YiJun's POV

I know that I am fighting a losing battle, but it doesn't matter. I dodge Hei Chi's attacks with everything I have.

I am aware that it is not enough, but giving up is not an option; I am here to buy time and distract the 'king of the underworld' till my father's return.

From what Elder Meng had told me days ago, I had concluded that if heaven was to return to its former glory, we needed its ruler back, strong in body and mind.

The eternal tree was perishing, and only the ultimate sacrifice could stop it.

When I had told Xian what I needed from him, he had agreed without hesitation; his confidence, strength, and conviction had nourished my belief that what we had planned would work.

Was I a hundred percent sure?

No, but for now, it had to be enough.

Even as I defend myself from Hei Chi's unrelenting attacks, I wonder if I had perhaps chosen wrongly.

After having a much-needed conversation with Elder Meng and my siblings, we had concluded that Xian was the only one who could save the eternal tree and, by extension, the Heavenly and the mortal realms.

The price was his life; there was also a catch: Xian's sacrifice would only count if he did it without hesitation or regret.

'How could the heavens be so unkind…so cruel?' I had contemplated.

Why was the price to restore the realms to their former glory an innocent boy's life?

When I had voiced my thoughts, the Elder had smiled, "I know what you are thinking, YiJun, but I can't give you any answers now; what I can suggest is to keep your faith alive; trust in heaven and what it stands for."

My mind drifts to my last conversation with Xian.

'Jun, will my sacrifice cure the eternal tree?'

'Yes.'

'Will it save heaven and the mortal realm?'

'Yes.'

'Is that all I have to do?'

'Yes.'

'That's great; I would have liked to meet my mother before it, but knowing that my end will save her is good enough for me.'

'Are you sure you are willing to do it, Xian?'

'Yes,'

'Do you understand that we won't be seeing each other ever again?'
'I do.'

'Are you willing to condemn me to a world that doesn't have you walking alongside me?'

'Yes, because I know that if heaven perishes, you won't be able to forgive yourself; I would rather you hate me than yourself.'

"Give up, YiJun; you can't stop me. If you surrender to me, I might let you live." Hei Chi warns, trying to land a blow to my heart.

He misses...barely.

"Hei Chi, think about what you want to do; what will you get by destroying the mortal realm?" I ask as Bitchen blocks another attack.

"Peace." Hei Chi replies; his dark orbs scan the hall and turn accusatory, "Where is father!?"

I remain silent.

Mirth replaces anger; the captive king throws his head back and laughs, "Did your precious leader flee in the face of defeat?" he demands sarcastically, and when I don't respond, his eyes turn cold once again, "YiJun, your petty tricks won't work on me anymore. I have my wings now. I am not a fallen like before."

"Maybe, but you will never be a part of heaven." I retort, egging him on.
A war of words was better than one using weapons.

"Who says I want to be part of a place where there is no place for love?"

Hei Chi's words hit a nerve.

I purse my lips; my thoughts fail me, and my speech follows; there is truth to the statement that I can not deny. In fact, I had asked Xian the same not long ago.

'Xian, there is no place for love in heaven. Don't you think it is unfair to sacrifice our love just so we can ensure its survival?'

'Yes, Jun, but still, I can tell how much you want to protect heaven. You were created to serve heaven and mankind. If you wanted to abandon your home, you would have done it by now. Even though your father doesn't see it, you are a loyal man...a good man. I know what Hei Chi's victory would do to you.'

'Xian, you know it's not your fight.'

'Isn't it, though? I am sure the reason Hei Chi did what he did, was just to gain my trust… to get close to me. He wanted me on his side. I told you, I am a weapon.'

'You don't have to be.'

'I think I do, Jun, and I think the fate of the three realms depends on it.'

'What about us?'

'There will always be us; nothing can change that.'

'So, you are sure you want to do this, no hesitation; no regrets?'

'None at all.'

"I thought you were a wordsmith, Wang YiJun. Look at you now." Hei Chi advances on me: the glint of victory shines like black jades from the depths of his ebony orbs, "Our father will never accept Xian; he doesn't understand, brother, nor does he care about your heart." his eyes shine with tears, "You love Xian, don't you?"

The scent of cinnamon attacks my senses, trying to gain control over my mind.

When did Hei Chi get so close?

I can almost hear my defenses failing as he places a hand on my shoulder, "Join me, and I will let you have your heart's desire: Xian."

The haze settling over my mind dissipates as soon as Hei Chi mentions Xian; I push him away and point Bitchen at his heart, "You are mistaken, Hei Chi. You can't give me Xian, for he doesn't belong to you." I declare. My wings unfurl behind me, and a moment later, I launch at him.
However, a split second before our swords clash, a searing pain rips through my heart.

Xian!

Bitchen slips through my fingers and falls to the floor with a loud clang.
The pain as Hei Chi's blade pierces my heart doesn't register.

I suppose it's a fitting end. I couldn't have asked for more. I am at peace.

***

"Gege. GEGE."

"Xiōngdi, please. Open your eyes."

I can hear Jian and Xuan's desperate voices calling me, but I don't want to acknowledge it; I don't want to wake up; I can't accept the truth. I can't...

'YiJun, son, you have served me well. It is time you to open your eyes and look at what you have helped protect. Jian and Xuan refuse to believe that you are still with us.'

'I don't want to, father.'

'Why?'

Silence.

'That's unfortunate. I don't think Xian will appreciate that.'

"Xian?" I hear myself call; an instant later, I feel wetness on my cheeks.

"Gege!"

"Xiōngdi!"

Two pairs of arms wrap around me. They feel like chains. I want to break free.

Where is Xian?

"We thought we lost you." Xuan cries, and Jian nods in agreement.

It would have been better to have perished.

I catch Xuan's hazel-colored orbs. The joy in them appears out of place. I give her a once over. The rosy glow tinting her cheeks combined with the celestial aura indicates that Father had probably healed her.

I wish Xian was as lucky.

"Leave us."

My father's voice pulls me out of my woeful, meandering thoughts, and the arms around me fall away.

"Yes, father." Jian and Xuan reply simultaneously before leaving me alone with the Jade emperor.

"YiJun, look at me." The Heavenly Father's voice turns fond, yet, I struggle to glace up as fear of what I might be commanded to do next fills me.

I take a deep breath and meet his soulful orbs.

"Do you truly want to perish?"

"Father, I.. I... " I hesitate.

After all, I was created to serve heaven, but I  had fallen for Xian instead. If I was being honest, I had almost been tempted to give up on father as well.

I do not regret loving Xian, but the naked truth is that I have failed as a son.

I close my eyes, hoping to sense Xian's presence.

"YiJun, you are still weak. Don't waste your energy. You are going to need it." The Heavenly Father instructs, but I continue my endeavors.

Father doesn't repeat himself. He takes a deep breath. "YiJun, do you regret what you did?" He asks, taking my hands in his, "Do you regret saving me at the cost of Xian's life?"

"No. I don't." I reply confidently, "Both of us wanted it, albeit for different reasons."

"Hmmm." My father hums and stands, holding his hand out for me to take, "I need you to come with me." he commands, and I accept.

Father was right; I wanted to see it with my own eyes: Xian's gift to the mortal and heavenly realms alike, before asking him for a favor.

As he leads me around, I practically sense his aura embracing me.

"You are back to being yourself, aren't you, Father?" I enquire, and he nods. "Thanks to Xian."

I watch a ghost of a smile flutter across his beautiful, calm countenance.

It brings me peace.

YiJun, you can let go of your existence now. They do not need you anymore.
You are finally free to choose death.

"I know I haven't been reasonable lately, but I promise I won't make the same mistake again." He admits and smiles, holding my gaze. It's open and honest. "Do you really not want to serve by my side anymore, son?"

"You don't need me anymore," I state, I open my mouth to elaborate, but just then, I catch sight of jet black wings trapped in a cage, struggling to free themselves.

"It's Hei Chi's." My father answers my unasked question, "Moments after you lost consciousness, I arrived and captured him before my sword could do more damage."

"I don't... " I start, but father shakes his head and leads me towards Kunlun mountains. I follow him like I am supposed to.

"I wanted to ask Jian and Xuan how you managed to escape, but I wanted you to give me the answers." He says nonchalantly, as though making idle conversation and not asking me to incriminate my siblings and myself.
"Rest assured. No harm will come to Xuan and Jian." He adds, reading my mind yet again.

My father was many things but being a liar wasn't one. I was confident that I could trust him. I explained how after realizing that the eternal tree was poisoned, we contemplated and concluded that the only way to restore heaven to its former condition was for Xian to willingly sacrifice himself for the good of the realms. The three of us and elder Meng had come up with a plan to help me escape the heavenly realm undetected. "We had to warn Xian not to fall in Hei Chi's trap and stop him from leaving the mortal realm."

"Are you telling me that you knew what was expected of Xian, yet, you chose to stop him from going to the underworld where he could stay protected?"

"Yes." I bob my head and continue, "We paid a visit to the demon holding quarters and coerced one to help us in exchange for his freedom."

"That's against the law."

"Yes, it is." I don't give him any explanation and press on, "When Hei Chi used the killing curse on me, it drained him. He couldn't force Xian to go to the underworld with him."

"What did the boy do when he saw that the angels were there for him?" Father enquires, looking interested as if I was narrating a story.

"He surrendered willingly."

"Did he not protest at all?"

"No, father." I shake my head and gulp thickly, "When I told him that his sacrifice could save heaven, he immediately offered himself for the cause. I... I even tried to dissuade him." I confess. Guilty.

Just as I finish, I find us standing outside the mouth of the cave Xuan had called home for the past twenty years.

Father holds his palm out, and the thin film covering the entrance vanishes.

As soon as we step inside, I notice how different it looks from my last time there, barely two days ago.

"You have been asleep for a month, son," Father says as if reading my mind.

"A month!?"

"Yes. And a lot has happened... a lot has changed. I have changed." Father sighs, "We are here." he states, sighing, and then, looking past me, he calls, "Hei Chi!"

Not an instant later, a beam of light falls on the rock at the right corner of the cave, illuminating its occupant- the king of the underworld.

A smirk tugs at the captive's lips as soon as he spots us.

"Alone, I see. It's your fault that you couldn't protect Xian. How does it feel to serve an ungrateful father, hum?" he asks, looking between the Heavenly Father and me, "If you would have listened, Xian would still be alive."

As soon as he voices his thoughts, the smirk falls away. His Phoenix eyes move away from me and settle on the Jade Emperor, "Father, why are you here? Have you decided what you want to do to me?"

"Not yet."

"What are you waiting for!?" Hei Chi yells, "Just end me already. Why are you keeping me alive?" the once-ruler of the underworld demands, holding up his chained arms, "Haven't you mocked me enough?"

The Jade emperor closes his eyes and turns away; placing his hand on my shoulder, he gives it a light squeeze, "Talk to him. That is the last thing I need you to do for me before…" he leaves it at that and starts walking towards the exit.

"Then what?"

"Then, my son, I will relieve you of your pain," The Heavenly Father answers without looking at me and walks out of my sister's former abode, leaving me alone with his first creation.

{Note:- The suspense continues 😅😅
But I have left some hints 😉
Can you spot them?

Only two more chapters to go till this story ends.

Am I feeling slightly emo?
Yes, but I am also excited to finish this story.

Please ⭐Vote⭐ to support this update, if you have enjoyed it.}