6. Eyes Of The Dragon.

Everywhere went silent and the misty air became even cozier. The Fiery Beast sounded its arrival yet again with another thunderous shriek before the sky tore open, revealing its fiery wings.

Everything under the darkness and all the creatures of the night fled upon acknowledging its presence. Its flames chased them and its shriek shook the entire province.

Lu Shui Hua saw this with his eyes as he was being helped by Jiangsu that tried to pull him up from the ground. He was speechless.

All these creatures he just encountered came from just one estate and still exist?

He used to think they were all myths and human delusions in their minds, but now they are right in front of him, and he doesn't know how to react to them. He was too dumbfounded.

Were all his beliefs wrong? Everything he has learned, are they all wrong?

He was still in his thought and was being helped back up by Jiangsu when the ground began to rumble. It was like an earthquake, the ground was shaking profusely.

They couldn't even stand erect, the sound coming from the ground was like a park of angry Rhinos charging from a distance causing the mists that seemed to deflate due to the presence of the Zhúque to rise again but this time, it was a dark mist. A dark humongous smoke the size of a duplex.

"Urgh"

Lu Shui Hua grunted as he tried to get up.

"C'mon, Shui Hua, get up".

He staggered grabbing onto Jiangsu, managing to move his feet one after the other. His breaths were hung, he was still dizzy, and his vision was blurred.

As the movement on the ground became even more violent, the shriek of the Zhúque aired even louder, like a battle line was being drawn. It began to charge from the sky to the direction of the unknown. Likewise the unknown, they were both heading out for each other.

And amid the set battle of the Immortals were Lu Shui Hua and Jiangsu. They moved slowly in the center of the battle line without even knowing that.

"Try to move a little faster, just a little, c'mon, you can do this".

"urgh, J-Jiangsu," He managed.

"Not now, we need to take refuge, I-I need to get you out of here".

Jiangsu cut him off before he could say anymore, as he held his waist for support, pulling him closer to himself and putting his arms around his neck.

His hands went even further and close to his stomach to hold him even tighter when he felt the warm sticky mist. It felt familiar. It felt like blood. His heart skipped a beat.

" Y-You're hurt". He breathed out trying to calm his nerves. He was panicking.

Lu Shui Hua that was still trying to regain himself said nothing but let out huffed breaths. He was weak. He was losing blood.

His cloth was already soaked at the Part where he had the cut from the fall and his other hand was drenched by his blood.

"It's bad".

He held him a little closer with shaky breaths.

"I... Know". He managed in a hoarse voice.

"Hold onto it a little tighter, let's get you somewhere safe".

But as the legend entails, the blood of the green water flower is the only element capable of raising the sleeping misery, yet it also attracts other dwellers of the dark. He is what they all seek. And as the night wind makes everything visible through scents, the blood of the Green water flower came to their noses, waking up everything that rested in the darkness.

They were after him.

The clashing of the Zhúque and The unknown became the least of their problems after seeing the multitudes that were out for their lives.

In a slit second, the three-headed beasts came to view, but this time, it had companies. There was a serpent the same size as the beast beside it, and a boar with the body of a scorpion, accompanied by a fire-breathing sewer dragon.

Jiangsu's eyes fled open when he saw these beasts. With Shui Hua in his grip, he tried to steady his staggered steps. He was about to flee to the left when a humongous dire wolf appeared out of nowhere from the dark. They all gnashed their teeth ready to attack.

How are they going to escape from this?

Just as he thought of giving up, a single fire from the fight happening in the sky stomped in the middle, distracting the beasts and causing them to lose focus. That was their cue to run for their lives.

Jiangsu's legs were not able to carry the weight of another with speed. They managed to settle at a corner between one of the houses after losing the creatures. Lu Shui Hua looked half-alive at this point. He had lost so much blood already and had already given up.

"No...I -I can't". He managed with what seemed to be his last breath.

"Don't give up on me now, Shui Hua, c'mon, you have to try".

"Go... without... me".

Jiangsu tried to pull him up. " What are you saying? c'mon we're almost there".

"No..." He shook his head lightly and shot Jiangsu that look. "Go without me".

It was at that moment that reality struck him. This is Lu Shui Hua saying goodbye to him, telling him to save himself and leave him behind with those monsters. He couldn't believe it.

"No, I'm not leaving you here, now hold onto me". He tried to lift him but he wasn't moving.

"I... Can't do this anymore".

"Well, I can't do this without you, now get up". He was still insistent on lifting him but Lu Shui Hua had given up.

"Yes... you can".

"Don't say that! He yelled out in frustration. I-I..." He exhaled. "I can't. I'm not doing it, okay, we're a team..." He was fighting hard to blink back the threatening tears but it was too late because they were already pouring out like a downpour. "I-it's you and I bro, it's you and I against the world remember? huh? You said we are going to stick together no matter what, huh? Remember?" He was trembling, fighting hard to stay strong.

"No... No Jiangsu, I-It's over..." He tried to catch his weak breath. "This... This is it for me".

Jiangsu's eyes opened wide in shock at his words.

Is this real?

Is this how he is going to lose his only friend in the entire universe? A new fresh flow of tears escaped his eyes as he bent his head to the floor in disdain.

"Go". Lu Shui Hua ordered him with shaggy breaths. "It's an order".

Jiangsu shot him a last glance and stood up immediately after those words were aired. This was it.

This was how he is going to say goodbye to him.

Shui Hua's mind was made up and nothing was going to change it.

As he took slow steps away from him, he didn't break the stare. He wanted to look at him for the last time. He needed to be sure he was making the right decision. And as he cut the stare, he dashed into the mist.

Lu Shui Hua watched him walk back into the dark Misty street of Suzaku and right before his eyes, dwellers of the darkness surrounded him. Behind him was the boar with the body of the scorpion, and in front of him was the serpent.

Why are they after Jiangsu? They should be after him.

"urrgh... No, ... Jiangsu". He managed to scream but his voice wasn't audible. It was at that moment he began to struggle. He struggled to get up as he held onto the wall he relaxed on to aid his body but all he could manage was a slight pull.

He began to crawl with a single hand. one hand on the cut, and the other hand on the ground. His grunts were low, and his eyes were half open. He fought to keep his eyes open as all he could see was his friend amid monsters.

He managed to get on his feet after a few struggles and help from old woods and began to move with staggering steps.

"Jiangsu..."

He was a few fleets away from them when he called out alerting the creatures and diverting their attention from Jiangsu.

"Lu Shui Hua! No!!!

He could hear Jiangsu's screams but that was the last thing he heard before he found his body flying from the hit of the humongous serpent. It was also the last scene his eyes encountered before he lost consciousness.

And as life slipped out of him into the cold misty air of Suzaku street, so did his blood drip into the cold soil of history to the depths of the earth. Its warm moist flowed and penetrated the deepest and darkest place in the entire universe. A place that had been hidden for billions of years, a place that held the mystery of the universe, a place that was concealed and protected by the four elements and roots of nature. A place that held the Myth.

Its drops traveled down the narrowed bricks underneath and dripped by droplet after another into the cold dark cave and on the carved statue-like casket that looked like it was carved by Zeus himself. it was unimaginable.

Like a tale, a drop slid into the casket, and like a nightmare, The eyes of the dragon slid open.