One Day

Flames dancing in the midst of the night sky. Lan sees it in the direction of the house. She runs. She runs with purpose. 'Everyone... please be safe.'

When Lan made it to the house [which is divided into four residents: Guang He, Wei Jing and Lan's, Wei Guo's family, and the servants], the fire was already spreading across her Second Uncle's residence.

Lan runs in to see if everyone made it out safe. A sigh of short relief when her grandfather and first uncle were out and alive. However, they were being held back by servants from running in to save the rest.

Servants were running frantically with buckets of water to ease the flame ridden buildings. Without anyone realizing Lan's arrival, she heads in to search for the rest. "Uncle!...Madam!...Liling!!" She calls out.

At the personal courtyard of the residence, Lan hears the clinks of sword and runs through the heat towards it. There, Wei Guo is going against two men in black--Emperor Yuan's men. "Uncle!" Lan starts running to him. But before she was able to get there, he was already overwhelmed by the assassins. Both stab Wei Guo in the stomach. By the time Lan got there, blood was already running out faster than she could move. She catches him before his head hits the floor.

"Uncle..uncle! Don't go! Uncle!" Wei Guo was already on his last strand of life, "Sa..save Li..Li...Liling." At that moment, a screech of scream comes from one of the rooms. Wei Guo had already passed, and Lan respectfully laid him down to rest. She quickly starts searching for Liling and Madam.

Lan knocked off doors until she reaches one where Liling is--but also where the assassins are. On the floor, Madam was laying in the pool of her own blood. It wasn't the assassin's mission on the women of Wei Guo, but Madam wouldn't leave her husband alone, and Liling didn't get to run far before the assassins came to them. Now Liling is an orphan, like Lan.

Lan becomes more enraged. One man holds Liling hostage. Lan's eyes fierce, senses sharpened. Her hazel orbs begin to ooze deathly aura, 'I must save her.'

Lan takes her dagger and swiftly moves through one of the assassins. Before he had the chance to defend, he had already fallen. "Jiej-" before Liling could finish she drops to the floor too. Lan turns around, eyes now pooling with tears, and screams. She makes one more run through the last man and kills him.

Lan drops her dagger and runs to Liling who is still laying still with faint breaths. She picks the little girl up and starts finding a pathway out. The fire had almost engulfed the entire residence.

Liling is profusely bleeding at her back. The opening is colored of black. Poison.

Whilst carrying Liling, she climbs over the wall gate and runs far from the flames. She lays Liling down and hugs her tightly. "Liling, don't sleep. Jiejie is here." Lan rocks the girl, crying. "No..no. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you..don't die meimei."

With what little conscious she has left, Liling shakily moves her hand to her jasmine ornament and takes it off. She smiles at Lan and cups her sister's face. "Jiejie, don't cry. It makes me sad when you're sad." Lan nods and tries to smile with tears that won't stop talking.

"Lan jiejie, thank you for be..ing..my..jie...jie." With that, the last warmth of Lan's life passes.

Lan holds onto the girl's hand against her face with the ornament. She cries and screams for her little sister to come back. The twelve-year-old holds onto the corpse so dear, afraid to accept the facts once she lets go.

Images of the event from six years ago replays. Lan hates that she couldn't once again protect her loved ones. Why is the throne so important? Are people mere insects to the powerful? First her grandfather and father. Now Liling? Just what does the throne offer?!

Lan is enraged. Upset at those revolting men on the thrones. "I will get to you. One day. Just you wait!" Lan's eyes become dark and sharp. 'One day.'