The Cruel Prince

YING YUE AND JIAN

The wind whipped and roared around Wang Jian and Ying Yue as they travelled by horse in the middle of the night. Jian led her to Jungjae's hideout and Jungjae had been too clever to predict this outcome.

They traveled to the same village, the same cave where Banye's wife took Jungjae as a hostage nearly a decade ago.

Ying Yue felt Banye's energy inside, his power waning out, it wasn't vanishing type of waning, but rather, a stale form of it. Resting.

It gave her a form of relief learning he's safe.

"I can feel him." She murmured as she carefully dismounted from her mare. "He's not doing anything. It is as if he's hiding and he wants to be left alone."

Wang Jian was silent as he followed. He didn't know what to say, her worry for Banye was the last thing he wanted to hear.

"Wait, Ying Yue. Don't walk in just yet. Let me greet my brother, you know the first thing he'll do it try to kill you."

She paused and did not argue, allowing Wang Jian walk ahead.

There's a small flicker of light dancing inside the cave, and based on the shadows, Jungjae and his company are still awake.

Wang Jian walked in silently. His throat bobbed swallowing a careful breath, weary of his brother.

"Hello, Jian." Greeted Jungjae with lethal silence, his feral eyes that's filled with thirst and rage glared at his brother.

"Hello bother." Said Jian in equal brutality.

Jungjae smiled wildly, his eyes gleamed. "Did you come to sacrifice your wife?"

"No. I came to help her free Banye."

Jungjae's handsome face contorted with rage. "Have you finally gone out of your mind!?" He hissed. "Do you care for her so much that you'll let her weasel you into freeing the demon who put you in all this mess?! Have you come to realized he made your life hell and stole your wife away?!"

His knuckles turned white from his fingers digging on the stone he's sat on. Jungjae held himself down from lunging at his own brother. 

There was a pregnant silence. 

Ying Yue stayed outside the cave listening faintly to the conversation.

"Yes, brother. I realized all that, but this had gone far enough, we need to stop. I reached a deal with Ying Yue. If we were to release Banye, he won't come after us anymore. Do you know what would happen if we pissed the King of Underworld? There'll be worst to pay. Yama can wipe away our land, kill all our people in a blink of an eye. We are risking the fury of god if we keep going."

"No, brother. I will kill that demon, and I will kill your demon wife, then I will face consequences."

"No, Jungjae. You have been bent of revenge and anger, you are not yourself anymore." Wang Jian spoke calmly.

Jungjae lunged for his brother and Jian saw this all coming, he brought out his sword to meet his blade.

Neither of them pulled the blow.

Wang Jian felt the reverberation of his strike on his body while Ying Yue rushed inside to see what's happening. The brothers are exchanging blows of strikes inside the small cave.

Jungjae surged to Jian's feet with a sharp cry, his focus wholly on him. He didn't see Ying Yue came in for him until it was too late, until he felt the sharp pain shuddered in his body, a cold metal blade tearing his flesh.

He whipped to her, suddenly aware of her. "You bitch!" He snarled, choking as he spat blood out of his mouth.

He screamed and redirected the remaining of his energy launching his sword into her, but another sharp pain entered his body. His brother, the one who had once rescued him from a demon is killing him for another demon.

"How dare you, brother?" He asked, he gazed at his brother, his eyes shined with betrayal. "You'll kill me for that woman!?"

"I'm sorry, Jungjae." Wang Jian said softy. "I cannot let you kill her."

"You're a fool. I hope father see to it that you're a fool. You are not capable of leading an entire nation. You're too soft, brother. You became a fool for a woman."

"No, Jungjae. I'm not soft, you've become evil and you need to be stopped. The whole massacres needs to stopped. No more massacres on either sides."

Wang Jian dug his blade deeper, then pulled it, he stumbled back and a shower of blood splattered, soaking both Wang Jian and Ying Yue together.

Jungjae's body fell to the ground, gasping, aching, and shuddering fighting for his life.

Ying Yue merely looked at the terrified shaman hiding on the back of the cave, too terrified to move or do anything else.

A hideous ache building in her gut. She spoke, and it is in command. "Tell me where you trapped Banye or I won't spare your life!"

The shaman stole a look at Jungjae convulsing on the ground. It was as if he's asking for permission to oblige. "Prince Wang Jungjae?"

"He can't do anything for you now." Murmured Ying Yue as she closed her distance forward.

Her blade raised, pointed to his throat. "Tell me where's Banye now!" She snarled.

His face paled before surveying the collection of crystals scattered on the ground. Ying Yue followed his glance down to the scattered shards of crystal. Each one of them breathed life as though they have souls trapped on every one of them.

One caught her eyes, a dark opaque crystal. It was as if it was speaking to her and she knew right then that was the one.

She dragged the shaman, her blade still pointed at his neck. She bent over picking it up.

"Free this one!" She demanded.

"Don't do it. Don't free the demon." Murmured Jungjae conquering the energy to speak. He coughed and winced while Wang Jian had been busy applying first aid on him. He didn't want to kill his little brother, he only wanted to incapacitate him.

Ying Yue decided being inside the cave was too cramp of a spot. She pulled the shaman outside the cave with her. "Free the demon or I wouldn't think twice about killing you!"

The shaman breathed, and Ying Yue heard the wild panic in his heart beast, his blood rushing to his head, and air recycling heavily in his lungs. She knew he's afraid, very afraid of her.

"You kill me, the demon will never be free from that crystal and I would rather die than free that demon from his capture."

She let out a low dangerous growl. She's reaching desperation and she don't know what to say or do. "Let him free!"

"Or what? There's nothing you can say or do to make me." The shaman answered stubbornly.