"I guess you're right."

"What're you..."

Jianyu falls unconscious.

"My father might just kill you once he succeeds in taking over the sun and moon kingdom."

.

Guo Xiuying is my name and my older brother Guo Cheng is a powerful demon. My father was corrupt from the start. Thirsting for power. My father yearned for more even after he was crowned king. He had only married my mother to strengthen his limitations.

My mother was a beautiful woman. Gorgeous and kind. The world we lived in was brutal, and you always tried to shield me from it. Within these palace walls, she endured many things. She bore up with it until one day she couldn't. It had become too much of a burden.

In agony and guilt, my mother left this world.

And I was alone.

My only source of light was gone. As years went on my life was harsh, to say the least. It was colorless. One day however my father announced his idea to take over the sun and moon kingdom. We had been hit with a powerful wave of energy and sent some spies to check it out. I came to find out it was the cause of two lovers from the sun and moon kingdom who had run away when forbidden to be with each other.

Despite being eventually caught and given a disastrous end to each of their lives, my father spent years sifting through the available information in the library of knowledge before figuring out why they had sparked such a tremendous energy surge. By intertwining themselves, the two lovers awakened the divine abilities of the great dragon who was no longer in this world.

The lover's bodies were filled with its capabilities, which gave them a power beyond comprehension. The Sun and Moon kingdom and their allies can be destroyed if my father could get the great dragon's divine power.

I never fully agreed with his ways of thinking but I never stopped it either.

Then, my father tasked Guo Cheng to seduce Xiao Zhan and Yibo's son and take his essence. Surely the son would carry some of the dragon's divine power within him. My father thought.

So, Guo Cheng did as told. But he fell in love. As soon as I found out I should've reported his betrayal to my father but, something came over me and I never said anything. I was confused, however. Why would a demon fall in love with a mere human being? The mortal was nothing but a task to be dealt with so why did he love and cherish him so much?

Then I too wondered... what did love feel like? Almost all my life I've been void of such feelings.

I don't lack anything else regarding that. I've learned plenty and excelled in many fields.

This human before me will be just another task to deal with and once I'm done I'll hand him off to my father.

....

Fanxing lay in bed staring at his ceiling and sighed. He was alone. A single tear rolled down his cheek. Sure, he was hurt too much to count but it didn't change the fact that Fanxing loved his ex-boyfriend He wasn't too heartbroken but it still stung.

Suddenly the memory of kissing that mysterious man flashes back in Fanxing's mind. He blushed, even if it was mostly a blur the kiss felt so... natural and good. It was something Fanxing never experienced. Even in his previous relationship, he had never had such a short but good kiss. Maybe Fanxing was overthinking it but he couldn't shake the feeling off. Something about that man seemed right. Fanxing shakes his head, "I'm just making things up." After all, he was freshly single. This probably was him craving love after three years without it.

...

Jianyu felt more refreshed than ever when he woke up. His dream was one of calm and harmony. But shortly as Jianyu grasps he wasn't dreaming, it disappears. A guqin begins to play out of the blue. Although it is pleasant and soothing, the music was sorrowful.

Jianyu couldn't help but feel relaxed upon hearing it. "This melody is meant to soothe one's soul." Xiuying continued to play the guqin for a little longer before getting up and summoning a tray of food in his hands. The maids have prepared a suitable meal for you. Eat it carefully. It's still hot."

Jianyu takes the tray cautiously and sits up straight on his bed trying his best to eat while Xiuying watches him. Jianyu felt awkward but held his tongue, afraid of possibly getting killed if he upsets the Prince sitting in front of him.

After having finished eating Jianyu once again bathed in the water of the underground lush cave. The scenery was undeniably a sight to see but Jianyu's nerves couldn't calm down. Sure, his dreams weren't nightmares and the melody from the guqin made him feel less suffocated but that was a short while. After all, he was in the presence of not a simple Prince but a demon. A monster. Jianyu was still terrified. At any point, this demon could kill him and he wouldn't be able to do anything.

This wasn't luxury. He's a puppet that needs to be cleaned up for the next performance. It sickened him.

"I'm done."

Jianyu says quietly.

...

Jianyu is once more unoccupied in bed. When a sudden scorching ache crept throughout his chest. In agonizing pain, he screams. His entire body felt like it was being ripped apart.

Two souls cried out in agony from his very core. Sharing a body was coming to its limit.

And today one of them was to die.

Jianyu was in terrible pain. His arm started to burn like the fire from his chest did. It grew and he stumbled to the table. He walked over to the bottles of potion nearby and drank what he could, hoping it would end him.

Jianyu felt his life coming to a stop. He made a feeble smile. This was good. Jianyu tightened his grasp on his heart as his eyes widened. The feeling of pain overwhelmed the burning. Was this death? He wondered in his last moments of consciousness.

Jianyu fell to his knees as he felt something ripping its way out of him.

...

"Your royal highness! A powerful beast is running rampant in your courtyard! Please help us! It has killed everyone! I barely made it out!" The maid pleaded. She was covered in blood and terrible wounds.

"Please your majesty... help us."

The maid collapsed dead. Xiuying clenched his fist. Who dare break into his residence?

"Call for soldiers and head to my place, now."

.

When Xiuying arrived at his residence, he saw the place on fire. Inside, a large group of soldiers were gathered to prevent it from escaping. When Xiuyin enters, he sees the beast slaughtering yet another soldier. It has terrifyingly sharp teeth and claws. Its body was enormous and engulfed in flames. When it saw Xiuying, the beast turned to face him. Its stare was filled with rage and bloodlust. It pointed at the dead demons and spoke.

"You... will die like the rest of them."

To be continued