Blood of Red Spider Lilies

Chapter 5: Return to the Ancient Sea

"What's up?" Blade asked, his head popped out from behind her, leaning down to rest his chin on her shoulder, examining her expression with a raised eyebrow.

He gripped her waist with his hands, supporting her.

"Did you... Did you not hear the voices...?" She asked him, letting out a shaky breath.

"What voices?" He responded to her question with a question. "Maybe you're just tired from the journey here. What? Can't take the exhaustion?"

"I'm serious!"

He frowned, taking his hands off her waist, and took a step back. He didn't hear the voices. In fact, they were the only ones here, except for Kafka, who's somewhere around here.

There is only one explanation for the voices but it doesn't make sense.

She might be hearing voices under the influences of Kafka's Spirit Whisperer but she has promised him she won't do anything to her, at least, not without asking him first.

"So you really didn't hear the voices?" Her voice snapped him back out of his thoughts. She was looking at him curiously.

He nodded and then turned away, feeling warmth creeping up his ears.

He walked back to the beach, with her behind him. Kafka's figure stands there in the distance.

"How come I don't believe you?"

"I don't care." He replied automatically.

She lets out a soft chuckle. "I'm just kidding."

"Hmph."

Seeing the look on his face, she wanted to tease him more but decided after a moment of thinking. It probably wouldn't be a good idea.

Unless she was asking for an invitation to the Underworld. She certainly wouldn't want one, she still has to get back the memories she lost.

"He resembles so much like a black cat." She thought.

"Miss me, my darlings?" Kafka asked, smiling as they approached her. "Did you two have fun?"

Fun?

She doesn't know how to answer that.

She looked over Blade.

His eyes zoned out of focus, looking at something out at sea.

She and Kafka both look towards the direction he's looking at.

"He's here."

Cordelia looked into the distance, a tiny form of a Starskiff flying in the distance. "Who?"

He didn't answer, his jaws clenched together intensely.

The Starskiff came closer to them and landed on the sand, next to the one they used.

Her eyes widened as she saw the person who stepped out of the Starskiff.

The dark-haired man looks equally surprised. "Cordelia...?"

"Dan Heng!" She exclaimed, quickly overcoming the shock of seeing him on Xianzhou Loufu after he declined to even step on the ship.

She was about to run to him when Blade pulled her back by her arm. "What are you-?"

She paused mid-sentence when she saw the look on Blade's face. It was the same look he have when fighting the Mara-Struck soldiers. She looks back at Dan Heng, whose eyes are wide now.

Staring right at Blade.

Blade suddenly laughed, a deep laugh that sounded so cruel, so... insane.

"Hahaha...hahahaha!" Blade walked slowly towards Dan Heng. "Time to settle your debt!"

In a flash of red petals, he appeared behind Dan Heng. "Stop hiding and reveal your true self!"

Dan Heng quickly deflected several of Blade's attacks with Cloud Piercer. And yet, he was no match against Blade. He tumbled to the ground against the violent impact of Blade's sword against his spear.

She rushed forward. Seeing the distance between her and those two, she wasn't going to make it in time.

She froze in her tracks.

"Stay out of their fight."  A voice said in her head. "Don't interfere."

Cordelia turned to look at Kafka, only to find the woman smiling at her. The Stellaron Hunter flicked her hand, and Cordelia walked back to Kafka.

"No, no, no! Why can't I control my body?!"

She started to panic in her head. It felt as if invisible, hidden threads of spider webs were attached to her limbs, controlling her like a puppet.

Blade raised his sword, smirking. The blade gleamed in the faint glow of the sun.

"Stop!"

A flash of yellow and blue went past Cordelia, blocking the sword from reaching Dan Heng.

A boy who look likes he is around the age of 8, deflected Blade's attack.

She practically melted in relief, recognizing him as Yanqing, General Jing Yuan's retainer. A gifted swordsman who hasn't even come to age yet.

Blade, however, was not surprised and attacked the boy instead.

He jumped through the air and landed several feet away, moving his sword left and right against the flying swords coming towards him.

The swords whistled through the air, followed by the sounds of metal clashing.

Blade smirked again, and threw his sword, narrowing missing the blonde-haired kid by an inch.

The sword stabbed Dan Heng in the chest, who was struggling to keep his balance, even with the help of Cloud Piercer.

Cordelia's eyes widened with horror, her chest tightened with panic.

She tried to move forward, struggling to move.

The boy glared at Blade. "You-! How dare you!"

Blade smiles coldly as he begins walking towards Dan Heng and Yanqing slowly with his arms outstretched as if asking for a hug long overdue.

"Hate to break it to you, boy," he begins in his low, deep voice. "But that man behind you, is none other than the traitor of Xianzhou."

Water torrents surrounded them, moving towards Dan Heng, encasing him in a sphere of water. Blade's sword fell to the ground with a clang.

The water sphere exploded, and a beautiful, translucent dragon as majestic as it can be, flew out and let out a roar, sending out a blinding light.

"The High Elder of the Vidyadhara, Imbibitor Lunae." Blade continued, unfazed by the whole situation.

Yanqing's eyes widen in disbelief as he looks back at Dan Heng, who emerges from the display with two cerulean horns of a Vidyadhara adorning his head. "In that case, I'll bring you both to justice!"