Unraveling

The door slowly opened.

Beside the initial shock, Shuyun was quick to react. Grabbing Meiying off the ground by her waist, he quickly made his way behind the grand, to what he assumed, throne chair.

*Clack* *Clack*

It was just in time as the grand entrance doors completed their rotation.

Though Meiying attempted to display her pout with her puffed cheeks at Shuyun's initial action, she too felt it was right for him to act in a rough manner.

Because right now, they were beyond the normal forest she was used to. This... area, it was so distant to her. Materials she had never seen before, paired with designs she had thought not possible, made her feel as if she had stepped into a complete new world itself. As a first out-of-comfort experience for her, it was truly a shock. She was well aware of her isolation, and she knew of her severe disconnection from the world. But even the words of her mother wasn't enough to grant such a scene its glory.

She really wanted nothing more than to run around and indulge in the magnificence of the room. Even the very floor they stood upon, a shiny white unlike what she had ever gazed upon, with a texture that too was unknown to her, only fed her insane curiosity and interests.

But as much as this feeling urged her, there were bigger matters at hand.

"Lady?"

The feminine voice called out once more, now as the being had entered the room, the voice was easily discernible as a young girl.

Shuyun and Meiying stood with their backs against the back of the throne.

The steps of the figure could be heard tapping on the marble floor. Her steps echo throughout the large, but seemingly empty room. It was only after a while that her patience wavered, as Shuyun, telling by the fading sounds of her footsteps, heard her reapproaching the entrance doors.

Though, Meiying's curiosity couldn't be sated. This girl must know her mother, and she sounded fairly young. Not only was she sure that she replicated the portal of exit, so she was sure this is where her mother entered, but it also seemed that someone, the girl that they currently shared the room with, was waiting on her. Meiying couldn't help but be curious, while possessing a little jealousy.

Just like she had used to see through the ground back in the wooden cabin in the forest, she once again used her nature qi to pear through the large chair behind them. She was only able to get a glimpse of the figure before her vision shattered. She grasped her head as she let out a muffled groan as a stinging pain flooded within her mind.

Shuyun, suddenly seeing Meiying react in pain, quickly went to support her, whispering his concern.

"Meiying, are you oka-"

*BOOOM*

The chair that they had been using as cover exploded into pieces, sending projectiles of marble like bullets through the air. The shockwave of the blast sent both Shuyun and Meiying flying, tumbling on the marble floor before crashing onto the solid marble background behind that of the former throne.

As the dust around the area affected by the stroke lifted, a large tree root remained still, sitting upon the remaining rumble.

"For Trespassing on the Lleaif Palace, your lives will be the price!"

The once soft and cheery voice, like a child awaiting the arrival of their parents, was no longer. Instead, a domineering, and dreadful voice replaced the once calm environment of the room.

Suddenly, the Tree Root moved, shooting out in their direction. As it approached, several vines sprout from the floor, securing them in their place.

*Shing*

The sound of a blade rang out.