"My apologies, your highness," Lee Shaan said as he sent a shock of frigid tendrils along Qi's back.

He knew the curse well from his studies, and he was ready. Qi focused on his own spiritual energy, taking a tiny fraction from it to activate his own ability in response. His power waited just beneath the surface, tracing the man's own spell as it moved atop his skin. The moment his ability found his chakra points and began slipping into them, Qi unleashed his own energy, sending the man flying backwards several yards with a startled grunt.

Qi was also pushed backwards, but not nearly as much, allowing him to calmly land on his feet and look up at the man that was now halfway across the room from him. Lee Shaan's freezing technique was what Qi had anticipated he'd use. He rarely started off a fight aggressively, unless he knew that his opponent wouldn't hesitate to take his head. If he could freeze his opponents chakra points, the majority of the battle would already be over.

"You have definitely grown well," Lee Shaan said as he straightened, then adjusted one of his pelts that had been thrown askew from Qi's reflective barrier.

"I beg your pardon for that attack, but I cannot remain here," Qi said with a respectful nod, truly wishing to end the conflict peacefully.

His opponent chuckled and walked forward, making Qi hesitantly reach for the sword at his waist. He rarely ever drew the thing, as he had his own guard who was more than enough to deter most, but he wasn't removing the weapon to threaten Lee Shaan. In fact, it was to do the complete opposite. He drew it to its full length, then let his arm slowly settle down by his side. The tip of the blade was only a few inches from touching the floor as he met the eyes of the man approaching him.

The weapon had different words etched into it, each rune a truly powerful asset to its wielder if they understood how to use them correctly. He tilted it gently to catch a ray of light that was coming in from a high window, making the man hesitate in his steps, then stop completely as he let out a frustrated breath.

"Your highness..." Lee Shaan warned, but didn't draw his own large blade from its scabbard.

Qi kept his weapon pointed toward the floor as he replied calmly.

"I cannot return with you, lord Lee Shaan. I do hope that our former relationship can remain as it once was, and this situation can be forgotten with time," he said, knowing that his words were unlikely to change the man's mind, but unwilling to stop trying. He was not one who ever wished to draw blood.

The larger man withdrew a small dagger from a decorative leather sheath at his belt, still choosing to leave his larger weapon within its holder. He flipped it in his hand a few times, allowing it, too, to catch the light.

That is the blade I gifted him during our first meeting...

It was also carved with intricate rune marks, allowing the wielder to deal damage not to flesh, but to one's energy. The man intended to drain him so that he could not resist.

I will not allow it.

Qi assumed a fighting stance, finally lifting his weapon to settle at shoulder height, pointing it straight toward the other man as its flat side rested against his outstretched palm.

"For what I am about to do, I will spend my life apologizing to your highness," Lee Shaan said as he flipped the dagger in his hand one more time, then charged with a powerful yell.

Qi whispered a quick spell in response, preparing for their initial clash. The runes near the base of his blade glowed a faint pink as he lunged forward, meeting Lee Shaan's weapon with his own. The abrupt burst of wind that happened when both blades met took even Qi by surprise, sending him skidding backwards as he was turned sideways and forced to drop to one knee to try and mitigate some of the force.

It has been too long since I have adequately practiced with my skills.

Lee Shaan had also been blasted backwards by the ability, but he recovered far quicker, and was upon Qi before he even had time to shake off the reverberation from the backlash he'd taken. Instead of trying to meet the man head-on again, he quickly rolled to the side as Lee Shaan struck with his weapon, dodging the initial strike, but when he tried to stand again, the dagger was already swinging toward his face.

There was no time to dodge, making Qi's eyes widen from fear right before the blade passed right through his skin. It didn't cut a single cell of flesh, but he could feel his entire pool of energy being drawn toward the weapon moving through his face faster than lightning.

The second the blade exited his flesh Qi staggered backwards, then dropped to his knees with one hand holding his forehead while the other shakily managed to keep his body from collapsing the rest of the way to the floor.

His energy was darting about inside his body, confused and erratic from the abrupt attack, making him unsteady and dizzy. He panted harshly as he quickly settled into a seated position and pressed several different symbols to his chest.

Thankfully, his energy was easy enough to return to their rightful places, but the time it took to do so allowed Lee Shaan to retrieve Qi's dropped blade. To his credit, the man didn't take advantage of the damage he had done, and allowed Qi to restore his chakra points without interruption, but when Qi finally returned to his feet, he knew that he was at much more of a disadvantage now without his weapon.

Lee Shaan seemed like he wanted to say something, but they both knew that he was not willing to surrender yet. Thus, he simply tossed Qi's sacred blade far off behind himself, then gave a slight nod of his head before charging again.

Qi switched his focus from possible attacks to complete defense as he made sure to stay far away from the man's swinging dagger. He managed his spells nearly perfectly as he focused on keeping himself a step ahead of Lee Shaan. It wasn't a sustainable course of action, but he was limited on his offensive capabilities without his sword, and every time he tried to skirt toward it, the other man easily headed him off without effort.

Sliding to a stop after a slightly miscalculated speed-increase spell, Qi took stock of his situation as he panted quietly. Lee Shaan was calmly walking toward him, just like he had done many other times during their little game of cat and mouse. The man flipped the dagger in his hand so easily it almost seemed as if it was simply an extension of himself.

He must have practiced with that day and night to be able to use it so seamlessly.

The weapon was a far cry from the tribe's normally-large swords and swing chains, but it was clear that the man had spent more than enough time learning how to wield it to make it worthy to draw for important situations.

He practiced with it for this moment.

He practiced with it so much so that when the day came, he could use it against its gifter.

"Your highness," Lee Shaan said, drawing him out of his thoughts as he settled the blade beneath his chin. Any movement at all would cause another abrupt pull of energy loss.

I am ashamed. I allowed myself to get distracted during a fight.

"I am very impressed with your ability to evade me for so long, but perhaps it is time to end this little dance?" Lee Shaan said as he nudged the weapon closer, forcing Qi to step back several times as he felt the weapon's hunger for energy warm his skin.

Qi chanced one more step backward, but as he completed the action his heel bumped against something, making him fumble downward onto a small, empty serving table. He tried to get up, but his hands were abruptly pinned over his head as Lee Shaan hurried to move over him on his hands and knees.

The table creaked with their combined weight, but refused to collapse. Qi's attention wasn't on the table, though. No, his eyes had caught a much more important detail as he was crowded by the much larger man.

He'd sheathed the blade.

His attention was drawn away from that fact when he felt a rough, gloved hand brush away several lengths of his hair that had drifted before his left eye.

"The gods have truly blessed you with unparalleled beauty and skill," Lee Shaan said quietly as he continued to gently tend to Qi's unruly hair as if he were a nervous palace maid wishing to make their master happy.

Qi turned his head when the man began to run one of his fingers from his brow, down to the tip of his nose. Lee Shaan replied with a simple chuckle, but didn't reprimand him for turning away from his affection.

"I understand that this is not how you wished for things to be, but I will always have only your best interest at heart," he said, drawing a scowl from Qi before he could mask it.

The look made Lee Shaan laugh outright as he sat back on his heels, releasing him without worry.

"Am I so b—" his words were interrupted as Qi pushed himself up and forward. He shoved the man, hard, forcing him backwards and off the table into a small chair that easily snapped under his weight.

Unfortunately, Qi hadn't planned his assault very well, because when the other man's weight was forced backwards, it remained on the edge of the table for just long enough a time to combine with Qi's forward momentum, making the other end of the table abruptly flip upward, sending Qi fumbling down into Lee Shaan.

What happened next wasn't planned, nor was it thoroughly thought out, but he was at a loss as far as how to come out victorious in his current situation, so, Qi decided to do whatever he could think of in that moment. Thus, he reached forward as he fell, managing to snatch the spirit-draining dagger from the man's waist before he could block him.

He quickly tucked the weapon against his palm in the next second, then swing it downward across Lee Shaan's lower torso. The affect was immediate as the man winced and gasped. Qi hesitantly retracted the item after only a moment, knowing that it was definitely not something easily recovered from, even after such a simple strike.

That had been his mistake.

Lee Shaan easily grabbed his right arm and switched their positions with a simple jerk of his wrist. Qi lost his hold on the dagger for only the briefest of moments, but it was enough for it to change hands, then settle beneath his throat as he lay staring up at his captor with wide, confused eyes.

How had he recovered so quickly?

"You are quite resourceful and cunning, but one should never use spiritual weapons that can be wielded by others without building a resistance to them first," he said, making Qi's heart sink in his chest.

He had cut himself enough times to lesson the draining affect in case the weapon were to ever be used against him by another...

He had nothing left to say. He had enough energy to try a few more skills on the man, but Lee Shaan was correct. He was not a fighter. He would simply run himself ragged, then be hauled away to the man's tribe.

Turning his head, he felt the tip of the blade slip into his skin for the briefest moment but ignored the harsh pull it triggered as he tried to blink away tears. He did not wish to leave with Lee Shaan, but he also could not let himself die by the many hands he knew were waiting just beyond the door with their blades drawn if, in some impossible alternate timeline, their master was unable to subdue him.

"Things will not be so bad," Lee Shaan said as he gently wiped away the stray tear that had fallen from Qi's left eye.

Steeling himself, Qi narrowed his eyes on the tiny droplet of water the man had wiped from his face as it began to absorb into his glove. His focus drew Lee Shan's attention down to his hand, and at that precise moment, Qi released all of the energy he had hurriedly forced into the tiny teardrop.

A harsh, blinding light erupted from that very spot, stealing the site of any person within the massive hall. Qi, unfortunately, was not exempt from his ability's blinding power, but he had planned ahead as he reached toward his right and summoned his discarded weapon with as much willpower as he could muster, which was much closer than it had been during their sparring.

The second he felt it painfully slam into his right palm, he swung it upward. He felt it cut, but he could tell that the man had dodged any true damage, and as the blinding light began to fade, Qi got back to his feet and braced himself with his blade pointed in the direction he sensed Lee Shaan, resting it against his palm.

He was not surprised to see that the man was not bleeding, and a large, entertained grin was now spread smugly across his face.

I had only cut his hair...

It almost looked as it were intentionally done, too, with the left side of his head cut nearly down to his skin. Lee Shaan gave out a slight, deep chuckle as he straightened to his full height, then lifted one hand to grasp the intricately-designed hilt of his own sword. The ferocious lion carved upon it made Qi take a hesitant step backward, knowing that he had finally pushed his luck with the man too far.

"I beg your forgiveness, but time is no longer on either of our sides, your highness," Lee Shaan said as he calmly began to withdraw his blade in one slow, smooth action.

The moment its tip left its sheath, a faint ringing sound caught both their attention. Qi thought that it was something Lee Shaan was doing, but when the man looked just as confused as him, he chanced a quick glance around the area. He almost didn't notice anything amiss, but then he saw it.

Tiny little purple veins inched their way out from within a crack in the far wall. As they moved, the faint ringing sound began to amplify into a shrill sort of screech.

"What on earth?" Lee Shaan mumbled as Qi hesitantly turned to split his attention between the two dangers.

Lee Shaan turned as well, giving his full attention to the veins growing along the wall as they began to pulse.

"A demon...?" he questioned, earning a slow shake of Qi's head in response.

It didn't act like a demon, but then that only left a few other options. He didn't need to guess for long, however, because soon the screech turned into something that made it very clear what was trying to break through the thick stone walls.

Screams began to echo around their large hall as Qi swallowed his growing nervousness and lifted his blade in the direction of the encroaching dark energy.

"A vengeful, dark soul."