There’s a saying: what goes up must come down. Some interpret this to mean a negative will always follow a positive. To some, it’s a warning to be aware of your actions and the consequences that follow. For Zhi Yu, it was a saying which held a lot weight; something that constantly played on his mind. 

He didn't consider himself a nice person. In fact, he often viewed himself as a monster. In his own mind, Zhi Yu was a thing hidden within the darkness that no one should ever wish to see. Despite his point of view,  he was well respected amongst the ghosts, demons, and other night creatures which lurked in the city of Fengdu. 

In this city he was hailed as the King and treated accordingly by its inhabitants. Zhi Yu was often greeted with bows and received many gifts in respect of his status. This status was one he had rightly earned; it was one of the things Zhi Yu was quite proud of. Over many centuries, he had cultivated to become the powerful Demon King that he now was. The art of cultivation was one which many people, both alive and not, would try their hand at, and though there were normal ways which most stuck to, those treading the darker path often used other means. 

Zhi Yu had faced countless trials and tribulations along the way. His cultivation was based on using the fear energy coursing through people as they died, and doing so added to his strength. Most of the people he chose to kill were despicable. He often selected those who would torment, abuse or be otherwise deemed rude and not worth the air in their lungs. These kinds of people would always give off the most fear when faced with death. They were, after all, cowards at their core. 

He did not kill needlessly. He saw it more as cleaning up the trash of this world and bettering himself. He wished to become strong enough to protect the people he felt obligations to. The memories of his last moments were a constant thought in his mind, and they fueled his determination to not fail again. 

~~~

“Let her go!” Zhi Yu screamed, tears running down his face as he watched helplessly while his mother, who was hogtied on the floor, was kicked and beaten by a man. Dirt and dust particles were flung around with every kick of his foot. Dirty robes clung to the tall man’s body, torn off sleeves showcasing the sweating muscles underneath. Fists clenched and yellow teeth glinted in the light of the dusty room as the man continued to hurt the helpless woman before him.

Small gasps of breath could be heard coming from his mother, who gritted her teeth and tried to hide as much pain as she could from her son. But she coughed, blood falling from her lips, pale cheeks and emerald eyes shining with love even in the last moments she spent looking toward her son.

“It will be alright Yu-Yu.” She spoke softly, though the pain was obvious within her strained voice. She tried and failed to keep her face soft, open, and relaxed for the young boy.

His father, the coward, stood to the side, jeering at the two as the pain continued to rain down on his mother in front of his burning eyes. He couldn’t stop the pleas falling from his lips, unable to help but let the desperation seep into his voice, cracking on the syllables drawn.

One of the men moved toward the boy. The child was harshly grasped by the hair and lifted off of the ground. The man smelt like dirt and sweat and Zhi Yu wanted to puke, the overwhelming smell hitting him as the other man brought his face down to sneer at him.

“Shut up you little punk.” He spat, the spittle falling across Zhi Yu’s face as the man continued to talk. His voice was just as rough and harsh as the hands that handled Zhi Yu. His scalp burned under the tension of the thug's hand and more tears fell down his cheeks despite his stubborn attempts to stop them.

“Let her go.” Zhi Yu said once more. He knew he had to speak up to save his mother– no one else would.

The man raised a rusted knife, positioning it in front of the youngster’s face and waved it tauntingly. 

“It’s fun having you watch. But no fun having you talk so much, boy. Sit still and shut up.” The man's words did not match the look in his eyes. Instead, his voice was filled with visceral hatred, and his eyes gleamed with a dark excitement. It almost seemed as if he wanted the boy to continue, to allow him the sick pleasure of ‘teaching him a lesson’. 

Zhi Yu glared at the man, trying his best to ignore the pain shooting through his skull. The young boy leaned back as far as the hand grasping his hair would allow, and spit. He wanted to show that he was not so easily broken. He wanted them to realise that he would not let them win. 

“You little shit!” the man exclaimed, disgust evident on his face as he pressed the knife against the young boy's skin, making a small crimson droplet form above his right eye. 

“I warned you, boy…” the man continued. With a steady movement, he slid the knife across the bridge of Zhi Yu’s nose and down his left cheek, reaching all the way to his jaw. 

The boy didn’t scream, though a scream did echo across the room. The utter terror and devastation, so carefully held back through all the pain they’d caused her, was now released in the shrill sound. His mother, watching the scene unfold with wide eyed panic, forced air from her rib-punctured lungs until her energy left her. The cry tapered off as she wheezed, unable to take her eyes from her son.

Zhi Yu hardly registered his own pain, nor did he notice the sound coming from his mother. Instead, he filled the newly quiet room with a light cackle. Laughter poured from the small boy until blood dripped down his jaw and stained his teeth red. The sound intensified and his eyes grew manic, showing something in them that wasn’t noticeable before. 

For the first time, the other men in the room showed fear. Something sinister lived behind the child’s eyes as he howled with laughter in a room where his mother now lay dead on the floor. The boy could feel their fear; it curling around him like it was beckoning him closer. It almost seemed to have a colour–a purple like mist travelling toward him and gathering at his fingertips. It felt like strength, like sourness and anger. His eyes closed briefly to focus on these feelings, the laughter falling to a silence.

When they opened they were not blue in colour anymore. Instead, black and grey stared up at the man holding him. The man stumbled back, dropping the boy who then seemed to hover. Fear surrounded the room and it was over. Nothing could stop the boy from killing each and every one of them. Movements too quick, blood spilling across fingertips as the room fell silent. Only one heartbeat remained.

~~~

The memory was one that stuck with Zhi Yu, made him move forward, become stronger and work to cultivate further. He wished to rid the world of people like his father, and like the ones who took away his light. There was only one person remaining who gave him hope; made him want to protect, to love, to nurture. 

The person was gentle, kind and serene, but faced with claims that ruined his life. He did not like seeing this person falling so far from where they should be, and he vowed that he would do whatever it took to ensure it stopped. Anything he could do to ensure they were loved, nurtured and cherished Zhi Yu was sure to make it happen, for he had often seen them nurturing the things they cared for. 

“Bolin, I shall be out for a while. Please keep an eye on Caiji while I’m gone.” Zhi Yu spoke, not even glancing at the man, knowing he had been heard. Thoughts of the other made him wish to be alone, so he would go to the one place he knew he would be.

“As you wish.” Bolin responded. Bolin was fairly normal looking; pale skin, non descript brown eyes and brown hair falling loosely around his face. His simple black robes made him blend in once more as he bowed respectfully to his King. He wasn’t short in stature, but he also wasn’t tall. He was, simply put, plain. Which was exactly how he wished to remain.

He watched Zhi Yu exit the room, gathering the paperwork he was working through as the other daydreamed, or at least that's how it seemed. It was, after all, the least he could do for the man who saved his life.