Emerging from the shadows, Grandmaster Liu clenches his fist as he directs his glare towards the revolting dome above him.
“Impossible…” He mutters, recalling the events from six years prior.
Bending his knees, he propels himself into the air, leaving behind a massive crater enveloped in dust and debris. Hovering just beneath the dome, Grandmaster Liu extends his senses in all directions, seeking confirmation of his suspicions. Upon sensing nothing aside from the skirmishes, he stomps on thin air and vanishes.
Reappearing at a different location within the dome, he once again extends his senses. The wrinkles between his brows deepen as he repeats this process, disappearing and reappearing across the Academy grounds in an attempt to track down the elusive source of the barrier.
The veins on his forehead and neck suddenly bulge upon recognizing the familiar presence. A burst of aura explodes from his body, momentarily stilling the commotion across the Academy grounds. A reverberating explosion fills the dome as he stomps against the air, vanishing from his floating position.
In the next instant, another explosion rings out as he crashes onto the stone-lined walkway before the cluster of people. The sixteen men, clad in black uniforms, freeze in response to the burst of aura, trembling and soiling themselves beneath the pressure emanating from within the cloud of dust.
Grandmaster Liu emerges, glaring at the trembling figures before him. Upon confirming the identity of the person without aura, a crimson light washes away the white glow from his eyes.
“Fucking rat.” A storm of rubble explodes into the air behind him as he stomps forth, reappearing before the man with a young lady over his shoulders. “Get your filthy hands off her.”
Before the man’s brain can register Grandmaster Liu’s command, it explodes into a thousand pieces, decorating the faces of those standing behind him. The other men clad in black collapse onto their knees, staring at the crimson-stained shoe hovering in the place where a head used to be. As the headless body falls backward, Grandmaster Liu retracts his foot and sweeps the young lady into his arms.
“As for the rest of you filthy rats-” Grandmaster Liu lifts the same foot, hovering above the closest kneeling knee. “Death is too lenient.”
The air beneath his foot rumbles as it collapses under the pressure of the downward motion, crushing the would-be kidnapper’s knee into a paste. An eerie cry fills the air. Grandmaster Liu lifts his foot once again, the tip of his shoe seemingly latching onto the air, warping it before dragging it down as his foot descends.
“It’s not worth it, old friend.” A voice calls out as the foot accelerates towards the ground, causing it to halt midair. Grandmaster Yi materializes from a sudden mist, placing his hand on Grandmaster Liu’s shoulder. “Your oath- upholding it the way you are is no different than breaking it. It’s not worth it.”
Despite the fire raging within, urging him to complete the stomp, Grandmaster Liu doesn’t. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, making an effort to ignore the stench of blood in the air.
As he tries to calm his heart, images of a crimson rain suddenly flash across his mind, unraveling the steadying rhythm of his heart. Within the rain, a pink ribbon flutters in response to the torrential wind. Despite the howling gale, the sound of a child crying out could be heard ever so faintly. Beneath the fluttering ribbon, a tiny hand reaches towards him as the storm drags her away. As she disappears into the tempest of red, a deafening scream of agony fills the air. And as the screaming fades, so do the crimson images.
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Grandmaster Liu blocks out the influences of the events unfolding around him. From the stench of blood to the screams of agony, he tries to block it all out in an attempt to muster up better memories. Almost instantly, the image of a stranger bowing before him flashes across his mind. The stranger’s voice rings in his head, unwavering despite her hardships, begging him for a job. Her broken gaze slowly, but steadily, blooms into a beautiful smile with each flashing image. His eyes open as he exhales, drifting down before settling on the young lady in his arms.
“Lia…” He mutters, staring at the detestable symbol hanging from her ears. “Why…”
“Leave her to me.” Grandmaster Yi reaches out, lifting Lia from Grandmaster Liu’s arms. “Control yourself. Don’t throw away the life you’ve built over this. I’ll handle th-”
A drop of rain falls past the space between him and Grandmaster Liu, causing him to halt his words. As the crimson droplet descends, it drags Grandmaster Yi’s heart along with it. He watches as his old friend’s pupils shrink to a dot before snapping off to the side. Sensing the demonic aura in the distance, he realizes he had been concerned about the wrong person the entire time. It was not the dragon’s wrath—but rather the tiger’s—that he should’ve been worried about.
“JINGANG! NO!” Grandmaster Yi’s plea falls on deaf ears.
Cracks radiate outwards from beneath them as Grandmaster Liu bends his knees. As he kicks off towards the demonic aura, the ground sinks with a reverberating explosion.
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About a thirty-minute walk north of the Academy, the surface of Lake Unity rests tranquilly, reflecting the glows of the lanterns lining its banks. By the southeast bridge of the central district, a group of elderly men borrows the golden glow as they resume their matches. Despite waves of people rushing past them, heading south towards the crimson spectacle, the chess fanatics pay no mind as they scan the battlefield before them.
“Old Piao, is it really alright to sit idly by?” The elderly man asks, lifting his Cannon straight over a Soldier to attack the Elephant on the other side.
“Kyugugu! Trying to bail on a losing board?” Piaoyun chuckles, shifting his Chariot to claim the reckless Cannon. After executing the counterattack, he glances towards the distant crimson glow. “Huakang, it is no longer our world. We can’t involve ourselves in every minor matter.”
“The demonic path is no minor matter.” Huakang retorts, smiling internally upon spotting an opening to strike. With two fingers on his own Chariot, he aggressively pushes into enemy lines to seize the opportunity. “Jiàng. Speaking of which, I heard some rumors. Is it true your boy is involving himself once again with affairs of the Martial World?”
“Which one?” Piaoyun asks, evacuating the General to safety in response to Huakang’s aggressive offense.
“Fang, of course.” Huakang continues his aggressive assault, pushing his Horse forward to set up a two-pronged attack. “Wait, ‘which one’? Are you saying that Jingang is-”
“Old friend, your senses have gotten dull.”
Piaoyun begins to execute the trap he had set up, drawing inspiration from his loss earlier in the day. He lifts his Cannon, leaping over his own General to strike the invading Horse. With victory guaranteed in seven moves, Piaoyun turns his gaze towards the crimson glow once more, sensing the familiar aura within the barrier. He sighs.
Recognizing his loss, Huakang turns his attention towards the crimson dome, sending his senses forth in response to Piaoyun’s comment.
“Is that…” Upon sensing the unbridled rage toiling within the dome, he jumps to his feet. “Liu Piaoyun, this is no time to be idling about! That boy of yours is a walking tempest of collateral damage! With that many spect-”
“Calm yourself. You’re causing a scene.” Piaoyun beckons for his friend to sit, flattening his palm onto the chessboard and sending out a barrier to isolate their conversation from the public.
“I second his concerns.” Another voice chimes in from the chess table next to them. “The events from six years ago..."
“Same here.” The elderly man sitting across the previous speaker joins in. “Most can turn a blind eye to your blood-born returning, but Jingang…”
“Jingang is as much my son as Fang.” Piaoyun’s aura-infused voice fills the interior of the barrier with a crippling pressure. “He has done more for the Martial Alliance than any of us. Do not discredit his deeds over that. To speak ill of him is to speak ill of me and my Floating Clo-”
A sudden explosion cuts him off, causing all eyes to snap towards the sky above the dome.