The three elderly passengers, marked by age and experience, were called to testify in the court from their home village. The Judge gave them a moment to compose themselves after the...sudden flight of a trip, before addressing them firmly.
“Thank you for heeding our summons on such short notice,” He went, “Each of your testimony is crucial in this case. Thus, I must remind you to speak the truth, and nothing but the truth. Do you all understand?”
The passengers exchanged words and whispers before nodding back in agreement.
“Now. Do you recognize this man?” The Judge pointed directly at the rich scholar, “What are your connections to him?”
Inspector Lee forcefully turned Noonien to face the witnesses, ensuring they got a good look on him.
“Oh your honour!” The first passenger spoke up up, “This is Little Wing! How much he’s grown! I-I used to be his wet nurse under his family’s employ, up until his parents passed on. I remember his clever eyes, the bright rascal that he is...” She then snapped at the sight, “You! Release him you brute!”
Inspector Lee rolled his eyes and reluctantly dropped Noonien out of his grip like letting go of a kitchen towel.
The second passenger carefully observed Noonien, before he bowed, “This is Wing, indeed. He was my student when he was young. A poor boy he was, barely could afford his own brushes and textbooks, yet such a talent. I often loaned him coal pieces from my fire pit to let him use as chalk and I read him verses from my textbooks to study from after our classes.”
The third passenger rose and brushed a hand across his long grey beard that dripped from his chin, “And I am Wing’s University Professor. He was always top of my class. I even wrote him a recommendation letter so he may be eligible to take part in the Imperial Examination... It was so many years ago since I last saw him. I just never expected to see him again under these circumstances.”
The Judge heard enough and struck his lion dog gavel. “Noonien Turquoise! You have lied from the moment you entered this courtroom. You deny knowing Fae Fae, yet she was your childhood lover. You claim ignorance of her brother, despite growing up with him like family. You live under a false identity, pretending your past never existed.”
He then gave a huff to add, “If you were truly innocent of Fae Fae’s murder, why lie from the beginning!? Surely with all your learning, one would know to step forward and tell the truth – yet you still object to your connection with her, even your own identity!”
“No! I am not who you think I am!” Noonien exploded and raged at the witnesses. “I don’t know any of you! I am the great Noonien of the Turquoise family. I am above all of you! Away with these charlatans! These con-artists! Begone!”
In his fury, Noonien ignored decorum, shouting and wailing against his accusers. The three witnesses were simply appalled, the little boy and student they once admired just ruining himself with an ugly face of denial and ridicule! How time has been cruel to them. Who could ever imagine a young boy with big dreams could become this cruel and heartless!
Noonien continued yelling at them, at everyone, slowing losing his composure and sanity, “For the last time! I do not know Fae Fae and I – did – not – MURDER HER!”
Suddenly, darkness fell into the courtroom like a curtain on a stage.
A bitter cold wind shot through the halls, snuffing out all the candles one by one and slamming the window covers shut. Even the gates were blew in, slamming into a mighty lock. No escape.
Inspector Lee cursed at the sight before he gathered his Constables to rush over to protect the Judge. Martial Yellow Sister and several court guards grouped up to form a protective all to safeguard the witnesses and Fae Fae’s brother.
All to leave Noonien standing in the darkness, fending for himself of this hellish moment.
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“AAAAAAAAH!” The rich scholar screamed and ducked.
A crimson slash nearly took his head off! The rich scholar had zero martial arts training, so instead of just fumbling or rolling away he just tripped over his own feet and fell on his face. He screamed and crawled on the ground like a scared worm, fleeing from a hungry eagle.
And when the crimson slash in the darkness cut at him – he felt no pain. Only a brush of soft silk?
It was then he realized, it was a crimson arc of a haunting sword. But a red sash floating in the air.
Everyone witnessed in shock and awe, this red sash dancing in and out of the darkness like some sort of phantom entertainer. There were swift flashes of silver, like a snapshot of a blade in the pitch black, where the red sash was tied to.
Noonien realized, he recognized this. Why, a single long forgotten memory came back to him.
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After passing the Imperial Examination, his newfound fame attracted many who sought his favour, one of whom invited him to the Celestial Dreams Brothel. Had he known the truth, he would have refused, but it was too late—he saw Fae Fae performing her sword dance high above across the brothel’s roof for thousands to see. He knew nothing of her life or struggles, yet couldn’t help but feel a deep nostalgia, a connection stirred by the spirit of her dance. He never wanted to see her again...but who'd thought Fate would be cruel to reunite them in Heavenly Garden.
Oh how he scorned destiny!
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“N-no! St-stay away! Stay away from me! You’re dead!”
The red sash ignored his cries, his objections. It kept fluttering in the darkness, as if putting on a performance just for him. It was inviting, graceful, soft red swirling through the hard black space. Was calling to him? Was it luring him? He didn’t want to know, he didn’t want to think!
“Stop it! Stop it already! Leave me alone!”
Noonien scrambled to run. Even in the darkness, he would run into walls or pillars trying to find an exit! Even if it was the light at the end of his tunnel, he would gladly take that then be haunted by this single red sash!
Alas, the red sash kept blocking him...followed by the steps and movement of a silhouette. Man, woman, he couldn’t tell. Then...a soft eerie voice of great beauty sang in the air, a ghostly lullaby.
“I raise you like a pearl, only for you to smash yourself under cowardly feet.”
Noonien screamed! Panic filled his body as he clapped his ears shut to try and block out the singing. He started to run, but he could only stumble around in the darkness as if he was blinded right on the spot.
“Without a sword or army, you massacred the one soul who truly loved you.”
He wailed and pleaded for the phantom to stop singing! To stop telling him the truth of his deeds!
“If I had known you would grow to be this grand and cruel to me.”
No more! Please no more! Mercy! Mercyyyy!
“I would not have trade my heart for your happiness.”
“FAE FAAAEAAAA!”
Noonien’s voice let out a piercing cry born from the unravelling of his mind and sanity. A torrent of grief and long buried emotions overwhelmed him like a flood, clawing its way to the surface with raw intensity!
The emotions became so heavy he was forced to his knees in shame and he cried out in desperate wails.
“FAE FAE! FORGIVE ME! TH-THIS ISN’T WHAT I WANTED! I ONLY WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY! I ONLY WANT WHAT WAS BEST FOR YOU! FORGIVE ME! PLEASE! FORGIVE ME!”
Martial Yellow Sister just stared.
She was just... too stunned to be able to grasp at what just occurred in those fleeting moments. W-was it a ghost? Or was it something else entirely? The exhaustion from non-stop flight and the shock of events just overwhelmed her to process everything clearly.
That was when her ear twitched, at the voice of Fae Fae’s Brother.
“That song...those were the last thing she said to Noonien at the gazebo...” The brother was crying in shock and horror. Even when surrounded by thoughts of a haunting, he could not help but cry for another reason. “B-Baby-sis. Is this you? Baby sis!?”
Of course the darkness never spoke back.
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