"Wake up."

Deep crimson fluid, now looking almost black in the moonlight, spurted out like a river from an outlet that had been torn open from the wall.

"Free yourself."

The pointed end of the spirit controlling chain swept across the room, tossing Chun to the side. He hit a wall with a cry and slumped to the floor.

Qiu Feng stood rooted to the spot with horror, his throat and nostrils clogged with the sickly sweet scent.

"Nuan..." He choked out. "A-Nuan..."

A monstrous roar left her throat as the corpse wheeled around and picked up a seat and hurled it towards a wall, narrowly missing him.

"AAAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!" Her nails slashed through the curtains, ripping the fabric to shreds. Gnashing her teeth, she clawed at the wooden frame of a window.

"AAH!" A high pitched yelp, which would have made Qiu Feng grit his teeth in shame in any other situation, left his lips. He ducked again as she wrenched the window off its hinges and hurled it at him.

The spirit controlling chain crashed down on a table, splintering the wood. Broken porcelain from smashed wine jars flew everywhere.

"QIU NUAN!" Qiu Feng bellowed, at last, an erhu appearing in his pale hands. The bow stick began to glide over the strings producing a series of shrill notes.

The corpse froze, her teeth still bared in a terrifying snarl. Her white pupil-less eyes stared at the wall in front of her. Her hands twitched and dropped to the sides.

Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Qiu Feng had dealt with fierce corpses before. He could make them bash their heads on the wall for all he cared but this was different. This was his daughter.

The muscles in his neck jumped.

"Qiu Nuan," he spoke, his hand fumbling within his robes for a talisman. "I am your master."

Nuan stood rigid, her white eyes staring into space.

Eerie music flowed out of the now glowing instrument. The tune was harsh, speaking of bitter authority and domination. A chilly draught began to blow and all of a sudden, she fell to her knees on the floor.

He swallowed dryly. "I own you."

The wind chimes jingled as the bells swayed in the piercing breeze. He glanced through the hole that she had made in the wall by tearing off the window. It was foggy and misty outside. Nothing was visible beyond a few yards.

His fingers, almost frozen from the cold, plucked the strings of the erhu taut while the bow stick caressed them.

"You are to follow only my commands."

Her shaggy nails scraped the ground. A low growl ricocheted off the walls.

The tune rose by an octave, making the air shiver. Sweat glistened on his neck and chest. He felt chilled to the marrow. His hair rose on end. Chun mumbled something from where he lay before blacking out again.

"You will obey me. Only me."

Her head drooped reluctantly.

"Good," He heaved a sigh of relief and dismissed his instrument. He clapped his hands twice.
"Get up."

Her legs lifted her, knocking over the damaged table in the process.

"Step back. Yī... Èr... Sān... Sì... Wǔ..."

A dazed Nuan plodded backwards, one step at a time, her stiff feet awkwardly slipping in the coagulated blood till she was standing lopsidedly in the middle of the destroyed soul-binding circle.

Qiu Feng smirked as he flexed his almost numb fingers before cutting an incision along his arm. "Now lie back down, A-Nuan. Let me put you to sleep again, hmm?"

******

A loud, shuddering groan came from right behind him. It sent shivers down his backbone. His eyes widened; he couldn't bring himself to look behind him.

There was a dreadful crack.

"Watch out, Sect Leader!!"

He found himself gasping at the impact of a hefty body that had thrown him to the floor, out of imminent danger. The pillar which was behind him tore itself from the ceiling and tumbled to the floor with a shuddering crash and rustling of torn draperies.

"Sect Leader! Are you alright?" An anxious voice came to his ears.

Shing finally opened his eyes. It was his General. He licked his dry lips as he sat up. "I.. I'm fine, Yang. Thank you."

Yang bowed, helping him get to his feet. "It's my duty, Sect Leader."

A raucous shriek pierced the air as yet another dark, smoky frame flung itself at one of the criminals, wrapping itself around his torso like a halter.

The criminal let out a choked scream as he writhed in a pool of blood. His whole body trembled. He cried as the razor-shaped petals of the Flower of Agony dug into the tender upper curve of his rectum.

The triumphant screeches of the resentful spirits were accompanied by loud, maniacal laughter. The sound of it chilled one to the bone.

Her blood seemed to have been replaced with hot, molten lava. Her diaphragm felt like it would explode into tiny bits.
Caihong tilted her head backwards, feeling as light as air, and relished in the scalding sensation that surged through her veins. She giggled, a crazed smile plastered on her face.

Black lines of resentful power spread across her cheeks like an intricately woven web. The power controlling ring on her left index finger glowed like a white-hot strip of metal; her nails elongated like the talons of a hawk. Dark smoke rolled off her body in waves and the evil spirits eddied around her, screeching in relish over her fury.

"KILL THEM!!"

The furrow between her eyebrows deepened as the foreign voices ringing inside her head howled for revenge. Her eyes flew wide open when a fresh tidal wave of sparks burst through her like water bursting out of the cracks of a dam. Her whole body shuddered as the flaming sensation channelled itself through the pores of her skin and the chandeliers came crashing down. Shards of glass scattered all, ripping through the draperies that were partially soaked in blood.

"TEAR THEM APART!!"

She was too close to flying apart herself. She would never be able to explain in words this bold, heady feeling that prickled her skin and made her yearn for more. It seemed to have opened up a realm of existence. A new, dark realm which she was lighting up with her core.

"THEY STOLE YOUR MIGHT FROM YOU!! SNATCH IT BACK!!"

She felt like she had run a marathon, she felt like she would fly out of her body.

"THEY BROKE HIM!!"

She lifted her head to chuckle again. She heard people calling her name in alarm but it sounded from so far away that she couldn't bring herself to care. There was wetness beneath her eyes which was trickling down her cheeks and a pungent, metallic odour tickled her nostrils.

"BREAK THEM THE WAY THEY BROKE HIM!!"

Her ears hummed and popped. Losing control felt too good. The loss of inhibitions felt like fresh air, not that she had too many, to begin with.

"BREAK THEM THE WAY THEY BROKE YOU!!"

Madness felt good at times. Perhaps, she thought, as she curled her fingers in a throttling gesture, making the spirits wrap themselves around the necks of the three almost dead criminals on the blood brown floor, there was reason in desperation after all.

******

*/ Wands of rising branches became dancing silhouettes in the moonlight. It travelled through the night with graceful ease, lightening the rising path. The atmosphere was surcharged with calmness and quiet. It made her forget the humdrum, noise and clamour of the preparations for the approaching wedding.

Her robes seemed to have been woven from the shadows of the night instead of yarn.

She became one with the darkness as she concealed herself with the hood, wrapping the cloak snugly around herself. Her albino eyes glistened. She hadn't seen her for days. She felt suffocated. When had she fallen so deep for her to feel like her heart was being slowly torn out of her ribcage?

She slipped out, feeling weirdly energetic and restless. She didn't like this sudden burst of adrenaline. Her thoughts were in chaos. The sensations were entirely foreign. She couldn't find any plausible explanation for this sudden rise in her spiritual energy or this surprising change in its aura. She huffed, her teeth chewing on her bottom lip and increased the length of her stride. Everything, her wedding with Li Weisheng, the disappearance of Yao Xingjuan, this unexpected change in her core, felt like an itch so deep under her skin that she couldn't soothe it no matter how much she tried.

Upon reaching a quiet clearing with a calm lake, she threw the hood off her head, exposing her hair, still damp and fragrant from the bath she had earlier. It cascaded in a waterfall of snowy white, glossy in the moonlight.

She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, feeling the cool breeze caress her warm skin. She sat down on the ground, crossing her legs. It was always easier to practise spells at night. The dark always came in handy.

"Xingjuan..." She breathed out. "I am sorry."

'I love you and yet I was the cause of the devastation in your life... I saw the way you shattered... But... Has anyone ever told you how stunning your eyes are? They seem to hold your entire soul... Of course, aiyaa, I'm such a fool. How could I forget Li Weisheng?? He must have told you, he loves you and... you love him.'

After rubbing her tear-stained cheeks with the back of her hands, she sat upright with her palms facing the sky. Feeling mostly nervous and a tad bit excited, she summoned the energy within her, watching it form a red, pulsing globe in her hands. Her eyes shining with enchantment, she gaped as the flow of energy increased bit by bit and its colour gradually brightened to a blinding white.

"Wow."

She yelped at the other voice, not expecting anyone else to come here at such an ungodly hour. She jolted, her concentration shattered and the vibrating ball of energy almost shot out of her hands. It would have blasted a tree, but before any such disaster could occur, a large familiar hand wrapped around her wrist and steadied her.

"Dad," she gasped. She felt a soft kiss on the side of her head. "A-Nuan," the tall figure whispered, carefully combing out the tangles in her hair. His white hair was braided and his reddish eyes, so much like her own, gleamed. "I never imagined I'd see this," he whispered proudly. "Practise with your scythe. You will love it, I'm sure." He smirked and placed a menacing-looking scythe in her lap.

------------------------------

(Scythe)

------------------------------------

Sometime after her father had melted into the shadows, Nuan got up and walked over to the edge of the lake. It would be easier to retreat into the clump of trees in case someone interrupted her again.

She sighed as she looked at the formidable, apparently heavy scythe. She hadn't used it for over ten years. Her core wasn't strong enough to wield such a potent weapon. Nevertheless, her father had made her train with it, for the scythe was the traditional weapon of the Qiu family.

Nuan was a frail, anaemic child, born a full month earlier than the expected date. Her body wasn't developed enough to carry out the stronger spells. Regardless of the danger, she was made to use her weak spiritual energy while training with the scythe. The magic had backfired, resulting in a three-month coma for her. She had never dared to even think of looking at the weapon again.

Not until now.

It didn't feel right.

She was unsure. Though she had been meditating and gathering her energy for the past few days as her father had advised, she was doubtful. The newfound energy that was bubbling within her felt too alien to call her own. She had no idea from where it had appeared. It most certainly didn't feel like a part of her.

It felt wrong.

She took a deep breath, focusing her powers on a single point at her lumbar vertebrae. She gripped the handle tightly with both her hands and swung it in a low cut. The blade began to glow.

As she kept whirling the scythe in high cuts and disarming motions, her spiritual energy seemed to bubble and boil. Soon enough with each arc of the weapon, flickering sparks of bluish flame began to shoot out like comets. Her heart jumped with joy. She had never felt like this before. The sensations flooding her were exhilarating; perhaps this is what her father and her ancestors felt whenever they used their scythes.

It felt incredible. She was over the moon with joy; she forgot all her worries and sorrow.

But reality struck her hard.

Only after a few more middle cuts, her blood began to boil and yet feel frozen. Her scythe began to feel too heavy in her hands.

At first, she thought that it was because she was out of practice and continued to swing it though she was out of breath. But soon she had to drop the weapon for her lungs felt like someone was squeezing the residual air out of them.

Something was terribly wrong.

"Aaahh!!" She fell with her back against a tree trunk, clutching at her chest. An excruciating pain spread to the various acupressure points in her body. "This is impossible!!" She cried out, as blood began to pour down her nostrils. "I'm using spiritual energy!!"

Her heart felt like it was being crushed. The agony was worse than the first time she had tried to tether magical energy to her scythe. Black spots began to dance in her vision and it finally hit her. She was using spiritual energy that wasn't hers in the first place.

Her left leg went painfully numb and she slumped to the ground like a tree that had been sawed at the base.

Everything was beautifully falling apart. /*

The wrath surging through her veins roared every bit as much as the lion. It built up like deep water currents and burst forth like floodwater from a cracked dam. As she lay down in the middle of the broken soul circle, her hands twitched with the desire to claw at his throat.

"There, easy now, my girl," Qiu Feng grinned, as he collected the blood from his wound into a bowl. "You'll be alright."

'I will have my revenge. She killed you. I will blast her.'

Holding a paper talisman tightly in his palm, he bent down to pick up the spirit binding chain.

As soon as the tip of the paper grazed against the metal, a sparking bolt of electricity zapped up his arm.

"AAAHH!!" He grimaced in pain and staggered back. His arm went numb. The left side of his chest twinged and he fell to his knees with a groan.

He felt like infinite poisonous beetles were gnawing at his flesh.

After getting over the initial shock, he got shakily to his feet again and drew a fire talisman. He flung it towards the candles, lighting them up and bent down to scrutinise the chain. What he saw made his eyes bulge.

'How the hell did the enchantments change?! It's impossible!!'

Nuan lay on the floor, her constant wriggling a sign that she was still trying to fight against the command that had been imposed on her.

Qiu Feng couldn't believe his eyes.

'It was etched in metal, how can the purpose of the chain flip overnight?!'

Her flimsy robes parted, exposing her breasts. Right below her diaphragm, there was a jagged scar that he had never noticed before. It resembled a pair of gaping, silver lips that glowed in the light.

Each scar holds an entire world of stories in it. This one had been kept hidden from the light; it seemed to wail in anguish a story of deep trauma.

Qiu Feng glared, his forehead creased. He stood up, picking up the bowl where he had collected his blood.

"Looks like I've no other option," He knelt to the floor and began to mend the soul circle. She hissed at him.
The brush glided on the stone, deftly drawing the delicate curves and the firm lines of the enchantment of soul binding.

Her eyes began to droop.

Droplets of sweat rolled down the sides of his face, dampening his hairline. His hands trembled as he drew frantic strokes with his brush, a hasty attempt to keep her bound forever.

'I won't let you escape. I will keep you with me forever.'

Her grip on the metal chains went slack.

'I am your ultimate master. How could you think that I would let you escape that easily?'

He dabbed at his perspiration with his sleeve and bit his lower lip. His heart pounded wildly and his knees shook a bit as he swiftly got to his feet and began to paint a circle all around her.

"This needs to hold on till I can find a new chain... No no," He mused. "A spirit controlling chain won't do... I guess we will need something more durable. But as of now..." He kept the bowl on the ground beside him and sketched a pentagram enclosing the circle.

All her movements ceased.

'I'll avenge you, my sweet child. I'll break them down and wipe them off the face of this earth with my own hands.'

He stood up, stretching a bit to ease the muscles in his back. After a while of inspecting his work and scribbling a few binding charms here and there, he stepped back and sighed in relief. He sat down on the floor, sweeping away the shards of porcelain and splintered wood. "Sleep, my heart," He crooned and leaned back to smoothen out his crumpled robes.

All of a sudden his sleeve caught against the rim of the bowl which was still half full and sent it toppling over, spilling its contents all over the incantations for binding.

"Dammit!" He leapt to his feet, staring at the ground in horror. Imaginary, icy knives began to twist in his gut as he stared at the upturned vessel and the liquid that just ruined the power of the charms. He fell to his knees, trying to soak the blood with the hem of his garments, desperately seeking to restore some of the ability, but in vain. The pentagram for confinement was ruined.

A low, guttural growl filled his ears. The floor seemed to tremble beneath his feet. Blinking away the sweat that threatened to drip into his eyes, he dared to peek at the emitter of the menacing sound.

Little had Qiu Feng realised that forever wasn't a promise. It was something one could only hope for.

The corpse glared at him with pupil-less eyes that were now dark with fury. With a bellow, she sat up and swung the metal chain at him, the white-hot rage fuming within her.

Qiu Feng only had a moment to gape at her fearsome, contorted face before the spiked end of the chain smashed into his temple, knocking him out cold.

Gnashing her teeth, the corpse tried to stand up. But her deformed left leg didn't allow her that convenience; she fell over with a heavy thud, almost breaking her nose. Incoherent, garbled groans spilling out of her grey lips, she dragged herself away, leaving a filthy smear of blood and broken bits behind her, the only sound in the corridors being her loud grunts and the clinking and dragging of metal chains against the stony floor.

Qiu Nuan was a blazing inferno; lock her in a cage and she would melt the bars.

†******†

Hello there, long time no see, haha... It's just that things haven't been that good at home and my college semester has started too.

Anyway, as for how to wield a scythe, I'm putting up a YouTube video which I used as a reference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoeNwEjpTE4

I hope it works hehe, this is the first time I'm pasting a YouTube link in my draft 😅😅

Thank you so much for your love and support, lovelies!! Stay happy and safe!!