Chapter 7

For the next few days, thunder came roaring like the raging sea in the ocean with its lightning bolts being at its brightest. The dark clouds lightning struck here and there, lighting up the sky for a second before vanishing the next.

The temperature begins dropping to a negative degree; despite that it was in the middle of summer. The wind howled like wolves, as the rain battered against the windows of the palace in the dead of the night.

The cracking sound of animal footsteps were heard everywhere in the woods and forest nearby while the moon appeared full above the hills.

Renci Palace;

The Emperor was lying on the Empress’s bed in her sleep chambers, trying to force himself to sleep. It’s already been a few days since the passing of the crown princess, yet he was still having trouble finding rest.

“Let’s rest our eyes tonight, okay?” The Empress asked him as she lays her head onto his chest gently. “You’ve been too side track, you need to take care of your health too.”

“I know,” The Emperor sighs. “Go to sleep.” He pats the side of her head and they two fell into a deep sleep.

Ming Palace;

Ruyang was seen sleeping in her chambers, struggling to keep her eyes closed. Her hands were set on top of her tummy carefully; grasping onto her silk dark colored blanket.

‘No,’ She shakes her head side to side slowly. ‘No! Stay away!’ She kicked off her blanket.

She was having a nightmare! A large dark hairy creature was chasing after her in the dense woods. It looked hideous and ethereal! She was running away from it, yelling out for someone to help her, but there was no one in sight.

As the creature got closer to her, she sped up. Her tears battered out of her eyes like blood, and then she tripped on something and fell flat on her face.

The large dark creature stops behind her a foot away, growling in anger. She dared not to look back because of the intense fear that shivered up her spine. Her fingers trembled, her eyes shook, her face went pale and sweat drooled down her head to her neck.

‘Please… Go away!’ She yelled in her dreams. She could fell the cold breathe the creature breathed, like it was right next to her.

Suddenly, as the large dark creature begins its attack on her, the roar of thunder woke her up from the nightmare, just in time.

“Ahhh!” She screamed in tears and holds her hands at her chest.

She tries to catch her breath quickly.

What was that all about? She roamed her eyes around her dim room to make sure that nothing was lurking. Her hands reached for the blankets that were kicked off her bed and pulls it in all the way to hide her face.

She shivers and moves all the way back to the wall of her bed, staring at the open spaces of her room.

“Q-Qiao-Er!” She called for her maid but no reply came back. “Qiao-Er!”

A guard opens the door to her chambers and rushes in, “Princess, is everything okay?” He bows his body without looking right at her.

There was a dark colored lacy veil that hanged across the room separating her bedroom from the main hall.

“W-Where’s Qiao-Er?” She asked out of breath.

“She… I think she’s sleeping.”

“… What time is it?” She asked calmly, noticing no light from the windows yet.

“It should be a little pass 2am.” The guard replies.

“… H-Hao, you’re excuse.”

“Yes,”

“… Wait!” She stopped the guard and silence filled her room.

“… Is there anything else you need?”

“Don’t stay too far from my chambers just in case I need you…”

“Don’t worry Princess, me and a few guards are just outside the room. Shout for us if you need anything.” The guard said and exits the room quietly.

Ruyang closed her eyes and reopens them telling herself that everything is okay, “It was just a nightmare…” She told herself. “Just a dream…”

Huaijiu Hills;

As the thunder continued to roar on its own, a light rain storm passed by Huaijiu hills. There was a pair of mysterious, distant and erring footsteps approaching the tomb of Taiyang that same early morning. It belonged to a tall slimming figure covered in a pitch black raggedy robe.

Without the white glowing eyes appearing from the distance, you couldn’t tell that it belonged to a person. A wooden thick staff was at its right hand, tapping onto the muddy ground as if it was tapping on stone.

As the figure approached the tomb of Taiyang, a lightning bolt came crashing for a few seconds, revealing the face of the figure. Even the thunder itself was afraid of this figure.

The figure removed the ripped hood from its head and allowed the light rain to smoothen out its grey colored knotted hair. It was a woman. She had a cunning smile; with deep glowing feline looking eyes.

Although her hair was grey, she was a little younger than expected. She had a few scars on her left side face that connected all the way to the back of her head.

She was a witch (also known as a shaman)! She smirked as she slowly raised her wooden staff into the air and removes the stone on top of the grave of Taiyang with a spell.

She seemed rather excited than worried. It looked like she was there because she had planned it all out from the very beginning.

Another pair of lightening roared down from the night sky and the dirt flung off the grave like wind and storm. Taiyang’s coffin was revealed now, and the witch walks over to open the top layer by waving her left fingers over it with a chant.

“… Come my child,” Her voice hissed like a snake. “… Awake for me,”

A white mass of smoke slowly adjusted itself out of the coffin, coming from her body, for a few minutes until the rain washed it away. It looked like a soul that was being out from a body.

With one more of lightening, Taiyang’s eyes released itself wide open and she gasped out a long and loud breath as the light rain, rained on her body.

Taiyang was alive!

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Short Chapter! Thanks for reading readers! :) *It's like midnight right now, but I'm bored, so I'm just writing away! kekekekeke*