Zen ran through the mansion. Following him were Jun Nee and Shibi, with Jun Nee shouting instructions to him so that he would not get lost.

“Wh-What is that smell?” Jun Nee said.

“Smoke.” Zen stopped, his eyes widening. “Smoke!”

“They’re doing it?” Jun Nee said. “They’re burning the mansion down!”

“Weird, it isn’t as strong as before.” Zen said.

“What do you mean?”

Zen continued to run, Jun Nee and Shibi followed him.

“The Li Family’s mansion also burned down.” Zen said. “But their whole house was on fire. Seems they weren’t able to burn this one like that one. My mother must have stopped some of the fire. We just need to make sure she stops the rest of…” Zen stopped again.

There was a body, lying face down on the ground. Zen recognised the body. He slowly approached it.

“Grandfather Jao?” he came closer and prodded the body and it stirred.

“Boy…! Wang Zen,” he said, sitting up.

“What happened?” Zen asked as he helped him to a sit up position.

“Those damn Black Mark bastards ganged up on me!” he said. “I tried helping my daughter but they were too much for me.”

“Where is she?”

He pointed down the hall. “Last time I checked, they were heading down the hallway, to the third hallway.”

Zen looked at Jun Nee. “Do you know where that is?”

She nodded.

“Okay, grandfather. Get up, we need to go.” Zen said.

“Are you a fool, Wang Zen?” he said. “I am out of energy and I’m too exhausted to walk let alone stand.”

Zen nodded and grabbed his leg and pulled him over his shoulder.

“Wh-What are you doing, Boy?” Jao complained as Zen draped him over his shoulder. “Unhand me!”

“Quiet, grandfather!” Zen said. “The mansion is on fire and you can’t move. I need to take you with me.” He looked towards Jun Nee. “Jun Nee, lead the way.”

She nodded and ran ahead. Zen followed after her. He had to use all his ki to strengthen himself to carry his grandfather and still try to keep up with Jun Nee and Shibi.

The doors of the third hall were blown open.

“This… is it.” Jun Nee said, stopping at the entrance.

Zen walked in and scanned the room. There were a bunch of bodies on the floor.

Zen placed his grandfather down. He was breathing heavily but the adrenaline had him moving forward. He walked amongst the body, some were dressed in mansion guard uniform, most were in Black Mark wear. In the centre of the room, he saw a body, neither in Black Mark nor City Guard, his mother.

“Mommy!” Zen cried as he ran to the body. He collapsed on his knees, next to her. She was lying flat down, seemingly looking up at the collapsed ceiling to the sky beyond, turning blue from the coming dawn. “Mommy! Wake up!”

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Tears began swelling in his eyes. Carefully lifting her cat mask off her, exposing her grimy, dirty and bloody face. His tears fell down to her face, each tear picking up sweat and dried blood as it travelled across her still face.

“Mommy! We need you to put out the fire! Wake up! I need you!” Zen said, his crying getting worse.

“Oh my daughter! My poor daughter!” Jao cried. “Those commoner bastards killed her!”

Zen dropped his head to her chest, where he continued to sob, her blouse soaking in the tears.

Her chest began to move as she groaned. “What am I hearing?”

Zen looked up at her, eyes wide in surprise.

“Two grown men crying in the middle of a battle.” Wang Lin said, as she regained consciousness.

“Mommy!” Zen said. “You’re okay!”

Her eyes became alert and she sat up. “Hei, where is he?”

Zen shrugged. “What happened?”

“That man, Hei… he is a monster.” She said. “The mansion is burning. We need to leave.”

She got to her feet.

“You can’t do what you did the last time to put the fire out?” Zen asked.

She shook her head. She almost fell over but Zen was able to help balance her. “I used everything I had to survive against the people who attacked me. I’ve got nothing left.”

Zen nodded. “Jun Nee, help mother out.”

Jun Nee rushed to Wang Lin’s side and helped keep her aloft.

“I’ll carry, Grandfather. You need to lead us all out.” Zen told Jun Nee.

Jun Nee nodded.

They tried to move as quickly as possible but were slowed down by the injured adults. They turned a corner and were met by a blaze.

“The fire is spreading!” Zen said. “Seems like you couldn’t stop enough of it, Mom!”

“I didn’t stop any of it!” Wang Lin said.

“Well, its not spread out across the mansion so we might still have a chance.” Zen said. “Jun Nee, do you know any other backway?”

She took a moment then nodded. “Yes, I’ll lead the way, Zen.”

Jun Nee took the lead. After a few hallways and turns they were presented with another dead-end made of fire.

“It’s-It’s okay,” Jun Nee said. “I know another way!”

They turned around and the ceiling fell before them.

“We’re trapped!” Jun Nee said in panic.

“No,” Wang Lin said.

They looked around and there was no escape. They were surrounded on either side by fire. She looked at her son. “Zen, you need to leave.”

“What?” Zen said.

“You are my legacy,” she smiled. “My greatest creation and achievement. At this point, I don’t matter but you do. You… You and Jun Nee can escape if you leave us behind.” She looked sadly at her father.

Zen scoffed. “No.”

“Son, listen to me…”

“I am never leaving you behind!” Zen said. “If I did, I would not be worthy of being called your legacy. If I leave you behind, Mommy, the one person I can always count on, my dearest supporter, my most trusted ally, the one I love more than my own life then I am not worthy of anything.”

She smiled sadly at her son, tears shining in her eyes.

“Wang men are fools!” Jao spat on Zen’s shoulder.

“There’s no denying that.” Wang Lin said, sniffing as she tried to hold her tears back.

“I think I see something!”

The group heard voices.

“Black Mark?” Jun Nee said.

Zen placed Jao on the ground. “I should have a little left for a fight! Shibi!”

Shibi hopped onto Zen’s shoulder.

Jun Nee sighed. “Excuse me, Madam City Lord.” She gently placed Wang Lin on the ground to stand beside Wang Zen.

Zen looked at her. “Jun Nee?”

“I’m here to help, whatever you need.”

Zen nodded and took a fighting stance while she awkwardly raised her tiny fists.

The shadows beyond the fires grew higher and higher until a wave of water smothered the fire.

Zen’s serious look melted away, leaving a smile. “Ding Wu!”

Ding Wu was with two soldiers.

“Master Wang!” he said. He looked around. “Oh good, you are with Madam City Lord.”

“Ding Wu! I’ve never been so happy to see your beautiful face!” Wang Lin said. “Come here so I can kiss you.”

“Uhm, I’ll have to respectfully decline Madam City Lord… or at leas until we are out of this fire.” Ding Wu said.

Ding Wu and the two mansion guards helped Jao and Lin to get out of the mansion. Once outside they could see that less than half of the mansion was on fire.

“This is a surprise.” Lin said, being put on the ground. “I was expecting the mansion to have been fully on fire.”

“Yes, I was fighting one of the Black Mark after little Jun Nee and Shibi softening him up.” He said, smiling at the two. “He revealed their plan. They had planted fire bombs around the mansion. I had to hurry, find the bombs and disable them.” He pointed at red cylinders stacked up on the grass. “But I was not able to find and disable all of them.”

“The Water Elementalists should be able to put out this fire though.” Jao said. “You did good.”

Ding Wu bowed.

“As soon as I get back to full health, I’m going to give you a big kiss!” Wang Lin said from her position on the ground.

“Daughter, stop threatening to fraternize with the help!” Jao scolded.

Zen looked at the mansion. He sighed, as he could not believe it. They had somehow survived the Black Mark attack.