All armed villager men almost gathered in the execution altar, and more streamed out from their houses that surrounded the area.
But neither of them dared to attack, none was moving a muscle. The massive size of the bird itself had made them stunned.
"Now, what are you waiting for?" The priestess asked in fury, horror colored her voice as she spoke. "Attack the cursed beast!"
"Y-yes, priestess!"
I drew back my attention to the priestess. What was the hell wrong with her? I mean, those villagers as well. Just because someone came to their village and coincidentally drought fell on their land, it didn't mean the girl had anything to do with that. That was merely a coincidence. So-called coexistence.
Hearing her resolute words made me slightly want to tear my hair out. No, it was actually me who wanted to go and slap at her face, yelling, 'Stop ordering your bloody minions around! Just let those two be!'
But before those villagers could storm and aimed their weapons, the phoenix flapped its wings, causing them to struggle against the gusting wind. The crowd gasped every time a man hauled into the air. Almost the whole thing in the execution area overturned around the altar.
The phoenix let out another ear-piercing screech, it bellowed, shaking the very ground beneath their feet. Flames bubbled from its beak, burst to the drylands, spreading fast like a slithering snake. A wall of flames shot up all around the altar, trapping the villagers and the cursed priestess inside, also the girl.
Golden ethereal flames licked its wings high and wide showing strength. The phoenix flew forward in hard, powerful flits, only erupting the fire to burn too high. It effectively trapped each soul inside, creating an impossible escape. Each beating of its wings was like pulsing a punch of energy. It looked more like a huge predator on the prowl.
While everyone in the altar was busy eyeing the firewall, the phoenix came to a stop above where the girl was flanked. Sharp claws raked the binding ropes in either side of her hands. As she swayed to fall, the phoenix darted lower. The girl stumbled back against the phoenix's soft hairy mantle.
Its flaring wings spread wide in a glorious tapestry of fierce scarlet and orange—and then it flew into the thin air to flee from the place. Images and fragments once again flashed through my mind as I stared at the beauty of Jie Moshu's appearance. Like I had seen it before.
My thoughts returned to those portraits from Jie Moshu's secret room. That phoenix painting eerily turned its eyes burning with affection, but that wasn't the case. It was something more than that. I scowled, trying not to think too hard about where I had seen the mythical creature other than this memory.
Jerking my head up with a clearer vision, suddenly I was already standing beside the girl. I saw the phoenix had landed on a place far from that village. Red-colored energy emanating from the phoenix, constantly giving off invisible waves of energy. Delicate loops and whorls of fiery sparks coiling in its body and for a moment I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. The huge mighty phoenix had turned into a young handsome man, wearing the matching color of red from men's wedding garments.
Jie Moshu had her in his arms, pulling her close on that length of his strong body pressing gently against her fragile shoulders. When he looked down at her, he whispered in a sheepish voice, "Wife, I'm here now. So, open your eyes. Please…"
Red. The color supposed to symbolize happiness, prosperity, and good luck had become a deadly meaning of bloodshed on an auspicious day. I froze there, stuck in this awful awareness.
The sun was setting, as the velvet light shone, illuminating the girl's porcelain face. Her eyes closed as if she was sleeping rather than dying. When my gaze fell on Jie Moshu, I noticed that he was studying the girl, his eyes caressing every feature as if to remember her always. He cautiously wiped the blood off her chin, afraid he might wake her up from her deep sleep.
Much later, a cough alerted Jie Moshu's dim light in his eyes. The girl was conscious.
Swallowing, her grey eyes locked into his as if they could see him. A small weak smile formed on her face. "You've come…"
Jie Moshu shot her an apologetic glance that almost wiped out the lingering rage in his face. He murmured beside her ear, "I'm sorry that I'm late, my wife."
A vein on the girl's forehead twitched, struggling with the pain inside her stiffened body. The muscles on her face seemed rigid as she breathed in deeply.
"None of this is your fault, Mr. Jie. Don't blame yourself."
Her words were what I wanted to tell Jie Moshu as well. But I knew better than most how empty those words rang. I knew no matter how I wanted to tell him, this all had happened in the past. There was no way of erasing it.
"No," Jie Moshu dropped his gaze to her body full of wounds. His lips tightened into a thin line, and guilt flashed into his eyes momentarily. "This happens because of me," he murmured under his breath, shoving away her strands of hair off her face.
With all her strength, she lifted her hand and reached for his face. As soon as her fingers gently touched his skin, for a moment, his shield crumbled. It was as if his heart was shattering into smaller and smaller pieces. As her warmth slowly faded away, his hands balled into fists and emotions washed over him.
"Jie Moshu…"
A shiver went to my spine at the sound of her weak voice calling out for Jie Moshu. I watched her eyes glittering with hope. She shuddered in his arms, reminding him that she didn't have much time left.
I believed Jie Moshu had noticed this as well, that her wounds were worsening. The more the surrounding skin darkened, the shallower her breathing became. It grew fainter and fainter.
Taking a deep breath, Jie Moshu stretched his hand. As he set his hand on her stomach, a bright light blazed from his fingertips. Red sparks flowed like a crimson waterfall, making their way touching the girl's wounds.
I remembered that was how Jie Moshu transferred his reiki for healing. For a moment, I thought the girl could be saved. But as time passed by, no matter how long the magic kept on glowing, washing over her body, those wounds were still bleeding. There was no sign of those deep cuts mending.
Jie Moshu frowned. Sweat glistened against his skin, plastering the dark wisps of hair that escaped his bun to his face. I could almost see the pieces of emotions written all over: shock, rage, and resentment. His determination pounded through me coupled with his desperation to save the girl's life.
She couldn't die. Not like this. She couldn't die. His voice whispered in my memory.
Again, and again. He tried pouring in more and more power into the girl, diverting his reiki to heal her wounds, saving her from the brink of death. The energy burned through her was massive, it was fundamentally differentiating him from human beings.
He was a god.
But then something stopped him.
After a minute that seemed to stretch out all eternity, he closed his eyes. He chewed the bottom of his lips, trying to apprehend the situation.
What bothered me was why Jie Moshu's magic didn't work on her—and he was no longer attempting to heal. He just crouched down with her body in his lap. Judging from the way he couldn't stop staring at her, I could easily wonder that he was waiting for her to bid her farewell.
Somehow, I wasn't surprised at all. Instead, I had expected that he would do that as I remembered what Baba told me during Mama's funeral. "Death isn't the opposite of life, but a part of it. Everyone will eventually die, even gods cannot intervene with human's life and death matters. We only can believe they'll go to a better place and live inside our hearts forever."
Still, I couldn't stop the tears from brimming my eyes. Every breath that I took seemed harder and heavier. I felt broken, hollow as if all my heart had been stolen from me, leaving me empty and soulless. No, the girl didn't earn a fair death. It was too cruel for the girl and Jie Moshu as well.
My heart broke when I saw Jie Moshu bent down and pressed his lips on her forehead. As he closed his eyes, the girl's cheek became wet from his trickling silent tears.
He pulled away, and he stared at her for the last time.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, that my love for you is making you suffer. I can't protect you or let you escape from pain, it's all my fault."
The fervent tone in his voice trembled and his lips quivered, somehow looking heartbreakingly vulnerable. He waited for an answer but she was no longer responding.
Again he leaned forward, resting his forehead against the girl's forehead. Slowly, he kissed her lips, so softly, as his arms tightened around her back, pulling her closer. A few more quiet and steady tears streamed down even if he had tried to hold back, it was all poured out in the passionate kiss.
Watching them staying like that, I closed my eyes when white-hot pain flashed through me. I couldn't breathe. Almost winced at the pain. What was this feeling? I felt for his sadness, the girl's pain and why would I feel rage at this point? It left a foul, bitter taste in my mouth which didn't make any sense.
Whatever this feeling rising inside me led to one certainty: I didn't like him kissing her. As if something hideous washed over me.
Suddenly, my mind was flowing with too many conflicting images, vying for my attention.
Jie Moshu's every word seemed very familiar to me like he had been saying them the whole time. Fragments after fragments, in different time sequences and different me. And again I was shifted into a different place.
Slightly, the heavy scent of thick smoke of opium was wafting in the air.