Chapter 14: Revenge Upon the Wicked

~ Back in the present ~

An effeminate squeal cut through the air, awakening Heian from his stupor. He craned his head upward in time to see the obese commander tumble to the ground, blood and teeth flying in the opposite direction.

"Shi—" The horrid man cursed as he held onto his dislocated jaw.

More cries sounded from the trees. Nearly a dozen archers fell out of the branches simultaneously, with some being knocked high above as though they were struck by a horse running at full speed.

The forest seemed to crumble down around him. But despite the chaos, there was only one thing on Heian's mind.

'Jiu...where are you?'

His heart began to race. The large man no longer held her, nor did she appear to be thrown clear. With no trace of her aside from the drops of blood nearby, he tried to stand, expending what little remained of his energy. His wounds sent shockwaves coursing through his body each time he moved.

'Please, I can't let this happen...not again…'

A couple of soldiers popped out of the shrubs, fear clear on their faces as they fled without batting an eye at Heian. The two were almost to the other side of the clearing when, without warning, a third was sent flying out from the same greenery. The human projectile plowed both of them over before falling to the ground himself.

Heian stared at the direction from which they came. Not caring at all for his own fate, he trudged toward it, ready to face the unknown head-on. Every fiber of his body braced itself for the worst.

"Whoever you are, let my daughter go!" he hissed. "Please, I don't know what I'd do without her! I—

A hand gently placed itself on his bloodied shoulder. Heian turned around. Standing behind him, wearing a slight smile, was his little brother. In his other arm he caressed a sleeping Jiu.

A wave of relief washed over Heian. Despite her blood-stained clothing, Jiu appeared to be completely at ease as she leaned on her uncle's shoulder.

"I was able to reawaken my Guang," explained Ting.

"Guang?"

"The name I gave my power," he clarified, realizing that he hadn't told anybody else, "I don't know what I would've done had you croaked."

"I knew you could do it." Heian wiped a tear that had formed in his eye. "But please, let me hold my daughter now."

Her eyes remained closed as Heian quietly sang her favorite lullaby. He sat at the base of a nearby tree, leaning back so that he could hold her despite the injuries to his shoulders. Ting was seated a short distance away. Interestingly enough, there was no trace of an arrow in his kneecap.

"I've forgotten how much I've missed these days," Heian murmured, "Ever since she proclaimed herself a big girl, she refused to let me hold her, let alone sing her favorite melody."

"We need to get to the village," interrupted Ting, "The elders should be able to help us."

"No need. They're all dead. The whole lot of them."

Ting, at a loss for words, sputtered. "T-this is no time for jokes brother, especially ones as unfunny as those."

The man replied with a nod toward something in the distance. Ting spun around to see the broken-jawed commander, who had managed to hobble to the end of the clearing, near where three of his men lay unconscious.

"No…" he mouthed. Ting turned back around, shaking his head as he looked at his brother in hopes that he was merely delusional. "No, you're wrong. You're not thinking straight after all that's happened. How can you tell—"

"We've been through this before, Ting. You may have been too young, but men just like him have attempted to destroy our people out of spite.

"Or in this case..." Heian narrowed his eyes at the fleeing assailant. The insignia he bore on the back of his uniform was all too familiar. "...the exact same men."

"Huh?"

"Please take of Jian," he said with a newfound sense of urgency. Ting nodded and did as his brother told. He knew better than to try to intervene this time. Instead, he watched intently as his Heian limped after the commander.

As Heian drew closer to him, the rage that burned through his soul a few minutes prior now flooded back through him, reawakening the pain of scars that should've since healed.

The commander had abandoned his belongings, blissfully unaware that a vengeful father approached close behind. Heian picked up the sword. He then swung it sideways, swiftly discarding its sheathe, which shot through the air and lodged itself in a tree.

Heian's pace then quickened to that of a hastened walk. No words escaped his mouth — only seething breathes. His target soon sensed the danger, and began to hobble even faster.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he screamed, barely holding his jaw in place, "Please, you killed all my men! What more do you want?"

As soon as the big bellied man peeked backward, he was met with a swift kick to the nose. He tumbled over, leaving behind a brief trail where his face rubbed against the dirt.

He struggled desperately to mouth off a few more words, but the terror in his eyes was all that Heian needed.

"On your knees!" Heian yelled, "And beg for your life!"

The commander obeyed and scrambled into a prostrated position.

"I said BEG!" Heian delivered a kick to his ribs. He promptly clasped his hands together and raised them up, just as his soon-to-be executioner wanted.

Heian let out a maniacal laugh. The commander looked up and became horrified when he realized the reason for the man's twisted amusement. The laughter grew ever louder as blood spurted from the stumps where his hands used to be.

He stumbled backwards and screamed. Even as he futilely continued his escape, Heian stepped ever closer, relishing in anticipation of his demise.

"You deserve a far more painful death," the scar faced man chortled, "but..."

Dark blood stained the earth. The commander held a contorted grimace as his headless body made impact with the ground.

"...my daughter awaits my return."

With his bloodlust satisfied, the pain of his wounds granted him no more mercy. Heian turned around and caught a glimpse of Ting rushing toward him with Jiu in hand. Before they could reach him, however, his world became submerged in darkness.