CHINESE ARYA STARK meets THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.
*A Wattpad Featured story*
When everyone wears a mask, who do you trust?
In the unforgiving empire of Erden where the Imperials reign supreme, Sarna is a slave. After escaping the brothel where a m...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Faith is like glass. Once broken, it's gone forever."
The Book of Controversies—Unknown Zmerkï Author
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
"Sarna."
I stirred.
"Sarna Jinyu." The voice became harsher, clearer. "Wake up."
I opened my eye and the blurry figure of a tall, pale, white-haired man came into view. High Immortal Donghwa was sitting on the wooden plank nailed to the wall, dressed in his usual lilac robes.
"May the Eighteen Hells damn you," I spat. "Everything is your fault."
"Is it now?" He had a small smile on his face.
I sat up. "You tutored Wulin. Then, you helped him create me."
Donghwa sighed. "I'm not here to hear you scream at me."
I grabbed a fistful of straw and hurled it at him. "You're a fraud! All the High Immortals are nothing but liars!"
Donghwa flicked off a stray piece of straw from his sleeve. "I'm here to remind you of our contract. You owe me one favor, remember?"
Oh, it was as if the entire world wanted me crushed and dead. I laughed. Surely, things couldn't get worse than this.
"I can't believe after everything I've been through, I'm still bound to a humorless High Immortal."
"You've broken many promises," Donghwa said. "Are you really going to break another one you've struck with a God?" He grabbed my wrist and hauled me toward him. The three red lines of the contract shimmered. Golden letters of our bound words shot into the air, glimmering like the stars. "You cannot break this contract. You are tied by your word and my power."
He released me and clicked his fingers. A face appeared in his palm, just like many of the identity-less faces hanging from the trees of the Forest of a Thousand Faces. The only thing that set the faces apart was a red cock-comb plume on its forehead.
"This is the face of Nüwa, the High Immortal of life and creation. I want you to wear it. With it, you will possess every power Creation ever had. In turn, I am in control of you. You will carry out my every wish, fulfill my every command, so her powers flow from you to me."
My mind felt like bursting from irony. Every person on this earth was the same. All of them had hidden agendas, selfish goals that only they knew, and would do anything to accomplish them. I was no different. After all, I tried to kill the crown prince to trade his life for my theater's.
High Immortals were not allowed to tamper with mortals unless approached directly by the latter. Wulin had framed my theater, forcing me to seek Donghwa's help. He needed a scapegoat and a Facechanger for Hundun, and Donghwa needed a willing vessel for Creation's power. Hand in hand, they lured me into their trap, made me dance to their songs, drink from their cups.
