Jinshen awoke with a startle, clutching at his heart which was beating rapidly, like drums in his ears.
He was shirtless on his bed, the small sound of rain falling outside the gate barely audible.
"Damn it..." He exhaled, running a hand through his hair before looking around the dimly lit room.
Empty. Still... Too still..
He slowly shook his head, sitting up in his bed as he picked up the book Xueyan gave him, the one that might be the answer to his mental suffering.
He flipped to chapter one with a hopeful heart.
But the words 'Warning' scrawled across the top in broad, red letters bringing a frown to Jinshen's face.
Warning..? For what? Jinshen thought to himself before reading the contents of the book.
The answer was one that would now haunt Jinshen for the rest of his life
"If your body, lacks the specific size, and usage of meridans required to use Demonic Qi, it is you poisoning yourself by cultivating using the Sect's techniques, because eventually your heart shall become corrupted and you'll lose yourself. Permanently in return for strength. Moreover, Demonic Qi Itself requires a will to burn the world just to rebuild it in our Sect's vision."
The book was blunt, concise and useless.
Jinshen's eyes widened as he jumped up, skimming through the pages, for a possible way to maybe cultivate, but he found none.
And Jinshen's will? He didn't carry that will, he didn't want to burn the world.
He wanted nothing but to reshape it.
Not in the Sect's vision, but his own.
He tore the book to pieces, shredding it to nearly nothing in anger as he held his head, pulling at his hair. The gate opened as Jinhai walked in, seeing Jinshen's immense anger and hate, he cautiously walked towards him.
"Jinshen... What's going on..." He asked in a calm and composed voice but nonetheless, he was afraid of his own friend.
Jinshen took a few deep breaths, his anger seeming to overwhelm him. He stood up from the bed before looking at Jinhai.
'My.. My body! Its rejecting the Demonic Qi! All of my hard work gone down the drain."
Jinhai paused, his eyes widening for a moment, not in surprise like Jinshen had expected, but in... Regret?
"What is it Jinhai? Are you hiding something from me?"
Jinshen spoke through clenched teeth, he looked like he was going to choke a person to death if not appeased.
"Jinshen.... We knew, we knew about your body rejected the Demonic QI... But Elder Wei, he saw you as a weapon and told us to make sure you didn't leave."
Jinhai's expression hardened in determination, taking a few steps towards Jinshen
"And I'll make sure you don't leave. The Sect's reputation is on the line."
Jinshen looked at Jinhai with wide, pained eyes. The whole world seemed to be crumbling beneath his feet and he couldn't help but feel.. Hate.
A voice rang out in his mind, its tone mocking and entertained
"See Jinshen! This is the result of you being soft! Now. Let.Go. You're going to leave this stupid sect, you're going to take over the Darkwing Sect!"
Jinshen couldn't help but feel entranced by the voice's offer, it had been his goal anyway. Why not just take the opportunity?
He walked past Jinhai who stood silently, his gaze calm yet heavy. Knowing exactly what was going to happen.
Jinhai put a hand in front of Jinshen's chest. Stopping the man from leaving
"Don't do this Jinshen. I don't wish to fight you."
Jinshen looked at his hand before immediately grabbing Jinhai's wrist, twisting it and flipping the man upside down.
Jinshen didn't respond. He seized Jinhai's wrist and twisted, flipping him onto his back. But Jinhai retaliated with a kick to the face, launching Jinshen through the Ashen Hall's wall like a cannonball.
Jinshen remained stoic as he materialized the sword wrapped in cloth that he got from saving Xie's life.
He landed on the ground on his back, the rain falling onto his face as he stared up at the dark skies.
He slowly stood up, taking the cloth off the sword, it was a brilliant white saber with a black handle that seemed to shine and resonate a small hum that calmed Jinshen's nerves down.
Jinhai jumped down from the hole in the wall, his expression stoic, his black robe getting soaked in the rain as he pulled up his hair from his forehead.
"One last warning, Jinshen."
He said while drawing a pair of red short swords from his back that got enveloped by vibrant white flames that made him look almost. Divine.
"Fuck you."
Jinshen mumbled before lunging towards Jinhai his spear on his back and the white saber already near Jinhai's neck.
Jinhai gritted his teeth, blocking the slash from Jinshen but was sent stumbling back as Jinshen continued cleaving and dismantling the Ashen Hall.
Jinhai gritted his teeth, dodging one of the slashes that cut through a pillar of the Ashen Hall, making a small part of the building collapse as a crowd started to gather.
Lianhua ran through the towers hall, her expression panicked. Her eyes filled with tears as she managed to reach the spot where everyone was, pushing past them to see the fight going on.
Jinshen remained stoic, his expression blank yet pained as he stabbed Jinhai in the side
"You knew. I wad dying, suffering, yet I trusted you like a brother."
Jinhai grunted, spitting out some blood before headbutting Jinshen who fell back a few steps, his nose bleeding and slightly disfigured now
"A brother.." Jinhai paused, his expression showing that he was hiding something.
Jinshen remained indifferent, dashing towards him. Jumping up and putting his knee forward and brutally kneeing Jinahi in the face as the latter was sent through the last pillar of the Ashen Hall, making it crumble down on him.
Ruoxue pushed through the crowd along with Yanwei, both of their expression panicked and desperate
"Jinhai!" Ruoxue yelled out as he launched a wave of Qi, sending the rubble flying off of Jinhai who slowly got up, his daggers lost in the collapsed Ashen Hall.
"Don't worry about me... We have to beat that traitor.."
Jinhai spoke in a hoarse voice, putting his hand on Ruoxue's shoulder who along with Yanwei looked at the stoic Jinshen with wide, worried eyes.
Yanwei slowly walked towards Jinshen, each step feeling like the first ones he took when he met Jinshen.
"You... Why?"
Jinshen looked down at Yanwei with cold unyielding eyes, he only had one thing in his mind.
"Did you know. Know about me dying?"
Yanwei's eyes widened in shock as his head snapped towards Ruoxue and Jinhai who both seemed to be wallowing in regret,
"What's he saying guys...? This is just a brotherly brawl right? Nothing.. Nothing else..." Yanwei said with a small nervous smile, trying to deescalate the situation
Jinshen looked at him surprised a bit of his stress and feeling of betrayal being lifted off his shoulders.
"You're... Seriously innocent in this huh?"
Jinshen narrowed his eyes as a few cloaked members of the Blood Moon arrived, all of them holding weapons and their intent to kill was on full force, a bloody aura surrounding them.
Jinshen turned around to face them, gripping the saber tightly before speeding towards them like a bolt of lightning, creating a small boom as he cut one of their heads off.
The others remained indifferent, attacking Jinshen with varying attacks. One of them kicked the behind of his knee while the other kicked him in the face with a flame coated foot.
Jinshen clenched his jaw before tackling one of them to the ground, putting them in a chokehold and snapping their neck.
The others took advantage of Jinshen's position on the ground as a larger member stabbed him in the shoulder, pinning him to the ground.
Jinshen let out a small yell as his eyes narrowed in anger and aggression. He pushed off the ground, the dagger still in his shoulder but now his breathing was coming in ragged gasps.
An assassin lunged forward, in their hand a large, flaming golden mace which they attacked Jinshen's abdomen, leaving a large purple and red bruise and scorching the skin.
Jinshen endured the pain as he interlinked his fingers together, and slammed his hands onto the assassins head as they fell to the ground.
Their skull crushed. Their blood and brain leaking out on the ground.
Jinshen's breaths came in as ragged gasps as he fell to his knees just to take a moment to rest, the dagger sticking out his shoulder, the scorched skin of his abdomen throbbing and pulsating.
His mind was filled with memories of the three, wondering if Ruoxue and Jinhai were just. Fake.
What kind of friends try to hide that one of them might die...
The same mocking voice rang out in Jinshen's mind, its voice smooth and vicious.
"You still haven't let go.... Why? You'll suffer, or worse. Die."
Jinshen grabbed at his head, trying to stop the voice as his ears started to ring and made him feel like someone was poking needles into his eardrums.
Jinshen suddenly heard the ground beneath him crack as he jumped up, a large iceberg sprouting from where was was kneeling. This made Jinshen's blood boil with anger and betrayal.
"Ruoxue!!" He yelled out in a blood curdling cry, his voice echoing across the base before he lunged at Ruxoue.
Ruoxue's eyes widened at Jinshen's speed as he managed to dodge the initial slash from the saber but he stumbled back nonetheless.
Jinshen gritted his teeth as Ruoxue launched a flurry of arrows towards him which he parried with ease but the last remaining assassin took advantage of his momentary distraction and stabbed him through the chest.
Jinshen's eyes widened as he felt the piercing pain through his chest but then he smirked in an almost insane manner. He turned his shoulder, elbowing the assassin in the face.
"The swords too short idiot!!"
The assassin fell the ground, his jaw slacked open under his veil but Jinshen was struck by a large, golden and white arrow as he heard the words of Ruoxue and Jinhai.
"Infernal Ice Storm." They said in unison, their voice layered/
Jinshen was enveloped in a bright light before he was sent flying, carried by the momentum of the arrow towards the mountains where the tornado of white flames erupted.
Jinhai and Ruoxue breathed heavily but Yanwei ran up to them, punching them both in the face as a few bystanders held him back.
"I'll kill you both!!" Yanwei exclaimed, his voice filled with anger.
Then, from the shadows, a slow, deliberate clap echoed through the ruined base. Elder Wei.
"Good job you two. Jinshen Zhe is dead."