Half a year had passed since she was brought to this place, but she had not forgotten the first moment she opened her eyes in this unfamiliar household. Ever since her memories of her clan's demise flooded into her head, she had felt this burning desire arising from deep within her to completely devour and crush the perpetrator who made her lose the people who mattered most to her.
She had hoped that, by some miracle, another member of the Oreca Clan would have survived the massacre. Her hope was misplaced though; after confirming that she was the only survivor multiple times through different people around her by using various methods, she had finally resigned herself to her lonely fate as the "lucky" person to have survived that ordeal.
After all, who wouldn't desire to live a life devoid of meaning after everyone you ever knew has died gruesome deaths, am I right?
This woman brimming with hatred was none other than Jia En, the sole survivor of the bloody destruction of the Oreca Clan that occured 6 months ago.
Through the darkness of her closed eyelids as she lay on her bed, she could hear light rain pattering against the sturdy roof of the room she was staying in. Jia En sighed, thinking : If this was all the world was - peaceful - wouldn't we all be better off?
Ever since 6 months ago, the rain had not stopped falling on her heart. (A/N : This is a reference to an anime! Do you know which anime it's from?) Every day was a living nightmare for her. As if dealing with her own emotions weren't troubling enough, she also had to cope with the humdrum lifestyle of this household.
Everyone was always so busy. Just a week after she gained consciousness, she was tasked with helping out around the house. Of course, it being the powerful Xi Clan, there were more than enough hands around to help out. However, no one likes freeloaders, so Jia En had to swallow her dissatisfaction and comply with their requests.
It was not until one month had passed when she was called to the central area of the clan's living area. Dressed in a light maid's working attire and filled with dust from cleaning out one of the attics that had been left untouched for eons, she stood at the huge, imposing door at the entrance to the Master's study.
She took a deep breath.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
You'll be fine. You'll be fine.
She kept repeating that phrase in her head, but it couldn't stop her hands from trembling. What could he want with her? After all, this supposed "Master of the Xi Clan" had arguably saved her from the bloody mess of the remains of a battlefield, but had never even taken the initiative to visit her when she was recovering. Shouldn't he be taking more responsibility for these type of things? What type of Master is he? How irresponsible.
In a fit of annoyance, she gathered enough confidence to roughly push open the door of the Master's study.
SLAM!
She flinched. That was way too hard. The door had violently swung open, crashing into the wall behind it. Thankfully, it didn't break.
"Ah - sorry about that-" she bowed and apologised quickly to whoever was in the room.
"..." There was no response. Jia En gulped. Did she anger the Master? She froze in her position. Her mind raced. How was she going to get out of this?
"Face forward, girl. I have yet to meet someone brave enough to enter without knocking on my door. That was a very powerful push, if I may add." A deep voice resonated through the room. It was at this moment that Jia En felt it. A heavy aura that sent chills down her spine. Was this...the Master's aura? She could barely breathe. She struggled to gasp for air, but the pressure on her lungs made her struggle futile. Sweat beads formed on her forehead.
Just as she was about to fall unconscious, the heavy pressure on her lungs suddenly disappeared. It was only then that she saw him. A middle-aged man with greying hair and a few wrinkles on his face. His dark eyes were set on a stern face. The man's mouth was pulled into a slight smile, but his eyes were as dark as an endless abyss. As she was observing this man, she stared into his deep, unending eyes. They seemed to lure her in slowly...slowly.
"Ahem" The man cleared his throat. Jia En immediately snapped out of her trance. Realising what had happened, she thought: His eyes...it felt like he was consuming my entire being just by one simple glance. She didn't even notice that her hands were trembling and her palms were sweaty.
"Uh-umm" she stuttered, her previous confidence gone in the blink of an eye. Her vision swam, she felt like she was being dragged around by giant tides, even though she had stopped staring into his eyes for a few seconds already.
"Be at ease, little girl. I have no intention to harm you..I just wanted to have a short chat with you." His voice echoed throughout her very being.
Jia En gulped, trying to compose herself. What in the world was that terrifying aura? She just barely managed to speak, "G-Greetings, Master." It was no use, her body was frozen in place, unable to shake the fear that subconsciously possessed her.
"It's been six months, how are you adjusting to the clan's way of living? Well, you don't look too bad, you must be doing fine." Without even giving Jia En the chance to speak, he answered his own question solemnly. This was good too, Jia En's petrified state could barely process what he was saying, let alone gather the strength to answer him.
"Well, after living here for so long, have you decided what you want to do from here on out?" the Master questioned. "Of course, since we have taken you in, we'll support you and treat you as one of our own. However, you'll have to coorporate with us in achieving our goals."
Jia En listened, her mind scrambling to calm down and take in what the Master was saying.
He continued on, "I ask again, what would you like to accomplish?"
This time, there was no fear, no hesitation. As the painful memories washed over her again, she had a fierce look in her eyes, and she spoke, "I wish for revenge, Master, on those who have trampled and destroyed those who I've held dear to me. I wish for the complete annihilation of the man who killed my family. The bringer of the Midnight Rain, created from the blood of those whom I treasure." Her voice seethed with hatred, and her eyes burned with a fearsome gaze.
"Well answered, little girl. From today onwards, you will take the name Xi Jia En, and our clan will help you in your revenge, in return for your cooperation." the Master spoke, as if he already knew what was going to happen. Of course, it was obvious, for she was driven solely by revenge. "How far are you willing to go to complete your revenge?" he asked, as if testing her.
She looked up. For the first time since she barged into the room, she locked eyes with the Master, her eyes burning, voice unyielding, and said one word.
"Anything."