Zhen

A lady, a slave, a princess, a warrior, Zhen has seen as much suffering as Zhōng. Also like him, when she was little, she was cheerful and happy. She never understood why her family hated his, it wouldn't be till she was kidnapped that she understood. Zhen knew about who she was fighting against unlike Zhōng, it bothered her but she made no effort for hopes she'll be noticed by him. She was soon kidnapped and imprisoned where she received a Vow Seal, a branded crest that is a sworn promise to obey its owner imprinted with it. For the last two years of the war, she was tortured but not raped as she was saved for Zhōng.

After her mother won the war and became empress, Zhen became a princess. She was rarely seen, even the guards in the palace didn't see her often. Zhen was traumatized from what happened to her and all around her. She wanted to tell her mother the secret she had but couldn't due to her confidence and her mother always being so busy. She was in a deep shell and couldn't see the light till an announcement from Zhōng brought her out for a little while. When they both met for the first time, she was nervous but had enough determination to try and arrest him, unfortunately for her, he escaped.

Zhen attended school since the end of the war and after her first encounter with Zhōng, she wanted to become a better warrior. She wasn't very good and she still lacked the confidence to become better. When Zhōng broke into her room and saved her, she wanted him to teach her his technic. Though the training was harsh, she understood a little bit of what Zhōng's new life was like. As the years went on, Zhen learned and became a better fighter even becoming the best mech fighter in her school. As her skills improved so did her confidence and the more she knew about Zhōng.

Zhen and Zhōng rarely saw each other again after she discovered the secret he kept from her. They won't meet again till nine months later when Zhōng accidentally landed by her while she bathed. Zhōng was thrust back into her life and she wanted him gone, but the more she hang out with his sister and him, the more she began to change her mind about him. Zhen believed that the Zhōng she played with long ago was dead but this one while being dark and mysterious still kept his sworn vow and recognized her as royalty.

Zhen can finally see she always had an alley and tried to get closer to Zhōng than where they began. But the more she wanted to be closer, the bigger a crack became. All their years of being close, they were now distant and it wasn't their fault. Zhen felt terrible for all Zhōng had to suffer and endure and tried to ease his load. Unfortunately, instead of unloading, she loaded more by saving him, a vow she swore not to do.

So what will she do now? Following Zhōng as he leads her and their friends to the Spartan Empire, with a canyon that keeps her out of her reach of Zhōng. Can she keep her hopes up even after watching her alley die in front of her? The Zhōng she knew, the Zhōng she remembered, and the Zhōng that she trembled were dead. There's no hope for him to return to her.