“Hey Yuli.”
“What?”
The pair were returning to their room after a lavish dinner. Airen fumbled around his brightly colored robes and pulled out a small box.
“We won't have time on the day of the ceremony, so...” Airen shifted his feet. “Happy birthday.” He presented the teal box to Yuelei.
“So that's what you were buying the last time we snuck out of the palace.” Yuelei teased. “It's funny because we think alike.” Yuelei also took out a mint colored box, slightly larger than Airen's and handed it to him.
They opened it at the same time. Within Airen's was a dark red piece of cloth embroidered with lotuses. Upon closer inspection the lines in the cloth seemed to glimmer slightly. Within Yuelei's was a beautiful hairpin encrusted with three deep blue gems.
Airen picked up the cloth, despite how thick it was, it was extremely lightweight and flexible. “So.... you first?” he ventured.
“Fine. This scarf is specially made from the fur of a rare magical beast that never dirties. You can use this cloth to wipe just about anything and it would still remain clean, and if it tears, it slowly fixes itself” she said proudly.
“That's... pretty useful” Airen conceded.
“Ok, your turn.”Yuelei pressured.
“That hairpin was made by a blacksmith, not a jeweler” Airen bragged. “Each gem has a special effect. Touching the smallest one would cause it to emit light. The medium-sized one changes color if it encounters poison, and the largest one can be used to find water.”
“Wow, where did you get this sort of thing?” Yuelei questioned.
“Actually... Jomin helped me pick it out” he confessed.
“Really? Jomin told me to get this for you too...” Yuelei said.
They both held their heads in silence.
“That Jomin... he really did ruin our competition this year, didn't he?”
“Either way, I would have won. Obviously my present was the better one.” Airen declared.
“Is not. You know I don't wear any of those weird hairpins. Plus mine is more useful.”
“But... it doesn't do as much stuff as mine does...”
Their argument continued until they passed it off as a tie.
-
Later that night.
Airen woke up with a hand softly covering his mouth. His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, and he saw Jourmind with a finger pressed to his mouth. Jourmind's piercing eyes stared at him, and Airen nodded his head. He gestured for him to wake up Yuelei as he walked to the door and peered outside.
“Yuli, wake up,” Airen whispered. After nudging her a few times, Yuelei finally roused from her sleep.
“What is-”
Airen put a finger on his lips.
“?”
Jourmind went over to both of them and knelt down so he can see them face to face. “Airen, Yuelei. First, change into these and listen to me closely.” Jourmind handed the pair some dark-hued clothing. As they fumbled in the dark to do as he bid, he continued.
“The capital is no longer safe. Your father tasked me to get you out of here.” Jourmind handed the two of them two large burlap sacks. “I know you two have questions but now is not the time. Right now, we need to escape.”
The two children were confused at first, but quickly followed Jourmind's instructions. After moving them to the corner of the room, Jourmind removed a few tiles on the floor. He placed his palm onto the ground and after a few moments, the earth started to shift apart until a small man-sized passage was made.
“Airen, you go first, Yuelei follow him. I'll be right behind you two.”
Once the children had moved ahead, Jourmind squirmed in and replaced the entrance with magic, hiding their deed. The tunnel was relatively straightforward, and by no means uncomfortable to traverse, if not for the dirt sticking to all three individual's clothes as they crawled forward. After an hour, someone broke the silence.
“Jomin, where does this even lead? And why did father ask you to take us away from the palace? Wouldn't we be safer there?” Airen’s words assaulted Jourmind, unable to hold back any longer.
“Lord Father is a 'Divine Being' isn't he? Why would anyone want to risk the wrath of someone like father?” Yuelei added.
Jourmind did not wish to lie to the children, yet at the same time he needed them to concentrate on the task at hand. “An incident befell your father and he was severely injured. There are rumors that the Imperial Palace has been infiltrated by assassins.” he replied. “This tunnel leads to the outskirts of the city where we are going to go into hiding for a while.”
“Are you going to protect us Jomin?” Yuelei asked.
“....I'm confident I could protect both you and Yuli, but sooner or later, a small mistake could be the end of us.” Jourmind explained. “When you're not sure who your enemies are, that is the worst situation to be in. Remember what I said about how to deal with your enemies? If your enemy is stronger-”
“Elude him.” Yueli said. “If your enemy is your equal-”
“then prepare for him” Airen continued. “And if your enemy is weaker-”
“Crush him” a female voice declared, and the ground started to shake. The earth above the three's heads splintered open and all three were ejected into the open.
Jourmind quickly oriented himself to land on his feet. He came face to face with Xeina and two masked men, each of them holding onto an unconscious Airen and Yuelei.
“It did not strike me that you too were a reader of the art of war.” Xeina commented. “But think you, a sixth ranked earth magus, can elude me? A tenth-ranked magus of the same element?”
In a flash, Jourmind drew his rapier and took a defensive stance. He glanced at the two masked men. “Put those two down. I do not know what sort of grudge you hold, but those two are innocent.”
“Innocent?” Xeina started to laugh, a grudging laugh full of bitterness and a hint of sadness. “Nobody is truly innocent, Jourmind, or should I call you by your full name? Jourmind Acher.”
“The Acher family banished me before I was even born into the world” Jourmind roared. “If your grudge is with me, then let those two innocent ones go, and I will come quietly and accept any punishment you desire.”
“Innocent?” Xeina repeated, her eyes narrowed. “Nobody is innocent, Jourmind, and certainly not the children of that man.”
“Macha?” Jourmind questioned. “His problem with your family was resolved when he and your sister, Aris, fell in love and got married.”
“Yet if they were in love, why did she die? Why did Macha, the mighty 'Fist of the Heavens', not protect her?”
“But that was an accident!” Jourmind declared. “Nobody could hav-”
“Perhaps not, but that doesn't change the fact that he came back one day, her body in his hands. If he had lied, who would dare not to believe him?”
Jourmind had no words to say. After a brief silence he muttered. “Macha really did love her, Xeina. I watched him hesitate for years because of the uneasy tension between him and the Acher clan. Your sister also hesitated, thinking that she was atoning for what the Acher house did to his- our family.”
Xeina snorted. “I, too, was willing to let bygones be bygones. I had sworn that as long as Macha held her dear and his love was true, I would be content with everything.” Xeina walked in front of him until their faces were inches apart. Jourmind braced himself, thinking that she was going to attack. But she merely whispered. “But she died under his watch.”
She turned around and walked back to where the two men were. “I could have forgiven our troubled history, but I can not forgive him for killing my sister. But what really caused everything was how quickly he took me as the new Empress. He did not even spend time to mourn and he had the gall to propose marriage... to ME, of all people.... ”
Jourmind opened his mouth to protest but Xeina cut him off. “He's dead now, and I don't regret doing it.”
Red mist started to seep into Jourmind's vision. The letter Macha had sent him was during his final moments, and it was only now that Jourmind found out who was the culprit.
“I wouldn't do that if I were you, Jourmind Acher, or would you prefer if I called you ‘brother’?” Xeina said, her back towards him. “You've always treated Aris well, and I would not prefer to kill my last sibling. These two however...” she brushed the sleeping Yuelei's black hair. “is a different story.”
“The Casteya clan is my family now, leader of the Acher house. And if you insist on harming those two, I have no choice but to be forced to fight you.” Jourmind channeled his soul power and poured it into his earth magic. Two, then four, then eight Clay Images of him appeared behind his back, each holding their rapier in a dueling stance. One of the masked men whistled at the sight.
Xeina said nothing and merely observed. Even as the Clay Images all charged towards them brandishing a weapon art, she seemed indifferent. When they finally reached within ten meters, one of the masked men started to walk forward, only to be blocked by Xeina's arm. A golden orange light flashed in Xeina's eyes as thousands of Earthen Lances pulsed forward in waves from her fleet and disintegrated all of the Clay Images. Several of them pierced and pinned Jourmind, delivering fatal wounds as they impaled him.
“What...” Jourmind spat blood, his eyes on Xeina who was calmly walking towards him. “You...”
“Yes, I'm a 'Divine Being' “ Xeina affirmed sadly. “I had wished that the world remain ignorant, but with the way things are, it seems I have no choice after all.” Her words slurred as Jourmind felt his vision and hearing starting to dim.
“Please...” Jourmind croaked out with the last bits of his strength. “Spare them.. they are also your sister's children.” He wrenched his hand off the Earthen Lances and placed it on Xeina's shoulder. The blood soaked into her gown but she did not knock it away.
He stared intensely into Xeina's eyes. A minute passed as Jourmind fought from falling into eternal sleep, and finally, Xeina mouthed “Fine.” Perhaps it was her way of saying goodbye to her last sibling, perhaps it was out of mercy, but as soon as she did, Jourmind Casteya, Traitor of the Acher Clan, passed away.
Empress Xeina stood there as the warmth faded from the hand on her shoulder. She sent out her magic and Jourmind's body slowly was buried into the ground.
“So... it's all over” Xeina murmured.
“Not quite,” a voice interrupted her. The masked men walked over and pointed towards the unconscious children. “Do we dispose of these two?”
Xeina walked over and caressed her hands through Yuelei's hair. During their minor interactions in the palace, Yuelei had painfully reminded her of Aris, while the shy Airen reminded her of her weak self. She recalled Jourmind's last words.
They are your sister's children.
“No, let them go.” she quietly said.
“Are you sure?” one of the men inquired.
“I'll return the favor Macha did to Aris and me. Send them away so that I may never see them again.” Xeina walked away and left the two men gazing at each other.
And if fate and fortune favors them, then one day they'll meet again. Empress Xeina thought.
-
End of Prologue’s Prelude.
-To follow Airen’s story, Read 1A. To follow Yuelei’s story, read 1B.
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