Si-Fu Hibiki's eyelids fluttered open, his vision swimming in a hazy blur as he slowly regained consciousness. The first thing that registered in his mind was pain—a throbbing ache that spread throughout his body, a relic of the poison coursing through his veins.
The scent of stale alcohol and damp stone filled his nostrils, the dim light of flickering torches illuminating the filthy, crowded tavern. A twisted smile spread across Xaphan's face, a hint of surprise coloring his tone as he regarded Hibiki.
"Awake already? You are quite the warrior, Hibiki," Xaphan said.
Si-Fu Hibiki, his hands bound and his feet dragging slightly as the pair of Xaphan and Zirkyu half-dragged, half-carried him through the seedy tavern, took in the unfamiliar surroundings. Beside them, Lian's unconscious form hung limply over Xaphan's shoulder.
As they edged further toward the southern region of Wushu Guan, a foul stench of rot and decay hit Hibiki's senses, his eyes widening in revulsion. "Where are you taking us?" he demanded, his voice low and resonant despite his weakened state.
Xaphan turned to Hibiki with a gleeful expression, but ignored the question.
Hibiki's jaw clenched, his patience already strained to its limits. "Quit the games. Tell me what your plans are with us and where we're headed."
Xaphan's smirk broadened, his amusement growing at Hibiki's increasing frustration. "Ah, but you'll find out soon enough, won't you? All in due time."
Hibiki's features hardened, his eyes narrowing. 'If you think I'm going to make this easy for you, you're sorely mistaken,' he thought.
Hibiki shifted his demeanor and initiated a conversation, attempting to draw them out. His eyes locked onto Zirkyu. "You stabbed my partner, I wasn't ok with that. At all!" he said, his tone furious pointing a death stare at Zirkyu. "Anyways, I wanna know who you're and why you associate with this lunatic?"
Xaphan interjected, his voice silky smooth, "You ask a lot of questions, Hibiki. Trying to psychoanalyze Zirkyu? Think he'll spill answers to you? It won't work!"
Unfazed, Hibiki maintained his stoic composure. "Zirkyu, huh? I didn't expect you to confide in me. Zirkyu, this is the first of two times I'm gonna ask this. Reconsider your allegiances now. This path won't end well. The next time I say this to you would be my last and it would be with a sword pointed at your throat. Believe me when I say, you won't wanna give me a shitty answer then."
Zirkyu bristled, his face reddening. "Shut it, Fish-lips! You think I'm scared of you?"
Hibiki smirked. "Fish-lips? Xaphan's teaching you creative insults too, I see. What other traits has he shared?"
Zirkyu's grip on Hibiki's arm tightened. "Keep talking, and I'll add a busted lip to that name," he growled, his face inches away.
Undaunted, Hibiki retorted, "Listen here, kid, whatever you do now won't compare to the consequences of your past actions. Believe me when I say, you both will pay dearly."
Zirkyu's nostrils flared, his temper nearing its boiling point. "That's it!" he snarled, his grip on Hibiki's arms tightening to the point of pain. "I'm gonna shut your mouth for good!"
But before Zirkyu's rage could be unleashed, Xaphan's voice cut through the tension like a blade. "Go ahead. Have fun with Fish-lips a little."
Hibiki's gaze remained unwavering, his eyes locked onto Zirkyu's, unflinching in the face of impending violence. His expression was a mask of calm, but his eyes betrayed a hint of calculated challenge.
As Hibiki hit the ground, Zirkyu loomed over him, a ruthless glint in his eyes. Hibiki's steady gaze seemed to taunt him further, and with a snarl, Zirkyu's fist clenched, ready to strike.
_THWACK_
Another punch landed, followed by another, and another. _WHAP. CRACK. SMACK._ Each blow connecting with sickening precision, blood pooling from Hibiki's battered face.
The blood master, despite the brutal assault, remained defiant, glaring up at Zirkyu with steely resolve. "Dis...disappointing...Xaphan. Your lackey punches like an old hag," he spat, the words accompanied by a mouthful of blood.
Zirkyu let go of Hibiki's hair, leaving the his limp body sprawled out on the filthy ground. "Get up," Zirkyu ordered, planting a steel-toed boot into Hibiki's ribs.
_WHACK_
Hibiki winced in pain, his entire body shuddering with each impact. "I'm not done with you yet, Fish-lips." Zirkyu continued
Xaphan, who'd watched the brutal beating with a cruel smirk, finally spoke up. "All right, Zirkyu. You've had your fun, but we've got other things to do," Xaphan said, that same twisted smile dancing across his face. "And besides, I want him still breathing."
Zirkyu snickered, wiping blood from his knuckles onto Hibiki's robes. "You know I couldn't resist; his face felt like a good punching bag." He shot a final, venomous glare at Hibiki.
With a cruel cackle, Xaphan and Zirkyu dragged Hibiki across the damp, filthy pavement, his robes catching on broken glass and jutting stones. Hibiki's teeth chattered, shivering from the cold and the pain of the rough ground against his skin. Lian's unconscious form bounced limply over Xaphan's shoulder.
Hibiki's body bounced with each step, the sound of his flesh against stone like macabre percussion. But despite the agony, he remained silent, his jaw clenched in a stubborn display of defiance.
Xaphan and Zirkyu made their way into the heart of the South of Wushu Guan, where the lawless and the desperate made their homes in the shadows. The further south they ventured, the more the atmosphere of the land shifted, from bustling markets and colorful bazaars to the grim, quiet desolation of rundown buildings and deserted alleyways.
After two days of harsh travel, they finally reached their destination—the City of Sichuan. The place was like a ghost town, its once-great monuments crumbling into ruin, a testament to the epic battles that had been waged there.
As they approached a dilapidated fortress, Xaphan gestured to Zirkyu. "We're here."
Hibiki's gaze never left Lian's unconscious form, his determination growing with each passing moment. He would protect her, no matter the cost.
As Lian drifted in the realm of unconsciousness, her mind conjured up a haunting vision—a memory long buried in the depths of her psyche.
She found herself standing in a dark, misty forest, the air thick with an ominous chill. Two shadowy figures emerged from the shadows, their features obscured in the darkness. One, a monstrous and enraged shape, its rage palpable in the air around it, seemed intent on causing harm to Lian and the other figure.
The second shadow, enigmatic in its movements, stepped in front of Lian, a silent guardian against the raging force.
As the first shadow closed in, it pushed the second one away and was about to lay hit on Lian. But before anything else could happen, Lian jolted upright with a piercing scream that echoed off the cracked walls of the decaying chamber, her body coiled like a spring. She glanced around frantically, her eyes struggling to adjust to the dim, musty room. Her heart pounded in her chest, her pulse racing.
Lian's panicked voice echoed through the darkness. "Lei? Ryou? Meili? Is anyone here?" Her words trailed off, replaced by the desperate question: "Where am I?"
As she grasped her surroundings, Lian noticed the heavy chains that bound her wrists, their cold metal digging into her flesh like a tangible reminder of her predicament. In a haze of confusion and dread, she turned her head, trying to piece together where she was and how she got there.
Lian shuddered, the cold air whispering across her skin, her nerves on edge. Her senses felt heightened, as though she were treading a narrow line between sanity and the unknown.
Every creak of the floorboards beneath her, every flicker of the shadows in the corners of the room, amplified by a thousand times. Lian's thoughts raced, fear clouding her judgment.
Lian flinched as the door to her chamber groaned open, the cold, blue light of a torch spilling into the room. The silhouette of a man loomed over her, his shape distorted by the dancing shadows cast by the flickering flame.
Her heart hammered in her chest as Zirkyu's features emerged from the darkness, a cruel smile curling his lips.
"Well, well, well," he drawled, his eyes glinting with a feral hunger. "Look who finally opened her eyes. You sure sleep a lot."
"W-who are you?" Lian stuttered, her voice betraying her fear as she futilely tried to pull away from the looming figure. "Where am I? What is this place?"
Zirkyu's smile turned into a sneer. "My name is Zirkyu," he hissed, "and you, little lady, are in our territory now. This place...it's a little something we call home."
"As for why your here..." Zirkyu's voice trailed off as his eyes narrowed to slits. "Let's just say Lord Xaphan needed a few ingredients for our little experiments. And unfortunately for you, you caught his attention."
His hand shot out, his fingers closing around Lian's throat with a strength that sent fear coursing through her veins. "Now, you listen to me. You're in our world now. You play by our rules, or else..."
The pressure on Lian's throat intensified as Zirkyu tightened his grip.
Lian felt her world contract as her airways began to close, panic gripping her like a vise.
"Please...please," she managed to choke out, her hands clawing at Zirkyu's arm. "Please...I...I don't understand."
Zirkyu's grip loosened, a mirthless laugh spilling from his lips. "Of course, you don't. You think we'd go through all this trouble if you actually knew what was going on?" He leaned in close, his breath rank and hot against her face. "You're gonna find out soon enough.
With a sickening chuckle, Zirkyu released his grip on Lian's neck and turned to leave. "Enjoy your new life, princess. Do well not to disappoint Lord Xaphan."
He stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The iron bolt slid into place with a deafening clang, sealing Lian inside the dark, dank chamber.
The silence that followed was suffocating, almost physical, weighing down on Lian like a heavy cloak.
Lian's eyes burned as the tears streamed down her cheeks, her body trembling uncontrollably as the reality of her situation crashed over her like a wave. The fear, the panic, the uncertainty—they all converged into a deafening cacophony that threatened to drown out all rational thought.
She whispered the names of her friends, her only solace in the cold, dark abyss.
"Sifu...Lei...even Ryou," she rasped, her voice barely above a whisper. "Where are you guys? Are you okay? Please..." Her voice trailed off into a sob, the crushing weight of her loneliness and despair overwhelming her.
Her heart hammered in her chest as she huddled against the cold, damp wall, her legs unable to support her weight any longer. In that moment, she felt utterly alone, lost in a sea of despair.