YuTiandi (Heavenly Father's) POV

Every one of my children has betrayed me. Everyone, except one. Jian, the one I gave least to.

Why?

"Father," He calls, making me glance at my feet where Jian is on his knees, with his head bowed. Always faithful.

"Did you really see YiJun burn?" I successfully keep my voice from wavering. My heart...not so much.
I hold my tears at bay and wait for Jian's reply.

"Yes, Father. I recognized the remains of the curse. I caught a glimpse of Hei Chi as he was fleeing the scene. He...he seemed shocked. I reckon he did not intend to use the killing curse on Xiōngdì," Jian's body stiffens. He steals a glance at me and mutters, "YiJun has perished. Father, are you happy?"

Happ!? How can a father be happy receiving such news?

I hold Jian's gaze. The way he is looking at me pains me.

'Ruthless...merciless.' His eyes seem to scream.

I nod. I couldn't kill Hei Chi, for he had assumed the role of the guardian of the underworld. It was beside the point that even if I was permitted to, I wouldn't be able to do it. Taking his wings had broken me. Even after more than a millennia, that wound was still fresh. Thinking back, which I have done often, I realize that it was my biggest mistake.

"Father, what do you want me to do with the boy, Xian?" Jian's question pulls me out of my reprieve.

'What do I want to do with him?' I ask myself for the umpteenth time. The sobbing, pitiful image of Xuan swims across my mind's eyes.

Was I destined to make all my children hate me?

'No, not all of them.' I hear a small, strangled voice inside my head. Yes, I still have Jian.

"Bring him to me," I command and take the throne. "Does Xuan know?" I ask my youngest on his way out.

"No, she doesn't, father," Jian replies before leaving me to mull over the future of the three realms.

YiJun...son, why did you abandon me again? Did you not promise to turn your back on that boy? Then why did you go to him again?

The wetness on my cheek reminds me of YiJun's advice just before he had passed out, 'Father, please contain your spirit.' How was it that only he could tell that I was losing myself? I was not sure when it had started, but I knew I was no more the all-powerful being I once was. All that remained of my power was the title bestowed upon me at the time of creation. And now, even that title was under threat.

The sound of the large arched door creaking pulls my attention to it. I watch Jian enter the hall. In his hands, he holds a silver chain like a leash. The chain is attached to a golden restrain, wrapped around the captive's...Xian's neck.

When the two are within a few feet of me, Jian stops. He looks over his shoulder, "Show your respect to the Heavenly Emperor." He instructs.

I wait for the barely-of-age boy to follow through, but he doesn't. At that moment, any pity I may have had for him vanishes.

Insolent, little one, aren't you? Just like Hei Chi.

"Do you not treasure your life, child?" I ask, leaving my seat and walking towards the boy. However, he continues to keep his head lowered to the floor.

As I near him, the fragrance of honey and vanilla whiffs off of him.

How is it that this abomination has such a pure scent?

'What does the scent do?' I wonder. Fragrances didn't hold power over me as they did on angels and humans.

"Why won't you look at me?" I think aloud and wait for a sassy insolent reply.

Finally, the boy lifts his face. His large, dark eyes bore into mine. It stuns me into silence.

Zhen, is that you, son?

Have you returned to me?

"Grandfather," the boy addresses me in an all too familiar tone.
It breaks the illusion my mind had concocted. No, it is not Zhen. It's merely a poorly drawn copy of the masterpiece I had created before throwing it away.

My knees give way, and I stagger back.

The boy holds out his cuffed hands as if begging for alms...or maybe he will plead me to let him live, or so I presume, but the child surprises me.

"I am ready to receive my punishment; all I ask for you to hear me out and grant me the kind of death I des-"

I am about to interject and refuse him outright when his eyes roll back in his head, and he cages his head between his palms.

A moment later, he falls to the floor. Unconscious.

I hear Jian gasp and watch him crouch down next to the boy. Perhaps, he is thinking the same thing I am.

Was it possible that Xian had inherited the gift of visions from Xuan?

The wheels in my mind turn.

What other gifts did you receive, boy?

"Father, what should we do?" Panic colors Jian's query.

Is that concern I spot in your eyes, son?

Are you thinking about betraying me too?

"Leave us!" I command, expecting him to question me. "I will summon you when I need you."

Jian's brows crease. Nonetheless, he stands, bows, and leaves, dispelling my doubts and cementing my trust in him.

I lean closer to take a look at the boy that three of my children had tried to keep from me and can't help but feel jealous.

Alone with the boy, who was a perfect mix of his parents, thoughts of YiJun invade my mind. Did this boy know who he had lost? He had to have seen Hei Chi use the killing curse, I conclude and place my finger in the middle of his brows. "Awake," I mutter, and the boy's eyes flutter open.

His eyes dilate, fear and surprise fight to reign supremacy in his almond orbs. "I...you..." he mouths and scans the room. "It's not too late," relived, he raises to his feet,  "Grandfather. Kill me, and you might have a chance to soil Hei Chi's plan." He demands, eyeing my sword.

Perhaps the strain of the vision had left him perturbed, or it was just his ploy to mislead me. "Don't tell me what to do, boy. I will decide-"

The boy doesn't let me finish. "Grandfather,"

Why does he keep addressing me like that!? It's...uncomfortable.

"Don't-"

"Heaven's barriers won't keep Hei Chi out if I continue to stay...if I continue to exist. I am somehow connected to him...I....I...don't know how, but I saw him entering heaven...if any harm comes to you or heaven, I would never be able to forgive myself!" The boy confesses. "Please, I beg you. You are going to do it sooner or later anyway."

"Don't you want to meet your mother?"

"There is not enough time, Grandfather."

What is this boy going on about!?

I am still contemplating whether to believe the boy or not when a loud crack from the north calls my attention to the darkening sky.

"No!" The boy screams; pushing me to the floor, he takes the blow that was undoubtedly meant for me.

'Why did he do that?' I wonder, glancing at the source, and find my first creation smirking down at me.

"Hello, father. Did you miss me?" Hei Chi drifts down. It is the first time that I am seeing him without his wings. He looks incomplete somehow, I conclude and feel a now-familiar sense of suffocation engulf me.

My head reels as the strong scent of cinnamon fills the air between us. I ignore the numbness creeping into my mind.

I was the supreme creator. Hei Chi's tricks weren't strong enough to influence my will. Had he forgotten that after ruling the underworld for so long?

I push that thought out of my mind and concentrate on more urgent matters like, how had Hei Chi stepped inside my realm? Had the boy spoken the truth? Was Xian's presence the reason why the barrier had failed to keep Hei Chi out?

"Grandfather," The boy calls, "close your senses." He begs while trying (and failing) to get to his feet.

First Hei Chi and now the abomination, both were underestimating me.

Ridiculous.

Ignoring the boy's words, I open my palm and summon my sword, and like always, it comes to me. I wait to feel its raw power rush into me, but even as one moment bleeds into the next, I feel nothing.

"I see you haven't changed one bit, father. You continue to overestimate yourself and look down upon those you deem tainted and unworthy." Hei Chi steps closer with long confident strides while the fiercest weapon ever created feels like lead in my arm.

"What did you do!?" I ask as fear invades me for the first time since my creation, and I hang on to Qūzhújiàn with everything in me.

Hei Chi stops an arm's length from me. He lowers his eyes, and a mischievous smile tugs at the edge of his lips before turning into a wide grin. "You have lost the ability to wield your precious Qūzhújiàn, haven't you, father?"

{Note:- That's it for this update.

What do you think Hei Chi will do, how that he is finally back in heaven?

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