Yes, her whole existence was nothing more than needless effort. This body, this chance, this life which was never hers to have. Never did she wish for this second chance yet the heavens gave it to her anyways. And when she wished to end it, the heavens stepped in to stop her. It challenged her moral bottom line, allowing her to easily end this life, but only if she dared to without guilt. Safe to say the heavens got what they wanted. She ‘lived’.

Remembering each calamitous trial, the life of loneliness, the foundation built with lies, made her laugh more tragic as her tears spilled heavier to the ground. She was tired of it all and just wished to go home. Back to her sweet and funny father, to her strict but loving mother. To the aunties and uncles bickering. To the old fools competing over medicine. To those vengeful squirrels. The rambunctious barbarian tribes. Even to her uncle's home which scarred her deeply. Back to the life that was hers no matter how poorly it ended. But it was never coming back. Even if it did, would it be the same? The scars on her soul would never heal even if she were to return and she was well aware of that fact. Yet that didn’t stop her from dreaming of the impossible, in fact it strengthened her yearning, her craving to become herself once. To be able to say, ‘I am me’.

Two minutes of unnerving laughter still hadn’t ended and the impatient man could wait no longer. "Are you done?" The ice of his tone triggered his servants' expressions to collapse, their throats to squeeze, and their breathing to quicken. They took a step back, instinctively avoiding the awakened demon silently taking the air from their lungs. Ever since the death of region Lord Wuwang, their lord has never been the same, the number of servant deaths innumerable. No one was safe below his wrath.

Mozen lazily leaned back, "Quite." That face was completely dry of tears and any pain she'd previously felt, now looking tired with a raised eyebrow, almost like a languid lioness flicking her tail, amusing at the noisy fly fearlessly buzzing around her. Where had that broken woman yearning for the past gone? Perhaps lost in the abyss, locked behind several thick walls, thorns, and a beast guarding the rusted gates. Or at least assumably so.

"Well, I'm waiting."

"For what, may I ask?"

"My explanation."

"Oh- I never said I'd explain. Why in the heavens would you think that I would? It's not like you're my Father. Only he can needlessly make demands which I will follow. Besides that title, yes," Mozen nods, her tone full of ‘realization’. "It just seems you're just not special enough to prompt me out of perpetual inertia. That’s too bad."

"Not… special… enough… ahaha-" Liu Rougang lowered his head. Her words strangled out a gasp. "You know my feelings and yet- Mozen……when did you become so cruel?"

"How blind, when begging for death do I grant it? Not only do I not, even shoving life down the throat and ordering to die elsewhere. —–I force life to continue living. Cruelty may as well be my bread and better." Mozen's lashes fluttered in confusion. "For you to be unaware merely means you hadn’t yet crossed that line. And today, with what you've done. Do you expect any less from me? The water is clear, your reflection even the blind can see. Stop running from your own shadow, your own actions, it's over and you know it."

Liu Rougang recoiled. His expression twists between guilt and grievance. How could she! She knows his troubles and yet she-! His emotions tumbling over themselves, ready to explode burned his face red. “Mo-”

"Stay quiet. I'm not done." Before he could speak out a retort, Mozen raises her good arm and starts counting. "Let's tally up the offenses, shall we? Burning my world. Burning my gardens. Burning my house. Destroying my bed. Assaulting my personal space. Oh and let's not forget my legs. Do you see these bones poking out? They most certainly did not do that themselves."

Liu Rougang's sight fell to her mutilated legs he'd dung into with his bare hands when she fought against him. Then to her hair he had pulled from the roots in anger when she denied him, dragging her from the chair and slamming her to the ground. Lastly to those apathetic eyes silently mocking him, asking him what right he had to do this to her.

And she was correct. He had no right. She did not deserve what he'd done. But he just couldn't help himself! She angered him! She refused him! No one refuses him! With his position as region lord and hers a mere common doctor what rights did she have to go against his will? Surely he wasn't the only one to blame, right? He was not the first to enter the wrong. She was the first to change!

"So let alone show you kindness, that ‘offer’ of marriage." She chuckles, snapping him out of his self righteous thoughts. "Is utterly ridiculous. I'd have to be a foolish lunatic to agree to such-” she stopped short and looked him up and down. A frown mars her face as she averts her gaze to her broken legs. She finishes saying, “terms willingly," emphasizing the obvious.

Liu Rougang's face was extremely ugly. He huffed tirelessly to contain his boiling rage and the deadly urge to wrap his hand around that dainty throat. He wished to shut that mouth for good, very much willing to swallow down her poison. That way they can suffer together, bound tightly, where she will never leave him. Never again.

"Besides," she smiles, looking up at her old patient she saw what he used to be. An arrogant man child who knew no wrong nor right but willing to learn and change. Yet in his place now was an avaricious tyrant that no longer cared, a complete stranger to her. "You have to live long enough to be married and most marriages take months to plan. Having such knowledge I can't in good conscience agree. The wife would be dead long before the miles of red silk connected the doors"

Sparks popped and the wind churned. Inside this solitary world of two a ravine separated them both. No amount of effort could bring these two together again. The damage has already been done and what horrendous damage it is. 

Suddenly she sighs, a strange “oh” parts her lips, that tone of voice twists, cracking hoarsely like an evil spirit showing its tail. She lowers her sight and touches her forehead. "Perhaps, I should rephrase? 'Both wife and husband’' would be long dead."

Liu Rougang jolts. His misty eyes of guilt blinked away in confusion. "Wha-t. What do you mean—– Ah Luo?" 

Time stood still. The flames seem to freeze. The ashes stopped falling. The parted clouds spill moonlight on the broken building. An eldritch gleam coated the white light, exasperating the tension lingering in the air. Devils descend on this night, trapping everyone in their dark, dreadful shadows, swallowing all colors but black, white, red, and gray. 

"What does that mean, you ask? Well that's a simple answer. Yet as simple as it may be, can you bear the truth? I do wonder if you can." A witches chuckle crackles in the air. Invisible chains bound the unsuspecting trio in place and chills ran down their spines in unison. Something was not right, an impending sense of dread spiraled down atop their heads, but before they could make out the danger inches away, the chuckling stopped.

The crimson doctor radiating in a dark aura looks up. A flame cold and deathly black rests between her brows then abruptly engulfed her body, startling the trio. Red devilish eyes glow below her lashes and a bone cracking smile of glimmering white teeth twist her expression into something too terrifying to unsee.

“Oh Rougang.” She sweetly crooned. "As my Mother and father would say, It means see you in hell."

Boom—

Suddenly and without warning an explosion of black flames towers into the sky and shoots straight through the clouds. It collides with the atmosphere, bursting into a brilliant firework that spreads out in all directions, scorching across the sky as a blazing virus, it engulfs the entire planet in black. Below the darkness, nightmarish fire rains across the land, completing the tyrant's job and steadily flattening the planet's natural ridges. Nothing was spared in the wake of this disaster caused by the doctor's self destruction. Even the owl beast sheltered beneath her barrier feared the flames falling from the sky, not daring any attempt to touch, but to strictly avoid.

Shira was horrified. She had not thought that her friend would go out in such a manner. Taking her world to the grave with her was the last thing she speculated would happen.

"No…..." Shira grasped the splintering gem in her wing. Tears spill from her blue eyes as her head swishes back and forth. "Luo Luo this isn't you. This isn't you Luo Luo! Stop! Stop it now!" 

The owl wailed into the night, crying her lungs hoarse. "Luo Luo- betraying your morals- isn't worth the cold taste of satisfaction. It's not worth it. It's not…" This was not her best friend! Who was this heartless stranger dead set on mutual destruction? Even in anger she would never… never… go this far.

The owl's silent whimpers went without notice as the ground became soaked in sorrow and bitter retribution.

• • • •

"Ahaha-" hoarse laughter drifts in the air, numbing the mind and squeezing the heart.

In the epicenter a chard hand reaches out towards a small fallen box and flicks it open. A silver ring inlaid with diamonds and a moon gem, one that was slowly switching through several phases glimmers inside.

A dull pair of gray eyes look lifelessly upon this ring. The hand that revealed it had long crumbled into dust, and the body, which had stood back up, was too whittling away, scattering to pieces with every passing second.

"Shira." A faint voice, weighed down in exhaustion, spoke, a smile hanging on her lips. "This wasn't revenge. This was a selfish wish to leave something behind. My grave, my world burning to Ashes, but still remaining afloat in hopes to be remembered." 

"I was here." Half her body had vanished and a crack spread down her face.

"I suffered." Her torso broke from her neck, sending her head floating down to the ground light as a feather.

"I won't—–be forgotten." Her eyes closed and the remaining pieces of her body crumbled, scattering into the wind.

“So don’t forgive me,” were the words she was never able to finish.

Once Mozen's last word was spoken, Shira's gem broke in half and a second explosion erupted. White light burst from the epicenter. A shroud of mist extinguished the black flames and submerged the lands in a tidal wave. The raging, gentle- white blanket covered it all. From the ashes drowning in white, life sprouted forth in specks of green. Animals popped their heads out from the misty ground, dazed and confused. The receded water filtered back through the empty canals, and only a few traces of flames remained off in the distance, flickering eerily, dreadfully looming.

Only after the mist had settled did Shira land down from the tree. She looked into the sky, guilt riding upon her heart and shoulders. “I should have known.” Her beak rose into a smile. "This is indeed your way. Always proving the other party wrong. Even up to the end."

A gentle breeze lifted the fallen leaves into the air. A stirring of ash circled the tall woman then scattered off into the northern wind. In her wing the gem laid motionless and dead. "How infuriating." She rasped out a chuckle.