Chapter 12 - A New Path
A young lady walks along a narrow, dimly lit, dirt road. Rice paddies surround her as she carefully makes her way home. The light from her lantern dances each time she takes a step, illuminating the ground in front of her. As her house comes into view, she smiles and picks up the pace.
Hope he's in the mood for pork st-
Before she could finish her thought, her eyes roll back as her consciousness fades. Her lantern flies to the side, landing in the rice paddy beside her. The wet paddy extinguishes the candle inside the lantern, causing the surrounding area to fall dark. Before hitting the ground, an arm reaches out from the darkness and catches the lady.
"I'm sorry…" The burly man mutters before gently lifting the limp body over his shoulder.
Floating above them, shrouded by the night, a man looks down as he observes the events unfold. A gust of cool wind passes the shrouded figure, pushing his hair aside to reveal a pair of sharp, crimson, eyes. He watches as the burly man carries the lady into the distance. He slowly closes his crimson red eyes and takes a deep breath. After several seconds, he exhales and opens his eyes. The sharp, crimson, eyes that were there a few seconds ago had been replaced by a pair of soft, calm, eyes.
It's not you…
Sun pushes his toes downwards, stepping on the wind. His body flies forth into the distance as he follows them from behind.
After crossing the Emerald River, the burly man carefully sets the lady against a tree. He looks around as he scans his surroundings. Upon sensing nothing, he takes out a small black pellet. The man presses his thumb against the bottom-side of his index finger. He sets the pellet between his thumb and index finger before flicking it into the sky. The black pellet ignites into a small fire as it flies into the sky, leaving behind a thin trail of light before extinguishing.
Moments later, another shadowy figure approaches the tree marked by the beacon. Sun watches from afar as the figure walks over to the base of the tree and gently sets another body down.
Not you either…
The shadowy figure pulls down his mask, revealing the face of a young man with a burn scar running along the left side of his jaw. He stands up and turns towards the burly man.
"Jian, this doesn't feel right…"
The burly man pulls down his mask as he sighs. He places both arms on the young man's shoulders.
"I know Min, I know." He replies as he tightens his grip. "Their blood will be on our hands, even if we aren't the ones to kill them. But what choice do we have? We need to do their dirty biddings if we want to climb up the ranks."
Min remains silent. He furrows his brows towards the ground as he tries to resolve himself to continue down this path that he and his brother had chosen.
"Min, look at me." Jian, sensing his younger brother's internal conflict, speaks firmly. "Do not forget that day. Do not forget what they took from us. We promised, whatever it takes, we will make those bas-"
Jian cuts his words short as he senses someone approaching in the distance. He loosens his grip on Min's shoulders.
"Do not forget." He repeats quietly before pulling up his mask.
"What are you two yapping about?" A shadowy figure asks as he tosses another body against the tree.
"Nothing," Jian replies. "We should get going."
"Who made you the leader?" The shadowy figure asks as he glares at Jian.
"I apologize for my hasty words, squad leader."
"I don't need your useless apology!" The squad leader snaps as he slaps Jian across the face. "Go stand guard while I have my fun."
"Squad leader!" Seeing the disgusting look in the squad leader's eyes, Min quickly interjects. "We were told to bring them back alive!"
The squad leader glares at Min. He walks over to the young man. Min instinctively takes a step back as the squad leader arrives in front of him.
"Right you are. We were told to bring them back alive." The squad leader speaks slowly with an undertone of anger. "What does that have to do with me having a little bit of fun? Now, don't make me repeat m-"
A sudden gust of heavy wind rushes past the three men, pushing them fifty steps back from where they stood. After finding their footing, the three men look towards the direction of the wind. Although it was dark, they could still make out a tall, faint, silhouette.
"WHO ARE YOU?!" The squad leader yells as he draws his sword.
The tall figure does not respond. He stands there quietly, looking down at three unconscious girls leaning against the base of the tree. With his back still turned to the three masked men, he slowly bends his knee and leans forward. He reaches his hand out towards the young lady in the middle. Placing his hand on her silky black hair, he erects a barrier to protect her and the other two girls. He slowly pushes himself back onto his feet before turning around and locking his sharp, crimson, gaze onto the squad leader.
The stench of blood. It's you…
Meeting his gaze, the squad leader suddenly finds himself drenched in cold sweat. His sword trembles as he struggles to stabilize his shaking arms. The squad leader bites his own tongue, using the pain to help him snap out of his pathetic state. He firmly grips his sword and charges.
Sun stands there motionless. Time seemed to slow down as he closes his crimson eyes. His brows scrunch slightly as an internal struggle rages on within him. He takes in a deep breath of air to quell his tumultuous heart. His left arm stretches outwards in front of him, rotating his wrist so that his palm faces the ground.
One blade to sunder the earth.
Sun opens his eyes as he exhales. With his wrist loose and his fingers relaxed, he lifts his palm slightly before flicking it downwards. The air above the squad leader collapses, growing denser and denser as it makes its way towards the ground. The squad leader stops his advance as his knees tremble. Blood drips down his nose and eyes as the pressure around him grows heavier and heavier, pushing his feet into the recessing ground. He releases a desperate, bone-chilling, scream as he collapses onto all fours. He screams out once again before falling flat onto the ground and passing out.
Jian and Min, despite not being hit by the attack, collapses as their trembling knees gives out. Their bodies, covered in cold sweat, shiver as they stare at massive palm-shaped recess in the ground.
Sun glances at the two brothers before turning around, making his way towards the unconscious girls. He releases the protective barrier before carefully picking them up one by one. With all the girls securely in his arms, he walks out from under the tree.
"I will pretend that tonight never happened. Take his body and return to your leaders. Tell them that this is the first and only warning."
The brothers, still kneeling and shivering, slam their heads towards the ground as they thank the Heavens that they can live another day. Sun slowly ascends into the night sky. Before leaving, he turns to look at the two brothers again. Recalling the conversation that he had overheard while watching them from afar, he sighs.
"I know your rage all too well… but vengeance will not quell it. Vengeance… it will not bring back what you've lost. The only thing that you'll find at the end of the road you're currently on is more suffering. I spare your lives with the hope that you can pave a new path and find your way out of this malicious cycle."
And with that, Sun disappears into the night.