"They dragged me from the north," Klora's voice trembled as she spoke, but she didn't stop.
Hundreds of eyes were fixed on her as she knelt on the cold stone ground. Sweat ran down her forehead and onto her lips, salty and bitter.
She was bound in chains, unable to move. She knew speaking her heart would only bring more pain, but she couldn't remain silent.
Behind her, guards stood rigid and unmoving. In front of her sat General Fui, the Crown Prince, giving orders with his authority.
The crowd watched from above and a little farther away. They knew—these could be her final words.
One swift swing of a sword could end her life. Yet, deep down, some still hoped that someone might come to the rescue.
General Fui leaned back in his chair, resting his chin on his hand. A smirk spread across his lips.
"I thought someone would come to save you," he said. "But it seems we've just caught a little monkey running wild, causing us trouble."
Dark clouds gathered overhead, and light rain began to fall.
"It seems even the sky agrees this sinner must die," General Fui said as if the world were on his side.
The crowd began to murmur.
"She deserves this."
"How dare she stand against the king?"
"This is the only way we could live in peace."
Most of the people believed what they were told. It was easier to follow those in power than to question them. But some did not share that view.
In the crowd, a young man stood watching the scene, half of his face covered by a silk mask. Only his eyes were visible.
In the kingdom, some wore masks to protect their privacy, some to not catch attention, and some simply to hide their scars.
The young man was not a particularly famous noble; his name was Huan Su. If he had His spotlight, it didn't come from his own actions but from his father, who served the king, and his brother, Huan Qiu, who was known for his charm with women.
Their clan Rusu, was famous for being skilled swordsmen.
Su said nothing, but his gaze never left Klora. Behind him, his brother Huan Qiu was nearby, laughing and flirting with women, seemingly uninterested in the situation at hand.
It appeared as if the two noble brothers had come just to watch a girl be condemned to death by General Fei.
Klora tilted her head up, letting the rain touch her lips. The cool water offered her a brief moment of relief. She took a deep breath, gathering her last bit of strength.
"Master Lian did not die from sickness," she said, her voice shaky, but her words clear.
"The kindest, most noble master we ever had was poisoned by the greedy Shang—the father of General Fei! He tricked the people for years and killed the innocent from Zi."
Her words were just words for some people, without any meaning.
Some looked stunned, while others questioned her words, unwilling to believe her.
Behind the masked young man named Su, a girl approached urgently and whispered. Her name was Shinou, a girl who served Su's father.
"You were right. This is a trap. They could have killed her already, but they're creating a scene to see if someone helps her."
"This is getting interesting," Su said, as he was now sure about what was happening.
"If she's someone worth risking everything for, they'll come for her. But as it stands, she's not worth much. If she were, they wouldn't have let her be caught in the first place," the girl named Shinou whispered.
"Let's see how this unfolds. Either way, it's interesting to watch." Su answered.
General Fui began walking toward Klora, his blade glinting in the dim light as he had already decided it was her last moment.
Mothers covered their children's eyes. Some in the crowd screamed for her to die, while others remained silent, visibly shaken by her words.
Klora took a deep breath. The fear had left her.
With her last breath, she screamed, "Clan Rusu and Zi are not the real enemies!" Her voice rang out. "Even if I die, the truth will come to light !"
General Fui approached with his sword, but before he could draw it, an arrow streaked through the air and struck his hand.
The crowd fell silent. Some guards looked on with cold eyes.
Seven more arrows flew through the air, hitting the ground where Klora knelt.
The arrows embedded themselves around her, forming a protective wall. Suddenly, a guard came behind her, unlocking her chains, while the rest of the crowd remained fixated, waiting for a command.
In the blink of an eye, everything started to happen.
" kill them all", fui screamed while holding his bleeding hands.
Another guard came and killed the one who unlocked Klora's chains.
But within a second another soldier came and killed him.
Are they betraying themselves?
Is this a trap?
No one could understand.
Some people in the crowd ran and some stayed with shaking eyes trying to understand what was happening.
" They are killing themselves," Su's brother Qiu said while looking at the scene. As he finished, Su added important details about the situation.
"A Soul Shifter!! " Su said as if the realization had only just hit him after questioning everything.
His brother Qiu and the girl Shinou beside him studied the scene intently, never blinking. With Su's words, they began to believe it might be true.
Soul Shifters—about them, they had only read in books. They had believed those Soul Shifters were long dead.
Within moments, the arrows that had hit the ground began to explode with a sound, filling the air with a sharp scent and thick smoke that enveloped the stone ground.
Everything became unclear as if the identities of those behind the smoke were hidden from view.
Only people in the crowd could see, even if it was just a glimpse of the scene. They saw a figure moving with Klora, helping her, while others looked back and forth, unable to comprehend what was unfolding.
General Fui, after a brief moment of confusion, began issuing commands. He knew they would come, and now he realized this was the moment to activate the trap they had set. They had never predicted an attack like this, but he would stand firm and make the trap work, even in the chaos.
Some archers working for the general, stationed further from the walls, watched the scene unfold. General Fei gestured to them, signalling them to aim at Klora and kill her from afar.
With the smoke clouding their view, everyone knew that shooting at the stone ground could kill their guards as well. But despite the danger, they obeyed General Fei's orders. At the same time, he instructed the guard to step back from the stone ground.
Half of the guards were sent to find the archer who shot first. Even at that moment, the fighter kept fighting and helping Klora. All anyone could see was a swordsman in black, with a covered face.
Su kept his gaze fixed on the fighter. Suddenly, it became a little clearer through the thick smoke: there was only the fighter now, and Klora had disappeared. Not only was he skilled with a sword, but he was also fast.
He darted to the side of the area, and everyone began chasing him.
"...How can ordinary people catch someone with abilities?" one of the generals who had stayed behind the whole time asked, glancing at Fui. "What you're doing is meaningless."
Fei didn't hesitate to answer right away. He continued to watch the scene intently. Despite the chaos, his focus never wavered.
He glanced down at his hand.
"It's my people who follow my authority. They aren't ordinary." Fui said, looking at his still bleeding hand from the arrow strike and removing it with a dreadful expression.
Meanwhile, Shinou let her mind speak. "What should we do now? Just just watching? If we can catch them, we will earn the king's favour."
"There was a fighter, a Soul Shifter, and an archer," Brother Qiu said with a smirk. He added, "I'm not interested in the king's praise. There are far more interesting things to pursue."
Su, still focused on the scene, finally spoke.
"I think there's something we need to figure out. That fighter caught my attention. If you're not interested, feel free to do whatever you want. But if you're also curious, find the Soul Shifter and the archer."
Shin and Brother Qiu stayed silent.
Su paused, his eyes narrowing. "Remember, they're hiding something—something more valuable than the king's worthless gold and praise." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving the others in silence.
"What are you going to do, little woman? Maybe we can spend the evening somewhere more beautiful than here," Qiu suggested, his gaze drifting off to his imagination.
"Master Su's word is my top priority," Shinou said and left without further hesitation.
"If you like him, just say it..." Qiu shouted after her, but as he turned, he saw a girl behind him. "I should have asked her instead," he muttered to himself. Looking at that woman Qiu asked, "Shall we?"