Authors note:

I again appologice for the code-bug in the last chapter and made sure it did not happen here as well.
With that said: There are just a few chapters to go. Enjoy.

Though the fight against Huan was quite exhausting for him, not just physicly, Shiren still found some straight to move on where he normally would had made a short rest. If not even a long rest but this day he felt more dourness than ever before though he just faced a very good friend and left him behind. When all of this was over Shiren surely would go back and set things right again but he knew he had not time right now for any mental barriers.

It wasn't easy but he got his mind cleared again for now by thinking of all the salvation it would bring when Junjie was defeated. This was the only threat he should focus on.

Huan's behaviour was maybe more important for Shiren but he convinced himself to do the right thing instead of throwing just every chance of success right now and go back.

Looking at the fights made him move onward to deny such things happen in the next days. He knew Gongmen sent some helpers for the Jade-Palace and the war would maybe collapse into a much bigger threat.

He successfully used his cautiousness to avoid fights as good as possible and sneaked by every solder he saw. He did not know where his teammates were gone but he did not look back to search for them.

Every moment was a possibility to get attacked by someone from any direction. A bird could strike for him very easily or a weapon could get thrown right next to him. It was a tense and chaotic battle.

Luckily for him, as a green snake, with all the moss aside of the stairs he had a good cover during his run down the stairs. He still didn't want to risk anything and hesitate in a wrong moment.

He realized the sun was gone while he was fighting with Huan. Dark clouds were slowly gathering at the sky and the field grew darker. A change of the weather was expectable since he felt the wind yesterday but he hoped it would not start raining during this fight. He still hated wet and pulpy ground so he found another motivator to speed up a little bit.

As unharmed as possible, he maid his way down the mountain. Though this way down, those stairs which felt like an eternity, was all in all not that troubling but the circumstances made it harder to precede savely than the hard and clumsy climbing path the day before. Shiren was never prepared to see a real war happening. The battle was more or less just a mess instead of an ordinarily fight. Something must have changed the last day in the lines of the alliance, or were they always that unorganized, Shiren wondered.

Downstairs he saw the rawly built defensive wall of the alliance, between some red houses, to have a better stronghold they can retreat to if something goes terribly wrong.

Shiren knew he did not want and had to go through this. Instead the best path for him was to go around it and not try to enter the western part of the village unseen. Or was this a last chance for regrets for him? One last chance to ask for forgiveness and try to go back to the alliance? Even if so, he did not care about it at all and moved on to the right way along a rocky path but he did not come far before he had his next encounter he would been happy to deny.

As if she already expected him to go this way Jil stood ready on his path. Her teal, wet robe glittered brightly in the white breaks in the sky and her lance leaned against a stone. She stood patiently as if she would wait for Shiren again to deliver her a message from the caretaker back in Xun. But this time she was probably ready to engage Shiren, he supposed. He wondered, if she she already encounter his companions and just expected him to come here too? However he had no chance to move around her so he had to fight if he was not able to persuade her. Though it was a very bad place to fight since the stones were not equalized, the grass is like a meter down next to the sharp edges of the stones but it at least offered some cover for Shiren with trees and more moss at the side.

Shiren knew Jil. He knew she could spot him wherever he would try to hide into though he could be faster with running away than she between these trees and stones.

But he did not even pay high attention to his environment since the person he met was his old master. His final hurdle before he can reach Junjie.

He felt kinda sorry to see her now. He did not want to consider about how she thinks about him right now.

He had to persuade her in some way to go away. He knew he could not stand a chance. Especially when it now started raining and thundering in the horizon.

He looked in her face and saw disappointment. As expected.

Her sharp orange eyes looked at him but she did not move. She knew Shiren had to pass her so he had to come to her.

She clearly was sad but also filled with bitterness. As if she would blame herself for what happened. Or rather where she failed. At least he expected as such. She was his master for a long time now and he betrayed her. What else should she feel?

"Shiren," she begun to talk what made him more comfortable. Speaking was better than fighting. Especially now. "You make a great mistake there. Trust me."

"I know I don't. This is a problem the alliance is not willing to realize. That there is an imposter among you! He does not care about the alliance or the safety of the people. It's just power over everybody he desires!" Shiren tried to argue.

"I know you have a good mind and wants to believe people around you but this is different. You've seen the war now, didn't you? In such scenarios everyone would take anybody then can get. Don't think they will be thankful for one minute after all of this is over," she said.

"Is that what you do think about the Jade-Palace? That they are liar and trying to persuade as much people to fight for them? This is not what they told us in their stories."

"War changes people."

"I'm not willing to believe that, especially when I do have evidence for what I am doing. But sadly I have not the scroll or the time to explain it. Listen, I'm not up to fight the alliance. I just want one person and you know who I mean," Shiren explained excitedly. He wanted through her before he is too late.

"You may do the right thing but you do it the wrong way. Yesterday you could have made the arguments to the chieftains and bring the truth to us. But instead you made the opposite."

"Do you think they really would have listened to me? Those politicians are not up to decide this because one person told them. You do not want to know the truth either. You invested too much to do this fight to just back off." Shiren wasn't even any much sure what he was talking about. He just said things he thought are be the truth. He did not want to argue with Jil in this direction right now. It would not lead anywhere whatsoever but would cost him a few minutes which could be huge currently. Jil shook her head.

"I wonder what I made wrong with you. I did not taught you to give up right on your way to success and act like you're crazy. The last days I thought you would understand how the inner peace works. The only thing you need yet to know. And now look at you. Fighting against me does not make you having pace with yourself,"she said. Yet she did not grab her lance. Shiren too a deep breath. Whatever Jil said right now made him mad. Everything she said sounded like she directed his way as the only one who would be able to decide what was right for him and wrong. She told him what would have been the right choice.

"I know," he answered: "I know federating with the Jade-Palace does not make me happier or more peaceful but what you are doing is wrong!"

She responded sharply: "And who are you to decide it? A young snake, never been in war, just lost someone important and staying alone against me. You must not let lead you by your desperation!"

"And who are YOU to decide my path?", he screamed at her: "To decide what's right and what's wrong? Why do YOU think you need to to direct me to any way I might now want to take? You're my formerly teacher but that does not make you telling me which way I should go!"

"I'm trying to help and you are not understanding and you never will if you go on this dark path!" she answered while reading up her weapon slowly while speaking. "It may not be a warrior in black and white but if you turn your back to everyone who trusts you, you will be stopped."

Shiren understood her reference that a way of pure madness will be stopped but he was sure he was not doing the wrong thing. He did not turn his back to the others. His friends are surely still out there and Jil and Huan were just not able to listen at him and understand his reasons. They turned their back on him. He responded: "You are just in your little prison you call your pride and loyalty. Too mulish to accept the truth. I do not want to learn from you what's right and what's wrong! Go wherever you want but leave me alone with your rules of action! I need to do this! There is no other way. And you would not believe me even if I would tell you why!" he said offensively.

Jil clapped her lance in both of her wings and said: "That's enough, Shiren. You are clearly out of your mind currently. And I am sorry to say this but… if you follow your path… however it will go out: Your current life is now ending. With it's demise will come a new one. And you then have to accept it no matter what." She readied up herself for a fight and said before she moved: "Don't stay standing now. If you think this is your destiny: Make light of your new day and strike me down!"

Her weapon moved faster than Shiren could follow and he was not ready to dodge so he tried to parry her attack which ended up as a failure as she took back her weapon and kicked him back.

The kick hurt Shiren a lot and he tried hard to not loose consciousness and went up again.

He focussed on Jil to fight on. If he looses this fight now he would never be able to stop this mess they call a war. But even if she forced him back against a wall he still did not want to use venom. A part of him still refused it though all the desperation and chaos.

"Your thorn in your mind is braking trough, Shiren. You are broken, shattered and lost," she said while stepping at him slowly.

"I don't care…," he mumbled. Nothing mattered except defeating Jil now. He was gone too far to stop. And as Jil said… he should not stay standing. He tried one last attempt to attack her. She actually did not make any defence but right as he touched her, she made a quick move with her wings and with just this strike she shocked his nerves while skidding him back to the rocks like a helpless stick. Shiren impinged hardly on the stones again and wasn't able to move any more. He lost his senses though he had to fight. This was not the time to give in and accept defeat. But he was out of options. He was not able to move, Jil was not even hurt a bit. Whatever he tried and he slowly lost his awareness.

The last thing he heard, with his audible senses fading away, were some weak, oppressed sounds he was not able to relate to anything for sure but some physically disputes.

After a moments of silence he felt some warm and comfortable feeling like he would swim in nice warm and calm water with a summer weather, having a cool drink while being under no pressure. His senses returned quickly and without opening his eyes he thought the sun would shine right into his eyes like the feeling of the happy summer bath would be real but he still felt the hard stone underneath him as well as he sensed the cold wind and the rain. This combination felt very strange and uncommon.

When he opened his eyes he saw the yellow light he previously thought, was the sun but it came out of a paw. It was hard to watch against the light to see who is right before him but as soon the light vanished he saw none other than Tigress. Somehow she saved him.

Shiren groaned slightly when he slowly turned up again and shook his head.

He did not understand. He was supposed to be powerless and exhausted. But instead he felt better than ever before, like he could pull an entire house out of the earth.

Wondering what's going on he looked at Tigresses. Jil was no longer around. Just her lance laid down on the ground. It looked like she was forced to retreat very quickly.

"What?" Tigress asked. "Never saw the use of Chi? It's what it does," she explained and then turned to the mansion which looked even more creepy and dark with the rain around it and the thunder in the background and it's reflection on the roof. "I recommend you to move on before more of our foes come this way," Tigress said and went back to the battle side with the stairs: "Go on without me. We still have a tough fight here to do."

Shiren needed one more second after she was gone to fully digest what just happened. But he quickly stopped wondering and turned to the mansion before Jil decided to return. Without any more big hesitation he went to it with just one goal: Defeating Junjie.

Nothing else mattered.

No matter which cost it may take. For Shiren there was nothing really much more to loose than he already did. He lost his family, his friends and probably his honour in his home.

He only fought because he was not able to go back after sacrificing all of that in this war for nothing.

Jil told him to go on. He did not directly defeated her but he kind got her out of his way.

Now it was time to make light of this new day, however she meant that.

Right as he came closer to the mansion he heard another familiar voice: "What a surprise! You still managed to come this far!"