Mystic Syn

  Yulong Qianshe stepped carefully into the dark room, the door slamming behind her which caused the hairs on her neck to rise in anticipation. It was so dark, she couldn’t see much in front of her. Even with her hands out in front of her, Yulong couldn’t see them. Wandering a bit, she warily continued forward in the room, the chill of the cement seeping in and freezing her bare feet, causing a slight shiver to pass through her. 
  The room was circular, that much she could remember about it, but anything or anyone could be in here hiding just out of sight. It was why Yulong had been crouching as she walked into the room. Her hands became slick with sweat, but she held onto her twin steel knives in her hands, no matter how violently her hands were shaking. At the age of thirteen, Yulong didn’t know much about what she should do in these situations. All she had that could help her were the words her uncle gave to her years ago when he’d been training her and not busy with his job.
  Keep that crouch low, Yulong, his voice advised one too many times. It’ll make you harder to see, and most importantly, less of a target.
  Not that they could see me, she thought back, a bit salty. It was too dark to even see her feet, she highly doubted that they could see her. That is without any special equipment or a Mystic.
  But what she would give to have him by her side rather than the infinite darkness, but even after a year of seeing him, Yulong could still hear his voice correcting her stance and advising where to hit. Guess those sessions weren’t wasteful, she mumbled in her head. Even if they can’t see me.
  Slowing her careful walking, Yulong couldn’t tell if she was alone or not. Something deep within her told her that something else was here, yet she couldn’t tell where the person or thing was. They could be anywhere in the room, it would be imm––
  SLASH
  Barely having time to react to the swinging blade, Yulong stumbled back and fumbled, bringing her blades in front of her in the Fángyù stance: the defensive stance her uncle had taught her. It was slow, yet ready to hit hard. It was a basic stance, one of the first she learned and sort of mastered, and it was something she instinctively went back on.
  Ignoring the corrections from her uncle’s voice, she backed away, holding one knife in her favored hand in front of her while keeping the other in a reserve grip as something to defend herself with, if necessary. Yulong’s eyes darted everywhere, though it was useless in the dark. Backing off, she held Fángyù, gritting her teeth.
  “Still using the stances your poor uncle taught you?” a slightly accented voice said, her voice sounding like it was coming from all around her. “Tsk, I thought we finally turned you to use ours after, you know… not having seen him for a year and all that. Wonder if he’s still around…”
  “Don’t talk about my uncle like that!” she yelled at the voice, slashing at the air wildly. “You don’t have the right to even mention him.”
  “Are you sure about that? You’re the one that told me all about him.”
  Turning slightly, Yulong stared into the darkness, zeroing in on where the voice was. Her feet instinctively moved into the Kuài stance, with legs crouched and ready to move: A swift and offensive stance, one of her favorites to use. Her sweaty palms made her grip on the knives unsure, but it was the only thing she had at the moment. 
  It would have to do.
  “Of course, I’m sure.” She narrowed her eyes as she sprinted and slashed where the voice had come from.
  Clang
  Metal against metal. They pushed against each other, trying to gain some sort of advantage over the other. Yulong’s small blades held firm against her foe’s long, thin blade. She huffed as they both quivered under the stress of pushing the blades against each other, but they both held their ground as they continued to push.
  She peered over the blade to stare at the face of her foe.
  In the darkness she’d been growing accustomed to for the past couple minutes, her foe wore a mask over her mouth and nose. Her bright orange eyes told her her foe’s shocked expression, and Yulong felt a sense of pride shoot through her when she caught the glimpses of it. At least she surprised her, for the first time in a long time. It felt good to know that she caught her off-guard.
  Her foe stood her ground when Yulong started to shake. Determination replaced the shock, and she pushed harder after seeing and feeling Yulong’s weakness. Her eyes taunted her to make any moves against her, knowing that just about anything she attempted wouldn’t end well. A smirk danced in her eyes as the long, thin blade gave an orange glow, bathing the both of them in light.
  It shone bright. Yulong pulled away and backed off, covering her eyes.
  Spots danced in her vision, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to see if she uncovered her eyes. Recovering, she began to go back into her stance till her feet were suddenly kicked out from beneath her. Yulong fell to the ground on her rear with a thump, her blades and only source of protection slipping out of her hands and clattering against the cement floor with harsh clangs. 
  “Owww,” she grumbled, then looked up at the glowing long, thin blade. Fear seized her heart, its beat racing now, as she stared at the glowing blade. Swallowing silently, she turned her gaze up toward her foe.
  Her foe stared down at her, death reflecting in her orange eyes that once housed a smirk, then laughed. She continued to laugh as she pulled her mask down to reveal a familiar face, a well-known smirk playing on her lips.
  “Honestly, Yulong,” Meznyx Ahao said, offering her hand. “You need to do better than that. You’re making this too easy.”
  Returning the smile, she clasped her offered hand and pulled herself up. “It doesn’t help that I still don’t know Lightn’ crap about fighting,” she replied, picking her twin steel blades from the ground. “Besides the training my uncle gave me.”
  She audibly gasped. “Yulong,” she said, her voice soaked in sarcasm, “I never expected such language from you, a citizen of the ever-so respectful Island Province of Meide.”
  Meznyx clapped twice, and the lights slowly came back on to show the circular training room. It did look like a bunker with training equipment to try and hide the dull cement walls, not that the long rectangular window on the right helped with that. The dummies had been removed for this exercise, but the other equipment was still there, much to Yulong’s surprise. Wooden swords, poles, and staves hung on the racks decorating the walls. Off to their right was the tight leather armor the training room offered for sparring and training. Without the dummies, the room felt open, like she could walk almost anywhere without running into something.
  She had not traveled far into the room to actually feel any of the training equipment, but she was still surprised she had been able to make it without bumping into at least one practice sword. Knowing what her fighting skills were and how well she does in the dark, it was a miracle she hadn’t ran into anything or anyone.
  Smiling, Meznyx sheathed her blade at her side, then placed her hands on her hips. Her casual clothes––jacket, jeans, and boots––looked out of place in the training room, but it looked very natural for her to be wearing it. She scratched her Southern Corhic hair––made of light brown hawk feathers––then turned back to Yulong with a hawkish grin.
  “Ya know?” she said, wrapping an arm around Yulong in a sort of half-hug gesture. “You’re not bad, all things considered. All you need to learn is to block out distractions.”
  “I know,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “My uncle told me about that a lot too.” If you ever become distracted in a battle, it can cost you your life.
  “So you’ve said. Even your old mentor had some good things to teach you about fighting.” Meznyx laughed for a second. “In all seriousness, though, you can’t let yourself be distracted by anything, or at least blinded by things outside your battle, and that includes any wounds.”
  “But what if they need immediate attention?”
  “What matters is you need to still be on guard. You did the right thing by disengaging, but you didn’t make sure you were safe after doing so.” She shrugged, indifferent about talking about how one could die by making a single mistake. “You also need to work on the stances I taught you and not the ones from your uncle.”
  “I’ll have you know that my uncle––”
  “Is a professional and has been teaching you for years and has been recognized by the Empress of Meide herself years ago when she was in power, yadi-yada-yada.”
  Yulong shot a glare at her, but couldn’t stay mad or even keep the glare. This was her friend, after all. Someone she trusted, unlike the others who got close to her, then betrayed her. She was just looking out for her and making sure she was well cared for. Yulong couldn’t blame her for just being a friend. She knew she would do the same for her.
  “Look, Yulong,” Meznyx said, her voice gentler this time. “I know you love and respect your uncle very much, and that’s something I can respect, but in order to make it through alive here, you need to learn the ways of how to live and fight here.”
  “I don’t know where ‘here’ is!”
  Meznyx paused, unsure what to make of Yulong’s response, then smiled. “Don’t worry,” she said, “you’ll understand once you’re ready. I’ll be sure of that.”
  Her eyebrow raised a bit. She sounds… sincere. Unlike any of the friends I had in the past. She’s a whole lot like Ishido. Maybe they could be friends once we can go home.
  Her friend smiled again, warming her heart, then looked around as if looking for someone that may have been listening into their conversation. She lowered her head, looking like she was being watched by someone else. “You trust me, right?” she asked in a hushed tone, still looking over her shoulder.
  Yulong followed suit as she leaned in closer. “Yes, of course. You’re the only friend I have left in this place… wherever that is.”
  “Alright,” she said with a nod, “then trust that I have an escape plan.”
  Excitement shot through her being. Home?! Mexnyx was offering her to help escape and take her home? “When are you planning?” she asked, giddy with excitement.
  “Tonight.”
  “Tonight?!”
  “Shhh!!” Meznyx hissed, clamping a hand over Yulong’s mouth. “Do you want the entire Province to hear you?”
  Her eyes widened a bit, then shook her head. Meznyx removed her hand and leaned in closer.
  “I was planning on breaking out ten minutes after lights out,” Meznyx whispered in her ear, sounding very cautious, “then I would go to the cafeteria. The room has a ventilation system that can easily fit the both of us––single file, of course––and that system goes all the way out to the courtyard, which isn’t that well guarded, because who would go out that way? We can easily sneak and/or take out any of the guards there. After that, we just get through the gate and we’re home free.”
  “Why only tell me about this now?” Yulong whispered back, voicing the thoughts of her uncle’s voice.
  “Because we both know how well you can stay under pressure, especially when it comes to big things like this. It’s best that you were told this now instead of a few days earlier, or you would be sweating bullets and the guards would definitely know something is up.”
  Which is something you need to work on, her uncle commented, which caused her to scowl.
  “Are you with me?”
  “How do you know so much about the ventilation systems, let alone the building’s layout?”
  “I’ve been in this place for a while,” she said solemnly, her eyes reflecting memories better left forgotten. “I picked up a lot of stuff while I’ve been here.”
  Then she must really want to get out, she thought, a bit surprised to see the reflection of memories.
  “Now.” Meznyx turned towards her. “Are you with me?”
  She’ll probably just betray you.
  She stifled another scowl towards her uncle’s voice, but nodded.
  “Good, now that that’s sorted out,” she said, pulling away and starting over towards the training equipment. “You can be––”
  “You won’t leave me, right?” Yulong blurted, then felt a bit awkward.
  Confusion filled her hawkish eyes as Meznyx turned back to her as she cocked her head at the girl. “What?”
  “You won’t leave me for dead as you go back home, will you? Not like the others?” Her gaze flitted to the ground for a second, then back up at her. “I’ve been left too many times to count, and I want to be sure that this is for real and I will finally go back home.”
  She blinked, processing what Yulong had just said. Meznyx then smiled. “Of course, I won’t leave you.”
  “You promise?”
  She didn’t do anything for a second, then her expression grew serious. Meznyx tapped the backs of her hands together twice, as if in some sort of bonding motion. “Yulong, I swear by the Southern Corhic Code,” she said, locking eyes. “If I break my oath to you, hunt me down and use my own blade to end my life.”
  I’ve never seen her so serious, at least, it’s been a while since I’ve seen her like this. Yulong repeated the motion Meznyx made, a smile appearing on her face. I know that I would never have to hunt her down and kill her with her own blade. I trust her too much and know her too much that she would never do that. At least I know that I made a true friend.
  At that moment, the doors opened and Yulong turned to see who’d opened them. Suited people waited outside, but only two came in. One of them beckoned her to follow what she knew to be her quarters. She knew that no matter how hard she tried to memorize the layout, it would be pointless and she would need to follow the suited guards. Letting out a sigh, she looked back to see Mexnyx smiling and waving as she went out the door.
  “Don’t forget to practice the drills we talked about!” she called out as she picked up the fallen daggers before the door closed.

  Yulong paced her room, unable to sleep, especially since the call for lights out went off ten minutes ago. She knew that the guards didn’t care whether she slept or not, just as long as she stayed in her quarters and made no attempts to escape. She rarely slept anyways, it was better to be up and moving than just sitting around and doing nothing. The voice in her head never shut up about the most random things, but tonight, he was strangely silent.
  All her quarters had was a cot tucked away in the corner and a nightstand; not a single window to be found, which made Yulong guess that she was underground. It was basically a cement box with a wooden door. A prison for her to go insane in, but she didn’t complain… not that she could. After all, it was the only place they would let her be truly alone, besides the bathroom. Although Yulong came from a place of niceties, her mother taught her to be content with what she had now, or she would regret it later.
  Folding her arms, her index finger began to tap nervously against her arm as she paced the room. Tap, tap, tap.
  What if she doesn’t come and abandons me like the rest? The question repeated itself, and she bit her lip. Everyone I’ve gotten close to betrayed me. How can I know she won’t be like the rest and leave me?
  She’ll come, her uncle’s voice promised. But for now, try not to be nervous. That shows weakness, and the enemy preys on that–– wait, someone approaches.
  Grunts came from outside, followed by hard whacks. Someone started to talk into their comm, but before Yulong could catch what they were saying, a whack followed, and the voice stopped. The cries for help grew louder, trying to catch anyone’s attention, but they were silenced within seconds.
  Her heart pounded in her chest. Yulong crouched slightly, as if that would help her. She wasn’t allowed any weapons in her quarters; all she did have were the lessons of hand-to-hand combat her uncle taught her years ago. Those lessons were fuzzy, now that the people here wanted her to learn their way with weapons and hadn’t even touched on the hand-to-hand combat portion.
  Be ready.
  The door slammed open.
  Before she did anything rash, Yulong recognized Meznyx at an instant, noting that her feathers were standing up, with new splotches of red on them as well as her arms and face. Blood dripped off of the two sticks in her hands, broken from probably being one staff. Meznyx huffed, but didn’t look too winded; in fact, she looked like she was ready for more.
  Not even caring, she ran up and embraced her in a hug, trying not to let the tears escape. Meznyx stumbled back, caught off-guard at the girl that had just hugged her.
  “Whoa there, Yuly,” Meznyx comforted, wiping off her arms, then returned the hug. “I said I would come for you. I promised. Didn’t doubt me, did you?”
  Pulling away from the hug, Yulong grinned, then shrugged. Meznyx laughed and ruffled her hair.   “You’re not bad, kid,” she said, taking a step out of the room, then gestured. “C’mon now.”
  Before Yulong took a step out of the room, she stopped at the bodies. Her breath caught when she saw their glassy eyes staring into nothing. One’s expression had been caught in surprise and horror, while the other was already relaxing in death. Their bright blood slowly made its way into the room, pooling around the bodies and making a singular crimson stream towards the singular drain in the middle of the room. Yulong never expected Meznyx to take the measures and actually kill the guards rather than knocking them out.
  They will find their way home, her uncle said somberly, sending chills through her body. One is lost, the other on her way.
  Yulong swallowed, then looked up at Meznyx. “Did you have to do that?” she asked softly, not even daring to take a step forward. “Have to take those measures?”
  “Hmm?” Meznyx turned back and noticed where she’d been looking, seriousness appearing in her eyes. “Yulong, they did unspeakable things for their master. They only bring death, all in the name and cause of their master. I was only doing them a favor by giving them the release of death, free from their master.”
  One is lost, the other on her way. 
  Her gaze fell back down on the bodies. I don’t even know who their master even is.
  “Yulong,” Meznyx said, catching her attention. “We have to keep moving. The cameras will be out for only so long.” She offered two handles to her, shaking them for Yulong to grab. “You also might want these, in case we run into more trouble.”
  Yulong blinked, trying to understand what Meznyx had done. Why would she kill the people after knowing so little about them and their motives? She often told Yulong to do her best to not kill people, even if they deserved to die, but it didn’t look like she followed her own rules. Would this just end with her betraying her, or did she just hate this place so much?
  Yulong, take the weapons, her uncle’s voice said, sounding slightly distorted, like there were two people speaking at once. If she does betray you, like what you were thinking about earlier, you need to be ready to defend yourself.
  The polished leather handles tempted her, and she gave in, snatching the offered sheathed blades. Yulong unsheathed them both, one being made of ivory, casting a slight glow. The other was made of obsidian, taking what light the ivory cast. They both fit her hands perfectly. Their weight felt familiar, yet she had never seen the blades in her entire life. They felt like they were made with her in mind, but she didn’t know where the blades came from, let alone who forged them.
  “My mother gave them to me,” Meznyx said, sounding reminiscent. “She lived in Meide for a couple years before moving to South Corhes and settling down with my father. She found these blades while living there, saying it had once belonged to the royal family. The ivory blade is named Hikari, the obsidian Yami. You can use them for the time-being. Do not hesitate to kill with them if a guard gets in your way.”
  Yulong tossed them in the air, grabbing them by their hilts as they came back. Tiny, yet long Meidese inscriptions were etched into the blades, and she tilted her head to read.
  Whether the battle’s against another or yourself, the ivory, Hikari said, always give it a fight to remember.
  Without my other, I am lost, said the obsidian, Yami, but with my other, I am found.
  Two unrelated quotes on these blades, Yulong thought as she raised an eyebrow, but I don’t want to kill with these. She gave a nod of understanding anyways.
  “Good, now c’mon.” Meznyx reached down and picked up a handgun and a few magazines from one of the guards, cocking the gun, and stepped over the bodies, turning left and started down the dark hallway. Yulong had no choice, but to follow, carefully stepping over the bodies of the fallen guards. She was led through hallways that were familiar and ones that were completely strange, but she trusted that she wouldn’t be led down the wrong path, even if their beliefs didn’t completely align.
  The hallways blurred together. What didn’t help was that Mexnyx wasn’t saying a word to her, trudging through the hallways, determined to finally get out of this Ko’ad forsaken place. It was the same thing over and over again: cold cement walls, dim yellow lights, worn tile flooring, and the occasional security camera that Meznyx and Yulong would have to sneak around by hugging the wall just to be sure, in case they had turned on since the time they left. Those moments were filled with anxiety on both of their parts, yet they weren’t caught by some miracle.
  Isn’t it strange that the cameras haven’t noticed you yet? her uncle commented, sounding intrigued. Or better yet, that no guard has raised the alarm that you’ve gone missing? If you were so important to contain, there would have been more than two––
  Escape now, theorize later. Yulong scowled slightly as they passed the sixth camera, taking note of the blinking light she’d always seen during the day was off. Besides, it’s only as strange as your voice is making it to be.
  Meznyx continued to remain silent, only gesturing when peering around the corners. Yulong guessed it had something to do with the security system, but either way, it was unnerving how well her companion knew the place. Never second guessing herself when she passed the similar looking hallways over and over again. She really must have been here for a long, long time.
It wasn’t until they came across––what it seemed like––the hundredth corner when Meznyx stopped. Yulong caught herself before crashing into her. Meznyx held up a hand as she glanced around the corner, then motioned silently to come take a look. Yulong furrowed her brow, but took a peek at what Mexnyx had been looking at without saying a word.
  Four suited guards stood at the closed double doors. One of them yawned into their hand, another looked to be asleep against the wall. From the distance, the guards were each holding guns, whether that be a submachine gun or a simple handgun, that much she could tell. One of them muttered something into their earpieces, then to the rest of the guards, who all absently nodded and continued to look bored at their post. One shook the sleeping one awake, who muttered complaints. Soft laughter followed.
  Taking a step back, Yulong opened her mouth to speak her thoughts, but Meznyx clamped a hand over her mouth. Gesturing to the guards, she then placed two fingers on Yulong’s right temple, breathing deeply.
  They’re blocking the only accessible doorway to the cafeteria, Meznyx said in Yulong’s mind. We need to be the ones that take them out.
  Yulong jumped, then glared at her when she heard Meznyx’s voice in her head. She’d almost forgotten that Meznyx was a Transporter with the power––Sentience––to go in, talk, and listen to the target’s conscious. The catch was that she could only speak to them as long as she was touching their head in some way, or that’s what she’s told her. Don’t know why she didn’t use it when she informed her on her plan of breaking out tonight, which was kind of suspicious, but Yulong easily brushed it away.
  Why are there guards protecting a Lightn’ cafeteria entrance? Yulong asked, slowly removing Meznyx’s hand from her mouth. There isn’t anything special in there, is there?
  No, Meznyx replied apprehensively. But it has the easiest getaway exit, excluding the stairway that leads outside, which happens to be infested with guards.
  ‘Kay, but why guard a literal cafeteria when I and most likely others are placed under some of the highest security?
  In case you actually manage to get out. ‘Course, you needed help to actually get out of there, so they planned accordingly by making sure one of the easiest ways out, besides the staircase, was well guarded. You would’ve figured out about it sooner or later.
  She hated it when Meznyx had a point. Do we have to take them out?
  Do you want to get out of here?
  Well... yeah. But, I don’t want to hurt them. They didn’t do anything wrong.
  Sometimes freedom’s cost requires others’ sufferings, her uncle interjected, uninvited.
  Meznyx’s eyebrows knit in confusion. Who was that?
  I often hear my uncle’s voice, she explained. He says weird things.
  Oookay. Meznyx shook her head, but didn’t pry. The plan is we go in quick and hit hard. Usually, I would tell you to go with the training I taught you, but knowing you won’t use it, I say use whatever form you know that fits my description. These guards won’t hesitate to pull their triggers and call for help, so you need to take them out before it’s too late.
  But––
  Look, in life you gotta hurt people to survive. The world isn’t all like your ma or da told you. You will be hurt, but no matter how much the world hurts, tortures, and stretches you, you always fight back. Now, are we going to do this?
  Thoughts swirled in her head, that of her uncle’s advice and Meznyx’s training. She was always taught to always consider others and place their needs above her own, but Meznyx was telling her to fight hard to survive in the world. Knowing how to survive is important, but does it have to come at the cost of others’ lives? She was hurt enough, and she didn’t want to put that pain on anyone else, especially since that pain was hard to bear at times.
  After a moment of consideration, Yulong nodded glumly.
  Alright. Meznyx slowly unsheathed her blade and made sure her gun was ready as she kept contact. Use Hikari and Yami, and do not hesitate, Yulong. 
  She severed the connection when she pulled her hand away from her temple, then lowered into a crouch, motioning for Yulong to do the same. Copying her companion’s crouch, Yulong shakily pulled her new knives out from her waistband. Kuài stance came immediately when she saw Meznyx ready to charge. With her free hand, Meznyx held up three fingers for a silent countdown.
  3.
  Sweat rolled down her brow, coating her hair in a layer of dampness.
  2.
  Any moment now, she would be in the first real battle that only gave two options: life or death.
  1.
  Meznyx zipped from the corner, her orange blade glowing with life as she charged at the guards. She gritted her teeth as the guards fumbled with their weapons, trying to turn the safety off and spray the attacking girl with a rain of bullets. Moving quickly, her long thin blade became a part of her as she thrust forward and slashed a guard’s neck, blood gushing on her as she turned back to Yulong and gestured for her to follow.
  A blush turned her cheeks pink, but she shook herself out of the awe of watching a professional at work, even if she was killing innocent people. Yulong took off in Kuài, her twin blades splayed out to her sides as she charged down the hallway to meet the first guard that met her gaze.
The guard was equally surprised as Yulong’d been when Meznyx had came out and became a force to be reckoned with. The handgun fumbled in her hand, trying to make sure it was loaded and that the safety was indeed off and she could shoot the charging girl. Before Yulong got to her, she got her gun figured out and started to send bullets her way, the look of determination entering and setting a fire in the guard’s eyes.
  Deep instinct took her by surprise as she weaved around most of the bullets with inhuman speed. Some of the guard’s spray buried itself in her skin, but adrenaline kept her moving forward. Or was it something deeper? Something Yulong didn’t understand yet. Either way, she was gritting her teeth to not scream out in pain when more bullets came. Blood soaked through her clothing, but she couldn’t feel the pain. The overall shock of her still moving forward was what drove and scared her at the same time. It wasn’t anything she’d ever experienced.
  Saying a silent prayer to whoever was listening, Yulong threw Hikari at the guard with as much strength as she could manage. The blade didn’t hit where she would have liked it, but it impaling itself deep in the door next to the guard’s face made her jump back. The guard swallowed and touched her face where the blade would have hit if she’d been standing just a few inches to the left.
  Yulong saw her chance and she took it.
  Sprinting, the pain of the shots slowly creeping in as some of the adrenaline was wearing down, she came up to the guard and knocked the gun out of her hands. Before the guard could react, Yulong swept the guard’s feet from under her and sent her toppling to the ground. Yanking the ivory blade from the door, she pointed Yami at the guard to do the finishing blow, but…
  The guard’s expression held so much fear, something that Yulong could feel. Her breaths were shallow. She backed into the door, inching away from her fallen gun, knowing it would be useless now. Her Kajtaniakian green eyes were on the brink of tears, and she bowed her head in defeat, almost accepting death.
  Do not hesitate, Yulong, her uncle whispered.
  “I…” She lowered the obsidian blade. “I can’t do it,” she whispered back.
  Hope shone in the guard’s expression as she looked up, and––
  BANG BANG BANG
  The three bullet holes in the guard’s forehead spurted blood as she fell limp, the blood draining to the ground as the hopeful expression began to fade.
  Yulong brought a hand to her mouth, tears wanting to break free, but she turned away. She wasn’t going to show weakness today.
  “Yulong,” Meznyx’s stern voice called. She stomped up next to her, the handgun in her free hand smoking a bit at the barrel. “I told you to not hesitate. If I hadn’t been watching your back, who knows what the guard would’ve done to you.”
  She didn’t listen. The bodies Meznyx had created were mangled in all sorts of ways, body parts and blood decorating the once pristine walls and floor. Some were slashed at the necks, blood gushing from those wounds, while others were shot in the head, blood dribbling down their foreheads. Those poor souls were faced with Mors’ judgment almost too soon. They couldn’t have known that it wasn’t their fault that they were now dead.
  A hand clamped her shoulder, bringing her out of her thoughts. “Yulong. We’re still getting out,” Meznyx said with confidence. “They wouldn’t have second guessed when they pulled their triggers, and you need to know that. Now, let’s go.”
  Pushing through her and the bodies, Meznyx swiped one of the guard’s keycards on the panel, then pushed the doors open. Not gesturing for her to come in, she shot in a general direction, probably killing a stray guard. Meznyx unloaded the magazine and threw it on the ground with the other dead guards, then walked in as if nothing had happened. Yulong forced herself to look away from the bodies and move into the cafeteria with Meznyx.
  It was smaller than she expected, not that there was much to expect from a cafeteria of all places. There were ten or so rectangular tables lined up in the room: five on the left and five on the right. At the end of the room was the serving area, which wasn’t much to look at; it was just a window where the cooks would serve the staff and guards in the building. There weren’t any lights on, not much to her surprise, but it didn’t surprise Yulong that Meznyx could see well, due to her Native Southern Corhic eyesight.
  Yulong stepped over the guard Meznyx’d just shot and followed her to the end of the room. She watched her march past the tables, then stop to look up at the ventilation shaft in the wall. The only problem was that there was a grate over the actual shaft, like any other vent in any other building. Meznyx placed her hands on her hips at the high vent, beginning to rub her chin.
  “You led us here,” Yulong said, the pain of the shots hurting more clearly as she limped along.  “Now what’re you going to do? Unless you brought tools, we aren’t getting out through the vent.”
  Meznyx’s hand whipped out a screwdriver, and looked back with her signature smirk.
  “Why, you little sh––”
  “None of that.” Meznyx motioned to the table beside Yulong. “If you’re able, help me move a table. I need to reach the vent if we’re going to get out of here.”
  Her head swam as she limped over to slowly move the table over to the vent. Meznyx did most of the work with carrying it and actually moving it, but through grunts of effort and swearing on Yulong’s part and pain, they were able to move it under the vent. Still strange that no guards had started to flood the room yet, but she was glad that she could stop moving stuff.
  Drenched in sweat, Yulong leaned against the wall, catching her breath while she tried to not look at her wounded leg. “Are… you sure… this’ll lead… us… home?” she huffed.
  “Yes, yes,” Meznyx replied, waving her hand dismissively. “I studied the blueprints of the building dozens of times and I’ve been here for a while, like I said a few hours ago. And no, don’t ask how I got the blueprints, because that’s a story you’ll need to sit down for.” Meznyx climbed on the table, but still came short of the vent. She turned to Yulong, a bit bashful. “Don’t mind helping me up?”
  Yulong wanted to pass out. She didn’t think she could manage under Meznyx’s weight. But she nodded. “We’ll see how well I’ll hold.”
  She climbed onto the table with much difficulty. Yulong wavered, but Meznyx held her steady. She inched over to the wall, getting down on her knees, then gestured for her to get onto her shoulders and climb. Meznyx let out a breath, then stepped onto Yulong’s shoulders, feeling uncertain as she hugged the wall while climbing and tried not to put too much weight on her.
  “You know,” Yulong said between breaths, somehow maintaining consciousness. She rested her forehead against the cool wall. “It’s a good thing I haven’t been shot multiple times in the legs, or this would be really difficult on my part.”
  “No one asked for your sarcasm,” Meznyx hissed, screws falling to the ground with tiny clinks.
  “No one asked for you to be a pain, but here we are.” She leaned even more against the cold wall, feeling a small portion of the pain being soothed. “You want me to say it outright, then? You better hurry or my lead-filled body will give out and we both die.”
  “Aha!” A grate was placed beside Yulong. “Aight, I’m going in. I’ll pull you in once I’m sure it’s clear.”
  The weight was lifted off her shoulders, quite literally. Yulong melted on the ground, sighing in relief as the pain in her shoulders slowly subsided. The pain from the bullet wounds became more prevalent, though, and she wasn’t a fan of that. Yulong shifted a bit, removing what weight she was putting on her wounds and onto literally anything else that was hurting. It was going to be alright. Meznyx was going to pull her up, and she was going to be home, ready to see her friends and family again after all this time from being away.
  After a time, nothing or no one came.
  It was quiet.
  She isn’t coming back, her uncle realized.
  “What?” Yulong sat up, darkness creeping in at the edges of her vision. She laid back, the darkness receding. “She promised me–– no, she swore an oath that she will get me out of here.”
  She only said that to gain your confidence.
  “You don’t know that! You’re just a voice in my head taking the form of my uncle, for Lightn’ sake. You don’t know what she’s like and how much she cares about leaving with me. You don’t even know who I am. You aren’t close to me!”
  Oh, Yulong… You don’t know how close to you I’ve always been.
  The alarm went off. It blared.
  Yulong covered her ears at the shrill sound, holding on to the hope––now growing faint––that Meznyx would appear and pull her up and bring her home where everything was normal. Everything was going to be alright. She was going to go home. The guards wouldn’t dare hurt her, with what knowledge of how much security was in place for her. Yulong held on, hoping that it was all going to go away and she would see her family again.
  More minutes pass, every ounce of pain trickling in and feeling worse with every passing minute.
  Yulong, the stranger’s voice said, sounding firm, your ‘friend’ isn’t coming back.
  As much as she wanted to protest, Yulong began to see what he meant.
  Meznyx never told her about the plan till earlier today. She knew the building inside and out, even though she claimed that she was as much a prisoner as Yulong was. How she knew where each of the cameras were. How she knew where the guards would be positioned. Her two-faced personality showed who she could really be. 
  It all added up. 
  “Ko’ad’s Light,” she swore, tears streaming down her face as the guards who’d been shouting earlier came in with their guns. “She never meant to be my friend. She was like everyone else… a fraud to place foolish hope in.”
  And with that, the guards pulled their triggers.

  .  .  .

  Meznyx Ahao crawled through the large vent, sneezing every so often. They really didn’t clean up all the dust in here, not that they could put the time into that most of the time. It was a wonder how the manor breathed without inhaling a layer of dust every day. She continued to crawl, sniffling as she continued on her way to the exit vent. Meznyx knew she had to take this way to get out of here, it was the only way to convince Yulong.
  You still left her, another part of her thought. You gave her your oath.
  She paused at the thought, then pounded the vent’s wall beside her, crying a little. It was for her family. It was not like he gave her much choice in the matter, and he knew that Meznyx would do anything to make sure that her family would be safe, and she knew that she had been grooming Yulong to be the same way. It wasn’t on purpose, of course, but it would eventually get her out of this horrid place and back to her home… wherever that was.
  The vent started to curl up. Meznyx stopped, sneezing again, then began to use her hands and feet to propel herself up towards the not far light. She grimaced and sneezed again, her hair feather ruffling. She’d always hated this part, but it was necessary for her to get out of here. It had always been so awkward and difficult for her to climb at this angle, and the sneezing certainly didn’t help her.
  Coming up towards the light, she pushed the grate off and sneezed again, rubbing her nose this time. A hand was offered to her, and she gratefully took it. Meznyx was pulled up and into the courtyard, and she kept on her hands and knees, trying to get used to her surroundings. She coughed and the suited men gave her some space, looking a bit awkward at the person who’d just come out of the vents. Shaking her head, her head feathers ruffling again, Meznyx looked up at her allies and raised an eyebrow.
  “So,” the leader said, “is the girl in position?”
  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Am I free to go home, or have you decided to kill me too?”
  The suited people looked at each other. One shrugged while another rolled their eyes. The leader raised an eyebrow at the rest of them.
  “Free to leave here soon,” the leader said, slowly, “but he wants to talk to you. Says he needs to discuss something with you before seeing you off.”
  That caused her to frown, but she sighed, standing up. “Lead the way.”
  The guards gestured to follow, and she did. He was the only way to let her be free, even if the cost of that was steep. They walked through the hallways, some of them familiar, others completely strange. For the years she’d been here, she’d only been to his office a handful of times, but every time the guards seemed to lead her a different way. Climbing a staircase, Meznyx felt her anxiety flare up a bit more as she grew closer to his office. Even though she’s been here multiple times, it was always nerve-racking to come to his office and listen to what he wants to say to her. He literally had the power to kill her and her family, if he so chose.
  Coming up to the dark hallway with more guards on the left and right of the door, the leader of the guards motioned towards the door on the right. “He’s waiting for you,” she said, turning away and walking with her guards down the stairs.
  Her breath caught in her throat and she swallowed. No reason to panic, she told herself as she strolled up, regarded the guards, and turned the doorknob to open the door. He must want to know how Yulong is doing. That’s all.
  Walking into his office, Meznyx took a quick look around like always. It was dark like usual––not that she had problems seeing in the darkness––with the fading light between the curtains, the lamp on his desk, and the aquarium that took up the left wall being the only sources of light in his office. It was tidy, more tidy than what she always expected, considering what he’d been like to her. The desk was littered with paper, jots of gibberish scribbled all over them, some charts unfilled and cast aside. Behind the desk, with his head in his hand, was him.
  His Highness was writing something on a file, muttering to himself. Tucking his long white hair behind his ear, Highness’ dark blue eyes scanned the paper as he muttered and wrote. Instead of the robes she’d normally see him in, he was wearing a tailored white suit, threaded with blue highlights here and there. It was like he was dressing up for some event, something more formal than what he normally dressed as. 
  He took notice of her and looked up, taking his gold-colored reading glasses off as he rubbed his eyes to see her better. “Ah, Ahao,” he said, putting his pen down and standing up. “I see the plan went through without problem?”
  Meznyx walked carefully towards the desk, sitting down on one of the plush chairs in front of his desk. “No problems,” she confirmed, “although Yulong was shot multiple times. So, you might want to have a medic check in on her for that.”
  “Hmm, she will heal completely here soon.” Highness stood up and walked around his desk, leaning against it as he looked her over. “I can’t say the same for you, though.”
  “I didn’t receive any wounds–– wait, what do you mean Yulong will heal completely here soon? She’s just a nobody you found from Meide. She doesn’t have any powers. She’s not a Mystic.”
  “See, that’s information you don’t need to know about.”
  “I…” Meznyx quickly shut her mouth, understanding that she won’t be here for much longer. There would be no point in asking about the information he was holding from her. “There was something you wanted to talk to me about?”
  “Yes. Why else would I send guards?”
  “I dunno. To harass me?”
  “If I wanted to harass you,” Highness said, his eyes showing seriousness, “I would’ve done so already.” Highness shook his head, walking past her chair. “The question I wanted to ask you is simple and I’m sure you can answer.”
  “Well?”
  “What did you think of her?”
  She knit her brow, turning to face him. “Like I said before,” she answered slowly, confused, “she’s a nobody. She doesn’t have any powers.” Meznyx chuckled lightly. “Kind of reminds me of myself when you took me under your wing and helped me grow.”
  Highness nodded, turning back to her. “Yes, Qianshe will need to have more work done on her before she can develop skills like you.”
  “Wait.” Meznyx stood up, staring Highness down. “Qianshe? Like the Emperor of Meide? The royal family of Meide? Those Qianshe’s?”
  “Hmm? Oh, yes.” Highness waved a hand in the air and rubbed his chin, distracted. “The last Empress was Yulong’s mother, and the current Emperor is Yulong’s uncle,” he muttered, nonchalantly.
  Her heart almost stopped. Fear seized her breath. “You mean… we had the lost Twin Heir this whole time, right in our grasp?” she exclaimed softly. “The one the Meide royal family has been looking for over a year now?”
  “Yes.” He looked up to meet her stare, staring back. “I can hardly believe you haven’t figured it out yet, what with the main Qianshe trait being their sapphire eyes, Yulong coming in here about a year ago when the Twin Heir was reported missing, being trained by her uncle––who happens to be one of the best duelists in the world––and mentioning her uncle being recognized by the Empress herself.”
  Meznyx stumbled back, shock coursing through her. How could I have been so stupid to not recognize royalty? “I left her for dead,” she whispered, her eyes widening in shock. “I’ve basically killed the Twin Heir.”
  “Not exactly.”
  “What do you mean?”
  Highness pulled a small white remote from his pocket, pressing a button. Taking a step back, a glass screen lowered from the ceiling from where the door was. Where it came from had always been a mystery to her. He clicked another button, then stepped back and gestured for her to watch the screen. She warily walked past him, giving him a raised eyebrow, then turned her head towards the screen to see what he’d wanted her to see.
  The screen showed footage of the cafeteria and zoomed in on the figure on the table. Yulong huddled close to the wall, even when the wave of guards came in and pointed their gun at her. The clicks of guns echoed across the room, the audio coming in crisp and clear through the unknown speakers. A few people looked at each other, wondering if they were really going to do what Highness asked of them: shoot and kill a poor, helpless girl. One nodded, presumably the leader, and they began to rain bullets down on the huddling girl.
  Before the bullets could even touch her, dark energy ribbons sprouted from Yulong, eating the bullets that had been meant for her. They swirled around, catching any stray bullets as she looked up, her eyes now black and bleeding dark smoke. Standing up, Yulong splayed her hand to the side, the smoke shrouding her hand as a long, silvery, beautiful one-edged blade fell into her hand. It looked too heavy for her to carry in one hand, or in general, but Yulong held it like it was a butter knife as she charged the guards, blade glowing with light blue light.
  As Meznyx watched, her mouth slowly fell open in awe. Yulong had so much poise and experience, and she’d been holding out on her. She danced across the cafeteria, using the tables and small size to her advantage, slashing and thrusting her long, beautiful blade into the guards’ necks. Blood sprayed onto her, but she didn’t seem to care; in fact, Yulong looked to enjoy it. An unhinged grin slowly entered her expression as she moved, deflecting bullets with her blade while the dark ribbons ate the rest. Rushing forwards, Yulong continued to bring death to the guards that tried to oppose her.
  “I–I… Wha–what the–– How…?” Meznyx stammered, stumbling back, awe-struck at the girl who’d never been able to defeat her in a friendly spar.
  “That, Ahao,” Highness said, walking up to the screen to inspect the footage, “is Yulong Qianshe, but not really her at the same time.” He rubbed his chin as he watched. “She summoned Thyella quicker than I thought…”
  No words formed for a second. Meznyx tried to say something, but something was holding her back, till she cleared her throat. “How?” she asked, still in awe. “Has she been holding out on me? What is going on with her? Why are you so interested?”
  “The ‘how’ is quite simple.” He turned back to her, continuing to rub his chin. “She has a Fragment of Neihan’s Sacred Powers, most likely born with it, but never really manifested itself in her physical being until right now. With the testing I’ve been doing with her over the year we’ve had her, she is more likely to let Mors take over and do whatever whenever she is faced with emotional trauma, like when you promised her that you would come back, but you ended up betraying her like the last few people I tested her with. Frankly, she needed to be broken enough to really let Mors take over. Although, He needs to be careful and not kill her with all of the power He has. She has no clue how she is doing what she is doing. She’s just an observer as Mors is protecting His Host from being killed. After all, she’d His only chance of bringing peace again to Zvso and letting Him reign. Well, her and the others. Although… the others would be harder to find than she was.”
  “Fragment? Neihan? Sacred Powers? Mors? Host? Others?”
  “Why, yes. Simple.”
  “Not at all!” She clutched the right side of her head, unsure to do with all the questions she had for this man. Meznyx started towards the door as the screen raised up, realizing what she needed to do. “I’ve–I’ve gotta go now…”
  A force seized on her, stopping her in her tracks. Meznyx tried to move, but something was holding her back. It didn’t hurt physically, but it did hurt on a deeper level, almost like it was touching her spirit. The force made her turn around to face him, her expression turning fearful. Highness had his hand up, a wicked smile on his face, what scholarly or kind face gone. With one finger motioning towards himself, she floated towards him. 
  Highness grabbed her face, the grin growing larger. “Now, Ahao,” he said with mock sweetness, the hidden malevolence coming through. “When did I say you could leave? I can’t have you going off to warn her or actually break her out of here, not after you broke your promise to her. Especially not with all these questions you have.” Highness pulled out a long curved silver blade from nowhere, holding it close to her face as it drew a singular drop of blood. “I know you have at least one question.”
  Frozen in fear, Meznyx fought to escape his grip. “You wouldn’t answer it,” she hissed.
  “Try me.”
  She stopped struggling for a second and glared at him. “Fine,” she seethed. “What do you want from all this?”
  “What I want is simple, Meznyx Ahao, daughter of Gynau and Baji Ahao.” Highness’ dark blue eyes burned with a fire of determination. “I want to see my Siblings reinstated to Their rightful places as rulers over Udyiess. They are the ones to establish peace, not mortals. I want to see the Sacred Powers back to their rightful owners. I am simply preparing Qianshe for that moment.”
She blinked, not understanding a word he’d just said.
  He chuckled, pulling her closer. “I don’t expect you to understand so easily. Only Potens knows, child.” Highness readied his blade. “Now, you have a promise to fulfill.”
  Highness plunged his blade into her gut.

  She only watched the carnage she was creating. Yulong didn’t know exactly how, but she wasn’t in control of her body, and it was almost beautiful to watch herself fight in the way she was. She didn’t know who was controlling her body, but whoever was was doing a beautiful, yet terrifying job. This was watching a professional at work. The moves she was pulling was something that Meznyx could only dream of. These moves made Meznyx look like an amateur.
  The blade in her hand became an extension of herself, much like what Meznyx had done with her own blade. It was just another limb for her to use. She used it to slash the next guard’s neck, his blood spurting on her tattered clothes. Yulong’s unhinged grin grew bigger as she continued to kill. The blood wasn’t nauseating to look at, but it was refreshing. It was refreshing to see the people who had harmed and abused her suffer for the sins they committed against her.
  A guard yelled into their comm, more beginning to fill the room. As they came in, the energy ribbons that sprouted from her back shot towards the newcomers, killing them in seconds after impaling them. Their screams of pain was music, much like a concert would be to regular people. More bodies filled the room as she flipped and dodged attacks, stabbing and slashing the people who stood in her way. She even went as far as snatching Hikari and Yami and using them as throwing knives, each of them finding their marks with ease.
  Each weapon she used wasn’t awkward or strange, but it felt familiar and like she’d been using them her whole life. Yulong quickly fell into familiar and strange stances, moving quickly between them as she continued to kill. She was only the retribution to those who’ve wronged her, and she easily swept down anyone who stood in her way. More and more bodies were added, and she kept killing the newcomers as if it were nothing. They walked to their deaths without knowing it, and she was the one that gave it to them. A sad ending to their tale on Udyiess, but it was something she would gladly take part in.
  As the waves of guards turned into trickles, Yulong couldn’t help but notice that tears were streaming down her face. They ran down like the blood that had come from her now healed wounds, and she let them show, laughing as she did so. The laugh she gave wasn’t out of amusement, but of the delight of so many people suffering for what they had done against her. They had finally broken her to the core, letting her know that she will never escape this prison designed specifically for her.
  Soon she was standing in an empty room, mangled bodies surrounding her bloodied body. Yulong breathed heavily, her insane grin still there. In her right hand was the glowing blade, and it and her hands were stained with the blood of the people she’d once called her protectors. The twisted part of her wanted to escape here and now, but it wasn’t what it wanted. She could tell it was craving for something more, but there wasn’t anything she could give it at the moment. 
  Raising the blood-stained blade to meet her gaze, Yulong inspected its wave designs that looked so familiar, yet so strange. “Good to see you again, old friend,” she said, but it was in a distorted voice, like two people trying to talk at once. “I told you it wouldn’t be long till we fought side-by-side again.”
  The blade pulsed with light, causing her to smile.
  More footsteps. Yulong turned, readying her blade, but seeing someone unarmed and unfamiliar, she lowered her blade. He was familiar, but she couldn’t place where or how she knew him.
  The man held himself with confidence, staring her down with determined dark blue eyes while cocking his head. He wore a white suit, though looking a little rumpled. His stark white hair fell past his shoulders, pulled back in a tail to keep out of his eyes. Something about him was something she knew, but it escaped her before she could reflect on the memory.
  The man looked her over, then bowed his head towards her. “Why, hello there, Mors,” he said, his voice slithering down her spine. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”
  She didn’t say a word, confused about calling her a strange name. The energy that had been pumping her through the battle was now fading, leaving her winded and exhausted. Stabbing her blade in the ground, Yulong leaned against it for support, feeling the exhaustion from all the fighting she’d just done and all the people she killed.
  The stranger laughed. “I see, then.” He bowed his head again, raising to give her a smirk. “Greetings, Yulong Qianshe, daughter of Empress Hishi Qianshe and Wangji Yating, niece of Emperor Wuya Qianshe, Twin Heir to the Meidese throne, holder of the Aspect of Death.”
  “How do you know who I am?” she asked in huffs. “Better yet: Who are you?”
  “Names are powerful and of little matter to you right now. You may call me His Highness, or just Highness. It’s easier to call me that, especially for someone like you to understand than what my actual name is.”
  Questions filled her head, but she knew that she wouldn’t get them answered in the way she wanted or for her to understand. “What do you want from me?”
  Highness raised an eyebrow. “Straight to business, I like it. Although, you seemed to have gotten a bit colder than the last time I saw you.” He shook his head, clasping his hands together. “I really don’t want much from you right now. I just want you to fulfill the promise you made to a friend.”
With a snap of his fingers, more guards came in, hauling someone along with them. Once they came in, they dumped the person on the ground and left without saying a word, going to stand guard outside the cafeteria doors.
  Meznyx writhed on the ground, holding her stomach. Her hair feathers were ruffled as she looked up to see Yulong, then turned away. From the few seconds they made eye contact, she could see the shame and guilt in her eyes. When Yulong looked closer, she could see a small pool of blood forming where she was laying.
  Yulong fought the urge to run up and check if she was okay. She betrayed me. She left me for dead. She doesn’t deserve my pity. Instead she looked up at Highness, a glare forming. “What did you do to her?” she asked, anger lacing her tone.
  “I didn’t do anything,” he responded, raising a hand to rub his chin. “I only answered the questions she asked about her freedom, and a few other questions.”
  An uncharacteristic snarl escaped her lips. Yulong turned to Meznyx, the glare becoming more serious as she walked up to her without passing out on the ground. Managing to stand above her, she stared down at the writing traitor. Meznyx coughed again, specks of blood joining the pool around her body. She heaved, trying to breathe normally, but she didn’t even give Yulong a single glance after what Highness had just said.
  Meznyx sold Yulong out for her own freedom.
  She clenched her hand into a fist, growling softly. “I thought you were different,” Yulong whispered, feeling herself shake. “I thought you actually cared, but it turns out you’re just like the rest. You’re willing to sell yourself out and step on others to get what you want. Like you said, you gotta hurt people to survive in this world, and you followed that advice to the letter. Looks like you didn’t mean anything you said to me.”
  Meznyx raised her head, then managed to get on her knees and look up at Yulong. Her hand shook as she reached down and unsheathed her long, thin blade, then offered the hilt to her. Meznyx’s eyes were serious, no aloofness, sarcasm, or even friendliness, just hard, cold orange eyes.
  “A promise,” she coughed, blood speckling the floor as she tapped the back of her hands together, “is a promise, your highness. Keep it.”
  The polished handle gleamed with the blood that’d been on Meznyx’s hand. It beckoned for her to take, silently pleading for her to end everything that had just happened. Yulong stared down, then grabbed it, feeling it’s unfamiliar slick grip under her fingers. It was light, but it wasn’t right for her. Yet, she held it up to inspect as she would for any other blade. The blade’s glow was dim, but still there. The orange pulsed once, showing to her that it still had some life to it. 
  Yulong held it to her side, her exhausted breaths the only sound in the room. She stared into Meznyx’s traitorous orange eyes, hatred filling her own. No matter what advice her family had given her was going to stop her from this. She needed to do this for herself, not for a