Zen blinked open sleepy eyes as Xisheng snored quietly where he was tucked against his chest within his robe. It would be dawn in a few hours... but why had he awoken so early? Looking over the edge of where he was settled in a large tree, his movement brought his feline friend out of its slumber with a quiet squeaky grumble.

Sorry, little one. Something does not seem right...

His eyes scanned the area down below, but couldn't find anything amiss. Licking his lips nervously, Zen got onto his hands and knees and narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what was causing his skin to crawl.

He was just about to dismiss the uncomfortable feeling, since he could find absolutely nothing stirring within the area, but then he heard it. The sound of something crunching dead leaves far, far below.

"Ah, you're not exactly who I was looking for... but I cannot say that I'm disappointed."

No...

He knew that voice. The man had come to their kingdom from the Han capitol several times over the years out of good will. He often brought extravagant gifts and witty conversation, but his master had never quite taken a liking to him. In fact, Qi despised the man's fake smile and false bravado so much that he had eventually refused to see him when he came to town to speak with their emperor.

General Ashong calmly walked into view amongst a carpet of shifting shadows beneath his feet. Zen immediately stood, but had to shift his weight a little after losing his balance on the large branch. When he recovered, he noticed that the man had somehow moved much closer to the branch he stood upon, his eyes so dark beneath the shadows of the tree that they appeared to be endless pits of darkness.

"I am somewhat surprised that his highness would leave his beloved little guard to his own devices in such a dangerous place... One never knows what terrible, terrible creatures might appear."

Zen wanted to focus strictly on the man, since he knew that an attack was imminent, but he also knew that Ashong was a curse master and could play dirty with just a whisper of words. The man's spiritual abilities were second only to Yuen Huang's in the Han kingdom.

"My soldiers already have your master and the traitorous prince, so why don't we just skip this little scrap and save his highness the heartbreak of his love being returned to him in pieces?"

Zen didn't believe a world from him. His master might not have the best combat capabilities, but he was no push over. He also doubted that Lee Shaan would simply give up prince Yuen... if he were even still alive.

For some reason, Zen just knew that the man still lived, too. He couldn't tell what shape he was in, but he would bet his life on prince Yuen still being alive.

"You are not as weak-minded as I had previously thought," Ashong said as he unsheathed a dark purple blade. Wisps of black spiritual energy began swirling around it immediately, making Zen nervously unsheathe his own weapon.

It was no surprise that Ashong's sword was a spiritual device, but he'd honestly hoped that it wouldn't be.

Feeling Xisheng move about against his chest again, Zen glanced down at it.

Huh?

The little feline also had dark energy beginning to swirl around its tiny body.

Xisheng?

The kitten began to growl. It was quiet, at first, but as the seconds passed it grew in volume exponentially until it reverberated around the dark forest like a thunderstorm. Before Zen could try and figure out what was wrong, Xisheng leaped from his robe and with an abrupt burst of light, dissolved into a cloud of darkness that was immediately consumed by the sword in his hand.

Zen nearly dropped the blade as it began to pulse like a heartbeat, flickering little zips of purple electricity mixed within the dancing dark clouds. He was so taken-aback by the change in his weapon that he didn't notice general Ashong closing in until he saw the man's own blade swing towards him.

Thankfully, as Zen turned, a loud scream shrieked from his weapon and a large bolt of lightning shot out from it toward the man before him. Ashong skidded to a halt, somehow standing horizontally on the tree's massive trunk some thirty feet off the ground. He managed to deflect the attack at the last second using his weapon, but Zen took that opportunity to begin his own assault.

He did have to be more careful than the other man since he definitely couldn't simply run up trees, but there were plenty of other branches to work with. His first attack wasn't worth much as far as damage went, but that was perfectly fine. He swung his blade downward and to the side, judging the man's reaction time and choice of retaliation.

He was not surprised when Ashong chose to respond with spiritual power. Zen managed to grab a branch as he was falling and redirect himself. He then swung his legs up to wrap around the branch and press himself against it just in time for the blast to miss hitting his back. Once clear, Zen swung backwards, his legs the only thing keeping him from falling again. When momentum pushed him forward again, he noticed the general waiting for an opportunity on a slightly lower branch. The man easily leaped upward at that moment, his weapon swinging at the perfect angle.

What else can you do for us, little one? Zen asked Xisheng as he moved his sword to block the oncoming attack. He expected his blade to clash sharply with Ashong's and send himself swinging backwards, possibly making his legs lose their grip on the tree branch, but when his own blade began shrieking again and the hit never came, Zen blinked in surprise and watched in wonder as the man, who had suddenly become suspended in mid-air, fell.

Of course, there were more than enough branches for him to catch himself on long before he would hit the ground, but the odd assistance gave Zen plenty of time to right himself, then hurry towards the falling man.

Instead of aiming for Ashong right away, however, Zen slashed toward the branch the man had just managed to grab. He hadn't even cut through the whole thing before it snapped from the man's weight, sending him back into a free fall.

Can you freeze him for another moment? Zen asked Xisheng as he moved to take another swing at the general.

His weapon gave out a quiet hiss, but no action came afterward.

I understand, I will take care of the situation. You do as you wish and I will appreciate any assistance you offer.

Focusing inwardly, Zen pulled upon his own dark energy, then channeled it through his weapon as he struck. Ashong easily blocked it, but when their blades connected his stored energy exploded in a whirlwind of black fire.

Considering that he'd never actually used dark energy much besides what prince Yuen had given him via the seal that still hung at his waist, Zen was a bit surprised by the recoil the attack hit him with.

Both men went flying in opposite directions. Ashong managed to right himself enough to skid backwards along a branch until he came to a stop near the broken end of it, while Zen was sent completely out of the tree. He saw that he was heading toward another and quickly focused more of his energy down to his feet. He wasn't exactly sure what he was doing, but when he released the energy abruptly, his right foot and left leg suddenly became engulfed in black flames! The force from the release sent him spinning for a moment before he managed to balance himself right before slamming into a tall portion of the neighboring tree's trunk.

The hit jarred his body enough to extinguish the flames, leaving him to fall a few feet until he landed on a large branch with a silent gasp.

I truly should have practiced using dark energy more.

His sword abruptly began to shake in his hand, making him quickly jerk his head up in time to respond to Ashong's lunging attack. He managed to get up and block the hit, but another recoil shoved him backwards into the tree behind him while Ashong was only pushed a few yards away before he recovered, landing farther along the same thick branch Zen was standing on.

"I am surprised by your sudden change in skills. You were always quite good at basic offense, but now that you are wielding dark energy instead of light... You are quite a phenomenal creature."

Zen bristled at the jab, but didn't let it distract him.

"You do realize that your existence is completely obsolete to those currently around you, do you not? To think that Han Qi would actually leave his most loyal servant and guard in the middle of such a deadly place just to go find someone else."

He knew?

It would make sense, to a point. However, the man could also be trying to grasp for information through his facial expressions or reactions.

You will get nothing but death from me.

Squaring his shoulders and taking a fighting stance, Zen lifted his sword to the sound of Xisheng hissing. The man before him seemed the slightest bit disappointed that he was practically being ignored, but he shrugged it off with a crooked smirk and lifted his own weapon.

"I see that you have no interest in changing your mind on your allegiances. I can't say that I'm surprised, considering how much your master dotes on you," he said as he suddenly sheathed his sword, then began to walk forward.

Why is he...?

Zen didn't have time to think about what the man could be planning. He quickly lifted his blade a little higher and—got really confused as it was abruptly yanked to the right by what appeared to be a mangled mass of tree roots jutting out from the other branches around them.

"Goodbye, little silent guard," Ashong said as his right hand began to glow dark purple and shadowed claws grew from his fingertips.

Zen looked back at his weapon as it was slowly being pulled from his fingers. He desperately did not want to let go of it since it had been a personal gift from his master many, many years ago, but...

You are more important to him than a sword.

Swallowing down his worries, Zen narrowed his eyes back on the man now charging at him.

You cannot die. Your life is your master's. His heart beats in your chest.

Steeling himself, Zen clenched his teeth and forced his fingers to release his weapon at the same time he pushed his spiritual energy to his left foot and right fingers. He knew that he'd only get one chance for such an attack, and it would likely be sloppy again, but he had to take that risk.

So, he waited with his muscles tensed until Ashong's right foot was within inches of his left one.

Now!

Black flames surged from his left foot, burning away the remainder of his previously-charred shoe as the force pushed him forward and slightly to the right. he'd caught the man by just enough surprise to dodge the slash the general tried to land, his dark claws only managing to cut a few strands of Zen's long hair as he ducked right up against Ashong's left side. The man recovered immediately from the surprise, though, and swung his left arm backwards as Zen passed, landing a blow to his arm.

Zen managed to shake off the hit and remain focused as his entire body began to glow with a black and purple aura.

Before Ashong could turn around fully to defend himself, Zen focused all of his remaining energy into the palm of his right hand and struck! He wasn't really sure what would actually happen, but the explosion of flames far exceeded his expectations as the entire massive tree became alight in black fire!

Suddenly surrounded by billowing smoke with absolutely no visibility, Zen took a few hesitant steps backwards.

I won't be able to defend myself if he's still able to fight.

Deciding not to risk remaining where he was, Zen quickly hopped down from the tree branch. He landed awkwardly on a few below him, and broke a few more on his way down, but after one final leap the ground finally came into view far below. Relief welled up within his tired body as he got ready to land on the layers of detritus and drying leaves, but then he heard a loud, ear-piercing shrill from behind himself.

Momentarily forgetting the approaching ground, Zen forced his body to spin around just enough so that he could see the swirling javelin of dark energy shooting towards him!

I don't have enough energy to deflect that...

Wincing, he still tried to find enough energy to respond, but he was truly exhausted now. So, instead, he lifted his arms to cover his face, squinted his eyes closed, and braced himself for the hit. Except, when a loud explosion sounded a moment later and a sharp gust of wind rustled his hair, he blinked his eyes open to a too-bright flash of light before it seemed to completely swallow Ashong's attack, then immediately dissolve it into nothingness.

Wow... wait a minute.

Before his mind could put together what had just happened, Zen slammed into something firm, but it definitely wasn't the ground he'd expected to hit. He was just shaking off his landing and tilting his head back to look at who had caught him when he was suddenly shoved forward, making him stumble onto his feet until he was abruptly tackled onto his back by someone else.

His body tensed for an attack, but after half a second he realized that the danger had passed.

Master...

Qi didn't hesitate for a second as he grabbed either side of Zen's dirty face and leaned forward. Their mouths connected at the same time Zen felt tears begin to well up in his eyes and overflow down his cheeks, making lines in the dirt upon his skin with each new droplet.

Master is here... he's okay.

Unable to hold back his overwhelming relief, Zen wrapped his right arm around the man and kissed him back, returning every emotion he could feel Qi giving him.

"Kind of surprised that your little guard could take on general Ashong head to head," came a voice from a few feet away that made Zen's body immediately tense as his blood ran cold.

Regrettably, he broke the kiss in order to tilt his head back in the leaf litter and look toward the man who had spoken.

Lee Shaan...

"I would say not to worry about him, but things have changed. Though, we still have some differences we need to discuss," prince Yuen said, drawing Zen's attention toward the calmly-approaching man.

How can he be so relaxed around the man that had almost killed him?

"The situation has changed, little guard. For now, we have bigger problems to deal with. Ashong is, undoubtedly, returning to his men as we speak. They will then send a message to my father to request more hostile tactics."

We need to leave the country, Zen thought as he was guided to sit up by his master, who then turned his attention to healing Zen's numb left arm.

"Unfortunately, we definitely wouldn't be welcomed in any of our bordering nations due to my father's poor governing skills," Yuen said as he knelt down next to him and reached forward, pressing his cold fingers against Zen's chest before beginning to transfer some of his energy into him.

"We have to go back to the capital."

No...

Zen was about to say something else when he felt another set of fingers press against the back of his head. Before he could even think about retaliating, there was a flickering spiritual collar around his neck.

What is this?

Qi looked past him to Lee Shaan, his expression clearly unhappy, but he didn't try to argue with the man.

Scowling, Zen reached up and grasped the collar with his right hand. It crackled from the contact, but instead of struggling to remove it, the collar snapped after just a few simple tugs.

Both Huang and Qi looked stunned at what had just happened, making Zen tilt his head in confusion. Clearly the collar hadn't been made very well.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. I've not had much practice casting curses on curses," Lee Shaan said as he approached again.

Except, when he tried to kneel down and redo the collar, Huang calmly but quickly stepped in front of him, making him return back to his feet.

"I believe that Zen won't cause you any trouble, with or without a cursed collar on him. He is extremely loyal to his master, and now that they are together again, I doubt he would dare do anything without Qi's approval."

Lee Shaan looked unconvinced, but their attention was quickly diverted by the sound of something approaching through a small group of struggling bushes off to the side. Zen and Qi both hurried to their feet, but when Xisheng, back in his feline form, came stalking out from beneath one of the taller shrubs with the hilt of Zen's sword between his little teeth, everyone besides Lee Shaan gave a sigh of relief.

Smiling, Zen hurried forward and quickly returned his weapon to its scabbard at his waist. He then picked up Xisheng and hugged his grumbling form to his chest.

Thank you so much for your help, little one. You are amazing.

"A shandian cub?" Lee Shaan questioned, clearly a bit confused by the creature's sudden appearance.

Zen turned at the sound of his voice as Xisheng quickly squirmed his way back into his robe for a well-earned nap.

"It's a long story, but the cub is a friend. We can talk about it later, but I believe we have much more important things to deal with right now?" Qi said, eventually earning a hesitant nod from Lee Shaan as the man turned and began heading north.

"You're right. We need to get out of here before it gets dark again, or before Ashong returns with his men," Lee Shaan said, finally earning agreement from everyone else.

Huang moved to walk beside Lee Shaan, the two conversing as they tried to figure out their next move, while Qi stayed back with Zen and took his hand in order to feed him bits of energy, healing him slowly as they began their journey. He could tell that his master was nervous just from how tightly he was gripping his hand, but Zen couldn't help but feel relieved. Things could have gone much worse, yet his master was okay, and prince Yuen was still very much alive, too.

Lee Shaan's nonchalant presence had him more than a bit confused, considering their last bout with the man, but he didn't bother outwardly questioning it. If his master was okay with how things were right then, then he was, too.