《The Betrayed》


 Chapter 1

    The chill on this windy night seemed to permeate through the bodies of the soldiers that had been moving quietly through the forest. However these men moved with expressionless faces. They clenched their teeth, refusing to allow a single unnecessary noise to be released from themselves.


    They were an elite vanguard unit that was sent to take over the villages and towns around cities, so as to cut off any chance of the defenders being able to send for help. This tactic had proven capable time and time again, so even though the soldiers felt a sense of unease, their pace never faltered.


    The captain listened to the scouts whispered report.


    "Captain, past the small valley is the first village. After that, there are three more villages, totalling no more than a thousand people. The town is directly in the centre, but they have a local force of fifty soldiers".


    The captain wasn''t surprised, these towns usually had a force made up of some strong villagers, and a few servants of wealthy families. They had little coordination and no combat experience. He had completed tasks like this more times than he could count.


    His unit was a hundred strong, all had fought in battle, and survived. Against unarmed civilians, and poorly armed rabble, there could be little resistance. There was just an unceasing feeling of danger that never left him. The scouts he sent were amongst his most trusted, they had watched the town and the villages, finding nothing suspicious, so even against his better judgement, he continued on.


    A shadow watched as the soldiers moved uniformly towards the valley, her eyes reflected by the moonlight were full of cruelty and madness. A distorted smile revealing her sharpened teeth, adorned her blood covered face. In just a moment, she flashed and disappeared towards the valley.


    The soldiers reached the valley, their senses were heightened to the maximum. A fog had, at some point condensed in the valley, blocking the sight of the path ahead. The soldiers were beginning to become anxious. They felt something was off, but out of trust in their comrades, they pushed forward. The last soldiers entered the fog, as if an abyss had opened its mouth and swallowed them all.


    The captain ordered them into two lines, putting their right hands on the shoulders of the soldier in front of them, they continued on without sight, while the scouts led them carefully through the path they had memorised.


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    Seemingly out of nowhere, a rotten smell appeared. The soldiers had all fought in battle, and the lives in their hands were countless. They knew this was the stench of rotting blood. All at once their vigilance rose to the peak. Weapons were drawn and a defensive formation was enacted. However, their sight was still cut off by the fog.


    Soon the smell became stronger, as if it was surrounding them. The hearts of the soldiers were racing, but their formation remained steady. They had faced death many times together, and their tacit understanding was impeccable. At least that''s what they thought, before a piercing scream came from one of the soldiers. He didn''t even see how it happened, and before he knew it, his arm had been torn completely off.


    The soldiers around him asked him what was wrong, and he roared out in horror.


    "MY ARM!! MY ARM''S GONE!"


    The soldiers around heard this and felt a chill run through their spines, but whatever was hiding in the fog, gave them no chance to regain their composure. Painful cries and horrified shrieks were emitted from the small valley one after another. The sound of bones snapping and flesh being gnawed continued even after the screams of the soldiers had ceased echoing through the valley to the village right behind it.


    The villagers had been awoken by the screams, but not a single one even got out of bed to check the situation. They stayed as still as a statue, shortening their breaths as much as they possibly could. The smell of decay wafted into their noses, bringing them unending fear.


    On the dilapidated dirt road, with all the surrounding houses darkened, as if they were empty. A solitary figure in tattered armour passed through leisurely. A soft and feminine humming came from the figures mouth. The woman''s features couldn''t be seen, the area around her was shrouded in darkness, as if even the moonlight was too scared to shine any light on the desolate figure.


    As she walked, her humming turned more and more cynical. The soft voice at the start seemed to be filled with pain and despair, by the end it was nothing more than shrieking, full of unwillingness and hatred.


    The villagers were weeping as quietly as they could. They knew who the woman was, she had come through this way many times, and were no strangers to her actions. They knew she was a Lunatic, but her strength was completely inhuman, so no one ever dared to even breathe loudly in her presence.


    When day broke, and the sun swept over the village. The men and women moved with dull faces. Gathering the supplies needed for what they had done before. The men took shovels and hoes, placing them onto the back of their ox driven carts, and proceeded towards the valley behind the village.


    The sight that appeared in front of them was more gruesome than anytime before. The soldiers of Entriss, which bordered them, lay in pieces. Their limbs and organs strewn about. The men couldn''t hold back their retching. They quickly calmed themselves down and went to work. They took what could be sold and sent it back to be cleaned by the women, the corpses would be buried by them. When they saw the clear bite marks in the flesh of some of the corpses, they didn''t even change their faces, they just hoped that she didn''t turn her anger onto them. After they had finished cleaning the valley, they buried the corpses in a place where the villages had chosen to do so before. It was further away from the village than the valley, they didn''t want the bad luck from all these resentful corpses to spread to them.

 Chapter 2

    The villagers hadn''t seen such a large group of soldiers before, so unlike their usual habits, this time they reported it to the county magistrate. At first he was shocked by the news the villagers had brought.


    "Soldiers", he thought.


    He was so entranced by the fact of soldiers appearing multiple times, that he almost missed the more frightening part. A single person killed them all? He knew there were powerful martial artists. These people created sects and pretty much governed themselves. The emperor, and the ministers of the court were very dissatisfied with this, but the combat ability of those sects were terrifying. Their strength was insurmountable compared to regular people.


    However, their weakness was exactly that. Their individual combat ability was terrifying, but against a well trained army, they were nothing. Their numbers weren''t nearly enough to stand against the armies of the empire, so although the emperor was wary of them, he knew that they could be contained. Unfortunately that only worked for regular martial artists. No matter where there are people, there will be the highs and lows of those groups. So, just as their are very weak members of this group, there are also geniuses.


    Geniuses anywhere, are feared and respected, especially when it comes to combat. Now he heard some of the details from the villagers, and he already had a guess as to who this person was.


    Many years before he was demoted to county magistrate, he held a position in the capital. He worked in the ministry of war, and it was his duty to transport the supplies necessary for the war.


    He was still in the capital when the charges of treason were placed on the heads of the Dren family.


    The Dren family had served as generals to the royal family since the founding of the current empire, Frest.


    They have always been the backbone of the royal family, as long as a general of the Dren family sits at the border, than it will never fall to the enemy.


    This belief has been rooted into the hearts of the people of the Frest empire. That belief, however, turned out to be the final nail in the coffin.


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    The current emperor, who is only thirteen years old, rose to the throne after the untimely deaths of his father and grandfather.


    The emperors grandfather, who holds the title of the supreme emperor was a suspicious man. It is a well known fact, that an emperors suspicion is the most fearsome thing. If an emperor wants you to die, even if you don''t want to, you still have to die.


    Many meritorious ministers were executed and exiled under the supreme emperors suspicion. The Dren family was also one of them. Although most members of the Dren family fall in combat, which led the family to be scarcely populated, the supreme emperor still wasn''t willing to let them go.


    The last general of the Dren family was Siraya Dren. Apparently born to a sickly mother, because her father wasn''t willing to take a concubine, nor would he allow his wife to give birth again, he chose to conceal Siraya''s true gender, and raise her as a man. He was worried at first, that his daughter would not be able to handle the pressure that he had put on her. As a woman she was required to practice far harder than a man of the Dren family. She was cut off from contact with anyone that couldn''t be trusted, and her father raised her exclusively in the barracks.


    Siraya proved to be more talented than even her father, which made him very happy. He wondered if the Dren family would end in his hands, but luckily his daughter was more than capable of taking over the burden of the family. However the issue came with his actions afterwards. As his daughter won countless victories, he chose to inform the supreme emperor of the truth about Siraya. He had always been taught by the family about his undying loyalty to the emperor, so he didn''t hesitate to mention it.


    The supreme emperor listened to his confession and on the surface accepted it well, complimenting him on having such a talented descendant to continue on his lineage, but as soon as the general left, he immediately became suspicious.


    A simple misunderstanding from the general, where he waited until Siraya was fifteen to report the truth, was all the evidence the suspicious supreme emperor needed to believe that the always loyal Dren family had ulterior motives. Add onto that, the whispers of the concubines born into the families that opposed the Dren family, and the emperor began to distrust and alienate his most loyal supporters.


    The supreme emperor knew that Siraya being a woman wasn''t enough to convict the Dren family of a capital crime, so with the help of a few powerful ministers that opposed the Dren''s, evidence of their collusion with the enemy country was forged.


    By the time Siraya had received the news of the charges, her family had already been executed. The men had been dragged in front of the public. They didn''t cry, didn''t mourn, didn''t beg for mercy. Their backs were straight, showing their demeanour as soldiers, and under the cries of the common people, they were beheaded.


    The female relatives of the family were intended to be sent to the official brothel, however they were members of the Dren family, same as the men. Their stoicism was no less than their male counterparts. Knowing that their future only held humiliation, they chose to seal the mansion they were kept in, before sealing themselves in a room together, and setting it alight.


    And just like that Siraya was alone. Her family dead, labelled as traitors to the empire. She was heartbroken, and in a fit of rage, she slaughtered the imperial soldiers that had come to arrest her. She fled the border, and disappeared from the sight of everyone. She took to the forests, stuck with her own thoughts, she started to become filled with more and more anger. She wondered if it was her fault, was her deception the reason for her family''s destruction? Or did her family not give enough for the empire?

 Chapter 3

    Over time she began to understand. It wasn''t her fault, nor was it her family''s fault. It was selfishness, greed, suspicion and enmity. It wasn''t her father, it wasn''t her uncles, nor her cousins. It was the emperor, it was the ministers. It was those who were afraid of her family, greedy for the Dren family''s power. In her solitude she became more and more paranoid. At one point she felt it was the fault of everyone.


    "How dare they! We have sacrificed our lives to protect them!", she roared in her mind.


    "Why did nobody speak up for us? Why did they just allow all our hard work to be wasted. All our blood, sweat and tears meant nothing to them?" she mumbled to herself.


    If anyone was there at the moment, they would see that Siraya''s eyes were bloodshot, filled with manic emotions, slowly pulling her into a twisted cycle of pain and despair. She lost her sanity in that forest, and by all accounts her humanity as well.


    She began to hate everything. She would lash out at the smallest inconvenience. The animals could feel the murderous aura growing in the forest, they ran as fast as their legs could carry them, but unfortunately it wasn''t fast enough. Siraya vented her pain on those animals, slowly degrading into madness. The only sanity she had left reminded her of those that had killed everyone she loved.


    She rushed towards the capital. The emperor had already received the report from the border. Knowing that the last Dren general had escaped, he didn''t think that the matter had ended. In fact he knew that he was very much in danger. After being an emperor for so long, his gut feeling was almost never wrong. He was aware that this girl of the Dren family was a genius in martial arts. The most talented tactician of her family. He held the hope that like her family, she was willing to be executed without a fight.


    After executing the Dren family, he had suffered a huge demise in public opinion. Many of the ministers that were once loyal began to alienate him. Those ministers weren''t stupid, they knew the matter could easily be seen through, but he was in a rush to get rid of them. A faint regret appeared in his heart. He knew he had committed a mistake, and it was one that could ruin the country.


    However he wasn''t willing to sit back and wait for death. He locked down the capital, increasing the soldiers on duty. Placing his elite soldiers around him, as well as many high level martial artists that he had paid handsomely to become his mercenary force.


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    When Siraya reached the capital, it was easy to see the increased security. There was no fear in her heart, just the growing insanity. She knew that night was the best time to act. She was still sane enough to know this was a trap, but she didn''t fear death. She would drag that filthy emperor, as well as those corrupt ministers down to hell with her.


    Night arrived just as it had done since the beginning of time, but on this night, the capital fell into a gloomy and terror filled atmosphere.


    Like a shadow, Siraya attacked the soldiers standing on the outer wall. She didn''t need to kill them, bypassing them would''ve been easier, and it would cause less of a commotion, but she didn''t care. She just wanted to kill.


    She didn''t hide it. Her arm pierced through the heavy armour of the soldier as if it was mud, leaving the unsuspecting soldier hurriedly holding onto his organs that had begun spilling out of the gaping hole in his abdomen.


    His screams alerted the soldiers around him, but even if they were ready, they didn''t fare much better. Siraya was too fast. She was in front of them one second, and the next, their corpses had already fallen as she moved onto the next.


    She stepped lightly across the rooftops, her path leading straight to the palace. In her mind, the emperor was the most heinous of those that had Betrayed her family. Seeing the palace from a distance, she could feel a greater threat.


    She pulled out the sword her father had gifted to her when she took over his position, and without any hesitation she jumped right into the dense formation of elite soldiers. She slashed through them without resistance, using every despicable tactic she could think of.


    She slipped into the gaps between them, used their own comrades corpses as shields, blinded them with dirt and blood. She continued harvesting their lives, even with injuries accumulating, she never seemed to grow tired.


    A bloody path had been forged out by Siraya, behind her were the corpses of thousands of soldiers. Their eviscerated remains proof of her anger. She walked slowly up the steps of the palace to the emperors bedroom. Her armour had been damaged to such a degree that some of it was dragging on behind her, adding a horrifying scratching sound as she walked


    The emperor listened to the sound that was slowly encroaching, and finally began to feel fear. Although he was surrounded by his personal guard, and the mercenary martial artists, he felt that his executioner had arrived.


    Siraya''s movements were chaotic, her steps unstable. She seemed to be gravely injured, but when everyone in the room saw her eyes, they trembled in fear. Her eyes were piercing, as clear as day. The monstrous hatred in them was enough to shatter the confidence of them all,but she didn''t intend to stand there and chat.


    Just like before, she rushed into the crowd, attacking relentlessly. Only defending against life threatening injuries. The emperor saw her being surrounded and watching the injuries increase, he started to feel a bit more at ease... Until he met her eyes.


    She was staring at him. Under the attacks of all of these people, her eyes had been locked on his from beginning to end. She slashed them apart while watching him. When the sword in her hand finally broke from overuse, she used her hands instead, but her eyes still never left his.

 Chapter 4

    He watched helplessly as the number of guards lessened under her ferocious attacks. She never winced, she didn''t flinch. She kept moving, as if she never felt pain. The emperor wondered if this woman was still human, but when he watched the last martial artist begging for mercy, whilst she tightened her hand around his neck; he knew that his time was almost up.


    Siraya snapped the neck of the crying man, annoyed by his constant blabbering. She stared at the emperor who seemed to have returned to calm. She sneered at this pompous hypocrite. Don''t think she didn''t notice his fear when she walked in, now he wants to play a brave man?


    She threw away the annoying man''s corpse, slowly approaching the emperor, who was trying to maintain his majesty.


    She didn''t ask any questions. Didn''t seem to want to know why her family were killed, which stunned the emperor. He expected her to be furious, to shout and scream, but she just looked at him with those same terrifying eyes. Her face was calm, almost indifferent, her actions were disorderly, but she still kept approaching.


    He was about to speak when her hand reached out and dislocated his jaw. A shocked groan came from his throat, interrupting the words he was just about to say.


    "Don''t speak" she said hoarsely, "If you speak, I''ll tear off your flesh, strip by strip".


    The emperor watched in horror as she bent down and picked up one of the weapons belonging to his guards, he heard her mumbling.


    "If I wasn''t so hurt, I''d have more time to play around with the little hypocrite. A shame, a shame".


    Without pause she grabbed his tongue, that was loosely flailing from his open mouth, and with a pull, it was laying limply in her hand. She tossed it away in disgust, the painful but muffled groans tried to escape the emperor''s mouth. Siraya chuckled at the embarrassment of the once powerful emperor.


    She didn''t stop, quickly cutting the tendons in his arms and legs, rendering the emperor into a crippled, crying mess. She dragged his limp body to the throne room, still mumbling as she went.


    "Since he likes the throne so much, let him become one with it".


    Looking up at the golden throne in front of her, she felt unspeakable disdain. It was this very chair that led to so much suffering throughout the ages. So many dead for the power that came from sitting in this chair. How many have died just trying to sit on it, died because of the decisions of those that had sat on it. Countless.


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    Disgust welled up at the thought. She threw the emperor onto the chair as if he was a rag doll. However she didn''t see anything that could be used to join the emperor to the throne, apart from her father''s broken sword, but she didn''t want to desecrate her family heirloom with the blood of the waste emperor. So she could only choose to turn the once revered throne into the emperors own personal coffin.


    The emperor watched helplessly as the monster in front of him started to bend the solid gold throne around him. He couldn''t move and he couldn''t speak, his eyes seemed to be begging for mercy, but they went unanswered.


    Luckily the throne was quite large, otherwise Siraya felt her plan might not work, but seeing the cocoon like throne, she felt a distorted pleasure. However she was worried that the emperor wouldn''t suffocate inside it before someone managed to save him, so she thought to drag it out of the throne room.


    In the centre of the palaces pathway. Where the ministers needed to pass to reach the throne room to discuss the matters of the country, and where the soldiers stood, awaiting his majesty''s blessings for war stood an ever burning crucible.


    It is believed that as long as the fire in the centre of the palace remains lit, the country will never perish. Siraya wants to know, will these ministers put out the fire to recover the corpse of the emperor, or let him be burned to ash by the flames of his own country''s prosperity.


    It''s a shame she won''t be around to see it. She lifted the mangled throne filled with a desperate emperor and threw it directly into the flames. She watched as the gold started to sizzle, slowly beginning to drip under the constant temperature of the burning flame. She didn''t know if it was her imagination, but she could''ve swore she could hear the emperor''s scream coming from the flames.


    A smile appeared on her blood covered face, showing a morbid insanity, that did not dissipate with the death of the main culprit of her family''s destruction. Siraya could hear the sound of the palace gates being hit by the soldiers outside. She admired the construction of those gates. It had taken her a long time to make her way through all the soldiers and guards in the palace, but they still hadn''t managed to break down the gates.


    She chose to escape from an unwatched corner, this time she didn''t care to kill any of the soldiers outside. She simply flashed into the night, returning to the forest nearby to bide her time and heal her injuries.


    When the palace gate was finally broken, the princes and ministers rushed in behind the soldiers. What they saw was the evidence of the massacre that had taken place shortly before. Looking at the corpses that led all the way to the emperors bedroom, the soldiers quickly rushed there. Many of the ministers behind couldn''t handle the sight in front of them, vomiting right onto the corpses under their feet, however they hand no choice but to listen to the squelching coming from under their shoes.


    When they arrived at the emperors bedroom, all they saw was more devastation. The prince''s and the ministers knew that these were the emperors most feared guards, yet just like the soldiers outside, it seemed as if a beast had torn them apart.


    They wondered if the emperor had managed to escape, but soon saw a lonely blood trail leading out of the bedroom and towards the throne room. Everyone seemed to look at each other, unanimously deciding to follow it.

 Chapter 5

    The large group tentatively followed the bloody trail towards the throne room. They all knew the direction, they stood there everyday, discussing the matters of the country. Now they were going there with complicated thoughts, they knew that the emperor might have faced a dire situation, and he may or may not be alive at the moment, but when they finally reached the throne room, they were horrified.


    The throne that once stood atop the high platform, a majestic chair that had seen the rise and falls of countless dynasties, was missing!


    The group couldn''t believe their eyes. Not only was the emperor still missing, but now the throne was gone too.


    The ministers looked amongst each other, their faces showing different meanings.


    The princes'' faces were dark. The throne acted as the object of power, which had always belonged to the royal family. Now that the throne was missing, isn''t this just attacking their pride?


    However, before they could think more, a sharp eyed minister exclaimed in shock.


    "What''s that in the crucible?"


    Everyone turned around to see a mangled object in the middle of the flame. A glimmer of gold made their hearts tremble. Without waiting for one another, they rushed towards the crucible.


    As they got closer they realised that it was the throne slowly melting in the middle of the flame. Everyone watched helplessly as the once great symbol of power slowly melted in front of their eyes, until a much more frightening sight interrupted their melancholy. A skeletal hand came into view after the gold around it melted.


    The sight of the bones made those princes and ministers think of a terrifying possibility. Without confirming it, the eldest prince ordered the soldiers to put out the flame and dig out the throne.


    The ministers disagreed immediately.


    "Your highness, that''s impossible. The flame is the proof of the continuation of our empire. It cannot be allowed to be extinguished".


    "The prosperity of the country goes in tandem with the flame. It must remain lit, if the country is to continue".


    The eldest prince felt great anger because of these old, pedantic ministers. He could only watch helplessly, as what was likely his father''s body burned up with the throne.


    The second prince thought about it, and voiced his opinion.


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    "Grab torches, and light them up using the flame in the crucible. Those flames will still come from the original flame. As long as there''s one torch that remains lit, the flame still exists".


    The ministers eyes lit up. The second prince is far more thoughtful than the eldest. However based on tradition, the eldest son must inherit the responsibilities of the father.


    The eldest prince listened to his brothers plan through gritted teeth. He didn''t miss how the ministers looked at his brother with a trace of regret. He knew his brother was more popular than him in the court, but as the eldest, he had his father''s support, which could be said to make the throne his. Now he has to think more. His brothers ambition may be hidden well at normal times, but how many people in the vortex of power, really have no intention for the top spot?


    The soldiers worked tirelessly, many carried the torches, and soon lit flames could be seen everywhere. Now they had time to put out the fire, looking at the melted and blackened gold throne, they hastily lifted it up and pulled it out of the crucible, placing it onto the ground.


    The prince immediately ordered the throne to be opened. So the soldiers had to bear the burning temperature of the golden throne, slowly opening up the once revered chair.


    The sight scared everyone present. The emperor was seated on the chair. Many parts of his had become bone, after the flesh and muscle had been melted away. The remaining skin was burnt black, but the most horrifying part was his face. He retained the movements before his death, his face was contorted, as if trying to scream because of the great pain he was in.


    Now the group had their answer. The emperor had been found, murdered in a gruesome way. They also had a decent guess about who committed this atrocious act.


    The last general of the Dren family was said to be the most talented martial artist that the country had ever seen. She was ruthless in battle, but she still had some humanity left when dealing with prisoners, and defeated armies. She was also said to be kind outside of battle, so this furthered the reputation of the Dren family.


    But this time, it doesn''t seem like she has any restraints that were there before. Gazing at the carnage all around them, they were well aware that the danger was not yet over.


    The ministers that colluded with the emperor to frame the Dren family were particularly frightened. They immediately bowed towards the eldest prince and spoke in a complimenting voice.


    "The country cannot be without a leader, even for a day. Your highness, please take your rightful position, and then deal with this demon who has slaughtered so many innocent people here tonight".


    The second Prince watched all this with a sneer. They wanted to use his brother as a sword to deal with that monster. They were obviously trying to draw her attention away from them, but in the end he didn''t speak, after all, he benefited either way.


    The eldest prince could guess the attitude of the ministers who begged him, but he was focused on the position he had longed for since he could remember.


    He quickly looked towards the group.


    "You''re right. I will temporarily take control of father''s position. When his funeral is finished, I will ascend to the throne" said the eldest prince majestically.


    If there wasn''t a grin that couldn''t be hidden on his face, the second prince probably believe that his brother was serious when mentioning this matter.


    He didn''t care whether his brother wanted to act out the part of a filial and loving son, he had more important matters to deal with. Preparations needed to be made. He didn''t believe that his good brother would let him live for the sake of old feelings.

 Chapter 6

    The news of what happened in the palace couldn''t be hidden. When the people of the capital heard how the last seed of the Dren family, a vastly victorious general managed to slaughter the emperor, along with his personal guard, and a small army, they couldn''t help but be speechless.


    "Is she human? How is that even possible?" said one of the listeners.


    The storyteller that was sitting in the inn, relaying the information he got said "You must be new here. Everyone in the capital knows that the last general of the Dren family has ungodly attainments in martial arts. Add onto that, the tactics and strategies she has had to learn since she could read, and it isn''t difficult to see what type of person that would create".


    "Then shouldn''t we be worried? Would she also attack us, since there was no real resistance from us when her family was put to death?" said the same man.


    This created an eerie silence in the inn. They had never thought about it. Although they weren''t willing to accept that the loyal Dren family could possibly collude with the enemy, or even want to rebel. But they didn''t actively stop the executions. After all, they''re just normal people, where would they dare to stand against the court?


    However, now they know that there is still one person left, and she has the ability to not only break into the capital, but she could still massacre all those soldiers in what was supposed to be the safest place in the world.


    While the people were deep in thought, the man quietly left the inn, a smirk on his face. He followed the path arranged, and came across a sneaky man.


    "Is it done?" said the sneaky man.


    "Of course. When have I not completed the task given to me?" said the man from the inn.


    The sneaky man quickly handed over the agreed payment, before leaving he still reminded the man viciously.


    "If you speak a word about this, you won''t want to know the consequences".


    The man rolled his eyes in his mind, but still put on a cowardly appearance.


    "Of course sir, I wouldn''t dare".


    The sneaky man felt relieved after seeing the timidity of the man, and happily left the place. If anyone happened to be following him, they would find that he entered the back-door of the mansions of one of the ministers that cooperated with the emperor to falsify charges against the Dren family. This was Arthur Ridge. A small minister that was working in the ministry of war. His only advantage was that he was very good at impersonating handwriting, which they used as evidence of the Dren family''s desire to rebel.


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    After the execution, many ministers that were loyal to the Dren family were either executed as well, or forced to resign. With his participation in the plan, Arthur found himself promoted to the head of the ministry of war. A position he would never have achieved with his own abilities.


    Arthur however, was quite scheming. He knew how to use public opinion to his advantage. He wanted the people of the country to condemn the actions of Siraya, and hope that by distracting her with the cruelty of public opinion, that she wouldn''t remember he was a part of the plan.


    ...


    Siraya was lying in the forest. Her wounds were roughly tended to. The armour had embedded itself into her skin under the constant blows, and the blood had long since congealed, making her into a frightening mess. Her breathing was harsh and uneven, it''s easy to see that Siraya''s injuries were much more severe than expected.


    She lay in the forest for days, her body suffering tremendous amounts of pain. Hunger and thirst making her already insane mind more delirious. Some of the scavenging rats in the forest couldn''t help but come check if she was dead. They heard her harsh breaths and were excited. Knowing that this meant the prey was seriously injured, they cautiously approached her. When they wanted to check if she was awake, a hand came at one of them as fast as light, before the rat even knew what happened to it, Siraya had crushed its skull. She looked at the rats carcass in her hands, and even though she was disgusted, she knew that if she didn''t eat or drink, she definitely wouldn''t make it through the night.


    Suppressing her revulsion, she gnawed on the raw rat carcass. The pungent taste and stringy texture made her retch multiple times, but she still managed to keep it down in the end, and where there was one, there would be another. Soon a pile of bones piled up next to her, luckily they seemed to have had an effect, and Siraya finally felt some energy had returned to her body.


    But just like before, after her injuries were somewhat taken care of, her mind relaxed, and the thoughts that had been suppressed, started to reappear. The thoughts of her family''s tragic deaths kept repeating in her mind. Tears streamed down her face, but she made no sound. Her eyes had lost their previous sobriety, only the tears could show that she was actually crying. The cruelty and madness started flashing in her eyes, getting deeper the longer she sat there.


    Time seemed to mean nothing to Siraya. She lurked in the forest, killing anything she came across. She seemed to have forgotten her previous disgust about eating raw meat. After tearing open the deer, she happily drank its blood, trying to quench the burning anger resounding through her body.


    However this proved to have the opposite effect. She madly tore at the deer, ripping off chunks of meat and stuffing them into her mouth. A thought kept popping into her mind.


    ''She needs to be stronger''.


    After leaving the horribly mangled carcass, she continued to journey into the forest, in search of more nutrients, to make her strength replenish faster. As she continued into the depths, a soft and melodious humming could be heard coming from between her blood stained lips.

 Chapter 7

    In the capital, a woman sat behind the desk in her study. Her face adorned by the pitiful light emitted from the candle, was enough to highlight her exquisite beauty. The man that was kneeling next to her, however, didn''t dare to raise his head for even a moment. For he knew, although she had a gentle and demure appearance, her heart was colder than the winds of winter.


    "Where is she?" the woman asked flatly.


    The man trembled for a moment before resigning himself to answer, "She fled into the woods outside the city. We didn''t dare to get too close, and only know that she has travelled farther in by the carcasses that she has left behind".


    "Did I not ask you to watch over her?" the woman still asked calmly.


    "The subordinate has failed the masters order. The subordinate should be punished", the man said through trembling teeth.


    "Go down and get it yourself" the woman ordered.


    With a flash the man had left the room. The woman put down the brush, looking down at the painting that had yet to dry. A handsome figure in armour, her lifelike resemblance showed just how much attention the woman used on this painting.


    The woman continued to stare at the painting, her cold eyes showing a tenderness towards the portrait, or more likely, the person in the portrait.


    The woman recovered from her daze and said lightly, "One".


    A shadowy figure appeared behind the woman, her voice hoarse and scratchy.


    "Yes, Master".


    "Go and guard the woods. If any suspicious people try to enter, then there''s no need to show mercy", the woman''s eyes returned to their previous coldness.


    "Yes" and with only the sound of the wind, the shadow disappeared.


    The woman rolled up the painting. Opening the secret compartment in the study, there lay countless scrolls. All were placed meticulously, and if they were to be opened, it would be evident that they were all portraits of the same person. After she had finished, the woman left the study and returned to her bedroom, the servants  kept their heads down and made themselves as quiet as possible, so as to not disturb the woman, for fear that their lives would be lost for doing so.


    The next morning the woman awoke. The early morning light that filtered through the curtains caressed the beautiful woman on the bed, but it still couldn''t stop the chill emanating from her. She looked at the roof, trying to shake off the drowsiness left from the night''s slumber.


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    After getting up, the servants outside shuttled in uniformly, their actions well practiced and without mistake. They helped the woman change and wash. Not a single unnecessary movement was made, and when they had finished, they left without delay.


    "Anne" the woman said.


    The maid named Anne, walked swiftly towards the woman, "Yes, Master?"


    "Prepare the carriage" the woman ordered.


    "As you order, Master" Anne said before leaving.


    The woman first ate breakfast before boarding the carriage. When the people of the capital saw which nobleman''s carriage was advancing up the street, they felt a sense of terror. Soon the street was divided into two sides, the people waiting didn''t dare to speak louder than a whisper. Their hearts were racing as they watched the luxurious carriage pass by.


    After watching the carriage disappear into the distance, the people breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Thank the heavens for mercy. I didn''t expect the princess to leave her mansion" said a middle aged man.


    "It''s probably for his majesty''s funeral. Otherwise I doubt she would even bother to show up" spoke another.


    The people of the capital knew that the princess would only be willing to attend the funeral to make sure that the emperor was really dead. It was no secret that the princess despised her father. When she turned fifteen, she took her right to a separate mansion, and moved out of the palace, only returning when it was compulsory.


    The princess''s hatred for the emperor was due to how he had treated her maternal family. Her mother was the daughter of a general. Not as powerful as the Dren family, but they could said to be second behind them.


    The emperor took her mother as his imperial concubine, and after a year in the harem, her mother finally gave birth to her. However the emperor has always been suspicious. Generals are always the first to be suspected. Her grandfather tried to prove his loyalty, handing back the soldier talisman, hoping that the emperor would spare his family, but to no avail.


    The princess''s maternal family didn''t suffer as badly as the Dren''s, but they were exiled in the end. Her mother was framed by the other concubines and was soon imprisoned in the cold palace, where all concubines who have committed crimes are sent.


    Her mother lost her mind in that place. The once proud general''s daughter, turned into a giggling, unkempt mess. The princess was born intelligent, she knew that her grandfather and her uncles had never had rebellious thoughts. They may not have been as devoted as the Dren''s, but they were unremittingly loyal to the emperor.


    But their loyalty was still tramped on by her father, now they are still living in dire straits at the border. Her mother had also taken her life, in a moment of sobriety. Leaving her alone to face all the concubines in the harem, and her siblings.


    Thankfully her grandfather left her his contacts, and his elite shadow guard. So even if she had lost the backing of her family, she wouldn''t be powerless. Otherwise her life would be worse than death by this point.


    It was because of her mother''s family that she could meet that person. Although it was a shock to find out she was a woman, but looking back on the time they spent together in childhood, she did notice some discrepancies. She did have some doubts, but by that time, she had already begun to have special feelings for the handsome Siraya. By the time she understood her feelings, Siraya had already followed her father to the battlefield. She could only see her a few times when she returned victorious.


    Siraya''s majestic and solemn figure drove her little heart mad. Even when her family fell, Siraya was their to comfort her, she promised to protect them on their way to the border, and she did exactly that. How could she not fall in love with such a person?

 Chapter 8

    After her family fell, she knew that she could no longer hide under their wings. So using her grandfathers contacts, and the shadow guard, she forged out her own power. Slowly taking over some inconspicuous positions. She didn''t dare to touch any power that her father couldn''t accept. She knew that even if she was his daughter, he could still ruthlessly dispose of her, if she crossed his bottom line.


    So unlike her brothers who fought for power both overtly and secretly, dipping their hands into both civil and military positions. She chose to start building an information network, one that could span throughout the entire empire, and the best place to gather information was naturally in brothels.


    Men have always been prideful and vain, add onto that their lustful nature, and it''s not hard for the prostitutes to entice them into revealing some sensitive information.


    Although it could be debated that she is benefiting off of the misery of her fellow women, the princess didn''t care. She was not a saint. Born into the royal family, their are few who are truly kind, and those that are, won''t live long anyway.


    But she still holds someone dearly in her heart, so she knows that she can''t be powerless, otherwise she''ll be used as a tool for someone else.


    Therefore after a few years of slowly building up her network, she also began to use the secrets acquired to benefit herself. She didn''t have any ambition towards the throne, and as long as those brothers of hers didn''t try to harm her interests, she was willing to live in peace.


    However the reason that the people of the capital are so frightened of her, is simply because if she is offended, she will never show mercy. Many times, some short sighted person wanted to take advantage of her embarrassing position, as a helpless princess to climb up the royal family. These people were small minded, believing that if they got her body, she would be forced to bow to them.


    Some of these people happened to be the lackeys of various brothers of hers, so without hesitation she showed the people of the capital what would happen if they dared to offend her.


    One of those people was the eldest son of the head minister of rites. The ministry of rites was in charge of most of the culture related events in the empire. Mainly for auspicious events that centred around the royal family, be it weddings or sacrifices, all of them were involved. With the superstitious nature of the people in the empire, the head of the ministry of rites could be said to hold considerable sway in the court.


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    His son however, was a licentious and idle waste. Using his father''s position to get away with many heinous crimes. Many of which were harassing innocent girls, causing them to either be sent to the nunnery, commit suicide, or to be killed off silently by their families, so as to save face. This wasn''t surprising since the reputation and innocence of a girl was said to be the most important thing to them. Knowing that her virginity had been taken by the son of a powerful minister, they could only dispose of the girl.


    It was such a scumbag that set his eyes on the Princess without a family backing. He thought just as before, as long as he ''did the deed'' first, then she could only obediently become his wife. Because even if she had no maternal family, she was still a direct princess, and their children would also have royal blood.


    He knew that he couldn''t simply break into the princess''s mansion, so he planned an opportunity at a gathering for the children of the court. When she was unprepared, he would have a maid drug her wine, and take her to a nearby room to rest, where he would enjoy the spoils. At least that''s what was supposed to happen.


    Unfortunately for the son of the ministry of rites, the princess was well aware of his plans, thanks tk him revealing it during his stay at the brothel. So when he saw that she left the Banquet early, he felt very regretful, deciding to formulate another plan to get his hands on her, not knowing that the consequences of his attempt would leave him no room to maneuver.


    Only a few days after that gathering, during the night, after playing in the brothel and choosing to enjoy the cool breeze of the night, followed by a few of his attendants, who had committed no less crimes than him. A group of people clad in black dragged them into a nearby alley, and began to torture them. Their muffled screams, and fearful begging were heard by the residents of the houses next to the alleyway, but the first rile of living in the capital, is to mind your own business. So the screams drew no attention, and the closest patrol seemed to have disappeared as well, leaving the group plenty of time to exact their torture.


    When dawn broke over the capital, the people were frightened by the sight they beheld. Outside of the mansion of the head minister of rites, the corpses of his eldest son, and his sons attendants were swaying gently from the early morning wind, their bodies hanging from the front gate were skinned perfectly, their eyes bulging in terror and their faces stuck in an expression as if experiencing excruciating pain.


    Their skins that had been carefully removed so as to preserve the appearance as much as possible, were worn on a few dogs chained in front of the mansion. The message sent was frighteningly clear. ''These men, were beasts in human skin''.


    This alarmed many of the ministers, and even the emperor was shocked by this event. He ordered an investigation, but found only countless crimes that had been committed. When the ministers in charge of investigating relayed the information they had found, even the head minister of rites couldn''t raise his head to ask for justice. After all, it could be said to be retribution, but the worst part of all of it was, there was too many potential suspects, but none seemed to have the power or ability, to complete such a complicated execution.

 Chapter 9

    After similar events continued to occur, suspicion naturally flowed towards the Princess, and even if the ministers complained to the emperor, without any definitive evidence, they could only swallow this dumb loss. However they all took something to heart, and that was, the Princess was not nearly as weak as everyone thought.


    Now everyone in the capital knows, if you offend the Princess, you will not die cleanly or painlessly.


    ...


    The carriage arrived outside the palace gates and the Princess disembarked according to the rules. She followed the eunuch towards the mourning hall and could hear the crying and weeping from her brothers and sisters. When she entered she swept her eyes over these siblings of hers, seeing them so deep in their acts, a sneer flashed on her face.


    She wasn''t going to bother to play this scene with them. She wasn''t afraid of what they would say, and many of them are now too busy trying to get as many benefits, to even deal with her.


    She looked at all the brothers in the room, greed and calculations flashing through their eyes. She could see that the capital would become a bloody storm in a short period of time. Her best bet was that her eldest brother would pave his way to the throne with the bones of all the brothers standing here today. Only her second brother had enough power to survive, and the rest weren''t bright enough to see the danger looming.


    She walked to the coffin and gazed upon her dear father''s remains, she was surprised they were willing to show his corpse. Burnt flesh could be seen on the visible skin, the makeup on his face was so thick to cover up his embarrassment, that it made his head look a size bigger. Unfortunately for them, his painful and frightened expression seemed to have been etched into his face.


    The princess looked down at the once proud emperor, and a tinge of pleasure crept along her spine.


    "My Siraya, ever powerful" she thought.


    After seeing the corpse, she didn''t bother wasting her time staying with these hypocrites. She walked out as gracefully as she entered. All the prince''s and princesses had witnessed her actions, but the princes were preoccupied, and the princesses knew her methods and dared not be her next victim.


    After leaving the palace, she returned to her mansion and sealed it off. She increased the amount of guards and hunkered down to watch the fun.


    She didn''t have to wait long, soon soldiers of different banners flooded into the capital, their were small groups, large forces, private and professional soldiers. There were even powerful martial artists mixed among the ranks. Night after night the shouts and shrieks could be heard. Footsteps always passing by, armour and weapons clanging. The smell of blood permeated the once prosperous capital.


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    Of course there were some people that wanted to take advantage of the chaos to earn some benefits for themselves. Thieves and bandits attacked some of the mansions that were poorly guarded or were too busy to defend themselves.


    The sounds of womens screams were added into the cacophony of noise in the capital. The Princess sat in her study indifferently. Some reckless people tried to attack the mansion, but her regular guards were more than enough to deal with them, their heads were cut off and put on pikes in front of the gate. A warning for any other rabble that dared to have untoward thoughts on the princess.


    After the chaos had ensued for weeks, the noise became less and less. Soldiers in strict formation could be heard passing by. The Princess knew that the winner had been decided. She sent a few of her shadow guards out to assess the situation, and the news brought back didn''t surprise her much.


    Her eldest brother was the victor. His maternal family was also a military commander, and held a force close to the capital, add to that the palace guard that the emperor had bestowed to him and it was hard for him to lose. However he didn''t win easily, the other princes were more cunning than the Princess thought.


    Although she knew they had private soldiers, she really didn''t expect such a large number between them, although it''s because she didn''t care much, but still she thought she should pay more attention to the information she was receiving.


    In the end, out of eleven brothers; excluding the eldest, nine of them rebelled. Seven of those were killed, the other two fled with what was left of their allies. The two that didn''t participate escaped the first moment they could. Among those two, was her second brother who was given the title of King, and a fief, by the emperor.


    He knew he was at a disadvantage, so he didn''t mind retreating at the moment. After all, his eldest brother wouldn''t come out of this unscathed, and he was right.


    The eldest prince wanted to kill the second prince. He felt that the second prince was his biggest threat, but he was also surprised by the intensity of the other princes attacks.


    After cleaning up, nearly two hundred thousand soldiers were killed collectively. Many of the ministers that colluded with the other princes either fled if they could, or were arrested and are awaiting trial. The lower level ministers were forced to endure the robbery and attacks of the bandits. Along with that were the female relatives who had been either kidnapped or defiled.


    The eldest prince was exhausted dealing with the aftermath of his ascension, but he had finally won. The matter of him becoming emperor was put on the agenda, and the positions that were left empty in the court were quickly filled up. He put those that he wanted in, but how many of them are truly loyal to him, remains to be seen.


    The princess enjoyed the news brought to her. There were no innocent people in the centre of power, she felt no sympathy for any of them. If they failed, it''s because they were too weak. What she was happiest about was simply, that her Siraya could be at ease for a while. However the Princess was very worried about her mentality. Based on her actions, the princess has guessed that Siraya might be on the verge of insanity.


    She hoped that Siraya could come back, and she would take care of her beloved General.

 Chapter 10

    The princess was not wrong to be worried. Siraya wondered into the depths of the forest, her head a mix of muddled and sober. She laughed and cried, screamed and shouted. Her voice scared off the birds and beasts around.


    She continued walking. She couldn''t find any source of sustenance. The animals were very sensitive, if her voice didn''t scare them, then her murderous aura definitely would. Her wounds hadn''t fully healed, and she was becoming angrier. With nowhere to vent, she could only mutter to herself in frustration.


    Siraya was being tortured by hunger and thirst. Her mind became more and more delirious. The pain from her injuries always there. She felt the pain was mocking her. Mocking her weakness, her incompetence. Rage continued to surge through her, causing her to tremble as she moved. Her eyes staring at the ground, filled with rage, seemingly trying to pierce the places she was staring at.


    However just as she was about to let out a roar, she heard voices in the distance. Although her sobriety was missing, her instincts were still there. She silenced her movements, and crept towards the sounds.


    When she looked through the shrubs, she saw a stronghold. Men came in and out, carrying in boxes. She didn''t care what was in the boxes, but she had a guess as to who these people were. When she saw the carriage with iron netting, and the trembling and sobbing women inside it, she was sure of her guess.


    She watched indifferently as the women were dragged out of the carriage, and into one of the houses. Some tried to resist and were beaten by the men on the spot, and some begged and pleaded but the men just laughed at their fear.


    Siraya knew that they should have food. She wanted to eat. She wondered if she should wait for night, there were probably only fifty or so bandits in the stronghold. "It wouldn''t take much effort" she told herself.


    She couldn''t help salivating at the thought of finally eating. Seeing as it was close enough to night, she simply climbed a dense tree nearby. Her eyes stayed on the group, the moment they began cooking, she would kill them.


    The bandits had made off with a large amount of treasure and women. They chose to hold a feast to celebrate, thinking of rewarding themselves for their success.


    So they split into two groups, some of them began cooking, while others went to enjoy the women they kidnapped. The cheers outside as they began to drink and barbecue, mixed with the screams of the women being humiliated inside made Siraya annoyed.


    She hated hearing these sounds. They pierced into her ears, testing her remaining sanity. She hoped that they could finish cooking quickly, because she needed somewhere to lose control.


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    Thankfully it seems someone was willing to answer her wish, she saw the barbecue that was being placed on the table. With so much food being placed on the table, she felt that she couldn''t wait any longer.


    The sun had just begun setting, when she flashed from the tree, appearing in front of the bandits. She didn''t wait for them to come to their senses, she had no weapon to use, so she simply tore them apart. It wasn''t until the third bandit was killed that the rest of them understood the situation, but it didn''t matter.


    Siraya was like the wind, even with all of the bandits outside attacking her, they couldn''t even touch a piece of her clothing. Their shouts alerted the ones inside that were enjoying themselves.


    They quickly pulled up their pants and ran outside, angry that they had been interrupted, but what awaited them was not their brothers fighting against others, but only corpses. Siraya continued to attack the ones that had just come out, pushing into the house and mercilessly executing every bandit she came across.


    After the last one was dealt with, she looked down at the women that were naked, covered in dirt, blood and other fluids. They stared at her in fear, but she couldn''t care less. She walked out of the house, her still tattered armour clanging as she walked. Her steps were calm and focused, and she headed straight for the food and drink.


    The women in the house looked at each other. Most were unwilling to get up, not wanting to incur even greater torture, but some brave ones still stood up and inched their way towards the door.


    They tentatively peered outside and the carnage they saw made them retch. It was more brutal than the corpses in front of them. They heard a munching sound coming from the middle of the stronghold and saw the person that killed all the bandits, standing in front of the table, eating voraciously.


    They were a little scared of the person, the way they ate was like a wild beast. Not even caring about the blood of the bandits that stained their hands.


    Siraya could feel the gazes on her, but she felt no threat from those women, so she just continued to ignore them, her hands not stopping as she ate. She felt that the dizziness that plagued her for so long was finally easing, and she had to admit, it felt like bliss.


    More of the women slowly became brave enough to wander towards the door. They stepped out of the house hesitantly, their eyes searching for any bandits still lurking around, but only saw the corpses strewn about, and the person in tattered armour, that hadn''t stopped eating from beginning to end.


    They teetered over, trying not to startle the person. When they arrived next to her, they saw Siraya''s eyes staring at them. The women shuddered but didn''t choose to flee, they had been hungry for many days, and after being tossed around by those bandits, they needed something to replenish their energy.


    They gathered around the table, and under the sharp eyes of the tattered soldier, they started to pick up some food with their hands. They saw that the soldier didn''t seem to care about them, and became more confident in eating as well.


    So a strange sight appeared in a bandit stronghold that night. A group of naked women and a blood covered soldier in tattered armour stood around a table eating with their hands, while torn apart corpses lay all around them.

 Chapter 11

    The sound of eating permeated the surrounding area. Siraya didn''t seem to care that the women were standing around her, she was completely focused on eating, but if she paid any attention to them, she''d be able to hear the intermittent sobbing that the women were trying to suppress. They ate with tears streaming down their faces. They couldn''t help it, they had been kidnapped from the capital. Some of them watched in horror as their families were slaughtered, others were abandoned by their families, while they ran ahead, and after that, they were forced to suffer unwarranted humiliation and beatings.


    How could they not want to cry? Their innocence was lost and they had nowhere to go back to. They snuck glimpses of the tattered soldier, but they knew this person probably wouldn''t give them a way to live. Just looking at the soldiers appearance, they couldn''t guess what they had been through.


    The facts were as they believed. After the tattered soldier finished eating, the women watched her about to leave. One of the braver ones that had tried to resist before, but was severely beaten tried to call out after the soldier.


    "E-Excuse me" she stuttered.


    Siraya turned around after hearing the voice. The look in her eyes terrified the women. Siraya''s eyes were like a rabid beast looking at its prey. Their didn''t seem to be any humanity left in those wild, piercing eyes. Seeing that gaze mixed with the darkness of night made the women tremble, not just from the cold. However the brave woman still mustered up the courage.


    "C-Can you p-please help us?" she said in a voice as light as a whisper.


    Siraya seemed to fall into a daze hearing the woman''s voice. In a rare moment of sobriety, she was forced to remember something her father had once said to her.


    "My daughter, there are only two creeds the Dren family lives by. One is loyalty to the emperor, and the second is to protect the people of our empire".


    Siraya had lived by those creeds her whole life. Until she lost everything, and killed her way through the palace, directly breaking the two creeds she had promised her father.


    She stared at the group of women. They were all shivering from the cold. Their bodies covered in bruises. The few that still had clothes, were little more than just rags hanging on them by this point.


    Siraya didn''t know what went through her mind. Perhaps it was the long lost words of her father, but she suddenly felt a desire to save this group of women. However she understood her limitations. These women were weak and powerless, and she had no ability to protect them all any more. However she knew that there were people following her. Although they kept their distance, she had felt their presence for a long time, ever since she entered the woods.


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    She could feel that they held no malice which is why in her bouts of insanity she could choose to ignore them. After all, these people might not be anywhere near as strong as her, but they were fast, and she didn''t have the energy to waste chasing them.


    She didn''t say a word to the women, but looked towards the darkened treeline.


    One who was watching from a distance felt a chill as those eyes fell on her. She had maintained a great distance from her target. The princess had ordered her to protect this person''s safety, but that look alone made her want to run.


    However one knew she couldn''t outrun this person so she resigned herself, and showed up in front of the group.


    Siraya looked at the woman who covered herself head to toe in black clothing, her hoarse and scratchy voice that hadn''t spoken any words more than a mumble for weeks, spat out a short sentence.


    "Help them".


    The words were hard to listen to, but concise enough that everyone present could understand them. One was particularly surprised by the generals willingness to intervene in this matter. She had watched her slowly succumb to madness, with small instances of sobriety, but this was the longest she had seen the general remain sane.


    After Siraya ordered the little tail that followed her, she seemed to feel herself losing control. She quickly forgot about these people, and disappeared into the night.


    One quickly ordered some of the other shadow guards to find clothes in the stronghold, then to take the women to one of the princess''s lesser known properties. She also sent one of the guards back to report the situation to the Princess, before she and the rest of the shadow guard followed the lingering bloody smell in the direction that Siraya had left.


    The shadow guard had just finished reporting the situation tk the Princess, and heard the princess say "Alright, go down and rest".


    The shadow guard saluted and disappeared from the room.


    The princess just heard the report that Siraya was sober enough to to order those pitiful women to be protected. The princess knew of the Dren family''s creeds. Siraya had always had unending respect for her own family. When she was young, before Siraya was take to the border, the two of them had many interactions.


    She remembered how Siraya used to pretend to be majestic in front of her, pledging that one day she would be a great general of the Dren family. That she would bring honour to her family.


    Remembering the innocent promise from the child back then, she felt her heart tightened in pain. She bent down to try and ease the sharp pain she felt. The memory of the little girl, and then the carnage that she reportedly created. Tears ran down the princess''s face. The person she loved lost everything she once cared about.


    Her dream was to bring honour to her family, but now there is no family left to bring honour to. Not only that, but her ideal to become a great general, has also been dashed. The fear and suspicion of her father, the greed of those ministers. She hated them. She hated that they destroyed the pride of the woman she loved. She hated how they can live normally, while her beloved is slowly losing her mind, with nothing but a tarnished reputation left.


    She wanted them dead. They took everything from Siraya, so, should she repay them?

 Chapter 12

    When the Princess first heard of her father''s death at the hands of Siraya, she was anxious about Siraya''s safety. When she knew that Siraya had escaped, her tumultuous heart managed to calm down, and all that was left, was bliss. She had wished for her father to die for many years, but she wasn''t strong enough to get rid of him, so she could only hide her disgust and hatred for him, in her heart.


    The princess sat down, the study was dimly lit which added to her melancholy. She always seemed to be like this. Sitting in silence, only the sound of the candle crackling slowly. It was at times like this that she could easily be brought into her chaotic and complicated thoughts.


    She looked out of the window, there were no stars visible. She guessed that it was going to rain tonight, her eyes slowly softened, and she whispered into the night


    "Good night, my love. Please stay safe".


    The rain fell mercilessly across the capital, as if it was trying to wash away all the happenings of the last few weeks. Siraya wasn''t spared either. She walked mindlessly through the dense forest, the rain soaking her by entering through the gaps between the foliage.


    One watched expressionlessly from a distance. The other shadow guards remained alert, but none of them seemed to be able to feel the incoming danger.


    Siraya felt something amiss. Her instincts were extremely sharp. Even without her martial arts, she could feel the presences closing in. They hid very well, she could tell the little tails behind her hadn''t found them, which surprised her.


    She knew who these shadow guards belonged to originally,and who''s hands they were in now. She didn''t expect there would be a stronger group than them.


    However she wasn''t worried, none of the people she had ever met were her match, but she still couldn''t repress the anger she felt. She came to this forest to try and calm herself down, but time and time again she was interrupted by others. She reluctantly acquiesced to the little tails, only because she knew who sent them. She may not like being followed, but even when she was at the mercy of her insanity, she still didn''t want to worry that person. It was an ingrained feeling, deeper than her pain, and her hatred.


    That person is the reason she didn''t choose to kill herself when she heard the news of the deaths of her family. She knew that person''s feelings for her, she couldn''t leave her alone and helpless. So she did her best to survive the injuries, but she just needed time to get better. If she can pass through these extremely negative feelings, she''ll go to see that person. After all, she also wants to be able to smile in front of that person, unlike her half broken self now.


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    The group that appeared this time was clearly not friendly. One, who was the strongest of the princess''s shadow guards finally felt something was wrong, and quickly called out


    "Be on guard"


    But the time was still too short, as soon as the words had left her lips, they were all entangled by the other group.


    Originally they would have outnumbered this group, but one sent a dozen of the shadow guards to escort the women back to the princess''s property, now they were evenly numbered, but it was clear that they were outmatched.


    The leader of the enemy group knew that the woman that spoke must be in charge, so he quickly attacked her. His martial arts were far superior, and he quickly overpowered her. The bloody smell in the air, mixed with the harsh rain made for a very uncomfortable mix.


    Siraya watched with cold indifference as the two groups attacked each other. The little tails were definitely no match for this group. The moves seemed too strong for shadow guards. She guessed that they were probably martial artists, decent ones at that.


    This surprised her. To have such a tacit understanding requires a lot of training. Casual martial artists couldn''t produce such an effect, so they must be from a sect.


    The martial sects are different from the casual martial artists. They have prided themselves on having nothing to do with the court. The two sides live in "peace and harmony". On the surface they don''t get involved with each other. Choosing to manage their own affairs, but what emperor would allow a militant group to go uncontrolled in his own empire?


    She guessed that this group was probably from a sect that was secretly controlled by the emperor. She also wondered why she hadn''t seen a group like this in the palace that night. The people she faced were definitely a rag tag group of casual martial artists.


    "Perhaps he didn''t have time to call them to his side by the time I arrived?" she thought absent-mindedly.


    Watching the head of the little tails suffering multiple injuries at the hands of the opponents leader, Siraya chose to step in.


    She knew that the head was probably that person''s strongest shadow guard, she couldn''t just let that persons right hand be cut off here. Without hesitation she attacked the leader, her speed seemed to surprise him, because he anxiously lifted up his sword to stop her hand, but Siraya didn''t stop, directly hitting the sword.


    The force launched the leader straight down into the ground. The sword that he had always been proud of showed long cracks in the pitiful light emitted by the moon, on this rainy night.


    Siraya didn''t let him catch his breath, she followed up with consecutive attacks. The man seemed to get increasingly flustered under Siraya''s attacks.


    He had heard that she was a genius martial artist, but he automatically assumed that meant, in terms of court standards, but he was terrified to find that he was wrong.


    More of his group managed to deal with the shadow guards and he quickly ordered them to support him. He didn''t believe that under the attacks of the whole group, with their skills, could this fallen general still survive.

 Chapter 13

    The leader''s beliefs weren''t wrong. After more of his group joined in to assist him, Siraya began to feel some pressure. She determined that this group was probably trained to hunt a stronger single target, using group tactics. She had seen that there individual abilities weren''t high for martial artists, but with their strict training and well founded trust, she was forced to endure the reopening of the injuries that had only healed recently.


    The more pain Siraya received, the angrier she became. Her movements started to become sloppy, which made the group surrounding her ecstatic. They had obviously thought she was at the end of her strength, not realising this was simply a prelude to her losing control; just as she did in the palace that night.


    They started to act more aggressively, new injuries continued to appear on the already wounded Siraya.


    One, who was forced to lean against a nearby tree, due to her serious injuries, watched anxiously as the person she was ordered to protect suffered blow after blow.


    The leader was about to deliver the final blow to the still figure in front of him, when a hand appeared right next to his face, grabbing the unlucky person that stood next to him in the formation.


    The cracking of the man''s skull could still be heard through his painful screams, directly forcing the rest of the group to return to their senses. The leader quickly ordered them to readjust the formation, and ignored the uneasiness he couldn''t help feeling.


    The group launched another, more severe attack on Siraya, but she still took it. The only difference was that at some point, she started to smile. This wasn''t a normal smile, in the dim light, it seemed incredibly malicious.


    She rushed at the formation carelessly, her speed getting faster as time went by. Her attacks were no longer focused on lethality, but more random. If she could catch a piece of one of the people in the group, she would tear it off without hesitation.


    This new method had already frightened the group. They weren''t like shadow guards, who were trained to die at their masters command. They were trained as martial artists, and subconsciously brought out the mentality of a martial artist.


    They didn''t mind retreating when they knew they couldn''t best their opponent, and that''s exactly what they tried to do.


    However Siraya seemed to feel insulted by their actions. She didn''t have a weapon on her, so she could only force herself into the group that was thinking of fleeing. Siraya attacked them ruthlessly, not sparing a single one.


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    The leader saw that she wasn''t willing to let them go, and he wasn''t someone who would just wait for death, so he chose to try and drag this monster down to hell with him. While Siraya was preoccupied with the last few people, he swung his sword down with all his strength, cutting straight down into her shoulder. However the blade did not cut through her like he thought it would, in fact it stopped no more than a few inches into her shoulder, not even managing to cut through her clavicle. Well, instead of saying it stopped, it''s more fitting to say; it was stopped.


    Siraya pinched the tip of the blade sticking out in front of her, with two fingers. The sword was rattling under the strength of the leader trying to continue to force it down. Unfortunately no matter how much strength he used, the sword wouldn''t budge. Siraya quickly spun around, the cracks that littered the blade had already grown to large after the man''s last ditch effort, and with little resistance, a snap was heard in the quiet forest.


    The leader was forced to look eye to eye with the monster in front of him. At that moment, he regretted his arrogance. Remembering how he promised the other members of the sect that he would easily deal with the lone female general, now he looked into the eyes of this maniac, and he knelt down, pleading.


    "Please, please spare my life. I swear I will never try to harm you again. I swear it on my life"


    Siraya watched the man begging, with infinite malice swirling around in her mind.


    "Killing him is too easy" a voice seemed to whisper in her mind.


    "Why don''t you make him truly fear you first?" another voice spoke.


    Siraya knew these voices were hers, but also not her. They had appeared when she hid in the forest on the way to the capital, and again when she was in the palace. She knew from the bottom of her heart, that these voices were not there to help her. In fact they wanted to drag her further into the abyss, and although she wanted to fight them off, she just couldn''t help but want to succumb to them.


    Under the momentary hesitation of Siraya, the man that was originally pleading noticed her daze, and without a hint of remorse on his face, he thrust the broken blade towards her throat.


    Siraya grabbed his hand and directly crushed it, not allowing the man to continue making noise, she used her other hand to rip out the man''s heart. The shock on his face, as he looked at his still beating heart, remained even after his body fell lifelessly to the ground.


    Siraya stood there, her arm still outstretched, holding the man''s heart. Her adrenaline finally dissipated and all that was left to her, was pain. The pain was much more severe than last time, and she almost dropped to the ground, wishing to writhe, believing that could ease her suffering. But the voices spoke again.


    "Our injuries are too serious. We need to recuperate" the voice tempted.


    "Nutrients are vital to our survival. How else will we avenge our family?" the temptations continued unabated in her mind. Her eyes still held the last struggle, and unwillingness.


    One, who was still trying to gain enough strength to stand up, could only watch in abject horror, as Siraya put the bleeding heart to her mouth, and began to tear chunks out of it.


    A single tear fell from Siraya''s eye. From that moment on, she had completely lost her humanity.

 Chapter 14

    As soon as one had regained enough energy, she rushed back to the capital. Her injuries were severe, but she was the only one that survived, and needed to report the matter to the Princess. Thinking of the general''s actions before she fled, a chill ran up her spine.


    Back at the princess''s mansion, one had just arrived. The princess looked at her calmly, waiting for her report.


    One dutifully reported


    "After the general left the stronghold, she continued further into the forest. She stopped and just stood there silently. We weren''t sure of the reason, but at that moment, a group appeared. They were equal to us in numbers, but their skills were far superior".


    The princess looked at one and spoke lightly.


    "Martial artists?"


    "It appears so, your highness. They quickly disposed of the other guards. The general attacked the leader, who was dealing with me, which led to her being besieged by the group.


    They worked in tacit understanding, most likely a hunting team that dealt with higher level martial artists. The general suffered grievous injuries in the process of dealing with them".


    When the Princess heard that Siraya was injured, her expression became stern.


    "To be able to injure her, would require a very well trained team. They''re probably part of a sect that has dealings with the court" she thought.


    One continued speaking, "At the end of the fight, she seemed to have lost her senses. She seemed to have been suffering a difficult choice, before she started to.... consume the remains of that group".


    The princess heard one''s words, and her brows furrowed. She didn''t know that Siraya had come to this point. Her heart ached with pain, remembering the vibrant and strong general in her memory, and picturing what she looked like now.


    The princess said" Alright, go down and heal your injuries".


    Seeing one leave, the princess''s always straight back couldn''t help but curve, and a faint sobbing could be heard coming from the study.


    Siraya feasted upon the corpses of the people she killed. Her mind had already begun to deteriorate under the pressure of her choice. When she finally felt satiated, she continued along her way. A sweet humming escaped from her lips. That person taught her the tune. A special tune just for the two of them. She continued humming it obsessively. Her face remained expressionless, but tears continued to flow out with the sound of her humming.


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    She knew she couldn''t go back now, she had done something inhumane. Not only would her ancestors be disappointed in her, but also that person,she is so beautiful, so intelligent, so graceful. How could she, a cannibalistic monster, be worthy to stand in the light with her?


    So her humming became imbued with sadness and despair. She didn''t stop, trying to trick herself into believing that they could still be close if she didn''t forget the song.


    She wandered through the forest for who knows how long. Waves of martial artists from the same place continued to attack her on the way. At first she suffered a bit against them, but as time went by, she could see their attacking patterns. It became easier to deal with them, and she wouldn''t stop using them as replenishment.


    Siraya was annoyed by the actions of these groups, so she chose to solve it directly from the source. She allowed one or two of them to escape, and followed them from a distance. Watching them run like headless chickens, until she reached the bottom of a mountain. Siraya knew that these martial sects liked to pretend to be mysterious, building their bases in places that were difficult to attack, but easy to defend.


    She focused on the movements of those two she allowed to escape. Their actions seemed careless and random, but she knew these were the moves needed to avoid the traps that were placed all over the mountain.


    She didn''t care much if they saw her. She followed behind them, imitating their movements. So when the two finally managed to escape back to their sect, they finally let down their guard, thinking they were safe. They wanted to rush to report back to the head of the sect, but smelled a very familiar scent. A rotten, bloody smell.


    Their eyes widened in horror, and just as they were about to turn around, Siraya appeared behind them, killing them instantly. The bodies of the two fell to the ground, which alerted the strongest members of the sect, with their extremely heightened senses.


    It didn''t take long for a bell to be heard, as many of the remaining members started to flood out of the buildings, and off the training grounds.


    Siraya never intended to speak to this group of people, so with the knowledge of their methods that she had learned, she rushed right into the group. Her actions lithe like a fish in water. Her slaughter went unimpeded.


    Siraya didn''t have any sense of morality. That had died off the day her family were executed, so when she saw the children that had been hidden by their masters, she only thought that one day they would grow up and hunt her down for her actions.


    Siraya hated troublesome things, so without hesitation she reached out to deal with these fledgling martial artists. Their screams didn''t affect her, nor did the fear they showed. She was never a saint, and now, she was no better than a demon.


    She used them to once again replenish her energy, and left without taking a single thing, and just like that. A decent sect fell overnight.


    When some of the members that were travelling outside returned, what they found was the gory remains of their comrades, their masters and their juniors. Not a single living person was found on the entire mountain.


    This news shocked the martial world. Many of the higher ranked sects sent people over to confirm the situation quickly. These people had seen horrible things before. In fact many of them had committed horrible deeds before, but never had they seen such barbarity, such disregard for morality. They admitted, they were truly frightened by the scene.

 Chapter 15

    Although the court and the martial sects have claimed to have nothing to do with each other, but how could that truly be possible,so the news quickly reached the ears of the highest ranked ministers, as well as the emperor.


    "HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? " the new emperor roared, looking at the eunuch who informed him; as if he wanted to eat him at that moment.


    The eunuch''s already bent back seemed to get even lower to the ground, however as he bowed down trembling, he still forced himself to repeat the words he had just spoke.


    "Your majesty, the spy reported that the Heavenly sect was massacred around three days ago. The only survivors were those that weren''t there at the time".


    The emperor, who had only just sat on the throne, lost an entire secretly cultivated force. No one knew that he was the one who had invested so much into the dying sect, helped it rise back into the ranks of a strong martial sect. He had used them to get rid of countless troublesome threats, many of which he feared because of their inhuman strength.


    He wasn''t an idiot. He had many ambitions to truly unify the empire, solely under his control, and the martial sects were one of them. He had spent over a decade dealing with the old hermits that trained in seclusion, as well as placing inconspicuous people among the ranks of many sects.


    He wanted to use the Heavenly sect to slowly take control, but now he hears that all his efforts in that direction have been wasted. How could he not be furious?


    The new emperor sat listlessly in his study, falling into a rare daze. He didn''t need to think about the culprit. He had sent a few waves towards the last remaining daughter of the Dren family. Her death brought too many benefits, and letting her live was always a thorn in his side.


    Firstly, she is far too powerful, individually. Such strength has already made him fearful. Secondly, the Dren family had many contacts, some were exiled, others quickly hunkered down in the officialdom, choosing to protect themselves, but they can still be used by her. The last is the Northern army. Although his father''s loyal general took up its command after the Dren family''s execution, but the army''s loyalty to the last Dren general is far deeper than they show. If given the chance to rise up and rebel with her, majority of the army would follow without hesitation.


    Now he lost the best weapon he can use to get rid of her, and she managed to do it herself.


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    "What sorcery did the Dren family use to create that infallible creature?" the new emperor sneered as he spoke.


    The eunuch that was still bowing on his hands and knees, dared not speak. He knew that the emperors words were rhetorical. He simply tried to make himself as ignorable as possible, hoping not to suffer the emperors ire.


    Of course if the emperor and the ministers heard the news, then the Princess could not be in the dark about the situation.


    The princess was busy adding the last strokes to the new painting. She had asked one to describe Siraya''s appearance, and although one wanted to embellish some parts; under the princess''s solemn gaze, she honestly explained.


    Now on the painting in front of her is a much different Siraya than she has ever known. She looked towards one who was standing beside her, asking her opinion about the likeness.


    One quickly replied "It''s about the same, your highness".


    The princess didn''t show any expression on her face, calmly saying "Well. Your injuries have yet to heal, go down and rest. There''s no important matters for the time being, so make sure that you''re fully healed before returning".


    One could only accept the princess''s proposal, flashing away at a much slower pace than normal.


    The princess looked down at the painting in front of her. Seeing the woman she loved, taking on such an appearance tormented her, like a burning knife gouging at her heart, over and over.


    How she wished to be by Siraya''s side, to hold her, to comfort her, to whisper in her ears that "everything was alright" and "I''ll always be there, as your personal shoulder to cry on".


    But she knew that if any of those ministers, or her "dear" brothers figured out their relationship, she could easily be used as a weakness for Siraya. She would never allow herself to become Siraya''s weakness, but the burning rage she felt was going to drive her mad.


    Her eyes at this time were surprisingly consistent with the haggard woman in the painting. She couldn''t let them go. Although she was weak in power, her network was not for nothing.


    So a new problem arose in the capital. Rumours spread out seemingly in all directions, yet the source could never seem to be found. The rumours were all about the ministers that involved themselves with the former emperors scheme against the Dren family.


    The princess didn''t think of having the common people deal with them, they were just the push she needed. Public opinion has always been extremely important, after all, when dissatisfaction reaches many people, they can be known to use extreme methods. So the court takes quite a bit effort to maintain the stability of the lower class.


    However it can also be used as a convenient tool in the hands of a political opponent, which is what the Princess wants. She spread some of the heinous crimes that those ministers'' families had committed, including kidnapping, rape, murder. It isn''t hard to find the crimes, after all, no one at their level is innocent.


    She knew that these were not enough to have other ministers move, so she discreetly sent evidence of the major crimes that the emperor couldn''t accept to the mansions of those who opposed the ministers.


    All she needed to do now, was sit back and watch both sides fight each other. She didn''t care who won, as long as they damaged each other''s foundations, it would be much easier to clean them up once and for all, at a later date.

 Chapter 16

    She didn''t have to wait long, just like vultures to a corpse, many of their political opponents began to condemn those ministers. They wouldn''t be stupid enough to hand in the information they received directly to the emperor, but that doesn''t mean it''s useless. If they make enough trouble, the emperor will have to order an investigation, then they just put their own people in the team, and relay the evidence they have to them. This type of thing happened many times, and they were all well versed in those methods.


    The princess watched with ruthless indifference as the capital that had just regained its peace, was thrown into another smoky situation, with the two opposing groups fighting overtly and secretly. News of crimes, and assassinations went hand in hand, and the newly ascended emperor watched with suppressed frustration as the ministers attacked each other, some of them were his own, which caused even more of a headache for him.


    He didn''t think for even a moment that it was his half sister whose palace was always silent, that manipulated these things. In fact he had already put his eyes on his escaped brothers. Mainly the second brother, who had successfully fled to his fief. Unfortunately he didn''t have the time to deal with that thorn, too much had gone wrong recently, and he needed to full control the capital at the very least.


    This led to Siraya who was one of the most wanted people in the empire, to be able to wander quite freely. It would be better if she was at all sober. She seemed to just decide to walk wherever her feet led her, which inevitably led her back to the border.


    She knew she couldn''t go back to what she was. She had no right to call herself a general any longer, so she chose to wander between the border, as if in this way, she could try and remember those relatives of hers that had given their lives to defend their empire.


    As the years went by she encountered many units that were either sent to attack or simply to scout, and time after time, their corpses were left half eaten and torn to pieces. The soldiers of the northern border have come across these sites many times in the last three years. At first they were terrified, but seeing that the person only targeted the enemy, they relaxed their guard and just reported the situation back to their commanding officer whenever they found it.


    Siraya had become less able to distinguish her thoughts in these years, living at the border like a mindless killing machine, only able to discern friend from foe. The armour hung on her haggard body loosely, the blood hardened over time, turning from red to black. The smell of rotting flesh was the greatest indicator of her presence, as she meandered her way through the path she had walked countless times. Surprisingly even though she had lost so much weight, her strength not only hadn''t declined, but she became exponentially stronger.


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    Her eyes remained as piercing as they were before, but an added hunger in them could make even the most fearless men tremble. She walked on aimlessly, until reaching a group of soldiers from the northern border. Seeing that they were from the empire, she intended to ignore them and continue past, until she heard one of them speak.


    "Did you hear the news?" one of them spoke.


    "You do this everytime, just say it, instead of pretending to be mysterious" another one said annoyed.


    The group laughed before the man who originally spoke continued, ignoring his annoyed comrade, "I heard that the eldest princess is about to get married".


    Siraya stopped in her tracks. She hadn''t heard that title in a long time.


    "Well she has passed the age of marriage. Isn''t she 19 years old this year?" another soldier asked.


    "Well who''s the husband? Probably some gentle scholar right? that''s what all those noble ladies like" the annoyed man said with disdain on his face.


    "I heard that he''s the son of the minister of war. Though I don''t know much about him" the original man said.


    "I''ve heard of him. I heard he''s an outright scumbag. He''s already taken dozens of concubines" a man chimed in.


    "How could the emperor allow his sister to marry someone like that?" the annoyed man scoffed.


    "Well they were born to different mothers after all, and I heard that their mothers didn''t get along well before they entered the palace" said the man who explained the identity of the princess''s fiance.


    "How unlucky is it for that princess? wait what''s that smell? " the annoyed man asked, the soldiers around him looked at him in horror.


    "No, not at me, behind me" he thought.


    He trembled as he turned around, coming face to face with a terrifying person covered in rotten blood. Before he could let out a scream, the blood covered figure spoke.


    "When is the marriage?" her voice was hoarse and scratchy, grating on the nerves of the soldiers.


    The man who brought it up tried to maintain a sense of normality as he spoke, "It''s said to be in two weeks, but I''m not certain".


    Siraya looked at the ground in front of the soldiers, pondering her thoughts. The soldiers sat as still as possible, before they saw that the figure came back to their senses, and disappeared. However the smell remained, letting them know they had just met the rumoured ''cannibal general''. They were recruited after the new general took over the northern border, so they only had fear for the previous general Dren, and seeing her was enough for them to have nightmares for a month.


    Siraya didn''t bother to pay attention to the group, or their feelings. She had already begun the journey back to the capital. Her speed was far greater than before, and even a horse wouldn''t be able to catch up with her. The only thought in her mind, was of ''that person'' and how she would soon be forced to marry some licentious waste. A long lost anger began to burn  through her body.

 Chapter 17

    The Princess had already received the edict about the marriage. She didn''t think much of it, after all that waste could be used as a shield to lessen the attention that was brought to her. As long as he knew his place, she didn''t mind sending some beautiful women over to satisfy him, but he has proven to be more of a nuisance than she believed.


    Time and time again he would show up at her mansion arrogantly, as if he owned the place, and the way he looked at her, as if she was his possession, made her want to string him up by his privates and hang him from the walls of her mansion, for all the capital to see.


    However now was not the time. Over the three years, the new emperor has become increasingly irritable. The two opposing parties involved more than anyone thought, and both sides were damaged irreparably. This battle of politics flowed throughout the empire, which forced the emperor to send out his own forces to quell the chaos. Now he desperately needed allies, and some of the high level ministers were recruited by selling off countless of his sisters, she just happened to be sent to marry the son of the minister of war.


    She hasn''t forgotten that the minister of war was the one that forged the letter of rebellion for the former emperor. However he had acted very low-key since taking the position which left her no chance to attack him.


    Her eyes darkened, she could barely accept having some man marry her, but she would never allow anyone to touch her, except for her Siraya. Seeing the fully exposed lust of that prodigal fiance, she knew that this marriage couldn''t go ahead.


    She had begun to think about how to kill off that waste without it coming back to her, but the emperor had been watching her carefully. Perhaps he had become suspicious of her actions, which made her have to hide her sharp claws, pretending to be a docile and obedient little princess.


    A week before the wedding was scheduled to be held, the princess was ''asked'' by the emperor to hold a Banquet for all the unmarried children of the ministers. This was a somewhat common tradition. A plausible method for having prospective couples meet each other discreetly.


    Of course men and women were separated, but they could still see ach other from where the two groups were stationed.


    The princess was expressionless, looking down at the young women that took peeks at the young men in the distance. Their cheeks blushing, showing off their submissive attitude. Although she was disgusted, she still remained indifferent on the surface.


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    She hadn''t figured out a way to get rid of the scumbag, and time was running out. At this point, her only choice was to just have her guards kill him on the wedding night, regardless of the consequence. Her thoughts weren''t shown on her face, so the people that attended the Banquet just saw the Princess sitting there, no look of happiness on her face.


    They all understood. Who would be happy to marry a lustful man with no merits. Some felt pity, some were mocking and the rest were indifferent to the fate of this princess, but the sister of the princess''s prodigal fiance was burning with anger. She had been raised arrogant just like her brother, and seeing the princess sitting there as if she was a monk, who didn''t care about mundane things, truly made her feel insufferable.


    She couldn''t stand the princess''s haughty look, and said in a fit of anger


    "Why do you sit there as if you''re wronged. You, an unfavoured princess, get to marry my brother, you should feel honoured" she shouted recklessly, with her hands on her hips.


    The princess cast a gaze at the ignorant girl who just spoke. Her eyes made the arrogant girl tremble, such chilling eyes, but soon she regained her strength.


    "Isn''t it just a useless princess with no family backing" she scolded herself in her mind.


    "What are you staring at me like that for? You should feel lucky you even have someone willing to marry you. If it weren''t for your status as a princess, you''d have no other value".


    The people around couldn''t help but be shocked by the stupidity of this girl. Regardless of if she has no family or not, but she is still a direct member of the royal family, and insulting her here, is a direct attack on the majesty of the royal family. Even if the emperor doesn''t care about this sister, for the sake of the royal family''s name, he must punish such impudence. The group quickly avoided the girl who had already sentenced herself.


    The princess didn''t bother to deal with fools, and chose to ignore her, when a personal maid came over to report something in her ear.


    The group below didn''t know what the maid had said, but they finally saw the indifferent princess show a gentle smile on her face.


    Siraya had managed to travel from the Northern border to the capital in just under a week. Seeing the long lines to get into the capital, she didn''t bother to line up, choosing to simply bypass the crowd.


    The smell on her body was so strong, that many of the people began to wretch from a distance, when they turned around to get angry at the person who smelled so rotten, they saw a terrifying figure.


    Over the years the name of the ''cannibal general'' has been spread throughout the empire. Her deeds have been turned into legends and myths by countless people, and seeing her now they all shut their mouths in fright.


    The bustling crowd in front of the gate became silent immediately, even the guards at the front gate just lowered their heads and let the woman in tattered armour pass without even thinking of stopping her.


    Siraya looked around at the capital, the place where she was born. Apart from the night she returned to attack the palace, she hadn''t been here during the day, since she was a child.

 Chapter 18

    Siraya didn''t care about the nervous eyes of those around her. She had only one purpose when coming to the capital today, and that was to finally meet ''that person''. She wandered through the commercial district, following her memory towards the princess''s mansion. Regardless of the screams and shrieks around her, she simply continued to walk, until she saw a carriage speeding down the street towards her.


    It was said that the minister of war had always been low-key since he came to the position, but after noticing the intentions of the emperor, the once cowardly minister seemed to be reborn. His arrogance no less than his children. He enjoyed having his coachmen rush down the street, and having the commoners not able to do anything except shut their mouths unwillingly.


    Of course he also started to get involved with merchants, taking bribes of money, treasures and women. He wasn''t afraid of any repercussions, after all, most of the ministers wooed by the emperor acted in the same fashion. With a princess as a soon to be bride, their family could be said to now be the relatives of the emperor, and their status sky-rocketed instantly.


    So he maintained his usual act of running the carriage down the street towards his mansion, before he heard the coachmen yell.


    "Get out of the way if you don''t want to die" before he grabbed out his whip.


    Siraya saw the carriage that was in her path, but she didn''t have any fear, in fact seeing the crest that belonged to the minister of war on it, she thought of ''that person'' s fiance.


    Seeing the arrogance of the person in the carriage, she could guess that none of the people of this family were decent human beings, so why should she be?


    She continued to walk steadily towards the approaching carriage, the horses could smell the blood on her and wanted to stop and turn around, but under the whip of the coachmen, they were forced to proceed forward.


    The coachmen had never seen such blatant people before, but it didn''t matter, it wasn''t the first time someone had been injured by him, so even though this person looked frightening, could they survive under the hooves of two horses?


    It turns out that the horses never even had the option of stepping on her, with a sharp slash of her hand to the outside of the horses head, the beast that weighed no less than a couple hundred kilograms was sent directly into the horse next to it, toppling them both over to the ground.


    The coachmen couldn''t steady himself and was thrown from the carriage at a high speed. Siraya didn''t care what happened to him, but the carriage itself rolled a few times down the street, throwing around the minister of war who was stuck inside.


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    Siraya began to walk towards the upturned carriage seeing the supposed minister of war crawling out of it, screaming in pain. As he dragged himself out of the carriage, the people around could see the blood dripping from his legs.


    The minister of war wanted to roar at these people to help him, but he heard footsteps approaching, turning his head he saw what could only be described as a ghostly soldier, he was about to yell at the person in front of him, but before he could, he was picked up by his jaw.


    Siraya looked at the man she was holding, a thin, wretched looking thing. His son would definitely be no better, without letting him speak, she crushed his face in full view of everyone. The screams that had stopped momentarily began again, from the fear of the monster holding the former minister of war''s corpse.


    She threw the corpse away, letting it hit the ground limply, before turning around and making her way towards the princess''s mansion once more.


    When she arrived outside, the guards that were stationed outside respectfully opened the door for her. She knew ''that person'' had known she was coming. She was always so intelligent.


    She made her way towards the Banquet under the guidance of the maids. They all showed respectful expressions towards her.


    The young men and women at the Banquet began to smell a rancid and rotten smell, they began to cover their mouths and noses, wondering what was making such an awful stench. But soon, to their horror, their question was answered.


    Seeing a group of maids entering through the gate, a figure stood much taller than them all. They were all families of ministers, so they quickly recognised the person, and fear began to fill their hearts. They quickly looked towards the Princess who was still sitting in her position, and saw her showing a gentle smile towards the visitor. This made their hearts sink even more.


    The princess stood up and walked towards the person she had longed for, the person who she hadn''t seen for many years. Seeing her haggard look, tears couldn''t help but well up in her eyes. She didn''t care in the slightest about the smell emanating from her beloved, she simply caressed Siraya''s face, before embracing her.


    "Finally" she thought, "Finally, you''re here by my side" and the tears she tried to hold back couldn''t help falling.


    The young men and women saw the two embracing, and wondered if they could leave this place alive. None of them expected the unfavoured princess to have a relationship with the cannibal General.


    The arrogant girl seemed to be as ignorant as ever, looking at the Princess who embraced the foul smelling person, she couldn''t help but yell.


    "Who are you? And how dare you touch my brothers fiancee"


    Siraya had been enjoying the embrace of the person in front of her, when she heard the girl speak.


    "Your brothers fiancee?" she asked, her voice harsh and scratchy.


    "Of course, since you know, then take your disgusting hands off her. Only my brother has the right to touch her" the girl puffed out her chest arrogantly.


    Siraya looked at the arrogant girl, and the last sentence made the anger that was trapped inside her, finally find a place to vent.


    She gently separated from the woman in her arms, walking over to the girl, and before the girl could speak, Siraya had already snapped her neck. Her lifeless body fell to the ground as Siraya confirmed the thought that "none of that family would be decent human beings".

 Chapter 19

    The young men and women recoiled in horror. Although they had heard of the ''cannibal general''s deeds, they believed it to be an exaggeration, but seeing the ignorant daughter of the minister of war laying lifeless in front of them, they only hoped that the Princess still had enough sense to control the monster embracing her.


    Time seemed to pass unbearably slow. The crowd stood like statues, watching the two women in front of them continuing to hold each other. However the Princess had no intention of taking care of them, the person she had longed for, is now standing in front of her. Where did she have the attention to spare for those irrelevant people?


    Siraya looked at the woman in front of her. She had grown more beautiful in the time they had been apart. Her features were more mature, mixed with a tinge of melancholy. She lowered her head and whispered into the woman''s ear.


    "Alia, I''m back".


    The princess was stunned. How long had it been since someone called her name? Years.


    Only Siraya would call her name. The others were either dead or exiled. It seemed so long, that if Siraya hadn''t spoken, she wouldn''t even remember she had a name.


    She looked at Siraya with nothing but tenderness, but regained her senses and saw the people still standing around the courtyard. She lost the expression on her face, before ordering


    "The Banquet is over. Leave".


    The men and women didn''t need to be told twice. Not even caring about the etiquette they had been taught to follow, they ran out as fast as their legs would carry them.


    The princess told the maids to clean up the mess, and gently pulled Siraya towards the bathhouse.


    Siraya let the princess drag her away. It didn''t matter where she took her, Siraya was willing to go.


    When entering the bathhouse, the princess didn''t let the maids follow in. She simply closed the door, and let Siraya stand still.


    She looked at the woman in front of her. The tattered armour that had been on too long, the blood that had dried for who knows how long.


    The princess started undressing Siraya, but noticed that in many places the clothes and armour seemed to be connected with her body. This made her heart ache even worse. She tried to gently tug at the armour, but she couldn''t bear it when she saw that the skin was being pulled together with it. She was afraid that Siraya would feel even more pain, and tears fell from her eyes because she saw Siraya''s face was as usual.


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    Siraya indeed didn''t think there was any problem. She saw that Alia was having trouble with the armour, so without hesitation, she tore the armour and the clothes off, as well as some of the skin that was connected to them.


    The princess let out a choked gasp, holding the parts that were now bleeding, whispering that it was "okay" , and "the pain would soon go away".


    Siraya didn''t care about that little pain, she just didn''t want to see Alia sad, so she quickly pecked her on the lips.


    The princess looked at Siraya in a daze, but soon realised that she had been kissed. A not so subtle blush appeared on the always cold face. She patted Siraya on the shoulder, telling her not to mess around.


    Siraya only smirked as a response. She walked over to Alia, and began to undress her. However she treated her far more gently than she did herself. Choosing to take each piece off, as if the woman underneath was the most delicate creation that had ever existed.


    When the two of them were both standing there naked, only the princess felt embarrassed. After all, Siraya was at least covered in blood, which hid some things, while she was completely exposed to her beloved''s eyes. She had no choice but to turn her back to Siraya, grabbing her hand and leading her towards the bath.


    When the two stepped down into the tiled bath, the water around Siraya had already begun to turn red. Deepening in colour the further the Princess dragged her in.


    When they had reached the centre of the bath, that had already come up to the Princess''s waist, she turned around to see the red trail following behind Siraya.


    She put her hands on Siraya''s shoulders and pushed her down lightly.


    Siraya followed her strength, and let herself be submerged in the water.


    The princess watched the water turn from a light red at first, to a red so dark that the water itself seemed to be blood. Thankfully as time went on, the bloody water slowly filtrated out through the drains, replacing it with clean and pure warm water.


    However she began to run her hands over Siraya, trying to help her wash off all the grime and dirt, but instead felt the unevenness of Siraya''s body. She quickly pulled the finally clean Siraya out of the water, only to see a sight that once again tortured her already depressed heart.


    Terrifying scars lined Siraya''s body. On the front and back, some even criss crossed over each other. Not even her face was spared. She didn''t think the scars made her beloved ugly, her sadness was only because of the pain that she would have had to go through to get them.


    Siraya saw Alia''s sadness, but just as she was about to speak, she felt a gentle touch on her face. She watched in a mix of both helplessness and pleasure as Alia began to kiss her scars.


    The princess traced each and every one with her lips, as if in this way, she could somehow reduce the pain Siraya felt from them.


    Siraya looked at her dearest Alia. She knew that the act wasn''t meant to be flirtatious, but her body began to be aroused by her beloved''s lingering touch. She tried her best to suppress the groan that tried to escape from her throat, but failed.


    The princess thought she had hurt Siraya, quickly looking up at her, but met the eyes that were filled with lust. The desire that she had repressed finally had a place to erupt, causing her to shudder in excitement.

 Chapter 20 (NSFW)

    The steam seemed to intensify as Siraya and Alia held each other. Their scorching breaths intertwined, and the sound of splashing water resounded throughout the large bath hall.


    Alia was the first to run out of air from the kiss, her entire body coated a rosy pink, whether from the heat of the water, or the kiss, only she knew.


    Siraya looked down at her beloved, her eyes showing a doting that didn''t match her terrifying appearance. Seeing that Alia was gradually becoming dizzy, Siraya gently picked her up and walked towards the door.


    She didn''t care about any clothes, walking straight into the adjoining bedroom.


    "Thankfully the maids were clever enough to wait outside", Alia thought to herself.


    Siraya walked to the large bed in the middle of the room, and placed Alia down ever so gently. She gazed upon the woman she had loved since she was young. From the tips of her toes that were curling up in embarrassment, all the way up to the hair that had spread out around her, outlining her picturesque beauty.


    Siraya couldn''t get enough, she stood there silently, the drops of water running down her body, her eyes bringing out a hunger much different from her usual expression.


    Alia felt like a fish on a chopping board in front of Siraya''s eyes, but she felt no fear, only nervousness, and perhaps a hint of anticipation.


    Siraya seemed to have finished admiring Alia''s body, choosing to slowly kneel onto the bed, slowly crawling to meet Alia, her body perfectly covering Alia below her.


    Alia''s heart was beating so quickly, she was afraid that the whole world could hear it, she looked at the gap between her and Siraya'' s body, no more than a rulers length, hoping Siraya would end this oh so sweet torture.


    She raised her eyes to look directly into Siraya''s, placing both hands on her lovers face, letting out a hoarse voice mixed with impatience, and pleading.


    "My Siraya, why do you wish to tease me?"


    Siraya was hooked by Alia''s enchanting voice, seeing that she really couldn''t wait any longer, Siraya no longer halted her actions.


    She bowed down reverently towards Alia, allowing their lips to finally embrace. The soft and supple feeling almost drove away her sanity. If the kiss in the bath was filled with the longing after a long absence, then this one was deeper, slower, as if they were exploring their most important treasure.


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    When the kiss ended, Alia laid there like a broken kite, her eyes glazed with water, a suspicious stream of liquid flowing from her bright red lips, down into her nape.


    Siraya couldn''t get enough of the sight below her, but she wanted to see Alia even more dazed, so the lips slowly passed down Alia''s mouth, towards her ultimate goal.


    Alia hadn''t realised what was happening until it was too late. When she came back to her senses, she felt a warm breath between her legs. She almost shot up from shock, but Siraya didn''t give her a chance to quibble.


    Just as devoutly as she kissed Alia, she gently ran her thumb along that delicate place, feeling the warmth that only she would ever know. She used her lips, her tongue, her very breath to bring as much pleasure to Alia as possible.


    Alia tried to stifle the moans that came to her throat. Her etiquette training wouldn''t allow her to make such vulgar sounds, but how could Siraya allow her to hide what she wanted to hear most.


    So the cherishing and tender touches, became more vigorous. Although Siraya hadn''t experienced these things before, but she was a very talented learner. Hearing where Alia tried to suppress her voice more, as well as where she began to writhe more to get away, Siraya showed a sly smirk, before she focused on those spots.


    "N-n-not there, Si-i-raya" Alia managed to squeeze out between her muffled moans.


    Alia didn''t know what this feeling was, she had heard from the older maids that had already married, that the first time was very painful, but she just felt incredibly strange. Like something slowly bubbling up, she was afraid of this unknown feeling, but unfortunately Siraya was set on letting her see this feeling through to the end.


    It didn''t take long for Alia to feel that she was reaching the climax of whatever this feeling was, her thighs had already clamped around Siraya''s head, gently thrusting her pelvis, trying not to end this new-found but unknown pleasure.


    After what seemed like an eternity, her body suddenly jerked, using her toes that dug into the bed to try to push herself even a tiny bit closer to Siraya''s tongue. Siraya seemed to understand what she wanted, and quickened her actions. A groan filled with contentment and joy sounded in the room.


    And just like that, the euphoric feeling seemed to have robbed Alia of all her strength, and the taut body fell limply down onto the dishevelled bedsheets below.


    Siraya stared at Alia obsessively, seeing her chest heaving, her eyes unfocused, she felt as if this was her lovers most arousing state.


    It took Alia a few minutes to recover from the experience just now, and when she looked down at Siraya, she saw her extremely strong gaze on her.  Not only that, but the lower part of her face was glistening with liquid. Alia couldn''t help but feel extremely embarrassed.


    "Didn''t Siraya know how to wipe such a thing clean" she gnashed her teeth.


    Siraya saw her beloved staring at her mouth with a hint of anger, probably understanding what she was upset about, a small grin appeared on her face.


    Just as Alia was about to grab a handkerchief to help Siraya wipe her face, she saw the devilish woman stick out her tongue, swiping it around her mouth. There was also that smug little grin on her face.


    Alia let out a shocked "Y-y-you... Shameless".


    Alia felt that she had broken her usual cold demeanour many times because of the handsome temptress in front of her.


    Siraya let out an amused laugh. She hadn''t felt joy like this in so long, and she thought to herself.


    "Only my Alia can make me this happy".

 Chapter 21

    Unfortunately all good things must come to an end. During the time that Siraya and Alia were "reuniting", the children of the various noble and official families had rushed back home. The carriages left so fast, it caused some havoc in the streets of the capital, but the news spread quickly; The cannibal general was in the capital!


    The news shocked the ruling class. Most of them thought she would have succumbed to her injuries somewhere they couldn''t see, while others were focused on a different point.


    The cannibal general seems to have a deep connection with the unfavored Princess. This revelation brought fear to some members of the royal family, especially the newly enthroned Emperor. He had ordered the sect under his control to kill this demon, but in the end it was that very sect that was found slaughtered. Now a week before the marriage of this sister, the biggest threat has returned to the capital and killed both the father and daughter of the minister of war''s family, leaving only the prodigal son, who is probably drunk in a brothel somewhere. It''s hard for him to believe that the cannibal general won''t be used by the princess to deal with him.


    Alia was a little worried about Siraya''s safety, so when she woke up and saw that the afternoon had already come, it''s no surprise to say she was shocked. Looking to her side, Siraya was no longer by her side. She quickly got up, ignoring the ache coming from her waist, and ran towards the door, directly bumping into Siraya who had just returned.


    "Where have you been?" Alia asked worriedly.


    Siraya answered "Went to have something to eat".


    Alia saw that Siraya was safe and let out a sigh of relief, but at that moment, a faint smell of blood wafted over.


    She looked at Siraya with a hint of inquiry "What did you eat?"


    Siraya''s eyes were filled with manic emotions, but she controlled herself to reply gently to Alia, "Your fiance".


    Alia had never seen Siraya''s mania, but she knew that behind the gentle way Siraya treated her, there was a terrible monster, but she didn''t fear this monster. She loved all of Siraya, the good and the bad. So she didn''t show disgust, nor did she reprimand her, which made Siraya''s almost manic emotions calm down.


    The two skipped past the conversation, and spent the remaining time peacefully. In fact the whole capital had a superficial sense of peace. No one questioned the deaths of the minister of war and his children. Even if the patrolling guards had found the half eaten corpse of the son, with a look of extreme terror encapsulated on his face.


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    Only the wife of the minister of war dared to speak out, but obviously her words fell on deaf ears. No one wanted to offend that vicious monster, she had abilities above common sense, and the Emperor himself hadn''t given an opinion, why would they jump out to do so first.


    So the strangest occurrence took place in the capital during that time. All the officials continued doing their duty, acquiescing to the fact that the cannibal general, the empires most feared criminal could live open and above board in the princess''s mansion.


    Siraya didn''t care what they were thinking. Alia had given her the list of officials that were involved in the framing of her family, and during this time she began to clean them up.


    When they realised what she was doing, they tried to incite the rest of the officials, but just like with the wife of the minister of war, the officials and even the Emperor pretended to be deaf.


    Screams of pain and fear rang out in the noble district night after night, and soon enough another mansion would be found slaughtered,from top to bottom, no living souls left.


    Alia wasn''t unaware of Siraya''s more and more vicious acts, she had already guessed that she had begun to lose control of herself again, but even if it broke her heart, she kept accepting the facts. She pushed some of her people into the positions left by Siraya''s revenge, hoping that when Siraya would eventually leave, she could protect herself, and no longer be Siraya''s burden.


    The time came when Siraya became less and less sober, she knew that she would never hurt her Alia, but she didn''t want her to see just how far she had fallen. Take it as her last selfishness, to maintain some semblance of dignity in front of her beloved.


    Siraya looked at Alia sitting on the bed reading, and walked over, quietly kneeling beside her, before she could speak, Alia''s voice appeared first.


    "Are you leaving?"


    Although it was a question, from Alia''s tone, it could be seen she already had an answer.


    "Yes, my love. I have to be on my way".


    Even if Alia was expecting it, the answer still sent a pain through her heart. The two of them shouldn''t have been like this. They should have married, going to the border where Siraya would defend the country, and she would take care of her brave general.


    Not like now, separated for long periods of time, only getting to see the other for a number of days, before having to leave again. One a terrifying criminal, and the other, a thorn in the side of the new Emperor. This shouldn''t have been their fate. How much she hated that the two of them were born with the identities they have, how much she hoped for a peaceful life with her lover. But she knew that was a luxury they''d never be blessed with. So with anguish in her heart, and tears in her eyes, she managed to let out a hoarse voice.


    "Go".


    The night Siraya left, all the nobles and officials received the news. Many were relieved, many angry. Some wanted to deal with the princess who clearly had an obscene relationship with the cannibal General. However many of them quickly hid that thought, the memory of the mansions in the last few days, a constant reminder to the ire of that monster. None dared to pull the tigers whiskers, the consequences were not something they could bare.