In a room filled with glamorous finery and gilded furniture, there was a throne in the middle, all but made to languidly lie on. There is a carpet leading to the throne from where the front door is and from afar, it's plush and the red color seemed to gleam. The curtains are translucent and had precious metals weaved in, the walls a dark red. Furthermore, there are various trinkets and knick-knacks lying here and there, as if people had just randomly scattered them around.
None of these things were placed without intention.
A woman dressed in purple and gold sat on the throne, her hair twisted up into a complicated bun and smiling gently while holding a goblet full of wine. She gazed at the man kneeling down in front of her, his face twisted in pain.
Beside the throne, stood a boy who couldn't be older than twelve. He, Qin Xiaohuo or Fire to others, watched the scene with impassive eyes, having seen similar ones more than enough to desensitize him.
"And whatever is it did you do again?" The woman asks, pouring the wine onto the man's head. The man's expression twisted even further and he started trembling, unable to keep himself upright and stable anymore, but he had used a great deal of effort already.
The man fell bodily onto the carpet and screamed, "Forgive me! Forgive me, my liege, I failed!"
His expression could no longer be seen but it was estimated that he probably had an 'oh sh*t' one if he sees how the woman stepped on his head and forced his face further onto the carpet. She was still smiling, but it was now malicious instead of the gentle façade she uses but always fails to keep.
Qin Xiaohuo wonders why she even tries.
It's pretty obvious that the woman—his adoptive mother—was probably the least gentle person on this world. In fact, calling her the most heartless isn't too far-fetched. His adoptive mother is, what Fire thinks, one of those model Otherworlders who define the very reason Otherworlders are hated and feared in his world.
Seriously, this he thinks as the man is interrogated to tears. He misses Lightning so much, she always manages to get answers by simply staring at people. Justice had that power too, how do they do it? Is it a female thing? If it's a female thing then he did not want to know.
The man is eventually allowed to leave, Qin Xiaohuo grimaces at the bloody sight but doesn't allow himself to be seen by the woman with such an expression.
(Look closer, do you see it now?
The carpet is made of thousands of millions of tiny needles, all gleaming with fresh blood.)
"Do you understand now, Huo'er?" The woman asks, walking barefooted on the…carpet. He pastes on a nervous expression and replies laughingly, "I don't quite understand the point, mother, sorry."
She sighs and threads a hand through his hair. "Do I really have to shorten it for you? Don't get your hands dirty as much as you can. Or else, someone will come in and sweep you off your feet but realize how bloody they are…won't you regret it endlessly then?"
The woman continues talking and Qin Xiaohuo hangs his head with a bashful smile, wondering inside just why his adoptive mother talks about such things so much. It's embarrassing, really, especially when Fire knows that there would only ever be one person who could ever "sweep him off his feet" both literally and metaphorically…that person knows very well how much blood is on his hands.
Zee has far more blood on her hands either way.
"Of course, mother. I believe it's about time for Mingqin's midday meal? We should join her." He smiles gently up at his adoptive mother, Qin Heiyu—as everyone calls her, and quickly shoots a glance to the side where a young girl is peeking from around the corner of the garden they had walked into. Qin Heiyu smiles back, catching onto his implication and agreeing with a, 'yes of course'.
The girl peeking immediately ducks down and pretends not to have been watching them. She looks up at the sky with hopeful eyes, sending a quick prayer to no one and nothing in particular.
'"Yo! Fire!" Deyanira, or Water now, calls out with a grin and heaving the previous Water Emperor over her shoulder. The poor man sends him a look, clearly asking for help, and he notices with amusement that the girl already took the crown and formed it to suit her. "We're apparently opposites now! Wanna fight sometime?"
He smiles at her, stating, "Right after you finish the ranking battles and recover, then."
She groans at the thought of the ranking battles that are mandatory for every newly crowned Empress or Emperor, wondering idly if she could possibly beat her so-called adoptive sister and brother. Honestly, probably not and she's going to end up not even entering the top ten even though mom—er, Lightning is number one, but fighting Destruction for the number eleven spot should be fun.
Deya—ugh! Water! She has to get used to being called Water! Even though it sounds pretty weird, but everyone else could adapt so she could too!
Fire is laughing at the faces she's making now, great.
…ah, wait a second, the former Emperor is still slung over her shoulder. Oops?'
Ling Fengbao is still staying the second day and Ling Hongyun seems like he wants to explode and get the man away. Tian Leiji thinks that her mother has been acting rather oddly with the man's presence and can only remember that Hongyun once told her that they were apparently friends at one point?
But, the question is, if they were friends and didn't become enemies or something similar then how did mother ever get into the situation with the Tian? If Leiji ever heard of a friend being treated in such a way then she would do nearly anything to help them. Lightning would have too, though it never really happened in a way threatening enough for her.
Otherworlders are too stupid to comprehend not being intelligent.
One of the very damning things that made it way too obvious that Lu Yanhei is, at the very least, not comfortable with the man would be how she never let Tian Leiji out of sight. She isn't an idiot; mother had been fine with leaving her alone before he came.
Which led to her joining Leiji on her—usually—bi-daily morning runs. Mother doesn't seem fazed as she keeps up with long steps and a steady pace that looked more like walking rather than running. Tian Leiji felt slightly embarrassed, was it normal for children to be this small? Why are her legs so short?
This world is really weird; all the children are smaller than they're supposed to be!
"What do you think about joining a sect, Ji'er?" There seemed to be something else in that request. Tian Leiji wants to think that mother is thinking straight and sanely, but as she had found out over the years; mother isn't the sanest person around on good days.
On bad days, the weirdness factor is cranked up to eleven and not even Lu Leiji understands her.
But joining a sect? That sounded tedious and boring. Not mentioning that they're probably cover-ups for cults or something, it wouldn't surprise her at all. Some organizations back in the past world were actually cover-ups for cults too, or maybe the rebel or extremist factions. Playing 'Guess the Cult' had been rather fun, she should make a version of it here.
("…wait, you weren't lying about the cults that worship you as an eldritch god?" Lu Leiji sounds incredulous. Lightning nods, more exasperated than anything, and adds, "Mimicry, Chaos, Water and Gabriel are, according to them, 'parts of myself I separated in order to stabilize the upper court'. It's apparently why they were thought of as Otherworlders or didn't have any records. Which is insane, those four were Zap's adopted children."
Tian Leiji blows a raspberry at Lightning; feeling amused by how she just rolls her eyes and flicks her forehead. Lu Leiji is clutching his stomach, laughing like there would be no tomorrow.)
"It sounds useless." Leiji answers breezily, realizing that she had gone a little too long without answering. Mother considers again, then tells her, "Some of the qualitative demonic arts sects are also rather close to this kingdom."
"There's a difference? Mother, you actually just want me to not be near that Ling Fengbao, right?" Mother smiles brightly. She huffs and leisurely sends a jolt of electricity to some people following them, sure that it won't kill them as long as they aren't weak. At most, they would piss their pants.
There is a sudden outrage behind them and Lu Yanhei looks at her with amusement.
"…what that br—Ling Hongyun told you was true. He and I are friends." Mother says breezily, pausing before adding, "We merely have some…complications. I would have preferred to die without him or…ever finding me again."
"Why?" Tian Leiji finds herself blurting out. Why would anyone want to do that? But, mother merely sends him a dark look.
After a moment, she answers, "Won't you feel ashamed?"
Ashamed for what? Seeing Leiji's expression, Lu Yanhei just sighed and told her, "Don't mind it. You wouldn't understand."
…Tian Leiji wants to retort and tell mother she would understand, but the fact that she doesn't quite understand this world's logic is still there. No, that was a lie. Leiji doesn't quite want to understand the logic, that would mean that it affects her logic and this world is one where humans…people don't value their bonds much.
It's in how, when Lightning focuses, there is an inherent dark selfishness that sticks to many of the people who aren't hers. Mother has it too, simply present and big enough to envelop her. Leiji isn't an idiot; mother is one of the most selfish people she has ever met.
Selfish to the point of selflessness; such a thing isn't impossible.
Music was one such person, now her mother is too.
Tian Leiji still loved her mother despite that. Yet, there is also pity, because if Lightning focuses enough then she can see that Lu Yanhei had suffered a lot. In her world, it doesn't matter how much anyone has suffered, they will all be treated equally.
Therefore, there should be nothing to be ashamed of. Unfortunately, this world has skewed logic and blames victims…oh.
Mother smiles, "Do you want an older brother, Ji'er?"
"Don't I have Hongyun?" She replies naturally, only realizing how odd that sounded after a moment. Ling Hongyun would not be a very good big brother for this world's normal children. Leiji added, "But, I would have liked one."
"Do you want to see him?" Her smile widens and Leiji has a bad feeling about it. A big brother? If she had one then mother has both never talked about him, or let him see her. That isn't something she would do, nor did she have the ability to hide something that big from her. Meaning he's probably…dead? Mother doesn't change her expression as she leads her back home and in front of the gravestones she had made for her family.
Tian Leiji had stood here and talked to them before, but she had never tried guessing which name was which family member. Mother points at one, "Xingyu" carved on it, and tells her, "This is your older brother; he died three years before I had you. Yu'er was born with white hair and red eyes and was killed by another maid slipping poison in his food."
Mother is oddly cheerful for talking about something so morbid; Tian Leiji thinks it's a coping method.
"It isn't your fault." Lu Leiji softly tells his mother (not, not in this life, he doesn't deserve her after everything). He ignores her questioning gaze, knowing very well that Lu Yanhei isn't an idiot and knows who her child is. "Nothing that happened was your fault."
(He remembers many things. Some memories, Lu Leiji wished he could turn them tangible and bring it in a secure box to bring everywhere. Most of the other memories, they can go burn in hell. The outliers are ones that are painful, but those same ones are needed for him to understand.
One of those outliers was when he confronted the person he considered to be the reason his mother died.)
Lu Leiji knows very well the weight behind the name "Xingyu".
Tian Leiji doesn't.
He has never hated being born back in time with his memories and unable to control this body most of the time so much. Lu Leiji isn't Tian Leiji, he had only had his mother and one person.