*Eons ago : Heavenly realm*

A man dressed in pale blue flowing robes crouches down on the once pearl white but now red-tinted floors of the thrown room that usually seats the Heavenly Father. The throne, made of white jade, represents more than the celestial high lord that it belongs to; it represents truth, justice, dedication, and above all, loyalty.

The throne is empty now.

The silence in the heavenly realm wears a blanket of gloom as the milky white magnificent wings lie in a pool of blood in the center of the hall that was once spotless.

The man in blue rises and signals a soldier to approach him, "I will be done removing the negative energy from the weapon in a bit, but I will need lord Hong to help me cleanse the blood."

"Yes, my lord."

"Where is YuTiandi?" The Lord healer enquires; the soldier bows, "He carried the General..." He pauses and starts again, "The emperor took Hei Chi to seclusion hall.

*Seclusion Hall*

"What have I done?" The man in golden robes laments, wiping the beads of sweat that adorn the traitor's forehead. "Was it so difficult to bend your knee to me, Son? Did I not love you enough? Why did you have to go against me?" He demands, turning the young man over. Fresh tears well up in his eyes as they trail over the bleeding shoulderblades, "What have I done!?" The Heavenly Father questions, tracing the long, deep, bleeding gashes before holding his palms to them and muttering an incantation under his breath.

As the Heavenly Father heals his disloyal son, tremors rock the young man's frame, and the gashes close, leaving nothing but faint healed scars in its wake. Having done what he had come to do, he leaves his first born's side, but even before he has taken a step, pale yet resilient fingers wrap around his wrist, "Father... " The young man whispers. His sharp monolid eyes flutter open. "Please reconsider." He requests.

The Jade Emperor refuses to turn around, "Leave. You don't belong here any longer." He states emotionlessly. The son fails to notice the tears that escape the seemingly uncaring deep, dark pools.

"Father, are you going to throw me away for them? Do I mean so little to you? Do we mean so... "

"Silence!" The Heavenly Father commands, sending tremors that rock the very foundation of his realm. "The day you decided to betray me was the day you lost all your worth."

"Father, you can't forsake me like this. I am your first." The young man begs.

"I am letting you live. That is the extent of my mercy. That is all I can spare for you." The Heavenly Father shrugs the hand that is connecting them. It hurts the creator more than the creation, but the jade emperor holds it in. When he turns to face his son, his first creation, his eyes are steel. Uncaring and sharp, "In exchange for letting you live, I want you to promise me that you will never look towards heaven. You will never set foot here."

The pleading eyes harden. That which once held respect and love now turn cold and furious, "I can't promise you that, Father. It is my home!" He growls, trying to sit up and winces.

The jade emperor feels torn between going to his son's side, aiding him, and bringing his blade down on him once more, ending his existence.

The emperor chooses the third and only option that would keep his authority and spare his son, "This is not your home."

"Guards!" He calls as armed angels rush inside the semi-dark room and kneel, "At your service, emperor."

"Throw them out!" He commands.

"Father, is this your final decision? Answer me, Father!" The son yells at his father's retreating back. "Father. Father! You will regret this. I will make you regret it!" He vows as the man disappears from his view, and multiple pairs of strong hands grip him. "LET-GO!" He bites out, "How dare you touch me!"

The hands fall away, and the angels step back, "General, you have been banished. You heard the emperor. Please don't make things difficult for us." One of them requests, and looking at the others, orders, "Bring Archangel Yi."

Hei Chi's eyes widen, "What have you done with him!?" he demands, as armed soldiers drag a battered, bleeding unconscious form into the room. They fling the man towards the foot of the bed. The man groans and falls silent. Meanwhile, the soldier from before steps forward and holds a sword to his throat, "Hei Chi, you can still save him if you cooperate."

The deposed general crouches next to his younger brother and cradles the body in his arms, "Blood will flow if anyone dares to touch him." Even without his title, wings, and sword, the young man still strikes fear in the men's hearts. They stagger back.

"He is nothing. He has nothing. Why are you still scared?" The soldier from earlier questions bringing the tip of his sword closer to the unconscious man's neck.

A moment later, the screams of the overconfident soldier fills the room as blood flows through the gaping wound in his chest.

Hei Chi stands, holding the man's beating heart in his blood-drenched hand. "Nothing!?" He smirks, "I may not be your general, and father may have forsaken me, but I am still stronger than all of you put together."

He brings his lips to the now still organ and licks the red fluid that is oozing out of it and dripping on the cold floor. Eyeing the crowd that is all but cowering in fear, he flings the organ away and picks up his brother in his arms, "Whoever dares to come close will meet the same fate as him." He states, gesturing towards the now lifeless body on the floor, and walks away.

*****

'Father, do you miss me?' Hei Chi whispers in his father's ears. As the bound man, the jade emperor, struggles to free himself from the iron chain that wraps around his torso, legs, and hands.

'How dare you!? Let me go.' The jade emperor commands, making the king of the underworld laugh. "Father, you have no authority here. Here, I am the King. You are nothing. The only reason you are still standing is because I am letting you. Don't you know that?'

'This is not real. It can't be.'

'But Father, this is real. It's as real as it gets.' Hei Chi smirks and pulls at the iron chains around his father's hands, 'Look, feel this? It's real. Father, you should have killed me when you had the chance... ' Hei Chi laughs. The joy in it fills the jade emperor with dread and regret, 'What have I done?' He wonders again, just like he had done before exiling his willful son out of heaven. He closes his eyes, 'This is not real! You are not real!'

'But I am, Father.' The man dressed in black chuckles as a blade, long and sharp, curving at the tip, appears in his hand. He leans in and whispers, 'Goodbye, Father.' Before plunging the blade into the Heavenly Father's heart.

*****

"No! Not real. It's not real!" The Heavenly Father breaths as he opens his eyes and takes in the familiar surroundings of his jingshin. He closes his eyes and the nightmare that had been plaguing him every night for the past few days comes back to him, sending shivers down his spine.

Pulling on his robes, he walks towards the window and looks at the drifting puffs of clouds, "What does it mean? Why now?" He wonders and is about to leave his quarters thinking of visiting his garden, when he hears a knock on the door. "Father, it's me. I have an urgent matter to discuss with you." Jian's voice informs.

"Come in." The emperor replies, walking out of his jingshin. As he takes a seat in the outer chamber, Jian, his youngest, joins him. "Tell me, what brings you here so early in the day?"

"Father, I have received news that a handful of Unclean have escaped."

"What!? Are you sure?"

"Yes, Father."

'Does this have something to do with the recurring nightmares?' The Jade emperor wonders, burying his face in his hands, "There is more, isn't there?"

"Father, there is a rumor that Hei Chi has left the underworld." Jian hesitates, "That he has asked his armies to ready themselves."

"And?" Jade emperor urges. He can feel that there is still something else that is bothering the youngest; Jian falls to his knees, "Father, I have made a terrible mistake. I am afraid that I might have unknowingly put us all in peril."

Sinister laugh echoes in the Jade Emperor's ears; it makes his heart clench and eyes brim with unshed tears, as the words from his nightmare come back to haunt him, 'Father, you should have killed me when you had the chance.'

{Note:- That's it for today's update.

If there is any confusion, feel free to ask in the comments.

It throws light on Hei Chi's past and how he fell. The first part is the past. The second is Heavenly Father's nightmare. The third is present.

Hei Chi was first introduced in the chapter titled 'The Forsaken'.  He and his younger brother 'Yi' were the first to fall. Hei Chi is the present King of the underworld.

Please Vote for this update if you have enjoyed it.

Thank you for reading.
Have a nice day.}