Xiao Hu kept a cold silence and analyzing eyes.

It seemed as though a great many people died in this town with the suffocating feeling of death and bereavement overwhelming the air.

"Who can say for certain," Xiao Hu shrugged uncaringly as she walked on. "Let's just find our lodging for the night first-?!"

Without warning, she was bumped into the ground by an unexpected middle-aged couple rounding the corner just then and hitting her. They both carried wide baskets on their backs and as the woman stumbled back, Xiao Hu was stunned to see a baby fall out of the basket, making her twist to catch it successfully.

Letting the breath she didn't realize she had been holding, she rocked the child gently to soothe its cries. Goodness, she really could help but smile softly at the child, breaking her cold expression before handing the baby back to its parents, who seemed frightened beyond their wits.

"Here you are." Xiao Hu passed the child carefully back to its mother, who looked around quickly to see if anyone on the street saw before bowing quickly in thanks and taking the child, who ceased crying as soon as it returned to her arms.

"Thank you, blind miss." The father bowed as well before taking his wife by the hand and the three ran quickly off to Xiao Hu's wonder.

It seems as though she was mistaken as blind again because of the ribbon around her eyes.

(￢_￢;)

"People here sure are strange, Miss..." Lan Li raised an eyebrow at their actions before the two carried on to locate their lodgings and not noticing a figure dressed in a deep royal blue reclining on a rooftop above, fanning himself while observing them with a pleased laugh.

"Oh? I didn't expect the wifey to be here..." He chuckled with a snap of his fan to close it.