Three miles ch. 19

"You!" He sneered at her as she stared at him with a wide surprise. He surmised, "There is only one way they'd know we were here. How did you talk to them!" When he stood, his leg looked broken.

His eyes grew wide as he felt the presence of both Zhi Lan and Dong Hua...and others. "No. I've never heard of two having the same true mate," he yelled and grabbed her by the hair. "Zhi Yan again?! How does he know!"

Feng Jiu had no energy left, "your wife's shadow is dead. You really missed the boat on that."

"You are like the swine before you!"

"You murdered my entire clan! You took a helpless woman who helped you and you pretended to be her mate, you forced her, cursed her and our people." Feng Jiu felt her rage surge.

He came at her raising his hand and pushed power outward forming a sword that came into being. She opened her mouth letting a screech out and knocked him back. The fire within burned and sought to eliminate the threat. Its instinct was as old as time itself. In his hand, the blade began to melt.

"NO!," he screamed at her again. He'd never heard of or seen a Quen such as this one.

Feng Jiu screamed as he regrouped and went for her. When he got to her, he dragged her by her red mane of hair two feet and slammed her into a wall. I cannot tell the truth, Feng Jiu worried. Neither can I remember it! I am not sure she is dead, but I need him distracted.

"I hear Zhi Yan likes male foxes now. What a pity for you. He is not your family, he is not your lover, so how can you communicate with him?" He pushed magic into his hand, rolled it into a ball and pushed it into his leg. There was a crunching sound, then he rolled his shoulders, and stood fuller once more.

"I'd rather die than tell you anything!" Feng Jiu yelled at him. She didn't know who that was, but she guessed she was supposed to. Zhi Yan?

"What do you think, Dong Hua? I've petted your little red bird."

#

The opening to the cave blew wide open in a loud explosion. Almost immediately, the Gods descended as Dong Hua appeared. They nearly were swept away by the aftershock but were able to regroup.

Dong Hua had followed them, specifically this Zi Lan immortal. When the barrier began to break earlier, he could sense the agony she was enduring. Feeling her pain, he let himself in ahead of the younger immortal. The closer he got, the harder it was to push forward. "That bastard!"

When he entered, he saw her thrown against the ground brutally with bones crunching under the weight of the demons force and her hair was bloodied.

"What do you think, Dong Hua? I've petted your little red bird." the demon said to him. He dragged the bloody Feng Jiu and dropped her behind him. "Looks like he came after all, but he has a little ouchy. She is blood tied, oh sacred one. And touched. So ripe," he said watching Dijun's face grow hard. He laughed and lifted her and put a hand over her belly.

His eyes landed on Zhi Lan who moved next, "she killed your True mate. How sad."

Zhi Yan felt the link but guessed this was her tactic to buy time. "My true mate died when you took her away. You forced her to leave for the sake of her clan, and then you killed them all."

Revenge, her mind yelled. This shadow understood power. Naturally, it went quiet. The former bird was merely a shadow and could not compete with this level of cultivation. Though no one had noticed, Feng Jiu bore the crown, and as the other shadow let go, she saw it all. From times start to now, her clan, her relatives...what she needed to do was all there. When she snapped out of it, there was a strange peace that had settled over her.

She uttered, "By fire shall all be cleansed."

"Not all," he said to Feng Jiu. She was so torn she bearly felt the pain. Then he dropped her and blood spilled beneath her. The demon walked away with a huge smile on his face. in the far corner, Song Ju laid out in a comma.

A man dressed in purple approached, yet winced until he knelt beside her. She felt as if she should know him. He had the whitest hair and the deepest eyes she'd ever seen. When he reached for her, she saw the threads. Tears filled her eyes. She'd forgotten him.

Death is coming, her inner bird warned. Time is ending.

The memories came back one by one: When she'd first met him as a child, when she caught him staring at her, when he pushed her onward in training, the pond, the pillar...at this feeling, the shadow escaped from her. On her head, the phoenix flower burned bright now that the outsider was truly gone.

"I am my own," she vehemently stated.

Zhi Yan wished he could stand on ceremony in the grace of his Queen. It appeared she'd matured and come into her true power. Even if she was Red Clan, they ruled over all birds. Dijun felt the core through their link. It was true, he couldn't touch her or ease her pain.

Feng Jiu directed that power at the Demon Lord and wrapped him in her power, stationary. The others could contain the blast, but it would certainly hurt. It had to be done. There was no other way now. "He talks too much. Ehhhhhhhhhh," she made a sound like a bug makes near your ear.

"Only you could make jokes in a moment like this," Dong Hua said.

"He brought out my human memories," she replied. "I'm tired of hurting." She looked up then, "It is you, right? You are him? My intended." Her voice broke with a thousand unsaid words. "I didn't remember you well. Sorry. But I do now."

"Has he..."

"You all came in time. A moment more," she let it hang in the air.

Bai Qian winced and Ye Hua gave her a slight head nod to remain in formation. Mo Yuan looked guarded, but angry. "You are not here to die, Feng Jiu."

"But of us all, I cannot be let free. I cannot go on without a pointless death anyway, nor can I have what is mine." She touched her mate's hands and saw the threats fight to bind. He also winced, and she remembered that she was tied to the core. Oh, how it hurt to see the threads try and fail to come together. Even if Zi Lan took the core, she was...broken. She pulled back unable to watch the threads anymore. "You know this. No one needs to lift a blade for it. Of all the wars fought, this is mine. It is my right." she touched her head. "You know it," she said to the white-haired man.

His face was unreadable as he took her in, "I do know it well." It had been a similar destiny for himself.

"I have always longed for my other-self. It's always empty and alone. How tragic this is," she said with bitterness.

When she'd remembered, she'd gotten some of the shadows memories. It was enough to know what to do. "If I can set things right, then I can set the very last few free. They should not be caged or cursed anymore. They can have a life. Make sure the heavenly emperor knows this well. He cannot contain us in this manner."

"Jiu'er," he said tenderly. The warmth in that voice was like a mother who sings children lullabies. Everything warm and safe was in that voice and she longed for the nights they would never have together. She longed for it so deeply that it was hard to turn away. If I do not, it will kill him. If I don't I will die anyway. Perhaps he could send her off in one final burst of flame?

A wave of peace settled over her. "I have loved you. In a short life, much has hurt. But you really are my only happiness." She did cry then because she didn't want to go. She hadn't even lived and now she had to die. Fire filled her eyes as they turned red, and the hate began to grow. "I am not pure with his blood in me. Even now, it is hard to contain it. When I saw you as a child, you were different from the others. You were so alone and sad. Don't be sad anymore."

Dong Hua wanted so badly to just touch her once, one hug, one kiss. Anything would be better than to feel the loneliness of this moment. "You are so brave," he said instead. "I have you, how could I not be?"

"If only you had been so eager then to study," he said with a slight tremor in his voice.

"It seems like we are doomed to be alone or apart forever. But when it is done, try to move on for me."

He shook his head no, but when she reached for him, their threads...failed to meet. There would never be another, but he understood. "I will do as you ask."

Dong Hua didn't look up at these words, but Feng Jiu managed to pull her weak head up to face him and said, "It matters not; it is not bad to die to protect those we love. It is what I came here for. I lied, sorry," she told the rest of the Gods above them.

Bai Qian wept silently, and Ye Hua's jaw clenched. For such a display, it was sad to watch. Each had encountered love, even if it was briefly. Theirs was a tragic love story. Zhi Yan reappeared with Song Ju's poorly kept body and placed it on the ground. The poor creature had endured so much.

Dong Hua gave her a questioning look, but Feng Jiu smiled. He loved her smile. She looked over to Zi Lan who nodded and stepped back. The others also reached out their hands at their sides as their combined power ran through each others palms. Without words, they knew what to do.

Dong Hua's voice held a slight hitch in it that nobody had ever heard. "Why did you come here, Jiu'er? Why did you have to die?"

She pushed him away from her, "rest early. Be proud of me today."

Dong Hua began to argue sensing this was a farewell of sorts. "I will not. I just got here. I just found you."

"We cannot exist together in this way," she begged. "Let me make it right. You know what I am. You know that I love you. Everything should not be in vain. I have immortals depending on me-I am the last. How can I be so selfish? We have not bonded, you will be ok." She looked at Song Ju's body remembering the days he was caged. "You've given so much. You have to let others share your burdens sometimes."

Dong Hua understood it even if he couldn't bare it. "I could go with you."

Zi Lan bowed his head at these words. For a man to admit such a thing was to say how much pain he must have been in. He didn't understand a true mate bond, but he had understood love. Regardless, he would take the core for his Majesty regardless.

"Ghost tribe, my own clan, and all the blood magic and taint he's done have to go." She smiled again, "but if I ever reincarnate, we'd have to start all over."

"Is that so bad?" he asked.

"You don't want to endure any longer? It is for all other life," Feng Jiu said tiredly. "Protect it well. This is why we are here, even when it hurts." She'd read a line about power and ability. The more you had, the more you really needed to pay it forward and protect. Or something like that. She'd read comics in trash cans. If they were not torn, they were usually wet.

"How many times, how much more must I pay..." he said as she wiped his tears. Touching him only made her burn inside. He tried not to wince, but he endured it for her.

She reminded him, "you know what I am."

He touched the Mark on her head, "my queen. Of course, I know. I've always felt it, even if I didn't understand it. You helped me understand it."

She agreed, "You are indeed slow." Again she sighed as her power wanned. "I am the last Queen of the Pheonix tribe. It is my right to revenge my clan. I do this today for all living things. No other woman should bare this plight or bond. When we look at the world, we should love it, and be humbled by it. Remember me well, Dong Hua." The words were simple, but her agony was not. "I am their queen. Song Ju..."

"He is well," Zhi Yan said. "No one will stop you since you've made the choice."

She sniffed and wiped her face, "I grow tired. Send me off with one last kiss?"

"Jiu'er.."

She looked to Mo Yuan, "if I fail, you know what to do." To her aunt, "tell A-Li about his aunt. I wish I could have known you better. My father will be sad," she said to the Prince. "Please find a place for him to give him meaning. He may require a lot of work." Ye Hua nodded. to Zi Lan she said, "thank you for taking the burden." To Zhi Yan, "I will avenge her for you. Take good care of him for me. You understand it the most." He nodded.

Bai Qian openly cried but remained steadfast. A-Li would miss his aunt, she would lose her niece, but in place, the balance would be restored. Her last tribesmen would be free to live a full life. She'd given so much and gotten so little. If only I could be brave and so selfless as she. She held Ye Hua tighter to herself.

How would she explain it to Bai Li? He'd lost all those he loved. But this magic was evil incarnate, the demons could no be allowed to surge again.

Dong Hua only had eyes for her. He cupped her small face with one palm and ran a thumb over her near-white lips. "I love you," he whispered.

"Don't forget me. I live on in you if you remember me well. Don't let old age sneak up on you."

He laughed and gave her the strangest look, but that look faded as he came closer. When their lips touched, her Mark flared like a bright fire hide behind it, her eyes took on their red hue. This was what love was in its rawest form.

She let it all in. All the pain and agony, the unjust feelings. The Demon Lord beside her stopped struggling as his eyes widened and he felt sweat trickle down the side of his face. Through his link with her, he finally understood her plan. She'd always intended to die.

The darkness in the world came at them like shadows pulsating in the wind. They carried on and into the small mountain. The small woman pushed her love from her body as she took in the darkness. Her cold gaze stared at the Demon Lord triumphantly. In his power, he'd given her access through the blood bond to his blood magic. As she pulled it into herself, his eyes rolled shut, his skin charred, and ash began to disintegrate him from the inside out.

It was a slow death. The only way to end him was to use his own magic against him. Doing so required the ultimate sacrifice, and one she could do in a clear-headed heart. No matter the filth that came to her, she remembered all the times with Dong Hua. The darkness ate at her urging her to take what was hers the stronger she became, but she resisted it all.

As he bearly registered, Feng Jiu put the last of her goodness into her heart and let it surge. Each trace of his clan from the ghost tribe, to the poor suffering Pheonix left, all came at her at lightning speed. Pure evil radiated from her then.

"Feng Jiu!" Mo Yuan yelled.

She needed it all. Too many lives have been lost. So much pain and rage, but she held it. She held his words closer, I love you, I love you, I love you...

...and she mourned that love.

Mo Yuan yelled, "Zi Lan! Take the core!"

A culmination of evil rose inside of her small body, but just as it was about to take the small woman over, a wave of red flame covered her entire form. They stared in awe as Feng Jiu's true form unleashed itself from her body. Everything transformed into a huge red firey phoenix.

"Wow," Zi Lan uttered with wide eyes. The primordial beast was so beautiful!

Dong Hua was helpless and ran forward unable to stop himself. He finally understood once Zi Lan took the core. He lunged for her, but she pushed them back and her wingspan spread the entire width of the mountain.

Feng Jiu's cries echoed across the valley, her pain stirring the clouds and raising tiny droplets of water from the waterbed below. Zi Lan was afraid, and he'd seen power before, but not like this.

"Feng Jiu, hold tight!" Bai Qian yelled. The bird tried to fly, so she raised her jade fan forcing the wind to keep it down.

"Fear not, in her heart she is good," Zhi Yan yelled. Dong Hua fell to his knees feeling the draw of such immense power. Fire, wind, water, and air; the elements of the beginning. And a fifth one...her love.

"A true queen," he said in awe. How beautiful she was! he couldn't look away.

Feng Jiu appeared to correct her demeanor and again began to purify the darkness within. Protect him, I must protect him, she chanted.

The Gods held the power in the tight bubble as Mo Yuan deployed his formation for any straggling shadows. The globe around her had formed and pulled droplets from the sky as the clouds rolled over and threatened to rain. Lightning struck at the shield, but Ye Hua took on his dragon form and circled it to protect its integrity. It took on a blueish glowing tint as the powers inside fought for control.

Ye Hua bound the bubble with the same noose he'd used on Bai Qian when he'd went to fight the Ghost Lord. Only now, he wrapped them over layer after layer each one breaking as a new one was placed. Millions of swords surrounded them and whirled in motion with the shadows that tried to escape. Waves of black smoke fought against red flames, and then finally a bright red bird emerged swallowing it all.

Seconds later, golden ash sparkled into the sky as clouds began to give way. Howling in the valley eased as the magnificent bird whirled up, up, and then stalled. It's time, she thought as the last of the evil was broken. Now I must burn it all, Feng Jiu thought. A piercing cry sounded, followed by a shockwave that rumbled. The Gods were pushed to the ground, and the bubble burst wide open. It was the sound heard across all realms.

Dong Hua jolted into action as the bird's power finally died out. Feng Jiu entered her usual form and descended in mid-air toward the ground. She was unconscious, but he jumped unto the air and used his cloak to cover her as they came to settle onto the ground.

He reached for her face, but there was no response. "No," he repeated over and over, utter dispair echoing worse each time. Zhi Yan understood this pain greater than any other.

"She has done it," he said proudly, but sadly. He couldn't stand to watch as her breathing began to slow.

Dijun wept with his head in her neck, but she wouldn't wake despite his trying to stir her. Zi Lan saw the elder gods shoulders tremble, but remained where he was. The other gods came to awareness. Though Bai Qian wished to go to her niece, Ye Hua stopped her and held her in a tight embrace. Her sobs rang out. She was just a child compared to them.

Mo Yuan looked away and shook his head no breathing deeply. She'd used her primordial spirit, crap!

Feng jiu's body was covered in lashes, gashes, and holes. For the war veteran, it was nothing even they could handle. Blood pooled around her.

"Please don't go," he whispered to her. Dong Hua pulled back even as tremors coursed through him.

"For you..." she uttered. Then there was nothing and her breathing ceased. Dong Hua closed his eyes as she began to turn to flake in his arms. Every land in the realms felt the tremor of his ache on the ground, the wail of his voice in the air, and the change in the wind. Within seconds, there was a pile of golden ash at his knees.