CHAPTER 36: CHAPTER 36: WAR PATH PT1

HEAVEN’S FEEL

Qingye sat on his throne watching the three members in white kneeling before him, his cold eyes held no ounce of compassion, they were as deep as the void and they made the Scabbards flinch. "Report."

Kishi one of the Scabbards took a deep breath. "Preparations are complete. We can begin our assault on Dravnel as soon as you give the word my lord."

A cold smirk manifested on Qingye’s face. "Good, inform Baihan that he is to lead the charge–" he took a deep breather. "—And Kishi, failure is not an option."

Kishi nodded and the three members of the Scabbards vanished leaving silence to befall the throne room.

Qingye my child!

Qingye grabbed his head as the voice pierced through the vast abyss that was his memories. Who are you? And why do you know that name? He gritted his teeth trying to shake away the voice.

I know your name because you are my child. I named you.

Get out!! Qingye roared as his flames flared up burning through his surroundings—the mental control Juin had put him under being reinforced. The brief faltering of the control had began sowing the seeds of self-identity making the subconscious of Qingye start questioning itself.

In another room—Juin was starting his preparation to meet his benefactors. Their goals he had done accordingly and he needed the promised power. What more could they want? The city’s production of Neuro-Qi was being funneled to the trigram they gave him—and he had banished Yuanchen albeit with the help of Aamon.

He did a few handsigns and the candles he had placed around the pentagram lit up—the orange flames bled to black and the wax turned to blood as the pentagram illuminated.

Juin instinctively knelt on the spot—the pressure within the room he was teleported in was so powerful he felt the hairs on the back of his neck shift. He knew that one mistake he would die.

He raised his head and suppressed the malice in his heart as he saw the gaze that were looking down on him.Not yet. he told himself as he lowered his eyes. "Divine council. I have arrived."

"Good Job Juin. Your service has been excellent as usual. What is it you desire?"

Juin bit his tongue and remained calm. "Nothing too great, just a seat at the divine council... I believe I have proved myself to be a valuable asset to you."

"Haha! What’s this insect talking about?" A feminine voice spoke in response to his request. "Proved yourself? And you think that is enough merit to get you to be one of us?"

Juin gritted his teeth as he raised his eyes to meet the purple ones staring down at him. Just you wait! I will kill you all. at that point, his malice was close to bursting and alerting the council.

"Enough Endo!" The voice belonging to a man with faded blue eyes interjected and Endo whined in disappointment.

The man turned to look at Juin and he opened his palm, a medallion floated from his palm to Juin. "You are not ready for that, grow stronger. But in the meantime, that Medallion serves as a connection to our influence."

Juin glared at the medallion and took a breather. "I’m grateful for the gesture my elders."

The summoning timer ran out as the last candle died out and Juin was reverted back to where he was before being brought to the elders.

He got to his feet and his hand gripped the medallion with all he had, his knuckles turned ghastly white from the force he was exerting. His teeth were grinding together like chainsaw blades. This? Influence? I need not their influence! He threw the medallion across the room, his Neuro-Qi levels rising with his anger.

Every time he meets them, he is humiliated and belittled.

Juin’s eyes glowed menacingly in the dark. "I swear! You will pay."

Heaven’s Archive Sect had began its military operation. The streets of Heaven’s Feel were covered by multitude of banners with the crest of the Shen family—the Sects that once called Heaven’s Feel home subjugated by the expansion of the Flame Emperor and now deployed for war, war with Dravnel, the neighboring city and an economical hotspot for refinement and alchemy.

Baihan stood at the head of the force. His charcoal eyes glaring at the screen with his brother’s face present.

"Am I making myself clear?"

Baihan nodded. "Yes!" His brother had given him instructions that on what to do.

The communication projection disappeared and Baihan turned to his army. "Move out men!"

A chorus filled the air as disciples and Mechabeasts began their voyage through Heaven’s Feel. Their force totalling over 160,000 troops, all armed and geared up for one of the biggest invasions to ever grace the Heavenly Cities.

Back in the Sect, Qingye was on his own mission.

He made his way to the lower levels of the Sect prison—once there, Qingye took a chair and sat in front of one of the cells in the prison. "Come here."

Gaia spat on the ground as she glared up at Qingye with her unswollen eye. "What do you want?"

Qingye even when seeing the state Gaia was in never batted an eye, nor feel remorse. "Where is Lian’er, where did you send her?"

Gaia chuckled dryly. "Wouldn’t you like to know." satire rolled off her tongue in waves as she responded to the question at hand.

Flames ignited on Qingye’s hand. "Don’t test me, it’s wise to answer and not beat around the bush."

Gaia looked at the flames and she felt nothing—no fear, nothing. Her fear of Qingye, and Juin had long died when she was getting tortured for information on Lian’er, they broke her body multiple of times but her mind and spirit reigned supreme and unyielding, holding onto the belief that one day, her beloved master would return to save them from the darkness that clouded their reality.

"I don’t know where she went." She narrowed her eyes at Qingye. "Let me ask you something Flame Emperor..." her tone changed from satirical to malice when she called out Qingye’s alias. "Why would you, a man as noble and righteous stoop to such levels? You vehemently stood on the side of justice as twisted as it is and upheld Sect laws but now? You are the source of people’s terror, how much further can you fall?"

She did not blink when she felt the flames pass by her face and hit the wall behind her.

Her questions made Qingye hold his head in pain, the flashing of memories returning, seeping through the cracks formed within his subconscious—the thoughts now heavily focusing on himself as a person.

Who are you? The Qingye I know doesn’t unnecessarily bully the weak

"Shut up!"

What happened to you?

"Shut up!!"

Qingye, this Sect is yours to protect remember that.

"I SAID SHUT UP!!"

Qingye roared, kicking the chair he was sitting on and standing up. Gaia just watched the mental turmoil the man was going through, her eyes filled with sympathy.

The man before her, had gone from being prideful and righteous to this shell of a puppet that can only do what was programmed of him.

It was truly sad.