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The three guards grunted under their breaths like vulgar animals, and Jingrui hurdled close to Xiaobai. She seethed at the guards that tried to touch her, and when she attempted to summon her sword, something in the air seemed to suppress her magic.

One of the guards ran their rough fingers down her face, and her eyes boiled with fury. She clenched her fists, and with all her force, she bit his finger, making him jolt upright.

"Wretch!" The guard hollered, and before Jingrui knew it, his lash came down onto her skin.

The pain made her drop to the ground, and she brought her hand towards her bleeding wound. Her vision grew hazy from the torn slash, and she squinted her eyes shut as another lash wheezed down towards her. To her surprise, the pain didn't come. She could still hear several more wheezing sounds, but yet again, the pain did not amplify.

Suddenly, she heard a weak cry from Xiaobai, and when she looked up, Xiaobai was hovering over her, shielding her with her body.

Her heart sank when Xiaobai dropped onto the floor. She scrambled towards Xiaobai's broken body and wrapped her arms around her, trying to hold her up. Bitter tears burnt Jingrui's vision as she scanned over Xiaobai's bleeding slashes.

Lines of pain covered Xiaobai's decaying face, but she held up a smile. "I-I'm fine, Jingrui."

Jingrui shook her head, swallowing down her tears. She shot a furious gaze up at the guards, hissing at them to back off. The guards' smirks widened, and instead, they launched at them head-on. Their hands vaulted at Jingrui, caressing her arms. Her breath hitched as she hugged Xiaobai tighter and buried her face down, not wanting to face the vile men. Muffling cries escaped her lips when the guards ran their hands down her curves.

What are we, deities in heaven? Are we even human? Do we no longer have feelings? Or, are we just objects to satisfy others' desires?

If ever I am in league with someone as powerful as the God of War, I will, without a doubt, command the army to take these unfeeling bastards to hell.

"The God of War is here!" A thundering voice came from outside the cell, pausing the guard's movements. The owner of the voice, which turned out to be another guard, bowed at Yihuai. "He's waiting for Your Majesty in the study."

Yihuai clasped his hands together as he eyed Jingrui with a wide smile. "We are done with the appetiser. Now, it's time for the main course." He clapped, and the three guards retreated from them.

Jingrui trembled under Yihuai's sinister glare. She bore her teeth at him, but it only made his smirk grow. He walked into the cell and crouched before her. Jingrui forced her eyes to remain rigid as she stared back at him with simmering heat.

Yihuai's smug lips curved up. "Don't need to act tough, darling." He ran his finger over her pale cheek, wiping her tears. "You will get to meet your beloved soon, but now, I need. . ." He trailed off as he looked down at Xiaobai in her arms.

Jingrui shook her head as she wrapped her arms around Xiaobai, trying to pull her away. Yihuai rolled his eyes, and with one wave of his hand, Jingrui was sent flying towards the wall. Her bones crunched, and blood gushed from her lips upon hitting the cold stone. Xiaobai was left on the ground, vulnerable.

Yihuai beckoned the guards into the cell, and they rushed in as they grabbed Xiaobai's fragile body. She was dragged out of the cell, blood trailing against her feet as they left.

"No." Jingrui mustered up her voice as she tried to reach for Xiaobai. "Don't go."

Yihuai smiled. "Don't worry. If you have faith in the God of War, she will return in one piece. But if you do not know, darling, once Zhanying doesn't care for someone, he can be really adamant and cruel. Perhaps, even crueler than me. Innocent lives? He has forsaken them many times, so why won't he forsake it this time? My brother sure can kill without fretting a gaze."

With that, Yihuai shut the cell and locked her behind the bars. Yuetong followed behind him with a smirk, and soon all the other presences disappeared. Jingrui was left lifeless against the cold stone floor. Tears slid down her chin as she hugged her knees, shivering in the deep and dark silence.

What did Xiaobai ever do? Xiaobai was caught in a mess she had never meant to mingle into. As Jingrui sat in fear, she vowed that no matter what was to happen, if even a strand of Xiaobai's hair was touched, she would crave revenge.

The yearning silence seemed to last forever. Within the darkness that lacked solace, all that she could do was cry. As she hoped that someone would pull her away from the dark abyss, a sickening shrill echoed throughout the dungeon. She jolted up, and goosebumps pricked her skin. The shrill came again, louder this time; shrieking, agonising and writhing.

Her stomach churned, and she wanted to vomit when she heard sizzling and chopping sounds. And suddenly, the shrill voice stopped. Silence seeped back into the darkness.

Her lips quivered, and she bit it until blood seeped out. Her nails dug into her arms as she hugged herself. A bloody smell drifted into her nose as she heard clanking footsteps walking her way. Candle lights flickered as Yihuai's face came into view. Behind him, a guard dragged something heavy along the floor and towards the cell.

A woman's corpse.

Flashes of her sister's dead body amidst the torrent of snow turned her rigid with raw fear. They threw the battered corpse into the cell, and Jingrui rushed over to her. The corpse's wrists and ankles were clefted off, and her insides bloated from her bloody stomach. Jingrui's saliva thickened, and vomit gurgled up her throat. She turned away and bent over, heaving out all that she had eaten.

Hesitantly, she rolled the woman over. Her face was scarred with several raw slashes, but even then, Jingrui recognised her with one glance. Her heart twisted, her limbs went weak, and a cry scraped out her throat. "X-Xiaobai." Her voice cracked as she shook Xiaobai's lifeless body. "Xiaobai."

A sob choked out of her throat. "Xiaobai!" She ran her shaking hand over Xiaobai's scarred face. Her world suddenly spun, and she shook her head. "D-Don't leave me, Xiaobai . . . Don't leave. . ." As she tried to shake Xiaobai awake, something fell out of her sleeve, making her pause her movements.

Wilted clover.

I'll give my luck to you.

Tears flooded her face like a broken dam, sliding down her chin. Agonising pain slammed at her, crumbling the wall in her heart as if it were made of sand. Those she had loved had all wilted. Those she cared for had turned to dust. And if this were Heaven, she would rather burn in hell for all eternity.

She held Xiaobai close to her, knowing that she could never forgive the one who killed Xiaobai. Just like when her sister and master had been murdered, she would never forget nor forgive.

She scanned her hazy vision over Xiaobai's beaten body and spotted a knife planted in her stomach. Her hands shook as she pulled the knife out and scanned over the glimmering jade; the emblem of the Phantom Lord, the knife that was given to Prince Zhanying at the Jade Dragon Mountain. Her heart immediately sank into the deepest void. A wail tore from her throat.

And Jingrui remembered. The very words Prince Zhanying had told her.

Once Yihuai would tell me to kill a dozen maids, saying that they are just animals he wanted as offerings.

I was blind, but of course, I knew they were living little things. Yet, what can I do when I, too, must survive within this slaughter house

She snapped her gaze up at Yihuai who watched the show in amusement.

He smirked. "That's right. I tricked him to kill an animal, and with a heart as impervious as a cold-blooded beast, he killed your best friend without batting an eyelash. If you have faith in him and think that he is someone who is capable of loving you, then you can fool yourself that he killed her because he's blind and fell for my scheme."

Jingrui's breath hitched in her throat. The God of War was someone she loved, and she knew he loved her. She wanted to have faith in him, but. . .

The God of War wasn't blind.

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A/N - As of this week, Blind and Bereft's will be changed to (4 update a week ;-;) in order for me to have the time to edit the earlier chapters in preparation for the Wattys.