《Lanterns: SectBreaker》 Prologue: The Emperor鈥檚 Lanterns Prologue: The Emperor¡¯s Lanterns The Gravekeeper¡¯s candles, set atop crumbling tombstones, blew out in succession as he sprinted down a narrow corridor of the graveyard. He reached the end of his path, cornered by phantoms rising amidst the burial markers. For nearly a century he¡¯d blended in amongst the mortals of Kunlun City, assuming a variety of discrete, unremarkable identities. His latest had been a mistake, or perhaps it¡¯d just been poor luck. Regardless, it hardly mattered. Not while the night was out, and the town was asleep. The Gravekeeper was backed into the stone wall of a mausoleum dedicated to the Governor¡¯s lineage. Curse his eyes, the Gravekeeper thought. If he hadn¡¯t invited the Emperor¡¯s Lanterns, of all disagreeable bastards, it would¡¯ve been an ordinary night spent in bliss devouring the abandoned corpses of slum-dwellers, and maybe even the occasional nibble of noble sweet-meat¡ªthey never noticed pieces of their dear old patriarchs missing, more concerned with matters of inheritance. Desperation and fear were overcome by the Gravekeeper¡¯s rage. He¡¯d been doing everything right, feasting only upon the dead and hardly touching the living. Were the Heavens so cruel as to refuse even the lowliest of existences to the inhabitants of the night? His form twisted. His face turned ashen, eyes blood-shot. The joints of his bones jutted out at extreme angles, piercing through gray, scaled flesh. He screamed as razor-sharp talons pushed cracked nails from his fingertips. If I¡¯m going to die, the Gravekeeper thought, his pointed hat falling to the dirt, I¡¯ll drag these bastards to hell with me! The graveyard was completely silent. Nobody would hear the battle, not with the Lantern¡¯s paper talismans pasted all around the steel fencing of the cemetery. The product of accursed Sorcery from craven witches that had forsaken their own kind for the yoke of the Emperor. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The Gravekeeper heard his end calling. He¡¯d given up on reasoning with the Lantern long ago. Only a single thing made Lanterns smile; a dead demon. Even if that demon had spent an eternity languishing as a miserable being stuck between humanity and the night. The Gravekeeper roared with renewed fury. He¡¯d done everything right, and they weren¡¯t even willing to listen to him. Suilin had been right. Humanity was not deserved mercy, no recompense from the night, they were to be hunted, to be slaughtered, to be¡ª The ring of phantoms circled closer around the Gravekeeper, but kept their distance, their tortured voices melting into vague whispers. A faint whistle echoed through the night. He took one last look at the city skyline above the graveyard, committing the beautiful red buildings with curved tile eaves and the mono-rail lines weaving between them to memory. ¡°You put me through quite the chase,¡± a soft voice cut through the incessant whispering of the phantoms. ¡°To think, a corpse-eater was living under our noses this whole time. The capital has gone soft indeed.¡± The Lantern appeared from the shadows between two tombstones, a silver-brimmed bowler hat on his head, a Western-style coat hanging from his shoulders. He stood with a pistol pointed at the Gravekeeper. Within it would undoubtedly be a demon-slaying bullet. It usually only ever took one, and Lanterns were rumored to be wicked shots. ¡°Wait,¡± the Gravekeeper said. ¡°I- I can¡­ please. I¡¯ll just go. You¡¯ll never see me in the capital again.¡± He couldn¡¯t make out the Lantern¡¯s face, not while it was beneath the shadows of the moon-less night and the brim of his round hat, the distinguishing mark of a Lantern. But his piercing red eyes, the supposed eyes of a demon, were unmistakable. Hapless mothers told their children tales of demons to frighten them straight. Demons hunted mortal men since time immemorial. The Heavenly Laws demanded everything within its domain to return to eventual dust, but demons did not age, not in the human sense, and only grew stronger, their malice more potent, with the years. So, how did the Heavens right the balance between man and the night? The Gravekeeper stared down the cold, rifled barrel of the Lantern¡¯s pistol and found his answer in a blinding flash Chapter 1: The Orphanarium 1889, Red Court¡¯s Reign, Kunlun City Sparrow¡¯s Orphanarium ¡°You scared of a little mouse?¡± Castor Lin and Elroy Lin were up to their usual hijinks. They were chasing around one of the new girls with a dead mouse by the tail. For the two dunderheads¡ªit was what constituted entertainment around the Orphanarium. Fang Xin, or merely Xin to the rest of the orphans, watched from beneath the kitchen entrance¡¯s awning as the sun set over Kunlun City. He swept dust from the tiled ground of the Orphanarium¡¯s courtyard into a pan. The broom in his hands had seen far better days, and the straw bristles of the head were in dire need of replacing. Not that Madam Sparrow, the head of the Orphanarium, would fork over the pocket change required to do so. Luckily for the new girl, Madam Sparrow had evidently been drawn outside by the commotion, because a familiar shrill scream called for peace and order. Xin had learned through his many years in the Orphanarium that it was best to let the adults sort issues out between the children. It¡¯d taken Xin multiples black eyes, bruised knuckles, and swollen lips to learn the lesson. He was a stubborn orphan¡ªa trait they all desperately needed to make it through the misery of their daily life. The new girl would learn soon too, as they all had. A dead mouse was nothing compared to years of the same tasteless gruel and questionably dried jerky. ¡°Enough from you two!¡± Madam Sparrow shrieked, marching across the courtyard from the sliding doors to her personal room. ¡°Cease this foolishness at once! Do you boys have no decency whatsoever?¡± The twins stopped at once. The elder of the two, by approximately fifteen minutes, dropped the mouse and shuffled his feet in an attempt to hide it from view. But their fates were already sealed. The new girl, and rather dramatically, fell to her knees. Clearly, she was accustomed to a finer sort of living. Tears glistened at the corners of her doe eyes. Her pink robes didn¡¯t have any patches and even had a flower embroidered on the skirt. Xin didn¡¯t see her staying long before a hapless couple would come knocking. Pretty girls, especially orphans from the middle-strata of the city, rarely saw a full year in the Orpharium before adoption. For them, it was a bad dream, for Xin, it¡¯d been his entire life so far. Castor Lin, who¡¯d dropped the mouse, recognizable by the part in his hair, cringed under the verbal serenade of Madam Sparrow. Xin smirked. The twins were hardly friends of his, and they¡¯d often tormented him during their early years in the Orphanarium. But Xin¡¯s smugness didn¡¯t last long. Madam Sparrow soon inextricably turned her attention on Xin, pointing at him with a bony, gnarled finger. ¡°And you,¡± she hissed. ¡°You sat there watching this madness unfold? And you were showing so much improvement in behavior, Fang Xin. Is this how a child of mine behaves? Standing idly by while a maiden in distress is tormented at the hands of no-good scoundrels? It¡¯s time you start acting like an adult.¡± What she meant by adult was really only thirteen-years-of-age. It¡¯d been nearly three years since he first entered the Orphanarium. Practically a lifetime for a child. ¡°One can¡¯t expect to become an outstanding adult without finding the courage to do what¡¯s right when there¡¯s nothing but wrongness in the world,¡± Madam Sparrow dictated. Xin thought she kind of looked like a bird, with her hawk-ish nose and dark, beady eyes. It brought a smile to his lips. He quickly frowned, recalling an incident where his interference in a similar conflict was met with collective punishment for everyone involved, including, unsurprisingly enough, him. ¡°Sorry?¡± Xin offered, scratching his head. ¡°I¡¯ll do better next time.¡± The path of least resistance was often the right choice, a fact of life he¡¯d learned from the Orphanarium. And it could¡¯ve been worse. She could¡¯ve caned them all. Xin¡¯s fists, clenched at his sides, went unnoticed by Madam Sparrow. Memories of beatings were quick to sour his mood. He liked to think of his anger as a well-tuned construct, let out when necessary, and concealed when inconvenient. And currently, beneath the full fury and scrutiny of Madam Sparrow, his temper could not be allowed to bubble above the placid surface of a regretful orphan. ¡°You lot,¡± she said, redirecting her focus back on the twins, ¡°are to be punished by forgoing dinner for two nights. Perhaps that might teach you to bully your fellow students in place of finishing your chores.¡± The odd thing about Madam Sparrow was that she¡¯d never refer to the orphans as¡­ well, orphans. She¡¯d call them demon dogs, or ankle-biters, or students, or even children when approached in a good mood, but never orphans. Xin stared at the dust gathered in his pan, wondering if he could somehow inch his way inside the kitchen and be rid of the affair. But Madam Sparrow¡¯s narrowed eyes locked in on Xin like prey to a falcon. Faint scars were visible below her eyelids¡ªa telltale sign of flesh-weaving, and a rather poorly done operation at that. ¡°Your punishment is to assist the Priest in transcribing more of his¡­¡± Madam Sparrow said, her pale face, kept in a perpetual middle-age by flesh-weavers, wrinkled in distaste, ¡°¡­those awful tall tales of his.¡± Xin nodded hesitantly, striving his best to look as if Heavens themselves had just fallen on his shoulders. The punishment meant spending time away from the other orphans and the sun and in the library of the Priest. To Madam Sparrow, who looked upon all mentions of the supernatural as ill-fated, it was a punishment second only to a good-old-fashioned caning of the calves. ¡°And,¡± Madam Sparrow added, clearly enjoying watching Xin squirm, ¡°escort our little Rui on morning trips to the grocer. It hasn¡¯t been as safe lately,¡± She gestured to the new girl, whose tears had stopped flowing, but was now staring at Xin through a pair of wide, round eyes. ¡°Now, you are all dismissed.¡± The Twin Lins slunk back in the direction of the orphan¡¯s shared living quarters, grumbling under their breaths. It was a difficult thing to go without a warm meal, and the watery gruel provided in the mornings hardly sated a growing boy¡¯s appetite. Dinner was the only real source of comfort for many of the orphans. Xin made a mental note to save some scraps from his new morning grocery runs for the twins. He liked to think of it as a small protest against Madam Sparrow, one that wouldn¡¯t lead to a caning or abject expulsion from the Orphanarium. Seeing as there wasn¡¯t long before dinner, Xin approached the front of the Orphanarium¡¯s courtyard and walked through the doorway of the old tower. He was annoyed to see Rui follow after him, but decided against shooing her away. A new orphan would need friends, or at least people she could consider friends amongst the other children. Xin wasn¡¯t keen on getting close to her. Not while she was prime adoption material for any of the dozens of barren couples or occasional eccentric craftsmen looking to pass down their trade to an apprentice with no ties. He climbed up the ladder of the tower, the action as natural as walking on solid ground for him. A quick look over the raised loft at the top of the building revealed Rui, who was following him up the ladder, albeit pale, trembling, and at a snail¡¯s pace. For the moment, he ignored her, enjoying the peace of his sanctuary. The loft was his home, with a burlap sack in the corner that acted as his pillow when their shared living quarters grew too stuffy with the breathing of a dozen other children. Xin looked out over the broad window of the tower. The sprawling towers and buildings of Kunlun City spread out before him, broken up in halves by the Yellow Axis River that originated from the very peak of the city, the Palace. Centuries of human settlement had all but tamed the once mythical mountain range, the earth buried beneath miles of arched platforms and meandering promenades. In between platforms, towers with eaves roofs rose from the depths, breaking through the clouds along with the curved hulls of airships. The Orphanarium was situated at the outskirts of the city at the Base District. Around them, reality reared its ugly head. The long shadow of the tower fell across the grimey street across from their courtyard. Rusted constructs, metallic pack horses and mules, carted wagons full of stinking fish from the Shadowless Sea, which wrapped around the eastern side of Kunlun City, the Yellow Axis River feeding into its great watery mass. Xin often went down to the Outer Port and watched the seemingly infinite horizon for a certain ship. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± a girl¡¯s soft voice said behind Xin. Xin glanced behind to see Rui climbing over the ladder, staring in awe at the view of the city. He¡¯d shown some of the other orphans, but they thought the view dull and common. Why marvel over the city they¡¯d spent their entire lives within? Rui¡¯s gaze appreciated the expansive cityline before ending on Xin¡¯s face. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you do anything?¡± she asked, pouting. ¡°You just sat there and watched. That wasn¡¯t very gentlemanly of you.¡± Xin shrugged. ¡°You¡¯ve come to a strange place if you were expecting gentlemanly behavior,¡± he said, leaning against the window sill, one leg dangling from the edge. Rui breathed sharply at the sight, nervous. ¡°This is an Orphanarium. Not the Palace.¡± Rui looked off to the side, looking even more nervous. ¡°Be that as it may,¡± she said, scowling, ¡°it was the right thing to help me.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°By whose standard?¡± Xin asked, gazing over the street at an urchin being beaten by a hired tough with a truncheon. The tough left the urchin in the ditch, spitting on his eerily-still body. A pick-pocket who wasn¡¯t quite quick enough, Xin decided. ¡°They weren¡¯t hurting you, not in the usual way, at least. You¡¯re a girl, there was nothing to worry about.¡± Xin watched the shadow of the tower grow longer as day fell behind the Orphanarium. Move, Xin thought. Move you bastard. You¡¯ll die if you just lay there. ¡°We can always choose to be better,¡± Rui said, approaching the window. From her view, she wouldn¡¯t see the urchin or the filth. She¡¯d only see the distant city and its mechanical wonders and floating airships. ¡°My mother used to tell me that.¡± Xin saw the urchin twitch, first an arm, then his leg, before he crawled up out of the ditch, revealing the ill-gotten gains of his endeavor. He stuffed a money pouch into his dirty sleeve before shambling off. ¡°Don¡¯t bother if this is your way of getting me to watch out for you,¡± Xin said, swinging his leg back around from the window sill and rising from his perch, ¡°Madam Sparrow already made sure of it. Get some rest. It¡¯ll be a long day tomorrow.¡± Rui scoffed. ¡°It won¡¯t be a long-term arrangement,¡± she said. ¡°Rest assured, my guardians will be coming for me soon. You¡¯d be rewarded generously for making my time here as comfortable as possible. This is all some sort of mistake. I don¡¯t really belong here with people like you.¡± She paused, face turning rigid like a statue. ¡°No offense meant.¡± ¡°Dinner!¡± a woman¡¯s voice called from the now-dark courtyard. ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Xin said, taking one last long look out the window. A triple-ballooned airship descended from the heights of Kunlun City, heading in the direction of the horizon of the Shadowless Sea. He closed his eyes and prayed for a safe voyage. With the airship, went a part of Xin across the never-ending ocean. Within the dining hall, Madam Shrew, a quiet, mousey woman who carried herself with an almost prey-like energy, sat adjacent to Madam Sparrow, who, like usual, was at the head of the long, wooden dining table. Set upon it were platters of fried pork fritters and a pot of watery gruel. When Xin and Rui entered the hall and made their way to their respective seats, Madam Sparrow glowered at the two. She wasn¡¯t fond of tardiness to say the least. Noticeably, three seats were noticeably empty throughout the duration of dinner. The dozen or so children sitting around the table hardly cared. It only meant more for them. Xin could imagine the siblings, stewing in their bunks in the living quarters, devising the next plan to discreetly give Madam Sparrow her comeuppance. The last chair belonged to the Priest. He was an oddity of a man, a foreigner, strangely enough, who was more interested in chronicling folk stories than eating or helping out with any of the many chores around the Orphanarium. Still, Xin had seen him provide Madam Sparrow with ample silver for his lodging, so he figured the foreigner was more than exempt from the usual duties. When the last of dinner was divided up between the orphans, Madam Sparrow rose from her seat, signaling for everyone¡¯s attention with the usual scowl. Xin leaned forward, interested. It wasn¡¯t often the aging director addressed the whole of the Orphanarium. She liked to corner her prey while they were alone and most vulnerable. ¡°The Heavens have blessed us with another full meal,¡± she said, clapping her hands together in a show of reverence. Adjacently, Madam Shrew appeared miffed. She¡¯d cooked the entire meal alone. ¡°I would like to discuss a few matters before we adjourn for the night, my young students. I¡¯m sure many of you have noticed that guests have been coming and going from our courtyard these last few days. We are overjoyed to announce that in two days, several established and esteemed figures from Kunlun City are visiting to seek out new apprentices for their various and respectable trades.¡± Xin sat up in his chair, intrigued. He quickly cut the chaff from the wheat of Madam Sparrow¡¯s announcement, the components of his mind working at a mad dog¡¯s pace to comprehend the news. ¡°I expect everyone to remain on their best behavior,¡± Madam Sparrow said, singling out Xin, her nose centered pointedly on him. ¡°You all understand that the most prosperous path from our halls is to acquire the foundations of a respectable trade.¡± She turned toward the right half of the table, occupied exclusively by girls. ¡°And perhaps some of the visitors might have sons that need marrying. Everyone will carry on as befitting of their roles. Are we clear?¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes widened with the possibility of an apprenticeship¡­ or a husband of respectable origins. Xin¡¯s future, which he¡¯d never particularly looked forward to, suddenly seemed so much brighter. If an established merchant with a fleet of ships took notice of him, perhaps he could work his way up to a voyage across the Shadowless Sea. ¡°Now,¡± Madam Sparrow said, waving the orphans away, ¡°everyone go about their evening duties.¡± Chairs scraped as some of the children gathered dishes in their arms to the soaking trough pushed up beside the door to the kitchen. The rest headed out of the hall and into the courtyard, yawing into their hands. ¡°Xin,¡± Madam Sparrow said, freezing Xin in his tracks. He turned toward her, just short of the door to the courtyard. He could feel the evening breeze on the back of his unruly mop of dark hair. ¡°I believe I mentioned to you about the Priest requiring a child with keen eyes this morning. Go on and help him, won¡¯t you?¡± Xin sighed. It would mean working late into the night and still getting up early to help Rui with her chores. ¡°Understood,¡± he said, smiling. ¡°I¡¯ll get right on it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good child,¡± Madam Sparrow said with approval. When orphans acquiesced to her will, it was a sign her dutiful preaching was making headway in fixing the attitudes of the disparate, left-over children of Kunlun City. ¡°Well, go on now.¡± Xin left the dining hall and parted ways with the stream of sleepy children, heading toward the Priest¡¯s living quarters which also doubled as his personal library. He let himself through the sliding door. The Priest sat at a wooden desk, a metal owl perched atop a stand at one end. He was a foreigner to Kunlun City, and the Restored Dynasty altogether. His eyes were bright-green, a rare shade even amongst Alteronians. A lantern dangling from the low-hanging ceiling cast a fiery orange glow across the Priest¡¯s quarters. He wore a Western-style shirt from a distant island known as Alteron. His stiff collar was left open just enough to reveal a hint of a storm of tattooed dragons across his broad chest. Despite his holy occupation, he looked more like a soldier than a real priest, having first entered the Orphanarium with a pistol and Western sabre at his hips. All for my own protection, he¡¯d declared, from the unholy forces of the night, my dears. Usually, he wore a peaked, tricorn cap over his dark curly locks, but when inside and poring over old documents, he wore it tied back in a loose ponytail. ¡°Ah,¡± the Priest said, finally noticing Xin, who shuffled awkwardly in place. He spoke in heavily accented yet shockingly passable Dynastic Speech. ¡°Madam Sparrow picked well. You were exactly who I had in mind for this job.¡± Xin stopped himself from swelling up with pride. He was supposed to be annoyed. His job would likely take all night. ¡°How can I assist?¡± Xin asked. He could already imagine the pages of Dynastic Scrawl he¡¯d have to transcribe by hand. It made him wish the Priest would just buy one of the new typing constructs popular back in his homeland. ¡°Madam Sparrow wasn¡¯t very specific with what I was to do. And I¡¯m nowhere near scholarly fluency.¡± ¡°Your task won¡¯t take long,¡± the Priest replied with a wink. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to distract you from your date tomorrow morning.¡± Xin frowned. How did the Priest even know about that? The owl construct, its feathers cast from bronze and its circular faceplate deafening the sound of clicking gears, stared at Xin curiously, head cocked. Xin found his answer. The owl was a third-strata construct at least. The complexity of its Scripting, not to mention the cost of the Mechaniks, the physical components that made up the bird, would have cost a small fortune. Certainly an odd choice of companion for a supposed holy man of the rather self-sacrificing religion of the Alteronians. They were said to prefer the tried-and-true certainty of Sorcery and Scripting to that of the new rising field of Mechaniks. Tiny blots of dark-green fire flickered behind the sockets of the owl¡¯s eyes. Its wings flapped uselessly at its side, beak pointed toward the Priest. The imprint of a spirit had been burned into the Scripting etched into the inner workings through Sorcery. In tandem, they worked to constitute a complex system of commands and prompts. Xin hated everything about them. Something felt off about constructs. And the Priest felt just as strange and foreign. Xin looked at his dirt-covered shoes guiltily. The Priest had always been good to him. It wasn¡¯t fair to take his annoyance out on the itinerant scholar and holyman. Even if he used constructs. ¡°I¡¯m correct in my assumption you have an understanding of Pre-Court Scrawl?¡± the Priest asked stiffly. Casual language still escaped his grasp, though he¡¯d grown exponentially more proficient since wandering into Kunlun about half a year ago. ¡°How is this? It¡¯s not often you run into a literate orphan, much less one versed in the delightfully complex script of the Old Dynasty. Tell me your remarkable story, child.¡± Xin blushed beneath the praise. It wasn¡¯t often he was praised for something that extended to his mental faculties. ¡°It¡¯s hardly amazing. I was a merchant¡¯s boy,¡± he explained. ¡°I only got a year of proper tutoring by an old state-scholar before he¡­¡± He shook his head of the unthinkable memories. ¡°I only know some of the basic characters, sir.¡± ¡°Perfect,¡± the Priest said. He held up a wooden slate with characters in Pre-Court Scrawl transcribed rather clumsily. It was a flowing, miniature detail oriented type of written language, and one long abandoned for the more modern and simpler Dynastic Scrawl. ¡°Could you tell me what this means?¡± Xin read the top character as Death. His eyes followed the flowing curves of the lines down the wooden surface, which sat atop the desk beside a series of other slabs. The character directly below Death read Celebration. He explained his findings to the bemusement of the Priest. ¡°A celebration of death?¡± the Priest asked, a single point, bushy eyebrow drawn up in puzzlement. ¡°Is this referencing an execution? The death of a reviled figure perhaps?¡± Xin shook his head. ¡°It would just mean funeral,¡± he replied. ¡°If we were to translate it into Dynastic Scrawl, sir.¡± The Priest nodded. ¡°I see,¡± he said, rubbing at the stubble on his chin. Unlike the Dynastic Shamans, he hardly ever shaved. Apparently, the Alteronian version of Heaven didn¡¯t call for their holymen to maintain proper grooming, at least not by the Dynastic standards. ¡°Thank you, Xin. ¡°And lastly.¡± He pointed toward the wooden slab beside the first one. ¡°Can you read this?¡± ¡°Piper,¡± Xin replied. ¡°Funeral piper. They were court-appointed musicians that played during the funeral ceremonies of high-ranking officials. Some of the lesser dynasties south of our borders may still have them.¡± Xin had studied the customs of neighboring regions under his father¡¯s watchful eye. It was valuable knowledge for a merchant, one that could prove the difference between sealing a profitable deal or losing a contract to cultural ignorance. The Priest stared at the slabs, grave. ¡°This has been most enlightening, young Xin,¡± he said, dipping his quill into the inkwell. ¡°You are dismissed for the evening. I suggest you be most vigilant on your errand tomorrow. I expect you¡¯ll be here tomorrow evening?¡± Xin¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. He¡¯d expected his duties to the Priest to at least take up half the night. ¡°Thank you,¡± he sputtered, inching toward the door back to the courtyard, nearly tripping over a stack of dusty tomes on his way. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in the evening, sir.¡± The Priest merely grunted, returning to his work, the nib of his squill scribbling away on parchment paper by lantern-light. Xin stopped for a moment, wondering if the Priest would answer some of his questions about the world beyond the borders of the Restored Dynasty. But out of fear of the Priest changing his mind about the necessity of Xin¡¯s presence, he slipped out from his quarters, heading home to his tower underneath a star-lit night. Chapter 2: The Ratwalk Chapter 2: The Ratwalk Fifteen continuous minutes of the dull clangs of the Kunlun¡¯s bells weren¡¯t enough to wake Xin, but a bar of sunlight falling over his closed eyes usually did the trick. The light snuck into the tower through the round window of his loft and banished the blissful shadows. Xin raised his head from his burlap pillow, wiping blearily at his eyes. Beyond the window, the city was winding up into motion. Shopkeepers threw open their shutters, palanquin constructs with spidery legs rumbled along the mud-soaked street outside the Orphanarium, and in a turn unusual for such an unremarkable region of the city, the Hellhounds were out and about. They were sixth-strata constructs with systems so intricate and dense they made most of the Base District¡¯s regular constructs look practically primitive in comparison. When a construct approached the sixth-strata, they could mimic, or more aptly put, emulate human intelligence. Xin saw the blazing eyes of harvested fire spirits within the dark sockets of triangular, wolf-shaped skulls, their lean steel frames alert and snarling at the feet of the Brocade Guardsmen robed in red, the current colors of the Red Court, which had wrenched control from the Yellow Court a decade ago in a bloody struggle. Xin frowned. At least the streets would be safer with the Hellhounds about. He wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the usual pickpockets or thugs. Not that two orphans running errands for the Orphanarium attracted much intrigue in the first place. Their burdens were usually sacks of stale vegetables or the worthless parts of nearly-bad meat. Hardly bounties worth running afoul of the Civil Force for. Still, it was odd to see such a distinguished unit of the Red Emperor so far from the Crown District of Kunlun City, the region housing the Palace of Four Directions. It was the seat of his power, and the center of the Restored Dynasty. Xin climbed down the ladder, ruminating over the scant political theory he¡¯d been taught before his life took a turn for the worse. It was difficult to pull details, specifically political know-how, from such early years of his life, most of it existing in a fugue state. Regardless, he had groceries to buy. Rui met him at the main entrance of the Orphanarium¡¯s walled courtyard. She frowned, turning her nose up at Xin¡¯s crumpled robes and perpetually messy bed-head. Rui was dressed in a new set of pink robes that were slightly faded with age, causing Xin to ponder just how many she owned. He personally only owned a single pair of trousers and a patchwork shirt, with a few different jackets to cycle depending on the weather throughout the week. They left the Orphanarium and headed up the street toward the more busier sections of Kunlun City. Xin made sure to give the patrolling Hellhounds and their sneering handlers a wide berth. Evidently, the Brocade Guardsmen didn¡¯t think highly of their new patrol routes. They patrolled in pairs with rifles slung over their shoulders and sabres hung from their hips, stifling yawns into their gloved hands. The fronts of their tunics, true to their namesake, were embossed with all manner of stately beasts such as dragons and lions. Xin figured each of the tunics were individualized to the wearer because not one was alike to the other. Rui stared at the Brocade Guardsmen with suspicion. Apparently, she wasn¡¯t as trusting of the Red Emperor¡¯s private force either. Eventually, the street merged with the Governing Channel, the main thoroughfare that wound its way up through the city to the Crown District. Kunlun was divided into several strata, with wealth and influence accumulating the higher one climbed. Their destination wasn¡¯t the Crown District, however. They were headed to Commerce Row, located near the middle-strata of the city. It would¡¯ve taken a full day to walk up there, navigating between different promenades and platforms, but luckily, there was a mono-rail station at the Lower Passes, the district beneath Commerce Row. The mono-rail, which the citizens had affectionately named the Turtleshell, spanned the length and width of the city, from the Lower Passes to the Crown District. The ovoid cars, shaped like the shell of a turtle, hung from elevated tracks. Their bodies were intricately crafted latticework panels, shielding the clicking gears and golden script that powered them. Each car was steered by a unique humanoid construct, giving each one its distinct character. Xin and Rui had boarded the Hawk. Though each specific car had their unique artistic variations, all shared an open-air floor plan with two decks, save the enclosed central compartments that housed the construct¡¯s helm room and more ratcheting gears. Xin went up to the second deck, taking a seat on one of the paired long, narrow benches, their wooden backrests aligned away from each other. A single bead of sweat traced down the side of his face. Summers in Kunlun City were known for their sweltering days and frigid nights. Rui stood by the railings of the deck, watching the expansive city below with an awe-struck expression. When she kept her mouth shut, she was almost pretty, her light brown hair gathered in two neat buns at the side of her head. Xin stared at her, bemused. Before long, their car hung precariously over the Falls, the official border between the Lower Passes and Commerce Row. The working class toiled in Commerce Row by day, then descended back down the Falls at night, returning to their modest dwellings in the Lower Passes. The Falls was given its name because of the Yellow Axis River, specifically how it splintered into a sprawling delta around Commerce Row, the waters then lazily winding through a dozen smaller districts. Eventually, the rivers fell¡ªsome small trickles down rusted support arches, others waterfalls vast enough to dominate the entirety of a man¡¯s gaze¡ªall tumbling to the Lower Passes of Kunlun City. It was difficult to tell where the Falls ended and the Lower Passes began. To many, they were synonymous. One thing was for certain, however. While the waters of the river may have left the Crown District clear and pristine, by the time they reached the lower stratas of the city, they were dark and murky with the pollution of industry. The lower stratas of Kunlun City were used to it. They adapted however they could, finding solace in the unlikeliest of places. People built homes and businesses into the rock faces behind the waterfalls, entire communities forming around the Falls that catered to the seedy interests of both the working class and the Crownfolk. But those reaches of the city were no place for children, much less two orphans on a grocery run. The mono-rail car let them out on Union Station in the Commerce District. Rui marveled at the scope of the crowds gathered around Union Square outside of the mono-rail station. Hawkers from canopied stalls called over distinguished gentlemen in silken robes and dark, wide-brimmed hats, boasting of the finest Scripter-work implements from the Illuminatory Hall of the Crown District and one-of-a-kind imported goods from distant lands. For someone on her first grocery run, it wasn¡¯t the architecture that awed her, the tall arches of promenades and walkways or gilded town halls and guilds, but the sheer variety of the people that went about their lives atop the sprawling platform that was Union Square. Families gathered around the various, criss-crossing promenades overlooking the square from high up in the air, round and well-groomed children walking hand in hand with their smiling, and occasionally, fussy parents. Rui looked longingly at them, and Xin had the sense to not poke fun at her. She was hardly the first orphan to miss their old life. Jugglers and exotic street performers in beast masks performed on pavilions and the sides of the streets, earning silver here and there from the Crownfolk, the wealthy, silken-garbed gentlemen with dolled-up ladies in cakey white make-up clinging to their arms. Xin and Rui even saw sailors and merchants from distant lands of all different shades and complexions. The sailors wore tattoos freely on their bodies like the Priest, and talked loudly in their native tongues to each other. Many carried shortswords and pistols with them. Noticeably, none brought constructs of any strata or carried Scripter-work armaments with them into the city. Some sailors even sported empty sockets where their arms or legs should¡¯ve been. Even still, the foreigners were eyed with suspicion by patrolling members of the Civil Force¡ªlow-ranked guardsmen who served the lesser Azure Court rather than the current ruling court, the Reds. Clad in uniform trench coats and tall dark hats, they were modelled after the modern armies of the west and wore no costly brocade, their outward appearance somewhat ordinary but bolstered by the presence of spiked trudgeons and weighty iron staves. Their ranks were sourced from the middle-strata of Kunlun City, unlike the Brocade, who only admitted Crownfolk and the lesser sons of nobles. A man¡¯s tenor-pitched song drew an audience to a display in front of a mobile flesh-weaving salon. The flesh-weaver, who might¡¯ve taken great pride in the pointed and groomed moustache above his lips, was working on a girl strapped to an operating chair. He wiped the scalpel on his apron in between short bursts of activity, namely slicing into her face. His operating arm was a handsome, burnished Scripter-armament, Mechaniks and Scripting working hand in hand to replicate everything an organic arm could do but even better. Xin whistled appreciatively. The craftsmanship looked expensive. While the Crownfolk maintained strict standards in their own district, such as necessitating the usage of anesthetics and proper hygiene, the authorities managing the seedy salons of Commerce Row''s only concern was how much silver their surgeons kicked up. The flesh-weaver, unfortunately for his muse, seemed more concerned with hitting the notes of his personal jingle than the actual operation. In between verses, he announced to his captive audience the very next procedure he was to perform on his muse, holding up his bloody scalpel to a series of cheers as if it were a sacred ruyi scepter passed down from Adamantine Budhha himself. Xin winced¡ªhe¡¯d imagined the ¡°muse¡± was conned by promises of cheap and light cosmetic work, only to be turned into a spectacle to drum up business. If she was lucky, she¡¯d come out looking better for it. If not¡ªthere was always the second go-around with a different flesh-weaver.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. They passed by the crowd gathered around the wagon without a second glance. But when Xin noticed a growing crowd around a raised stage that was used to declare general proclamations relevant to the people of Kunlun City, his interest was piqued. The ever-hungry merchant within him consumed information like it was candied fruits on skewers. He pushed his way through the crowd to the front. ¡°Wait for me,¡± Rui whined, stopping beside him. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t¡ª¡± Her words got caught in her throat. A woman was bound to a bloodstained pillar at the center of the stage, the back of her dress torn open to face the audience. Standing beside her was a Court Shaman, identifiable by her four-eyed wolf mask and bear-fur cloak, holding a strange whip with multiple silvery strands, each tipped with barbed ends. The Shaman was flanked by a pair of Brocade Guardsmen, their faces like stone despite the circumstances of their situation. ¡°For violating Scripture I, Article IV of Dynastic Decree,¡± the Shaman announced to the crowd, ¡°which outlaws the usage of unregulated Sorcery in interests that do not align with the Restored Dynasty¡­¡± she paused for a moment, letting the words sink into the crowd, ¡°Jixin Ming is to suffer five strokes of the Righteous Flail.¡± ¡°This is madness,¡± the bound woman screamed, struggling against the delicate silver chains that restrained her. Despite their apparent fragility, they barely budged, likely owing it to the paper talismans pasted upon the pillar. ¡°My Sorcery harms none! I talk to bees, soothe bruises and burns, this is madness!¡± She craned her neck to look out at the crowd. ¡°I healed your boy, Chen! He would¡¯ve never walked again! I was one of you!¡± She spat at the crowd. ¡°When the Earthen General awakens, you court-lickers will see the truth!¡± A bearded man as broad and tall as a bear at the forefront of the crowd looked away, his gaze averted to the ground. Xin assumed him to be Chen. Xin frowned, thinking over the Sorceress¡¯ words. The Earthen General was an old bedtime story, detailing the exploits of the city¡¯s savior said to stand vigil buried deep beneath the layers of Kunlun City. A fairy tale for children. Rui pulled at Xin¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said softly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see this.¡± Xin nodded absent-mindedly, letting Rui pull him back out of the crowd. They were well away when the first of the woman¡¯s screams sounded out, very quickly followed by scores of cheering. I hate this city, Xin thought, looking up toward the sky at an airship descending from the clouds. Some day, he¡¯d be on the first ship out of Kunlun City. And after that, who knew what his future held? They retrieved their groceries from a back-alley grocer that had yet to fail to uphold his contract with Madam Sparrow. It was always the same ingredients time after time. So far beneath the more prosperous sections of Commerce Row, the streets around Xin and Rui grew narrower and more cluttered with trash. He carried the bulk of the groceries, balancing two burlap sacks of dried jerky and flour in his arms, while Rui carried what she could¡ªa measly sack of onions and potatoes. He couldn¡¯t possibly imagine her bearing the entire burden all the way back to the Orphanarium alone. ¡°Well, what do we have here?¡± a nasally voice crooned. ¡°Some orphans brought us a morning snack.¡± Leaning against the brick wall of the alley, blocking Xin and Rui¡¯s path forward, were a pair of urchin boys. They were dressed in nothing more than rags that clung to their malnourished bodies like tattered drapes off a curtain rod. Xin was almost tempted to let them run off with the food, but that would leave Madam Sparrow with another excuse to punish him. ¡°How¡¯s life in that cage of yours?¡± the taller of the pair asked, cracking his knuckles. ¡°Bet you can¡¯t even comprehend the freedom we got out here, boy.¡± Xin studied their gaunt cheeks and pitifully thin arms. The urchins were practically boys themselves, but witnesses to far too much evil to hide within the trappings of adolescence. And it seemed they had all the freedom in the world to starve on the streets. ¡°I can spare a few potatoes,¡± Xin said in a low voice, sizing up his chances against the pair. They were starving worse than street dogs, but it was always a toss-up when scrapping with more than a single opponent. ¡°Anything more is out of the question.¡± ¡°We want it all,¡± the shorter urchin hissed. ¡°Everything in the bags.¡± He frowned, his eyes set on something behind Xin. He pointed with a gnarled finger. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her? Where¡¯s she going off to? We ain¡¯t pissing about¡ªthis is a proper robbery.¡± Xin turned, watching Rui walk away from them in a haze, her back turned to the urchin robbers. Contrary to his expectations, she wasn¡¯t screaming her head off or sobbing in fear. The sack in her arms slipped out, tumbling onto the muddy ground of the alley. The shrill wail of a funeral pipe bounced off the walls of the alley, the haunting sound originating from the shadowed end whence they came from, now stretching on forever into nothingness. ¡°Shit,¡± one of the urchins stammered. ¡°It¡¯s the Piper!¡± He left the alley, screaming, eyes wide with fear¡ªsoon followed by his companion, who stopped only for a second to look down the shadowed alley. A shiver ran down Xin¡¯s spine. It wasn¡¯t nearly as dark in the alley just moments ago. ¡°Rui,¡± Xin hissed, tossing aside his bags and grabbing her by the shoulder. ¡°What in the Bronze Emperor are you doing?¡± She turned back to stare at him, face empty of any thought. Her pupils were dark, black ink seeping down her cheeks from the folds of her eyelids. The funeral pipes grew louder, the source of the wailing growing closer. Xin took a sharp breath. With a dramatic winding-up of his hand, he slapped Rui across the cheek. She reeled from the blow, spinning to the ground. Her eyes were alert and full of fury, staring at Xin with wide-eyed rage. ¡°What was that for?¡± she demanded furiously. A faint red palm-print bloomed on the side of her pale face. ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°Get moving!¡± Xin roared, dragging Rui up by her arms. She stood shakily, aghast at his behavior. ¡°Go! Now!¡± When she saw the shadows that fell across the alley and heard the funeral song, realization dawned on Rui. She nodded, starting toward the mouth of the alley. Xin growled in frustration, dragging her toward the alley¡¯s exit. But before they could reach the end, rats¡ªhundreds upon hundreds¡ªscurried out from the darkness. They crawled through the mud, up the walls, down from the roofs of the two buildings that formed the alley. Merely half a dozen paces away from the main street, the shrill screams of two lost little orphans never rose above the industrious ambience of Kunlun City. Xin awoke for the second time in a single day, his body aching from head to toe. He remembered the surge of rats swarming over him and Rui, and then, the blissful, unthinking embrace of unconsciousness that soon followed. He appraised his new surroundings, processing one thought at a time. It seemed the most sensible plan given the frantic state of his mind. Xin took deep, measured breaths, squinting through the dimly lit space. The room was built of brick stones all around, from the top of the ceiling to the walls and down to the ground. Black, murky water sloshed around at Xin¡¯s feet. He¡¯d been unconscious against the wall, and unfortunately, his trousers were soaked in filth he didn¡¯t even dare to think too long about. Xin rose to his feet, but felt the unmistakable grip of cold steel around his ankle. He was shackled to the wall by a thick, iron-wrought chain. Half of the room was partitioned by bars covered in layers of rust, and beyond it on the far end of the room was a stairway leading up to a door. A bar of light shone through a metal slot in the door. ¡°Is anyone there?¡± Xin tentatively called to the door. He tugged at his shackle, confirming its strength. An eye was scratched around the keyhole. The rusted bolt that held the chain to the brick wall didn¡¯t budge either. ¡°Can anyone hear me?¡± Silence, save the dull, muffled ratchet of churning gears behind the stone walls of Xin¡¯s prison cell, greeted him. Xin¡¯s breathing quickened, panic encroaching upon his mind like a swarm of snarling rats. Xin imagined the distant future. Without food, he wouldn¡¯t last long, and the water that sloshed at his feet barely looked fit for even stepping in much less drinking. His body would rot in the prison cell, bloating from the humidity and dissolving in its own fluids. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. Spiraling would pretty much ensure he¡¯d never see daylight again. He focused on the sound of the gears behind the walls, pushing his ear up against the brick, straining to listen above the noise. The faint sound of rushing water was discernible, but very distant. Some sort of river nearby? ¡°Another one of his experiments, are you?¡± Xin jumped back from the brick wall. Had it just spoken to him? ¡°Not there, silly,¡± the voice said, soft and mischievous. ¡°I¡¯m up here. You haven¡¯t been here long, have you? Squirreled away fresh from the surface by that odious man.¡± Xin glanced toward the ceiling. His eyes narrowed in puzzlement. The triangular head of a snake stared at him, her slender body hanging down from a shadowed crack in the ceiling. She was one of the largest he¡¯d ever seen, each bone-white scale the size of a man¡¯s thumb. ¡°Do I scare you?¡± the snake asked, her forked tongue flickering out. She didn¡¯t move her jaw to speak¡ªit was as if the words were formed elsewhere. ¡°You look as if you¡¯ve never seen a talking snake before.¡± ¡°I- I don¡¯t think I have,¡± Xin replied. He slapped himself across the face. ¡°I¡¯m not going crazy, am I? This isn¡¯t some form of toxic gas messing with my brain?¡± The snake hissed, though not in an angry way. Somehow, Xin could tell she was more amused than anything. At least, he thought she was a she. At least, he thought she was a she¡ªher impish voice, more like a young girl¡¯s than a woman¡¯s, suggested as much ¡°Who are you?¡± Xin asked. ¡°Where is this? What was it that took me?¡± ¡°My name is Suilin,¡± the snake replied, her triangular head inching closer toward Xin. More of her slender body revealed itself from the shadows. ¡°I¡¯m as real as you, boy. But you aren¡¯t asking the right questions. The name of this place does not matter. We are far below ground, deeper than most humans care to tread. Those who are still sane, that is.¡± ¡°How do I get out of here?¡± he asked, staring at the lone shackle on his ankle. Suilin¡¯s dark gazed down at him, unblinking. ¡°You could smash every bone in that foot of yours?¡± she suggested. ¡°The shackle would come right off. It¡¯s certainly one way to go about it.¡± The snake paused as if expecting something from him. ¡°Or you could agree to become my servant.¡± Xin frowned. ¡°Why would a human enslave himself to a snake?¡± he asked. ¡°There¡¯s clearly a reason you¡¯re down here in this dank and dark place.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the one shackled to the wall,¡± Suilin retorted. ¡°But I suppose I¡¯m stuck down here just as much as you are.¡± The snake¡¯s forked tongue flickered once more¡ªappearing to be a deliberative sort of action. ¡°The servitude would not be permanent. Merely a temporary arrangement until our eventual freedom.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± Xin said, puffing out his chest. He knew it was a facade that¡¯d fool none, not even talking snakes, but the mercantile spirit within him refused to approach a deal naked without even the semblance of a defense. ¡°I shall do as you say until we are both free of this place. But you¡¯re not breaking my foot.¡± Suilin¡¯s wide mouth opened in a smile eerily reminiscent of a human grin, two silver fangs glinting in the shadows. ¡°A wise choice,¡± she said, drawing even nearer to Xin¡¯s face. ¡°Give me your hand.¡± Xin offered his hand hesitantly. Suilin nestled her head on his palm, and before his very eyes, shrunk as she slithered up his arm like a branch. She felt smooth and glossy against his flesh, nothing like he¡¯d originally imagined. Within moments, she was small enough to wrap the entire length of her body comfortably around his neck. ¡°The chains,¡± Suilin whispered, tongue brushing against the lobes of his ear. ¡°Bring me to them. We¡¯ll see about getting those off you¡­ with your foot still intact, my soft-hearted servant.¡± Xin did as his temporary serpentine master commanded, crouching over the shackle while suppressing a scowl. Suilin loosened her jaw, letting beads of molten-gold venom drip from her fangs down onto one of the iron links in the chain. The venom corroded through the iron a little too easily, a tiny haze of steam hissing off the disintegrating links. Xin could imagine what it would do to his bare flesh. As the last of the link melted into the filthy water, Suilin turned her head to regard Xin, then glanced toward the thick iron bars that divided the room¡ªmore importantly, the ones that kept Xin separated from the door to freedom. ¡°It might be a long night,¡± she said softly, hissing. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s a good thing you¡¯ve run into me, boy. Now, be a dear and bring me to those bars, won¡¯t you, servant?¡± Chapter 3: First Sin Chapter 3: First Sin Disappointingly, freedom wasn¡¯t a specific, spectacular moment in time like in the old bedtime epics of heroes. They worked through a section of the bars steadily, taking periodic breaks for Suilin to rest before spraying more of her venom onto the iron. The process was equally arduous as frustrating. While Xin was blessedly free of the chain that held him to the wall, the iron shackle was still stuck on his right ankle. But after seeing what her venom did to solid metal, he wasn¡¯t eager to ask her to conduct such delicate work so close to his foot. What seemed like hours passed before Suilin¡¯s venom weakened the bars enough for even Xin to pull apart. He stepped through to the other side tentatively¡ªexpecting alarm bells to start ringing or a shrill klaxon to blare. But nothing but the same muffled grinding of gears behind stone walls greeted him. ¡°We¡¯ve only just begun,¡± Suilin said, her triangular head pointing toward the door, beady eyes unblinking. ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up just yet, servant. From here on out, you must swear to follow my every command.¡± Her voice was dead-serious, missing its previous condescending tone. ¡°The barriers that stand between us and freedom are far more terrible than mere iron and chains.¡± Xin climbed the stairs to the door, shielding his eyes against the flickering rays of torchlight streaming through a narrow slot across it. He peeked through the opening and saw that the doorway opened up into a large walkway with crumbling stone arches for a wall. The door swung open with no resistance; there was no lock. Apparently, the chains and bars were deemed enough to keep a thirteen-year-old boy confined. And they would¡¯ve been¡ªif a rather rude talking snake hadn¡¯t come to Xin¡¯s rescue. Not that he fully trusted her just yet. Xin slipped into the walkway cautiously. It was longer than it was wide, with arches forming the wall across from him. Torches were bolted into the supports of the stone arches, casting strange shadows from the debris that littered the ground. Mostly old rocks, but also, strangely enough, the rusted frames of discarded constructs. Doors, similar to his own, were set in regular intervals into the wall on Xin¡¯s side of the hallway. ¡°Are there people in there?¡± he asked. ¡°Can we help them?¡± ¡°Most are empty,¡± Suilin said. ¡°And those still left are in such a state that would put our escape into jeopardy, servant.¡± Unintelligible mutterings echoed from beyond the door next to Xin¡¯s as if to prove her point. ¡°Makes sense,¡± Xin said. ¡°I would¡¯ve lost my mind spending just a full day in there.¡± ¡°The mortal mind cracks easily,¡± Suilin replied. ¡°You are simple creatures who require much stimulus to function.¡± Xin nodded absent-mindedly. ¡°Did you run into a girl by any chance?¡± he asked. ¡°She¡¯s around my age and wears her hair in buns. Kind of a crybaby.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen no such individual,¡± Suilin responded. Xin whispered a short prayer to the Heavens for Rui before moving on. Hopefully, she wasn¡¯t a pile of rat excrement. She seemed nice, if not a little tense around the Orphanarium. Carefully, he stepped around the rusted torso of an old-fashioned humanoid construct, its limbs and missing from the equation. Before Mechaniks began to mold the exteriors of constructs with more stylized designs, they¡¯d strove to replicate every little human feature in the city¡¯s mechanical servants. The result was rather unnerving, and he could see why the aesthetics of modern constructs had evolved as they did. ¡°What a sad little corner of the city,¡± Suilin mused. Trapped in a strange place, Xin felt her presence around his neck somewhat comforting. There was a security in her smugness, as if some brevity implied there was still hope for him yet. ¡°Welcome to the real Kunlun, servant. Not the gilded birdcage they¡¯d like for you to believe exists above the surface.¡± Xin frowned. ¡°This place looks like shit,¡± he said, approaching the arches. ¡°And I mean the Falls are bad enough, but I¡¯ve never seen anything like this place. This must be hell.¡± Beyond the arches were rolling, ashen hills. Stone and steel structures alike were half-buried in the earth. Hunched figures shambled aimlessly down below, snarling at each other like more beasts than men. The partially-exposed hallway was high enough from off the ground to not attract their attention. Steel arches and thick pillars rose from the earth high into the sky, eventually disappearing into the dark fog above. He was truly at the base of Kunlun City, not merely its outskirts like the Orphanarium and Outer Port. Xin thought back to the old creation myths of the city. Supposedly, they¡¯d built everything atop a holy mountain, one consecrated and inhabited by the gods. There was nothing remotely sacred about what Xin saw. He walked along the arches, shivering from the frigid air. His wet bottoms and shoes hardly helped. Suilin hadn¡¯t told him otherwise, so he could only assume it was the correct path forward. ¡°Those... weren''t people, were they?¡± Xin asked quietly. ¡°All those stories were true, then¡ªthe ones my mother used to tell to frighten me to sleep? Like Yinzha¡¯s Scroll of Demons and Night Creatures? Who knows about this? The City?¡± ¡°You sure like to ask questions in threes,¡± Suilin replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure the Emperor has a clue, in between sessions of drowning himself in divinely-sanctioned debauchery in his Labyrinth. And his state-scholars must know. And the Emperor¡¯s Shamans, conniving reprobates as they are, have hunted us rather successfully for our parts.¡± Xin¡¯s brows lifted. ¡°So, the government knows about¡­ demons?¡± He¡¯d never heard such talk against the Red Emperor before. The Red Court hadn¡¯t held the throne for long, but few dared to slander his name¡ªnot with their rumored network of spies, the Lanterns, watching the streets. Loudmouths were usually quick to disappear from their usual haunts in seedy taverns and bars. Others, like Madam Sparrow, embraced the reign of the Reds with open arms and heart. ¡°Naturally,¡± Suilin said. ¡°For what reasons do you think the Lanterns exist? A futile effort, however. We¡¯ve been hunting your kind since your first set foot from your dingy caves. We merely have to await your eventual extinction.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a demon,¡± Xin said forthrightly. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you eat me? That¡¯s what you creatures do. Well¡­ in the stories, I suppose.¡± Suilin scoffed, a strange mix of hissing and verbal groaning. ¡°Not all of us are like those corpse-eaters down there,¡± she said, offended. ¡°Our intelligence grows with our age. Decades pass like minutes for us, centuries nothing more than a matter of biding our time. Your precious Restored Dynasty is as infantile as a barely-sentient warty toad demon.¡± ¡°Why not have cities of your own then?¡± Xin asked. ¡°If you¡¯re that much more ascended than us short-lived mortals.¡± Suilin quieted at that. ¡°Silence,¡± she finally said as they reached the end of the hallway. ¡°There¡¯s danger up ahead, servant.¡± Xin didn¡¯t get to enjoy his win for long. The ground descended into a staircase. At its base, a humanoid figure in a tattered tunic was biting into a rat the size of a small puppy, the sickening crunch of gnashing teeth on bones and flesh echoing up the stairs. ¡°A corpse-eater?¡± Xin whispered, crouching low. He tried in vain to stop himself from trembling. Thankfully, the figure didn¡¯t seem to notice him, too engrossed in its meal. ¡°How do we get past it? Are you going to fight it?¡± ¡°Do you pick a fight with every fellow human that happens to stand in your way?¡± Suilin asked mirthfully. Xin didn¡¯t answer her, looking away from beady dark eyes pointedly. ¡°My scent will blot out your mortal stench, servant. Simply keep your nerves on ice and the lowly corpse-eater will let us be on our way.¡± Xin found each step down the staircase agonizing, but a merchant kept his word, and he¡¯d promised to listen to Suilin¡¯s every command. Soon enough, every last detail of the corpse-eater was visible in Xin¡¯s sight. The ghoul wore a dark blindfold over his eyes, bone spurs jutting at odd angles all over his body from dark-blue flesh that was covered in festering scabs. His teeth were sharp, jagged, and numerous¡ªbarely fitting in his snarling mouth. Xin cautiously edged around the corpse-eater, taking deep, measured breaths to suppress the scream building in his throat as the ghoul shuffled closer, sniffing the air. The ghoul stood only inches from him, while Suilin coiled tighter around his neck. The corpse-eater glanced away, shuffling onward up the stairs. Xin''s legs almost gave out, but he steadied himself and moved toward the end of the hall. It led into a lab¡ªor what had once been one, at least. Shallow, man-made ditches of running water lined the walls of the space, surrounding four tables arranged in an auspicious feng shui formation, each facing a cardinal direction. Various reliefs of holy figures were carved across the walls. Though there was something off about the carvings. Each relief was defaced in some specific, sacrilegious way¡ªsuch as the Adamantine Budhha missing his usual jolly head. They didn¡¯t mean much to Xin, but he reckoned the Priest would¡¯ve had a field day with them. He turned his attention to the rest of the room. The ceiling of the room was nonexistent, the walls stretching up into a vast expanse of darkness. Across the room, directly in Xin''s path, stood a large pair of double doors, sealed by an old first-strata construct resembling a centipede. Its raised form stretched diagonally across the doors, its legs coiled into sockets¡ªserving as what he assumed to be the locks. ¡°Ah,¡± Suilin said, studying the room with her beady dark eyes. The white triangle of her head bobbed up and down enthusiastically. ¡°What a fortuitous encounter. Do you know what the Heavens deemed the first sin of mortals?¡± Xin contemplated for a moment. ¡°Greed?¡± Suilin smirked. ¡°No,¡± she replied curtly. ¡°The desire to live forever, immortality.¡± A blend of scientific and religious relics were scattered over the desks. Whoever previously owned the lab had never bothered to clean up. At the center of the chamber sat a large glass cylinder lined with brass. Whatever horrors had occurred, it left behind a mess, blood staining the circumference of the transparent walls. To the eastern side, jars filled with exotic beast parts and preserved eyeballs on a shelf beside the ditches, while tattered scrolls spilled across the northernmost table closest to the door. On the same table as the scrolls sat a small, palm-sized glass bottle shaped like a traditional drinking gourd. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Whoever owned this laboratory left us a gift behind,¡± Suilin said. ¡°How kind¡ªa Grieving Ghost Extract.¡± Xin assumed she was referring to the bright blue liquid sloshing within the gourd. ¡°Bottoms up, servant. It¡¯s as you mortals say: No way but forward.¡± Xin picked up the gourd, weighing it in his hand. ¡°I am not drinking this,¡± he hissed. ¡°This is insane. I can¡¯t be consuming mystery substances off the table of some maniac¡¯s underground sewer lab. What does it even do?¡± For some reason, he thought of what Madam Sparrow would think: Young man, you positively cannot be drinking strange liquids at the behest of talking, demonic serpents! Act your age! A chill ran down Xin¡¯s spine. The temperature of the lab dropped at once, his breath misting in the air. The shrill wail of a funeral pipe filled the room. From the darkness above, the chittering of rats echoed downwards. They were descending¡­ and fast. ¡°Servant,¡± Suilin said more forcibly. ¡°Do as I say and drink the fucking elixir!¡± He scooped the gourd in his hands and pulled the cork from the lip, hands shaking. ¡°Heavens watch over me,¡± he whispered. ¡°Can you just tell me what it does?¡± Suilin hissed; Xin brought the gourd to his lips and drank. The bright blue liquid burned as it went down, harsh and rough like the cheap liquor he''d once stolen a sip of. Xin dropped to his knees. The pain didn¡¯t stop at his throat; he could feel it spreading through his body, leaving a searing trail in its wake. Finally, the burning sensations subsided, settling down in his stomach with a warm fuzzy kick. Xin rose unsteadily, gripping the table for support. His mind went blank at the sight of his arms¡ªhis veins stood out starkly, glowing blue against pale, fading skin. It was as if half of him had turned spectral. A sharp pain blossomed around his neck, Suilin¡¯s head, fangs dotted with blood, pulling away from his neck. Whatever she¡¯d done, it¡¯d stabilized him somehow. His flesh stopped fading into transparency, but his veins were still glowing with the same blue color. ¡°Get the locks open!¡± Suilin demanded, jerking her head in the direction of the wide double doors. ¡°Now, servant. The construct will listen to you.¡± Rats swarmed down the walls, their red eyes glowing as hundreds of them stared at Xin from the darkness above. The sharp, staccato click of heels pierced through the flute¡¯s incessant shrieking from the hallway behind, drawing closer to the room. Xin flung his hand out at the door, screaming: ¡°Open!¡± The centipede lock remained dormant. ¡°Unlock! Dispel!¡± ¡°Not quite,¡± Suilin said. ¡°Tap into the power of elixir, servant.¡± Xin clicked his tongue angrily, shaking. Was it from fear of his approaching demise? Fury at Suilin¡¯s vague instruction? Or perhaps a combination of both factors. A pale face emerged from the darkness of the hallway. Torches blew out in succession around the room. ¡°Are you lost, child?¡± the face asked dreamily, his eyelids fluttering open and shut. It belonged to a body far too gangly and tall, limbs freakishly out of proportion. His face was clearly foreign, and not just to Kunlun, but in a way that mocked humanity. His features were all there¡ªtwo eyes, a hooked nose, pale lips, but so eerily devoid of emotions and movement it made Xin¡¯s skin crawl to look upon him. The approximation of a human being was hunched by necessity, straightening only to his full height after entering the lab. He wore a patchwork suit tailored in Western fashion and a top-hat over long, straw-colored hair that was matted greasily to his scalp. Put frankly, he was dressed like a man who spent all day in the sewers kidnapping children. ¡°What are you?¡± Xin asked. ¡°Why do this?¡± The Piper stopped. His mouth stretched into a wide, toothless smile. ¡°Most curious ingredients this time around,¡± he replied. ¡°Few bother to ask questions. I shall answer. For the pursuit of immortality and nothing more. Your bones will become the foundation of my new eternal life, your flesh the components of my elixirs. Children have so many uses. Wouldn¡¯t you agree, serpent? Now, come to me. Become one with me.¡± Xin slowly backed away toward the doors, moving around the table in his way by feeling around the edges. He curled his fingers, and compelled by an unknown force, pointed it toward the locked doors. ¡°Don¡¯t count on it,¡± Xin hissed while shivering. Not only from fear, but from the raw power that coursed through his body. His body jolted as if splashed by a bucket of freezing glacier water. No mountain was too high, not while every fiber of his body quivered with a strange sort of ecstasy. Something sickly and spectral peeled itself from his body. A specter stretched out from Xin¡¯s slender frame. Within seconds, the specter, cloaked in a hood and burial linens, swept across the room and slammed into the centipede locks. One by one, its legs disengaged from the sockets, the doors slowly rumbling to life. Xin stared at his hand, now covered in a thin layer of frost. Had he just done that? He saved the questions for later, rushing through the gap in the double doors before they were even fully open. ¡°Most excellent,¡± Suilin said. ¡°I was worried for a second you¡¯d end up like the others. You have a talent for consuming elixirs most uncommon among mortals. I suggest you pursue it once we''re free of this dreary place, servant. With your ability to resolutely consume liquids of questionable origin, there¡¯s not a Sorcerer alive who would turn you down as an apprentice.¡± ¡°Is now really the time?¡± Xin asked, feet pounding furiously against the grimy stone bricks that made up the floor of an expansive sewer tunnel. ¡°You do have a plan, right?¡± Rats poured out through the doorway behind Xin, chasing after him with an accursed shrieking noise that was bound to follow him into the realm of nightmares¡­ if he even lived to sleep another night. ¡°Naturally,¡± Suilin replied, looking straight ahead. ¡°Look up. There¡¯s always some sort of construct laying around these parts. Relics of the old wars. They will respond to the Extract burning through your meridians, servant.¡± Xin skidded to a halt. Salvation lay in the form of a vertical lift, its rail lines seemingly intact, shooting up through a dim tunnel. The only problem was that it was behind the legs of a massive statue¡ªno, Xin realized, not a rigid stone carving at all, but a construct. It stood as tall as a two-story dwelling, broad faceplate forged to resemble a reptilian beast¡ªthe taotie. In the construct¡¯s raised arms was a sword poised to strike down at the ground. ¡°By the Red,¡± Xin said breathlessly. He raised his arm toward the ground and thought of control. The elixir appeared to respond to direct, willful commands as opposed to panicked mental jabbering. With a sharp of hiss, he demanded the construct bring his sword down on the Piper. Like before with the locks, a specter emerged from Xin''s body, its phantom-blue arm momentarily intrapositioned with his own outstretched hand before the rest of its body shot up toward the giant construct. The Piper walked down the sewer chamber without any sense of urgency. He held a flute in his hands, made of dark wood and adorned with silver patterns, its brassy end flaring out like the maw of a beast gaping open to scream into the darkness. ¡°Please,¡± Xin whispered, sweat beading down his face. ¡°I beg of you¡­ work.¡± The construct creaked to life like a thousand rusty hinges opening at once. There was a greater tug between the specter and Xin than before. ¡°The Scripting,¡± he said, ¡°I feel it somehow¡ªit¡¯s responding to me.¡± The Piper was just mere paces away, his rats hidden within his shadows. They weren¡¯t keen on approaching, not with Suilin hissing around his neck. Whistles screamed from the pipes adorning the construct¡¯s shoulders. Beneath the bronze plates shielding its inner workings, the Scripting flared to life, old Mechaniks parts grinding into motion. The taotie couldn¡¯t move its legs¡ªtoo corroded to function¡ªbut with a forceful push, Xin commanded it to swing the tip of the sword down into the ground. The Piper frowned for a fraction of a second before the sword came down on his head, smashing through the ground. The sewer chamber rumbled as the floor gave way. Xin sprinted toward the lift, sliding between the construct¡¯s legs as solid ground collapsed at his heels. He leaped over the lift¡¯s railing and pushed down the control level, panting hard. ¡°Well done,¡± Suilin said, watching the taotie construct plummet into the abyss in a storm of falling debris and stones. ¡°That wasn¡¯t terribly difficult, was it, servant?¡± The lift rumbled up the rails, ascending at a moderate pace. Xin leaned on the railing, exhausted, his gaze drifting into the darkness below, and then toward his hands. ¡°Is this some kind of Sorcery?¡± he asked, his eyes tracing the bright blue lines spreading across his forearms like a delta winding through a marsh. ¡°I want an explanation, Suilin. I deserve that much.¡± Suilin hissed softly. ¡°Has anyone ever told you¡¯re an especially uncute child?¡± she replied, staring at him. ¡°Very well. What you¡¯ve consumed is a product of Sorcery, though it certainly doesn¡¯t make you a warlock or shaman by any means. Mortal alchemists on their ill-fated pursuit of immortality discovered that the remains of demon¡¯s hold very special properties that, once refined, can alter someone¡¯s constitution, even granting miraculous abilities.¡± Xin nodded along. It made sense so far. He had no delusions of a dormant power awakening within him like an immortal hero from the legends. His survival was owed to the strange blue elixir and, irritatingly enough, Suilin. Though it felt as if he¡¯d done the lion¡¯s share of work. ¡°Is this permanent?¡± Xin ventured. His mind wandered toward the possibilities. It would be comforting to know he¡¯d have a special skill that might tide him through after his eventual booting from the Orphanarium. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s quite real anymore. It¡¯s been a strange morning.¡± ¡°Not until you purge it from your system,¡± Suilin replied matter-of-factly. ¡°Burn it from your meridians, so to speak¡ªa wildly inconvenient method, but one tried and true by your predecessors. They drink in more measured doses, however.¡± Xin¡¯s brows lifted. ¡°Predecessors?¡± Silence filled the space. The lift crawled up the large vertical shaft, slowly, but surely. A part of him was afraid to see the Piper climbing up after them on the rails. It was impossible to tell what Suilin was thinking, snakes weren¡¯t especially great at visually reflecting emotions, but there was a deep contemplation to her dark, slitted eyes. ¡°The elixirs were an accidental discovery,¡± she finally said. ¡°Once the court alchemists saw they were hardly the answer to immortality, but just a mere clue, they passed them off to the Emperor¡¯s Lanterns. His hunting hounds.¡± ¡°They hunt monsters,¡± Xin said blankly. He could infer that much at least. ¡°They consume demons to hunt demons? It all sounds rather far-fetched. The Lanterns I know are the Emperor¡¯s secret police. They round up gossip-mongers and petty criminals, no more.¡± ¡°Do I look like a fairy tale to you?¡± Suilin asked, a hint of humor in her voice. ¡°Keep up, servant. It is not illogical for the Lanterns to hunt my kind¡ªwe sustain ourselves by gorging on humanity¡¯s faults. The world acts in response to its various components. That¡¯s one thing those idiot alchemists got around.¡± Xin frowned. ¡°The Heavens direct the world,¡± he recited from the first few verses of Dynastic Decree. It was the guiding hand of humanity. But the next words came from his own heart. ¡°Demons don¡¯t belong in the world. Everyone knows that. Killing your kind is like ridding a field of a vicious fox or bringing bandits to justice. All you do is take from humans. There¡¯s no value you bring to society.¡± ¡°Do you know how we, yaoguai, rise from the underworld?¡± she continued. ¡°How do you think those corpse-eaters came about? They were once human, just as much as you. But when driven to starvation, they chose to consume the flesh of their kind, damning them to their¡­ well, current existence.¡± She laughed. ¡°Who cares if we bring no value to your societies. We owe our rise to the pitfalls of your miserably short lives. It¡¯s an open secret amongst the bureaucrats of your great courts. ¡°It¡¯s not just us the Lanterns are turned against. The Four Greater Courts of the Restored Dynasty move their agents like chess pieces on a board, jockeying for power by tapping into forces they¡¯ve scarcely even begun to understand. We kill humans, but just as many of your lives have been cut short by the likes of the very Extract running through your veins. Your kind, Lanterns, cannibalize each other for petty, trivial baubles and stretches of land that will outlive your kings and emperors. ¡°Peasants sacrificed to the greatest human construct of all¡­ war¡ªall so that your kings may wallow in opulence with their concubines and servants. They¡¯re too short-sighted to see that they¡¯ve crafted the instrument of their own destruction. As you continue to kill each other, more of us will rise from your remains, from your wars and petty conflicts, from your filth¡­¡± Suilin railed off. Her voice had grown softer with each word. Suddenly, it was explicit to Xin just how weak she appeared, her slender body languishing around his neck, head bowed toward the lift¡¯s grime-covered floor. ¡°Suilin?¡± Xin said, bringing his hand up to her head, cradling it. It felt as if he were all that was holding her up. ¡°You are not going to leave me up here all alone.¡± To his ears, it sounded more like a question than a statement. Suilin raised her head weakly. ¡°I did promise to take you out of this dreadful place, didn¡¯t I, servant?¡± Xin just listened. ¡°I¡¯m afraid the damage I¡¯ve sustained before meeting you was quite extensive,¡± she said, flickering her forked tongue against his palm. ¡°You¡¯ve listened to my every command rather prodigiously. I might¡¯ve even taken you on as a demonic servant if circumstances were different.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re dying?¡± Xin asked. He hadn¡¯t known the snake for very long, but it didn¡¯t feel right to just simply watch her perish in his hand. After everything, how could he simply return to his life in the Orphanarium? Carry on as if the morning¡¯s events had just been a dreadful nightmare? He stared at his arms, still glowing. ¡°You can cut the facade,¡± he said. ¡°What do you need?¡± Suilin mustered a coy smile, well, as coy as a snake could appear. ¡°There is something you could do for me,¡± she said. ¡°We are not creatures of flesh and meridians. Our entire system, every last complicated mechanism, relies on the function of our Core. It stores our senses, our powers, our essence.¡± Xin stared at her incredulously. Suilin coughed a pale white orb into his hand. It felt dry to the touch but strangely cool. ¡°All you have to do,¡± Suilin said, uttering each word slowly and deliberately, ¡°is swallow it.¡± Chapter 4: To Bring an End Chapter 4: To Bring an End Since being kidnapped by a horde of rats, freed from a prison cell by a talking snake, and gaining mythical powers, Xin thought he¡¯d seen and heard it all. He stared at Suilin, whose white scales were rapidly losing their luster. The orb sat in his open hand. ¡°Are you serious?¡± he pressed, shaking her alert. ¡°If this is some poor attempt at a joke, I¡¯m chucking this thing.¡± Suilin regarded him with the usual, unblinking eyes. Though, this time around, lucidity was fading. She opened her mouth, fangs crumbling. ¡°You must,¡± she hissed. ¡°The formations would pick up on my presence otherwise. It¡¯s hardly any safer up there than here. I admit this is a gamble. I can¡¯t foresee the results, servant, but it¡¯s our only chance.¡± With her piece said, Suilin started disintegrating around his neck, fading away into black ash before being carried off by the frigid winds of the sewer shaft. What remained in his hand was the white orb. The lift shrieked in protest. Xin glanced up, his gaze latching onto a thick bar of warm, unmistakable sunlight above. His legs nearly gave out in relief, like a breath he hadn¡¯t realized he was holding finally released. With little time to think, Xin popped the orb in his mouth and gulped it down as he reached the end of its predestined courses. All out of rails to ascend, the lift grinded to a shuddering halt. He glanced around, shielding his eyes from the blinding sunlight. For a moment, nothing happened. The orb went down as well as a whole egg would¡¯ve, which to say, was hardly pleasant. To Xin, the stuff of formations had been nothing but the placebos for the easily-spooked, the illogical. But if a thirteen-year-old orphan could conjure ghosts from his fingertips to conduct his bidding, nothing, not even dragons, would seem out of place in his new, bold world. He took a deep breath of fresh air. If the Heavens still had a shred of mercy on his soul, he''d never have to see¡ªor smell¡ªthe inside of a sewer again. Xin took his first step off the lift onto a rusted catwalk, but a sharp pain exploded in his chest, bringing the boy to his knees. His vision blurred from the agony, and with little more to guide him than his hands, he crawled to the end of the catwalk, barely managing to drag himself to solid ground. He tore open at his shirt, stifling a scream. If there was one thing he was good at¡ªit was never letting the child bubble up to the surface. Screaming and sobbing could wait until he was safe within his tower back at the Orphanarium. Right where his heart should be, was warping, melting flesh. He took his eyes off it, breathing hard. Scurrying on his rear, he backed away into the wall of the abandoned lift station, at least it appeared to be one. It was difficult to focus with the pain, with whatever was happening to his body. He was a fool to trust a demon. She¡¯d said it herself. The purpose of demons was to devour and slay humans. But the child in him wanted to think otherwise. Wanted to think that the talking snake was somehow a friend. Because the truth was he had none. Not amongst the other orphans or Madam Sparrow or anyone from the city. And if not even other humans wanted to be his friends, how foolish was he to assume a demon would. Xin¡¯s eyes fluttered open and shut, and then his world went dark. The shoreline from which his father had left was hauntingly beautiful. It wasn¡¯t a grand send-off at the docks, but a secluded stretch of the coast that was a stone¡¯s throw from their family¡¯s estate. His father had withheld the real reason, but Xin now knew discretion was key when running off to distant lands with what was left of your riches to escape your creditors. His family had been left behind as possible collateral. The sacrificial goat for his sins. Of course, it¡¯d been phrased otherwise to the boy¡¯s family. ¡°A year,¡± his father told his teary-eyed mother. ¡°Give me a year and I¡¯ll return with so much silver we¡¯ll never have to work another day in our lives. Xin will be raised like a prince. He¡¯ll marry a noble girl from the Crown District, we¡¯ll reclaim all of your old family titles.¡± His father then knelt down to Xin, ruffling his head as he¡¯d always done when showing the rare display of rather un-Kunlun-like affection. ¡°And you have to be strong,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re my little prince. My warrior. You¡¯ve got both the soul of a merchant and a fighter. Look after your mother, Fang Xin.¡± And then he held Xin¡¯s mother tight in his arms before boarding the little sailing ship¡ªa dingy vessel with bright-red sails, but no balloons to lift it into the sky where it might soar with the other ships. Would it get lonely? Xin thought, clinging to his mother¡¯s sleeves. Would father be lonely out amidst the waves? So far from home. The ship never returned. With the remaining silver gone, forfeited to creditors and servants clamoring for lost wages, they downsized to a cramped apartment in the Lower Passes. His mother didn¡¯t take it well. As a former noble lady of the Yellow Court¡ªXin¡¯s maternal grandfather had been a hanger-on of the last Yellow Emperor to grace the throne of the Restored Dynasty, she¡¯d always been accustomed to a certain lifestyle. With the silver and servants gone, she turned to Blister Ash. Xin¡¯s life crumbled in the next year. With his mother spending entire days in Ash parlours, Xin learned to adapt. No, he was forced to adapt. Survival rode on it. Xin got used to working errands on the street, finding ways to earn silver to pay off the neverending list of creditors that came knocking at their door. Jewelry, family heirlooms, his old silken baby robes and his mother¡¯s dresses, all disappeared into the mottled hands of pawnshops for a pittance of silver coins. Every morning he returned to the deserted shore, watching the horizon of the Eastern Endless Sea. He was hopeful at first, but soon enough, it became more ritual than any genuine attempt to find his father. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. At night, he¡¯d dream of his father¡¯s return from Alteron or Hyperia or even the distant Falkgarde. And every morning spent at the shore killed the hope nurtured in the crucible of his dreams. Xin sat with his knees drawn up to his chest. The air smelled of salt. Waves lapped at the shore gently, pushing in and receding in cyclical patterns. As usual, the shoreline was empty except for the occasional steel-clad ship chugging along toward the port, leaving trails of wispy smoke in their wake. No wooden sailing boats. Only a lunatic would resort to trusting such antiques to carry them across entire oceans. Footsteps crunched in the sand behind him. Xin glanced behind to see a beautiful woman approaching him. She was dressed in pale mourning robes, the voluminous billowing like the sails of a ship. Her hair was long and white, parted at her forehead. Delicate scales lined the regions around her eyes, just above her tall cheekbones, each amber pupil slitted like a serpent¡¯s. The woman smiled. ¡°Hello, servant.¡± Recognition flashed behind Xin¡¯s eyes. Even if her voice was older, and she was shaped as a human, with two beautiful eyes, a slender nose, and full, red lips, he somehow just knew. ¡°What did you do to me?¡± he asked. ¡°Is this the afterlife?¡± ¡°Hardly,¡± Suilin scoffed. She gazed out toward the horizon. The sun was setting, streaks of orange burning above the waves and filling out the sky. ¡°I¡¯ve come to possess your body. You will forfeit it to me.¡± ¡°That sounds like a rather poor deal for me,¡± Xin said. ¡°I like my body.¡± Suilin blinked. ¡°Demons don¡¯t typically ask for what they want,¡± she admitted, sleeves billowing with the coastal winds. ¡°But you¡¯ve been remarkably loyal and steadfast. I¡¯ll cut you a deal, servant. I can offer you freedom from pain. It won¡¯t be death, but a state close to it. A dream-filled existence where you¡¯ll never have to hurt again. Not by other humans or the city or¡­ even by family.¡± ¡°Is that what you think I want?¡± Xin asked, pouting. ¡°I¡¯m not some child who¡¯ll be pacified by sweet platitudes. What do you want? Is possessing me some bid for survival?¡± Suilin smirked. ¡°What I want is simple,¡± she said. ¡°I want to bring this city down to the ground. I want to watch that Emperor of yours weep as I burn it all down. His palace, his pleasure labyrinths, the industry that chokes the natural world beneath it.¡± Xin watched, words dying in his throat. She wasn''t changing, per se¡ªbut unveiling something primal. The ends of her long, white hair began to rise as if they were underwater. ¡°We nourished the first of your kind,¡± she said listlessly, tearing her gaze from the sea. ¡°My sisters blessed and purified the Yellow Axis for the first of your kings. The waters flowed true and clean under our watch. They lavished us with gifts and empty promises of worship. How silly were we to trust the words of humans.¡± Her long, delicate fingers clenched into fists at her sides. ¡°When they erected their mills, we thought nothing of it. When they dumped waste and bodies into our waters, we merely did as we¡¯d done for centuries. And when they created their terrible factories and refineries, their filth slowly choking the life from my sisters, I turned my back on the Yellow Axis.¡± ¡°Is that what happened to you?¡± Xin asked, finally finding the right words. ¡°Is that how you became a demon?¡± ¡°For my refusal to become a sacrificial pig,¡± Suilin spat, ¡°I was branded a renegade. Now, my sisters have all perished, or live on as unthinking slaves within the skeletons of your city¡¯s precious constructs. How else do you think the Crown District is kept so clean? Kunlun was built on the backs of us demons, so it only makes sense it¡¯s ours to do with as we please.¡± ¡°By the Yellow Heaven,¡± Xin muttered softly. ¡°You''re telling me the spirits are trapped within the constructs? This whole time I thought they were¡­¡± ¡°Dead?¡± Suilin finished, laughing bitterly. ¡°Would that have made things any better? Would that ease your conscience, servant? To know that you¡¯ve created tools from their corpses rather than eternal slaves?¡± ¡°My life was ruined because of constructs,¡± Xin said, standing up. He brushed sand from his trousers. And for the first time since the beginning of their conversion, he turned his gaze from the horizon and looked up at the Suilin, who stood a head taller than him. ¡°My father made a gamble. It¡¯s not very merchant-like, but he couldn¡¯t just lay off all his workers, not while they had families to provide for.¡± Suilin arched a thin, nobly-shaped brow. ¡°I suppose we¡¯re sharing sob stories now,¡± she said, a faint smile on her lips. ¡°Let me guess, the other factories on the row held no such qualms?¡± Xin shook his head. ¡°Everyone starved anyway. We lost everything.¡± ¡°An interesting insinuation, servant,¡± Suilin said, staring at him as if he suddenly started laying golden eggs. ¡°You presume to assist me on my quest to return the Kunlun Mountains to their original state? Is that all you stake your plea on? Do you consider yourself worthy of the task, pitiful as you are.¡± ¡°You said it yourself,¡± Xin said. ¡°I¡¯ve proved an exceedingly fine servant. Sure, you could take over my body. I wouldn¡¯t even know how to resist something like that. But I don¡¯t want to exist solely within some fake dream while my dreams go unaccomplished.¡± Suilin scoffed, but a part of her seemed receptive, as if beckoning Xin to go on¡ªto say what he¡¯d kept suppressed for three years. ¡°And what do you want to do?¡± she asked. ¡°What¡¯s so important that I can¡¯t claim your body for my own?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t stuck it to them yet,¡± Xin said, turning in the direction of the city. He performed a rather rude gesture, dragging his thumb across his neck. ¡°I want those rich pricks who treat human lives like constructs to fall just as much as you do. The city, and all its stupid towers should just burn.¡± Xin saluted Suilin, his fists clasped together in respect. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can settle for just being your servant anymore,¡± he said. ¡°Make me stronger. Make me your partner in crime. Make it so we can stand on equal footing.¡± ¡°A child dares to speak of arrangements with me?¡± Suilin muttered. ¡°You haven¡¯t lived or seen nearly enough. However, I can make you my official disciple. You will continue to do as I command, but I will neither possess your body or deliberately bring harm to you. That is all I¡¯m willing to extend. I wouldn¡¯t push my luck any further, if I were you, servant.¡± Xin dropped to his knees and kowtowed, bringing his forehead to the ground thrice. It was Kunlun custom, not that Suilin likely followed it. Still, he wanted to show some measure of sincerity. ¡°This humble disciple greets his master,¡± he said. ¡°Please take care of me on our journey to destroy Kunlun City.¡± Suilin appeared bemused; flashing a rare smile. She knelt down and with her finger, lifted Xin¡¯s gaze up by his chin. Her slitted eyes flashed with a golden glow, piercing deep within his soul. ¡°Very well,¡± Suilin said, letting Xin free. ¡°I, a demonic being of the Sixth Cycle, accept you as my disciple. If you ever betray me, you¡¯ll burn to a crisp in a fiery blaze, and your soul will be damned to the Nine Hells. Not that it¡¯ll make a difference. Don¡¯t expect to die as a human anymore.¡± Xin nodded eagerly. ¡°I will accompany you to the very end, master.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother with honorifics,¡± Suilin said, lips curling in distaste. ¡°What is your name, disciple?¡± ¡°Fang Xin.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Suilin mused. She tapped her finger against Xin¡¯s forehead. ¡°I shall see you on the other side, Disciple Xin.¡± For a moment, Suilin¡¯s form flickered. She wasn¡¯t the tall, stately woman of the present, but a scared little girl in rags, scorch marks covering splotches of her skin. Her eyes were angry, molten-gold tears trailing down her gaunt face. The scales above her cheekbones peeled painfully from her pale, sickly flesh. Xin understood then. His dream world, the shoreline, came apart like a burning painting. He took one last look at the empty horizon, and turned back toward the city. Walking back toward the dark, monstrous outline of Kunlun City as the world fell apart around him, disintegrating into a haze of smoke. Chapter 5: Serenity Above Storms Chapter 5: Serenity Above Storms Xin regained consciousness in a crumbling, circular stone pavilion. The lift stood dangling over the abyss a few paces away. Across the region of his chest that contained his heart¡ªthere was a small tattoo of a coiled snake with a forked tongue. Madam Sparrow was going to kill him. He glanced up at the setting sun through a large crack in the ceiling. Only a few hours off until total darkness, Xin conjectured. For some reason, it was eerily quiet beyond the walls of the pavilion. Usually, the city was never so quiet. Xin rose to his feet and stumbled to the doorway of the pavilion, leaning along the wall for support. Beyond the doorway was beauty like he¡¯d never seen it before. Trees with leaves of all shades rose from lush green foliage, interspersed between clusters of beautiful bronze statues that appeared almost like constructs. The Mechaniks were all there, but the Scripting was dormant, unpossessed by any spirit remnant. ¡°Where are we?¡± Xin whispered. For a moment, he wondered if he¡¯d wandered into the afterlife. With the usual stench and noises of the factories and fish markets absent, it couldn¡¯t possibly be Kunlun City. Where else but the Imperial Gardens? Suilin¡¯s voice whispered, as though a breeze carried her words to him instead of her speaking directly into his ears. I would tread carefully. Do not get drunk on the paltry power you¡¯ve amassed with your Grieving Ghost Extract. It barely qualifies as a low grade Extract. The quack alchemist who concocted it could barely squeeze the full potential from the Grieving Ghost. Xin walked through the foliage, swatting away insects. ¡°Low Grade Extract?¡± he asked. ¡°It seemed pretty powerful to me.¡± An adorably provincial outlook, Suilin hissed. There¡¯s much to discuss in regard to the finer points of alchemy. We will discuss it in time, but now is not the day. I will be brief. Extracts, depending on the type and quality of the harvest from a demonic being''s remains, are classified into three distinct categories: low, middle, and high grade. Xin held up his arm and studied it under the orange glow of the sun. The bright blue Extract still flowed through his veins. Meridians, Suilin corrected. If you could process that Extract, middling as it was, you have a spirit root within you and thus, meridians. They are a conduit of sorts in which the demonic being¡¯s power is processed and released. ¡°I see,¡± Xin muttered. ¡°Much gratitude for the knowledge, master.¡± I told you to drop the honorifics, Suilin hissed. Anyhow, escaping from the Imperial Gardens takes priority over your lessons. The Brocade Guard are not entirely helpless against Lanterns, especially fledglings who¡¯ve yet to burn through their first Extract. ¡°... Have the preparations fallen into place?¡± Xin crouched behind a tree. Up ahead, a footbridge arched over a crystal-clear pond. Two figures stood atop it, engaged in hushed conversation. ¡°If the Reds are suspecting anything, they¡¯ve done a poor show of reflecting it,¡± the speaker continued. He was dressed in the long tunic of an eunuch, his face caked in white powder with red paint across his lips. ¡°It won¡¯t be long before the Princess is given up to the Imperial Sect. Our operatives should make contact soon, before she is out of reach within the Sect.¡± The Sect, despite its rather archaic name, was the Restored Dynasty¡¯s premier academy for nobles and commoners alike, drawing young talent from all across the major cities and Provinces. ¡°No need for such haste,¡± the second figure replied, his frail voice matching his withered frame. He wore flowing, sky-blue robes of a court-appointed Daoist monk, his bark-like face framed by long, wispy brows that draped to his chin. ¡°That Heaven-cur Red barely takes notice of his own court, much less the machinations of the Lesser Courts. Planting operatives within the Sect will be costly, but the most sensible choice. I¡¯ve particular faith in the most current batch of initiates.¡± Heart racing, Xin stood behind the tree with his back glued to the trunk. Curiosity overpowering his sense of self-preservation, he took another peek. The eunuch was bowing perfunctory to the monk. ¡°Until next month,¡± the monk said. Raising his arms, the old Daoist murmured a brief, inaudible chant, and transformed in a dark flurry into a murder of crows. They soared in a tight formation toward the setting sun until they were nothing more than tiny dots against the orange. The eunuch watched him leave before stalking off. Xin waited several minutes before even letting out a sigh of relief. He turned away from the bridge and came eye-to-eye with a bronze, tiger-shaped construct prowling in the underbrush several meters away, crouched low like a compressed spring ready to release, fiery eyes blazing red. ¡°Shit,¡± Xin said. Xin sprinted through the underbrush, leaping over logs and weaving between trees with brightly-colored canopies that began to glow in the darkness. Fortunately, they guided him well through the darkness. The tiger¡¯s growls echoed through the Imperial Gardens. It stalked him on and off to the point of exhaustion, and when Xin collapsed to his knees, it barreled over and head-butted him into trees. His body ached in a dozen different places, and he was pretty sure the tiger had cracked a lower rib. How adorable, Suilin said. Do you enjoy playing with cats? That¡¯s what it certainly seems to think we¡¯re doing. How utterly foolish to entrap a new-born cub within an oversized shell. What will it do, nuzzle us to death? The Palace¡¯s security measures are interesting, to say the least. ¡°Can my Grieving Ghost do anything?¡± Xin asked. ¡°Maybe possess one of the constructs and draw it away?¡± Perhaps, Suilin said. But you wouldn¡¯t get very far without the Palace-wide Formation detecting it¡ªand then we¡¯d have an entire regiment of Brocade Guards armed and ready to join our little game of tag. Xin glared resentfully at the moon nestled between two wispy clouds. Without Suilin around his neck, there wasn¡¯t really anything physical to direct his anger toward, and it wasn¡¯t as if he could howl in frustration. The absurdly large garden was deserted aside from the eerie husks of constructs and the tiger. However, drawing the attention of a patrol by causing a commotion felt almost as dangerous as Xin¡¯s feline pursuer growing bored of their little game and deciding to end it. Light-headed and about ready to drop, Xin tumbled down a hill toward a tall, handsome manor. He practically threw himself through the wide, circular entrance hole in the walls. The tiger, hot on his tail, skidded to a stop. It paced beyond the walls, serrated tail flicking about in annoyance. A low, metallic whine rumbled from deep within his throat. Xin laughed, half-mad with exhaustion. ¡°Take that,¡± he said. ¡°You stupid cat.¡± A most stunning triumph, Suilin mused. Perhaps it¡¯ll grow bored and leave us alone. Complete darkness was upon them now, and Xin shivered, acutely aware of the gaping tear across his shirt. His jacket was still whole for the most part, but reeked as if it¡¯d been washed in a ditch. As a matter of fact, he reeked. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Xin made his way toward the manor under the cover of night, following a gravel path. A fountain bubbled not too far from him, water cresting over a stone statue of a lion. He shook his head at the extravagance of the royals. The paper doors at the entrance slid open with little resistance. It was a Dynastic-style manor, with curving eaves atop the tiled roofs and sliding doors that partitioned the various wings of the estate. Xin stepped through the foyer, sliding his feet to muffle the sound of footsteps. It was an old thieves trick he picked up from some of the older orphans. The manor was bathed in an artificial glow, beautifully-crafted electric chandeliers hanging from the ceilings of every room. The furniture was an eclectic mix of traditional Dynastic and foreign influences¡ªroyal dragons formed the headrests of couches, while Western-style crystal pitchers rested on low coffee tables of foreign origins. Shelves upon shelves of books and scrolls lined the walls of most rooms. Whoever owned the space was a voracious reader. There was an open book on nearly every nightstand and table, some even set upon cushions on sofas with silver-worked bookmarks sticking out from the worn pages. He pointedly looked away from the various Scripter-work implements scattered about the place. Any one of them would¡¯ve fetched a small fortune. Xin wasn¡¯t here to rob the owner of the manor blind, he was merely looking for a back exit, but he doubted anyone would buy the story in his presently ragged state. The implements ranged from stately clocks with swinging pendulums shaped like various royal beasts of the Four Greater Courts to music boxes with beautifully engraved covers. Xin studied one closely. He somehow felt ashamed of standing in such a luxurious space, like a starving rat that managed to sneak its way into a well-stocked storeroom. ¡°This is insane,¡± Xin whispered, wincing as a section of the floorboards creaked beneath his weight. ¡°I¡¯ve seen urchins lose their hands for less. Did we really just break into the Palace? Out of all places in the city?¡± Ah, Suilin said sardonically. You¡¯re right. We should¡¯ve just taken the next lift a chamber over. I¡¯m sure the Piper would¡¯ve been understanding of our circumstances. A thousand apologies for inconveniencing you while saving our lives. ¡°Alright,¡± Xin grumbled. ¡°I get it. But what even is the Piper? Is he another demon like you?¡± In the loosest of senses, Suilin replied. He¡¯s been around centuries one form or another, hopping between bodies in his pursuit of true immortality. I believe his latest obsession was refining children into pills. Aren¡¯t you glad I found you when I did? You would¡¯ve made for a nasty-tasting pill. Too much attitude within you. Xin shivered. The Piper¡¯s eyes, sleepy and unblinking, would likely follow him into his nightmares. To think he was just moments from being turned into medicine by an immortality-obsessed freak. Oh dear, Suilin said. I believe you best explain yourself to her. Xin froze and turned rigidly. To his right, halfway down a wide staircase leading to the second floor, stood a terrified young girl in a nightgown, a red silk raiment wrapped around her shoulders. Her long hair cascaded down the carpeted steps. The girl held a heavy bronze globe in her hands. Xin cleared his throat and raised his glowing arms to show no harm. ¡°Good evening.¡± ¡°And who may you be?¡± the girl asked, a shrill note of panic in her voice. The globe was poised to throw. ¡°State your identity, burglar or assassin?¡± ¡°No,¡± Xin said, offended. ¡°I¡¯m a¡­ Lantern?¡± The entire known world flew down the stairs and nailed Xin in the head. Xin groaned awake as his senses slowly returned to him. He remembered being awkwardly dragged through the manor, then a wet cloth pressed to his face, dabbing at the warmth trickling from his forehead down the side of his cheek ¡°Hello,¡± Xin ventured, the electric lamp-light harsh on his blurry vision. He felt a plushness beneath him that¡¯d been sorely missed¡ªa real bed. ¡°Is someone there? I didn¡¯t mean to break or anything. I¡¯m not even supposed to be here.¡± ¡°You got that right,¡± a girl¡¯s voice said. ¡°How did you get in here? Are you even real?¡± Xin turned onto his side with a wince, every inch of his body aching. He surveyed the large, dimly-lit room, which seemed to belong to a girl¡ªevident from the massive wardrobe shoved into a corner and a vanity with the largest mirror he''d ever seen beside him. None of it was half as interesting as the sheer number of books and scrolls that dotted the floor and desks, building up entire walls and towers and canyons. ¡°I¡¯ll ask again,¡± the girl repeated, standing on the other side of the room with the shaft of a curtain rod in her hands. ¡°Who are you?¡± Xin sank into the mattress, sighing. ¡°My name is Xin. I¡¯m an orphan who crawled out from the underground with demonic powers. And I¡¯ve outrun a flute-playing madman obsessed with children.¡± He puffed out his chest. ¡°And your tiger construct. All in a day¡¯s work.¡± The girl lowered the rod warily, but didn¡¯t entirely let go. She glanced briefly at the shackle on Xin¡¯s ankle. ¡°You¡¯re a rather poor burglar,¡± she replied. ¡°It¡¯s certainly a far more creative story than I was expecting. You said you¡¯re a Lantern?¡± Xin nodded. ¡°You know what they are?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± the girl said. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t? The Guideflare, the first Lantern, founded the Dynasty and saved it from destruction during the first Splitting of the Heavens. It¡¯s practically the first lesson every royal child receives. You certainly don¡¯t look like a Lantern, not one that works for Father, at least. They¡¯re a dreary sort.¡± Xin¡¯s blood ran cold. ¡°Your father?¡± he said, swinging his feet over the edge of the bed and rising with a soft groan. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, who is that?¡± The girl cocked her head at him, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. ¡°Well, you¡¯re certainly no assassin,¡± she said. ¡°My name is Serenity Shan, only daughter of the Red Emperor of the Restored Dynasty and all its Provinces, tributaries, and holdings. You, my loyal and steadfast subject, must escort me on a sightseeing trip into the city or I shall call for my guards.¡± Serenity tossed aside the rod. Upon closer inspection, the signs were all there. To start, she was pretty in the way only pampered Crownfolk were, perhaps even more so. Her pale skin was so unblemished it could¡¯ve been the surface of new scroll paper, even glowing radiantly in the lantern light. Even her eyelids were dusted with fine diamond powder, lips red with the same shade of the Red Court¡¯s banner, sharp, inquisitive eyes rimmed with dark liner. She was tall, roughly around Xin¡¯s height, with a fair, slender neck and luminous blue eyes. They couldn¡¯t have been natural, likely the product of an especially talented flesh-weaver or Sorceries unknown to the general populace. Her face held a haunting beauty, with fair and noble features that Madam Sparrow would never be able to replicate even with her zealous and frequent trips to the finest flesh-weaving salons of Commerce Row. A nose that was perfectly straight, thin brows perfectly symmetrical, the doll-like proportions of her face¡ªall features that otherwise couldn¡¯t have formed naturally on a city-dweller. Her dark hair fell in straight, silk-like tresses to the floor, pooling around her slippered feet, glossy sheen catching the glow of the electric ceiling lights. Her mere presence made Xin feel like somewhat of an ungainly ogre. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Xin asked, shock overpowering any attempt at a facade. ¡°I don¡¯t think I heard that last part right, Princess. If you can just show me the way out, I¡¯ll just disappear and you¡¯ll never see me again. You can even check my pockets. I didn¡¯t take anything.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll never make it out on your own,¡± Serenity said, smirking. ¡°I know all the secret passages from the Palace to the Crown District. I would¡¯ve used them myself if I knew how to¡­¡± ¡°Navigate the city,¡± Xin finished, a storm of thoughts flying around his head. He threw his hands up in disbelief. ¡°Why do you even want to go out into the rest of Kunlun? Have you ever even seen it? It¡¯s a mess¡ªno place for princesses.¡± ¡°Like the Palace is no place for a mud-covered orphan?¡± Serenity retorted. She approached Xin, leaving the curtain rod leaned up against an absurdly tall stack of books. ¡°Kunlun City houses my people. I¡¯ve spent my entire life locked up here in this gilded cage, never knowing what it¡¯s really like outside. Father says I am to rule one day. How could I even hope to fill a fraction of his shoes if I don¡¯t know the faces of my own people or how they live?¡± Xin frowned. He didn¡¯t know what type of alternative history Serenity¡¯s tutors must¡¯ve been feeding her, but as far as he knew, the Red Emperor hardly conducted any actual ruling. He spent his days within the Labyrinth¡ªa lavish maze-like palace open only for the emperor and his coterie of courtiers. Minister Zhao, a well-regarded graybeard of a state-scholar, ruled in his place. What an interesting life we¡¯ve begun to lead, Suilin mused. Do princesses often ask you to escort them on dates? This will be entertaining to watch, if you don¡¯t lose your head in the process. ¡°This isn¡¯t a date,¡± Xin muttered beneath his breath. ¡°Help me out here.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± Serenity asked. ¡°Nothing,¡± Xin sighed. ¡°I suppose I haven¡¯t got a choice, do I?¡± Serenity smiled. Beneath all her beauty and the luxurious trappings, she didn¡¯t look or sound that much older than Xin. ¡°By any chance,¡± she started, cheeks reddening. ¡°Do all cityfolk tend to smell like¡­ you?¡± Xin laughed for the first time in ages. It was a full-bellied laugh, the kind there was no stopping, not even in front of royal princesses. ¡°No,¡± he replied, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. ¡°Not everyone goes crawling through sewers like me.¡± Serenity processed the information with a dead-serious face. ¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask to see Father to see how we can get the orphans out of the sewers. From what I read, it doesn¡¯t sound terribly safe down there.¡± She started toward the door. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see if we can¡¯t get you cleaned up. Have you ever taken a bath before? You do know what they are, right? Chapter 6: Nightfall Chapter 6: Nightfall Running water was a vague luxury from Xin¡¯s childhood. He remembered the maids preparing a porcelain tub filled to the brim with scalding hot water. How much he¡¯d taken for granted in those days. He studied the luxuries from within the tub, his feet propped up on the rim, his body marinating in soapy suds. The eye inscribed on the shackle attached to his right ankle glared back at him angrily, his flesh red and sore beneath. A paper partition separated the washtub from the rest of the space. A gas lantern hung in a corner and yet another vanity and mirror was pushed up against the adjacent wall. Even by Crown standards, it was an absurd thing to have an entire room within the house dedicated solely for bathing, but such extravagance was to be expected for the only daughter of the Red Emperor. It was kind of Serenity to lend it to him, but Xin suspected his stench had more to do with it than charity. He took no personal offense in it. Steam fogged up the mirror of Serenity¡¯s washroom and filled the room with an unpleasant humidity. After a long soak, he dried off with a soft, fluffy towel and wiped a section of the mirror clear. Purple bruises dotted his body, and the serpent tattoo still sat over his heart, aching. ¡°Did you do this?¡± Xin asked. ¡°Is this some sort of master-disciple mark?¡± If you perceive it so, Suilin responded. We¡¯ll have to work extensively on forging you a new body. You¡¯re terribly scrawny. Her words cut deep. It was true; he¡¯d always been a tad undersized compared to his peers. It made brawling rather difficult and he was always the last pick for any field games. His face wasn¡¯t particularly handsome, but he¡¯d received compliments from time to time for looking rather boyish, whatever that meant. He wondered how his face would transform within the span of the next decade. Would he look pretty and refined like the pampered state-scholars, or would he look rugged and handsome like a countryside hero. Xin reddened, embarrassed at such thoughts. Xin pulled his gaze away from the mirror. His mood brightened upon seeing a set of clothes that¡¯d been prepared for him atop the vanity. Serenity must¡¯ve set them there beforehand. It was odd to think a princess would do anything for an urchin. Their worlds couldn¡¯t have been more apart. Even some of the Crownfolk could hardly stand walking on the same path as an urchin, much less lending them clothes and a washtub. The clothes fit him perfectly. Almost too perfectly. Whoever they¡¯d belonged to, it certainly wasn¡¯t Serenity. The Western-style shirt, white with subtle ruffles at the collar, hung loosely around his slender body and paired well with the dark trousers. They were clean, but held the distinct scent of an old closet. Clearly, the shirt hadn¡¯t seen much use as of late. Xin left the washroom and walked out into the hallway outside Serenity¡¯s bedroom. She was fully dressed and raring to go, flowing, dark-red robes and a puffy skirt wrapped around her like the petals of a rose. Her hair was miraculously tamed¡ªpinned up with a bone-white pin with a blood-red orchid ornament at its end. She was stunning, but complimenting princesses on their dresses and jewelry and pretty face didn¡¯t fall within his wheelhouse. He was an orphan who just had to make sure she returned from an evening walk in Kunlun in one piece. Arguably, the most important walk of Xin¡¯s life. And with how disastrous his morning went, he¡¯d need a fair share of the world¡¯s divine luck. The consequences of failing were unimaginable. Scratch that¡ªvery imaginable. He¡¯d likely suffer an execution by quartering, his four limbs pulled apart from his body in four different directions by mechanical warhorses. But not before lots and lots of torture. It all turned Xin rather pale and weak in the knees. ¡°Lost for words?¡± Serenity asked with a faint smile. She handed him a leather drawstring sack filled with his ruined clothes. ¡°Well, I obviously can¡¯t keep your dingy rags here. The servants would find them, and that would put me in a rather awkward position.¡± Xin took the sack and slung one of two straps over his shoulder. ¡°You promise to heed everything I say?¡± he asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know what Kunlun is like in your books, but it can get a little wild past sundown. Promise me, princess.¡± ¡°Naturally,¡± Serenity replied. ¡°And please, call me by my name. I¡¯ll allow it. This trip must be conducted incognito. I fail to see the point in this excursion if everyone¡¯s going to trip over themselves to exalt my presence.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Xin said. He rubbed his temples, fending off an encroaching headache. ¡°As long as we¡¯re clear on that.¡± The most remarkable thing about the Imperial Gardens was its sheer size. Even though Serenity called it the mere periphery of the palace, the vast swathe of carefully manicured forest could stand as a whole district on its own. The moon was out by the time they cut across the Gardens toward the secret passages, but Kunlun City rarely slept¡ªthere¡¯d be plenty to do in Commerce Row even after sundown. Gurgling streams crisscrossed and cut the Gardens into neat sections, more of the footbridges from earlier arching over them. Glowflies lit up the space with a soft blue iridescent atmosphere; a mark upon the Gardens by the Azure Court, who¡¯d once held the throne long before the Reds and Yellows even had the sense to unite to bring the Azure Down. Xin¡¯s entire view looked as if it could''ve been ripped from the pages of a storybook. A fantastical garden, beautiful and locked-up princess, and a little orphan hero who¡¯d stumbled upon it all by complete chance. Except what the storybooks didn¡¯t mention were the people starving right outside the walls of such picturesque scenes. The Heaven-cur tiger had even tried to bound after them, but was shooed reluctantly away by Serenity. She didn¡¯t receive any rib-cracking headbutts, just a nuzzle and flick of the tail before he was away into the underbrush like an over-excited housecat. ¡°Isn¡¯t he just adorable?¡± she¡¯d asked him. ¡°He¡¯s such a sweetheart. I think Father had him stationed here for my own sanity¡¯s sake rather than any real protection. The only thing I need protecting from out here is mosquitos and boredom.¡± With the novelty wearing off, Xin¡¯s grumbling grew more frequent. He yawned between every other sentence. Serenity took no notice, too lost in her own world. For all intents and purposes, she was about to set off on the journey of a lifetime. Admittedly, the various secret passages within the Imperial Gardens were intriguing. Serenity shared them freely with Xin, though they must¡¯ve passed by a dozen before she settled on something. The previous, she¡¯d informed, would only lead to other regions of the Palace. After pulling the limb of a dormant humanoid construct with an eagle¡¯s head at a certain angle, the ground slowly parted, dirt falling in tufts into a shadowed tunnel. ¡°It¡¯s a straight shot to Kunlun City,¡± Serenity said in a low voice. ¡°I would¡¯ve used it myself but I felt woefully underprepared for the realities of navigating a city. It¡¯s an excellent thing you wandered into my manor and not the guardhouse.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Xin said dryly, taking point into the cloistered, damp tunnel. ¡°Do they just let you wander about like this? I¡¯d expect a princess to maintain a retinue and a strict schedule.¡± ¡°Father says I¡¯m a special case,¡± Serenity replied. She sounded distant, as if talking about another¡¯s set of circumstances and not her own. ¡°They let me out for parties and such but I spend most of my time here in the Gardens. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I get along fabulously with the rest of the Courts but it¡¯s just safer for me here.¡± She blushed. ¡°I get my exploring done mostly after sundown, and only if I know there¡¯s no tutor waiting for me in the morning.¡± Xin didn¡¯t pry any further. They reached the end of the tunnel after a long stretch of awkward silence. A sealed set of wrought-iron doors loomed over them rather imperiously, blocking their way. The insignia of the Restored Dynasty hung over the wide arch of the doors: the royal beasts of the Four Greater Courts arranged so that each faced a different cardinal direction. Serenity¡¯s gaze lingered on the Vermillion Bird, the royal beast of the Red Court. She removed an amulet from around neck and plunged it into a groove in the wall beside the iron doors. The doors rumbled open, but Serenity merely stood at the threshold, the amulet safe around her neck again. ¡°How many times I¡¯ve stood here,¡± Serenity said wistfully. Her wide, dark eyes twinkled in the moonlight. ¡°This is a bad idea, isn¡¯t it?¡± Xin nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve heard saner schemes from Ash-addicts,¡± he admitted. ¡°This is a bad idea. Possibly bordering on harebrained¡ªif you¡¯ll excuse my discourteous language.¡± Serenity took her first step into the city. ¡°Well,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s that. Come now, the night is short and we only have until morning. Show me what you people do for fun around here.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Xin took in their new surroundings as the door rumbled shut behind them. They stood in a dusty little courtyard, but revelry didn¡¯t sound far off. Somewhere in the upper crust of Commerce Row, he conjectured. Perfect for their excursion. They left the courtyard, and even before seeing the massive streams of pedestrians walking along the Governing Channel, Serenity looked overwhelmed. She flinched at every other odd little noise, watching the shadows warily. A fidgety thing, Suilin mused. Isn¡¯t she? This may be her first time stepping foot from the Palace. ¡°If it gets too much, I can bring you right back,¡± Xin said. His words seemed to reassure her, because she gave him a shaky smile. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± she replied, huffing. ¡°I¡¯m not even¡ª¡± Her words died in her throat. Their alleyway path opened up to the rest of Commerce Row, a large Hundun-class transportation construct ambling past them, its boxy chassis carried forward by four Mechanik legs. On the exposed wagon bed, a nobleman and his scandalously clad companion sat together on curving velvet-red sofas. Serenity watched it march past with stars practically shining in her eyes. ¡°Was that a Hundun?¡± she asked, turning to Xin. ¡°The Azure Court commissions them from Kunlun¡¯s factories. They¡¯re supposed to be freight carriers. But it had people in the wagon. How marvelous. Is that safe? Surely that¡¯s not up to code?¡± Xin shrugged. The Hunduns filled the void left behind by the obsoletion of horse-drawn carriages. He¡¯d never ridden in one personally. Mono-rail tickets cost only a fraction of a single ride. They stepped out into the street. Serenity tensed up as a pair of guardsmen from the Civil Force came sauntering toward them, their trademark blue coats emerging from a shapeless mass of pedestrians. ¡°You there,¡± one of the guardsmen slurred, a tall, ragged man with a coat draped carelessly over his broad shoulders, its sleeves flapping in the wind. He leaned heavily against his partner, a hapless recruit with no coat or insignia across the breast of her utilitarian blue shirt. Her dark hair was cropped short and choppy around her ears. ¡°What in the Nine Hells are you children up to so late on this fine night? And Crownfolk too. What would your parents think?¡± ¡°Sergeant,¡± the female guardsman warned in a low voice. ¡°We need to get you back to the barracks.¡± She turned to Xin and Serenity with a wink. ¡°And you kids need to run back along to the Crown District. It¡¯s not terribly safe around these parts.¡± Xin resisted the temptation to roll his eyes. The Commerce Row hardly saw the worst of Kunlun City. The undesirable and downright criminal preferred to congregate behind the Falls, away from nosy guardsmen. Serenity grabbed hold of Xin¡¯s arm. ¡°All is well, Sir and Madam,¡± she said stiffly. ¡°I am being escorted home by my brave cousin. My father would be most pleased to know you have shown us great concern. But again, all is well. We will run home. Now. Farewell.¡± Xin blanched¡ªutterly shocked by¡­ whatever that¡¯d been. He was pulled along into the crowd by Serenity, leaving two very confused guardsmen behind. His cheeks flushed red as they drew eyes. It wasn¡¯t common to see such overdressed youths alone in Commerce Row. Serenity finally slowed once they put a full block between them and the guardsmen. ¡°How was that?¡± she asked. ¡°Do you think we fooled them?¡± ¡°I think a bullfrog could¡¯ve handled that with more grace,¡± Xin replied with a grin. His stomach growled. His last meal had been dinner the night before. ¡°Are you hungry? Because I know a great place. You¡¯ll love it. Has proper cityfolk and everything.¡± He smiled with a smile that only a broke person with a new, very-wealthy friend could muster. ¡°Your treat?¡± They made their way east to the Broadside Boar, a bar and restaurant rising from the center of a wide canal a stone¡¯s throw from Union Market, the bustling heart of Commerce Row. The Boar was a solitary, three-storied building that rose from the dark waters of one of Kunlun City¡¯s many artificial canals. The curving roof was missing entire sections of tiles, but the taproom was kept dry enough during the rainy seasons by an ever-changing formation of buckets and ceramic washbasins. True to his hazy, childhood memory, the wide, arching footbridge that connected the Boar to the street still groaned under the weight of its visitors. Serenity stepped lightly, tossing nervous glances at the murky water below. ¡°Do talismans not line the banks of these rivers?¡± Serenity asked as they approached the doors. ¡°I expected the rivers to flow pristine. Purification is hardly the most complicated of Sorceries.¡± ¡°Maybe in the Crown District,¡± Xin retorted. ¡°The talismans can¡¯t keep up with the runoff from the factories. It¡¯s a lot cheaper just to sell potable water when the Yellow Axis gets really bad.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Serenity replied, staring at the slightly-iridescent sheen of the canal¡¯s surface. ¡°This isn¡¯t bad then?¡± Inside, the proprietor of the Boar, a hulking man that assumed the vague shape of a human being, squinted at them with a set of beady eyes that were nearly obscured by layers of fat. He didn¡¯t seem to recognize Xin. A zither-rendition of an old country song crackled through the bell-shaped horn of an old Mechanik phonograph beside the bar counter. Couples still dusted in soot from their factory shifts danced in folk styles at the center of the Boar. They took a table tucked away in an isolated nook far from the carousing crowds. Within moments, a tired-looking serving girl made her way over to them. While she took their order, her gaze was glued to Serenity¡¯s dress. Each of her questions had ended with a sir or madam. ¡°That girl looked far too young to be working so late,¡± Serenity said, poking at the gas lantern hanging over their nook. ¡°Things are bad out here, aren¡¯t they? I suppose you can¡¯t learn everything from books and tutors.¡± ¡°What do they tell you?¡± ¡°Fanciful things,¡± Serenity replied, resting her cheek on her palm. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know. They tell me Kunlun City is the greatest city in the world. That foreigners and the lesser dynasties look to us for inspiration, because they¡¯re all so bloody stupid they need to buy our Sorceries and Mechaniks. They made it seem like every inch of our city was gilded in gold and even the lowliest of peasants shat silver.¡± Xin smiled. ¡°Would¡¯ve made our lives a whole¡ª¡± The doors to the Boar swung open. The tawny strings of the phonograph played over a silent crowd of dancers. They shuffled their feet nervously, glancing to and from the newcomer at the doors and the proprietor. ¡°I gave you a week,¡± the newcomer snarled. Both of his arms had been replaced by brassy Scripter-armaments¡ªMechanik-arms, dozens of intricate gears ratcheting within his shoulder blades. ¡°You better have my fucking silver¡ªyou fat, worthless piece of bacon. I warned you I¡¯m a man who upholds his promises.¡± He spat on the floorboards. ¡°Well, here I fucking am for my silver.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t getting shit from me!¡± the hulking man behind the bar counter screamed. ¡°Now begone ¡®fore I call the Civil Guard, Tie Vu!¡± In response, the thug grabbed a nearby chair, and with a shrieking hiss of the hydraulics built within his arms, threw it at the bar. The chair sailed over the heads of the crowd and crashed into a wooden plaque hung above the counter. Dancers dispersed to the edges of the room, shrieking. Nobody moved to stop the thug known by Tie Vu, who approached the bar with a gloating, shit-eating grin. The bar counter wasn¡¯t nearly tall enough to obscure the quivering, orb-like figure of the proprietor. ¡°Go on and do it then,¡± Tie Vu taunted. ¡°See if they care. See if they have time for a pathetic, little gambler like you. I want what I¡¯m owed.¡± Serenity glanced across the table at Xin with a lifted brow that only rose further up her pale forehead as the thug began throwing around more furniture and screaming. She cleared her throat and kicked Xin in the shin. ¡°What?¡± Xin asked, cross. ¡°I haven¡¯t even eaten yet! Degenerate gamblers get what they deserve, even if they happen to cook the best pot roast on this side of the city.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t just stand by and watch this,¡± Serenity said, frowning. ¡°Someone has to act. We need to do something.¡± Xin nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he said. ¡°But it won¡¯t be a renegade princess and an orphan who has his neck out on the chopping block.¡± He returned to staring listlessly at the pockmarked surface of the table, ignoring the chaos happening across the Boar. ¡°You¡¯re a Lantern,¡± Serenity said softly. ¡°You¡¯re sworn to fight injustice and the demonic forces of the night. The Heavens gave you the ability to process Extracts for a reason. All my life, I¡¯ve only read about the good that unfolds in the pages of ancient tomes and novels. But now, I¡¯m seeing it with my own eyes¡ªand there¡¯s something we can do. I don¡¯t want to use a royal decree to make you act... but¡ª¡± ¡°You there!¡± Tie Vu called across the room. He was staring at Serenity, his head cocked in confusion. The features of his face were harsh and brusque, clearly a man accustomed to getting his way by bluster and threats. ¡°What do we have here? What¡¯s a pretty little thing like you doing in a dump like this?¡± I suppose trouble has a way of finding you, Suilin mused. Will you fight every thug in this city at the behest of our naive princess? What are we, Marchen Outlaws, countryside heroes who fight against backwater tyrants? Xin rose from the table, rolling up his sleeves. The branching, criss-crossing azure patterns across his forearms drew gasps and murmurs. Even Tie Vu appeared taken back, but only for a moment. ¡°Stay out of this,¡± he warned in a low voice. ¡°Before I beat you senseless and sell your lady friend to a brothel.¡± Xin burst into action. He moved without thinking, his arms conjuring up a specter that rushed head-first into Tie Vu, who¡¯d raised his Mechanik-arms in a tight boxing stance. The thug grunted as the specter crashed into him and dissolved in a haze of dark smoke. The Boar was suspended in silence. Even the photograph cackled out its last song. ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± Tie Vu demanded, hastily examining his body for any wounds. He shivered, sweat pouring from his brows in buckets. And while he looked a little pale, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. ¡°What did you do, you little shit?¡± ¡°Come and find out,¡± Xin said. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a man of your word?¡± Tie Vu rushed forward, his bronze fist raised high up in the air to slam into Xin¡¯s face. But the blow never came; the punch was diverted by an unseen force, smashing straight through his own jaw instead. The thug collapsed like a sack of potatoes. Xin turned to see Serenity clap in glee. Her entire face brightened up with a full-bellied laugh that somehow retained every inch of her grace. She pointed behind and shrieked: ¡°Xin!¡± Tie Vu rose from the ground. His jaw hung open, rivulets of blood dribbling down his chin and onto the floorboards. He swung at Xin. Eyes wide with panic, Xin did what he knew best. He cowered. Like when Castor Lin first welcomed him into the Orphanarium with a punch, or when Madam Sparrow caned him over the ass for carving away too much potato with the skin, or the countless other times he could only watch helplessly as his life was fucked by forces beyond his control. But once again, the blow never came. The knuckles of Tie Vu¡¯s Mechanik-arm phased right through Xin¡¯s arms, which were wrapped tightly around his head. Xin¡¯s body had turned spectral again, and he didn¡¯t have the faintest clue how he¡¯d even done it. A quick head-butt to Tie Vu¡¯s gaping mouth did the trick, however. Deliberation of his abilities could wait until the immediate threat was dealt with. Tie Vu stumbled backwards, and courtesy of his heavy Scripter-armaments, crashed onto the floorboards with a resounding thud, his eyes white with unconsciousness. Xin stood over him in disbelief. The entire room must¡¯ve felt similar sentiments, because not a single person opened their mouths or so much as raised an arm. ¡°Oh fuck,¡± the proprietor breathed. ¡°Oh fuck. Oh fuck. What have you done, lad? Do you have any idea who that was? That was Tie fucking Vu. Younger brother of Bulwark Le.¡± He clawed at his plentiful cheeks. ¡°How the hell am I going to explain this?¡± Not the reaction you were expecting? Suilin asked. Violence never ends for those caught up within its chaotic web. If he paid up even a fraction of what was owed, perhaps the thug might¡¯ve shown him leeway. He will be fortunate if he comes out of this mess with his restaurant intact. I dare say you might¡¯ve just ruined this man¡¯s life. Xin nodded, numb, barely registering Serenity, who grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward the Boar¡¯s entrance. They stole away into the night under the cover of frigid darkness, their footsteps pounding away on the Broadside Boar¡¯s bridge as Suilin¡¯s soft, melodious laughter rang in his ear.