At Crossroads: Of Death?

Journey to the North

The sound of chatters filled the forest as the trio walked through it. One could begin with the rustling of leaves due to being trodden underfoot or the col breeze that whistled through the tall trees which stood like Chinese statues, their branches hiding the face of the sun; thus allowing little specks of light to seep into the dark forest, illuminating it. Birds could be heard chirping, filling the environment with their sonorous melody. Monkeys could be seen chattering as they hopped from tree to tree. Two squirrels ran across the grassy ground, squeaking loudly. These were what characterized the forest of trees. This was what could be truly called nature.

They were dressed in yellow robes and wore trousers of the same colour, their feet cladded in shoes which were made of animal hide. Their heads were bald, shaven clean of hair and as smooth as polished stones. Dotted black lines ran vertically across their heads from the forehead to the back head. Around their necks were black prayer beads about the size of pebbles-monks. They were monks from the looks of it (actually one of them was already an Abbot).

"Qi, how do you feel about visiting the Northern Monastery?" the oldest of the monks asked, his face beaming a smile. "Won't it be awesome?" His name was Lung and loved talking alot. He was also a great joker and loved saying he'd love to work in a circus rather than stay in the scraggy Monastery, learning how to attain Nirvana everyday.

Qi hated it when questions were randomly thrown at him. This was something that made he feel irritated! His brown eyes which were sharp stared at Lung, sizing him up. Then his lips opened slightly and grunted, "The Northern Monastery is the same as the Southern or any other one..."

"..."

Lung's mouth twitched. Qi was sure a bad tempered fellow with no regard for jokes. Children like him should appreciate jokes. He was barely 15 of age!

"... why should it be 'awesome'?"

Lung didn't dare keep quiet. It would make him lose face in front Qi; he was a senior monk while the latter was a junior. Why would a junior monk exert such authority?

"Come on! Don't be ridiculous," Lung chipped in. "There are lots of artefacts there, you'd love them."

"Qi," the Abbot finally spoke, his adam's apple bulging up and down like a pendulum. His beady eyes stared at the young monk who lacked enthusiasm for matters like this and easily had misconceptions about things.

The other two monks pricked up their ears, listening attentively. Their Abbot seldom talked and when he eventually did, spoke with vigor.

This Abbot was young as well with a glamour of beauty to his nature and had an air of wisdom around him.

"The Western Monastery is nothing like the other four," the Abbot said.

"Huh?" Qi arched his brow. How is the Western Monastery different from the others? he thought. The Monasteries were orthodox organizations set up to teach people the ways of Buddha in order to attain Nirvana, self liberation from all things in this world.

Lung took this moment to mock him. Sneering he said, "Didn't know that or didn't want to know?"

"Lung, I guess you should let the Abbot continue."

"Whatever."

The Abbot sighed. Children. Even though Lung was a young adult, 18 of age, the Abbot still viewed him as a child. Inasmuch you were still a monk, you are a child irrespective of whether you were a senior monk or junior monk or whatsoever.

He then said in a deep voice, "The Western Monastery broke away from the teachings of Buddha."

Broke away from the teachings of Buddha? This... Lung and Qi had the same thoughts. How would a Monastery which had existed for millennials suddenly break away from the teachings of Buddha? What did they do that made them break away? These questions resounded in their minds.

The Abbot chuckled, "There are things you shouldn't know yet."

Lung and Qi exchanged looks. The Abbot was definitely not going to tell them anything, at least for the time being.

They had reached a rocky, steep hill and begun climbing, grabbing and treading on rocks for support. They avoided the narrow path since it was steep and could send them tumbling down any moment.

A great silence descended on them, threatening to engulf them. Lung was irritated by this. He hated silence but seeing that the others had no intention of talking, he continued in silence often muttering something to himself.

"How long do we have to go? Is the Northern Monastery that far?" Qi asked.

"So long," the Abbot chuckled. Children never cease to amaze me, he thought. Do they think this is a short journey? Just like other Monasteries, the Eastern Monastery was located deep in the forests of Crosslands, making it impossible for it to be discovered by the six kingdoms. To even travel to a city in Crosslands would take days much more traveling to the North. They had to pass through several forests, cities, villages and then the Boundary which separated the six kingdoms from each other. The Boundary which was supposed to be just a boundary had been transformed into a city by merchants. Buildings had been erected everywhere, making it a miniature kingdom.

"Hmmm...How many hours do we have to walk?" Lung chipped in. He felt if he asked a direct question, he would receive a direct answer. He did not want to waste time beating around the bush by asking questions like, "How long does it take to reach the North?"

The Abbot chuckled again, making the two monks wonder if he was doing it in order to mock them. He said, "Hours or days? Well, it takes everyone seven days."

A whole week! Lung and Qi wanted to scream out but suppressed their voices. The journey to the North actually takes seven days. They then sighed in regret. They wouldn't have gone anywhere if the annual competition wasn't coming up. The Abbot was asked to escort them to the Northern Monastery to submit a scroll. They were the ones hosting the annual competition this year! This competition would be held among the five Monasteries-Northern, Southern, Western, Eastern and Middle Monasteries. It was a martial arts competition and the winning Monastery would get to acquire different sets of mystical artefacts from the other losing Monasteries.

This made the duo very thrilled when they discovered they were the one tasked with the scroll submission.

Just then, the atmosphere became serene. It seemed all form of life had been silently stolen. They couldn't even hear the sound of birds. Strange.

"Wait!" the Abbot signaled to them with his right hand. They all stopped. Something was definitely weird about this part of the forest. Or should 'dangerous' replace 'weird'? They watched as leaves dropped from the tall trees. Then there was a loud cry, followed by deep this as a mob of angry-looking people came out of the dark forest, surrounding them.

The people were dressed in black clothing made of hides and had this murderous intent on their faces.

Bandits? Mercenaries? Slave traders? The monks couldn't discern. With those looks, they were sure the people meant harm to them.

"It was nice of you to venture so far here and now it's a nice thing to tell you that this is the end of your journey and days as free people!" a man with heavy beard said. His eyes were red and bloodshot, his face as ugly as a baboon. His height added more to his monstrous looks for he was about seven feet tall! When he spoke, a set of tobacco-stained teeth were revealed and the scars on both sides of his face deepened. On his head which was as bald as an egg, a tattoo was drawn across it-a black net.

"Slave traders," the Abbot muttered, keeping a fighting stance. Lung and Qi imitated his moves. Though they were agitated, they found it surprising to see the Abbot maintain a calm state. It was as if he had been expecting them.

"Attack them!" the man ordered, his voice railing across the forest, echoing as it went.

Thud!

The mob rushed at the trio, their feet stamping the ground ferociously. The ground vibrated, threatening to break at anytime.

Whoosh!

The Abbot moved at supernatural speed, his robe fluttering to the wind. He grabbed the two monks like sacks of feathers and tossed them into the air. Folding the sleeves of his robe, he curved his back and exerted force to his fists. Allowing his chi to surge through his body to his fist, he punched the ground.

Pa!

Chi energies surged into the ground, emitting a faint yellow glow.

Boom!

The mob exploded at the same time, shattering into the smithereens. The chi energies had travelled through the ground into them, causing internal ruptures which imploded them.

Thump!

Blobs of flesh fell to the ground, dyeing it with blood. The crimson liquid flowed like water, streaming across the blobs of flesh.

Pa!

The Abbot leaped into the air and grabbed the two monks who gaped at the horror after being dropped. What martial arts was that? How did the Abbot move so fast to throw them, deliver a deadly attack and catch them in such a short time!

The man with heavy beard was unhurt but nevertheless shocked. He then found himself saying, "C-chi manipulation!" The other party had a chi manipulation user! This was very dangerous for him.

Pa!

Before he could recover from the shock, a palm hit his chest, revealing a glint of yellow light and as fast as the glint appeared, the man felt his blood boiling intensely. It was as if his blood had been heated to the highest degree!

Sizzle!

He gasped in pain as he felt his internal organs melting rapidly. He then collapsed, pores appearing on the surface of his body, spewing out hot blood.

Sizzle!

His body began disinteresting gradually, leaving nothing but a charred patch in the grass.

"Let's go," the Abbot said calmly to the shocked monks.

Lung and Qi nodded immediately. They felt they should leave this part of the forest as soon as possible. Maybe the next ambush they would face would come from evil spirits and not bandits.

They both shrugged at the thought. It sent shivers running down their spines.

"I don't think so," a voice sounded. It was the man who had disintegrated. He was standing and had a sinister smile on his face.

Opening his mouth, he chanted:

"The Sons of Darkness,

Four Hands of Death,

I pray thee, come!"

A cold breeze swept across the forest, sending a chill down the spines of the three monks. Their hairs stood still, threatening to fall of anytime.

The Abbot had read many books and experienced supernatural situations and was no stranger to what the man was doing. Apparently, he was a worshipper of Death and had used that as a trump card of resurrection. The Abbot also knew the incantation. It pertained to the domain of Death and was summoning underworld beings, creatures of darkness. He knew who the Sons of Darkness were and the thought of this made his mind run adrift. The Sons of Darkness were legendary people who had sold their souls to Death, hence obtaining seats in the Underworld and having the powers of death and darkness! This legend had existed for about five thousand years.

Followed by the cold breeze, darkness descended rapidly. Nobody even could see anything in front of them! They could feel the auras of death, their life forces slowly seeping out of their body. The trees and grasses around them slowly withered, falling down one by one. The forest was now a desert! Strange.

The Abbot reacted immediately. He would not easily give up without putting a fight. Raising up his hands, he channeled his chi into the surrounding. A yellow light illuminated the surrounding, making him to regain his vision.

"..."

He was dumbfounded. Lung and Qi were nowhere to be seen. He looked around hoping to see the man, but he too was gone. Strange.

Suddenly, four shadows appeared on the ground. He looked around for the people but couldn't see them except their shadows. Then it dawned on him. These were the Four Sons of Death!

Thump! Thump! Thump!

His heart raced, threatening to explode. Mere looking at the shadows, he felt his body disintegrate bit by bit. Dark tentacles grew out of this body, tearing through his muscles.

"Ah!" he yelled but no sound came out. The darkness absorbed the sound.

His hands dropped to the ground, followed by his eyes. One by one, his organs dropped to the ground, blood spewing out of his body. Then he collapsed to the ground, his body vanishing afterwards.

The Shadows then vanished into thin air, the darkness following them. In a short moment, everywhere returned to normalcy.

The Sons of Darkness had returned to the underworld.

~

An unknown place

Everywhere was dark and devoid of life. It was as if the Underworld had descended into the human world. The only material which was visible in this place was a book. It was glowing, preventing the darkness from shrouding it. There were strange writings on the book, giving out a sense of mystery.

Then it flipped open, revealing a blank page. Then words began appearing on the page, one by one till the page was filled up. It read:

"The prophecy has begun. The Order Harbinger has surfaced in the real world and this will attract several evil forces which will attempt to kill him.

The first of the evil forces are the Sons of Death.

The second would undoubtedly be the Chaos Harbinger.

The third would be Death.

The fourth..."

The book then closed afterwards, shrouding itself in the darkness.

~

Hao city, Capital of Crosslands. The palace of the Elite

A middle aged man on a white throne, rapping his fingers at the arms of the throne. He was dressed in a white robe embroidered with silvery threads, a white, sparkling crown sitting on his head. His white, long hair fluttered to the wind as his brown eyes stared into empty space, oblivious to the enormous white pillars which stood in the gigantic palace, supporting it. White chandeliers hung down from the white ceiling, holding white candles which were lit, feeling everywhere with light and warmth. The white, brick walls were lined with silver candle stands holding lit candles. Insignias were pinned to the four walls of the palace, bearing the emblem of a winged pegasus-the kingdom's emblem.

The gigantic doors opened rather abruptly, disrupting the man's thoughts. A young man in his early 20s walked in briskly. He was dressed in a white leather military outfit. Two white katanas were strapped to his back, crossing each other. At his left side, a white sword was sheathed.

His hair was as brown as walnut and his eyes blue as the sea. His lips were pink and rosy, his face unsmiling. He was full of vigour and had an air of authority. Approaching the throne, he bowed.

"You called me, Elite?"

"Of course I did," the man on the throne, who was obviously the Elite said. "If I didn't you'd be dead, Regent." It was a law for no one to enter the palace without the Elite's permission or the offender would face a death sentence. Everyone in the kingdom was aware of this law.

"Bandits attacked our trade route and killed all hunters...and of course huntlets. They stole a cargo worth thousands of gold coins," the Elite continued, sitting upright. "It is your job to find these idiots, kill them and bring back the cargo. Understood?"

The Regent nodded, "What if I don't find the cargo with them. It's likely they would trade it along the Boundary."

The Elite chuckled, revealing deep wrinkles on his face.

"Then you'd go with a pack of hunters to save you the trouble."

It was a norm among regents to go on missions without an army. This Regent was aware of this. Frowning, he grunted, "I don't hunt in packs."

"Very well then."

~

A tavern, Somewhere in Deathlands

Chatters and clinking of glasses filled the air. Men could be heard and seen laughing merrily, their voices reverberating across the place. Bartenders moved around serving drinks on trays.

At a dark corner, ten men sat around a large, round table. They had these horrible looks, looks that law abiding citizens wouldn't want to have. Like everyone else, they were chatting merrily, smoking tobacco and playing cards.

Just then, a young woman in her early 20s walked into the tavern. She was dressed in a red leather military outfit which clung to her body tightly, making her breasts and perfect curved stand out. Her charming, green eyes searched the tavern while her pink, rosy lips maintained quietness.

Everybody turned to look at this alluring beauty, but quickly resumed their businesses after knowing who she was.

Her eyes rested on the ten men, gazing at them. Then she walked towards the table where they sat and placed her right leg on it.

Crash!

This movement shook the table, causing the bottles to fall to the ground, breaking into fragments and spilling alcohol.

"Hey Feng," one of the men smiled lewdly. "You look so hot today."

But she wasn't smiling. Ignoring the remark, she frowned deeply.

"I'd keep my eyes to myself if I were you, to avoid losing them."

"Well...well... well," another man said. "I would rather think of your white ass underneath that military uniform."

The others burst into an uproar of laughter, making the frown on Feng's face deepen.

"Where is the cargo?" she asked, "I don't see it."

"How about you paying us first!" the first man grinned and drew out a dagger, the blade reflecting his face. "It took us a hard time killing those hunters from Crosslands."

Feng pressed her foot into the table, causing cracks to appear on it.

"I won't ask again."

"Damn you, asshole!" the man grinned. Immediately, all the bandits stood up and drew out their swords.

"Easy love. You are just one Devil among ten bandits. You didn't even come with those shadowcasters," the man sneered.

"She'd make a sweet, warm body," another said. They all laughed.

"Get her! She'll be good in bed!" thr first man commanded. From his tone, it was obvious he was the chief of the bandits.

They all attacked like hungry wolves, obeying the command. Two men were the first to lunge for her.

Whoosh!

In a blur, she thrust both hands forward, slamming her palms into their torso. Then she channeled her chi into their bodies. There bodies then froze, turning white.

Crack!

Their bones cracked, protruding out of their bodies. Blood was spewed across the floor as the men fell to the ground, dead without knowing how they died.

This scene startled the other people in the tavern, causing them to scamper off. Well, not the bandits. They continued attacking and before they could realize what hit them, they ended up like the first men-dying without knowing how.

In a short time, all the bandits were dead except the chief. The chief grinned at Feng. This woman had easily finished off his gang of bandits. Killing her would be a tough nut.

Pa!

The man leaped towards Feng with his dagger, creating a dark hue around himself. The hue seeped into the whole tavern, making it dark. This was a technique worshippers of Death used. It was called the Fist of Darkness.

Feng was not agitated. Calmly, she imagined a ball of light. Raising both hands up, they reflected balls of light which shone, illuminating the tavern. The man was just a meter from her, the tip of his dagger an inch from her forehead.

Whoosh!

She moved so fast, leaving afterimages. Grabbing the blade of the dagger, she infused it with her dark chi. Her dark chi ran across the blade into the man's hands, seeping into his whole body.

Pa!

With great force, she gave him a kick in the face. The impact caused his jaw bones to shatter, making blood spew out of his mouth.

Bam!

He was sent crashing into the wall, burying himself in the hard bricks.

Snap!

His bones ruptured, all at the same time. No bone was spared, making him a bag of flesh.

Feng slowly walked towards the dying man who was stuck in the wall, dark auras escaping from her body.

"I-I sold the cargo for a thousand pieces of gold to a pack of mercenaries," he said weakly, blood drizzling down his mouth.

"Nomads," she repeated, digesting the information.

"Yes. Across the Boundary. A week's ride from here."

"I know."

"The...nomads would be moving...it may erupt into two or more weeks if you delay."

"Oh! I don't," Feng smiled and then delivered a punch to his head, shattering it into smithereens. Blood splattered everywhere, staining the whole place with crimson liquid. She stared at her blood-dripping fist and wiped it with the corpse's shirt. She then wiped blood off her face with her right hand and licked it off her hand.

"I don't go chasing bandits. That's a job for shadowcasters."

Immediately, a puff of red smoke erupted and four men dressed in red ninja outfits appeared. Shadowcasters.

"Find the cargo."

"Yes, Devil!" they bowed and vanished. She smiled wryly, vanishing as well.