Second after second, the world around Tian Luo shrank to a single point, an idea submerged in a whirlpool of words. Some were familiar, others like distant whispers that couldn't be captured.
His fingers slowly curled, gripping a handful of cold dirt between his palms. Rough, stiff at first, but it soon withdrew its faint warmth, as if it were feeding on him.
His face remained as stoic as expected from a seasoned general, but tiny beads of sweat rebelled against his calm, scattering on his forehead like soldiers falling in battle.
"Fang Bai... you damned son of a damned man! Do you dare to rebel?!" His chest tightened, fire ignited within him, but before he succumbed to it, another thought came to him, like water spilling on embers.
"No... this is Fang Bai... we shared life and death, he's closer to me than myself... how can I doubt him? What if... he's trying to help me?"
Is what he intends betrayal... or sacrifice? What difference is there between the two when the choice is between life and death?
The leaves of the trees swayed in a silent dance to the rhythm of the wind, undulating left and right, as though whispering past tales.
The cold breeze, which had been asleep among the rocks, suddenly awoke like a hungry beast, rushing relentlessly, creeping like the cold shadows of night, and it scorched the soldiers with its cruelty.
The heat that seeped from their bodies left them with nothing but chills. The sweat that flowed freely froze before it could complete its journey, and its frozen drops stabbed their trembling muscles like fine needles.
"How long will this torment last?" This was a question unspoken, yet it was etched in everyone's eyes, screaming silently, harsher than wailing.
At that very moment, as if fate wished to test him again, the wind reached Tian Luo. It didn't sting him as it had done to the others, but touched him gently... like the fingertips of angels feeling his sorrow.
Around him, small grasses danced behind him, each ripple telling a story, pulsing with the warmth of spring.
But the dream didn't last long... like grains of sand sinking under the waves of the sea, the dream of the wind faded on his skin, crashing into an invisible barrier.
It was only for a moment, but the air that passed through Tian Luo didn't leave as it entered. Behind him, it was no longer a cold breeze, but transformed into a light spring warmth, as though it had been washed with sorrow and emerged purified.
It was as if the entire world refused to let him feel cold... even if it went against his will.
The grass around him swirled in a circle, as if an invisible hand was pulling it. The aura slowly rose in rings, centering in Tian Luo's mind, carving words within it.
No, they weren't just words. They carried something mysterious, faint, something unfinished.
"I'll see what Fang Bai is planning, if I don't like it... hmph!" Tian Luo thought, before the previous aura shot out like a piercing needle, penetrating Fang Bai's mind.
"Fang Bai... oh, Fang Bai... have you gone mad?!! Did you not learn from the dozens of generals who thought as you do? Weren't you the one who tortured them yourself, cruelly?! Did you love him?! Loved to... slaughter everyone you love with your own hands? Or have you fallen in love with eating yourself alive?!"
"Fang Bai, you know full well that rebellion against the prince is a death sentence, and much worse! It's not about raising your subordinates with you, or rewarding them, or making them equal to you."
"It's about strength! Do you have enough strength to overthrow the prince? Hypothetically, even if you did... do you have enough power to face the entire Ji Ba empire? Worse still, to face the emperor? Has madness finally taken you?"
"Fang Bai, Fang Bai, opportunities come, but not all of them are real opportunities! Some wear grace while hiding wrath, and others are the exact opposite! In both cases, they fall before the prince! Do you understand what you're doing? What you're planning, for the sake of the gods?!"
The message had been presented in Fang Bai's mind, but it was incomprehensible, as if his mind rejected it. His attention, his life, his future, everything hung by a thread between life and death at that moment. The message tried to carve itself into his skull, but failed.
It tried to affect him, perhaps it succeeded, but not positively—rather, negatively. His rebellious thoughts didn't subside, but grew... immensely.
Fang Bai, or rather, not just him, everyone in the area lost their minds, their thoughts, their vision, from the words they heard.
The air passed, but it bypassed all the kneeling figures, like statues of stone. The grass stood upright, like rigid knives. The trees fell silent, the animals froze suddenly as if their souls had been held captive, turning their heads toward one place, toward the carriage!
"Ranks will be reinstated from this moment."
In the heart of darkness, at its center, his brows rose, a thread of crimson light pierced through the darkness. He had the power to dispel the blackness of the world, yet he didn't.
The corners of his mouth slowly stretched, expressing something. Was he happy? No, it wasn't happiness. It was something else, something darker, something that made his lips form the most splendid garb of evil!
Was it ecstasy? Perhaps, or perhaps not. No one could predict what Ji Hai was thinking—not his family, not his brothers, not even his mother. Even his army and supporters couldn't tell.
For them, Ji Hai was a completely mysterious being. It was as though he were confused, unclear, covered in shadows.
Except for that one person, no one understood Ji Hai. Or that's what he thought, and everyone else. Did he see something in himself? A faint light in his depths? Unexpected, most likely what he saw was what made him do whatever he pleased.
Maybe... he saw the head of the Demon God, the God of Evil, beneath his foot. Reaching for a trace of compassion, a trace of good from him.
He was looking at them, looking from the depths of the darkness. He saw one open his mouth, wanting to say something, but the words refused to come out, trembling in his throat and retreating.
He saw with his eyes the old man whose only hope was promotion so he could buy new clothes for his granddaughter and feed her real food instead of leftovers.
He looked at that man, who wanted to treat his wife, with the condition that borrowing money would require him to be of a higher rank. He saw him, his body drying... growing hotter.
Cracking, his soul slowly leaving. His tears wanted to come out, but they dried first. He had shattered... whether internally or externally.
He could see, understand, absorb the emotions of their discontent. He moved his hand, placing his palm on his face. He could still see them, his eyes still unquenched... opening slowly... devouring for more!
"Fascinating... fascinating! The helplessness of the weak... it's fascinating!!" He stuck out the tip of his tongue, slowly dragging it from the left corner of his mouth. As if with every motion, thousands of lives were being consumed, absorbed, releasing all their emotions until they perished!
His smile wasn't natural; it carried something behind it. Hidden shadows danced, rejoicing, holding a celebration. There was a voice deep inside him, it wasn't him. But it was very similar, and even that person wouldn't notice the difference.
In his skin, something wanted to awaken! Something not human... not human at all and unrelated to them!
His saliva dripped slightly, then suddenly, his body pulsed for a moment. Every cell in his body trembled, he jolted for a fraction of a second, as if waking from a long sleep. A heavy purple aura rose, intertwined with flashes of anger.
The swords beside him trembled, no, they shuddered! They rose slowly. The wood of the carriage wanted to decay, but it didn't dare. The air around him wished it had never entered.
The glass was about to shatter, but Ji Hai stopped then. Not because of them, he didn't care about them at all. But to think... about what would happen next and how he would deal with it.
He returned to his seat, his eyes still seemingly the same, but the meaning they now conveyed was completely different. He placed his palm back on his face, but he gripped it tightly. As if he wanted to rid himself of himself. "How did I lose control...?"
He realized... he realized something had been taken from him, something no longer belonged to him. He was no longer truly classified as human...
He slowly turned his head toward the mirror in front of him. Everything was dark, pitch black. Except for the deep threads of energy scattered, emerging from the place he had hidden with his palm. He realized then, "Did I lose... my eyes to it?"