Chapter 78
Crown Princess Elora
Huticah
Elora watched in terror as her sister bowled over for her husband, a gratuitous cry from her as she wrapped her hands over his bleeding body. She cried uncontrollably that Elora felt her heart splinter into pieces for her loss. That morning, Fu Boya had laughed and played around with his father, who knew it would be the last?
Looking around at the bloodshed scene that had become a river, Elora almost lost her footing. For what they had fought for, she did not understand it. On the ground were brothers, sisters, fathers, and mothers of many who waited at home.
Only because of a son who could not let go of the wrong done to his father and wished to accomplish "filial piety". He deemed his father's life to be worth thousands of lives. If life was principled that way, "For each life taken a thousand should die in retribution," would the world still stand?
It was complete and utter madness. What was she to say to her people when they would see her arrive home defeated and with no words to appease for the loss of their loved ones?
Yuwen Hong always said he cared, but deep down, he was quite selfish and one minded, refusing to see reason and to understand. If this was his love, she did not want it.
Love does not hurt. It does not betray and steals one's happiness and peace of mind.
She loathed him.
Her heart accelerated in pacing, and she felt her veins turn cold. An overwhelming surge of strength that could not be controlled swayed her back and forth before a loud piercing scream broke from the back of her throat.
To answer her summoning, the sky blasted loudly as an untamable storm would. Lighting coloured the sky in yellow, while grey overshadowed the once blue skies. The war that raged in full force calmed as people looked up in confusion. As if that was not enough warning for them, a boom rocked the earth commencing an earthquake.
Everyone started to run for their lives. The sky had become too fierce as in the midst of grey was crimson fire about to rain on them. Yet it was not fire that rained, it was pebbles of freezing red snow that fell.
Looking down the summit, she saw people slip onto the ground, their hands desperately clawing at the rocky terrain as they crawled in the midst of the chaotic flight. Elora had never felt so strong and unstoppable. With each step she took, a sense of exhilaration coursed through her veins, leaving her exhilarated and curious about the limits of her abilities.
Curling her fingers into fists, she channeled the intense energy within her, and a sudden burst of wind, fierce and untamed, whipped through the surrounding landscape. The once serene trees lining the mountainside began to sway violently, their leaves rustling in fear as they were mercilessly lashed by the gales.
Even the massive boulders, each weighing tons, were not immune to her newfound power. They started to shudder and tumble, dislodged from their ancient resting places high on the rocky peaks, creating a tumultuous cascade that sent shockwaves through the mountains.
As the world around her responded to her unbridled strength, Elora's eyes widened with wonder and a touch of trepidation. She was beginning to grasp the potential of her abilities, and the possibilities were both thrilling and terrifying. It was a moment of self-discovery that left her eager to explore the extent of her powers and the impact she could have on the world.
However, the more she exerted herself did she realise she was becoming faint that she would collapse. What if she was driving herself into death?
Noticing that the battle had dispelled and many who could had taken flight, she calmed herself and slowly eased her power. With moderate pacing did her surroundings calm down and normalcy return.
She took a deep breath and swallowed. Looking around again in detail, she saw who she last wanted to see. Yuwen Hong sat with his dragon sword outstretched, creating a protective barrier that her force could not breach, an intimidating display of his mastery.
Her sister, General Feng, and many of her companions had vanished from the scene, leaving only her father and the Lord Liege standing on a raised cliff above where Yuwen Hong sat.
Her father nodded with a mix of pride and concern etched on his face, while the Lord Liege, ever stoic and unreadable, offered no visible reaction.
Knowing that a conversation with Yuwen Hong was now inevitable, they wasted no time approaching her. The Lord Liege placed a reassuring hand on Oren's shoulder, silently signalling for him to follow, and together, they took to the skies.
When Yuwen Hong marched to her, his eyes were lethal, posture rigid to show off how angry he was. It was more of unrestrained anger possessing him that you could tell he was seeing red.
"You dared not." He gritted his teeth, his eyes examining her cut hair with vexed deposition.
He was angry? Absurd. She was the one who had the right to be aggrieved.
"Oh, yes, I dared!" She yielded her sword toward him. Without hesitation, she pointed it toward him and her wings fluttered that she gained height, her legs leaving the ground. Till now she had barely used her flying abilities, keeping her wings snatched behind her back that they were like the cape of her robes. However, now they soared and spread in the sky showing off their grandeur of elegance.
"Yuwen Hong, kill me today if I do not kill you first!" she screamed as she charged for him.
In the past they did verse against each other, but no time had it been this brutal and intentional. She swiped her sword, but he was fast to lean back on his heels, missing the point of silver by an inch from his neck.
He employed his formidable defence skills to dodge and parry her attacks, initially underestimating the true extent of her determination and playing it off as one of her past tantrums. But soon enough did he realise she indeed wanted to cut his head off.
He struck at her with force using both of his hands. She blocked him with her sword and the impact sent sparks flying into the sky, a dazzling display of clashing steel that illuminated the tension between them. When she could not hold him back due to his strength that could not be matched, she spinned into the sky and served her attack of retaliation.
She did not expect him to be a little careless to not react fast enough because she managed to slash his arm. Satisfaction hit her to see the surprise in his eyes. Not that she had suddenly become the best swordsman in the world, no, she recognised that he was still in recovery from being bed-ridden and he probably tired after the harsh fighting in which he brought down her brother-in-law.
She took advantage of her gain over him and instantly was her blade over his shoulder. Because of the pain on his arm from her cut and more wounds he had collected as he battled others, he fell on his knees. Not because of love, but because of her ability, she brought him on his knees this time around.
In his eyes was something she had never seen in them before, complete and utter respect for who she was. She now matched him as an opponent on so many grounds she would not have dared to in the past.
"Li Lian-"
"I have your heart," she told him.
A frown darkened his features, displeasure and disapproval contouring them.
"You as much dare come for Huticah again, or your military disrespect Furia, or your nation abuse my people... I will not think twice, Yuwen Hong, I will kill you."
"You are mine!" he insisted. "Furia belongs to Nevoria."
He could tell he was losing her, that's why he was getting ridiculous.
"I belong to no one but myself. Any silver thread of love I still felt toward you ended today. You cut it off." She was surprised by how cold her voice was, which was lovely because her heart felt the same. Yuwen Hong pushed their love off the cliff so it could die.
"Your words, not mine. We shall see who shall come out-"
She shifted the blade till it was at his neck. Her hands did not tremple as the anger that roared within her really meant it. She was going to kill him.
He knew it as well because he fell back onto his calves, sitting in a posture of surrender. His hand tightly clutched his bleeding arm in a desperate attempt to slow the flow of blood.
She looked down at him with so much contempt. "I have loved, and now I shall hate."
He snarled like a caged animal, but that did not phase her. A lion that once roared in the jungle as the king of all creatures would take time to realise it lost its territory and it was now caged from doing as it pleased. Humility was hard to learn in a day.
"They say fate lasts three lifetimes. Because of you I made the skies cry three times. Let this be reason for our fate to cease. Yuwen Hong, to forgive you, I shall never."
S.V