"STOP!" Ryu roared, standing as swiftly as his concussed body would allow. "Imperial Doula Miriam's twin sister is an Immortal cultivator! Killing her is a mistake!"
The six froze. It didn't sound like Ryu was lying despite the fact such a desperate situation was conducive to one, oddly enough. However, this pause was only for a moment.
Prince Atticus' lewd laughter filled the night air once more. "I was wondering how an old bat seduced such a young man. Did you woo him with your fanciful stories of grandeur? What a joke."
As for Prince Silas, his lazy expressed upturned into a slight smile before it disappeared.
Ryu's body shook violently, the pain in his head doubling, then tripling as his veins pumped with rage. It was then that he thought of the spatial ring. Not only was it a rare treasure, the space within it was large enough to hold enough rations for years. From what he knew, this was impossible for a normal treasure. Shouldn't this be proof enough?
However, before he could make the attempt, the weak voice of Imperial Doula Miriam called out.
The frail old woman was forced to kneel to the ground, her greying hair held back by the Tor Clan Death Guard, Bhishak. It didn't seem to matter to him who his victim was. His black cloak simply continued to whip in the air like the call of the reaper, waiting for the Imperial Censor's execution order.
"Little Ryu, that's enough." Blood flowed from Miriam's scalp as clumps of her hair were pulled too far back. Although she was a Pulse Opening expert, how could the Death Guard of the Royal Clan be any lower than the Qi Refinement realm? "You were right to never call me Granny Miriam, it's not a title this old woman deserves."
Ryu's brows furrowed, his figure stumbling as he struggled to orient himself. He was already blind to begin with, trying to use his senses while his ears were ringing and his mind was aching was too much for him. In the end, he fell to his knees, grasping his head, unable to make sense of much of anything.
"Whoa, whoa. Hold on." Atticus waved the Imperial Censors off as they prepared to order Bhishak. "Can't you see a touching drama is playing out. Grab some snacks and enjoy."
The Imperial Censors who were about to give the order froze, unsure of what to do. Although they were high ranked, they were still below the Princes of even other Kingdoms. They couldn't simply ignore the Prince of the Lantes Kingdom because they wanted to. Unfortunately, when they turned their gazes toward the First Prince for help, he only shrugged. It didn't matter to him one way or the other.
"You mustn't shed tears for me." The old Doula's words croaked slightly, but she tried to remain firm. "I'm only a hypocrite who facilitated your suffering."
Little Ryu shook his head fiercely, trying to get rid of his concussion by sheer force of will. But, he was a mere mortal, how could he do such a thing? No level of Mental Realm would allow him to succeed. His body was simply too weak. He was too weak.
"No… No." Ryu mumbled, trying to speak coherent words.
"Yes." The old Doula said sadly. "I am indeed guilty of the crimes they've accused me of. Although I wasn't involved with this so-called Meridian Severing poison, did you believe you were born blind?"
Ryu froze before his body shivered from head to toe. Tears uncontrollably fell from his eyes. A young man who had never cried – a young man who suffered through the hate of his father, the disdain of his mother, and a humiliation of a lifetime – unleashed a flood of emotions he could no longer control.
His stomach heaved and crawled, his whole world upturning with a single sentence.
"It was I who blinded you Little Ryu. Hate me. Burn your memory of a kind old lady in the pit of your stomach. Replace it with rage – make me a devil. But, never shed tears for me… I don't deserve it…"
"Aaaaannnndd scene." Atticus clapped. "See, wasn't that perfect?"
Almost as soon as Atticus' words fell, so did Imperial Doula Miriam's head. Ryu's shrill cry shook the Palace grounds, quaking the earth and reaching toward Tor City. His anguish was so fierce that vessels within his eyes ruptured, causing a murky red-black to coat his cheeks.
The First Prince looked down at this younger brother. All throughout his early life, he had always thought that Ryu would grow to be greater than him. His mother had constantly pushed him to avoid that future, but look at the state of things now. He would one day rule a quarter of an entire Plane while this younger brother of his had become this pitiful mess.
'Your time to die isn't just yet.' He thought to himself. He didn't waste his words on Ryu, nor did he go out of his way to humiliate him. By now, he felt that it was far beneath him. Ryu simply wasn't worthy of even his disdain.
The group of six left one by one, Prince Atticus and Silas walking with content expressions on their faces, as though they had just finished watching a five-star play. As for the decapitated body of the old Doula, none cared for it. Eventually the servants who handled the upkeep of the Fourth Prince's courtyard would handle it. Why would they dirty their hands?
Ryu didn't seem to notice their departure, in fact, he couldn't feel much of anything. He was completely broken.
He tried to crawl toward what remained of the old Doula's body, but his hands ended up sinking into a thick and pungent crimson liquid. By the time he steeled himself and made it to the side of her now cold and rigid body, the morning sun was already high in the skies and the courtyard servants had already run away with scared expressions on their faces.
"Granny Miriam…" Ryu had no more tears to shed. Whatever remained of him had dried, crusting over in a coarse salt. He tried to call out the name the old Doula had wanted to hear so badly, the name even he couldn't explain why he had never used, but no matter how much he said it, she didn't come back…
For the past three years, Ryu had done whatever he could to sink into another reality, to forget whatever this life was and live another. But, now, he understood that this was his only life.
"Kill." Almost a week later, sitting by the foul stench that remained of his Granny Miriam, these were the first words he spoke.
"Kill.." He said it again, a slumbering giant trembling in his mind and soul.