The Priestess

I

Everything was absorbed in total darkness, not even a glimmer of light was present. The stale air was heavy and smothering, the same air that lingered for a century. The pungent odor of the incense contributed to the suffocating atmosphere.

In the center of the desolated room lies the body of Nu Shen. Her shallow breath was deafening in the eerie silence, the only movement was the steady rise and fall of her chest.

A hundred years have passed and yet, the youthful appearance of the sleeping priestess was still the same, like a delicate lotus flower floating in the vastness of the Kuan river. Her white hair was gracefully sprawled around her divine face creating an illusion of a halo. Her long thick lashes fluttered resembling a butterfly wings as her eyes opened, revealing a pair of unstirred obsidian pools.

Nu Shen stared at the blackness that greeted her. Her senses were slowly awakening and adjusting to the surrounding. She blinked her eyes, her blurry vision becoming clearer. She let out a displeased groan feeling the numbness that spread over her body. She gently moved her fingers and wiggled her toes, stretching her sore limbs and flexing her cramped muscles.

Feeling better, she pulled herself up and down the bed. She reached out her hands in the empty space and blindly took tiny steps forward. Reaching the wall, she leaned over it as her hands searched for something. A smile formed on her lips when she touched the lever that would enable her to leave the room. She grabbed the lever with both her hands and pulled it downwards. The stone door opened with a loud thud, sending dust whirling into the open air.

As Nu Shen went out of the room, she was met with the glaring light. She reflexively took a step back and waited for her eyes to adapt to the sudden brightness.

"You're finally awake!"

A delighted voice exclaimed upon seeing the figure that came out from the secret chambers.

Nu Shen moved forward to get a good look at the ghastly creature in front of her. He was tall, at least three foot taller than her, and sickly thin with its limbs sticking out in peculiar angles.

"Demon." Nu Shen clicked her tongue in distaste.

She already sealed the demons back to the underworld. Why is a demon lurking inside the Tianshi Temple?

The demon laughed at Nu Shen's reaction, "My apologies, Priestess. I was not expecting for you to suddenly come out from your cavern. Let me change into my human form if that will make you less uncomfortable."

The demon shook his body, as if in a seizure. His face warped, sharpening his features. His bones cracked and realigned itself, its entire physique contorted into that of an attractive human male.

"Don't I look better now, Priestess?" The demon stroke a pose with a hand on his hips.

"What are you doing here?" Nu Shen asked, ignoring the demon's effort of making her laugh.

"Is it because you have fallen asleep for a hundred years that you've become grumpy?" The demon raised his brows.

A hundred years? No wonder I feel so feeble, Nu Shen thought.

"Are you going to tell me the reason why you're here or should I send you back to hell?"

"And how are you going to do that when you don't have your powers anymore?" The demon challenged Nu Shen with a sly smirk drawn on his lips.

The demon was right. Nu Shen did lose her powers. Right now, she's as fragile as a mortal being. But she wasn't as helpless as she looked. Nu Shen raised her finger towards her mouth and bit it without hesitation. She quickly drew a reversed pentagram on her palm with her blood and slammed it into the demon's chest. The demon panicked and pushed Nu Shen back. Nu Shen stumbled and fell on the ground.

Seeing that nothing was happening, the demon boomed in laughter, "Priestess, is that all you have?"

"Three..." Nu Shen started to count down.

"Two..."

"One..."

The demon screamed as fire started to crawl from the ground. The fire bursted in a thunderous flicker and caught the careless demon.

"This..." The demon stuttered as he tried to rid himself of the fire curse.

"Demonic arts." Nu Shen confirmed nonchalantly, as if its normal for her to know such arts.

"I will talk!" The demon surrendered.

"Good. Then talk."

"I can't talk with this fire trying to engulf me." The demon pleaded, jumping from one place to another.

"Not my problem."

"Priestess, I beg you. I was only joking."

Nu Shen raised her palm and with her other hand, erased the blood symbol drawn on it. The fire ceased and the demon sighed in relief.

The demon steadied himself, rubbing the scorched spots in his body. His once clean clothes were now tattered, his long hair singed to the crisp.

"Priestess, where did you learn demonic arts?" The demon asked in curiosity.

The fire curse was a higher level demonic arts that even the demon himself can not perform. How did a priestess, a practitioner of light arts, knew of such? Maybe his master taught the priestess of this? Knowing his master, then it must have been the case.

Master, you spoiled your mistress so much. The demon complained.

"Are you going to question me or are you going to answer my questions?" Nu Shen threatened the demon who was zoning out in front of her. She was tired and hungry, and this demon was fast diminishing her energy.

"Ah, yes, Priestess. Of course I will answer your question." The demon chuckled to himself. He didn't know why but this priestess was truly fascinating. No wonder his master was very interested in her.

"Speak. You're wasting my time." Nu Shen looked at the setting sun, blazing across the horizon. Darkness was nearing and she needs to find somewhere to rest.

"I came here to protect you." The demon stated.

"A demon? Protect me?" Nu Shen raised her palm and executed another fire curse. What a joke.

The fire appeared once again and chased the demon inside the Tianshi temple. Nu Shen took this time to leave. She raised her hood to cover her hair and walked inside the forest.