Dark and Unusual

The next day, Shi Yen went to work, and after she finished for the day, she decided to drop by her Master's studio to visit him. She hadn't seen him in over a month since she has gotten too busy with all the responsibilities she had.

She arrived at the studio and found it unlocked, dark, and empty. It was unusual.

She then went straight to his apartment, finding the door wide open. Her heart began to thunder hard against her ribcage.

His apartment was dark, but some of his things were shattered, and the entire apartment was flipped. Shi Yen picked up a piece of glass, holding it on the blunt end.

"Master Wong?" She shouted.

Silence.

Shi Yen then searched every room, for any sign of him. She couldn't find him, which meant he wasn't dead, but he wasn't safe either. How long had he been gone?

It wasn't like Master Wong to go missing. He didn't have a family, but the Shi family was his family, and she needed to find him.

Shi Yen quickly ran to his closet, pulling out her sheathed sword and scabbard. She pulled the hilt, the blade gleaming like starlight. The pommel of the sword was shaped like Lion's head, representing the organization she belonged to.

There were seven elite Underworld organizations: The dragons, phoenixes, tortoises, tigers, scorpions, lions, and wolves.

The seven organizations were part of elite families that are hidden well within high society, blended as regular people. During her time as Empress, Shi Yen managed to discover the identities of two princes of the Underworld: Long Jie of the Dragon Organization and Xun Zichen of the Phoenix Flock. She didn't know the others.

Every prince or princess, Emperor or Empress, did what they could to conceal their identities, only using people they trust to help them do so. Master Wong was her representative and very well known.

Shi Yen covered her face with a wrap, except for her eyes. She then followed a trail of blood that led to the parted window. She hopped over the window ledge, gracefully. Her feet steadied over the fire escape. She quickly ran down the stairs, following the blood to an alley.

She was used to this routine when hunting, but not when searching for someone she cared about. The blood stopped two blocks away from the studio. She found Master Wong's necklace of a lion on the pavement floor in front of a communal house. It was her gift to him years ago. She then picked it up, putting it in her pocket.

Shi Yen broke one of the windows of the lower apartment as silently and quickly as possible. She then snuck through, scoping the room. It was dark, but her eyesight adjusted to the darkness. She then walked up the stairs; she didn't take out her sword. She only needed it if she couldn't get by without using her brute strength.

It was silent, except for the sound that came from one of the rooms. There were low, panicked voices.

Enraged, her blood began to boil. The desire to slaughter rose up her spine, a familiar yet foreign feeling.

She then barged into the room, ready to kill, when she found two people carrying bowls of water, and three children cornered in the room, mouths wide open.

She gazed around the room. Master Wong was resting on the bed, getting cleaned up by a man.

The woman looked at her up and down, her eyes horrified. Shi Yen had grown accustomed to that expression. Except, if people knew she was the Empress of the Underworld, they'd piss themselves. No. She wasn't the Empress anymore.

"Master Wong had told us you'd come," said the woman, holding a set of fresh bandages. "He said his best student would know if he's missing."

Shi Yen's eyes darted between the woman and Master Wong skeptically.

"Don't worry, Yen," Master Wong said hoarsely from the bed and coughed.

The family then hurriedly left the room. Shi Yen approached Master Wong, removing her mask, hovering over him. "Are you all right?" Shi Yen questioned him softly.

He smiled, the lines of his face creased. "I'm all right," he said, his chest rising and falling harshly.

"What happened?" she asked.

Master Wong frowned. "They're looking for you, Shi Yen. They thought you'd be hiding with me. I insisted that you were dead; I didn't say anything. They'd beat me, convinced that I was lying. When they left, I went to find some old students of mine for help," he said.

Shi Yen registered the words he said. "Why are they convinced that you were lying?"

Master Wong attempted a shrug. "The emperor believes the Empress is alive. We did what we could to fake your death, but it's not enough."

Shi Yen sighed and finished the words for him. "And as long as the Empress is alive, his claim as emperor is illegitimate."

"Hm. You're a threat to him," Master Wong said. "But they didn't get anything from me. I promise."

Shi Yen managed a smile. "I knew you'd be okay, but don't scare me like that."

He smiled again, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"I want you to move," she said. "It's not safe. They might come for you again."

"Maybe so," said Master Wong. "But I can't run. They'll know instantly. It'd be too suspicious. The only thing I can do is resume my ordinary life, and they'll think nothing of it."

"But—"

"Yen," he countered. "I'd do anything to protect you, just as you would do anything to protect me."

Shi Yen pressed her lips into a thin line. She didn't feel like fussing or arguing with him. What Master Wong did was exactly what she would have done if the roles were reversed. She then observed the bandages on Master Wong, ensuring that he was going to recover. "How long?" she asked him.

"Two days," he said.

Shi Yen nodded. She then kissed him on the forehead and left him to sleep.

She concealed her face again, going to the woman she'd met earlier. She passed her some money to cover Master Wong's medicine and the cost of the window she broke.

When she was about to leave, she felt one of the children tugging at her black jeans. She glared at the young girl, but it didn't frighten her. "Are you a princess?" asked the young girl in a too-cute voice that told her she was missing some teeth. "Princesses have swords."

Shi Yen looked down at her. "I'm not a princess," she said.

The girl frowned, reminding her of the child she once was.

"I'm the Empress," Shi Yen said finally, sprinting towards the window she had entered from. She climbed through it and disappeared into the shadows.

For months, until now, she had tried to forget who she was. But not anymore. She was the Empress. so long as people attempted to threaten those she cared about. And she'd make sure to take on all of her enemies and to protect her family.

Shi Yen headed back to Master Wong's apartment, cleaning up the mess left behind.