I laid on my back, staring up at the canopy of trees above me. Soft breathing and a few snores filled the air, but that wasn’t the reason for my unrest. Monstrous sounds echoed in the distance, hinting at a battle between Blighted and divine. To add to the strange feeling of the night, there was static in the air and the light filtering through the trees was scarlet.

Yet, the patrols hadn’t come to fetch us.

Quietly, I pulled myself out of my bed roll so I wouldn’t wake anyone. I glanced down at Yahui while pinning my hair up, and considered waking him, but he looked to be at peace in his sleep. His expression was far softer than any face he made while awake—especially if compared to his cold, guarded demeanor with me. I let out a small sigh before slipping out of camp and heading in the direction that pulled me. To be safe, I left small orbs of light in my way so that I’d be able to find my way back. At first glance, they would look like dew on leaves to anyone else.

A while later, I left the trees behind and found myself on a cliff overlooking an expansive, lush valley. Much of it was forested, but in the open fields were hundreds of Blighted facing off against perhaps a dozen divine beasts. The large, golden creatures crushed dozens of their enemies in a single step, their footfalls causing the very air to vibrate.

Above, a full moon shone bright in a dark red sky. At first I thought it to be the product of dark arts, yet I sensed no such thing. When I managed to tear my gaze away from the moon, I scanned my surroundings for anyone—or anything—that could have been involved in the battle below. Alas, mine was the worst of the available vantage points. If there was anyone else observing the battle below, they were likely on the far side if the valley.

I breathed a small sigh and sat cross-legged on the cliff, resting my wrists on my knees. A myriad of powerful energies filled the air, compelling me to meditate upon the battle being waged below. Perhaps those energies could be harnessed to break my lock—or at least to grow.

An immeasurable amount of time later, I sensed pure rage speeding toward me. Before I could open my eyes, darkness pierced through my back and chest, knocking the wind from my lungs. The force of the attack lifted me off the ground and sent me tumbling. I managed to stop my fall, landing on my hands and knees, coughing, as I attempted to regain my breath. At the same time, the darkness permeated my mind and rushed through every open pathway. When it slammed full-force into the lock, an earsplitting gong rang through my head and the darkness retreated.

“Did you...have to...” I began coughing again, glaring at Yahui’s feet as he stalked toward me. His tail snapped violently behind him, and an unsheathed longsword rested in his hand.

“Were you not attempting to flee?” Yahui brought the blade to the side of my neck.

“I was meditating,” I snapped, clutching one hand over the left side of my chest. With my breath returned, I now felt the aching pain in my chest and the tendrils of darkness the dragon had woven around my heart. “And admiring the sky, admittedly. I couldn’t sleep with that battle raging on—”

Yahui’s darkness lifted me off the ground by my throat, cutting off my words. His power swirled lazily around him, his expression a cold mask. I got the distinct impression he was considering killing me—at least, until his gaze fell upon the ornament in my hair. “You should have woken someone to escort you. My order for no one to leave camp on their own was not merely for my disciples.”

Yahui hesitated before gently setting me on my feet.

“Says the other person who wandered away on their own,” I scoffed, turning away from him. After sitting once more, I took a deep breath and prepared to return to my meditation, but darkness pierced my torso again as Yahui’s hand wrapped around my throat. My vision went blank as I felt the murderous man’s breath by my ear.

“My disciples would never permit me to kill you, even if you were running away,” Yahui spoke calmly, his claws tracing down my throat. Darkness coiled around us in an alluring dance, as if trying to tempt me. “If you held ill will, I don’t believe you would be foolish enough to turn your back to me. However...” he paused to shove his darkness further through my chest, “...you need to understand that wandering off on your own puts more than yourself at risk.”

“But I really couldn’t slee—” I winced as his claws bit into my skin.

“If you put my disciples at risk, you will no longer have to worry, as you will never wake up again,” Yahui informed me, his completely calm tone causing my skin to prickle into goosebumps.

“Can...can you stop that?” I managed to growl at him.

“Then stop giving me reasons to threaten you.”

“That isn’t what I’m talking about. Your darkness...” I stopped to take a deep breath and forced my eyes to close. His power seemed to be snaking into every available crevice of my mind, and my light was beginning to feel threatened.

“Then what?” Yahui’s tone indicated he had the wrong impression, which was made clear when he slid his fingers down my throat.

“I’m losing my grasp on my light,” I informed him bluntly. “It wants to lash out and does not appreciate the intrus—”

Yahui abruptly released me, dumping me unceremoniously on the ground. As my vision and senses returned to how they should be, I shook my head and then glanced up at the emperor. He stared at his hands as if they were foreign objects.

“I did not instruct my darkness to go searching,” Yahui answered my unspoken question. He finally looked down at me, frowning, “What did it try to do?”

“It tried to pierce the lock. When that failed, it spread everywhere.” I returned to a sitting a position and shot him a wary look.

“I...gained no knowledge from its attempt.” Yahui’s frown deepened as he summoned a large sphere of darkness in one hand. I shut my eyes briefly and turned away from him.

Why did I want to be enveloped in darkness again? Clearly my light disapproved.

“You aren’t going to return to camp?” Yahui questioned.

“You aren’t going to apologize for leaping to conclusions?” I retorted.

“No. I have little reason to believe you wouldn’t attempt to flee.” Yahui gracefully perched nearby and summoned his guqin.

“Perhaps I should have made my light trail larger.” I sighed heavily, earning a frown. “You said your disciples might be scared of my arts, but I also needed a way to find my way back to our camp. Look.”

When he turned his head to look back the way he had come, I made my orbs flare brightly.

“You truly intended to return...” Yahui murmured thoughtfully, running his fingers along the length of his guqin.

“That becomes less and less likely the more you attack or threaten me.” I closed my eyes, wishing for the conversation to end so that I could return to my meditation.

“I am sorry…” The whisper was so faint that I wasn’t certain I’d heard it. I cracked an eye open, but Yahui was facing away from me, his attention on the valley below.

I am probably imagining it. I took a deep breath and relaxed into the pattern for my meditation. His darkness doesn’t seem threatening...yet it is clearly threatening to me in some manner. I will have to be more cautious going forward.

Yahui began to play his guqin, causing darkness to lazily fill the area we sat in. My light shivered in response, before joining the lyrical sway of power unbidden. I thought to stop it for a moment, before fatigue struck me full force. Before I could open my eyes or mouth and tell Yahui off, I felt myself collapse backward in place.

However, I wasn’t finished fighting.

“Put me down!” I grumbled halfheartedly, glaring at the dragon. A pool of darkness beneath me had caught my fall, and was now drifting in the direction of camp. Yahui floated alongside, his fingers continuing to expertly coax notes from the guqin in his lap.

“Rest. Tomorrow, we hunt, and I will not have you become a liability due to exhaustion.” Yahui made a dismissive motion.

“I...” Before I could fully formulate a refusal, it was as if hands reached out and dragged my consciousness into the depths of darkness.

* * *

When I awoke, it was to the feeling of dizzying displacement and the sound of birds chirping. The night’s events came rushing back to me, causing me to abruptly sit upright. All around me, everyone else was still asleep. It took me a moment to realize someone was gripping my left hand.

What in the hells? I stared down at the sleeping Yahui in disbelief. When I attempted to reclaim my hand, his grip tightened and his peaceful expression twisted. It wasn’t until I nudged him awake that he finally let go.

“Let me sleep...” He murmured, rolling onto his back. Judging by the way he froze, his tail didn’t appreciate the motion.

“What happened to rising with the birds?” I shoved my blankets off and attempted to rise to my feet, but instead dropped down in place. “Nggghhh... Never use that art on me again.”

“There should be no ill effects.” Yahui’s tone held a hint of concern. He was soon beside me, a hand on my shoulder. “Are you well enough to join us for morning training?”

“You and I are going to have a discussion first,” I stated. When my sideways glance settled on him, he released my shoulder abruptly and stepped back, reaching for his non-existent sword. I managed to pull myself to my feet, then crossed my arms. “Where can we converse privately?”

“This way.” Yahui slipped his feet into a pair of shoes and began to walk away from camp.

I silently followed, soon discovering that he was leading me to the same cliff we had left the prior night. How fitting. In the valley below, the war between divine and Blighted raged onward despite the creeping dawn. It would be a while yet before the sun shone on the battlefield below.

“Well?” Yahui asked when I came to a stop beside him.

“We need to discuss this habit you have of threatening me,” I informed him calmly, my gaze still on the battle. “You speak of treating me gently, yet channel murderous intent at me instead. Harbor me and buy me gifts, whilst also reacting violently to the simplest of things. It isn’t behavior I’m inclined to tolerate.”

Yahui released a soft sigh. “Were I to follow my late master’s teachings, you would have died the moment I met you. My instincts, and my desire to diverge from his path, are why you did not.”

“‘Late’ master?” I murmured. “I wondered why you founded your own sect...”

“He would have had me become the blade to wipe out all light,” Yahui stated, darkness drawing tighter around his body. “When he discovered I had no intention of mindlessly killing users of light arts, we fought. You could say that the student surpassed the master in both skill and conviction.”

“And this relates to your behavior how?” I studied Yahui, though he kept his gaze lowered.

Yahui crossed his arms, his tone slightly defensive. “Much of my training was to protect myself and others from the dangers and trickery of light arts. Lashing out at light comes as easily to me as sensing and blocking a punch or a kick.

“I am also protective over my subjects, and even moreso my disciples. Any manner of threat is something I would send away—or end.”

By his standards, then, I should be dead several times over. I tilted my head slightly, tapping my fingers against my hip. “Your instincts are what keeps you from killing me?”

“Yours is a different manner of light, as I’ve mentioned.” Yahui slowly shook his head before turning to look at me. “I also believe that harming you in any way could be the end of my sect, clan, and empire. It...is difficult to put my training aside, but I truly believe intent matters more than what manner of arts a cultivator uses. You have yet to try ‘cleansing’ me as well.”

“There’s no need to cleanse you when you work so well with darkness and it isn’t causing you harm.” I shook my head, earning an odd look from him. “Attempting to cleanse you would be as foolish as trying to drain a lake to save a fish from drowning.”

“Are you comparing me to a fish?” Yahui raised an eyebrow.

“I’m saying darkness is to you as water is to a fish.” I shot him a bemused look. “But we have wandered from the matter at hand. I want a solution that will keep your threats and violence to a minimum, because if this behavior continues it won’t be long before our disputes are no longer minor.”

“I need to grow more accustomed to the feel of your arts, and to your personality. That is part of why I brought you on this trip, yet...” He trailed off into a frustrated sigh, his expression pensive. “We fought well together and our arts don’t repel each other. I am...trying to surpass that bastard’s teachings and treat you in a manner befitting a lady of your status.”

“I suppose that is all I can ask for.” I glanced toward him, but he averted his gaze. Well, that explains the whispered apologies and sudden shifts in demeanor, perhaps. But it leaves me wondering who he truly is.

“You are not going to demand an apology or gifts?” Yahui frowned at me, genuine confusion on his face.

“Gifts aren’t an apology. If I didn’t know better, I would think gifts were a bribe so that you could continue with your behavior.” I shifted to face him fully as he stared at me, visibly taken aback. “And a verbal apology is no longer sufficient. I will not forgive you until you’ve truly surpassed your late master’s teachings.”

“Mingzhu...” Yahui growled, but then his shoulders slumped. “You will only consider actions to be a true apology? But...”

The emperor appeared to be at a loss, and mildly distraught. I felt bad for him, truly, but my pity wasn’t going to help him grow past his hurdles. Pivoting, I began walking back the way we had come.

“If I am going to remain in your care, I want to know who the real Yahui is, and why his subjects in the Terraces love him so dearly.”