Zhōng was sitting on a bench watching the people passing by. It was now the last day of the festival but something didn't seem right to him. "Are you alright, your majesty?" asked Princess Zhen, she joined him and noticed his expression.
"Is it just me or do the look on peoples' faces look different to you?" asked Zhōng.
Princess Zhen looked at a few people, they seemed joyful as they laughed and talked about something. "They seem like they're having a good time." she answered.
Zhōng shook his head and said, "The empire has been at war for almost two years, surely we would have heard the talks of the battles and the people wouldn't look this joyful if there was a war."
"Maybe my mother and your father compromised," suggested Princess Zhen.
"I don't think that's likely, especially since he put so much effort into keeping the truth of where you stand in this war." said Zhōng.
Princess Zhen nodded, she pondered on Zhōng's statement as they sat in silence. She then remembered her ghost that kept appearing to her awake and in her sleep. The ghost told her a lot of things she thought were lies but all she saw was true. Little did she know, Zhōng was thinking the same thing of what his ghost said to him.
"Your majesty, my lady, do you want to see a puppet show?" asked Xing, she noticed something was troubling them and was trying to take them off of it.
"Sure Ms. Ning, let's go, your majesty." agreed Princess Zhen, she got up but Zhōng grabbed her arm. When she turned around, she saw his blue eyes look stern and strict.
"She may be nice and my uncle may trust her, but something tells me she's not telling us the whole truth." warned Zhōng. Princess Zhen nodded in reply and they followed Xing to the puppet show.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, allow me to tell you a tale of the legend of the Dual Bladed Ninja." began the narrator. The crowd cheered and clapped for approval as Zhōng and Princess Zhen looked puzzled but interested. The puppets appeared on the stage and the narrator continued to speak. "There once was a boy, a mysterious and violent boy, he was a ghost to all as he comes and goes as please. No one could catch him, not even a guard or bounty hunter could beat him for he was quick and elusive as a fox. But his presence was what made him a mystery, and his combat skills made him terrifying." he said. As he spoke the puppets danced on the stage, one of the puppets was being chased till it stopped and draw sticks painted to be like swords. "No one could defeat him, even the captain of the guards lost to him. He had many battles and faced many foes, from the Black Assassins of the Assassin Empire, to rock monsters from below. Everywhere he stepped, he left an impression that no one could forget. He was invincible till one fatal mistake exposed his one fatal weakness."
"The princess is coming!" cried someone from behind the stage and a puppet that looked like Princess Zhen appeared on stage. The crowd cheered for her appearance but Princess Zhen looked at Zhōng who was confused just as much.
"The princess had heard from the guards about this criminal that had evaded their grasp. She hired him to be her bodyguard which he accepted, they grew closer during the contract and she dug closer into this mysterious personia. For five years she tried to learn more from him, five years he gave her clues, but no one answered the question of who. He held his identity to all who knew him but when his hood was pulled, the truth spread as he flew." the narrator continued. The puppet with the two sword sticks pulled his cover down and revealed a face with blonde hair and blue eyes.
The crowd booed at the exposal and Zhōng's face went pale. He recognized that face was his and the people he loved were now cursing his name. He looked at Princess Zhen who was shocked, he then looked up at Xing who realized this was a mistake.
"Now the Dual Bladed Ninja goes by a new name, a criminal that used his connections to bring forth a war. If anyone sees the eighteen-year-old man with a tattoo on his right forehead, run fast and away for the Fallen Prince has labeled you his target." warned the narrator as the puppet that looked like Zhōng pulled up his hair to reveal the tattoo. Zhōng touched his right forehead again, he rubbed it before looking at his hand until it was blue, the same color as the puppet's.
"Here's what I think we should do if we see him." stated someone, he suddenly threw an orange at the puppet that looked like Zhōng. The crowd cheered as the puppet swayed with orange parts sticking to him.
"Death to the Fallen Prince!" cried another as he threw one as well.
"He's no different from his father, using fear to control others." said a third. The crowd cheered as they assaulted the Zhōng puppet.
Princess Zhen turned to look at Zhōng who was no longer there. She looked around to see him running away. "Your majesty, wait!" she cried as she struggled after him.
"Wait! You two!" said Xing as she was trapped within the mob.
Zhōng was in an alley staring hard into the reflection of himself, he could see the tattoo was like the one on the puppet. He breathed hard as he remembered everything the ghost had said to him. "It won't happen, it could never happen if I'm not alive." he said to himself as he pointed his Longus sword at his chest. He breathed harder and he could hear his heart pounding as his arms shook. "Just a thrust and this would all be a dream, it's just a dream." he stated, he was scared but he knew he had to do it.
"Wait!" cried Princess Zhen, pulling him away from the blade.
"Let me go!" cried Zhōng as he squirmed.
"Don't leave me by myself." stated Princess Zhen as she struggled to hold him.
Zhōng broke free and backed away to the wall of an alley. His eyes were teary and his arms were still shaking. "I don't want to hurt you, I don't want to hurt people like that monster portrayed by that puppet." he said.
"That doesn't change what I think of you." said Princess Zhen.
"Does it? We're seven years old, that's supposed to happen in eleven to twelve years. How do we know I won't turn into a monster that hunts and kills anyone I see?" asked Zhōng.
"Because that doesn't sound like you." replied Princess Zhen.
"It may not sound like me now, but later it might. The only way to ensure that the monster won't ever come is to kill me." stated Zhōng. He looked back down to his sword, his arm was still shaking in fear. He couldn't move it to try again as illusions of blood appeared on his hands and he thought he saw bodies around him. He soon collapsed to his knees and cried hard into his hands.
"He's right," began the ghost as Princess Zhen turned around to see her older self. "I found it hard to believe that the boy I thought was my friend was a monster that ignored me. He soon wanted to make it up by pretending to be someone else and tried to get back to me. I should have never let him get close or be curious about him."
"Surely, there has to be a reason," said Princess Zhen. She turned back around to see Zhōng was still crying hard and walked towards him. She then knelt down and hugged him before saying, "Even if you're now a monster, I would still protect you. I'm sure there's a reason why you turned into it and I'm sure you'll still protect me if I call."
"You have my word, your majesty." sniffed Zhōng, as he calmed down and looked at her. Though he was surprised by her actions, he could tell the news didn't bother her as she smiled at him.
"Well isn't this beautiful," said someone. The two children turned to where the voice came from to see someone with a scythe. "You're as elusive as that puppet show shows, making me search for you to the last day. It's a good thing I found you, now my ancestor can rise back from the dead and wield a weapon that's unrivaled."
"Princess, go," ordered Zhōng, he stood up and between the Reaper and Princess Zhen. His arms were still as he held his Longus in his right and the Ninja Sword he pulled out with his left.
"That's fine I don't need her anyway." said the Reaper, a grin forming across his face as he looked at the princess.
Princess Zhen was horrified at the person looking at her, she looked up at Zhōng who looked older as his face was crossed. "Then let her leave," growled Zhōng.
"No, I need her as a witness. She will see the rise of the departed." said the Reaper, he suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of Zhōng before knocking him out. Princess Zhen sprinted quickly, she was almost out of the alley before being grabbed by the Reaper. "Not so fast," he whispered.
Princess Zhen struggled to break free, she had tears falling down her as she felt weak. "Let her go!" cried a boy jumping on the Reaper's back. Zhōng pounded his fist desperately into the Reaper's shoulders and head and tried to help Princess Zhen to be free.
"How about you stay down!" growled the Reaper as he grabbed Zhōng and threw him into a wall. It knocked Zhōng out for good and he returned his attention to Princess Zhen who almost broke free before he grabbed her hair. "You two are troublesome," he whispered.
"You won't get away with this." stated Princess Zhen as she tried to loosen the strain of her hair.
"I think I will," disagreed the Reaper.
"She's right, you won't." said someone from above. The Reaper looked up to see Xing falling down with a sword above her head. She swung downward, cutting the hair and freeing Princess Zhen. She moved Princess Zhen behind her as she pointed her blade at the Reaper. Though she wasn't as good as Zhōng, she knew how to wield and fight with a sword.
"Perhaps I got a little too greedy," stated the Reaper. He mutter a spell into the hair in his hands and threw it on the ground. A fog appeared and he disappeared into it before it without a trace.
"He's got him," panted Princess Zhen. Xing looked down and saw the terror on her face. Before she can ask who, she continues, "he's got Zhōng."