Chapter 4: Crash Landing On A Mortal

As Rui was swallowed by the swirling portal, she felt its wild forces compress, stretch, and twist her through dimensions she couldn't grasp.

In the skies of the Mortal Realm, a blazing streak of chaos energy sliced through, illuminating the night with pink-gold veins.

Villagers paused, farmers looked up, and night watchmen gripped their weapons tightly.

In the peaceful courtyard of the Hidden Lotus Temple, Monk Jin knelt at a stone altar, softly clicking his prayer beads through practiced motions.

The moonlight shone on the ancient stones, highlighting the purification circle he had drawn with blessed chalk.

Jin's voice was steady as he chanted,

"By the light that cleanses, by the water that purifies."

At the center of the circle was a bronze bell covered with malevolent symbols that occasionally glowed with a sickly green light.

He raised his hands, and the prayer beads glowed softly white.

"I banish the corruption from this vessel and—"

Just then, the sky tore open. The comet crashed directly into the ritual circle, sending Jin sprawling backward, his prayer beads scattering.

It landed on him with a force that knocked the air out of his lungs.

"Ugh!" Jin gasped, blinking through the dust and fading energy, staring into clear blue eyes.

Rui lay on his chest, covered in soot and wearing unfamiliar robes.

"Well," she said with a cough, "that was quite an entrance."

Before Jin could speak, another flash ripped across the sky.

A small black object slammed into the ancient monastery guardian statue, causing it to fall with a loud crash.

With his small horns sparking with electricity, Kee Kee rolled out of the wreckage. He shook debris from its fur and spat out a broken stone.

"Who messed up that landing? I'll bite them!"

Jin's eyes widened as he looked at the woman on him.

A strong demonic aura pulsed around her, flickering like disturbed flames.

"You're... you're..."

Jin stammered, his training forgotten.

Rui slowly pushed herself up, sending waves of chaotic energy through the courtyard.

The protective talismans Jin had carefully placed began to smoke and blacken wherever her aura touched.

"Much better," she sighed, unaware of the damage around her.

Jin scrambled to his feet, trying to calm her.

"Please lady, control your energy. This is sacred ground —"

Rui interrupted, brushing dust from her clothes with delicate fingers.

"Oh good," she said, glancing around the courtyard.

"I'd like jasmine tea, with honey if possible. And something to eat—I'm hungry after all that... whatever that was."

Jin blinked, confused. "I'm not —you think I'm a servant?"

"You're not?" Rui asked, eyeing his simple white robes.

"Well, whoever you are, tea would be nice."

"I'm Monk Jin, …and you shouldn't be here, " Jin said in a stern voice.

Suddenly, alarm bells pealed across the temple grounds, their frantic rhythm echoing off ancient stone walls.

Monks poured from the meditation halls and dormitories, their white robes billowing as they ran.

These weren't ordinary monks—they wore exorcist gear over their robes: jade amulets, scripture-inscribed armor pieces, and ritual daggers strapped to their waists.

"Demon breach! Form the containment circle!" shouted an elderly monk, his voice cutting through the chaos.

The temple guards, warriors trained in spiritual combat, took flanking positions around the courtyard. Their weapons—blessed halberds and spirit-binding chains—glinted in the moonlight.

Rui froze as the guards approached, her demonic aura radiating off her in waves of pink-gold energy.

"Wait!" Jin scrambled to his feet, placing himself between Rui and the approaching exorcists.

"There's been a misunderstanding! She just fell from the sky—"

"Step away from her, Brother Jin!"

Master Tao emerged from the main hall, his ancient face contorted with horror.

He wore elaborate exorcist regalia and golden sutras embroidered across his ceremonial robe. His gnarled fingers clutched a peach wood sword inscribed with celestial script.

"She's a high-level curse manifest!" the Elder Sun screamed, pointing a trembling finger at Rui.

"Look at her aura—corrupted essence from the deepest hells!"

"I'm not corrupted," Rui protested, trying to smooth down her wild hair.

"I'm just having a bad hair day. And maybe a minor interdimensional travel issue."

The elder eyes widened with terror.

"It speaks with a maiden's voice to deceive us! Brother Jin has fallen under its possession!"

"I'm not possessed," Jin insisted, his face flushing. "She's just—"

"Activate the binding sigils!" the elder commanded, cutting off Jin's explanation.

As one, the monks slammed their palms against the stone courtyard. Hidden characters carved into the temple floor blazed with golden light, forming a massive containment array.

The sigils crawled across the ground like living things, surrounding Rui and Jin.

"Cleanse the corruption! Save our brother!" shouted the Master Tao.

The exorcists attacked from all sides. Some hurled spirit-binding chains that snaked through the air like silver serpents, and others flung paper talismans that transformed into golden birds of prey.

The temple guards advanced with their blessed weapons, chanting purification mantras that vibrated through the night air.

Rui's eyes widened as the full might of the temple's defenses converged on her.

Golden chains whipped through the air, talismans transformed into spectral birds, and monks advanced with gleaming weapons.

"This is so unfair!" she shrieked, ducking beneath a chain that would have wrapped around her throat.

"I just passed one trial!"

Her body moved on instinct, twisting and contorting in ways that even surprised her.

Pink-gold sparks erupted from her fingertips as her demonic qi responded to the threat—tiny, undisciplined flames that sputtered and fizzled in the air.

"Why won't you work properly?" she hissed at her hands, narrowly avoiding a talisman that exploded against the stone where she'd stood a moment before.

Across the courtyard, Kee Kee launched himself at the monks with savage ferocity.

The tiny beast moved like black lightning, his diminutive form belying terrifying speed. He bit through sacred chains, spat fire at purification talismans, and headbutted one unfortunate monk directly in the stomach.

"Leave! My! Princess! Alone!" Kee Kee roared between attacks, his voice carrying the weight of ancient demonic authority despite his tiny body.

Elder Sun, seeing Rui momentarily distracted, pulled a blood-red seal from his robes—a forbidden technique meant to obliterate demonic essence completely.

"Seal of Eternal Banishment!" the exorcist shouted, hurling the crimson talisman directly at Rui's heart.

Jin's eyes widened in horror.

"NO!" he screamed, throwing himself between Rui and the deadly seal.

The forbidden talisman struck Jin squarely in the chest.

Blood erupted from his mouth as the seal's power tore through his spiritual defenses, burning through his white robes and searing the flesh beneath.

He crumpled to his knees, gasping in agony.

"Jin!" Rui cried, catching the monk as he fell backward. His body convulsed in her arms, the seal's crimson light spreading like poison through his veins.

Something snapped inside her. This innocent human had shielded her—had taken a fatal blow meant for her. The injustice of it all, the chaos, the confusion, and now this selfless sacrifice crashed into her mind.

"STOP!" Rui screamed.

Her voice carried a power she'd never wielded before.

The chaos core within her awakened during the first trial surged in response to her rage and desperation.

Pink-gold flames exploded outward from her body in a perfect sphere, engulfing the courtyard.

Time itself seemed to catch in her flames.

The monks froze mid-step, their expressions locked in surprise and fear. Chains hung suspended in the air, no longer moving forward.

Talismans drifted like leaves caught in amber. Even the smoke from the burning incense halted its lazy spiral toward the night sky.

In the unnatural silence, only Rui, the injured Jin, and Kee Kee remained unaffected by the time distortion.

Rui knelt beside Jin, her hands trembling as she examined the crimson seal burning into his chest.

The forbidden talisman had seared through his robes, leaving an angry red mark that pulsed with malevolent energy.

"Why would you do that?" she whispered, supporting his weight as he struggled to sit up.

"You don't even know me."

Jin coughed, flecks of blood staining his lips.

Despite the pain across his face, his eyes remained clear and focused on her.

The monk's breathing came in ragged gasps, but he pushed himself up with her help.

"I couldn't... let them..." he winced, clutching his chest. "Exorcists sometimes act before... understanding."

Rui helped him to his feet, one arm wrapped around his waist to steady him. His body felt surprisingly warm against hers despite the spiritual wound draining his life force.

The gesture of his sacrifice—throwing himself between her and certain destruction—left her oddly shaken. No one had ever protected her before, not without obligation or command.

Jin stood shakily, leaning against her more than he probably wanted to admit. His eyes widened as he truly took in their surroundings—the frozen monks, suspended chains, and motionless flames.

Then his gaze returned to her, to the pink-gold aura that enveloped them both.

"What... are you?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

His tone had no accusation, hatred, or fear—only wonder and confusion, as if he'd discovered a new constellation in a familiar sky.

Before Rui could form a response, searing pain shot through her right forearm.

She gasped, pulling away from Jin to clutch at her skin as it burned from within.

The mark of the House of Greed on her left arm was joined by a new faint sigil materializing on her right—a crimson battlefield emblazoned with crossed blades, the symbol of the House of Wrath.

"TRIAL OF WRATH UNSEALED. RAGE SHALL BE YOUR ENEMY AND YOUR JUDGE."

The ancient voice reverberated like a divine gong.

"Seriously?? Right now??" Rui growled, fists clenched.