In Life And Death

I

"It hurts" the only thought running through his mind as cold fingers encircled his neck, slowly but painfully strangling him to death. His throat began to cave in on itself, with no air entering his lungs he had no chance of breathing but he was sure this wouldn't be enough to kill him. Even if he had been banished twice, he was still a celestial being. Even as the silent tears began to fall out of his watery eyes, he still remained conscious, not yet entering that beautiful state of serenity. Even though his limbs were all bound, he struggled, trying to kick out against the bindings and break free. This seemed to anger the person even more and their grip grew even tighter. "It hurts."

It hurt a lot.

Even as black spots began to overtake his vision and his mind clouded he still continued to try and break free. Surely there was something he could do. The situation was hopeless. He had no spiritual energy so he couldn't even call for help from the heavens. Even if he could, he doubted he would want to.

Eyes closing as his throat cried out for more air, he felt peace for the first time in hundreds of years.

At the same time, his body became limp and cold, his life completely drained from it until all that was left was a empty shell. Eyes that had once been so full of life were now glazed over, hair that had once been so long and silky was now matted and dirt ridden and his pearly skin had now become cold.

It had worked. Years of pain had come to an end.

Xie Lian had died.