YiJun's POV

It starts with a pull. It's like a tiny insect, insignificant. Maybe that's why I miss it; ignore it. It can't harm me. I am an archangel, after all. Thinking like that was a mistake. For after that, I fail to notice it till it is too powerful. Too dark for even my sword to pierce it. Anger floods me, "That's not important. Just tell me, did you notice any mark on your body!" As soon as I give in to the rage, the pull I had ignored returns with a vengeance.

I feel like my soul is slowly being pulled out of my body. I can see Xian, but I can't hear him. He is concerned. He wants me to respond. I open my mouth, but the words are not mine, yet, I can hear myself say them. My limbs hear my command, but I know they are not mine. How could they be, for I was forcing myself on Xian? I try to hold on and hang on to all that I called mine: my body, conscience, and Xian. But I fail.

Dark abyss surrounds me. Blinding me. Invoking fear and trepidation in my heart. I try to move. I need to get back to Xian; I can tell that he needs me. But I can't seem to move.
I see a glow. It's deep red: the color of blood. It's what is holding me in place. Wrapping around my limbs, like a serpent wronged. They dig into my skin. I can't see Xian anymore. Wanting to warn him, I scream. But just like before, I fail.

Soon, the room floods with light. Red light. The color hurts my eyes. I look around. My fear intensifies tenfold.

It's the underworld.

It is at this moment that I realize what had happened. Hua was not some random underworld creature; he was not just someone who worked for Hei Chi. He was Hei Chi, the Supreme Ruler of the underworld.

Immediately, I look within myself and seal off my power: the eternal light that a celestial entity like myself was created with. For if anyone here were to get a whiff of it, my cover would be blown. Making sure that my soul couldn't reveal my identity, I blink.
As my eyes adjust to the harsh light, the haze clouding my vision clears. I see a man. 

'No, not a man, it's Dong,' my mind corrects me as I catch his eyes. His green slits can scare any weak-hearted human to death. The most poisonous serpent of the underworld. A creature who could travel both the realms, human and demon.

I feel my facial muscles relax, but I was not in my body. It was my soul that was being tested.

Dong had never seen my whole face; if I were to scream now, I am sure not only the underworld but father would be able to hear me as well.

My limbs feel like they have been set on fire. But I know that a mortal man, his soul, would not feel this burn. 

All of them are sinners in one way or the other. If it was me before I fell, the pain would have been unbearable. But over the years, I had sinned, and maybe that's why it wasn't hurting me as it should.

I still had a chance. It was a test, I reasoned. Hei Chi wanted to know who I was. 

Where was he? 

I abandon that train of thought and concentrate on dealing with the serpent of temptation. I ignore the pain in my limbs and decide that the only way to be free was to convince Dong that I was a mortal.

Recalling all that I knew about Dong, I put my plan into action. I pull at my chains, pretending that I hadn't seen Dong.

"YiJun," He calls, and I stop struggling.
"Who is there?" I bite out and look around. "Show yourself right now!" I demand.

Dong chuckles. "My chains, are they comfortable?"

"Whoever you are, I can assure you that if you hurt me, there will be consequences."

Dong throws his head back and laughs. "YiJun..." He hisses, walking closer and into the light.

I gasp and try to step away. Fear is a human emotion. Even the brave show it once in a while.

Dong smirks. "Do I scare you?"

I school my features. "No. You don't."

Ding narrows his eyes, "Do you know me?"

There it is. The question I was waiting for. I smirk and shake my head. "For a second, I thought this was real."

Dong balks. "This is real. I am real."

I snort. "Of course, you are not. None of this is. This is the underworld. My most magnificent creation." I state confidentiality, and he blinks.

I tug at the chains; the pain is almost unbearable now. My eyes are stinging. I have to act fast. "The chains are highly inconvenient, though," I add casually.

Dong's eyes turn black; anger replaces confusion. "YiJun, do you realize that I can consume your soul?"

"I know. Who do you think created you, hum?"

"What?"

I ignore him and look around again. "This is the most realistic dream I have ever had."

Dong's face twists comically. "What are you going on about!?"

"I already told you. This is my dream. You are my creation. All of this is my creation. Now let me go. I need to look around."

"Look around?" He repeats, then shakes his head. "Stop pretending, YiJun."

I look at him fondly. "So, your eyes turn black when you are angry. Though this is highly unusual, I must admit that it has come at a time I was feeling stuck."

He stares at me. "You are fucking tied up. You call it being stuck."

I sigh. I know the tears will reveal themselves any moment now. "Come closer, let me look at you," I command, and unexpectedly, Dong steps closer.

I feel wetness on my cheeks. "You are gorgeous. This is the closest I have ever come to you." I whisper, trying to touch his face.

He staggers back. Disillusioned. "Who are you?" He asks in a voice filled with warmth.

Love. Affection. I guess even the creatures of the underworld are hungry for it. I smile. "Don't you recognize me?"

He shakes his head.

"I am WangJi. I created you. I wrote about you. You, " I smile, "all of you, come from me."

Dong's brows knit.

"Will you let me look around, Duye?" I address him by his character name.

"Duye?" He asks and steps closer. The chains rattle and fall to the floor with a clang.

I nod, finally free. If I dip into my archangel essence and summon my sword now, I know it will come to me. It won't take much to extinguish his darkness and end him, but I don't do it. A mortal won't be able to escape unless he is allowed to. So I continue to pretend.

I gesture him to move closer, and once again, he complies. The stench of stale blood invades my senses, urging me to throw up. I endure it and step closer. A human won't be able to smell him.

"Show me your eyes. What more can you do?" I ask, caressing his brow. I knew everything he could do.
"More?" He asks; I nod. "I am sure there is plenty more hidden behind those wondrous eyes."

Was I going overboard? 

No. I wasn't. Dong was a creature born out of lust. A master of corrupting men's hearts with temptation and jealousy. But he had his vulnerabilities, and right now, I was using them.

He lowers his gaze and hisses. 

I smile and make a show of inspecting the walls. "Fine. I won't push you." I add and turn to the throne. "Tell me something else then. Is this your seat of power?" I ask, fringing ignorance. 

I know it isn't. I know who the master of the throne is. What I don't know is where he is right now.

"No. No." He shakes his head and steps back, away from me. He blinks. His eyes clear. The fond look turns to a sinister smirk like earlier. "YiJun, do you desire men?"

I was not ready for the question. If I lie, I might get caught. All the other lies I had weaved moments earlier were laced with truth and therefore had gone undetected. This question, however, was a little arduous to answer. It was related to lust.

Dong walks closer. The scent of cinnamon washes over me. It doesn't affect me. However, it would confuse mortals, acting as an aphrodisiac and a truth potion rolled into one. "Not all men," I reply.

"Then why haven't you slept with any." He continues his interrogation.

Staying in character, I look around, "This is not interesting anymore. I am not learning anything new." I sigh, and then I catch his eyes, "Fine. I will play along. I haven't slept with men because if it gets out that I am not averse to sleeping with them, my reputation will get tainted; moreover, plenty of women want me." I try skirting around the topic, but he pulls me back. "Do you want to sleep with Xian?"

I knew lying would be futile, so I decided to tell the truth. "So you want to talk about my private matters." I chuckle and climb the steps that put me right in front of the red throne. 
"Yes. Xian is beautiful. I appreciate beauty in every form." I look Dong up and down.

I see his eyes glaze over with a thin red film. And a moment later, his head snaps up. "Then why haven't you?"

"Why haven't I slept with him?"

Dong nods.

"Morals. Xian is my charge. As much as I want to do it, it's not right. He is my responsibility. I wish I could, though. Maybe after he graduates..." I sigh wistfully.

"So you want to claim him?"

"No. I don't." I reply confidently. For one can't claim that, which is his and Xian was Mine. As soon as the words leave me, I feel a sharp pain in my jaw; I wince.

Something... someone must have hurt my body.

I touch my lips. They come away bloody. "What-"

Dong interjects before I can voice my thoughts. "One last thing, what do you think about Hua?"

Hei Chi must have put him up to it. He must have instructed Dong to ask the question.

I frown. "Why are you not showing me around?" I demand and sit on the throne before Dong can forbid me to do so.

"HOW DARE YOU!?" Dong bellows, and the next moment his whip lands on my front. Nails, half a foot long, pierce me. This time, I yell. Anyone would.

The whip retracts, taking me with it. I fall to the floor, withering in pain. Anger rages in me, but I push it down. I continue to cling to the character I had been playing. WangJi.

I close my eyes. "This is wrong." I try to stand, but my hands tremble, and I let myself hit the ground again. I close my eyes and shake my head. "This is not how it goes."

Dong raises his hand. I brace myself for the second lash, but he stills. The whip disappears just like it had appeared. He crouches next to me. "Do you want to go home?"

I nod.

"Then answer me this, what do you think about Hua?"

I cower in fear and lean away. "Zhu Hua?" I ask, slow and hesitant; he nods. "Did my question surprise you?"
 
I half nod before shaking my head as if scared of the consequences of voicing my thoughts.

He buys it: my fear and hesitation, and smiles sweetly. At least, that's what I think he was going for. "I am sorry for hurting you. You shouldn't have sat there. Only master or his hire can sit on it."

I nod but stay silent, rubbing my front. 

 "Don't you want to know who my master is?" He asks when he notices my lack of enthusiasm.

"I know. Your master is the king of the underworld." I don't say his name. For I had given him none in my books. I had just referred to him as king.

"That's right. Now, answer my question. What do you think about Hua?"

I shrug. "That boy is my fan. He seemed interested in me... I think."
"Are you interested in him?"

I shake my head. "He is not my type. Neither of them is."

Dong's brows knit; he nods, looking over his shoulder before looking back at me. "It's time, WangJi." He states and touches my forehead.

A human soul would feel nothing but mild discomfort at crossing the underworld to reenter the mortal realm, but to me, the pain is excruciating. I feel like my soul is being immersed in boiling water; I purse my lips to stop myself from screaming and close my eyes to stop my tears.

I feel the pull again. But this time, I don't resist it. I welcome it. For I know where it is taking me. I was going home, back to my Xian. I was feeling proud of having accomplished the impossible: to fool Dong into thinking I was but a mere mortal; little did I know that I had celebrated too soon.

{Note: As you might have already guessed, the events in this chapter happen in the underworld. YiJun's body is still in the mortal realm only his soul was extracted and transported to the underworld.

I will update the next chapter in a day or two. Please show your support for this update if you have enjoyed it by voting and commenting. It motivates me to improve myself.

Thank you for reading.
Have a nice day.}