美雪 × Beautiful Snow

[二]

×Zeng's p.o.v×

I awoke to a cloudy day, the thick white clouds and icy temperature predicted just one thing, snowfall.

I quickly exited our house and stared at the people. All of them were rushing to get their bussiness finished before snow could land on the ground, people from the farm hurried to pick the last ripe crops they could find, winter was going to be tough if snow was going to fall this early in the season.

I rushed to the back of our house, a small fenced-off farm had placed their roots here, these vegetables were for personal use of our family. I checked for remaining ripe veggies and picked what I could find.

I went inside, placing the vegetables in the food-storage chest.
Yun seemed to be out in town, Mother and father were taking their well-deserved day off and enjoying a game of Yatzuken, a traditional game for farmers and other poor people in the Ying empire.

Xi seemed to be sewing something, with Len staring at her creation, so I walked over and joined them.
"What are you up to, Xi?"

Xi grinned widely, and Len hushed me by placing a finger against his lips. Xi whispered so that mom and dad couldn't hear.
"I bought two gorgeous Hanfu's! But they have yet to be sewn, which is why they were affordable with 5 gold pieces. It's going to be a gift for mom."
Xi spoke with glinstering eyes, and Len proudly stared at his older sister.

I smiled, she was a wonderful girl and I was going to make sure her husband is going to be wonderful too, she deserves the best after all.

After staring at Xi for a while Len called me out of my thoughts.
"So where's Yun? He should've been here a long time ago.."

"What?" I replied, jerking up my eyebrow in confusion.

"Yeah, he was going to get some more mochi flour, he loved yesterdays mochi and asked mom to make more today to celebrate the witch's snow. He's been gone for 2 hours now though, I would say it'd take an hour at most.."

I immediatly jumped to my feet. "I'm going to search for him, excuse me." I apologised as I quickly rushed out of the house, I had a nasty feeling and for some reason the image of that constellation was constantly bugging me.

I rushed through the inner plaza, shops were closed and houses had shut their windows, it was frigid cold and icy gusts sweeped through the city.
It didn't take long before soft, white snowflakes swirled down to earth, and started covering the paths and roofs.

I hurried my pace, but to my dread I had already arrived at the border of the city, surely he wouldn't have gone off the stray path to the forest.
It was when I saw a bag of flour on the ground that my panic increased.

Someone had taken Yun.

I immediatly grabbed my trusted sword and swiftly entered the forest. Muffled screams and angry male voices guided my way to the cruel scene.
Yun was tied up to a tree, his mouth covered by a cloth. Scarface and scumbag group of thugs stood around Yun, beating him now and then.

"LET HIM GO!" I snapped, running forward to my brother, and slashing out to scarface, who dodged just in time.

A man behind me quickly recovered from my suprise and kicked my back. I stumbled onto the ground, I wanted to lash out with my sword to scare them on a distance, but a foot stomped hard and painfully on my wrist, I could hear the sound of a crack and an intense pain released from my wrist.

Scarface seemed to thoroughly enjoy my screams. "Told ya we were gonna get back at ya. Your little brother was the perfect lure, small.. weak... and especially stupid." Scarface laughed as he roughly grabbed Yun's face in his dirty fat hand.

I wanted to get up, but another foot stepped tightly on my back, keeping me down. Another foot kicked in my side, hard and right on my liver. I felt nausea take over my mind and things started spinning.. But I couldn't give up.

I tried to push myself up again, but another kick to my stumach was enough to make me rethink. I coughed, my face paler due to the cold and pain. I hopelessly stared at my frightened younger brother. This made me realise that I was weak, I was weak and foolish. I should be protecting my little brother, I shouldn't be lying here, getting kicked in the guts without resistance.

Scarface slammed his knee in the stumach of my little brother, who spit blood and coughed painfully, he gave another kick to his leg, multiple times.. And scarface grinned.

My anger and wrath grew, and with all my strenght and willpower I moved the muscles of my wrist. I grabbed the sword and slammed it back against the man who broke my wrist, suprising all my oponents.
Content with their reactions I quickly took my chance and backed off.

My limbs hurt but I didn't care.

I felt like my body had imploded but I didn't care.

I wanted revenge, revenge in the form of torture so painful on them that they would scream for death.

I was about to recklessly storm onto scarface, when suddenly the snowfall took a different turn.
It got heavier, it got colder, and a frigid air blasted through the forest.

I looked over to the right, and was shocked at the sight.
A girl with gorgeous white skin, hair darker than obsidian and eyes flashing in the brightest blue color stood looking at us.
Her graciously formed bloodred lips curled up into a smile.

She opened her mouth, and spoke, her words melodious and enchanting.
"I felt a strong sense of revenge, I can't certainly ignore such emotions now.. Can I?" Her smile grew wider, to a sinister stare.

She spread her arms, her simple yet detailed white, blue and gray hanfu swirling around her and in the wind.

"Come to me, vengeful child, tell me your pleads, make a deal..."
Scarface and his men were enchanted by her beauty, and didn't move an inch.
But I did, the words were as if meant for me, they called me. I couldn't resist stepping towards her.

She placed a hand on my head, tilted her head slightly and smiled sweetly.
"What do you wish child?"

And it was when I heard the cries and whimpers of Yun that I got snapped out of my thoughts, the searing pain in my body returned and the hissing hatred too.
"I wish the most cruelest of death upon them, and for my little brother to be safe.." I hissed at scarface and his fellow scumbags.

She grinned evily, the snowfall turning into a blizard as icy magic surrounded the hands of the lady.

"By your command."