Chapter 31: Blue Moon

Chapter Warning: VIOLENCE, BLOOD, DEATH.

The sound of the dragging of chains clinked whenever the blonde haired fugitive walks the long corridors of the palace.

His stinging lips trembled when he supported his weak body to walk further. He leaned on the walls as his fingers taint the walls red with blood. 'Where are the guards?!- I have to get some help!' He would pant hardly everytime the cuts on his thighs gushes out blood to scatter in the red carpets, helping himself to be consumed instead by his adrenaline of escaping than feeling the extreme pain whenever his muscles move and twitch.

He would look door to door for guards watching the chambers, but in his confusion the anger inside him grows. The man was already running out of juices to walk and the energy he saved from escaping that unknown chamber deep inside the dungeons was already consumed by his efforts to walk. It was even a miracle that he was still able to drag his bleeding limbs up to the palace but this is thanks to the help of his stamina build up traning he had back in the Knights Division.

Aren grunts in pain, shoving his palm on his lips in hopes that it will block off the sound of his pitiful whimpers. Trying to recall things over, it finally hit him. 'The Prince's ceremony! It was today and I have completely missed it!'

He finally reached the second hall, a smaller hall where small events are held and where commonly the servants take their free time to snack. But in his surprise, no soul was present on the hall. He was even more agitated. 'Why are the halls so empty?!' Aren also thought how unorganized things that guards do not attend important rooms of the palace, documents and royal treasures may be stolen in ignorance of the loose security in a very important day, he was annoyed.

In matters of seconds, the sound of laughter and claps reached where Aren was, his eyes flickered to the direction where it came from. 'That sound.. its coming from the grand hall!..'

Huffing away the pain, he began to drag both his bleeding feet to head to the loud grand hall with all the remaining strength he has left. Everytime he would step forward, a sharp, unbearable pain flows through his body, but all of it was worth it when his eyes caught a fraction of sight of the events that was happening inside the sparkling grand hall.

"Jian Li..." His dearest, cared-for Crown Prince for almost eight years was finally sitting on the gigantic golden throne of King. He shuddered of how large his presence was that his knees almost gave in to kneel on his spot. His eyes stayed dilated, tattooing the image inside his mind.

The grand hall was filled of casual conversations and giggles, while other gather in groups to chat with each other, the nobility's main families begin to hand their congratulatory gifts to the King.

They kneel down, pronounce their proud names, and hand over their gifts to the King while lowering their heads.

When the gifting ceremony started, people gathered and watched other families bring their gifts in all sizes.

The Niads went first, they are the family that mainly owns half of the port's ships. They contribute for the Kingdom and never had corrupted any currency, but they do love competition when it comes to one. The woman lowered herself before the King, wearing a mint colored dress that puffed when she knelt down. She motioned her hand up and their family servant presented a large wrapped box in front of Jian Li, smiling proudly.

The young King nodded and the servants received the obviously high-cost gift and then placed the large box beside the throne, the noble woman scoffing to the head man of the Dragos mansion like bragging just how happy the King looked at her gift, proudly looking away with a huge smirk on her face. Other noble families also were dumbstruck at how fancy the gift cover looked like, having deep respect that they indeed came from a high and wealthy family.

The Dragos bared their fangs at how the rival family acted, but it was almost immediately replaced with a smug look plastered on their faces. We could say, they were a family of black where they absolutely love any actions. Although their family name do reeks of danger and might. This time, where in their turn, they knelt and their servant presented a gift larger than the Niads, the other guests were shocked but the Niads were more affected by their insult.

The elite knight leader watching the events from the back laughed at the competition that was happening between the two families until the atmosphere changed when the mysterious Svarozichs entered the scene, in their turn to give their gift to the King.

While standing, he tilts the glass on his hand, the violet wine twirled around the glass until he noticed a strange reflection that appeared on the shiny surface of the glass.

In shock, he snapped his head back, eyes bulging; 'Aren?!' in an instant, his eyes were full of fury. He immediately looked around in panic to see if anyone had laid their eyes on the battered, bleeding prisoner; but in their entertainment from the Svarozich family, no one dared to look back on the quiet hallways of the palace.

Abercon immediately left the table as stealthily as he could to not be seen and exited the venue.

His emerald cloak floated around the air as he stomped fastly towards Aren who now spotted the angry beast. His instincts told him to run away as fast as he could and so he did. Well, he tried to.

But to no avail, Abercon quickly caught him by the arm and his mouth was agressively sealed shut by the man's large hands.

"Get back- don't make a noise! You're going back!" Abercon tries to drag Aren back while blocking his mouth but the prisoner was rejecting his forceful movements, flailing his hands to Abercon's chin and pushing them away in hopes that he'll let go in pain.

But it was not working, the man was way taller than Aren and he couldn't release himself properly. Although if Aren was in his normal strengths, Aren could definitely escape from Abercon's deadly grip. "Stop your futile actions!" Whisper-yelled Abercon who kept a tight clutch on his mouth and arms. Aren hated how he felt inferior to the senior who couldn't even win against him at their multiple sparring from the past; even so with a hand blocking his airways, he would feel the dizziness overcoming him.

In any other ways to fight, he heavily stomps on Abercon's foot with a successful reaction. Abercon yelped in pain on his toes that caused him to accidentally loosen his grip on Aren which the latter used as a chance to escape.

But he was just too slow, he failed to run to the Grand Hall and Abercon also caught him again, now pushing him down the floor for them not to be seen running around. The man was growing impatient to shut Aren up because of the nobles that was just near on finding out about Aren.

While being on top of the poor servant, he planned to suffocate him to unconsciousness quietly. "Mmphmph!!! Mppp!!" Aren whimpers, wanting to be released but he couldn't get his arms to move as it was pinned down by the other man.

But Aren refuses to give up even when he was helplessly struggling under the man's lock. Aren was starting to loose his air and his heart now beats rapidly, he kept swinging his head left and right in demands to get some air to breathe.

Aren tried to jab Abercon's back with his knee but it was not powerful enough, his cut flesh on his thighs would squelch in warm blood and this causes a excruciating sting on his entire system in one move.

Aren yelped in pain under Abercon, deciding to bite the man's palms so tightly that his fangs sunk in and wounded Abercon's hands. "Ah!" The man exclaimed in pain, putting away his hands quickly. Aren then again took this chance to slip away from Abercon but this hope was destroyed in a flash when the man's large hands gripped the back of his collar and drove a sharp and swift thrust to strike Aren's throat with his strong fingers. Now Aren couldn't call for help as his vocal cords were destroyed harshly with the man's blow.

Aren coughed continuously and his eyes watered, as well as his head that turned red quickly. The pain that he was feeling was very unbearable, aside from the torturous pain from the slices on his thighs and from the nonstop coughing that made his eyes drip down fresh tears; he couldn't breathe, he wasn't stopping on coughing on any minute that his saliva dripped down his lips as he backed away from the merciless monster he regarded as his friend all his life.

Aren gasps, his body swaying in all directions to avoid being held captive with Abercon's clutch again. His knees was already bent and shaking, he knew that he couldn't defend himself anymore and that he had hit his physical limits as a mere human being.

Yet still, even when Abercon was approaching him, he put up his best fight with all his remaining strength, and kept avoiding Abercon's punches in defense mastery. Abercon uses a feint attack on Aren's left to finally counter him on the right. Aren's lips were busted with the knuckles that landed on his face, he felt like everything was spinning.

The man who kept huffing tried to escape again with all his might, however, to all his hard works, it was pointless. He couldn't outrun a fully mobile man, especially that Abercon was a knight, and a high ranking one in fact.

Abercon clicks his tongue, running to seize Aren's arms. "Would you stop already?!" Whisper-yelled Abercon to the hopeless man.

An approaching single patrolling guard was pointed by Abercon's fingers, yelling: "You! Help me here!" The soldier flinched. Seeing the emerald uniform, he immediately rushed forward with an answer. "Sir!"

With the help of another pair of hands gripping the wild flinging injured man, Abercon landed a heavy punch on Aren's core, almost immediately knocking him out of sense.

Aren's abdomen contorted in pain as he gasped in pain, his sight getting darker. He could only hear Abercon's slowed voice commanding the guards to close the Grand Hall's giant doors and its echoed creaks that made Aren's head pulse even more.

His shutting eyes witnessed the golden child sitting on the throne with a sparkling, hoborable crown on small gap of the closing doors. His gaze longed to see his master's image a little longer and yearned to be by his side. How he was dressed in the golden robes made Aren's eyes tear up.

'Little Li my boy, how could I have missed the fact that you weren't the same eleven-year-old boy...' Aren's pitiful sobs was muffled by the man's grip, pulling him back away from anyone's eyes. Tears streamed down the servant's face and trickled down to Abercon's hands. 'Maybe I should've stopped calling you 'little' by now. My oh my... the crown is now yours... how you've slipped through my fingers.. your are now King..' his chin shook on his pathetic sobs.

His eyes rested and closed, losing his consciousness on Abercon's hold. 'I want to see you with a broad smile now that the veils will no longer conceal your face... and yet why is this happening now?'

When the matters finally relaxed, Abercon lifted the man's body like it was just a lightweight log, and began carrying him away. The soldier gasped. "I-is this sir Aren?"

A vein appeared on Abercon's temples, growling under his breath. "He has gone mad and escaped the cuffs we were restraining him for. Do not let this occurrence cause ruckus on the King's event if you still want to keep your head intact to your neck!" This threat made sure that the soldier will zip his mouth, as if the general's words were fire that burned whatever he saw happening on that night.

The soldier bowed deeply. "Y-yes sir!" Then he turned around and exited carefully, going back to his original post.

Aren could still hear faintly what was happening on the background, the laughters, the clicking of the glasses, Abercon's footsteps on the carpet and his carrier's breath.

Aren couldn't feel like he could still be able to move his feet nor even open his eyes. In the abyss inside his head, he could hear a voice and make out a single light, forming a familiar scene inside his mind. In a certain sunset, a young voice of a boy told him:

' "From now on you are to be expected to always be within my side at all times." '

His heart sunk. 'I am very sorry I wasn't by your side this time. Forgive me, forgive me.'

*

"Have Aren come?" Jian Li lowly asked the servant that was beside the throne.

She sweat bullets down her face. "Your Majesty, I apologize, the head servant still has not gone back from his duties. We will report to you the second he is seen." Even her voice sounded embarrassed.

'Aren, Aren, where have you gone?'

"It feels so lonely without you by my side.."

The coronation ceremony felt very fast for Jian Li although in reality, it lasted for three long hours to complete, then, after that he was taken back to his abode to celebrate his announcing as King. His bottom sat on his seat painfully till it almost felt numb just as he silently watches over the after party of his coronation on his throne.

All and all, he felt somewhat incomplete. With his favorite servant missing among the crowd, he just couldn't sit in peace. But with the help of the soft vibrations of the violin and the plucks of the harp that was coming from the musician's podium, he still tried to ease himself.

The former King in his seat that had his eyes stuck to his son noticed the expressions Jian Li was making. He stood up from his seat and comforted im through a tap on the shoulder. "How are you son? Be not tense, you will be fine after a drink or so." Hongwu smiled, waving at the approaching Deverus that was climbing up the stairs of the royal's podium.

"Wine, Your Majesties?" Two red glasses was on the both of his hands, one offered to his old companion, and one to the King.

Hongwu accepted it with a smile, thanking him with a deep voice. "Thank you, Deverus. Jian Li here is still feeling the aftereffects of his ceremony." The two older men laughed at the King's vulnerability in the moment, Deverus making a comment like; "Oh, why, that feeling will all soon go away, just in a few hours.." the black cloaked man laughed loudly, although something about his eyes made Jian Li concerned, it wasn't the same true laugh Aren would give him. He sensed a glint of another strange facial expression. Or was he just tired at all the socializing?

"No doubt Deverus." The King sighed softly from laughing, tapping his friend's back like in the old times. Although, this time it felt more friendly-like unlike when he was King, he couldn't do anything that would make his people doubt his presence by being so friendly. 'cause you know, people might overstep and do rude things because he was being overly kind.

"Yes of course Your Majesty." Deverus answered by patting him back, Hongwu and Jian Li drank the wine while the two companions busily laughed on the podium with thick faces.

*

Aren's ribs slumped down the hard wooden chair, from that pain, he had regained his consciousness with an electrifying pain on his side. His eyes met the familiar room down in the dungeons again. "You!" Aren looked up and saw Abercon carrying a heavy, thick silver chains. Aren tried to move his arm but he couldn't. He felt like they were broken and he could only close his palms at the moment. Abercon dragged his body to the wall and chained four of his limbs, locking them with two different keys then stored it inside his coat. "Don't try to do anything funny again!" I mean, he can't now can he?

Aren somewhat regained a bit of strength and gave his feet a push, advancing up to bite the man's showed skin.

Blood streamed down Abercon's collar and a bit of his flesh were ripped by Aren's teeth. He groaned in annoyance, ge had been bitten twice by Aren. "You're still as feisty as ever." Abercon touched his neck, yet the flowing blood was slowly decreasing from escaping his body that means it wasn't a deep wound at all, he just chuckled how messed his neck would look now.

"Abercon, why? Just why.." Aren coughed out the words, although a heavy pain was still striking his throat as he asked the unbothered man in front of him.

"Please just let me go!! i— i— i dont even know all about those things the advisor keeps on babbling! Believe me!" Abercon sighed at the prisoner's pleas, keeping a cloth pressed on his wound then hiding it as he fully buttoned his clothes up to his neck.

Aren's chains kept clanging with an annoying sound and his raspy voice that echoed around the enclosed room. "What does he mean Jian Li is not royal blood?! He's gone mad! You don't believe him do you?! Im no traitor! I know nothing of this! Nothing! Ae-Aeber!!"

Abercon crouched at the kneeling man, pushing his chin up to face his eyes. "Don't make noise now or i will break your fingers next."

Aren shuddered at his words but he still yelled in front of the man. "What else do you need me for?!"

Abercon stared at him in silence and stood up, ready to exit the room but what he heard next made him stop on his tracks.

"You, you still treat me as your friend right?"

Abercon looked back.

Then Aren continued. "Is that why you weren't able to silence me as quickly as you usually do with other people? Come on, Aeber, you're the leader of the Elite Knights; why don't you just kill me in one blow? Why did you go to such lengths to avoid murdering me in your harsh ways?"

Aren's words felt like a poison to Abercon's head, he tries to suppress his anger with a deep breath. "Stop running your mouth and be quiet down here." Abercon has turned his heels again and was picking the door's keys by his pockets, getting ready to head to the door.

"Abercon- Abercon!!! ABERCON GET ME OUT OF HERE!!"

"WHY?! DON'T YOU BELIEVE YOUR FRIEND?! AEBER!"

Aren huffs, his breath all ragged and messy. He looks around and tries to find any way to unlock the cuffs. But to no avail, there wasnt anything sharp by his side, his hair pin was damaged after the first escape, nor was there a small stick that could fit on the metal cuffs, even if he picks up that piece of wood, it might get jammed inside as he picks the locks. Nothing, there isn't anything to use. 'Shit! no.. no.. I have to escape here!!"

'A scandal over this fabricated story will undoubtedly bring down the Prince, all that hard work my boy did will go all for nothing! I must escape! Think Aren think! What else is there to do?!'

"Ah," Abercon turned around again. Aren looked at him. Has he finally decided to let his friend go?

But it wasn't the case, Abercon walked to the table filled with metallic tools. A sound of rustling clinks and chuckles echoed to Aren. The man picked up a rusted syringe and a violet twinkling bottle, having the rusty metal suck the liquid improperly inside the syringe. He walked to Aren with a dripping syringe on his hand and looked down on him, crouching after. Aren immediately backed off to the wall, and wriggled, avoiding the sharp and dangerous tool.

Abercon bared his fangs, clearly irked of Aren. He grabbed his thighs and stabbed the needle along the cuts he made just earlier. Aren screamed in pain, he felt the needle pressed deep with his muscles and veins, the drop of Abercon's hand made his thighs bleed again, he cried out so much that he trembled again and again. Abercon removed the syringe away from Aren after he injected the unknown matter inside his body. "So you won't do anything stupid again."

His leg felt numb, and his toes felt like they were in fire, so hot that it felt literally burning. After the sensations the chemical gave his body, his entire system shut down, but he was still feeling the warmth.

Abercon's steps faded in the background.

*

When the blue moon sits in the center of the midnight sky, the power within the god awakens from the moonlight.

In the middle of the celebration where the guests were feasting with countless of Jian specialty dishes, and the celebratory giving of gifts was still on going, Jian Li's eyes fluttered.

"Mmhm.." He massages the spot between his eyebrows and groans lowly, feeling a bit sleepy. No- dizzy?

His action alerted the Svarozich representative that was offering him a golden gift. The masked man's tender voice asks; "Your Majesty? Are you alright?"

Jian Li nodded fast. "Yes, yes, continue."

But the former King did not hesitate to check in. He would ask gently: "Is everything alright son?"

The King sweats, worried "Everything is right father. Just getting a bit heavy-headed that's all."

Hongwu nods slowly, sinking back to his warm seat with his smirking advisor at the side.

The main family's offerings had finished and also the lower nobles giving of their gifts when someone along the busy crowd spoke their thought:

"Your Highness, Prince Morfran! Haven't you have a gift for your brother too?"

They would snicker.

A man follows up: "Well, we just hope it wasn't the poisonous plant again! hahahahaha!" Joked him that got all of the noble families laughing, some chuckling and some not budging to care at all.

But Morfran didn't even smiled. And that gave them a chilling atmosphere.

They gulped.

Morfran, who was keeping all of his annoyance five hours straight finally had his switch give in. His patience rope had finally snapped: "Why would I gift him anything? When he's not even noble blood." he thunders his voice enough for everyone to hear.

The sudden reply stunned everyone inside the big hall, his voice echoes even to the four corners of the giant hall. Buzzing murmurs immediately filled the half of the hall.

"What?"

"What did the Prince just say?"

"Did we hear that right?"

His throne creaked as he slowly stood up with a degrading expression. "That worm you crowned? Why would i give him expensive gifts?" He scoffs, growling when he rudely pointed his finger to the King who was sitting cross-legged on his thone. Then the second Prince yells; "That boy's a leeching, fake, disgusting, mud-picked identity-thieving fraud!!"

The crowd gasps altogether, murmurs hissed behind their fans. "Fraud?" They couldn't believe what just happened for the past ten seconds, whether those words may it be true or not, this will be a huge scandal for the kingdom.

Morfran threw brown colored scrolls to roll down the stairs from the podium, the noblemen watched them tap their heels. He yells, glancing a bit to his shocked father. "These scrolls! Have even the public remembered a single thing about my older brother?!" He shouted, a voice fuming in anger.

The way the people didn't utter a word irked his blood. "Jian Mordecai! The forgotten prince!" Morfran growled even louder, almost screaming and turning red.

"Mordecai?" Hongwu stood up his seat, confronting his younger son. "Morfran? How do you know about—"

Then he cut in his father's words and pointed angrily. "You! You killed my brother!"

The crowd backs up and gasps even more. "What?! The King?!" All the tensions inside the hall was rising but Jian Li couldn't focus on anything that was happening in the moment, his skull kept on pinching his brain in pain.

Hongwu had his tone low, asking his son in a subtle manner. "What is this madness Morfran? Your brother died in illness.."

Morfran's breath was fast like he just finished three laps of running. He pulls something inside his coat and throws it to his father's feet. "Take your excuses to your grave! It was this dagger isn't it father?! You killed him with this!"

Hongwu's breath hitched after seeing the nostalgic knife he loathed. He looked at his son's face in terror. "Morfran.."

The second Prince seemed to be enjoying the face the former King was making. He liked the eyes that was spent on him. Then his sights turned to the boy behind the King, sitting with a hand holding on his temples. Morfran smiles in his anger. "How about you Your Majesty?! Have you enjoyed fooling around all these years?!"

He laughed insanely and looked at the noblemen with resentment. "The one who made the oath in front of the gods was a fake! An adoptive fuck! He's not a royal blood- I am! I should be the one titled King! Not this fraud!"

He fought their stares in silence while Deverus decided to step up and stand next to Morfran.

"I witness his claim." Said the man in black. " I am the one who saw the King kill the first Prince Mordecai a decade ago and I pledge my soul that I am not telling falsified stories."

"If ever this might be true, then why didn't you report as soon as you saw it?" Jian Li gathers the attention in, standing off the throne.

Deverus' face contorted. "You don't get to talk here you fake!"

"Fake? Where is your proof?" Asked Jian Li, tilting his head, nobles nodded looking at Deverus after.

His lowers his voice. "Hongwu's face is the truth."

Jian Li shifts his eyes to Hongwu, watching his father's face that he truly sensed lies hiding behind the person. "Father? What is the man saying?" Jian Li adds: "Mordecai? I am aware of his existence but... What in the world?.." the back of his head hurt, but still, he tried to stay on both his feet and keep the conversation going to clear things.

In a long silence, Hongwu still not answered, and Deverus smirks behind. Jian Li asks him again: "Father?"

"Answer him father! You know that it was you yourself that was the one who picked the abandoned child up! Come on tell him! Tell everyone your reasons why!" Yelled Morfran in a loud, bellowing manner to his father.

"Your Majesty?..."

Jian Li saw his father's eyes shake for the first time. Hongwu declines his son's claim. "That is not true I—"

"—Just admit it! Admit it father!" Morfran pushed him even further, bombing him with words.

Deverus shakes his head, having a straight face to throw at the former King. "I saw what I saw Hongwu. Tell everyone the truth."

"But i—"

"You what?!" Angrily shouted Morfran.

Hongwu has had it. "SILENCE!" He shouts.

Everyone present in the hall fell in fright of his thundering voice. They had forgotten they were questioning the former King of the kingdom.

When the hall was silent, Hongwu began his confession. "I killed the Prince."

That even prolonged the silence even more, they were unable to process things over. "I-it was true!!!!" His statement made Morfran's eyes pop in shock, laughing in a pathetic manner from everyone's terrified faces. "Haa..... Hah! You big old liar! All this time you kept me all fooled! What are you planning?! Just how much do you hate me?!"

The people's murmurs were full of: "Poor Morfran who didn't get the throne.." poor morfran this, poor morfran that, receiving sympathy for the first time made him feel light. Having people take his side was something he was not used to, and he had wished he felt this way in his younger years too.

Deverus spoke up, adding more fuel to the fire. "I... I bet you are the one who also killed Dana.. you killed the Queen didn't you Hongwu?" He sharply inhales air and shouts dramatically: "THAT NIGHT! WHEN SHE KNEW ABOUT YOUR SIN FOR HER SON YOU KILLED HER! YOU MERCILESS BRUTE! THE POOR WOMAN DIDN'T EVEN HAD HER CHANCE TO SEE HIS NEWBORN SON GROW!" Even though he was greatly affected outside, he was definitely smiling excitedly inside his head. Wanting to take the King out as soon as possible.

That was it, Hongwu's coolness finally vanished. He started panicking to defend himself. "It was all for the best!!" The former King trembled and reached for Jian Li's petite hands. "Jian Li, it was for the best! Everything was in the line! The kingdom, the family! My pride! Everything! You have to understand!" One thing was clear, Jian Hongwu looked itchy and bothered, as if he had all lost his composure.

This reckless shouts confirmed something to Morfran. He shuddered at the thought. "So you killed mother."

The quietness was immediately replaced by Morfran's scream to his father's face. "YOU KILLED MY MOTHER!!"

Deverus encouraged the force even more. "Admit it yourself! That you killed the Queen!" The nobles dug their eyes to the King, adding even more pressure to him. Hongwu steps back, his eyes flicking to Jian Li who had this pained expression. He trembled and his head flashed the memories. He doesn't want to remember anymore. He just want to rid of it all.

The blue moon on top of the glass ceiling shone brightly directly down to Jian Li. The light beam touching his skin made him crumble inside, he felt strange and his hair behind his neck stood up. Immediately, the hall was filled of white smoke, maybe a cloak of fog? The temperature had went up and the halls were damp, the walls dripping with little pecks of water. Everyone was confused yet also astonished at how beautiful the fog looked, swirling and bending on the air.

But the King started acting strange behind the fog. Jian Li felt the difficulties to breathe from his chest, he felt extremely hot and his breathing also fogged up when he exhaled, his back and temples sweated in the strange weather as his eyes kept crying. It was so strange, the people around him was panicking, but Deverus just seemed to stand there, staring and raising his brows as Jian Li coughed his saliva to his palm painfully. "ack- GHAK HAAHH, HAHH, HAA.." he fell down on his feet and slumped down on the floor, his head felt heavy and blurry, he couldn't make out anyone's faces besides someone's worried face.

"Your Majesty!" The servant rushed to kneel beside him and lended him his arm to grab on. Jian Li's head felt like breaking to two but a sweet and pleasant smell hugged his nostrils. The mild burning scent of incense calmed his breathing a little bit, inhaling a soft scent of sandalwood as he opened his eyes. The servant who was kneeling beside the King was furious and quickly ordered the temporary head servant to fetch water or anything in order to aid the Prince.

Hongwu was clearly showing terror in his face, but in panic, helped the servant put back Jian Li on his seat. Hongwu yells to the others; "Quick! Bring the royal doctor!!"

Four servants rapidly moved. "Yes Your Majesty!"

"The doors are locked!" One of them shouted by the door.

Hongwu groaned loudly, "Then force them to open!"

"What the heck are those soldiers for?!" His breath seethed, his eyes stuck on Jian Li's. The former King's face looked pale and worried to death about his son's health just like a mother.

Seeing the former King treat his older brother like glass made Morfran fume in fury. How could his respected father be affected so bad with someone's pathetic dizziness in this strange fog? He hated how his father would prioritize Jian Li over his own respected image. It made his heart feel the heated jealousy.

' "Remeber Hongwu, the Kingdom will suffer if the boy dies." '

Hongwu caresses his son's beautiful face. "J-Jian Li, son calm down and breathe.."

Jian Li felt like he was dipped under the blazing lava, he picked his body up and screamed like a madman.

"AAAAAAAAAAHH!!!" Everyone was given a scare at the King's shocking behavior, some were worried and majorly all of them felt the horror on his eerie screams that filled the hall. What is this celebratory party?

Jian Li backed away from anyone, gripping his head while the crown carelessly fell off and stumbled down the podium's stairs, its gems was broken by the impact.

Inside Jian Li's head, he would see vast and blue rivers sparkling from the sun's rays, fishes jumps happily from the clear waters and dolphins would sing a cheery squeals when someone in blue would raise his hand and wave a good morning.

He listens to voices of thousands of people that was murmuring like bees beside his ear, countless of thoughts and mountains of golds were offered to a man cladded in blue.

Big temples were erected on the face of the earth and laughters flooded inside his head. The lagoons and lakes he saw on daze was overly familiar as well as the four men that was standing next to each other. The tallest of them was cladded in red, then the three was colored blue, black and white. Their back was facing Jian Li as they were staring somewhere far away down to the world. All he could see was faint smiles and loud laughs. Nothing made sense. What is this dream?

'Whose memory are those?! They are not mine!'

Every second felt unbearable to Jian Li. He crumpled his hands and yelped as he opened up his eyes to stare on the big bright blue moon on top of the sky. All was quiet, his mouth was closed, stopping the screams.

The fog followed where the dazed Jian Li was and twirled around him, swirling around and around that his hair ended up being wet.

Jian Li felt warm, smell of wood stays under his nose. He sighs when he stares on the blue moon on the ceiling.

The fog compressed and disappeared until they turned into beads of water stuck on the air, it was a supernatural sight no one believed could happen. They gasped at the spectacular phenomenon happening in front of their eyes.

"W-what are those...?" Gulped one spectator viewing behind the tables, their eyes stuck on the weird spheres of water stuck in the air like stringed beads. No one had the time to panic and leave the hall. Even though they'd want to, the gates were sealed.

The former King slowly approaches the boy. "Jian Li?" Hearing his voice being called, the connection between the blue moon and Jian Li tears, the uncomfortable pain was brought back on his body once more.

Panting Jian Li grips his stomach. "Unnnn,— haa!!!! P-please! Do not approach me!" His stretched hand warned Hongwu not to step any further.

Hongwu's eyes shifted back and forth to the stressed droplets of water shaking on the air around the King. "Jian Li, i need you to calm down..." He gently says but Jian Li's heartbeat thumped harder like it should be leaping off his chest, his blood circulation increased thrice and this made him feel dizzy, about to fall off his balance.

He shakes his head rapidly, panting a hot air. "Wait! Father! Don't come near me!" The spheres was startled and kept changing their forms. They kept being deformed and distorted, the waters separating into different sizes and shapes. Some where like blocks, other was in the form of rain, some as spheres and small fragments of water.

Jian Li looked around him, his eyes shrinking in horror of what was around him. The boy backed away even further to see that the waters around him was following himself too.

The pain surged altogether in his body, but the excruciating pain was mostly attacking his head with pieces of memories he doesn't even own. His folds his arms and closes his hands to a fist, having this heavy force inside him that was waiting to be expelled.

"Haaahh.. haaa." When the blue moon's intense rays rained over him and penetrates deep on his skin, everything around him shines and the water orbs refracted the moon's a strong light that blinded anyone away.

"—AAAHHH!!!!!!" This immense power stored inside him felt uncontrollable, and being taken over it gathered a strong force that exploded in all directions along with his loud cries.

"ack—!"

After his agonizing scream, the whole hall went fully silent.

His heart was finally stabled and the water fragments around him was gone. He felt relieved that everything was over.

Jian Li observed around: the walls was dripping wet and the people inside the hall was safe too. This occurrence was strange. When he stared at them, everyone was awfully quiet, their mouths hung and their eyes were gawking at the former King. In curiosity of what they were looking at, he shifted his focus to his father's figure that he later saw a small red dot oozing on the corners of his lips.

Hongwu coughed blood.

Everyone gasped, some screamed, but mostly everyone stayed nailed on their feet, unable to move.

Jian Li trembled on his spot. "Father?"

His father dropped on his knees, coughing huge amounts of blood on the floor. Jian Li races to his father and immediately kneels down to catch his falling body. "No!!!!!" He shouts.

The peacefulness inside him was quickly turned to panic and fear. He eyes tears up as his fingers tremble to witness the accident. As he would shake and cry, his hands stumbles to a wet area on the King's robes, the fabric was turned to maroon and the color was spreading around his chest. Jian Li pushes away his father's robes and small amounts of blood spurted on his face, leaving it warm and dripping with the smell of rusting iron. He shrieks; "No!!! What is this?! What happened?! Father! Wake up!!!!"

Inside the former King's body hides a sharp and long piece of needle. Just after the explosions of the strange elements around Jian Li, fragments of it were reformed to look like needles, although almost all of the objects went upwards, a single hardened needle was thrusted to the nearest person which was Hongwu and this long needle passes through the flesh and slips in the in-between of his ribs; making a deep piercing in the heart's main artery. The hole in the artery would rip and and tear even wider, resulting a severe internal bleeding inside Hongwu's chest that was being witnessed by now as he bathed in his own blood, unable to talk or stop coughing.

Jian Li's cries were drowned by the loud lightning; a huge and aggressive storm poured down the earth. The droplets of rain from the night clouds heavily strikes the palace's roofs as if they were rocks, it was so loud that it was heard even on the Grand Hall.

The King's golden robes was now tainted red by his father's blood and when his seizures started, everyone inside the Grand Hall screamed and took a step away from the podium, the terror in their eyes dried their ability to speak anything straight at all.

Hongwu's black eyes were fully dilated and his hands gripped his stomach, looking like he was in great pain. Although his mouth was puking blood, tears streamed down his face while looking at Jian Li.

His black eyes reflected Jian Li's crying image. His shaking hands reached for his son's terrored face, wanting to at least calm him down.

The man smiled, "Im-.. r- lieved...—"

His words confused Jian Li but without enough time to react, Jian Hongwu had stopped moving and dropped his hand. His lungs had stopped breathing for his body and he quickly surrendered to a immediate death.

King Hongwu has died.

A woman screams: "Get... Get him out of here! Get the murderer out of here! He's dangerous!"

Jian Li who heard her plea looked at her who was pointing her fingers at him. "What?"

"Guards!" Loudly summoned Morfran as he pushes Jian Li away from his father's hold. Jian Li was seized by a pair of arms and his wrists were immediately tied as rough as possible making him hiss.

Morfran knelt and held his father's body for the first time. Thinking on how painful it was to only be able to do this on his dead father's body and not be allowed if Hongwu was still alive.

The nobility screams, crowding on the Grand Hall's doors.

"King Hongwu has been killed!"

"Capture him!"

"Get out of here murderer!"

"He's— he's no human! He's a monster!"

"Get him out of here- fast!"

"Imprison him!"

Jian Li's confusion was never ending. Why was he tied up? Why are they accusing him as a murderer? The King as a monster? Nothing made sense. How was his father killed?

The guard began dragging him away. "Wait- wait- where are all of you taking me?! Let me go! Father! Father!!! Treat the King!!"

Morfran was outraged, he growls loudly as his head was fuming in anger. "Treat? Father's dead-! HE IS DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"What?"

"YOU killed him!"

His younger brother's words pricked his heart like thorns.

The stormy night was the start of the crowned's doom.