***

Jian Li opened her eyes to find herself staring directly at a large rock ceiling. The space she had landed in was dimly lit as though it were a cave. Her legs hurt as she tried to stand and take her bearings.

"You made it." Jian Li heard a soft, feminine voice beside her. She turned and saw Liu holding out a burnt feather. Jian Li took it, inspecting it with her fingers. Unlike the healthy golden glow it had the first time she saw it, now it had drastically dimmed out.

It was as if even the gentlest breeze was enough to take it out for good.

"!!!"

Jian Li breathed heavily as she recalled the events that happened just moments earlier. She felt a sharp pain in her side as she breathed in deeply, testing her lungs.

Strangely, the wounds she had were not nearly as bad as she remembered them.

"What happened?", Jian Li asked. Her vision quickly swam as she stumbled on her feet and fell back to the ground.

"That elder, he..." Liu looked away with regret. "The True Sword Sect you once knew has fallen to ruin."

Jian Li painfully breathed in as she braced herself for the hard truth.

"And where are the others? Were we the only ones that made it?." Jian Li said in disbelief.

"I..." Liu paused for a moment before sighing in defeat. "As far as I know, no one else made it. I could only bring one person with me..."

Jian Li grit her teeth as she clenched her fist.

"I'm sorry, Li." Liu lowered her gaze sadly.

"What for?" Jian Li replied as she pulled herself up against the rock wall. "There's nothing you could've done. Those bastards took everyone."

"Yes, but..." Liu continued looking downwards.

Jian Li closed her eyes, breathing in a deep breath. She let out a single chuckle.

"If this is what fate has in store for me, then so be it."

Jian Li recalled the burning hatred that seethed within her body. In her eyes, powerlessness was the cause of it all. And there was only one way to get rid of it. She needed to break free from the shackles of weakness.

She needed true power in order to destroy it all.

As she opened her eyes she saw Liu still standing there, dispelling her darkest thoughts.

"Are you okay?", Liu asked as she observed her companion with concern. The frigid aura around Jian Li abruptly dissapated as she spoke again.

"Thank you for saving my life, Liu. No words can express how grateful I am." Jian Li bowed her head to her friend as tears welled up in her eyes.

Her feelings were all over the place but one stood out above all. Gratitude.

"You're the one who saved my life, Li. Please don't mention it." Liu replied as she gently caressed Jian Li's hair.

--------------

As time went on, Liu explained their current predicament to Jian Li.

"So what you're saying is that you don't know where we are?", Jian Li asked.

Liu nodded in response.

Using the two feathers allowed them to escape the siege and the residual energy could even heal most of their wounds.

"Those phoenix feathers were our absolute last resort for a reason. If Long was the one using them though, he could've..." Liu paused. "I'm sorry for-"

"Don't worry about it. At least we're safe now." Jian Li interrupted. Liu gave her a wry smile.

"Then I guess the best option is to keep moving forward. Now that you're conscious again, we can leave this awful cave." Liu replied.

"That sounds like a fine idea to me." Jian Li agreed as they left the tiny cave, leaving behind the darkness and fully stepping into the light.

Jian Li looked around as her eyes quickly adjusted to the light.

They were in a small, grassy clearing surrounded by trees and bushes.

It was a clear, calm day, with the sun shining brightly through the leaves. As the wind gently blew, she could hear the sound of leaves rustling along with birds chirping and flitting between branches.

Not far off she could see a few deer quietly munching away on the forest floor, paying no heed to their presence.

All of a sudden, an ear-piercing shriek filled the air.

Jian Li froze on the spot as she looked around. A woman in the distance was clad in a dress of pure white, and her long black hair cascaded down her back as she fell to the ground with a thud, holding her hand against her shoulder.

The sight of her frail figure brought a feeling of unease to Jian Li's chest. She hurriedly ran over to where she laid sprawled and kneeled at her side.

The woman, however, looked at her with a blank stare as though she were staring right through her.

Jian Li felt her heart skip a beat, as she felt a chill run down her spine. She reached her hands out to try and touch her, but her hand had no warmth.

Her skin soon turned pale, her eyes clouded over, and her breath stopped.

Jian Li lowered her head, grieving at the woman's death.

"Goodness... Seems as if no corner in this world is truly safe.", Liu mumbled.

The forest was silent as a grave. Only the wind could be heard sighing.

"The thing that did this to her could still be lurking around here somewhere." Jian Li murmured.

"Yes, we should stay away. It may come for us next." Liu replied.

Jian Li sighed deeply before standing up.

"Let's leave her be, and continue on our journey." Jian Li said.

"Alright. I wonder where the path we're meant to follow takes us, though. What an awful omen..." Liu answered as she shook her head.

Jian Li looked around again before slowly turning away from the dead body.

"Let's find our way."

Jian Li walked off with Liu trailing closely behind.