The Dragon Prince's Warrior

The monument's power

The gray afternoon still lingered in the Forbidden City, but for Prince Jin Qing and his father Heng's troops, the battle had ended satisfactorily, within the scope of such a concept, as many lives had been lost, leaving behind orphaned children, widows, and even entire families annihilated. That's not to mention that his friend Lin and many others had disappeared, and there was no information about their whereabouts.

The enemies had been numerous, but the Forbidden City troops had subdued the opposing forces, despite being outnumbered. People from the shelters whispered in fear about whether the Forbidden City could still be the safe home they had once lived in before their beloved Empress fell ill and the terrible war had begun.

Jin, who had severe wounds all over his body and clear mental and physical exhaustion, took the necessary time to search through the rubble, spending a long time with the troops checking for any survivors to rescue.

After rummaging through every house, every building, and alley, the middle prince decided it was best to head to the shelters to provide food and shelter. Still panting from the recent battle, Jin looked up at the sky and realized it was already five in the afternoon. This revelation made him fall to his knees.

"For Buddha's sake!..." Jin said to himself while clenching his fists. "Dusk is approaching. Yun..."

A pang of emotional pain pierced Jin's chest. His intuition told him that his brother hadn't made it, and this senseless war had only diverted his attention. Was he alive or dead? It was a question without an answer. Perhaps he could have gone in search of his brother when there was still time. But one thing he was sure of... "what-ifs" didn't exist in any context.

When the young prince found himself alone with his chaotic thoughts, he shed a few tears of anger, sadness, and helplessness, all at once. It was five minutes, but the pain certainly felt eternal. After that, he stood up and wiped his tears. His father had taught him to cry over his sorrows in solitude, so it had become a habit for him.

Jin couldn't form another thought as a hand settled on his shoulder. He recognized that delicate touch, but he had to turn around to make sure he wasn't mistaken.

—"L-lin..." he muttered as he met that angelic face smiling at him, momentarily taking his sorrows away.

—"Jin... I was hiding among some rubble because I couldn't make it to the shelter. For a moment, I thought they would find me," the girl with straight, short hair, now matted with dirt, said in distress.

The prince remained silent and couldn't hold back any longer; he hugged her tightly yet gently. The girl was battered and dirty, but for Jin, the most important thing was that he had found her safe. Finally, some joy amid all the catastrophe.

Jin pulled away from Lin, stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, and they both smiled.

—"Come on, I'll accompany you to the shelter," Jin demanded as he put his arm around the girl's shoulders and walked with her, paying no mind to anything else. Although he knew he had to be careful with his actions to avoid any gossip about her. He knew how society worked, especially since he was a prince.

The girl looked at Jin and widened her hazel eyes.

"Jin, were you... crying?" she asked with great curiosity. "Don't tell me... it's about your..."

"No," he replied without looking at her. "My mother is still alive; dusk hasn't come yet. There's still hope to save her."

"Dusk?" she asked, a little bewildered.

Jin mentally scolded himself. It was obvious she would ask that question.

"Forget it, pay no mind to me," Jin chuckled softly and continued walking.

She had no idea, and it wasn't as if he should discuss family secrets. When they reached a more crowded area, he withdrew his arm to walk alongside her normally.

"Your Highness, Jin!" One of the soldiers ran towards him with excitement and made a solemn bow. "By all the gods, you had us worried. We thought you..."

The man trailed off and stared behind the prince, his chin trembling.

Tao, but... what the hell is happening to you?" Jin asked, puzzled by the soldier's behavior. But when he turned to look along with Lin, he too trembled with fear.

"W-what is... that?" Lin whispered, fear gripping her, and she gripped Jin's shoulder.

The prince positioned himself in front of Lin to protect her and prepared to respond:

"I don't know what that is, but you better get inside the shelter." Lin froze. "Now, Lin!" he exclaimed, urging her to snap out of it. Jin drew his sword, still stained from the previous battle.

"Please, be careful," Lin hugged him from behind, an act that sped up the prince's heart for a few seconds. She obeyed and entered where the people were sheltered.

The shelter closed its doors. That monster, standing in front of him, which everyone swore was a genuine dragon, terrified everyone, including Jin, but it wasn't the time to be afraid. At his shout, everyone launched into the attack.

(...)

Shadows loomed before Prince Yun Qing and his companion Siu Wu, and this was not due to the onset of dusk but something terrifying:

Two enormous creatures had blackened the light of what was left of the day with their tall, sleek, shiny jet-black bodies, with blond hair from the crown of their heads down their backs to their tails, and a pair of golden whiskers, almost as thin as noodles.

The pair of dragons moved as if they were stretching, standing on all fours, moving sinuously, and shaking like dogs, although they were nowhere near as friendly as those loyal to humans.

Yun was bewildered; his legs trembled even though he tried to maintain his composure, but that didn't stop him from taking a combat stance and raising his dagger towards the beasts.

"If I die here, I'll do so with honor. Always with my head held high, as my father once said. I'll give it my all..." he thought and turned to look at Siu. His eyes widened when he saw that she was still alive there, in the middle of that pool of blood.

An ear-piercing roar made Yun stagger to the side as he covered his ears. Once again, anger surged in Yun's chest, and once again, his aura of power became visible. That was exactly what he needed: to get angry so his power would emerge.

Yun's veins filled with pure adrenaline as he felt the power welling up from within. He smiled in a mocking manner and wielded his dagger again at them, to let them know who he was.

The roars, in a lower tone, became apparent, but then Yun realized that the sound was more like laughter, and a shiver ran down his spine.

The battered prince had to admit that he feared those beings, but what frightened him the most at that moment was how the scent of Siu's blood had attracted them to her, and they soon approached to sniff her with curiosity and possibly intentions to devour her.

"Come here, you damned beasts! Do you want me?" Yun raised both his hands. "I'm right here! What are you waiting for, abominations with legs?"

Yun finished saying that sentence and could only feel a swipe that sent him almost flying, but with the same motion, he took a stance despite the pain and slid his hands and feet to cushion any tragic fall. The power within him made him feel as light as a feather and at the same time as an agile fish in the water.

Once he was on his feet, Yun realized that the pair of dragons was almost upon him. He tried to run, but it was futile; one of those fierce animals took him as if he were a rag doll and lifted him to the level of its snout.

The prince, with a bruised cheek and a face drenched in sweat, tried to break free from the grip with all his might, and although he almost opened the dragon's claw completely to escape, it closed again, causing Yun to lose a lot of air and making it difficult for him to breathe.

Siu, who was still conscious despite feeling dizzy, weak, and in pain, had not stopped thinking about how to help her friend, and she also kept her gaze on the monument while praying for a way out of all this tragedy.

Amid her delirium, the young woman began to hear a female voice, as sweet as a nightingale's and as warm as summer sunlight. For an instant, when she heard it, an inner peace flooded her from head to toe. But there was something more: for some reason, what she initially heard as a faint sound soon materialized into words.

"The monument... the Fenghuang," it spoke in her mind as if it were a mantra, and then it disappeared in the same way it had arrived.

Siu's light brown eyes scrutinized the imposing image of the Fenghuang and, above all, its posture. Below it was a stone carved like a square platform where the bird had one leg perched. Its other leg was raised forward, resting on a large flower. Right there, in that place, in her eyes, the statue of the bird seemed to be holding something with its claw, but... what was it?

"It's not time to give up," Siu told herself, and at that moment, she stood up, her legs trembling, and she swayed a bit, but finally managed to steady herself, which she greatly appreciated.

Siu leaned on the stone of the monument, her breath uneven, and her vision clouding her consciousness. She snapped out of it and turned to see how Yun was being crushed by the claws of one of the dragons. Her heart raced in desperation, and she looked up, where she spotted the drop-shaped space in the stone phoenix's leg.

The young woman brought her hand to her chest and touched the pendant she was wearing. Its touch told her everything: they matched in shape. She just had to see if they matched in size.

"What if... my pendant is the answer?" she thought hopefully, her heart racing.

A groan of pain from Yun filled her with despair, and she hurriedly tore the pendant from her neck. She took the object and extended her trembling hand to the phoenix's leg, praying that it would work.

The pendant fit perfectly and immediately turned a deep red, followed by a light that shot up into the sky. Siu was stunned by this, but her legs gave way once more, her vision blurred, and she passed out.

Meanwhile, Yun, lying on the ground, as battered as Siu, felt that the blows from those beasts no longer posed any lethal threat. He felt somewhat revitalized in energy and realized that a carmine-colored metal armor covered his entire body.