In the dead of night, a group of men dressed in grey robes walked across a grand courtyard carrying a four feet cage with a black cloth covering it.
This series of actions would have been considered inconspicuous that is if they weren't doing it in the middle of the night. The only thing that should be active at that godforsaken hour should be owls and... maybe witches but this group of six were toiling around like it was 10 fuckin a.m. in the morning.
Let's not misunderstand them because if it were up to them, they would rather be in the comfort of their beds dreaming about winning the jackpot one day and make a scene when they quit. But until the day they win the lottery they had no choice but to accept these weird working hours.
The servant at the back stubbed his toe on a rock causing the cage to tilt one side as it came crashing down. "Argh! Shit... mhm mmmm," he grimaced in pain followed by muffled grunts.
He didn't dare yelp aloud anymore lest prince Rui hears him. The steward leading the way walked back to where the youth was.
PA!
This was the loud sound of the handle of a horsewhip hitting the back of the youth's head. It hurt. It hurt so much but he didn't have the guts to yelp out. He hurriedly picked up the end of the cage he had dropped only to be met by the most mesmerizing pink peach blossom eyes staring at him from the exposed part of the cage.
He would have hurriedly covered up the cage but he was drawn to those eyes like he was under an enchantment. The longer he looked into those dim misty eyes the more he was pulled into them. Those eyes were like a key evoking the deepest part of his soul.
Intense protective instincts stirred up within him as he moved even closer to the cage. He wanted to break it and save the person inside. He wanted to protect them from all harm and wipe their tears away. If it weren't for the little rationality he had he would have freed them by now.
That little rationality that he had was already stretched taut which meant when he heard that sweet voice speak to him in his mind he snapped. "Help me... please," were the honeyed words echoing in his mind.
It was the milky voice of a young lady in distress. Unable to bear seeing such a poor soul suffer he reached out but before he could even touch the cage a black cloth fell from above blocking his view.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Where the sounds of the steward kicking him on the ground. The steward was of advanced age but he was extremely energetic like a weight lifter on steroids.
"Didn't. I. Tell. You. To. Be. Careful." said the steward kicking him with each word. "If any of these creatures escape do you know what his highness will do to all of us. Pei..... pathetic," said the steward spitting at him in the process.
"Now get the fuck up and do your job.....," he said whilst swinging his horsewhip with a whoosh, "useless."
The youth scurried up in a hurry and grabbed the cage as he endured the excruciating pain from his abdomen. The girl inside the cage hugged her knees tightly as tears streamed down her face.
She already knew what was going to happen but still hoped to touch one person's heart and ask them for help.
But it seemed she only managed to bring trouble to that person. Her siblings had suffered the same fate under the hands of that vile man, a man who was supposed to protect them. An undeserving father hungry for power.
The sound of the creaking door made her shrink into herself subconsciously. She buried her head in her knees but as the cage was dropped harshly on the ground she whimpered her skinny body toppling over.
She winced after bruising her elbow on the cage but judging from the various purple bruises and cuts all over her body she seemed used to it.
The steward kowtowed followed by the servants as he said, "Wangzi, this servant has brought what Wangzi requested."
Prince Rui was leisurely sitting on his throne made of scarlet jade with a wall made of gold behind it. His one foot was on the armrest with his other arm propping up his cheek. This way of sitting would give off the impression that he was a carefree person but this couldn't be further from the truth.
This man right here was the epitome of a sinister character with a very dark side. He was a sadistic ruthless psychopath with no bottom line. From one look alone he could easily be mistaken for a devil in human form. He raised his other hand and stared at his long slender fingers with his gaze lingering on the jade ring on his finger like he hadn't heard what they said.
A faint black fog suddenly gathered in his hand as the corner of his lip rose into an eerie smirk. He let out a throaty chuckle which sent shivers down one's spine to everyone who heard it. The servants and the girl in the cage trembled in fear all with the exception of one person.
Beside the throne there stood a boy of no older than fourteen years of age with a dozen black chains made of lotrian, the only metal that could restrain the most powerful of the Nocru, subduing him. He had his head hung low like he was sleeping but in truth, he was meditating on a thousand ways to kill his father.
Even with his head hung low, one could feel the intense hostility and dark aura surrounding him. His hatred, anger and killing intent were literally oozing out of him. If he wasn't being held by these chains he would have most likely torn Prince Rui to shreds by now.
The fog in Prince Rui's hand suddenly burst forth like a flame before he sent it flying in the boy's direction. "Wake up! Ah-Fei has to witness this glorious moment... so wake, up," said the prince with his amber eyes suddenly turning a bloody shade of red seeming crazed like a lunatic on a rampage.
As soon as the fog touched the face of the boy called Rui Fei it scorched his skin as though disintegrating his skin at a cellular level. The servants who were still kowtowing shivered afraid that his highness would include them in his anger.
That fog was no ordinary thing. It could disintegrate a human body in a matter of seconds leaving nothing behind not even ash for the family members to bury. It was as though the person never existed.