Chapter Text
All was nothing but a hazy blur to him.
The moment it happened, it felt like he was thrown out of his body. An explosion blew through him, an unexplainable agony ran over like pelting hail. It tore apart his insides like paper. And the next thing he knew, he was suddenly aware of his insides. Too aware even. He can feel them, moving around and pumping as the hot air touches them and suffocates him. He didn’t realize he fell over—not by the sickening thud of his body—but when he saw the other man stand over him. Something fills his mouth. It tasted metallic. The nauseating smell of his internal organs burning away like raw meat and ash fills his muddled senses. And the reverberation of laughter can only be heard amidst bleary, red vision.
It burns. It burns. Everything burns.
Struggling to take in a single breath of air into his burst lungs, the swordsman could barely turn his head on his own as black spots began to cram into his line of sight. Zhao stood over him like a cruel and vicious orca lion—finding amusement in the little life draining from his body. Like the blood that soaked into the soil below and fed the roots under his corpse. Coming towards them was the other demon—who looked to be a young man. A boy even.
A limp body was draped over his shoulder.
Jeong Jeong .
Even if his brain had exploded into mush, even if his voice had been destroyed, the name escaped from his unspoken lips. His breath quickens to the sound of his heart beating faster, into torn vessels and silent ears. Even though it could no longer take it.
The two men were talking to one another. And while he couldn’t make out what they said, it was nothing more than bits and pieces of the whole tree trunk.
What was it? Something about a raid? Eluding the Nation? Who was ‘she’?
He didn’t know and he wasn’t sure if he'd figure it out any sooner anyways.
Then, right out of nowhere, a booming explosion rips through Aunt Wu’s village, first at the women’s house and spreading to the rest of the houses. Fire consumes away at the wrecked foundations, burning away into a hungry monstrosity. It was immensely fortunate that they managed to evacuate everyone out of the premises beforehand, according to the fortuneteller’s prediction. However, the woman insisted on staying despite many begging for her to leave. It was then evident to them as to what her fate shall be. Including herself.
“It seems that Death has finally been able to beat me. There is no use in running from it any longer. I’ll hope not to see any of you soon by the time I’m finished.” He can vaguely remember the somber smile on her face as she said that.
May the Order forever be in gratitude for the woman in her gracious efforts and sacrifice.
Staring with desperate breaths— the agony so unbearable, he could barely feel everything and nothing—Piandao watched Zhao turn towards him, his hand held out as if he was about to press a button of sorts. The little blood in the swordsman’s veins froze as his heart may have dropped into his stomach. A paralyzing fear sickeningly curled into his guts, and suddenly everything flashed before Piandao’s eyes.
Was this it? Was not even one of them ever destined to make it out of this place alive as Wu cognized? Was she wrong? Will he die here?
All questions were about to be answered, for as if Agni finally had come to his aid, the ground beneath him sank and from above, the earth closed up on its own. His eyes began to falter and soon, everything was in slow motion—he could no longer concentrate. Everything was too faint, too much…
What came afterward became nothing more than fragments of the whole puzzle board. Faces of worry contorted into the horror of his state, voices lumping and lapping over one another like a broken choir, desperate bandage wrappings, blood everywhere…
The light was beginning to dwindle from his vision. And the world was closing in on him, followed by darkness.
He couldn’t breathe.