"It's the broken heart that weilds the mightiest sword."
A kingdom torn to shreds; a royal court thrown into turmoil; a horrendous fate and a fallen queen. The guardian has been slained and the last warrior to weild the sword has gone missing. There...
Playing with fire had never been more exciting. Knowing well he had Zeila enamored into the tale of deception he crafted, adding a little more fuel to the fire he had set ablaze seemed to kindle his interest. After all, what is fire when there's nothing for it to burn?
Ji-wook picked his finest robes to wear that day. A black suit made with buttons carved from the bones of the people he had burned and a red cape that swept the ground, rippling as it showed the glamour of the crimson blood of the people who defied his order and lived not longer to defy him yet another time.
The familiar scent of ashes greeted him as he graced his throne, closing his eyes as he commanded the magic to play a dramatic orchestral music for him.
The doors creaked when the soldier entered, immediately kneeling to a bow before he grazed his eyes on his master. "She went there as planned, sir."
"And they do not know about it, right?" Ji-wook asked, wondering how the story he weaved would entangle Zeila deeper into the web of lies he created. When the soldier nodded with an affirmation that everything went right on path and his plan would be carried out with the trajectory he had in mind Ji-wook grimaced a malicious grin.
He felt her magic humming inside him, his connection to her faltering but slowly growing stronger. It was only a matter of days before she would be strong enough to open the portal to connect the world. She had already managed to, afterall, create one to save the people. "The firestorm did what it was meant to do."
Ji-wook laughed when he heard what the firestorm had done, content with the havoc it wrecked. The woman had given herself for a bigger cause and Ji-wook thanked her soul. He flicked his fingers and walked towards his reflection on the mirror he summoned with a message to himself, it seemed.
"One of them is betraying you, little one."
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The previous night passed by as a blur to Zeila.
She remembered one of the kids they rescued screaming for their mother pointing towards the building. She remembered Taehyung dragging her soon after away from the crowd that began gathering. She remembered Hyejin running towards them and engulfing her into a hug when she understood nothing.
Now, when she woke up, sitting with her sword in her hand, she tried remembering everything that had happened. But it flew by as a blur in her head, only the screaming voices ringing, the memory of the woman they could have saved lingering inside.
Zeila gripped her sword, her mind numb and devoid of thoughts. She stared at the blade for so long, replaying and reliving the entire incident.
The woman screamed. Zeila was unfazed. The children cried. She felt nothing. Like the incident was a horrible nightmare and nothing more.
She closed her eyes. Today was an important day for her. She half expected herself to go through a breakdown. But nothing had happened, even when she remembered today was the day she lost Taehyung.
