Protective Dragon

PURGATORY-

Zhou Shuren hurled the cup of wine towards the head of the man standing before him. Yao Fu stood firm, his eyes clenching as the cup strikes him in the temple. He bowed his head, his knees striking the floor.

"Yan Wang (the King of Purgatory, used as a title), I came as soon as I discovered the dragon had left and arrived in the mortal realm." He smashed his head to the floor as a sign of repentance.

Zhou Shuren stormed towards his servant, grabbing him by the neck, effortlessly lifting him inches off the floor.

"I should have known prior to his exit from the Heavenly Realm. You're like the others; worthless."

He tossed him to the floor like a limp rag doll. Turning, his eyes glint with a black energy that starts to surround his body.

Speaking to no one in particular, "The dragon has always been a thorn. His ego has surpassed even that of the Emperor."

He cracked his neck, the sound echoing through the hall.

Zhou Shuren suddenly begun laughing. His servant shuttered in fear, curling up on the floor in the smallest fetal position he could.

"He should be reminded of his status as a throw away."

His black armored robes cast a black haze around his body, an heinous smirk spread across his delightfully evil features.

"Gather a few parasites and send them to the mortal realm. Follow the dragon. I want constant updates of what he's doing." Yao Fu scrambled to his knees accepting the king's orders. "I want you to go find a human named Ri Il. Arrange a meeting."

The servant stood, his knees shaking from the traumatic encounter. He bowed his head, backing away from the Purgatory King and hurriedly exited the cavernous room.

Zhou Shuren meandered to the edge of his throne room, looking out at the vast dark environment that surrounded his palace. The dark mountains appeared as sabers sticking up from grassless soil. Leafless trees huddled in bunches across the landscape. The sky shifted between shades of purple and black.

The silence was soothing. Closing his eyes, an malicious plan spun in his head, a creepy, satisfied smile tilting the corners of his mouth. His thoughts were disrupted by the distant screams of hell creatures fighting for their next meal of souls entering purgatory.

"Kudos to the survivor." He stands listening to the death thralls and envisioning the end of the dragon.

HUMAN REALM-

A cloaked Ri Il held the head of a young man in his hand, the hair tangled around his fingers. He wiped the blood splatter from his cheek, making his evil smirk appear to grow wider in the dark shadow of his hood. Tossing the head among other beheaded bodies strewn along the path, he pushed his cutlass back in its scabbard. Looking around the bloody manor house, he twists his head side to side, cracking his neck.

A few men, clad in dark green cloaks, exited the forest, each dragging a body. They add them to a growing pile of dead. They kneel on one knee in front of Ri Il. Faces, half-covered by a green scaled mask, bow as Ri Il walks by each one, wiping blood of their victims on their heads. Soft hums of adoration slide from the mouths of the men in unison.

"Gather the treasures. Meet back at the Veil. Tonight, we feast and celebrate the demise of the Kong family." He laughed out loud, climbing on his horse and speeding down the forest path.

The men following him, step into pools of bright red blood running down the fountain of bodies into a pond of lotus and fish. The fish turn belly up, fog rolls in, and the manor becomes a silent graveyard.

The cold green, stone pillars, inside the Veil throne room, shimmer with the light of hundreds of candles. Ri Il sat on a carved stone throne, serpents of green coil around the arms and back of the immaculate seat. A low hum echoed around the great hall; Ri Il kneaded his head with his fingers. Looking out at the dozens of Veil members, standing in rows before him, he judged them silently.

Speaking in a low tone, his voice, somehow, echoed around the room even with the low volume, "Why are we here. Control over the weak. I don't understand why the gods haven't offered me a position yet."

He cackled. The hum rose and fell as if responding to his vocalized ponderings.

"Soon. I feel it. There will be a reason for my brilliantly terrifying existence."

Leaning forward, his lip curled into a snarl. "It's a shame, you all won't be able to join me though. You're weak too. Controlled by me."

He laughed, reaching for a crystal glass next to him. Swirling the red wine inside, he chugged it, a bit sliding down his chiseled jaw. The hum ceased, members filed out of the room and into the darkness beyond.

GARNET HOUSE INN-

Ao Shun stood with his back against a wall outside the Inn. He crossed his arms, closing his eyes. Replaying the most recent events in his head, his thoughts focus on the birthmark. She was his bride, no doubt. He growled in frustration; that was how his fate worked and it sucked.

He never wanted to be tied down, unable to do as he wished. He couldn't go back now that he had found her. If he left her alone, he would slowly lose his immortal power. He recalled what Nuwa told in the beginning after the dragons were released from service to the Emperor:

"Immortal creatures must be restrained in their power. To be alone means to not care about anything or anyone, leading to no purpose. No purpose needs no power or control. Only remaining in your place, will you maintain your power. Your power will weaken when you have decided to seek change and then find a reason to be needed. Once it's found, you will regain a purpose. If you fail to hold tightly to your reason, keeping it wholly in your heart; you will succumb to gradual weakness and become nothing but a shell of the dragon you once were."

Ao Shun recalled being horrified at the prospect of losing his powers forever. "But what use is a dragon if he has no power? Why would the Immortals give us immortality, then take it away as some sort of punishment just for finding a true purpose?"

Nuwa patted the obedient dragon. "All things wither. All things must become weak. Find that which gives you strength and you will be an Immortal with unending power."

Running his hands through his hair, he glanced at the people wandering around the slowly filling streets wondering, "Did they have a purpose? Did they long for power?" He nodded, coming to a difficult conclusion. He would accept this human as his bride, but he refused to abandon who he was by falling in love with her. Sniggering, he nodded, "I can keep my power that way." He entered the inn, striding up the stairs to the girl's room.

A swish of wind passed Ao Shun as he trod up the stairs, his hair and clothing fluttering behind him. He turned in time to see an invisible, dark red-cloaked creature head down the stairs, toward the entrance. He watched for a moment, took the last two steps, and pushed open the doors to his room. In the back of his mind, a nagging warning kept trying to rear its ugly head. The wolf and fox immediately recognized the change in his demeanor. Standing, they huddled close to him.

Ao Shun lifted his chin towards Jin An. Huxian answered softly, "Still asleep. What's up?"

Ao Shun towed them over farther from the bed. Speaking, his voice low. "Is there a reason Yan Wang's parasite would be in the mortal realm?"

The shocked expression of his two friends told Ao Shun what he needed to know. "One was here in the inn, passing me as I entered."

He looked at Jin An, suddenly feeling protective. "We need to go someplace safer."

Langshen gathered their belongings, stuffing things into a bundle. Huxian exited the door and leaned over the railing looking down into the inn.

Closing his eyes, he stood at the top of the stairs. His inner eye traveled around the inn and outside searching for the pulsing parasitic energy. In his mind, fluttering was heard, the sound similar to the sound a hummingbird's wings make when in flight.

As his sight traveled, the sound grew louder. Following the increasing sound, he spotted a cloaked creature standing around the corner of the inn. To everyone on the street, it was invisible. The grotesque bug-like form would surely cause a commotion if it was spotted.

Huxian peered inside the room, shaking his head towards the dragon, his face showing a very serious fox immortal. Dashing down the stairs, he exited and turned opposite the hiding parasite. As he walked around the building, he remained alert for any more parasite creatures. Quietly, he watched the parasite from behind, trying to find a way to distract the purgatory lackey. Thinking of a solution, he snapped his fingers.

The head of the parasite began to twitch, its hands swatting at its body. Silent screams grow as it burned, flames licking at the inside of its magical cloak. Huxian watched the creature writhe in severe pain, the screams audible only to his ears. The illusion of flames forces the parasite to run into the street and away from the exit of the inn, the humans never noticing the burning creature.

Huxian materialized outside the room. "All clear, let's go."

Ao Shun gently picked Jin An up in his arms and together, the four, exited the inn. Finding an alley where they can dematerialize unseen, Huxian grabbed ahold of his two friends. The dragon gathered his bride closer to his body and with a nod, the four vanished in a swirl of mist and fog. The parasite's scream goes unheard in the distance, as its illusion of burning to death never ends.