The Manor was quiet, or at least this would usually be the case. However, today it seemed it would not. Zhi Yu and Caiji had arrived back late the previous day, carrying two unconscious Demons and placing them in the same cell downstairs.

The dungeon was a desolate place. Stone and ebony oak beams surrounded the various blocked off rooms. Privacy was provided by these, for when you were brought to such a place, it was unlikely you would be leaving unscathed.

This was one of the reasons why Bolin was so shocked to have Caiji invited in as a guest. Previously this was not something that would have ever occurred, especially not in a place such as this, not with the Master trying to make this a home for himself and his beloved. It was seen as sacred, an honour to be here. To Bolin, it was. 

Bolin was known as the faceless ghost. Seen by some, but not many. He was pale, though not adversely so. He often wore his brown, shoulder length hair in a simple bun on his head, pulled together by a nondescript black ribbon. His eyes even less remarkable, the deep brown that they were, which hardly ever made eye contact with anyone, lest he be seen.

For this was the thing: Bolin did not wish to be seen.

The steady drip, drip, drip of condensation could be heard from the badly insulated stone walls which surrounded the ghost. He held no fear nor excitement. He did tasks as he was told to do them and carried them out efficiently. He did not feel emotionally about any labour assigned to him–he simply did what was asked. It was his way in life. 

This time he was tasked with handling and deciding an appropriate punishment for the two demons. They had been rude, and made derogatory comments towards not only his Master but the young girl who had earned a place in the Master’s heart. This was something very few could do, and therefore it was not something even he himself could let slide.

In the time it took him to walk down the hallway he had made a decision. He unlocked the solid metal door in front of him, pushing with a single hand to open the heavy contraption. His eyes were lowered toward the ground as he moved gracefully inside of the cell, noting but not responding to the muffled screams he could hear from the demons in front of him. 

The first was in the corner, chained to a wall with a gag in his mouth, though he looked and seemed weak, perhaps having already given in to the fate he was certain would come for him. The other was tied to a wooden chair, the item of furniture bulky and the leather straps strong enough to hold the demon. Bolin finally looked up, taking in the drool falling down his chin and soaking into the underobe which happened to be all he was wearing. Stripped down to demoralise him, the demon’s bare feet were dirty against the cold stone floor where his ankles were also strapped in tightly to the legs of the chair.

“You brought yourself into this mess. Nobody will help you. You may make all the noise you wish; you shan’t be making it for long.” Bolin’s voice was calm with an air of authority. His words were steady but plain, just like his appearance. He ignored the shaking and louder muffled pleas of the demon in the chair, to instead bring his focus onto his friend. His arms were bruised and a mottled colour hung above his head in manacles. The strong chains held him tightly. His legs curled beneath him and the same drool dribbled down his chin. He too, was stripped down to his underobes, but unlike the other, who still had some fire in his eyes, this man's eyes looked dead. 

It was at this moment that Bolin decided to be somewhat kind to this demon. He grasped his chin with a gentle touch, the other hand coming to rest on his head, softer than he was sure the other was expecting. Then, with a swift movement, a loud snap echoed through the room. Bolin removed his hands, moving them to instead release the chains holding the other as his head lolled to the side, eyes dead and yet wide open as his body fell to the floor. Bolin, with no emotion on his face, rearranged the demon's body. He placed his hands over his chest and moved to close his eyes with a light touch before standing and turning to the other. He felt no remorse because he knew the demon had been already dead, at least inside, before he’d killed him.

Bolin turned, facing the still screaming demon who remained once again. He moved close enough to him to reach out and move the gag from the other's mouth with a single precise finger. 

“You may scream, though no one shall hear you.” He looked upon the demon a moment longer to see the fear in his eyes.  Bolin turned, moving to a metal tray which was off to the side, and grasped a fine metal scalpel from the table. He glanced over the glittering metal, appearing lost in thought. This was not, after all, the first time he had handled such an object.

~~~

“Xian Sheng!” A young man called out, clad in simple white robes. His appearance was normal, though his waving hands and panicked face told anyone witness to it that something was wrong. 

“Yes?” A man answered, donning an academic robe, his cap off to the side on a nearby table. He levelled the younger man with a neutral expression, voice calm and collected as one might expect from a physician. 

“You must come quickly, the prince has been injured, he needs medical attention right away!” 

 “Please, lead the way.” The physician spoke and moved quickly, donning his cap and  grabbing his bag on the way out.

“Yes Xian Sheng!” the boy responded, dark black hair moving in a swish as he spun on his heel leading the other to the entrance of the nearby guest house of the family. 

The physician inhaled, glancing over the grand home with a look of neutral distaste. It was what you would expect from a royal and rich family–plain and yet solid, with ornaments of gold decorating the outside in swirling patterns. He grasped his bag tighter, moving swiftly to be led down a hallway and into a typical chinese-style bedroom.

The scene he witnessed as he entered was dire. The young prince made pained yelps and noises. Blood pooled from unknown wounds as he hunched in on himself on the bed. It was truly a sight to see. The physician immediately got to work, calming the other and ridding him of his clothing. 

“Your highness, do stay still, it will be impossible for me to work if you do not.” He spoke softly, as calmly as before. There was no use in panicking. He could see a rather large wound on the prince’s side. Brown hair was strewn messily on the pillow as the prince lay naked, only a simple cloth covering his more intimate areas. There were what appeared to be arrow wounds on his legs, and a rather nasty gash on his face. Brown eyes looked over the prince as his blue eyes pierced back, pain shining within them. 

The sounds coming from the other were aggressive and loud, though one would expect such from someone with such serious injuries. The physician worked quickly and efficiently, managing to put medicinal herbs on the prince's legs, before bandaging them as tightly as he could without cutting off circulation. The hardest part was removing the excess tissue from the open wound on his face. A sharp scalpel was used to remove the deadened tissue to ensure the wound would heal as it should with limited infection. Unfortunately, it was at this moment, as the scalpel moved down and through the prince's wound, that he jerked, screaming as the action caused the scalpel to move further into the young man's face, slicing through his tongue like butter. Blood gushed out immediately, and for the first time in his career, the physician panicked.

~~~

The sound of a particularly loud scream brought him back to the moment at hand, turning with a small huff of air as he moved slowly toward the still living demon. 

“By all means,” Bolin intoned calmly, “scream, struggle, it makes no difference to me, in fact I would say it makes the job easier.” He brought the scalpel down, grasping the other's chin slightly before slicing slowly through. He released the demon's chin just to allow him to jerk his head to the side, finishing the cut. It was clean and precise. 

Bolin watched emotionlessly as blood began to pool and run down the front of the demon. Small gagging and choking noises were heard as he struggled until the darkness overcame him.