On My Way: The Demon King Made Me His

The Celestial palace echoed with the loud cried of several men until they drew their last breath. The inmates of the palace, all the maids and guards pretended to not have heard anything. As warned, everybody kept their mouths shut tight, sealed and forgotten the fact that they all have tongue and can be used to speak out loud. Afraid of getting tortured in the cruelest way, nobody dared to utter a word nor leak the mass killing and happening inside the place. 

The royal ninjas failed in the assignment. They were misled and failed to track and get hold of Aqua, instead she attacked the palace and escaped effortlessly. It angered Emperor Tai like anything. He got hold of all the ninjas and ordered his general ti flay them alive until they died. Tai walked away as they started crying, saying, " This is what happens when mission fails, this is what happens to everyone who disappoint me,"

"And you will die I will tell you, all the curses directed towards you, remember that, always,' the leader among the ninjas said in between all the screams and painful cries for help. In the Palace, the only person who has power the next remained like she did not exist. Empress Lihua, confining herself in her chamber, remaining silent for no good, letting Tai do everything as he wills. People began to bad mouth her, but she brushed them off as usual. She sat like a cold stiff and hard rock that feels nothing. The old rumours about Empress Lihua resurfaced again, how she only care about the throne and not a thing more than that. She did not bother to prove people anything ever in her life. 

Things were getting harder and harder for people around the heaven. Ever since the Water Realm was shut down, nature has been effected. The loss in the freshness and the climate controls. Things were getting harsh at some part of the heaven with flood at one place, and drought at the other end.

The heaven needs the flourishing Water Realms and Water Gods. 

People started struggling. They hated the suffering and crused the Celestial Emperor. They were angry at him for not providing enough help. The lands had been taken away from few cultivators sending them away who later was welcomed whole heartedly. 

The world crumbled. But the power was too much to be defeated and those who could were betrayed and cheated, until they were throwed away at sea, in the least respectful manner. 

There were many rumours spreading about the mad king. Tai tried his best to control them all, suppress the people and send dangerous vibes to everyone. People were living hopelessly. They wanted to see the rainbow above the skies of Water Realm to be restored again. To see it back in its glory, all the love and warmth, all the blessings. People believed that the curse has been laid for unfairly extermination the whole family. People cursed Emperor Tai in return. The masses began to slowly turn against him. But the realms supported him, for their own benefits. Except the Wind Realm and Earth Realm. Tai couldn't do anything about it and hence let them be as long as they obeyed his rules. 

Emperor Tai began to visit his cold, scary and dead father often in underground treasure room. 

"Are you satisfied? You must be happy for what I did to you, are you not?" He asked walking towards the preserved body. "People call me crazy, the mad king," he went on. "You know well how I am, don't you?" He asked looking at his own father who died his hands. "You know how crazy I went when I knew how Aaron did not take after Lihua but me, you know how weak we are don't you?' You do know how I had no choice but do this to you, you know the heir to throne must be always powerful, how can my Aaron be a weakling, you know you are the only one who had the Phoenix core taken away from Tanwen and Nuri, except me, then how can I let you live while I needed my son the most?" He kept talking. "But look what happened! I blame you, only if you had given the core respectfully and with your heart, would he have survived, see how my son in lying in the grave, head separated from the body, That dog from water Realm chopped then off. And I could not even take serious action, all because of my greed for more," He tapped on the coffin. "Are you listening dear father?" He asked. "Wait and see how am going to tackle all the problems, you will be shocked," he said and walked back. He looked at all the treasures, made sure everything is safe and went up back to his room. 

Empress Lihua was waiting there for him. "What a surprise?" Emperor Tai said shutting the trap doors. "What made my queen come visit me today, feels like years, seeing you here in the moment," 

Empress Lihua stood up and waited for him to settle down. And as expected he walked towards the table, took the jar of wine and say down on his bed. 

"What is it?" He asked. "What trouble have you brought me?" He gulped down the wine while waiting for her answer. 

Empress Lihua smirked as she heard his words and sat back down on the chair. She looked around the room. The study, the shelves, the books covered in dust, the blood stains on the floor that seems impossible to wash away, the strong scene of musk to drive away the odour of blood and dirt. She felt disgusted. She couldn't imagine that hundreds of life has been lost in a few month inside the bed chamber. 

"Am going into seclusion," she said to him. He was surpised and looked at her face.

"What?" He asked. "Why?" He did not wish for Empress Lihua to leave again. "What is the need for that?" He kept the wine jar away and became serious, his expressions changed. "Don't," he ordered.

"I didn't come here for getting your permission, I came to say farewell," she informed him. 

"Where are you going?" He asked giving up on stopping her.

"You don't have to know that, I just want to alone and meditate for some days," she said. She stood up to leave. She had gotten to see the location of the trap doors that lies invisible and stored it in her mind. That was all she needed to know. "Don't keep creating the fuss, stop killing innocent people," she warned him. "People will hate you,"

"Don't everyone hate me already? What is new in that? Even the people I loved the most hate me the most, disappointed me the most," he said poking Empress Lihua's feelings. And he was absolutely correct. Nobody liked him for his behaviour. And the only connection they shared between them was Aaron who no longer exist in the universe. Empress Lihua left the chamber and walked through the courtyard for sometime before she stepped in to the Queen's chamber. She checked for some tender lotus to make a pill from the pond. 

She got ready quickly, her usual disguise costume, black robe and veil. She checked again to see if there are people sent to follow her. But apparently there were none. 'It seems like trusted my lie and kept faith on me this time,' Empress Lihua thought and got out of the Celestial Palace. 

Emperor got drunk and missed the chance to sent her off. He had no clue about his legal wife leaving the palace before he excepted her to. He got angry when he was reported about the departure the next day and cursed Empress Lihua. 

The place Empress went to this time was the place she always loved and longed to go back to. The place someone was waiting for her. The place they made the burrow to build the hopeful future for everyone. Empress Lihua reached there as promised on time. Her best quality was punctuality and she always maintained it. 

She reached the gates. The gates of the Stat Kingdom. A place called home. Her own home. A rare dragon born in the Star Kingdom that had the most ill fated life in the universe. She after thousands years, stepped inside the gates, as it opened for her. Her heart pounded loud and she walked towards her palace. Her father was still the King and the Master of stars. Her brother yet to take the throne. She had tears in her eyes. 

As the doors opened, she stood there watching without blinking. The marvellous place on the universe. And there stood the people. People who are her pillars. The old and the new, the family and the friends. And one more person she has been looking forward to meet. Smile curved on the lip of Empress Lihua. It was felt good. It was going as she wanted them to. She took a deep breath and walked in. The smiles on all the faces warmed her.