The golden creature grew, pulling in all the broken reflections and treasures around it.
As Rui stepped back, its shape became clear. The front half looked like a giant lion with sharp, golden claws, while the back half resembled a snake with bright, metallic scales.
Atop its head was a crown made from shattered mirror pieces that once revealed her deepest dreams.
"Princess Xiao Rui," the creature purred in its sweet and sharp voice.
The creature circled her, moving gracefully despite its size, leaving behind burning footprints on the crumbling floor.
"You want love," it whispered as if speaking directly into her mind.
"You crave power." Like mirrors, The beast's eyes showed her face back at her but in a distorted way, filled with longing.
"You wish to be respected."
Rui felt her breath catch. The words cut deep.
"How do you—"
"Know?"
The beast chuckled, a sound like sliding coins.
"I am your greed, Princess."
"I am the desire you hide behind your fan and clever words."
Its tail swung close to her face, and in the gold scales, Rui saw herself—standing beside her father's throne, both respected and feared.
"I am made from this vault and from you," it circled nearer.
"Every tear you've hidden, every time you pretended not to care when they called you useless—I know them all."
The beast lowered its massive head, its hot breath washing over her.
"But the question is," it said,
"What will you give up to get what you truly want?"
The beast lunges itself, preparing to attack.
Rui quickly formed signs with her hands, her magic sparking to life around her fingers.
Three flame symbols appeared in the air, basic protection spells she'd learned as a child. The warmth of her magic brought a slight smile to her lips.
"I don't need to give up anything. Now prepare to burn!" she declared.
The golden beast watched her, seemingly amused.
It yawned, revealing sharp, polished teeth, then easily swiped a paw through her flame symbols, scattering them like dying embers.
"Predictable," it remarked.
"The same defense you've used since you were seven—"
Rui's eyes widened. She moved her fingers again, crafting a new pattern—a flame whip designed to cut through enchanted armor.
It burned bright before the beast breathed a golden mist, making it brittle, cracking glass.
"And that," it continued, "was what Madam Yao taught you when you were twelve."
"You never quite mastered the follow-through."
The beast flicked its tail, creating perfect replicas of her own symbols—but larger, brighter, and more refined. The techniques were executed flawlessly.
"How —"
"I told you," the beast interrupted,
"I am born from your desires. I know everything you know—and all you wish you knew."
The creature lunged with incredible speed.
Rui tried to dodge, but the beast's attack came from an unexpected angle. Its giant paw hit her midsection, sending her flying across the room.
She crashed into a pile of glittering treasure that had appeared at the room's edge.
As she gasped for air, the gold coins beneath her shifted. They transformed into shiny hands that clutched her wrists, ankles, and throat.
The more she fought back, the harder they gripped her deeper into the pile.
"You've spent your entire life," the beast said as it slowly approached, "using skills you were given. Learning methods you were told were right. Following ways suitable for a princess who would never rule."
The golden hands tightened their hold on Rui, pressing her further into the heap.
Every breath became a battle as coins slithered up her arms and legs like metallic snakes. The beast loomed over her, its eyes reflecting her fear.
"You've never been enough," it whispered.
"Not to the court. Not to your teachers. Not to your father."
Rui's strength waned.
Exhaustion weighed on her like heavy stones. Her energy drained away as memories she didn't want or ask for flashed before her eyes.
At eight, she saw herself as a child, practicing her smile.
At twelve, she mastered intricate fan dances while her cousins studied war strategies.
At sixteen, laughing too loudly at a noble's joke and noticing the pity in the looks exchanged behind her back.
The perfect princess. The lovely heiress. Beautiful but unnecessary.
"All those years," the beast purred, "acting exactly as they expected—shallow, vain, harmless. It must have been tiring."
Tears fell down Rui's cheeks one after another.
The cold metal of the golden hands reached her neck.
"I don't..." she gasped, then stopped.
Deep inside, something flickered—her Chaos Core, reacting to her distress.
But it was weak, ignored, untrained, just like every trait in her that might have mattered.
Then, as the pressure grew and breathing got harder, Rui laughed.
It began as a choked sound but grew stronger.
Tears flowed as she laughed, her voice echoing in the chamber. The beast paused, confused by her reaction.
"What is so funny at the brink of failure, Princess?" it asked.
"Everything," Rui said between laughs.
"This is a perfect example. Buried by expectations. Held by appearances."
Her laughter turned bitter.
"My entire life, I've been exactly what they wanted—harmless, decorative, manageable."
Her Chaos Core pulsed again, stronger with her raw emotion.
"Fine," she whispered.
She surrendered—not in defeat, but to something deeper within.
She met the beast's eyes, no longer afraid.
The act fell away like a mask.
Years of hiding her intelligence behind flirtation, burying her ambition under frivolity—all dissolved in a moment of clarity.
"I am not what they made me," she whispered, her voice steady despite the pressure on her throat.
"I am what I choose to be."
The beast tilted its head, puzzled by the change.
"And what is that, Princess? What are you without their praise?"
"Everything they fear," Rui replied, her eyes filled with newfound confidence.
Her Chaos Core responded in her chest—not to fear or desperation but to this sudden realization of her worth.
The spark that was always there, hidden and controlled, now ignited with her acceptance.
"I don't need their approval," she continued, her voice growing stronger. "I never did."
The golden hands started loosening as heat spread from Rui's skin.
The beast stepped back, sensing the change.
"What are you doing?" it asked, no longer amused.
Rui smiled—not her practiced court smile, but something wild and true.
"Being myself."
The energy in her chest erupted in a brilliant surge. Pink-gold flames, unlike any fire in the demon realm, burst from her heart and engulfed her entire body.
The golden hands melted away instantly, unable to withstand her newfound power.
The flames were not hurting her; they were a part of who she truly was, finally released.
They swirled around her, lifting her off the pile of treasure and suspending her in the air.
Her hair floated around her face, each strand glowing with the same pink-gold light that shone from her eyes.
The beast stepped back, its shiny eyes mirroring the bright flames spreading out and burning away the fake treasures and tricks of the vault.
"Impossible," the beast growled. "Your power was locked—"
"No," Rui interrupted, her voice full of newfound strength.
"It was waiting for me to stop hiding."
The flames around Rui tightened, wrapping around her arms like living, fiery gloves.
She raised her hands, and the flames stretched out, reaching for the golden beast.
No forms or patterns were remembered—just pure instinct driving the power she had hidden for too long.
"You wanted to know what I would sacrifice?" Rui shouted, her voice carrying an ancient and powerful echo.
"I'll give up the lie I've been living."
The beast roared and rushed at her, its massive body charging with deadly intent.
Rui stood firm. She thrust her palms forward, and the flames shot out in a focused blast, catching the creature as it leaped.
The fire touched the beast, and its golden surface began to peel away like paint under extreme heat.
The creature howled in rage and disbelief as its magnificent form started to fall apart.
"No!" it cried. "I am your desires made real! I am what you want!"
Rui shook her head, her eyes blazing with inner light.
"You are what others wanted me to want. That's not the same."
Her aura expanded in pulsing waves, each stripping away another layer of the beast's illusion.
Beneath its golden exterior was only shadow and deception—a trap feeding on her insecurities. The beast thrashed as more of its form peeled away, exposing the nothingness beneath. Its once-menacing claws appeared weak and false.
The crown on its head crumbled to dust, and the mirrors of its eyes cracked, no longer able to reflect her true self.
"You can't defeat me," it whispered, its voice fading.
"Sure." Rui interrupted, forming her flames into a powerful sphere between her palms,
She hurled the sphere straight at what remained of the beast. When it hit, the creature let out one final, agonized cry before shattering completely.
Fragments of gold and mirror exploded into stardust, hanging briefly in the air before slowly drifting to the ground.
Rui's feet touched solid ground once more. The pink-gold flames retracted into her body, leaving her both worn out and thrilled.
She inhaled deeply, relishing the newfound surge of power coursing naturally through her veins.
"I did it," she murmured, her voice hoarse.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her right palm.
Rui gasped, instinctively grabbing her wrist as a burning sensation spread across her skin.
Glowing lines appeared, forming intricate patterns of red and gold that created the ancient symbol of the House of Greed.
The mark pulsed a few times before embedding itself in her skin, feeling warm like a permanent brand.
"The mark of completion," she whispered, tracing the symbol's edges.
As she tried to comprehend what had happened, the ground started to tremble beneath her feet again.
The vault around her, now an empty space filled with stardust, shook violently.
A few feet away, the air tore open, revealing a swirling portal different from the one that brought her here.
This new gateway was chaotic, with jagged edges and wild energy. Lightning in strange colors—purple, red, and a dark blue that hurt to look at—danced around it.
With a shocked scream, she found herself sliding toward the unstable portal.
Her fingers clawed at the empty air as gravity pulled her into the chaotic gateway.
"Wait! I'm not ready for the next—" Her words were cut off as the portal swallowed her, its wild energies enveloping her body.