《On My Way: The Demon King Made Me His》


 Chapter 1: Preface (The End)

    The saying, "Life is what happens to you when you are busy planning them," have to say is one exceptionally meaningful thing anybody has ever said in the world. Never can we predict what would happen the very next minute forget a month or what happens a year later.


    The sun''s ray''s woke her up that morning earlier than usual. She walked down the stairs and couldn''t find anyone. Her parents weren''t home neither could she find her sister. She decided to brush her teeth and have breakfast. But she didn''t want to eat cereals. When she checked the refrigerator she couldn''t find any bread either. She got irritated and walked back to her room. She saw Allen, her neighbour stepping of his house on his bike. She was sure that he must be going to the hypermarket to run an errand. She quickly changed in to her jean and a hoodie and ran out to get some bread.


    The hypermarket was crowded. They were having the morning rush hour. She only had little time left before leaving to college.


    Suddenly she heard some noises behind a few rows back, she walked towards the isle to see what it was and saw a masked man getting hold of things and pointing at a child, capturing him at gun shot. She was shocked and panicked the moment she witnessed the scene. She took the chance to go to the hypermarket so that she could enjoy watching her crush secretly and not end up facing a terror attack first thing in the morning. It turned to out to be such a terrible day.


    She had no idea what was happening to her. All she could recall was that moment she was trying to save a child from the gun shot. The next moment she felt blood oozing out from her chest. She wanted to be brave in front of Allen, her crush, her neighbour since highschool. But unfortunately, fate gave her a chance to die in his arms. It felt funny at that moment. As the bullet pierced her heart, she heard him scream her name and rush over to her. She saw him calling for the ambulance and the police once the culprit was pinned down by the people on the street. Who would have expected to die on a sunny day in front of a hypermarket while buying groceries. She was glad she saved the child. She was glad she had him close to her. But the pain was unbearable that she had ever imagined.


    The pain of the death was approaching her. That coldness creeping through her bones and she was scared. A 22 year old girl, facing death in a heroic way, the headlines said. But do anybody know the pain to leave the world with unfulfilled dreams and goals.


    The final tears along with her final breath, alone in the operating room surrounded by the doctors, nothing felt more painful ever. Born alone and dying alone. The sight blurred and blanked out and the while light crept inside her eyes. She felt her body going numb and the pain in her chest lowering. She felt nothing in the end. Tears kept flowing down her side to the side of her ears. Then the machine gave a long beep with zero heart rate graph on its dispaly. The end. That was an end to the earthly life. An unbelievable end to the life she so much wanted to live.


    She accended to heaven instantly, for the good deed she had done, saving a child without thinking about her own, soon after separating from her body, saying a final goodbye to her family and home. She felt too broken seeing her family crying, the media enjoying. But she had to walk away.


    Heavens looked beautiful. Not peaceful as said in the books, it was pretty noisy with people walking around, even though the population was too less. She looked different after the reincarnation. she felt light and something strong flowing through her veins. It didn''t feel normal. She wondered what kind of spirit she has turned into. Could it be that she has powers, like mutants she has seen in the movies or has become a fairy or maybe even goddess, she wasn''t sure.


    She walked around astounded at everything that caught her eyes. She couldn''t accept the fact that she actually accended to heaven and not hell counting on the number sins she had commited in her earthly life. She always considered herself as a sinner and end up in the roasting layer of hell as she had read in the books. She reached the end of heavens and looked at separation of land. ''Could this be the border?'' she asked herself. She wished to check what was on the side.


    "Don''t cross them Miss, that''s the border. it''s the hell the other side. You shouldn''t step there, walk back here," an old man advised her and left the place. She listened to him and took few steps back.


    she decided to walk back and ran into someone, falling over him. She hit her head on his chest and looked up at him, taking her hand off his arms she was holding on to.


    "Am sorry, I didn''t see you there," she apologized and looked up at his face this time. She was shocked. A very familiar face but a totally different look. A tall guy wearing the long black robe and long pitch black hair, that reminded her of something but couldn''t recall at all. He looked exceptional, exotic, and different. He let her arms go and helped her stand straight. And took off without saying a word, crossing the border without fear.


    "Wait, you are not supposed to go there," she called out as he kept going forward. He did not care to listen to her and travelled forward.


    "Why would you meddle with him, go back and thank god for saving your life miss," a little boy walking over the side called out.


    "Who is he?" she asked curiously. "Who cares I just came here, how would I know him? Maybe he reminded me of someone from earth probability. But have I lost my memories already, how come I cannot recall anything?" she kept talking to herself.


    "He is the..." but the boy was interrupted by the same old man and dragged behind him.


    "Don''t talk to people you don''t know? Have i not told you?" the old man said and dragged him. She wished she could know, unable to forget that face, that woke her old feelings with no pictures.

 Chapter 2: Secret

    The court was empty. Huo had asked the ministers to not come to the court for the next two days, asking them to research about the demon guards in the border who were lacking at work and letting the rebels invade often. The hall was too large and empty that situated in the middle of the Castle, stone wall with flags of the demon realm hung and treasures won in the various wars. The tables were arranged neatly for the visitors. Everything in the castle was in order. The entrance to the hell were sealed for strangers to not look into. Things were peaceful while living the oblivious life.


    Huo sat on his throne and asked his maids to bring him drinks. He was thirsty and exhausted, yet to recover from internal injuries even after years. He was being healed by some best doctors of the Demon Clan, but nobody had any idea about what happened to his meridians. And Volca constantly helped him adjust to the new lifestyle staying beside him every hour of the day.


    "Who was that girl?" he asked thinking about the girl who tripped on top of him, on his way back to the castle. He didn''t know why, but it kept coming into his mind ever since he bumped into her.


    "I don''t know, she must be a new comer, standing in our entrance, unaware," Volca said to her king. "Who with a sound mind would do that, coming towards our border?" Volca smirked as she talked to him. And then wondered about that strange girl.


    "Forget it," He said and disappeared.


    Volca looked confused and went back to the castle. She rested in her room while her mother came looking for. She grew conscious the moment her mother was around her.


    "She has returned," Fiona informed her daughter.


    "Who?" Volca asked casually.


    "Aqua, the water goddess is back," Volca got up from her bed.


    "But we," But Volca was stopped by her mother.


    "Hush, all the walls has ears, don''t say anything, we can''t afford to be heard, Huo''er shouldn''t know," Fiona said, being cautious about the topic.


    "The King is least bothered about any pleasures, forget a girl who has been dead for long," Volca said casually though her heart skipped a beat inside, growing tensed for no reason. "He came back from heaven after visiting the Emporer Tai regarding the border issues, he sorted it out quickly," Volca said proudly. "It really amazes me though, Tai isn''t like how he used to be before,"


    "I will take care of Aqua you don''t worry," Fiona promised her daughter.


    "I have got nothing to worry mother, Huo''er has forgotten everything, and am sure Aqua won''t remember him either," Volca assured her mother confidently. "Things ended longer before, I don''t think anybody here recall a single matter from the past," she said trying to convince herself.


    Volca removed her clothes and walked towards her hot tub. The scars on her shoulder, she recalled that moment, that stab that flashed in her mind every day. Those scars slowly had begun to fade, everythomg from the previous war that killed her important people and costed half her cultivation just to remove the hindrance towards her only love, Demon King Huo.


    Aqua died in his arms stabbed by his demonic sword that sent her fragments of soul to earth while Huo''er, badly wounded himself and all his cultivation by Aqua''s unique water crystals hurting the veins and internal organs.


    Volca had yet to know why they had done that to each other. She still had a lot of information to catch up with. But there were none who knew the secrets of Aqua''s Crystals except the two, her shifu and King Aenon who by the way are still in rage, enough to kill her.


    It is still a wonder how the most powerful gods died too quickly admist of their tremendous care, protection charms and weapon that supported them.


    Volca immersed herself in the water as the contours of her body touched the hottub, and closed her eyes. Things took her back to the old days and she couldn''t help it. She forgot her old self and how kind she used to be. She understood why demons were always considered a danger and kept away, unable to handle emotions well but take action based on greed and anger.


    Volca recalled her old self. The days she used to be one of the best students in the school along with her best friends, walking around wearing the red robes. The days she wanted to suck up to the heavenly gods and goddesses from heaven to rebel against discrimination. But when she found out about Huo''er''s real identity and him.taking the throne from her mother , she changed her mind and she hated everyone who had connection with the then Prince Huo. And that included her best friend Aqua.


    She couldn''t value her friendship at that moment. She only cared about her own true feelings, and not the mutual. Her real demonic emotions flew out uncontrollably and she realised she should be herself, embrace it and live accordingly. But she had to pay a huge prize for it. Friends, family and buried herself she aspired to become. And she did the deeds nobody would dare to along side her mother serving the King.


    Volca got up from the hot tub, water dripping from every corners of the body. She tried to stop thinking about the old days. She reached for the towel and wrapped herself, settling down in front of the mirror.


    She opened the jewellery box she has been keeping beside her bedside table, the ring that belonged to Aqua. As expected, it really was shining bright, probably the owner has returned. She closed them and lay back in her bed. She still couldn''t keep the thoughts away. She felt anxious. She placed her hands on her shoulders and shut her eyes tight, breathing in and out, heavily.


    "I did not intend to do that," she kept whispering. "I did not," she curled up in the coat and stayed in her chamber for a long time.

 Chapter 3: Everything New !

    Yes, changes are always inevitable. You want one thing, but something else happens to you. And adapting to those changes becomes necessary, even though it will be more than you can imagine, more than you can handle, by having to take thousand steps at once to cross the bridge, to keep up with the fate''s pace. But you should, you have to, because it is normal, and everything is possible, whatever you see around you. Just trust yourself and you can surely do wonders.


    Aqua couldn''t understand what was going on around her. The man she bumped into, though it''s her first time, she couldn''t understand why he looked familiar to her even though he is not somebody she used to know living her life on earth. Then it reminded her of her previous life.


    She missed her human life all of a sudden thinking about her family. The house she lived in, her room, her clothes, the tummy food she always had from the hotels. It broke her to think how her parents would be feeling bad with the accepting the reality of her death. And she missed her friends and also Allen. The realisation struck her how she will never be able to live with them. It struck her only then. It scared to think what after life is going to be like. Alone, in a strange place, though it is said that it''s heaven. She also wondered whether she would be able to eat and sleep ever walking around like that.


    As she continued walking, with nowhere to go, she decided to find a shelter since hear feet were bare and aching, from wandering for a long time. The woods were green and beautiful with the birds chirping and the breeze, that stroked her hair. She shivered in cold and covered her with her hands, trying to warm up. She could hear the water ruffling in the distance and decided to take her way through the course of water to go on the right path.


    She looked around for a house hopelessly instead found an empty tree hut on top a huge tree, near an overflowing river. It felt oddly familiar. She climbed the tree somehow and settled inside the tree hut, panting hard as ever.


    To her surprise there was somebody in there, sitting on a small coat. He stood up as he was interrupted and looked at her.


    "Am sorry, I didn''t mean to interrupt," she apologized and began to climb down. But she was stopped, pulling her hands back. A talk figure, with pale skin and free long brown hair, plaited on the either side of the ears. He was wearing a white and sky blue hanfu and looked really handsome.


    "Wait," He said. The man then suddenly took her hands in his and started talking to her, pulling her back inside the tree hut, all excited with tears filling his eyes with happiness. He kept talking to her. She didn''t understand a word he said to her while she stood observing him and trying to decipher the meaning of atleast one thing he was talking about.


    "What?" she asked back once he stopped. ''Why do people stare at as if they know me,'' she wondered. "Pardon me, but I did not understand a word you said," she told him.


    He turned her around looking at her reaction and pulled the gown down her shoulders, checking for a symbol in her body without her permission, trying to make sure of her identity.


    "What are you doing? Leave me?" she struggled under his hands who was holding on to her tightly. It hurt her the place he was holding on to. He found a faded mark of the water dragon in the back of her shoulders. He put the clothes back on with relief. He sighed.


    "I will explain, sorry," he said correcting her clothes and apologising to her.


    He has been watching the dead aquarius constellation shining bright again after years, for the past few weeks and he wondered if she was back. But little did he expect to see his cousin back in one piece who has been healing all these years back on earth even though she looked a little different. Wearing a white plain robe and sloppy hair do, she didn''t a bit look like the heavenly princess of water realm. He smiled and let her go.


    "Aqua you are back," he screamed and hugged her once again. He understood how she had no memories about anything but still couldn''t contain his excitement. "It''s me, Aiden," he reminded her, but she couldn''t help but take a step back looking at him, weirdly. To her for a moment he just looked like a mad man screaming ''Eureka''. She took few more steps back and sat down on the coat.


    "You are back, Aqua you are back home," he kept saying. "Can you not recall anything?" He asked her and put his hands up and sent a signal high up at the sky. The rain began to pour down in a moment. He let know the heaven about the arrival of the crown princess.


    ''What on earth is he doing?'' she was shocked.


    Aqua heard footsteps outside the tree hut, she looked outside, panicking a little. Aiden held her hands and jumped, landing with with a thud on the river bank. There were four five people and in middle she noticed a noble lady wearing a navy blue long gown with silver hair put with a crown in her head. There were tears in her eyes the moment she set her eyes on Aqua.


    "Aqua," she called her daughter.


    "Mother," Aqua was shocked. ''How did she end up here?'' Aqua wondered. Mother looking exactly like how she used to look when living on the earth. Even though she recognised her mother, she couldn''t understand why everyone looked different and dressed up.


    "Aqua," her mother approached her, hugging her. The people standing next to her looked happy to witness the reunion. Aqua hugged her mother back in confusion. But she kept wondering. She couldn''t help it. Her heart pounded loud with the thoughts that clouded her head.

 Chapter 4: Water Bearer

    Huo was lying in his pool, surrounded by rose petals and scented candles lighted all over. With his head leaned back, with the steam rising from the water, there whole hall had fog covered thickly. The maids bought in food, fruits and wine, while two of them were massaging his neck and shoulders, to please their king. Huo really wanted to relax and put his mind at ease.


    His wet balck dyed hair lying on the right side of his shoulder, exposing his long neck, his sharp jaw line that would drool all the women from heaven and hell equally. The water droplets on his chest trickled down to his abdomen as he stood and he swimmed from one end of the pool to other. The scar on the backside his chest was still visible. And he still couldn''t recall how he got them except the facts Volca told him about.


    He then recalled once again what happened in the morning, running into a strange girl. He still couldn''t understand why he felt so hooked on her. Since Volca doesn''t know about her, he told himself that she is nothing but a new fairy accended to heaven. But there was this strange aching inside his body since past two days and he had no idea why. Ever since he reincarnated, he only knew what people told him, forgetting his past and losing his memories.


    Volca had stayed by his side and made sure he is okay all the time, attaching herself to him like bees attracted to honey, protecting all the way. He could understand the motive she had towards him, but choosing to ignore it and working along with her, he made sure he kept his Demon realm and his position as a king in good condition.


    Huo ordered his maids to leave the steam pool and got up, water dripping from his ripped body, he took a towel and draped around his waist. He stepped out and put on his black and maroon robes. He was reminded of the meeting to be held in his court regarding the water distribution from the eastern demonic mountain to the main city. The only water resource Demons depend on.


    Volca entered his room as he put on his clothes. She walked over him and helped him. She always did that.


    "Leader Bone has reached the hall, the rest are yet to come, we better hurry," she informed him. She helped him do his hair, and looked into his cold eyes that always rejected her. She smiled at him and held his arms. "Let''s go,"


    "Your highness," Leader Bone bowed as he saw the King. Being the most youngest king to ever reign over in the heaven and in hell, Huo''er had gained his own fame, good and bad and even died in the battlefield.


    "How are you?" Huo''er asked leader Bone.


    "Very well, I hope you noticed the skies,"


    "What is it?" the king asked him.


    "The constellation of Aquarius is back and has been shining bright for the past two days," he told the king. But Huo had no idea why it should be considered Important. "She must be back,"


    Volca looked at Huo''s reaction and patiently waited for the topic to be put at rest. But Leader Bone didn''t seem to stop talking about it.


    "But Nobody has seen her yet," he went on.


    "Wonder why? Or maybe it''s shining bright before it dies forever," Huo looked up and then looked at Volca to see if she was watching him. He caught her as he expected her to, staring at him to see his reaction. It made Huo feel suspicious about whatever has been happening around him. But he had nobody trustworthy to turn into. He hasn''t even been told who his master has been but informed his passed away during his nirvana.


    Huo didn''t say word except nodding at Leader Bone asking him to stop talking about constellation. He desperately wanted to know now. Soon after the meeting ended, Huo asked Volca to leave him alone, and stepped out of the castle. He took a direction that Volca has always warned him to not to. He walked over to the river banks at the border that always felt familiar, and it was crowded with few people unfortunately. His body began to ache again, suddenly as he walked forward. He saw the queen of the Water Realm. Along side her stood the girl who ran into him. Water Queen hugged her tight. He got curious seeing it. He hid to watch what was going on without any clue. But soon the crowd disappeared quickly taking the girl along with them.


    He walked over to the water and touched the water. He suddenly felt the pain disappearing.


    ''How can it be?'' he thought. He was shocked. He noticed the tree hut and and climbed up, he decided to rest there. It kept feeling familiar and he found it very odd. And he saw a vision. He shut his eyes tight and knelt down on the bamboo floor, holding his head. The pain was miserable and unbearable. He saw a vision of a man with silver hair, leaning against a woman intimately, who looked pretty and slim. Their eyes met. He opened his eyes that very moment and looked around, coming back to reality. "It can''t be," he gasped, panting along.

 Chapter 5: Back Home

    Aqua didn''t know apparation would be possible for her to do like the other in the heaven. She reached from place to another in a little time. It then reminded her of her favourite western fantasy series Harry Potter where the wizards apparated from one place to another while travelling. She got excited though she felt sick from apparating wanting to throw up badly.


    The palace looked too large and luxurious than expected. Queen Rivera showed the way to Aqua''s sea palace next to the main palace. Aqua stood there bewildered at everything she set her eyes on. She felt like a lost child taken to a shelter and seeing the house for the first time. She felt funny at her thought and followed her mother feeling reckless.


    People came running seeing them from all the corners of the palace to get a glimpse of her. She couldn''t believe that she was popular though she had no idea why. The maids, the servants, the guards, everybody walked behind them as they walked into sea palace. Not a soul who set their eyes on her could believe that she was brought back in one piece after ripped apart by the demonic soul ripping sword.


    Queen Rivera was feeling very emotional towards her daughter, taking her back home to become what she used be. Ever since Aqua''s death, she had searched the whole universe with the family for daughter''s soul resting but in the end she found them in a new born baby in earth. She spent her years on earth taking the crown off, leaving the bringing temporarily in the hands of her brother and his son Aiden, to bring up Aqua, by nurturing her until the human fate took her daughter away again which was an unexpected blow.


    If Aqua hadn''t done the good deed of saving that child, Aqua could never have accended to heaven again and come back home, come back to be the Princess. But queen mother didn''t understand the part where her daughter still hasn''t gained her memories and consciousness of who she is.


    Queen mother looked at Aqua as they entered the Sea Palace that looked sparkling, like it has never been shut down, cleaning and tidying up every single day in the hope of her return. She noticed Aqua looking like a complete idiot who has no clue of what is happening to her. Queen mother smiled. ''We will take time,'' she told herself. Cousin Aiden was right behind them. He was finally excited about his life after years and years. He was glad that his family is back home and back in action.


    "Don''t worry your highness, it''s Aqua, I have checked her mark on the back of her shoulders," Aiden assured Queen Rivera.


    "Why am I here? Can anybody tell me? And mom? How come you''re here? I don''t understand? This is after life isn''t it but why are you here?" she looked for answers, looking confused. She worried if her mother died along with her and ascended to heaven like her getting a higher reward or something. And she equally felt foolish to have such thoughts in her head like those fictional fantasy novels about heaven and hell she had read back on earth that were available in the public library


    "Because you, a Princess, where else would you be taken if not your home?" an old man, with a hoarse voice spoke suddenly. Queen mother smiled with tears streaming down her eyes. Aqua gasped as her eyes set on the man.


    "Pa," she gasped. She ran towards him and hugged. "Pa how are you here? Did you die too?" this time she asked out aloud.


    "Am here too," a girl stepped forward talking to her.


    "Milan, I thought I will never be able to see you guys," she broke into sobs. she hugged them all cried letting out her fears. "But how are you all here? I died, but why are you all here, did you all die too?" her sister little Milan wiped Aqua''s tears and hugged her.


    "We didn''t die, We just came back home," She assured Aqua. "I mean yes for us to come back home, we did ofocurse had to die back at earth, but we are here together so it''s worth it," The family gathered around and consoled Aqua for sometime and took her in to the palace.


    "You should know that you have just temporarily lost the memory, we will help you recover your health, powers and restore your memories and energy, you will be who you are once you heal and cultivate," King Aenon, her father assured her.


    Queen mother opened the door of Aqua''s personal chambers and Aqua was shocked. She wasn''t expecting what she witnessed behind those doors. She wanted to ask Milan more about what was happening to her.


    "How could this possibly be?" she gasped. she took a deep breath as she set her foot inside. She touched the water like droplets staying afloat. She naturally felt a connection as she touched them.


    "What are these?" she asked mother.

 Chapter 6: Search

    The guilty feeling in your subconscious will forever torment you and affect your daily life, when you have done something against your will but did it anyway listening to other''s instructions and unless you make up your mind to compromise, apologise and find peace as you recover. It''s better late than never, and you definitely will be given chances to make up.


    Volca was worried. She hasn''t seen Huo for hours now. She searched the whole castle and failed to find him. She was also worried because of his lower cultivation status since he is yet to heal from his injuries caused by water crystals. Anxiety grew inside her leading her to think imagine all sorts if negative things, forgetting the fact that he is the Demon King.


    She asked the maids and even checked his personal steam bath cover herself. But he was nowhere to be found. She set her foot outside the castle to look around. Every minute passed by, Volca''s mind went restless. More importantly she didn''t wish for anybody to know about it nor alert her mother.


    She got afraid. She got worried for the wrong timing he has chosen to set out on his own. With Aqua''s return, she already had lost confidence about how longer she could conceal the truths from her king. "I should have tagged along with him, why the heck did I let him step out on his own?" she uttered under her breath running around. ''What if he meets her? What he gets swayed? What if she pursues him? Would he remember? Will she take back her Crystal?'' She wondered.


    But little did Volca know how he had crossed the border and gone to the forbidden place, gone in search of truth, gone to get a glimpse of what people had been discussing about creating hype.


    The sun was shining bright before it sets, giving the sky a luminous look that would please one''s eye to watch such a view, pink and golden shades with purple clouds that moved freely around. Volca who usually enjoy sky gazing forgot to look up at the moment and trace his star instead of worrying about his whereabouts. Though star tracing power has been illegal, Fiona had taught her daughter every illegal activity existed going against the orders from the kings over the century.


    The dry lands often led to sand storms forcing the Clan to stay indoors very often. Even though Huo''er has been able out some charms inside the cities, it couldn''t be stable and withstand for long, since his powers are still too low for his stage. Volca remember to cover her face putting the veil over her head. The bushes on the sands, planted and watered once a while looked like growing well.


    She met the Demon troop of ten coming back from their daily training session close to the borders. "Have you seen his majesty around the camp or on your way back?" she enquired about his whereabouts to the guards.


    "No my lady,, we haven''t," the troop leader said and continued with their journey. She stopped interacting with them and resumed with her search.


    "How could that be?" She kept wondering, talking to herself. "Could he have gone to the water resource to meet the security team there after the meeting?"


    Still it didn''t dawn to her, to go back to the heaven and meet him. She decided to go back to the castle and wait for him there instead of wasting her energy.


    She undressed and asked the maids to bring her new sets of clothes and boots after she takes the shower again. The rumours of Aqua''s return has been spreading like a wild fire in Demon Realm. Volca wasn''t liking it at all, but she took careful measures to not spill a word or commit a mistake that would expose her and her mother, the deeds they had done and truth. Yet she had zero regrets in doing this to her best friend. "Sorry Aqua, but I would still choose the same path to win over what is mine, rather than give and send you my blessing, " she said as she splashed the water in anger.


    Few more hours passed by and Volca kept waiting for Huo to return back. She read through some petitions piled up that needed attention to kill time and asked the eunuchs to proceed with taking actions for arresting thieves stealing food grains from the storage.


    A few minutes later, Volca heard Huo''er speaking with someone else. She ran out to see him. But Huo stopped her.


    "We will talk tomorrow, I''m tired," he said and left. To Volca he did look exhausted and without saying anything further, she let him be. She wished to know what he has been doing and why he looked tired. After all he is the Demon King. She reminded herself. She felt foolish to be waiting and forever yearning to lie in his arms so much giving him all of her, proving her loyalty and worth. After all these years, and still, she hasn''t made any progress with her relationship except formal and official relationship.

 Chapter 7: Restless and Sleepless

    The moon was high up in the sky, spreading the moonlight all over. A beautiful scenery highly appreciated by people who witness. The nights in the demon realm are usually colder. The howling of the wind as it moved was loud and clear, as it touches touched the leaves and rocks, and pass through the waters, chilling, giving a feeling of spending the night at a dessert inside a tent, camping while travelling. The sky was so clear with the stars shining like gems in different colours. The constellations doing their works. Among them, the cancer looked weak a little, dimmed and faded. The moonchild didn''t look like he was recovering well.


    Huo couldn''t sleep that night, restless. He laid awake thinking about how the water dissolved the crystal in his body a little bit, healing him a little bit but feeling extremely tired as if he lost something. He then recalled the information where the water in the river is coming from. And then it did not surprise to understand why the water had healing powers. But still the vision haunted him. "It comes from our precious fall," he heard a female voice in his head. And he felt a sort of yearning inside that he wasn''t aware of. ''What could it be?'' he wondered. He did not like it. Everything was so uncomfortable and kept ruining his mood. ''Even the nights are spoiled,'' He said to himself and kept turning in the bed. He closed his eyes forcing himself to get some rest. And the images flashed once again.


    "Shifu," There was girl running behind a master who is accompanied by tall figure who has silver long hair, wearing a white and sky blue robe. He stopped the girl approaching his master.


    "Senior Huo move away, shifu it''s urgent," she was panting hard, sweating all over. She looked troubled and limping a little.


    "What happened?" he asked her looking all over her. Something looked wrong.


    "There''s an intruder, but," she paused, and kept panting.


    "But what?"


    "I enquired about him, then one thing led to another and,"


    "And?" he asked her. Shifu was watching them both.


    "I kind of, I think I knocked him off," She said looking down.


    "Are you not a princess, how could you knock people before interrogation. Go to the woods and don''t return for two days, reflect upon your mistake," Shifu ordered her. The girl flushed red and looked disappointed. She looked at him, asking for help but he remained like a stone. He wasn''t sure about what to do. She left without wasting time.


    Shifu and Huo walked back to see who the intruder was. They knew it instantly seeing the crystals lying around, and alerted the water realm to send protection for the Princess in the school immediately. Things were going out of hand and Shifu looked puzzled. He was growing afraid.


    "She cannot lose it, this crystals are part of her blood, it can kill and save a person, it shouldn''t be wasted, this girl is being trained for the greater cause," Shifu informed him. But he didn''t understand what his shifu told him.


    "I will go find her," Huo said and left the scene leaving the intruder for shifu to handle.


    He walked around the woods in search of her. But he did not find her. He got worried. He reached at the river banks too far away from the school and it was dark and late in the evening.


    "Who are you looking for?" he heard her voice as he splashed some water from the river on his face. He stood up and looked at her. She looked gorgeous, the moonlight that touched her skin radiating. The hair dark hair, tied with the ribbon, the slender figure wearing those blue uniform provided by the school that dimmed her looks. He wondered what she would look like in the childe elegant costume. His heart pounded at the very thought of it. ''She really is a true goddess,'' he thought, corner of his lips curving to smile, but he stopped before he did. Trying his best to control in front of her. How can he let the image he had developed over the years shatter like that.


    "Nothing," he replied. She then took his hands and dragged him behind her, climbing up the tree and entered a tree hut. He was surprised at her actions but went along with her. ''Why is she not upset?'' he asked inside his head.


    "Isn''t this beautiful?" she asked him, as she was glowing. And he really did admire the view. Watching the moon high up at the sky, through a small window with a girl. He glanced at her for a moment and moved away. To him the distance between them was very important.


    "Are you hurt?" he asked her and failed to get responses. Then he quickly grabbed her arms, pulled her closer and lifted her blue gown up to her knees, her back of the legs were still bleeding.


    "I''m fine," he looked at her as she said it. She was ofocurse lying. Losing the crystal could ache the veins until the flow of it goes back to the normal state. Blood is important and she did look exhausted.


    "You feel wronged, don''t you?" he asked her.


    "Shifu was right though," she said, looking down, gloomy.


    "But why didn''t you tell him that he came for you," he said.


    "Because killing is not an answer, my father would and so will shifu, if somebody lay their fingers on me,"


    "Is there not a reason? Have you not killed anyone before?" and she shook her head. "He must be dead already," looking away said he, calculating what Shifu would have done with the intruder who had wrong intentions and dared to hurt the crown princess of the water realm.


    "I don''t enjoy it," she replied.


    "Nobody does, you are an only princess, the queen in the future, crystals sync with your blood, nobody should even touch you, you should know it better than anybody else," he said.


    "Let me take my time," she took a deep breath smiled, looking away. "and call me Aqua, Huo," she ordered him. "Just call me that way,"

 Chapter 8: Years of Waiting and Hiding

    "Battles are what that drain us, constantly fighting and tremendously failing most of the times. But does it bring you anything good to you? Does it bring happiness? Does it bring back lives that died? Does it help you stop bleeding? Does it cure your nightmares? But yet we do it! The universe still cannot seem control it. And we in the name of great causes, we keep choosing, again and again, until we stop breathing, in the hope to be reborn into a better world, as a better person, knowing well how sinned."


    This was the first lesson Master Bo Hai recalled he as a teacher taught his students. Putting lights into the head of his students as the future leaders who shouldn''t follow the wrong foot steps and conclude everything with war for their welfare. But now thinking about the lesson he taught, he could no longer find it purposeful.


    Master Bo Hai has been in seclusion ever since his favourite students faded from the surface of the universe. It was horrendous, everytime he gave a thought to the past. He would feel his heart breaking, to think that his foster son is no more being him himself. And the two other best students he had, one just died while the other was the murderer and reason for the battles.


    Bo Hai ever since then, hated his immortality, to have failed in teaching his students, failed to lead them to good, and regretted taking in the demon students believing them blindly. But the reason why he is wanted by the Emperor is different. The reason behind the disappearing and reappearing of souls. He is the key to the truth of what happened to the two, everything that happened between them and what happened in the battlefield because of someone misleading everyone. The reason why they used their rare powers and harm each other, or if it really was harming, the universe needed his confirmation, from his insights.


    People have been searching for him everywhere like mad, to question him, to kill him. But he didn''t let himself be caught. He could not afford to get caught. He has been waiting for the two to return back to their original self. It is been too long. But he couldn''t tell how much longer that would take. Waiting was the only option he had in his hands. And mediation helped him calm his anxious heart.


    He had known Huo, Aqua and Volca since they were only kids. But he did not see the danger coming, the twisted fate that awaited them. He remained silent when they were in conflict with each other, but he did not expect the love in between to kill them all, tear them apart and leave like that.


    He regretted everyday since the tragedy. Master Bo Hai wished to see his students coming back calling him shifu, walking around cultivating with him. But he knew deep in his heart what a distant dream it is. He heard that both had come back to the world, one as a Demon King and the other as a lowly human with no memory of their past. He was sure they would need help with their unique cultivation from him. He has been waiting for that day.


    On top of the mountains, nobody dared to come disturb him. Living alone, pretending to be dead, staying away from all the politics, he tried his best to get enlightened and attain inner peace that he hasn''t been able to get since that year the accident occured.


    Master Bo Hai sat under the willow tree, slowly gulping down the cherry wine he made himself. He rested for the day after collecting few medicinal plants that he needed to cure his illnesses he often gets living in the dark and cold woods. He felt like he has become a caveman at his old age.


    Suddenly he noticed the constellation of Aquarius shining bright as ever. Master Bo Hai''s eyes filled with tears.


    "Some sacrifices are worth doing, and you will surely be rewarded, God will never leave you, welcome back child," he said as two drops tears ran down his face. He stood up and decided to go back to his hut built near the cliff that had a waterfall close by. He wondered whether to go back and meet his students or wait for them to find him, like he did for years.


    Even though he is the most powerful cultivator , he still didn''t wish to cross paths with Volca ever again, a student he is ashamed of and regret he taught. Trying his best to teach her and bring her back to herself when the battles ended, yet choosing the wrong advices, she arrested him and exiled him, banishing to never enter the lands with death threats while she acted as a regent queen of Demon clan with the support from her mother during the absence of Huo''er.


    In the end he decided to leave to the mountain, after a quick visit to the Water Palace. He was sure how nobody else would be able cure Aqua if she has returned. He let her father know about his plans and disappeared.


    Couple of days later, unable to resist anymore, With his heart full of hopes and expectations, Master Bo Hai packed his bags, and climbed on the wild horse he tamed living in the woods for years. He rode back for few days and he reached the Heaven. The constellation still shined bright and he went straight to the palace without thinking twice. He felt strangely safe, brave and a spirit to fight.


    He was welcomed by Grand Prince Aiden and taken to meet the Queen mother instantly.


    "Thank you so much for coming back," she thanked him with tears in her eyes.


    "How can I not?"


    "I know," she wiped her tears quickly. "We thought you are.." she paused quickly.


    "Passed away? no I didn''t exactly, did I not let you and Kimg Aenon know and leave?" he laughed loud. "Take me to Aqua, I have to see her condition," he requested and followed Queen mother. The door to the Sea Palace were opened and the sight shocked him.


    "Aqua," he gasped. He didn''t expect to his student in such a state. It broke his heart. "Aqua," he called her.

 Chapter 9: Crystals and Memories

    The room looked luxurious with all sorts of expensive treasures in each corner, her big four poster bed and fluffy pillows with wall painting hung on the wall, indoor plants all around the room, and a small fish pool arranged at the balcony of her chamber where a swing has been set with climbers in the door and window. She imagined how amazing the nights with full moons would be to watch from such a beautiful place.


    "Aqua," she suddenly heard a long lost familiar voice. She jumped up in surprise and turned around. She asked the maids to help her stand up. It troubled her everytime she felt that something is familiar to her and cannot recall it from her memory. She was having a hard time familiarising with the new world. An after life that only been explained and assumed in fictional novels turned out to be true.


    Aqua as she got up from her bed, dressed in a white and grey gown that had water droplet embroidery all over with a long train lying on the floor behind her as she walked, and tiara of the crown princess on her head. It was pretty heavy and she tried her best to handle it. She never imagined it to be heavy whenever she saw the actresses wearing them in dramas. She smirked at her thought.


    The maids walked aside paving way for her to walk forward, being careful since she looked fragile and troubled carrying it all. She thanked god that high heels are not a thing here. Or else she couldn''t imagine wearing those walking around in this heavy costumes.


    Queen mother stood watching her daughter proud, even though she is only a human at the moment. She looked at the man standing next to her mother, looking confused.


    "Greet your master Aqua," Rivera said. Aqua bowed to the old man standing in front of her, who was close to tears. She felt the atmosphere around her very sorrowful.


    "Shifu," she said.


    "That''s right," he said. He removed the charms around her. The face, the aura cleansed, the silky long black hair, and the powers unsealed, letting the flow of blood take different course from the human nature.


    Aqua was back to normal, looking like herself. "Why didn''t you remove them?" he asked her queen mother. Aqua felt getting stronger and healthier. The lethargy disappeared and she felt something extremely powerful flowing through her. Her vision turned clearer, her hair, much beautiful, the change in her facial features that she couldn''t it was her. She felt something moving in her shoulders. She looked at her mother.


    "Shenlong is waking up from hibernation, embrace yourself daughter, welcome to our world," Her mother welcomed her.


    "I was afraid," Rivera then looked at Master Bo Hai and said. "What if she get," she hesitated to say it.


    "There is something you still don''t know about," Shifu said.


    "What?" and Aqua stood there completely like a third person, having no clue.


    "When the time comes I will reveal them to you,"


    "Where are the crystals?" Aqua asked again. Queen mother led the way to the other room holding Aqua''s hands.


    The door opened and the bright lights ejecting hurt Aqua''s eyes. She covered her eyes and looked away. Master Bo Hai asked everyone to leave him and Aqua alone. Aqua grew tensed.


    "Relax," her mother said and left the room. Aqua took the chance to walk around the hall and looked at each of the crystal floating. She touched one and felt like pricked with a needle. She withdrew her hands back immediately and stayed away from them. "What are these?" she asked her so called master.


    Master instantly used his water technique, tamed the floating crystals and led its way into Aqua''s body. Aqua was shocked to see it coming for her, she shut her eyes tight, tried to block them, and knelt down as soon as it touched her skin. She fell on her right side, twisting with pain as it blended in her blood. she screamed loud that it almost was heard around the heaven. Nobody knew that it could be torturous.


    Queen mother walked back in to the hall with Aqua''s father in her heels. Milan rushed over to her sister and took her hands. The body temperature was soaring up. Aidan held unconscious Aqua in his arms and looked at Master Bo Hai. Seeing the struggle for the first time, it broke everyone''s heart.


    "It is normal," Shifu said and turned away. The pain equal to the bones breaking in the body like undergoing labour. "This is only half, for her to return to her previous state, she has to restore the other half," he informed others. "For the next few days she is going to be sick, take care of her," Shifu warned them. "Call me if you need me, but I have to go now, let me see if I can retrieve her crystals, but I cannot assure you, lives depend on that,"


    "But Huo''er?" Milan said.


    "Why wouldn''t he return Aqua''s belongings, you know him, can''t you ask him back?" Aiden asked the elders.


    "We don''t know him anymore, We wonder if he remembers anything, acting cold, and walking around with that woman, who killed my daughter" Father said fuming with anger. "My daughter made great mistakes, but I won''t let her repeat it again this time,"


    "If those were mistakes, heavens wouldn''t have brought her back alive," Master said to others. "Think before you speak Aenon," and left the palace.


    Aiden carried Aqua back to her bed chamber and settled her on the bed. He also asked the maids to bring in some towels and cold water. She was burning hot. Queen mother ordered the maid to open all the windows and bring in the imperial doctor some medicines. She checked Aqua''s pulse and perplexed. Even though it is natural to go through this process, it worried her to see her daughter keep suffering from different levels of pain throughout. The tears glistened in her eyes as she saw tears flowing down from Aqua''s eyes. Little did the mother know that Aqua has entered the memory world.

 Chapter 10: New Beginnings

    Freedom and democracy doesn''t get to you without pains and sacrifices. It has it''s own value that stays at the highest position. One must know how to pay the price if you misuse them, and sabotage it completely. For democracy and freedom, do not come easily, and if not respected and practiced well, it vanishes and let the people suffer under the tyranny. Learn to fight for the rights, learn to keep your rights and fly high with freedom on your wings, do not let the strangers cage you and chain you, because good hearts deserves the best.


    The school is situated far away from the Sea Palace. It is on the foothills of Mount Precious that provided the best education in cultivation under one of the greatest teachers in the universe, Master Bo Hai. Aqua wanted only one thing in her tiring life; learn better for the greater cause under the well renowned master. Her intention was nothing else but one; stay away from home for some days. Hence she was pretty excited to join the school. She wanted to experience a life apart from being the spoiled, strictly trained princess, stepping down and living among different people in diverse. To Aqua, thus joining the school was a dream coming true moment.


    "Be good while you stay here, don''t be a burden to anyone," Aqua''s father advised here has he brought her to Master Bo Hai for practising cultivation on her first day. She was only 17000 years old then. "You''re no longer a child and also remember the word you gave me, Okay?"


    As she took her first step inside the school, she saw another girl who has come with her mother. Her mother looked strict and arrogant in one glance. Aqua took her eyes off the lady and continued her conversation with her father. That girl bid farewell with her mother and walked towards her.


    "Hello, am Volca," she bowed to her and her father. It was unexpected of her to do it. Volca was wearing a black plain gown and her hair tied up with a purple ribbon.


    "Aqua," she smiled and shook hands with her.


    "Oh my god, you''re the princess aren''t you?" she said in surprise looking from head to toe. Aqua''s father laughed loud.


    "You girls take care of each other, never care about what clan you''re from," he said to the girls as he understood Volca is from the Demon Clan. He knows that Master Bo Hai admit students from all the clans but he got to witness it this time. Aenon was happy and proud.


    Volca tagged along with Aqua and they both went inside the school to meet their Shifu.


    They bowed in front of him.


    "Stand up," he ordered the girls. "Huo, Ash, take the girls to their accomodation. Give them the uniforms. Ask them to come back to the main hall after lunch," he ordered and left his place.


    It is then Aqua noticed the silver haired tall and handsome disciple of Shifu standing to the right to her. She couldn''t say which clan he belonged, but for sure, he looked strong at his higher cultivation stage. His chiseled cheek, the pink soft lips, well shaped thick eyebrows, the sharp jawline and his sparkling eyes that were calm, the perfectly fit body, well dressed, and the soothing smile, Aqua watched him well and his her smile. Next to him stood Ash, the fourth prince of the wind clan. She nodded at him and followed Ash And Huo.


    "Senior Huo, how long have you been staying in the school," but he didn''t reply Volca anything.


    "He grew up here," Ash whispered to Aqua.


    "What''s you name?" he asked her.


    "Aqua," she replied him, looking around the path they were taken. The trees were old but well nurtured. The path way were full of flowers and medicinal plants required for daily life. There were many accommodations on their way assigned for different stages of cultivation with their respective senior leaders to guide them.


    "A Princess is here, nice to meet you," Huo was listening to everything but did not open his mouth at all. "But why did you choose to come here, your cultivation must be higher already, couldn''t you get shifu to come to the water palace?" he asked personal questions. Huo looked to his left as Ash kept blabbering to the girls,


    "Silence," he ordered saving Aqua from interrogation. She felt thankful. What does Ash know about her struggles. Volca on the other hand kept watching Huo, following his footsteps and drooling over him. She kept nudging Aqua asking her to admire Huo''er and his visuals. But Aqua didn''t care much, she didn''t want to embarrass herself on the first day itself, since there were many more days to come. She had other things going on in her head.


    They reached a small villa, surrounded by trees and few other villas. "We live close by, if you need something, use this flute, we will come to help you," Ash handed out the flute to Aqua and led them inside the small house for Aqua and Volca to the one adjacent to it.


    Huo stood outside waiting for Ash to finish his guiding. Aqua noticed how silent and we''ll groomed Huo was. She stepped outside the door and bowed to Huo, "thank you senior Huo," she said and went inside closing the door behind her. Huo nodded and returned back to the main hall. Ash ran behind him to catch up with him, after instructing how their chambers are filled with food, clothes and weapons necessary for training.


    Aqua changed into the school''s long robe, white and sky blue with full sleeves, belt and hair ties matching them. She liked how simple she looked and settled down in her bed, going through the few book kept in her table. They were all about her water techniques and the crystals. Aqua knew the journey is going to be pretty difficult. She wondered what Volca must be doing and stepped out of her house. But Volca was nowhere to be seen.

 Chapter 11: First Encounter

    Learning is one important process in life. And who teaches you the important lessons always matter since it is the master''s idea and words that you choose to follow when you do a deed in the world. To the girls, Shifu was the greatest hero, who had won several wars and one who was the most patient during his times compared to the other scholars in heaven. Shifu had chosen the cultivation that would choose their meridians well. To him, the best performer was the demon girl in the school, while the water princess was often kept under strict orders. Aqua would ignore and cope up with it.


    Volca practiced her sword skills better than Aqua, while Aqua excelled in spells, charms and teleportation. She was also able to even control the weather which was expected with the shelong in her blood. Shifu often made Huo''er supervise what the girls do during their training period. While the girls always rested as they wished whenever Huo failed to appear during their session and often got caught by the seniors and get detention.


    Yet when Huo had caught the girls many a times fooling around, joking and eating, when they are assigned work, they have always been serious which made Huo to never report to Shifu about sneaking out. He would silently let them do with their sessions.


    Two years went by just like that. They weren''t aware of how the time was running out. Aqua''s time came of her to take the throne officially as the crown princess. She was pretty cool about it. Training ever since she as born, she has been used to things from her young days, assisting her father with various things, while she often wished she wasn''t the first born in the family.


    One day, the whole of Water Realm appeared in the school. King Aenon, Queen Rivera, Grand Prince Aiden, Princess Milan and the Rank one royal guards all together for inviting everyone for holding the official coronation ceremony of Aqua at her Sea Palace soon.


    Aqua made sure her father specifically invited her senior brother Huo''er himself. She sneaked into the hall standing behind the huge pillars to eavesdrop at their conversation but she wasn''t aware that Huo had already caught the sight of her. Soon after her father left the main hall, Huo in silence walked over to her and cornered her against the wall. He for the first time get closer to her since she stepped inside the school, in his life.


    "What are you doing while the elders are speaking? Should you eavesdrop like this?"


    "The elders?" she looked up at him. "Really?" His face was only few inches away from hers. This was the first Aqua ever saw Huo get close to anyone forget getting a good sight of him. "Oh you mean Father, haha," she fake laughed and looked away. She couldn''t just bare to look into his eyes for a longer than a second. But he didn''t let her go. He had no plans to. "Okay fine," she said. "Manners, am sorry senior brother, I won''t do it again," she swore to him and he took his hands off the wall slowly. And she silently walked away. She turned around quickly and reminded him again. "Don''t forget to come, I will wait," she was desperate about it.


    "Is it that a big deal ?" he asked her, putting on a serious expression on his face.


    "It is to me," she said smiling. "You will regret if you miss it," she waved at him and left the main hall. He smiled as she left. He did wish to go but he had other things to do. But both of them weren''t aware that Volca had been watching them closely.


    Aqua took few days off from school with the permission of her Shifu and left to home. The guests had already begun to visit. King Aenon urged her to get back to the palace soon and prepare for the formal sessions before the ceremony.


    The palace was preparing like a festival.


    "Pa why are you doing this so much?" she asked her father holding on to his arm.


    "Because this is the first ceremony I will be holding officially for you as a father and as the King in our Realm. Am I not allowed to be happy and proud?" he asked his daughter back. She sure could see how delighted he looked to see her and conduct this ceremony for her.


    "You can do for Milan''s too," she told him.


    "I sure will, maybe next time I could do something more with experience," He said. Aqua hugged her father and stood watching as the servants put the lanterns on in every corner of the palace.


    "Did Senior brother Huo tell you anything?" she asked her father suddenly trying to know if he would make it or not. The way he caught her eavesdropping suddenly flashed in front of her eyes and Aqua couldn''t help but smile at it.


    "He said he will try to join your ceremony," he said. "Why? you seem to be so into him"


    "No. no no no. I just want everyone at school to come here, but I was afraid if he would boycott it for his works assigned, he is busy everyday, so I personally made you ask him so that he cannot deny the invitation, nothing else Pa," She assured her father and turned to see the surprise standing in front of him.


    "Talk about him and he appears, there you are Huo''er, Welcome to our home," father invited him.


    "I accompanied shifu, so we set out earlier afraid of missing the timing, hope it''s alright," Huo said. He spoke like a very respectable and dignified man.


    "Thank you," Aqua said happily. And she meant it. She really was happy. Happy that he had come a day before the ceremony even though it was to accompany shifu in the long journey. He nodded and left quickly without saying much. Volca came running to her as she heard that Huo had appeared, but missed him.


    "Volca come, let''s see if the outfits are transferred to our rooms," Aqua grabbed her arms and dragged her away. She had a lot of things to do.

 Chapter 12: Coronation and Fluttering Heart

    Aqua felt tensed as the security inside the palace tightened. A messenger arrived with the information that Demons had planned to make a move towards the border to take the Aquamarine river from the precious fall and use as their water resource.


    The plan was to sneak and attack when time the King gets distracted with the coronation ceremony and loosen the border control, cause more distraction in the name of river and abduct the princess, to utilize the life time of water crystals. The sea palace got covered with guards and more maids and Aenon requested Huo to keep eyes on Aqua in her chamber. This was the greatest chance for Huo on the other hand. Everything under his control.


    He didn''t even let any of her personal maids inside the chamber except for himself, staying alert right next to Aqua.


    "Am serious," Aqua said.


    "So am I," he replied coldly. He was avoiding to look at her.


    "I have to change and I need help, and you possibly cannot meet my needs Huo''er, please let some maids in," She pleaded but Huo''er kept hesitating to her request and rejected them in the end.


    Aqua grew frustrated even though it was for her sake. She started fighting with him. Her kungfu was better than he expected it. She did not give him a moment to think before he made the move and flew around him. Huo grabbed her hips suddenly, and she heard her fabrics tearing under his grip, drawing her towards him. She felt his fingers touching her abdomen through the torn parts of her clothes. She just remained silent. She stood with her back attached to him. She felt his warm breath on her neck as she stood, both panting a little. Her heart fluttered.


    "Did we have to fight like this?" he asked her in a hoarse voice. She smirked. Then he took her arms and led her to the pool in her chamber, behind the curtains.


    He dimmed the bath chamber by putting out few candles and then took a piece of cloth from the curtains and blind folded himself. He couldn''t afford to feel anything at the moment. He did not wish to make any wrong move.


    And then Huo put his hands over her shoulders without asking her much. She just took the chance to look at him for a moment. She wasn''t sure of her feeling either. He ripped open her dress, destroying it and slowly pushed her to the water, getting in along with her, standing face to face. Even though she struggled at first when he did it, he supressed her holding bothe her hands and then turned away. She was incredibly strong to his surprise that he hardly was able to contain her strengths compared to his.


    He asked her to quickly finish bathing and get out of the pool. Aqua stopped rebelling and did everything on her own. Soon after dressing up. She took his hands in hers who was still blindfolded and standing behind the curtain as she changed. She led him towards the mirror, and stood in front of him, slowly uncovering his eyes. As he opened his eyes, he felt his heart pounding loud and fast.


    Standing in front of him wearing a navy blue and silver long gown that had embroidery of roses and dragons, with a bright red lip colour. She had to do her hair yet. Huo forgot to breath for some minutes. He couldn''t take his eyes off her. He noticed how the back of her dress was open and needed help with it. The slender body that showed, he didn''t want to look at her like that. He soon walked towards her tied the knots and hooks for her. Aqua felt her body burn where his hands touched while he fastened those knots. She just remained silent and little embarrassed of thinking about the situation. She wanted him to watch her ceremony and not undress and dress her inside her bed chamber.


    Huo made her sit in the chair in front and dried her hair. By that time, Milan rushed into the room to help her sister hearing the news from the maids. She gave a look at Huo and he stepped back instantly.


    An hour later, Aqua stood on top of the platform near Aenon, wearing a crown and and a sceptre in her hands. Her dark hair out up and the train lying behind her gown, She walked down the steps smiling as people hailed the name of the Crown Princess.


    Unable to control himself, Huo let out a smile as he stood next to Volca, Ash, and Shifu recalling everything that happened between them. He didn''t notice how much Volca was noticing and getting jealous of the situations even though there was nothing. The leaders were able to hold the threat and successfully complete the celebration without letting a soul know about the situation that passed.


    Aqua looked tired and fed up after the ceremony that she almost fell asleep on her table in the banquet hall. The food looked lavish and the decorations looking amazing. The guests had a splendid evening and began to leave one by one. Volca suggested Queen mother and Milan that it''s better the princess leaves and they agreed with her. Volca accompanied Aqua to the chamber and spent some time with her.


    "Tell me about your dreams Volca," she asked Volca as she settled down after changing into her night clothes. Aqua noticed the tattoos on Volca''s back, the giant falcon and its wings.


    "Equality, without any difference seen among the clans now, equality without a separation on blood and power, between heaven and hell,"


    "But why do you think the heaven and hell exists?" Aqua asked her straight. "Could it become equal keeping its purpose aside?"


    "No, but the treatment by the people to those who belong to hell, it should be changed,"


    "You have me, whatever decisions I make will matter from today on, you can count on me," Aqua promised her best friend, without caring the factor that she belonged to a demon clan. Huo made sure she fell asleep standing outside and left the door silently and decided to go back to the school.

 Chapter 13: Caught Red handed

    "Did I not ask you to bring Aqua out?" Volca got slapped by her mother. Anger boiled inside her body. Volca tried her best to control the emotions as taught by her shifu.


    Volca has been forcefully sent to school and make friends with people there for Fiona to exploit the relationship and abduct the prince and take the princess all along back to Hell. But Volca was resisting as she could, lying and hiding the fact she is best friends with the two people she is ordered to keep track of. She didn''t want any dangers, she didn''t want to be the reason for the war. She didn''t want the demonic nature take control of her emotions.


    "I am not doing anything against my will mother, what I want is peace between the realms not kill each other, if everyone hates the Demon clan it is because we act like we are the cruelest creatures. Why can''t we behave for once?" She questioned her mother back.


    "How dare you?" Volca got slapped again. But she remained quiet about it. Huo saw this from the distance and overhead their conversation. He couldn''t connect things well but he could sense a sort of danger coming from Fiona.


    Huo waited until the meeting between the mother and daughter ended. If Master Bo Hai ever gets to know this, Volca would be expelled from the school and banished from the lands forever. Huo decided to get to the root of the problem and find if there is any solution before he reports it, he wanted to give a chance and see how she explains it to him.


    As soon as her mother, the military leader of the Demon clan left, Huo appeared in front of Volca, he didn''t wish to hide behind the screen and watch it. She looked embarrassed and began to cry in front of Huo''er unable to control herself. Her face red and marks from being hit hard.


    "I didn''t do anything, I won''t, I can''t, " she sobbed.


    "Just stop crying and tell me," Huo said to her.


    She didn''t explain and buried her face in his chest and hugged him as she went on weeping. That was unexpected, and for him that was little intimidating. But he just let get. He didn''t want make her feel bad again about herself.


    Aqua came in search of Volca at the wrong time and witnessed the intimacy. She held back and left silently. Something hurt inside. Still unaware of her feelings. Since she saw something she wasn''t meant to. She sealed her lips and tried to forget what she saw. She didn''t wish to get in the middle and disturb them. But she couldn''t understand Huo. Being with her and then seeing him with Volca. She couldn''t tell to whom he was being close and to whom he was being only a friend. She was confused and went numb at the same time.


    Yet she was relieved to see Volca back at school who disappeared for a whole day, without news. She has been worrying about it and it turned alright. But something felt off for her. She felt empty all of a sudden and decided to walk around. She didn''t let anyone know where she was heading to. She wanted some lone time stay away from Huo for some time.


    A few hours later, Aqua found herself in a river bank. It''s a border between the kingdoms, but this part of the woods wasn''t guarded, intact nobody was aware of it.


    "How could father miss such an important part?" she thought. Looking at the river, she could tell that the water had some healing powers. She looked around and spent some time.There was a huge tree she found with a tree hut on its top. It was so peaceful around the place and curiously she climbed the tree and entered the hut. It looked shabby with dust and spider webs hanging.


    Aqua pulled her sleeves up and decided to clean them. She tidied up the small place and hung a hammock inside to rest. She placed some candles and scented dry flowers getting them from a nearest seller. She was satisfied and decided to spend the night since she was tired to go back to the school and under go night cultivation.


    Little did she know that Huo has been searching for her when he understood the reason behind the disappearance. He understood that she could have seen him and misunderstood him greatly. For the first time, unaware of what is the feeling stirring inside, Huo panicked.


    Aqua meditated for sometime and searched for some fruits to have as dinner. She was starving and craved for good food. Sadly she only managed to get a few edible berries and filled her stomach by drinking the clear water from the river. She realised it''s not any normal river, but the water coming from the precious fall that had medicinal. powers flowing through so many forests, and she understood why the Demons have been constantly making moves to initiate a battle.


    Aqua performed and put out some protection formations outside the river banks and she put out the fire and stayed awake all night unable to sleep, scared. It was her first experience of staying far away, and alone. She was sure how father would punish her when he hears about her action, at the core zone of forest that would be thick with wild beasts of all sorts. She has always been afraid of beast even though she had powers.


    She prayed to the heavens and laid in the hammock watching starry night sky. She looked at her constellation shining bright slowly drifted off to sleep, tired and hurt.


    She woke up suddenly from her sleep as her formation and spells broke outside. Danger crept in. She got tensed and prepared to fight, drawing out her crystal sword and stepped out of the hut.


    "Aqua what the hell are you doing here?" She heard a familiar sound shouting at her from the bottom.

 Chapter 14: Love from Home

    "Aiden," she sighed in relief. She put her head outside the door and asked him to climb up. For a moment Aqua was worked up and prepared to fight charging her crystals. She was relieved to see her cousin and put off some kind of weight off her chest she wasn''t aware of what. Her mood instantly turned happy as she set her eyes on him.


    "Do you think uncle cannot see what you do?" he scolded her. "What the hell are you doing in the middle of this dense forest? Are you not afraid of the wild beasts? Have you forgotten confronting the golden lion alone when you wandered around like this few years back ?" he scolded her.


    "Pa asked you to come here?"


    "Yes," Aqua flushed as she heard him and punched his arms.


    "Argh that hurts, " he screamed. "Stop hitting me all the time," he said though he always liked it.


    "Go Go, go back home, am going back to school. I have practices and cultivation to do, if they notice me and find am missing it will be a hustle to deal with it," she said.


    "Why did you come here?" he asked her.


    "I just wanted some lone time when I got stressed, I wasn''t feeling well temporarily, " she told him honestly but didn''t explain why she was unwell.


    "I will report to uncle, let''s go back," Aiden along with Aqua went back to her school.


    "Don''t report about me, please don''t, " she begged to Aiden all the way.


    Aiden bought her some food and a new maroon ribbon for her hair. Her moods lifted instantly. Aiden smiled as she walked around him. He wished he could see her in bright colored clothes she always wore and the princess gown instead of this dull school uniforms that looked similar to preparing for funerals. He teased her about it and kept getting hit by Aqua.


    He swiftly turned around pretending to look away as she called him for something, hiding his smile before he gets caught. He has always been careful about his feelings towards her since he was her family, the Grand Prince and the fact that they grew up together in the same palace. He couldn''t afford to make even a petty mistake that would stir trouble.


    It wasn''t King Aenon who sent her but he came looking out for her himself during his work time, when he visited school and found out she sneaked out. He wanted to make sure that she was safe though he knew nothing would easily happen to her with her powers.


    But he used her father''s name to keep her safe and to scare her, so that she wouldn''t think of doing it again. Aqua had no idea about the lie he made up. Aqua also wasn''t aware of his heart, ever. He would get upset about it but clear his mind since it always was one sided and how it is going to remain the same. Still he cherished his unrequited love.


    They reached her school couple of hours later and he sent her off. He made sure she got in and warned her. He watched her until she disappeared from her sight.


    "Don''t let her wander around, it''s not safe, can you take care, shd looked pretty down when I found her," Aiden told Ash and left quickly. But Ash informed this to Senior Huo and let him handle the matter.


    Aqua decided to fall asleep on her bed comfortably for compensating her loss the previous night, staying up. She changed into her more comfortable clothes, washed up and lay in the bed. She was sure of how shifu was going to punish her for staying away. But she couldn''t ponder about it longer and she fell into a deep sleep quickly.


    Huo came inside to see if she was okay.


    He found her in her bed chamber, sleeping good and let her be. He didn''t wish to wake her up. It dawned to him only then that he forgot to ask Aiden about where he found her.


    Huo watched her sleep for a while and put the quilt on top of her. He checked her temperature and it was normal, she didnt seem to have been in any sort danger since the pulse was also normal.


    He then ordered Ash to ask the servants to refill all the water in her accomodation and clean it spotless. He saw Volca on his way back to his house, he nodded at her as he passed and left the school to carry-on with a business Shifu had given him.


    Volca walked into her accomodation and sat in her bed. She cried. She couldn''t help but cry again for a long time. She couldn''t understand what she did wrong. She got upset about how her mother is trying to use her against her best friend. She got angry about how people look at her when she mentioned about equality and she felt her heart break everytime she saw the heartless Huo ignoring her and instead caring about her best friend though he never expressed them openly, and even though they do not interact or share any connection. She couldn''t understand why he cared so much without getting it back from Aqua. That very thought angered her the most bringing out her original demonic cultivation on the surface though shifu had trained her the best to control it, to suppress the rage and extreme levels of emotions.


    She felt the jealousy boiling inside her. She took a deep breath and laid down for some time. She went into meditation soon to gain back her good mood. Poor Aqua wasn''t aware of anything except taming her water crystals. Only if she had known could she have helped her best friend trying to sort things out instead of kept in shadows. Volca was aware of it either, deep inside her heart, but she was never ready to accept the truth and reality or perhaps she was willingly getting into the trap set by her mother, slowly growing the seed of hatred.

 Chapter 15: Clashes and Detention

    Life at school was way too normal for Aqua but she felt that she is drifting apart from Volca in many way. They weren''t spending time together anymore and Aqua couldn''t understand why. Volca had been purposefully avoiding her during the breaks and field works. Whenever Aqua would try to make a conversation, Volca would leave half the way, rudely often coming up with bizarre excuses and ending up in an argument. Even without caring that there are people around them. She even behaved ended up hurting Aqua pushing her down during the sword practice session right before Ash and Huo.


    Aqua remained quiet but never cared to ask her. She just wanted to graduate obeying her fathers words. She just got used to being dumped by people for no reason. She wondered what could be the reason this time and what exactly she failed to do and please her friend.


    One morning, Aqua and Volca was called out of their accommodation to practice sword techniques together under Senior Ash and Senior Jin Mi''s instructions. Jin Mi kept giving directions while Aqua pretended to not know about, hiding her mixed martial art skills and doing slowly. Shifu laughed and observed their classes, after teaching them, he took off with Huo beside him. Shifu had already known about it and didn''t want to blow her cover.


    Suddenly a masked ninja jumped to the stage from the woods. Volca pretended to fight and escaped while Jin Mi hurried to inform the students. Ash got injured in the middle and Aqua had to face the situation alone.


    "Stop fighting and come with me, I am ordered to not hurt you," the ninja said has he accidentally hurt Aqua''s legs. But Aqua kept fighting and knocked him off. She hurried back to the school to find Shifu.


    "Shifu," Aqua ran behind Huo and Master Bo Hai. But Huo stopped Aqua from approaching his master.


    "Huo''er move away, shifu it''s urgent," she was panting hard, sweating all over.


    "What happened?" he asked her.


    "There''s an intruder, but," she paused.


    "But what?"


    "I enquired about him, then one thing led to another and,"


    "And?" Huo asked her. Shifu was watching them both.


    "I kind of, I think I knocked him off," She said looking down.


    "Are you not a princess, how could you knock people before interrogation. Go to the woods and don''t return for two days, reflect upon your mistake," Shifu ordered her.


    Aqua flushed red and looked disappointed. She looked at Huo''er, asking for help but he remained like a stone. She left without wasting time.


    Shifu and Huo walked back to see who the intruder was. They knew it instantly seeing the blood and crystals lying around, and alerted the water realm to send protection for the Princess in the school immediately.


    "She cannot lose her blood, this crystals are part of her blood, it can kill and save a person," Shifu informed him.


    "I will go find her," Huo said immediately and left the scene leaving the intruder for shifu to handle.


    He walked around the woods in search for her. But he did not find her. He got worried. He regretted his rude behaviour towards her. He reached at the river banks too far away from the school and it was dark and late in the evening. Huo had no clue about where she could have gone. Frustrations ruined his mood. He took a break in the middle.


    "Who are you looking for?" he heard her voice suddenly as he splashed some water from the river on his face. He wiped his face. He stood up and looked at her. The first emotion was anger, but realising how wrong he has been ready, he controlled himself. She looked gorgeous, under the moonlight that touched her skin, radiating and glowing. ''She really is a true goddess,'' he thought, the corner of his lips curving to smile, but he stopped before he did.


    "Nothing," he replied. He just stood there, trying to be cool in front if her. It was awkward between them for a moment.


    "Come with me," She said and then took his hands and dragged him behind her, climbing up the tree and entered a tree hut. Her new secret hideout.


    "Isn''t this beautiful?" she asked him, as she she took him inside the hut. And he really did admire the view. Watching the moon high up at the sky, through a small window with a her. He glanced at Aqua, smiling a little, for a moment and moved away before he gets caught.


    "Are you hurt?" he asked her taking a seat. Then he quickly grabbed her arms, pulled her closer, making her sit on his lap and lifted her blue gown up to her knees, her back of the legs were still bleeding. She was shocked and sat still, holding onto to him tight. She stooped breathing. He couldn''t help but notice her slender legs with the milk like skin, soft and warm. He quickly let her go and she got up.


    "Can you be a little gentle with my clothes, " she stammered a little as she spoke. He gave a sharp cold gaze. And she stopped moving. "I''m fine," he once again looked at her as she said it.


    He tore the lining of her clothes and tied the wound himself. He used a spell to stop bleeding but wasn''t sure if it would be effective.


    "You feel wronged, don''t you?" He asked her.


    "Shifu was right though,"


    "But why didn''t you tell him that he came for you,"


    "Because killing is not an answer, my father would and so will shifu, if somebody lay their fingers on me,"


    "Have you not killed anyone before?" and she shook her head. "He must be dead for good already,"


    "I don''t enjoy it,"


    "Nobody does, you are an only princess, the queen in the future, crystals sync with your blood, nobody should even touch you, you should know it better than anybody else," he said. He felt agitated and wronged, feeling for her.


    "Let me take my time," she took a deep breath smiled, looking away. "and call me Aqua, Huo," she ordered him. "Just call me that way,"


    Huo nodded to her request and stood at the door looking down.


    "Is this where you spent the night last time you disappeared?" he asked her with so much concern to know if this is her hideout.


    "Yes,"


    "But this is the border, what if,"


    "I was upset, I was scared honestly I wasnt aware of i was doing it all, thank god Aiden came to rescue me,"


    "He does care a lot about you, taking time to visit and conduct a search party on his own," he mocked.


    "He is family ofcourse he would, unlike some people, " she snapped back at him.


    "Hey I searched the whole the day around the school for you, how could you just disappear like that for a minor misunderstanding," he asked her with rage.


    "I did not decide to take off because of some God forsaken misunderstanding, I just needed some fresh air," she argued back.


    "It wasn''t like anything what you saw Aqua," he tried to explain.


    "Yeah since this wasn''t the only time," she rolled her eyes.


    "What do you mean by not the only time? When have I ever gotteb close with any female disciples in school or outside?" He took a step forward towards her.


    "You just speak well with everybody else than ditch me whenever am around you, why?"


    "Because they come and converse with me, it''s not like I was desperate. I was with you many times, but you have always turned away whenever you saw me too, why?"


    "I didnt know," she said to his face. "How could I know about your intention, you should let me know, besides am scared that I would embarrass both of us and my best friend is crazy about you,"


    "But are you not when I want you to be?" he asked her looking into her eyes. he cornered her against the against walls once again, his hand on the either side, blocking her way. She felt her heart exploding inside.


    "I," she hesitated. "Are you?"


    "I so am," he said just like that. "Isn''t this the beauty between us?, Even if we don''t speak to each other, yet we have yearning,"


    "But how can you know when you don''t say it?" she blurted out.


    "Do you want to know?" he asked her.


    "Yes," he moved his face closer closer to her as she whispered gazing into her deep black eyes that melted him instantly. He couldn''t help it. He lost his own battle. ''But why,'' Little did he know that love doesn''t need a specific reason really.

 Chapter 16: Unexpected

    One of the most amazing yet the highly tensed moment in life could be when someone you like confess back to you and you stand there, no matter how brave and what a warrior you are, this side of your heart just will melt you.


    Aqua held in tight to his black robe afraid of holding on to him directly. She couldn''t breath properly, with her heart pounding fast.


    "I do like you," he confessed. She wasn''t expecting it to hear from his mouth easily.


    "What?" she searched for words to tell him.


    "No, I love you," he declared, correcting his words.


    "Why?" she couldn''t help but ask. She wished to know why, she wanted to know if its because she is the princess, though she hated doubting his intentions, since people only attached themselves to her with ulterior motives. She felt her heart exploding inside her chest.


    "Why?" he chuckled. "Why?" she looked at him again. "Let me say, I honestly don''t have specific reason, I just like you," then who took a moment and tried to find something to tell her. "Hmm maybe because you don''t just approach people to use them, you don''t exploit power, you don''t avoid people, your best friend is a demon, and you still like her," he paused. "You fool around, having fun alot, I like that, you aren''t like me, but you are always serious when it comes to work. You just exploit anything, more importantly, you eat well, you take care of yourself, and you don''t fake, but I don''t like it when you take off like you did before, I dont like it when humble yours in front of me, please be with me like you''re with the rest," he stopped and searched her eyes. "Do you want more?"


    "No," she replied but her voice hardly came out. He felt her fingers clutched onto either side of his clothes. He smiled at her, feeling her heart. He knew how he took her by surprise and even more given a shock with his revelation.


    "Nothing to say?" he asked her.


    She took a deep breath and took her eyes away, smiling. She covered his eyes with her hands and hugged him. It was her first time. And they both stood there looking outside the window, smiling, holding each other''s hands.


    "We should go back?" he told her.


    "We should, " she said.


    "We should," he assured.


    "Wait," she said. "Don''t tell Shifu anything, " he laughed aloud as he heard her.


    "Why?"


    "I don''t wish to be punished, really, "


    "That''s it?" he asked her.


    "Yeah, what else could there be?"


    "Nothing," he said and climbed down with her.


    "Wait," she said again.


    "Does this mean?" she searched for words in his eyes.


    "I guess yes, we are official," he said clearing her doubt. For the first time, she noticed a tattoo like birthmark on his left hand. But she didn''t dare ask him. She had never seen anyone in heaven with such a birthmark. A different dragon. He warned her to keep away from his sword and hold on to his hands instead if she needed help.


    They reached back school soon and visited Shifu''s room.


    "You''re okay I guess," Shifu told her.


    "Sorry Shifu,"


    "No, you did the right thing, I was wrong, you did what i trained you to, self-defense must always come first, and he was not just any person,"


    "He requested me to go back with him, and that he was he was ordered to not hurt me," she informed him.


    "We have altered everyone at school. Also there must an insider who us helping them to enter and leave as they wish," he said. "How come you were fighting alone?"


    "Senior Ash was injured, Jin Mi left to call for help, probably Volca followed her,"


    "Volca disappeared?" Shifu stressed over it. But Aqua wasn''t sure and didn''t wish to falsely accuse her best friend. Shifu gave a quick glance at Huo. "Go back to your accommodation, Huo guard her tonight yourself."


    They bowed at shifu and returned to their houses. Huo stood outside door, hesitating to enter, while Aqua took his hands and dragged him inside. He took a seat at her study while Aqua left to her bath area to take a hot bath and dress her wound before she got to bed. Huo by then made a soup for her and some rice and asked the servants to bring the side dishes for their dinner.


    Aqua came back after sometime wearing the red coloured night robe. They settled down for dinner and had them in silence. Aqua looked tired and low. Soon he put her to bed, stood guard on her doors after transferring some his energy to her. She instantly fell asleep.


    ''She shouldn''t be kind and innocent to everyone,'' he thought. He sat down in front of her door after sometime. And he saw Volca walking towards him.


    "Why are you here?" he asked her.


    "Just, nothing,"


    "Rest well, go,"


    "Yes I will, aren''t you tired?" she asked him back.


    "No," and she laughed as she heard him say.


    "This is hilarious, when it comes to a


    princess, everybody let their guards down," she said laughing.


    "You think I don''t like you because you''re not a princess?"


    "What else could the reason be?" she asked getting all serious.


    "Have you ever seen her like she does to you?" he asked her straight.


    "Dont think you can make me feel guilty by saying this,"


    "What if I have proofs of times I knew your intentions, what if I ask why you chose to disappear when the ninja came her?"


    "You clearly know why? you know why am choosing such paths, " she acted to be helpless in front of him.


    "But you always have a choice, you have conscience," he justified.


    "But not freedom, is this why you don''t like me?"


    "This is why I like her, she is transparent as a princess should be, true to her heart, true to her words, without excuses," he said proudly.


    "So what am I? A fake?" she got angry.


    "I didn''t say anything, you know what you are," he told her and stopped talking.


    "As if you''re true to anyone, you think I can''t identify that birth mark on your hand. Even if the hair colour save you, you mark won''t, just wait till she knows, " she said to discourage him and left the place.


    He got up and checked inside to see if Aqua was awake. Indeed she was, waking up to the sounds of arguments and pretending to sleep as he checked on her. She then realised how much she doesn''t know about the person she has fallen in love with. She wanted to know, and she decided to find out about him.

 Chapter 17: Farewell

    Huo was worried. He didnt know what to do. He didnt expect Volca to identify things even he wasn''t sure about. And it increased his doubts more than ever. Using Aqua as a bait and bringing him out of the den, exposing his secret. Huo felt dangers lying ahead of him. He didn''t know which path to take without getting murdered.


    For some days he tried his best avoiding Aqua and Aqua seemed to keep a distance as he ignored her. He felt weird and upset since she avoided him the same way he did. He wished to know why Aqua did it and what Volca was doing to him either.


    Meanwhile Aqua secretly arranged people to find the secret behind his life. It troubled her since he did not choose to open up rather keep her away from him. She wondered if whatever they have between them is still going on ir ended.


    Even though she trusted him she could no longer trust her best friend. Volca has been suspicious and cruelest now handling everything roughly, behaving oddly with her school mates.


    Aqua also made a request to her father confidentially to tighten the border securities as well as provide her a family water weapon personally so as to use them when situation demands. Furthermore she wanted to fulfill her duty as the crown princess than linger around Volca trying to sympathize with her. Although deep in her heart she wished Volca opened up to her so that she could give her friend and save her before she chooses a wrong path.


    Aqua also asked Aiden to enquire about the rumours of the moon child that always existed but was forbidden to mention. Even though Aiden questioned her, To Aqua it was a must to connect all the clues she collected and find the truth about the man she has decided to give herself, to which ever world he belonged to, it didn''t matter to her.


    She made Aiden promise her to never tell anyone about the moon child case study since it was a prohibited name to be mentioned in heaven. And since it will involve Water Realm. She couldn''t afford to bring her Realm down and disappoint her father. She also wondered what she should do if the rumours turned out to be true.


    Aqua secretly followed around him the school as possible but he kept avoiding her though he caught her several times. He would just ignore and walk away. It worried her more than ever. It made her desperate and it made her tail him more than ever. But she didn''t have the courage to ask him, facing him, directly.


    Within in a month, Shifu declared that Volca had completed her course and will he graduating in a week. He was proud but he didn''t look happy as he said it. Something seemed to he troubling him while he put on the smile and stood stern. Volca bowed and thanked her Shifu and thanked all who helped her except Aqua.


    "Wow Volca you did it, Learn from her Aqua, you came together but she is graduating way before you," Jin Mi made fun of Aqua and Aqua faked a smile and walked away from the banquet hall.


    Everyone held a small farewell party for her a week later soon after her ceremony. Volca rejoiced with happiness. She gave a long speech about how much she was going to miss the friends, Shifu, the food, accommodation and the daily routines.


    "And I will miss watching and drooling over the senior brothers practicing more," she said eyeing Aqua, hyping the crowd and everyone agreed with her. Aqua smiled and recalled the initial days they used to fool around.


    Probably that was the first time she got pubished by Huo''er too, getting caught watching the seniors training with swords from behind the tree and pulled back by Ash and Huo, pinched in the ear and given detention to blindfold hunting in the woods for a whole day, for behaving out of the characters instead of training.


    Volca packed her bags but avoided Aqua, leaving without saying a good bye. It hurt Aqua. It was as expected but Aqua had hope that it might change, whatever misunderstanding they had between them.


    The Volca she met the first day and the Volca she was the last day were two different people. Aqua regretted being her friend and wished she never took her home. A demon will always be a demon, she thought and let it pass. But what she saw was something unexpected soon after emptying the accommodation. Volca holding onto Huo''er once again.


    Aqua left silently once again even though she had been explained about everything before. This time she didn''t wish to understand him since he started ignoring her and as her suspect grew higher as long as he didn''t have the willingness to open up to her like he chatted with Volca in the past few weeks.


    And when Huo saw Aqua, he just didn''t care to clear her misunderstandings either. He was surprised at his own actions. He didn''t know why chose to do that. He was how much it would have affected her mind like it did his but did not care to do anything about it.


    A month more later, Aqua finished two and half years of training in the school under shifu and had her graduation ceremony. When the charts came out, people were surprised to see that he results topped Volca''s. The rumours of Shifu being partial to the water princess spread like fire. But Aqua did not give a damn about it. But shifu took the chance to explain.


    He asked her to duel with her seniors and asked the seniors to learn form her. He broke the news that Aqua had already mastered mixed martial arts at a very young age and had the highest levels of cultivation than anyone at school. He also broke the news that she came to school only to live with peers and experience a life she had never before. He gave her merits and appreciated her for her simplicity and funny nature acting cool around her friends. She had no clue that Shifu had known it all since the beginning.


    Everybody congratulated and apologised to her as she prepared to go back to her palace. She was given a grant farewell party but her eyes kept searching for a particular one. Senior Ash informed everyone how Volca turned down the invitation for the party. Yet she couldn''t understand why both Volca tjrew her away and why Huo kept ignoring her, to the point that she felt how insincere his confessions sounded as she kept thinking about his words.


    And thus slowly, day by day, they grew apart. She wanted to know if he really belonged to the Demon clan as Volca mentioned that night. She wanted to know if his feelings were also real.


    Aqua returned back home. Her parents were relieved to have her back safely and let her rest for few weeks. For months she got no news from Aiden and it frustrated her. She waited everyday for news and got nothing. And Aiden also stopped reporting to her regularly.


    "But then again, no news is good news right Aiden?" she asked him one day.


    "We should stop looking for it Aqua, '' he advised her. And she gave up that way. They got no news since it was not allowed to be discussed in public. But her father surprised her when she least expected him to.


    "Come with me Aqua," he ordered her.

 Chapter 18: Revelation

    Aqua followed her father, to the fountain on the backside of the palace, close to their family temple they worship their ancestors every year. A palace on the cliff that had sea surrounded it, with the nonstop wind and waves. A sound that always brought peace and calmness in one. But this time it disturbed Aqua.


    She grew anxious as the silence from her father extended while the tides hit the cliff in the background. Aenon looked at his daughter who looked pathetic, a Princess who look calm on the outside while the inside kept boiling with frustration, fear and love, he understood all of them at one glance.


    Aqua pretended to look composed and sat down near the fountain. "Pa," she called him. She urged him to speak.


    "Stop going around enquiring about the moon child, you could get severely punished by the Emperor, Aqua. Don''t offend anyone, this is for your own goodness and safety, you''re a princess of our realm we look forward to have," Aenon advised her.


    "But what is going on?" she asked him, very concerned ignoring what he just said.


    "Your suspicions are right," he said finally.


    "That Huo is the moonchild ?" she asked. Her instincts always said so. The moment she heard Volca mention about his demon blood she wondered if it could be true. Only an off spring of the heaven would have the silver hair and he did, but having a demon blood, if not for moonchild who else could it be.


    "Yes," Aneon replied. "The child of the Empress and the Demon King Dritan before she married the emperor. He is half demon, the only child of Demon king, the demon prince, the heir to throne, who went missing, the moonchild said to be murdered by the emperor, he possess the demonic cultivation powers as well as his mother''s, incredibly powerful but he looks like the heavenly descendant, that''s what the birth mark suggests, the dragon," he informed her every single rumour he had heard about her love.


    Aqua felt the ground falling off under her feet.


    "How did you know?" that was all she asked. She couldn''t find any words to pronounce.


    "Your Shifu told me," he informed her.


    "But,"


    "Shifu brought him up, saving him from the emperor''s hands," He continued. "He found the childe by chance, and he couldn''t being up the courage to kill it, he brought him up,"


    Aqua''s eyes filled with tears, a sense of insecurity, and she grew frightened. She wasn''t sure why, but she knew one thing, she wasn''t willing to let go of him, something told her that something is wrong.


    "He shouldn''t ever come to power, nobody would be able to defeat him, his demonic nature may arise anytime,"


    "Are you saying the emperor did the right thing? What if he is spreading rumours, can you assure that? Pa he is not a threat trust me, besides don''t you dislike how Emperor Tai is, then what now?" she questioned her father.


    "If he had accepted his step son, would any of the problems have arised?" she snapped at him and left the place.


    She had a point and as a father he couldn''t deny it, but as a ruler, he had no other way but look at things practically though he wasn''t sure if everything he heard was true.


    She looked at the sky, it was already night. She was feeling a sense of loneliness. She searched for the cancer''s constellation. It was shining bright like hers. ''It means he is doing well,'' she told herself. "I can''t believe I fell on love with a person I knew nothing about and once I did I am no longer wanted," she talked to herself, she smirked at her thought. Sitting on the doorstep of her chamber. She sent all her maids away to sit alone. She wished for so many things in her heart deeply.


    "Who said he doesn''t want you," She heard a voice talking to her out of nowhere.


    She spun up looking around and saw him. She was right. It was him.


    "Huo''er," she called him and ran towards him.


    Huo''er has been in her sea palace for a long time, watching her in his own way, hiding himself well. But he could no longer control himself when her thoughts were about him. He walked over to her, seeing her astonished have, happy to see him, but sad somewhere. Huo''er hugged her tight kissing on her head. She wasn''t expecting that anyway and it made her feel a bit better to have him in her arms.


    They didn''t say anything to each other for a long time. Sitting on the doorstep, sky gazing together. He taught her a little about star reading. And she remembered them.


    "You could have come asked me, If you badly wanted to know, " he broke the silence. "I would have tried to tell you. I was upset when you went around spying me," he said sadly.


    "But you kept avoiding me," she said back.


    "Because I was afraid, you know we''re not meant to be," he let his confusions out. He said what he should not.


    "Who said that? Or did you decide that on your own? Is it because of what Volca said to you, threatening you?" she did not like what she heard. "Don''t say it, Don''t say we are not meant to be?" tears whelmed her eyes.


    "You don''t get it," he said smiling realising how much she had heard to his chat with Volca the othernight. "Aqua am a threat, there are people who want to tear me apart, "


    "And do you know am the weapon to that? Do you know that?"


    "What?" he was stunned.


    "The princess of the Water Realm born with the power to control the bloods? I could kill you and bring back to life if I want to, with my crystals, Do you know that? Do you the person you love could be the person to kill you? " she looked into his eyes. "You can runaway I don''t mind it, but tell me first and then act, let''s not be ambiguous, because am not afraid of anything written for us,"


    "So we are trapped," he said looking into her eyes.


    "We are," she said cupping his cheek. "Can you not just give up on us?" she requested him. And he nodded for an answer. "I didn''t expect you to come to the palace," she said changing the mood.


    "I would to any place, if I want to come find you," he said taking her hands and placing it on his heart. She laid her head on his shoulders and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, listening to the sound of the waves. She felt his heartbeat and rested while she could.


    Even though he never spoke to Aqua for the past two and half years, he recalled all the moments he did just to watch her, while cultivating, following her, teaching her, while she walked around the place, sneaking into her house to watch her sleep at nights, keeping the grocery full at house, and he couldn''t help but smile. He remembered how he once got drunk and almost kissed her while she was asleep. He even wrote their names on the wall which she never noticed until now. He remembered how he would hurry and finish his works Shifu gave him so that he could lecture her and conduct her training session. He remembered how he always made sure the cooks on the school chose plenty of meat and vegetables that Aqua liked, changing and altering the list at night, every week before they leave to town for shopping.


    He recalled the moment he took the chance to stay alone with her, in the name of guarding her on her coronation day until Milan walked into her chamber. He was enjoying his lone time with her until then. He recalled the moment when he fought inside her chamber, he took her to the bath and later zipped her clothes Little did anybody know that, how his heart fluttered when he set his own on her as she got ready. He recalled how hard it was to control himself. He remembered how the heart of the perfect man in the school that kept going around the princess secretly. He intended to keep all of it a secret that he wanted to cherish forever.

 Chapter 19: Bosom Friends Surprise !

    Aqua and Huo didn''t meet up for months after it, busy with their own duties. Huo has been closely watching Volca with the help of some hired informants. He kept it a secret. He wanted to know her family background.


    Meanwhile Aqua got involved in politics along with her Father sharing his burdens and learning administrative strategies slowly. Wayer has been an issue with Human and Demon Clan all the time. It directly fell under the Water Realm and Aenon had the rights to negotiate. The precious fall has been the major aim and it was something Water Kingdom can never lose, being the power resource of the Realm.


    To discuss and suppress the rebels in the border, Aenon decided to pay a visit to the Demon King Dritan. They chose to visit the Demon Military Leader to discuss the border issues first, to request them to suppress the demons rebelling under Dritan''s guidance.


    The journey was short and quick. Aenon knew the tastes of King Dritan very well and took barrels of plum wines and moon cakes as he visited the castle. He was welcomed warmly by the Demon General, a rare gentleman in the Demon Clan King Aenon had known for decades.


    Aqua walked into the Demon castle, calm and composed, smile pasted on her face. It was her first time, visiting the King at his castle though she had seen him couple of times at heaven before when Emperor Tai held Royal Conferences.


    To also think he is the father of her only love, Huo, Aqua did not wish to displease him at all but behaved with respect. The Demon King showed interest towards her instantly. He greeted her along with Aenon.


    "How are you Dritan?"


    "Doing good, we haven''t seen each other for so long Aenon," Dritan said patting Aenon''s shoulders lightly. Dritan looked healthy and plump though he was around Aenon''s time itself.


    To Aqua he didnt seem like a bad king, but his followers seemed hard to be controlled. She sat there patiently as the elders kept their conversation going. They discussed about everything in the universe and finally reached to the Precious Fall. And Dritan almost agreed with Aenon to protect his rights and called for Fiona.


    At the same time, Volca walked in suddenly. Along with her mother. She was wearing a Maroon gown and holding a sword. Volca didn''t properly greet her afraid of her mother but her eyes lighted up as she set her eyes on Water Princess and King.


    Aqua shook her head to her father and asked him not say anything to Volca, clearing her throat.


    "I hope you know Volca, my dear," Dritan said to Aqua.


    "Yes, we used to train together once at school," she said shortly.


    "Really? Oh under great master Bo Hai, that is great," King Dritan said. Aqua smiled and sat quietly holding her wine.


    No matter what, Aqua couldn''t believe Volca became just like any others. She tried to let the matter go. But her mother did look poisonous, crooked nose, and long black hair put up. The black gown with silver threads and face sharp like a vulture readily waiting to feed on the carcass.


    "We have come to report an urgent matter, Your highness, " Volca said.


    "What is it?" Dritan asked them. He ordered the guards to leave the palace hall. Fiona waited until the guards left and looked at Volca who looked tensed.


    "We have found the whereabouts of the missing prince, Moonchild is alive," Fiona said. Aqua got from her chair and Aenon stopped her grabbing her hands.


    Dritan stood up shocked. "Volca, tell him," Fiona forced her daughter. Aqua got angry.


    "No don''t, Volca please, leave," Auqa told her. Volca stood unable to do anything, "Leave, Don''t do this, Is this how you return the favour?"


    But Fiona grabbed her hands tights. "Say it,"


    "He is my senior at school, he trained me, Huo, We have captured him,"


    "Volca, no don''t do this," Aqua shouted. "Stop it,"


    "So you know my son? You know my son Princess Aqua?"


    "Dritan, our kids are messing around, let''s not mind them," Aenon said trying to do what he can.


    ''I have found my son, Aenon if you will excuse me, Fiona bring him in," Dritan ordered her.


    So many guards walked in with someone chained behind them. Aqua''s heart exploded the moment she saw them coming in with him. She controlled her best to not lose herself. She realised her blood boiling inside, the crystals charging with her anger. It was the first time she had felt such a rage in her. She looked at her father. Not having their guards around, Aenon tried her best to control her daughter. He only understood then that his daughter had fallen for the Demon prince into the deep.


    The moment the royal guards walked in with the prisoner, Dritan shouted out. "Who dared to put the handcuffs on him,"


    Huo, fuming with anger, looked at his so called father. He then noticed his girl down the platform held back by her father.


    "Huo''er," she called for him. Huo knelt down, he was trying his best to not use his powers. Aqua left her father''s hands and ran towards him. The guards took their swords out and so did Volca drew her claw sword. Fiona stood with an evil smile, happy to have accomplished another goal.


    "Haa, the history repeats itself, a heavenly princess and a demon prince, do you want it to happens again your highness?" Fiona screwed Dritan negatively.


    Aqua knelt down before Huo and took his face in her hands. His lips were bleeding, and so did his forehead.


    "What happened? How come they caught you?


    Why didn''t you resist? You can''t be here," Aqua said.


    "I know," he wishpered, looking at her tear stained face.


    "Did Shifu know this?"


    "He is not in the school, but I won''t be safe anywhere, the Emperor would want to kill me soon once her hears about this,"


    "No, no," she disagreed with him leaning her head against his. "I won''t let anyone one touch you," she said and used her powers to apparate and disappeared from the palace. She apparated too far away, breaking his chains and taking him away with her leaving everyone at shock.

 Chapter 20: Water and Fire

    Aqua broke the cuffs on his hands and legs and freed Huo''er as they reached the destination. It left a catch on his wrists. They were on the river banks, near her tree hut they have visited before. Her usual and safest place.


    "No one knows about this hideout of mine, we can stay here for a while, before we find a place for refuge tomorrow, let''s stay over here for the night, " she told him. Huo looked at her face, and wiped her tears with his thumb and took his hand kerchief to wipe her sweat off her forehead. She looked tired but he did not wish to mention it. She was trying her best to not busrt out with tears. He could sense how she was controlling herself hard, while her throat struggled.


    "Don''t feel upset," he said trying to make her stop worrying. "Am glad you were there, I was happy when I saw you, I was worried that I wouldn''t be able to keep you and Long Aenon safe, I was about to use the powers but then changed my mind," he said. He took her face in his hands as tears filled her eyes again. He placed a kiss on her eyes, and hugged her for a while.


    "Next time, whoever you see, if it concerns your safety, do not hesitate to act, please, promise me that," she said to him, looking up at his face. He smiled and gave a peck on her nose tip. He nodded and said, "Yes, I will remember that your highness," he said and kept standing there, hugging her, his arms wrapped around her, trying to feel they were safe.


    "I can''t believe Volca did this to you," Aqua said, sighing.


    "I know, thing people do for lo," but Huo stopped saying in the middle to not disappoint Aqua and changed the subject. "Let''s freshen up,"


    Huo then washed his face in the river water, he felt a sort of relaxed when he touched the water and looked around for food. Both of them were starving. Huo managed to get some kind of potato for them after hours of searching the woods with Aqua who by the way took the chance to enjoy while they were alone together. He smiled as he watched her and collected some firewood along.


    He set the fire in a snap and roasted the potatoes. He also had collected some berries and melon and cut them with Aqua''s pocket dagger. "You sure do have everything we will need any time," he said and teased her. He remembered to put out the fire to not catch any attention and walked back to the tree house. They made a quick search around to see if there was anyone in the few kilometres distance and made it clear. Aqua and Huo put on some protection formations together and meditated for sometime. She was glad to do it with him after a really long time.


    The hut looked sophisticated than it did before, with hammock replaced into a small coat against the wall opposite the window, and pillows, a small teapoy with a kettle set and a small table close to the window. Aqua lit one of the scented candles and settled down next to Huo in the coat. The aroma slowly spread inside giving s fresh feeling to both of them.


    "Aiden must have done this," she said. "He must have understood that I come here often,"


    "Why were you with the Demon King?" Huo asked her.


    "Father and I went to discuss the border security issues and the regular fights with Military officials. The precious fall cannot be given up just like that, you must know it''s our power resource don''t you, we believe there is our shenlong sleeping under the fall that will resurrect when the heaven is in chaos. But soon the tables turned," she said the story shortly. "How did they capture you?"


    "The demon guards led by Fiona entered breaking through our formations. Our school has been turned upside down, literally torn apart, they threatened and attacked the students, and Shifu remained silent, since it involves him deeply, everybody there was disappointed at him, since these will involve heaven and hell equally. So I surrendered. I cannot afford to use the cultivation, the news must have spread like fire already," he shared his matter with her, looking far away.


    "Is.. is out of control?" she got worried and looked at him.


    He smiled. "No, it will reveal who I am, am afraid of that, people are waiting to execute me straight, " he said and patted her head. "I don''t know what part of my birth is so wrong," Aqua coughed at the same time accidentally as she heard him and tried to control herself.


    "What?" he asked her.


    "I don''t know, but am sure of one thing ! You''re not a threat, you the best person I have ever met, sensible, a true scholar and sincere, you are nothing like what the universe talks about, also you''re mine," she said, consoling him, patting his head, smiling wide.


    "I know," he said and kissed her palms.


    "Then why don''t you like to choose the demonic path?" she asked him out of the blue. "If Emperor Tai cannot accept you, why can''t you choose the other one?"


    "Because I don''t want the throne of a man who couldn''t take the responsibility for his woman."


    "What if he had his reasons?"


    "Water was the issue," he said. "He gave up my mom for his clan,"


    "You know everything, but" she stopped. She didn''t know what to tell him.


    "I know, but I don''t want to see it that way, am the only victim here, can you say no, I was thrown away to be killed, I won''t soften my heart for anyone except you, and you know it well," he said firmly and turned towards her. "Are you not afraid of your father?" He asked her.


    "Am sure Pa will understand me and try to see the truth," She smiled and relaxed as she sat next to him. "I had already let him know once, very clearly about my stand in this issue," Huo tried his best they sat in silence listening to her speak, declaring her support, but his heart couldn''t contain his love anymore.


    "Thank you," he let her know how thankful he is.


    "No, don''t say it, we know what we will do for the right thing, were we not taught by the great master Bo Hai, and when it comes to us, you and me," she said pointing her finger towards his heart. He then held on to her forefinger she pointed. "Therefore nothing I would not do," but she stopped by Huo.


    "There''s nothing I would not do for you too," he said and suddenly puts his arms around her hip and slowly brushed her lips with his thumb, pulling her closer. She was surprised. He moved her hair and moved his face closer. Their eyes locked and saw a future in each other. Without thinking further, he took her lip in his and kissed for a long time. As the kiss grew deeper, his feelings grew even deeper and he slowly undressed her, feeling desperate to show how much he loved her. She responded back to his actions.


    She didn''t know she wanted this for a long time till she tried. He took off her tiara and ribbons, then he took off her red and white gown and slid them down her shoulders while exposing her body, feeling her, while she took off the belt and knots of his black hanfu exposing his bare muscular body. She put her hand on his chest while he did a search on her and then she put her around his waist while he unhooked her blouse and took them off her head. He kissed down her neck and ran his fingers down her navel. Then He slowly laid her on the coat and kissed her mouth again, lying on top of her. Wrapped inside the bubble in their own world taking a moment to stay away from all the chaos outside, exploring the sensual pleasures.


    As she reached the highest point of pleasure she let a sigh out whispering his name in his ears. "Huo''er," He looked into her eyes for a moment. It was glistening.


    "I love you," she confessed. He smiled at her taking her hands and kissing her fingers. "Don''t ever leave me," she said running her other hand through his silver hair that fell forward his shoulders.


    "I won''t, I promise, " he promised her, and then kissed her mouth again. They felt a million stars exploding around them the whole night. Huo covered her with his robe as she fell asleep tired in his arms and slept next to her after watching and admiring her for a long time.


    His heart grew tensed as he kept thinking about the reality, and what could happen to both of them once they get caught. He wasn''t sure of the route to choose, the path he should be choosing for them.

 Chapter 21: Enroute to Beasts

    The birds chirping was melodious to hear early in the morning, the light breeze and the thick fog around the woods. It was pretty cold. Huo woke up and covered Aqua with his robes. Aqua was in a deep sleep, holding on to him. He admired her lying there for some more time and planted a kiss on her forehead and on her lips. He let her rest for one more hour.


    Huo woke Aqua later and handed her clothes to her. "I guess we should leave," he said to her.


    "We should, as soon as possible, " she told him holding the robes up to cover herself. She was shy all of a sudden to be naked in the daylight. He smiled respecting it and turned away.


    "Aiden knows this place, we better go before ideas dawn in his head," she said. The formation has been kept intact outside the tree house and not a soul had entered the woods so far. She felt relieved and dressed up quickly.


    "I was wondering, whatever place I go I have the chance getting executed so," but Aqua stopped placing her fingers on his lips. He smiled and nodded at her.


    "You listen to me, you, start your cultivation, don''t hesitate, and follow me for now, I know where to go," he stared at her for a moment, admiring the views and her confidence to protect him, he loved it, but he was worried about it, about how to protect her. He knew ultimately this period of time to him with Aqua is the bonus period like a honeymoon amidst the dangerous times, before he loses his head once they reach the dead end. But for her relief he stopped talking about it.


    ''Where to?"


    "The Beast Kingdom," she replied.


    "What?" he was surprised. "Why The Beast Kingdom?"


    "The Beast Kingdom owe me alot, ever since I was little, I have been looking after the current beast crown prince, who was born a sickle and used to be weak, my father used my crystals to improve his meridians and longevity of his life, in return they promised me they would do anything I ask them as a favour, I have not asked anything all these years," she explained in detail.


    "Seriously?"


    "Yes, I had to spend quarter of my childhood with him," she said and looked at him. She smiled bright as usual.


    He pitied her for a moment though she was happy to have done it. "We will no longer let anybody exploit both of us, we are not anybody''s store house, we have our own lives, we should show them that," he told her. "Is that alright to do? How can we let people rip us off, am happy we do favours but it is like letting people use it,"


    "Are we the rebels now?" Aqua laughed. "I know we have been wronged many ways, let''s ignore that all," Huo''er gave her a quick kiss controlling himself, taking his hands off her chest as it straight went there to not repeat what happened the previous night and helped her get ready quickly.


    "Are you okay?" he asked her as they travelled to a different direction, looking gloomy and tired. He felt bad to have drained her energy but did not regret it.


    "Am fine, I was just imagining about what could be happening you know, without us there,"


    Fiona and Volca under King Dritan''s instructions searching for us and your father trying his best to find you to take you back and probably the emperor right now would have ordered to punish you for covering me and kill me to vent his anger on his wife," he gave her the probable hints.


    Aqua smiled and remained silent. "If not for my patents'' love, I would have left way before, I didn''t wish to be raised like a pig for slaughter," she broke the silence. "I don''t remember having a single good day in my childhood days, always watched over, forced to study, remain inside the doors, never allowed to play, or get wounded afraid that i would waste my precious blood," she continued with her story. "They did take care of me, loved me much more than Milan recieved, but I was always envious of her. She didnt have to act well, put on a good show, or be composed with behaviour or anything. Where as I, I always had classes and trainings. But i started messing around, go missing and play around, and my parents got upset about it since emperor kept enquiring about me. To know whether am being tamed properly. Then one day pa called me and asked about how I wish to live for myself. When I did, he no longer pushed me, but instead sent me to school to train differently, it was promise made to me,"


    "Tough live," he commented. Well for his story, since she already knew the kind of life he led he didn''t have to explain anything to her. He just hugged her and consoled taking an oath in his mind to give a care free unbounded life in his mind. He wanted to give both of them such a life.


    Soon, Huo and Aqua left the river banks and started travelling towards the Beast Kingdom. It took them a two days to reach the destination and they entered the gates going straight to the palace. The citizens were really surprising with their different levels of cultivation. Miranda could immediately sense her crystal in the far away, she identified the Prince just like that. They took the short cut to the palace and reminded Huo to lie low and not speak around much. The Beast Prince grew to be a fine man with her powers inside and is now the general who leads the Beasts Army. But what she saw as she reached the palace was least expected there. Huo let go of Aqua''s hands and stood there shocked just like her.


    ''Oh no,'' he gasped.

 Chapter 22: Twisted

    "Paaa," Aqua called her father. "What are you doing here?" he was the last person in the universe Aqua expected to find in the place she had found refuge. She got tensed. She exchanged glances between Huo and her father. The Beast Prince was trying his best to not laugh out loud.


    "You are my daughter, you think I wouldn''t know how you think? How that brain of yours works?" he scolded her. "What were you thinking? Are you crazy? Do you know you offended heaven and hell equally?" King Aenon shouted at her.


    "And you," Aenon then turned towards Huo who stood still, perplexed. "What did you do to my daughter, " he screamed at Huo and took his left hand twisting them. Huo knelt down instantly trying his best to keep his sound down.


    "No no no, I didn''t do anything, " Huo tried to explain and kneeling down in pain. He wasn''t reacting back since he has a huge respect for Aenon as his woman''s father. He didn''t how else to respond either. ''How did he know about what happened between us? Nooo how will I face him now on?'' he wondered.


    "You think I wouldn''t know anything? Do you think? " Aenon said. "Stand up" he ordered him. Aqua helped him up and rubbed his shoulder.


    "There there there, it''s alright, he is angry at me not you," She helped him and shot a glare at her father. "Pa you can''t assault and bully people off guard," she said.


    "Am I really? Assaulting him? Duh!" Aenon fake laughed.


    "Yes you are," she said. "He has a war to fight, how can you twist his hands?"


    "You shut up," He asked the two to follow him to a place less crowded. The magnificent Beast Palace was shining with its golden plated dooms on top. The thick and dense cirus clouds formed in the sky, hid the sun behind. The gardens looked fresh. The capital town was bustling with people of all sorts.


    Aqua always looked to visit the Beast Kingdom but disliked their food highly. Especially the vegetarian dishes. They would eat all sorts of food and grasses that suited their meridians and dan. She recalled how she often brought a personal chef along with her or else cook secretly inside the chamber she was always offered.


    Even though the Beast Clan had warmly welcomed Anenon and has arranged for the stay for all who accompanied King Aenon, things were under the strict orders to not let a word out about their arrival. Water King did not want anyone to know about his plans and steps he was about to take for the sake of the future of his daughter who has tangled herself in deep trouble.


    A guard served the tea for the three, and left the house for not interrupting their discussion.


    "Why did you disappear?" he asked Huo. He looked at Aqua.


    "Because I don''t like it," he said.


    "So you decided to rescue him? Instead of letting him face the situation? What dumb are you?" Aenon asked his daughter. "Think practically, when your life is in utter dismay and danger, why would you walk into the mouth of the predator by escaping from the safest place?"


    "Oh trust me your highness, I honestly have never given the thought of survival, instead counting my bonus days since I was young," he spoke his mind, smirking. "And these few days, I thought could be happy if I spend time with her," he said tightening his hold on her hands. She looked at him.


    "Don''t speak like that, am not letting anyone kill you for no reason, to fulfill their selfish dreams, we won''t, " she told him.


    "You''re very capable, you shouldn''t just give up on life like that," King Aenon said. "What happened to you?"


    "I''m not giving up, an afraid to put my potential out, I have always been told that I must not use my powers at any cost, I don''t know what the consequences could be, and most importantly I don''t even know if it''s real,"


    "People just assume it, nobody has seen it, how can you know when you have never tried, the skills you have developed and levels to control it? Let her help you control it,"


    "Huo, let''s try," she told him, assuring him. Everyone settled down for lunch and talked about their experience traveling across the border. Aqua kept narrating the story like it was something great and Aenon was so irritated.


    "Oh shut up," he ordered her. Huo laughed and continued having his lunch.


    "Just stay here for a while till we know the news from the Heavenly Emperor, wonder what the Empress would do this time, but Dritan is determined anyway to protect you,'' Aenon informed Huo while Aqua took off with the Beast Prince to go around the place.


    Huo looked at the king. "You should know one thing, you won''t be welcomed in heaven, as long as the Emperor is determined. But Dritan is ready to give up on his life for you, he would go to any extend to protect what he thought he once lost. Even though he is a demon, he is good at heart, if not, I would never have chosen to be his friend. Never once did we have to rage a war with him in the throne. And you have got his nature whether you can accept it or not, you have got all the best qualities from your parents, but fate cannot be changed," He patted Huo''er''s shoulders. Hio wasn''t sure whether King was consoling him or encouraging him to do the unimaginable.


    "Are you asking me to go back to the Demons?" he asked Aenon seriously.


    "Am afraid yes, you can live there longer, you can mark my words, "


    "Do you think Aqua would give up this way?" Huo got serious.


    "She is the crown princess, she should know what she should do," Aenon sounded determined.


    "Your highness, let me tell you one thing, my father would have given up what he cherished the most for the throne, but that throne means nothings to me, but she does, I am not my father, Aqua is not you," Huo warned the Water King. He really did not want to return leaving everything behind. To him becoming a demon meant the end of his life, losing his teachings, losing the people he loves and having to give up on the heavenly life completely, much more than hating his biological father.


    "We will see about that," Aenon smiled touching the sliver hair. "Dye them black, and start your journey after two days, we could possibly put an end to hide and seek game, surprises awaits you," Auqa wasn''t aware of her father''s plans. Even though Aenon did what is best for all, he wasn''t sure how long Huo will be able to hold it.

 Chapter 23: Ciao

    You cannot hide away forever and change the reality you have in front of you mostly. You do not have any option given to you except facing it and accepting it with with body, mind and soul, no matter how harsh it is. You can only run away for a really short time before you surrender in the end.


    The sky looked clear with stratus clouds moving around. The constellations were bright and carrying on their duties. The guards were busy with their work and there was nobody around Princess Aqua''s chamber, sending them off. She took the chance ti invite Huo''er in and spend some time with him. She had to know what he discussed with her father. And when she did it almost hit her like a lightening.


    Aqua tried to stop him, fighting with him.


    "It doesn''t make sense, why should you do something you are not willing to?" She asked him.


    "I am willing, who said am not?" he tired to ensure her.


    "You did, very clearly, I remember every word you said, why would you change now? Did pa screw you? I will go talk to him,"


    "King Aenon said nothing but the truth, it''s a reality I should face, and a duty I should take up anyway, what if it saves my life? buys me time? Aqua, please understand, " he tried to make her understand the facts and saving her father''s face.


    Aqua sat there, all red with anger and frustrations. It was clear how much she was against it. She took deep breaths several times and tried to calm herself. She let go if the thoughts and asked Huo to leave her alone for sometime. Aqua then sat on her bed and did some thinking, which in the end led to falling asleep.


    Huo walked back into the chamber without making sounds and sat next to her on the bed, watching her sleep. Something he always enjoyed doing. "Am sorry, " he apologised to her. He just sat there still, for a long time and sat on the floor, keeping his resting on the bed close to hers. Aqua woke up an hour later and found him next to her dozing off. She moved closer to him and planted a kiss on his forehead. He opened his eyes and looked into hers. They eyes locked, and sensed each other''s emotions.


    "Do you have to go?" Aqua asked Huo stroking his silver her standing behind him, giving a back hug while he got up and sat on a stool. She was worried since the moment he informed her he has taken advises form others and has decided to find refuge with the demons since even Shifu let him go after raising him all these years. He was nowhere to be found, the moment the school was attacked. He alerted every student to leave and go back to theirs clans escaped to save his life like Huo ti have raised him offending the heavens.


    He pulled her and made her sit on his lap. He nodded, leaning his head against hers. "I have to," he said. "But once I take the throne, will you hesitate?"


    "Aqua has never hesitated about things she has wanted to make hers, you belong to only me, that''s going to be the truth and reality in the whole universe," she said looking into his eyes. "But don''t fall for Volca''s words. Promise me that''s,"


    "Do you think I still trust her?" and Aqua shook her head. They weren''t aware that Aenon happen to hear their conversation as he passed by the room.


    "Once I go back, there''s surely going to be a war that hasn''t taken place for decades. And we will be meeting in the battlefield for sure. Don''t be hesitant to put on a show fighting with me, make sure you stand on your side, doing your duty, I wouldn''t mind if you do the honour of killing me, it should be no one else, if you see me falling down, take my sword away and destroy us together, " he requested her searching her eyes, who sat there on his lap her fingers still on his hair.


    "And i ask you to do the same back, when you see me falling down, charge all my crystal and my sword and rip them apart, do not feel hesitate to fight for your right to live, I won''t forgive you," he kissed her lips for a long minute until she went breathless.


    Couple of minutes later Huo''er was called by the Beast Prince for a meal. He left leaving Aqua behind whose heart wasn''t sure of anything that was happening. She had an intuition about how something is going to go wrong and dangerous. She took a deep breath and let the things go in her head.


    She went out of his room to look for her father who was pretending to busy so as he doesn''t get caught for hearing the couple.


    "Pa, when are leaving?"


    "When do you want to?"


    "After he leaves," she said.


    "As you like it then," he agreed with her.


    Huo got back by that time. He asked Aqua to help him with something and took her back to her room. By that time, the Beast Prince had already sent the servants with things Huo''er requested.


    "You want me to dye your hair black?" Aqua asked him, her heart broken a little. She couldn''t adapt to the changes. She coukdnt think of him as a Demon Prince all of a sudden, changing his silver hair into the demon one.


    "Or I cannot win people, " but what he said did make a point. He hugged her and asked her the favour again. To win the demons, one should have a demon look to him, looking handsome with silver hair and polite attitude won''t help him win the throne with everyone''s approval. The clan would only reject him for the heavenly touch. And he didn''t want the throne without the mass following him with just being the rightful heir. She looked at him again for some minutes and nodded.


    "What are you doing?" he asked her.


    "Capturing this moment, here," she replied him "before you change over," he smiled and took her hands in his.


    ''Don''t worry," he assured her. Couple of hours later, Aqua washed his hair as he sat down in the hot tub, washing of the dye, He pulled her into the tub and she settled in his lap once again wiping the water off his face with a towel. "Because I broke my seal wouldn''t change anything for us as long as we trust each other Aqua," he promised her. "Just give me some time," and she nodded to his words.


    Huo''er got dressed. He put in the pitch black long hanfu with golden and silver embroidery at some parts. Auqa did his hair and braided a little in the front leaving the flip. He looked like a bad demon boy and even more handsome sure to steal the ladies. It suited him. It suited him the best. He took his sword and stood in front of her. She helped him put on the cloak and he stepped out of the room. He sent a raven to Dritan asking him prepare for the arrival of the lost prince. Things were beginning to change slowly but fastly.

 Chapter 24: Waiting For..

    You do things and it makes your dreams come true and you get exited and try to excute it well. But you forget the way you attained it. Your forget about the path you chose to achieve it. Good or evil.


    To Volca she was well aware of what the did. Sometimes it broke her heart, but she still chose to do it all and keep going with it so that her wishes come true in twisted ways. She would smile her thoughts and bring the demoness nature in her, consoling her.


    "Am not sorry, and I would not be," she would say it aloud often, reminding herself how inpeotan it is to remain strong. And she had nothing worry about getting on the good side of Demon King Dritan. She was happy that she let him know she is close with his son, the Demon Prince.


    Volca stepped out of her bath, and covered herself in a robe. She then asked the maids for the designer clothes for the party and dressed up. She put on a black and purple gown with a long train behind her, and did her hair with the help of her personal maid. Her long silky black hair braided and decorated with hair clips. The maid placed her tiara made with rubies on her head, which is a gift from King Dritan. Something she never expected from him to present her with for her work. He also gave her a badge to pass through any parts of the Demon Castle as the Royal Inspector to have severe him well and found his son for him. He was grateful towards her. But she felt bad for him and pitied him.


    Volca didn''t listen to her mother and ran to the palace the moment she heard about the Return of Prince Huo to the Demon Clan. She let the King know how happy she was just like him to have Huo in the castle which made Dritan happy.


    Volca prepared along with Dritan asking for more duties related to Huo to show her loyalty which surprised Fiona. She realised her daughter''s heart. Love for Huo, sincerely, just like how she used to be when she was young.


    Fiona''s eyes filled with tears and she dismissed her thoughts immediately and wiped the tears. Fiona decided to realise her daughter''s dream at any cost to not end up like her. Volca took care of preparing the bed chamber and bath are, the crokeries and giving institutions in kitchen about everything Huo''er prefer to eat.


    Dritan spent his days counting for the arrival of his son and hold a welcome party for a few people. And he had made up his mind to invite the guests from Water Realm for clearing the troubles that laid on the path. He liked the way the crown princess acted up for his son, that even his own mother didn''t dare to do, violating the rules.


    He asked the palace servants and guards to make special arrangement at the stay area of the Water Realm deliberately putting them close to Huo''er''s chamber. He had no intention of match making but he did not mind his son having an affair with this noble lady. He just didn''t want them to complicate their lives like he did with his.


    "Volca ask your mother to come meet me, and also make sure we have the tight security from here on, alert everyone, not a leaf should enter the palace without my permission, am handing over you that duty," Dritan entrusted Volca with a serious mission. Since it involved the protection and life of Huo,


    Volca feeling happy agreed to it without saying a word and gave her all into the matter tripling the guards at each corner of the palace. She didn''t even care to go back home and check on her mother once a while burying herself with work, all just for one person. But she often wondered why mother was no longer stopping her nor advising her.


    And finally the day she was preparing for arrived. The day for the arrival of the Prince approached. Volca didn''t sleep the whole night preparing for the best treatment Huo''er could ever get.


    She ordered the kitchen maids to present all kinds of fruits with carving at the welcome feast, gallons of wine, chicken soup and roast for meal that he loves the most and rest of the food from the menu they had. She made sure everything goes out of the kitchen after three steps of food checking that would harm anyone.


    She made sure all of his clothes were tailored, ironed and hung in his wardrobe. She chose them all herself the fabrics, the designs that would suit him the best and the accessories for his hair. She instructed the maids about how to handle each of these expensive clothes during washing, clean the accessories, jade pendants and she prepared for some hair dye unaware that Aqua had done it herself for him. She couldn''t wait to get him back home and spend time with eventhough it troubled her to think whether he would ever trust her again.


    Volca let go of her ugly thoughts and walked over to his bath area. She had people fill the pool with warm water for him to fresh up as he reaches the palace. She threw the rose petals she handpicked herself and let them afloat in the water to absorb the fragrance. She put some bath salts for him to relax and arranged the maids to massage while he takes the bath.


    She suddenly felt a warm hand pulling her backward untieing the back of her gown, pushing them down the legs and carrying her to the water, to take bath together. His wild black eyes glistening with mischief and she fell in love right there.


    Volca blushed red and pinched herself to wake up from her daydreams. ''oh my, so lustful! he is a prince'' she reminded herself. ''I should behave properly and control my dirty thoughts,'' she told herself and left the chamber as the guard came to report to her. She could not stop herself from smiling wide as steamy thought kept coming back to her head.

 Chapter 25: Conflicts

    Huo decided to set out after the sunrise. He had no trust in anyone but himself when Aenon sent him some guards for help to accompany him on the journey with a promise that he shouldn''t ever mention the helps he received from the Water Realm and about the Crown Princess. But those were the matters Huo personally preferred to keep as a secret. He did not at any cost wanted to put the Water Kingdom at stake because of him and her protection mattered the most since she had already broken the heavenly rules for the demon. He assured them and waited for Aqua in his room. He just wanted to relax for sometime with her before anything happened.


    She walked into his room looking pale with a bottle of wine in her hands.


    "You know I don''t drink much, why did you bother making wine?" He asked her smiling seeing the effort.


    "It''s not wine, it''s my Crystal''s, drink them if you get hurt," she whispered in his ears. "Don''t let a soul in the universe know about it. Lock them up," she said.


    ''What have you done Aqua, this is not a acceptable, " he said shocked. He didn''t know how to handle it. He did not want her to do what she had done for him. "How could you do this?"


    "For you yes, for me, no," she said smiling even though he knew she would burst out any moment. He touched his lips on her and then kissed her forehead before he let go


    of her. "Consider this as my token of love," she said.


    "You''re what that matters Aqua, you should understand that." He told her holding her wrist. They stood looking  at each other for sometime. "It''s time," he said couple of minutes later. She gave him a bracelet to put on and walked out of the room. She waved him goodbye as he got on his horse. A few minutes later, Huo''er and the guards disappeared. Aqua looked at her father and he nodded at her. Aqua had personally sent one of her best martial arts skilled guards to follow Huo behind her father''s back.


    Soon Aqua prepared to leave the Beast Palace with her father after inviting them over to Water Palace for their help and to appreciate their efforts and cooperation. Aenon kept his eyes constantly on his daughter during the whole trip while she rode her horse Ms. Peach through the woods beside him,  caught up deep in her thoughts. She only had one matter in mind. How should she fight in the battle if one breaks out. Love and duty collided and she couldn''t choose any easily. The cause she has been brought up and trained for. It meant meaningless all of a sudden. It was the greedy man''s thought and it was nothing like the reality.


    "Be prepared for whatever happens in the future, do not forget your duties to your civilians and your realm as a crown princess my dear," he reminded her. She was surprised to listen to her father to have read her mind and reminding her about it.


    "When have i ever forgotten my role in the heaven, raised as a," she stopped quickly realising how much it would hurt her father to let him know that she hated the way she had lived. She sighed and looked far away. "Forget it," she said.


    "What is it?" he asked her.


    "Nothing Pa," she said changed the topic.


    Aenon and the troop set up a camp for the night and prepared food for dinner. They managed  to get some rabbits after hunting and roasted some sweet potatoes they got. Aqua has been sleeping in one of the tents, looking worn out. Aenon didn''t know that she had lost some blood. He woke her up for dinner and fed her with some soup and roasted sweet potatoes. She rejected  the grilled rabbit and passed them quickly, she was still starving but was not in a  mood for maam and returned back to sleep not saying a word. She had been doing a lot of calculations regarding how the clans should cooperate with each other since Huo''er is soon taking the throne. Keeping herself busy with the thoughts, she drifted off to sleep again.


    They reached the Water Realm the next day. Queen mother has been waiting for her. Aqua was sure that she is going to be grounded for a long time. And as expected the moment she entered her Sea Palace, her mother blasted her. Aiden was standing next to her who also looked disappointed.  She thought may be like usual he would try to talk it out and solve it but this time he did not want to intervene and save her.


    "Unfilial daughter, I am so mad at you for what you have done to your people, Is this how a princess should behave giving refuge to demon and falling in love with him,?


    Aqua smiled listening to her mother''s acquisitions.


    "Ask yourself again mother. Who is Huo? Who made him that way? Who put the ideas into his head and for whom did he choose this difficult path? If you find an answer then never say such false things again," she snapped at her mother and walked into her chamber closing the door behind her. Milan appeared to be waiting for her. She ran over to her sister.


    "Tell me all about it," Milan said holding her sister smiling wide.

 Chapter 26: Return of The Missing Prince

    Huo reached the sky high gates of the Demon Clan. He looked for a while before he signalled the guards to enter the gates. The royal guards opened the gate and it began, the celebration. He was given the greatest welcome he had ever seen in his life. He felt a little bit at ease. King Dritan walked forward and stood next to his son.


    "My son, your Crown Prince of the Demon Clan is back. I had only regrets and everything seems to have washed away when I see him standing next to me, Huo is back," he shouted to his disciples and people. Everyones hailed his name, a recognition he has never got in his life of hiding and sneaking, living in the darkness, counting his days. Huo raised his hands asking to stop shouting at the masses. He then took his sword and pointed at the sky, unsealing it. The sword let out a lightning and created a loud thunder that could have been heard in the whole universe. People screamed with glory and praising the prince. He noticed how happy his father looked and saw in a corner, Volca looking at him, proudly, with tears in her eyes. He wished he could show all these to Aqua. He felt proud for a moment and thanked Aenon in his mind. He has got the most unexpected. The Demons celebrated his arrival for a whole week. Huo''er took his time to get used to castle and the people.


    Dritan was busy taking care of local issues and asked ordered his ministers to come up with an idea to officially hold the coronation of Huo''er as the crown prince. A post that had been left vacant for decades.


    He ordered the guards to tighten the security in the borders and the palace to not let a fly in without his permission nor Huo''er''s. He also ordered Volca to personally take care of everything Huo will need in the castle, the weapons, the food, his clothes to his mount. Dritan wanted his son to have everything that he didn''t have in his life for all those years he was alone. But he felt glad that he had Master Bo Hai as his shifu and brought him up secretly. Hence he was sure how righteous Huo''er would be about everything.


    Huo rested in his bed chamber, while the maids served him non-stop with food, fruits, and wine. He didn''t say any objection since he was trying to understand the ways of his father and the castle. He didn''t wish to get on the wrong side of anyone.


    He made up his mind to enjoy these little things. Volca waited for his permission outside to enter his chamber.


    "Tell her I will meet her in the garden," he ordered not wishing to let her inside his personal space. He didn''t trust her. He put on his clothes and walked out of the room. He first went to meet his father. He had something to discuss about.

 Chapter 27: Sweet Storytelling

    "Except her?" Dritan asked his son.


    "Yes except her, do not let anybody inside except HER," Huo said again, stressing.


    "Are you sure about her? Like she is the one?" his father asked looking at him.


    "I have never been so sure of anything else except her," he said. "Is is difficult to trust?" he asked his father back. "Don''t worry I know what to do," he said.


    "Make sure nobody knows when she enters the castle except when I invite her over,"


    "Why are you inviting her?"


    "For your coronation ofcourse, shouldn''t she see it, witness the moment, like you did hers," Huo couldn''t help but smile as he turned back when his father mentioned. He was reminded of everything that happened during her coronation.


    "Yeah she should, " he said and took off.


    Dritan saw himself how his son''s face brightened the moment he mentioned the name of the princess.


    "What are we going to do my son, we have put ourselves in a very difficult hole, let''s survive first and bring the princess home afterwards," he muttered as he watched his son leaving the court.


    Huo stepped out of the castle for a moment to see around. He went to the nearby market and took a stroll around the stalls. The story tellers at each and every corner. As he passed by, he heard a story about the demon prince. Since people weren''t used to his face, he stood there listening for a moment.


    "And he was chained as he entered the court, but soon the princess him, she left her place and ran towards him. He was bleeding from the wounds caused by his enemies. Broken hearted, princess unchained him and disappeared. Nobody knows what happened after that." the story teller finished the story in the middle.


    "Is that all? Is the story real?" Huo''er asked her.


    "Yes, the return of the lost prince,"


    "but I heard differently from the insiders,"


    "What is it, the people gathered turned towards him which angered the story teller.


    "Pay him and I will tell you all," he compromised. People did as he said and he started narrating his own version.


    "The princess and the lost prince fell in love when they were training together that man said. But they focused only on training. Both of them are very righteous people. The lost prince afraid of losing his love after graduation soon confessed to her and later she said yes. But they never got time to be together, they only knew at heart that they couldn''t live without each other," the crowd sympathised for the prince and the princess. "But the princess and the prince was cheated by their best friend and he was caught because of that girl. When the princess saw this, she saved the prince and took him with her. But the prince knew what his duty is and left to fulfil his responsibility to his Demon Clan. He promised the princess that he would rightfully make her his wife, but the heaven and hell never got along, so people are forcing them to quit," he stopped the story


    The crowd looked upset and the women all had tears in their eyes.


    "How do you know all this? a lady asked him.


    "A guard who witnessed all this told me the whole story two days back, I felt so bad for the prince and the princess," he said sympathising along.


    "We should look out for the prince and princess and then warn then about that cheater" a man said as he heard the story. And everybody agreed with him. Huo''er found a self satisfaction in what he just did and walked away, smiling.

 Chapter 28: To Her Star

    Aqua looked at her wardrobe for sometime and asked for a maid to bring in her tailor. She had gowns in every colour except for black. She wanted to blend in the demon realm while visiting to not get caught at any cost by the demons outside the palace. She asked the tailor to take her new measurements and selected a few new materials of black, brown, grey and maroon shades. And she requested him embellish them with sequins and embroidery like demons would but more elegantly. She drew the design herself and handed them over reminding him to give her the black and the maroon gown as soon as possible since she had a ceremony to attend.


    She also prepared for Milan''s clothes exactly like hers, since she had decided to take Milan along with her in the journey ever since she received the invitation for coronation. She did not wish to go alone and feel awkward though Huo will protect her. She asked her father to not attend the ceremony asking him to think of his position in heaven to avoid a misunderstanding with the emperor. He considered it well.


    Aenon was proud of his daughter to have thought that way and asked his wife to keep an eye on the girls incase if they get into trouble walking into the enemy''s region.


    Aqua wasn''t sure of what to give as a present for his coronation. She cannot lose her blood anymore since she had already given him some. She went to school to see of there is anything memorable and found nothing. She felt had looking at the condition it laid. There was none in the school and everything looked shatters and the place turned upside down. She visited her and his accommodation and spend some time there alone, it was the only place that looked neat and left alone without destroying it. Even though Aenon had handed her the toxic cold dagger the second treasure of the pair of cold daggers owned by the water realm while the first belongs to the demon realm, to give as a present to the demon prince, she wanted to present something to make his day memorable. She made up her mind to go two days before just like he did on hers.


    Aqua went back to her palace and looked for her mother who was holding a meeting in the court regarding the grain storage to not fall short during the drought.


    She informed her mother about her travel plans with Milan later and got permission. She asked her mother if she wanted to join before the she sent the letter back. And as usual her mother declined the chance of step out of the palace. She advised her daughters to be careful about the demons but Milan assured her talking about how good Huo''er and King Dritan is. They arrived at the decisi to take Aiden along and Aqua noticed how her sister unusually got excited about the matter. She decided to watch Milan then on. She recalled what Huo had once told her about Aiden and she looked at her sister having no idea what to do.


    The days neared for the coronation and Aqua and Milan bid farewell and left their home. Aenon had a lot of fear in his mind while staying calm on the outside. He made sure Aiden the guards who left with them were skilled and packed with plenty of weapons of all sorts. But he was proud to see the sisters were confident to face anything that came their way. He watched till they disappeared and went back into the palace. He had to take care of things and go to the main palace to report to the emperor. He had been delaying the meeting till Aqua left home.

 Chapter 29: Celestial Deal

    Emporer waited for Aenon to enter his pavilion. He has been waiting for this meeting for a long time. But he didn''t expect Aenon, the most noblest and the greatest Water God to delay the meeting saying some dubious excuses all the time. It made Emporer Tai doubt his intentions.


    Emporer Tai, one of the worst and the longest ruler to reign the heavens. The heaven has almost turned hell unable to find the difference at the same time when King Dritan had a good position in his Clan and Kingdom.


    Aneon didn''t want to cause any sort of chaos since his daughter has been involved in the issue.


    "Aenon, took you so long to come report me," Tai said.


    "Sorry you highness, I got caught up with some pretty issues in the realm that held me,"


    he said.


    "Have you been travelling around,"


    "Not much your majesty, except once I took my daughter, Crown Princess Aqua to the borders to show the conditions under our realm, so she could learn them," he lied plainly.


    "You daughter is one smart lady, bring her here someday, let my son Aaron meet her," Emporer Tai tried to do a match making in between. "They could get along well in the future, what do you say?" he asked Aenon. Aenon smiled listening to the emperor. "We are getting older, they are growing up, who else can take responsibility for then if not for us, who knows Aqua could even become the empress someday," Emperor Tai tried to boost and mislead at the same time with such words to Aenon, who stood with a stone heart. He had listened to the emperor before and tortured his daughter, training and cultivating from a very young age in the name of a great cause, strictly according to the emperor''s set ups and conditions, but he definitely did not want his daughter as the daughter in law of the Empress and the Emperor, to use her more, drain her and ruin her life. He wished for a moment that changes happen. The political marriage was the last thing he wanted Aqua to go through and decided to find ways to drop them nicely


    Tai prepared tea and cakes for them and got into a different discussion.


    "I happened to hear about the disappearance of Master Bo Hai, what do you think? Could it be true that moon child is back?"


    "You mean the son of,"


    "Hush, don''t mention that," Tai stopped Aenon.


    "Just tell me if its true, am sure Aqua would know about this, didn''t she go to that same school and graduate recently?"


    "Aqua was shocked to know about it," Aenon began. "But the person she mentioned she said might not have such connections such as people say about moon child. He was only an assistant to her shifu,"


    "Is it?" Tai asked pondering over what he just heard.


    "Could be a rumour just to cause a trouble from the demons, they have been discussing and scheming with us alot for water,"


    "Can''t say, but why have they tightened their security and troops in the borders," Tai asked again.


    "I have no idea about that one, I have yet to go there and see myself. I will send my elite troop to the borders today,''


    "I have called for the Wind God and Sky Realm leaders to discuss the same, if you can stay here until then, we could get together and have a meal," Emperor Tai invited King Aenon to stay over as Aenon expected it. He wonders what Aqua''s friend Ash would blabber to Tai.

 Chapter 30: Secret Night

    Huo was busy taking care of the local requests received regarding the tax payments for the meat sellers. Huo decided to shoulder some of his father''s work to learn about his new responsibilities.


    "How long has they been protesting?" Huo asked a minister.


    "Two weeks,"


    "Then it''s a new issue," he said.


    "Yes your highness, His majesty Dritan never leaves any pending works, he always over worked and kept himself, " the minister told Huo''er.


    "There are no works that are over work for a king, Sir," Huo told him with a smirk.


    "That is right, apologies to your highness, " The minister apologised to Huo. "But what I meant to say was, our king has to consider his age and look after his health, he has been searching for you all these years, I haven''t seen him this happy,"


    "Am glad you think very highly of our king, my father, I would like to sincerely thank you for everything, " Huo''er expressed his thoughts clearly.


    The minister left the chamber and closed the door behind. Some minutes later, the door opened again. It was already very late at night.


    "We will deal everything tomorrow, you may go rest now, it''s late," he said without lifting his eyes up from his table, reading a petition. But the person kept approaching him. "I said its alright to leave, " he said again. Then he felt a familiar scent in the room. slender finger running through his shoulders standing behind his chair. He pulled the arms and she fell into his slap. "I knew it," he said.


    "Why would I leave even if its too late at night, when the demon prince has once already devoured me," Huo''er smiled at her seducing words and Aqua started laughing. She sat up straight in his lap as he lifted the veil taking her off.


    "God you look like a demon princess, how would I guess,''


    "How are you so sure about it? Have you seen one?" she questioned him raising her brows.


    "I saw few portraits in my father''s study," he told her.


    "Then it''s fine," she said and pinched his cheeks. Suddenly someone knocked on the door.


    "I have brought dinner your highness, " the maid said.


    "Come on in," Huo''er ordered. Aqua slid under his table and toyed with his leg. "Had you dinner?" he whispered leaning down.


    "No," she said.


    "Am so hungry tonight for many things," he said clearing his thoughts, but he missed the sight of Auqa blushing. "This isn''t enough, bring me one more portion," he ordered another set for his woman. The maid was surprised and brought in another set that was ready outside the door. "That was quick," he said as the maid set the table. A few minutes later, Aqua crawled and stood up.


    Huo made sure that he locked the doors and walked back to his table. He hugged Aqua tight and lifted her in his arms.


    "Do you know how much I missed you?" he said unable to take his eyes off her. He felt his heart pounding loud and fast.


    "I dont know," she said.


    "Wait till I show you," he said and put her down on his bed. He climbed on top of her. He took her tiara away and untied the knots in her gown. She laughed as he tickled her and tried to push him away to stop him.


    He then kissed her and reminded her that the food is waiting. He took his top that was lying on the floor putting them on and helped her up. She took the quilt the covered herself in it, wrapping them. She settled down next to Huo''er and he fed her. luckily the food was still hot.


    "Don''t spoil me, I will eat them myself," she told him. But he didn''t let her eat by herself feeding her and eating along. "If Milan ever sees this, she will kill me by teasing me," she told him thinking of his sister.


    "So the sisters came to attend my ceremony," he said having the meat.


    "Aiden has tagged along with us," she informed him.


    "Oh him,"


    "I have a feeling that my sister might have a sort of feelings for him, I dont it''s weird but I kind of got such reaction from her,"


    "Then I have got nothing to worry about," Huo''er said and Aqua hit him. She spent the night with him talking, joking and sleeping with him. It was a memorable night for both of them.

 Chapter 31: Outburst

    Aqua went back to her villa arranged close to Huo''er''s. Milan and Aidan were there waiting for her.


    "What''s going on?" Aiden walked towards Aqua the moment she entered the room. Milan got up from the seat and tried to stop Aiden.."Aiden wait, stop Don''t get angry,"


    Aqua knew she had messed up. Aiden was upset about her staying out all night with a demon. His insides were boiling. He couldn''t control his feelings and emotions.


    "Aiden, listen," Aqua began.


    "I don''t want to know anything, you think I can''t see it, you think I can''t get his scent on you, did you think you can really fool me?" he shouted at her.


    "She never fooled you," suddenly a voice appeared. Huo took Aqua''s hands and stood next to her. "She never folded you, she always drew the line, you just ignored and kept crossing it,"


    "You," Aiden stared at him but Milan held on to him tight.


    "Don''t always look what''s ahead of you, sometimes look beside, you might get a clear vision about reality," he said eyeing Milan. Milan blushes and let Aiden go.


    "Since when?" Aiden asked Aqua.


    "For me, it''s been two years, she never knew, " he said smiling, looking at Aqua who stood shocked to what he just said.


    "It''s been long, Pa knows it too," Aiden rolled his eyes and left the room.


    "Don''t bother, don''t worry, " he said moving the hair off her face. He left the room shortly to find his father. Meanwhile Aqua took a bath and went in search of her sister and cousin.


    Hours passed just like that and Auqa watched everything as the Demon Clan prepared for the week long celebration after the coronation. She couldn''t believe how King Dritan has risked everything just for him bringing him home and giving Huo the position going against the heavens violating all the rules. ''Things cannot be helped,'' Aqua thought and enjoyed them. But she was curious to know the Empress''s side of the story to what happened.


    Aqua found Milan talking with some of the castle maids discussing about some unique ingredients used by the Demon Clan which amazed Milan and the maids promised her to give a few while she returns back to the Sea Palace. Aqua took Milan''s hands and reminded her how they are on a secret trip and shouldn''t be casually talking to people thought they have dressed up just like the Demon Clan ladies.


    When the time approached, Aqua put on her maroon thickly sequined gown with black cloak on top and put on her Tiara after doing the hair with the help of Milan. Spending the night again with Huo''er, Aqua did feel tired staying awake but pretty good thinking of him. Aiden accepted the reality forcefully. And tired his best to compromise with Aqua.


    Aqua and Milan got ready and stepped out to vote to the main hall for the ceremony earlier. She had the hat with the veil covering her face. On her way, she finally met her so called ex best friend Vocla. Auqa didn''t wish to bother her, but instead she got bothered.

 Chapter 32: Demon Coronation

    Volca tried to smile as she saw Aqua, walking towards her. "I know you dislike me now,"


    "The word dislike wont do to convey for what I feel for you," Aqua replied.


    "And I won''t ever apologise to you, you took him away," she said.


    "So this is the reason you have been doing all this shits Volca? Giving up on your dreams?"


    Aqua asked though she had doubt about it.


    "He is the new dream,"


    "Because you always knew he is the prince and you wanted to usurp the throne with him?" she asked him. Volca''s face changed, like the rain clouds that would darken the sky.


    "You," Volc couldn''t find any words.


    "Don''t you realise if you keep doing this you will eventually lose him forever without even having something to call as a friendship?" Aqua asked her.


    "What do you know?"


    "I know one thing, I know your mother Fiona is behind all your mislead," she said and Volca remained silent. "It''s not too late, righten your wrongs, he will forgive you too," Volca smiled and shook her head, she walked away. Aqua didn''t feel right about it. She worried a little wondering what plans Volca had made with her mother. Aqua''s personal guard walked towards her with an piece of paper. He handed her it and stood by her side. Aqua was shocked to read the news. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.


    Aqua quickly put on her hat and veil down her face and she went to find Milan and Aiden in the medicinal gardens. She informed then and asked them to behave like demons would, wearing their clothes and covering their face as possible.


    There was an hour left for coronation and everybody hurried to the main hall of the castle.


    Dritan was already standing there. People had begun to take the allotted seat, the ministers, extended family, and the guards. Aqua took the seat at the front row. The table has been set for her with food and wine. And it began. Huo walked towards the platform. His black nobility childe elegant hanfu with golden embroidery. More like the king''s costume. Aqua wondered why he was given such a rich costume for a moment, but then it made look even more handsome than before. Everyone hailed the king and the prince. Aqua kept looking around to see if there were any unfamiliar faces who looked close to spies. She used her power of crystals and cultivation to travel out of her body and knock people out who looked suspicious. She was feeling tired using her energy.


    "Enough Aqua, let them take care now," Milan advised her sister. And the ceremony began. Huo''er gave a quick glance towards Aqua winked at her, smiling. Then he stood looking at the audience.


    A saint began his speech and prayer. Then Dritan announced the coronation. He took the crown from his head. Everyone began to whisper to each other. Aqua looked at Milan and then back at Huo''er who looked equally surprised.


    "All hail to the new king from Today, Huo, accept it, take your oath," Dritan announced and people gathered got shocked. Aqua accidentally got up, something seemed off. Everyone in the hall turned to face towards her. She perplexed. Suddenly she bowed to him, "All hail to Huo''er, The Demon King," she said and everybody followed her her footsteps. Huo''er couldn''t help but smile but controlled his emotions, looking all serious.


    "Are you sure?" he asked his father.


    "I so am, I finally get to rest now," He told his son. Everyone glorified inside the room and began the celebrations.


    "To everyone who have entrusted me with this position, I will save this kingdom with my blood until my end," he promised as he took the throne. People rejoiced and the words spread like fire everywhere. The new king of the demon realm. Aiden stood frozen still, unable to accept the fact. Milan stood holding his hands and Aqua watched Huo''er carefully from the beginning till the end. But she forgot about Volca and missed her from the ceremony. Volca was nowhere to be found inside the hall neither Fiona.

 Chapter 33: The Letter

    "Aiden send people to find Volca and Fiona. Trick them into out trap," she ordered. She didn''t wish to leave the hall herself to not cause any distractions for Huo during his important day. Aqua had already prepared to take off any moment, apparating to the Beast Clan''s border.


    Aiden came back half an hour later. "You were right, the borders are spied by the emperor. They are finding a reason to attack,"


    "I knew it,"


    "If we do this, we will be offending the heavens, do you want to really do this?" he asked her.


    "Who said we are doing it?"


    "Then?" Aiden asked.


    "Leak the information to king and make him order Fiona and Volca put the protection charm and formation around the castle and the borders," Milan told her cousin while Aqua sat with her arms folded.


    The maids had served the meal. Aqua and Milan had their fill calmly remembering to keep their heads covered. She took her wine and toasted it to the new king while he did the same back. Dritan left the platform and walked out with few guards. A few minutes later, Volca came running into the hall with her mother on her heels. They took the order from Dritan and left the castle quietly. Aiden had his men follow them quietly until they finished their assigned work.


    The gift ceremony began, and everybody started presenting their gifts to the new king. Milan stood up and held the gift following her sister to the stage. They bowed to Huo''er and handed him what her father had given her to present him. Everyone noticed the slight difference seen in Huo''er as the lady approached him.


    ''Could it be King''s woman?'' everyone wondered.


    And at that time, a pegion entred the hall. Dritan was given a piece of letter attached at the bird''s leg. He read them and looked at Huo''er and Aqua.


    By late in the evening, the ceremony ended and everyone dispersed. Dritan walked towards his son. "Emperor Tai is holding a conference in his palace, next month, it''s a trap," he said. He then looked at Aqua. "The royal families of all the Realms are requested to attend the conference, Emperor Tai has decided to announce his son''s engagement with crown princess of Water Realm,"


    "What?" Aqua said unaware that there were still a few people left to leave the hall. Milan held on to her arms asking her to calm down.


    "Milan, did pa mention this?"


    "No," she replied to her elder sister. Aqua then looked at Huo.


    "It''s a trap set for me, he knows I will have to go there and cause trouble,''


    "Then don''t, I will find a way,"


    "Tai already had taken two things that belonged to me once, I won''t let him take away anything anymore," Dritan looked at his son. "His son is the worst man who could exist like his father,"


    "Your highness no, it''s clearly dangerous, "


    "But you cannot come there, it would become a disaster,"


    "What do you want me to do? Send you the betrothal presents?" Huo raised his voice.


    "Hey, I am telling you I can handle this,"


    "Aqua, listen to me," Huo said.


    "No you listen to me," Aqua said angrily. Dritan stood silently between the lovers spat. "I can face it, I can handle it, everybody know how not an easy going person i am, something about us must have leaked and I know exactly who had done it,"


    "You mean Volca don''t you?" Huo asked her.


    "And Fiona,"


    "How can you be so sure about this?" Huo looked at her not agreeing with her. "She loves me, would she just let me be murdered?"


    "Fine trust her, don''t trust me, believe her all you want, because she ''loves you'', but give me one reason why she shouldn''t be held suspicious. Where was she when you were being crowned? Call Aiden and ask him from where she got her, asking her to report to His Highness," she said pointing at Dritan. "Trust her all you want, but don''t come at the gathering, am begging you,"


    "Aqua you must leave immediately, before he sends people to water realm, It would go hard for King Aenon to cover his family for long, " Huo advised her holding his tongue, avoiding the topic.


    "That''s right, I am already prepared to go, you take care, don''t let the emotions reign over you, remember what shifu had taught us," Aqua said.


    "I know," he said holding her hands. "Don''t worry,"

 Chapter 34: A Fathers Heart

    King Aenon asked the guards to make sure nobody enters and leaves the realm without his permission and asked to keep the news a secret to not scare the people in his kingdom.


    He was waiting for the return of his two daughters and the grand prince. He got the news that they have left the demon realm already. He sent some of his few personal trained ninjas to protect his girls on the way though he was confident about the cultivation levels of his daughters.


    His heart was no longer at ease after he received the message from the emperor about the news of betrothal arranged for his daughter without his, a father''s consent and as well as his daughter''s. Emporer went overboard this time, abusing his power. It was not convince anyone to agree to the arrangement. Infact it was scary than to feel happy.


    Aenon was sure it is a trap set for Tai''s step son who is now rumoured to be the Demon King. He was sure how Huo''er won''t sit and watch when people target Aqua. Aenon couldn''t accept the fact that their love story has travelled across the universe and also felt too bad for the kids to have been dragged into problems elders created.


    Aenon had always had the problem with Emperor Tai, to be forcefully listening to him. Aenon never wanted his daughter to be brought up just for the greater cause of the heaven. But he was never given an option. It always broke his heart to think how he had to torture Aqua with training and classes from her very young age. He was always aware of how much loathed it. But respecting her parents, she never opened her mouth but kept struggling in her own way. He regretted everything. So did Rivera, to see her daughter bleed after training almost everyday, practicing at the age when she should be learning what other girls her age did, knitting, cooking and play chess. But Aqua did not get such opportunities. And to cover this up, as parents Aenon and Rivera had tried their to provide Aqua with everything available in the universe from clothes to jewels, to good food to every accessories available to use, best quality jade and gold as Aenon could afford with the income. But soon Aqua stopped accepting them and requested to attend a school in return that would change her life.


    Aenon couldn''t understand why the Empress was acting very cold towards her own son and agreed to everything Tai decided to do without any material instinct. He doubted if it was the position the lady liked better like the rumours said. Taking the throne and abandoning everything else that mattered once.


    When she was in a serious relationship with Dritan with the permission from her family and delivered the child, when the emperor came with the proposal she accepted it effortlessly, kicking Dritan and the child away. It shocked the world to accept the fact and felt bad for the kid.


    Aenon couldn''t find any reason behind it. He couldn''t imagine being in such a position and ditching his own blood. For a moment, Aenon sympathized Huo''er and wished he could give his daughter''s hand to him but duties always fell first to him and thus hesitated. After all how could he hand his daughter to a demon, It confused him throughly apart from the fact of liking Huo''er.


    The gates opened and searched the cart. The guards at the border walls run the security check and informed the palace guards about the arrival of the princesses and the prince.


    Aqua entered the palace along with Milan and Aiden. The got down from the horse and walked to the Sea Palace. The down the cliff sea looked calm and stable. Aqua performed a charm sensed for the storms and found none for the next whole week. She was glad and walked in with Milan and Aiden. Aenon rushed over to them soon he heard he about the arrival on the gate itself.


    "Thanks Pa, I saw the ninjas on the way," she said first thing she saw her father. Aqua seemed to have noticed and stayed on alert throughout her journey.


    "You''re welcome," he said to her patting her head.


    "Ofocurse you are the best Pa.." Milan hugged her father.


    "Listen, about the," Aenon began unable to decided how to break the news to her, but was stopped by Aiden.


    "We heard the news, the betrothal. How can Tai do this do this without our consent? Huo is flipped, he almost left to the celestial palace and Aqua had to tame him hard, It''s clearly the trap for him, but we cannot back out since the decree from the emperor himself. Aaron is worst just like his father, " Aiden got angry. "It doesn''t matter if he a dragon descent. We have the blood line history of water dragon. It doesn''t count. Even Huo''er is," he looked at Aqua also was flipped inside but not showing it out. Aiden could see through her, how it worried and concerned her though she wasn''t willing to show it.


    "Enough " Aenon ordered. "We know what to do, " he said and walked away. Under his instructions, Water Realm prepared to put with a fight any time the battle surfaces. He prayed hard and tried to avert the situation and do things differently since not a drop of blood has been shed in the Realm by the elders keeping the wars away.


    Weeks passed amidst of the preparation and one day, lots of gifts were arranged in the front of her sea palace, the betrothal gifts. Aqua got irritated every time she set her eyes on it and threw few stuffs away to show her disinterested to everyone who was watching over.


    Inbetween Aqua felt something weird in her body. Aqua stopped throwing the things and stood still to see if there was anything again. Aqua wasn''t sure about what was happening inside her, and felt weird. She let it go and took a long and relaxing bath, on her own. She attempted to come up with plans and situation, to put on, to escape from the god forsaken betrothal.

 Chapter 35: Oops

    Another invitation was sent out by the emperor and empress requesting everyone to arrive at the great palace three days before the date. It was so compelling.


    Aqua hurried Milan to help her pack stuff, since she was constantly feeling dizzy. "Aaron must not be that bad as people say right sister,"


    "Shut up and call the maids for me," Aqua said to her sister, fanning. "Why is it so hot in here? Open the curtains"


    "It''s not Aqua, it''s a chilly day outside, are you okay," Milan told her.


    "I don''t know, I don''t feel good, it''s been several days," The maids walked into the room packed the bags for the sisters.


    Aqua asked for something cold to drink and laid down in her bed. After sometime, the maid woke her up and in shock withdrew her hands from Aqua. Kneeling down, the maid began to apologise.


    "What happened?" Milan asked seeing the scene.


    "I don''t know. What''s wrong?" Aqua asked the maid herself, standing on her feet, holding on to the poster of her bed for support.


    "The lowly self touched the celestial dragon, please forgive me your highness, I didn''t mean to to hurt you,"


    "The what?" Milan and Aqua asked together. The maid looked up in wonder.


    "The princess is carrying a celestial dragon inside her," the maid said.


    "Carrying what?" Aqua asked again. "How can I carry something huge?" she asked recklessly. She couldn''t think further.


    "No, we are the descendants of the spiritual dragon, shenlong, don''t you know that, we control the air, rain and water, dont you know as a maid what realm you work for?" Milan asked the maid.


    "No, it''s not that, crown princess is carrying a child, she is pregnant, her body is hot because of the tianlong growing in her, there is a presence of a celestial dragon in her" the maid said the truth out. And that was so unexpected.


    "Pregnant," Aqua said and sat down on her bed. Milan stood there shocked, like a lightening struck her. Both going pale and mouths open. Looking at each other unbelievably.


    "How could it be?" Milan looked at her sister. "How could it be? You, have you been doing things with Huo''er? When did this happen? she questioned her sister. " How can this happen, how could you sleep with him with a situation like this? We are in trouble do you know that?"


    Aqua reached for Milan''s hands, looking pale. She was sweating all over.


    "I feel dizzy and something inside me because am pregnant, " she realised finally and yet couldn''t accept it. "It does makes sense," she looked down at the maid.


    "Never ever open your mouth and disclose to anybody, you hear me?" Aqua ordered the maid. Except the three of us, no one in the universe must know about it. "You will be my personal maid today onwards and won''t step out of my chamber without my permission, also accompany us in the journey tomorrow, prepare for everything I will need, I don''t know a thing about being pregnant, don''t let my mother near me," she instructed the maid and her sister together.


    Auqa grew tensed inside unable to come up with anything. She touched her belly with her hands, thinking of Huo''er, surely she cannot let him know about this with a risk he is holding onto. she didn''t want him to put through extra matter that would sink him. And she was worried about how to overcome the situation, walking into the lion''s den with in few hours and not get caught.


    Aqua recalled the time she spent with Huo''er in the tree hut by the river the night she rescued him from the demon king. The steamy night he and her got together and let him unite with her. "It must be from our first time together, " she told herself.


    Aqua blushed at the very thought as she recalled how he kissed her and ran his fingers and tried to change her thoughts. "But is he not a descendant of Dilong, and half demon how come the fetus is a celestial dragon''s blood," she wondered. "and I have an air sign," it looked so mysterious.

 Chapter 36: Trap for Aaron

    The welcoming went great at the celestial palace, as expected, with grant banquet and large number of guests, served by the maids. The Emporer and The Empress held the feast extraordinarily well, with sumptuous and delicious dishes on the tables.


    Numerous Kings, Queens, their families, leaders, lordships, Eunuchs, and their personal guards all assembled in the great banquet hall and had their dinner. It went in such a merry but except for the guests from the Water Realm.


    The palace was busy, the maids and servants working overtime. Aenon kept close to his family until he was asked to leave the guest''s palace alloted for the his realm to rest. Little did Aenon know that it was Aaron''s doing to meet with her secretly. Aqua who sat relieved of how she didn''t see Huo''er around her was interrupted by her maid. She got up from the bed as she heard her.


    "Crown Prince Aaron is here," the maid helped Aqua up and dressed her quickly putting on the gown on top of her nightgown. She remembered to hide her stomach well, being cautious.


    "Sorry to disturb you Aqua, I just wanted to see if you were staying okay in this small palace, I was asking father if we could change your accommodation, "


    "Am fine Aaron thank you for the concern, the palace is good," she addressed him informally. He was surprised to see how she didn''t use any honorifics. This was not what he thought of Aqua at all before he set his eyes on her. She did look prettier than he imagined and measured her within seconds from her head to toe, scanning her with his eyes.


    "Do you need anything. If you need, please do feel free to tell me," he said. He kept looking at her, all over her. His eyes sparkling as he watched her. Aqua felt uncomfortable for a moment. She maintained a distance between afraid to let him know about her body condition.


    "I can''t believe our fathers arranged a marriage for us, though my harem isn''t empty, do you want me to do something about?" he pretended to ask her while he was boasting about his way with women. Aqua wanted laugh at his face but she kept quiet, keeping away from the troubles, maintaining her composed nature.


    "I can''t believe you father, the emperor decided to hold this betrothal without asking me too, honestly, you are right, I was too shocked when I found out about my engagement with you without my consent, really! I had plans for a day like this, but I guess nothing as i dreamt is possible now," she said telling him directly how she and her family has nothing to do with this. She did not hesitate to hold her tongue back at all.


    "I thought King Aenon put this forward," he said taking few steps forward looking around the chamber.


    "He did not, he believes strongly that am not a match to you, I lie way down the ladder, my parents are afraid that I may not make you look fabulous when you take the throne, you should be knowing that water realm do not have much riches right? and besides I have a sister too, I should support her in future and her family,"


    "That doesn''t matter, what matters is," but she stopped Aaron from talking to her.


    "I couldn''t hold myself the moment I heard about it, I was worried sick. I couldn''t think of being the main wife, I have never had any sexual experiences, I was afraid of it, doubting myself if I could ever satisfy and what if you end up with lots of mistresses. I was worried about every duty a wife should do for her husband, am not that open minded I wouldn''t hesitate to kill you of you lay hands on other, you know what I mean? So how can we marry quickly without knowing anything about each other?"


    Aaron laughed hearing her while Aqua thoroughly put on a show, acting like a weak jealous woman, trying to ward him off.


    "All of your worries, you can put that aside, I can show what you what you are capable of right now if you don''t mind spending tonight with me," Aaron said the gibberish words all of a sudden, walking close to her taking her chin and running his finger over her cheeks. The maids entered the room at the right time and left the moment they heard him say the words, inviting her to sleep with him, even before they were official. Aqua took several steps back.


    "Aaron, language," she said, pretending. She saw the maids whispering and leaving the chamber. She acted upset and shy to have gotten a wrong invitation. She wondered how Huo would have reacted to such rubbish and she was sure she would have witnessed Aaron''s head lying on the floor separated from his neck. Aqua wished to laugh at her thought but stayed in her character, acting.


    "I didn''t mean that way exactly, you know I didn''t, were we not having honest conversations here?" he panicked. "Come on love, don''t be afraid of it, I just wanted to put you at ease and not keep a distance with me," Aaron tired to handle Aqua who looked perplexed.


    Aaron was locked. Aqua was happy that he fell into the the trap. The rumours spread instantly like a wild fire of how shamelessly and without respect for the princess of the water realm did Aaron asked ridiculous things even before the betrothal took place. Since Aaron didn''t notice the maids who entered the chamber, he could not accuse anybody nir punish them without proof.


    Everyone talked bad about him for the next two days. And how ill mannered he was to speak to a noble lady like that even with his harem full of women to please him every hour of the day. The Emporer scolded him nicely as he heard it. It was an insult sent to the Water Realm and King Aenon took this chance to show how disinterested he is towards this arrangement. While the the other kings also respected him.

 Chapter 37: Huoers Entry

    Falling madly in love with someone and then getting separated is one of the most hurtful feelings one could get, that is enough to drain whole of your energy. But imagine having to see the person you love going through trails in front of you and you cannot help but only watch it, enduring all the pains and rage. By gritting your teeth and clen your fist.


    It was no different to Huo. To watch Aqua walking into the bear''s cave and sitting there as a sacrifice. Aqua is strong, but she cannot beat Emporer Tai for now. That is what Huo thought. Emperor Tai arranged the engagement for Aqua without her consent to his good for nothing only son, the heir to celestial throne, the playboy Aaron. But Aqua had begged Huo to remain quiet for his own safety. She was not aware how crazy Huo''er''s heart was going through.


    Huo was informed about what was happening in celestial palace continuously by the spies the Demon Clan had inside the Heavenly Palace. He was informed about how Aaron misbehaved towards the Water Princess and offended her. Huo was sure of how Aqua would have played the trick of dirtying the image of Aaron and drag him in it, having fun mocking the Emperor and his family. Little did Huo know about her actual condition.


    First thing Huo''er did was laugh when he was reported about it. He knew she would survive it. Huo did not like it, but atleast he was it ease, trying his level best at controlling himself, from going to the palace and making a disaster, looking at the invitation. He took their deep breath and repeated what Aqua told him like hymns, stopping himself from leaving the castle.


    It still bothered him, thinking about the betrothal going to be held anyway, and he was not confident that Water Realm would be able to stop it. Hence he wanted to stop it from happening at any cost. He couldn''t bare to think how Aqua will have to go through a ceremony forcefully though she will find an escape route. Huo then kept himself busy with work along with his father in the main hall and took the chance to learn about administration.


    By evening, the news arrived again from the spies, it was pretty bad. Spies informed that the Emperor has started final rounds decoration and cooking in the celestial palace''s kitchen for the ceremony and feast afterwards personally choosing the dishes himself to be served, but he heard no news about anymore of Aqua''s tricks or moves. Huo was told how confident Tai looked and it was sure that he is upto something.


    Huo was told how nobody is allowed to go near Aqua''s accommodation or see her without Aaron''s pass. The blood boiled in Huo''er''s veins as he heard them. He gritted his teeth and stood up. Dritan saw young self of him in his son. But at that time, Dritan was helpless and only a prince who fathered a child of an affair with the then cloud princess, powerless and grounded by his father from leaving the castle, for committing the sin of falling for a heavenly princess. Dritan couldn''t do anything beyond his father''s control. Dritan had regretted it forever in his life and he did not want that to happen to his son. He did not want the history to repeat were they acted as cowards without taking the responsibility.


    "Somethings seems off the sync, she is restricted, why would she be? Emperor Tai that bastard must be working on his plan," Huo said, punching on the arms of his chair.


    "Huo''er why don''t we visit the palace ourselves in disguise. Wash the black dye off your hair and you will be able to enter the palace easily, without getting noticed" Dritan suggested to his son though he was well aware what a suicide mission it was.


    Huo''er prepared and put on his new shining armour his father gifted him. Huo then ordered the army to be on standby and wait for his signals and approval at the borders. He sent the troops first to the border and in camouflage to not be noticed, avoiding the chances of raising a rebellion. "Let''s bring the queen back home," everyone shouted as they took the orders since the story of Huo and the water princess got very famous around the town and most pitied love story in the demon realm spread by the storytellers


    Huo and his father prepared to leave. Making sure they had everything necessary for any situation faced from the weapons to formations. They reached the celestial palace instantly apparating draining the energy to half and tried to find a gate to get that''s less guarded. Dritan used his special skill of invisibility formation and got in effortlessly.


    They went straight to find the accommodation of Water King and his family. But they did not find the king nor the queen inside the palace. He reached the alloted accommodation of the sky realm and happened to hear things he shouldn''t have. Confinement and wrongly accused. He asked his father to wait at the border where usually Aqua and he always meet close to the woods, and forced him to leave the palace. And Huo''er walked straight into Aqua''s room which was heavily guarded. He unsealed his sword once again that evening and held them in his hands after a really long time after training in school. He kicked the gates open.


    "Step aside or die," Huo screamed as he stepped inside and slashed the guards who attacked him. The guards covered him like the swarms of bees. It officially began there, the battle. Whatever has been arranged by the Emperor, he had no idea but he was sure about rescuing his girl before it was too late and fall into the traps. More guards marched in, trying to use the opportunity but he slashed them all. There were pools of blood formed instantly around the hall. He did not stop fighting.

 Chapter 38: Kings Beloved

    When life has absolutely nothing to offer you but only danger whatever steps you take, do not hesitate and take one huge step you wish to and just massac the danger before does you, for survival of fittest is the only thing that matter in the universe, an ultimate that god will always put you through. Trust your instincts and live them all.


    Aqua sat on the chair in front of her dressing table while a sword was kept of her throat. Aqua remained calm and silent. Since she could not afford to make a mistake. It was morning and the ceremony was to be held in three hours. The layers of protection given to her by threatening her has crossed the limits.


    "Wear the clothes, put on make up, look pretty and walk out following the guards, " the general ordered her. Aqua''s personal maid Yuri came running in to the chamber, promising the guards that she will doll up her highness and bring her out in a presentable condition.


    The general left the room locking the doors behind. Aqua was tired and tensed about the situation. But she came up with an escape plan, though it kept worrying her about what would have happened to her family. She sent Yuri forcefully back to collect information about their whereabouts. She then worried about Huo, wondering if there would be anyone who would trick him to visit the celestial palace at this condition.


    But Yuri returned back quickly unable to get out of the guest palace unnoticed. She whispered whatever she heard to Aqua as she undressed her princess and helped her put on the bright heavily embroidered golden and white gown with artificial crystals embellished on the borders. Yuri did her hair and put the crown sent to be kept on her head.


    Yuri then broke the news to her. "King Aenon and Queen are arrested after falsely accused of betraying the emperor last night. Milan is kept at the main palace under surveillance along with Aiden to isolate you," Aqua got the news just as she was expecting it. Falsely accused and imprisoned for punishment. Her heart froze as she heard them one by one.


    "Lord Ash from the Wind Realm was accused, Sky lord was too for opposing the betrothal against King Aenon''s disinterest. In short, nobody important to us will be attendance the ceremony, nobody is allowed to enter the hall except the celestial royal members,"


    "Don''t worry," Aqua said. "Let me go find and Aiden and Milan, we will rescue Mother and Father and leave the palace at once, stay alert and wait for us , you hear me ?" Aqua told Yuri about her plan. "You leave now and wait nearby the border of sky realm. We will take the route to our palace from there,"


    The door opened without knocking and they heard emperor Tai talking to her. "For the crimes conducted by parents, kids do not need to suffer from their punishments. You and second princess Milan will pardoned by agreeing to serve Crown Prince Aaron forever, What do you say, Crown Princess Aqua, the descendant of Shenlong?" Aqua did not respond. "How come only the Grand Prince Aiden is of Dilong descent?" he asked curiously


    Aqua''s temperature rose and felt her crystals reacting to her range of emotions. She took a deep breath and stood pretending to have not heard of a thing Tai said.


    "Arrogant bitch, let''s see how much you will suffer for sharing your bed with that demon dog, consider yourself lucky to have been offered a marriage to the Celestial Prince, only because he liked what''s beneath the head of your," he cursed her and walked out of the room. "Get ready and walk over to the hall quickly," he ordered and left. Few minutes later, general walked back in and stood in front of her watching her. Aqua started to lose her patience.


    "Not so noble as I thought you would be," General who is actually the youngest uncle of Aaron mocked and put his swords down, loosening his pants "I hope the prince won''t mind since he has many women in his harem, you will be another used doll in his collection, " Aqua felt anger taking over her body, boiling and feeling horrible inside, and let her crystals take over her body. She used her cultivation and bursted his penis into pieces for insulting her. The general laid on the floor, twisting and twirling in pain. She then dropped a dagger straight at this heart and watched it plunging in as he bled.


    That very moment Aqua saw the door splitting and someone getting in, with blood sprayed on him and his sword drenched in blood, dripping on the floor.


    He ran towards her and hugged her. "Am sorry am late," Aqua had tears in her eyes which she controlled so hard not to shed. He looked at Yuri after watching how the general''s pants were down and Yuri nodded her head in response.


    Without mercy, He stabbed the general several times to have behaved the way he did and killed him. The accommodation was surrounded by the bodies of the guards. As more guards entered the room, Aqua and Huo fought and killed most of them. He never expected Aqua to have such brilliant mixed martial art hidden in her. Her tactics and moves were simpler and effective than his was. He followed her and killed every single threat in the room.


    Huo''er took Aqua and her maid Yuri and apparated out. He took then to their usual spot and stood near the river. The only border that''s not guarded inside the woods, Dritan was waiting for them there. Yuri got scared and hid behind Aqua.


    "Things have become unavoidable, you should know," Huo told Aqua and she nodded to what he said. He felt weird as she touched her, feeling the extremely hot body under his hands. He looked at her for a moment and found how her lips looked pale. He wondered for a second if she had fallen sick and then let it go as they were running out of time.


    "I know," she said nothing else.


    "We will be chased no matter where we hide, until then, let''s stay in our castle," Huo advised and took then back home.


    "I have to rescue my parents," she said dropping his hands.


    "We will find the way, don''t worry now," he consoled her.


    "King Aenon is not an easy man, you don''t have to worry, and Rivera is the smartest goddess of her times, than the Empress itself, us worrying about them is pointless, " Dritan reminded everyone.

 Chapter 39: After years, a reunion!

    Huo''er sent people secretly to rescue the Water king and his family from the prison to bring then back to demon realm. He did not wish to sit and watch as Aqua suffered seeing her family struggle. Huo took Aqua to his chamber and asked her to rest up. She looked really tired for no reason. He did not want to ask her since she had too much going on in her head.


    "Wait here until they come back," he said to her.


    "Do they even know the way to the Celestial Prison? It is not easy to penetrate unless you are used to the way," she told him.


    "They will not fail us, you can trust me on that," he tried to console her. But she was not convinced. He ordered the maids to serve Aqua with fresh clothes and food.


    He sat next to her as the maids left the room and took her hand in his. "Don''t worry, we will live through this," he promised her.


    "We will," she smiled looking away. "We have to," she said again slowly raising her hands to cradle her womb which Huo''er did not notice at all. She wondered if she should tell him about the unplanned, unexpected pregnancy that had happened to them. But she did not wish to ruin in his focus on the war that was about to come any hour.


    "King Aenon will be fine and back with his family just wait few more hours, please don''t worry," He kept assuring her.


    Huo moved closer to her and planted a kiss on her forehead. He sensed a sort of tension between but let it go. He got up and silently left the room as she laid down in his dragon bed. She was surprised to see the dragon bed in the Demon Clan''s castle. ''Why is he given the dragon bed,'' she thought and got up suddenly something striking her mind.


    Aqua wondered about what happened to her assistant. She didn''t know that Yuri was given a bed space in the maid''s out house in the demon castle for her to rest.


    Dritan prepared thr army for the battle. He was sure emperor won''t sit quiet anymore.


    He recalled seeing someone in the celestial palace for a moment before he left.


    "Dritan," he heard a female voice calling him.


    "You highness, " Drtian said as he saw her. The Empress standing in front of him, radiating in the sun light. He felt his heart stooping low as he saw her. The Empress walked towards the demon king smiling.


    "How are you?" she asked him.


    "You know it better than anybody else,"


    "Okay," she said unable to say anything else.


    "Why?" Dritan asked her, gathering up his courage, one question he had wanted to ask for years


    .


    "Would you believe if I say so?" she asked him, tears whelmed in her eyes.


    "Tell me why?"


    "When one surrender, two lives could be spared, tell me wouldn''t you fall for such a promise," Dritan fumed with anger as he heard it. "I fell for it, I thought he would spare my son and let you go. Then he forced me to give birth to Aaron. Little did I know that he would murder my little boy and give you such a hard time,"


    "He is not dead," Dritan informed her.


    "Is it true then? I did always see his constellation, but is it true,?" she asked him curiously.


    Dritan took her hands and dragged her to show her what their son has become into. The Empress saw with her own eyes, Huo fighting with guards, trying to save his woman. She burst into tears. "It reminds me of how you were in the old days," she said holding on tight to his hands.


    "You see him, he looks just like you, see," Dritan said proudly.


    "No but he has got your heart, that''s what''s important, demons are always stated bad, but nobody know how different you are and how upright our son is,"


    "Let me take you away, atleast now," he said looking into her eyes. She didn''t say anything.


    "Give me some time," she asked him.


    "How long more do you want, is it not enough that you have been caged here for so long, when was the last time you used your powers, you are dragon, have you forgotten that? Dritan got angry again.


    "Patience, if I leave now everyone would know," she said. "Wait till the ceremony, "


    "There''s no ceremony, he maybe our son but not a percent like us, he wouldn''t let Aqua marry you son, she belongs to him, help me find a way to send her family to demon realm, come along with then," he ordered the empress who stood shocked to hear her eldest son''s relationship with the water princess. Little did she know she is going to be a grand mother.


    Dritan dispersed his thoughts coming back to reality. He walked back to the prison and asked the guards to tighten the security and asked them to soon find Fiona and her daughter as he felt suspicious after listening to Aqua.


    Few hours later, Huo was told that Aqua is found missing from his chamber. Huo got alerted. He should have known that she would go back to the Celestial Palace to rescue the family herself. He got worked up and sat a few minutes thinking and trying to make a plan.


    Huo did not want to worry his father, arranged for few of his personal guards and decided to go back to heaven. The journey that he shouldn''t make but have to since she has walked back to the cave again. "You better stay alive and don''t make me live in vain," he uttered as he walked out of the castle and apparated along with the guards.


    He remembered to keep his sword unsealed and controlled its powers as he reached the heaven once again. The gates around the palace were heavily guarded.

 Chapter 40: Aarons short lived love

    The Celestial Palace was extremely calm for the things that has happened in the past few hours. It must be a trap, Aqua was sure of it. She charged her crystals to use them anytime and walked in confidently. Her white ceremony gown with a crown in her head. It was heavy. The wind touched her silky black hair, letting it fly. She felt the energy rising in her body, flowing through her veins.


    Aaron was waiting for her in the entrance of the celestial prison. There was a mischief in his eyes. It looked like he was having fun rather than worrying about the security issues.


    "You sure do know the way around here don''t you?" he said, smiling, walking towards her. His braided hair on either side of his hair and brown hair lying, his eyes were sparkling as he set his on her. Although he had a handsome face, he had a heart too dark and full of nonsense. It made Aqua wonder what kind of mess would heaven be in under his reign. ''Huo''er''s half brother, but exactly the opposite of him in every way. It must be the difference in the fathers probably,'' Aqua thought taking steps forward without hesitations.


    "You should know it, us wearing these ceremony robes and behaving like we are enemies, do we need it? follow me to our chamber, we can end this war falling over our heads, by fulfilling the desires What say?" Aaron took her hands.


    "Why don''t you release my parents, and we will talk about it ?" she put the deal forward looking into his eyes. Okay that is the only thing that resembled his brother. Those same pairs of eyes.


    "Then who should take responsibility for my half brother''s doings, we surely can''t let a Demon trample our place can we?" he asked her. It made Aqua clear that the so called righteous rulers of the heaven are worst than wild beasts in the woods attacking people without reasons.


    "So be it," she said and drew out her sword. The storm was brought around by her sword, true shenlong. Aqua put all of her mixed martial arts strength out and fought with Aaron who was shocked to see her level of cultivation, higher than his own. He was embarrassed for a moment to be titled as the celestial prince with such lower martial skill, and the heir to throne. He smirked and declared to her. He made up his mind and yet very daring.


    "You can only be fine my princess," he shouted, panting hard, as she kept attacking him and cut his sleeves. "I am falling for you, I just won''t let anybody else have you," he kept going. "You''re mine," he found himself falling in love in the most strangest time as he said to her. He laughed and stopped fighting. She watched him, feeling stupid. She was dealing with a simplest empty headed prince. Then she put the sword on his neck and he knelt down, keeping his sword away and looked at her. She was burning with rage. Her eyes had the fury he has never felt before.


    The sky above her hard, dark with thunder. He reached for her. He felt the heat on her skin and withdrew his hands, it didn''t dawn to him though. Thinking that it must the unique power power on her body acting up, he let it go.


    She leaned down and took the bunch of keys to the prison from his belt and he took that chance to kiss her. She kicked him right on his chest and he fell on his back, laughing hard. He did expect that. But he just let her go, not wishing to fight long and went in search of his Emperor father who was resting in his chamber. Emperor had ordered for Empress to accompany him to the prison.


    Aaron walked into the chamber and remained silent. He took the orders to lead the troops to fight the Demons and left eyeing his mother. Empress took the signal and went straight to the prison.


    But the scenes she witnessed were appalling. She saw the water princess fighting the number of guards at the same time and in few minutes she was accompanied by someone even more unexpected. Empress gasped and stood at the entrance without taking a step forward. She used her powers to unlock the cell.


    King Aenon walked out with Rivera. Milan and Aiden stopped fighting and rushed over to them while Aqua, Huo and his guards fought the palace guards. Empress was running out of time. Before the Emperor Tai reached the prison she aske the others to leave quickly as possible and helped them kill the guards. Aenon nodded his head at the Empress thanking her and apparated out with his family to the Border.


    Aqua collapsed the moment they reached the place. Milan supported her and fed her with the energy pill and gave her some water from the river.


    "Let''s leave soon, though nobody knows about this place, My castle is safer than the Water Realm, please come with me your highness, " the Demon King requested Aenon and his family. Aenon nodded and looked around the place.


    "I can''t believe there was such a place I left out without security," he said.


    "This is Aqua''s hideout," Aiden informed his uncle.


    "Wait, is this the place you took my daughter and," Aenon stopped in the middle.


    "Pa stop," Aqua got on her feet and stopped her father from talking. Huo''er turned red with embarrassment. Huo''er turned and guided the way.


    But Aenon refused. "There is something I have to do, i can''t let the Water Kingdom sink can i ? i should go there,"


    "Pa you''re right, we should," Aqua said and walked towards her father.


    "No, you''re the most wanted along with Huo''er now, stay with him, don''t come to our palace now,'' Aenon advised her.


    "What are you talking about Aqua? What''s wrong? Look at yourself, you look weak, using the powers," Huo said. "Come with me, I will take care of her your highness," he assured Aenon and left with Aqua quickly.


    He took her to his castle immediately.


    Dritan had no clue of whatever was happening reminiscing about his past and regret things that had happened. A clock he can never turn back the time to. He waited for the guards to being back the people from water realm. But instead he saw Huo and Aqua coming and along at the entrance. He hurried towards them.

 Chapter 41: Family

    Huo put Aqua in his bed first thing he reached the castle. He wasn''t sure why she looked tired and pale with her body burning like fire.


    "What happened to you?" he asked her. "Are the crystals acting up?"


    "Probably because I have been over working," she lied. She didn''t want him to tell the news yet and worry him amidst of the troubles around them. She wanted to surprise him when he was feeling good and when they were safe.


    "Are you sure?" he asked her.


    "Yes, you don''t worry," she said hugging him. Huo helped her change her ceremony robes and put on fresh clothes he arranged for her.


    Aqua tied up her hair and the rested well as Huo laid down next to her for sometime. He laid there watching her, moving the hair away from her face. He wiped the sweat on her forehead with his sleeves. He gave a peck on her lips. She just laid there, resting her head on his arms, smiling, looking at him, she couldn''t just take her eyes off him. She was so in love that her heart pounded loud and felt the butterflies consuming her all over her body. She wanted to freeze the time.


    "Thank you, even though we have stirred problems, " she said. "I feel good right now," he kissed her forehead as she said it, and she put her arms around him, moving closer, resting her head on his chest. He wished the moment lasted long for them, lying in each others arms, safe and sound, to feel at ease. "I hope pa, Milan, Aiden and ma are safe," he could sense the tension in her voice


    "They will be here any moment," he assured her. And within couple of hours later he heard a knock on the door. "Come in," he commanded. He sat straight in the bed waiting for the guard to enter the room. Aqua was asleep.


    "Your highness, Everybody is here, they have come back and resting right now, please go to the banquet hall, there is news from them," he said and took his leave.


    Aqua got out of her bed and followed Huo the moment she heard them though Huo''er tired to stop her. She ran and hugged her mother and father the moment she saw them. Yuri walked over and bowed to everyone. Milan asked her through actions if Huo''er had known about his child and Yuri shook her head.


    Aqua spend some time with her family telling then what happened in the chamber when Emperor Tai visited and General acted up and how Huo showed then. Then she explained them about her duel with Aaron and what he did. Her mother started crying and expressed how she regret bringing up her daughter for a lost cause for a man like Tai. She felt too bad for Huo and finally accepted Aqua''s relationship with him. Huo in the meanwhile got angry for Aaron''s action and stood there controlling himself.


    "No matter what, stand with him," she advised her daughter. Aiden helped her settle down in bed and asked Aqua to take rest. He offered her help but she rejected him and walked out of the room. Her father was busy in discussion with Dritan.


    Aqua settled in bed next to her sister and asked if she was okay. "Dritan is a great king, he being the Emporer would have been perfect if was not in hell, but what to do, he has demon blood in his veins. And our father, he deserves that position, a man who know what is right and what is wrong, he knows what is loyalty and when he should drop it," Milan talked proudly about her father.


    "What a man, he also taught each and every guard, maid and servant in our realm to read and write, Yuri knew about things in one touch that even we didn''t and failed to understand, " Aqua sighed and laughed.


    "You''re right, I felt embarrassed in front of her, really," Milan confessed. "I was surprised and feeling frustrated at the same time, a princess and I didn''t know, a crown princess, soon to be demon queen, and you are carrying it and you didn''t know," she mocked her sister. "What a shame!"


    "Shut up and sleep, we don''t know the next time we would get to sleep peacefully. " Aqua told her sister and shut her eyes to fall asleep. Milan put out the candles and kept the swords close to her as she decided to sleep. But they were not at peace. They were not telling each other their worries, but they pretended to be fine and out each other at ease. Milan grew more tensed thinking about Aqua''s unplanned pregnancy and how it is going to backfire when the world knows about it.


    The dangers and Hope''s mixed up together. None in the palace at that night knew what to do, except to prepare for the battle. King Aenon had brought all his army in disguise to hell and put the water realm in protection charms. He didn''t want the battle to step into the water realm since no kings have ever let any bloodshed inside the kingdom. He also wanted to make sure of it and moved away, trying to protect his citizens.


    Life was going the opposite direction of what the gods wanted. He wanted a peaceful atmosphere during his time but with so much wrong doings and forced to choose sides, caught up between principles and loyalty, Aenon had chosen his principles, follow them and remain as the righteous man until the end than falsely accuse anyone and present his fake loyalty to the celestial throne who didn''t deserve it in the first place.


    The grand prince Aiden was no different. But his only top priority was Aqua. Something kept bothering him, seeing her looking exhausted. He was trying to calculate everything at his own will though he lacked the same kno Aqua and Milan did that Yuri had.

 Chapter 42: Ambiguous Heart

    Life always serves you with several colourful plates of food to choose. Some maybe mouthwatering and healthy, while other may taste bad. And it is upto to us to experience it and choose what is good for us and our health.


    The moment you feel whatever you do is wrong, as soon as you back out and stop committing the sins, you could be pardoned. But going on with it, even if hurts you, doing just to get the benefits, with a product objective motive, you will be punished, severely.


    Volca was in the same trap. A eagle in love with the Dragon, who is in love with her best friend. But to eagle, her own heart matters the most, emotional and obstinate enough to go against the whole universe.


    Volca was well aware of the situation, leading to the battle, how wrong she is being with Huo in the name of love, her only friend because of her jealousy, her clan by breaking their peaceful days, joining hands with her mother who should be serving good in her post rather than ditching just to get power and develop connections.


    Volca was shocked when she realised her mother has notified about Huo''er and his plan to rescue the whole of water realm. She wanted to escape from the suffocation. But luckily he succeeded in doing it. She was relieved but she had only a dream, a rotten dream she itself was aware of, getting Huo''er all for herself and use him to live royally without troubles and money issues.


    She felt so cheap of herself but yet she had to realise to live independently from her mother. She was aware of her wrong doing yet she did it all without hesitation. She understood what it is like to be truly a demon. Full of wickedness and sick thoughts.


    Volca understood what Auqa meant when she said heaven and hell exist for a reason. But she couldn''t understand how Dritan and Huo was so different from the other Demons. ''Could it be that they are not true demons who don''t deceive people,'' she wondered. But Huo turned into a typical man only because he was brought up by her shifu. She was shifu would kill her for what she had done.


    Fiona was woken up by her maid in the middle of the night. But before she could tell her lady about the issue, she heard loud footsteps outside her chamber. It was not a good sign.


    Fiona was arrested by the royal guards and dragged away. It was unexpected for her. She didn''t know what made Huo arrest her and what action she did blew her cover. Volca couldn''t run away and was caught along with her mother.


    "What''s going on?" Volca asked her mother.


    "Cooperate with and keep silent, this could be a test," Fiona asked her daughter to shut her mouth and follow the guards not falling into their traps.


    They were locked up in a cell just to be observed. They were provided with ample food and wine. Neat clothes and fans. But they didn''t know that and Fiona decided to take a dangerous step further. She acted smart on her own and dug the grave for everyone around her.


    Dritan was busy taking measures while Aenon helped him with formations for the battle they might have to fight. But Dritan stopped Aenon from doing anything further and decided to send him back home asking him to not offend the heaven. That was the last thing Dritan wanted to put his friend through, a treason. Even though they have been good friends for years, they always had to take sides coming form different worlds.


    "After all heaven and hell exist for a reason don''t they?" Dritan reminded Aenon. The words Aenon once taught his daughter. He smiled at his own words coming back to him centuries later. "And we should do our duties, this clan, I will protect them, you should go back and do your duty to gods, how long do you plan to stay here, even though you brought the army in disguise? "


    "I can''t hold a war, I won''t break the Realm''s rules," Aenon said. "I have my principle to follow,"


    "And I have mine, trust me my friend, war won''t reach the Water Kingdom, i can assure you that," Dritan promised King Aenon.


    Aenon appreciated and thanked Dritan for everything and decided to leave the realm secretly with his family.


    Fiona sent her personally hired prison guards to the heaven and reported the situation to penetrate into the clan. She leaked all the security formations they used and sat inside the prison peacefully meditating asking her daughter to sing a song for her. Volca felt disgusted and still followed all the orders.


    "You''re the true demon I have ever seen, demonic like people say, heartless, vengeful and filled to top with hatred in your body. And god knows why?" Volca told her.


    "Because Dritan was engaged to me when he had a child with the Empress. And called the engagement off,"


    "Ma," Volca was shocked.


    "Now you are going to pursue the son of his, I would support you, if I didn''t bring back Huo''er how can we get any close to the throne," her mother said.


    "But pa,"


    "Your pa was no one but my personal guard at that time, we made a mistake one night, all because of one mistake, i had to have you and not just that, because were born, Dritan said its inappropriate to split the family carrying on with marriage when his father suggested to finish the wedding," Volca saw her mother clenching her fist as she spoke. She didn''t realise that it was all lies. Outright lies.


    "So this posts, the power everything was given to us, to you because he pitied you," Fiona smiled and looked at her.


    "What else could you think? Because I was good at the battlefield, have higher cultivation level, No," Volca for a moment lost a bit of respect she had for her mother. She couldn''t believe the mercy shown towards her were returned back as a backstab to Dritan. Volca teared up and looked away.

 Chapter 43: The truth about him

    Getting the information passed by Fiona, Aaron got excited and led his troops to hell. The sand storm was hard to overcome and March forward. He was surprised to see how the Demon army has already been guarding their land.


    The sun was above their head, scorching hot. Aaron asked the troop to set up the camp near a water resource and decided to wait till the Demon King Huo, his half brother would step out and plead to him, a day dream he wanted to realise. But a days passed there was no sign of any Demon authorities. Aaron lost it and ordered his army to attack.


    The army entered the Hell, penetrating and attacking all the strategies and security formations very easily as the information got from the inside.


    Dritan looked at his son and told him how Aqua has been right about it.


    "We don''t need them, she back stabbed you taking all your mercy on her, execute the mother and daughter, " Dritan nodded and patted his son''s shoulder. "Quickly get away, I will handle this," he told his son who refused instantly. "We cannot both step into dangers, everybody needs you okay, remember that, go protect Aqua, that''s the new future, the reason Emperor trying to kill you is because he is afraid he could be replaced. It must be just you, there just be something he knows more about,"


    "What are you talking about?" Huo had no idea what his father was saying.


    "Emperor is not afraid of only you, your cultivation or the soul ripper sword. He is afraid of your future, he is afraid of possibibility of the genes you will give birth to, a dragon uniting with the spiritual dragon blood will give birth to the most powerful child, who will rule the universe, there has never been a case like that, the myth says, nobody knows if it is true,"


    "Why are you so sure that I''m a dragon?" Huo wanted to know. And Dritan finally let out the truth about his and Huo''er''s real identity.


    "You''re a dragon, both your mother and I, are from heaven, I was my father''s foster child. My father adopted me when he found me lost near the border after the death of his sons in the great battle. Tai is not the real Phoenix, he usurped the throne from my Phoenix descendants and killed all of us, but I escaped. Hence you are not a demon by blood, but nobody knows except the Empress, your mother. Your mother is a dragon. So are you, the reason we don''t get affected even after practicing the demonic cultivation is only because the nature our hearts can''t be tamed easily," he revealed everything to his son. Even her son Aaron has not possessed half the powers she has, Emperor is using your mother for her powers threatening her in the name of us, it''s not because she don''t love us," Huo''er felt hurt and upset when he heard this. He hated how both the important women in his life are used has containers of power.


    "Why didn''t you tell me this before? At this final moments, Pa," for the first time Huo addressed Dritan as his father. Dritan''s eyes filled with tears, patted his son''s shoulder and walked away. "Leave, leave now"


    Listening to his father, Huo set out to escape from the Demon Clan. But he did not follow Aqua to Water Realm, instead went to the Celestial palace to rescue his mother. He at any cost wanted to protect his family, to live as a family, his dream, to make them come true. He apparated and entered the palace quickly.


    He willingly walked into the danger himself. He managed to defeat the palace guards again and entered the Empress'' chamber. He saw his mother sitting on her chairs, looking traumatised. Soon as he walked towards her, she was shocked to see who standing before her, dripping in blood, holding the soul ripper in his right hand. She ran towards him and hugged him. "Huo''er, " she called him.


    "Forgive me," she said as she weeped. "Forgive me," She took his face into his hands while tears ran down her cheeks. Huo did not have any idea what to tell the Empress or how to handle his mother, lacking experience.


    "Forgive me," she said again, and cried hugging him, not caring the fact that he had blood all over his armour. It left a stain on her gown.


    "It''s alright, it''s fine," he consoled her.


    "It was never alright for me," she said wiping her tears and took his hands in hers.


    "Let''s leave, " he said nothing else, took dragged her by her hands and apparated to the outside not listening to anything she had to say. The palace guards rushed towards then as they left and missed by chance. They rushed to Emperor Tai to report about the abduction of the Heavenly Empress, little did they know who Huo was and why he took the Empress with him.


    Emperor Tai fumed with anger and released the royal decree to kill Huo on sight and reward the winner with kilos of gold and a official post in the royal court. The guards went crazy and set out to capture Huo.


    Huo took the Empress to his usual place in the woods near the river banks that nobody knew about yet. To his surprise, somebody has been waiting for him there, somebody he wanted to be safe but walking around on her own will. He put his sword back in it''s sheath and walked over leaving his mother''s hand.


    Empress was equally surprised to see the reaction from Huo''er''s side. She saw a part of Dritan in him when Dritan was young and just like them, in love and choosing what''s not meant to be. She wished she could stop her son but did not want to spoil the next moment she reconciled with her long lost son. She stood there watching everything.

 Chapter 44: Battle of Siblings

    "Huo''er," she ran towards him. She hugged him that he almost lost he balance, crashing on him. She then let him go and took a look at his cut in his arms. It had already stopped bleeding. Aqua only then noticed the lady standing behind him. She bowed quickly and greeted her.


    She couldn''t say anything since his mother was staying behind them, so she just stood there. She couldn''t scold him as she wanted to for how he walked into the pit himself. She took his hands again and checked the wound on his arms and looked at his face, concerned.


    "I am fine," he said, smiling kissing her nose tip. He all of a sudden felt peaceful in her presence. She let him go and then it struck her. She quickly bowed at the Empress and paid her respects. Empress laughed at her for her wit.


    Empress liked how he mattered more to her than the respect that should be given to her. "You must be Aqua," she asked her.


    "Yes your highness, " she said humbly.


    "I have seen you several times but I never got to spend time with you," she said. "Sorry for what Aaron said to you,"


    "I would have ripped his head away and cut him into pieces if not for you," Huo''er made a very rude comment. Aqua held his hand trying to stop him.


    "Huo''er, " she whispered. "Relax," Empress laughed at her eldest son. It hurt her to think how her sons don''t get along well.


    "You better take care of him, this man of yours is," but before she completed, they were surrounded by the troops led by Aaron. It was expected but not this soon. Huo looked at Aqua.


    "Go back, now," he ordered at her. But she did not listen him.


    "There you are mother," he said. "I was ordered to take you back for now and deal with them later," he said smiling putting his sword away holding his mother''s hands.


    "Aaron, leave," she said. "Both of you are my sons, do not fight like this, we are a family," she reminded Aaron.


    "No, mother, don''t be silly, we don''t even know if he is real, how can we be family, you are the Empress of the heaven, come back home,"


    "Aaron, son calm down, think, why should we harm each other?" Empress tried to brain wash Aaron.


    "Mother, will you stop this? you''re embarrassing me, do you want to boast that your First son is powerful than I am so I shouldn''t fight him?" Aaron got offended. Huo''er clenched his fist. "I know as your son I have all your favours, but never your powers, why am I a weak Phoenix? So please." he shut the Empress.


    "Becuase your father is not a real Phoenix, " she said all of a sudden. It took everyone by surprise.


    "What? Aaron was shocked. So was Huo and Aqua.


    "What?" Huo asked too.


    "Emperor Tai usurped the throne form the Phoenixes and transferred the primordial dan of the then Phoenix king into his body, you father always had power clashes in body and hence, it caused troubles in your meridian," Empress explained to her little son. But Aaron lost him temper.


    "Ridiculous," he said and smirked. "You think I will buy your story, mother ?" he asked. "Enough with the bullshits. Let''s return. " he took his mother''s hands forcefully.


    Aqua kept Huo''er from saying anything. Suddenly more people came around them. "There you are," Aaron said. "What''s the report?".


    "King Dritan is down," Volca reported. Aqua was shocked. Everything went silent around them.


    "What?" Empress was shocked. Volca looked at Huo and Aqua. She couldn''t understand why Aqua looked pale and weird. "No, it can''t be," Empress stammered.


    "What did you say?" Huo said. "Say it again," he walked towards Volca. Then Huo''er lost his control and took his sword out. Volca tried her best fighting him and was protected by Aaron soon. Everybody started fighting. Aqua sent a signal to her realm for help and within half an hour her father, Aiden, Milan and troop came to fight.


    As the fight progressed, Volca duelled with Aqua without giving her a break. Since she knew her friend is weak, she at all cost tried to tire Aqua. Aqua began using the blood magic though she was not supposed to do it. She wanted to protect the fetus growing inside her, kept defending herself. The maternal instincts were too strong. Huo''er used his full potential to defeat the guards with the help of Aiden and walked towards Aaron who hiding around avoiding the fight after duelling with him for sometime. It indeed was true that Aaron do not have the capability like Huo did.


    Milan and Aiden then tried to help Aenon and fought along with him. Volca was not giving Aqua a second to even breath. Aqua in the end stabbed right at Volca''s shoulders. Volca screamed loud with pain.


    "I told you, am telling you again, stop right he.." And suddenly blood oozed out if her body, right through her abdomen. Someone stabbed her from the back. She looked down at her body and covered her womb. "No," she gasped. Pain grew as each second passed. Aqua knelt down supporting herself with the sword. She then saw who dud this to her. Fiona stood smiling wide. While Volca tried it approach her. She heard Volca shouting her name.


    "Sister," Milan screamed. Milan ran towards her sister. Aiden stopped fighting and turned to Huo''er who was on killing streak. Then Huo''er looked back at Milan who was screaming her lungs out and watched Aqua kneeling down, dropping her weapons. Huo''er put the sword right through Aaron''s stomach without wasting time and ran towards Aqua.


    Fiona stood with her toxic dagger drenched in blood. Volca moved towards Aqua, "No, no Aqua no, sorry, are you okay? stand up," she said to her best friend, she was crying badly. Regrets gushed inside her head. She never wished for her friend to end up like this. But soon forcefully Fiona took her daughter and moved away.


    The cold toxic dagger has a poison in it that will kill one instantly. And is a forbidden weapon for anyone to use except the demon royals. But none knew that Fiona had it in her pocession, thinking the demon treasure has been lost for centuries.


    "Aqua," Huo knelt down and took her in his arms. Aqua smiled and rested her head on his chest. Aenon killed the rest and walked towards her daughter. Milan was crying loud. Rivera rushed towards her daughter failing to catch Fiona.


    "Honey, " Rivera knelt down. Tears streamed down everyone''s face. Aaron was in pain and more than that in shock. She couldn''t bare ti watch Aqua like that. And he realised too late that whatever he felt for her looked serious. He got up somehow from the ground and walked towards them holding on to his Phoenix sword that wasn''t serving him properly.


    "Save her, save her, she is pregnant with your child, save her," Milan screamed out. "Please,"


    Huo was shocked, he couldn''t believe what he just heard. He looked at everyone. He touched her womb and looked at her. He cried uncontrollably. His hair stroked by the wind. Aqua touched his face smiling, trembling with pain. Her hands shivered as she looked at everyone.


    "Aqua, don''t die, hold in okay I will find a way," he said. He then screamed loudly that shook the whole forest and it split the sky with thunder and lightening.


    Aenon knelt down and took his daughter''s hands. Milan was right. Aqua had tears running down her cheeks, body, all bloody and sweaty. Huo covered her wound with his hands.


    She was stabbed with the core crushing toxic dagger, Dritan''s dagger that has been missing for too long. Her spirit was destroyed just like that. Aqua struggled to breathe while Huo''er begged her to stay alive.


    She suddenly performed something and used the rest of her powers to transfer the crystals into his blood to heal his wounds. When nobody expected anything to happen and put their guards down, Aaron walked over unnoticed, and plunged in Phoenix sword through Huo''er''s heart. Empress screamed as she saw it.


    "Aaron, No,"


    Huo''er spit blood and looked up. Aiden spun up, defended the family and slashed Aaron, and cut his head off in front of his mother. Empress stood still, having no idea what to do, shocked seeing both her sons dying, killed by each other, she collapsed at scene realising how she failed her, failed Dritan, failed the universe and failed herself.


    "Huo''er, Live for me, live," Aqua mumbled out in pain. He kissed her forehead as she kept pleading. "Please," but Huo''er instead took his soul sword instead and stabbed at Aqua''s dan. Everybody tried to stop him while Aqua spit the blood out before she closed her eyes taking her final breath. The Crystals rose from her body and vanished into his.


    "Huo''er no. that''s your soul don''t lose it, don''t do it, she will die anyway," Aenon shouted out asking to stop him. But he did not listen to anyone and decided it on his own. Aqua let out her breath and Huo''er lost his heartbeat, at the same time. The bright light flashed that almost destroyed everyone''s eyes. Everyone covered their eyes until the light faded. They both laid there in the pool of blood and slowly evaporated into thin air. The swords remaining without their rightful owners. And they locked themselves in the sheath, to be never used by others.


    They died in each other''s arms just like that. The nature shared their sorrow. The day turned into night and the summer turned to monsoon. The howling of the wind sad and disturbing. The death of four heavenly star including an unborn Tianlong. Sagittarius, Aquarius, and Cancer dimmed in the sky. The messages spread everywhere. The Heavenly Prince Aaron, Demon King Huo and Water Princess Aqua was no more. Nobody knew what to do except watching them. Nobody was expecting such an ending. It all ended. It ended just like that.

 Chapter 45: Memory Restored

    Life is hectic and more like a rollercoaster ride. You have all the ups and downs, thrilling but dangerous, you face unprecedented moments, and live through unimaginable situations. The decisions you make are difficult and sure to put you through hard a time and some going right by luck. The sorrows are greater than happiness, and the memories made are what''s worth to live with. It includes people or things you care for.


    In life, you don''t easily get to choose and grab what you wish for, and whatever you try to put away stands at your doorstep, at beck and all. All you will do is dream and dream until you realise it or just give up on it. But remember, not everyone has the strength to keep going forward, and more importantly it takes a lot of courage give up than to move on with things that do not work you, after a hundred thousand times worth trials.


    To Huo and Aqua, life was just like that. Growing up obediently, with the duties given to them at such a young age, they did more than what others could have performed like. They rebelled in their own way, tried to live for themselves all along, fell in love with each other, a match so perfectly made in heaven. But the universe did not let them be together for long. Fate took the shortest path and killed them both, which neither of them would for once have imagined about, with a child growing in her womb. That''s what you call life. With a loving family, a man and the whole heaven to follow behind yet dying in the most ruthless and unfair way, Aqua proved how unprecedented and unpredictable life is, so did he.


    Huo''er woke up which he thought was a dream, panting hard, lying in his bed. He wasn''t aware of the crystals acting up in his body, unlocking the memories carried into the memory world right at the time Aqua entered as her crystals entered back in her body.


    The images were still fresh in Huo''s eyes. The school, his shifu, the images of Aqua, the quarrel with Volca, the river banks, their night at the tree hut, the coronation day and the gruesome scenes of their death where Fiona cheated and Aaron killed by Aiden. He could feel his heart exploding, and aching for some reasons. He couldn''t contain his emotions nor the pain. He felt tears streaming through his eyes. The world has been so cruel to him, he realized. He kept breathing fast, feeling suffocated.


    "Your highness, " Volca called him. "Are you alright?" Fiona was standing right next to her. It has been hours though he did not realise it.


    He looked at her, hatred filled in his heart suddenly and wondered for a second if he has been really asleep for this 25 years of his life. Huo''er stretched his hand and the soul sword from his study that he hasn''t been using for the past years yielded to him instantly came right into his hands. He realized that his conscious has woken up. He held his sword and plunged into Fiona''s heart just like she did to Aqua, but only not from the back but straight at her face.


    "Mother," Volca shouted out and held Fiona.


    "What the hell are you doing Huo?" she shouted. Instead, Huo got up and put on his hanfu and ran out. He apparated and went back to the river side once again. He searched everywhere and the hut and there was none.


    He was desperate and going crazy. He wondered if he should show up in the Water Realm this instant and tried his best in controlling his emotions from doing the funny things that would offend King Aenon. He then realised about the girl he ran into and got even more excited. He connected it and understood why his heart felt so familiar with a girl he couldn''t remember. His heart knew though his mind did not.


    He kept searching around and then he found it. Just like him, A girl was standing there, panting hard, with her hands on her knees. She was sweating alot and looked really pale. He took his steps towards her and knelt down. He didnt realise it, but he had tears in his eyes again, the pain inside his body killed him. The crystals seemed to be activated. Trying to ignore the aching inside, he bowed down touching his head to the ground. Aqua stood shocked and in tears.


    "Am sorry," he said, trembling with tears running down his face. "sorry," Aqua knelt down in front of him and stopped him from apologising to her. She took his hands and touched his face. She shook her head, denying. He then leaned his on hers and stayed for few minutes in silence venting out their emotions. He watched her cry.


    "We weren''t responsible for anything, it''s all over, leave it, it is all in past, past live, let''s not ever recall those painful moments, " she said struggling with words as she sobbed, trying to sooth him while her throat ached from controlling the tears. "I wouldn''t forgive them, I will never," she said hugging him this time.


    "I killed her, I killed Fiona, she won''t hurt us ever again," Aqua looked at him in surprise.


    "What?" she asked him. "Already, " she let him go.


    "I don''t know what happened, I was dreaming about me, my life, about us, all of a sudden, memories flowing in my head that hasn''t been clear for the past 23 years, When I was woken up, She was standing next to my bed with Volca, and I just," he showed the action and let her understand. "I couldn''t bare with it or see her in front of me, a minute longer for her is like a minute shorter for us," he said. Aqua understood that it was her Crystals that got activated carried him to the memory world when she entered herself. She hit his arms and stood up. "Wait," he said as she prepared to leave. He pulled her back. He moved her hairs from the face and looked at her. "If I had, if I had known early, I would have done anything to save our family," he said to her, putting his hand over her womb.


    "It''s fine, it was all meant to happen probably," She said keeping her hands on top of his on her womb. "I wouldn''t have let you go alone for the battle anyway, " she said, smiling at him holding his face in her hands. "Yuri told me about it, my maid, I wasn''t aware of it myself even though I was tired and sick constantly since I returned after your coronation, we found out late and she said our baby was of tainlong descend though I didn''t know how," she said smiling touching her stomach. " I asked her to keep it a secret afraid of how my parents would react to the news, I didnt expect to die in the middle though," she joked.


    "Father was right, they were afraid of us getting together and more importantly what we could create," Huo recalled what Dritan told him. "He said out child would be the most power celestial being, a heir to throne so Tai didn''t want it, it wasn''t me, it was never me, that''s why he wanted to pluck you away and plant in his palace, as his family," Aqua smiled and did not have anything to say back.


    "How is he?" Aqua asked him.


    "He didn''t recover, I couldn''t find out what exactly happened to him, they said he lost the battle got severely injured and that no medicines could save him," he told her. "Am sure of who did it," he let go of her. "Go home," Aqua nodded. She had to return soon since she left the palace unnoticed moment she opened her eyes and wanted to check for Huo herself. To see himnwith her own eyes. She just wanted to see if she would he able to meet him by chance and found him. Huo advised her to stay healthy and waited till she left. He himself felt like collapsing down, pretending to he fine in front of her. He stayed still for sometime and apparated back to the castle.


    Volca was crying had confused about what had happened holding her mother''s body. Huo avoided her and asked the guards to clean up his room and take the body away. He avoided Volca and stayed at the North wing of the castle. Hatred filled each time he thought about how he has been living for the last year guided by Volca and her dreadful mother. He tried his best in controlling his anger from killing his friend, to stay a human recalling his shifu''s teachings. He started cultivating as he wa taught and felt the relief instantly. He understood how wrongly he has been being trained by Fiona, keeling him away from the realities.

 Chapter 46: Grounded

    The sky was clear with no signs of storm, the water supply more than enough for the heavenly beings and in hell. Apparently King Aenon seem to doing a great though he hasn''t been staying long in the Realm. Aqua got back home quickly before her absence alerts the palace. She felt content and relieved.


    The longing when you''re in love hits a different level. To Aqua it was the same. The moment she resurrected and as she got her memories back, Huo was the only thing that ran through her mind. She couldn''t think of anything else, do anything better and dashed out immediately when nobody was keeping a watch her.


    Aqua met him, talked to him, understood well and accepted each other even after decades. But that wasn''t the only case. There were things she had yet to know. And for the actions, she had to face the consequences. Aqua had no idea how her life is going to turn into.


    "Aqua, why did you go and visit him?" her father questioned. "Who have you the permission?"


    "Don''t you know why? Whose permission should be getting," she asked him back, against him, for the second time in her life time.


    "You don''t know anything," he said. "How dare you do things without asking your parents? Is it not enough that you have died once already and somehow managed to get back to heaven? Aenon was red with anger. He couldn''t believe that her daughter was still the same, doing things that did not suit her position. Also he hated the fact that it is for Huo again.


    "What?" Aqua got curious. "Pa I don''t get it? What''s the issue here?"


    "Sister I think we have a lot of catching up to do with you," Milan told her interrupting the heated conversation. Milan took her sister back to her chamber and gave her medication. Aqua took them willingly and settled down on her bed. She drank some warm water later and tried to sit straight, overcoming the tiredness in her body.It was hard though, every inch of her body hurt her, and it appeared that Crystals are splitting and increasing in number to correct her flow and meridians. Aqua pretended to be fine and listened to her sister carefully.


    "Ever since that incident, we gathered all the crystals we could find, it was less anyway and brought them to store at the Sea Palace. But half of them were given away to Huo by you and we couldn''t take them back. Few months later, we felt changes in the crystals and soon found out about a jar that you had given Huo. We had to buy a demon guard for the news. It was taken by Volca from Huo''er''s chamber, she used them for him for his reincarnation," Her father was listening along as Milan went on with the story.


    "I have him around the time he took off to Hell and his coronation, it was gift, I always had a feeling then about something bad going to happen to all of us," Aqua recalled from her memory and told them.


    "Why would you do that? Don''t you know you sinned and almost killed yourself?" Her father shouted at her again.


    "I know," Aqua replied and remained silent.


    "Within a year, we discovered that Huo has been brought back and his body is preserved using your blood since you both had a connection developed with genes. He woke up and he remained cool. He didn''t try to search for you. He dealt everything smoothly and did not dare to offend the Emperor. They developed a better connection. Empress never cared about you again, nor thankful. You were eventually forgotten. On the other hand, Empress saved his life by threatening how she will self harm her. Afraid of it, the Emporer made an oath to never bother Huo again, though hatred was deep rooted in his heart," Milan went on. "But, ever since he woke, he was acting different and always kept Volca with him. We were never allowed to meet nor converse, and also he did not like us either,"


    "Father hated him since then, Huo belonged to only you, he got you pregnant and you died for him, but he let it go just like that and walked with god knows why her, Volca. You did not get valued enough. He pretended like he didn''t know any of us, it is still a wonder if I think about it," Milan told her sister. "Everybody said maintained an intimate relationship with Volca,"


    "How could he remember when my crystals controlled his body through my mind when I was unconscious." Everybody looked at her, worried.


    "He had his soul in me and my crystals live in him, we didn''t kill each other, we just temporarily saved each other." Aqua looked at them asking them to be understanding about the situation. "You can''t misunderstand that, he entered the memory world long with me, he was kept under the shadows, until now, he killed Fiona the first thing he restored his memories, ''" She informed everyone.


    "But he is not himself, see, he killed Fiona just like that, he kills whenever someone stands oh his way, he doesn''t care about anyone," Milan told her. "We can''t even recognize him anymore,"


    "Enough," Aqua wasn''t liking it. She didn''t wish to hear bad stuff anymore. She grew scared of things she was hearing about him. But she chose to trust him unaware of certain truths. She felt weak and wished to lie down. She taking a deep breath, opened her eyes and looked at her father. "King Dritan must have been murdered," she looked serious. "Huo''er seems to have no idea about it, he is going to investigate,"


    "No, he won''t find anything," Aenon said.


    "Why is that?" Aqua asked. Milan exchanged her glances between her father and sister.


    "There is nothing to find," Aenon was hesitating to speak.


    "Make it clear, what is it? she gre impatient.


    "He was not murdered," Aenon said and looked away. "That''s why he cannot find anything. His father, Dritan died to save Huo''er''s soul from disappearing, he used his soul to contain his son''s and he disappeared, eventually, " Aqua couldn''t believe what she just heard.


    "What?" Aqua asked.


    "I was with him when he did it, and also when he faded," Aenon said.


    "Can you not tell Huo about this? He is still searching for the answer, it might upset him way too much," Aqua requested him. That was the first thing that came into her mind.


    "He is not the same, listen to me, he is not the same Huo''er you once knew, he is a danger to you, don''t let him come near you, he preserves his life using you," her father kept warning her. "He came here numerous times for the crystals we had in here. We did not let him in,"


    "Pa, relax, he is not a threat, I know you are concerned about me, I understand, he does want my Crystals for now, but with Shifu''s help we might be able to do something. It''s his soul that am preserving my life with. That why I took time," she assured her father.


    Aenon nodded though he did not agree with her and sat next to her.


    "Can you tell me about how all of you ended up in earth with me?" she repeated those same words again. "How come we were a family there?"


    "It was nothing," Milan said instead. "We searched for you everywhere, for years. Two years after Huo woke up. We were sure the crystals have been activated somewhere so far away. We decided to leave the Realm to extend our search. Tai did not agree to it, but we went against him anyway in the name of mourning, and secretly kept going with the search," Milan explained every single detail. "We travelled by chance to earth, Aiden and I, and we found a child who had your same qualities when you were born, we created a family changing into them, and we lived together, But we did not expect you to die there though, you saved a child, it was shocking, but do you know who that was?" Milan asked her. Aqua knew it instantly.


    "Mine," Aqua sat down on her bed again. She wasn''t expecting that. Tears filled her eyes. Her heart ached when she thought about. Her happy times with Huo''er and her child everyone killed together. It broke her heart. To think everything that could have turned good ended before it even started. Aqua smiled and sat there, trying to stop her thoughts. Milan hugged her sister, consoling her.


    "We did want to know why you hid it, but your mother and I we decided to let it go, let''s not mention the past again,"


    "We were scared how you would react and afraid that it might make Huo do things, she did not want that to happen, nothing else to explain pa," Milan detailed it to her father.


    "Milan, enough," But Milan didn''t listen to her sister.


    Aenon took a deep breath looking at his daughters, shook his head, "Don''t repeat any mistakes again, I won''t let thing go easily this time," he warned and walked out of the chamber.


    Aqua looked at Milan helplessly. "You know am not give up on Huo''er don''t you," Milan took a deep breath and laughed.


    "I know," she said and asked her sister to rest.

 Chapter 47: Rejected

    Taking things easy and trying to go back to normal can be one of the challenging things in life. Trying to give it your all to make things workout though the objections are too high put forward by the people around. It is not easy overcoming them, especially when you have been intentionally or unintentionally on the wrong side.


    It was no different for Huo''er. He has been oblivious and misguided by the enemies he didn''t know about, doing all the things that is against his own will, killing, reign over people, ditching the only people who wanted good for him, having no memory of any part of his life.


    Imagine the feeling you would go through when the person your family loved, respected, and died for goes with the person who murdered you. If Aenon and family are holding grudge, they have a reason don''t they? A reason even though they had no idea of what was happening around Demon King''s life?


    Huo a month later decided to visit the water realm. He wished to build his relationship to the next level with the Kings and take his Aqua back. He went with a lot of gifts and treasures, getting excited to meet her. He wished to put forward a proposal he had in his mind, asking for Aqua''s hands. He had no idea why suddenly decided to give a try but definitely was not expecting anything less than happiness since they have gotten back together.


    Aenon was not happy. But he welcomed the Demon King anyway. He tired to keep things lower, without alerting nor attracting trouble. Huo asked for the Crown Princess straight and enquired to Water King about holding a ceremony to announce her return before he talked about the proposal.


    "I don''t intend to let everyone know about it," Aenon shared his plan, coldly. Huo didn''t feel welcome in Water Palace, everything felt odd this time.


    "But everyone has already seen the aquarius coming back to life, to the original form," Huo said.


    "I will let nobody see her from now on, why? To get her killed again? Aenon said strictly.


    "Your highness, please listen,"


    "Do not address me that way," Huo said. He was trying his best with Aenon to convince him acting nicer.


    "Listen carefully," Aenon began. "As a father, I have a duty to protect my daughter, last time giving importance to my daughter''s decisions, I had to watch her die, when she had a life inside her, I stood there, helpless, as a father, as a King, I let family down, I let my country down, Water Realm still has not risen from the ashes, from the losses. We are no longer supported by the heavens, for joining hands with you, but I do not care about that since the Emperor wasn''t a righteous man, and we became self-reliant. But that''s not the case anymore. Think about it," Aenon said. "Why did Emperor in the first place wanted to eradicate you two? Do you want the history to repeat again? but this time you and Aqua could barely fight without cultivation, your shifu is no longer around, is there anyone you can trust with your potential power?"


    To this Huo''er had nothing to say. He didn''t have a word to express, to answer back. To him, Aenon sounded like a king not a man he once used to know and admire. Huo got upset and angry at the same time. He got up and left the palace without saying anything further since Aqua did not show up in front of him. He was disappointed. This wasn''t what he wanted when he got his conscious back. He thought things could go back to normal, but everything had changed and how he was in the last years he knew how it would have effected his image from before. He had no idea how to take his things back nor did he have any intention to. He let it go just like that.


    "Don''t worry your highness, I won''t hurt the Crown Princess again, She should live well," He searched for words. "I just wanted to pay a visit,"


    "Am afraid she can''t," The King said and got, indicating Huo to leave the Palace. Huo''er smiled embarrassedly and got up. He was very disappointed and made up his made to never return again.


    Huo took off without looking back unaware that Aqua was grounded. He just left and went straight back to the castle. He no longer wished to have any ties with the Water Realm. He felt insulted being the Demon King to have been treated coldly and rejected by the woman he loves. He couldn''t believe Aqua chose the same and kept overthinking everything inside his head.


    As he entered the castle, he asked the maid to prepare some strong wine and walked to his chamber. Volca walked out from her chamber to meet with him. Her eyes sunken with dark circles. Wearing the usual maroon clothes, she stood in front of the king.


    He decided to act in front of Volca and everyone just like he used to in the past 23 years. He didn''t want Volca to find the truth.


    Volca didn''t wish to stay inside her room any longer, finally taking off her mourning robes. She still had no clue why Huo''er killed her mother. Huo''er visited her in the hallway.


    "How are you?" he asked her.


    "Why?" she asked him back.


    "I was having a nightmare, when I woke up I thought she was trying to kill me and I stabbed her before she did,"


    "But she was my mother why couldn''t you just," Volca tired to speak but was stopped. Huo was getting angry with everything and tried his best to not burst out with anger, clenching his fist. He decided to tolerate Volca only because he has to make many plans with her regarding something and needed her cooperation at all cost. Taking a deep breath, and relaxing his mind, Huo looked at her.


    "Enough, what''s over is over," he said and left her alone. Volca couldn''t understand. She wondered what was happening to him. She wondered if the crystals are acting up in his body taking control of him. "Could she have really returned?"

 Chapter 48: Mission aborted, caught red handed

    Aqua waited to see if he would come and visit her while she was grounded by her father, going through strict trainings from level zero. Little did she know that Huo was insulted and kicked out by her father to never come back again. Aqua was lying low to not alert the Emperor and welcome troubles again.


    Aqua''s hectic schedules got her tired and often asked the maids to not disturb her while she was sleeping. It also meant incase if he comes it visit her in secret she didn''t want the maids around her. But it was just a wishful thinking and was always woken up in the middle to keep training under the strict orders of Kimg Aenon.


    When months passed and she got no sign of Huo coming for, she in turn wanted to go in search for him, to know what he was upto and scold him for not coming for her at any cost.


    She one day decided to hop out of the palace in disguise and apparated loosing half her energy just to a glimpse of him before she even got her power back. When days were and Huo''er persisted on not visiting her again, Aqua got suspicious. She wondered if her father would have done something about him, getting between them. Such thoughts clouded her mind.


    She wanted to see everything happening between them herself. Aqua disguised herself into a demon maid in the palace. She put on the black and maroon clothes and changed her hairstyle that matched the royal maids. The clothes felt comfortable. ''Wow this feels light as a feather and not hot, '' she talked inside her head.


    She walked into the maids room to see and observe how they behaved. She didn''t want to get at all and get punished by anyone. Aqua walked into the castle''s kitchen and wandered around to see what kind of food they prepare for the king. The menu was what they used to have at school and heaven, and some that are demon foods she is not used to. She wondered if he really changed. She then asked a maid to leave the kitchen to help her with carrying some firewoods and cooked the chicken soup herself. She garnished the dish and took the food prepared herself to serve hot in his room accompanied by the couple of other maids. Aqua was reminded of the last time she visited the castle. His coronation period where she took the privilege to do everything as she wished. She remembered how she had the dinner meal with Huo''er, after making out. She blushed and felt her cheeks burning red. She fanned her hands and controlled her smiles. She longed for him. She really wished she could spend some quality time with him, catch up with every thing that happened in the past 23 years.


    They reached his bed chamber and knocked on his door. Aqua exchanged her tray of chicken soup with flower cakes to not be found out when he drinks the soup.


    She heard murmurs coming from the room. And her heart skipped a beat. The maids got the permission and opened the door to walk in. As Aqua took a step inside the room, she saw how Huo''er was being helped by Volca to get dressed up. Aqua hands trembled as she saw the scene. Hatred filled her heart. Her throat went dry and eyes filled with tears. It was not what she was expecting to see at all. Huo being close with Volca was not what she was wanted to see even after knowing how Volca cheated them, how she was the reason for everything that happened. The tray slipped from Aqua''s hands and shattered into pieces.


    "Can you not be careful," Volca shouted at her. Huo was not looking at her direction. Aqua keeping her face down throughout, picked up the tray, the wasted cakes and walked out. She threw the plates outside the door and rushed out of the castle. She swore to never see him nir step inside the demon castle again. Aqua wished she listened to her father and ran away as quickly as she could. She wanted to trian and get better, she wanted to become the Queen and face him standing on his same level. She wiped her tears and appparated back to her place.


    Huo settled down to eat his lunch and sipped his soup. He understood instantly and got up.


    It then occurred how the return of the water princess is intended to keep as a secret and sat down again drinking the soup altogether and asked to serve the soup again. He felt warm inside all of a sudden that triggered his feeling back again. He gave a look at Volca who was standing next to his study and regretted instantly. ''Why do I keep making mistakes in front of the Water Country?'' he questions himself and continued with lunch


    "Don''t come into my personal space again," he ordered Volca in the end. She looked baffled having no idea why. From that day on, for the next couple of weeks, She didn''t show up at all. He knew that was the end for them, though he had kept his intentions secret. He decided to not care about his feelings of past friendship anymore and complete his mission making use of Volca. The days passed just like that. And Huo and Aqua ended up living different lives. Master Bo Hai often visited two of his disciples separately in secret, to teach them a new method of cultivation with their present body status the depended on each other. With great difficulties and pain, the training sessions went on.


    Aqua concentrated only on getting back to her usual strength than remain weak and sickle. She took her position once again stayed inside the palace working and spending the rest of the time in library. She hardly slept, since recurring nightmares effected her. She disclosed it to nobody. She improved her powers, meditated more and enhanced her powers. She did not tell her father about the restricted methods she has been using to cultivate when shifu left her. Nobody knew what was going on in her blood either.

 Chapter 49: Break up

    Huo walked out of the castle wandering around for sometimes and found himself already down the path of the river that leads to the heaven''s border. He took the way and wished to spend some time in that tree hut fon the river banks he hadn''t been to for over months. Memories gushed inside and he couldn''t push then away. His heart thumbed louder and made him feel weak. He wished he remembered nothing. The hideout that meant too much in life. Those rendezvous with someone ripped his heart out to think of it now.


    He looked around and washed his face sprinkling some water from the river. He felt peaceful then.


    "What are you doing here?" she asked him standing inside the tree hut, her arms folded.


    "I," he stuttered. "I was just passing by," he said looking up at her. For some reasons, he didn''t have the courage to look into her eyes. He avoided and looked away.


    "Don''t again," she warned him.


    "What?"


    ''I said don''t come here again," she repeated.


    "Why? Aqua I don''t get you," he asked her.


    "I won''t let you go back alive if you do, Demon King," she spoke rudely and very angrily. Seeing him boiled her blood.


    "Come down and talk to my face if you dare," he said smirking. And she did jump down, holding her twin daggers in her hands. "Say it again,"


    "I won''t let you go back alive if you do, Demon King," she repeated once again. He couldn''t believe what he just heard.


    "Why?" he asked her. "It doesn''t make sense."


    "I don''t want some random people to walk in and out the place that I treasure. Unlike some people, I can''t tolerate people who wrong me , I wouldn''t spend intimate times with them," she said straight equal to slapping his face.


    That hurt him. It did. But he just as if it didn''t effect him.


    He just took a deep breath listening to her acquisitions and remaimded quiet to not cause trouble as she went on. "Cannot deny, can you?" she smiled and turned her back.


    "Why should I? I hate people who cannot trust others, we are even here," but Aqua got angry and threw one of her daggers at him, it passed right through his left hand as he moved and cut his sleeve a little bit, with blood wetting that of his clothes. He took his sword out and they both duelled.


    He did not wish to do it at all and waste both their energy. "Are you crazy? stop fighting, why are you fighting with me?" he asked her as she kept attacking him and he went on defending. "Stop," he said afraid that he might end up hurting her while she vent out her anger on him. "What''s wrong with you? stop it," he kept telling her as she never intended to stop. He then used the charm to stop her from moving.


    "Remove the charm. Or else I will really kill you," she said and remove the charm herself. But he got both her daggers and locked her holding her arms tightly. She struggled to let herself lose. But he cornered her against a tree and kept both his arms either side of her.


    "Let go," she kicked him right on his spot and he just controlled biting his lips acting cool.


    "You shut up and leave," he said to her.


    "No, you shut up and leave" she snared at him. "You pig," and she started fighting again. Her kung fu seemed to be still on the same level.


    "What are you angry for?" he asked her.


    "A Princess need not explain that to a demon,"


    "Then just stop this nonsense and get the hell out of here," he warned back. This time he was irritated.


    "This area belongs to me how dare you trespass and ask me to leave, have you forgotten that I can bring my force to guard the border," she asked him.


    "I don''t give a damn about that, Why the heck did you sneak into my castle?" he finally asked her.


    "Ah so you knew and still didn''t find me, I get it, get lost and I don''t ever want to see you again," she said looking at his face. But he looked too calm smiling at her.


    "You''re mad at me? Really? What right do have to be mad at me?"


    "What right do I have?" She laughed. "Don''t forget you''re at my mercy, staying alive," she snapped. "Should I retrieve them watch you drop dead?" she threatened him.


    "Has resurrection effected your sanity? Duh!" He joked at a wrong time and got stabbed in arms by her dagger. He didn''t want to threaten her by about part of the soul he had given her, thinking that it is nothing but her temporary madness to have caught him red handed.


    "No I just want to rip you apart, for everything you did wrong, forgetting who you are,"


    It really pissed Huo off. He dropped his weapon, clenched his fist as the blood oozed our from the wound and took several towards her.


    She stood holding the dagger with his blood dripping in her hands. She did not move a bit, facing him bravely. Some sort of regret mixed with hatred filled her heart. Though the times they spent together filled her head, every moment Volca and Huo spent in the past years flashed before eyes. She couldn''t bring herself to forgive him. The first thing she did was unlocking the memories of the crystals in his body and see the truth.


    Catching her off guard, Huo''er pressed his lips against her. Aqua''s gripped on to her daggers tight. He took her lower lips and slowly loosened his grips on her as the drops of blood touched the ground from his arms. She let go off the daggers, she wanted to cry, but she couldn''t forget what she saw. Tears streamed down her face. And she moved her hands up keeping them on his chest and stopped him.


    She hit him hard on his chest that ached him, pushing him away, but he was too strong and withstood it and kissed her again. He locked both her arms behind her and kept his other hand in her neck. And this time she responded back closing her eyes, tears kept running down her eyes and put her arms around him when come kind of familiar feeling rushed inside her heart, holding on to his clothes tight. He felt her tears and did not stop from what he was doing. To him it felt the same.


    Aqua didn''t want it to happen, she couldn''t help but surrender, and she hated it before weak. She was still madly in love with her Huo''er, she was sure of it. Huo''er watched her whole she stood with her eyes closed. He then let he ago.


    A Few minutes later she met his gaze and pushed him away, stepping away from from. It did not feel convincing enough for her.


    "Don''t ever appear in front me again," She told him.


    "What is wrong with you?" he couldn''t still understand her and why she acted up.


    "I can''t forget the times you always stood with her and let her do things to you, I can''t forgive you after seeing you with her in the room, things that could have happened for the last 23 years when I was not here, suffering and living as mere human, I don''t want to know, what she was doing just explained things to me, connecting it to all the rumours about you two, I can''t help but hate you,"


    "Why can''t you understand that I had no recollection of anything?" he used the excuse since he could not come up with anything else. Deep inside he knew well how she was right, though he couldn''t tell her what happened between him and Volca. Even though he wasn''t himself he let everything happen.


    "See you''re still not denying it," she said.


    "Don''t ever come in front of me again. If we meet, pretend like you don''t know me at all," She was trying her best to not burst out. "If you don''t, you will face the consequences,"


    "Is this how you''re going to treat me? Is this how you return the promises you made," He asked her unbelievably.


    "I am afraid that this is the best I can do for things you did to me,"


    "What about you? Were you neat when you were away?


    "Atleast I did not cheat you,"


    "Aqua," Huo''er lost his patience. He took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. "Let''s break up," he said to her.


    "I have," she said and took a step backward. "The moment I spotted her in your room, I chose not to restore the memories of the Crystals in your body only because I won''t be able to live with it, can you deny? But I did anyway."


    "It was a misunderstanding, " he said but before he completed, she disappeared from the river banks. He just stood there, shocked and guilt consuming him all over. He screamed and stabbed his sword on the earth.


    He recalled what happened right after he woke up from his long sleep. The first time he opened his eyes and discovered where he was. His eyes searched for something family but he found nothing. Huo''er remembered the condition he was at and looked at his arms bleeding. He got up and walked back, while his mind wandered back to the past.


    The dead and fragile body came to his mind, wounded and covered in bandages. The fumes of herbs and medicines inside the room he was hidden felt too strong and nauseous that he always has the sensation to throw up. He grew anxious at thought of his life. He could see it clearly, the dark and cool room, the piled books and clothes, blood, woman, everything too vividly.

 Chapter 50: Flashbacks begins here

    The pain split his head into pieces, and feeling as if  its splitting into pieces, hands clutching tightly around a wooden piece of wood that was smoothened to hold on without cutting the palms. Teeths clenched tight, eyes feeling hot with tears running down to the side of the ears that was constantly wiped with soft clothes.


    Huo opened his eyes finally, unable to resist, coming back to his sense, walking after a long year. He couldn''t feel his body below the neck. Feeling numb and hollow, he tired to move but failed to. He lifted his head and saw how the body looked like it was on fire, flames like Auro around him. His chest had been covered and tied with bandaids.


    The fumes coming from the herbs, medicines and the incense stick made him feel sick to his stomach. He couldn''t understand why he was lying there like that. He tried his best but couldn''t move a bit. He looked at the ceiling above him, the rocks carved and a chandelier hanging down. He noticed that the room he was lying, the candles, lanterns, the curtain hanging, the weapons, and it shocked him. He wondered why he had weapons in the room and started worrying.


    The room looked awfully large and his bed huge enough for four people to lie at a time. Huo stated panting as pain kept hitting his nerves, to the point that he wished he wasn''t alive.


    More importantly he couldn''t remedy who he was. He wondered what his name would be and where he came from, he wondered what would have happened to him to lie in such a bad state. He started chanting something.


    "Please let me walk, please let me get up," he kept repeating these words. He attempted to sit up and failed again ending up hurting himself and aching all over more than ever. He then laid still and waited for the pain to decrease.


    He tried to make sound but his throat felt blocked and nothing came out, and neither his tongue move. It frustrated him. Huo gave up and stopped trying. He knew that everything was useless. His mouth tasted bitter and he felt too sad and broken for no reason. He couldn''t understand why.


    He heard footsteps outside the room and Huo pretended to go back to sleep. He stayed calm and slowed down his breath to not draw attention. He heard the door opening slowly. The murmuring sound entering the room.


    "What about the guards outside this room your highness,"he heard a male voice addressing someone of higher position.


    "Leave that to me, I will handle them," she said. He ident that it was a female voice. His suspicions grew bigger.


    "I will leave then," the guard said and left the room. Someone else walked into the room by that time, another set of footsteps, slow but echoed all over.


    "Give today''s medicines to him," the new lady who entered the room ordered.


    "I don''t understand, we fed him so many medicines, and also inserted the crystals, what''s talking him so long to wake up?''


    "Hush now, don''t speak loud," the lady said and shut the doors behind her. "Even the walls have ears, watch while you speak, measure your words, how many times should I tell you this? Are you not a Queen Regent now? Act wisely,"


    ''Queen Regent, The royal,'' Huo''er thought.


    "Patience dear," the old lady said and took her sit opposite his coat. He heard the footsteps of the queen regent walking towards him and did something. He felt the the aura disappearing from the body, feeling his arms and legs. She did something near his head and suddenly, afraid that she might hurt him, he spontaneously held her arms as she stretched them towards him and pulled her.


    He slowly opened his eyes and looked at her.


    The round face with a sharp pointed nose and grey eyes, that looked astonished to see him than shock, with her lying falling on the front. She was wearing a pitch black queen''s hanfu with a bronze crown on her head. She looked strangely beautiful to him. The moment he thought that he felt his heart freezing and the feeling of being punched with needles. He made a low painful sound and gasped. He could see the old lady rising from her seat on the side.


    "And he is awake for good, your prayers have been heard daughter," she said to the queen regent.


    "Mother, he is awake, he woke up, he got the conscious back," she said excitedly and withdrew hands. Huo kept looking at her. He watched how her expressions changed to happiness and then crying all at once. He wondered what was happening around him. He couldn''t understand why she felt exited as if he has been dead for long.


    "Alright alright," the old lady said, hugging her excited daughter and letting her go. "Relax, now nurse him, it''s time for the medications," she said. The old lady was wearing a brown gown and a black robe over the top. Her hair put up. She looked like an angry bird always in a bad mood.


    Queen regent wiped her tears, and walked towards bed ridden Huo. She took few medicines from the bedside table and took a jar of water for him to drink. She helped him up slowly since he had woken up and put pillow behind him to lean back. Huo slowly with help rose and sat up. His back hurt badly and he felt something in his chest that struck his head with extreme levels of pain. The white cloth turned red with blood.


    "I think the wound opened," The old lady said and walked towards him and did something, using her powers, and a flash if light entered his body that stopped him from bleeding. "Nothing works, he is healing very slowly, usually demons heal fast, what''s wrong with him?" she cursed.


    "Probabky because of the heavenly lineage in blood, he is half don''t you know," queen regent said.


    "Probably," she said. "Dress the wound again and put him back to bed," she said and left the room. Huo was still not able to speak though he could move his limbs now.


    "How are you feeling?" queen regent asked him. Unable to say anything back, Huo nodded his head. "Bad? Good?" he kept shaking."Bad?" To that he nodded his head. "You feel painful and bad?" and he not nodding. "Am so sorry but you will have to bear with it a little more since we are in the middle of your treatment," she said and sat next to him. She helped him by massaging him hands and looked at him with tears glistening in her eyes again. "Am glad you woke up, thank you," she said. "Thank you so much for waking up when I almost gave up on you," Huo did not understand. "I feel hopeful finally, everything will be alright and in order now," She went on. "I will help you live a life you deserve the best," she promised him. He did not respond back much and watched her. She then massaged his legs and thighs and slowly reached towards his chest, untying his bandaid. The would looked half healed and half still fresh with blood. Huo was shocked to see the large hole like wound in his chest, and almost panicked.


    "Look at me, don''t look there," she advised him and grabbed his attention. She took a clean piece of white cloth and wrapped it around him neatly and after applying some kind of medicine and used magic powers to set it. She has a long black metal earring hanging down her ears that caught his attention. He forgot what she was doing for a moment and then looked around the room to keep himself distracted from looking at his wound.


    By that time she finished dressing him and stared brushing his hair. She have him a head massaged and trimmed his hair before she braided and tied them. He looked pathetic and weak he had lost weight and looked pale, his eyes sunken and muscles cramped. It hurt to even breath properly.


    Queen regent then opened the wardrobe in the room and took a fresh pair of clothes, pressed and folded neatly. She then took a basin of warm water and soaked a towel in them to clean his body.


    He wondered if she did it everyday when he was unconscious. The very thought disturbed him. She asked him to pretend to sleep in front of his visitors.


    "Pretend to sleep if it is not me or mother okay?" he nodded and listened to her thinking that there must be a reason why she said so. She then called the gaurds in and and handed them the clothes for him to change. He felt relieved for what she did and felt a little at ease. But he wa sure that he owes her with the treatment he was given. He kept his eyes closed and laid still while the guards washed him and dressed him. He wished to know what really happened to him.

 Chapter 51: Life of characters from Huoers Reincarnation till Aqua returned 23 years later

    "Open your mouth," Queen regent ordered him as he woke up and fed him with hot congee maintain his energy. He looked tired and was sulking often about the simple and tasteless food. She secretly had smuggled some side dishes she prepared herself and gave him a little to taste though it was against the treatment since he started avoiding food. That was the first and the last time she did it. He smiled when she did it and put a piece of chicken in his mouth. She wiped his face after she fed him and smiled at him. He had a lot to do to come back to his normal self.


    Huo was getting used to her being around him all the time. There were days Huo would wait for her eagerly so that he doesn''t feel bored, sitting and sleeping all the time inside the room, feeling lonely. She started coming often and once she brought books with her. A history book for him to read and sometimes she would read it out for him when he is tired and put him to sleep. Who still didn''t know who he was except his name, Huo, since she called him by his a name a hundred times when she enters the room until she leaves. She started doing double training to cultivate and improve his energy and also physiotherapy for him, holding him, and supporting him as he tried walking slowly and did arm exercises. She would hold on tight to him whenever he lost his balance and collapse, saving him from falling down and causing more injuries. He would smile and thank her. It was hard and painful for him.


    Huo began to feel determined to somehow get well soon and stand on his own. He was getting tired of staying idle. He wished he could go out and see what the world was like. But he yet had to practice speaking. His tongue still seemed to be not helping.


    Volca fed him with tonics and some herbal juices to recover from the stroke. And it began to show its effects. Also the vocal cords were awakened. Huo made the sound for the first time since he woke up.


    "Excuse me," That''s what he said first.


    "Oh my God Huo''er, " she rushed over and sat next to him on the bed. She kept her hands on either side of his face and looked into his eyes. "Say it again, speak to me," and he laughed taking her hands off his face.


    "I can speak now, the medince worked, and so did the double training," he said.


    "Oh my," she said again and had happy tears whelming her eyes. He slowly got up from the bed and walked super slow towards the table and chair to sit down, tired of lying on the bed. She watched him as he did it alone and felt relieved to see him recovering fast ever since he woke up. She also felt great since her mother has not visited him for more than a week. She didn''t want her mother to come remind her about the past events and interrupt whatever relationship was trying to build with new Huo''er.


    Huo did not have a clue about anything happen outside his room. And finally he built up the courage to ask her about her and about himself rather than reading ancient old history book. One thing even the Queen regent was waiting for, to be questioned. "What''s your name?" Huo asked her one night after finishing off their dinner together. She poured him tea while he asked her and smiled brightly.


    "Volca," she said.


    "You''re the Queen regent?"


    "Temporarily until you take the throne, " she told him, feeding him.


    "What? Me?" He was shocked. "What? I don''t get it," but she ignored his questions keeping the bowl back at the table.


    "How do we know each other?" he asked her another question seeing her unwillingness to open up.


    "We used to be friends at school," she said as she wiped his mouth.


    "I have been to school? Which? Who was my Shifu then?" he bombarded her with questions.


    "There.. there.. there," She said and kept her hand on his chest on top of his bandages. "Relax," she said looking into his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat as it always did. "We will talk all about it one by one okay? Noow take this medicine, and sleep peacefully," she said smiling stroking his hair this time. "Recover speedily we have so much to catch up with and do, don''t worry about anything else,"


    "I," but she stopped him as he began keeping her fingers on his pale lips. She kept smiling. She was falling in love all over again, forgetting everything else. He took a deep breath and moved her fingers away. "alright," he agreed to her and didn''t bug her with questions. She watched him as he took his medicine and offered to help him do his hair again. And he let her. She washed his hair and dried it for him, the silver hair shining and silky, one thing she loved the most in him which made him who he is.


    "We will need to dye your hair Huo''er, " she told him for the first time since he woke up.


    "What?" he did not get her.


    "Dye you hair black, we will need to do that," she repeated.


    "But why?" he asked her.


    "Because we need to for several reason, remember you are demon, don''t consider yourself as a heavenly being, a demon is strong and should remain as who he is, black hair is necessary for that, you''re the demon prince remember that," she spilled the beans talking to much. She realized and stopped right there holding her tongue.


    "A what?" he was shocked to hear those words. ''Demon Prince, the heir to throne, what the hell?'' he thought inside his head. ''It can''t be,''


    Her eyes were shining bright and she gave Huo''er some grapes to eat and cool down his body. The crystals were not settling well inside his veins constantly rebelling and hurting him. Volca had no idea how to improve this condition though she searched everywhere for a note or information regarding it. And the one who knows well about it, who gave it to him no longer lived in the universe which made the progress complicated.


    "Volca," Huo addressed her by name for the first time and asked for a favour. "Bring me more history books, both heaven and hell''s. I''m bored when you are not around, and," he paused. "and I can''t ask you to stay longer selfishly with all the duties you have on your shoulders," he said embarrassedly. For no specific reasons, and for getting her care so much, he trusted though he did not trust anything else around him. Her words echoed in his head and he grew anxious wishing to know more about the situations. He tired to recall alot of time but ended hurting himself and gave up on that. And books were his only hope since he hasn''t been meeting up with anybody else.


    "I will don''t worry, I will ask the guards to bring you many book you wish to read once i leave now," she assured him as she put on the robe on top of her maroon gown.


    At that very moment something flashed in front of his eyes. Huo shut his eyes tight and clutched on to his quilt. He saw a river bank and it disappeared in matter of a second.


    "What happened?" she rushed towards him.


    "Headache," he partially lied hiding the fact that he has been seeing this same vision again and again.


    "Is it bad?" she grew concerned.


    "It''s nothing new, you know it," he smiled and moved a little from her side. He looked away and sat there.


    "Ok then," she said and got up from the coat. "That''s all for today, let me leave I have some official things to take care of, can''t slack in work, " she said and walked out of the room. He waited till she closed the door and heard her say something to the guards. He understood that she might telling them about delivering him the history books from the King''s Library. He stood up and tried walking alone for sometime and walked towards the weapon shelf. He identified so many weapons and touched them. It was all dusty and he didn''t want to take them. He left it there and walked back to his bed.


    He thought about the words she said. The Demon Prince, he was not able to accept this fact and wondered if it could be true and that he is future king taking the throne. It frightened him at the very thought to be in his condition and think of such a higher position in the Realm. He dismissed the thoughts and distracted himself with the puzzles Volca gave him to solve. Couple of hours later, a guard walked in with his dinner and many new books. Huo''er got all excited to see them in his current prison like isolated life and decided to bury himself between the pages.

 Chapter 52: Keeping the Promises

    The sun was shining bright high up in the sky. The constellation of cancer coming back to it''s full strength. The universe began to witness the return of the moonchild but nobody knew where to find him. With tight security and the underground chambers heavily guarded, not a soul in the castle knew what was going on for years.


    "The tattoo in your hand and at the back of your shoulder, it has appeared," Volca informed him as she put on the clothes herself for him this time and Huo''er did not deny it. He just let her get him ready and watched her as she did it. He noticed that she always looked fresh and often blushed when she was around him.


    ''What?" he asked her. He was smiling wide. "What?" he asked again. The chillness in the room was getting higher.


    "Nothing," she said and pinched his cheek and he made a little sound.


    "You better fulfill your promise or these days am going to run away, " he very smoothly warned her. She patted his head nodding.


    "I know I know," she agreed. "I remember what I promised, don''t worry," she said and combed his hair, braiding them.


    "Don''t work hard taking care of me, take care of the Clan," Huo''er said.


    "You''re important too Huo''er,"


    "Friends must come later in front of the Realm Volca, you taught me that, then how can you not follow that?"


    "That''s for friends, this," she stopped.


    "What? Are we not friends?" he asked her folding his arms.


    "Alright yes yes we are," she agreed and asked him to get up. He seemed to have improved his health. He was walking alright, his wounds healed, he also could speak without stutt or stammering, fluently. But one thing that did not improve was his level of cultivation that he was yet to start training on. Volca failed to find master Bo Hai after her mother sent him on exile. She blamed her mother for it and always fought with her, asking her to find him at any cost. Volca did know the methods or techniques Huo''er used except a few she remembered seeing him practice during their school days.


    Volca opened the door and asked him to step out of the room. She already had sent the guards away in the name of a duty at the castle, so that she can smuggle him away to show him outside their hideout for a short period of time. Huo has been getting frustrated and tired sitting inside the room for months. And when he started showing tantrums she tried to control him but he did not listen to her in that particular stage.


    "Huo relax relax, don''t get angry," she tried to calm him. He threw the food away she brought for him. He was angry for hurting all the time, he was angry for being weak and handicapped. He was frustrated over how he cannot eat good food, step out of the room and see the world. He was tired of everything, he was tired of the flashes inside his head that disturbed him, he was tired of putting up with the treatment , hatred filled his heart as Volca kept him under the shadows not letting her know much. Reading history books were not helping him know many things about him. And also he noticed how the books were ages old and not recent ones.


    ''Volca, what happened?" Huo brought her back to reality.


    "Nothing am just wondering about where I should take you" Her maroon and golden gown suited her well. She asked Huo to act as her personal guard and made him cover his silver hair and face under a black clothe like the trained ninjas to hide his identity. She made sure no facts about him looked familiar or that would lead to expose his identity. She decided to take him to the crowded place itself so that nobody care to notice them in fear of getting attacked going alone on their own.


    The moment they stepped out from the underground, Huo covered his eyes, unable to bear the light that was shining too bright. Since it''s been a really long time for Huo to stand under the sun, it hurt him. He felt his skin getting heated and looked at Volca wondering why. She smiled and patted his arms.


    "It will fine within few minutes once you get used to it,'' she said and calmed him down. She took him to the market place and walked beside him not letting him outside for a second She had put on a large hat with veil that covered her face that helped her not get recognised. She looked out for only one person, her mother, so that she can run away the moment she spots her to save themselves from the trouble.


    The place was packed with demons and the shops and stalls buzzing with customers buying and selling things. Volca checked out few accessories and asked him for his opinion. Huo helped her choose everything and enjoyed their time together. She then took him to a less crowded hotel and booked a room for them. She took him inside and relaxed for sometimes asking the waiter to serve the food and leave quietly. She also remembered to order congee for Huo''er. He smirked and agreed with it.


    "Health is important I know, I will remember to not each much food against my diet," he said and sipped his wine. They sat in silence for sometime time, looking around the room. It was pretty spacious. The furniture looked old but neat. Huo stood near the window, watching the people walking on the street. He wondered about what kind of life he had led before. He wished he could know but Volca had been guarding up against him though they were close, asking him to be patient. He couldn''t understand why but since he had developed and unlocked a new level of patience, he has been able to handle his matters well.


    "Come over here," Volca called him when the food was delivered to them. The waiter arranged their dishes and left the room quickly not wishing to disturb the couples. She took her hat off and helped Huo take off his cover. He washed his face from the basin kept next to him on the table and looked for a towel.


    Suddenly he noticed something lying on the chair. A beautiful handmade red pouch. He recalled how he saw them hanging down Volca''s waist. He took then heard something inside. He opened then and found two crystal bottles closed tight with a cork. He looked at the tiny colourful balls lying inside the bottles.


    He opened them smelled carefully and it had a weird sweet scent.


    "Err..That''s your energy elixir," Volca said suddenly the moment she saw him looking at the pills. She walked towards him and took them from his hands.


    "But I have never seen them in the room, " he said.


    "Because you should not take them in as you wish, it needs supervision, am sure you will eat them all the time if I leave it to you," she lied.


    "Why would I?"


    "I don''t know I just assumed that way, it is powerful and take the pill only once in three days, today is that day. I will mix them in your congee, " she said and took a pill out.


    "Why in congee when I can swallow them? I am fine now," he said. Volca was sweating hard.


    "It is only effective when I give then with congee I have been doing that, don''t worry, "


    "I haven''t felt it though, it must not be that effective I guess," Huo''er said looked at for sometime and then let it go handing her the towel to wipe the sweat.


    "Are you not energetic enough now? You don''t look exhausted like you used to," she said. He gave up and stopped the discussion.


    "I will open the windows, it is too hot in here,'' he said and walked away before he settled down for food. They had fun trying the different dishes and Huo''er liked the grilled rabbit and chicken soup the most. He kind of felt it very familiar as he drank the soup. Then Volca mixed the elixir in the congee and handed them to him. Huo''er drank them at one shot holding his breath. He has been developing a serious hatred towards towards different types of congee. Volca watched him taking the elixir and took a breath in relief to have passed the test without getting caught. Though she felt bad to see the dragon act like a poor lost car she had no other way but choose to keep him this way making him followe her tail. She was sure though, for how long she will be able to keep him like that.


    Huo got up and washed his mouth and served more wine the queen regent. He suddenly noticed how she pretty she looked, he couldn''t help but notice her. He smiled and took his seat opposite her. She watched him as she kept having her lunch. She seems to enjoying it well without worries and enjoyed his gaze on her secretly pretending to not seeing it. Her heart fluttered as she thought more about it and blushed again. He cheek turning hot and red. Someone knocked on the door suddenly and Volca stood up suddenly and Huo stood up. He reached for the weapons.

 Chapter 53: Reported, regretted and planned

    "Is it true?" King Aenon asked the Grand Prince, rising up from his throne.


    "It us your highness," he informed, his fist clenched around his ice sword. ''The Crystals has awakened and the cancer is coming back to life, moonchild has returned. Aqua''s Crystals running in his veins,"


    "We should visit him Aiden, we should," Aenon said walking down and patting Aiden''s shoulders. "At the least one among them returned, and she will live through him, we should help him, or else it is going to hurt him bad, unable to control the flow of Crystals in a new body,"


    "But," Aiden was stopped by King Aenon.


    "No buts, he is after all my son in law, " he said. The words for no reason angered Aiden but he kept it under control.


    "We still have not found Aqua, this is not fair, it is high time that she resurrects too uncle but why can''t we find her?" He questioned the King.


    "I respect your love for the family, " King Aenon.


    "Uncle I," Aiden began but Aenon interrupted.


    "Listen to me first and think about it. If a part of Aqua''s are conscious, it means the rest will begin to show life, if it does, even the little of the trace of crystal in a body can be traced, do you get it?" Aenon enlightened the Grand Prince. "Then we will easily spot Aqua, "


    "Don''t you remember what Huo did with his soul sword? What Fiona stabbed her with, her soul ripped apart, Uncle with her dan destroyed, she will now be clutching on to the demon''s soul," Aiden reminded him.


    "But the crystals are unique and there is only one of a kind in the universe and that belongs to only Aqua and it will be forever, she is irreplaceable, we will be finding her soon," King Aenon explained to Aiden and walked out of the court. Aiden followed him.


    "Find Huo and find who is protecting him, it definitely will not be the Empress. She has no such guts and is still mourning like us for the loss of her two sons," Water King requested it officially. "Don''t alert the heavens with it, keep it under cover, consider it a secret mission, I will give you full authority on it, if you find him suffering, bring him home here,"


    "Is that necessary?" Aiden asked him.


    "If Aqua was here she would have done anything for him, we should respect her love at the least,"


    "She left us for him, it''s a loss only for us, "Aiden said.


    "It is a great loss for the universe to have lost the unique shenlong," King Aenon said smiling. The Water Realm is still mourning for the loss of the princess though it''s been two almost since her death. The palace still covered and hung with white cloths, flags and lights. They refused to include her in the list of dead royals in the Celestial Palace and got kicked out by Emperor Tai. Emperor seemed to be under shock and remaining in her chamber all the time and handle matters there itself instead of going to the court, sitting next to the Emperor.


    Aenon though he felt upset he carried out his duties in the Water Realm like a king should which made Emperor Tai locked in a situation where he cannot fire nor bring down the Water King afraid of offending the allies.


    With Aiden on his heels, King Aenon rushed towards Queen Rivera''s chambers to inform the news. When he entered her palace, she looked pretty busy teaching the new palace maids about importance of education as well as living as a righteous person.


    Aenon smiled and stood there, waiting for her, while Rivera asked Milan to take care and rushed over to meet the King.


    "What is it?" she asked Aenon and looked at Aiden.


    "Pack your backs, let''s go," he said and held his wife''s hand.


    "What?" she looked clueless.


    "Let''s bring our daughter back home," he said. Tears whelming in his eyes as he said it.


    "Are you saying the truth? Did you really find her?" Rivera felt too weak to stand on her legs and held on to the door handles for the support. Aiden helped us aunt and stood next to her holding her.


    "We yet haven''t but we have a hope," he told his aunt. "Crystals have awakened, the conscious has come, it means she is alive, she is awake in some part of the universe and we have yet to find her "


    "Let''s go," Rivera said to King Aenon.


    "But before that, we have to take care of the matters here officially, we cannot say how many years it would take to find her and return with her. She will need a lot of help, we should be with her all along," King Aenon told her.


    "But,"


    "No buts, be patient, we have been all.these years, a few more days and let''s go soon," Milan came running to listen to the family meeting.


    "What is it?" she asked curiously.


    "Let''s go find your sister," Aiden told her, smiling. Milan''s heart skipped a beat when she saw him smile at her and even more excited to hear the news. She hugged everyone to hug Aiden without causing doubts all happy and took her father''s hands. King Aenon patted his daughter''s head and stood there, feeling hopeful.


    "Go ask your parents to come meet me urgently,"


    "I got it Pa," he said and left immediately to pass on the message to his parents. Aenon wanted to leave the throne temporarily in his sister and brother in law''s hands for the Realm to be cared well. He waited for his sister Krystal to meet him in the royal court. Aenon wanted to keep the news a secret and not alert the celestial palace about the news.


    "What is it?" Krystal rushed into the court, tensed and worried. Aenon laughed and made his sister sit and relax for sometime time. It appeared that Aiden had yet to tell his mother about the news.


    "Relax dear sister," Her husband Adrien was sitting next to her.


    "She started worrying moment she heard you called for her, wondering if you fell sick," Adrien mocked his wife.


    "I am fine and healthy, don''t worry," Aenon said to her. "Listen carefully to everything am going to tell you about now, you too Adrien," Krystal and Adrien looked at their son who stood calm and nodded at them. "I am going to step out of the Realm with my family for few years, in search,"


    "Did you find her?" Krystal asked him before he completed speaking.


    "Listen, so when we step out for sometime, we want you and Adrien to look after our people, you can let me know and I will come when you need me about something, no problem with that, promise me that you will take care our Realm,"


    "Water Kingdom is our home, our own universe we share our blood with, don''t worry, even if it means our lives, we will protect and keep our people satisfied brother, don''t worry," Krystal promised King Aenon.


    "We give you our word on that your highness, " Adrien smiled and promised Aenon. Aenon felt relieved to have heard o the words and took a deep breath.


    "Tell me did you find her? Has she returned?" Krystal grew impatient.


    "No," Aenon said and stopped talking.


    "Mother, we felt her conscious and its awake now, she must be alive at some part of the universe, we have to find her and go around again,"


    "Are you going away too? Son?" Krystal asked shocked.


    "Why would I stay here when I have to go find her?" he asked back getting irritated.


    "Boy, relax, it''s alright we can go alone, stay here with your family," Aenon advised him seeing how his sister felt bad.


    "Uncle you''re my family too, so is Aqua, you know how I see Aqua and Milan, Aqua is important to me too just like she is to you," Aenon, Krystal and Adrien looked at each other wondering what he meant about Aqua exactly. They didn''t wish to complicate it and let go of the thought. "You think you can go without me? Even if you won''t let me join you?" he asked back.


    Krystal was sure how his son would do the search on his own even without Aenon for support like how he has been doing for the past whole year. Krystal suppressed her confusions about his feelings and let him do whatever he wanted to. She didn''t wish to complicate her son''s love life by wrongly accusing his feeling for Aqua and create a family issue. "When has he ever listened to me and stayed with me for long, he is your son bother, take him, I don''t want to see his sad face every day holding him back," she agreed to let him travel along with Aenon and family.


    Aiden then to console his mother and thank her hugged her tight and kissed her head. "C''mon mother, you know me don''t you, you are always my number one,"


    "What about me?" Adrien teased him.


    "Five, you know it, we don''t get along well," he said straight and Adrien laughed at him.


    "You really are ruthless, idiot," he said and let it go. Aenon thanked his family once again and watched them leave the court and walked back to his chamber. Rivera was waiting for him there already.


    "How did you find it out?" She asked him as Aenon changed into his robes.


    "Cancer is coming back to it original life,"


    "Moonchild," Rivera gasped. "He is alive, he is back, he is using her Crystals for his life," Rivera connected everything quickly and looked at her husband for confirmation. And he nodded at her. "My god," she said keeping her hands over her heart, shocked and sat on the bed, slowly. "Where is he? Where can we find him then?"


    "We don''t know anything about his whereabouts now nor about who is protecting him, since cancer is not bright yet. We cannot trace him yet," Aenon said. "I have asked Aiden to find news about it, we cannot let the news spread, let''s wait and then take off," Rivera agreed to it and sat looking gloomy. "Where are you sweetheart?" she looked outside the window at the sky and looked for Aquarius, trying to see if she is around. Aenon consoled her and sat next to her.


    "We will find her soon," he said holding her hands sky gazed along with his wife. Meanwhile Grand Prince Aiden set out in search of Demon King''s whereabouts. He followed the cancer but it wasn''t clear and doubted this special prohibited skill he learned from Aenon to find the two, Aqua and Huo. He went around everywhere and searched everywhere staying out away from the palace for days. But he kept failing everyday. Until one afternoon when he felt the crystal he carried his pocket deflected to a certain direction towards the Demon Realm. He with the few guards set out to cross the borders in disguise immediately. And then it deflected to the right direction and his heart thumbed loud as he neared the destination he was not sure about. He worried but also expected a lot of things on his way.


    Aiden jumped down from his horse and walked forward through the crowd in the street, and suddenly felt a change in star formations and saw a phenomena. The cancer flashed for a minute. A rare phenomenon.


    Lightening and loud Thunder broke out and it scared everyone walking around the town. People ran around to find a shelter and escape the storm yet to break out. Aiden looked at the direction the single Crystal showed the way entered the palace. He was shocked. He didn''t expect what he saw in his front.


    "No," he gasped, as he covered his hands over his sword, ready to take them out of the sheath. His eyes filled with tears and felt strong range of emotions passing through him he didn''t know how to explain.

 Chapter 54: Aiden Found Him

    The dark clouds surrounded the streets with lightening and thunder. Volca looked at Huo who looked very relaxing wiping his soul sword and unaware of how his return is being declared by the nature, by the sword that began to respond to it''s owner, the moment he stepped out of the underground.


    The knock on the door grew louder and it made both Volca and Huo stay alert. Volca prepared while Huo just stood there looking confused for why Volca was over reacting.


    Huo''er yielded his sword and forgot to cover his face in middle. Volca took out her spear and stood guarding Huo, neither did she notice that he hasn''t masked his face with the black cloth.


    She opened the door as if it was nothing but the man who stood outside the door kicked it wide open and stood shocked in their front. Volca could see his veins popping on his hands a she held his ice sword. She blocked his view standing in front of Huo quickly and it made Huo understand how he has forgotten to hide his identity.


    "Aiden, what are you doing here?" Volca asked him while Huo stood there not moving an inch away from Volca. Aiden asked the gaurds to stand outside and guard the place without rising any suspicion.


    Aiden entered their room and shut the door behind him. The antique crafts and oriental wall paintings looked good but dull with layers of dust filled on their top. He was controlling his temper well as he could. Trying his best to adapt to the situation and get to know what was happening to Huo, and take him back home.


    "Huo," he called him. But Volca meddled in his conversation.


    "Why are you here Grand Prince?" she interrupted him.


    "Did you think us from the Water Realm will never be able to find him?" he questioned her back.


    "I," To that Volca had nothing to answer back. "Why don''t you leave? I know you are here to stir troubles for all," she changed the subject.


    "Yeah, I will leave but only with him," he said looking at Huo as he snapped at Volca.


    "Why would I come with you? Volca who is," Huo got interrupted this time.


    "Why would you come with me? Really? You dare to ask me that? Are you siding with this murderous bitch?" he asked Huo gritting his teeth and clenching his fist.


    "Watch you words Mister," Huo felt distorted with the behaviour and warned Aiden. Aiden could not believe what was happening in front of him, seeing Huo''er with a twisted opinion.


    "Does it mean nothing to you? Her sacrifice? Nothing?" Aiden asked Huo with so much of disappointment and regret, with his eyes filling with tears, in anger and hurt to think his love gave away her life for a good for nothing Devil. Huo wondered about whose sacrifice Aiden was talking about. The purple sky slowly faded and returned back to normal outside.


    "Volca what is he talking about?" he asked Volca turning towards her, trying to understand the situation and wondering who Aiden is to speak such freely to him. "What''s going on?"


    "It''s nothing, don''t bother, I will deal with him," Volca assured Huo.


    Aiden laughed out loud. He couldn''t just no longer take it. He drew his sword out and hit them towards Volca. The fight got intense and Aiden was losing the upper hand slowly. She appeared to be very skilful with the training she has gotten from master Bo Hai. Aiden used his slow motion power and stopped all handicrafts from breaking and being destroyed in the middle of the fight keeping them on air and putting them back to its place in between the duel.


    "You sure are really strong," he said and counter attacked her. But Huo involved himself into the fight to protect the Queen Regent and both of them started attacking Aiden who did not wish to alert the guards and draw attention from the public.


    "Leave her, Huo said as he fought with his little kung fu and Aiden didn''t want to attack him at all thinking of Aqua, for the sake of her, her final wish, asking Huo to live. He kept avoiding Huo''er''s moves and then stopped fighting altogether. Aiden did not feel any worthiness or meaning in the fight when Huo clearly took the villainess'' side easily. Aiden could not say it they were close or just friends who are strong and protecting each other. He covered his sword and took a seat near the window.


    "When did he wake up?" he asked Volca for the last time.


    "Months back, " she replied. Huo took a seat opposite Aiden and observed him carefully. To Huo, Aiden didn''t look like a threat at all. But an angry young man with emotional issues.


    "Why didn''t you use the same guts to come beg us and save him but instead decided to experiment with her Crystals on him on your own?" She did not care to answer her enemy at all. Aiden did not understand why she and her mother were kept being alive at such a period of time. "Feel lucky to find your neck still on the right place," he mocked her and got up. "You don''t come with me now and whatever relationship we have inbetween us will be over too," But Huo did not move an inch from the place which left Aiden dumbfounded. Little did he know about Huo being oblivious about his past.


    Aiden left the room in disappointment giving Huo a grim disgusted look and rushed back to the Water Realm and requested to meet the king to inform what he has witnessed during his travel period. He was angry and was not sure about how to let his family know about Huo''er''s change.


    Huo looked perplexed with everything that happened. His mind full of confusions. He expected an explanation from Volca but she looked too cool for everything that happened and let go of the matter. The look on Aiden''s face kept flashing in Huo''er''s eyes. Like he betrayed or cheated Aiden with something, and the pain too clear to forget on his face. It kept haunting Huo. He stood close to the window again, looking outside at the bustling street coming back to life after the short period of rain.


    He felt something and it was Volca, giving him a back hug. This was the first time she did it. He did not know what to do and did not take any action either. Standing still and letting her do whatever while her hands were locked around his hips. He was shocked to think why he could not reject her though he have never had such desires before. He turned back and looked at her. He couldn''t help but smile at her.


    "Sorry," she apologized to him.


    "It''s ok you don''t have to," he said to her. He looked at her closely for the first time as their eyes locked. He could sense the deep emotions inside her. She stood there smiling at him. Her grey wild eyes glistening with love.


    Then out of the blue, Volca reached up for his face, moving her hands around his neck and gave a peck on his cheek and turned away not waiting for his response. Her heart skipped a beat though felt embarrassed unable to keep her desires a secret. Huo did nothing back and let go of her he hand. She was trying her best to stir his emotions. Huo felt a sharp pain in his heart for a second and it disappeared. He couldn''t tell what it was.


    After an hour of complete silence. Volca spoke to Huo. "Let''s go," she said. It was already evening. She kept some gold coins on top of the table for the pay at hotel, then took her things and apparated out with Huo.


    Huo looked around the place they reached. Standing on top of a mountain, with endless sand dunes around them. The great magical dessert that belongs to the Demon Realm. The sun was about to set making the sky turn orange and pink.


    "I don''t wish to keep you away from the reality anymore,'' Volca said to him. It was what Huo was expecting her to do. He felt relieved to hear the words coming out from her mouth saving him from all the disappointments he building up inside him step by step. He let go of all the thoughts and watched her as she stood on the edge of the cliff, gazing at the sky.


    "Am so sorry for everything that happened to you, to us," She said. Huo walked towards her, waiting for her to open up. He got curious as every second passed. The sky from pink turned dark, with the stars appearing slowly. Volca looked for her the water bearer and did not find it. She felt relieved and then pointed at the cancer, showing Huo his sign. "That''s you," she said pointing at sky. "It has been dead the past years, and slowly coming back to life,"


    "Why would I have a star if am a demon?" he asked her a question she least expected. She didn''t know he has found the difference.


    "The books told you I see," she said and smiled. Wrapping her arms around her, shivering in the cold winds. Huo instantly took his cloak off his shoulder and put it around hers. It made her happy to have been cared by her love. "Listen carefully, I plan on saying these only once, it''s difficult for me, but I can no longer hide it from you," she said and looked at him, who was gazing at her already and made a move towards her. "I," she began.

 Chapter 55: Wish Wish

    "I don''t know why or how you lost all your memories, but I wish I could help you and stay beside until you get better," Volca began. He suddenly took her in his arms and carried her over to a rock nearby. He put her down and made her sit properly on the rock.


    "Rest while you speak," he said and tussled her hair. He looked sincere as he did it. She smiled and held on to his arms, laying her head on his chest for sometime feeling tired. She could sense his feelings towards her and she liked it, very much that her heart almost exploded with joy.


    "Thank you," she said. "I want you to listen to everything carefully and speak back only then,"


    "I will," he promised her and waited for her to speak.


    "The first day I met you was at school, the day we joined, the water princes and I together, " Volca refused to pronounce her name and mentioned her only formally. She felt her heart clutching tight inside at the very thought of her friend, but that was not what was important to Volca.


    "We were taken to shifu and you were his right hand at the school, he appointed you as our senior brother and our guide," she kept going. "You were raised by him when your parents abandoned you," she said it to him plainly. She couldn''t look at his face. She played with her fingers looking down. "We grew closer and I always attached myself to you, following you around. Water Princess and I used to be best friends. She knew I was in love with you and that we were close, but, " she paused thinking what to say next. "But she began to use her power and abuse her authority and tried to hit you, she started sending you mixed signals, gifts and offered gold to win you over, and taking you to meet her family. She coaxed you somehow and took you to her coronation. Then she called me to her room and made me watch you two getting intimate, I still don''t know why you fell for her, but I felt too bad and betrayed that day. Back stabbed by my own friend. I started hating her and tried take you back and always failed."


    "What? I dated her ?" and to his question she nodded her head, answering him back.


    "At that time, my mother came to visit me one day and revealed a truth about you, I was shocked. She said you are the moonchild, the missing prince of the Demon Realm. Your father, a demon, and mother, a human. You were being hunted by your step father, the emperor, he wished to destroy you. And your biological father wanted to find you at any cost, since you were the only heir to demon throne. As a demon I grew up watching your father close, and knew exactly what his pains were not having you around and mother convinced me to take you back," she smirked.


    Then she looked at his face, he looked serious. She continued. "That day, you captured me red handed when I was speaking with mother. I remember how I was crying and you offered to help me. I hugged you and we spend sometime together and she did not like it, the water princess. She left on her own and came back only a day after to show her protest and you felt too broken that day to see her rudeness for not understanding you helping a friend," Volca kept lying


    "Then one day when we were training, she arranged a drama where ninjas tried to attack her and hurt herself to get your sympathy. Then she took you out of the school and forced you to spend time with her. You were so in love at that time. It used to break my heart alot," she said and looked Huo, with her eyes brimming with tears that made her vision very blurred. She took his hands and kept it on her heart. "It hurts," she said. "So much," she looked at him. "All the love, betrayal and sins, regrets, you have no idea," He looked at her with a bleeding heart. He started feeling bad for her. His heart pounded fast as he watched and listened to her story. "I know all that I have done just to get to you, but the event that took place were not just," she said.


    "What happened?" Huo wanted to know more.


    "We graduated from school, she and i. And we left. By that time she came to know about your birth secret and the real identity and still attached herself to you. But you weren''t aware of how she was brought up fed by Emperor himself for the great cause. She let herself be used and got close to you for you to catch her bait, Emperor''s bait,"


    "What?" he was horrified. "How did I let her do that?" he couldn''t believe what a fool he has been.


    "You were so in love, so was I, and I leaked your information as per my mother''s request to your father and brought you home," she sighed. "But I didn''t know the Water Princess was visiting the Demon King, when she saw you, she took you out, in the name of escaping, saving you from me. I don''t know where she took you, but within few days you returned back to the castle and took the throne as the Demon King, I have been on your side since then," she kept going with her instantly made up story. "She kept visiting the castle and even attended your coronation, along with her family. You two were stuck on each other. But she was called back,"


    "Why?" he asked her curiously.


    "Because the news of her betrothal with the heavenly prince Aaron spread like fire and she had to go back leaving you behind. She said yes to the engagement and moved into his palace. Thinking she was abducted and kept as a prisoner, you walked into the Celestial Palace falling for their trap," Volca cried at this point. She sobbed hard. "And they caught you," she said. She put on a very good act making the story look as real as possible. She dropped his hands and let go. But her tears were real. Real tears from the deep sense of regret and guilt killing her inside that came out in the form of tears. "They made you fight alone with everyone and then she revealed the truth of how her love was nothing but a trap,"


    "She did that?" he asked astounded.


    "Yes, and in anger, shame and regret, you stabbed her right in her heart, she dropped dead, but before she died, she transferred her unique power, the Crystals in to you to kill you, you both died in each other''s arms but you returned and she can''t, " she looked at his face that looked serious and sad. "She might not come again, and probably my prayers were heard. I have you now, fine and healthy, but need more training,"


    "She died so, the water princess? In my hands?"


    "Yes, for good," she said while her throat ached controlling her emotions. She bit her lips trying not to burst out crying. Things she is doing for love. It hurt him to see her cry.


    "I walked around for your core every minute of the day in the past years and found you, and I used her Crystals she left for you to form your body and soul, her powers were unique that it can create a life since they are blood. "The person who came for you today is her cousin, the Grand Prince of Water Realm, Aiden, he wants to own you now since we used her crystals,"


    Huo smirked and took a step closer to Volca and took a seat next to her. He sat looking away along with her accepting what he had heard. Feeling ashamed of how me made a fool of himself in the past and felt grateful to have Volca with him.


    "I will make up for everything, for everything i did and hurt you," he said and looked at her. "Nobody else matter anything to me anymore. His heart skipped a beat as he laid his on her. Her beautiful smile amidst of the painful memories and tears in her eyes. He could not help it and reached for her face with his hands. He then moved closer to her and took her face in his hands, wiping her tears away. "I promise," he said and touched her lips with his. "I no longer wish to waste out time staying apart," he said and leaned his head on hers, taking her lip again. He kissed her deeply and put his arms around her waist pulling her closer. Volca out her arms around his neck and apparated quickly back to the underground chamber without alerting the guards.


    When Huo opened his eyes he was inside his chamber with her. Huo got excited and lifted her as she wrapped her legs around his hip. His feelings were getting deeper and lust defeating them both. He put her on top of the desk and kissed again and again, biting her, caressing her breasts and her inner thighs. He kissed on her neck and took the tiara off her head. She placed her hands on his chest and began to take his hanfu off. She felt her body going too hot already. Huo slipped the cloak off her shoulder and then lifted her in his arms again walking towards his bed.


    Huo placed her carefully and looked at her. "I love you," she whispered looking into his eyes. He smiled and kissed her forehead, her nose and took her lips again. He slowly ran his fingers over her clothes and undid her gown and slid them down her shoulders all the way through her hip and kissed her in navel that send a shiver all over her body. She sat naked in front of him, shyly. She then took his hands and kept it on her and slowly undressed him kept her hands on his chest as he climbed on top her. He took her nipples in his mouth and the he slowly entered her. Volca could do nothing else but moan, as she kept whispering his name in his ears, digging her nails on his back, new to all the sensual pleasures that she was going through. She was happy.


    "Volca," Huo called her. "Volca, you hear me?" he asked her.

 Chapter 56: He is hard to get

    "What happened? What are you thinking?" Huo asked her interrupting her wildest thoughts. Volca woke up from her day dream and looked around, standing at the edge of the cliff. She turned back and looked the rock and then looked at him. Huo was standing, keeping a safe distance from her. He looked eager to know things and not for her. Volca couldn''t believe about how she has been dreaming about stuff, and unexpectedly lustful for him. She pinched herself again and realised not a scene was real and carefully stepped back from the edge.


    "Oh damn it," she cursed herself.


    "Huh?" he raised his brows.


    "Are you alright?" she asked him. She wished so much for the elixir to work like it did in her dream on him. It made her realise about why it hasn''t been working on him well though she could sense a little change in him compared to the times he doesn''t consume them. But not as much as she wants him to act. Volca again blushed red as she gazed at him for a moment and quickly looked away before he caught her. She couldn''t resist her feelings.


    Huo felt it weird to see what she has been doing since the afternoon. His curiosity was killing him all the way long. Yet he chose to patiently wait since it was his need that is to be satisfied by her. He patted her shoulders and took her hands, dragging her behind him. He walked towards the small rock behind them and asked her sit on top of it.


    "Sit while you speak, you look tired a little," he said. Volca''s eyes suddenly grew wide, sparkling. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked at him. ''Is it going to happen like I imagined ? Why is he doing the same thing ?'' she thought.


    "Sit here," she said to him, keeping her hands on the rock next to her. He nodded and took his sit. He wasn''t tired though but had to obey her. He prepared himself and made up his mind to accept whatever she was going to say to him about his past. "I know you''re waiting for me to open up," she said knowing it well. But she enjoyed seeing him this way. It gave her some kind of satisfaction to have him walk behind her. She enjoyed it. She felt like she was winning.


    "Well," he said and shrugged. "It''s upto you,"


    "You can choose to believe it or not, but you should know one thing," Volca turned very serious. "Know just this one thing. Am never giving upon you, I will never," she swore to him. "I have always been there for you in the past, I will always in your future too, this time am not losing to anyone, I don''t have the will to, and I will make sure you reach the position you deserve, trust me on that," He just smiled and listened to things carefully weighing each and every word of hers.


    She searched his eyes for a response. She badly wanted it but got nothing from him, except a confused look and an alluring smile. She smirked and looked away. ''Why is it so hard to win him over though he is this weak?'' she asked the question to herself inside her head.


    "I am grateful to have you with me," he said few minutes later. "Don''t worry about me, or you, if it is something that bothers you from speaking to me, then you can choose not to tell me," he said trying to console her in his own way. It was twilight. The moon appeared bright and the night approached fastly.


    "We used to be best friends back at school," she began. "I have known you from the first day I joined the school, you were appointed as my guide until the day I graduated," she decided to continue with the story she had dreamt about and tactically moved on with the story.


    "So we were like a trio only that we wouldn''t interact much?" he asked her in between.


    "More like a sinking triangle romance I would say," she spilt the truth. She narrated everything carefully, measuring her words and turning the tables to her side, and shadowing her best friend, picturing her negatively. Hiding him from the reality, keeping him out of the feelings.


    "Who is she ?" he started to load her with questions for everyone word she uttered. His heart kept pounding fast for every word that came out of her mouth. He didn''t know which to believe and which not to. He felt it a bit exaggerated but also possible to have happened.


    "The Water Princess," and Volca continued with the whole story she came up with. The look on Huo''er''s face was what Volca had been expecting to see. The mixture of hurt, and the heart broken look. He looked disappointed. But inside, he wanted to know more about what happened to him, and remember his own feeling about everything. She progressed with the storytelling. As she continued, Huo''er''s expression changed more and more like he was defeated and betrayed. He gasped in between.


    Yes, to him, it was unbelievable. He was not able to accept the fact that in Volca''s story, he has been a silly coward and an incompetent, blind, poor guy who trusted a woman and got killed by her in the end. His pride hurt to think that he got tricked by all the wrong people in life. But still he was not able to accept the matters about whether Volca was saying him the truth or not. He sat there all shocked and felt tired all of a sudden with heavy thought clouding his mind.


    He could see tears streaming down Queen Regent''s face nonstop as she kept on going with the history of him. The more he heard about it, the more he wanted to recollect his memory by finding a good medicine. He felt bad for Volca who kept confessing her feelings. But did not feel ready for it. He pretended to be feeling bad moved closer to her. He took hands in his, and pressed them. Asking her to stop crying. But she used the same line again.


    "And in anger, shame and regret, you stabbed her right in her heart, she dropped dead, but before she died, she transferred her unique power, the Crystals in to you to kill you, you both died in each other''s arms but you returned and she can''t, " she looked at his face that looked serious and sad. "She might not come again, and probably my prayers were heard. I have you now, fine and healthy, but need more training,"


    He got up suddenly and kept his hand on his head, rubbing his forehead. "I killed the Crown Princess of the Water Realm," he grew tensed. Though he has no clue about what their relationship was, he saw it as a crime, to have wronged a Realm. "Damn it," he cursed under his breath.


    "Huo relax, it was nothing,'' she said trying to calm him seeing his reaction.


    "I did wrong. What do you mean by it was nothing?" he asked her. She got up and walked towards him. She took his hands.


    "Relax, let me tell you," she said. "Listen, you don''t understand, " she started looking at Huo''er''s face, with her eyes brimming with tears that made her vision very blurred. She took his hands and kept it on her heart. "It hurts," she said. "So much," she looked at him. "All the love, betrayal and sins, regrets, you have no idea," He looked at her with all shocked. She enacted what she dreamt about expecting him to react the same way. He started feeling bad for her. His heart pounded fast as he watched and listened to her confession. "I know all that I have done just to get to you, but the events that took place were not just," she said. "It was never fair since the beginning, "


    Huo stood speechless. As he have heard the complete story now, he wished badly to have his memories restored. He also felt scared. "So did the Grand Prince come today for?" he asked her. Though Volca was upset, she was least surprised to see his reactions. ''What was I thinking anyway,'' she thought and decided to reply Huo.


    "Yes Aiden came for you maybe, and then dropped it since you were with me, he knows well he can''t win me," she said confidently. "We should be careful and hurry up with our procedures, you should take the throne and declare your return so that priority to your safety and protection beocmes mandatory for guards," she said.


    "But you know well about my condition, " he looked concerned.


    "I promised you already that I will be there for you, no matter what. Didn''t I?" she asked him back. "That''s all with your story today, why don''t we head back home?" she said and tools his hands. She apparated straight back into his underground chamber. "Alright, why don''t you relax now and I will ask the guards to bring you some more books and dinner after you wash up," she said and turned around to see something shocking. Huo stood silent and did not move a bit unable to come up with any idea. Volca stuttered. "I...,"

 Chapter 57: Empress made the deal

    "Is it true?" Emporer Tai asked his new general Davon about the rumour, return of the Demon King.


    "I am not sure about it your highness, nobody has seen him anywhere yet in all these years, how can eh possibly be back when Late Prince Aaron made sure he died," Devon spoke confidently.


    Emperor Tai got angry for mentioning his dead son''s name. The only son he had who no longer lived in this universe. Tai has been in dilemma unable to come up with a solution to pass the throne to someone worth since there is no heir to take the throne. All the mass murders and hard work to Tai went down the drain and it upseted him very badly. Emperor Tai glared at the gaurd and sipped his tea slowly.


    "Rest assured your holiness, do not panic for I will come and directly report to first thing when I hear about any abnormal activities  taking place around the heaven or hell. Emperor Tai nodded his head and asked the royal guard to leave him alone.


    Emperor Tai was enjoying his lone time in the Pavilion close to the mist river that came down from the Sky Realm. The coldest river in the heaven that has the pain relief power. Heavily wounded heavenly royal guards and ministers after ward are usually sunken into the river for a day to ease their pains from all the fractures in their body. It hasn''t been used for years now after Tai and Dritan in Hell took the throne together.


    Emperor looked at the sky and closed his eyes, travelling to the stars, with his conscious, studying the stars himself to check if there has been any recent phenomenon that took place and found absolutely nothing.  ''How can it be?'' He thought and returned back to his body. But then he noticed something but he wasn''t sure about it.


    Emperor Tai got up from his table and walked back to his palace in a hurry. He changed his robes and asked the eunuch to summon his Empress into the room immediately. He kept his crown in his head and out on the Phoenix embroidered cloak over the top. A Heavenly King''s suit is the most elegant and unique in the universe. He asked the bed chamber maids to serve tea for two people and asked them to leave. He also ordered the meals for two since it was lunch time already. It has been so long since he had met his wife. Empress has been refusing to spend time with him ever since the death of both her sons that tormented her the most than it personally effected him. At one hand though his own son died, he has been happy on the death Huo''er and that too done by Aaron which made him feel satisfied and stay out of the endless hopelessness of his life.


    After an hour, Emperor Tai heard a knock on the door. "The Empress is here your highness," the eunuch declared the arrival loudly, waiting for the approval to let in.


    "Let her in," the king ordered her and waited for her to walk in. She looked too calm and composed in front of him. She did not look happy though to have been summoned forcefully. She bowed in front of him the moment she saw him and took a seat opposite him.


    "Your highness,are you sick? Why did you send people for bringing me in here ?" She asked him coldly. Serving the tea in the cups and giving him one. She then took hers and sipped slowly though the tea was extremely hot enough to burn the mouth. Emperor Tai only smelled it and put the come back on the tea table looking into the eyes of the Empress. She still seemed to be mourning for both her children.


    The pain in her heart didn''t seem to go away, losing all the people she adored at once. Dritan, Huo and Aaron, and stuck with the man she hates the most, she couldn''t understand why her life had to be like this. The more she thought about it, the more she hated Tai for forcefully marrying her and kicking out her son always on hunt for him.


    But Aaron did make it a little better. But he was no different from his father, cruel and playful. A typical playboy Empress couldn''t control over.


    "Lihua, listen to me," Emperor Tai said. The Empires looked at his face, who looked aged and tired all of a sudden. She didn''t know how much he had changed over the years, not caring a little about him.


    In a way, Tai was the most unfortunate man on earth. To have fallen for a woman has already been with another man giving her heart and soul and give birth a power child. Tai has always been jealous rather than hate anything except his woman.


    A  fine young man but shouldering extremely difficult duties along with his father at the young age, Tai had a really rough life. Only thing that helped him endure all the lashes from his family has been the girl he peeped at in the school while she trained with her shifu Liwei. It brought him a great comfort, to watch her as he recklessly fell in love with a woman he knew nothing about.


    Hundreds of years passed but not his heart. Even though his harem was full of all sorts of women, his hunger for this girl has been left unsatisfied. Tai grew up into fine leader but she was having all fun in her life, being the best in her own way, being the Princess of the Star Empire who controlled the stars and fate of immortals. She was born with the dragon blood which was too rare in her Clan.


    Things were normal until one day when the rumours of her affair with the Demon Prince Dritan spread like a wild fire in the heaven. It shocked Tai. He lost his sleep for days and messed up his duty as the Prince. Unable to accept what he had heard, Tai sent his people in secret to find out in detail about his love''s secret life and everything that he came to know killed him in one shot.


    The Princess of the Star Empire gave birth to a moonchild. An illegitimate child who will rise to the power with his blood and conquer the universe together, the prophecy said. Tai could no longer be patient and decided to play a game between the heaven and hell. Using his power, Tai promised the universe to suppress the demon power in the infant and met with Princess Lihua officially for the first time. He had already known about the Demon King''s hatred and unwillingness to take Lihua as the daughter in law of the Demon Prince he adored.


    "What do you want me to do?"  Tai asked Lihua who was on her knees, crying her heart out.


    "I beg you, don''t do this to us, please, spare this child''s life, he is nothing like what is said by the people,"  she begged him.


    "How can I assure my people then?"


    "I will do anything for you, I will, please please spare our lives,  we will leave heaven and live like we don''t exist, I promise," she said to him.


    "You don''t have to do that," he said kneeling next to her, pinching her chin and looking at her face.


    "What?"


    "Marry me," he proposed suddenly. He didn''t want Lihua an undenying beauty slipping through his hands though she has already been touched first by somebody else. "You''re worth more than any treasure I have in my life, marry me and live a life you want, I will give you anything in return, you will decide everything in our lives, unlike Dritan who cannot go against his father and give upon on you and the child,"


    "Your highness you are crossing the line," she said taking his hands off her body.


    "There has never been a line for me to cross, I have always been in your court, watching your every single move whenever I was free, don''t doubt my love for you and question me Hua''er," he said smiling. He leaned in and gave a peck on her lips before he got up and leaving taking her by shock.


    "Rememeber, war is easy to occur but losing loved once are hard isn''t it? He warned about Dritan''s safety all along before he left. Lihua was sure of Dritan leaving them but his safety mattered the most to her. Dritan and Huo''er''s safety. Without thinking further, she said yes to Tai that very moment. And Tai was sure about how she had jumped into his pit in the thought of saving two lives he had decided to take anyway.


    Tai returned back and took her in his arms, carrying her back to her palace. He did not care who was inside there, but without shame carried her into her chamber. To Tai it was all out of love. But little did he know that his love had turned into obsession and it was that obsession that made him force his way into Lihua.


    Tai did not ask for any consent and kissed her. He took her lip while she tried to stop him but eventually gave since he held her arms right and cornered her against the walls. As he kissed her, he shut his thoughts about her affairs with Dritan and tried to enjoy the moment. He cupped her soft breats and felt the heat since she has been feeding the child and then ran hands towards her navel. He ripped her clothes and threw them away. Lihua was dying inside every second she spent with him. Tai admired her naked slender figure standing in front of him not respecting her feeling. He quickly sealed her powers and carried her over to the bed so that she wouldn''t hurt him back.


    Lihua had tears in her eyes as he did things to her. Tai took her nipples in her mouth and suckled them and slid into her slowly. He kissed her again and whispered in her ears. "I will protect you," Lihua was crying as he made love with her. He was wild and nonstop. He did not stop until he made sure he had given the child in her womb. She felt like a rape victim in the end of their intercourse, feeling sore and painful in her genital. He was breathless and lying next to her. "I told you, I have always been in your court, now you know," he said thinking about how he had expressed his love for her by loving her, unaware that he has been behaving worse than an animal.


    Days passed and Prince Tai married Lihua rightfully against all the rumours and accusations. And she soon gave birth to a prince she conceived. The war never happened, Dritan took the throne of hell as the Demon King, but Huo''er was attacked often and in the end taken away from the mother for execution. That was the first thing Tai did soon after he took the throne as the Emperor of Heaven. Lihua became the most beautiful and well behaved Empress in the universe which she didn''t love even for a second. But with duties entrusted by the gods, she couldn''t ignore them.


    To Lihua life looked meaningless but she had only one hope in life, her second son, Aaron. But years went by, he became a copy of his father. Ruthless and shameless, a womaniser and violent. But he was her son after all.

 Chapter 58: Empress Trick

    "You look tired your highness," The Empress said. She tired her best to be good to him.


    "Can you drop the formality with me atleast now?" He asked her. He looked at her irritated.


    "I have got used to respecting you," she replied. He put the cup down in force and and it broke into pieces.


    "Respect?" He asked. "Do you think am a fool? Do you think I cannot identify and differentiate which is respect and which is hatred that makes you stay away from me?" For that Lihua smirked and looked away. "It''s been years and years, and why do you still hate me? What did I do? What is that i did so wrong?"


    "What is that you did right? Tell me one?" Sje asked him back.  "I kept my promise, but did you? What good thing did you do for like you claim you do always?"


    "I gave you what all the women want in the universe, " he shouted.


    "And am not like other women in your harem, I did not want any of this, but you out me through me it, forcefully," she shouted back just like he did.


    "Lihua," he got up.


    "I have kept quiet for too long and put up with all your shits, Tai," she got up too. "I am tired of this, I so am. Yes I hated you for so long that I cannot tell what it is like to feel love,"


    "I loved you till you emptied my feelings for you, i always tried," he said.


    "It was not love your highness, you were obsessed to have me, you just wanted me physically, you loved my body, not my soul, you always ignored my feelings, my decisions, my view in life, you just wanted my dragon blood in the child you will make with me, what else did you want? Didn''t you only want to reign over the world with the dragon beside you to be powerful ? Can you deny that? She asked him.


    This time, she shut Tai''s mouth and did not have a word to say to her. He took a deep breath and let go of the matter coming back to the topic why he has called her to his chamber. He wanted to know if the cancer he saw was real and wanted to confirm it with his Empress using her powers.


    "I wanted to ask you something that has been bothering me for few days," he began. He looked tensed and looked at Empress Lihua. She remained cool and say down again. She served the tea for her again and sipped them slowly.


    "What?" She asked him.


    "Err.. I heard a rumour before," he hesitated to say the matters to her. He was not sure about if he was doing the right thing.


    "What? Say it," she said calmly. .


    "I heard that Huo''er is back," he said suddenly. Empress Lihua smirked and looked at him again.


    "Don''t you know what rumours mean?" She asked him. But deep inside her heart, she was trembling with shock wondering how he knew about it. She couldn''t handle what she just heard and tired to divert the topic.  "Did you meet with your cousin?" She asked him. But he ignored her.


    "I know, I was reported that nobody has seen anything new or abnormal regarding him. But cancer is slowly connecting and coming back to the original state. Only the dragon can make such a change," he said thinking a lot. He was watching Lihua very carefully.  But she remained super cool on the outside.


    She got up from her place and walked around the place looking at the artifacts and painting hung on the wall finding the trace of dust in everything. "Your maids are slacking, ask to clean it twice a week. Or else you will fall sick, we can''t afford that can we?" She spoke lightly.


    "Am serious, " he said. "Say something will you?"


    ''You want me to search for my blood through the star reading my empire uses ?" She asked him.  He was expecting her positive response. "No," she said it. "Nobody has the right to do so," she said and denied.


    "We do, all the kings do, why can''t you?"


    "Becuase you cut all the tied my Clan remember, why should you depend on them now?" She asked him back. Emperor Tai looked at the Empress for sometime before he spoke again.


    "Your son is coming back and it doesnt bother you?"


    "What difference would it make? As if you woukd let him live If he does," she snapped at him.


    "You''re running your mouth a lot today since am asking you a favour aren''t you?"


    "Did you get that only now?" She asked him back.


    "Find him," he ordered her.


    "I won''t tell you even if I do,"


    "I won''t touch him," he promised the same thing again.


    "You think that would work on me again?"


    "I mean it this time," he said strongly.


    "I won''t believe a word that comes from your moth don''t worry," she said.


    "You have to do it," he started pleading. "I really really will listen to you,"


    "What kind of Emperor are you? Not keeping his words and giving out fake promises,"  she asked him smiling. "Listen your highness, whether he comes back or not, you will collapse without my power source, we ha e already lost our only son, feeding him with the same kind of hatred you had in you  asking him to man up all the time, this time I won''t forgive you again, if you do move against me, I will kill myself so that I get to end this misery and living with and see you die along," she said fearlessly. It took the Emperor by surprise to hear such strong words coming out with Empress Lihua''s mouth.


    It was indeed was true, a fake phoenix cannot survive long without a dragon''s support at his age. Probably the only reason he was so obsessed with her was also for this, not letting anybody else have her even for a minute. That''s how the star empire have upon the only princess after they were wrongly accused for crimes they did not commit and banished them for couple of year until they disowned Lihua from their clan and cleared the crimes. That was the price they paid, she paid. That''s how jealous, egoistic and possessive Tai has been on her. All for power disguised in the name of love.


    "I understand, " he said. "I will agree this time for sure," he gave his final words, he had to give in and give up on his plans for sometime. He didn''t expect the Empress to be strong on her stand.


    Empress Lihua smiled and walked out of the room, feeling victorious finally. She successfully passed the test and rushed back into her chamber.  She sent away the maids and asked her two very trusted personal guards to stay outside her chamber and not let a soul in no matter what their ranks are and locked the doors behind her. She quickly changed her gown and relaxed for sometime. She sent away the chamber maids after her meal and asked then to not return back for the day and skip her dinner meal.


    "An going to meditate, I don''t want anyone to disturb me during my personal time,  remember," she warned the maids and send the two out quickly.


    Empress Lihua has been waiting for this moment of her life, to feel free and fresh that she has not been able to feel for hundreds of years. She picked all the fruits, sweets, the chicken soup she arranged and herbal medicines she prepared herself using her blood as if she was preparing for a picnic. She packed them well and hid them under her hands.


    Empress waited until it was twilight for the Emperor to return back to his room after the smallest gathering at his court with his ministers to discuss about restructuring of the lotus pond in the palace. She changed her clothes again and put on a black hanfu. She put her hair up and covered her face with a mask and then a hat to not be caught by anyone.


    The moment the Emperor entered his chamber and shut the doors to spend his lone time in the treasure chamber, Empress Lihua apparated out of the Celestial Palace without alerting anyone. She reached the border and spent some time in the woods, meditating. She then used the trick to read the stars and tried to identify the position. It was too dim and vague that Lihua struggled to locate the place and kept failing. She forced herself to travel and find it. A few minutes later she felt something shocking and stopped meditating.


    "What is going on?" She thought aloud. Lihua got up from the ground feeling tensed and apparated straight to the destination she had discovered.  Her heart trembled and she couldn''t control it. She got scared and wondered what was going. "What in the universe is going on?"

 Chapter 59: Meeting the son

    "I.. I.." Volca kept stuttering and exchanged glances between Huo and the guest. "How did you get in here?"


    "What difficulty does the memeber of the Star Empire has when it comes to finding matters we hold close?" She smirked. And looked at the two in the room. "What is going on?" The woman asked her. She took the mask and the hat off her head even though Volca had already recognized her. Her heart thumped loud and shivered in shock to see the man standing in the room. The dyed long hair, the handsome face, the bravest and most kind hearted, a true warrior that reminded her of the past that slit opened her heart.


    "Your highness, " she bowed. Huo looked at Volca and then looked the lady wearing a black hanfu. She looked familiar. He bowed with confusion and waited for the explanation.  But catching him off guard, the lady approached him and took his face in her hands. Tears streamed down her face.


    "Huo''er,  how have you been?" she asked him in broken sentences as she cried.


    "Empress Lihua of the Human Realm, from the Celestial Palace, your mother Huo, " Volca finally told him. Huo''er''s face charges from the expression of calmness into shock and hatred after hearing the story from Volca an hour back. He let go of her and tried to push her away in the thought of getting abandoned by this lady  before who failed to hold him close as a mother should. He couldn''t bare to look at her face and kept avoiding which made Volca satisfying to see how much he is convinced with her story.


    "Your highness, can I talk to you for a minute?" Volca asked the Empress. Yes, Lihua did want an explanation for everything that has been happening and walked to the other end of the room behind Volca while Huo sat on his coat and kept looking at the lady said to be his mother.


    "What story are you going to serve me with?" Empress asked Volca very rudely, not caring to look at her face. But on the other hand Volca who respected the Empress considering her as future mother in law remembered to stay calm and explain the situation to her.


    "After his soul dispersed your highness, I searched everyday for him in all the place that could exist. And i found him, I preserved him. It costed me alot of cultivation and energy,"


    "Do you want me to pay you for those? I can, the double of it," Empress said.


    "Do you think am here it make negotiations your highness?" She asked. "NO," she smirked. "You''re wrong, if have done anything for him, it''s because I love him, not because I want his gold," she said. "It means that''s how much he matters to," she stated it clearly.


    "You," But Volca stopped the Empress from saying anything further.


    "I know you are happy to see your son, but you cannot protect him, besides," she paused.


    "What?" Empress grew tensed.


    "Huo''er is no longer the old self," she said the truth.


    "What did you do to him?" Empress asked her in rage, her hands around Volca''s thought, strangling her. Volca remained quiet.


    "It is not me, it''s her, it''s her doing," Volca managed to say.


    "Who?" Empress asked.


    "Aqua," she said the name for the first time in years. She felt her heart going down to her stomach.


    "What can a possibly dead person do to him?" Empress said it out loud which caught Huo''er''s attention.


    "His body is being controlled by her Crystals, yes it did bring him back to life, but it is hurting him as well, he has healed from the wounds, but one of his souls are missing and it makes it difficult for him to he himself," Empress gasped as she heard it and had tears in her eyes, she gazed at her son for a moment and looked at Volca''s face again.


    "But," before Empress started, Volca interrupted again.


    "Yes, he has no recollection of his past, his powers, his real heart or anything, he lost his memory, he lost all of it." She looked at the Empress with tears in her eyes, pretending to be sad though she was happy he lost it and stayed close to her now. "I don''t know if he will be able to restore them," she disclosed everything to his mother.


    "How can that be? That''s not possible, he is a dragon,"  Empress Lihua said.


    "So was she, the rare Crystals of the water dragon," Volca made her point and it did seem to be valid. Empress nodded her head and stood, wondering how to solve this issue.


    Volca was aware of the situation all the time, talking to the greatest enemy of her mother, Fiona. The lady who stole her mother''s fiance and made a child with him. She kept praying for her mother to not enter the chambers while the Empress stayed. She wished the Empress Lihua left them soon but she seemed to have no plans on it. It was dinner time, and Volca ordered the guards to ask the kitchen maids to bring extra set of meal saying she is starving and need more food.


    Without causing trouble or doubts, Volca managed with the security teams well and served dinner herself for her guest.  The mother was in tears often looking at her son who remembered nothing but believing the story his guardian told him about. He was not sure how to behave towards the lady who claimed to be his mother. Lihua arranged everything she brought with her and served her son with hus favourite chicken soup. He looked at her for a moment and took a spoonful of it. He loved it instantly and it felt like he had already known this taste before. He wasn''t sure about like usual and he let go of it eating his fill. Volca''s possessivenes killed her inside to see his mother serving him instead of her but controlled her feelings so that she does not get caught in the middle. She wanted the Empress to trust her so that she can keep Huo''er around her for long.


    For Empress on the other hand, she surely cannot take her son back to anywhere in heaven with the death threats that always hung on top of his head. Though Emperor Tai promised her, she can never trust his words. Hence she had no choice but let him find refuge with the lady who was partially responsible for his death. It got Empress really furious but she had no other way but trust Volca for now. The scenes from the battle still flashed before her whenever she closed her eyes. The way she lost three important people. ''He needs someone who loves him beside him for now,'' Empress said inside her head and took a deep breath convincing herself. ''Relax and find a way to bring him back.''


    Empress Lihua got up from her chair.  "I''m leaving she said suddenly, "


    Neither Volca nor Huo reacted to it and she took off quickly. She apparated back to the woods and sat there for sometime.  It was going to be midnight soon and she had to return back soon before people find out about her disappearance. Her heart acted and her limbs felt numb. Rather than feeling exited to see her son back, she fell into sorrow thinking about his state. It hurt to think that he is no longer himself, he is no longer the toughest dragon he used to be, walking behind Volca trusting her. Empress could find no traces of drugs on him either not spells to say he is under black magic. Empress travelled back to her palace and changed her clothes quickly. She put on the night robes laid on her bed. No one knew about it at all. She took a deep breath and let out a sigh of relief. She chanted some spells and quickly fell asleep, trying her best to not overthink and ruin her life.


    Back in the underground chamber Huo''er finally relaxed and laid across his bed, his arm wide open and stretching his legs. " How could  she spot the place so easily? Why would she come here? Did you not say that this is the most safest place and how people are coming and leaving as they wish, trying to see me, was I that an important figure? Huo''er bombarded Volca with questions again.


    "Oh my god, you are too active and such a chatter box today, what happened? Good mood or curiosity killing the cat," she teased and walked.


    And suddenly Huo acted out of his usual character. Volca was caught by surprise. One moment she felt a hand pulling her back and next moment she was lying on top of Huo, her body pressed against his, and her hands on his chest. She could feel his heart beat. And then suddenly Huo''er took her hands and turned her. "Huo''er, " she called him, but it came out in a very low voice that was hardly audible. "What are you doing?" She found few words to ask him while he pinned her down. Her heart skipped a beat.

 Chapter 60: Report

    "You have come back already ?" King Aenon asked the Grand Prince the moment he entered the palace and went to visit his his uncle. "How did it go?" The king asked him. King Aenon was busy reading a letter from a civilian requesting to help him with the crop rotation for the next few years since he lost his land gambling and reflecting upon his mistakes. Aenon had already punished him for gambling illegally making his family stand homeless but he wanted to give the man a chance and see if can do it right.


    Aiden watched the king making a wise decision and turned away. He didn''t know how to break the news. Aiden looked so disappointed and angry. He was not able to accept the fact Huo''er didn''t accompany him back to the Water Kingdom. He was not able accept the change in his behaviour.  He couldn''t believe that Huo''er stood like he doesn''t know a thing about who Aiden was. He wondered how Huo''er could be so heartless as he was, standing with the woman who was the sole reason for Aqau''s painful death.


    The gruesome memories flashed before his eyes. Villainess Volca fighting with her only best friend, the Water Princess who cherished her, while her mother Fiona cheated and stabbed Aqua from the back, with her cold toxic dagger, losing her life fighting for her love. Her death went in vain for guy who us not worth it. He remembered how he overreacted and killed Aaron for a man like Huo''er regretting everything now. He felt angry and frustrated to think that he gave up on Aqua. She shouldn''t have died for an ungrateful man who moved quickly when he got another woman beside him, not even caring what she did. He wished he stopped Aqua from pursuing her love. He wished only if he could turn back time.


    Aiden took the jug of wine kept in King''s tea table in the court and gulped them down at one shot. It took Aenonby surprise. He was thirsty and wanted to get drunk. He at first kept his mouth shut. But King Aenon began to question him. He made up his kind and let himself loose. He couldn''t handle it anymore. The ministers left the court and there was nobody else except the two of them.


    "Give up on him, he is no good, " Aiden said looking far away.


    "What?" King Aenon did not understand what he was talking about.


    "Huo''er,  give up on him, let''s not expect anything from him now on," Aiden made it clear this time.


    "Why?" King asked him.


    "What if I tell you, our Aqua was in love with a wrong person and he is not worthy of anything in the universe anymore, forget her love, forget what she did for him forget how she died, but he is not worthy for even a penny?" He had tears in his eyes,  glistening.


    "What did you find out?" King Aenon lost his excitement. He felt the bad vibes from Aiden. He couldn''t handle when he tears in the eyes if Grand Prince.


    "I found him, yes I did, the single crystal led me the way, to him, I found them, but in a hotel room with the Demon Queen Regent, that wench," he said. King got up from the throne, shocked.


    Grand Prince knelt down on the floor and bowed, touching his forehead on the ground. He cried. I failed. I failed you, I failed her, and more importantly, I failed me and wronged me. I shouldn''t have given up, I should never have let her convince me to stop myself and let her do whatever with him," he kept saying, as tears fell down on the floor, lying in the same position. "I should have listened to my heart, forgive me your highness, forgive me, please grant me the permission to go back and bring him forcefully and make him pay for the ungrateful attitude, he has wronged the Water Realm,"


    Aenon held Aiden by shoulder and made him stand back on his legs. Aenon felt sad to see his nephew breaking in front of him. Aenon finally accepted the fact that Aiden always stayed with him for his daughter than anything. He could feel the pain of Aiden also in his heart, the regret of not stopping her from committing the mistake, believing in her bad decision.  He did not want anymore of the news about Huo''er but Aiden reported everything anyway. Aenon sat there making his heart hard like a stone, throwing away his respect for the Demon King. Nothing mattered anymore.


    "He was dining with Volca, I forced myself into the room and we duelled. I did not want to hurt them and he looked weak, something seemed off but the question he asked Volca and the way he reacted to me, when I heard them Pa, I no longer could forgive him nor had the heart to bring him back home," he said.


    "He is a demon, why would you bring him back?"  King Aenon tired to act normal whole he was angry inside. It directly affected the nature. The signs of storm began to show in the sky. The waves hit the cliff strongly with the sound echoing all over the Water Palace.


    Aenon controlled his temper and let his conscious control his powers.


    "He is no longer tied to our Clan, end everything with the King, but let the treaties go on, people did not do anything for deserving a suffering, we should not wrong Dritan though, he was the only good demon the universe had seen ever,"  Aiden nodded and inhaled, taking a control over his emotions. "Let''s wait and not tell anyone about his come back, let others find it out, we cannot tell how the reactions would be, stay neutral for few weeks till we go on search, wait till our reaction us required," the king advices before Aiden took off.


    "I get it, your highness, I won''t let anybody know," he assured the king. Aenon nodded and watched Aiden till he disappeared from his sight.


    Aiden walked back to his usual secret hideout outside the palace gates. An abandoned cottage near the dragon waterfalls towards the east of the kingdom where the flower fairies settled down and do cultivation.


    He took couple of bottles of plum vine as he left the palace and apparated into the cottage.


    The place was near since he often spent time in there. He has set it up as a normal house. He entered the cottage and cleaned it using his spells. He lighted the candles everywhere and produced a plate dried fruits from the kitchen cabin. The cottage had only one long  room for everything.


    He sat on the coat and started opening his wine jars. He wanted to immerse himself in sorrow and get used it and move on from it slowly. Then he immediately wanted to find his love and bring her back. And this time, to make her his and give not away.


    He drank litres of alcoholic wine until he made sure he was high and drunk.


    He recalled some of the times he spent with Aqua. And one he cherished the most was when the first time he felt his heart pounded fast.


    "Aqua, careful while you climb down the tree, you never listen to me these days," Queen Rivera shouted at her elsest daughter who climbed the trees to pluck some ripe peaches.


    Aiden could hear the giggling and jokes made by the notorious sister Aqua and Milan. Seeing her sister, Milan followed her footsteps and climbed right behind her. King Aenon did not bother about any of these, letting his daughters do as they wish while the queen kept bickering.


    Aiden''s eyes searched for the one person specifically. Suddenly he came back to his senses and stoooed gazing at her. "What am I doing? Since when did I start caring?" He talked inside his head, turning away. "How can that be?" He knew always care for the her, and more for Aqua, enjoying every second he spent with her. Never had he realised about his feelings though.


    He was only a few feet away from the tree. He walked over busy with his own thoughts. He waited to help the girls safely land on the ground as well as safely pack the fruit for them. But at that time, when Aqua stepped down, she missed a step and fell on her back.


    Everyone who witnessed the fall screamed loudly, even herself, but she landed safely somehow by luck," Aiden''s heart thumbed fast and loud. He forgot to breath for some seconds. The face close to his, all red and cold. The eyes shut tight and hands gripped tightly around his neck, Aqua held onto him scared, lying in his arms. He did not expect that he wound be able to catch her. He noticed how pink her looked and felt her breath on his neck, fast and uneven. He could tell that she got really scared though she pretends to be all tough and strong. He smiled in that moment. He couldn''t help but smile wide as he carried her. He looked at her again, as she slowly opened her eyes. "Don''t worry you are safe," he assured her and she sighed and lay her head on his shoulders.


    "I thought I would break everything in my body and get killed by mother," she whispered closely in his ears which tickled him and he tired to stop her from doing it. He couldn''t accept the fact he admired her as a woman. And he felt his feelings growing rapidly like a fire would conquer the surface. He wasn''t sure about what to do.


    Aiden smiled while he laid drunk on the coat drifting off to his other old memories and this time it was different.

 Chapter 61: Hidden Unrequited Love because every backstory is important

    "Hey that''s not fair, how is that possible?" Aqua would complain everytime he won the chess.


    "Okay then, one more game and let''s see who wins,"


    "Okay fine, come," she would always say too. "If you lose, take me to the hotel in the market and eat grilled meat and wine with me.


    Aiden ould always cheat just to see her get hyped then he would request for another game and lose in it purposefully see her getting all excited and happy. He always liked the way she would make bets asking him to take her to eat something though the palace fed her with amazing menu everyday.


    He enjoyed it whenever she laughed and smiled wide. That suited her the best. That alluring smile, more than enough to shake his heart. He would watch her with dews in his eyes but she was oblivious to his feelings or probably ignoring everything to not make it awkward for them. But he was sure about what he had for her though he couldn''t tell whether there would be family conflicts because of it.


    "Wow this is so cool Aiden come try it you will love it," she would call him everytime would get some crabs and ask the kitchen maids to cook for her. And Aiden wondered what are the things he didn''t like actually, by seeing how he looked simple, and listened to opinions others would hesitate to.


    Aiden was always at beck and call for Aqua while Milan always tried to pursue him secretly wondering why he is still not noticing her even after the death of her sister. Aiden knew well about Milan and her feelings but never wished to complicate things with her. Aiden would always remain neutral with her for her loud personality since he liked messing with her and see her only as a little sister he would do anything for.


    "Aiden, " Aqua would walk into his room or his bath. She was never shy. But he was, very aware of his feelings for her.


    "Get out, can''t you see am taking a bath?" He would shout at her, reaching for his towel. But she wouldn''t listen to him.


    "We grew up together, I have seen in you in every way all the time, why are you shy? When did you grow up for that? Jeez!" She would say. It made him clear that she do not see him as nothing more than family, but his heart couldn''t handle it and irrevocably fell in love with her. He would beg her to wait outside his room and she would walk out waiting outside the doors. Or some other times she would barge in and being him more elegant clothes whenever she designed for her. It was love there was no doubt in that, from her side, but not exactly as he wanted it to be.


    "Put this on," she would say and help him. He always liked it when she did it too. That was the only time he got her close to him and to look at her face when she never noticed him. And the way he always tried to keep himself calm to not let her know about his feelings, it was always hard for him. The smile on his face as he watched her while helping him. She missed them. She never saw them. Maybe she should have, so that he at least got a chance with her, to show her.


    Aiden always bought her ribbons every time he went out and smuggle some first quality osmanthus and plum wines without showing them to the elders. Aqua always enjoyed drinking with Aiden since he would never get drunk easily while she did.  He was there to take care of the mess she would cause. He would carry her back home when she blacks out and put her two bed where she would sleep for next whole day or sometimes even longer. But never once had she known about the scolding Aiden had taken from the elders for bringing the princess back home in such a condition.  But Aiden still let her do it, to console her from all the hardships she has been put through since her very young age.


    Aiden was always against it. His heart always broke to see her practicing and cultivating at higher levels that was beyond than what her body could take till she left home and joined the school. He always accompanied her and practiced along with her, to keep her company and tire himself. And to her, Aiden was the only person who supported her and made her keep going through the difficult times. She was well aware of it. But still he couldn''t understand why she never fell in love with him failing to understand that he has always been like a brother to her than a man.


    Ever since she left ti school for training, life has been utterly boring for Aiden. He secretly would take off form the palace and come to school though he wouldn''t directly meet up with her. And couple of time, he caught Huo''er watching over her, just like he did, in his place , instead of him. It made Aiden lose his confidence a little. He wondered if Aqua would really fall for him.


    It was then one day during his secret visit to the school he found out about Aqua''s missing. He went in all directions and finally decided to search the woods where he found her. The look on her eyes, it always triggered him. He could tell from her reaction that she was happy to see him. She was glad.


    He lied to her saying King Aenon her father found out about her wandering around outside school and asked him to go find her. She easily believed him and begged him to not report about her. He liked whenever she asked him a favour since he could always do it for. Aiden had never once stood against her decisions even though some of her decisions had been wrong. He would support her and try to make them all successful for her. And there was no other way for him to find to express the depth of his love for her.


    But he never knew that she always kept her love for him away and treated him like a sibling  for her family''s sake and for her sister. She never let her cross it since she couldn''t afford it  and he failed to understand that too.


    Aiden has been there for Aqua lending his shoulders everytime she cried. But just like, Aqua has always been there like a shield that protected him. Aiden is the only different descendant in the family. He have had meridian issues in his body, he had weak immune system when he was young and often got sick. At that time, Aqua has already been being used by Beast Kingdom for there sickly prince. But she never cared about herself and would spend time with Aiden every single day and give him candies. He never knew what those candies were until he grew up and found out about the crystal healing accidentally from her on mouth.


    "What do you think those candies were, or else you could have had difficult meridian and core even now," she spilt the truth while she got drunk after graduation when she reached back home and asked to search about the moonchild. She was upset at that time.


    "Those were your crystals?"


    "What else then?" She asked him smiling. Her cheeks looked pink and plum lips all pink from drinking. She had finished only jar and it got her drunk. Aiden''s eyes filled with tears and he suddenly moved closer and took her face in his hands. Aqua was not aware of it and smiked at him.


    "What?" She asked him, drunk. He shook his head and  moved his face closer to hers, only an inch away. He closed his eye in the hope of kissing her  but soon stooped himself from doing anything. He didn''t wish to do anything to her while she was drunk and without her consent. He let go of her and stroked her hair giving her a hug and carrying her back to her Sea Palace.


    He failed to notice that Milan has been watching over him all the way. It broke her heart to think they are in such difficult situation. She felt bad for her , for him and for her sister who reached nowhere in her lovestory falling for a demon. She always knew about Aiden''s feelings but she was ignoring them along to not stir troubles in the family that is going well and in harmony. She didn''t want to cause a havoc in between for her selfish reasons and let go of it.


    Aiden was angry and upset when she confessed about her feelings for the moonchild. It broke his heart.  He did not like it but it happened just like he feared it when he caught Huo''er watching over her at school. He hated it and got really angry when he found out about Aqua spending the whole night with Huo''er in his chamber during his coronation.  He had no choice but watch it, accepting the reality. He scolded her but Huo''er backed her.  It was the same day he understood how Aqua has always been aware of his feelings for her. For a couple of days he tired to keep his distance with her. He wanted an explanation but couldn''t bare to hear to the truth either and gave up on it. He tried his best to root for Aqua and Huo since he was righteous man. He was not a wrong choice.


    He regretted it. He regretted giving up on her like that. He regretted when he witnessed her dying in Huo''er''s arms. He thought if it was him with whom she spent time with, she never would have died like that.


    The bloody image of Aqua filled his head and Aiden jumped up from the coat, sitting up straight, sweating. "I shouldn''t have let her go," he said panting and took another jar of wine and gulped it down. He felt tired and laid back again. He slowly drifted off to sleep.


    Milan who had followed him to the cottage has been waiting outside for him to fall asleep. Once she made sure of it, she entered the cottage and cleaned the place, stacking the jars, cleaning the wine that spilled on the table and the floor, and covering him with a quilt. He caught her hands while she watched him sleep. Milan panicked. But he was not aware of her presence.  He held on tight to her, " Don''t leave me," he muttered while he slept and she sat there still, afraid of leaving him alone.


    "I will never leave you, I can never do that, just like you can''t get over her," she said back to him smiling with tears whelming her eyes.

 Chapter 62: Elixir Working

    "Huo, what''s going on? What are you doing?" Volca asked him as he climbed on top and watched her. He was smiling. His eyes was full of mischief.  She was aware that he is being controlled by the elixir she fed him but this was the first time he ever acted like it so she couldn''t exactly make up her mind whether it was just the elixir or if it is really hik doing it.


    Huo''er moved the hair from her to the back of her. He touched her face with the back his forefinger. "Do you not want this? Do you think I don''t understand your heart at all? I know why you come here and keep me company every single day," he said suddenly. It appeared that it indeed was the elixir but it looked like the real conscious had fallen asleep and the different Huo''er was working this time. He seems to have noticed her feelings and completely fell for her story about the past.


    "Do you now?" She asked him. He moved his face closer, pressing himself against her while he balanced his body weight trying not to hurt her. She started enjoying the moment wishing it lasted longer. She put her arms around him and ran her finger all the way up to his hair.  She smiled and waited for him to initiate whatever he was planning on doing to her.


    The images from her dream gushed into her memory where he made love with her. Feeling him inside her. She liked the very idea of romance. She liked it. She liked him. She was greedy and wanted to make her his as soon as she could and waited for him to come over her. And it finally seemed to have happened. Volca slowly kept her hands on his chest and untied and tried to take his robe off. She could see his skin through the small openings. She felt his hard chest muscles and kept her hands there itself. She no longer felt shy about things. She didn''t know she could be his brave in real.


    Huo''er reached for her lips slowly but at the same time some kicked the chamber doors open and barged in without permission. Huo got up quickly and turned around. Volca got up from the coat and corrected her clothes.


    "Don''t you know how to knock before you come inside?" She shouted and looked up to see her mother standing before her, fuming with anger. Huo''er fastened his buttons and knots and corrected his hair. He stood without paying respect to Fiona. "Mother," Volca called. Fiona took a few steps towards her daughter and slapped right across her face.


    "How dare you?" She asked Volca.


    "What''s wrong with you?" She asked her mother after she got slapped hard.


    "Why the hell did you take him out and let others find out about his return?" To that Volca had nothing to say. "Did you think I would never know about? And were you confident? A worthless daughter who can''t even make a man fall for without using..." Fiona stopped looking at Huo who was watching the two of them. "And you dare to announce the world about his return before he even gets well,"


    "He is a living being, how long do you think he can survive inside the underground chamber. He was been finding ways to escape. Do you want that to happen? And panic later ? Or treat him with respect and take care of him well so that he understands our good intentions?" Volca questioned her mother.


    "Did you think I also would not find out about Lihua''s visit? Do you think that us safe?" Volca was surprised to know her mother even found out about that. She wondered how her mother found it and reachhed the conclusion that the guards must have leaked all the information watching her close. "You know I cannot stand her and yet you let her come into my place and spend time,"


    "She is his mother and she has all the right, you know well whe will never mean to harm but only find ways to treat him better and being him back. Besides she will never take him to heaven since you know everything.  Why do you still need me to explain such matter again and again mother. I don''t understand, " Volca said feeling fed up and it was evident in her voice.


    Huo suddenly knelt down, grabbing his head with both his hands. At the same time his chest hurt badly like stabbing with needles straight in his wounds. Huo''er kept his mouth shut tight from screaming out loud. He touched his head on the unleveled stone floor that scratched his forehead slightly. He clenched his fist and panted hard. It was too unbearable.


    Huo suddenly came back to his real sense. What he just did Volca came into his head. It got him angry. ''What the heck was I doing with her?'' He thought breathing hard amidst of the pain. Volca ran towards him and knelt down next to him trying to hold him. But instead he pushed her away and stayed in the same position, kneeling down resting his forehead on the floor.


    "Go away," he tried to say. "Don''t come near me," he didn''t want to cross any limits with Volca  the lady who offered to take care of him, spending her valuable time but he did not wish to misuse it. And more importantly he did not want to get together with her since he was not aware of who he really is and what his past was. He only know the stories she told him and he still has not accepted everything quite rightly.


    "Wow," Fiona said sarcastically.  "What a sincere love? Not in the right mind but still very aware to push you off," she made fun of Volca who was already worried and upset about Huo''er and what just happened to him. She was aware of how the Crystals that belongs to Aqua is what is acting up in his body as she feeds him with the love elixir she makes more and more. The Crystal tryings to resist the change in the body prohibiting him from being with any other person, since Crystals are loyal to the owners. She knew well that she is hurting him but she had no other choice than forcing him to be in love with her with diff methods  She couldn''t imagine what Huo''er would do to it if her ever ends up finding about the elixir fed mixed with the congee he hated the most.


    "Will you please stop and get lost," Volca gritted her teeth and stood up. "I am so done with all the shit. If not for you, nothing would have happened, he wouldn''t be hurt, she wouldn''t be dead, I wouldn''t be living with guilt, you wouldn''t be acting like a ruthless woman who has succeeded the throne with all the scheming. Are you truly happy now?" She shut her mother''s mouth with question that plucked her tongue out. Are you even getting proper sleep after doing all this? After causing all the chaos? Am not, trust me you won''t and I will never again too," she bet her mother.


    Huo''er was listening to everything that slipped from Volca''s in anger. But he couldn''t understand exactly what she meant though since he only heard them in part. His head ached, feeling like it would slip into two. He could no longer take it and let out a sound. Volca turned back not caring about her conversation with her mother the moment she heard him moan with pain. She performed a spell and the took the undissolved parts of the elixir. The moment it came out, the pain stopped in his heart as well as his head. Huo''er was panting and slowly dragged himself to stand up. Holding on to the legs of the coat, he slowly got up and collapsed on the bed. She was inhaling and exhaling in a very fast manner. His body covered in sweat. The wound that almost healed in the body bled a little with a tinge a blood smear on his clothes.


    Fiona let them be and took off from the room. She did not want to see the pathetic side of her daughter again and again. She left and Volca felt relieved in her absence.  Volca quickly undressed him while he kept trying to stop her. "What''s wrong with you? Just relax and let me clean the wounds and dress them? How come you started bleeding again?" She spoke as if she knows nothing.


    "I don''t know, it is happening frequently these days," he said finally giving up and let her undress him. Volca apologized to him inside her head and washed his wounds and went outside the room to get some new bandages and herbs from the Demon Doctor in the castle.


    On the meanwhile, Huo tired to recall the times he got this kind of reaction. He tired him best and came up with nothing that was similar what happened just now. He wiped his sweat and waited for her to return.


    The moment she returned, she dressed him up real quick and he pretended to fall asleep very quickly so that she leaves, feeling uncomfortable around. Fiona slapping Volca flashed across his eyes, and compared with the lady who came claiming to be his mother. ''She definitely didn''t seem rough at all," he murmured while he took the books and suddenly something fell down from one of the books he carried to bed. Huo''er noticed them and leaned down to pick them up. It was a letter. And it shocked him.

 Chapter 63: He missed some chances

    "I was sure that you would be here dear," Aenon came for Milan and ended up in front of the cottage Aiden was drunk and asleep.


    "Pa," Milan whispered, slowly slipping her hands from his and tiptoeing towards the door. She gushed her father and stepped out of the tiny cottage to not wake the Grand Prince who needed some rest.


    "What are you doing here?" She asked him.


    "I wanted to talk to you about something before we took off to get your sister back home, you were not in the palace so I was sure you would hanging around him,"


    "Like always, " Milan said and smiled. "Sorry Pa I know I always disappointed you in everyway but sometimes I can''t help it," she said. "Though I wouldn''t stand upto sister''s level you can trust me I will always be around you anyway,"


    "Stop it Milan, why do you think like that? How are you any less than Aqua? You two are the two pillars of the Water Kingdom in the future, how can you a princess have such a feeble mind, instead of staying strong without giving upon anything," he told her.


    "Pa am trying hard, you I lack in many ways," she said.


    "You''re not, I won''t make you do anything unless you want to, but you''re not less, tell me when you wish to take training or cultivate more I can help you, but if you don''t want to, it doesn''t make you weak, a princess doesn''t need anything else when she is born already with all the abilities, you don''t know about it since you never used it," her father told her. He wanted her to know the facts that can''t be erased instead of feeling low. "Your sister suffered too much in the name of a stupid cause, for an unworthy king, tell me have you seen me or your mother ever happy? Have you seen your sister happy?"


    "I have, and I also stole them away not being aware of it," she said, growing pale as tears filled her eyes. She did not regret it, but she wished she could have stopped little things from happening as possible.


    Aenon looked at her in wonder. He couldn''t understand a word she said.


    "When Aiden joined her during her training session in the dungeons of Master Lin, she was happy, she always hated the dark slimy places, it has been giving her serious conditions, but when Aiden knew about it,  he did not care about how difficult it is going to be for him and joined the training constantly begging the master to take him. Aiden did work hard and tried to reach Aqua''s level and he did in few months for the sake of her. Aiden trained together with her for few years, am sure you don''t remember that period. That was the first time Aqua fell in love. She left musing in the wardrobes of Sea Palace and all of them were about feelings and love. She never knew that I read them all," Milan smiled and looked at her father. "She did fall for the Grand Prince, she dare not let him know for veena second afraid of you, afraid of master and afraid of herself, she wrote in those musings,  she was afraid because she was sure for some unknown reasons that she would die before anybody else seeing how desperate Emperor was for her, but she wasn''t aware of my feelings," Aenon was surprised to know the buried stories of Aqua. And it indeed was true.


    "Aiden," she ran towards him when she saw him in her room while they were training under Master Lin in his dungeons near the Vast Sea. She understood how hard he must have worked to reach her stage of cultivation and meet with her. For Master Lin the division was important between the levels if cultivation one achieved and he would never let the lower ones reach out to the higher ones. But Aiden made it, for her, to be with her. And Aqua was relieved to see him while she was falling deep into loneliness and depression, hating everything and living alone. Aiden brought her back to who she was, restoring her, protecting her.


    "Are you happy to see me?" He asked her. She nodded for the answer. He gave her a bracelet and a ribbon he bought for her and settled down. She noticed the red fresh wounds on his back through his white clothes caused from the whip lash and the lightening taking the punishments all along. It crushed her heart. She didn''t ask for his permission and removed his top with her powers. Aiden sat shocked and did not flinch when she touched those wounds with her fingers. He felt a drop of tear on his shoulder that slowly slid down his back. He turned around and hugged her making her sit down next to him.


    "Am fine, really," he said while the skin hurt him. "See am smiling," he said trying to comfort her. "You know what a person I am when am in pain," he tried to remind her how he used to whine every time something hurt him when they were young. She tried to smiled as he wiped her tears from the eyes.


    "Oh yes, I remember, " she managed to say.


    "How are you any different?" He asked her suddenly. "You think I can''t see those healed scars on you skin?" He asked her. "Si don''t worry about these okay, since we can train and spent time together,  let''s have some fun,"  he tickled her and she moved away from him. They were supposed to keep pin drop silence inside the dungeons. "Milan gave me some packed preserved food, let''s dig them tomorrow, "


    "Poor thing," Aqua said and agreed to him. The dungeon days were no longer a prison for her. And the musing she wrote to pass time took a different turn and she started writing love poems unaware of her own feelings until one day she faced it. She confronted her feelings on the day watched him train with another woman, she confronted her feelings when she saw him smile happily and used sword techniques, she confronted her feelings when she felt a tiny pinch of jealousy stirred inside her body.


    "Oh my god," she said. "I like him?" She asked herself. She was shocked to know about her own heart. She that day decided to never let the world know about it. But she didn''t know how sharp her sister''s brain could me since she was never aware that Milan also liked him.


    "I love love poems these days," Milan said one day trying to dig from her sister''s mouth. "I want to present it to someone," At first Milan didn''t know that Aqua was wiritng them herself nor that she liked him. She just wanted to tease her sister for having a weird taste all of a sudden until she witnessed the two of them spending a lot of time together but neither was they together. Milan got confused. She tried to open up to her sister and failed.


    Suddenly Aqua started keeping distance with Aiden soon after he was titled the Grand Prince.  She didn''t get closer any longer and limited drinking and outing with him. Days passed and changes were evident while Aiden kept trying her best which broke Milan''s heart. But she got used to it. She got used to loving him from the distance. Though the sisters often had heart to heart conversation they would never discuss about Aiden nor about love life.


    "Milan," One day Aqua made a conversation. "If you can give up on something easily, it means it was never meant to be yours, if you can''t, then it is yours and you must get it by all means, remember that, never waste your time," she said. Her face looked clean and she was smiling as she said. But Aqua felt hurt a little ti give up on her first love for her family, her kingdom and her sister. That did not make her feel bad. And moreover she never made any promises nor let Aiden know anything about it. She was glad she made the right choice on her own without complicating things. Milan understood that quickly and hugged her sister.


    "Are you sure?" She asked Aqua.


    "Why wouldn''t I be? Ofcourse yes!" She replied and asked Milan to bring her more snacks from kitchen.


    Eventually Aqua grew distant with Aiden but still kept him as her best friend. After all no one can replace someone very easily right? But nobody expected Aqua to go school someday and fall for the Demon King.


    Aiden was so shocked to listen to everything that had happened in the kids'' life. He wondered if this could be true and how the life if the youth around the universe is like. He couldn''t believe how he got such two daughters like Milan and Aqua. He couldn''t accept that Aiden meant a lot to everyone in one way or another.


    But neither Aenon nor Milan was aware that Aiden was listening to everything.  She thought she put him to sleep. But he never was. He just laid drunk listening to everything with his sharp ear from the moment the king approached his daughter.


    Tear ran down the face of Aiden while he laid with his eyes close. His heart broke even more. How could she be like that? He thought. "Why did you do this to me?" He asked Aqua. He slowly got up from the coat and wanted to find Aqua immediately. He but accidentally hit on the teapot and it fell down making Milan rush back into the room and he was caught.


    "AIDEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" She asked him raising her voice unexpectedly to hide her fear of thinking that he might have heard everything. "Why are you not asleep?" She questioned him and walked towards him.


    "I..I, you know I," he searched for words and he couldn''t believe that he felt scared of her. "Wait," he said. But she cornered him and made him stand against the wall. He looked at her closely for the first time. "I.. wait.. let me.." he struggled. And suddenly they heard something on the doorstep and turned together to take a look at it.

 Chapter 64: New entry

    It was a sunny day on earth. A rather unusual day. It kept raining in such a bright day. The sky was blue but the yellow light spreading everywhere.


    The light entered the room through the curtain. It woke Fariya. Her friend Aizen was sleeping next to her. It then occurred to her. A drunken mistake. "Oh shit," Fariya said inside her head.


    He looked happily asleep as if he had achieved something. His long nose and dark lip because of smoking. His messy blonde hair suited him the best but Fariya did not want to turn her best friend into boyfriend but alcohol made her sleep with him. She tired to recall what happened in the last night.


    Fariya got busted during her driving test and called Aizen to pick her up from the training place. She waited too long for him while he couldn''t walk out during his work time and in the end asked her to get a cab. She drove straight back to her work. It was pretty dull and she was bored. It was her day off but she returned back to office anyway. During her lunch break, someone sat opposite her buying extra set of meal in the cafe she always ate at.


    "I thought you''re busy," she asked him.


    "I applied for half day off and got out, Waddup? Looks like you failed again!" He said.


    "Or I would have danced around and treat you to a meal, since am not yes I failed again, what''s with driving and me? I don''t get it," she complained to him. He was watching all of her actions, expression and catching all the words clearly, with his eyes glistening. ''What a fool is she,'' he thought. ''Or pretending to be?''


    "I won''t return to work then, I will accompany you, come up with a plan.? She said to him.


    "Relax and let''s go for a ride. Maybe you''re not meant to drive but driven around, you have me I will drive you around okay?" He teased her and digged into his meal. She laughed trying to hit him across the table but failed. She sipped her water melon drink and finished her lunch waiting for him.


    "Am lucky I have you as my best friend dummy," she talked inside her head, watching him. "I will never lose a friend for anything temporary am sorry I keep ignoring you," she apologized inside her head and watched him with a smile on her face. She ordered a big scoop of mango ice cream for him.


    "This is exactly why I love you, " he laughed as he had his favourite ice cream.


    "Shut up and complete it," she ordered him and paid the bill. Aizen took her out and they rode for sometime around the city and drive to the river park for boating. She always liked boating in the river. The longest and the very broad queen''s river in the city that divided the city into two equal halves. The north and the south flowing through the middle. Water transport thus is popular and often used by the civilians.


    He bought the tickets for the park and boating and walked into the gates. There were many couples here and there taking pictures under the shades of tree and in the park area. They walked straight to the dock and got on the boat. It was the ticket valid for one hour ride and enjoyed the ride. The river was full and suddenly something flashed from the sky and followed by a very loud, ear splitting thunder. Fariya covered her ears, scared of thunders. Aizen helped her putting his arms around her and looked up at sky observing the unusual phenomena.


    "My grand mother once said when the sky splits in broad day light it means some one in heaven died, " he laughed trying to calm her. "Let''s think that way and return now, we can''t afford to get caught in storm if one occurs," he said and asked the boat man to take them back.  They quickly got off the boat and walked out of the park. "Let''s go somewhere else, " he suggested.


    He took her to a movie and spend some time in there. It was a bad movie and Fariya hit him with her handbag the moment they got out of the theatre.


    "Chill, let''s go grab something to eat okay?" He said. It was already 7 in the evening.  They went to a grill restaurant and ordered meat and breads along with beer. She kept drinking since she had a good capacity for every mouth of food she ate. "Slowly Fariya," he warned her.


    "I can''t excel at work or get promotion if I don''t get the license you have no idea, even few juniors who joined after me is promoted," she said. She looked really stressed and upset. He sat listening to all her hardships and consoled her. They were both getting drunk. Her frilled while bluse was greased while grilling the meat and Aizen asked her to stop doing it  and did himself. An hour later they stepped out of the restaurant. They were too drunk to drive back home. Since the two of them lived in the same neighbourhood they had to call for only one cab. Aizen helped her get into the car and took her home first. He typed the password and opened the door instead of her.  It was two bedroom apartment she had bought recently under name, getting out of her parent''s house.


    He helped her sit on the sofa, looking around the house, if I go in this condition I will have to soon sell this place and stop paying the loan off. I can''t go on with this salary package," she said.


    "We will find a way, and if you really wish to sell it, you can move in with me," he told her. He didn''t want her to go away from him. Since he had known how she had struggled to get an independent life from the extremely strict and judgemental parents who never gave her space to even breath in her life. To her this house meant a really lot. He did not want her to suffer anymore. Seeing her since middle school.


    She walked into the kitchen and tried getting a glass of water, instead she broke the glass, slipping it from her hands. Aizen ran towards her saw her picking up the glasses. "You and the clumsiness always go hand in hand," he said and carried her back to room. He cleaned the kitchen and gave her water. She put the glass on her bed side table burying her head in her hands. He looked at her with his sorrowful eyes and asked her to sit straight.


    "It will be fine, go to bed," he asked her to sleep.


    "I don''t want to," she rejected his idea. "I will feel lonely again then,"


    "I am here, you sleep now," he took her hands looking her face. His heart skipped a beat as their eyes locked. They stared at each other for a moments, her only inch apart from him. "Sleep," he managed to say.


    "Don''t leave," she said instead. Suddenly he made a move and kissed on her lip and let her go. He moved away from her. Affairs of her reaction. Fariya was shocked but looked at him. Her heart also raised for no reason. This time she moved forward and kissed him. And without hesitation, he pulled her closer and kissed her deep. He put his one arm around her waist and the other placed on her head. They were going wild. He moved his hands towards her blouse and unhooked them while her fingers worked on his shirt buttons and jean. He was sure about his feelings though. He decided to show her how much he is in love with her and how much he has been, all these years.


    He slowly moved, and laid her on the bed without losing the balance nor the mood. She took off his shirt exposing his ripped body while he worked on unlocking her bra. He couldn''t believe that he is getting on top of her, seeing her all over. His heart thumbed louder and louder, madly falling in love. He was sure that there will no going back from this point on. He wanted to work it out at all cost. Though he wasn''t sure about her feelings. Still he let her choose her way, making out all night. He kissed her everywhere and entered her, with a pace and in rhythm together. She held on to him tight, and kissed him again. She was not aware of what she was doing to him nor her.


    They could hear the thunder outside and heavy rain falling down. It was past midnight.


    "Oh shit," Fariya cursed again and took her clothes from the floor. She felt sore and could see the drops of blood on her bedhseets. She flushed red instantly. And got up without making noises. She walked out of the room and put on the clothes walking into the washroom and then she opened the door but collapsed down on the floor, suddenly.


    "Fariya," he got up from the bed and rushed towards her putting on his jean. "Fariya, wake up, what happened?" He tried to wake her and carried her back to bed. "Fariya,"

 Chapter 65: Royal Decree and Trap

    "Pa there is a typhoon hitting in earth for the past whole week, it has been raining nonstop all this time with an unnatural patters of thunderstorm," Milan rushed to meet her father who was busy at the court meeting with the local ministers and teaching Adrien and Krystal to handle the affairs carefully during his absence.


    "Wait, wait," he said.


    "The phenomena can''t wait, hurry up," she panicked.


    "What is it?" Aenon asked again since he did not carefully listen the first time.


    "I got this brother, don''t worry, I will take care of it," Krystal assured her brother and asked him to leave.


    "Pa such a thing happens only when a soul dies forever," Milan told her father.


    "It can''t be," he gasped.


    "Are you thinking what am thinking?" She asked him. "Could this be her soul disappearing unable to find a host?"


    "She won''t leave us just like that, even if takes some million years,"


    "Pa," Aiden came running towards them. "I heard it, i heard," he was panting.


    "Relax and speak then," Aiden took a deep breath and tried speaking.


    "Aqua, Aqua, typhoon, earth," he said with his broken words, with his hands on his knees, trying to stop panting, tried. He ran miles instead of apparating the moment he heard the news to inform the King to leave immediately. King Aenon shook his head and waited until Aiden spoke.


    "Sorry," he apologised to Aenon.


    "What are you? A child?" King Aenon asked seeing him.


    "Pardon me your highness, " he apologised again.


    "I heard about what you want to report to me from Milan if it''s about the unusual phenomena, come with me, we will talk about it to Rivera at first and then leave as soon as we can, we don''t have time to waste, we must find her this time at any cost, this is our one final chance," King Aenon told both Milan and Aiden and walked to Queen mother''s chamber.


    "What are you talking about?" Rivera was shocked and got up from her chair. She grew anxious as every second went by. "If this is the reaction, it surely means something," she said strongly.


    "Who informed you two about this?" Aenon asked Aiden and Milan who came to him running with news.


    "The messenger from Human Realm," They both said together.


    "One at a time," Aenon said closing his eyes.


    "He was informed by the Earth King Zidan to inform the Emperor for finding a solution," Milan told him.


    "So Empe must have known about it by this time?" Rivera said, looking all worried.


    "Yes not only that, we lied to him, how can we leave the Water Realm now?" Milan asked.


    "We are still mourning what more does he want, moreover we never were able to find her, so it means we were staying true to our words," Rivera said.


    "When did you meet the messenger exactly? On his way to the Celestial Palace or?"


    "On his way back from the palace," Aiden and Milan said together once again. She looked at him as he sounded very eager and excited unaware that it also has a different possibility. Possibility of losing her forever. Milan wished she could hide that part from him forever if they never find Aqua again. But thinking of the fact how Huo''er has come and is using her blood to live on pissed her off. She couldn''t imagine for a moment how he changed getting the news from her father and mother. It hurt her. It hurt her a lot to think she considered him as her brother in law for a long time and even let her sister get tricked in his bed till she got pregnant and lost two lives at once for a stupid man.


    "I won''t let him live just like that," she decided inside her head. At the same time a guard knocked on the doors.


    "Your highness,  you have a decree from Emperor Tai," he announced. Everybody looked at each other and knelt quickly. The eunuch from the Celestial Palace walked in and read the decree aloud.


    "I, Emperor Tai here by announce that Water Realm should be back to working along with the Celestial Palace for the great cause and no longer will be charged with any crimes. But will remain to work independently and report every week about the condition of the Kingdom.  If failed to do, the Royal Blood line will be exterminated."


    The announcement was shocking and unimaginable for King Aenon and his family to hear such an order. Aiden clenched his fist and got up very quickly. "What the hell?" He asked gritting his teeth.


    "Grand Prince, calm down," King Aenon ordered Aiden. "This is a royal decree, we must respect it and think of the gods, let''s not fight and lead a new battle," he said smiling and patting Aiden''s shoulders. Aiden seemed to have forgotten that he brutally killed the Heir of Celestial throne and was pardoned since they couldn''t forfeit it with the death of half prince, the moonchild and water princess, refusing to arrest and execute Fiona and Volca.


    Aenon from that moment stood against the Emperor. And separated his way. Emperor Tai declared that he no longer will to support the Water Kingdom nor provide any help financially anymore for administration.  Ever since then Water Realm has been a like a separate country operating on it''s own. But they were robbed. Celestial Palace claimed the rights of all the precious and antique treasures greedily worth tons and tons of gold. It was shocking and shameful but Aenon had no great power to stand against him, giving in eventually and let the treasure be taken away but hid a few that had the powers of crystals.


    "Pa," Milan called her father as she heard the waves hitting the cliff, understanding the inner rage of her father. Aenon came back to his senses and controlled his mind and the sea.


    "I will take my leave," Eunuch said with a smile on his face and left. Aiden got angry again but Aenon forced him to stay calm.


    "Calm down, don''t react, we cannot afford to get exterminated can we? At least without giving a good fight? We have along way to go son, am telling myself that right now," King Aenon told his nephew. "Our prayers will he heard for sure, keep your hope and faith,"


    "Pa is he not going overboard?" Aiden asked him. But at the same time, another guard knocked on the door. "What now?" Aiden asked irritated for interrupting their conversation.


    "Aiden dear come stand with me," Rivera called him. Milan took his hands and pressed with hers.


    "Your highness, you have a letter from Celestial Palace, another eunuch has come to deliver it directly, " he informed.


    "What?" Milan was shocked and looked at Aiden. She could feel his hands growing hotter and his veins seen clear on his neck, the more he tried to control his temper.  ''Do you like my sister that much?'' She asked inside her head waited for the letter to arrive. She rubbed his arms and stood smiling as the eunuch entered room. Wearing a purple and gold hanfu with a funny hat and holding a long whip with hair in the end.


    "You highness, a letter," he said and bowed, extending his arm forward. Aenon took the letter and opened them. Eunuch did not leave but. Aenon raised his brows. "Your highness, Emperor his highness needed an immediate reply and asked me stay until I get them," he informed.


    Aenon fake laughed and looked at his family and fake laughed along with him except Aiden who stopped with a forced smile. "How is the Empress doing?" He asked.


    "It looks like Grand Prince wishes to know about her highness," the eunuch laughed and continued. Her highness is doing fine. I will send your regards to her, after all it has not been long since it happened, " eunuch bit Aiden with his words. Aiden remained quiet and walked away towards the inner chamber. Aenon took his seat near the table in the room and read the letter loudly, trying to warn everyone.


    "His highness would love to visit Water Realm,  stay for few days since the problem has been solved and the band has been lifted, and wishes to discuss about introducing the certain new security systems apparently," he said the summary of the letter as he read it quickly. "He would love to pay a visit to Late Princess Aqua and pay his respects to her remains, " he said it calmly and took a scroll and a quill to write back.


    "Welcome him to our Realm, we will be only delighted to have his highness here and reconcile with the past," Rivera said.


    "What a true queen," Eunuch praised and bowed again. "I would like to have Empress accompany him without missing the chance to get along well. After all we are both mothers mourning for the loss of our children who had shared their blood creating a life," Rivera said choosing every single word carefully measuring them.


    "As you say it Queen," he bowed and took the letter from Aenon, writing exactly what she has said, and waited to see the reaction from Emperor. Eunuch took them and left in a hurry.


    "He knows we are upto something, he is an Emperor after all powerful and knowledgeable, he definitely know what the abnormal phenomena on earth means, he is trying to test us, let him have it," Rivera said.


    "Milan get ready to leave on your own now. I will cover for you and for Aiden, stay with me," Aenon ordered. "My dear queen, you know what to do, since you have invited The Empress,"


    To this, Rivera smirked and replied. "I know exactly what to do,"

 Chapter 66: Agreed

    Fariya was carried to bed by Aizen and he sprayed some water on her face. Fariya felt weird inside her body and slowly opened her eyes, feeling extremely tired all of a sudden. ''I have ever had any allergic reactions to alcohol, '' she thought. ''Could this be because it''s my first time having sex? Could sex exhaust you this much? She wondered.


    "What happened?" He asked her helping her sit up straight.


    "Am okay, just a little tired," she said keeping her hands on her head. She was embarrassed blushed avoiding to look at his face. He sitting shirtless holding her made her want to run away from the room. Things she never wanted to happen happened solely because of her losing control over her feelings. He kissed her head and stood up walking back to the washroom to wash up. He took a quick shower and noticed a hickey on his chest. He couldn''t help but smile. While later Fariya noticed how she was covered with a dozen of the love bites too. ''Damn it,'' she cursed under her breath. She took a shower in another washroom and changed quickly. She did not dry her hair tieing the towel around her head and went to kitchen to fix a meal for the two. She obviously couldn''t let her best friend walk out on an empty stomach from her place all of a sudden just because they slept together changing her regular habit.


    "I will do, why don''t you rest up," he said and helped her asking her to leave the kitchen and wait for him. "Don''t tire yourself, " he said and it made Fariya cough hard. It was still raining heavily outside. Fariya turned the television on and checked for news to know what was going on with the weather and found out about the typhoon that has hit them. The government seemed to be asking the citizens to not step out of the house for another 3 days until they have updates on new weather conditions.


    "It is a serious typhoon and we are asked to sot inside the house," she told him. Aizen walked to the dining table with plates of mushroom penne pasta and settled down pouring down two glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice. Fariya kept feeling awkward to face him. She had put on full sleeve turtle neck top and a palazzo pant too shy to show her skin. She kept blushing red and her heart pounding loud. Suddenly he started looking too sexy in her eyes.


    ''What is wrong with me? What have I done?'' she asked inside her head, holding the fork in the hands and scratching her hair on the other hand. She folded her legs and sat on the chair while she sat and suddenly remembered she should sit more ladylike and kept them down, stopping scratching and looked at him who was smiling helplessly and enjoying his breakfast. She had no idea that he has been watching each and every action of hers.


    "Why don''t you relax like you usually do in front of me? it is your home," he asked her.


    "Wh..What?" she asked unsure of what to tell him. "Am alright," she said. He laughed.


    "Are you?" he narrowed his eyes. "What''s with these stuffy clothes? You hardly used to wear a t-shirt whenever we had breakfast together," he said and kept eating his pasta. He was thoroughly enjoying the moment. Meanwhile, she sat tensed and worried wondering how to handle the situation and keep going forward with the friendship.


    ''Will be ever be able to go back like we used o be?'' she wondered before she answered him anything. Then she shook her head and said, "Nothing, I... I don''t know,"


    "What is that you don''t know? Or you choose to not know as always?" he asked her straight. She looked shocked.


    "I never want to lose you, I don''t have any best friends, I can''t afford to lose you too, I already feel too lonely,"


    "So this is the only worry you have in your mind?" he asked her keeping his fork down and folded his arms against his chest, sitting straight listening to her, with a serious expression.


    But she said nothing back.


    "If that is your only worry it means you have feelings for me," he said.


    "Hey i never said that, i told you i have never thought about us that way," she said openly.


    "Fine, but it alright with me, I have shown you much I love you yesterday night, do I have to specifically tell you that?" No, so listen to me very carefully, I love you," he confessed to her face which really shook her. "And I intend to do that, you have always pushed me away in your own way and tried to remain friends with me all these years, but did you lose me?" he questioned her. And she shook her head for the answer. "So like this, now we will try to a couple, nothing will change, just the same, you and me and our life together,"


    "You don''t get Aizen, whatever we did last night, what happened, it is temporary and physical, these feelings won''t last long then we will never be able to continue as friends, we will have nothing left when we grow tired of each other," he got up suddenly from his chair.


    "What did you say right now?" he walked over to her. He moved her chair and leaned over her. She looked up scared wondering what he is going to. "Grow tired of each other?" he asked her. "How can you just casually use such words? Do you know you''re hurting me, rejecting my true feelings for you just like that? Why would we grow apart if we love each other sincerely and grow old together and getting tired?"


    "You can''t guarantee it, you can''t guarantee anything," she answered him back.


    "How can you know if you don''t give your all?" he raised his voice a little.


    "Because am scared," she said in the end. "I don''t anything about love or relationships and I never have seen myself in such a position, it is awkward for me too strange, I don''t know how to treat nor please anybody okay? I don''t want you to feel disappointed and push me out of your, you are the only person I want in my life, and really can''t disappoint you," Fariya trembled. Her neck hurt looking up at his face for a long time.


    "Then don''t disappoint and love me the way you can, am not asking for anything, I have already hit the home run but I need you with me always, am serious, I will give you all of me, take me," he said looking into her teary eyes.


    He did not ask for her consent and took her lips in his. He kissed her deep and lifted her suddenly in his moving the plate aside carefully and placing her on the table. In the beginning, she was stiff and hesitant to respond back, but he did not intend to stop there. Then she kissed him back tightening her grip on his shirt. The thunder and rain were strong outside and it did not scare Fariya anymore. She wrapped her legs around his hips and put her arms around and he lifted her walking toward the room. He put her down and walked across the room, cornering her against the wall. She hit her head lightly on the wall and made a light sound. ''Ouch,'' the laughed and he stroked her hair. But he did not stop kissing her. He then moved closer and removed her pink turtle neck T-shirt in a minute while she unbuttoned his again. This time she wanted to have fun. She smiled and ran her hands towards pants though she wasn''t sure what to do. He slowly kissed her neck and reached down to her breasts that made her moan. He took off her bra and said, "Don''t wear them when you''re with me," he murmured as he kissed again and carried her to bed. She felt shy to be naked in broad daylight seeing everything very clearly. She saw his ripped body and her heart skipped several beats together. She couldn''t believe that she is letting t happen for the second time and she is not able to say no to the feelings and lustful emotions. She understood what orgasms are and watched in shock thinking she had him inside her all night and again now. She trembled under his touch and felt the electricity reaching and every corner of her body. She stopped thinking and went along with him. His eyes were full of love and excitement for her. He wanted nothing more than having her in his life forever, but he pushed his thoughts away about her unsure feelings for him.


    The morning passed just like that wrapped in each other''s arms again and quickly took a shower when he fell asleep. It was 2 O'' Clock in the afternoon. Suddenly she felt something strange. She looked back and stood shocked looking in the mirror. A flash of lightning blinded her through the window and she took a few steps backward.

 Chapter 67: Quick Plans

    The sky looked dark and scary with rain clouds and high chances for storms. The journey looked like it is going to be difficult. Celestial Palace had prepared minimum gifts and arrangements to hold the funeral of Aqua. Emperor Tai had made plans to force King Aenon into turning the power source of Aqua in the precious fall and conduct her funeral as soon as possible and check himself if the message from the Earth was true. The typhoon did sound weird at the wrong time of the year on Earth to hit without any traces in the weather before it occurred. He wanted to see if King Aenon has been hiding her or still searching for her waiting for her return. He wanted to forcefully put an end to it catching the Water Realm before he as planned exterminated them. He did not want to have strong and righteous rulers in Heaven who have the guts to stand against him. To Tai, it was a great threat. King Aenon was setting models and rising to popularity along with his family.


    Empress was not happy to have received an invitation from Water Queen Rivera, because of a history they shared. And moreover, since their children had been together, she had let go of the shady past, but losing both her sons, though Aqua also lost her life did not let her keep things off her mind. Especially the fact that Aaron was brutally murdered by the Water Kingdom''s Grand Prince Aiden. Empress Lihua tried her best to put on a cool expression and walked to the front gate accompanied by her maids and royal guards. Everybody was waiting for her.


    "Her highness has come," the eunuch announced and everybody bowed as she reached. Emperor Tai looked at her for a moment and turned his head away. He felt frustrated seeing her since she had not reported to him anything about Huo''er even after pleading to her. The words echoed in his head, hoe she threatened him with her life when he requested her.


    "Let us leave and reach the Water Realm before it begins to rain, let us give a surprise to Aenon by an early one day visit than the fixed date," Tai said smiling. He considered himself smart and took off.


    Aenon was relaxing in his bed-chamber. He had arranged for the banquet and prepared more wine in the guest palace. Living through all these years, under the tyranny of Emperor Tai, King Aenon had a clear idea about the emperor like the back of his hands. He had alerted the guards but sent the message to act naturally when the celestial guards reach the borders first.


    Queen Rivera looked too calm and composed with so many things going on inside her head. "Lihua will be surprised today," she said keeping the crown on her head, smiling.


    "Are you sure about this my dear?" Aenon asked her.


    "I have never been so sure," she replied. "We can''t let them go on things in their own way trampling and messing with us," she said with so much hatred. "Did you not hear the decree, exterminate if we break the rule again, warning us?" she asked her husband.


    "It is not warning, I know Tai a bit too well, it means he has already decided to remove us forever, now or later in the name of disobedience," Aenon got up. "He no longer wishes to have us around, we have become his threat and he is afraid that we might overtake him setting models," he said.


    "What an ungrateful and unworthy Emporer," She said. "If not for him and his sycophant nature, I would never have let my daughter suffer at her growing age, training till she broke her bones instead of leading a happy life like other girls of her age," regret gushed inside her heart and she stood up from her chair facing Aenon who looked at her. He smiled and patted her head.


    "We should let it go, my dear," he said. "Or else we won''t be able live with ourselves," he said.


    "I know," she sighed. "The way I have behaved to her, forcing her, being too strict with her, I regret it after she left us, I feel empty, my hollow grows only wider Aenon, sometimes I find myself thinking about the past and crying alone, I don''t how I find courage each time I break down," she said looking at Aqua''s tiara on her table kept safe.


    "Talk to me, come for me when you feel broke, I am here for you, lean on me," Aenon consoled his wife, giving her a side hug.


    "How can I? your highness, I don''t want you to carry my worries along too," she said smiling with difficulty.


    "We''re a family," he reminded her. Aiden has been listening to everything standing outside the chamber, unintentionally eavesdropping on their conversation. He then knocked on the door quickly report to the king about the arrival of Emperor Tai and the others.


    Aiden heard something in the distance. Like a sound similar to glasses shattering from the direction of Aqua''s sea palace. The crystals she left behind were collected after she disappeared and stored with complete security in the chamber. But in a hurry, he walked back to the entrance gates to welcome The Emperor and The Empress as per the instructions given to take them to the guest palace.


    Since guards were ignorant and unaware of the actions of water crystals, they did not care to notice the tiny little sounds coming from the sea palace and continued with their works. But Rivera noticed them and failed to check personally postponing the plan to do it later. She asked the guards to strengthen the security and not let a living being close to the sea palace spreading the news that it has been shut down.


    Aenon put on fake smiles and laughed a lot as he welcomes Emperor Tai and brought him to the court at first. "I was not expecting you until tomorrow evening, this is a big surprise, forgive me if anything is wrong and not pleasing to you, your highness,"


    "No no it is fine everything is fine as if you did prepare to welcome us, but I couldn''t wait to get here and see that we no longer have troubles between us," he said giving a nervous laugh. Aenon chuckled and took him in, asking the emperor to sit n the throne-like he usually does.


    "Bring some wine and cakes," Aenon ordered the guards to inform the maids to treat the Emperor and Empress. Lihua followed Tai and accompanies by Rivera in silence. It was awkward and too weird.


    "Our women are too silent today are they not?" Tai said taking the seat and looked at Rivera who had a smile pasted on her face. "You look happy Rivera," he said.


    "We have been through a lot recently, having guests eases my mind, am happy to your highness here," she said easily.


    "She is right, having people now is like a new mode of relaxation we find while we are mourning." Aenon backed his wife. He then shot a look at the empress who stood as if she didn''t hear his words. "You know what it is like losing the heir your highness," he then looked at Tai as he said it. Tai''s expression changed and didn''t say a word except nodding back.


    The things arranged by Tai to arrange Aqua''s funeral came inside the court. "This is the least I can do for you, though it is late," Tai said heartlessly. Aenon controlled his temper as he saw the priest and other things along with flowers and clothes. "You should let her rest," he said. Aiden gripped his hand around his sword, gritting his teeth.


    "Did you send search parties to arrest Fiona and Volca?" Aiden suddenly asked the Emperor. Tai smirked and looked at him, Empress too, she felt angry inside to see Aiden. The scene from the battle flashed across her eyes and Empress turned away. She was aware of how Aaron caused trouble and killed Huo but she still blamed everything and disliked Water Realm too much. Tai ignored the question and got back to the funeral again. Rivera nodded at him.


    "Why not?" she said suddenly. Everyone was shocked.


    "Ma," Aiden called her.


    "I know what am saying," she started. "Aenon, Milan, and I have already prepared for this, we are waiting for Princess Milan to get back from seclusion to hold the ceremony," Rivera declared. "There is no hope, and it is time we let her rest peacefully," Rivera teared up. "Even for Huo''er, we cannot wait for long, we should let them both rest, I guess Prince Aaron has already been taken care of," Rivera stabbed everyone with her words. Empress turned red.


    Tai again said nothing to this, neither did Lihua. they looked at each other, pretty locked. Aenon watched them and signaled Rivera.


    "Let the men take care of things, us mothers, our fragile hearts can''t handle it, can we? Let''s go back to our chamber Your highness," Rivera said to Lihua. Rivera wiped her tears and asked the Empress out. She led the way and took Empress to the lily pond behind her bed-chamber.


    "So adamant about exterminating my clan, are you?" Rivera changed her tone and addressed Empress Lihua dropping honorifics.


    "You figured I see," Lihua replied.


    "Seeing you since we were young, how can I not know about the intention behind each and every word Lihua?" Rivera asked her Lihua who once used to be her sister, growing up together in school until Huo''er was born, accompanying Lihua through thick and thin until she married Emperor Tai when Rivera strongly opposed it. They severed their ties the moment Lihua tied the knot and took the throne. And Lihua hated her friend since then, living the reality just like she was warned. She hated Rivera since everything she warned happened. Lihua couldn''t face Rivera since then and she grew jealous seeing how Rivera lived happily marrying Aenon and having two beautiful girls supporting each other.


    Lihua took a deep breath and asked Rivera, "What are you trying to say?"


    "Am saying you are still the same old foolish woman who cannot see things clearly," Rivea provoked Lihua. She could see how the empress was fuming with anger.


    "Don''t test my patience," Empress Lihua said and walked away.


    "Let us hold the funeral for both Aqua and Huo''er shall we?" Empress stopped right there as she hears it. "Let''s hold the ceremony for three of them, my daughter, my son in law and my grandson, we should, isn''t just too selfish of me to hold one for Aqua alone instead of her whole family?" Lihua turned around, her eyes giving her away. "What say?" Rivera asked non-stop.


    "Er.. I.. Rivera," Lihua started.


    "What?" Rivera aksed back.

 Chapter 68: New Adventures

    Milan wondered what possibly could be happening back at home. Her heart felt restless for a moment thinking how the realm would handle the pressure. Thought of exterminating the family haunted her from the moment she heard it. She also wondered what Aiden would be doing right now, afraid if he would lose his temper and commit any mistakes.


    The sky looked dark with lightening hitting for every ten minutes followed by loud thunders that strong enough to stop the heart from beating further.


    Milan walked through the empty road freely, with cars parked under the buildings in the parking lot in line. Every shops and restaurants shut down. The buzzing street now with no living beings around.


    Milan was holding an electric blue umbrella. She was wearing the black Jean, maroon shirt and a black leather jacket over the shirt with a matching leather knee length boots, Milan got into one of the shops that was easy to get in and that did not have any CCTV. But apparently it was a cafe with no fresh food. Milan walked towards the freezer and found some interesting items. Frozen and cold. She grabbed some ice creams, puddings and drinks and walked towards a table to eat them. She had randomly chosen chocolate scoops, strawberry icecream cake, mango and green apple ice cream bars, Cornetto and a jar of vanilla with choco chip icecream. She had then all one by one and enjoyed it. Her tongue was getting almost frozen and found it very funny when she tired to speak feeling her tongue going in different directions. She laughed. Ay the same time she felt her stomach cooling as she kept eating them.


    An hour later, Milan kept few pieces of gold on the counter and left the shop. She walked through the streets again. She had searched more than ten countries nearby and hundreds of cities scanning for her sister but she found nothing. And she had reached the next top. This city looked too beautiful divided into two equal halves with the river flowing through in the middle. Milan decided to visit and search anyway though she wasn''t hopeful.


    She could hear all kinds of noises from the houses on the street. Crying, weeping, laughing, animals making sounds, cooking, arguments, babies crying, fighting, things breaking, movie dialogues, sings, singing, instruments, even the faint sounds of kisses. It appeared that people are taking the typhoon break as a vacation to rest from their daily robotics lives. Milan smiled and walked down the street and put out the spell to search for traces of family blood.


    She then heard an interesting argument between friends. She couldn''t help but laugh at it as they argued about for long, the male friend confessing after just sleeping with her day before while the girl kept rejecting him afraid of losing him as a friend.


    "She has a point, but so does he!" Milan said and kept walking. Milan found nothing for an hour and suddenly sparked in the direction she just finished walking. Milan turned and saw something strange in the air. A familiar thing floating.  "No, Noway," she said. She walked hurriedly careful to not use so much of power to not get back fired and decided to run and go to the place it led her to.


    She used all her energy and finally reached in front of a huge apartment building. The same place she listened to a funny conversation. She spotted another crystal in the air floating.


    "Oh my god," she gasped. She prepared to send a message to her father but remembered quickly she made the mistake. "No I can''t let anybody know since moron Tai is in Water Realm now," she said and she decided to get into the apartment invisibly. As she climbed up, she watched through the window a couple cuddling in the bed and she shut her eyes. "People have nothing to do except this on their free times these days," she murmured and waited. Few minutes later she watched the girl waking up and walking towards the washroom. She could see in the wall clock that it us already 2 in the afternoon.  Suddenly she noticed crystals following her.


    Milan used her power and entered the flat, walking into the room. He saw the man peacefully sleeping on the bed, naked under the sheets. She covered her eyes and walked towards the washroom. She could also see crystals crowding outside the flat in the atmosphere.


    "Aqua, " Milan whispered.  She forgot that though she is invisible others would be able to hear her voice. Milan soon covered her mouth while the girl in front turned around to see what she had heard, sweating and looking scared. She was holding her abdomen. It looked like she was hurting. Then Milan noticed the girl watching the crystals with her eyes growing wide in shock. Milan did not know how to control this human person and remained quiet.


    Milan understood what the Crystal''s had done to the girl. The girl fell unconscious the moment all those Crystal''s entered her body. Milan covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming out loud and moved aised quickly seeing the guy walking into the washroom with a towel wrapped around his hips as he heard something falling down.


    "Fariya," he called her. "Fariya wake up? Why did you faint again?"


    "Faint again?" Milan was struck by the words. "So it happened before too?" She wondered. "Aqua is that you?" She tried asking silently to see if the conscious of her sister is awake or not. She got no answers but. Milan did her best to not keep her hopes high and decided to observe the girl in front of her for few days since she had witnessed the Crystal''s entering the body. The guy carried the girl back into room and sprinkled some water on her face. A few minutes later the girl was regained her consciousness.


    "What happened?" He akse her looking worried. "Twice in a day? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did I hurt you?" He asked her.


    "No i feel fine now," she said rubbing her head where it hit as she fell with a thud. "I thought i saw something but before i took a good look at it outside the window it rushed towards me, I don''t know what happened later,"


    "You seem too stressed Fariya, you need rest," he said taking her face in his hands and kissed her forehead.


    "How romantic?" Milan walked towards the window on the right side of the bed and stood leaning back, watching the lovely couple.  He looked pretty sexy while she looked pretty. What a match! Milan decided to stay in the house invisibly not bothering them though it is wrong to invade privacy just to keep her eyes on the Crystals. She wanted to make sure of the phenomena she witnessed.


    "Am fine Aizen," Fariya said back.


    ''Aizen nice,'' Milan thought smiling and turned away standing there watching outside the window.  Aizen reminded her of Aiden and she felt desperate all of a sudden. Then waves of disappointment, sadness and unrequited love hit her, that always hurt her.


    Aizen brought freshly brewed coffee for Fariya to drink and he asked her to not leave the bed for the day. He kept telling her and walked to kitchen ti cook for the two of them. He then found the stacked mails on top of the refrigerator.  Payments receipts of the loan. She indeed was using 80% of her salary to pay off the loan and living somehow in the rest 20% percent. And it is from that little amount she always bought him food too. His heart broke to think how he made her spend. He noticed the number of instant noodles arranged inside the shelves instead of having real food ingredients. He felt guilty to have made her spend for him and he kept back the receipts right back in their place. She hated people checking on her things all the time and knowing her for years it was pretty easy for him to adjust according to her likes like she does for him all the time. He really wanted her for himself, for a life time.


    Milan watched what he was doing and noted his moves. He reminded her too much about Aiden though they had no absolute connection. Milan grew anxious but relaxed sitting in the dining chair adjusting herself sitting in the middle getting the views from kitchen as well the room.


    Aiden prepared a machow soup and a plate of chicken and rice. He prepared lemonade for her served food for her on the bed and sat along with her with his food in jus hands, eating together.


    "Don''t tire yourself too," she advised him as she took a bite of the spicy chicken fry. "Wow, so yummy," Fariya said smiling as she had her meals but right before discharge she would tell things. The guy looked extremely happy and kept feeding her. He had only a little and walked back into the kitchen.  He had things to arrange.


    Milan tired of keeping the watch  finally decided to take nap in the other bedroom for a while since she has been travelling nonstop for days and now  finally spotting some progress

 Chapter 69: Battle of the Queens

    "Want to know?" Queen Rivera asked her long lost best friend standing shocked in front of her.


    "Don''t mess with me," Empress Lihua said controlling her temper trying her best pretending to be cool and not give away her fears.


    "Let''s say I hold the funeral for my daughter, and shut down her power source forever in precious fall, will anything survive then on, everything that she had touched? No all will die eventually." Rivera eyed Lihua as she circled around the Empress. "Then people who use her power to support their life will too," she said. "I mean can you afford to lose Huo''er again you highness? I didn''t know that you would take Emperor''s side this time and let go of your son?" She asked Lihua sarcastically. "I don''t mind if you do, but I would not have hesitated to bring Huo''er back home here since Aqua''s part is living inside him, but unfortunately, " Rivera paused. Looking into her eyes directly this time. "Being ungrateful runs in the family that we stopped caring shit about people who can''t treasure the love we give," she gave an evil smile.


    "I don''t get you?" Lihua still pretended.


    "Your eyes has given you away my friend, why do you have to hide it with me?  My daughter is the reason he is alive and I gave birth to her, you think I wouldn''t know if some part of her is living in this universe?"


    "Don''t cross the line," Lihua warned her.


    "You are already in my court way past beyond the line, and yes I will hold the funeral then with your permission, " Rivera said staring at Lihua for one more time before she walked back to her palace. Lihua stood there tensed, wondering what to do since she was not aware of how depended her son is now.


    "Of all the people in universe, why did it have to be Rivera''s first born?" Lihua said and trudged back to the guest palace. Her body has been aching since she has been making an elixir using her blood along to bring back Huo''er''s strength. But she wasn''t sure whether it would restore his memories. "Why couldn''t you fall in love with someone better Huo, why her?" She kept thinking inside her head. Tai walked in at the same time Lihua entered the chamber. She sat on the chair in the front hall and asked the maids to serve her wine instead of tea.


    "Unsual habit of drinking," Tai noticed and asked her.  "What is it?"


    "I have heard Water Realm has the best brewed wines," Lihua said and sipped from her grail.


    "Happy to see your best friend?" He teased her. Lihua shot an angry look at Tai.


    "I would have been if I listened to her," she said coldly and Tai''s expression changed quickly.


    "What is that I did wrong to make my love mine?" He asked her again.


    "Just everything," she said casually and asked for the refill.


    "Leave," Tai ordered the maids in the room to get out of the palace and waited till they shut the doors behind.


    Lihua looked at his face wondering what he is going to do. She wanted to know about the funeral plans he has in his mind, to know if it was planned to not stop Aqua but her son deliberately. But she could not bring up the topic since she didn''t want him to know about Huo''er''s fragile return until he grew strong.


    "My plan is on the right path, like i thought, Aenon is still searching for his daughter,  waiting for her return," Tai said proudly to have found out about the truth even the flowers in the garden knew about. " Did you notice how he panicked when I mentioned it in public? It is time he gives up on selfish ideas and make peace like his wife. He always had a thought that he can rule over with his daughter under his commands, it is going to be over now," Tai said what he believed is right. Lihua looked at him in wonder and disgust. She finally understood why Tai wants the Water Realm to be removed from the surface. She felt disgusted as well as bad about herself to have supported the extermination decree hating the water royals for killing Aaron. Rivera and her history gushed into her head that almost brought tears in her eyes. Then she recalled about what happened between her almost daughter in law Aqua and her friend Volca at school who became the reason for the death of everyone. ''No I have been like Volca but I can''t become exactly like that,'' the empress thought and got up from her chair. She looked calm on the outside.


    "Your higness so you have decided to hold the funeral for Aqua? She asked him. "I don''t think there is a need to, their life is hopeful while they search though she cannot come back any longer, We lost Aaron and we should atleast know what it feels like," she tried to remind Tai.


    "I lost Aaron because of them," he blamed.


    "No," Lihua said. "We lost our only son because of that Demon woman you have close ties with, do you think I don''t know about the fact that you shared your bed with her?" Lihua openly said it. Emperor Tai was shocked to know about it. He was not expecting for Lihua, his wife to know about it. "Like I said, you were just obsessed,  but when you did it with Fiona I understood that the obsession was not even with me but Dritan, the person you were always jealous of, a demon who never acted like a demon, a demon the universe praised than they did you. You wanted things that he had, even Fiona was apart of that, making his fiance your mistress," she said to him. "You thought I would never find out when am supporting you in every way? Well leave that, about the funeral, am not I interested in it for all these reasons," she said plainly, sharing her opinion.


    "Am an Emperor, I can''t change my words," he said looking at her. It was a success for Lihua to have wrecked him in a short moment pointing out his secret and confusing him to withdraw from his decisions.


    "It is not like you have never changed your promises, you let go of the demons that killed Aqua, when all the kingdoms accused that lady together, did you not find a way to silence them protecting the mistress and daughter?" Tai couldn''t say anything back and remained silent. Few minutes later after pouring a cup of wine and gulping them down.


    "The typhoon on earth,'' he started but she stopped him.


    "It could also mean that someone powerful is dying too, have you not heard of that, there are lots of deities, we don''t know each one of them personally do we?" She convinced him straight.


    Tai was hesitant. He wanted to look into the intentions of Lihua but he didn''t have the courage to since she had known about his extra marital affair. He tried to overcome it and remained proud in front of her. She poured wine again and also poured for him. She clinged her grail with his and sipped them walking around the hall and stepping into the bed chamber.


    "The dinner will be held soon," he informed her and asked her to change. "You don''t have to dress fancy, they are still mourning, let''s respect that," he said and walked into his separate chamber. He asked the maids to help him take a quick bath and put on fresh clothes. He asked for a head massage before he did his hair and spend sometime relaxing trying to avoid the thoughts. He coughed and felt tired.


    "Your highness, King Aenon is waiting outside to invite you to the dinner," his guard walked in and informed.


    " Already?" He asked his eyes still closed, continuing with the massage.


    "Yes your highness," the guard said.


    "Infrom the Empress about it and we will go," Tai said to the guard and asked the maid to stop massaging his head.


    He stood up and corrected his dress and put on his crown carefully. He remembered to hanf the perfume sachet on his belt and and out on the shoes. He coughed again. He then sneezed and  felt the runny nose. He asked the maids to being him couple hand kerchie to use wondering how he had caught the cold and stepped out of the palace waiting for the Empress.


    "Hope you had a good rest your highness," Aenon smiled and said to Tai. The Empress walked out accompanied by her personal maids at the same time and greeted the men. Rivera was not around. Instead she noticed Aiden standing behind Aenon looking at her. Lihua avoided him and walked along with Tai. She couldn''t bring herself to forgive Aiden for the way he murdered Aaron. Aiden didn''t seem to be bothered about her treatment towards him at all which pissed Lihua off again. She wanted him to beg for forgiveness but he was not doing it. He looked proud of what he had done.


    Rivera joined them coming out of her Palace. "Hope everything is fine your highness," she said greeting the Emperor and Empress together.


    "Yes, yes, more than fine my dear," Tai said and coughed suddenly.


    "Are you okay?" Aenon asked and suddenly collapsed. The guards held on to him. Everyone was shocked


    "Tai," Empress called him dropping her honorifics as he fell down. No one knew about what was going on except holding on to the Heavenly King.

 Chapter 70: Missing Pages

    When failure becomes a regular matter, there are three things you can do, embrace it, keep cool and step on them climbing up without stopping yourself from achieving the set goals. You''re the only person who can do it for you. Others might just brag and then leave you. But you will be there fighting for you and that is all you will ever need.


    Huo''er didn''t have any visitors and he was glad. He tired to cultivate alone and failed massively each time he tried unable to attain the highest level of ci concentration and strength to travel outside his body towards the stars.


    The books piled on top of the table next to his bed, he had not touched for long hours trying to recall thing. Since he kept overdoing it, his nose bled because of the stress, constantly tiring his body. He wished he could find a way to tame his blood and powers nad kept meditating then, trying to find inner peace. It felt very familiar, the process he was doing. As if he had known to do this for year though it was his first time since he woke up.


    He remembered to do something breathing exercising before he stopped yoga and walked towards his bed. He prayed for Volca to not show up after what he had done with her the last time they were together in the room. He shivered at the very thought and wished desperately to stay away from her.


    Huo''er''s was sure that he had no feelings towards her, but something felt too strange that in a second weird emotions altered his mind taking him over and acted strange with the Queen Regent. He didn''t wish to repeat the mistake and also wanted to find the reason why he has the urge to do that. If wondered if it any side effect of the medications.


    He decided to go through the few pages of history books kept on top. The book was named as The Recent History of Demon Royal Family. It grabbed Huo''er''s attention quickly. He wondered if this book would supply him with information and answers to his doubts.


    He opened the book and read. Since he started reading daily, his eye span has improved a lot. Huo finished reading the content page and found a familiar name. He opened to chapter and read the book.


    It was the time heaven and hell waged constant wars for every few years. Heaven was growing strong and powerful and hell no longer could beat them. The King in the celestial palace became the soul ruler of the universe while hell had to obey it and take the sinners to their realm. It pissed the leaders of Hell.


    Huo''er kept flipping through the pages trying to avoid sensitive topics while searching. Huo by when he reached half through the introduction chapters, h skipped a little and moved the page that took place every recently. Then he found few characters there with names that used to be too important to him.


    Suddenly Huo''er''s head began to hurt. He placed his right hand on his temples and closed his eyes. Something flaked before his eyes. Huo''er kept his eyes shut tightly.


    He saw a loud crowd in front of him down the platform he was standing on. It looked like some kind of ceremony. He was holding his soul sword in his right hand and he pointed them to the sky. The sky immediately turned dark and deafened everyone''s ears with the loudest thunder.


    "The true heir to the throne," people cried like it was a mantra. He then saw a man standing to his left, smiling happy and very proud of the moment.  He looked familiar and good. He had a crown on his bead.


    Huo''er opened his eyes and looked up to see around the room. Yes he was still in there. He wondered about what that scene was. He wished to know what it was all about. The people screaming their lungs out and him summoning the thunder marking his arrival. "But for what?" He wondered.


    For a moment though he exhausted himself trying to recollect his memory about the scene he had seen, he was glad that it happened.  For the first time he saw something. He went through something that could save him.  He wished it happened often though the pain kills him.


    Huo turned back to the pages he was reading and read through them carefully.


    King Dritan, the most powerful yet humble this greeted his son, the heir to throne, welcoming him home. The moonchild was no longer a bastard. He got a place called home. But he came home with troubles that his father had to pay back.


    The Demon Prince was in


    Huo''er then turned the pages and didn''t see the continuation nor the beginning of the chapter he was reading.. He found nothing related to what he wanted to know. Apparently the chapter started ended abruptly with no proper ending without anything before and after. Then he found how the pages has been removed. "Damn it," he cursed. Huo''er took the other books and checked through them. But nothing had the history he just read. There was one more book left  but Huo''er got pissed and stooped reading. "Who the hell tore these papers. Do people think job of the historians are a joke tearing off their hardwork as people will," he talked to himself.


    A few minutes later, a guard knocked on the door. Then he slipped a note through the gap of the door. Huo''er took the letter from the stone floor and looked at them. It said the dinner will be served with in an hour. Huo''er shook his head and threw the paper away, getting angry. He was done sitting inside the room, locked up.


    Then it occurred to him. Huo''er took a new piece of scroll and wrote down requesting for books of poetry and books on demonic cultivation as well as human cultivation since he is also the child of heavenly empress and taking her form of the blood. He couldn''t accept the fact that he is a dragon.


    With in twenty minutes of time, Huo''er got the books he requested for. He took them and walked back to his study table. He opened the poetry book and found some handwritten poems with a familiar hand writing.  He wondered about who could have possibly written this for him to feel that he has seen it before.


    Huo''er read through the first few poems. It was too deep and romantic for him. And some of them felt real as if it haa been experienced personally. He noticed the signature as initials A and H. But he couldn''t crack it. He flinched and stopped reading the love poems. He wanted something that would sharpen his mind not blunt his efficiency. He felt it such a waste to waste ink on writing such trivial matters.


    He found it unbelievable to read about an intimate moment referring to the sun in the sky and sea meeting at horizon during sunset and making love until the sun rises again the next day. Then the sea feeling heartbroken wondering when is the nightfall again, waiting for him, her waves working as a messenger watching out for news about him.


    Huo''er then opened the book of dragon cultivation. At the same time he heard the footsteps outside the door. He was proud of how his ears are sensitive to capture all the sounds and differentiate them. The footsteps belonged to Queen Regent. The doors opened wide with maids accompanying her holding varieties of plates in their hands.


    Huo''er pretended to be fine and changed his expression quickly. He smiled at her, welcoming her and sat on the table. She settled opposite to him while the maids served the food. Then a doctor walked in and checked him before he had his meal.


    "Your pulse rate is normal. Internal healing is taking place, don''t stress or strain, remember to sleep well and take medicines at the right time. Then he handed several puched of medicines to be taken in for the next whole week and placed them on his study table. He was also given some oils and ointments to remove his battle wounds and scars.


    Huo''er watched the man carefully until he walked out of the room accompanied by the guards.


    "Eat," Volca said. She eyed him watching the men at the door. "He is trustworthy don''t worry, he won''t trample with the medicines. I have chosen my people very carefully, " she said digging into the food. The rice and the roasted beef tasted yum. She served him with some curry along with the rice and meat and made him eat some cooked herbs that was necessary for his health. He started hating the greens since he was having them for months. He was relieved that she brought him a little bit of meat.


    Suddenly there was a sound of something falling off the shelf behind them. Huo''er got up quickly as a part of his reflex and took the knife he had on the table. Volca just stood there looking carefully at the place the sound came from. A figure moved and took a step forward. Volca''s jaws dropped.


    "What the....."

 Chapter 71: The Birth mark

    ''What''s wrong with her?'' Milan wondered. ''Why would she keep distance with a great guy like him?'' Milan sat at the couch seeing Fariya and Aizen. Fariya looked really uncomfortable and something seemed to be bothering her real bad. She kept moving her hands towards her stomach and walked into washroom to check if she had got her period to go through such terrible pain. Milan felt bad for her. Sometimes she would use her power on Fariya to put her at ease killing the pain but it was temporary.


    Aizen was not noticing it. He had no idea that she is in pain. He prepared food for her and watched out of the window often to see if the rain had stopped. He had no clothes to wear and had to drop by at his house around the block. He served the dinner and waited for Fariya to come out of the room.


    "What''s wrong?" He asked her.


    ''She won''t be well for few months now on,'' Milan said. But since they could not hear it she sat there watching them having food while her stomach growled.


    "Nothing," Fariya said and smiled tiredly.


    ''But why did Aqua choose these two?'' Milan wondered watching them closely. She could not find any super natural traces. ''Could it be coincidence that she found the freshly mated couples and entered her egg to develop into a fetus?'' Milan struggled to find an answer by herself. ''But why?''


    "You look sick," Aizen pointed out as Fariya kept sweating.


    "I think am coming down with flu," she said. "I feel tired and," she stooped. She didn''t wish to talk further. She felt embarrassed to be going through such situations thinking that mating has caused her sickness instead of feeling excited.


    ''What a dummy are you Fariya?'' Milan said. ''How can love make you sick?'' She shook her head with disappointment.


    Aizen finished his dinner and got up from the chair. "I really need to get back and get some of my clothes? Will you be alright? I will try to come back soon when the rate of rain comparatively decreases. " he said and got dressed. He walked towards her leaned down, stroking her hair and kissing on her forehead. She smiled and watched him leave the room. She kept the spoon down and drank the soup all together directly form the bowl and had her side dishes. She searched for her bag of chips and opened them. She at all cost wanted to ignore the uncomfortable feeling inside her body and decided  to watch a movie. She put on Avengers from Part 1 and binge watched all of them from 7 P.M. By the time she finished the movies it was almost early in the morning, 3. A.M. Fariya was too sleepy and tired that she forgot about her pains. She fell into a deep sleep and did not wake until it was 11 in the morning. She got the best 8 hours of sleep. She jumped up from the bed as she smelled something amazing coming from the kitchen.


    She ran outside the room and saw nobody. There was hot food in the casserole. It was stir fried juicy beef noodles and crispy fried spicy chicken wings. She felt thankful towards Aizen to have done it for her. She quickly brushed her teeth and dug into her food.


    The noodle tasted like heaven and the chicken too juicy and crispy as she took each bite. The spiciness was the best and she licked her finger tips as she had them one by one. Milan watched her smiling as she enjoyed her food. Milan was proud of herself to have cooked such a great meal for Aqua.


    "Thank you so much Aizen," she said after finishing the meal and got up, holding the dishes and walking towards the kitchen.


    "It''s not your boy friend who made it you dummy it is me," she said and sat straight in the cough, arms crossed across her chest. Suddenly an idea lighted in her head. She got up and left the house. Milan once again walked into a shop, this time for clothes. She tried some cool designs and loved them. "Earth sure has some fine things, " she though looking at her self in the mirror wearing pink laces frock with frills. She also took some jean, some jackets, cardigans and tank tops. She was shocked to see the lingerie section and wondered how people wear them. She tried a few and was shocked to see how it gave a shape to her body.  She took them along and bought few things for Fariya. Especially the night wears since she has got a man. Milan put the gold coins on the counter and took the clothes and left the shop.


    By the time she reached back home, Aizen was back. He seemed to have come home dripping in water. Fariya was busy helping him dry up walking around behind him with towels.


    Carefully Milan disappeared into her room and filled her wardrobe with few stuff she bought for her. Couple of them were maternity clothes. And she put them at the back for Fariya to not find it in front. Milan then walked back to the living room sat on the usual place in the couch. Living invisibly is not that bad but a bit boring.


    Aizen took off his shirt and Fariya handed him a fresh one from his backpack. It was then Milan noticed something.  A birthmark. A white arrow shaped birthmark that she was very familiar with. Milan turned away as her heart grew tensed for a moment.  She was reminded of Aiden. She touched her heart and got up walking towards the window to look outside.  She did not wish to watch the couple getting all lovey dovey.


    Milan recalled the first time she saw the birthmark. It was around that same time she opened up to her sister.


    Milan confessed about her feelings and walked out of her sister''s chamber in the Sea Palace. She felt relieved to have opened up to her sister about her heart. She had hope now. She wanted to give see Aiden since has has moved to the main palace taking the title as Grand Prince of Water Realm. She walked straight to his chamber. She remembered to carry some plums and peaches with her to present him.


    But she did not expect to see him in an undressed state. He was wearing only the bottom piece. His muscular body with sweat dripping down, he seemed to be training with her sword. He had white cloth covered in his palms as he held the sword. She wanted to know if he was alright.  But he was not shy nor cared to dress up, but she was. It didn''t dawn to her how he used to run away and dress up whenever he saw Aqua but never when she is around. Love blinded her from seeing the truth.


    Aiden kept practicing and Milan stood watching him. It is then she noticed a white arrow shaped birth mark on his chest. She carelessly walked towards his and touched his birthmark which caught Aiden by surprise. He stood still, frozen. She ran her finger over the mark. For the first time there was tension between the two. Aqua walked in at the right time. She was surprised to see her sister, Milan progressing with Aiden instantly even before she had moved on. Aqua turned away and left. Aiden saw this. He took Milan''s hands away and looked at her. Their eyes locked. Milan''s heart fluttered. She was pushed away but she didn''t care about it.


    "Don''t  repeat this again and touch any man carelessly, people will misunderstand you princess, " he spoke to her formally.


    "But the mark, why do you have that?" She asked him.


    "It is a birth mark, why wouldn''t I have it? My father has the same," he told her and dressed up. He tired to do his hair but Milan offered to help. Couple of minutes later he left the chamber.  Milan stood there smiling like an idiot looking at her fingers. She giggled and left his chamber. She walked around the garden and saw him and Aqua. She was handing him a scroll. "I got this from shifu, but I don''t think I have use of it any longer, why don''t you learn this technique?" She said and gave him.


    It then occurred to Milan suddenly. ''Why am I different from Aqua?'' She thought. She felt bad to have nothing to offer Aiden. She wished she was special too and motivated herself to go find some useful cultivation information from restricted library. She and her sister always broke into the library secretly that now she is used to it doing everything alone inside there. That way Milan practiced and learned the Forbidden weather control techniques when she is underage to obtain them.


    Milan looked her hands and tried to control the rain but it only got worse. "What are you doing Aqua?" She looked back at Fariya and Aizen. For a moment she thought she saw Aiden. Milan shut her eyes and opened them again. Blinking fast. "What on earth...?"

 Chapter 72: Trick up the sleeves

    "Carry him," King Aenon ordered the guards and asked them to take him back to his room. Empress created a show over reacting which made Rivera quickly understand the intentions and played along.


    "That''s nice if you to worry about your husband,  I was not expecting this," Rivera whispered while the men were busy helping The Emperor drink some water waking his conscious. He coughed badly.


    "It is just that he caught cold from drinking the plum wine," The Empress told her old friend in her ear.


    "And is it the elixir that takes the heat in your body away?" Rivera asked. Empress could not help but smile when she mentioned about the elixir. "Nothing seems changed," Rivera said and sat straight putting on the worried expression.


    Rivera and Lihua had finished their training for the day. Shifu had taken in a demon to train but kept as a secret  for the heaven to not find out about it. Months passed, nobody found out about his origin in the school but in a glance,  Lihua caught him. Playful Lihua threatened the demon lying she would expose him. Lihua was always accompanied by her only best friend Rivera, a small young girl, the bethroded girl of Water Prince Aenon since her birth.


    Dritan begged Lihua alot to keep her mouth shut and even quarrel often about it with her sometimes. But they did not realise how they were falling for each other madly.  They started training together and spend more time together. Dritan once took her on a trip under their Shifu''s instructions. That must have been the time they confessed.


    The day they returned, Lihua came with the news. Lihua explained about a trick she played on Dritan using the chill pill, an elixir that takes the hear away from the body, which led one to another trying to help her and ended up together in bed. She was excited. Her love blossoming and flourishing with a handsome demon. But she at the time didn''t know about the consequences of falling for a demon. But Lihua hid the secrets about him so well. Months passed again and Rivera caught Dritan and her best friend fooling around many times. Rivera also saw Prince Tai following Lihua at times but didn''t want to disturb her saying about this.


    Months passed and Dritan and Lihua grew closer and closer disappearing together often. Everyone came to know about their relationship and the star kingdom warned her. But the rendezvous they spent the intimate times together led to the pregnancy of the Star Princess that shook the heaven and hell equally. Everyone blamed her. Star Kingdom almost disowned her. But Lihua gave birth to a baby boy, healthy and happy. And all through her difficult pregnancy times, only Rivera helped her staying close and giving her a chamber in her own palace. Rivera''s the then fiance Prince Aenon was so proud of her to have taken care of her best friend.


    Dritan was forcefully taken back to Demon Realm by his father, the Demon King Fan. He was never sent out of the palace again. Forced to take power and help his father rule the Hell. Lihua never got to see him again nor show their son to him. But after few months, one day, Dritan did come to visit his woman and son in the water realm while he was on his business.  He looked different and not as she expected him to be.


    Dritan took his son and kissed his forehead. "One day, you will rule this entire universe, and I will watch you proudly then, never be a coward like your father is going to be now," he whispered to baby''s ears with tears in his eyes. "Huo''er,  name him Huo," That was all Dritan said.


    "Yes, Huo''er, he will be our little Huo," she said crying taking the baby back to her hands. Baby Huo looked chubby and cute, the tiny silver hair glistening.


    "Am glad that he looks like you," Dritan said and looked at Lihua for sometime.


    "Say it," Lihua said. She could sense that Dritan is in trouble.


    "Listen, about everything," he hesitated. He was not sure about how to say it out loud. Lihua stood with mountain high expectations. "I came here on  a plan''s business purpose, I have to go back before they come find me here with you, " he said.


    "I know, Lihua said expecting him to open up about what he is going to do with her and the baby, whether he will take the two to his home. Little did she know that she and baby was never liked by the Demon King for the grudges they hold with Heaven. Rivera was just outside the chamber, sitting near the pond but she could hear everything and she wanted to, to know what kind of man Dritan is.


    "We should not become a reason for the war between heaven and hell. Demon Realm has people too and depend highly on heaven''s water resources, if I choose you, I will be leaving million of people behind me who trust me, "


    "Enough," Lihua said when she understood about the point Dritan was trying to reach. She cried for few minutes and looked at him strong. "Never come and see us again, consider us as dead, we will no longer have a connection of any sort," she declared and asked him to leave immediately feeling disgusted to look at him. Tears streamed down her have and on Huo''er''s cheek. She wiped the baby''s face and put him back in the cradle. Then she walked away and did not show up home for a whole day.


    By that time, the rumours about the prophecy came out. The birth of half blooded moonchild who will ruin the heaven. The Emperor ordered to find the child and execute him. Rivera felt si wronged and Lihua was shocked. There was none who supported her and the father did not even want the child. Lihua was broken beyond repair having no idea how to save Huo''er.


    It was then Prince Tai showed up and asked for her hands with a promise to protect the child and help Dritan sit in his throne without wars. He was proud and wanted to buy Lihua at any cost and she said yes falling for his words. She expected for Dritan to show up and protect them but he did not. But Rivera stood against her this time.


    Rivera warned about how fake Prince Tai is and how he followed her secretly everywhere. But that did not change anything since she had already given herself away for Tai, raped by him hard, for long hours until he made sure he gave her a child in her womb. Rivera felt disgusted and left. She attended the wedding but didn''t give her blessings warning Lihua about how Tai would break his promises and use her supporting him on throne. And everything happened just like that. He hunt down Huo''er and almost murdered the child. And used Lihua''s powers while he kept filling his harem. And years later Aaron, son of Tai grew up just like his father. To Lihua whole life was disappointing. Losing both her children, she had nothing else to live for.


    "What did he have wrongly enough for collapsing?" King Aenon asked the Empress.


    "He drank our plum wine and caught cold. Phoenix core needs warmth, we served chilled wines and he travelled a long distance, surely he is not growing a day younger as time passes," Rivera told her husband. Who indeed was worried to have had such a thing which also has the chance that Emperor might have to stay longer, delaying their journey. Empress got up from her seat and entered Tai''s chambers. He was lying down silently.


    "How are you?" She asked him.


    "What did you do to me?" He asked her first thing.


    "What? Why would I do anything to you?" Empress pretended well.


    "Then what is wrong with me?"


    "Didn''t you finish almost a barrel of chilled plum wine, can''t you have sense that it will affect your fire core ?" She asked him back.


    "How can a simple wine hurt me?" He asked her about the ridiculous explanation given.


    "You are growing old everyday, immortals or not, this fact cannot change Tai," she said strongly and shut his mouth.


    "Leave, I wish to rest for sometime," he said. By that time, King Aenon made the maids deliver all the sumptuous dishes to the guest palace since the dinner has been cancelled. Everything arranged in banquet hall was transferred.


    Empress was happy and hungry, she settled down in her room and had a lavish meal. Rivera knocked on the door.


    "Come in," Lihua ordered. "Join me," she said as she saw Rivera.


    Rivera settled down opposite her old friend and maids served her. Rivera asked the maid to serve her only the soup and rejected else. "I dine with Aenon every time," she said.


    "Happy to see you living a great life," Empress said.


    "You could have to, with me, here" Rivera reminded her.


    "It is all over, let us not discuss about that chapter again," she said showing her unwillingness to speak about the past.


    "What are you going to do tomorrow?" Rivera asked Lihua.


    "I.." Empress Lihua began.

 Chapter 73: Exchanging News

    "Aiden what are you doing here?" Milan was shocked. She couldn''t believe her eyes.


    "I thought you would want to meet with me," he said.


    "Yes I did," she whispered. "Don''t alert them," she said pointing at Fariya and Aizen. The two were preparing to watch a series. Aizen made popcorn and carried osmanthus flavoured pepsi with him and settled down in the couch.


    "Why did you want meet me?" Aiden whispered back.


    "I almost came back home and ruined everything we planned. How come you are here? What about the Emperor?"


    "That old bull fainted all of a sudden, everybody panicked and started to work to solve the issue, and I slipped to pay quick visit since it''s been couple of days you have been here searching around," he said.


    "The search is success," she declared.


    "What?" He was shocked. "What?" He asked again. She eyed Fariya and asked him to look at her.


    "She is?" Aiden asked her.


    "The carrier, Aqua will reincarnate as a human this time," Milan informed him. "She almost died but entered an egg, but I can''t still find out why these two,"


    "Are you serious?" Aiden couldn''t believe his ears. He kept asking her.


    "Yes, a hundred time yes this is what is going to happen," Milan assured her. "Am watching over Fariya, staying invisible.


    "You can''t watch them all the time, that''s like privacy violation, " he teased her feeling tio happy to have heard a positive news.


    "I know when to and when I should not, don''t come and teach me," she snapped at him and they both stood near the window, leaning back and watching Aizen and Fariya.


    "When will she be born?" Aiden asked her.


    "9 months maximum, it has been only a day or two now, For Fariya she will take around two or three months to know about her pregnancy, then the rest, they don''t have no idea that they have conceived a child already after mating," Milan told Aiden. "Hurry back before they find you''re missing," Milan warned him.


    "Hmm yes I will, Tai wants to hold funeral for Aqua and shut down the power resource of her. We were shocked but mom took the lead, she asked to do Huo''er''s along and for their  unborn child. I have idea about what would happen tomorrow, " he expressed his worry.


    "It won''t happen, Huo''er can''t have a funeral while he is living especially with the support of crystals, he will be doomed, Empress will find a way, you wait and see," Milan said everything together and it did sound true. Aiden bid farewell and travelled back to Water Realm and slipped into the hall at the guest palace where everyone had assembled to spend time with storytelling and dance for Emperor. He looked fine and back to normal.


    He had so much to tell King Aenon. But he patiently waited for the day to end. After couple of hours, when the Emperor went to sleep, the water realm secretly began its preparation for a funeral to surprise Emperor Tai. They did not wish to be caught. Aenon waited for Rivera to come out of Empress'' room.


    "What took you so long?" Aenon asked his wife who looked pretty happy.


    "Long story, " she said and walked forward with Aiden and Aenon to their usual meeting place behind Rivera''s bed chamber.


    The place had a great ambience. The lotus pond, the pool, the willow tree in a corner near the fence with view of the sea, and stone sculptures and chairs and table to sit down.  A small bridge that connected the cliff and the palace, with ferocious sea under it. Aenon never let anyone walk this way afraid of the dangers the place hold.


    Aiden took his usual place on the table and waited for Queen Rivera to open up. She was enjoying  the breeze as she settled down while Aenon gazed at her, waiting.


    "Ahem, " he cleared his throat.


    "Water?" Rivera asked him.


    "Am fine," Aenon said, clearing his throat again and looked at Aenon. Aiden wanted to laugh.


    "Oh yes," the queen said. "Don''t worry, Empress will handle the funeral herself, " she informed her husband.


    "And?" He asked for more information.


    "And what? She is pretty locked with us," she said. They waited for her to open. "She thought she could keep Huo''er''s return as a secret but didn''t expect that we were the first one to know about it even before she did,"


    "Oh and?" Aenon asked.


    "She didn''t agree at first, then I stirred her past a little and connected it to our kids and had to say some hurtful stuff, and then she agreed, I warned her, and it only dawned then to her," she sighed. "She is still a fool, I can''t believe she reigns over the heavens,"


    "Don''t underestimate her," Aenon warned her. "Don''t fall in her traps,"


    "I won''t when she is in our court, her son too, I told her that being ungrateful runs in the family that I don''t feel surprised anymore," Rivera told the men.


    "Oh my god," Aiden said. "You didn''t tell her did you?"


    "I did, why would I hesitate, I did not tell your name, don''t worry," Rivera consoled Aenon. "But I still don''t understand why he would take that witch''s side honestly,"


    "He definitely was not acting, I can guarantee that ma," Aiden said. "He even dared to ask me who I am and why he would follow me,"


    "We will find out," Aenon said. "Ok leave that. Come back to the point, what else did she say?"


    "Oh yes," Rivera said. "About the Emperor. " Everyone looked at her seriously. "He is sick,"


    Aenon felt doubtful. "How?"


    "The Empress Lihua did it," Rivera informed them.


    "How?" Aiden asked this time.


    "Remember about the rumours?" Rivera tired to remind them.


    "About which? There are lots connected with him?" Aiden asked his aunt.


    "The one with how he is the fake Phoenix and he uses the powers of Empress to control his core?" Rivera told them.


    "So it is true after all," Aenon said thinking deep.


    "Yes apparently it is," Rivera said. "Lihua fed him with her usual cold elixir that would remove his heat covering the core, he will catch cold and lie sick for few days. She fed him that by serving the chilled plum wine, apparently he drank the whole barrel and she made up the story chilled wines removed heat from the fire core.


    "And the old man believed it?" Aiden asked shocked.


    "He seemed to believed it," Rivera told the men.


    "What a foolish Emperor is he? How can he lack basic common sense. Chilled plum wines of Water Realm contributes 0.0001 % to your energy. "Pa what is this?" He asked the king.


    "You there," Aenon spoke to Aiden. "You better start controlling your temper and hold your tongue. Who ever it maybe or whatever it is, he is still the Emperor, as one of the youngest generations you must remember to use honorifics and respect the elders. I see often how you lose it, next time you do, I will have a detention for you, we have a great dignity to keep," he warned Aiden strictly.


    " Pardon me your highness," he said standing up and bowed.


    "Don''t forget how you have to be quiet, Kind and do smooth talk in front of the Celestial people, Killing Aaron has not been forgotten by a single soul here, it is always a danger on top on your head,"


    "I know, I will remember that," Aiden said and remained quiet. "But there is something else I would like to report, " he said in a serious tone. Everyone looked at him.


    "Say it fast," Rivera said. "I have to go,"


    "Aqua will reincarnate, " he let it out.


    "What?" Queen Rivera was shocked. Aenon calmed her and calmed his loud tensed heart.


    "She has entered a human body, Milan found her, she is watching over now," he informed them.


    "Oh my," Rivera broke into a sob suddenly.


    "Who is it?" Aenon akse for the details of the humans.


    "We haven''t found that yet, we can''t tell why, but we know that we saw her," Aiden said trusting Milan completely.


    "We will leave once Tai leaves," Aenon gave them his word. And Aiden nodded. "When did you get the news?"


    "I visited Milan for few minutes while Emperor Tai collapsed. She was waiting to tell us but afraid she might rule our plan she didn''t send the message," he told them everything in detail.


    Rivera got up and asked them to have dinner soon and left to her chamber to change. "Take rest, let''s talk about everything later," she said and left. She wanted to spend some time alone.


    Aenon walked to the guest palace again to check if everything was ok. The funeral preparation was almost done and in a very sloppy manner deliberately in many hidden Hopes.


    The Empress was taking a walk outside and visiting  the pond in the front with her personal maid. She had a jar of wine in her hands, drinking without limits.


    "Can''t sleep your higness?" He asked her.


    "Hmm," she nodded. "Couldn''t forget they days spent here and wanted to take a walk along the pond. I used come here and sit with Huo''er, he loved it here, he would stop crying instantly when I bring him here and show the gold fish," she started reminiscing about her past. It was painful but they were all true and can never be erased from the history.


    "I will take my leave you higness, please enjoy your stroll, do not catch cold, it will soon be misty all around here," Aenon said and left. He had no wish to please a woman. He had something urgently to take care of and rushed back to his office. To his surprise there was somebody inside waiting for him.


    "What are you doing here?" He asked.

 Chapter 74: Step 1, become friends.

    It is said that during winters, the days and shorter and nights are longer. And what do you do at those times? Have you ever wondered about it? Now think about your life, if you find someday that there is a fact like this, that your prime days are short and old days are long? What would you choose to do during those prime days?


    The storm came to an end. The sun was out finally after few days. People stepped out of their houses to soak in the sun and greeted each other. Everybody was glad to step out and continue with their daily life.


    Works piled up at offices and hotels and bakeries had to start their routines from level zero throwing out the stock and taking the new fresh ones.


    There were many break in and theft cases reported but two looked too surprising to the owners. Leaving gold coins after taking the things. Hence the authority didn''t know how to solve the case, since it wasn''t robbery either. No cameras had recorded it either.


    Fariya got ready for work and decided to step out without having the breakfast. She put on her formal black  and white pant suit and heels. She covered up her dark circles and hickey with makeup. She kept cursing the storm the reason for everything. She was still not able to accept a love relationship with Aizen though she had agreed to it. "Why ? Just why did the storm had to come and cancel my boating that led to everything else, and I can''t believe I was so lustful satisfying the body''s need. God what a horrible person am I?" She kept talking to herself. "Why couldn''t I say no? why did I hesitate and accepted it in the end? I cannot betray or hurt him now? What if I lose the passion slowly once fire cools down between us?" She had so much going on inside her head. The true fears about relationship. Being single for too long had totally ruined her ability to be with people in respectable two way relationship.


    Fariya blow dried her hair and put her hair up. Milan sat on the bed watching her in wonder. She found how women are same everywhere.  Mortals or immortals, the thoughts sounded too similar for everyone. The bed spread was changed into fresh ones with colourful stripes of various pink and green in them.


    Fariya was running later and rushed out taking her handbag. "But have the breakfast atleast for the child growing, " Milan said as she walked out. After sometime, Milan walked around the city and stayed outside Milan''s office. She then ordered food for Fariya with the money she exchanged for a gold coin.


    The nice and hot lamp chops and fried rice along with some salad and a vanilla milkshake reached the reception. Fariya was surprised to get food as delivery. It even had a note. "Don''t work in an empty stomach," Milan wrote in it. Thinking Aizen must have sent it, she walked into the cafeteria and had them. Milan sat opposite her in the table and looked around the place. Looked neat and spacious for the employees to rest and eat well.


    "Hey Fariya, good morning," colleagues greeted her as they passed by. It then occurred to Milan to not stay in the shadows anymore. She searched about the company and learned in detail what they are into. The event management company looked like it is doing really well except for Fariya''s position. Even her juniors had got promotion but she failed to.


    Milan decided to work and stay full time with the girl she is keeping her eyes on. Milan made her visible and walked into the office. She applied for various jobs and asked for an interview since they were hiring.  Milan was given a date to attend the interview with her resume and sent off. She didn''t know what a resume looked like searched around. And she pretended to accidentally run into Fariya.


    "Excuse me, " she said. Fariya greeted her with a smile sitting and carrying on with work in her desk.


    "Yes, how may I help you?"


    "Am actually new to the city and on my journey, I lost my luggage and missed all my documents and files. So am having trouble finding a job in this city and a place for shelter. But here since they don''t know about it, they asked me to attend an interview for sales executive''s post. But I don''t have a resume and am fresh out of college. Am afraid to ask others and don''t feel welcomed. You look kind, can you help me with it?" Milan put on a great show.


    ''Why not,  let me complete this report, please wait here," Fariya asked Milan to sit down and completed her work quickly. "What''s your name?" She asked inbetween.


    "Milan," Milan replied.


    "That''s a wonderful name. You look really young, how old are you? 21? Fresh out of college did you say?" Fariya asked her.


    "Yes, I flew in recently after college hoping to land in a job but found myself doing absolutely nothing. Am running out of my savings, if I fail to find a job I might end up on streets, and get deported or something, "


    ''Don''t worry, apply for the documents and wait, we will do a resume now and you can attend many interviews with it," Fariya consoled her.


    "You are so nice," Milan said. ''You''re really a warm person like my sister,'' she thought inside her head. Fariya soon finished wiritng her report and asked Milan to move the chairs and sit next to her while preparing the document.


    "Tell me in detail okay. You name? DOB? Address? Qualifications?" Experience? Achievements? Hobbies?"


    "One at a time?" Milan asked her.


    "Sure," Fariya said. Milan needed a little bit of time to come up with all of it, make it up and fill the form. .


    "Arghh, address, I don''t have a place here, what do I do sis," Milan asked looking at Fariya.


    "Where do you live here now?"


    "Nowhere, I just stay up all night ," Milan whispered.


    "My god," Fariya exclaimed.  "I will fill my address now, stay with me till you find a place. How can a girl be safe in a strange city, why didn''t you book a hotel?"


    "If I do, i won''t have money for food," she said looking down in the floor.


    "Alright fine, I have filled out my address and will reccomend you, just do well on the interview," Fariya said handing her the resume.


    "Okay I will come and find you in the evening," Milan said.


    "Do you know where I live for that?" Fariya questioned her. It only then occurred to Milan that she should pretend like she doesn''t know about her home.


    "Err....no," Milan said sweating.


    "Dumbo, wait till I finish work and clock out, we will go together, You don''t have any criminal history do you?" Fariya asked her funnily.


    "I assure you that am neat and very decent. I don''t even drink much except rarely, you can trust me," Milan assured Fariya and bowed and took her leave.


    On her way out, she saw Aizen at the reception waiting for Milan. He was carrying a bag with him.


    "Is he going somewhere, " Milan talked to herself, smiled and left. He smiled back but wondered if he knows her. Thinking she must be a colleague, he dismissed his thoughts and waited for his woman. He wanted to inform her about the business trip he is going to go on before he took off.


    Milan walked out of the office very excitedly and decided to watch a movie people were boasting about. She bought tickets and food and watched a romantic action thriller movie.


    Then she ordered for a very heavy lunch consisting of chicken, meat and prawns all grilled and had them with different breads.


    Milan didn''t keep track of time but weeks ran too fast on earth which are only days back in heaven.


    Fariya had yet to show the signs of pregnancy and she kept avoiding meeting with Aizen in the name of having a roommate ever since he came back from the long business trip. He wondered if she is upset about him gone for longer than expected.


    The girls were having a lifetime of fun. Eating together, watching movies, singing karaoke and even shopping and beauty appointments together. Milan tried to enjoy the days with Fariya trying to understand how much she misses her sister and wants her back. Milan has been avoiding the thoughts about her feelings towards her sister ever since it happened, convincing herself eventing happened for good until she started living with Fariya who treated her so well. Milan one day ended up crying confessing to her friend about her feelings when she got drunk. Human life started to influence her a little too much.


    "I used to have a sister who was just like you, I realise that I miss her so much, it hurts me, i kept telling myself that i should get over the past but I have not, not even a little,"


    "There there honey, don''t worry, am there for you, don''t cry," Fariya consoled her. Aizen sat watching them that day.


    "Enough girls," he said and took the beers away.


    Life never goes as you expect it to. But there is one thing you can do. Living in the moment. Worries may come and go. Pain will be constant in different stages of your life, but as long as you choose to live in the moment a little, you can make your day end beautifully. Nothing can stop you then.

 Chapter 75: Entry of Hawk

    It was hard to live in the castle under disguise.  Being used to living for thousands of years with power in his hands, this time he had to hide his face and walk around like an ordinary guard to find the layers of secret the castle was holding.


    The royal guards looked very alert during their work. And maids as usual playful but hard working.  The ones who slack and commit crimes, like in the old days punished hard at the cell in back of the castle.


    The funds were reduced to half and the food for food everyone charged from their salary in the name of developing the treasury for making a return since the economy crumbled down after they lost two great kings all at once.


    Demon clan''s administration didn''t seem stable. It needed a change. But apparently there was none suitable to take the throne. There has been rebellions going on inside the kingdom to elect a heir to throne from the local demon ministers'' families. People believed that leaving the throne empty for too long will lead the Clan to its doom. None was happy about Volca and Fiona''s reign  and the clans were suppressed greatly by Fiona and her troops. Everyone knew how Fiona has the support of Emperor Tai behind her. Rumours about the Heaven and Hell going to tie the knot and even Tai having a demoness daughter spread like wild fire. And it was all disgusting to the natives.


    Unable to put up with all the filthy things happening, he decided to finally show up and drag Huo''er out from wherever he us locked up. Working hard stealthily, he finally caught up with Volca one night. The rumour of Volca keeping a pet convinced him that it is not just any pet.


    He followed her around in the knight''s armour as the Queen''s guard. He helped her with carrying the tons of petitions recieved from the civilians. Volca took her seat on the throne and read them one by one. There were demon farmers waiting to visit her, to discuss about the water issue again and again. But Volca would dismiss them quickly before they even start the complaint. She was not a but fit to be a ruler who can satisfy her people.


    Old king Dritan''s personal guard Hawk walked into the room. Ever since the death of Demon King Dritan, Hawk has been found missing and hard to catch. He has been living under disguise searching for Huo''er and failed in  the mission. Disappointed and ashamed of himself to have failed his king, Hawk went to a far away place to live peacefully, staying away from his duty until he saw his badge gleaming with the King''s command. The heir has returned, he understood.  Hawk began his search again, day and night, in heaven and in hell, to get a glimpse of Huo''er and to see in what condition he has returned. And like he expected, he heard of nothing good.


    Hawk disguised himself as a palace guard and got to know about the doings of Queen Regent. And he followed her. Now he has got what he aimed at. Hawk took the helmet off and revealed who he is. He could see everyone''s jaw dropping.


    "Sir," the other guards bowed to him. Volca was shocked to see how her guards are still loyal to Hawk, the king''s guard.


    "Huo''er beware of him," Volca warned with fear creeping inside her heart. The best fighter the universe had ever seen. Hawk. "He is a dangerous man,"


    Hawk quickly scanned around the room and realised that it looked like a medical scholar''s chamber. With medicines, books and candles everywhere. The air in the room had fumes of dried and raw brewd medicines. Hawk wondered about what Huo had gone through all this time since his death. But after all Dritan''s sacrifice looked meaningful since he saw Huo''er in one piece standing in front if him.


    "Your highness," Hawk addressed Huo who was surprised. "How have you been? How are you?" He asked. Huo exchanged glances between Volca and Hawk confused wondering what to do. "Your highness," he took a step forward but was stopped by Queen Regent herself touching her sword on his chest.


    Hawk lost his patience and hit her back with his thunder sword he had got from King Dritan. Huo''er this time did not put himself in trouble and watched the fight standing in a corner, carefully evaluating the skills and loyalty. Hawk looked like a good guy to him. Huo''er gut feeling said.


    Volca didn''t give. She started asking the the guards to attack him  but the guards hesitated and only a few new guys stepped forward. Hawk instantly turned them into dust.


    "You better release him and let him take the throne or am going to get help and massacre you straight, I do have he king''s order with me," he said straightly.


    Hawk kept the blade on Volca''s neck and warned.


    "He is not imprisoned here," she said. "Tell him Huo," she said. Hawk looked at Huo who said nothing. "If I found him with all my powers and connections, I know how to bring him back too," she said. "First he needs to recuperate, heal and recover his power to be in his old self. Huo is right now on something else for his life, he needs atmost care, do you think an here trying to kill him?" Volca tried to make Hawk understand about her intentions. Hawk tightened his grip around the sword and slightly cut her neck. Blood was smudged on the blades and Volca stood enduring the pain, trying not to move.


    "Enough of this?" Huo shouted unexpectedly. "Volca you know what, first of all am tired of this, am tired of being here in this room, second of all, you, whoever you are, yes like you can see around this chamber, am under a lot medications and I have yet to restore my health to its original form. Yes I can''t remember anything I don''t know why but the more I live under the shadows the more am putting stress on me, am tired and disgusted of everything. I have severe mood swings for each medicine I take in. And here you are today claiming me in the name of rescuing me," Huo''er said it all out inna single breath. "Now tell me, what the hell is going on and how am i supposed to the sit on the throne with a heart like mine?" He questioned Hawk.


    "Is it true?" Hawk asked Volca.


    "Every word of it," she assured him. Hawk took his sword back and put them back in its sheath.  But he did not give the respects to the Queen Regent and neither did she expect it from him.


    "What happened?" Hawk asked for an explanation.


    "After Aqua and Huo killed each other in the battle ground years back, their souls disappeared, and died.  But what Aqua used on him is a powerful magic that it gave him life.But his life depends on it. He needs to learn to he independent as well as start cultivating soon, unless and until then he can''t make a come back.  The wound he got from his half brother is almost healed too. He has stopped bleeding, and stopped coughing blood. But he has a lot to go forward with one by one," Volca said everything at one shot. Huo stood there frustrated.


    "Come with me your higness, I know a place that can help you heal quickly," Hawk said to his King.


    "Where?" Volca asked him.


    ''It''s on the lands of heaven, but very safe, I have always taken the old king Dritan there wherever he fell sick. It is the same place he took his final breath," Hawk informed. "Your father, my highness he was good man," he told Huo who hated his parents equally after listening to the story Volca had narrated. So much hatred for the parents who did not choose him. It hurt him to think mistakes from their sides led to his birth and death without his consent. Now since he has come back, he wished to live a decent life.


    "Take me there," Huo agreed in the end. He didn''t care about whether he would heal or not, but he hardly wanted to get out of the dark, freezing underground chamber with spells put on to not escape from the Demoness clutches of both mother and daughter. Even though he could get and understand the sincerity from the Queen Regent, something was odd and not tallying. For clearing those doubts, he took his only chance in front of him with Hawk and hurried to leave.


    Hawk was a new hope in the dessert of lonely life is leading. Hawk packed the weapons of Huo''er and asked Volca to let Huo use some high end weapons of Dritan that helped him protect himself from all sorts dangers for all these thousands of years.


    Huo walked out with Volca in his heels and asked her to take care of herself during his absence and apparated with Hawk disappearing into thin air and landing  in a totally different place.


    The place they reached looked calm, serene and breathtaking. But there was nobody around. It used to be a school run by master Bi Hai but destroyed while finding the moonchild under the special. Bo Hai has been missing since then and  nobody cared find out about.


    Huo looked like he knows this place trying to recollect it from his memory. And something did flash before his eyes the second time. Huo knelt down, and bit his lips trying not to scream with the ache inside. Everything looked white and peaceful. Huo looked up. Someone was trying to help everyone to stand on his feet. He took the arms without looking at who it is.

 Chapter 76: Request Denied

    The study room was larger than expected and very neatly arranged with expensive collection of painting, porcelain and antiques. ''It must be Rivera''s hobby,'' she thought and smirked. She touched the vases and found how spotless everything looked. ''Same as before,'' she thought and walked towards the book shelf. She stood with her back towards the door carefully observing everything that was arranged. There were scrolls and pouches along with the the parchment and petitions on top the table.


    It has been really long since she has been waiting inside for people to appear. Not just any people but the king. The The waves sounded like they are in rage as they hit the cliffs. She tired to imagine what it would be like to be here on the storm day and shivered at the very thought with the images of lightening, wind and rain hitting all at once. She hated anything wet and cold although her powers are of frost.


    She heard running footsteps outside the study room but dare not step out, not risking her life standing as a criminal and a sworn enemy in the victim''s court. She didn''t want to let people know about her presence and drew troubles.


    If it was not for her daughter, she wouldn''t dare have decided to give it go, to come ask the people she hates the most a favour. She was sure that she will he rejected and even arrested, but she still wanted to give it a try for the sake, for the slightest hope she had in her heart.


    She couldn''t hear what was happening clearly, but something sounded wrong. She heard few people searching for the Royal Physician and for the heat restoring elixir. It then occured to her about who could it possibly be. Her heart thumped loud, growing tensed a little. "What the heck is he doing here?" She cursed. "Damn it," she talkd to herself and continued since  nobody cared to walk towards the study chamber. She understood that Tai has fallen sick as usual and seeking help from Empress like he always did. She regretted letting herself believe his words. She hated how she got deceived by him pretending to like her and get her in his chamber. She learned to flip the coin from him.  But there is a limit she could hate Tai and keep a distance since they have one thing common to share. For this one reason, she couldn''t just let him go. And now after the death of Aaron she has developed more expectations than ever. She has been waiting for this one moment for all her life, but a day dream it was, just a day dream, ''being a demon it can only be a day dream,'' she always told herself and also consoled herself.


    She wondered what actually could have happened for Tai to fall sick all of a sudden. But again she felt too bad for him since she as the enemy of the clan knew every inch of his body, mind and soul. She then understood that he trusts her really well more than he trusts his own wife he wasted his life for, committing too much crimes. But he matched her well. People with similar obsessions. Hours passed and she got bored sitting there. Since she has no way to walk around freely, she decided to wait a little longer. There was nothing useful she would want in the room, no secrets, no important documents nothing. She wondered about the purpose of the study and meditated for some time. She could sense fresh air around her, pure that it gave her a good feeling as she inhaled. She wished how such things could be available in the Demon Realm instead of the foggy, thick and humid air that defined  the Demon Realm that easily tanned and dried the skin


    There were no more sounds or rush outside. Things have turned silent and peaceful except for the night patrol. Then she heard some heavy footsteps walking towards the study. She got up and pretended to have just entered the study.


    "What are you doing here?"  One hoarse voiced asked her as he entered the room.


    "You do know why am here, don''t you?" She asked back.


    "Fiona am warning, get the hell out of my sight before you lose your sight plucked out and fed to piranha.


    "Do you think you can torture me anyway you want?" Do you even have the right? Fiona asked Aenon.


    And Aenon had right replies for her.


    "Do you want to see about who has more rights here?  " he said and drew the sword out of its sheath.


    ''I am not here to fight or prove anything, '' Fiona said quickly before she got hit. She didn''t quite feel like fighting. "I want to ask a favour," she said the truth.


    King Aenon stood still aa she opened up. He was planning to attack after once she finished her speech.


    "I want to lend the crystals, " she said straightly.


    Aenon bursted out with sarcastic laughter and looked at her with his piercing eyes. "You listen woman, am warning you once again. Leave or be the treat to my sword. It''s starving to eat a demon. But she did not move an inch.


    "It is not for me or just anybody, it for the demon king, we have to restores his health like used to be before." she confessed the truth.


    "Bravo," Aenon clapped loudly. "The level of your  being shameless amazes me," he said. He then started fighting with her, catching her off guard that it helped him get  an upper hand as they kept fighting.


    He took her out of the room to the room top and later to the meeting area behind his vahmer. He made her lose her balance as she stood on top of the cliff. She fell straight info the vengeful sea. Fiona screamed loud for help as she sunk in the water from heights. She saw how the sea looks angry and hurt her with waves. She screamed for help and no one showed up for rescuing her. But except one person.


    King Aenon thought that he had removed a headache, an obstacle but instead Emperor Tai showed up on top of the cliff and performed his powers to save Fiona, with half of his strength left in him.


    "But why?" Aenon thought, confused. Not confused but confirmed. "Could the rumours be true? No way," he gasped and changed the weather into heavy storm trying to stop Tai from performing. Rivera soon reached and stood next to her husband,  drawing out her water magic, she cooled down Tai for him to fall sick. Aiden appeared once again and alerted the palace asking for guards to assemble outside the quarters. "The mistress is here," he sent the message to the Empress. She did not at first wish to see it but chose to do it every.


    The waves were hitting her and sinking her bit by bit. Rivera set the rain clouds and hit Fiona with it and Empress arrived at the same time. She felt sad to see how Tai is in the sea inside of seelping restoring his health. But she felt glad one way about how she will have the power to handle or disperse the funeral arranged for Aqua and Huo for the well being of their souls.


    Fiona used her rest of the power and apparated to her room in the Demon Realm. She was tired. Not only that, she understood about how she should  no longer ask favours to the Heavnely Kings though the fault with ordering as been hers. The memory of how she cold bloodedly killed Aqua flashed across her eyes, as she tried hard to breath, panting with her heart about to burst. "I don''t regret it, I won''t, " she talked to herself.


    Drenched in salt water, Fiona changed her clothes immediately and asked for maids to bring her food and wine to prepare for the night. She felt embarrassed all at the same time. She recalled how ferociously Aenon fought with her, venting out his anger.


    She had no idea about what was going on with her daughter. Though she could guess that Volca for sure will be spending time with Huo. She was not aware of the return of the greatest soldier of the Demon Realm.


    The moon looked horrible to her that night. She shut the window and closed the curtains.  She was shivering feeling cold and asked the maids to prepare a hot bath.


    She was sure how she will not be able to lay her hands on the crystals and gave up on the thoughts getting it for her daughter to feed her love. Instead she decided to help Huo start with his cultivation.


    Even though she had always put a cold face whenever she met him, she did want to help him take the throne so that her daughter could take the other throne with all the blessings from hell and heaven.  Fiona undressed and stepped into her bath tub. She felt warm instantly. It''s only then she noticed a mark on her body. "What the hell is this?

 Chapter 77: Stirring in the atmosphere

    A month passed by on earth, and Milan lost track of time, blending in perfectly. She learned what it is like to a sales executive. Something she had never known before living thousands of years. She was making it a mess at office but loving the work. She felt excited to make money on her own. She was the happy go lucky in the office literally cheering up everyone except meeting her targets but the management still liked her for boosting up others.


    "Fariya let''s go," she said one evening as they got out of work. Aizen had to work overtime hence Fariya was let out free. Milan took her to a mall she wanted to visit and played some arcade game she found very interesting for sometime. Then she asked Fariya what she wanted to have for dinner. But Fariya was open to anything. Milan took her to a traditional restaurant that served authentic Asian cuisine.  They ordered some good green dishes and health drink. Fariya also asked for some fish and they waited for the food. Milan had bought a phone and was exploiting it.


    To Fariya living with her new housemate unexpectedly turned out to be fun. Every minute was filled with happiness and roaring laughter. Also seeing how stupid Milan can be sometimes made Fariya enjoy stuff even more. "Are you even from earth? How can you not know this?" Fariya would ask her everytime Milan would end up doing something wrong especially when asked to cook something.  But she really was great in one matter; cleaning. Fariya get often mesmerized at her skill unaware how Milan used her power to clean everything spotless. Hence Fariya divided chores easily, kitchen herself and cleaning for Milan, laundry and shopping both and for bills, split them. But Fariya asked her to not pay her rent. Fariya felt glad to have someone around and did not want money for that. She wished she had met Milan earlier and never got physically involved with Aizen. She was afraid of what might happen between them if the feelings are not mutual and she still had to develop them even she did fall for him. She wanted to feel the same thing he has for her and she was trying really hard.  More importantly she did not wish to hurt him at any cost.


    The food orders arrived and was served properly by the waitress. Milan kept keeping things on Fariya''s plate, asking her to eat healthily since she often skipped breakfast before work.


    The bittergourd was the only plate left to be completed and Milan looked at Fariya, raising her brows. "Flip a coin?" Fariya asked her.


    "Tails," Milan called it. And sadly, it was heads and Milan had to eat what she ordered for Fariya to stay healthy. "Noooooooooooo...." she said and Fariya rolled on the floor laughing.  She helped Milan two three pieces but not more. The bittergourd didn''t taste that bitter since the spices,grated coconut, green chilly and sspring onions were sauted along. Milan turned run and got a running nose since it was too spicy, eating the chillies along to not get the bitter taste. She had tears streaming down her face.


    Fariya ordered her a full jar of falooda and ordered a mango double scoop for her. She suddenly wanted to meet Aizen. Ice cream reminded her of him and their good old days.


    "Let''s drop at Aizen''s workplace for couple of minutes before we return alright?" She asked Milan and she agreed with the idea. It was almost 8. PM and Fariya bought dinner for him, ordering his favourite szechuan fried rice set with beef dry fry.


    He looked stressed and hurting his head working in front of the computer all the time. Being a Software developer is never easy and demands so much of your time and health.


    "You love cooking, why don''t you become a chef," Fariya asked him.


    "I love programming too, it''s fine, It will be fine," he assured his love. She smiled at him as he had his dinner.


    Milan sat waiting in a cafe looking at phone for Fariya outside the building in a small cafe that sold only donuts. She wondered about what would be happening back at home. She wondered whether they really conducted her sister''s funeral while she is developing inside a human womb. "It can''t happen," she said inside her head. She developed an urge to quickly pay her parents a visit but she did her best controlling herself,  finding it necessary to keep an eye on Fariya waiting for the symptoms of pregnancy to show and make her give birth to the child afraid thinking what if Fariya would choose to abort instead. Hence Milan had to stay here and make sure she keeps Fariya company and convince her


    to be a mother. Since this is the final chance Aqua could have to come back to life, though it is going to be very few years.


    Milan changed her mind and sat there with a straight mind. "Wait patiently  they show up here," she told herself. "You have already been visited by Aiden and he defends would have informed about the situation, just don''t commit anything stupid here and stay alert," she warned herself. Suddenly someone started playing a guitar inside the cafe, shocking her. She then listened to it carefully and started enjoying it. The weather slowly began to change again.  The wind blew strongly and caused several damages destroying many billboards. Milan quickly stepped out of the cafe and looked around at the sky. The news began to report about a cyclone hitting the shores soon from the ocean.


    "Not again," Milan murdered and walked to Aizen''s office to pick Fariya and go back home quickly before they get caught in the middle. People hurried home and rushed into the transports to reach home soon. She called Fariya but she did not pick up the call. Milan then took the lift and went upstairs. Aizen was not seen in his desk. She then took the stair and saw Fariya and Aizen sitting on the stair, smooching. "Ahem," Milan cleared her thought and stopped the couple. She informed them about the cyclone about to hit the city and too Fariya with her at once. Aizen rejected the offer to take him home and stayed back at the office with his other colleagues saying it would be fine to stay at workplace than be home alone.


    Milan hurried to make Fariya safe managed to get a cab. The driver drove pretty quickly since people kept booking him through the app and dropped them off in front of their door. Faroya paid and hurried inside the flat.


    "Ok we are safe now, don''t panic, what happened? It''s just another weather condition," Fariya calmed Milan down. "Why are you nervous?" She asked her.


    "I don''t know, probably because later time I was stuck on the streets alone, it ffrightens me," Milan lied.


    "Relax," Fariya said and quickly changed her clothes into comfy pyjamas. She made Milan change and they decided to watch a movie. But Milan was occupied. She took the chance to go to washroom and quickly apparated to the terrace counting the time. She only had maximum of ten minutes and have to return back home. Milan observed the sky did a quick mediation to search the skies. It was not a human''s magic, but the magic of a weapon. She felt a soul getting stronger. And blending with something she didn''t know about.  The lightening hit the ground and thunder shook the world with its loudness. People began to shut down everything and hurry up and stay safe at home. Everyone began to put down their blinds and curtains and tried their best to make the house sound proof stuffing things in the ventilation to not let anything happen to the elder listening to such strong thunder striking for every ten minutes.


    "Ok what phenomena is it this time? Why is a soul coming back to power, whose soul?" She wondered and searched hard. Then Milan felt something familiar travelling in the atmosphere.  A crystal surrounded by the dark fumes. Milan quickly identified them. The crystals have entered into the soul for support, to develop a life. "Huo''er''s soul," she gasped. "And it has worked out in the end, you chose him, until the end," she said looking at the sky. She could hear Fariya calling for her with her sensitive hearing power and apparated back to the washroom and flushed the water. Then she washed her hands and stepped out. "I had constipation, " she lied to not get questioned and walked back into the living room to watch the movie.


    Milan''s heart felt heavy. But she was glad thinking of her return. She looked at Fariya''s belly for a moment and looked away. She couldn''t help but wonder what would happen soon.


    Fariya was laughing and crying altogether watch the movie they had put on and kept messaging Aizen. On the meanwhile Milan kept checking the weather and did not want to control them afraid it might affect the formation happening. She decided to watch and wait for the entry. She started counting.

 Chapter 78: Power Resource a prison?

    Empress Lihua did not sleep a bit and waited for the sunrise. She had a lot going on in her head. She was anxious and her mind constantly wandering back and forth, wondering what to do about her son. She hated the fact that he is all alone in the Demon Realm with his father no longer next to him. She did meditation for sometime and tried to find her son''s star and it''s fate. She could hardly find him and read the star. Unable to continue, she quit asked for some water to drink to the personal  maid. Lihua exhausted herself. She couldn''t her past a guard that was protecting him. Lihua was shocked to find that. A layer of protection over him, his star and it made her pound. "Is she really protecting him or is it somebody else? But how can the dead still protect one who is alive? Lihua had yet to understand about the play of the crystals. She didn''t want any tricks put on her son.


    Emperor Tai called for the Empress and she walked into his chamber. He looked okay but he said he didn''t want to get out of the bed. "Conduct the ceremony on my behalf," he ordered her to hold the funeral and send the gifts to Aqua''s parents and her sea palace. Lihua did not deny it prepared for the ceremony. She put on white gown and a matching tiara on her head and headed out to the court where King Aenon and the minsters waited along with his family. She saw Krystal standing next to Rivera. Lihua had not seen her for thousands of years after she left the Water Realm. It was Krystal who assisted the midwife during her delivery and took Huo''er first in her hand. Lihua wondered if she still remembered about the past. Lihua have a smile and walked past her. Lihua had no idea that Grand Prince Aiden is her son. Everyone greeted the Empress and brought the things that were prepared for the funeral.  Everybody was dressed in white except the guards in the armour. King Aenon asked his General Lee to arrange the carriages to the Mount precious, and from there arrange special carriages to hike through the woods to reach the precious fall on top. The power source of Water Realm. Believing there''s a shenlong in hibernation under the mountain, people are always scared to wrong the Water Realm and get punished severely by the dragon''s breath. Though it is a myth it is what people always believe in. But Tai did not seemed to believe in any of that.


    Lihua got on the carriage with her maid. The horse looked well groomed like ones in Star Kingdom. She wondered if Aenon had called anyone from there to do the rituals. If he did, she had no idea about how to face them.


    It took a long time for them to reach the foothills of Mount Precious. They saw the school in the distance that used to be a hot place for the young cultivators practicing and learning their clan''s techniques training to become a better person, a leader. But ever since Volca messed it up and caught Huo''er, the school turned upside down and shut down forcefully sending the master away on exile.


    Rivera often checked on Lihua to see if she was okay and rode on her horse alone, behind her husband. General Lee was leading the way. They started climbing the hills through the woods. It looked calm, serene and beautiful with fresh air. The green trees and rain cloves grown all the way up to the center on the mount, looked like a flower bed. The chirping of birds nonstop that felt like melodies kept the mood quiet.


    They reached the precious fall everyone had praised about in their life times. A world like no other.  A forever spring and endless meadow, trees and flowers, and through the middles was a water fall that fell like it''s from the sky, the water skraying every where around it. The most around the woods. There were few tombs inside the woods, the royal family tomb where the ancestors with great powers are buried. And like them, Aqua was one of a kind too who had one of the qualities of the shenlong. Rivera looked emotional but stronger than she did before. Lihua felt the similar pain inside her. She felt glad to have Huo''er but then she recalled what could happen to him if she really carry on with the shutting down the power resource of Aqua, one thing only a Water King can do. "Huo''er could really be in danger again, " she talked inside her head and shot a quick glance at everyone. Then she gave life to one of the statues on the ground and used the locomotion spell to move it round attacking people remembering to not hurt anyone. She pretended like it not her wrong doing and continued using it.


    The guards formed a front line to protect the royal family and guests who had joined the trip. The statue of a centaur it was with a spear in the hand. Aenon pretendedike he didn''t know about who woke it and gave a quick glance at his wife. Queen Rivera tried using her power to suppress and tame the cursed statue without breaking him. Lihua stepped back from everything and walked where the things were kept for the funeral. She then slowly ignited a fire and came back to her place immediately before anyone noted. Then she removed the spell from the centuar. By that time, General Lee found how the things got destroyed and informed the king who was healing the wounded soldiers along with the help of his wife. Rivera instantly looked at Lihua. Empress Lihua winked at Queen Rivera and got up.


    "What a mess? I cannot believe such a thing is happening on top of the hill," she complained.


    "We''re really sorry your highness, pardon, " King Aenon cleared his throat and spoke to the Empress politely fully aware of what had happened.  But the people had no idea about it.


    "We are sorry for what happened, your highness, " General Lee apologised. "I should made sure everything is clear coming here ahead of you all, please give me a punishment, I will take it," King Aenon and everyone looked at General Lee. Queen Rivera stood there very satisfied with the believable drama Empress Lihua had put on. After all her friend still had some parts of her alive with heart and her brain, working together rarely. Rivera nodded at her husband.


    "We will no longer hold any funeral for Aqua, it appears the nature is against, the realm does not will to do it, probably because you have conducted it already before, let''s not touch the power resource and harm the realm King Aenon," Lihua spoke and commanded the people to get ready to leave back to Water Palace. "We shall very clearly explain what about everything that happened to Emperor Tai, it was his soul wish to hold the funeral when he visits the Water Realm,  for the family, since Aqua has been sacrificing everything for the cause, he wanted to forgive her for dying for a Demon, by doing this," Lihua remembered to hurt and insult the family through her words anyway not even minding it is for her own son,"


    "If I had not let her train for the cause, she wouldn''t have seen the moonchild as a part of the cause thinking she should protect the family of Her higness," Queen Rivera protected her child. "Love is one, duty is another, both was directed towards one for my girl. One and I lost my child, my son in law, and my grand child," she said. "I lost my family," she said in the end, showing her how she accepted Empress''s son while she did not being with Tai. It pricked Lihua well. To hide her emotions, she smirked at King Aenon and Queen Rivera before she turned away and look at her personal maid Jina.


    There felt a change in the course of power and Aenon felt them in his blood. He knelt suddenly with the change of flow that unexpectedly ached in his veins. Rivera ran towards him and helped her husband stand back on his legs. Rivera checkedhers, but she looked fine. He turned towards the course of power, soon as he stood on his legs and withdrew his swords, asking everyone to wait behind and walked towards the falls.


    There was a small cave behind it that went towards the underground, beneath the river that formed in the point of the falls. It was dark and very cold. King Aenon used his power to light the tunnels and walled forward looking around to see what it was. An unusual movement happening in the power response. He could hear the howling of the wind in the distance behind him as he walked to the depths of the cave. It got darker and darker and narrowed as he walked in. It was the second time he was coming into the cave. The first time was when his daughter was born with abnormal blood condition. And he had take his first born to the cave to restore her health and diagnose her feeding the precious water medicine from the cave.


    Then soon he started hearing a melodious tune being played with harp. He felt it very familiar to hear them. The harp. The same harp. The similar tune. The similar notes. He walked faster and tried to unlock the power shield put in front of the chamber set inside. He careful unlocked and solved the power security system and stepped inside the chamber. He could see the shadow of the hard being player. He took few more steps forward to see what what was happening inside and stopped like he was on the dead end, his jaw dropped. He gasped and then walked quickly forward. He inhaled and exhaled fastly. "No," he said. He had tears in his eyes. He put the sword back in its sheath and wiped his tears.

 Chapter 79: Imprisoned

    The body was destroyed but the soul got the support. Each of the strands got back together and surrounded around another soul. Another dragon soul. Combined together, a new form was born. The primordial dan, slowly growing back over the time. But it was stuck. It was locked up. It got punished by the heavens to have mistreated oneself and imprisoned for a longtime, not letting the world know about the existence. The powerless form moved around and finally fell on the ground in a complete human form down from a water fall right through the middle into a pool of cold water surrounded by lilies.


    She opened her eyes but it hurt. She hid the sunlight shining on her face with her hand and slowly sat up. The wet hair with water dripping from them, wet white gown drenched in water that revealed her body shape perfectly. The lilies, some petals and leaves surrounded her. She looked around trying to remember what the place actually is. But she had no clue about it. She was sure it is a cave and is within the lands of Water Realm.


    She got out of the pool and walked around the cave. It was too cold and she did not like it. The stalgamites were everywhere. She was careful each step she took forward. She looked around for the entrance but found none. Then she walked towards one of the walls and touched the wet rock that had mosses. She kept trying to touch them but she couldn''t feel them. She got frightened. She had no idea what she had become into. She punched the wall but her hands just got through it and didn''t touch the surface again. She withdrew her hands and examined her body carefully.  She could sense but not feel it. She did feel the water but she couldn''t feel anything that was solid and hard. She did not have enough strength not flash and blood. She was just a soul that is wandering around. She looked at her feet and saw how it did not entirely touch the ground. She felt herself as if she was similar to a smoke form.  She started feeling sad and scared. She looked around to see if there was anyone and found nobody. She walked deep into the cave and to her surprise, she found a harp. She ran her fingers through the strings. Tears whelmed her eyes. She couldn''t believe anything that was happening.


    "You need not waste the little energy in you left by crying here," she heard the voice of a lady. She looked around the cave. "Why? Do you want to see me?" The lady asked. She nodded and kept looking around. Suddenly she saw a figure appearing in front of her, with Aura of light around her. She was wearing a bright white gown and holding a sceptre in her hand. A long train of her dress behind her. She was radiating with energy and smiled. She was shocked to see the lady and forgot her manners. Then she quickly bowed and greeted the lady.


    "You should make piece with this place and consider this your new home," the lady advised. The tattoo on the arms shined bright and it was made clear how the myth really existed. Then shenlong has always been the Water Realm it appeared to be. And it was a woman, not a man. The original shenlong is a woman.


    "Why?" She asked back to the shenlong. She could hardly make sound from her throat.


    "Because you will forever be punished,"  the lady said to her very casually.


    "Why?"


    "Why? You are asking me why my dear?" Shenlong asked back.


    "Because you gave love for a man more than you gave love for yourself,"


    "Isn''t what being true to your heart means? She asked back.


    "You will be punished by law for the mistreatment towards the crystals, quitting life for one and many expectations given to people, you could have ruled the universe and lost the only chance," the lady said back.


    Then it occurred to her about what had happened. She immediately looked down her stomach, touching the belly, then moved her hands towards her abdomen where she was stabbed from the back. It hurt though no wound was visible. Then she remembered how she got stabbed with the soul sword right on her chest.


    "Whatever happened, nothing was in my hand," she tired to reason with the lady.


    "Whether it was or was not, it has already happened, and you, one of my children, you broke my law and lived on your own, you weren''t a sacrificial animal for a heaven, you were not made for the cause, but to live independently, but you lived like a cow that was going to be taken for slaughter later, as the mother, I am very disappointed to see ny child standing in front me after wasting a life time. And I have decided to ground with all the right for being my descendant. The shenlong blood," the lady made everything very clear. "Take care, " she said and disappeared just like that.


    "But,'' before she said anything, the shenlong left her she had no idea about what to do. She found a place to rest near the harp and laid down on the cold floor.


    Days passed, but she kept no track of time. Everytime she got bored, she would sit and play the harp for a longtime.  She couldn''t believe she is going to spend the rest of her live inside this large cave. She tried to find some edible food and realised she cannot consume any food or water without a body and flesh. She would always get into the pool and float on water and learn swimming in different ways. She also tried to practice any cultivation through meditation but nothing worked out.


    One fine day, she sensed people outside the cave. But she had no way to get to know and ask for help. She grew bored again and played the harp. She kept playing them for a long time. She recalled the times she played the harp whenever the family rested in her sea palace usually after the lunch hours. Her father always loved watching her play, listening to the melodious tune. Suddenly something shook the ground and the sound leaked. Her powers accidentally deflected while she played a particular tone. But she was not aware of it. It went out through the tunnel and hit a man. He fell down on his knees while his wife tried to help stand back on his feet.


    She kept playing the harp and immersed herself into it. Enjoying each note she played. There were tears in her eyes as she recalled her some things from her memory.  "Maybe the shenlong is right, I do deserve this punishment, " she told herself as took a deep breath and put an end to playing it. But when she stopped and looked up, there was a man standing in front of her.


    "It can''t be," she gasped. Her thin self, her long black hair lying free, her white plain gown, she did look like a spirit but in much better condition.  She did not move a bit forward. She wanted to hide herself but had no other way.


    He came forward and walked towards her.


    "Aqua? Aqua is that you?" He asked you.


    "Pa," she called. He walked towards her too quickly and tried to take her hand but failed massively. He was shocked to see her state.


    "You won''t be able to feel me at all," she replied to her father, King Aenon.


    "Aqua what happened to you? What is wrong? How did you end up inside here?"


    "She said I was formed here, born here, and that am her child, the shenlong blood, and also that am grounded forever, " Aqua told her father. "Am doing fine, I will be confined here forever, but do not feel bad, I don''t have another life to choose, " she said.


    "Shenlong?" Aenon asked her.


    "The myth is true after all, the shenlong does exist, it is a she too," she told about the news to her family. "She came to me,"


    "It can''t be," Aenon said.


    "But it is," Daughter assured her father. "Pa," she called him as she watched him growing silent. "Do not come here again," she said in the end as her heart ached. She was feeling too tempted that the control she had over her was slowly going off. She had tears in her eyes as she asked him that. "Do not ever come here to see me again," she pleaded to him. "I do not want to be tempted and commit crimes to get out of here," she said openly. "Am being punished for not having enough self love, and I have realised it really is important to have it,"


    "How can this happen?" Aenon asked her full of doubts.


    "She said she is disappointed to see her child since I lived like a cow for slaughter for a cause than i choosing the throne to reign over, the universe, " It was like a slap on King Aenon''s face. He couldn''t believe how the Water High Goddess Shenlong had told her things. He was ashamed to say that he was part of such a crime. For believing in the bad cause and torturing people for it. "Leave, " she ordered her father to leave soon. She was afraid that the longer he stayed and second time with her, the bigger her wishes to step out would resurface in her heart. She did not want that but accept the punishment, living in her reality. Aenon noticed how she no longer had flesh and blood and felt his heart breaking into pieces. He respected her words and said nothing but took his leave the same way he entered the cave.


    She stood watching her father leave and carried on with playing the harp.

 Chapter 80: A Long Journey

    Hawk packed everything for Huo and with Queen Regent''s permission and  before Fiona reached back hell, they set out together for the long journey that awaited them. But under one condition; never let Huo know about his past until he regains his complete strength, do not let the past affect his health that is recovering well. And to this condition, Hawk had nothing to lose. To him it felt the best to not let Huo know about his past too since his father had to sacrifice his life for him. Letting Huo''er know about it could be the most dangerous thing for his own destruction and about Volca he did not give a damn about her business. He also did not wish to deal with the celestial royals, especially the Water Realm, ashamed and afraid of them.


    Hawk decided to take an enroute to heaven through less travelled paths that he always preferred.  But the route was filled with mounts and wandering beasts that ran away from the Beast Kingdom. He decided to be extra careful since he had the King with him this time.


    Huo had put on some black robes changing his royal hanfu to not get identified anywhere and let his hair be silver, since the Demon Huo''er has been popular having people who has never seeing his real self. People believed what they see and to the Demons Huo''er is a true demon on the surface.


    He carried a bag with him and sword close to him. He recently had trust issues with everyone he met. Feeling utterly lonely and powerless. He at any cost wished to gain  back everything that belongs to him.


    "Mixed martial art," he heard someone whisper in his ears. Huo''er jumped up and looked around to see who it was. But there was no one except Hawk on a horse behind him.


    "What happened your highness?" He enquired.


    "Nothing," huo said and looked straight in front of him. "Mixed martial art," he said out a little loud.


    "You want to learn mixed martial art, do you?" Hawk asked the King.


    "Yes, I think I should," he said suddenly. It felt like something is asking him to learn something suitable for him. "Where are we heading to?" He asked the general.


    "To a mountain," Hawk replied. "It is beautiful, too powerful and it has a river with healing powers, it is a place people visit less, it is guarded by the stone statues and unknown power resources, it is an important place of Water Realm," Hawk accidentally mentioned the name of the place.


    "Water Realm?" Huo asked back. "Why would we go to Water Realm if we are enemies?" Hawk then understood that Huo''er has been mislead into thinking Water Realm is his enemy and not the in laws.


    "We are not enemies you highness, we had pretty good relationship between the Kings. We will discuss about politics later, first your health is what is important, please forget the rest,"  Hawk requested him.


    "I have got nothing enough to remember and forget what now?" Huo joked.


    "Apologies your highness," Hawk apologised.


    "Forget it, I was joking anyway, let''s get there fast, wherever we are heading to, the darker it gets, the dangerous this route we have taken will he, I can sense the beats in the distance already, " he warned Hawk. Huo used his minimum powers to use his sense to spot things around him and led Hawk.  They failed to find shelter and took rest climbing on top of the highest tree in the woods as the night fell. The moon looked brighter. Huo watched the sky and sat there leaning back on a branch, alone while Hawk stayed on the ground guarding the the horses. He heard faint sound of a melody in the distance. It felt very soothing, relaxed his mind and he slowly drifted off to sleep. He kept hearing the music for a long time and then it stopped. He couldn''t tell if it was a zither or a harp since it has been too faint to identify. It reminded him of his flute he had not touched for long.


    He was shocked. He sat up. He remembered that he used to play flute. He remembered it naturally but could not recall anything further.


    "I know how to play flute," he said. "I know how to play the flute," he repeated again. "Get me a flute," he ordered Hawk. "Get me my flute tomorrow, " he said and sat back. "So I guess I will remember everything like this slowly," he told himself and decided to get some sleep before they continue the journey to the Water Realm.


    The next morning. Hawk woke the King up with some hunted animals to roast and eat. Rabbit, and pegions. "Did you go too far?" Huo asked him.


    "Nah it right from this tree''s burrow and for the bird, it was flying around. I saw one deer but it''s too large for us two, so I let it go," Hawk answered him.


    "No don''t hunt those poor things, let it go," Huo became a soft heart all of a sudden. He heard the faint music once again.


    "Who is playing the instrument in this sense forest?" He asked.


    "Pardon, " Hawk said.


    Do you hear it?" The music? Since yesterday, I hear them," Huo said.


    "I don''t hear them but," Hawk said looking around, growing alert, what Huo said didn''t feel right to him. "We better hurry and leave, the forest is packed with all sorts of living creatures and we better be careful and stay away from the traps, it must be some tree fairies trying to draw your attention with music, to follow the path and fall into their pit, beware your higness," he said and packed the bags and out them on the horseback.


    "Well I get it, but I don''t think it''s that, and we have almost reached the destination too," Huo said as he climbed on his black healthy mare.


    "I managed to make a flute but it''s not complete yet," Hawk said flashing the flute quickly to Huo''er.  He nodded his head and they started their journey once again.


    The paths got narrower as they climbed the hill. Huo took care the horses well as they climbed up. It was getting colder and colder as they reached the top. Hawk gave King Huo the wolf skin to protect himself from the weather and put one on himself too. The paths were slippery and it was getting dark again. Huo and Hawk hurried to reach the top quickly before sunset. And after all the hardwork and tiring walk, they did reach the top right at the time twilight hit the hills. The sun hid behind the clouds, making the sky turn pink. It looked to beautiful to ignore. Huo''er sat on top of a small rock and admired the view. He couldn''t believe the place has had reached is a meadow with rivers and water falls and forests. He liked the ambience. Hawk decided to put up a temporary hut for them to stay at nights while Huo did his training and treatment himself.


    Huo then after a long time heard the music once again. He understood that it is harp. He carefully listened to the tunes and it was the same ones he has been listening to since the previous day.


    "Do you hear them now?" He asked Hawk once again. But the Demon ears couldn''t hear the Shenlong''s instrument being played around.


    "Am sorry your highness but no I still don''t hear them, I think probably because my ears are out of order because of my age and fighting, I must be impaired," Hawk said.


    "Nooo... just forget it," Huo''er said and let the matter go.


    Hawk did very brilliantly built a small hut with two portions. Huo was mesmerised to see how General Hawk did it quickly and alone.


    "Thank you," Huo said and walked inside. "It is pretty spacious, " he commented on it.


    "Am glad your highness," Hawk said and sat down on the green grass. He removed the boots from his legs and took off his clothes to take some water from the river.


    "Be careful while you walk around, Water Royals may come and leave any time here, we must not let them know about our presence,"


    "But I already know about your presence here," Huo''er heard a voice a girl. He did not care to ask the general though since he would hear it again with the demon ears that no longer works properly.


    "Do I know you?" Huo''er asked her inside his head. But he was shocked to see that he got reply and that he communicated with it.


    "We do not know at all, but you have come to my home and I should ask you about who you''re?" She said back.


    "I am a traveller with a company. I am sick and my meridians do not work well, I have come here in search of ailment for my recovery," he said inside his head again.


    "You are not allowed to trespass here, it is a punishable offense here in the heart of Water Realm," she informed him.


    "Do I have no chance to live at all?" He asked her. He eagerly waited for her reply. It was interesting to know that there is someone he can communicate with though he had no clue who it is, where she is from or if she is trustworthy enough to discuss about his health to her. "Do I?" He asked again and he got the reply instantly.

 Chapter 81: Unknown Favors

    "You very well can, live another thousand years, you came to the right person, and the right place, Water Realm will never disappoint the guests who come in search for help," the girl replied.


    "Thank you, " he said back and watched Hawk wondering if he is noticing him. "What are you actually? The goddess here?" He asked her funnily.


    "Well, you could say that, more like the guard here, one among those powerful statues you are seeing before you, " he got up quickly as he heard it. And he moved towards the enormous statues before him. He checked for the lady. He tried to concentrate and listen to see if the voice is coming from the inside. But no it wasn''t for the here.


    "Can you see me?" He asked.  He got no reply. "Can you hear me now? Still there was no reply. "Who are you?" There was no longer any replies coming from her side. He walked back and went to the same place he sat before. "Can you hear me?" He asked once again.


    "Yes," she replied. "I can, " so he understood the communication break when he moves to another place. For some reason he trusted the voice since she is the keeper here in the lands of Water Realm. He did not feel like she would trick him.


    He made sure he was in the communication circle walking around the particular point to see the radius he can stay inside. He drew a circle and asked Hawk to keep out of it.


    "Why?" Hawk asked back confused.


    "It us going to be my mediating area, I don''t like people walking into my space," he lied and walked into the circle.


    The reason behind the particular point was because it is entrance to the underground cave that has been shutdown for the intruders to not get in and it connected to the power resource cave all the way which carries the sound waves all along. One reason why Huo''er heard the music all day and all night.


    Hawk set up the bed for Huo who was looking far way down the mountain. He did not seem to he in high spirits.


    "Why don''t you go to bed your highness? " Hawk asked his king.


    "Am not sleepy," he said.


    "I have a way," she said suddenly. Huo smiled. "What kind of fairy are you helping the trespassers so much?" He asked inside his head. "Am finally breathing well, leaving that cold chamber that had the heavy medicinal scent all the time that always made me feel am sick," he thought.


    "Why were you imprisoned?" She asked him. "Are you a criminal?"


    "I don''t know, maybe not, I met with an accident and I was brought back to life my guardian said, I don''t know about myself and it''s important I regain my strength back immediately, I must be someone as they say i am but I want to remember them myself, I want my memories to be restored, " he told her just a jist of it and hid all his other information.


    "Then why don''t you seek help and start cultivating well?" She said to him. She started playing the harp. It was one of the tunes he had heard on his way to Mount Precious.


    "I heard this the last night," he told her.


    "Only a true celestial being can hear this music am playing, so you are not a demon then," she said. It made him worry. He is half and half. He had completely forgotten about his father''s secrets.


    "Hmm," he said and remained quiet. Hawk felt weird watching the king sitting quietly in that special point he mentioned before. The music continued for a long time and he began to feel sleepy. It did work.


    "Sleep well, " she whispered and continued with her music. He did sleep well that night with the lullaby playing continuously and he did not know when it stopped. But for hours he did not hear from her.


    He started meditating first to bring back and improve his level of concentration. Hawk advised him to not stress himself wandering around alot but strictly dedicate to training.  They were not asked to report back on any specific day but he did not want Volca to be coming around the place exposing them to the Water Royals.


    Huo started working out. And practicing his sword. He felt glad to have the best swordsman with him. He would sweat all over and settle down inside the circle.


    "Practice mixed martial art, " she suggested. He was surprised.


    "What?" He asked her. He remembered how he had heard about thus suggestion before. "Why?" He asked again.


    "You will need it to maintain your adapting meridian," she said. " You said you have problems with them," she reminded him. "And rest in water behind the falls for two hours, you will heal," she said. She led him to the pools nobody was allowed to enter. She had no idea why she was doing it, but she wanted to help him, for the voice he had, even though she was sure it is not who she think she is, unaware of the fact. She walked into the pool inside the cave and stayed there for a long time. The only place she get some sunlight from upon the roof of the cave. She looked up from there above her head where there was a small circle that opened to the skies. She saw the clouds moving in the bluest sky she had seen after a long time. She just laid there in the water, floating, in the middle of the water lilies and pink lotus, her eyes closed.


    While on the other hand, Huo tried reaching the backside of the caves circling around in the woods and found the pool.


    It was cold and surrounded by the rocks. He took off his clothes and walked into the water that made him shiver in the beginning. Coldness getting to his bones. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth to not give up on the treatment the voice suggested him.


    "Easy, easy," he said to himself. "Relax, " he kept breathing hard. Around half an hour later he body did not feel cold any longer. He put his hair back that fell on his face and settled down.  He crossed his legs and he meditated. He felt something new. He felt too energetic. He felt his wounds healing quicker than it did before. He practiced some moves and unlocked some of his power by accident. The felt the blood flowing faster than it did before. He felt that something just charged inside him.


    Huo started meditating once again this time he travelled outside his body. He looked around the place and he saw the cave behind the falls but it had no entrance. He then travelled back and to the top if the falls. There was an opening. He slowly moved forward. It was a circle where the sun light entered the cave. He moved closer towards the opening and saw someone peculiar.


    There was a girl lying in the water among the lilies that made her look too irresistible. He could not see the face clearly though with her long black hair that blocked her view. She got up slowly. The water was dripping from all over her. The wet dress revealed her figure accurately. All the curves. He called her out. He was unusually feeling familiar. He wanted  to know if it was this girl who has been guiding him and doing favours to him. By then, his head began to hurt and he felt his blood inside the veins hurting him like he was being pricked with the needles all over. He tried to enter the cave amidst of it. But there seemed to layers of protection in the entrance and it threw him away instantly as he moved closer.


    Huo opened his eyes, entering back to his body. He was panting.  He couldn''t handle the pressure and he collapsed.


    As he closed his eyes, he saw something like a palace and a lotus pond, being carried and pampered by someone he knows well. He also one scene on a river and an old man and doing manual work along with him. The visions looked too vivid.


    When Huo woke up, he was with Hawk. He had no idea about how long he has been unconscious. He looked around and saw he was inside the hut, in his bed under layers of quilt Hawk arranged.


    "What were you doing your highness?" Hawk asked him.


    "Nothing, " he said. "I was just meditating, " he lied hiding the part where he traveled out of his body.


    "Please don''t tire yourself all at once your highness, " Hawk warned him again.


    "I won''t, " he said and asked the general to leave.


    Once Hawk left, Huo quickly checked his body to see if he has been hurt. But no, he was not luckily but felt the body aching at some parts. Also his head that was splitting with pain again. He recalled the vision he had seen before he lost his conscious. His heart pounded as he tried to recollect them one by one.


    He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He couldn''t understand why some parts of his brain suddenly flashed scenes from some of his past but then never showed anything to him again except when he gets in in real danger of hurting himself. The memories flowed to him very easily.

 Chapter 82: Missed chances

    Aqua felt weak suddenly, her form experiencing a force towards something she was unaware of. She got out of the pool and walked towards her seat. She did not care about being wet. She performed a spell and safe still for sometime.


    A light flashed before her eyes, and she saw the lady before her. Shenlong appeared in front of her once again. "It looks like you''re having guests and getting along well," she said to Aqua.


    "I am just trying to help a traveller who is trying to restore his health," Aqua said.


    "That''s all? Can you not feel anything?" The lady asked her. Aqua wondered what she would look like in her original form.


    "Feel what? I feel extremely drawn towards something right now and I feel tired," Aqua replied.


    "I guess my instincts are right," the lady smiled and walked towards Aqua who stood drenched with water dripping down from her hair. The lady used her spell to the dress up her descendant and made Aqua look like the real princess as she used to be. She then took the petal of a lily she had on her head and smiled at her. She pinched Aqua''s cheek and Aqua stood there surprised. The lady hugged her suddenly. "You will live well, you will," she blessed Aqua.


    "What?" Aqua was confused.


    "I thought I could confine you, but the fate demands differently, you seem to have different future ahead of you, and the emotion shared looks too strong, you will live well," the lady said and she put a spell on Aqua. The sparkles entered the body and momentarily stopped the discomfort Aqua had inside her since morning.


    "I, your great mother has decided to forgive you," she said and smiled before she slowly disappeared once again.


    Aqua stood there looking clueless. "What?" She asked again. Yet she felt good to be back and walked towards her harp. Her only companion. She stared slowly then played them vigorously letting out her emotions. The tune reminded her of her past. It reminded her of him. She felt too hurt to think that she came back to life without him in the universe. It killed her inside and vented out those painful emotions in the harp. She tore her fingers while playing on the string but still didn''t stop playing till she collapsed on her back, all exhausted, panting heavily.


    "Wow, that was good," she heard the voice that reminded her of him. Onky because of this one reason, she decided to help the stranger to recuperate well.


    She looked at the ceiling of the cave, with tears streaming down her eyes and moved her arms over her belly, cradling it. "Thank you," she said to the man outside the cave.


    "I started cultivating, thank to you, I used few methods you instructed me with, it was helpful," he said to her.


    "I''m glad," she said. The same distress in her body rised again. She took a deep breath.


    "Where are you?" He asked her. She had no idea that he had seen her while she was basking in the sun earlier.


    She did not say anything back, unwilling to tell the stranger about the whereabouts afraid of letting him into the power resource of the realm.


    "Okay, am starting mixed martial art from tomorrow, I feel much better after mediating in the pool you asked me to go to, thank you. My blood flow feels healthy," he thanked her.


    "Don''t mention it, everybody has their own reasons to do favours," Aqua replied back.


    "And what exactly is your purpose of doing these favours to me?" He asked her back.


    "It is nice to have someone to talk while being confined to a place for a long time, " she lied hiding the real reason, hiding ut is because of his familiar voice.


    "It is the same to me," he said.


    "Great," she said and grew silent. She sat back and played  the harp again. This time she sang a song along. Few minutes later, she heard a flute being played that matched her rhythm. They played together for sometime into the night. "you are really good at this," she complimented him.


    "Thank you, even I didn''t know I could play flute until two weeks back, "


    "Practice yoga a little and stop few medications you take regularly. It will help you heal though it would take time," she advised him before she stopped talking for the night.


    "I will remember that," he said and got up. The sun was about to set and he looked for Hawk who was seen nowhere around the meadow they were staying at.


    "General Hawk," Huo walked around searching for the old man. He remembered to carry his sword with him. He heard some distances coming from the east direction. He walked towards it and as he got closer he heard the sounds of the swords and chains. He ran forwards and saw Hawk fighting alone.


    "They are the bandits who have come to steal, please run, " Hawk managed to say in between the fighting.


    "Why should I run away, am completely capable," Huo said and prepared to fight. Then he heard some unknown instructions he had heard before. Close your eyes and concentrate on their footsteps to predict the moves and their sword techniques, " the voice. Huo trusted it and did as he was instructed. He had no idea that he had such sharp ears and the highest level of concentration enough to read the movements in matter of seconds.


    Within the next five minutes, The bandits lay curled up on the muddy ground, hurt and wounded but none killed. "I couldn''t just bring up myself to kill these jerks," he said panting, looking at Hawk who was cleaning the blood dripping from his sword.


    "Your skill has improved from 0 to 70% your highness,"


    They left the scene and walked back to their hut slowly picking up medicines to heal the wounds both had earned from the fight.


    Huo remembered to ask Hawk as they rested eating the grilled rabbit Hawk hunted. Huo hesitated in the beginning but he had to know if whatever he restored in his memory has been right. He made sure he was outside the circle of communication so that the spirit wouldn''t hear anything.


    The vision of the lotus pond and garden while being carried by a young lady. "Was I born in the Water Realm?" He asked Hawk since he could see the same kind of lotus everywhere in the pools, streams and rivers like ones in his memory.


    "Yes," Hawk said.


    "And my mother really is the Heavenly Empress?" He continued. "And my father abandoned us so my mother decided to marry the Emperor?


    "Kind of, " Hawk was not willing to talk about the past at all worried that it might affect it nature of the heart, hurt him and his cultivation.


    " Was I thrown away but later brought up in a school by a saint?"


    "Yes," Hawk gave another one word answer. And he waited for Huo to ask the next thing but he stopped. That was all what was restored while he was meditating on the pool and got knocked off in the middle trying to enter the cave.


    "It feels too real, ok let me get back to training," he said and got up. He left his sword behind and sat inside the circle to get instructions from her if possible. But she was too silent. Little did he know that she was unconscious. He tried different yoga postures but nothing useful since he didn''t know much about it.  Hence huo decided to go back to the pool and start meditating again. He used his minimum powers and energy and felt the flow in his blood again. Soon he travelled out of his body and once looked for the spirit who has been helping him. He kept attempting and tried to look for an alternate way in.


    After hours worth if searching, he found an entrance connected to underground. Without thinking twice, he got into the water tunnel and followed the water current.  It got colder and colder as he travelled deep into the tunnel that opened to a cave.


    He safely got inside and looked around. The dark area.  There were mosses, stalgamites and dampness everywhere inside the cave. He walked in carefully, trying to find an answer, to see who has been mentoring him all these weeks. He was eager to know about the spirit. And he wished to catch her. To thank her. He then caught the site of a harp placed in one corner of the cave. He smiled and looked for the lady who play it. He understood that this was the music he kept hearing all day and all night.


    He recalled what he had seen and tried find the lady in the white clothes.  But to his shock, there was something else that he witnessed. There was a barrier that separated her from him in front of him and she was kneeling down. Her soul seemed to be preparing to disappear slowly some of her parts were faded.


    Huo had never witnessed anything like that as long as he could remember. He walked forward and knelt down, and called Aqua whom he was not aware of who it is. "Hey, this is me, the person you are mentoring outside the  cave," he said keeping his hands on the barrier trying to catch her attention. But she looked tired of everything. He kept his hands on top of hers hoping to grab them and save her to return the favour.  But she did not respond. After sometime she looked up at his face. It hit her hard. She started crying. "You," she said sobbing. "I knew it was you, the voice, I wasn''t wrong,"


    "What is happening?" He asked her having  no idea who she is. By that time she recognised her Huo''er, she lad lost her senses and couldn''t smell nor speak properly. She got on her knees and tired to move forward as she felt her body parts disappearing slowly, losing her strength. She wished she got a little bit of time with him before she was freed from the cave.


    "Huo''er, " she called him. "Huo''er, " the voices echoed. She tried to take his hands but sadly by that time almost all of her slowly disappeared into thin air. She missed him and he did not recognise her. Nobody knew what would happen to her. He sat there dumbfounded to have witnessed such a terrible thing and felt hurt to think that he will be alone once again.


    "Live well for me," he heard a voice whispering. "Live well," it said again before it vanished just like her.


    "Who are you?" He asked and waited, looking around.

 Chapter 83: New Stirring

    "Thank you," Rivera thanked Empress Lihua once they met on the celestial palace. Lihua left immediately with Tai soon after the funeral was cancelled.  And it was the greatest relief for the Water Realm to have had things in their own way. The interruption has been resolved with the help of the Empress itself.


    "I have to thank you, if I didn''t know about it, i wouldn''t have been able to protect my own son," she said finally, giving in to Rivera.


    "Am glad we have had that conversation,"


    "I know you will be, " Empress smirked and looked away. "You always enjoyed ruling over me and sabotaging me,"


    "What nonsense?" Rivera asked back. "Sabotaging you, if I wanted to really, if I did some stuff back at school when I caught you and Dritan, I could have seen you living well better than this," Rivera told straight to her face.


    "Enough,  let the dead rest in peace," Empress said. Her heart killed her as she heard Dritan''s name being mentioned. Her hands shivered and tears streamed down her face.


    "Remember he is living along with your son, he is not dead," Rivera told her another big shock.


    "What?" She asked back. "What are you talking about?"


    Rivera took a deep breath and sighed. "Why ?but am not surprised that you don''t know about it," she said.


    "Will say at least one thing clearly, always being ambiguous,"


    "It is something nobody should know about," Rivera told her.


    "He is my love, he always will be," she said. "What is the right I do not have to know about him?" Empress got all angry and red.


    "Don''t shout like that, you''re the Empress here, it''s not something people should hear about, giving them the chance to gossip around, and by the way, how come you''re still mourning? Who is it for?" She Rivera remembered to ask.


    "None of your business, " Lihua replied.


    "Oh it is my business if you want to know," Rivera blackmailed her.


    "For him, Dritan, my unborn grand son and Huo, Tai has not got confirmation about Huo''er''s return yet, am assigned with the duty for that,to find him and report to Tai," Empress said, lowering her voice too much that Rivera could hardly catch the words.


    "Oh great the keys in the hands of the thief, but good though, protect him if you can," Rivera said and turned away to leave.


    "You didn''t tell me yet, " Empress reminded her.


    "Aqua and Huo will depend on each other forever but for Huo crystals alone wouldn''t have saved his soul but something stronger," Rivera stopped looking at Lihua''s expression growing sadder and sadder.


    "Stronger like a blood relative''s sacrifice, " Lihua shut her eyes tight controlling her tears and feeling.


    "He did it, did he not? He took his own life away did he not?" Lihua asked Queen Rivera.


    "He did, he found no other choices, he contained Huo''er''s soul with his and let it develop slowly. Volca somehow searched and found it, and brought him back," Rivera said everything together.


    "He chose his son, he chose his blood, he chose our Huo''er, " Lihua bursted into tears. "He chose our son,"


    "There there, Lihua don''t cry," Rivera addressed the Empress trying to console her by dropping honorifics. "This is why I didn''t want to tell you," she said.


    "Then you should not have mentioned it at all," Lihua said in between.


    "Why did you have to snap at me and say he is dead when infact he is living?" Rivera asked back.


    "Forget it," Lihua said and kept crying lying on Rivera''s shoulders. The last time Lihua cried on her shoulders was when Dritan left her and the child alone. And this time when she cited it was also because of Dritain who left her but for the better life of their son.


    "Aenon was there when he did it, only Aenon and General Hawk was present when he did it. Aenon wanted to visit Dritan and tell him about the death of our kids and when he heard it, this is the first and only thing Dritan did crying his heart out. He said it hurts more than the wounds does and immediately stepped out and contained Huo''er''s soul through several blood magic finding the wandering souls and gave all of his. His final words were this, "They will live well, our kids, when they return tell they shouldn''t waste time and take what belongs to them together, don''t be sad Aenon, the heirs will return, " and he drew his final breath and closed his eyes. Rivera explained everything and Lihua became miserable.


    Rivera held Lihua by her hands and apparated out of the celestial palace to a mountain nearby. She ket Lihua break down and waited for a long time until Lihua stopped crying. "Cry all you want," Rivera advised.  Rivera turned the clouds and removed them from the sky blowing a heavy wind. She let the breeze continue along and walked towards the edge.


    "Weren''t you afraid of heights before?" Lihua managed to ask.


    "Not anymore" Rivera said back. "If you''re done, am getting back home," Rivera informed the Empress.


    "Sorry," Lihua did a very lame apology before Rivera took off. The clouds kept coming back though Rivera kept moving them away. She couldn''t understand the kind of phenomena that was going on. The sky did turn dark and she witnessed the rare Crystals.  Rivera grew shocked and looked at Lihua who did not seemd to have noticed the sky at all.


    Hurriedly, Queen Rivera apparated back home draining her energy and searched for her the King who at that time was spending some lonetime in his pavilion behind the study facing the sea.


    "Rivera," Aenon stood up shocked seeing the Queen catching up with her breath. "What happened?" Aenon didn''t seem to have noticed the sky either.


    "Look at the sky, look at the molecules and look at those Crystal''s being combined with something, " Rivera said to her husband taking his hands and pointing at the sky where the crystals were forming thickly around a dark matter.


    "It can''t be,'' King Aenon gasped.


    "Then how come it is?" Rivera asked him since she had no idea that the father had already met the daughter in the cave.


    "But I just met the," Aenon stopped in the middle.


    "What did you say?" Rivera grew numb. She was not expecting it. And more importantly she was not expecting her husband to keep away things from her. "How could you?" She asked him angrily. "Am a mother and you couldn''t even respect that fact," she said to him.


    "I didn''t mean it, I didn''t mean to hide from you forever, it is not a good news that is why," but she stopped him.


    "Where and how did you meet with my daughter ?" She asked him expecting a straight reply.


    "On the day of the funeral that was cancelled, when we were there!" He said.


    "When you suddenly collapsed went inside the cave to take a look at the power source?" Rivera questioned him. And he nodded for the answer.


    "So it was her, it was my Aqua who called you in?" She asked with tears streaming down her face.


    "With no flash and blood," he said.


    "What?" She asked.


    "She was being punished by shenlong to have misused the crystals, she was scolded and confined to the place forever to reflect upon her mistakes," King Aenon opened up. "She was being punished to have trained for a lost cause, for bit taking power in her hands instead," as Aenon said them, Rivera''s face turned more rigid and full of guilt.


    "She is paying for what we did to her," Rivera said and stood shocked turning place and then looked up in the sky. "But this," she said.


    "Am going to check on her, she asked me to never go see her, but I have to go," Aenon said and took his wife with him to the moutian.


    The current of the winds grew stronger. And Aenon did not control them letting it be. He reached the mountain an hour later along with his wife following the phenomena. He managed to get into the caves and passed the barriers. But Aenon found something he was least expecting to find inside the cave and it shocked him.


    "My god," he said looking at his wife. He then soon looked around for his daughter but did not find her anywhere.


    "She is gone? Is she? Where did she go? How could she leave if she was confined here forever?" Rivera was full of doubts and question. Then she knelt down. "How could this happen?


    "I have no idea, it is time I reset the security but, and Aqua, I cannot find an answer,"


    "I can give you an answer," the shenlong reappeared in front of King Aenon and Queen Rivera. They both got shocked.


    "Great mother," Rivera said surprised.  She looked at Aenon and on the floor.


    "Do not worry for he did not do any harm to anyone here," Shenlong spoke clearly and slowly. "It is time," she said. "Why don''t you extend tour search for your daughter else where," she said and slowly disappeared without giving the any clues or hints. They had no idea what to do and decided to treat the ailment of the unconscious man lying on the floor. Staying inside the cave for so long, the conscious helped the body move in. He was drenched in water though.


    "Huo," Aenon tried to wake him, who was ice cold and had a mark on his chest on top the wounds that had yet to be healed completely.


    ''What should we do?" Rivera asked him.

 Chapter 84: Disappointment

    Hawk searched for his King Huo''er everywhere and even on the pools he meditate. He was nowhere to be seen. Hawk grew anxious. He took out his sword and walked into the woods around. But still there was no sign of him anywhere. He checked if there has been animals around that could have attacked Huo considering him as a baby. Yes but to Hawk he is like a child, spying for late King Dritan in the celestial palace when Huo was only a toddler until he was thrown away. It is that baby Huo''er''s image Hawk always had in his heart, that love and care that imprinted on his heart, as he served the King and shared his sorrow. Hawk has been single in life forever ever since his only love was killed during the war with heavens, the previous Military leader before Fiona. Ever since then, Late King Dritan has been his only relationship and family he liked to keep, serving as the general and for the welfare of Demon Clan under the good reign. And Huo was the important person in that. Finding Huo''er had always been the secret mission Hawk was assigned to  and he kept failing unaware  of what had happened properly.


    Hawk walked back to their hut and to his surprise he saw the two royals of the Water Realm Realm coming to the palace.  He worried about getting caught and prayed for Huo to escape. Little did he know about what has happening inside the cave.


    He watched the royals disappearing but didn''t see what happened next. And he kept searching for King Huo. It was almost midnight and Hawk could no longer be patient and wait for the return.  He got up, carried the weapons, made sure he was well equipped and walked down the mountain. He searched everywhere, everyday, for three days straight inside the forest.


    And then dawned in his head about how the appearance of Water Royals could have a connection with the disappearance and decided to travel towards the Water Palace.  General Hawk had close connection with General Lee as well as the King itself but Hawk was hesitant to ask for any sort of help. And moreover he wanted to keep the return of the Demon King a secret from the outside world. So as to not alert Tai about it. But King Aenon''s meddling in this new business did seem off, trying to own in the name of late water princess and Hawk did not want to let it happen either. He used the badge and entered the palace gates straightly asking for the King and waited inside the court room.


    King Aenon walked into the hall and sat on the throne greeting the old friend Hawk. Hawk bowed and knelt down on the floor.


    "Let him go,  he has done nothing, you can imprison me instead.


    "How is that right?" Aenon asked Hawk. He was asked for a reason.


    At that time in the guest palace, someone opened their eyes and was shocked.  "Where am I? He wondered talking to himself.  He slowly got up and looked around the precious room decorated elegantly and he attempted to get out of the bed.


    "Don''t harm yourself Brother in law," Aiden walked in mocking Huo''er.


    "Shut up, " Huo''er said looking away from him and got out of the bed any way.


    "Hate being called that now huh imagining how excited you used to get, looks like everything was a waste of time and I gave upon her trusting you. Entrusting her to you. I should not have. I should have taken action the day you two were caught by me during you King''s coronation itself.


    "What the heck are you talking about?" Huo''er asked back all irritated having no clue about Grand Prince Aiden''s conversation.


    "How can you even put on such an act right now? Am marveled totally," Aiden said kept the box of medicines down on the bed and took off, fuming with anger.


    It then occurred to the Demon King to look around the place since he has come anyway. He recalled the flowers ad ponds he saw in his memory as part of Water Realm and he walked around them. He ended up finding the spot from the memory. It looked fresh and too beautiful. He couldn''t believe that he really was born in the water palace. The wind was blowing and the howling could be heard too clearly for him. He also heard the sea, the tide hitting the cliffs nonstop. He walked around alone and grew tired quicker than expected.


    He then reached the entrance to the sea palace. It did not look like a place that is being used recently. Closed and looked empty. He walked towards the gate and found nobody guarding the place. Huo''er set his foot inside the gate and walked in a little. He felt tensed for some unknown reasons.


    He looked at the palace doors and the trees around, the fountain and the pavilion. It looked familiar. He looked at the sides along on his own as if he had known the place well. He then heard something. He turned around. He was standing under a tree opposite to the balcony of one room with the gardens where the flowers had bloomed.


    "Can you not give up on us? Please?" He heard a voice. Huo looked around, shocked.


    "Live for me," the voices began to haunt him. "Live,". Huo''er found it very disturbing.


    "Stop," he said. The howling wind continued it journey carrying away the voices. Huo was standing at the same place he did before, the place he always chose to watch his woman secretly. But he was not aware of it.


    "Don''t tell me we are not meant be, just don''t, " he heard it again. He also heard a laughter.


    And this his along. His heart pounded loud. "How close was I to the Water Princess? Is this her voice I hear often?" He asked himself. "Didn''t she deceive me though?" He thought. "Am not supposed  to be here," he said to himself.


    Huo didn''t know that King Aenon found him standing inside the Sea Palace and has been watching him.


    "Do you remember the number of times you have been here?" King Aenon asked him. Huo was surprised to see him. He was caught, he understood that. "I don''t know about it since you came here secretly enough to knock up my daughter," Aenon said but Huo did not understand that.


    "I have been here, ha," he said and turned around.


    "What is happening?" King Aenon asked him. He wanted to know about things that has been going on with him. But he was tight lipped. Aenon took a deep breath and let go of trying it.


    "Forget it," he said and Patted Huo''er''s shoulders. "But, why were you there? Why were you in the mountains?" Why were you in th cave?"


    "I was meditating, and I found myself there and I," it clicked to Huo that he must not reveal about his health condition.  He covered up his words. And it made Aenon doubt his intentions wondering if he did something to Aqua again. But he found nothing in Huo''er''s body except the wounds that is healing.


    Huo''er didn''t seem to be interested in talking at all. King Aenon felt too disappointed with his son in law and walked away.


    Huo stood there for some more time. "My lord!" He exclaimed when he started feeling dizzy. He could not under why his blood was acting up all over again. Huo found the way back to the room he was resting. It then occured to him. "Why is Hawk not here?" He asked himself.  "And how come am here?"


    "Will they accuse me for a anything?" He wondered and took a seat in the bed chamber. He didn''t wish to lie down again. Someone entered the room in disguise.  Huo''er stood up immediately.


    "Where were you?" Huo''er asked him.


    "Your highness, " he bowed.


    "Why am I here? Why are we away from the mountains?"


    "I wish to ask you the same your highness?" Hawk said. "Why are you here? Why did you disappear from the pools? Were you not medicating? Were you forcefully taken away?" He asked him worried.


    "No I was not, I was not taken away forcefully  I seemed to have gotten some treatments too, I feel healthy,".


    "And then it is good, I know whatever happens, Water Realm would not dare to hurt you," he assured Huo.


    "Why?" Huo''er asked Hawk.


    "Because of our late king Dritan and late princess Aqua," he said.


    "Why because of her?" He asked his doubt.


    "Because you''re the so..." but Hawk was interrupted by Queen Rivera.


    "I was expecting to see you General Hawk, we were searching for you all over," she said and greeted him. "Welcome  back,"


    "Your highness, " Hawk said and bowed to the queen.


    "If Tai knows you two are here, all of us are done for," the queen said and looked at Huo. "Are you okay now?" Huo nodded.


    "Why is he taken here?" Hawk asked the Queen.


    "Why don''t you ask him?" Queen said to Hawk not taking her eyes off Huo who actually had also forgotten what happened inside the cave.


    "I.. well.. i" he began as Queen Rivera and Hawk waited for him to open up.

 Chapter 85: Slowly & Steadily

    It''s been almost three months and Milan counted the days since the phenomena in the sky. And one fine day, it happened. Fariya called Milan for an emergency.


    "Hurry up will you?" She said while Milan walked slowly towards the balcony.


    "Look at the road, that lady stole the man''s wallet and is running away from him. Let''s call the cops. He does not look rich.


    Milan looked at Fariya with disappointment expecting something else. She got worried wondering if Fariya is infertile for real, and unable to produce a child.


    Milan walked outside the apartment and helped the old guy secretly, knocking up the lady who stole and got the wallet back from her, and then she walked down the street wondering what to do. She didn''t notice that she had ended up in front of Aizen''s apartment.


    At the right time, he came down and saw Milan walking by. "Hey, stop," he said and ran towards her. "Where are you going?" He asked her.


    "I don''t know, " she said sighing looking far away as she spoke to him.


    "What happened?" He asked her feeling funny.


    "What is there to happen? Everything has already happened!" She said feeling down and then suddenly woke up. "Nothing," she said changing her facial expression. Aizen hut her head with a role of paper he had in his hands.


    "Dummy," he said. "When will you be back?" He asked hiding his excitement.


    "Not for a while..." she replied smiling wide.


    "Okay, few hours then," he said.


    Milan stood there with an evil smile. "Hahahaha," she laughed. "Not till midnight," she said.


    "You don''t have to be that late. It''s only noon, what will you do alone until then?" He asked concerned then.


    "C''mon brother ask what I won''t, I love my lone time, go run fast," Milan said patting his arms and took off.


    "Wait" he said. He then took his wallet and have her little money. "Don''t just walk around eat something delicious, and buy something you like," hebsaid treating her like his baby sister. Then he excitedly walked towards Fariya''s apartment. He bought some flowers for Fariya in between and also walked into a medical store.


    Milan felt glad to have walked down the street and meet Aizen unexpectedly.  She wanted Fariya and Aizen to spend more time together and see what the problem could be with her and him. She decided to spend sometime by going back to the water palace for some minutes since she has ample time with her. She walked down an empty alley where there was nobody and changed her clothes. Then when she was about to apparate someone caught her hand from the back. Milan grew alerted and attacked the person without looking who it was. She pulled him closer, kicked his curb and punched right at his chest and face in a second.


    "What is wrong with you?" The familiar voice said.


    "Oh my god !!!" Milan was shocked and covered her face with her hands.


    "Can''t you atleast look first to know the person than act like this ," he said kneeling down, easing his pain. Aiden was wearing a black jean, black round neck tshirt with Marvel print in maroon in his chest and a brown leather jacket on top. He looked breathtaking but only that beat him to pulp. His nose was bleeding.


    "I am so so sorry, I thought somebody is trying to attack me, I was," she tried to explain herself. She then took his face in her hands looking at his nose bleed. His upper lip was bleeding a little along. She took her towel and touched the wounds slowly. And as she wiped the corner of his lip, she could sense her hands shivering and at the same time their eyes met for a couple of seconds. Milan stopped breathing.


    "Arghh do it yourself, " she said and got up.


    "I will do, I will do," he said and got up with her. She changed back to her human wears, putting on the line yellow laced half dress. She looked gorgeous in the outfit but he chose not to compliment her. They walked out of empty alley together and walked down the main road towards a cafe.


    She took him to a near by favourite cafe of hers. The dessert shop that served the best items to the sweet tooths. Milan was so excited and ordered everything best in the shop and sat opposite to Aiden in the table. Aiden looked at the table and at Milan who sat very happily, smiling wide.


    "You know I can''t eat all of them at once right?" Aiden asked her.


    "Ofocurse but am here to help, don''t worry," she said and took her fork and plate they gave them. She took the little muffin and a gulab jam, her favourite dessert and asked Aiden to begin. Aiden started digging into the sweets he had before him. And everything blew his mind off. There was an explosion in his mouth, newly awakened tastebuds that made him enjoy every snack he had. Milan was having her shares not giving him.


    "Hey that''s not fair," he said. "You ordered them for me, you can''t take away," he said. And they sat there cat fighting over the cups of cheese cakes and tarts and cakes. Then feeling pity, Milan decided to share the most amazing dessert with him, which is found too rare in the city and something very foreign. She handed him the rasagullas and waited for his response.


    "Oh yes," he said eating a ball with the sugar syrup. And he looked at her. "I give it rank 1." He said and slowly hit the table and she laughed loud.


    "I know," she said to him. Seeing the two enjoying the sweets, the cafe manager gave then some free desserts and two beverages. One hot and one cold. Taking latte for herself, she gave the big Falooda that had richness if ice creams, nuts, jellies, choco chips, cherries and cream on top. His heart melted as he had them and looked at Milan who was watching him smiling widely enjoying her time.


    "How are they? Mother, father, uncle and aunt?" Milan asked about the people back at home as they walked down the foot path walking towards a park nearby.


    "They are doing fine, but things at palace has been eventful, a lot happened," he said.


    "What happened?" She stopped him with her hands and looked at him tensed. "Did anything go wrong?"


    "Yes, and no," he said. They walked forward and found a bench under a large silver oak tree. "Tai fell sick you remember?" He asked her.


    "Yes the day you payed me with a short visit," she said.


    "Then he asked the Empress to carry on with the funeral. She agreed and we prepared everything and traveled to the Moutian, to our power resource, to close her power source in the cave, then the guardian came alive. But guess how?"


    "What? Say it fast," she said.


    "Empress used the locomotive spells on the one of the guardians and it distracted and attacked everyone. Mother and father understood that and played along since power source should not be closed for Aqua and the Empress because of the Demon King now,"


    "So she took our side?"


    "Yes she had to because our queen, well played have to say, emotionally caught hold if the Empress and she had no way out of the maze ma built,"


    "That''s my mother," Milan said proudly.


    "And we managed to cancel that," Aiden said but he had no idea about the rest that happened inside the cave.


    "What is the next matter?" Milan asked eagerly.


    "Huo''er, now everyone knows he is not worth a piece of gold," Aiden said turning angry instantly.


    "What did he do now?" She asked worriedly.


    "When I addressed him as brother in law he got all angry and asked me to never call him that again,'' Aiden said clearly.


    "I can''t believe that he has moved on," she said.


    "I can''t believe it either, " Aiden agreed.


    "He was found by ma and pa in the cave, he was unconscious, they brought him home finding it abnormal, but he was like nothing happened in there and he has no idea how he ended up there either,"


    "Something about him us really fishy," Milan said and they both sat on the bench silently.


    "What about the progress here?" He asked her.


    "Am worried thinking whether Aizen and Fariya are fertile or not," she shared her thoughts.  "So I out them together today and got out.  I was about to come home that''s when you caught me, " she said.


    "She is yet to conceive I see" he said and thought for sometime.


    "The phenomena didn''t seem like a joke though,"


    "We saw too, it''s after the we discovered Huo''er too," he informed her. Milan found it too suspicious.


    "Even we can''t ente the cave except father, how did her? Why did her? Something is fishy," Milan said. And at the same time, she received a call. She picked the call and looked at Aiden. She stood and started running. Aiden followed her wondering what is going on with Milan. Milan rushed to get a cab and asked Aiden to keep up with her. "Holycow," she said as she got in. She was panting hard. "Be prepared for whatever..." and she was interrupted with a other call.

 Chapter 86: The Unexpected

    Milan ran upstairs getting put of the cab and Aiden followed him. When Fariya made a call and let Milan listen to things, nothing sounded normal. The screams and sounds of throwing punches. She connected the call and asked Milan for help than call police directly.


    When Milan walked inside the house, she saw shocking images. There was blood and traces of magic. The room looked shattered and on the floor, laid Aizen, with a mark of a scratch on his chest. Blood was oozing out from the wound. And Fariya was nowhere to be seen inside the living room. She walked into the room and saw how she has been tied and somebody standing in front of her, in black cloaks and a mask. It was not a human form, neither a demon. But a beast. Why would a beast attack a human, why would the beast break the rule and get on the wrong side of Earth King Zidan.


    Milan and Aiden prepared their powers and started fighting with the beast. He was quite powerful. Milan looked and Aiden and nodded at him to hold and take his mask off, since his moves looked familiar with the royal beast techniques.


    They tired the beast making him fight more and more. He got exhausted and at that time Aiden got hold of him from the back with him snake whip and asked Milan to uncover his face.


    It was shocking to see the third prince of the Beast realm attacking a woman on earth. Aiden held on to him tight as Milan started interrogating the beast prince Magus.


    "What is wrong with you?" Milan asked since Water Realm is on great terms with Beasts.


    "Ask her " he shouted.


    "Fariya, what''s going on?"


    "I don''t know," she said scared and crying. Her hands were tied up. "I don''t know," she sounded really scared.


    "What were you going to do to her?" She asked the beast prince.


    "Take her back,"


    "Take her where?" Mikan raised her voice looking at Aiden.


    "To our palace, where else, why would I let my wife behind,"


    "What?" Aiden and Milan asked in one voice together.  They were not expecting that answer from Magus.


    "My wife, She is my wife Mira," Milan''s eyes grew wide. She always hated Mira. The arrogant wife of the third prince, yes she remembered now. Milan then turned to look af Fariya who looked frightened, sweating all over.


    "She killed innocent people in the palace, and pa sent her to earth for the trial, but here, she betrayed me, she entered the life of another innocent girl instead doing the trial on her own and lived in that girl''s conscious. See she is not coming out," As he said that, the conscious got out of Fariya''s body while Fariya fell from the chair landing on the floor with a thud.


    "Milan let go of me," Beast Prince Magus said to her and she obeyed him.


    "You too have harmed innocent lives on earth. We will make sure you both get punished for this," Aiden said and asked then to leave immediately.  Milan tried to wake Fariya while Aiden went to take care of Aizen. But he couldn''t do anything.  Aizen had left the earth the moment his sould be torn by the Beast Prince with his vicious toxic claws. Aiden informed Milan about it. Milan shivered with tears filling her eyes. She cried. "What will I do? What will I tell Fariya? The people?"


    Take Fariya to the hospital, she needs attention and for Aizen, I will take care of him, he said as he watched Milan crying hard.


    "He was such wonderful person, he was the one who gave me money go buy snack, we were like a family, he was so excited to spend time with Fariya this afternoon, why did it turn out to be like this? I should not have left them, I am at fault, what will I tell Fariya?" Milan panicked.


    Things got hard. But listening to Aiden''s advice, Milan took Fairya to a nearby hospital and admitted her. She was unconscious and needed drips. They ran several tests on her and gave the results to Milan. The doctor explained in detail to her that Fariya is Lready four months pregnant without symptoms and needs emergency treatments and rest checking her pulse rate and heart rate. Milan understood that her body was weak because it lost the support system of Mira and also the fact because she is pregnant with the particles of heavenly shenlong. Nora''s soul supported Fariya feeling burdenless, but with her gone, Fariya turned into a real human being.


    Milan waited for Aiden to come at the hospital after handling Aizen. But the doctor called for Milan since Fariya woke up.


    "Mil, Mil, Aizen, he, he," Fariya cried aloud."Aizen," she stuttered. "Where is he? Did you see him? He was attacked, my Aizen, he was trying to protect me, Aizen," she said and kept crying. "I want to see him," Fariya screamed. Milan didn''t know what to do. She was not expecting such a turn of events that would hurt the people. Milan had tears in her eyes that streamed down her face. She hugged Fariya. She sat on the edge of the bed holding and controlling Fariya. And after hours of crying and asking for Aizen, she fell asleep. The doctors gave her a shot related to her pregnancy.


    "Let her rest and we will give you the discharge after a week, her fetus is growing well but the mother is weak, she needs treatment, " Doctor informed Milan and left. After couple of hours Aiden showed up in the hospital and accompanied Milan in the patient''s room. Milan stepped out the room to  it disturb Fariya and cried again. "Whay did you do?"


    "A person called Aizen never existed on earth," Aiden told him. That made Milan cry even more. It felt too unfair and cruel towards the fate had to go through. It broke Milan''s heart and Aiden consoled her. He hugged her and ket her cry over the shoulders. "When she wakes, she will no longer remember him too,"


    "He doesn''t deserve to be forgotten like that," she said while she sobbed.


    "We will remember him," Mikan shook her head and wiped her nose with her tissues.


    "You have no idea what a gem he was, respecting the women, caring the people he adores, the way he takes care of Fariya and loves her, how had loved her for all these years and finally got the chance to be with her and now he is gone just like that, this isn''t fair," she said.


    "This is the life of a mortal, accept that, we immortals will never know that, but we have to live with if all,  we blame being an immortal sir thousands of years and then cry looking at the life of a human who gets to live nothing in his lifetime," Aiden advised his cousin. She kept shaking her head.


    "He even reminded me of you," she said. "With that same mark you have on your chest,"


    "It''s alright," he said. But then it occured to him.


    "What did you say?" He asked her. "The mark?"


    "Yeah like the small one you have on your chest, the birth mark," she repeated.


    "Why does he have that?" Aiden asked her confused.


    "Why can''t he? Can''t anybody have it except you, c''mon dude," she said.


    "Dude?" He asked.


    "It means like calling name or a boy or man," she explained.  She wiped her tears and nose and threw the tissues in the bin.


    "Are you sure about the mark?" He asked again.


    "Yes," she assured him. "I have seen it, the night you visited here before, that day,"


    "Nobody can have that," he said.


    "Why?"


    "It is my father''s birth mark which was passed on to me, it is unique, how can someone randomly have a mark denoting the Dilong, besides he is a mortal," Aiden explained.


    "That''s true. You''re a Dilong, so you have it, why did Aizen have it,?" Milan wondered.


    "Even the names sound familiar, " he said.


    "Aiden, Aizen," and Milan pronounced them again and again. It did have a connection. Milan stopped crying altogether and started searching for answers along with Aiden.


    Aiden recalled certain fights his parents have had before. But he couldn''t remember them clearly. Then he remembered why those fights happened in the first place.


    Adrien and Krystal fought often because of Adrien losing quarter of his cultivation that was necessary to support the Water Realm. Krystal and Adrien had an arranged marriage. They weren''t asked for permission but married off by the heavenly old heavenly Emporer during a summit. Arranging marriages were one of his favourite hobbies. At that time, Adrien was one of the greatest scholars in the heaven and often travelled to earth. It was the time he was having an affair with a human. And the relationship led to woman conceiving his child. At the same time, Emperor married him off to Krystal, the Princess of the Water Realm then around the time her brother prepared to take the throne. Adrien did fall in love with Krystal, but he was afraid of revealing his relationship with the human. When the son was born, he was half and half, but with the half of the human qualities, he couldn''t become an immortal.  Hence Adrien performed a magic on his life where he would be able to reincarnate and continue living as a human for a really long time. And it costed him quarter of the cultivation. When Krystal found this matter on her own, she was angry and started fighting with her husband to in the explained everything to her. But both of them never ever set their eyes on Aizen again after giving him Adrien''s part of life caring only for Aiden. Aizen continued to live as a Demi God, the human off spring of an immortal and reincarnated numerous times and kept falling in love with one person again and again in every life time.


    Aiden was reminded of the story and looked at Milan who was equally shocked to know about her uncle''s secret. "Don''t ever let anyone know about this," he warned her.


    "I think I know now, why Aqua chose Fariya and Aizen. One is the descendant of Water Realm and other Beast Kingdom, both are trusted homes for her. And she rightly chose the people. Milan couldn''t believe what she just formulated and stood open mouthed looking at Aiden.


    And Magus ruined the plan," Aiden reminded her..


    "Damn," she cursed and looked back at the person who called for her suddenly.

 Chapter 87: Resolve

    Aiden quickly moved Milan and stood in front of her protecting her. He didn''t want to bring on any dangers to her and answer the King. ''Whay do you want? Why are you still here?" Aiden asked the third prince, Magus who has returned to them once again.


    "Relax Aiden," Milan said and looked at Magus. He took off his cap and looked at them. He looked heavily tired, upset and embarrassed. "Why are you here? Did you not return back to the Beast Kingdom?" She asked him.


    "I did, but I wanted to come see you two," he said. They stood in silence for some minutes.


    "Look I know what I have done, I know I should not have killed an innocent human, I feel too bad, i feel very guilty about it, i cannot believe i just did it," he said.


    "You should ofocurse realize what you have done and reflect on it Magus," Milan raised her voice a little.


    "Hey, hey, there, now," Aiden tired to calm Milan who was worked up.


    "You know you not only murdered an innocent man but also the most kind hearted, caring very loving  man who was about to become a father, you ruined the lives of two people," she said to him without hesitations nor holding back the words. Her sharp tongue hurt Magus even more.


    "I know I know, that''s why I couldn''t return peacefully and wanted to come see you twice here, am sorry, I am so so so sorry, am so sorry I did that. I cannot believe I still do not have control over me when I shape shift into my original form. And I am hurt here more than anybody,"


    "Magus," Aiden called him, trying to stop him.


    "Yes I know the mistake I have committed here, i know the consequences well, i am willing to take them, please don''t think i did it purposefully,  it was not intentional from my part.  I really am sorry," he said with his heads down, looking down at the road feeling painful and regretful, having no confidence to look at the face of the two standing before him.


    "It''s alright, whatever happened has happened and gone, we cannot turn them back and humans do not have such special abilities like we do to get back to life, I have taken care of Aizen already,  you don''t have to worry about it, " Aiden informed him.


    "What did you do?" Magus asked curiously.


    "The world never had Aizen in this period of time, people who were connected to him will not remember him,"


    "He did not deserve that, " Milan said.


    Am so sorry again, I was just trying to save my wife''s life. She was sent to human Realm to learn live''s and reflect up on her mistakes as a human. But instead she chose to fall asleep inside an human and complete her trial tricking us, if King finds it out she could have been in big trouble, I just wanted to stop that. I only wanted to scare that girl, but he interfered and my rage did that to him," Magus explained them everything he wanted to say.


    "We get it, we get it Magus, a slip caused a huge trouble, you must learn to control yourself soon, or it will always be a danger to people around you when you shape shift," Aiden advised the third prince of the Beast Kingdom.


    "By the way, why are you guys here?" Magus asked what he wondered about. He could not understand why they were there, nor how they ended up at the flat and how they developed relation and got acquainted with that male and female.


    "We are here on a business regarding the Water Realm Magus," Aiden covered up. "And besides, Milan has been in seclusion ever since you know..."


    "I know I can understand, Beast Kingdom also mourned for the late Crown Princess Aqua. Beast Kingdom will always be indebted to Her for curing my brother,  Our crown prince in the Kingdom. If not for her, anything could have happened to him," Magus went on. " I still remember how we used to play around the Water Palace when we were young though the princess had very strict schedules with classes and training,"


    "I remember, I was one among you all while we played, Milan would always stay away from us," Aiden recalled some memories from his past.


    "Yes," Magus said. "By the way, did you hear about the new rumour spreading like fire,"


    "What rumour is that?" Milan asked him.


    "Rumours about the return of the legendary Demon King, " Magus told them.


    "What???????" Aiden and Milan asked in one voice together. They felt glad to have synced in their dram, pretending to not know about Huo at all.


    ''Yes, people say that the nature has started indicating the return. His star is back and fhe ministers and wizards are wondering what would happen this time, the star kingdom is yet to confirm the news, but Emperor Tai has appointed The Empress to find the star and see if he is back since she is the star princess, they still have not found anything related to it," Milan pretended really well and acted as if she is shocked to know about it while Aiden started talking to Magus.


    "We must be careful about what we utter  Magus remember do not tell this to others like you told us okay? We cannot say how people will take the news and with what eyes people will see you if you go around saying this," Aiden advised him.


    "You are right Grand Prince Aiden," he agreed with Aiden. "Alright then, I will the two of you here, goodbye," he said.


    "Remember  to meet you father and explain the truth, do not worry about what the detention could be," Aiden repeated again and again. Magus thus took off. Aiden looked at Milan who took a deep breath.


    "The rumours about Huo is spreading like fire and while we have him in our place being treated for his sickness, what an ironic situation, " she said and sighed. But Aiden''s thoughts were on Aizen. He didn''t even get to meet and greet Aizen and when he was about to, Aizen''s life ended unexpectedly and unfairly. He felt bad but more than that he felt awkward to think that he has one mortal half brother who have the power to reincarnate numerous times and live his life on earth through different times. He wondered about what Milan said to him, how similar he was to Aiden, he wanted to see that himself. Aiden tried to keep his thoughts away and asked Milan to take care of Fairya. He decided to take off and return back to the palace to check what could have happened during his absence.


    Aiden apparated back to Water Realm and walked straight to the court to take part in the meeting.


    "Where were you Grand Prince?  we have been waiting for you,'' An old minister said as Aiden entered the court.


    "What happened? Why?" He asked looking at all the gloomy faces.


    "Aiden am leaving the court to Adrien and Krystal for sometime to be acting Queen and King of the Water Realm for few months," King Aenon said. "I have declared it to them, but they want you to be on the throne, "


    Aiden then quickly spoke to the elders. "With in few days, I will be leaving to a new place, am assigned to carry out a secret mission, I cannot say which one it is," Aiden said. The ministers thought about taking a really long time and in the end agreed to the arrange made by King Aenon until he would return. He then left the court room silently. He dashed into his room in the side castle and freshed up straight. He took a hot steam bath, immersed into thoughts, recalling his moment with Huo in the morning and he snapped at Aiden for that


    Also the images of Aizen kept flashing before his eyes. "A semi good he should be, and moreover  Aqua did choose the right people to safely grow with. Too sad that both them didn''t perform as expected by Aqua. Aiden decided to meet with his father the first thing to do after getting out of the  bath.


    He apparently has to make sure of things,  about his father who usullay hide a lot of things from any member in the family and handle his mother all at once when she comes to know about the encounter Aiden had with her only step son.


    Aiden, stood up and walked outside the pool, with water trickling down his spine and dripping from his hair. His ripped body exposed to the sunlight in the room. He wiped the water off the body, and put on the clothes with fhe help of the eunuch. "Pa, lets not hide the truth anymore, I really feel excited to read and find out  family about past now," he said meeting with his father back at their castle.


    Then Aiden waited patiently for his father''s reply to know if there is a hope for his half brother.  Aiden did not want to let his half brother die like that,"

 Chapter 88: Breaking News

    Huo stuttered to answer the Queen and General Hawk. And they dropped the topic. The demons were served with good food and plenty of wine. But Huo kept his limits and kept his distance with everyone as if he is very uncomfortable with the arrangements. He looked at Hawk who was relaxing and enjoying every food served, eating and drinking them very well.


    "What are you doing?" He asked through his eyes.


    "What?" Hawk asked back loudly grabbing the King and Queen''s attention. They looked at him, expecting him to say something but he felt awkward and remained silent after clearing his throat and drinking some water. Suddenly he choked and spilt the water on his clothes. He got really frustrated. King Aenon was watching his actions.


    "You can tell us anything you want to, feel free, Demon King," King Aenon said to him.


    "Yes, you should," Hawk supported the statement and waited for Huo to speak who instead gave him a weird look scowling ay him. He couldn''t stop thinking about why the Water Realm is treating him well if the princess and he killed each other. It was confusing and mad. But also there always was a longing for something inside stirring some unknown emotions and most of them made his mind away searching for the answer. He chose to stay not wanting to cause any fight for now and got up stopping eating the dinner the middle way.


    "We must return at once general Hawk, " he said to Hawk who also stopped eating and got up along with the King.


    "Can you travel a long distance with a health condition?" King Aenon asked him.


    "I feel fine now, I must thank you for the help and treatment, I will definitely pay you back for this," He said and asked Hawk to prepare for leaving.


    "As you wish," King Aenon said. "You may leave," he said and let him go feeling disappointed and uncalled all along. But Water King was sure of fact; that Huo''er is upto doing something on his own. He but didn''t want to care about it anymore and let go.


    At the same time, Aiden after visiting his father, came to meet the King about Aqua''s reincarnation. But when he saw Huo, he decided to not talk about it and kept it for later.


    King Aenon also borrowed them horses and bid farewell.  But when Huo said goodbye, he did not look like he was in high spirits like he used to be.


    And he left.


    Aiden then asked the Water King to give him sometime to talk and inform what happened in the Human Realm. He was worried but he opened up anyway.


    "I was visiting Milan to get updates and ended up eating tons of desserts, few minutes after that Milan received a call from the girl she has been taking care of, and he want on about the appearance of Third Prince Magus and wife Maria and how it resulted in the death of Aizen, an innocent human who was about to become the father of Aqua. "I erased every thing about him from the earth''s surface and gave him a really good place to rest.


    "You found him," The King asked.


    "You know about it?" Aiden was shocked.  He started sweating.


    "Why wouldn''t I know anything related to my family? I know what my brother in law had done and give through at each stage of life," He said keeping a his hand on Aiden''s shoulder.


    "I.. I don''t know, I still cannot accept it, I talked to my father about it yes, I can understand, but it is too shocking to know that it wasn''t just rumours like all these years but infact true. I cannot look at mother, how will I look at ny mother," Aiden said.


    "She has no right to do anything, you parents were forced to marry each other while they had different lives going on parallely, then put together. They should not take control of each other''s life based on the previous choices they made in life, can they?" King Aenon sounded too forward and it surprised Aiden to see his uncle that way. "One must be responsible for his own action, you father used to be until he had you, Krystal, your mother wanted him ti have complete attention on you, and he did it as a father should, but failed to look after the other,"


    "Aizen, he deserved better, father should not have stopped with just giving him cultivation for reincarnation,"


    "Would you have had a sound life then if your parents constantly chose to fight, how would have turned into then ? As you stand in line for the throne in Water Realm? Than Aizen, who is only a demi god?" You''re a rare Dilong, God of ice in Water Realm, What is Aizen?" King taught Aiden about the seriousness of the matters and Aiden tried to understand them well.


    "Leaving that, we must start living on earth at once, Fariya, the human conceiving Aqua light give birth any time, We should prepare for things," Aiden said to his uncle. "How do you plan on not letting the heavens about the rebirth?" He asked


    "She will be a mortal, just a mortal with no supernatural powers. There is nothing to akery about, not a soul would be able to trace for that fact. We will also seal our powers and live as a normal human being. Nobody would come for us either. Not even your parents would about where we will be heading, I don''t plan to tell anybody. Not because I don''t trust people, but because I cannot afford to risk anything, my daughter nor the kingdom, Tai is desperate to kill both the children. Aqua and Huo and stop them from bringing in a child to this universe. Only reason Fiona and Volca are not arrested is because they destroyed the fetus and the parents," Water King explained everything in detail.


    "When do we leave?" Aiden asked a little excited.


    "In two days," the King said.


    "In two days? For sure?" Aiden asked his uncle for confirmation before started getting excited. And Aenon nodded. He could feel the Grand Prince getting  happy with so much of Hope''s since Huo''er has becomes hopeless and a huge disappointment. It was past midnight and King Aenon asked the Grand Prince to go get some rest. But something awaited them all the next morning.


    It was the letter sent out from the Demon''s Castle, to join the coronation ceremony of Huo''er, the miracle king of the demons who has returned from death. The breaking news spread like wild fire. The return of the Demon King went viral in each and every corner of heaven and it scared the civilians a little, wondering what would happen to Heaven since he has been once wrongly accused and killed. People got worried for the wrong actions taken from the part of Emporer Tai and his Late son Aaron. "What if the Demon King decided to take revenge, for him, his woman and his child?" Everybody talked about it. But little did they know about the condition in which the King Huo has returned from his death.


    Reading the invitation letter, Aenon got disturbed. Huo had chosen a wrong time to take back the throne. Behind the letter came another. And it was not letter but the royal decree from the celestial palace. Aiden looked at the King who kept the other letters away. Queen Rivera, Aiden and the King bowed as they accepted the royal decree to go meet the Emperor immediately. Aiden stared at the Eunuch who came with the decree for sometime to see if it true.


    "Let''s go at once before we get stuck at matters, we have to finish everything as soon as possible," Queen suggested. Aiden decided to go with then though the invi was for only the King and Queen of Water Realm. He felt the need to protect them since both their children were too far away from them to accompany them.


    The entrance to the Celestial Palace has been heavily guarded that usual. Tai had alerted the border securities to make sure not a soukd enters or leaves the palace without the permission from the royal court. Not even a fly. And those who did were taken in for capital punishments. Hence the warning scared the people working inside the palace and stayed at the palace itself avoiding the risk and death penalty.


    When King Aenon stepped inside the gate, he saw Emperor and Empress having a heated conversation.


    "She must have hid the news from him and he must have gotten really angry about it," Aiden told his uncle and aunt. "Magus the third prince of Beast Kingdom told me Empress has been appointed by the Emperor to find about Huo''er''s return, studying his star,"


    "She surely will not commit the same mistakes twice, Why is the Emperor such a fool," Queen made the comment a little loud enough to attract people walking beside them.


    Tai caught sight of the family and walked towards then leaving Lihua behind. "There you are," he said and the families greeted each other. Emperor Tai instantly led everyone to the banquet hall. When they rested and sipped tea,Tai started his conversation.


    "Do you know why I summoned you here?" Tai asked Aenon. Aiden looked at his aunt and then back at The Celestial King.

 Chapter 89: Ask you thing back

    Huo stood in front of the people like he did the first time, holding his soul sword and pointed them at the sky once at sky. He had dyed his hair back to pitch black color. The sword reacted and at the right time sky turned all grey with heavy thunder and lightening hitting the ground. The demon crowd screamed their lungs out praising their Hero and welcoming him back.


    He looked at the side and recalled the vision he had seen before. The late King Dritan standing there smiling proudly at him. He took a deep breath looked away. He did not wish to look at the other side. Queen Regent Volca and the Military Leader Fiona was standing there smiling at him. Volca had tears when her eyes, looking at him proudly, her heart pounding loud looking at the crowd and listening to then accepting him, loving him and praising him continuously. Fiona looked at the crowd with wonder and fear realizing how careful she should be while takin mg each and every step and care about the reaction the masses.


    He then took a cup of wine as a part of their ritual and gulped then down all together.  General Hawk did not move front his aside even for a second scanning the people around again and again.


    Huo raised his hands and asked the crowd standing below the stage to stop keep silence and they did immediately.  He took control of them.  "Us demons will never accept defeat and failure for the sake of any soul in this world and show them what we are capable of from now on, and I will tell the world that we no longer can be tamed but cooperate with us equally in everything, because we deserve a better life too," he said to his people. "As your King, chosen by you all, I will do the duty without failing you all," he promised them. "I will not disappoint my father nor my people," Everyone applauded for a really long time. "When I take this throne this time I will make hell is equal to heaven, and we are no less,"


    Queen Regent walked over and made an announcement. "I know I was never accepted by my people but I can assure you, I did my best as i could in the absence of our King. And now it is time," she said raising her hand and performing a spell and it started to rain with the petals of various flowers and grasses. "This weekend, there will the coronation ceremony and welcome back party of King Huo," the crowd screamed again. "Merry and remember to stay alert, take care of yourself and never let any heavenly being walk inside without the pass from the Castle, " she warned the crowd and finished the public meeting.


    When Huo returned back to castle from Water Kingdom he no longer wished to be closed up inside the cold, lonely underground chambers that did not even let him breath fresh air. The way King Aenon treated even though they shared a history impressed him and made him measure the way Volca was treating him locked up like her treasure in the name of love and protection. It did not feel right. It made him ask Hawk to help him take the throne back and take control of his life. And that  was exactly what Hawk wanted either. Hawk was constantly suspicious about Fiona, the evil lady and her daughter even though Volca the Queen Regent is not as vicious as her mother is.


    "Huo''er, you''re back, I thought you would take longer than this," she said trying to hide him when he walked inside the court directly. "Why don''t we go to another room, " she suggested even though the court was empty at the time.


    "Why would I?" He asked back.


    "Why should the King hide any longer, has he not recovered perfectly well?" Hawk questioned Volca for which she had no straight answer.


    "I''m just worried about his safety," she said.


    "He is strong enough to protect himself and us," Hawk said.


    "Why? Do you doubt me?" Huo asked her in a serious tone.


    "No," she said. She looked into his eyes for few seconds and locked her eyes. "I trust you," she cleared him. "I trust you this time with everything, " Yes he did not understand about what she meant behind those lines, but he did turn his face and look away somewhere else.


    The next moment Fiona walked in closing the door of the court behind her.


    "Did I  not make myself clear last time that Huo should not be let out of his room," she said. Huo gave her an angry gaze.


    "Pay your respects mother," Volca warned Fiona.


    Huo did look different and stronger than before. Fiona was unaware of his absence from the underground room as Volca covered it up well and good, visiting everyday, ordering his menu and eating inside the chamber, ordering books to read, spending some time which made everyone think that he has always been inside the room itself.


    "What is going on?" She asked her daughter not caring to greet Huo thinking he is still under their control.


    "His highness will take back his throne soon, we are asking the Queen Regent to make the arrangements, and declare the arrival of the King to our kingdom," Hawk reported their plan. Fiona''s eyes grew wider and wider for each worh General Hawk uttered. She then kept her emotions under control and pretended to fine with the news.


    "Is he cured?" She asked her daughter.


    "Yes, the treatment is almost complete, " Volca replied.


    "Ok then carry on with everything, don''t come panicking later," Fiona said and left the room leaving the door open like before. Huo then took his leave and stepped out on the streets with Hawk to see around covering his face. He decided to stay in an inn for a night to experience normal life for some time confidently, since he had General Hawk along with him. They walked up and down the streets, shops, met few merchants and so the travellers from heaven doing shopping and dealing with business. He overheard some conversations and under that things are indeed under control and he had nothing special to take care of urgently.


    That night Huo enjoyed the night show at the hotel. A romance drama presented for the people who were staying at the inn. It was pretty crowded and the food was served nonstop. Huo enjoyed all the dishes and ordered for little amount wine.


    The story was a romance between a demon and angel. The demon prince and a crown princess from heaven studying together and falling in love. But later they get cheated by their best friend and were split, both taken away back to their homes. But the heaven try to get hold of the two afraid they might rule the world together and try to engage the princess with the celestial prince and invite the demon prince for betrothal to watch his lady being taken away. But demon prince rescues her and leaves the Kingdom. But the best friend and the Celestial prince chase them and kill the lovers in front of their family. It was then everybody found out that the crown princess was pregnant with the child of the Demon prince. The story has a tragic ending and left everyone in the verge of tears.


    It left an impression on King Huo watching the play and he felt sad for the fictional couples too. Hawk watched Huo carefully to see if he remembered anything but he had no absolute reactions coming from his heart. It was surprising to see how Huo recalled nothing even after watching a play that was about his own life. Hawk felt bad at first, thought whether he should hit Huo''er about his last life, but then let it go, unwilling to tire him and asked him to leave and get some good rest before they meet the Clan and announce his return the next day. The next morning when Huo returned to the Castle, his wardrobe, his bed chamber , his study and his regular menu, everything has been set by Volca. He only had to take the throne and reign over the hell.


    Huo asked Hawk to assess all the royal guards and their performances and asked to open slots for new recruitment to fill the lay off slots since he had no idea about the existing guard and their temperament. He wanted to create every thing new according to his taste and decisions, wishing to throw away the puppets of Fiona and her daughter. Hawk supported his right decisions and made everything possible in very short time. Hawk was sure that it would flip Fiona and make her go crazy.


    General Hawk had know Fiona for thousands of years and her secrets.  But he had never put his head in her business only caring about King Dritan and listening to the orders he gave out, which at times also included taking care of Fiona''s and Volca''s matter. But he had never personally agreed with those decisions King made, petting the snake that in the end bit back. And he did not wish to make Huo''er do the same mistake. On the other hand, Huo seriously wanted to take some power off of Fiona and give them to Volca who looked less poisonous and more capable.


    Demon land prepared for the coronation and Huo sat in satisfaction to have sent out the invitation letter to heaven. He was sure the letters he dispatched would have shocked the heaven. He prepared himself to meet any sort of reaction and charged his powers.

 Chapter 90: Tension

    Emperor Tai waited for King Aenon eagerly, sitting in the Palace''s back pavilion, watching the never ending bright blue sky sipping his ginger tea and taking a bite of the moon cakes. King Aenon had zero interest in meeting up with him, but duty calls shouldn''t be turned down, to him.


    King Aenon made his way through the different palaces and ponds taking the longest route to the pavilion to take some time to think, trying to also think of the things he might say and order. But thing was sure that topic is going to be Huo, his return and his connection to Water Realm.


    "What took you so long? I have been waiting here like for hours,"


    "Apologies, your highness, I lost my way and went the opposite side of the palace and had to search the way once again from the entrance, it still confuses me, and I didn''t want to exhaust my energy since apparated already," King Aenon explained.


    "Fine, whatever ," Emperor Tai made rude remarks and continued to remain in the rotten mood. King Aenon controlled his temper and toon a seat though he was not asked to. Tai have him a look.


    "What?" Water King and the Emperor. But Tai said nothing and directly got into the conversation.


    "Did you not receive the letter from the Demon''s Castle signed by the moonchild?" Emperor Tai asked.


    "I did," Water King said.


    "Are you happy?" Tai asked.


    "Pardon me my lord," King Aenon said trying to be as humble as he could.


    "Are you not happy  that now your son in law is back, and any time Aqua could too?" Emperor asked, he looked absolutely bothered with the letter received.


    "You really are great at making jokes your highness," Water King fake laughed.


    "You must at the least have the common sense to know that am not joking but is under a very crucial circumstance," Emperor snapped at Aenon, who clenched his fists under the table. The clouds immediately turned gray like it is about to rain, filled with nimbo-cumulous clouds. Emperor Tai looked at the sky and got even more angrier.


    "Are you not the descendant of the Shenlong why can''t you control the weather and do a better job," When Emperor Tai made such a bad remark, King Aenon let it rain, literally pouring down in the part of the palace they were spending time in and let him drench in water while stayed without a drop of water touching him. "Stop them immediately, " he ordered.


    "I''m not allowed to use my exquisite powers while am inside the Celestial Palace and get attention above you my lord," Aenon mocked the Emperor.


    Emperor Tai hit the table with his right hand, "I said make it stop," he ordered Aenon who in a very cool mood got up and performed a magic by setting the sky to flood the portion of Emperor''s palace alone. He wanted to laugh the man''s face and dare not do it. The rain stopped and Aenon performed a spell to dry the wet Celestial King.


    Emperor Tai relaxed and took a deep breath. King Aenon couldn''t how easy it is to toy with he Emperor of the Heaven and felt shocked. He had proved that he doesn''t deserve to be an Emperor by easily getting distracted with a matter like coronation. Easily spreading and earning hatred from the people around, to Aenon it was a surprise to see how people did not rebel against him at all. And realized how true it is that the wise kings never live long while the most crooked and bad reign over the kingdoms for thousands of years.


    "Back to what I was saying, Huo has returned,  did you meet him?" Tai asked directly what he wanted to know from Aenon.


    "No, I didn''t know about it until I received the letter," King Aenon lied plainly to not complicate things in his life.


    "How can I believe that?" Tai asked.


    "You don''t have to,  if you can''t, but am not going to prove it to anybody," Wayer King snapped back the Emperor shutting down his running mouth.


    "I.. I did not mean it that way, you know it," Tai tried to take back him words. Little did he know that it was the Water Realm who first discovered him, and then treated him when he was at his lowest, a week back, and kept him in the palace safely for number of day before Huo left back to Demon Realm and declared about his return. Tai had zero trusted followers, Water King could tell that straight, and not even the Empress of the Heavens backing him.  "How did he manage to return? I want to know that," Aenon could understand from that question that Tai wmis well aware the doing of Aqua and her crystals. Instead of saying his daughter''s name, he apologized to his late friend,  the late Demon King Dritan and used his name.


    "Dritan saved Huo, that is all I know, and about how, I have no idea,"


    "Damn it," Emperor said. "I should have visited the battle ground that day, I could have turned the tables completely, " he cursed himself regretting how he tired to sit on the throne safely and sent his son only to see him die and guilt filled his heart. Aenon saw hiw easily Emperor Tai trusted his words and felt bed to be lying to a person since he also had no other go but protect his family form the cruel man''s grip on them with the warning of extermination lying on their Water Clan. King Aenon carefully chose his place and pace in the game initiated. Aenon honestly did not want to see him sitting on the throne anymore.


    "I must find the original heir to throne at any cost," Water King decided inside his head. "A fake Phoenix must end his tyranny if he can no longer be useful to the universe serving the people well, instead of hating the souls, exploiting the power, and finding fault at everyone, belittling them,"But Aenon had no idea about where to search for the original Phoenix descendants in the universe since almost everyone has been brutally murdered by Tai''s father, the late Emperor of the Heaven.


    "Do me a favour," Emperor Tai finally reached to the point of the  meeting after all the drama.


    "What is it?" Water King asked as if he had no clue.


    "Go to the hell, Attend his crowning ceremony, be the witness and report it to me, about everything, the people you meet there, the crowd that supports him, the demon officials who are still in power, watch everyone and come report to me,"


    "Is that all?" King Aenon asked sipping the tea the maid served him.


    "That would be all Aenon," Empress Tai said. He did want to ask more about watching Volca and Fiona closely but did not want order them afraid to out his pride down and make the righteous Aenon doubt him.


    Water King got up and looked at Tai directly at his face. "I will go there myself," he said and prepared to leave.


    "Take that Grand Prince with you, " Tai suggested.


    "Why?"


    "Because he should know what the enemy''s court looks like, as one of the Heaven''s future leader, teach him well, even though he has committed an unpardonable crime," Tai reminded Aenon of several things.


    "I have my daughter Milan to take my throne and as for Aiden, he will make a good leader maybe, but we were ready, even he was ready to get the punishment if in return you executed those two Demonesses, but you did not, hence we are not willing to give up on our son," he said and kept his porcelain tea cup down with a thud.


    "Let''s not discuss about the past and reopen the healed wounds," Tai said and tried to cover up the topic.


    "My wounds never healed, " Aenon said before he took off.


    "Ours, Ours Aenon," Tai said reminding him how he also is a father who lost his only heir to throne. Aenon respected that, he bowed and he left the celestial palace as quick as he could apparating the moment he stepped out of the gates.


    He rushed back to Water Realm and asked for Aiden immediately to make a little change in their plan.


    "Not in two days, " he said to his nephew. "We can''t go to Human Realm Day after tomorrow,  we will have to postpone and settle down something else first,"


    "What?" Aiden asked disappointed.


    "We are assigned to go watch Huo and the moves he makes, witness his coronation and report back immediately, " Aenon informed Aiden and his Aiden is commanded to accompany the Water King along.


    "I really hate that man, I do," Aiden declared his hatred for Emperor Tai and accepted the request to accompany his uncle to the Demon Realm for the coronation ceremony just like he did before accompanying Aqua and Milan years back. The flashback ached his heart. The time he discovered how Aqua will never belong to him. And within the few weeks after he caught her, she left saying goodbye forever. Aiden''s eyes filled with tears and he wiped them before his uncle caught him. He then took his leave and drunk himself sleep. "I can only do this, immerse myself into the miserable ache and past memories of you, my love," and he fell asleep for a long time.

 Chapter 91: Open Gates

    Huo did anticipate many guests and majority did make it to see if it''s really him who has returned. People wanted to see themselves if it''s all true. Huo was expecting guests from Heaven too.  He wanted Empress Lihua to come but he was sure she wouldn''t listening to the Emperor.


    The world loomed towards hell excitedly and with full of anxiety to see the Demon King who has come back defeating the death else. People rumoured that he has become too power that even the heavens cannot tame him, control his powers. Little did they know the state he is still at. Pretending to be fine and super strong than he used to be. General Hawk never left his side, looking after every single thing and carrying out all the security matters and also event managing for the ceremony in the middle. Since he has been in the palace longer than anybody else since the time of Huo''er''s grandfather, he knew how to take care of every single issue and rites. Hawk has always been proud of the Demon Realm''s ceremonies packed with so much if beliefs and rituals.


    Huo asked for best arrangements for the gods from other realms to impress them and improve their connections. Volca did handle things in a mediocre way, but the foreign relations sucked turning everyone into their enemies than make good relation with then.  The Demon Realm at present had no allies, not even with the ghost realm and with Beasts supporting the Water Realm and the heaven, there was no way he could pool and gain strength.


    Only few hours were left to open the gates and welcome the guests in. Huo had his security team directly under his orders than let the Military General Fiona deal with it. He made up his mind to ask for forced retirement to Fiona and make Volca take the post, having a little faith in her.


    The Castle gates was opened and people flew inside, the limited Demon civilians, the ministers, Guests from heaven, their mounts and few saints to witness the miracle. Among the guests, Huo''er notes King Aenon of Water Realm along with Grand Prince Aiden. Huo walked towards them and welcomed.


    "This is unexpected, " he said to King Aenon.


    "How can we not come?" Aiden replied instead.


    "Am glad, please go in and get the accommodation assigned to rest for sometime," Huo said pleasantly and walked away. King Aenon nodded and decided to do as he said. The moment King Aenon was spotted, several demoness maids walked towards them to lead then towards the guest palace. Aiden was taken to the same accommodation he was given the time he came to the Castle for the same crowning ceremony of Huo. The moment he stepped in, memories flashed before his eyes.


    "Are you alright?" His uncle asked him.


    "No," he said the truth. "Do you what happened here the last time I was here?"


    "No, what happened?" King Aenon asked his nephew.


    "Aqua and Milan were given this place to stay which is next to Huo''er''s place. Whenever I was not around away for doing the works she assigned me, Awua would sneak out and spend the time with Huo. I had no idea about it until one late morning I came to the room and did not find her, at the same time she walked out from Huo''er''s chamber and got caught. I scolded her but he backed her up, I couldn''t say a thing and had to accept their relationship, she said you knew about it and then I had no role to stand against it," Water King nodded as he heard the story and took a seat on the coat.


    "Do you regret ?" He asked Aiden.


    "A really lot, I wish I never let her choose him over," Aiden stopped talking coming back to senses.


    "I get it, " Water King said and tried to console the Grand Prince.


    They were unaware of Huo''er''s presence out the chamber who came to inform them about the dinner in the night personally and eavesdrop to the conversation silently. He understood that they were discussing about the late Water Princess and her relationship with him. He couldn''t accept the fact that she spent a night with him in his own chamber. He wondered whether several things could have happened between sexually, being the adults choosing to stay together. It made him feel too awkward and he walked back to his chamber to get ready for the dinner trying to disperse the thoughts he had no memory of.


    He met Ash, his good old friend Volca put in a good word on, the Beast Crown Prince Yang and Third Prince Magus along with him. Huo greeted them and asked the guards to lead the way after inviting them for dinner at night.


    Magus kept looking at Huo and Huo did notice it.


    "What is it? Huo asked once.


    "I cannot believe how fine you look now," Magus said openly while Yang sat quietly keeping his pride and discussing things well with other Kings of various Realms.


    "Am perfectly alright, " Huo''er assured him.


    "But where is she? Why can''t she return just like you did. Surely there must be a away," Magus said strongly.


    "Who? Who are you talking about?" Huo''er asked him rudely.


    "Aqua," Magus pronounced the name again. Huo found it very disturbing to hear it from everywhere nonstop. "Did you..." Magus started but soon stopped remembering Aiden''s advise to him, to keep his mouth shut during the visit.


    "Am sorry I hope that you will enjoy the stay here, am in middle of a busy schedule, if you would please excuse me," Huo''er said and escaped from the bedchamber almost giving very less care about about the words Magus uttered. From there he ran into his mother, though he wanted her to, he wasn''t expecting her.


    "I missed once, but I won''t dare miss this moment again," She said smiling at him. Empress Lihua had dressed like a Demoness would since she had experience in doing it before for Dritan. This was the first time she visited the castle in several thousand years. The last time she was in the castle, was when she disguised herself as a maid and watched Dritan before she married Tai and left Dritan forever and he had no idea about it. Coming back made her feel less emotional about everything, seeing her son standing on a great position he deserved.


    "Feel free to do whatever and go around anywhere inside the premises, " he said trusting his mother and he took off again. She decided to walk around since he did not choose to spend time with her and reached the bedchamber of Huo.


    It looked neat and well arranged. The interiors looked new and modern. "He must have redone the room," she thought and walked around relaxing, with her personal guards following her everywhere she went.


    The dinner was served and all the guests assembled in the huge banquet hall of the Castle. They feast looked delicious with endless number of dishes, drinks, main courses and desserts. Lihua from the single glance could tell that he had used a good amount of money and taken pain to please people who has come to attend his coronation.  Everybody discussed about various stuff inside the hall until Huo got up to make an announcement. Hawk watched him from standing down the stage.


    "A warm greetings to everyone who have assembled here respecting my invitation and coming over to be part of my coronation. Am so grateful and happy to see all the faces. Truly exceeded my expectations. I have also been waiting for this moment to prove that I really have come back and is ready to take my throne back, " Huo continued. "Unfortunately I had to face some other difficulties regarding the return, and for how I made it back, it is too personal hence I can''t share them right now in public," The civilians kept applauding at the pauses Huo did inbetween. People were murmuring and whispering between them itself as he progressed with his speech. Then he indicated the maids to sever the main course and bright in fully roated goat to each table in the hall.  King Aenon doubted if they could complete it without wasting food and tried his best with  Aiden. Then they both riase the glasses to Huo and drank a sip of Demon plum wine that was too strong with double the alcoholic content in it. Aiden warned the king to not drink it and drank it himself taking the glasses. Nobody noticed them and hence Aenon escaped a great mess.


    Prince Ash from Wind Realm got drunk very easily. But since he knows Ash, Huo took good care of his friend Ash and put him to bed carrying him back to the chamber he was assigned to.


    "Can you tell me the legendary Tale of the Demon King defeating the dark death and escaping back to hell? It is pretty Famous among the people now but I don''t know a thing about my own best friend,  it''s sad really, " Ash said and collapsed down on the bed.


    "Ceremony begins by 9, be there on time, don''t fool around," Huo''er gave a strict warning to Ash and took off again.

 Chapter 92: The Coronation Part 2

    The gigantic drums were banged by the guards marking the beginning of the coronation ceremony. The guests remained silent. Huo looked too glamorous that he left people breathless.


    Aiden and King Aenon from the Water Realm got the seat arrangement in the middle and looked at him not taking their eyes off him. Watching every action closely to know what is going on inside him. He looked cool on the outside. But Aenon was sure that Huo''er is full of secrets. Volca and Hawk did not leave his side at all. Seeing Vocla angered Aiden the most while Water King acted normal keeping his cool act together, often patting Aiden''s arms.


    "You seriously need to do something with the temper my son," King Aenon said to his nephew as he sipped his wine.


    "Pa, it''s not like that, it''s just," Aiden started.


    "It''s alright, watch him," Aenon said and caught Volca drooling over Huo''er. And at the same time Huo looked at her asking for something and he smiled. King  Aenon clutched on to the grail tight and the silver cup bend a little spilling the drink on the floor.


    "Pa i think we both should do something with our rotten tempers," Aiden said and laughed loud attracting attention.  King Aenon pinched his arms controlling his laughter, asking him to stay serious and not cause distractions. It was turning s but funny. The duo. Huo look towards them and Aiden nodded at him showing the action of zipping his lip.


    Huo''er shook his head and took a Demonic dagger in his hands. He took a knife and tore his palm a little and fed the dagger with his blood. The blood disappeared instantly. If the blood is drunk by the sword, he is confirmed to be the King of Hell. And those whose blood are rejected can never take the throne. Huo then lifted the dagger and kept them in his hanfu, close to his soul sword. There were several demon priests doing the ceremony in  an order. Next they made Huo summon the Demoness diety and offer her a sacrifice. There was a beast tied up that right side to the stage. Satan pleasers the demons were and they carried on with the rituals that has been followed for years. Huo did not deny doing any of them. Huo''er could see his mother sitting on the front watching him doing everything.  He could sense how his mother must be feeling like an alien seeing everything opposite to what she does in heaven. But she pretending to be a Demoness sat there proudly. Nobody had seen through her fake identity.


    Next the priests asked if he is single or is going to bring any Demon Queen for them to prepare soon for the ceremony to which Huo''er denied straight. Empress nodded her head. But Huo''er was looking at the Water King who slowly got up and left the room. Huo found how upset the king looked all of a sudden and felt bad about it, unaware of his feelings. It then occured to him why he must feel bad for things he is not responsible. He changed his mind. Aiden sat through the whole ceremony while King Aenon did not come back again.


    "We now have the King of Demon Realm , the Hell born, Undefeated, only Son of Dritan, The Guardian of Hell, The Master of Fire, Fearless King Huo," The priest announced after the ceremony giving him the sceptre of fire and Keeping the demon crown on his head. It was a moment meant to be witnessed. Huo sat on the throne proudly with one hand holding the demonic sceptre and the other hand on his thighs, his held high with the heavy golden crown matching his black dragon hanfu," Volca had tears glistening in her eyes while Fiona stood behind the stage watching her daughter carefully. ''I have never seen a fool like her feeling exited and happy to see someone else taking the throne,'' she thought and chose to walk away. Everyone inside the room clapped loud  congratulating Huo. The ceremony was offically over and everybody started presenting their gifts to the new King.


    Water king had only one thing to give him which he asked Aiden to present it. An antidote. It was an antidote to detoxify the crystals in his blood Queen Rivera prepared especially asking their royal doctor. They did not want Huo going through a hard time with crystals that would try to control him.


    "Keep them safe and eat them only when you are sick, it is to put the crystals under control when you are in pain," Aiden whispered to Huo while he presented the gifted. Huo nodded smiling a little and placed the pack inside his hanfu while he handed the rest of the gifts to General Hawk.  The court was loud with applause and murmurs and after sometime Huo grew tired of the noises. He decided to step out for a moment while food began to be served. He needed some fresh air. But the thought of Water King leaving his ceremony circled around his head. He walked around the castle and then near the guest accommodation, he saw King Aenon sitting, holding a jug of wine, sitting alone looking at the skies near the fish pond. Huo walked towards Water King trying to get an answer for leaving in the middle.


    "I remember the first time I saw you," King Aenon started talking getting drunk. He asked Huo to sit next to him.  King Aenon once he settled down, put his arms around Huo''er''s shoulders, patting him. "To be precise it was the day you were born, few hours after Lihua underwent labour. You were a pretty heavy baby while you were born, none of us were married then, I was only engaged to Queen Rivera. She did not hesitate to help your mother since they were friends, I was happy they got along so well, I expected Lihua to not leave the Water Realm, "


    "My biological mother and Water Queen used to be friends, I know," Huo said.


    "Your birth place is Water Realm, but now you are a Demon King, life sure is unpredictable," King Aenon smirked.  "Do you know what happened the last time? During your previous coronation ceremony?"


    Huo''er who over heard their conversation, nodded his head.


    "I know," I said coldly.


    "You know?" King Aenon asked again to confirm and see if he had any feelings left for his late daughter.


    "I know," he said again. "What is the big deal?" Huo had no idea in real what happened, nothing about how Aqua refused him, nothing about how they spent time together, nothing about how he got her pregnant, nothing about how he rescued the whole family from the celestial prison and nothing about his father''s sacrifice for him. But Aenon did not know about that, Aenon did not know about Huo''er''s amnesia, and the misunderstanding between then only grew larger and larger. Meanwhile Huo pretended to be fine hiding his weakness.


    "If you know, you know, but I know one thing now, sacrifices were for nothing, pain taken was for nothing, you no longer deserve to be loved, I wish I could tell her now about that, and stop her," Aenon stopped talking and continued with drinking, letting Huo''er go. He did not have any hopes, he did not have any trust towards the Demon King and worried about what if he summons his soul back that he gave away for his daughter. Aenon wished that he could leave to earth immediately. He did not want to spend time in the Hell any longer and give a damn about Emperor Tai. He left Aiden alone and apparated in front of Huo itself back to Water Palace. He felt sick and threw up the moment he reached the palace. Queen Rivera was reported about it and she rushed towards her King to see what happened.


    "Your highness, What happened?" She asked the King who was lying down in his bed.


    "Am fine, am fine, I just did not want to keep attending the ceremony, I did not fell Aiden, he must be alone there searching for me,"


    "Did any thing happen there ?" She asked worried.


    "Nothing happened? Things went well, he took the throne, the ceremony and the title suited him well, he will make it, like Dritan, just that he is too mysterious than he should be," King Aenon made a comment about Huo and decided to take a nap. He did not want to be disturbed and asked everyone to leave the chamber since there were no affair that needed his immediate attention at the court.


    "Write a letter to Emperor Tai and tell him about the ceremony in simple words and how normal it was that it stirred no troubles, ask Aiden if you want to know more and send him," King asked his wife for a favour. "And by the way I forgot say I saw Lihua under disguise there," he informed and slowly drifted off to sleep.


    "I came back, Huo said you left, what happened?" Aiden walked in to the room, and Queen Rivera asked him keep silence. "He is drink aunt, I saw him drinking a lot," Aiden informed the queen.


    "Come, we have to write a report and send Emperor Tai about the Coronation, let him rest," Queen Rivera called for Aiden and walked out of the King''s bedchamber to Aiden''s.


    Aiden was very sure that Tai would


    not like the report since everything went normally there. And just like he expected, when Emperor Tai got the letter delivered and read them, he got really angry and tore the letter straight as he finished reading them crusing the Demons and the Water Realm. Also he was not aware of the fact that Water Realm is going to be taken care by Adrien and Krystal for a while. And utilising this ignorance, King Aenon speeded up his moves and plans,

 Chapter 93: Time

    Milan and Fariya moved to a new place away from the city to another. She didn''t want Fairya to live in a place where things happened. Fariya was 6 months pregnant and healthy. She looked plum and chubby, cute in every way.  Her mood swings have been difficult for even Milan to handle. Putting her to bed getting her to sleep has been the most difficult. Fariya often talked about nightmares where she was captured and attacked and she often sees a creature killing a man who is trying to save her.


    Milan couldn''t tell why she still recall stuff though her memories about Aizen has been completely erased. Milan would use spells for Fariya to sleep sound for the sake of the baby growing inside her. Fariya grew very stubborn as days passed by and always sneak out of the house behind Milan.


    "Not again sis," Milan caught her while she was sneaking out again. Milan ran over Fariya towards the gates to bring her back. "I won''t let you off this time," she got angry.


    "What is wrong with you? This is my life, Why the hell should I stay away from everything just because am pregnant? You made me quit work, okay I accepted that because it was embarrassing to be pregnant after one  night stand in the office when I was not even dating a soul, and it is a one night stand I can''t even remember, taking the factor I blacked out, i never drink in my life either, but I let everything  go and accepted the fate, then I was reported that my house is being taken away I became a laughing stock in front of my family, then now an here, imprisoned by you, I mean why hell is my life going down the hill? What did I do so wrong?" Fariya screamed standing in the middle of the pavement. People who passed by looked at both of them.


    "Relax I understand you''re going through some hard times, but please you must be careful, you should, your temper would effect the baby, you told me you want to take care of the baby, how can you fall sick then? If you''re upset, baby would be too,"


    "Aisshhhh stop it, it is not like am drinking or doing drugs, I just want to step out and look around staying inside home is putting me in depression," she said and walked back into the frontyard.


    "I will take you, you ask me, why do you have to hide and sneak it is not like am going to stop you," Milan said.


    "Really? Babe you''re strict and I hate that, I agree that you look after me now but I don''t want you to tell me what to do," Fariya spit out. Milan clenched her fists. She controlled her temper and stayed too calm, giving all her best.


    "Fariya, let''s go, do anything you want, we won''t come back until you finish everything you wish to do okay?" Milan said and walked out of the gates calling her.


    "Are you coming along?" Fariya asked.


    "Yes,"


    "No need, then what freedom do I have? Don''t act like my mom,"


    "Fine go on your own, I don''t care, if you feel that suffocated with me, am moving away, you can live alone here, I don''t want to accused of things I never did or behaved like," Milan talked back in the same angry tone Fariya did, giving a try to a trick, to scare her.


    Fariya then immediately caught a cab and took off. She did not care at all. Milan shook her head and walked back into the house. Why do I feel like I have become a house maid? Am a princess,  a princess, the official ruler in the Water Realm, but what the heck am I doing on earth taking care of the grumpy lady for the sake of the baby, Aqua you better lay me back when some day you get back home," Milan kept talking to herself. Milan cleaned the mess Fariya had done inside the living room,  earing all over the place, leaving waste, leaving the leftover food open, leaving empty bags everywhere and vomiting in between.


    Milan got tired of cleaning the house, cooking, doing laundry dry and handling the mid swings all the time that she started to feel depressed at time when Fariya failed to understand her and value her hardwork.


    "Aqua is this your way of paying me back? To have fought with you when we were young? Are you trying to show to me what a cool sister you were? If it is that then I agree, " Milan spoke out loud, tearing up and sat on floor crose legged. "I miss you," she cried. She reached for the tissues and wiped her tears and her nose. Around that time, Milan''s phone started ringing. It was from an unknown number.


    "Hello," Milan answered her phone as she sobbed.


    "Milan, " it was Fariya. She was crying on the other end of the phone.


    "Oh my God what happened?" Milan jumped up as she heard Fariya''s voice.


    "Am scared, I feel lonely, " Fariya kept on crying.


    "This is why I asked you to not go out alone," Milan stopped crying.


    "Come for me," Fariya said sobbing hard.


    "Where are you? tell me, I will come right now," Milan said and hurried outside the door and came back inside again.


    "In the TQ  mall, nearby the house," Fariya gave her the address. Milan hung up and changed her work dress. Within ten minutes, she apparated and reached the place right on time.


    "There there," she walked towards Fariya who sat in front of an ice cream shop having a two scoops of mango ice creams. Milan''s heart ached as she saw the sight. She recalled how Aizen, Fariya and She along with them would spend their free times passing time at malls eating ice creams Fariya would choose for all after their meals. And to think Aizen is her family was even weirder that she thought it would be. Then her mind wandered back to Aiden instantly.


    "Milan," Fariya called her interrupting her thoughts.


    "Am here, stoo crying," Milan said and took out more tissues from her handbag to wipe Fariya''s face. "You are worse than a baby would be, big mom baby," Milan said and pinched Fariya''s ears.


    "Then here take the fetus from me and carry it yourself," Fariya snapped at Milan.


    "At thus rate I might really find a way to do such things, it is better to do that than have my head eaten by you," Milan joked and sat opposite Fariya. Then they walked around the mall for sometimes, did some shopping and watched an animated movie before they returned back home for the night. Milan did not forget to get her dinner.


    And just like that several other weeks passed again. Milan couldn''t help but wonder what her parents are doing back at the Water Palace delaying their plans to come to earth.


    Fariya turned 8 months pregnant, but her condition began to drop a little. She was no longer moody and gloomy, but always in pains. Her joints, sometimes even her belly. Even though the doctors said to her that it could be the contractions, to Milan things were doubtful. She wondered about the crystals acting up in the womb since the fetus is growing up day by day. Fariya stopped complaining and whining and weeping buckets. Instead she turned extra hungry and wanted to have all sorts of food. But Milan had to be careful everytime she cooked either  since Fariya threw up often having certain food that only tempted her to vomit more.


    Milan completely avoided sea food since the smell made Fariya feel nauseous even though she would crave for them. Milan also reduced Fariya''s caffeine intake since she always had trouble falling asleep.


    Fariya on the other had grew more silent and spent time reading and wiritng. Milan was surprised to see how Fariya was coming up with a novel all by herself. Even though Milan asked her a thousand times to read it, Fariya never gave her saying she would not give anybody until she publishes it.


    A few more weeks passed and Fariya looked round and full. She had entered the 9th month of her pregnancy.  Milan''s and Fariya''s bond grew even closer. Whenever Milan remained silent, Fariya would ask her to not stop talking and share about Milan''s childhood stories and always thank her for accompanying her through the most difficult times of her.


    "You don''t have to thank me, think am your sister and am doing this for my family, " Milan would advice her. Fariya would tear up and hug Milan.


    ''Am hungry," she would say then opening her mouth saying, "Aaaaaaaa,"


    Milan found Fariya struggling and finding it hard to walk for more than five minutes and sit soon, panting hard. Fairya looked easily tired as her date was approaching.


    Fariya''s water broke one night while they were having dinner and the pain began. Milan grew tensed not knowing what to do and she immediately cleaned up and changed Fariya into new pair of clothes to go to the hospital. Milan took the bags she packed to go to hospital weeks back that had all the items necessary for the mother and the baby.


    The time had arrived but not her family from heaven. Milan couldn''t help but wonder what was going on. She called for the cab and went to the hospital anyway. Fariya was sweating a lot and clutching on to her hands tightly, biting her lips along, to suppress her pain. Milan had read in the books she bought for Fariya that being in labour is equal to the pain of  breaking all the bones in the human body together and Milan couldn''t imagine it. She kept wiping Fariya''s face and asked her to keep taking deep breaths.


    "Relax,  you must relax and keep your thoughts cool sis, we are going to have our little angel out soon, then we will take good care of her okay," Milan tried to encourage her.


    Fariya''s lips tore as she kept biting on and started bleeding. "Hey hey, hold on to this, " Milan said and gave her other hand. "Don''t wound yourself," but Fariya was not listening to anything crossing the fine borders of life.


    "Milan, I..." Fariya tried to speak. The driver stepped on his accelerator and took them to the hospital immediately seeing the pain she patient was at. "Milan,"

 Chapter 94: From Level Zero

    "It''s okay, breathe, breathe love," Milan kept telling Fariya as she was moved into the operation theatre after the quick tests, apparently her body seems too weak to go through a normal delivery.  Milan didn''t know what to do for Fariya. Milan was asked to stay outside the doors. Her heart pounded loud again from the moment doctor informed her about the critical condition.


    "What happened?" Milan suddenly her heard mother''s voice. Milan turned around with tears in her eyes. "Maa," she cried. Queen Rivera and King Aenon had changed to humans clothing. Rivera was wearing a skirt and a blouse with cardigan on top while Aenon wore a pant and shirt with hoodie over the top. They both looked young.


    "Paa, ma what took you so long? It been 14 months since I have been waiting here for you all,"  she said. "Do you know what all happened here?" She said. Tears streamed down her face.


    "I know,"  Aenon sighed.


    "We were held back by Tai, several last minute jobs to handle, made Aiden stay there for few more days, to spread the news about the us leaving the Realm to search for you," Rivera informed Milan.


    "So that''s what the rumour is going to be, I went in seclusion and escaped, ahh," she said thinking.


    "We should seal our powers," Aenon said. "We can''t afford to be found by anyone,"


    "Hmm okay,"Milan said wiping her tears. Then she heard Fariya screaming inside. A nurse came out, asking for Milan.


    "Come with us," Milan was taken inside the operation room. She could sense it. Fariya was struggled.


    "Push, push," the doctor and nurse kept saying. "Stand with her," the doctor said once Milan put on the hospital gown. She held on to Fariya''s arms.


    "Don''t worry, just push, am here," Milan consoled Fariya.


    "I can''t I just can''t, " Fariya cried, screaming loud. Her pulse was going down. The oxygen mask put on her and as they did it, she started panicking. Then she gave her all to push the baby out. The machines connected to her started beeping with warning. And at the right moment there was a crying of the baby. The baby was taken out and hit by the doctor waking her up. Milan cried along. But Fariya started losing her grip over Milan. She was sweating all over and turned pink. They handed the baby to Milan who cried again holding the child in her hand, planting a kiss on the baby''s forehead and cheek.


    "My little angel, welcome to the world, mama loves you," she said. Milan stood watching her emotionally. As she started losing her balance she gave the baby back to one of the nurses and fell back on the bed.


    Milan moved Fariya''s hair from her face and patted on her cheeks. "Stay awake, stay awake," Milan said. Her pulse and blood pressure was going down. The doctors arranged for CPR and tried to save her improving her pulse. Fairya was also bleeding heavily. It did not stop. Milan kept talking to Fariya who fell unconscious slowly. Her vision faded and then  turned white while the heart rate displayed in the equipment was no longer graph but a straight line. Fairya''s arms dropped down from the bed and she stopped moving altogether. There were tears running down her eyes, her lip wounded. Milan looked at her and the doctors who stood sadly, helpless. Even they couldn''t tell why the delivery was all of a sudden complicated. But Milan knew why. The Crystals are too powerful for anyone to carry around, and Fariya carrying them for 9 months, it drained all her strength and energy. The exhaustion led to her own death. Milan took the baby in her arms and cried.


    "Fairya, wake up," she said and cried even though she was aware of the situation.


    "Time of death, 11.24 p.m. Tuesday." Milan looked at the doctor who was wearing his mask. "We''re sorry we couldn''t save her,"


    "We will finish the procedures and hand over the body soon," the male doctor told her and asked her to go out.


    Milan held the newborn in her hands and walked out of the operation theatre. Aenon and Rivera were waiting for her.


    "Fariya passed away," Milan broke down. Aenon and Rivera looked at their daughter in shock to see how she bonded with a mortal to cry like this. Milan has been seeing Fariya like Aqua  and losing Fariya made Milan feel the pain again that she has been trying to forget the guilt all along.


    Milan had a feeling that if she hadn''t opened up to her sister about liking Aiden, Aqua could have gotten together with Aiden and never meet Huo who became a reason she sacrificed herself. But yet heart couldn''t give up on Aiden, which made her feel double the amount of guilt.


    "Pull yourself together and try not to take these to heart, fate cannot be reversed for the mortals," Aenon said patting his daughter''s shoulder, looking away while she sobbed. Rivera was holding the baby in her hands, being emotional. Her child, Aqua  reincarnated again as a mortal this time. The crystals I''m her blood sleeping.


    "Fairya always wanted to name the baby as lily, after her favourite flower," Milan said and got up, wiping her face.


    "Lily," Rivera whispered in the ear of the baby and smiled at her, planting a kiss on the cheek with tears in her eyes. The doctors came out with Fariya, covered in the white clothes.


    "We will never forget you," Aenon said. They three bowed in front of Fariya and took her her body with them. The hospital arranged the ambulance for them and Milan took everyone back to the house she wa staying at with Fariya. Milan could not accept the fact that she will no longer be living  with Fariya. Aenon offered Milan to bury Fariya along with Aizen where Aiden buried him. They did not hold a ceremony or anything and erased Fariya''s existence forever from the earth.


    Aiden joined them for a brief moment in the burial ground on top of a mountain away from the city. The meadow looked beautiful.  Aiden looked at Milan whose face was red and puffy crying all the time. He could tell how her heart is broken with all the recent things that has been happening in her life beginning from losing Aqua. He stood next to her and took her hands in his, consoling her.


    "Visit her here whenever you wish to, " Aiden said. Fairya was buried next to Aizen. At the least they got to be together after death.


    Couple of hours later everyone left back to the city, to a new home. Milan asked her father permission to travel until her mind feels ok and left home instantly. Aiden stayed with the baby for sometime playing with her and took an oath.


    "I will protect you forever, I will make sure you return back home and I get to tell everything in my heart," Aiden then returned back to Water Realm to help his parents keep the throne good and stable with right administration.


    Days passed and Lily stayed growing up. It was not easy to look after a baby all over again for Rivera, especially the human kid. Toddler hears kept Aenon and Rivera busy. Lily was one naughty and boisterous baby who does things as she wishes. Walking around scattering things, crying when she turns moody, stubborn about getting her things done and very outgoing with any people she meet. Lily wasn''t exactly like Aqua at all. But Rivera and Aenon tried bring her up properly but def did not cage her.


    Lily was very talented in sport and in music from the very young age. But the age she turned 8, Aenon and Rivera let Lily pariticpat in almost any competition little girl wanted to try. And she won in half of them. It made the parents so proud. They had lovely neighbours around then and kids at the similar age of Lily. Her best friend was Sona, another little girl of her class and Allen, a boy a year older than her. Lily always followed around and played with him. Lily grew into a beautiful girl but looked notbing like Aqua. It made things easy of Rivera and Aenon to keep her safe.


    Aiden visited them from time to time, but Milan had not come back at all. Aenon could not understand about his daughter''s action and why the death of the mortals had huge impact on her. But they never forced her into anything nor scolded her, giving her enough freedom for making choices and decisions as a princess.


    Lily turned ten and Aenon held a huge party for her to celebrate. "I want a playstation too like Allen, " little Lily requested her father for the gift. She was totally different child who did not just play with barbies but also with cars which made Allen spend more time with her.


    Years ran just like that. And everybody lost the count enjoying their mortal life on earth. Aenon and Rivera had been able to put off the weight on their chest about Aqua and her torturing upbringing by giving Lily a better life.


    Every year they never failed to take Lily to the graves of her earthly biological parents and give them flowers. It was the only day Milan would spend time with her family. She was still mourning and wandering around searching each and every corner of earth, learning about different lifestyles and cultures followed in earth by the humans.


    "Life goes on pa..." she once told her father, as they sat around the table in house drinking tea, looking outside the window.

 Chapter 95: Ignorant Years

    Huo rose to great heights taking Demon Realm along with him. The civilians were happy, they got everything they needed. They had enough water more importantly. That was more than enough.


    Huo was still isolated and nobody wanted to spend time with him. He didn''t know why and everytime he stepped out with Volca, he was never well received by the heavenly beings. He started going to the Celestial Palace often, closing so many deal with the Emperor and kept peace. His mother was satisfied.


    Ignorance continued but Huo was occupied with work that he did not wish to give him thoughts to anything else that distracted him. But he often went to the Water Realm searching for answers on his on, thinking about the time at the caves. He didn''t why he felt drawn towards the Realm. He visited the Water Palace couple of time and signed some deals with the stand in King and Queen and even met Grand Prince Aiden once. He informed Huo about how tragedy of the Water Realm has effected the Famiky deeply. Huo was informed how King Aenon and Queen Rivera has gone out to search for their second daughter who went seclusion after her sister''s death.


    It did not convince Huo much. He found it very suspicious and even more when he recalled his conversation with drunk King Aenon on his coronation day. Huo measured those words that shadowed him as the bad person who committed a serious crime. He wanted to know why he was accused by the righteous Water King without putting  forward the solid proof.


    His memories did not restore. No visions were seen again in long 15 years. And he gave up on trying again hurting himself. But he did continue cultivation and practicing mixed martial art as advised by the spirit from the cave that suited his body well.


    He was glad he listened to the unknown spirit as he grew powerful each day. He got help from his mother and also practiced the dragon cultivation inside him. But his level was not high. She asked him to take each step slowly since a part of his original soul is still missing. And Empress Lihua advised him to never fo such reckless thing again. She did not want her son to have any connection with the Water Realm and hence hid the past well from him which helped Volca score the most with Huo. Lihua was jealous and angry at Queen Rivera that she did not want Huo to become her son in law ever. Lihua was well aware of the fact that Water Realm is in desperate search for Aqua and has disappeared for that but since Rivera protected Huo, Lihua wanted to return that favour by keeping her mouth shut until they return. Huo thus stopped asking his mother about his past. It almost matched with what Volca had told had and he chose to live with a man with no past which would hold him as a prisoner. He made peace with the present. He found happiness around him.


    "Is it true you higness?" General Hawk asked King Huo.


    "WHAT?" Huo asked him angrily.


    "That you are going to marry the new military general Volca?" Knight Hawk asked straightly. "Everybody says so, you two seem to be really close, the few guards saw you two goofing around," Hawk said to him.


    "No, jeez NO," Huo denied strongly. His ached all of a sudden.


    But the rumours were not based on false assumptions at all. And even Huo couldn''t tell why he would behave strangely with Volca sometimes just like what happened a few weeks back.


    Volca walked into his bed chamber with some fruits, a bowl of his favourite soup and a whole jar of grape wine. She had prepared herself aiming to spend the night with Huo, trying to win him. She had used two love elixirs on his drink this time to deepen his emotional side.


    She opened the door to find Huo standing near the doors that open to the balcony opposite his bed. He was wearing a robe over the top. She could see his board shoulder and chest. And it made her heart skip a beat. She took a deep breath and walked forward his study placing the food tray down.


    "You''re highness, I have brought a light supper for you, it''s almost midnight," she said to him.


    "Keep them there," he ordered her.


    "How about some wine?" She asked and he nodded his head accepting the offer. He was thinking about ways to do crops in the barren lands using the demon magic if it is possible for few farmers among the demons.


    "Here," she handed him the tall grail. She was smiling feeling successful. He gulped the wine down feeling thirsty and suddenly he started feeling weird. His heart pounding loud, feeling happy and romantic. "Let me leave," she said trying to test several minutes later. And at the same time Huo grabbed her arms pulling her towards him.


    "Leaving? Leaving where?" He asked her smiling. Volca blushed. She could feel her cheeks burning hot as it turned run. "Shy are you?" He asked her.


    "No," she whispered. She ran her fingers towards his chest. It looked like the two pills were the right dose for him since using just one stopped working completely. He put his arms around her pressed her towards him, he felt her body rubbing against it. And he worked his hands behind, untying her knots on the gown that fell down from her shoulders. The dress fell down on her hip, standing half naked in front of him, she did not flinch but enjoyed each moment. She untied his robe and opened them. She felt his abdomen with her hands and rubbed her breast against his trying, to get him in the mood. She was aroused and  wet. She took his hand and let him feel the small swell of her breast, squeezing them, while he looked at her face a little confused. His feelings were going back and forth. She tried to kiss his mouth but suddenly Huo took his hands back and kept them on his chest, the same pain he felt every time he got close with another woman. He painted hand and tired his best to not scream out loud.The total romantic atmosphere was ruined. Volca worried for him also was pissed off for what had occurred in the middle. She lay there without putting on her clothes back. But he did not take another looks at her. Disappointed, she put the gown back to her shoulders and walked out of the room. And when she left the room he noticed the fact that the room was not locked and those who were walking through would definitely have seen the things that happened between them.


    It haunted him. What happened between them. And he was ashamed. The most important factor was that he had no feelings for her but realised it happened mostly when she was around him after eating whatever she fed him with in his room. Atlast he realised it is a doing of her and decided to o observe her and avoid whatever she brought him. He asked Hawk to leave and decided to spend time in the library trying to find an answer. He recalled the first times he had medicines Volca would give him. Few pills before and after good and few moments he went overboard with her stripping her and trying to get close with her. "But everytime I was a about to do something to her, there always occurred a heart ache or headache that stopped me from going further. What could the reason be?" He slowly connected  everything that had happened to him before. He looked at his arms, legs and his body and around to see if there is anything attached to him, unaware that it''s the doing of the crystal in his body stopping him from mating with another woman.


    He searched through medicinal books and he found nothing. Then he went through elixir books, and found something strange, but it was not detailed since it was warned as a Forbidden magic to be done by an angel or a demon. It then occurred to him to search for the books of black magic and blood magic. And there he found the answer.  The right answer. Love elixirs. Love potions. Used by the owner to give her beloved often to get close and used often on a person can mess up his reality drawing him into the another world, losing his actual sense. It sounded super dangerous for Huo and worried about his health. He gasped. "How dare you?" He placed the book back in its place and rushed back to the court since it was time for the discovery of the day. He made up mind to pretend with Volca and get to know her intentions finally. The ministers arrived on time and Volca was there already. He smiled at her as he walked in wishing to get close and get the information out of her mouth. He felt suspicious of her more than he did before. Volca felt excited to have gotten a smile from him and remained there until the end of the discussion with the ministers. And after everybody left the court, "Come over here," he said to her.

 Chapter 96: Life of an average human

    "Mom don''t be such a paranoid, I am just hanging out with my friends, will you just let me have some good time with friends," Lily shouted her mother, Rivera. It was getting difficult to handle a high school teenager.


    From the age of 13 to 19 is the age the human children hit puberty it was said and commit all sorts of mistakes, experiment stuff, get into addiction and even become young parents. The parents have to hold the control key, it was said during one PTA meeting at the middle school once. Now entering the high school this year, Lily had totally become a different person, matured, so much into fashion, average at studies but a shy baby. She had hery few friends who also happened to be their neighbours. Lily wanted to be an independent young lady but she kept ignoring the fact that she cannot. She was told that she has a sister who is living abroad and do video calls regularly but she had never come home nor spend time with Lily and that was Lily''s biggest problem in life, feeling neglected by sister.


    Lily had great passion in being musician. She too training for violin from her primary school days onwards. She cut on her fingers proved the love for her instrument.  She named her Violin, Aqua, suggested by her mother. Lily''s pet name was Aqua. That''s how her parents preffered to call her. Raising the human child with severe mood swing and teenage dreams kicking in was stressful for Aenon and Rivera equally. They were not expecting to have a disobedient child at all. They realized how precious Aqua was when they were in heaven, not saying a word against them, accepting everything wilfully. Human children were rebels, have their own voice and fight for their rights. It was good but it was not right all the time.


    "Honey listen to me, your friends hang out with their boyfriends, you don''t have one, why would you want to spend time with them and watch things they do?" Rivera asked her.


    "Whose fault is that am not able to date anybody scaring them and threating them even they r just my male friend?" Lily asked her mother back angrily. Lily had never been able to make friends with any guys, it was a fact, all because of her dad shooting them lasers with his eyes.


    And the only trusted male species allowed to enter at home was none other than their neighbour boy Allen, hot but obedient and cool, being Lily''s best friend from a very young age. He was even allowed enter her bedroom and nobody had any objection. Growing up with him, to everyone they were like a family. But not for Lily. Crushing on him from the age of 12. She was in love, secretly.


    "You better stay and an going to tell tour father," Rivera blackmailed her daughter who is scared of her father. Lily marched back into the house fuming with anger and climbed upstairs to her room. She took of her jacket, her top and laid in bed wearing only her bra. She was lazy to remove her jean and turned on the air condition. She laid looking at the ceiling.


    Someone walked inside the door. "I can''t believe mom is prohibiting me from going hanging out with everyone. It''s just a dinner what is the big about it. She said thinking it would be Sherly, her best friend who is also her neighbiur. She then slowly got up from the bed and stood on her legs only to get shocked.  She couldn''t even scream afraid of alerting her mother.


    Allen walked towards her quickly removing his jacket and covered her standing close to her. Liky flushed red and her skin burned. Allen felt it, her heart thumbing loud and he tried to convince her saying he did not see anything. But how could he not when she cleared displayed him everything standing at the right time as he entered the room.


    He also felt his teenage heart going crazy inside see a girl quarter naked, and that took a girl he has known from a very young age. His hands shivered a little and his breath a little uneven. It was not just Lily.


    "Put your clothing on," he managed to say.


    "Leave the room," she said back. "Don''t you have the manners to knock on the doors of a girl''s room. How could you barge in like that?" She questioned him.


    "But you were talking to me, how would I know then, if you were silent I would have thought of knocking, " he said.


    ''I thought it would be Sherly," she said.


    "So it is okay for her to see and not me?" He asked her.


    "Oh my god, kill me," She said and sat down on the down. He could still see her abdomen through the opening of her jacket.


    "Look we almost adults now, let''s deal it that way," he said and extended his hands. "Deal?"


    "Okay, forget it like this never happened, no teasing, and no entry into my room without my permission, " she said and took his hand to shake. He nodded and agreed and walked out of the room closing the door behind. And he stood there, keeping his hands on his heart.


    "Calm down you moron," he advised himself and walked downstairs to speak with Rivera to pursue her for the permission to take Lily out for dinner and return her home safely early before bed time.


    As promised Allen did take her out. But with him alone. They did not go with the other couples, avoid being the third wheel. He took her to the pizza shop and bought her a whole pizza she loved to eat. She was happy and they forgot about what happened between them. She couldn''t help but gaze at him from time to time while he was looking away. And on time he took her back home.


    Aenon and Rivera always waited for Milan and she did come back one day, to finally stay with them.


    "Be good to your sister," Rivera advised Lily. Milan on the other hand saw the resemblance of Fariya and Aizen in her. Her eyes, and hair like Aizen and her nose and plump lips like Fariya.


    "Lily, tell me what you want me to buy," Milan would offer something often to Lily.


    "Am fine, dad gets me everything," Liky replied. But for some weird reasons, Lily kept distance with Milan and was not comfortable around her.


    "What''s wrong?" Milan asked her one day. Milan was aware of the tension between them. Lily never stayed inside the same room as Milan for than an hour.


    "What?" Lily asked back.


    "Why are you always avoiding me?" Milan asked her straight. "What''s your problem?" Milan time changed seeing Lily''s attitude towards her.


    "Would you just let it go, am busy," Lily said playing with her phone. Milan took the phone from her and threw them at the couch.


    "An speaking to you, " she said.


    "What the hell?" Liky raised her voice. Rivera came running from the kitchen.


    "What is going on? Girls keep it down," Rivera said.


    "Mom she is torturing me," Lily screamed angrily.


    "You shut up, ma do you know that Aqua is avoiding me?"


    "What?" Rivera was shocked. "How dare you do that to your sister? She questioned Lily.


    "What do you mean by what the hell? Why would I be close to be a woman who was never home and day shows up shares my room and claim to be my sister? Didn''t she avoid me all these year? Why show up now? You''re independent yes but I don''t need that," Lily spilt the truth. To that Rivera and Milan has nothing else to say.


    "Silence," Aenon screamed aloud from the bedroom.  He walked out and looked at the woman.


    "Is this how one should behave to a sibling?" He asked his girls. "Lily apologise," he ordered but Lily did not.


    "Tell me where am wrong, give me a reason and I will," she said stubbornly. They had no reason to find except to tell to stick on to the fact of respecting people.


    "Milan you," Aenon had nothing to tell her. "Refelct on your mistakes now on," Aenon told her asking to measure herself and how wrong it has been, to do everything she did in the past years. All the three didn''t have enough to tell the 16 year old.


    Years passed. Technology developed. Life became easier with gadgets but difficult when it came to opportunities to excel in life. Employment opportunities for human declined where as population and educational qualifications of humans increased in ten times the original rate. Earth was only degrading because of human mind''s greediness in making money by the capitalist which lead to climate change severely, and global warming. Natural calamities and extinction of certain species were inevitable. Aenon and Rivera witnessed everything and lived in secret itself, unable to do anything since they has sealed their powers.


    Lily turned 22 that year, a college graduate back home during her vacations. She was matured but her love for Allen never changed. Life was funny but future, uncertain.

 Chapter 97: The End

    Lily finally started to accept her sister Milan when she stayed away from home after she joined college. Hostel life was hard but fun at the same time with all the friends, an introvert group, having fun in their own way. Hence her parents did not have that kind of worry others did about the girl ending up in bad situations, using substances or dating anybody.


    It was New Year holidays and Lily as always wanted to spend it with her family though none of her friends returned home planning trips. Lily came back home straight and bought her family gifts she could afford with the savings she had she kept aside from her spending money her father sent her.


    "Happy New Year," everybody wished each other as they settled down at the table for dinner. Aenon did the barbecue for his ladies and served them. Lily was all smiles and enjoyed them well. Milan served everyone with the cranberry drink she made and Rivera served baked potatoes, salads and alfredo pasta she prepared especially for both her daughters.


    "Thank you mother," Milan and Lily said at the same voice.


    "Have have, before everything cools down," Rivera said to everyone and spent a wonderful time with her family. After dinner, Milan put on a moive to watch with the family and brought popcorn she made for all. She sat next to Lily and enjoyed the movie.


    The saying, "Life is what happens to you when you are busy planning them," have to say is one exceptionally meaningful thing anybody has ever said in the world. Never can we predict what would happen the very next minute forget a month or what happens a year later.


    The sun''s ray''s woke Lily up that morning earlier than usual. She walked down the stairs and couldn''t find anyone. She was feeling tired a little. Her parents weren''t home neither could she find her sister. She decided to brush her teeth and have breakfast. She found no leftovers in the kitchen from the previous night''s dinner. She got the usual cereals and granola bars. But she didn''t want to eat cereals. When she checked the refrigerator she couldn''t find any bread either to toast. She got irritated and walked back to her room. She saw Allen, her neighbour stepping of his house on his bike. She was sure that he must be going to the hypermarket to run an errand. She quickly changed in to her jean and a hoodie and ran out to get some bread.


    The hypermarket was crowded. They were having the morning rush hour. She only had little time left before leaving to college since she had to attend few international seminars being held at her college organized by her commerce department.


    Suddenly she heard some noises behind a few rows, she walked towards the isle to see what it was and saw a masked man getting hold of things and pointing at a child, capturing him at gun shot. She was shocked and panicked the moment she witnessed the scene. "WHAT THE HELL" She said out loud. She took the chance to go to the hypermarket so that she could enjoy watching her crush secretly and not end up facing a terror attack first thing in the morning. It turned to out to be such a terrible day.


    She had no idea what was happening to her. All she could recall was that moment she was trying to save a child from the gun shot. She pushed everyone and rushed towards the child. "Stop it, someone call the cops damn it," she shouted. Then she reached for the boy and pushed him away. She was glad she saved him and pushed the thief away. She was panting hard after she did it, kneeling down on the floor.


    The next moment she felt blood oozing out from her chest. "What?" She looked down at her abdomen. The pain slowly began to hit her. It ached. It started aching badly. She grew numb and fell on her side on the floor with a thud, and hut her head. She wanted to be brave in front of Allen, her crush, her neighbour since childhood. But unfortunately, fate gave her a chance to die in his arms. It felt funny at that moment. She tried to smile amidst of her pain as she saw him standing before her, holding two packets of bread. The two bullets pierced her heart, and her stomach. Then she heard him scream her name and rush over to her. She saw him crying and calling for the ambulance and the police once the culprit was pinned down by the people on the street.


    "No, no no no, Lily, oh my god, Lily, please stay awake, it''s alright, hang in there, am here, am right here, keep breathing, don''t close your eyes," he kept saying as he cried. Lily heard the ambulance and through police arriving at the store. She touched his face with her bloody hands and tried smiling again.


    "I..." she wanted to say something but couldn''t move her tongue. She could no longer feel her legs, arm not anything beneath her head but just the pain all over the body. She started struggling to breath. The stretcher arrived at the right time and carried her into the ICU ambulance giving her oxygen to breath and took her to the hospital.


    Who would have expected to die on a sunny day in front of a hypermarket while buying groceries. She was glad she saved the child. She was glad she had him close to her. But the pain was unbearable that she had ever imagined.


    The pain of the death was approaching her. That coldness creeping through her bones and she was scared. A 22 year old girl, facing death in a heroic way, the headlines said. But do anybody know the pain to leave the world with unfulfilled dreams and goals.


    The final tears along with her final breath, alone in the operating room surrounded by the doctors, nothing felt more painful ever. Born alone and dying alone. The sight blurred and blanked out and the while light crept inside her eyes. She felt her body going numb and the pain in her chest lowering. She felt nothing in the end. Tears kept flowing down her side to the side of her ears. Then the machine gave a long beep with zero heart rate graph on its dispaly. The end. That was an end to the earthly life. An unbelievable end to the life she so much wanted to live.


    Allen informed everyone in their neighbourhood and everybody prayed for Lily''s return. But it was not helpful.


    Rivera and Milan was shocked to know about the news. Aenon was motionless when he saw the lights going out in the operation theater in the middle of the surgeries. He knew her life had ended. Rivera cried her heart out.


    "Aenon bring her back, bring her back please," she kept telling her husband, afraid that they will never get to see Aqua in their life again.


    "Mom mom, please," Milan did not know how to console her family and started breaking down. She felt like a loser thinking about her friends Aizen and Fariya who were the people who gave this life. Aenon saw the crystals lifting up form his mortal daughter''s body and disappeared. "Give me my daughter back, please find a way," Rivera kept saying crying harder than ever. But Aenon was in deep thoughts.


    The body was brought out of the operation theatre by the doctors and handed over to the cops. Aenon begged the authorities to not perform autopsy since it is evident that it is murder with CCTV proofs and so many witnesses. The police promised to buy the highest penalty for the criminal. Aenon took a look at the child and stood shocked at ward. The 3 year old child. The reincarnation of his unborn grandchild who died along with Aqua and Huo during the battle. Aenon had tears in her eyes. He informed Milan and Rivera about and why the crystals in Lily''s body would have would have made her save the child. The unconscious maternal instinct. Rivera spent sometime with the child and left the ward. They decided to bury Lily next to her parents. They held the funeral at home and did the burial alone on their own without taking anybody with them. Aiden had come to join then getting the heartbreaking news from Aenon. Aiden helped them unseal their powers to take them back to Water Realm since there no meaning anymore to stay more on earth.


    And they returned back almost immediately taking care of their identities as well as the criminal.  Aiden took his limbs away and put him right in front of a police station for him to get arrested and spend the rest of the life in prison.


    Aenon took the throne back soon after the reached home but Rivera stayed inside room and refused to spend time with anyone except with who was Milan taking care of her mother. And suddenly Aenon felt something inside his body. When he controlled the weather and drove the clouds away, he noticed something shining bright at the sky that has been dead for long. The constellation of Aquarius. Aenon''s heart grew excited and he let his wife and daughter know about. "She is returning, Aqua is coming back," he told them.

 Chapter 98: Back to Present

    Aqua had already looked into his past while she was absent when she returned back from the Castle waiting at the river banks. The only reason she wanted to accept him was because she believed that he would have found out the truth himself and wait for her return. But that was not the case. He chose to live with ignorance instead and won the throne just to have power. Aqua couldn''t believe that he and Tai had great cooperation between them in the recent years. But she was still ignorant to the factors that related to her home, getting help from the Demon King personally.


    Aqua rushed back home. She washed her face and covered up everything to not let anybody know what she has been doing. But she ended right in front of a person she did not want to.


    "Aiden," she called him. "What are you doing around my palace?" She asked him.


    "I wanted to see if everything is fine around here," he replied her.


    "Why?"


    "I increased our security and have tripled the guards in the palace, we are trying to keep you safe as possible, don''t even think of wandering around again and make our efforts go in vain," he warned her. He was aware that she had left the palace and is coming back from the trip. And he was also aware of the fact that the person she visited is none other than the Demon King Huo. But her return did not prove that she left the castle in the mind to go back again there, and it made Aiden feel well and good.


    "I give you my word, I won''t do anything and get into trouble, I want to live and want to show the universe what am capable of," she said, feeling strong and determined. Aiden could sense the meaning behind her words and he smiled at her.


    "Alright, you better keep your word then," he said. He handed her a small pouch.


    "What is it?" She asked him getting them from him.


    "A tiny weapon that will be useful to you, especially for sneak attack. They are tiny pins, one thrown at the right place is enough to kill a person without injuries, " he gave her information.


    "Am not thirsty to kill anybody right now but I will keep them and put them into good use when necessary," she said and  decided carry it everyday along with her sword and dagger.


    Aiden bid farewell with Aqua and stood watching her disappearing into her chamber. He could see that she is hurt mentally and wondered about what could have happened between her and the Demon King.


    Aqua took off her clothes and sat on her bed wearing only the petticoat. She then let out her emotions. The memories she unlocked from his body flashed before her eyes. The way Volca had tried to put him in bed. If not for her crystals in the body, he would have already finished everything with Volca and even given her a child. The thought disgusted Aqua and she cried her heart out as all the memories unravelled. The way he hated her, believing Volca''s words and how he failed to respect her father''s emotions. She couldn''t just forgive him thinking of any of it. "How could you choose to not search for me, think of me? How could you stop loving me in the name of losing your consciousness taken over by the crystals.  It shows how much you do not care about me anymore and want to get rid of me," she misunderstood him the big time. "We are so over Huo, we are, you are so done, " she said wiping her tears off and trying to not sob.


    Milan saw it and did not dare enough to interrupt her sister. She instead let it be and continued with her work.


    Aqua did not step out of the chamber for the next two days, shutting herself out to move on from her love. She decided to never meet him again, to not care about him, to not love him and to never be there for him. She taught herself that.


    Her family respected her privacy and did not go to her side for the two whole days. But on the morning of day 3, her mother interrupted her seclusion.


    "Enough Aqua, that''s enough," Queen Rivera said.


    "What? Mother," Aqua asked back.


    "Do not forget that you are a princess and that you can escape being that, we will never let you choose anybody as you will, you will listen to us regarding such a matter from now on," Queen Rivera informed her. "Now you know love is dangerous and means nothing to the Demons," she pointed out. Since Rivera understood the fact that Aqua had known about Huo''er''s past during her absence, Rivera did not hesitate to discuss about it with her daughter. "We were very disappointed and hurt seeing how Huo behaved to all of us and how he disrespected you, walking around with that Demoness. The rumours had no boundaries. We just chose not to believe it as we could, " she said angrily. "I don''t want my daughter to be with such a kind of man anymore, and yes finally I can say rightfully, since you know it yourself now and since there is no more a heart left within him but turned himself to a true Demon forgetting his master''s teachings, how unfilial and disappointing!" Queen Rivera said with disgust. Aqua felt terribly upset and but she couldn''t help but remain silent. She hated to hear such things from others, slandering him, but she let it be and tired her best to move on from things that are ruining her.


    "Remember, we will always be here for you, we live for you, we have been through a lot on this journey, along with you, you must remember all of this," Queen Rivera said again, reminding Aqua, asking her to be faithful to them and left her chamber. She ordered the maids to help Aqua take a shower, and serve her with fresh hot meals.


    King Aenon was waiting for her in the court room with Master Bo Hai next to him, to train her from level 1 since Aqua had new bodily changes in her. Aiden send the guards to pass on the message to Aqua asking her to hurry to the court and he left to meet his parents.


    Aqua hurried the moment she heard about the news. She entered the court wearing a lavender and white hanfu with the crown in her head and bowed at her shifu.


    "Pardon me," she apologized for being late.


    "No problem Princess Aqua," Shifu said getting up from the chair. "How is your health now?" He asked her.


    "Am fine, not entirely but not sick so far, I need to restore my levels of cultivation, " she said unaware that there is no need for it anymore. "Please help me with that shifu, I really really want to, as soon as it is possible the better it would make me feel, I cannot lag anymore," she said. Master Bo Hai smiled.


    "Calm down, and let''s take one step at a time, but we will have to travel a little," he said to her.


    "I would not mind that, if pa is okay with it," she looked at her father for permission.


    "I am only happy to see you getting back on your feet, I want to see nothing more than you being yourself," King Aenon said and gave his permission.


    "When do we leave?" She asked getting excited.


    "It is not easy as you see it is," Shifu told the King and the Princess. "You see, first I have to study your condition a little bit more, their find methods and techniques that will not harm your core and the crystals. Then I have to see the maximum level you will be able to unlock in that technique and study about the exhaustion rate of the technique we will choose for you, Only after confirming with the health status of yours and the cultivation you will practice, will I grant you permission to join me in  my journey to different places and teach you, taking all the potential out and out them in your hand," Master Bo Hai explained everything to King Aenon and Princess Aqua thoroughly.


    "That means it will take a lot of time,"


    "In the meanwhile, we will continue with lower levels of cultivation and practices together," he informed his plan.


    "Together you mean?" Water King asked Master Bo Hai.  But shifu ignored the question knowing the reaction about to come well and good. He did not want to stir troubles and have Aqua fail in regaining her strength for some unnecessary egoes.


    "Aqua, come meet me tomorrow at the foot of East Mount Precious tomorrow morning. I will wait for you there, but not too long, remember punctuality means everything, " Master Bo Hai said to Aqua and took his leave. She watched him disappear and looked at King Aenon who looked very hopeful about his daughter.


    "I will not disappoint you father," she promised and walke back to her palace letting the King carry on with his work. She walked with her heads held high up. "I will show you who I am," she said and smirked, feeling determined to defeat somebody.

 Chapter 99: 1 2 3 and it begins

    "SHIFFUUUUUUUUUUU," Aqua screamed her lungs out looking at the person who was standing in front of her. "SHIFUUUUUUU,"


    "What? What is it? What happened? Is everything alright?" Shifu panicked and ran towards Aqua, wondering. He was taking a nap.


    "What the heck is going on?" She asked her master looking at the guy who stood smiling at her, with his eyes full if mischief.


    "Oh him, I thought something happened?" Shifu said feeling relieved.


    "Kick him out of here," she ordered shifu.


    "What?" Shifu asked her.


    "What is wrong with you?" The guy asked her.


    "You, you leave now," Aqua said fuming with anger.


    "Why would I? You leave," he said back. Shifu watched the two bickering at each other and he got fed up.


    "Shut it," he said out loud. But they did not mind him, arguing with each other. "I said shut up," he shouted loud. Aqua jumped and stopped her conversation with her enemy. "I am the master here, who gave you permission to come to my place and fight at each other?"


    Aqua looked away.


    "I think we should stop," the man whispered in Aqua''s ear and she looked at him with her bloodshot eyes.


    "Why? Do I have to release special instructions for you to keep your mouth close here Huo?" Shifu raised his voice again.


    "Pardon me shifu," Huo said and bowed.


    "You two, forget who you are. Nobody is a princess or a king here. You are nothing but two cultivation level zero students in my school under training. You get it ?"


    "Yes master," Aqua and Huo said at the same voice.


    "Forget all the worldly, pleasure, surrender your weapons, and be a commoner. Your identity won''t be the same anymore. Walk down to the village on the foothills and find everything you will need to live with, here, find clothes and ingredients for your meal, do not make use of your power. Seal them," he instructed the two. Aqua and Huo stood there waiting for more.  "What?"


    "What?" Huo asked back.


    "Leave," Shifu said.


    "Wait now?" Huo asked. He was pretending to be a little stupid. Aqua took off before shifu screamed at them.


    "No next season," Shifu rolled his eyes and walked back to his hut. "Reincarnation brought back only the person leaving the brain behind," he said and disappeared.


    Huo walked slowly behind Aqua. She looked upset about seeing him. He was not hoping for that. He cut two small branches of a tree and shaped the end. To use for trekking down the hill and to use a weapon since they had surrendered their swords already. He handed one to her, but she refused them.


    Aqua kept walking forward and slipped suddenly. She sat down and was embarrassed. The slopes were getting dangerous. She bruised her palms. "Damn it," she muttered under her breath.


    Huo controlled his laughter even though he worried ar first. And he handed the stick again. She grabbed them from him and used it well for the further journey. Hours passed. Aqua saw all kinds of plants as insects while the passed through several woods. She couldn''t imagine climbing back up the mountains, walking all the way up. It frustrated her. Miles and miles of journey. She was sure that they wouldn''t complete the task in a day. They both were tired but not saying it out to keep their pride. But in the end Huo gave in.


    "Am tried, I can''t anymore, " he said. They had almost reached the foothills. "Let''s rest for sometime, "


    "Okay," she said since she has been waiting for the moment for long.


    Aqua sat on top of a tiny rock and looked around her. It was beginning to get dark.  "How are you?" He asked her. She did not care to reply. "Am asking you,"


    "Not fine can''t you see?" She said not even caring to look at his face.


    "Why?" He asked her.


    "As if you don''t know,"


    "No I don''t," he said.


    "You, you''re the reason am not good today," she said arrogantly. Huo opened his mouth but shut them soon. He took a deep breath and smiled at her.


    "Okay then you will never be happy from today on, let it be," he said and got up. The wind was getting colder and colder. He felt glad to have chosen to wear one of the amazingly handcrafted handful with fur. But Aqua was only wearing a simple travelling outfit that had neither coats nor furs. He could see her skin turning pink as the wind touched her. He was sure that she wouldn''t accept them. She sat still, wrapping her arms around her. ''Shifu, this is too much,'' she said inside her head. Suddenly she felt something falling over her shoulders. She lifted her head to see him fastening his cloak over her shoulders. It felt warm instantly and she liked it. But she got up and scowled at him.


    "We better leave before the night falls," he said rubbing his hands together. The mist began to cover their paths but luckily on time they stepped out of the woods. Aqua was relieved. The sky turned purple from orange after the sunset. They walked slowly and found houses on their way and few settlers.


    "Hey," Aqua walked toward an old lady who was sitting in front of her bamboo house.


    "Yes my dear," the old lady answered back.


    "Do we have any inns or motels around ti spend the night, am on business here,"


    "You have come a little late my dear, the rooms must have been booked already, and yes yes there are inns available," she said looking at Huo weirdly. "Who is this man?" She asked in between.


    "Am her husband, " Huo joked trying to tease Aqua.


    "What?" Aqua said and looked at him. He winked at her and laughed.


    "Young couples, sure have fire between you, enjoy the night my dears, walk a mile and you will come across the inn on the right side of the path. It is our village town, do walk a little further," old lady advised them and wished them luck.


    "Thank you so much aunt," Aqua thanked the lady and left the place walking forward.


    "You enjoyed the title I said  to the grandma I guess, " he teased again trying to get her talk to him, to break the silence.


    "Husband my foot," she said feeling disgusted.


    "You did not deny it," he said.


    "Because getting to know about the inn was important than taking part in your child''s play," she made her point clear.


    "To spend the night with me, yes I get it, that''s more important, " he counter attacked her raising his brows, waiting for her reaction. But instead she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and continued walking forward, not caring to reply him understanding his intentions well.


    It was night already by the time they reach the town. Like the lady said, there was an in on the right side of the path, first small building named as ''forever yours''. The name sounded tacky and cheesy.


    "What a name! Wow!" Huo said and walked in. Aqua rolled her eyes and knocked the door. ''Why would an inn keep the doors closed,'' She wondered.


    When knocked on the door, a man opened them showed the sign board that they are closed.


    "Hey, am travelling with a lady, we really need the room for a night here," Huo made the request.


    "We are full sir, please leave," the man said. ''He must be lying,'' huo thought. ''Surely there is nobody to stay much here, it is not even a popular village that gets traders,'' he tried calculating the possibilities, not knowing the fact that the place is more like a brothel for travellers and that there is another inn but on the other end of the town. The old lady was ignorant about the fact.


    Huo kept irritating the inn owner holding on to the door tightly, keeping then open. A lady dressed up and with a lot of make up on her face appeared in front of Huo.


    "New customer?" She asked the owner. Aqua looked at Huo who immediately looked at her. She raised her brows asking him what to do. And he shrugged conveying her the message how they do not have any other option.


    "Just tonight," Huo said. "Do us a favour please," he kindly kept requesting the owner.


    "They look like a family, it is fine, just a night, we won''t lose anything, give them that small room,"  the lady suggested and walked into the place.


    "Fine," the man said and opened both the doors, welcoming Aqua and Huo inside the inn. It looked spacious and noticed lots of door in the hall and staircase that goes upstairs. The bamboo work looked elegant and the antique products kept as a part of decoration. Aqua shook her head as she got in. She couldn''t believe people had the guts to run a brothel in heaven. It is punishable offense and they people seemed to have taken the law lightly. She couldn''t let the matter slip and kept thinking about a way to write to her father. But worried that due to the history of the people in the inn the punishment might even extend upto execution. The lady in color pink and yellow hanfu and rose lips came back again carrying a tray full of food.


    "Settle down, and have the dinner," she said. Huo looked at Aqua who sat down instantly. He understood that she is hungry. The beef noodles and vegetable soup tasted good for the hunger. The lady also poured them some wine and blew a kiss to Huo with her hand, accidentally hitting her chest on his shoulders while leaning down serving wine. He moved away quickly and looked at Aqua to show that it is not his mistake. Aqua wanted to laugh out loud but controlled her emotions. Aqua finished her food quickly and wiped her mouth with the towel, standing up. Huo did not feel satisfactory and stopped eating in the middle completing his drink instead. Aqua poured him her drink also in his glass and watched  him finish it for her. The man came towards them and akse them to sign the registry. Aqua and Huo have a fake signature with wiring names and asked the direction for the rooms.


    "Climb upstairs, there''s one room in the end of the hallway, to the left side.


    "One room?" Huo and Aqua asked in chorus.


    "Yes,"


    "We need two," Aqua demanded.


    "Nonsense, no, then get out," the man spoke very rudely.


    "Hey hey relax, see we are travelling together but we are not," Huo paused looking Aqua.


    "Married?" The lady asked. "That''s fine. Why don''t you come spend the night in my room, an free tonight," she said blushing.


    "Thank you, " Aqua said and took the stair with Huo behind her.


    "No thank you, we will adjust in one room," Huo said and left with her.


    "The night is tender, show her your best, she looks like a virgin, " the lady wished Huo. Aqua got worked up listening to all the bullshit. She returned back but Huo pushed her to walk forward.  They walked through the tiny hall way and heard people making noises during their climax. And one room, the door was even left open. The man on top of the lady seemed to be having the best time of his life. Aqua covered her eyes instantly and Huo helped her cover her ears. They both felt awkward and left with no option to avoid spending a cold night on the road side, freezing to death since both are not allowed to use the powers. Huo opened the door to their room and found how cramped it was. A shelf on the wall and bed folded and kept on the floor below it. Room had hardly three arm distance from one wall to another. And it also had a window that opened to the main road.


    Aqua took a deep breath and opened the window letting the wind in to avoid suffocation.

 Chapter 100: Duty and Detention.

    "We need two," Aqua demanded.


    "Nonsense, no, then get out," the man spoke very rudely.


    "Hey hey relax, see we are travelling together but we are not," Huo paused looking Aqua.


    "Married?" The lady asked. "That''s fine. Why don''t you come spend the night in my room, an free tonight," she said blushing.


    "Thank you, " Aqua said and took the stair with Huo behind her.


    "No thank you, we will adjust in one room," Huo said and left with her.


    "The night is tender, show her your best, she looks like a virgin, " the lady wished Huo. Huo glanced at Aqua and felt his ears burning. He tried not smile. Aqua got worked up listening to all the bullshit. She returned back but Huo pushed her to walk forward, keeping his hands on her either side of the shoulders. They walked through the tiny hall way and heard people making noises during their climax. And one room, the door was even left open. The man on top of the lady seemed to be having the best time of his life. Aqua covered her eyes instantly and Huo helped her cover her ears. They both felt awkward and was left with no option to avoid spending a cold night on the road side, freezing to death since both are not allowed to use the powers. Huo opened the door to their room and found how cramped it was. A shelf on the wall and bed folded and kept on the floor below it. Room had hardly three arm distance from one wall to another. And it also had a window that opened to the main road.


    Aqua took a deep breath and opened the window letting the wind in to avoid suffocation. Then they settled down in the floor, sitting opposite to each other. Huo glanced at from time to time, but she never looked at him.


    "You better keep distance and sit there all night," she warned him. They had locked the door and the making out sound by the people did reduce as a result.


    "As if I would lose my control, " he said proudly, smirking. They remained silent. "I thought brothels are banned in heaven," he said.


    "They are, they are breaking the rules,  they could even get executed once this is found out," she said worried.


    "Do the duty as a princess of the Water Realm," he reminded her and stopped advising her trying to out her at ease. She nodded and close her eyes.


    She looked tired and leaned her head on the wall trying to fall asleep. Huo spread the bed trying to not make noise and wake her up. When he made sure that she is completely asleep from exhaustion, he slowly moved towards her and took her. Then he laid her down slowly and covered her with his cloak she had on her. Then he lay next to her supporting his head with his hand and watched her sleeping. She had slight dark circles under eyes and he couldn''t understand why she has them, and why she is not properly sleeping.


    He looked at her lying next to her for a really long time and drifted off to sleep himself. He remembered to keep the distance though, to not get on her nerves. The moon was shining bright outside but it definitely was not a clear sky, clouded, hiding the stars and the constellations behind. The cold winds never paused keeping the room chilled. Huo unable to use powers and control his body temperature shivered a little. And they spent the night in a strange place together.


    When Aqua woke up in the morning, she did not find Huo. She panicked a little, wondering where he could have gone leaving her in the brothel alone. ''Damn you,'' she thought and checked herself. She was well dressed and  nothing had happened to her. She felt relieved and got up. She rolled the bed and kept them back on its place. She remembered to close the windows and got out of the room. She made sure that they left nothing inside the room and walked downstairs to he surprised. The lady came for Aqua and requested her to sit down for a grand breakfast. Aqua was not happy about it.


    "My lady, we wish to serve you with some authentic food, please accept it," she said. She was not wearing the heavy make up nor clothes. Instead she had chosen to wear a simple dull cotton hanfu and had plaited her hair. She was bare faced and she looked nothing like she did the previous night. Aqua smiled. She could sense something going on around her. She then remembered. ''Ofocurse, my ring gave me away,'' she thought. The ring children of every royal family in heaven wear.


    The owner of the brothel who refused to give them shelter walked towards her carrying many dishes. From soup, porridge, rice and curry, variety side dishes ranging from egg, meat and fish to pickles, fried food, water and wine. Aqua was shocked. She had no idea how to carry on with the issue. She was sure that they had identified the royalty and is being sycophants, trying to suck up to her. It only made feel Aqua strongly take actions against them, for developing the idea of corrupting a ruler or a civilian by bribing them.


    Aqua yet did not reject the food, gladly accepting them all, to show them doing service to her would mean nothing if they have committed the sin. She started enjoying the food but Huo still was nowhere to be seen nor heard. ''Where did he disappear into?'' She wondered as she chose meat for bread. ''Wait, could it be that he has returned back to the moutian?'' She thought. "No way, that''s cruel of him if he has done that, moron,'' she cursed based on her assumptions. ''Ha, wait for it I will show you what life is when I get you alone," she muttered


    "We are alone here, what is that you want to show me?" He heard her.


    "Nothing, " she replied. She had no interest in narrating a long story. The lady kept looking at the two and came back with more dishes and fruits in her hand. Huo looked at her.


    "She has identified you," he said to her. Aqua kept her spoon and chopsticks down and got up.


    "Let''s leave," Aqua said. Huo stood up quickly.


    "Your hignenss please don''t leave, have the food," the lady slipped her tongue.


    "Ah so you know now," Aqua said walking around the lady. Aqua patted the lady''s shoulder. "The audacity to do this crime, I appreciate that, tell me what you want me to do,"


    "Your highness, please forgive us," The old man started crying and knelt down. The lady did the same. The other people who had occupied the rooms assembled in the room quickly and started apologising and begging for forgiveness.


    "Mercy are to those who were unaware of the rules and committed a mistake, but you," she pointed at everyone. "You wilfully built up a brothel, brought women, and attracted male customers to spend the night, and I witnessed them last day," she said pointing at woman and man she accidentally saw making out the previous night. Everybody cried loud.


    "We have sinned, we beg for your forgiveness, please your highness," the lady said.


    "You can choose, confess and get lighter sentence or I will report and further lead to investigations and execution,"


    "No highness, please, please forgive us," some were not willing to comprise while a few agreed to confess.


    "I will, I will confess," the women said and got up leaving instantly to the water palace kanda few men followed them. Aqua broke shifu''s rules and used her powers. She put the handcuff on all of them and let the cuff lead their way to the water palace. She sent a message to her father about the situation and left the house. She got out and shut the place down. The villagers gathered around them.


    Aqua scolded the people for being ignorant and for supporting the wrong.


    "If we see this again, then that could be the end for this village, remember that, righteous person is who makes the Realm remain in peace, clear as water, warm as the current, cold as the wind, pure as the mountain, do not wake the shenlong and welcome your doomsday. We will never forgive those who bring harm to other people who live in the right way, we believe in fairness and we will do justice to those who live that way,"  Aqua declared. She was sure that she will be screwed for a long time, getting punished by shifu. But she couldn''t let a serious matter go.


    Huo looked at her, realizing what a strict person she is and decided to always take care of himself. He cleared his throat trying to remind her that they are on an assigned duty and have to finish thatbefore it is too late.


    "Yes your highness, " everybody said together and bowed.


    "That''s alright, now get back to work," she asked them to carry on with their lives.  "And its done, " she said and looked at Huo on her right side. He was not to there. "Where the heck are you disappearing often?" She shouted for him to hear.


    "Am right here, god forbid," he said waving at her sitting inside a perfume shop opposite the brothel they shut down.

 Chapter 101: Punishment

    Aqua got some ready made clothes for her and a few cloaks to protect herself from the cold. She got everything she would need for living in mountains. From knife, daggers, ropes, boots, some herbs, spices, some groceries including rice, rice flour, and few other ingredients for three. Where as Huo got different things like now grade weapons, for both of them and meter of plain clothes. He also bought extra pairs of boots, gloves and cloaks, few ribbons and got a mirror. He made sure that he got two pairs of everything. Aqua changed her clothes and put on a hat with veil that covered her face.


    The sky darkened all of a sudden and thunder broke. "Something wrong?" Huo asked.


    "They must have confessed, this is a message," Aqua said and carried on with her work, trying to find some good archery. She kept reminding herself that she should save money and not spend the gold all at once. Huo did not seem worried about it, carrying lots of gold with him.


    ''Why do demons have lots of money?'' She wondered.


    Aqua took a bow and checked the strength while Huo was busy buying some wine for him and Master Bo Hai. Aqua after finishing her shopping, walked into a hotel for lunch and ordered for two non veg meals. The waiter served them couple of minutes later with rice, and side dishes of drumsticks, cooked and seasoned carrot and cabbage, grilled fish and ginseng chicken soup served along with Spinach curry, butter milk which she refused and gave Huo the extra and grilled sweet potato. Aqua enjoyed the meal. Huo was happy to see how satisfied she was with the meal. Huo ordered for two pieces fruit cakes and waited at the table to pay. Aqua split the bill and walked out of the hotel. She remembered to carry a bottle of boiled water along with her.


    They started their journey once again by noon and they were sure that they would need to camp in the mountain at night.


    It was hard, really hard to climb the mountain without their power with such heavy bags in their hands. Huo was exhausted more than Aqua with his recently healed wound aching a little. Whereas Aqua panted hard drank all the water which only made her fall tired easily.


    One day became two.


    On the second night in the woods, Huo hunted for few rabbits and grilled them. While Aqua fell asleep for sometime. She was carrying the heavier bags than Huo.


    They were silent for most times except for quarelling. Aqua couldn''t stand the site of and often tried to hurt him with her blade like words. While Huo chose to be playful so that nothing gets to his heart, understanding her frustrations, whatever way she attacks him.


    "Can you stop accusing me for things I did not commit?" He asked her in the end.


    "No," she said as she sat looking at the fire she built.


    "Why? Just why?" He asked her. "I don''t get it, why do you hate me so much all of a sudden," he was desperate to know the answer.


    "You hurt my family, you insulted the bond we shared, you chose to be ignorant, you had no feeling towards me or my child," Tha was the first she mentioned about their child ever to anyone. "you chose not to have any, you let that mad woman take over your life, she killed us but you didn''t take any action. Why?" Aqua explained everything very clearly that there was not a single answer he could reply back to.


    Huo sat there, clenching his fists as he heard her accusing him. He did feel guilty but he had no choice. And the reason he chose to be ignorant was because of the lies people attempted to feed him with.


    "I had no choice, there were things I wanted to know, and the more I tried to find it, I was fed with lies and false leads. Living without memory itself was stressful. And lies piling up was dangerous, but I could not stop,"


    "Even when my family tried to help?" She asked.


    "You will never understand that," he said and got up. Aqua turned her face away sat looking up, to not let the tears fall down her eyes. He looked at her and turned away. She refused to understand him. She touched her belly and sat there. "Forgive me," she said. And he was hurt. He stayed awake the whole night, standing as guard for their things.


    By the next early morning, they began their journey again in silence after the fight. Huo did not try to talk to her. By around noon, when the sun was on top of their heads, the two reached the moutian top where Shifu stood waiting at the entrance. He in a snap of the his finger, tied Aqua''s hands and feet taking the things away and she knelt down immediately.


    "It must have been fun to break the rule and show off being the princess. Was it?" He asked her.


    Huo who encouraged her and advised her to do the duty remained silent, carrying all the goodies into the hut. He did not care to even look at her once.


    Shifu tightened the ties around her little by little and she felt the skin tearing under the ropes "Is this what you did to them?" Shifu asked her. "Cuffing them and letting them walk towards the palace?" He asked her. "How does the cuffs feel?"


    "They were sinners who ran a brothel against the will of heavens," she talked back.


    "Did they not give you shelter, when you were in need?" He questioned her.


    "Why would I be biased? What does that make me? A favour has been returned by giving them light sentences giving a chance to confess than holding a mass execution," she said proudly. The ropes around her tightened even more.


    "You disobeyed my order to live as a commoner, remember I never go easy on anyone, you will be punished, he did well than you. Am going to keep scores, he won this round," Shifu said and turned away, vanishing into thin air. Aqua was left to kneel on the entrance. She couldn''t move a bit since both her legs and arms has been tied up.


    Hours passed, then days. She was not fed, nor left free. She was left alone often by shifu taking Huo along with him for cultivation. He only watched her and never approached her. He just let her endure the punishment. The scorching hot sunlight in the day and the coldest wind in the nights, her body withstood everything. Until the  night of the fifth day of her punishment. Aqua lost her conscious due to the pain and tiredness. She fell on the right side of the body, her head hitting the ground with a thud. The crystals needed energy.


    "You''re cruel," Huo shouted at Shifu.


    "I was waiting for her to beg for forgiveness, it appears that she is too proud, let her then," Master Bo Hai said, sipping his tea watching Aqua lie on the ground from his hut.


    Huo rushed towards her. He lifted her head from the ground where the soil had stuck to her cheek. He wiped them out instantly. The ropes disappeared. But she didn''t know about it. He then carried her in his arms, as she rested her head on his chest. "Sorry," he apologized. He put her down on the quilt inside her hut and tried to warm her frozen hands and feet.  Her knees were injured. He rubbed her hands in his and helped her change the clothes. He did not want to do anything that would make her hate him more and closed his eyes while he did it. He applied the herbal medicines on her wounds around the knees, the palms and feet, and covered her in a quilt. She looked pale and tired. He leaned forward, sitting next to her. He observed her for hours and slowly planted a kiss on her forehead since he couldn''t help it. "Someday," he whispered. "Someday, you will understand me," he whispered. He sat there watching her and let her sleep peacefully. She was angry and full of  hatred, but his heart brimmed with love for her, honestly. Shifu was keeping an eyes on them and had his dinner while Huo skipped it as usual like he did all these days, refusing to cook, agitating against his teacher. Stupid teamwork, he thought.


    The next morning, Aqua woke up and stepped out of the hut, surprised to see that she was no longer in the entrance being punished. She walked to Shifu''s hut the first thing.


    "Ah you''re fine," shifu said.


    "I am," she said nothing more.


    "Cook breakfast, get Huo for assistance," he ordered.


    "Why him? I don''t need him," she said straight. One person who doesn''t know what cooking is except making soups said proudly.


    "You will see," shifu said.


    "We will see," she said and left.


    "Remember to get the menu from Huo," shifu reminded her.


    "Menu?" She was surprised and stepped back. Shifu laughed loud. "Huh?"


    "Today we are serving food for some homeless people in the village. I will go there myself. Prepare them soon and serve them, I have to take it down the hill,"


    "What?" She was shocked. "Seriously, am I taken her for cultivation training or maid job?" She asked shifu.


    "These days he made me collect fire woods and clean around here in the name of teaching me too, while he meditated, " Huo stood in front of the hut holding more pieces of wood and supported Aqua. She thought that he has been training alone unlocking new levels of cultivation but instead it appeared that he was running errands for the master. "He is messing with us," Aqua was surprised and turned and looked at Shifu who vanished leaving a message. "Two hours starts now,"

 Chapter 102: Mission 001 Social Service

    "Shiffuuuuuuuuuuu," Aqua screamed once again. She then looked Huo who kept the fire woods down.


    "Am losing it too," he said looking at her.


    "You shut up," she said and walked away.


    "I.." He started. But ignored his speech and left his side. He caught up with her and offered to peel and chop all the vegetables and meat necessary for the dishes. They decided on making rice, dried Pullock soup, fried beef, fried okra, steamed buns and spicy rice cakes. And she had no know about making any of these. Meal for 20 people had to prepared in two hours.


    "Remember this is ti test our patience and our speed, how productive we can be on producing things in the two hours even if it is thing we have no clue about. We just have to complete the task," she told him.


    "Got it, I will prepare four hearth, one for rice, one for soup one to make side dishes. Rice can be cooked by the time we finish making the side dishes then do the soup in the end," he explained about his plan,"


    "You know how to cook?" She asked him astounded.


    "I lived with shifu all my life, I know how to prepare everything, " he said and winked at her. "Be good or am not doing anything," he utilised the chance to blackmail her.


    "Wah jinja," she said and tied up her hair, revealing her neck line. Huo for a second lost his control almost over him, staring at her. "What are you day dreaming, get to work, you goat," she scolded him.


    "Hey, am not a goat, an a dragon,"


    "My foot," she said and suppressed her laugh. "You dare to make fun of goats now,"  she said.


    "Hey am not a...," he understood her trick and shut his mouth. He cut all the onions, and cleaned the spices and washed the rice. He lighted the four hearths and put the rice in the bunked water and added salt whole she fried beef as he instructed and okra in another. After that he made the steam buns. And prepared ingredients for spicy rice cakes. Aqua heart was in her stomach, worried that her dishes might turn bad since it''s her first time. The rice was cooked and Huo prepared the dried pullock soup quickly. Fifteen minutes later, everything was ready and fire went out automatically. Aqua checked the souo to see if it was ready since she couldn''t light the fire again. Shifu appeared in front of them.


    "Pack them," he said. Aqua looked Huo having no clue to how to pack these items. He nodded his head and walked into the woods to get some leaves. He managed to search and find teak tree leaves and some banana leaves from the side of the river. He hurried back and showed Aqua how to do it. Then quickly packed the food for 20 but they couldn''t find anything to pour the soup.


    "Get ready and go down the hill to serve them," Shifu said and left.


    Aqua and Huo stood there still, swallowing their saliva hard thinking of the journey. Aqua left and changed quickly. She put on  white and pink dress and walked out dressing in a feminine way this time. Huo got swayed again and again, as he looked at her. He wished to go back to the times the spent together at school, the time of both their coronation, tines they spent at the tree hut, he was carried away by their memories together. He recalled the first time he confessed, the look in her eyes, everything came back like it happened the previous day.


    "It wasn''t like anything what you saw Aqua," he tried to explain.


    "Yeah since this wasn''t the only time," she rolled her eyes.


    "What do you mean by not the only time? When have I ever gotteb close with any female disciples in school or outside?" He took a step forward towards her.


    "You just speak well with everybody else than ditch me whenever am around you, why?"


    "Because they come and converse with me, it''s not like I was desperate. I was with you many times, but you have always turned away whenever you saw me too, why?"


    "I didnt know," she said to his face. "How could I know about your intention, you should let me know, besides am scared that I would embarrass both of us and my best friend is crazy about you,"


    "But are you not when I want you to be?" he asked her looking into her eyes. he cornered her against the against walls once again, his hand on the either side, blocking her way. She felt her heart exploding inside.


    "I," she hesitated. "Are you?"


    "I so am," he said just like that. "Isn''t this the beauty between us?, Even if we don''t speak to each other, yet we have yearning,"


    "But how can you know when you don''t say it?" she blurted out.


    "Do you want to know?" he asked her.


    "Yes," he moved his face closer closer to her as she whispered gazing into her deep black eyes that melted him instantly. He couldn''t help it. He lost his own battle.


    "You what are dreaming about again?" Aqua woke him up.


    "Nothing," he said and stood up. He smiled as she turned away.


    "Come, let''s go or we won''t reach there in time," she said walking fast. Shifu had taken his leave already. They literally ran down once again to reach on time since they know the way already, it was easy to travel. Working since dawn, but this time they did not feel tired, seeing the happiness of the people served. At sharp 1, Aqua and Huo reached the foothills. They ran towards the village and saw Shifu spending time with the elderly.


    "How does he know all of them?" Huo asked Aqua.


    "How would I know? He is you foster father, ask him yourself," she said.


    "When did you start talking back rudely?" He asked his serious doubt to her.


    "When I set my eyes on you once again," she replied coldly and walked towards the people. They were sitting under a large banyan tree in the middle of the town. Aqua and Huo served food happily and helped people fill their stomach and heart at the same time. Seeing all the grand fathers and grand mothers and even few kids, it warmed their hearts to see the smile that curved on their lips.


    Aqua wa happy, and it surprised Shifu and Hui equally. Little things made her happy.


    "Somebody was angry that I assigned work now look who is happy to have done it," Shifu mocked her before he took off. "Come back before morning tomorrow, " he said giving them some time off and left," Aqua sat down next to a little girl who kept walking behind her.


    "What is it honey?" She asked the baby girl.


    "Nothing," the girl replied. Aqua smiled and planted a kiss on her forehead.


    "Do you have gold pieces?" She asked Huo.


    "How much?"


    "A few,"


    Huo handed her 5 6 pieces of gold. And Aqua got them from him and handed the little girl. "Use this to biu good clothes and remember to feed yourself. Okay? She said to the girl. The little girl nodded her head and smiled. "Thank that uncle," Aqua said. And the girl obeyed and thanked Huo who tussles her hair. Aqua then took out her favourite postal green brooch, embellished with rubies and tiny pearls. She took one look good and gave them away to the little girl. "Don''t sell it, this brooch brings luck, be good and live well, okay?" She lied to the child to boost the confidence. The little girl nodded and left her side running away to show it off to her grand father who was looking after her.


    "These are people from the village in Tai''s grounds. Their lands were taken away by him from them. They found refuge under your father''s power and is living here now in hiding.


    "Why don''t we turn that brothel into actual inn for them to stay and run a business?" Aqua asked out of the blue when she heard about their condition.


    "That would be great to do," he said and nodded. He looked at Aqua who was watching the people who were busy talking and resting under the tree. "Wasn''t that your favourite brooch? One you just gave away?" He asked her noticing how she always carried it with her.


    Aqua smiled. "Am sure that Aiden will forgive me," she said. "It was my 100th birthday present from him,"


    "Mwooo???" Huo asked in disbelief. "He gave you that?" He got up.


    "Yes, what?" She asked.


    "Nothing," he said and took a seat next to her. "But how could you teasure that alot when you were with m..." he paused his words. He looked at her who looked  ready to hit him with whatever she had in her hands. His jealousy was evident she enjoyed it. "Don''t you know that he likes you?"


    "Yes, so what?" She asked back.


    "So what? Really? That''s like killing him," Huo said. "Acting like you don''t know the truth when you know,"


    "He is family, what should I do then? Ignore ? He is our Grand Prince and we will always work together, it is not joke," she explained to him..


    "But still," he started but was stopped soon.


    "So should I keep distance with y...." but she stopped before she said it out loud.


    "What?" He asked her to complete the Sentence.


    "Nothing," Aqua tried to drop the conversation.


    "Keep distance with such people," he said.


    "Shiro, I won''t, "


    "You should, I don''t want to see you together,"


    "Since when did you become such a pettu narrow minded person, then explain about you and Volca, you always have a soft spot for her,"  Aqua slipped her tongue. The atmosphere turned serious and Huo''er''s expression changed.


    "Did you have to stab be with your words like that? Turning every conversation to blaming me in the end," he looked hurt. He stood up and walked away. Aqua regretted and got up taking few steps to forward him. But she stopped herself from doing it.


    "No I was not wrong," she thought.  She watched him walk away. "I.."

 Chapter 103: Unintented Mission For Underwater Love

    "I cannot believe am lost," she said getting angry. After quarelling with Huo, Aqua did not think twice but started her journey to return back to the mountain top. The woods were covered with mist and Aqua had nothing but a stick, and two tiny daggers with hidden in her boots. She tried not to be scared as the she crossed dense forests, rainforests, and bushy slopes which is the habitat of some blood thirsty beasts. She was sure that Huo was not following her after pissing him off. "Damn it," she cursed shaking her head. She took a deep breath and walked forward.


    The birds chirping, echoed around her. And the howling wind passing by. The rustling sound of the leaves and the echo of a water fall in the distance. "Where am I?" She wondered. She kept walking forward and finally reached an exit. "Wow, nice place," she thought and kept walking foward. There was a waterfall, trees, huge statues guarding the places, caves. "Wait, this is Water Realm''s power resource," she said looking around. "How could I forget the way,  I should have realized soon," she said and walked past the statues that did not stop her, knowing well who she is, being the guardian of the power resource that also comes includes her powers. She walked around the place, and stood in front of the waterfall, looking at the cave behind. She was drawn towards it. She walked through the water, and touched the walls of the caves. The caves opened its formations and welcomed her in. The walked inside down the narrow path that was not lit. Aqua somehow managed to see through the very dim lights the entered the cave.


    She reached the centre. A pond on the left side with lilies and on the right side of the cave was a rock and a harp. A golden harp. She took some steps towards it settled down on the floor. She started playing the harp. The same chords she used to play for her family. Then she recalled about the times she spent in the caves alone for few years. Tears streamed down her face. Guiding him unknowingly and in the end, disappearing in his arms, before she reincarnated as a human in the human realm. He indeed was clueless. The look on his face, how he did not recognize her and how he just tried to hold her filled Aqua''s head. She stopped playing the harp and got up. She wanted to distract her thoughts. She took off her cloak but not undress. Wearing her clothes, she entered the pond to meditate for sometimes, surrounded by the beautiful and fragrant water lilies of purple, pink and white shades. She laid afloat on the surface, closing her eyes. The roof of the cave that had an opening which let the sun rays in also brought in cool breeze which helped Aqua to breathe well. Aqua relaxed but failed to feel the presence of a person in the cave.


    Huo who lost her from his sight was sure that she would have chosen to return back to the mountain alone. But he also was sure about how she would get lost since it was him who took the lead everytime showing the way. And he broke the rule when he failed to track her down. He used a talisman technique he learnt from shifu when he was young. He used magic to locate her and the spell as he was sure about it, took him to the power resource of the Water Realm. The place he found refuge to train and cultivate. Once he reached the fall crossing the statues without causing any suspicions, Huo used his powers again to enter the cave. He solved the cave''s entry formations successfully and walked down the narrow path. He has been hearing the music for a long time, played in harp. He identified them immediately recalling it from his memory. Those days he spent in the place, being trained by a spirit. He was always grateful towards her. "But she disappeared right in front of me," then it suddenly occured for him. He realized it was none other than his girl. As he reached the centre, he witness a scene once again in his life. A lady lying in the pond surrounded by the beautiful lilies of various colours and sizes. His heart skipped a beat as he set his eyes on her. Carefully without making a single noise, Huo walked towards her in the pond. That same features, ths woman and same feelings. He held her hands which woke her. She was shocked to find him standing before her. She looked at him who pulled her closer. He did not think twice and crushed his lips against her. Kissing her deep. She struggled in his arms, but he kissed her anyway, taking her lower lip. She lost balance and slipped underwater and he followed her. "I failed to recognize you," he said. "Forgive me," he apologized and kept kissing her. She stared tapping his shoulder five minutes later, unable to breath. Her palms also hurt being held by Huo tightly. She finally managed to push him away.


    "Are you crazy?" She said and hit him on his chest. She got up and walked away from the pond, drenched in water.


    "Not glad that am here with you?" He asked her. His face kept reminding her about their past together. All the kisses and nights spent together. She walked away from him but he took her hands and apparated out of the cave.


    "Did you just break the ru..." Aqua began to ask him but was stopped by shifu who stood in front of them.


    "Shifu," they both bowed.


    "Huo''er," shifu called him.


    "I will accept anything, " he said looking straight.


    "Find the Grand Prince and bring him here for me immediately," Shifu ordered.


    "Why?" Aqua asked her master, confused. Wondering if there has been any trouble faced by her father alone at the palace.


    "Why me? Send her," he said.


    "Is that how you accept things?" Shifu asked him back.


    "Anything but matters related to Aiden,"


    "You don''t trust people," shifu reminded him.


    "Yes I still dont, not a soul," he blurted out.


    Aqua nodded her head. "Yes, i shouldn''t trust people anymore either, i have had enough of the shares," she said. "I will go bring him here,"


    "You will mediate and unlock your cultivation level, Huo will find the Grand Prince tomorrow for me," Shifu said fearlessly and left the place. Huo took Aqua''s hands and he apparated back to the mountain top. The sun was about to set. Shifu was not around, but Huo took Aqua to their meditating area and settled with her, to do double training before he left. She did not reject him. They started working together and trained. For each levels they unlocked, there has been a difference in the flow of the blood felt by the two equally. The crystals charging their bodies. After meditation and traveling with the senses, Huo asked her to practice sword with her. Neither of them had perfection in the new skills they were learning. Her mixed martial art and his tai chi. Aqua was easily exhausted and stopped practicing. She collapsed down on her bed. Huo let her be and decided to leave to the Water Palace, he wanted to see what was happening in the Realm himself. Little did he know what Shifu was doing to him.


    "Aqua," Shifu came for her, standing outside the hut.


    "Yes shifu," she got up and hurried outside.


    "Nothing, " he said smiling. His arms at the back, he walked around the place with Aqua on his heels. "Are you tried?" He enquired.


    ''Not really," Aqua lied.


    "Practiced with Huo''er I see,"


    "Forgive me," she said immediately to have done it without his permission.


    "You two are the pain my ass," Shifu said openly. "Has always been like that, not a day if peace when the two are around,"


    "Then why are you determined to teach us once again, together?'' She asked him. Shifu nodded and smiled, looking at the distance.


    "Because I want you two to always be prepared for anything,"


    "What is happening in the Water Realm ?"


    "What are you talking about?" Shifu tried to change the subject.


    "Shifu," she called him and stopped walking. Shifu turned back to look at her. Her eyes turned blue and her appearance changed quickly, with water circling around her right. She had unsealed her powers. Something didn''t feel right. The way he sent Huo away asking for Aiden and shifu''s tone, his eyes, nothing felt right and it worried Aqua more. She tried to threaten her master with her kill weapon.


    "Aqua," Shifu gasped. Even though she has the mediocre cultivation it is more than enough to kill a state, with her crystals,"


    "Ohoo, are you suspecting me now?" Shifu raised his voice, hiding his fear.


    "What is going on?" She asked again.


    "You will regret this, listen to me Aqua, listen to me very carefully, " he said using his power to control hers. But it got harder and harder for shifu to tame her.


    "You will tell me now," Aqua said and gave an evil smile. "Oh yes you will,"

 Chapter 104: The Unexpected

    Huo when he took off he didn''t think twice about the situation. When he reached the palace, situation looked a bit messy. The guards walking around in hurry, securities tightened and he saw Aiden walking inside the palace gates for his luck.


    Huo confirmed his identity with the knights in the gate and entered quickly. He ran and caught up with the Grand Prince.


    "What in the universe are you doing here?" Aiden asked the Demon King the moment he spotted Huo walking towards him.


    "What else, am here for you," Huo replied. He noticed Aiden for the first time. He looked pretty elegant for a Grand Prince, with his white and blue hanfu, the signature colour of Water Realm costumes. The hairstyle, the hair length, the braid, the weapons he carried, everything was classy. His face was no exception.  ''Why the hell did he have to be another perfect male here?'' He thought inside his head as he engaged himself in a conversation with Aiden. ''Better stay away from Aqua to remain this pretty in the future or I will kneed your body like a dumpling dough,''


    "Why would you need me? What for?" Aiden asked him. "How did you even enter the palace easily? My guards are too weak," Aiden wanted to know  forgetting the fact that huo had turned his hair back to silver and people couldn''t recognize him as a demon.


    "What''s happening here? It doesn''t feel normal, the atmosphere," Huo enquired.


    "That''s none of your business, just tell me why you are here and leave," Aiden said.


    "Master Bo Hai is looking for you,"


    "Is Aqua Alright, Is she sick or did you hurt her?" Aiden started worrying.


    "Why would I hurt my wife?" He asked back.


    Aiden smirked and took several steps forward. He kept his hands on Huo''er''s shoulders and dusted the cloak, patting his shoulder along. "Watch what you say Demon, don''t forget you cut the ties yourself, gave her up and trampled on the pride of Water Realm, we forgive yes but we don''t forget," Aiden said very calmly.


    "Don''t worry, I know what to do," Huo took Aiden''s hands off him and smiled confidently. "I know what am doing, just go visit my shifu," Huo said and turned back to leave.


    "Oh and one more thing," Aiden said and made Huo stop walking. Huo waited. "We have decided to cut ties with Demon Realm now, the help we received in the form of several funds, we will pay back, but," he paused. Huo turned back again and looked at Aiden. He waited until Aiden spoke again. "We want you to destroy the proofs, without leaving a trace, or else we are done for real this time," he finished.


    "Mwo? What?" Huo asked not understanding anything Aiden said. "No why? Wae? Am asking you,"


    "Just do it," Aiden said and nodded his head once, asking him to do it urgently again with actions. "I will go meet shifu, why don''t you return to your castle and help us this once?" Aiden suggested the possible idea.


    "Why would I do that? And I do not expect any returns, I didn''t loan them and never saw it as your liability,  I need nothing back," Huo poured out what he had in his heart.


    "Is this how you trick people, no wonder people adore you," Aiden kept mocking Huo who was standing there at the top level of his toleration with The Grand Prince.


    "I have said what i want to, I want the Realm and my birth home to be safe," Huo said.


    "What are you talking about? What nonsense?" Aiden asked.


    "Ah looks like you have no idea, Water Palace is my home, born here, Water Kingdom is my birth place,"


    "Then try protecting your birth home this time if you can," Aiden said and left. "Good luck and remember to do what I said without fail, I am taking off to the mountains," he said and disappeared, apparating.


    "Damn what does he mean?" What could he have meant, what was he meaning to tell me? Why is the place also covered with unusual faces, the new guards in a different uniform. "What the hell is going on?" He kept thinking and walked towards the court to see the king. Huo entered the well lit, well decorated court. He saw many people working but not the Water King, nor his assistants. "That''s strange," Huo disguised himself as a palace knight.


    "What are these records?" Huo enquired.


    "Oh sir, we are trying to make sure that there are no faults in our taxes while presenting it to the Emperor,"


    "When should we take them?" Huo asked.


    "Soon as possible, before the deadline given next week," he said and continued with his work.


    "I don''t understand why the Emporer is eager to destroy the Water Realm and exterminate the family, We will  be ruined, what can we do without King Aenon, the crown princess is weak and is hidden away to not include her in this and not announce her return, we must protect her at any cost, she is our only hope," he went on, telling his fellow soldier.


    "What?" Huo asked. "Why an extermination?" He asked. "I don''t get it why Emporer keeps doing that,"


    "I know right," the guard looked up and asked Huo to sit next to him. "Emperor has sent the royal decree saying that he has traced corruption in King Aenon''s reign and also accused him of harbouring a beast,"


    "A beast?" Huo asked.


    "Hmm yes, we have no idea who it could be," royal guard whispered. "But someone in the family is not a water descent, " Huo grew tensed.


    "That could be a serious crime, if things regarding adoption has been hidden, but who? Could it be Aiden, he is a dilong somehow," Huo thought. He quickly got up. He wished to return back to the moutian but before that he had to clear things like Aiden said to him. Huo decided to go back to the Demon Realm, to his castle and destroy all the proofs of his trade with Water Realm and the King.


    Huo realized everything one by one. How Shifu approached him. How he asked Huo to stay with him, to stay at the moutians and cultivate with Aqua to which he gladly said yes. They went to the moutians but they hardly practiced or trained, except for completing the chores they were given. It made sense. They did need double training but not as Shifu said they should. Why would adults who know how to fight at their best levels need the training again. Aqua''s capabilities did not seem less at all but she was lied how weak she is and made her believe it, sealing her powers, not letting out her full potential the day shifu met her after years. It was all a game. The problem had always existed in the Water Realm. And they covered Aqua from it since she reincarnated years later. And sending Huo to the mountains, keeping him away from castle was for nothing but to not let him hear the news and to protect Aqua from hearing them, forcing her to spend time with Huo to make her oblivious about the happenings. Huo was hated by the Water Family but then again they had no option but depend on him again for the sake of Aqua.


    Everything made sense. But he couldn''t understand about the Beast they were raising secretly. Why would they hide Aqua and not the Beast. Could Aqua be the beast? But she is a Goddess who was even approached directly and blessed by Shenlong itself. But she is the one being protected. How could she have crystals if she is the beast, but then again, she was the only one who cured the beast prince.


    Huo burned his head thinking and thinking, again and again, trying to draw a conclusion. Some clues were missing while some fit perfectly. "How did everything unravelled like this? Why such a mess suddenly?" For that he had no answer. He couldn''t find one. He wanted to know where the Water Royals had gone, since he did not find any except Aiden who was supervising over matters. "Would he get executed too?"


    Huo hurried back to the Demon Realm. He wanted to finish the duty soon and get back to moutians before Aqua would find things suspicious. He wanted to keep the trust King Aenon has kept on him, protecting his daughter at any cost, a dragon or a beast, to Huo nothing mattered except her, his beloved. The Demon King''s Beloved.


    Huo entered the castle and saw general Hawk running towards him. "How come you''re back already?" He asked.


    "We have some immediate work to complete. Just the two of us, don''t let another soul know about it," Huo said and walked into his study. Huo looked through the files, parchments and certain other documents. He found several treaties, and he found the gold transaction he did in the form of donation for getting the water treaty with the Water Realm. He took all of them, the proofs only he kept, and he snapped his finger. The blue flames, engulfed and  burned the paper in a minute without leaving ashes or any remains, vanishing into thin air.


    "Why did you do that?" General Hawk asked. But Huo did not reply.


    Huo closed his eyes and navigated his mind, to hypnotise all the people in the castle.


    "We don''t know anything about Water King and Water Realm, he refused to cooperate with us under the orders of Celestial King Tai," he said to everyone and erased the memory of all the inmates regarding the Water Realm including General  Hawk.


    Huo opened his eyes. "Am leaving, I won''t be back for few more days, let things go as it is, keep an eye on Volca and sent me news if there is anything urgent," Huo said and apparated.


    "But you hair," General Hawk said. But none of the Demons had noticed it on his way to the chamber.

 Chapter 105: Confusions and Keeping her in the Dark

    Aqua unsealed her powers her power. "Say it," she said to shifu.


    "Say what? Are you deff?" Shifu shouted at her. "Stupid, fool, stop messing around and train yourself to get back on your feet, " he said, disrespecting her a lot. "Get a hold of yourself first, and learn to live properly," She did not like it. She did not like the way he spoke down to her. To a person who is more powerful than him.


    "Watch what you say," she reminded him. "You know looking down on me won''t always work with me, if you want respect don''t forget to give them back, I have tolerated enough of your mood swings and temperament, but I won''t always, " she warned him.


    "Growing smart are you? How dare you talk back to your master?"


    Aqua extended her arms and summoned her crystal sword. It woke and flew right into her hands instantly. Shifu''s eyes grew wide.


    "How dare you?" He said and drew out his magical elephant tusk silver sword.  Aqua made the first move and they started fight. A total chaos for few minutes. Aqua attacked well which made shifu only defend and not fight back. He tried blocking her but that was all he could do. He failed tremendously to his surprise. He was never of Aqua''s potential until he fought with her. Master Bo Hai panted hard. ''Why is she strangely powerful,'' he wondered. ''Why is she feared by Emperor? Could it be that she cannot be defeated? No way, but why?'' He started sweating.


    "Why are you weak?" She asked her master, keeping her sword at the neck. "I was expecting a much stronger duel from you," she mocked him. "Come on shifu," withdrawing her sword and but it back on the sheath. She bowed. "How am I? Am I not good enough to stand on my feet?" She asked him back.


    "When did you?" Shifu cleared his throat. "When did you train?"


    "No, I never trained, I always had this in me, did you forget you seal me the day you met me again ? And also I never let out my potential in front of you, when at school, you know it well, but didn''t expect this much did you, am pretty powerful shifu, I trained everyday since I was few years old," she said and smiled proudly.


    "You rascal, fighting with your own master?" She heard a familiar voice.


    "Aiden," she said and turned to face him. "I was wating for you, " she said.


    "Are you the one who summoned me?" He asked her.


    "No, he did," she said pointing at Master Bo Hai who looked troubled.


    Aiden bowed and paid his respects. "How are you doing?" He asked.


    "Pretty good, except dealing with two whining teenagers," he said eyeing Aqua.


    Aqua imitated his expression and made fun if him. Aiden bursted out laughing and so did Aqua. Master Bo hai rubbed his forehead and let the two stand laughing.


    "Ok back to the matter, why did you want me here?" Aiden asked as he stopped laughing.


    "Nothing much, I was wondering if I should accept your request or not,"


    "Really?" Aiden got excited.


    "What request?" Aqua asked them not able to catch up with the two men.


    "Hush, elders are speaking," shifu said. "Grand Prince, come with me," Shifu said and walked into his hut. Aqua walked behind them. But shifu slammed the door at her face and out a charm for her to not enter or hear anything. She waited outside for a long time eavesdropping.


    "What are you trying to listen to?" Somebody asked her.


    "They are having a serious conversation, I want to know," she replied without looking at who it is standing next to her.


    "I see," he said. It then occured to her. A similar scent caught her. Her eyes grew wide for being caught red handed. She quickly turned her head only to be surprises. His face only half and inch away from her. She brushed her lips against his who stood just like her, hands on his knees and looking at her, enjoying it. She flushed red. Her heart skipped a beat, just like his that went crazy inside. He wished to hold onto her. He wished to take her lips in lips. He wished he could give her a hug. But instead, they locked their eyes for a moment, and felt her uneven troubled breathe, then he was pushed away, as he expected it.


    "You what are you doing?" She asked hin all shocked. But more than that, she was embarrassed.


    He laughed loud. "Hey, you are the one who harassed me," she said. "You kissed me without my permission, you touched my face without my consent, you molested me," he accused her. He wanted to laugh out loud but played with her. His heart broke inside to think that her family is grave danger while he put on a happy face in front her. He couldn''t imagine a time when she would find the truth. He wasn''t sure how she would react and how he would handle her. He wanted to keep the trust her parents had on her. He took a deep breath.


    "Shut up and get lost,"  she said and stood folding her arms against her chest. "Oh right, did you see my mother and father or even Milan except Aiden?"


    "No," he simply said the truth.


    "What?" She was surprised. "You couldn''t even care to visit them?" She asked.


    "I didn''t have the time, I went there, I was about to enter the gate but saw Aiden there itself, passed the information and returned back.


    "Don''t say anything, " she said.


    "Why would I visit them," he asked.


    "Because they are your.." she paused immediately. ''What the hell was I going to say, shut it Aqua,'' she warned herself and stopped talking. "Shut up I said," after sometime she broke the silence herself. "Shifu said he is considering about something Aiden asked him, I can''t understand about it,"


    "Let them deal with something," Huo said and dragged her away. "Are you not hungry? let''s have our food,"


    He took her to the kitchen area they had set up behind their accommodations and opened the vessels. There were only a little rice left and chicken soup. Huo looked at Aqua. "An jit hungry, why don''t you have them," he pretended and served the rice and soup in the bowl. He then took out some pickles and poured a glass of water and made her sit to have the food.


    "Have some," she suggested. But he refused to. But she spilt the chicken and gave him some. He was glad that she had the heart to share it and accepted them.


    "Thank you," he said. But he was worried, his heart trembling, unable to break the news to her. She would flip put and he was sure of it once she comes to know the news and once she comes to know that Huo hid it from her. "Othokke?" He kept thinking. "What should I do?"


    "What? Eat it," she said looking at his strange expression. Little did she know the heart of the man sitting in front of her, trying to keep him at the distance refusing to accept her own feelings.


    "Have you thought about your potential before Aqua? The powers you possess, you limitless capabilities? Have you wondered about it?" He asked her slowly. Huo tried to test her.


    "Yes and No, yes because I have wondered about why I had to have this special power within me of all the descendants, and No because sometimes the duties assigned to me only because I have this power and not my potential hurts me, so I don''t think about it nor see myself as somebody with unique abilities. It could be lethal, the Crystals. If it is used and tamed poorly, it will result in a disaster," she went on. "Do you..." she wanted to ask him something.  "Did it hu..." she hesitated alot.


    "What is it?" He asked.


    "Do you know how to control the crystals in you?" She asked him finally.


    "Not much," he looked away recalling the bitter moments in the beginning. "I used to be in terrible pain when I reincarnated, my blood weird, body did not adjust to it, wounds did not heal easily, and physical pain was unbearable, especially the pain here," he said keeping his hands on his heart. Volca kept feeding me with love elixirs along with my other medications and didn''t relaize them at first. The hormones and blood would act up and she would approach me, but every single time my heart would ache, and it would feel like am dying," he said and looked at with tears in his eyes that he suppressed opening up a little to her. Aqua sat motionless but she asked him to stop talking.


    "Leave it, learn to control them," she said and stopped. Aqua did get to know the truth behind, but she still felt betrayed because of how he is keeping her close, in his castle. She did not feel comfortable with that. And the memories kept coming back to her, that she unlocked from him. She finished her lunch quickly and washed the pots and vessels. She fished the job but Aiden had already taken off. She was shocked to know that he left without seeing her which made feel even more suspicious. ''Why would he leave without bidding farewell with me?'' She went looking for shifu, opened the door of his hut without his permission and she saw something she was least expecting there. She gasped.

 Chapter 106: Devilish King of the Heaven

    Tai sat on the throne, feeling pretty excited. "You won''t be able to untie the knots easily this time Aenon. You won''t be able to escape from the cobwebs of tarantula you have well into. I will make sure this ends here, with no heir apparent left on surface," Tai said with an evil smile, playing with a glass ball in his hands.


    "Why?" Empress walked into the room. "What did they do to you for you to kill them," Empress Lihua was angry and her eyes red, on the verge of tears thinking about her best friend Rivera.


    "Every one must know their places and never try to get on top of the hierarchy, why is Aenon so powerful and popular than he should be, what does that make me?"


    "A lousy culture less backstabbing King," Lihua spit the word. Tai walked towards her and slapped right across her face but at the same time, Empress got hold of his neck, tightening her grip, don''t forget that you live under my mercy," she threatened him. "One word and you will forever be doomed, " she said and walked away.


    "And that would be your ultimate end," Tai called out. "Remember that well, Lihua, remember, " he said. He was fuming with anger and wanted to kill Lihua on spot, but he cannot, no matter how hard he tried, in the end, his life depends on her, he is at her mercy, the fake phoenix core constantly needing the support of a dragon''s heat and fire.


    King Aenon was rising into popularity among the leaders, ministers, civilian and among the beasts and ghosts. Aenon was praised for his good rule in the Water Realm and surviving the blockade and strict rules Tai imposed on the Water Kingdom. He overcome all of it, and had also maintained good cooperation with the Demon Realm signing various treaties but Tai decided to take a step back and pretend to not know about any deals made originally made under his supervision. The proofs were with him and the demons. Tai destroyed all the proofs and began to accuse Water Realm for disobeying Celestial Decrees and sign secret pacts with the Demon, calling him a traitor and declaring that he has committed treason. And at the right time, Emperor Tai got a tip about Aenon''s one of the family members not being a true shenlong, which adds on to the crime of harbouring a life illegally without adoption certificates and legal notices and registration, leading to fake documentation of the family. Tai was on cloud nine when he learned about. An exceptional news and a perfect chance for to capture the family and remove then from his life forever. He hated seeing Aenon getting all the praises while hatred was the only thing Tai got for himself from his wife, then the maids and guards, to misters and gods in the universe. He was well aware of how people hated him and wish to see him off the throne. And seeing Aenon being liked by the masses was nothing but a great threat to Emperor Tai. "How can I let my family''s pride down, we struggled and killed the heirs, king, wioed out the whole clan and killed thousands guaurd of Phoenixs to get the throne that night, and I will  not be the one to lose it. My father took it with all the blame and pain, and I am not willing to give up just like that, this is mine, mine own," he said as he sat drinking in the pavilion behind the chamber. He asked the maids to serve and change his mood. He walked to the bath chamber and asked the maids to undress quickly and massage his body. He laid watching the nakedness and enjoying his view. Then the maids joined him in the bath, and had enough fun with him, to benefit gold coins and free treasures. The world be disgusted to see such a heavenly king and gods put him in the underworld for sure, he was well aware of it, but his perverted mind wanted to keep doing it and made him sin a lot more than he


    The spies reported to Tai about the absence of King Aenon and Family at this crucial period. He was reported about Aenon taking in charge of the Water Realm''s affairs temporarily.


    "Have you gone in hiding already my friend?". Tai laughed loud. "Here," Tai handed a set of parchments to his general. "Leak them," he ordered. The fake documents of Weapon seeking treaty with Demons under Water Realm''s names. He sent them to different realms and royal families, to see the face of Aenon, to see Aenon disrespected and losing his face,"


    Couple of hours later, he asked the general to sent a message to Star Kingdom, requesting them to enquire about the situation constellation of Aquarius. He wanted to know about the rumour, whether it is true or false, Aqua''s return. He had yet to know about it. "Make sure they do it," but he had no idea that, Empress Lihua had joined forces with her family, made up with them and asked to never work Tai again under any circumstances letting then know that fact about she being the key to his survival and how he wouldn''t dare harm her. Her father agreed to her. General with in few hours returned back to the heaven to report about the bad news.


    The star kingdom defied the orders and rejected the request for help. It angered Tai, severely that he walked to Lihua''s chambers straight. He attacked the guards and maids and walked into Lihua''s bed chamber.


    "How dare you?" He said and slapped her again. He pulled her closed holding her hair. "You bitch, you think you can rule over me?" He shouted at her. "You think that you are important for me, you are nothing but the pawn in my chessboard, I never needed you, I just put you through a sentimental connection between us for you to stay," he said out loud. The lips of Lihua were bleeding and he plucked some of her hairs. Lihua''s dragon heart was awakened. What she put to sleep centuries had finally woken up. She tried to control it not letting him know. She let him beat her up. He kicked her in her stomach and her genital, he hit her with a whip and wounded her body all over. The maids of Lihua spread the news everywhere about the Empress being physically abused by the Emperor Tai for not giving her powers to him. The letters spread everywhere, about the truth behind fake Phoenixs usurping the throne, Tai''s family, killing the thousands overnight, falsely accused of treason. The letter was personally written, signed and sealed by the Empress itself.


    Tai did not know that, neither expected the new mess. The rumours became even more vulgar, picturing the Emperor Tai as a king who enjoyed wife beating, sexually assault the Empress and her maids, threatening them to never let the truth out. Lihua benefited most out of it.


    Emperor Tai had nothing more to lose. And he kept hurting Lihua again and again. Lihua was soon covered with bruises, wounds and blood loss. She let the dragon in her work on her. She planted her blood in Tai''s body to reach his core slowly like a poison to take control if his core.


    "Tai," she said one day. "Tai you are the worst King this universe has ever witnessed. Do you never relaize that the gods always watch our moves and how you think. Do you never get afaird of them?" She added fuel to the flames inside Tai. He was scared more than ever but just not showing it out, to keep the throne under him. "What are you living for ?" He slapped her again, tying her up against a pole and sealing her powers and use his powers on her, trying to burn her soul internally. He stuffed her mouth to keep her silent and and he left the room.


    "No one will dare to over throw me or kill me," he said out loud and asked the guards to not feed Lihua again for a week, starving her to make her lose her senses and planned to operate and take away her precious core she threatened him with. He never slept that day on. He lost his peaceful nights to the crimes he started committing.  There were bodies recovered from his bath chamber often, the bodies of female maids who get killed amidst of having sex and mating with them, getting inside them without control and burning their organs with his fire. He did not care about those lives and did not stop himself from committing them. The palace inmates grew scared of him, even to feed him four times a day, taking food to his chmaber that laid shabby. He ordered the guards to hire new palace maids and nobody was willing to take the job, with rumours of mysterious deaths in palace spreading everywhere.

 Chapter 107: The Story Unheard, Untold.

    King Aenon walked up and down inside the chamber. He was out of ideas even though he tired was trying to be strong outside. He did not want his family to worry about the situation even though they have reached a dead end. He did not expect Tai to find the secret about his family but it was not completely true either.


    "Pa, relax," Milan said.


    "I''m fine," he replied his daughter.


    "No you are not," Milan said. "Ma tell him," she said looking at her mother sat at the table, her hand on her head, rubbing the temples. "Maaaa,"


    "Shut up and rest for sometime, are you not tired?" Queen Rivera responded back.


    "Milan relax," King Aenon said back to his daughter.


    "I am but you two are not, see he can do nothing to us, he cannot touch us, and he will never dare to kill us, don''t worry," she said to her parents who exchanged looks at each other. "Ma, Pa, do you think am a fool and still not understand the seriousness?"


    "We know," King Aenon said. But they had no clue about what she just said. Milan smiled. She extended both her arms. And she let her hall fall down her shoulders. Her eyes glistened and the atmosphere changed instantly.


    One winter night, the lone wolf never stopped howling, it was evident that the villagers living close by the Water Realm were in need of help. It was a singal, a warning sent out.


    The village was in a mess. House on fire, everything torn down, cursed and animals killed. The beasts it was, that has come down from the moutians, breaking the magical barriers. They were avenging their ancestors who set traps, murdered, and sold them, their skin and their magical and powerful bones in the black market to make weapons. The white owls, the foxes, wolves, and Centuars. They decided to show no mercy. They wanted pure revenge. But little they try understand the fact that, it was not the same people, but now innocent lives that lived in the village.


    King Aenon wh couldn''t sleep peacefully, constantly worrying about the call, got up from his bed. But Queen Rivera woke up along. The fiery animals, the shape shifter they all were, they did not give up but took control of the village, feeding the people to their hungry wild beasty children who were yet to be taught and tamed. The bloodshed did not affect them but what mattered was how good they felt. Feasting over the blood and flesh.


    The villagers soon became the prisoners of the beasts. The weak ones became the food. This continued for few hours and beasts refused to return back to the woods where the unavailability of food became a serious issue. They did not wish to starve and remain inside the barrier.


    The Water King ordered the troops led by him personally to march fast to the village and save the peoples, treat the injured among the villagers and beasts and arrest those who initiated the crime. He asked the soldiers to not kill any more lives and asked them to not shed another drop of blood on the soil. He watched the troops fighting and trying to bring peace taking control over the violent creatures. King Aenon''s heart ached to see all the dead bodies. Some heavily injured, some torn apart, some ripped apart, some stabbed, some tortured to death, some flayed and some alive and hiding in several corners while some were made as slaves.


    The leader who led the beasts came over to meet with the king. "What about our loses all these years? Answer us," A male centaur asked the king. "What about our orphaned children? What about our families? Do we not have rights?"


    To that Aenon had nothing to answer. But he spoke like a King should. "The problems had existed for centuries and that is why we built a barrier for saving your lives, recently the cracks have been reported. And we mended them, but today, why did you come down from the mountains? Why did such an attack happen? Give me the answer,"


    "We need our child back,"


    "What?" The King asked back.


    "If we dont have her, we will lose our habitation forever," Centaur said.


    "Explain," King asked him to tell him in detail.


    "Who protects the barriers and moutians in the Water Realm?" Centaur asked the King


    "The fox king," King Aenon replied.


    "But our King had a weakness," Centaur went on. "Love," he said. "That was what mattered to him than the forest and the lives living there. He was not careful enough and had unmatched trust on the civilians of the village here," Centuar looked at everyone. "Years later, we found out that, he has been, meeting with a low level fairy from his village, she served well," he was embarrassed. "We thought he had no intentions. We thought he would behave, but instead, he fathered a child with that fairy, spending time with her, where did all the fox pride go?"


    "So he killed the fox," a woman came shouting.


    "You, " the centaur said and took his sword back. King Aenon froze him and some other beasts and the lady approached the king. The king looked at her shocked, she was carrying a new born baby in her hands, not more than 3 months old.


    "They all killed him, they killed my husband and hunted for my child, but they couldn''t touch her," she wept. Her throat aching  trying to control her tears, to speak bravely.


    "The fox king did come to me and we married against all the odds, near the river down the hill, we were happy and he never cared less about the forest and the lives, he protected them well and fed them well, but they weren''t happy with him, they weren''t happy that the fox King was the only one who had powers, among them, these mythical creatures, because he was not just any fox, he was a gumhiho. A nine tailed gumhiho. His heart carried the power. Spiritual. He was in grave danger whenever he was in the forest. He was always hurt whenever he came to visit me, and I would keep him around me until he healed. They killed him, one night when he returned back, I followed him, he did not know about it. He did not even enter the forest, but on the way, the centuars, there were three, they stabbed him from the back when he he had his guards down, they killed my Hong, they killed their own fox King, with the poison toad blade and they ate his heart to grow powerful. Then they dragged the body back to the village and blamed all of us. I saw the hole on his chest and witnessed everything. But for them it was not enough, because his powers had been transferred to our child when she was born. He gave away everything except what he needed to keep the forest intact, and his fox bead. Knowing about it , they came for me, but his protection charms Hong put on us, they failed to kill me and take away my child, and today they returned again. This is what happened your higness," she cried. She cired out loud. And Aenon felt the pain in his. He failed as a King. He failed to look after his people, and he let the Fox King meet a tragic ending unaware of the happenings in the forest, he regretted it.


    "I apologise to you miss, am deeply sorry for everything I have done,"


    "I have proof, you can touch my child and see what happened, reading her memories, an sure you can," the woman said still crying. "I buried him down the river, you can go see him if you will, am not lying, please save my child''s life, please,"


    Love does weaken one''s strength or else the most powerful Fox King wouldn''t have met with such an ending. He put his guard down and he trusted his followers too much, blinded, that he got back stabbed. Aenon checked the memories and everything indeed was true. King Aenon grew angry, and showed no mercy. He asked his general to execute the Centuars and his followers on the spot and bought mercy for the woman. As for the other beasts, the criminals were punished while few others were taken back to their habitation and sealed inside strongly, to live there until they die. But this incident was not reported to the Celestial Emperor.


    The nurses were sent from the palace to treat the wounded and buried those were dead. King met the expenses of rebuilding the village and he took the woman and the child to the castle. But the woman fell sick. There was a poison found spreading in her body, caused by the blade of the Centuars.


    A week passed and the woman said goodbye to the universe, leaving the new born behind. She was buried along with her love, Hong the Fox King, on the river banks, according to her final wishes. The unlucky baby, lost both her loving parents to their ill  fate. Aenon decided to raise the child. The news was kept a secret and King Aenon soon announced a good news to everyone around the universe.


    The cub took time to grow up but it fit perfectly with the time of Queen Rivera''s fake pregnancy. The child was not shown to anybody until the first birthday. The Water Realm held the biggest banquet in its history on the first birthday of their second child. And they named her, Milan.


    The lights in the room dimmed and her eye color changed to blue, the blue fire blaze formed around her like an aura, and the nine tails displayed. King Aenon and Queen Rivera stood shocked, staring at their foster daughter. The smoked curved on Milan''s lips said everything. "And it begins now," she said.

 Chapter 108: Rise and Fall

    The nine tails behind her shining bright, the blue blazes around her. She smiled. The gumhiho stood looking at her foster parents letting them see her true form for the first time ever in their lives, hiding all these years.


    The history flashed before Aenon''s eyes. The death of the Fox King and life of the fairy and the fox cub handed in Queen Rivera''s hands before the fairy took her last breath. The disastrous night and encounters with the beasts. Aenon did not realize that years had passed after the incident which felt like it happened only a few days ago. He realized that his foster daughter has grown into a beautiful lady, a beautiful and powerful gumhiho, standing before him with her full potential.


    "Since when did you know about this?" King Aenon managed to ask her. That was the only words that came out his mouth, standing bewildered with Queen Rivera all same, beside him, looking at her daughter with tears streaming down her  cheeks.


    "Since I started spending time alone once Aqua commenced with her training, Since I was never forced to train, Since I was forbidden to learn any complex water techniques, since I was fed with more meat than anyone in the family, since I started training myself after seeing  my real form by accident in the mirror in the Forbidden section of the library, since I was held close by my parents even though I had a huge cultivation gap between my sister," She replied her father about the time she realized the truth of her being the gumhiho and not the part of Water Royalty.


    "So you have known about it all along then," Aenok said looking her beautiful true from. The form that has been held like a prisoner, hid underground, behind the shadows. It must have hurt alot for not being the true self for all these thousands of years, putting on a different outfit and pretending to be things she was not. It hit King Aenon hard.


    " Pa, Ma... I know am powerful enough," she began. She indeed is one of the most powerful living being in the palace at that time, the master of nature in the Water Realm who has been helping her father to keep things on line from the shadow, unknowingly, keeping the barriers intact, protecting the lives of villagers and the beasts at the same time, using her fox bead the best way. "Pa trust me, I can protect us, our realm, i know that i have been taken into the family illegally, i know that am registered on the household as someone who do not have the ability to shape shift, I know that we are being held in the sword point for it, considering our family register as a fake one, waiting to execute all of us, but I can save us, I really can, I can manipulate, and change matters, I can do wonders you have no idea about, just let me do so," She looked at her father taking his hands. She changed from her real self, her tails hidden again, her eyes changed back to normal and the blue blaze disappeared. "Pa, we cannot let Tai do as we wishes, let me confront him," she had high expectations. "I have been training secretly all my life, my cultivation is same as Aiden''s, and I can fight much better than him, a gumhiho is no joke when it comes to their magical powers, its not just any myth, let me be myself this time, please," Aenon remained silent, listening to her.


    "Enough daughter," Queen Rivera opened her mouth. "We did not raise you to be used as a shield during the dangerous times nor as a pig for slaughter you must understand, " She raised her voice. "We sent Aqua away because she can manage alone and Huo will help her and sending her away will rise suspicions towards her, clearing your name. And for making you remain with us, because we want to protect our daughter ourselves, we have never seen you as anything different or less than Aqua, you are you, special and the best in your own way even Aqua can''t beat," Queen mother spoke. "To us, we have have two children, the two princesses of Water Realm and it will always remain the same, the dangers we face we will face it together, but we have absolutely no intentions of revealing your true identity,  not because we don''t believe in your capabilities, but fox, you are too precious, that we do not will in letting people setting eyes on you, with an intention to take away your bead and your heart, the most wanted rare item in the universe, we will not let a soul hunt for you," Queen made it clear, about the situation to Milan.


    Milan walked toward her parents and hugged them both.


    "We never intended to lock up your real self, we are just making sure," but Milan stoooed her mother from speaking further. "My real self has a nature of going in killing spree, it is the best if I don''t become myself too much, I know what you mean and I know it is all for my wellness mother," she said. Her parents were so proud of her to have grown up into a well mannered woman.


    Milan settled down with her parents and King Aenon narrated about the night at the Village, the story of her biological parents and how the centuars were killed on spot. Milan thanked King Aenon for doing the right thing and for taking care of her sick biological mother and burying her parents together. She hugged her father again.


    "Don''t ever think that I will leave Water Realm or you, whatever my past is, I have a family and I only care about the three of you, mother, father and a sister, my life and world is made of the three of you," she said and got emotional. "And for Aiden," she said and looked up at Aenon''s face, no matter how many lives I will live through, my heart can only love him," she said.


    "We know, we know you are imprinted," Queen Rivera said and kissed her daughter''s forehead. She wiped the tears from her eyes and the three got up on their feet from the floor.


    "What should we do next?" Milan asked them.


    "Let''s get back home," Water King said. "We don''t have to hide staying in random inns.  We must go back and face everything bravely, " he said.


    The three apparated back to the Water Palace together. They hurried towards the court to see the progress of the works assigned. Aiden was inside working along with the ministers. "Pa," he walked towards them the moment he spotted them. "I met with Master Bo Hai," he informed immediately.


    "And?" King Aenon asked him to explain.


    "And I he told me that Aqua has become a real pain his back, she is rebelling and not obedient like she used to be, it appears that she doubts shifu and his intention, that she feels something is wrong in the Water Palace,  she is trying to get answers. She even duelled with her own master and won. And all because of her, The Demon King is also kept in the dark," he finished his report.


    "Why is it so? Why is she fighting?" Aenon asked.


    "Probably sister finds that Shifu''s words and actions don''t match well, he said double training and they were only given basic stuff if am right from the reports I got, he must have been careless thinking lover''s spat would keep her occupied with Huo next to her, but it''s not working," Milan suggested. Aiden clenched his fist listening to it and Milan did notice it. Aenon looked at her daughter and asked her to relax. "Sister is smart, the cover is going to blow up soon, when are we heading to Celestial Palace?"


    "The sooner the better," Aiden suggested.


    "Your highness, " a guard hurried towards them.


    "What is it?" Queen Rivera asked the guard. He then handed out a parchment signed and sealed by the Emperor.


    King Aenon took them and read through it. "How dare he forge documents? " he crumbled the paper. Aiden took then from his hands and read through it. The forged documents about weapon dealing with the Demon Clan by King Aenon and his family. "That fake bird is crossing his limit," Aiden said, his blood boiling in his veins.


    "Did you get any leads on that matter? The Phoenix?" Aenon asked.


    "That is why master Bo Hai summoned me," Aiden disclosed the facts. "He got a tip but he is not sure about. The facts led to Earth. They live among the humans, it is assumed. But the informer sold the information somebody else too which he did not reveal,"


    "Who could that be? Who else is searching? And why would they search?" Everything looked puzzled. Everything was getting out of hand, everything was going down the hill and Water Realm tightly held on to the Hope''s that remained. They did not will to give up on the battle easily. The four stood in the middle of the court looking at each other. Meanwhile Aqua stood in front of her hut, looking at the sky, wondering about the things happening behind her back. "No, this is not right," she whispered.

 Chapter 109: Confession

    Earth King Zidan was restless. The responsibilities was huge this time, bestowed upon him. And not only that, several lives were put on line by Emperor Tai this time. They typical because and moves of a tyrant King. People started losing faith in the heavens, seeing the crime rates hitting the top and the monarchy of Tai spreading like wildfire, with killing developing as the first and foremost punishment of who ever raise the voice a little against him. People who prayed to god couldn''t understand why gods let him rule the heavens, forget knowing about his fake core seeking support from his dragon born Lihua.


    The unfair share of work divided among people in heaven, feudal ideas, poaching lands, encouraging black market and supporting discrimination, segregation and bullying among the citizens. Everything was going beyond control. Not to mention the recent murder stories coming out of the Celestial Palace from his chambers. "What a mad man?" People said but nobody was brave enough to over throw him.


    Even when everybody was aware of Water Realm being wronged and falsely accused form various crimes from simple to hard core. It was shocking and heartbreaking to see the bad luck and tragedy of Water King and his family moving towards their end.


    King Zidan asked his guards to search earth but he found no clues so far about the whereabouts of people to call as witnesses for the trail going to be held in the celestial palace against Water Realm.


    "How can it be? There has to be someone or anyone here who knows the truth for sure," King Zidan said when he was reported by his General Ling.


    "So far there are no leads your higness," Ling said.


    "Your higness there is a visitor, " a guard reported.


    "Hmm I was expecting him, let him in quickly, take him to my White Jade Pavilion, '' King Zidan ordered the guard and he got up from his throne, exiting the court. The palace was a modern architectural building, contemporary style, with huge gardens, pools, fountains, patios, play grounds, courts, everything you see on a multi millionaire''s house. King Zidan is running lots of business joining hands with the humans in the huma realm for survival and blending in. The pavilion he had set by giving  a heavenly touch was in the backyard away from the house. The view beyond the pavilion is endless yellow sea of mustard field.


    He sat on the table set and waited for the guest.


    "Greeting to you your highness," he said and bowed.


    "I was waiting for Grand Prince Aiden," King Zidan said. "How are you holding up?" He also back.


    "Not so good, but in desperate search for the proofs,'' he said.


    "I regret to inform you this, but we have not got any news about what you asked to me, they either are hiding well, or they do not exist, people you asked me to look for,"


    "Impossible, " Aiden said, gasping.


    "I know, but we couldn''t trace them at all, even using the clairvoyance did not work," Earth King said to the Grand Prince.


    "They must be hiding really well and do not wish to have anything to do worh heavens anymore, after all they were severely wronged by the ancestors of fake Phoenix anyway, I will never blame them,"  Aiden said to the eart king. "It is alright your highness, we will definitely find a way,"


    "Never hesitate to ask me for any help it maybe okay? I will do everything I can for Aenon," King Zidan said. "If not for him, I would have lost my family completely to Tai way before under the idea of expelling Earth Royalty from heavens, forbidding our entry, affecting our generations of life," he said. "If Aenon did not conduct a campaign then, we would have been dead by now, unable to survive for long on earth without heavenly support,"


    "I know very well your higness, rest assured, we will not cause you trouble, if it feels dangerous you may as well stay out of the issue and but cause harm to yourself," Aiden said.


    "Never repeat what you just said again Aiden," Zidan said keeping his coffee mug down on the table. Aiden smiled with gratitude. "Come on man, cheer up " King Zidan tried to encourage the Grand Prince who looked down. "Where is Aqua?" He asked.


    "Safely kept away from all the troubles, we can''t afford to lose her," Aiden replied.


    "Good decision," King Zidan said. "But she is smart, I have never met her, but from what I have heard about her, she is one of a kind,"


    "She is," Aiden''s face brightened and he looked so proud of his girl. "Brilliant, quick,  witty and caring, she always knows what she is doing and is very strong about her opinions," he explained.


    "And she is well loved by the people around her, especially Grand Prince I guess," King Zidan guessed his feelings for her.


    "Well," Aiden inhaled.


    "I know, do well," Earth King wished him and they both laughed.


    "I have other things to take care, if there is nothing else, let me take my leave," Grand Prince said and got up from.the chair. He had not touched the coffee at all since he was not used to the new drink.


    Grand Prince Aiden felt disappointed and upset since he got nothing from earth to inform to King Aenon.


    He reached the Water Palace and walked past the court where he did not find the King. He decided to return back to his palace and get a few minutes of rest.


    To his surprise, there was somebody lying on his bed, holding a glass of wine. The blue and silver gown, the the dark hair, that alluring eyes, and the bewitching smile. Aiden shook his head and closed the doors behind him.


    "What are you doing here lying in my bed?" He asked.


    "What else? Waiting for you ofocurse," she replied, smiling at him. She has been waiting for couple of hours for his return.


    "Get up," he asked her to leave his bed. "Have I not told you before that you should not lie on any man''s bedding randomly?"


    "I forgot, teach me then," she said. He was sure that she is trying her best in flirting with him. She did look sexy and hideous but his heart was not for her. He had always known about her feelings for him, but ignored them like Aqua ignored his feelings for her. She got up fron the bed and walked towards him.


    "Our time is nearing is it not? An end, a doom in our lives, am going to miss everything, " she said. She then slowly walked towards him, who was busy cleaning his table near the bed. She gave him a back hug which caught him by surprise. He stood frozen and a minute later, he turned to face her. She had high hopes reflected in her eyes and Aiden felt pity for her. He tried to untie her hands but she held on to him strongly. Her eyes looked deep, glistening and for the first time, he watched her, gazed at her, into her eyes and felt a wave of similar emotions.


    "Don''t.. just don''t give up," he tired to tell her.


    "I won''t, I will never give up, I can''t even if I want to," she said.


    "Why?" He asked her still looking her face.


    "Have you heard about getting imprinted?" She asked him, she wanted to cry. Her throats was aching as she controlled her emotions and tears. He shook his head for an answer.


    "No," he meant to say it out loud and the sound came out merely as whisper. It is then he noticed something. Her eyes were glowing. Glowing in the shade of blue and it looked exquisite. He couldn''t understand why and wondered whether he was hallucinating.


    "Then you must learn about it,'' she said to him, and reached up for his lips unexpectedly.  "I got nothing to lose," she said and touched her lips on his soft cold lips. He stood shocked like a statue as she kissed him. The overflowing mixed emotions took contorl over him and he kissed her back wildy, deeply and in a hurry, taking her lower lip in his and using tongue by surprising her with his response. He pulled her closer, putting his arms around her waist. And then suddenly he remembered and withdrew back pulling her away. He got a grip on himself and stopped in the middle. She balanced herself from falling down.


    "Why?" She asked. "Don''t you realize how much I love you? Then why?" She asked in tears.


    "Becuase I always loved your sister," he shouted.


    "And she loves Huo and I Love You," she declared, she confessed, years of her secret she let it all out, venting out her emotions. "I love you Aiden," she paused looking his  confused expression  "You could have at least given me respect without responding back, I would have let it go, and now I feel horrible inside, I do," she said wiping her tears. "What is that that is so unlikable with me?"


    "It''s not you, it''s me," he said trying to reach for her hands which she jerked off. He felt bad about what happened too and stood motionless. The waves of feelings kept hitting him and he didn''t wish for additional problem to handle in between while they had plenty served on their plates including wiping out the whole family without any trace.  The guards came over the door knocking, asking him to meet the King immediately. Where as Milan was heart broken and wanted to leave the palace for sometime. And she derived at the conclusion to go meet her sister.

 Chapter 110: Sisters before misters

    "Milan," Aqua got all excited and ran towards her sister to the entrance, hugging her. The bright smile on her face showing her heart out. Aqua was relieved to see her sister amidst all the confusions she had inside her head. "Am so glad to see you, I was literally going through a hard time," she said.


    "What? Shifu is giving you a hard time?" Milan asked.


    "Well you can say that, and that Demon too," Aqua scowled.


    "Since when did you start calling brother in law a Demon?"


    "Brother In law my foot, don''t mention that again, or i will pluck your tongue out Milan," she threatened her sister in a funny way. "How come you''re here visit me, am glad you did," Milan said nothing but smiled. She just sighed instead. "What happened?" She raised her brow looking at Milan.


    "Let''s go for a walk shall we?" Milan asked.


    "Sure, yeah, yes," Aqua said. Milan took her hands led her to the woods close to the barriers by Aqua was not aware of that part of the forest.


    "Why don''t we ever fight like other sisters Aqua?" Milan asked.


    "Nonsense, why should we fight? Don''t you know team work is more important for siblings than fighting to survive in this world?" Aqua educated Milan. "Why would ask that?" But Milan chose not to answer it and continued.


    Milan enjoyed the walk in her own way, calm, serene and smiling, touching the leave and plants that bloomed immediately and looked fresh and healed the branches of the broken trees. Aqua was satisfied but feeling weird about the whole situation. Shifu was not in the mountain, meeting with somebody and Huo busy with works assigned by Shifu.


    "I thought you are having fun here," Milan said.


    "I would not dent that fact, sometimes it is fun, but mostly it''s frustrating," she said looking at the trees ahead of them.


    "Why can''t you forgive him?" Milan asked her doubt.


    "He gave upon himself, he gave up, he quit everything, I can''t easily forgive for that, he let us down, he made Pa angry, he made feel terrible, even though he was going through a hard time,"


    "What is going on dear?" Aqua asked again.


    Milan inhaled. "I confessed, "


    ''Mwooooo?" Aqua asked her shocked. She swallowed hard. Her heart grew tensed. She knows Aiden too well that she was sure that her sister must be broken inside. She wondered if Aiden would have said back something and hoped for him to keep his mouth shut.


    "Yes I said what is there in my heart, how much i love him and how am imprinted on him, then he shared what''s in his heart," Milan went on and Aqua''s eyes glistened with tears instead. ''Dumbhead Aiden, why the hell did you have to tell her,'' Aqua cursed Aiden inside her head, getting upset.


    "Milan, am sorry, I don''t know what to say," Aqua said instead.


    "So I was going crazy and ran away, I just wanted to come see you, am better now, I feel way better,"


    "I wish you would fight me right now," Aqua said.


    "Didn''t you just teach that team work is more important? No am not fighting, I choose, working, living and loving forever with you," Milan said and hugged her sister. "Why are you crying? c''mon sis,"


    "I promise Milan I promise I will beat up Aiden next time I see him,"


    "Hmm yes do that," Milan said patting Aqua. "Do that for me, show him that i have people to back me up," She wiped away her sister''s tears. But something struck Aqua deeply.


    ''What did she mean by getting imprinted on Aiden? Doesn''t it mean she will not love anybody else?'' Aqua looked at Milan.


    She didn''t know what Milan was thinking inside her head. She took Aqua first to a river side.


    "Our Realm is so beautiful don''t you think?" Aqua said.


    "Very," Milan replied, plucking flowers from the plants around then and made two bouquets and walked towards two tombs.


    "What are you doing?" Aqua asked confused.


    "They must be lonely, buried far away from the main lands, don''t you think sister?" Milan spoke, kneeling down next to her biological parents. She touched the ground. "They don''t even had decent tombstones," she was smiling with an ache in her chest. She tried her best to recall what her parents looked like, but she couldn''t exactly remember their faces. Aqua felt something off in her sister''s behaviour.


    "Who are the" she asked Milan.


    "The Fox King and his wife," she replied. Aqua was shocked to know that.


    "The fox king did you say?" She asked to confirm.


    "Hmm yes," Milan said. She got up and put a barrier around it. She built two tombs instantly. Aqua did not feel right about it.


    "Can you pay respects for them?" Milan asked her elder sister. Aqua nodded and walked towards the tombs.


    "This is my sister, Aquamarine, bless her," Milan talked to the deceased. Aqua kept looking at her sister.  She sounded very emotional.  For a moment, Aqua doubted it was really Milan who is standing next to her.


    "Milan forgive me," Aqua said and attacked Milan who stood unconscious almost immediately once Aqua her internally with her Crystals. Aqua stood holding her powers towards Milan''s head, entering inside her and reading her mind. Aqua shut her eyes quickly. She started seeing things.


    A baby born on one new moon day, and named Saga. Her father the Fox King in the Water Realm, the rarest gumhiho. And mother a level one fairy who lived in the nearby village. Aqua then saw how the mother fought against the evil monsters and beasts from the woods. She saw how the fox King was killed. How her mother cried and buried her only love by the river banks, Aqua witnessed the beasts attacking the villagers, burning things down, she the mother running away and hiding the baby, then she saw her father and his troops. She saw the blood thirsty Centaurs who brutally murdered the fox king. Aqua''s head was about to explode in pain, getting inside her sister, an unusual power fighting to kick the foreign body out of its system. Aqua then saw the trail, the encounter and her father taking the baby in his hands. The baby with the blue eyes. She witnessed the mother passing away. Then she saw her father declaring to the universe about her mother''s pregnancy.  She saw herself playing with child, and growing up together as sister.


    ''Milan, here, have this candy it is even tastier,'' The words and conversations echoed in her head.


    ''Milan, come here...''


    ''Milan wear this, try this on....,''


    She saw a lonely girl sitting inside the chambers, practicing alone, and standing in front of the mirror looking at herself, the nine tails behind her, with blue blazes like the aura all around her, the sparkling blue eyes.


    The powers kicked her out and Aqua fell on her back. She spit blood. She removed the powers and Milan also fell down suddenly.  Both were panting hard. Aqua was shocked and looked at her sister unbelievably. "Milan," she called. She had restored Milan''s memories even she couldn''t recall. Someone helped her stand up on her feet. Aqua looked up and saw Huo next to her. "Thank you," she said and walked towards Milan who was lying down.


    "You, " Aqua said. "You are..you.." Aqua out her hands on either side of her sister''s face. "Why? What happened? What is going on tell me?" Aqua asked her.


    "I just wanted to show myself to you today," Milan said and stopped there.


    "There must be a reason why?" Aqua asked again.


    "Nothing sister, nothing, what could there be?" Milan said trying to be strong.


    "Am sorry, am sorry I failed to notice, failed to know about you," Aqua said, her hands trembling. She could sense the kind of danger there would be if the heavenly Emperor knows about it. Bringing up a spiritual beast in the palace without informing or reporting about it, she couldn''t understand why her father chose to hide it even though it was the best thing King Aenon has done in his life.


    "I am fine and it was never anyone''s fault, letting people know about existence is the danger for all, am glad and I still choose to cover up myself, don''t feel bad about this," Milan assured her. She was trying to tell her sister that the family is in trouble. Huo''er''s heart was not calm worried if Aqua would find out, and worried about the the family that is going to be torn apart. Aqua hugged her sister.


    "The Queen of the Water Woods, you must have helped father from the background alot," Aqua said. "Without letting him even doubt it,"


    "A really lot, actually half my life," Milan agreed.


    "You have to train well in your own way, please let me help you," Aqua offered her help.


    "Am fine sister, am in pretty good control, I don''t want the beast side of me come out ever," she said.


    "Stay with me here, I will talk to shifu about it,'' Aqua said and took her hands to return back to hut.


    "Let her return, don''t let your parents worry, let her go back home," Huo said patiently.


    "I.." Aqua couldn''t find words to say out loud and shut her mouth. What Huo said did make sense. Obviously shifu wouldn''t let them stay together. So Aqua decided to send Milan back home before the sun set.


    "Reach out for me when you want to like today, I will come for you," Aqua promised before Milan took out. Luckily Milan kicked Aqua out of her body before she found out about the current situation and Milan was glad about that. Milan nodded at Huo, smiled at Aqua and apparated back to Water Palace. Aiden was waiting for her return.


    "Where were you?" He asked running towards her.

 Chapter 111: Save Me

    Everything was set. The rumours were well spread. Majority of the royals were convinced into thinking how rude, disloyal and a traitor King Aenon of Water Realm is. Nobody dared to take his side, except the Demon realm and the Wind Realm. Nobody wished to get in the way of Emperor Tai and no one had a clue about the torture Empress Lihua is out through, even though it has been effecting heal a little too badly.


    The slaughterhouse was prepared, the men to kill has been arranged, earlier than it was set. They preponed the date, to exterminate the family but Emperor Tai had yet to trace about Aqua. He kept failing in getting the clues and he failed to get it out of Lihua too even after putting her under several curses. Huo had no idea about busy taking care of his girlfriend. He failed to check on his mother believing that the Empress would manage on her own.


    The royals were invited to watch the execution of the King and his family everybody used to praise more than they have praised Tai. Tai has never been more excited than he felt in these days. Blood thirsty. He decided to assign his half daughter convincing her to stay by his side, and wished to declare it to the world. Emperor Tai sent his invitation to Demon Realm for the King, and all the officials to attend the extermination.


    General Hawk reached for Huo, to notify the news. Volca was shocked but did not have the courage to do anything against Tai''s wills for some strange reasons, afraid of him.


    Huo sat outside Aqua''s hut, watching her sleep. He played his flute, as a lullaby for her. She fell asleep listening to them. She was not aware of the last moments her family was spending inside the Water Palace. The wards were set around for them to not escape. The tragedy was dooming upon heaven, but the highest of the gods made moves. Every last drop of hope was washed away from the shores of Water Realm. The good deeds done all these were considered the most meaningless. Judged by everyone just like that, not caring whether that piece of the document was authentic or not, whether there was any truth to the accusations, or why King Aenon chose these paths during his lifetime he was sure about leading it to dangers. And if there has been any bad effects to heaven because of his and his family''s actions. Nobody gave a damn about those. Nobody gave values to righteousness. Nobody minded about the lies built up by the tyrant king everyone was aware of. Why did people turn like this, loathsome, full of jealousy, losing their own identity, voice, character, burying their freedom of speech, and expression themselves, lacking the skill to respond and react back to the wrongs. Heaven became worst than Human Realm, worst that Hell, the satan laughed and mocked at the gods, who let the lives to be ruled out by fate and destiny.


    King Aenon sat at the throne for the last time. He summoned each and every inmate in the palace to assemble before him. Queen Rivera, Princess Milan, and Grand Prince Aiden along with parents were sat along with the King in the meeting. The faces were all smiles. None of them were scared, nor worried, strongly holding on to their beliefs. The guards, the knights, the maids, the royal apothecaries, his general, everybody were on their knees, crying and paying for the royals. Probably the only Realm were the civilians cried and loved at King and his family with all their hearts. The Wind Emperor, his son Prince Ash was also present. Master Bo Hai entered the palace at the right time. He had news. Aiden nodded his head and watched Master Bo Hai settling down.


    "Keep the palace clean, Wait for the Crown Princess and serve her well," King Aenon ordered them. "And also Princess Milan, take care of the sisters, they are the only hope of the Water Realm, protect them, never betray the two, remember the goodness is all that will matter in the end, to yourself, for your own satisfaction. Take care of yourselves and remain strong, do not give in to any evil ideas and beliefs, shenlong will protect you all," King advised the crowd. Everybody sobbed in silence. Milan did not understand about what was going on. She glanced at Aiden who stood looking at the crowd, his head held high but she noticed how Master Bo Hai was watching her. She pretended to not have seen it and looked away.


    The wine was served for all, the plum wine, King Aenon made himself and treasured for all the years. He opened all the old barrels and served the best ones to everyone. After couple of hours, everyone left the hall one by one, in total despair. Queen Rivera asked everyone to meet at her chamber and left first taking Milan along with her.


    Milan followed her mother, holding up her gown and running behind.


    "Mom, why is Master Bo Hai here tonight, how did he get in through the ward. At the least the Prince Ash and the Wind King is on duty watching us but shifu, how?"


    "Hush, keep your voice low Milan," Queen Rivera said to her. Milan shut her mouth instantly and caught up with her mother who was in a hurry.


    "Did you have dinner?" Rivera asked Milan.


    "Yes ofcourse. Our last meal, I had until my stomach burst open, I enjoyed it well today," she said as if it was something to be happy about it. Queen Rivera shot a look at her and shook her head. Milan smiled wide and held on to her mother''s arms. They reached the doors of the chamber.


    "Hmm walk in," Rivera said and let Milan open the door and set her foot in. Rivera pushed her in. And she stood at the door. King Aenon stood with her.


    "Ma, Pa," she said. Master Bo Hai was standing in her front of her. "What''s going on?" She tried to step out but Master Bo Hai with the help of Aiden caught her and opened a ward. She took a blow from him and fell unconscious, the final word on her mouth was, "Aqua," she called for her sister and fell with a thud. Her visions were faded and she slowly closed her eyes. She knew it the moment her father said look after Milan she felt it wrong. Aiden carried her and stepped into the opening of the forest. It was dark and covered in mist. Aiden settled her down under a tree and woke her up. Then he got up and hurried towards the ward set up.


    "Don''t come back, take care of her for us, never step out of the barrier, look after the Fox Queen," King Aenon said and the Ward disappeared. Aiden couldn''t believe the words he heard and what had happened in few seconds. There were weapons lying on the found and a small bag full of medicines and various pills. He is locked up with Milan in the forest of beasts within the Water Realm itself where not even an insect can enter. The only place safe where even Tai can''t find them ever.


    "Pa, no wait, let me in, let me get through, Pa, Ma," he said and hurried towards the ward that shrinked and disappeared eventually. He knelt down and cried. Thinking of how he will never see them again, his heart shattered into pieces. And he couldn''t even scream out loud, afraid of waking the beasts in the forest, attracting them and getting attacked. He was in tears. His heart ached badly, his hatred for Tai grew like a moutian and felt ashamed of being powerless. He held on to his sword and got up. He took an oath that night, and sacrificed a little of his blood. "Before I die, I will make sure, Tai suffers every moment of his life from now on," he wiped the blood on he sword and out it back on its sheath. He walked towards Milan who was still unconscious. She had a nosebleed. Aiden took out his towel and rubbed her nose, without waking her. "Aqua," she whispered in her sleep. "Save me," she said. The wind carried the words.


    Aqua shuddered and woke up from her sleep. "Milan," she said. Huo stopped playing the flute and rushed into the room. Aqua was sweating all over. She took off the quilt from her and wiped her face and neck. "Water," she asked Huo. He took a jug of water, but before he even poured it in the glass, she grabbed them from him and spilled all over. She drank them in one shot and kept panting.


    "It doesn''t feel right," she said. She looked at Huo. She was tensed.


    "Relax," he said. "Relax,"


    "No something is wrong, or else why would Milan chose to visit me, reveal the truth, why would I hear her now as if she is next to me, asking me for help, something is really wrong," she said and got up from the bed.


    "Wait," Huo said. He closed his eyes. He knelt down. He let go of all the pride and he took something out from his pocket. "I can''t handle this in silence anymore, that''s not you, that''s not me," he said.


    "What are you talking about?" She turned around to see him hiding something behind him. She was baffled. She took a few steps towards him and took the piece of parchment from his hands.

 Chapter 112: Tick tock

    The life is like a coin that has two sides. It could go right, or go wrong, there is no in between. But when certain people are born, with the coin already tossed before birth, then their lives cannot be changed from its set course. And people call it ''fate''. It is what people found, a reason to blame something, whenever things go wrong, once they feel that they have been defeated.


    But King Aenon was not like that. It looked like he wrote his own fate, chose his own path,  and led people through the same road.


    Aenon stood with tear in his eyes. He was satisfied that he has saved all his children. Queen Rivera, King Aenon, Adrien and Krystal looked at each other.


    "They will survive, they will," Krystal said and looked at everyone. Adrien was worried sick. And scared.


    "Am leaving, do not lose your faith," Master Bo Hai said and took off as if nothing is going on. Only man to whom the ward around the palace was not applicable, breaking through very easily. King Aenon nodded and walked out of the chamber holding his wife''s hand. She was crying silently.


    "They will be fine, as long as they don''t cause trouble, and fight for their right," he consoled Rivera. King Aenon looked around for one last time and walked towards the lotus pond. He took out a tiny jewellery box he had hidden in the pond. He opened the box and stood looking at them. There were eight pills in them. Six large brown coloured atropa belladonna pills, the special medicine of the Earth King.


    "Will it work? Rivera asked.


    "We have to trust, we have got no other option," King Aenon replied.


    "It''s time, it''s almost dawn Aenon," Wind King said. He looked upset but he carried on with his duty. Ash looked pale and nodded at the Water King.


    "Have one each, chew then well and swallow," King Aenon gave instructions. Ash and his father stood waiting at the entrance leaving the family to have their last minutes together. They did not see the royals taking the pills against the protocol.


    The four of then chewed well and swallowed them. To Krystal, the vision went instantly blurry.


    "Is this normal brother?" Krystal asked.


    "Huh, worried about vision when life is hanging on the edge, worry not, eyes goes with the head, let us haunt them later," Aenon consoled his sister, trying to cool off every one, joking.


    "But we cannot come back as ghosts, we were bathed in holy water, when we were born, we will be holy ghosts, brother," Krystal said back playing along with her brother.


    "Tell me your highness, have you seen any other soul with an ability to crack a joke before death other than our better halves?" Adrien asked Queen Rivera.


    "Never nor will ever," she said watching Aenon putting his arms around his darling sister''s shoulders and laughing along with her. "If not for them, and our children we bore, would we have survived this thousands of years of immortality alone?"


    "I doubt that," Adrien said.


    "But I know I have wounded you in many ways Adrien," Krystal said. She heard the conversation and replied back.


    "Nothing matters more than our family," Adrien smiled.


    "I know Aiden met Aizen, I know he kept it from me, but I promise I will never hold you back again, never," she said. "I also witnessed something I shouldn''t have,"


    "It''s alright, it''s all for Aiden, I never felt angry at you for that," he said and assured her.


    Aenon called the fake Aiden and Milan they had created using the wood puppet. He tested them before they surrendered. Things look perfect that no one would be able to find the difference between the fake and real. He thanked the sculptor a thousand times over and presented him with an official status.


    "So, let''s go," Queen Rivera said. There were many guards and maids looking at them. All in tears, weeping silently.


    "Hold my hand," Prince Ash said. And they all apparated to Celestial Palace together. Wind King then put the cuffs on them. There were thousands of people standing to watch the scene. The famous Water King held as a prisoner along with his family. Aenon asked Ash and his father to leave their side immediately.


    There were people shouting and screaming at them, scolding them while a few shared their sadness upon hearing the news. Those who supported him were dragged away instantly by the Celestial guards under the strict orders from Emperor Tai.


    "Aenon has still got a nerve," Emperor Tai told Empress Lihua, putting her under the spell tying her up, forcing her to watch everything from the terrace. "But I have listened to your request and am giving them a lighter punishment. Lihua looked at him in surprise. "Surprise it is," he said and laughed like a devil in Heavenly King''s robes.


    "You bastard," Lihua said and spit on his fave straight when he leaned down looking at her face. She was sure what he had decided to do. He slapped the Empress and wiped the saliva using her gown and turned away.


    Aenon and the family were led straight to the execution platform. There were six individual platforms built for six of the Water Royals to stand on during the execution. The Celestial Palace looked polished and too clean that day. Too bad it is going to be the dirtiest place for people to clean hard, spilling all the blood of the powerful immortals that would stain the place forever.


    Aenon climbed the steps and stood on the platform bravely. In the terrace of the Celestial palace opposite the execution platform sat the royals of all the Kingdoms in heaven. Water Roylas refused to bow and oay respect to anyone. But Aenon found his the Star Kingdom was missing.


    "Time for your final words Aenon," The King of the Sky Realm said with confidence, and in excitement, happy to becomes the most powerful Kingdom once the Water Realm hits rocks bottom.


    "Thank you," Aenon said and looked at his wife nodding.


    "For those who call me King, I am grateful to all of you eternally, and for all those who wait to see the tragedy, remember this mess only a beginning.  I know what my life has been like and how transparent it has been, do I need to prove that? No," he continued.


    Meanwhile, Aqua found out the truth from Huo in the moutians. She dropped the parchment on the floor, and stood shocked. Tears whelming in her eyes, while hatred grew in her heart.


    "Listen, King Aenon trusted me and let you stay with me, to keep you safe, don''t go, am sure they will find a way, please don''t go, listen to me, do what your parents wish for you," he kept telling her, reaching for her. She shook off his hands. She came back to her senses. "Why? Why?" She screamed that it shook the woods. She breathed fast and got on her feet. Huo hurried along with her and held her hands at the right time she apparated. They stood in front the Water Palace when Huo opened his eyes, he felt sick to his stomach as the teleportation went a little wrong. Aqua tried to enter the palace but was pushed back away by the wards set around. She took out her power. The silver blaze around her. Huo couldn''t touch her, cutting his fingers a little. The blaze wounded him when he tired to touch her shoulders. She raised her right hand extended them towards the front, the turned the palms in anti lock wise direction and broke the ward like breaking a glass. The ward was taken off that instantly sent an alarm to the Celestial Palace.


    She ran inside and looked around the palace. The guards and maids sho assembled before and knelt down, touching their head on the ground.


    "Hail the New Water Queen," they said. "Save us from the doom," they requested. "We will take care of you as we promised to your father," Aqua stood there crying, shaking her head.


    "Am not the queen,  not when my parents are around, I will save then, I promise," she said.


    "Please don''t leave, please," the people begged her. "I will not return without them," But she did not listened to their words and apparated straight to the Celestial Palace''s gates. They did not let her in. But Emperor waited for her happily, expecting her, his speculations coming true. Aqua bought the guards breaking their legs in one snap trying not to harm their life and walked into the Palace towards the exec platform bravely. Huo reached the palace and followed her. He had made up his mind thus time. "You are not alone in this,'' he said. "Trust me,"


    She looked at him for a second. "Kill some people for me, will you?" She asked him. He was hesitant.  But he drew his sword.


    "Anything for you," he said. He felt the crystals inside him charging up. Aqua walked forward and psuhed open the tall doors. She saw the thousands of people waiting to witness  the extermination.


    "How impudent Crown Princess, " Emperor Tai called out. "I was sure that you will never miss this historic mass slaughter moment," he said, choosing his words to hurt her, "And welcome back Demon King". Aqua stepped inside with Huo on her side. The wind blew her hair. Her white gown, and her sword hung on her hip, she shocked everyone by her entry, back from the dead, bolder than before, powerful as she always was. The eyes held a deep emotion. that also scared the people. On the right side of her stood her family, holding a drink in their family.


    "Pa noo," she screamed.


    "Leave," that was his last words as the glass fell from his hands.

 Chapter 113: The New Face of Water Princess

    The wind swept the lands of heaven. A disaster had taken place against the will of gods. The unusual and deafening silence conquered the place. The calm after the storm. Everyone looked scared. Everything looked wet with water drenching from them. Everything was lying on the ground that once stood on the heights. The skies looked clouded and dark. And people lying unconscious in the ground of slaughter hall. The six execution platforms were empty. And below them laid Aqua drenched in blood.


    She opened her eyes.


    "Aqua, wake up, get up," she heard his voice. "Let''s leave, " he put his arms her hips, and lifted her. He carried her in his arms when himself was wounded and walked down the steps of the gates of heaven. She with her blurry vision, looked up at his face, and fell unconscious again, laying her head against his chest. Huo took her back to his Demon''s Castle. He apparated and drained all of his energy. He placed her on his bed and collapsed on the floor. He sat there looking at her. He moved her hair that fell on her face and watched her sleep. He had asked General Hawk to summon all the apothecaries to treat her. "Why did you do that?" He asked her. "We could have sorted things differently," he said, breathing hard. "You could  have tried to not get attacked." His shoulders were bleeding from the stab he took from Emperor Tai''s golden falchion.  It started spreading the unusual heat around his body,  failing to control the core''s temperature. "Now we have offended everyone in the universe, " he said gasping and smiling tiredly laying his head on the bed beside hers. "Everything is going to change here on,"


    The physicians ran towards Huo and Aqua. General Hawk was tensed and sealed the news from leaking. Demon Realm couldn''t afford any sort of rumours regarding the King at present. The last thing anybody would need is a war. Huo was laid in an extra hed arranged in his chamber itself opposite Aqua''s. He fell into deep sleep but as for her condition, there weren''t anyone who knew to do treatment for her, except letting rest, in coma for long. She had witnessed the worst thing in her life.


    With in a few days, Huo was healed from his wounds and carried on with his work. He spent more time in his chamber and step out onnu if it was necessary, for holding meetings, or greeting guests or while signing any deal. The rest of the time, he chose to spent time inside his bed chamber, along with Aqua, talking to about various things, things they did together and sharing memories that were funny, explaining her about things happening daily in his court and endless confessions of how much he loves and misses her.


    He was not sure whether Aqua heard things, but at the time when he looked at her, he often found tears streaming down her eyes. He would wipe and try to come up with moving moments in their lives as he could recall to wake her.


    But the scene she witnessed constantly flashed in her eyes that made her survive, helping her pushing forward to have a will for living, to stay alive since she used up entire power of hers to take control of the nature.


    She remembered everything too well.


    She ran inside the doors she opened. She looked at her right side to see the elevated platforms and there stood her family holding glasses in their hands. "No pa, ma no don''t drink that," but they already had drunk them.


    "Leave Aqua," her father said. There were people shouting things against their family.


    "Die, die, die," they kept shouting. "Thieves don''t deserve to live," while some other said "Kill her, kill this monster, kill the Demon King along,"


    Queen Rivera was crying. But to her shock Aiden and Milan stood without much reactions. Aqua could not understand why. She ran towards the platforms, and she tried to reach for her family who were tied by the lightening bolt around their arms and legs. One of the Celestial Prison''s cuffs for the sinners. It was put on for insulting the water royals purposefully.


    "Pa, Ma come with me, I will save you please," she said using her powers to break the cuffs. But it was just that the cuffs were unbreakable.


    "I was waiting for you, I knew you would come here," Tai said getting up from his seat in the terrace. She looked at the people who were sitting along with him. Some of the trusted people of her father who bad mouthed Emporer now sitting with Tai to suck his arse for getting the benefits. She hated it. She hated the people who betrayed her father, she hated the kingdom that wronged the straight people like her family. She hated the rulers who changed colors like chameleons. Except the Wind Realm and Star Kingdom who were not present at the terrace, she hated them all with every bone in her body.


    "Give them the antidote and let them go," she screamed.


    To that Emperor laughed loud. "I do not have the power to power to bring the dead back," Aqua was running out of time. She looked at the Empress who was not even breathing properly. Aqua used her crystals to slash the invisible ties around her and freed her. It took Lihua by surprise.


    "Rescue your mother and leave quickly, " she said to Huo. "Don''t lose your control just do it," she advised him to not harm people. And he listened to her. He apparated and took his mother from the terrace. Emperor Tai withdrew his golden sword but missed the mother and son by an inch and they vanished in a second if time. Huo took her back to his castle. Lihua was in tears. She explained everything in detail to him. Meanwhile Aqua stood there alone in the battle field that was set as a trap for her. Emperor Tai asked the Sky Realm to summon the lightening to hit her. The King Augustus hesitated but he was forced to do it. He summoned the lightening and hit her with it. Aqua did not flinch and Tai had forgotten about it. The high voltage lightning did not hurt Aqua but charged her crystals. Aqua lost control over her own body. She wished Huo was there. She looked at her parents for one last time. Her mother was trying her best to convince her.


    "Aqua no, control, don''t lose control, Aqua leave here," her mother screamed her lungs out. But things had gone beyond anyone''s control. And the real powers of Aqua was exposed. The lethal weapon King Aenon protected for all the years and Emporer Tai encouraged in giving training. Danger clouded the heaven. She still hoped for Huo to return back having the part of her inside him to control her. And gradually her conscious fell asleep and turned into a villainess, avenging her family. She watched her sister and cousin, falling down, taking their last breath, they were not even themselves. Her aunt Krystal knelt down, finding difficulty in breathing. Where as Adrien was already dead and shut his slowly. King Aenon and Queen Rivera tried their best to convince their daughter to leave the platform and cried aloud. "Daughter leave, " Aenon kept telling her. But she did not leave. Seeing the family die one by one registered in her heart and head equally. The fuel was added to the fire perfectly.


    Aqua rose up, floating in the air. She was smiling. Emperor stood there wonderstruck. Nobody knew what was happening. The cuffs in her hand slowly was neutralised and disappeared, she had sucked all of the power and electricity into her body. An aura of her power, the blue and purple blaze filled around. And her eyes turned the light shade of purple so did her hair. The strong winds began to blow in the heavens. But people stood there with their mouths open, looking at the astounding thing happening before them. They forgot that she is the ticking bomb about to explode. She raised her hands and pointed at Emperor Tai and his supporters who stood next to him in the terrace.


    "You will learn the lesson today," Aqua said and smirked. The Crystals like white fire blazes in both her palms scared people a little. Aqua used her powers and collected every single drop of water from the surrounding and from the bodies of her family. She projected the truth. The people present at the scene saw the story of the Water Realm, rescuing the second princess and giving her the beautiful life once could do for the cub, the clean transactions without any tax evision, some of the happiest moments of their lives and she took them away. "The truth will prevail even after death," she said. "And those who encouraged killing will end the same way," she cursed everyone. She raised her arms above the head and it suddenly stared raining along with the stormy winds. The lightning and thunder kept hitting the ground. People dispersed and ran around crazily. "Heaven will no longer be heaven, and people will know why," she said and snapped her finger. The heaven began flood and freeze. But the rain did not stop.


    Emperor Tai trembled a little and he extended his sword towards her. "Kill her," he commanded to the sword. The people fell unconscious but not dead. She did not wish to kill a single soul. But put them in a long sleep. To scare them. The sword flew towards Aqua which she did not notice while controlling her powers. And when it neared her, she had no time to move away. It cut her arms a little and missed her and flew away. She bled. And stopped using the powers and landed back on the ground. She knelt down taking the control over her body. Her nerves were all hurting. She looked up again and the sword came towards her. She fought it with her crystals sword. "Yiu coward, come fight me if you can," she called out Tai who dared not entre the field, afraid of her but let golden sword fight alone without the master using his spells. The Emperor''s sword sure was merciless like said in the stories. The Phoenix sword. Aqua knelt down on the ground with crystal sword for a support in her hand, stabbed on the ground that sent tremors. She was panting hard. The water dripped from her eye lids and she looked up to see the sword approaching her. She shut her eyes tight for a second but felt nothing. She quickly opened her eyes and saw a figure in front of her. She saw Huo standing as shield in front of her. He was stabbed in the shoulder. "Argghhh" he screamed and took the sword out. He used his powers and burned the terrace with bus fire, which made the Royals and the Emperor escape from there and withdraw from the fight. Aqua whispered his name and fell on the feeling with a thud. Her energy had been drained and she was wounded severely. She fell on her right side and got a glimpse of her her family lying dead on the platforms before she closed her eyes and fell unconscious. "We were late Huo," she whispered.

 Chapter 114: Fox Queen

    "Let me go, leave me," Milan was screaming, fighting against Aiden who was holding on to her tight. "I said leave," she commanded. But he did not listen to her. She started getting violent. He couldn''t understand why. "I could have saved them, why did you do this? How could you do this?" She asked him. "How could you just let them stay back? Why did you let them have their way?" She started breaking down, her tears fell down on the ground, and it burned the leaves that laid there. The angry tears. Aiden was shocked and he let her go almost immediately. He just stood there still, looking at her. Her eyes were once again blue. She looked a little paler. Her hair were black and blue together and he noticed tiny canines.


    "Milan?" He called her. "Are you alright?" He asked her. He took a step closer and touched her shoulder. She was kneeling down. She turned back and looked at him. Her turquoise blue eyes looked deep and moving. The wind blew her hair and her gown. They sky was clouded and it kept raining. Milan had dirt on her clothes from falling on the ground. The sky spilt into two with thunder and lightening. They could year the water splashing in the distance. Aiden couldn''t understand what it was all about.


    "Aqua, Aqua don''t, " Milan kept trying soon. Aiden moved towards her and held her. "Don''t touch me," she said. "Don''t, " Aiden withdrew his hands instantly and stood helpless watching Milan falling deep into sadness. But in Aiden''s heart, he was worried about. He worried about her safety. He was unhappy about the fact that she was staying with the Demon King and jealously and anger filled his body.


    He wondered what Aqua would be doing, ignorant about the truth and her family. He wished to see her. He was sure that they live in the same mountain but he will never be able to step out of the barrier built around the forest that protected the rare beasts.


    Milan removed all the protection charms she put around her and decided to live with her true identity since she will no longer be returning back home. She was put back in her place, in the forest she belonged, her father reigned over. Water Woods. The land of the spirit foxes. The nine tailed foxes, though she can shape shift. She was glad that she learned martial arts since her father had met a tragic ending. She got back on her legs and wiped her tears. She tried to steady her heart and fake control over her emotions. She wanted to forget the life she lived until then. But she looked at Aiden and she couldn''t change her heart nor shift her feelings. The curse of loving one person for a lifetime angered her. She hated it and she couldn''t under why her family chose to put him with her and not her sister. She felt bad, she felt wronged and she felt betrayed.


    "Am not forgiving anybody," she muttered under her breath.


    "Hmm?" Aiden asked her but she did not care to reply. It was no place for him to live but since there is no way out she had no choice but look after him instead. Ever since her biological father died, the barrier had been protected with triple the protection under various formation, wards and charms, that not even emperor can easily break through. And it was put up by King Aenon himself and only he knows io disable them, who no longer lived, hence trapped inside forever.


    Milan led the way and walked into the forest from the entrance they spent the night at. The Water Woods is the largest forest in the Water Realm and spread over several moutians together. It had beautiful eco system with seven different types of forests and grasslands. The water resourse too was separate and unique in the woods. Aiden carried the bag they had been given packed with necessities and weapons. He protected both of their swords well. And carried them around. He followed Milan silently. He couldn''t tell what her problem was and why she looks different in the woods. He then recalled the moment she kissed him the day before. It was the same value eyes then too. He wondered if it is really Milan or somebody else pretending to be her.


    "Don''t make noises, walk without hurting the sapling and ground," she ordered.


    "Mwo?" He asked feeling confused. "Without hurting the ground?"


    "Yes,"


    "How is that possible? Should I float?"  He asked her.


    "That would be better if you can, the sapling you stepped are moaning in pain," she said to him since her ears had turned sensitive.


    "I.. I.. well.." he could not say anything back at her. "Where to walk then?" He managed to ask feeling ridiculous.


    "Follow my footsteps, am not stepping on anything," she said. He looked for her foot print and he took then carefully. He did feel stupid but her words did not sound like a joke. Who observed the ground carefully as he took each step. He exhaled. As they walked deep into the forest, they heard moments and she got the scents of several people and animals. "It''s time, and we are here," she whispered. "Don''t ever take the weapon out nor use them," she warned him strictly. "They are sensitive to human forms and big weapons, and swords,"


    "Who?" Aiden did not understand what she was talking about entirely. "Are ther tribes living here?" He asked.


    "Hmmm..." that was all she said. Several minutes later, few birds came flying and sat on the branches making alarming sounds. It was like calling for help, loud and clear. Few animals came running towards their direction and stood at a distance. The deers, the centuars, the bear, the sheep, the koala, fox, few wolves, an elephant. And they all watched Milan closely.


    "Wondering who I am?" She asked them. She smirked. She showed them her chain with the wooden locket. She had always had them around her neck and Aiden has noticed it several times. The wooden locket of a fox carved. It suddenly started shining bright and Aiden stood shocked there. Suddenly nine tails appeared at her back with blue blaze around her formed like an aura. Her eyes were blue again and her hair flying in the wind. She lifted her hand and restored the leaves back to the trees and repaired the broken branches. She summoned the ropes and climbers and roots that floated in the air. Aiden swallowed hard. He took a step back from her. He couldn''t believe his eyes nor accept the fact that she is the nine tailed fox people had searched for centuries, the queen of the Water Woods, the true master, the daughter of the only fox in the Water Realm, the love child and the tragic heroine of her own life story. Everything unravels slowly to Aiden. "You..Milan you..." he couldn''t find any words.


    "What?" She asked him. She smiled at him proudly.


    The animals shape shifted and took their human form.


    "All hail to the Queen of Water Woods," they said together, bowed and touched their head on the ground, welcoming her and accepting her as their queen.


    "We have been lost for too long, living our lonely lives, we missed the king, and we were never at mercy of any rulers, we are glad to have the Queen back, let us pay for our sins and serve you well," the Centuar said. Her face was full of regrets and sadness in seeing Milan. Milan could say from the very sight that she is the daughter of one of the Centuars who killed the fox King.


    "Thank you," Milan said. She asked then to stand up and stood smiling at them. But they were not welcoming Aiden positively. Neither did Aiden accept them.


    "Who is this my queen?'' The elephant asked her.


    "He is my quarter brother," she replied. Aiden was shocked at her explanation.


    "Quarter brother, what in the universe is that?" He whispered to her. "Cousin would have sounded normal than this," he kept talking to her.


    "Keeo quiet," she said to him. "He will stay with me, for my own protection, you don''t have to worry about him, none of you, he is poor," Milan assured the animal crowd.


    She showed the action to disperse and walked behind them. There were no specific settlements. Everything was in different corners of the woods, living as small small groups based on their crowd. Milan was sure that she will have to put up a shelter soon for her and for Aiden.


    Milan found a place for them to stay that had water resource close by, place that rain touched less and she looked at Aiden.


    "A house here would do," she said.


    "A house?" He asked her repeating again.


    "Yes, a house, have you not seen any?" Milan mocked him.


    "Okay, " he agreed. He was sure what a kind of slave he was going to become and agreed to do it. Milan smiled and turned away. The sky was dark and the cold winds were u unstoppable.


    "Something is wrong, it is unusual,  this phenomena, " Milan said looking at the sky and called for Aiden. "Don''t you think the effect feels similar?"


    "Aqua," Aiden gasped. He clenched his fists. "No,"

 Chapter 115: Frustration and Truth

    "Bury them at sea, let the water return to water itself," Emperor Tai ordered the minister to dispose the bodies of Water Royals at the sea itself. "Let then rot there, and become food for the sea beasts, let them be useful that way, let''s feed the sea creatures," he said with so much hatred in his voice. Ministers glanced at each other when Tai was not looking at then. There were few other small sect leaders who assembled in order to get permission from him to pardon some of the criminals who misbehaved towards the women in heaven which included themselves.


    "Is that proper? they were all high gods and goddesses," Hodam, one among the minisers asked after sometime. "Isn''t  that a criminal  deed?" An old man with grey hair and beard, who was the former assistant of Tai''s father.


    "Why do you care about them? Do you want to be buried alive at sea?" Tai threatened him.


    "Forgive me your higness, " Hodam apologised in his tired voice and took fee steps back from his position at the hall. He bowed and left. "Sinner, sinner, what a criminal is ruling of the heaven now, if the greater gods curse, heavens will be doomed forever, Dear lord save us from the hands of dhe so called fake Phoenix, " he murmured and walked out of the Celestial Palace''s gates. "Oh our greatest lord, save us from the end,"


    "Once he finishes the burial ceremony, never let that old nut to enter the Celestial Palace again nor support him. He will be given early retirement and a small cottage at the village he chooses to live. Tai ordered the guards and notified others about how ruthless he is if somebody say a word or raise their voice against him. People were shocked. Murmurs raised.


    "Silence, " Tai ordered, wiping his golden sword. But his body has been aching, burned by the dragon and hurt by the crystals. He couldn''t get in touch with Lihua who he always used to heal quickly from the wounds. He regretted behaving rudely to her. "Leave," he asked the people to disperse and let him be alone for sometime.


    He stood up from the throne and walked down to walk around the palace. He had least worries and plenty of time in his hands. His daily plan is to spend time looking around the palace, encourage extensions and build everything needed forgetting the fact that heaven is going down the hill with lesser coins in the treasury caused by the spendthrift nature of Tai buying unnecessary rare times for the palace and to add on his personal collection and they started going empty every day. He opened the underground treasure room open which had entrance in his room. All the treasures and rare items, all the magic weapons of Water Realm has been taken into his possession soon after the blockade with Water Realm began. It was all a trick and trap Tai laid for Aenon when he started raising to popularity. He could clearly the face of King Aenon and how he looked when those items were taken away from his palace. He smiling and pretending to be fine, when anger took over his inside. Tai found pleasure in all those moments. He recalled the look of Aenon and eyes before he dropped dead with his family beside, agony, regret and hatred. Tai felt glad but frustrated. Aqua is left to be taken care of. "Damn that wench," he cursed and sipped his wine. Alcohol always helped him fall asleep and it been weeks since Tai had slept at night. Tai drank five whole jugs of wine and got drunk. He was tried and he laid back on his bed. There were two maids laying naked under the sheets waiting for him. The palace has been turned upside down. Women at his harem no longer shared their bed for him and his wife spat on his face and no left the Celestial Palace.


    Tai fell asleep but not for long.


    "Please, please don''t kill us, please don''t kill my son," a lady begged him. The princess of the Phoenix family. The wife of the crown prince who married young, and his son, the heir to celestial throne. King Tanwen Yuan and his son Prince Nuri also addressed as Feng, had been brutally murdered by stealing their primordial dan not even giving the chance to reincarnate. Princess Helia begged literally lying on his feet. Emperor Tai took the sword back from her neck and lifted her chin looking into her face. "No, you are not pretty enough, Lihua looks better than you, and you''re not a dragon, you are just another weak phoenix in the family," he said and smiled. He then looked at the baby. But the princess stabbed his shoulder to distract him for a second and sent the child away. She teleported him to a strange place and she remained there, accepting worst kinds of death that is doomed above her head. But Tai took the knife away and have them back to the princess. He smiled and walked away asking some hungry guards to take care of her. They tore her clothes and put cuffs on her. They carried her to the court and tied her up. Lying naked, everyone who set eyes on her, hurt her. And before her lay the bodies of her family, her king, her husband, her siblings, her personal maids and guard. She couldn''t understand how the strongest Phoenixs got defeated overnight. She cursed the insider who did the job, betraying them and helping to breach the security. She was glad that she sent the child away. She laid there in pain and when she knew her body has been battered, in disgust and shame, she took the knife in her hands. But cuffs did not let her move her hands. Seeing the helpless state, one of  Prince Tai''s guards, helped her. He killed her. He slit open her throat as she asked him. The guard had tears in his eyes. The guard who was the spy of the Demon Realm. He flew back to report to Prince Dritan immediately, to inform about the blood bath and cruel actions.


    Tai and his father waited for the apothecaries to perform the magic for them. To set the core taken away from the Phoenixs into their bodies. Tai''s father, King Xian took the throne as the Celestial Emperor while Tai was appointed as the Crown Prince of the Heaven. The heir to throne. Nobody knew the reason behind usurping the throne but believed in the lies spread. Tai stood on the platform next to Father sitting on the throne, looking at the heap of bodies before them in the court. The odour of death and blood was everywhere inside the Celestial palace. "Burn them to dust, not a soul should be missing," Emperor  Xian ordered the guards. And they did it. But there was one person missing. The little newborn prince. Tai stopped the guards from reporting it since it was jus mistake. He was afraid of his father and did not wish to take punishment.  He lied to his father that he killed the prince himself and hid the fact forever. Tai led the people to clean the palace, and wash away the blood stains. But the stains on his heart never faded. The Palace was modified and new staff were appointed. But life was never the same, and never peaceful. The bodies haunted his thoughts. All the begging and fighting echoed in his ears from time to time. But Tai stopped caring about it gradually. "Bloodshed is a must in the game of thrones," he kept teaching himself the words he read in books. But that lad''s face appeared again, cursing him.


    Tai shuddered and woke up. He was sober and sweating badly. "I should not have felt for that bitch and let her have her way," he regretted. "Would he have survived?" He wondered. "Damn it," he cursed. "No he could not have survived, just a few days it has been since his birth, the beasts would have eaten him instantly, the tender meat," Tai calmed himself. It was still night and Tai got up from his bed moving the sleeping maids away. Alcohol and women did not help him to sleep. His wounds were yet to heal. He looked at them and dressed the wound himself not showing other the state he is in. He had plenty of time in his hands. He decided to mediate in the underground chamber and opened the entrance on the floor without waking the maids. The tunnel was dark. He lighted few candles and walked down the stairs. The temperature was stable and the walls were not damp. He was relieved. He walked towards the treasure hall and turned the lights on. As always, the view was mesmerising. "HA," He said and smiled. The heaps of gold, gems and weapons of all kind. The gold treasures of Water Realm,  their magical items which will help in cultivation and upgrade the skills. "I am so glad that I took Water Realm for myself on my own, Father you must be proud of me," he said and walked towards a coffin, a coffin nobody had ever seen. A coffin that held the remains of His father, Emperor Xian. A man who disappeared without trace in front of universe leaving his throne to the Crown Prince, but infact killed by his son in the chamber he built. Nobody knew that his body is being kept at the Secret Chamber by King Tai.


    Tai smiled and patted the coffin. "Am I not better than you?"

 Chapter 116: Volcas injection

    "Aqua, can you hear me? Hey," Huo asked her as he sat next to her. "What''s wrong? Why won''t you wake up?" He asked her. It''s been several weeks. And Aqua looked like she did not get any better over these days, except tears flowing down her face at time. She also once bled from her nose. It frightened King Huo wondering why such random stuffs are happening to her body. He took care of her well. Fed her with liquid food and juices, have her medicines calling her personal doctor from the Water Realm, and checked her blood levels to see if there is any internal damage and injury. They did find a small one and healed her. But she did not wake up as they expected. She fell into coma. The shock had taken away her will to live. Her pulses were average and she holding on to something tight in her hands. Huo couldn''t take the thing from her palm, and he wondered what it could be. "Aqua," he would remain by her side every day. He would talk to her, sing for her, play the flute for her, by playing her own music, he would share his worries with her and inform the news the spies report him from the Celestial Palace.


    "Aqua do you know that Tai has gone mad?" He said to her. "Something is weird about him and his actions. Something is troubling, he is scared, that is making him do all the wrong things," he went on. Aqua was lying still, her hands neatly kept on her stomach, fresh clothes and quilt on top, that covered her, to protect her from the castle''s cold atmosphere. Her crown and the tiaras has been recollected and kept safely in Huo''er locker. He also brought new clothes for her, demon clothes to not alert the Demon Clan for smuggling in an Heavenly Princess.


    "There is something else I would like to remind you about," he said to her breaking the pause. He looked at her and touched her cheek with the back his forefinger. "When I looked at Milan, she looked weird at the platform, utterly silent and accepted death, don''t you think it''s strange of her to just accept the order? I mean she is a rebel, a fox but why did she easily surrender?" He out forward a serious matter to Aqua. "Let''s see, we will take revenge for this, I promise you that, I promise I will always be there for anything you will need me for," he said and kissed her cheek. He got up and left. He asked the guards to do the duty well before he left.


    Huo had some duties to finish. Infinite number of complaints about King Huo has been coming out for getting hurt and for rescuing the heavenly princess. Hence it became necessary to keep Aqua''s presence in the Castle as a secret. He kept checking on the princess and the guards. He made sure he spent half the time with her, during the time for food and while freshening up her. He made sure that he did it all himself, without letting another soul set eyes on her.


    Volca heard about the sad demise of Water Royals and the end if the Water Kingdom. She heard about Aqua''s fight and defeat and she also heard about Huo''er getting hurt in the place of Aqua. It angered her. She smelled the news, bribed some guards and came to know about Aqua''s presence in the Demon''s castle. The moment Huo left the bed chamber, she shape shifted into her eagle form and flew into the room through the window that was let open to let in some fresh air. She then turned back to her real self. Wearing the black and red chiffon gown and holding her purple sword. Volca walked around the room. She was not happy nor satisfied, but she was not entirely excited. Her heart grew tensed seeing Aqua lying unconscious, but she hated herself for worrying for the water princess. She drew her sword and pointed them at the next of the sleeping princess. "Lying peacefully in his bed? Who do you think you are?" She questioned Aqua. "How dare you pretend and put up a show?" She said walked closer to take a look at her face. She moved Aqua and poked wondering if this part of any act. "What''s wrong with you now?" She asked Aqua leaning down and touching her cold cheeks. Aqua looked normal but not well. "Jeez you are cold, are you dead?" Volca rolled her eyes and took a seat next to her. "Why the hell do I care? No, no I don''t care about her," Volca taught herself repeatedly. "You know? One way it is good to have you at this state, I mean I can court King Huo rightfully in your presence here itself, wanna see that?" she said blushing and smiling wickedly, the moment she gave a little thought to the Demon King. "I heard that your family has been massacred?" She said pitying Aqua. "I feel sorry for you," she tried hurting her with her words instead. "Death is meant to happen anytime, for your family it came a little early," she said casually. "How does it feel like? How does it feel to lose someone you love taken away and harmed by someone forcefully in front of you?" Shs asked smirking at Aqua. "Do you get that? That feeling of pain? That anger and the same frustration?" She asked continuously. "This is how I felt everyday of my life since childhood, since losing mother and my only love to you," she confessed. "Do you understand now? How pathetic one could get? And how desperate our hearts would become, try living in my shoes now, I challenge you, to see if you can


    Huo''er stood outside the doors, listening to all these rubbish. But he had a smile on his face. He couldn''t help it. After all it''s Volca and he knew exactly what she was doing. He did not care to interrupt her and left the room. He decided to keep an eye on Volca but he had no intention to stop the Demoness from visiting Princess Aqua. He took that chance to complete few more of his works and walked back to the court itself asking for more petitions. He sat there without worry and laughed at every single thing Volca said. The extreme thoughts of had know no limits and he couldn''t understand why she is obsessed with him. "Damn you," he said. "Aqua you better listen to everything and wake up," he murmured as he read through petitions submitted by the locals. But he was interrupted by General Hawk who came with news.


    "Your higness, it''s urgent," he said. Huo stood up, his face turned serious.

 Chapter 117: Together

    "Volca you bitch, wait until I wake up. I will make sure you suffer, and face humongous trials in your life soon," Aqua said. "Damn you," Aqua was worried that she might trick Huo. She worried that Huo might fall in the trap again and hurt himself. She worried badly. She knows what Volca is like, how she would go to any extent to realize her dreams and win over, an evil Demoness. She could hear Volca nonstop, teasing her, mocking her and pitying her. "Relax, Aqua," she advised herself. "She is messing with you, don''t get agitated, Huo is not a fool," Volca had no intention to stopping. Aqua was calm on the outside, while her inside was boiling.


    "Relax, relax, calm down and meditate, just meditate and get back your energy, or you will never wake up," she said. But it indeed was true. Aqua used and drained her hundred percent of the engery going below the line that it should, which led to the state of coma. She felt a finger on her face. "Don''t touch me you..." Aqua shouted. "Take your dirty hands off me," Volca was moving the hair from her face.


    "So cold, are you dead?" Volca was asking her.


    "Dead my foot," Aqua replied back. "Get out fast," she said. But helpless, none was able to hear her. Aqua was reminded of her old days with Volca again and how she used to enjoy the cakes the Demoness made for her. "Bring that cake," Aqua said scowling. Volca lingered around for some more time and left the chamber. "Finally,"


    But soon, she heard footsteps, and she identified them instantly. "There he comes," it was the Demon King Huo itself.


    "Time for lunch honey," he said.


    "No, not again, not the soup again, I feel sick to my stomach," she cried inside.


    Huo fed her and stroked her hair after finishing her lunch. He leaned down and slowly touched her lips with his planting a quick peck.


    "Oh my," she squealed. She wanted to wake up and hold on to him. She did, she really did this time.


    He stroked her head and got up from her side. ''Sleep well," he wished and left her side. Little did he know about how well she heard an felt things. And Aqua having nothing to do for the time, and meditated. She had a weird dream in the middle of it.


    She was walking through the high sky lands in heaven. It appeared to be the Star Kingdom. She walked looking around the place. She did not feel hurt at any part of her body. "How come am alright?" She wondered. She walked through the cute clouds that brushed her skin. The stars looked much closer than it did while watching from the Water Realm which miles and miles below the Star Kingdom. She saw hers. Not only hers, she also came across the stars of all her family members. It was strange. "Why are they shining bright and fine?" She asked. She extended her arms towards them.


    ""Don''t try to reach for them," an old man advised her. Father of Empress Lihua. The King of the the Star Kingdom, the oldest king in the universe who is currently in power. He had gray hair, long and shining along with very long beard. There was no crown kept in his head. He was wearing a simple white cloak and simplest hanfu. He had a sceptre in his hands and walked towards Aqau who was confused looked at him and paid her respect,''.


    "Why my child, you look confused?" He said.


    "I don''t want to travel to and fro. Can you please tell me about it? The stars of mg family and releam,'' The old King chuckled. "I''m serious,"


    "Relax child," he said. "Look at the carefully, " he instructed her. "What do you really see?"


    "The stars," she pointed at each of them and said to whom it belongs. "These belong to my family, I know that much, I saw then die so it should have disappeared, but why are they still staying super strong," she said. "Wait is this after? Did I die too? But i was with Huo just now,"


    "You''re not dead, I don''t think you will be easily, you are a survivor, " He smiled.


    "But I saw them," she said looking at the stars. "I..."


    "Did you really see?" He asked again.


    "I did..." she started. "I''m not sure," she said. She did see but she remembered what she saw exactly. Reactionless Milan and Aiden, father asking her to leave. Overall, it was super weird. "No, they did not, they might have not, af least not yet, I have to find them,"


    "You cannot enter the heavens again," he reminded her.


    "But I can enter the outskirts first," Aqua said as she kept thinking.


    "Aqua, do you know what you are going to enter into?" He asked.


    "I have already entered and is living through something really grant, I even died, tell me what new could happen and mesmerise me?" She said and smiled. She bowed.


    "Careful when you take the steps, do not underestimate yourself nor the enemy, the universe is not simple as you see, the purest things never come out easily where as you will be tricked to find the fake easily," he advised. "He is waiting, go back, do not let the ego win," old man said and left.


    "He is waiting?" Aqua wondered. She turned around and a flash of light hit her.


    Aqua covered her face and sat up. Huo jumped in surprise and dropped the books and petitions he had on his lap slipped one by one falling on the ground. He got up and moved towards the bed and stared at her wondering whether he is hallucinating or not. Aqua felt the energy levels slowly filling up in her body. She opened her eyes and saw him. "Huo''er, " she said hugging him tight. She grew afraid of letting him go, and put her hands around his neck pulling him closer. She did not care for a moment about what his thoughts were and crashed her lips against him, in a hurry. "Woh, what is happening?" He asked her laughing, pausing and looking at her in the middle.


    "I need you," that''s all she said. He looked into her eyes for a minutes and got on the bed with her. He kissed her. He kissed her deep. She took his lips and responded back, passionately. He leaned over her. He stroked her hair and put his hands around her waist, pulling her even closer. "Are you okay?" He asked her as he took his breath.


    "Am fine," she replied and kissed him again. She kissed his neck and bit his ears. And then she moved down his chest. He moaned. She undid his cloak and robes and threw them away. He was on the bed, with her, undressed and half naked. He took her face in his hands looked at her for a minute, confirming her feelings and kissed her forehead and down all the way to her breasts. He unhooked her clothes and kept them aside, he just moved with Aqua''s ideas.


    Huo was not expecting to reconcile with Aqua this quick and he did not plan to ruin the moment. He laid her back on the bed, and he removed her petticoat, and removed his pants. He then got on top and kissed her again. He moved down to the swell of both her breast and suckled them. She was aroused and wet. He then kissed her navel and went down her, caressing and cupping her different parts. Aqua did decide to forgive him for everything, and did not wish to blame him for things that happened, which was not anyone''s fault. She let the fate take the blame and let him inside her. She felt him, and her inner side exploded in pleasure and pain. He was making love tenderly and took care of her carefully. They loved each other and moved in a rhythm. She held back her moans and bit her lip. But he kissed her again and she was elated. So was he. She dug her nails on his back that left marks. Their drive was pretty strong and Huo did everything all over again, but the second time, Aqua took the lead, climbing on top. It was unexpected but she did it. She ran her fingers through Huo''er''s abs and kissed him. Then she took him in, slowly  teasing him at first then altogether at once.


    "Don''t fight with me again okay?" He said to her.


    "I won''t," she promised him, both of them panting hard. It was past midnight. Aqua laid next Huo in his arms who was lying with his eyes closes. Aqua pulled up the sheets and covered her naked self. "Huo," she called him.


    "Hmm.." he responded.


    "Sleepy?" She asked him.


    "Hmm yes," he said and smiled. His heart pounded loud having her next to him.


    "Why am I not even tired?'' She asked him. "I feel fresh," laughing a little.


    "Because you just refilled your energy, how about I drain it?" He said and looked her laughing. He kissed her nose tip and laid looking at the sealing.


    "Do you know something, I met a person" she started looking up. Huo looked at her and turned serious instantly.

 Chapter 118: Underwater

    The six bodies were carried away. Emperor Tai stood on the boat watching the process. He gave directions to his royal guards to dispose them in the sea where the aquatic animals hunt mostly.


    Tai was all smiles. He was enjoying it thoroughly. He wished to show this to Lihua, but damn she left and he did not care to call back either. But the heaven was at a serious stake. Without the Empress, taken away by the Demon King. Rumours were that she was being treated and healed by her son, King Huo.


    "Tie them up to heavy rocks," Tai gave directions. "They shouldn''t stay afloat. Guards were taking away the precious items from the body and clothes. The gems, ornament and tiara of the Queen.


    ''Damn, why did they wear such good things while getting executed?" One of the guards discussed with the other while confiscating everything.


    "Did you see that Aqua going crazy? It was pretty scary, I thought I would die, I didn''t expect her to put us to sleep instead, thought I would never wake up,"


    "She is powerful than anybody here," he said looking around and leaned in whispering, "Even more than the Emperor, "


    "Yes," the other one agreed. They were sitting next to Aenon''s and Adrian''s bodies.


    "Why did the Water Realm surrender easily? I was honestly expecting a war,"


    "No blood has been shed on the lands of Water Realm before, King Aenon was safeguarding that, but instead lost his life, its tragic," first one said and took off his bracelet.


    They took the boat a little more forward and were too far away from the shores.


    "Ok, it''s time," Tai declared. It was noon, scorching hot sun right above their heads. The guards prepared and stood waiting for the command.


    "Now," Tai ordered.


    The guards one by one carried the bodies in their hands, swing them and threw them into the water. The weight of the rocks sunk them easily. Tai watched the faces fading, going under the blue sea. "There is going to be a storm soon," he said. "Quickly finish the work and let''s head back to shores," he informed everyone.


    "How will we capture that devil left? Did you see how she showed the truth to people, but luckily forgot to care about it while they grew scared of her," General reminded the Emperor Tai about Aqua.


    "She wouldn''t be allowed to enter Heaven, banished," Tai smirked and sipped the wine he had in his hands. He was becoming an alcoholic slowly.


    "Really?" General was surprised.


    "You think people will find her appealing and good natured now on? Tai laughed. "People believe that she has turned evil, and will destroy everything in heaven, people see her with fear in eyes, she will never be accepted again in their hearts, her losing control benefited us can''t you see, watching every matters closely my general Devon, "


    "That sounds really satisfying your higness," Devon praised Emperor Tai and bowed laying his respects,  before he took his leave.


    The final body of Milan was also thrown away into the sea. The six remains sunk well, deep into the sea. Little did Emperor believe in the after life and resurrection. Feeling confident, he left the scene and took the boat back to the sea shore. The guards followed him closely.


    They left to the Celestial Palace, and did not wait until the dead touched down. The moment Tai disappeared, someone appeared out of thin air and sailed hurriedly to the spot the bodies were thrown. He had put on thick clothes and face mask to not reveal his identity. He had the looks of a skilled ninja.


    He got down from the boat and jumped in to the sea. The time was nearing. If he does not get to the bodies on time, the things may turn irreversible and total disaster. He swam hard against the current and drove away the carnivorous fish that was approaching the six bodies. The six were in six directions. He took them and brought to a position one by one and he almost ran out of time. When there was only four minutes left, he took out few wrist bands from the and put them on each of the bodies. And he started counting. When he reached the count 100, he searched for a puuch in his body and took out some pills. The wrist band was sending out some strange lights to the body. The man in the cloaks soon removed all the weights attached to the bodies. King Aenon, Aiden and Milan had the heaviest ones. Emperor Tai had clearly gone mad, it indicated, afraid, so much than he should be, of the Water Kingdom. It did prove that Water Realm had known things they should not have. Or done things against him, makes slow moves invisibly that alerted only him.


    "What is that you did your majesty for you to get punished the extreme way?" He asked as he unite the rocks. The spells were hard to break. And the man hardly managed to carry the magic out and break the spell and  hindering its growth around them. He performed a swirl in the water and pushed his hands forward giving all the pressure. "Arrgghhh," he screamed. The spell he performed was way more than his cultivation that needed extreme concentration and strength.  He lost control with in couple of minutes and fell, losing the balance. He wasn''t sure if it was a fail or success.


    "Oh no," he said. There was no movements, reactions or any phenomena taking place. He closed his eyes in disappointment, his capacity to breath under water was running out. "I told you that you should never entrust me such heavy duties, look I failed and I don''t have enough energy to perform now, your higness, " he said looking at the Water King. The longest and the most tensed ten minutes passed. And slowly, a creaking sound was heard. Loud and trembling. "Whaaaaa..." he looked around. He was beginning to feel suffocated. Trying his best to hold his breath. A barrier appeared and the transparent formations faded. Then appeared huge gates. They opened. There were some aquatic animals that came towards him. He drew out his sword. They animals shape shifted. The sea horse, the jelly fish, the shark and the giant squad. They were all mermaids. A female and three males. Holding weapons in their hands.


    "So it is true that the underwater realm exists and exits independently," he said and gasped.


    "We heard the bell you rang, you must be Leo,"


    "Yes," he said. Leo, the prince of Earth Realm, the best guerilla war fighter, planner of best ambush and attacks. Only skilled fighter with the lowest cultivation in the universe.


    "This way prince Leo," the lady mermaid led the way, while few more guards joined the team and took care of the bodies of water royals. "You did this at right time, good job, we were waiting since yesterday, Our King was worried that the mission might fail, if another five minutes had passed, everything  would went in vain," Leo nodded. "My name is Ariana, Police guard," she introduced herself.


    "Will it be alright?"he aksed her.


    "Perfectly alright, you don''t have to worry, we have never failed in a mission before, never," she assured him. The guards followed Ariana and Leo through the tunnel. It was long and lit with large luminous pearls all the way. They reached another stop. A triple layered grilled gates heavily guarded.


    "Remember the oath Prince Leo, not even you father, no, not even a fly or a particle of dust should know about the existence of Underwater Realm. The Water Realm has protecting this secret for years, but we did not have any option now, if this leaks, you will be held responsible, it will cost your several lives," Ariana reminded him again and again.


    "Trust me Ariana, I know how to handle matters well, keeping my thoughts and mouth shut is my greatest strength, there hasn''t been a soul which has read my mind before," he assured her.


    "Then it''s a deal,"


    "Yes,"


    The grills opened and so did the doors. Leo''s jaws dropped. His hazel eyes grew wide. "Oh my," he gasped. "Just how?" He managed to ask.


    "Welcome to the Coral palace Prince Leo, life will never be the same again, "


    ''Err yeah I know, death threat on top of head, I can feel it, the axe hanging down," he said


    "No I did not mean that Prince Leo, I meant, about the scenery here," Ariana laughed out loud.


    "Oh that," he said embarrassed. She left him to palace passing through several half humans and and shape shifters and aquatic loving beings and also several blocks of building and structures. He looked at all of them in wonder. The vacuum space without water where everything stands, and water outside the barrier that looks like a normal sea. It was like a layer that does not exist at all.


    "They are all various departments we handle, it involves the work of everything around the world," she said.


    "If I did not have any duties to my land, if I was not a Prince, I definitely would have chosen to live here,  just for the scenery. They reached the Coral Palace. "Woh...." he said. He stood there still for a moment. Suddenly something struck his head. He fell down.

 Chapter 119: Bonding

    People say and strongly believe that good things take time. But then you see others going forward achieving every thing except you, stuck in the middle of the journey. You miss the timing and you end up losing your opportunity. If that happens, what can you possibly do? You accept the fact and make yourself believe that everything happens for a reason. You say to yourself that if it is meant to be, you will sit and see if it will find it way to you, don''t you? You develop a hope there. You wait. Whether it comes to you or not, you are willing it wait for it, while you prepare to make other plans work out.


    "What are you doing up there?" Aiden asked Milan who was sitting on top of the tree, leaning against the bark, one leg hanging down. She was wearing a plain white gown and let her free with a simple knot. "Relaxing," she said. Her one hand on the back of the head, biting a peach. Then she threw one into his hands. "Catch,"


    He caught them rightly and took a bite, looking up at her. "Come down will you, you will fall down, don''t be so careless, don''t get hurt," he said. She just sat back closed her eyes. Humming. "Milan," he kept calling her.


    "Shut up will you?" She said.


    "Fine, do as you wish," he said and turned back. Aiden had known Milan for years and knows how she is afraid of heights. He used to make fun of her, for being afraid of heights even after being a dragon. But now he knows why.


    Within a minute, he heard the loud shriek. He turned away and stood under the trees, extending his arms. "I know," he said and held her close in his arms. "This little monkey is afraid of heights and still chose to climb upon the tallest tree in the woods," he said shaking his head. Milan fell asleep and she slipped falling off the branch.


    She had her eyes shut tight, afraid. He looked at her and asked her to open her eyes. "Relax, I have got you," he consoled. "You are so clumsy,"


    "So what if am clumsy?" she looked up at face. Her heart skipped a beat seeing him only an inch away from her face. The peach fell off from Aiden''s hand as their eyes locked. She jumped down from his hands immediately. "Er... I am this way, so what?"


    "No problem," he said and let her go. He cleared his throat and tried to correct his hair. He had a lead stuck in his hair. She took them off without looking at him and walked away. "Remember to feed yourself," she said and left.


    "Feed you and me, you mean," he corrected her words. She smiled and walked towards the the small shelter they had put up temporarily under the willow tree with palm leaves and coconut tree''s leaves they managed to find in the tropical forest. Aiden has been collecting bamboo to build a decent cottage.


    Milan managed to put her feelings behind the stage for sometime in her life. She did not wish to force him to fall for her and hence let go of the hopeless unrequited love. She was aware of the fact how Aiden is worried about her sister, since they left the palace. He even cried one day when he got drunk regretting their last meeting and how he dashed out of the hut in the mountain, without talking with her.


    Living in the forest changed the perspective of Milan''s life entirely. A girl who loved luxury, started living with nothing in her hands. She not only lived through it, but found it enjoyable. She was content and happy.and forced herself to forget about the family. She was joyful during the day time and miserable at nights where all the fears creeped into her heart. Waking up in the middle of the night, with nightmares and vision. Thoughts and worries haunted her existence. Regrets gushing in. She hid it all from Aiden, ashamed to show her fragile side. At the least that''s what she believed. He watched everything and tried his way to reach out for her.


    Aiden always tried to feed her until she would burst, or vomit, to make her tired so that she fall asleep soundly and sleep a little longer. And he tried to find all sort of herbal medicine to feed her with, to put her to sleep, asking the other creatures, but none were interested in sharing their treasured secret with a new comer.


    "Why should we share that to you? Why do you want drugs?" They would all ask him. And he had no interest in letting them know that it is for the Fox Queen. She was playful and walked around helping the animals and plants while she kept herself suffer at nights, yearning to be with her family. But she slowly got better. She slowly forced herself and tried to forget about the Water Realm taking complete responsibility of the Water Woods.


    Aiden watched her progress, Aiden witnessed her growing up slowly, mentally and physically. Living in the forest brought out the beauty she had in her. Hed said slender legs, the milk like smooth skin, the blue turquoise  blue eyes, her plum lip, sharp nose, flat abs, narrow hips the soft fully grown round breasts like peaches, and her attractive back, that would tempt any man around her. She was not aware of her own beauty and her hour glass structure, walking around carelessly. Aiden tried to find her fur and wools, to knit for her. But it was hard. He took care of her like child that needed constant nourishment. But she was capable more than he imagined her to, keeping the woods intact, and the animals under her words, she brought Aiden the freedom to do anything as he wills.


    "If anyone wish to cross the line and misbehave towards Aiden, you will first have to pass through, win me and then fight him, kick him out if dare to," that was the only rule she imposed extra to the animals in the woods.


    "Don''t repeat the mistake your father did," a wolf warned her. He hated Aiden the most trying to find a chance or a reason to land on him and attack. But with an oath taken to never hurt the beats in the woods, Aiden kept himself in a great control, smiling and letting the hatred go off.


    "Thank you," Milan said. That''s what she always said whenever there was a slight inconvenience during the meetings and discussions if Aiden share an opinion. She was thankful for his patience. But he never forgot the fact that he is fhe Grand Prince of the Water Realm and duties he is trusted with.


    "I feel weird," Aiden said while having dinner with Milan.


    "About what?" She asked back.


    "Something doesn''t feel right," he added. He took another piece of the roasted pegion. "Why did we get kicked in here?" Don''t you Tai would have tortured them if he found out that both of us are missing?" He asked Milan. She looked at him.


    "Do you think I did not think about it?" She asked him back stopping whatever she was doing.


    "I know right, we only saw things Aqua was doing, why?" He put the question forward. The wind blew heavier and put out the fire. But it was not a wind, but the breath of a beast. "What the hell....." Aiden said not moving an away. "Milan, don''t panic, sit quiet and sit still, don''t turn around. He warned her since the giant was standing behind her. It was huge and was holding a hammer in its hand. "Since when did the giants started living here?" Aiden whispered. One of the foulest, dirtiest and short tempered creatures in the woods.


    ''The Centuars warned me about them, but I forgot the place they lived, they said gaints are put in hibernation, why is this one up?" Milan whispered back.


    Aiden threw a stick away to distract the giant. And it did turn the other side. "We are not supposed to kill or fight them Aiden," she warned him.


    "Then let''s run away," he said grabbing her hands and took off. "Remember the things when people tell you," he said to her.


    "They are supposed to be hibernating, what can I do?" She said.


    The giant was walking  behind them, taking huge steps while these two ran around. Milan started laughing loud.


    "Is thus funny to you?" He asked unbelievably. But she did not stop laughing looking at his expression. He was running for life. Forgetting the fact that giants love human and play with the but never hurt them in the water woods.


    "He won''t hurt us, he won''t, " she told him.


    "What?" Aiden stopped running and looked at her. They were panting. "Then why are we running?"


    "Because we should not become his toy,"


    "Then run," he said.


    "Just put him to sleep," she said instead and put the giant into sleep in a second.


    "Then why didn''t you do this early?"


    "Because you were so funny," she said and laughed pinching his cheek. Aiden stood there with his hands on his hips, looking puzzled. "What''s gotten into her?" He asked and followed her. They were hungry again. But when they reached back at the shelter, something was waiting for them.

 Chapter 120: Realised

    Aqau was lying with her on Huo''er''s chest, who was loud asleep after a long time. He did not have nightmares nor difficulty in falling asleep. She watched him sleep. She enjoyed watching him. She couldn''t help but smile. She wished that she did not waste time. He fell asleep after he made she did. He promised her to help her solve the puzzle the old man in her dreams told her. But Aqua did not want to take him away from his Clan anymore, she did not want him to be irresponsible and miss his duties even though he was taking care of it. She did not wish to be a burden to him.


    Aqua ran her fingers through his face and his arms. He took her fingers, kissed them, pulled her even closer and cuddled, unwilling to still wake up from his sleep. "One more hour," he mumbled. "Please," he was afraid. He was afraid of their times together. Afraid that they might face something bad as soon as they get together. Like the times  before. Hence he did not wish to let her go for even a minute after he got her back last night all for himself again.


    "Only an hour and not a minute longer," she said laughing and placed a kiss on his chiseled cheek.


    "Deal," he said and hugged her, sleeping peacefully.


    Aqua''s mind wandered around, as she laid looking at the ceiling, observing the dragon painting on the roof carefully. "You''re a dragon, but not a demon right," she asked him casually.


    "It''s supposed to be a secret," he replied back, burying his head in her chest refusing to wake up.


    "So you''re not a Demon, not even a percent?" She asked again. And he nodded. So King Drtian is not a Demon?"


    "No, but it''s all secrets that shouldn''t be known to anybody,"


    "I understand that," she said promising to keep her mouth shut. "But who was King Dritan? What family did he belong to?" She asked him curiously.


    Huo in the end got up and sat next her, bare chested, and legs crossed and playing her hands. He was acting lazy, to even pick up clothes from the floor and put some on. His abs were perfect with packs.  Aqua covered herself with the quilt and sat listening to his story.


    "So when Emperor Tian took over, your father was young and escaped from your family, a middle class royal family member who was the same age of Prince Tai?" She asked him.


    "Yes, " he nodded and kept looking at her. Admiring her.


    "Your father walked into the Demon Realm and got adopted by the then Demon King?"


    "Hmm yep," he said moving the tiny strands of hair from her face and stroking her hair.


    "And by choosing the demonic path, he never willed to come back to heaven?" She asked again. And so he nodded again as the reply. He was smiling seeing how curious she looked. But she was serious.


    "Even though not directly, but you are one of the heir to the Celestial Palace," she exclaimed.


    "Let''s not say that out loud, " he said and pulled Aqua even closer. It tickled her and she laughed out loud.


    "So King Dritan was a Phoenix, if so there must be some other survivors," she said in the middle of laughing and kissing him.


    "Don''t know, people say there is one,an infant, who was in only a few days old was saved by his mother, tricking Tai before she died," They heard a lady say. Aqua was embarrassed and immediately pulled the quilt on top of her, covering herself while Huo immediately got up and covered her.


    "Ma.. you cannot barge into my room like that," he complains, feeling a little shy to be with a woman in front of her. He bent down and picked up Aqua''s gown from the floor and also put on his clothes. Lihua waited standing, turning away giving them a little privacy  but she had no intention of leaving the chamber at all.


    "Who is that survivor?" Aqua asked curiously the moment she finished putting on her clothes.


    "Nobody knows his name, and those who did are among the dead," Lihua said.


    "Mother where did the infant escape to too," I don''t know.


    "Nobody knows, but he must be still living around, he is younger than us but older than you two.


    "Why did Tai spare them?" Huo asked his mother, in a serious tone.


    "He was not sparing them, he just was slow at that time, looking at her tears and sympathising her situation which she utilised and send her child away," Empress Lihua continued.  "Because It''s so hard to crack the news"


    "Who said these to you?" Aqua asked.


    "My caring husband said these when he was full of love, drunk and tricked by me, opening up unknowingly,  about all the murders and mistake, he lied to his father and hid the news about the child," Lihua said it out.


    "So there is a hope," Auqa said.


    "Why did he choose to kill my family ?" Aqua finally asked that question. Lihua looked at her son. And looked back at Aqua. She took.a deep breath and after a long silence, she spilled the truth.


    "Because your father found...," she paused.


    "What?" Aqua asked wishing to know everything.


    "Aenon was respected more than Tai ever was, he did not want another powerful king coming forward , above his head.


    "I knew something was up, I always knew dad would end up with such blames," Aqua said and took a seat.


    "Hey," Huo held on to Aqua immediately. "Are you alright, hey, are you feeling sick? What happened?" He got worried lookkng her reaction.


    "Am fine," she said. She finally connected all the dots together.


    "Am returning," Empress Lihua said.


    "What?" Aqua and Huo asked in the same voice. "Why would you do that mother?" Huo wanted to know.


    "Because I have my responsibilities to do and keep in this universe, my position can''t be left vacant for too long," She replied.


    "Mom you sound ridiculous, how could you possibly want return back to that shit hole?" Huo sounded concerned.


    "Language Huo''er, " Lihua warned him.


    "Damn," he murmured. Aqua remained silent, not willing to get into their business.


    "I am the Empress, if I don''t look after my people then who will?" She questioned her son back.


    "I don''t care, look at how he tortured you, if he does it again trust me he won''t sit in that throne with his butt again," Huo said clenching his fists.


    "I have to keep my watch, if not dear, if not how will we know what he is upto?" Empress spoke put the truth, the real reason behind why she wishes to stay in the Celestial Emperor apart from her duties to the world.


    "I support it," Aqua said looking at Empress Lihua. "You must go your higness, you should not be branded as a traitor, you should be known as model for everyone," she said and took Huo''er''s hands. "Let her go, let her do what she wants to," she convinced him.


    "It''s dangerous and never safe, after all this that happened," he said.


    "Tai cannot leave me after if reaches a certain point, he will want me," Lihua said. "He has no choice, not just my powers, he literally cannot live without me,"


    "Don''t begin to teach me about it, don''t ever think I will see him as a man with a heart in love with his woman, he is not, he never was," Huo started feeling disgusted.


    "I won''t say anything to you, but that''s how it has always been," Empress Lihua let him know.


    "He was always obsessed, it cannot be called love,"


    "That''s his way of loving," She replied.


    "Ok whatever, I like King Dritan the best," Aqua said and got up, walking towards the two.


    "Yes," Huo suported that. Empress Lihua smiled and prepared to leave the room.


    "Don''t walk me out," The Empress said. "Am leaving for now, take care both of you, Aqua don''t commit such mistakes again," she warned.


    "I won''t," Aqua promised.


    "And don''t get into trouble.." Empress Lihua paused. Aqua blushed instantly.


    "No I won''t, I will be careful this time," she said. She turned all red and hot, embarrassed, worried.  No she will protect Huo, she decided. Huo put his arms around Aqua as he watched his mother advising his woman and apparated. They bowed at her as she took off and looked at each other.


    "What was that?" Huo asked her  who failed to understand what Lihua said to her daughter in law.


    "That''s between women," Aqua. But Huo pulled her closer, pressing her against him and kissed her. He ran his hand down her as her while she trembled under his touches. She but his lower lip and pulled back. But he took in her in his arms and carried her to the bed again. Years and years of hunger had to be satisfied fo him, for both. They decided to never waste time anymore and make up to each other and solve things out. They started to write their own fate this time.

 Chapter 121: Resurrection

    Leo woke up startled wondering what happened to him some time back. All he could remember was entering the gates to the Coral Palace, Ariana standing next to him and feeling something on his head, knocked out. Leo looked around the room, and it did look luxurious. Brightly lit room with bluish green walls and a king sized bed. He was lying in them covered in the heavy blankets. It was cozy and warm. "But why?" He wondered. "Why did I pass out? Who could have possibly knocked me out?" He wanted answers.


    "You up?" Ariana appeared in the room suddenly.


    "Hey, what''s, " Leo was stopped by Ariana soon. She sat next to him closing his mouth with her hands. Leo looked into her eyes sea blue eyes with her maroon hair, ''A mermaid so beautiful,'' he thought. Her hands were cold where it touched his skin. "What''s going on?" He whispered, taking her hands off his mouth slowly.


    "This is part of our protection protocol," she said.


    "What?"


    "First you ran out of sufficient oxygen in your body, second you will never be taken into the Coral Palace while you are conscious. We put you on sleep temporarily and take you in," she explained.


    "But why?" Leo was confused.


    "Because we don''t want you to know the place well, the ways how to get in the and our security system inside the gates,"


    "In short, you people don''t trust me," Leo said.


    "Anyone for your information," she said.


    "Interesting," he mocked her and got up from the bed. She pushed him back and put the sheets over the top. "What are you doing?"


    "Shushhhh.." she hushed him. She covered his his mouth and pressed him into the bed. He stopped resisting and laid silently.


    Once the footsteps outside the room faded, she took off the sheets.


    "What was that?" He asked her.


    "You are not supposed to wake up until next day, but you are up already, it will rise severe problems. Pretend to be asleep until noon tomorrow, I will come get you then,"


    "Where am I?" She asked him.


    "In the dungeons under Coral Palace," she informed him.


    ''What? Why? How? Why... just why?" He asked confused and searching for words. "Hey am a prince not your prisoner it is not right to treat me like that," he said in the end.


    "I know your higness, please do not make trouble and follow the protocol," she said and got uo from the bed. He looked at her for a moment and dropped his head.


    "Fine, whatever, release me as soon as possible," he said.


    Ariana left the room and did not return for the whole day. Prince Leo was well fed in his sleep. He pretended and just laid still whenever people entered the room. He could sense the sea horses entering and leaving the room often with the maids, the guards protecting well. But it kept mesmerising him, lying in the underwater realm for real that only existed in the minds of people as a fictional place, but has been real and in close ties with Water Realm for all these years. If was shocking and very interesting.


    He waited until Ariana came for him the next day. He jumped from the bed and got ready. He drank some water and stepped out with her. "Is it day or night?"


    "There is no such a thing in your Realm as day and night," Ariana said. Leo saw all sorts of things, the aquatic plants, coral reefs, fish, mermaids, whales and sharks, all shape shifters.


    "Then how do you keep count?" He was curious. "Of time and..."


    "We rest whence finish our duties, we have shift based on the tasks we take up on, two tasks, two weeks rests if finished as ordered, I can do anything, at that period, I sleep then," she said. She greeted people as she moved forward with him. Her green dress suited her well.


    She led him towards the palace court and there were people, people who resurrected. He walked faster towards them. He took a deep breath and sighed in relief. "Thank god," he said. He did not care about the position he simply hugged the man in front of him.


    The man laughed out loud at his action. "Am fine," he said.


    "So is everyone," Leo said and looked around. There were all of them. Everyone he rescued.


    "I will pay my respects to you, all of us will," King Aenon said.


    "There is no need for that your higness, am doing everything under my father''s orders and I also believe that only the right and truth can win, we are with you, all of us are," Leo said and smiled. Ariana stood there smiling at him. ''He sure does deserve his title,'' she thought.


    Water King patted Leo''s shoulders and looked at the King of Underwater Realm, Dylan.


    They all took their places and discussed about various matter concerning the Coral Palace.


    "Don''t you plan on telling your daughter?" King Dylan asked King Aenon.


    "I don''t want her to be in trouble anymore, and the only place she will be safe right now is Demon Realm, with the King,"


    "You mean son of Dritan? I have heard the story, Huo, the youngest and bravest, yet lost his life for the princess," Dylan said.


    "Love is tough but blind and foolish all at the same time, you are the most powerful person in your time, then it kills you, and you die like a fly, easily," Aenon chuckled thinking about the life of his children.


    "Then there is another one, imprinted for a life time, hopelessly, waiting for the sun to rise at the east,"


    "Pain of a father when it comes to handing the daughters over to another men, don''t feel bad, I have been through it, it will pass very slowly," Dylan advised him. "But do you think that Aqua will be safe even if she is with Huo''er after showing up in front of Tai? He won''t let her slip through his fingers just like that," Dylan spoke about the possibilities.


    "I would not deny that factor, " Queen Rivera stood up. Adrien and Krystal were sitting beside her. The dummy of Milan and Aiden has been put to sleep.


    "What do you reckon would happen?" King Dylan asked the Water Queen Rivera. Ariana was looking at everyone carefully, concentrating well standing close to where Prince Leo was sitting.


    "It''s a sure thing that he would provoke my child to fight with him again and finish her off," Rivera said without thinking twice, openly. "And my daughter by her nature, would feel wronged and fight him, taking his bait, since she saw us dying according to her memories, and unaware of the truth. She will fight for her family and her Realm, but unknowingly welcoming danger, and this time the hell getting on the way, offending the heavens, supporting my daughter,"


    "So as per you assumptions, Aqua will join hands with Demons and fight the heavens?" Dylan asked her.


    "If so, won''t she be kicked out of our heavenly realm forever?" Joining hands with the sworn enemies? Whether it''s Huo''er with his pure blood or not, he is known as the Demon," Queen Rivera grew silent and could no longer find any words. She looked at her husband who looked equally serious. "I mean isn''t that what he wants? What Tai wants?" Dylan put the ideas.


    "My daughter is in danger yes, but I trust her, I trust she will choose the right path," King Aenon said and stopped while his heart grew tensed. He wished to believe what he said but he knows how dangerous and vengeful her daughter is infact.


    "That''s why we are here today, to solve this very problem, heaven cannot have a bloody murder like Tai as the Emperor for any longer," Dylan proposed the ideas one by one.


    Aenon shot a look at Leo and Adrien. "Don''t worry am not talking here to make a deal, I still cannot forgive him for what he did to my good friend," Dylan said.


    "You mean the King....?" Prince Leon asked.


    "King Tanwen Yuan, and his son Prince Nuri, Feng''er,"


    "Tanwen was the least ambitious king, he did not care what he had but gave plenty to his people, Nuri was the same, a well deserving Celestial Prince," King Aenon shares his thoughts.


    "The last time I met with him was on the day of Nuri''s marriage. The amiable couple. Prince Hakan was born and was only a few days old when whole clan got massacred by the fake Phoenixes," King Dylan recalled every moment carefully. Nobody knows the whereabouts of Prince Hakan, who was saved by his mother, sent far away, before her brutal rape and murder,"


    "Princess Helia fought until her last breath, and she was given mercy killing, by one of Tai''s soldiers itself, feeling bad for her," high Princes Krystal told everyone. "She saved her son but not even she was aware of the place she sent that''s the problem, we don''t know if he survived,"


    "We will have to find out about that," King Dylan said.


    "Why didn''t you try to find him all these years?" King Aenon asked Dylan back. A reasonable question to a person who is talking about avenging his friend.


    "Simple, because I cannot risk to send my people out, nor make connections with people outside that would leak the news about a place that exists only in myths and legends," it was fair but not convincing enough for Aenon to believe it. Dylan eyed Ariana and smiled. And she nodded. King Aenon noticed that and looked at his wife.

 Chapter 122: First Kill of the Fox Queen, and one step closer

    "What the hell is he doing with you?" Aiden asked Milan one day. He hated seeing the wolf with her.


    "What?" Fox Queen asked back.


    "What?" So did the he wolf.


    "We are trying to put up some barriers around the pond to save some Cubs from drowning, " Milan responded.


    "Can you not do that alone?" Aiden asked.


    "No, I needed help," she replied back. The world stood next to her with a smile and looked at Aiden with an attitude, to have developed close ties with the Fox Queen. Aiden cleared his throat to grab Milan''s attention and said, "get back here soon and rest, you have duties to do other than this," he reminded and slowly walked back to their small shelter. Milan agreed and remained still at her place, performing the magic. The world stood close to her and often trying to take advantage. But he kept failing on that matter. He waited and waited but she did not come. She kept walking around with him carrying out various tasks and did not ask Aiden any favours. He was bored and has been bored ever since he got into the Water Woods while she was occupied with work all the day, enjoying everything. It was like as if she was enjoying each and every moment, unaware of her past. Aiden was not comfortable with that attitude of hers she has been using to cope with. Around lunch time, Milan walked into the shelter where Aiden was lying down. He pretended to sleep when he heard her footsteps outside.


    "Are you asleep?" You do nothing but sleep these days," she said and walked towards him. "You have become lazy, you do not practice anything either, what happened to you? Don''t lose yourself," she kept talking to him and sat next to him. He laid there gritting his teeth trying not to lose his temper. "Lazy goose, get up, let''s go watch the waterfall,"


    "Why don''t you go with the that wolf?" He asked her.


    "What?" She laughed.


    "Yeah, you enjoy things with him, working, so go take him and leave," he said.


    "Aiden, hey, come on, that''s our place, no one is allowed to go in there,"


    "Why?" He aksed as if he doesn''t know to see if her heart has changed.


    "You know why," he stopped smiling. He then turned back and got up suddenly, without noticing how close she was sitting beside him. He faced her, his face only several inches away from hers. She flinched. And he took a deep breath. Quickly he fake coughed and moved away.


    "You," he said and paused. He moved away.


    "Are you angry?" She asked him.


    "What? No." He denied.


    "Yes you are," she said and she dragged him out of the bed. "Come with me, am running late, let''s go,"


    "Don''t you even know what the wolves are like?" Aiden asked once again going back to the same topic.


    "He is good Aiden, not like you think he is,"


    "It''s written all over this face Milan can''t you see it,"


    "What?" Shs asked rolling her eyes.


    "He just want to mate with the Queen, he just want you in his bed and get over with it, he is seducing you with his body, if you keep him around giving alarms he will hold you soon," Milan got angry and got up on her legs.


    "Really Aiden? Do you think am spending time with him and he helps me just for that? While am working unlike you? Is it really?" She did not like what he said.


    "I did not mean you, I am talking about him," he tried to explain.


    "Giving false alarms am I? Am asking for it am I not?" She really got upset and walked out of the shelter.


    "Milan, wait," Aiden said. But she did not care to listen to him


    She did not talk to him for several days. Shs carried out all her forest maintenance alone and healed many plants and sapling that was hurt by the giant who hunted her the other day. She was upset at first, but she realized she has been upset with him for all her life, she wished she was not imprinted on him. The wolf guf often approached her and even offered her furred clothes asking her to keep herself warm. He did enjoy the view of Milan secretly and got caught by Aiden.


    "Aiden hey," he said embarrassedly.


    "Aiden?"


    "Your higness," Wolf said and bowed.


    "What were you doing?" Aiden asked casually before he reacted.


    "I was admiring Queen''s works. She does take care of the woods and herself alone," he whispered. "I mean look at those peaches down her neck, looks sumptuous, "he said. "How do you manage keeping your hands to yourself? He aksed Aiden not realising how he has made a grave mistake, commenting on Milan. The recently over protective Aiden lost it and landed a punch of the face of the wold who collapsed down instantly.


    "I don''t keep my hands to myself, I use them to beat up bastards like you  who can''t respect the Queen,"


    "You," the wolf got angry and tried to attack Aiden back. Aiden let out his powers and used them on the wolf. He punched the wolf again and again on his face and stomach. And the wolf curled on the ground with pain, quitting fighting.


    "Duh, you''re not worth the fight then," Aiden said and left. He turned to see how Milan was standing before him, watching all the fight, but she had missed the conversation part.


    Are you happy now? And even want beat up people now?" She asked him, misunderstanding him.


    "Did you not hear him just now about how he wishes to grope you?" Aiden asked seeing her getting angry.


    "Oh my God Aiden, will you give that a rest?"


    "Fine, my work was for nothing, carry on," he said angrily and left Milan. She helped the wolf healing his fractures and left him alone. Milan did not speak to Aiden again for days. And they lived as if they do not know each other while the wolf followed her around assisting her at work.


    One day she went to the water fall and didn''t realise that the wolf has followed her. She stood in her petticoat and got into the water, to see the fish in the waters. She played in the water for sometime until she felt someone standing behind her. Bare well built body with chest muscles that would make a woman drool easily. The dark eyes and the long hair, wet, looking all sexy and dangerous at the same time.


    "What are you doing here?" She aksed him. "Return back, am at work," she said.


    "I am here to keep you entertained and help you my Queen,'' he said in a seductive voice.


    "No need for that, leave" she said rudely and moved on. But he gave her a back hug and placed a kiss on her shoulder. What Aiden said instantly dawned on her head. ''Damn it,'' she cursed.


    "Nice skin queen,'' he said. He locked her arms holding them at the back and pressed himself against her. He was hard already. Milan felt him against her back as he rubbed her. She struggled to leave from his grip. But he was too strong physically. She tried to move away but failed. By that time, using his other hands, he inserted his hand into her petticoat and grabbed her breast, squeezing them hard. She cried out loud in pain, struggling even more. She pinched her nipples and whispered in her ears.


    "I will show you a good time, did you not want me for that, keeping me around," he said. Sje realized her mistake then.


    "Leave me you bastard," she screamed. But he did not. He tore the dress in second and moved his hand towards her navel down to her clitoris, he then put his fingers there and inserted inside her directly. And Milan lost it. She immediately  changed her mind. She no longer had the patience nor tolerated him. The pain in her body was unbearable and she turned info her real self instantly. Her eyes shined bright and she used her claws. She grabbed his penis and pulled them out of his body. He screamed aloud in pain and pushed her away. Standing naked, immersed in water, she was fuming with anger. "You crossed the line," she said. She then plunged her claws into his stomach and took out the liver.


    "You bitch," he shouted at her, cursing her. "My body," he screamed. There was blood oozing out of the scratches he gave on the back of Milan''s shoulders. She moved forward and bit his neck. The water turned bloody as he stood bleeding all over his body. And in the end, a lightening hit the water out of nowhere, and the wild wolf turned into ashes instantly. She saw Aiden behind the dust with the sword in his hands pointed at the sky. He walked forward and covered her with his clothes. She did not look at his face. But he did. He looked into her face, he moved the hair carefully that was lying on her face. He helped her wash the blood on the back. She just stood still with blood smear on her mouth and chin, blood dripping from her claws, her body half naked and exposed and her hair hiding the exposed chest part. She was embarrassed and angry. He washed up carefully, her hands, and moved to her face. He took out his towel and wiled her face and touched her lips carefully. She looked at him, and so did he, back at her.  He carried her in his arms without asking her, and took her back to the shelter, apparating. He put on her down on the bed and took his clothes off he out on her. He looked at the scratch on the back and he started healing it for her. He did not say a word to her. "Rest well," that was all he said. The wolf apparently became her first kill. The first time she attacked a person.


    "Don''t leave," she said suddenly and met Aiden''s eyes.


    "What?" Aiden asked sitting next to her.

 Chapter 123: Discovery

    Hey wake up," Milan said to Aiden urgently. She had something going on outside. Aiden was loud asleep. Milan''s eyes were back to normal. Milan had changed into fresh clothes. She had put on beautiful white and red hanfu and put her hair up. She leaned next to him and pinched his nose when he refused to wake up. Milan was happy and excited for everything that happened in the past few hours after coming back from the waterfalls, killing the wolf.


    When she asked him to not leave her, he did as she she requested. He stayed by her side.


    He stayed right next to her and tucked her into bed. "Don''t be scared, I know it was terrifying," he said.


    "No, it was not terrifying, just disgusting, I feel like throwing up," she replied looking at him with tears in her eyes. She regretted not listening to him. And he regretted for letting her do things alone. He regretted for not taking care of his only family memebr left for him, forgetting that fact that Aqua is living outside. As days passed his hope for her reduced minute by minute thinking of how she would be spending time with the Demon King. Aiden took Milan''s hands in his, and stroked her hair, asking her fall asleep. She shut her eyes and let the tear drop stream down and fall on the ground. He admired her bravery to have plucked out his organs, seeing the claws of the nine tailed fox for the first time and blood smear on her mouth after biting his throat. He admired her for a moment. Just like her sister, brave enough to face a situation.


    "I am glad that you can fight all by yourself, a wolf is strong but not as much as a gumhiho, but still, don''t roam around without me next to you," Aiden said to her, thinking she had fallen asleep. "Don''t go anywhere without me, don''t do anything without me, or I will lose my mind,"


    "I won''t," Milan promised him.


    Aiden shut his eyes in embarrassment. But she smiled. "Don''t lose your mind," she said and shut her eyes again. She wanted to take a nap for little bit of time. But she did not let him go.


    "Sleep," he said again and kept his mouth shut. After sometime time she felt a cold lip touching her forehead. Aiden planted a kiss. Milan was still not asleep but she did not care to react. She stood still, forcing herself to remain calm, clutching on the robes she was wearing. Her mind was screaming while her face was calm. He sat with for some more time and then slowly drifted off to sleep. When he did, she woke up instantly, peeking at him often. She woke up and got up from the bed slowly making him low down instead. And she sat there watching him. She smiled for a really long time until her cheeks hurt. She instead kissed his lips and left the room in matter of a second, running out before she gets caught. But he was in a very deep sleep.


    She went outside and walked around the woods. She suddenly heard the birds signalling each other. She looked at a hornbill and extended her arms for the bird to come and sit on.


    "What is it?" She asked. it made sound. And she decided the meaning easily. "There are people outside the barrier?" It made noises again. "Do you know who they ar" she asked the bird. "No," it then flew away. "Are they from other Realm?" And the bird made a sound answering her question and disappeared. "They are from other Realm. But why here?" She wondered. She walked back to the borders all by her self. She stood at the barriers. The barrier as the power of invisibility. The people inside the barrier can see what is happening outside, but nobody can see inside the barrier. Milan utilised the chance and decided to watch the people, following them. She saw a tattoo in their body and she failed to identify them. She couldn''t leave them nor could understand who they were. She immediately apparated back to the shelter she had put up with Aiden.


    "Wake up, fast," the moment she pinched his nose, he jumped up from the bed. "Come with me, its urgent,"


    "What?" He asked trying to open his eyes properly and rubbed them. She took his arms and apparated back to the spot. When they reached, Aiden lost his balance and fell on the ground with a loud thud.


    "Shhhuushhh... don''t make noise," Milan whispered. The people who were walking outside the barrier looked at their direction. Milan remained still, wondering if they could see her and exchanged glances at Aiden who was still on the ground. He shook his head telling her that the people won''t be able to see them.


    "It must be the sound of jackfuits or melons falling from the top," one of the guards said and moved forward with their hike. Milan and Aiden followed them, staying inside the barrier.


    "Who are they?" Milan asked him.


    "I cannot see the tattoo clearly, did you see them? Explain it to me,"


    "A pine tree in the middle, a dragon circling it all inside the triangle.


    "Not dragon it will be Phoenix," Aiden corrected Milan. They are Emperor Tai''s well trained ninjas.


    "What?" Milan was shocked. "What are they doing here in our Water Kingdown?"


    "Let''s follow them," Aiden said and watched them.


    They carefully walked along the borders without making noises. The ninjas were alert and tight lipped hardly speaking anything to each other. Then around two hour later, they rested under the pines trees.


    So did Milan and Aiden, sitting on a log of wood lying on the ground. Milan had plucked some fruits from the tree in between stalking people.


    She handed an apple to Aiden and had one for herself. She say there waiting for the men to open up their mouths speaking. One man took out a jar of wine and sipped a little.


    "Don''t you know that we are not allowed to drink wine during the mission?" The head of the gang questioned the guy who was drinking.


    "Am cold and dead tired, am charging myself, I advised you not to take up the job, you did not listen to me, now don''t come and bother me,"


    "We cannot lack at our work, it would cost our lives," he tried to make the drinking guy understand the consequences. "You know how the Emperor is and we had no choice but take the job since he pays us every month,"


    "I understand i agree, but this fight, it''s no good to us except dying in vain for an old gutter like the fake bird. Nobody would give a damn about our lives, are you not afraid of the Demon King?" The one who drank asked his team leader back.


    "He is our enemy," Team leader said.


    "Think twice before you answer,  mean it," drunk guy said. Ten others were sitting there, staring at the two having a heated conversation.


    "Demon King Huo, oh my god, brother in law is involved in this matter," Milan whispered sitting closer to Aiden who was concentrating hard. He nodded to Milan.


    "Demon King won''t sit quiet if he knows about this, you know who the King of Hell is protecting now?" The drunk guy continued with his conversation.


    "Speak slowly, everything has ears that would leak matters," team leader said.


    "We are too deep into the forest even the animals would fear to enter, look around, who is going to hear us?" The drunk ninja said and looked around. "Tell me who else is worried about the life here? Is this mission even right?" But nobody responded back. The other eight ninjas slowly lifted their hands, one by one.


    "Get to work," team leader ordered strongly and seriously seeing the raised hands. "Don''t make me complaint, for the laziness and breaking the oat," he got angry. Get up and move your asses," Miland got up at the same time. She proceeded with her walk in silence.


    "I heard that the princess in hiding in the Realm, but why would Emperor Tai declare that she is the sworn enemy and order to kill her on sight.


    "What?" Milan gasped. Aiden was sweating hard listening to the news.


    "Aqua offended the heavens," Aiden said in disbelief.


    "What are we looking for honestly?" A young and Small ninja boy asked them.


    "The princess," Drunkard said. "What else?"


    "No, you are wrong," team leader corrected them. "We are in search of mythical beasts, " Team leader revealed the secret to his assistants.


    Milan and Aiden looked at each other. "Oh no!" She gasped. Aiden took her hands and held her the moment they heard the tasks given to ninjas and the order to kill on sight.


    "Apparently, some creatures like unicorn, half horse thing, wolves that can shape shift into humans. And the giants," he paused looking around and gathered other ninjas."They witness everything pretty well," he went on, about i mean his...'' he paused. "if we get to tackle one, We can''t take away the body.


    "Aqua is in danger, so are we,"


    "And so are we, something is wrong, I feel so, this barrier is weak a huge attack by the top cultivator from any of the realms can break the barrier. But you can''t. The ninjas started walking towards the opposite direction of them, moving away. They could no longer follow the ninjas and know more..Milan stool there motionless, confused and wondering what to do. She then decided to check on the giants again. The ninjas had gone in the opposite direction but she was constantly worried.

 Chapter 124: Left

    Aqua lived in the Demon''s Castle in disguise. She walked around like a cold hearted  Demoness to blend in and often faced Volca. Volca would walk over every time they met and talk to her, stabbing Aqua with words, who in return wouldn''t say back much, to not attract peoples attention.


    "Are your happy now?" Volca asked her, with an expression of mockery. "Enjoying the lonely life are you?" She tried to burn Aqua with her words pointing out about her family''s tragedy.


    "I see, but your attempt to make me angry isn''t working out Volca," Aqua compromised and walked away. She had a lot going on inside her head, and holding the puzzles together.


    "Wait how could that be?" Volca stopped her. "I know you well, and your face is very much effected seeing me,"


    "Leave," Aqua said and walked away.


    "Don''t ever think that I would give upon him," Volca shouted out. "Even if I to take some serious dirty steps, I wouldn''t mind, ever,"


    "As you wish, good luck," Aqua wished her and left the place, feeling utterly silly. "What a confidence? Of all the people in the world, why does she want my man?" She said out a little loud.


    "What did you say?" Huo appeared out of nowhere. Aqua jumped in shock and her hear skipped a beat, preparing to attack back. "Don''t punch me, it''s me," Demon King said quickly before the attacks landed on him.


    "Oh god," she said placing her hands on the chest. She was wearing a pretty whole and maroon gown and tied her hair up with a maroon ribbon.


    He leaned down to her level and gave a quick peck on her lips and cheeks. She pushed him away looking around to see if there are any eyes watching them closely.


    "Don''t do any stupidity," she said as she took several steps away from him.


    "Why are you uncomfortable?" He asked her.


    "I do not wish to get caught ay any cost,  she said.


    "Why would anyone catch you when the King is here?" He questioned her."Am not just anybody, see that way, don''t compare the situations and do calculation on your own," he replied.


    Aqua smirked and kept walking. She stood on top of a cliff, with the view to the dessert. And that became a place, she visited everyday of the month she stayed at the castle. To ease her unsettled heart. There were nights she wept when Huo''er was away at work She was not okay. Aqua stood there, looking at the never ending desserts, with a veil on her head, burke, revealing only he eyes. She had maintained the identity in the palace well as well as those who were too scared to leak the news against of the consequences they will have to meet. King Huo became ruthless regarding this matter and for Volca, she was yet to do something harmful waiting for the right time.


    Whanever Aqua stood at the cliff, she gazed at the sky, looking for the signs of return of her parents, she had said to Huo''er about her thoughts  but he suggested about staying safe inside the castle while he let out his trusted guards to enquire about the whereabouts, it was no good. Aqua did not wish to stay any longer.


    She was hugged from the back one day. "Tell me what can I do for you," Huo asked her, seeing her in a very depressed state. "Talk to me, just don''t avoid me or grow silent, I know it''s wrong to ask you to be cheerful, but I will, please be cheerful, this sad gave doesn''t suit you," he said. She smiled at his words.


    "Really?" she asked looking at him. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of his face. She titled her head towards his palms as he touched her cheek and closed her eyes.


    "Don''t worry, we will find them, we will find all of them, I have a strong feeling that somebody is helping them hide well," he said and leaned his head on hers.


    "Are you thinking what am thinking?" She asked immediately. She looked at him. There was in both their eyes. He nodded.


    "Then we must go at once," she said recalling what she had seen in the hut while she was at the mountains, the day she fought with her Master Bo Hai. "I know exactly where to start," she said and held his hands. "There was a map I saw in there, and a piece of information written on it," she said.


    "And where is that place?" He asked her, eagerly.


    "A place I know too well, a place father always visited, the place we trust the best," she said looking away, walking towards the edge of the cliff, as the sun set.


    "The Beast Kingdom," Huo declared feeling sure about it.


    "Aniyo, aniyeyo Beast Kingdom," she said.


    "Then?"


    "I will tell you soon, let me confirm first," she said facing him. "It''s not because I don''t trust you and all, there is one more thing I need to confirm," she said.


    He did not say anything, he was upset but he did not care to express it. "Tell me when you do find it," he said and let it go. Aqua nodded and made the deal with him. She had different things in her mind that she didn''t wish to disclose, which would lead to offending him. Huo sensed the dangerous thoughts running inside her and tried his best to keep up. He didn''t wish to let her slip through his fingers again.


    Aqua was sure about the involvement of other Realms, it made her feel confident and brave, to fight more, she grew stronger as each day passed and she wished to meet all the people who were involved with her parents'' death. She just wanted to know who helped and who backstabbed. Aqua decided to meet everyone one by one and make them pay for their mistakes. She clenched her fists. A little too much that her nails wounded her palm and bled a little.


    Huo noticed that and walked closer and put his arms around her, standing together, watching the sun setting, sinking into the sand dunes, slowly, as the twilight spread everywhere, the sky turned pink and purple, and winds got colder. He was afraid of losing her again, and more importantly she losing her real self. Revenge was all she had in her mind. And it was not hiw Aqua used to be. The little changes started making her turn into a person she never was. And he did not want that. The new Aqua would be the threat to the whole universe and Huo could see that clearly, recalling everything that happened in the execution platform. The way she turned herself into releasing most of her powers. Untamed. He touched her fists and she relaxed instantly. He took them and kept them on his chest, and rubbed the blood of her palms.


    "Do you remember that night?" He asked her out of the blue ooking into her alluring eyes. "The first time I set my eyes on that mole on your..." he paused and whispered in her ears. It tickled her ears, as well as she turned coy all of a sudden. She nudged him and laughed.


    "You are a pervert," she laughed.


    "What? Didn''t you enjoy that night?" He asked her. He was referring to the their time at the tree hut after escaping from the castle when Volca bought him to the castle with cuffs, presenting him to Late King Dritan.


    "What if I say I did?" She asked him.


    "Then am good at my job," he said with satisfaction.


    "And what if I say I didn''t?" She teased him with questions.


    "Then my work is incomplete, and practice makes a man perfect," he said and lifted her in his arms almost immediately.


    "What? Hey, Huo''er," she said surprisingly. He placed her on top of the rock and crashed his lips on her wildly. He kissed her deeply. He did not stop, he had a sort of hunger in him, for her. His hair stroked by the wind. He touched her face and out the other hand around her waist, pulling her closer, pressing him against her. He sensed her heart beat against his chest. She responded back just like him and she was smiling. He at that moment apparated straight away to his bedroom. He shut the door, carried her to the bed. He settled her down on the bed and moved closer. He first took the cloak off her. And then slowly he moved to the hanfu, he ripped them open, he had no patience and he threw them away. Then his fingers untied the knots in her lingerie. He took them off and had her naked in front of him. Then he eyed the mole she had on her swell of her breast. He kissed there.


    She laughed a little. "Pervert," she made fun of him again. She hid her thoughts well, letting him make love to her.


    He undressed quickly. And as always she was mesmerised by the view in front of her. She grabbed him. He leaned down and kissed her lip and laid her back. He kissed her everywhere and Aqua clutched on to the quilts tight. Huo had never done this much to her but this he was showing her more. He kissed her down the navel, and Aqua let out a moan in pleasure. And soon, when she was ready, he entered her. "What would you say now?" He asked her. She bit her lips to not make sounds.


    It lasted for the whole evening. Aqua laid in his arms, watching him, admiring him, as he fell asleep. She noticed tiny scratches on him arms. She blushed. There were also hickeys over the neck and chest. "Damn, " she thought and smile tracing her fingers over it. He was in a sound sleep that he noticed nothing. Aqua took this chance. She got up from the bed after planting a kiss on his forehead. She put on the clothes and stood there watching him for the last time. "I love you and I always will," she said and she apparated. She disappeared.

 Chapter 125: Aquas Trick

    Aqua was in the middle of the dessert. She took the direction to the border to the Celestial Palace first. She was determined this time. She had put on the thick clothes and used the burka to cover her face well except the eyes. She was also wearing hat covering her face. She had the necessary weapon she remembered to take from Huo''er wardrobe  before she took off and her own crystal sword. She walked through the dessert, without apparating, to save all of her energy, that would needed to fight any time. "You wait for it," she said and took steps.


    Aqua reached the village gates of the heaven and walked through the streets. It was crowded as usual with fairies and beings. She walked towards a food stall and settled down near the few military officers she saw having their lunch. She tried to eavesdrop at their conversation.


    "It''s tiring working at the palace these days, lucky you, you got a transfer, look at me, working without break, I had to lie and take leave today to put relax, my hips and knees hurt like anything these day sitting and  standing all day at court," he kept complaining. A guy in a dull gray and navy blue costume. He also had worn a head band. He did not look young.


    "Lucky my foot," the other one sitting opposite the first guy said. Marching 24/7 you think its funny?"


    "Why are they making us all do this?" First guy asked the second and third with full of frustrations.


    "Tell me about it, a friend of mine is travelling to the woods everyday, carrying dead girls'' bodies. It has become a burial ground now, I was told that the maids are scared to serve his majesty, and his concubines keep distance with him now," third guy told the others.


    "What''s happening inside the palace?" The three sat and wondered.


    Aqua sipped her tea and had the steamed buns she ordered silently and got up from the stool after making the payment.


    She was immersed in her thoughts. It sounded like how Tai is not himself anymore. Emperor appeared to have lost his mind, to her that''s what it sounded like. Unreasonable killing and changing palace officials and guards. It sounded cruel and hurtful. Aqua''s blood boiled inside her veins. She went down, along the streets to hear news from the people and slowly walked towards the Celestial Palace.


    The guards rushed towards her. But she fought them all in a single move and everyone fell on the ground with broken bones at different parts of their body. She walked in the gates with a smile. She looked for Tai straight. She went inside the court and stood at the empty hall, looking around, the place she had visited often, all her life with her father next to her, guiding her. She saw her old self standing beside her father waiting for the Emperor, smiling and bowing at him, reporting him about her progress in cultivation. Aqua couldn''t help but let a drop of tear slide down her cheek. She walked towards the throne. The golden chair with all the gems and metals embellished. She circled around the throne, slowly running her hands through it. She smirked. All of a sudden, she was moved by the greatest ambition she had ever been hit with. "Take the throne," her voice in her mind said. "Take it away from him," She kept the smirk on the face and walked forward and she settled down on the throne, her legs crossed, one over the other, she changed her costume but she lacked her tiara, she threw away the veil and the burka. She sat there in her blue and white gown, shoulderless and flawless, her free hair lying on the back. She sat with a smile, a satisfaction. She was not scared but angry. She was not afraid of Tai nor any powers in the universe. She sat there, looking straight, as she counted along. The hour glass on the right side of her, kept on the table ran out. She turned them around. And in seconds, he appeared, the Celestial King, Emperor Tai. He kicked the doors open and stood fuming with anger. He saw her. He found her sitting on his throne bravely.


    "Ha," he walked in. He fake laughed. "Darling, you are back again, I was worried about you," he said.


    "Really, oh sorry i made you worried uncle," she said back in the same sarcastic tone he spoke to her.


    "How are you?" He asked her, taking one step at a time towards her.


    "Why do you look worried Uncle Tai?" She kept addressing him as Uncle.  "You''re sweating," she said.


    "No am fine, be careful while you sit there, it will burn you," he warned her casually.


    "Does it?" She asked looking at the handle if the throne and tapped it. "Its strong, I liked it, am wondering about owning it," she laughed and raised her brows.


    "Enough Aqua," he raised his voice.


    "Why? Are you angry? Does it irritate you? Is it irritating?"


    "My silly girl, you don''t even know who you are playing with," he said. Aqua laughed loudly. She did not stop.


    "Oh I absolutely know that am here wasting my time talking to a fake Phoenix, how do I know that?'' She asked him, still remaining in the throne itself. "My dear Uncle Tai, did you enjoy when you killed my parents?" She went straight to the topic.


    "You," he said and clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "You, I will teach you a lesson," he said and took out his sword. He let the sword punch straight into her heart. But Aqua took out her crystals and when he reached her heart, the crystals resisted them, keeping the swords a step away from her. The pressure made the sword shiver. Aqua walked forward and thr sword moving backward as she took each step, her crystals covering her like a shield. "You think you can kill me just like that? Did you forget that I was created as your weapon for some stupid cause?" She asked him. The golden sword fell down on her feet. She picked up the sword and touched the blade. "Blunt," she said. "Why does it not still work for you? it looks untamed," she angered the Emperor trying to the words out if his mouth, offendinghim. But he was tight lipped. And out of the blue, she threw the sword at his direction and Tai was shocked and shut his eyes tight. But Aqua had stopped the sword when it reached right in front of his face. She put her arms down and the golden sword fell on the ground. Tai took the immediately and out them back on it''s sheath. Aqua understood how it is not the real golden sword of the Phoenix, the one that attacked her months back. This appeared to be the real sword of the fake Phoenix. Or else it wouldn''t have been able to tame it no time.


    "Where is my family?" She asked him.


    "You want to know that, I see," he said. He had sweat on his head and neck. He pretended to be fine.


    "You know sometimes I can''t help but think what a je..." but Aqua was stopped.


    "Don''t people of Water Realm adore water and sea?


    "You, what did you do?"


    "You parents must have had high hopes on you, thinking you would save him, but the daughter let them down, they had no allies in the end, everybody turned against them," he went on. "Alone and nowhere to find shelter, go back to where you came from, Water, isn''t that the right choice. The centre of the storm..."


    "You buried them at the storm''s eye, buried them at sea," she said. Her eyes filled with tears, holding them back, fighting her own heart. ''No I cannot break down, not now, not in front of him,'' she told herself. Storm''s eye is the centre, the deeper side of the sea the Aquatic beasts circle and hunt for food. "You bastard," she said.


    "Angry now?" He asked her back.


    "Why would I be?" She covered up and smiled. But his words echoed inside her head.


    ''Alone and nowhere to find shelter, go back where you came from,Water,'' she smiled. It was a success. The tricks worked well.


    "Thank you, I have to say," she said.


    "What?" He got confused see her calm expression. He expected her to busrt with anger but she was unusually cool.


    "You don''t know how to  choose your words fo you," she said. Some guards by that time ran toward her, to get her. "You think you can contain me in your prison?" She questioned him. The guards reached her. But with a snap of her finger she disappeared and stood behind the the Emperor. "Am here," she said. Emporer Tai turned to face and the guards ran back towards her again. "Beware," Aqua said in a hoarse voice. "It is all just the beginning,"


    she snapped her finger again. She disappeared into thin air just like that. Before she did, she remembered to deliver a letter to the Empress asking her to meet up with her soon. Emperor Tai did not even get a second of time to hold her.

 Chapter 126: Reporting

    "Leo when are you returning back?" King Aenon asked Earth Prince.


    "When they open the gates," Leo said.


    "It is not going to be any soon," King Aenon said.


    "My father knows this, we were prepared for this anyway, my absence at the palace, Pa will take care of it," he said confidently.


    "I know," King Aenon agreed.


    He was sitting on a study table. He stated helping the Underwater King Dylan with duties, that also was related to Water Realm. He has been busy ever since he woke, forcing himself to focus on work instead of worrying about his Kingdom, and his children. He couldn''t imagine the things Aqua would be doing outside. He prayed for her hour of the eveyrday.


    "Your highness, about Milan," he began. But at the right time Ariana knocked on the doors. Aenon looked at Prince Leo.


    "Do you really think so?" Leo asked the King.


    And The Water King nodded his head in response. "Ariana is a widow, " King Aenon added instantly before Leo opened the door. Prince Leo''s heart exploded. He opened the door and stood the red haired mermaid in front of him, that bright smile on her face. ''What tragedy did you love through?'' He wondered and let her in.


    "Good morning," she wished him. Prince Leo nodded his head, and let her in. "Greetings to you your higness," she bowed at the Water King.


    "Good morning," Kimg Aenon greeted her back.


    "Your higness, " she began. "King Dylan asked me to inform you about the dinner going to held at the banquet hall today. I would like to escort you and the family now," she said and bowed.


    "Alright," he said and got up from the chair. Prince Leo stood silently outside the door. Queen Rivera, Prince Adrien and Princess Krystal joined him on his away. He was not sure about the urgency in the meeting arranged. They folleed Ariana and walked into the lavish well arranged fancy banquet hall. It was their first time going to this part of the Coral Palace. Colourful and mind blowing again. Prince Leo walked around with his head turning in 180 degrees nonstop, astounded by the palette shade setting inside the hall, the furniture, the arrangement of large shelves that held books, antiques and cutlery. The chandelier on the ceiling made of crystals and glass looked marvelous. King Aenon walked to wards King Dylan and took his seat next to him.


    "I wanted to show you someone today," King Dylan said to Water King.


    "What is it?" Aenon''s heart skipped a beat. ''What could it be?'' He wondered


    "Our spy from the Celestial Palace," he replied.


    "A spy?" King Aenon was surprised to know that Underwater Realm infiltered the most secure place on the place, the Celestial Palace.


    "Hmm yes, we have great news today," King Dylan sounded excited. "Let him in," Likg Dylan ordered his assistant to let the spy in.


    A middle aged man in a blue robe appeared in front of them. He bowed at both the kings and knelt down to make the report.


    "Empress Lihua returned to the Celestial Palace, she is back on her duty, she does nor meet the Emperor at all," he reported first. "King Tai sent some of his expert ninjas to the water woods to find Water Princess who survived, asking then to wait for her at the Water Kingdom itself until she returns from the Demon realm,'' Queen Rivera was shocked and grew tensed. She was sure about how her daughter would return to her home. But the report went on. "But Emperor Tai did not expect Princess Aqua to be sitting on the throne, inside his court earlier today, she was said to be brave and declaring warning and frowning threats at Emperor Tai, the guards who fought her all has hurt themselves, injured, and wounded, nobody is in a critical condition, she was said to have come to the palace to find something, Emperor is worried wondering what is that he leaked to Aqua unaware of every situation happening around him," the spy gave the complete detail. King Aenon was surprised to know the last part. "She is digging the matter, our matter, she will, I know her well," he said. He shot a look at his family and then to King Dylan.


    "We will handle this smoothly, stop worrying Aenon," King Dylan said. "She is an adult not a young baby, you must know that well, she can do anything, she can do wonders, if she finds us, I won''t be able to even react. She will be proving herself by then,"


    "There is also something else," Spy said.


    "What now?" Water King asked him.


    "Princess bet on the throne, she said she is going to take it and scared Emperor Tai," he said and got up, finishing his report. "She attacked the guards and she left the Palace then, nobody knows where she left," King Aenon stood up immediately. He was proud of how bold and savage his daughter has become fighting alone against the evil, but it was wrong for the heavens, enough to kick her out, enough to take away her titles, disrespecting the Emperor.


    "You have got a very brave daughter, going into the predator''s den and walking out safely, attacking them," King Dylan said and lifted his wine. "Don''t worry I can see that she is a survivor, she just won''t give up that easily, but how did the Demon King let her escape?"


    "She must have lured him into her trap and ran away while he put his guard down, or did it together," Queen Rivera walked over and said to the Underwater King.


    "And about Milan, the second princess," King Dylan said.


    "She is safe, I know," King Aenon said before Dylan even completed anything.


    "She is one true Fox Queen, I heard that she killed a wolf who tired to molest her," King Aenon shot a look at him, his heart exploding at the news heard. He found it suspicious to see King Dylan''s eagerness shown on his children.


    "I know it''s not my place to report you everything, I will stop if you tell me, or you can use my people to know about the children," King Dylan said before the Water Royals misunderstand his intentions.


    "Let the reports come in everyday, it will help me in making the plan accordingly," King Aenon asked him to continue with the spying. Queen Rivers nodded at her husband, agreeing to the decision made and settled down.


    "Grand Prince Aiden saved her, they sent the wolf away together," Dylan informed them.


    "I know well about my son, don''t worry sister," Princess Krystal told Queen Rivera, smiling and consoling her.


    Ariana stood listening to everything and Leo couldn''t help but notice her reactions often to see and confirm if what King Aenon doubted was right. But since nobody has seen the royals before, he couldn''t confirm her featured either with anyone related either. But he felt sad for her, for unknown reason, widowed, at the young ages. But she is mermaid for sure. The dinner was served and King Aenon and Leo left the room as quickly as possible.


    "I will try to get close with her," Prince Leo said.


    "I have warned you, be careful, she us a widow and she is the powerful memeber of the Underwater Realm, do not estimate anything lesser," King Aenon warned Prince Leo again and again.


    "Am deciding to get close to her, not just for the mission," he said openly. ''Your highness, I hope you understand,"


    "Think twice before you act," he reminded the Earth Prince. "The position, your father, the Kingdom and yourself,"


    "I know," Prince Leo said and smiled. "But I can promise you one thing, I quickly will try to find the truth before the gates open and when I have to leave, we cannot lose anymore time, its urgent and we have to take care before Aqua does anything, if she is then she will need our support, not just the Demon King''s. Huo''er is his father''s son, King Dritian sacrificed his life for the people of his Clan, am sure Huo''er would choose the same if he wants to," Prince Leo reminded King Aenon of the raw facts to boost him and come up with plans immediately.  It only then occured to King Aenon about all the history once again.


    "You are right Leo, you are right," he said and turned away.


    An idea popped up in King Aenon''s head. And he wanted to expand it. He did not wish to consult it with anyone. Not even his wife until it''s time and he wished secretly for Aqua to keep doing whatever she was doing. He as said to King Dyland send out more spies to follow Aqua, Milan, Aiden and Huo without causing doubts and raising suspicions. He started waiting for updates everyday. He decided to leave the Underwater Realm as soon as the opportunity comes as per his plans and made Leo dig more thing and tried to find the information in his own away either. Things began to get tensed. And everything needed correction.

 Chapter 127: Trap Doors

    The Celestial palace echoed with the loud cried of several men until they drew their last breath. The inmates of the palace, all the maids and guards pretended to not have heard anything. As warned, everybody kept their mouths shut tight, sealed and forgotten the fact that they all have tongue and can be used to speak out loud. Afraid of getting tortured in the cruelest way, nobody dared to utter a word nor leak the mass killing and happening inside the place.


    The royal ninjas failed in the assignment. They were misled and failed to track and get hold of Aqua, instead she attacked the palace and escaped effortlessly. It angered Emperor Tai like anything. He got hold of all the ninjas and ordered his general ti flay them alive until they died. Tai walked away as they started crying, saying, " This is what happens when mission fails, this is what happens to everyone who disappoint me,"


    "And you will die I will tell you, all the curses directed towards you, remember that, always,'' the leader among the ninjas said in between all the screams and painful cries for help. In the Palace, the only person who has power the next remained like she did not exist. Empress Lihua, confining herself in her chamber, remaining silent for no good, letting Tai do everything as he wills. People began to bad mouth her, but she brushed them off as usual. She sat like a cold stiff and hard rock that feels nothing. The old rumours about Empress Lihua resurfaced again, how she only care about the throne and not a thing more than that. She did not bother to prove people anything ever in her life.


    Things were getting harder and harder for people around the heaven. Ever since the Water Realm was shut down, nature has been effected. The loss in the freshness and the climate controls. Things were getting harsh at some part of the heaven with flood at one place, and drought at the other end.


    The heaven needs the flourishing Water Realms and Water Gods.


    People started struggling. They hated the suffering and crused the Celestial Emperor. They were angry at him for not providing enough help. The lands had been taken away from few cultivators sending them away who later was welcomed whole heartedly.


    The world crumbled. But the power was too much to be defeated and those who could were betrayed and cheated, until they were throwed away at sea, in the least respectful manner.


    There were many rumours spreading about the mad king. Tai tried his best to control them all, suppress the people and send dangerous vibes to everyone. People were living hopelessly. They wanted to see the rainbow above the skies of Water Realm to be restored again. To see it back in its glory, all the love and warmth, all the blessings. People believed that the curse has been laid for unfairly extermination the whole family. People cursed Emperor Tai in return. The masses began to slowly turn against him. But the realms supported him, for their own benefits. Except the Wind Realm and Earth Realm. Tai couldn''t do anything about it and hence let them be as long as they obeyed his rules.


    Emperor Tai began to visit his cold, scary and dead father often in underground treasure room.


    "Are you satisfied? You must be happy for what I did to you, are you not?" He asked walking towards the preserved body. "People call me crazy, the mad king," he went on. "You know well how I am, don''t you?" He asked looking at his own father who died his hands. "You know how crazy I went when I knew how Aaron did not take after Lihua but me, you know how weak we are don''t you?'' You do know how I had no choice but do this to you, you know the heir to throne must be always powerful, how can my Aaron be a weakling, you know you are the only one who had the Phoenix core taken away from Tanwen and Nuri, except me, then how can I let you live while I needed my son the most?" He kept talking. "But look what happened! I blame you, only if you had given the core respectfully and with your heart, would he have survived, see how my son in lying in the grave, head separated from the body, That dog from water Realm chopped then off. And I could not even take serious action, all because of my greed for more," He tapped on the coffin. "Are you listening dear father?" He asked. "Wait and see how am going to tackle all the problems, you will be shocked," he said and walked back. He looked at all the treasures, made sure everything is safe and went up back to his room.


    Empress Lihua was waiting there for him. "What a surprise?" Emperor Tai said shutting the trap doors. "What made my queen come visit me today, feels like years, seeing you here in the moment,"


    Empress Lihua stood up and waited for him to settle down. And as expected he walked towards the table, took the jar of wine and say down on his bed.


    "What is it?" He asked. "What trouble have you brought me?" He gulped down the wine while waiting for her answer.


    Empress Lihua smirked as she heard his words and sat back down on the chair. She looked around the room. The study, the shelves, the books covered in dust, the blood stains on the floor that seems impossible to wash away, the strong scene of musk to drive away the odour of blood and dirt. She felt disgusted. She couldn''t imagine that hundreds of life has been lost in a few month inside the bed chamber.


    "Am going into seclusion," she said to him. He was surpised and looked at her face.


    "What?" He asked. "Why?" He did not wish for Empress Lihua to leave again. "What is the need for that?" He kept the wine jar away and became serious, his expressions changed. "Don''t," he ordered.


    "I didn''t come here for getting your permission, I came to say farewell," she informed him.


    "Where are you going?" He asked giving up on stopping her.


    "You don''t have to know that, I just want to alone and meditate for some days," she said. She stood up to leave. She had gotten to see the location of the trap doors that lies invisible and stored it in her mind. That was all she needed to know. "Don''t keep creating the fuss, stop killing innocent people," she warned him. "People will hate you,"


    "Don''t everyone hate me already? What is new in that? Even the people I loved the most hate me the most, disappointed me the most," he said poking Empress Lihua''s feelings. And he was absolutely correct. Nobody liked him for his behaviour. And the only connection they shared between them was Aaron who no longer exist in the universe. Empress Lihua left the chamber and walked through the courtyard for sometime before she stepped in to the Queen''s chamber. She checked for some tender lotus to make a pill from the pond.


    She got ready quickly, her usual disguise costume, black robe and veil. She checked again to see if there are people sent to follow her. But apparently there were none. ''It seems like trusted my lie and kept faith on me this time,'' Empress Lihua thought and got out of the Celestial Palace.


    Emperor got drunk and missed the chance to sent her off. He had no clue about his legal wife leaving the palace before he excepted her to. He got angry when he was reported about the departure the next day and cursed Empress Lihua.


    The place Empress went to this time was the place she always loved and longed to go back to. The place someone was waiting for her. The place they made the burrow to build the hopeful future for everyone. Empress Lihua reached there as promised on time. Her best quality was punctuality and she always maintained it.


    She reached the gates. The gates of the Stat Kingdom. A place called home. Her own home. A rare dragon born in the Star Kingdom that had the most ill fated life in the universe. She after thousands years, stepped inside the gates, as it opened for her. Her heart pounded loud and she walked towards her palace. Her father was still the King and the Master of stars. Her brother yet to take the throne. She had tears in her eyes.


    As the doors opened, she stood there watching without blinking. The marvellous place on the universe. And there stood the people. People who are her pillars. The old and the new, the family and the friends. And one more person she has been looking forward to meet. Smile curved on the lip of Empress Lihua. It was felt good. It was going as she wanted them to. She took a deep breath and walked in. The smiles on all the faces warmed her.

 Chapter 128: The Return to the Star Kingdom

    The dooms of the palace shined bright. The lights everywhere. Huge chandeliers hanging down. The white and golden interior with matching furniture inside the long hall that goes straight to the throne. Lihua walked towards them slowly. The guards welcomed her and followed her behind holding trays of gifts that has been arranged for her. She walked towards an old man. Grey long hair and beard, wearing a simple robe. The silver robe of the King of Star Kingdom. Next to him stood the eldest son, the Crown Prince of the Star Kingdom. Older than Empress Lihua. The only brother to her. She smiled at them both. She felt thankful to have been accepted after years and years of her longing.


    "Welcome back sister," Crown Princes Han said to her. A white tiger he was. The true form of the Prince.


    "Can never be happier than this," she expressed her feeling to her family. Her step mother was also present at the scene standing next to her brother. She nodded at her and smiled. The only soul in the star house who supported her and secretly visited her several times. She has forever been grateful to her step mother in that way. Bringing her up after her own mother''s death without showing any differences.


    "I know, but it has happened now," Prince Han said. Father, the star king remained silent and only nodded at her.


    "Father," Empress Lihua called and knelt down, bowing, touching her forhead on the ground. Paying her respects. What she has not been able to do for years. She had tears in her eyes. Her favourite person turned into a stranger in her life for these thousands of years that passed. Her heart wrecked even more at the very thought of it. Old King touched her head and blessed her. "Everything will be alright soon," he said to her. "Tha family will never let go of each other anymore," he said and looked at that person. The one standing in a blue and white gown, her hair lying down her hips, the tiara shining bright in her head. The emotion on her eyes were strong. "She taught me that," The old King said looking at the personality.


    "Aqua is not an easy simple person," Empress Lihua said smiling, wiping her tears. "Come over here," she called Aqua. She extended her hand to hold Aqua.


    Aqua walked closer and took Empress Lihua''s hand. She bowed at the King and spoke to the Empress. "Happy to see you come back home, my mother would have loved to see it," she added.


    "Hmm Rivera, Water Queen would have given anything to witness this moment," Lihua said proudly. Aqua nodded along.


    They took Lihua to her room, and Aqua followed her. This was her first in the Star Palace and meeting all the officials. Aqua was polite and very feminine inside the palace, hiding her savage face. Empress Lihua smiled at her.


    "I know you slipped from Huo''er''s hands, how will he react ? How will you handle him?" Empress Lihua asked the Water Princess. But she only had smiles. Huo''er''s name brought her delight. She blushed instantly.


    "We will see, am not going to fight ever, and I trust him, am sure he would understand why I left the Realm," she said assuring Empress Lihua. "It''s him, I know him now, too well," she said looking at her hands. She realized how much she is missing him. She took a deep breath. They had reached the old bed chamber of Empress Lihua. She opened the doors only to cry. The memories hurt her. The room looked the same, exactly like she left it. The coat, the tables, her favourite place to spend time. There were even the toys and the cradle her family arranged for Huo when she returned home from the Water Realm until she married Emperor Tai. The coat reminded her of Tai''s deed. How he took her. And he she submitted herself for the sake of the men in her life.


    Empress Lihua shuddered at the very thought and threw them away. She changed her mind and stepped in. She walked towards the cradle first and touched the baby''s toys. She smiled. Aqua smiled.


    "I can''t imagine how adorable King Huo''er would have been like," Aqua said seeing her mother in law''s face.


    "The cutest and adorable child in the universe," she said proudly.


    "I knew you would say that," Aqua said and laughed. Aqua took some water to drink from the jug kept on the table along with the fruits.


    "Aqua," Lihua got serious suddenly. "Try not to get pregnant this time," hearing this advise Aqua choked on the water and spit them, coughing. She flushed red. Shy and embarrassed.


    "I, er.. we.." she stuttered. ''Oh my god,'' she thought. "It''s not like you think," she struggled. "We are careful," she finally said.


    "You guys better be, there is still time, don''t hurry, you do know what happened the last time don''t you?'' Lihua reminded her. Aqua nodded agreeing to her. She did make sense. Aqua cannot afford to conceive and lose a child amidst of the chaos once again while she has begun the battle herself.


    "I know, I know well, too well, we will be careful," she said.


    "I was worried ever since I left the Castle I wanted to tell you, but I didnr want to barge into your private matters, I kept hesitating, I hope you understand, am speaking for you," Empress Lihua cleared her side.


    "I know, my mother would have wanted to tell me the same if she was here," Aqua said smiling. "You are right,"


    "Alright then," Empress said smiling and patted her head. Aqua bowed and left the room. She reached the palace a day before and rested well. She was glad that Empress Lihua got her letter and came to her in her own almost immediately.


    When the Star king came to know about the activity of Aqua at the Celestial Palace, he was impressed. He was happy and summoned the Water Princess immediately. Star Kingdom never accept guests, being the isolated kingdom who only do the work for the heaven rejecting every offers and invitations. They wholeheartedly welcomed Aqua. And not just Aqau, but also invited their long lost daughter. They felt the need to call her back, save her and keep her with them.


    When father called for Empress, she had nothing else to look at and came back immediately. The moment she has been waiting for decades. Aqua''s love for her family inspired the people in the heaven, even though she has been taking extreme measure. Her love story with King Huo, her death, her return, everything spread like fire around the heaven, among the faires and the officials. She was praised, she was scolded, she was admired, and she was hated equally by many in the universe. But she knew nothing about it. She did not care about it.


    When Aqua out of the chamber, she found Prince Han waiting for her. He smiled and invited her into King''s study room. Aqua followed the Prince and entered the study. King welcomed her.


    "I want to know," she said before he even spoke to her. "What you said my dream? And why you chose to appear in my dreamland?" She waited for the answer.


    "Patience my dear," he said laughing lightly.


    "Is it true, then? What I saw ? The stars? Can I trust it?"


    "Breath," the king said.


    "I am," she said and took a deep breath, she smiled uneasily.


    ''"You can trust them if you wish," he said. "But," the king praised. Aqua''s heart raised. "But remember, what I said and remember to find something am going to tell you now,"


    "Tell me what is it?" She was eager.


    "It is a great danger," he warned her.


    "How more dangerous could it get, for everything I have done now, am not scared," she assured the King about her thoughts. The King smiled and laughed at her. He walked forward.


    "Find the heir to throne," he said. Sje could not believe her ears. She could not believe what she just heard. She grew shocked.


    "Find the heir to the Celestial throne, a new Emperor?" She confirmed what she heard from the old King''s mouth. "Is there even a person for that? On what basis? Under what category? Aaron is dead, and who else is the right heir?" She asked looking confused not thinking clearly.


    "Do you not know the fact how Emperor Tai is a fake Phoenix? Does it not strike that there could be a soul left, a Phoenix soul to take the throne back?" King asked her.


    "Oh my god, yes, how could I not think about it?" She said. She recalled the conversation she had with King Huo.


    "Do you know why your family was hunted down?" Empress Lihua asked her walking into the room. Aqua stood like a statue. Listening to the elders. "Water King Aenon grew popular in heaven, and my husband did not like it, he used the chance to exterminate the family in the name of corruption but nobody expected the news about your sister, it became a chance for Tai to attack on the Water Realm," she gave out all the information. Aqua looked at the Empress. "Also King Aenon found out the truth behind usurping the throne and the heir that escaped, Tai couldn''t let him leave anymore, seeing Water King working for the right things, so"


    "So he chose to exterminate my family," Aqua completed the sentence. "So he chose to kill us, and conceal the matter, he killed," her words dispersed unable to speak loudly. Something strikes her suddenly. The map she saw at shifu''s room reminded her of the matter. She tired to recall what she saw as Tai''s words echoed in her head. "Return back to where you came from, Water. Isn''t that the right choice?"

 Chapter 129: Change of Heart

    Milan waited for Aiden. But he was busy, practising and meditating. She waited for long. In the end, she got up from the rock and walked away. She decided to climb the top of the mountain they were residing on. She always wanted to see it. She had gotten bored of the daily forest and river view. She wanted more. Like when she lived in the palace. Go around, see things, eat things, feel things, and she wondered about what kind fox she is, not happy at living in her own magical woods. She realized how the worldy life and pleasures has influenced her living style and she craved for it. Milan had constant mood swings. "Why god why?" She always wondered. She couldn''t help but feel all if it. "Damn it," she often cursed. She was no longer in his terms with the wolf pack, after she killed one who molested her. It was the right thing to do but not for others. The Centuars found the one in the conflict often breaking the rules in the woods. Going hunting, attempting to break through the barrier to Milan go crazy. But they had no idea that that was one thing the fox Queen was looking forward in happening. Breaking the barrier and escape. But as a Queen, she did not have the heart to hurt the peaceful existence of the lives that trusted her. That found shelter under her. She often walked around in her true self and explored the Giant''s places to see everything is okay with that community.


    Milan began to climb up the mountains alone. The barriers ended there, but shockingly, she managed to get out of it she didn''t know how, but they way up to the moutians, helped her walk out and walk towards the edge. "Othoke?How? Why? How?" She couldn''t stop wondering. Milan took several steps back. And she went back into the forest. And she walked through the barrier again. Then she walked back to the mountain top entry and she stepped out of the barrier again. She did that several times in a row to test that it''s really happening. And she grew excited. She screamed out loud. And howl echoed around the forest. Hearing her sound, Aiden realized that she had set out on her own and stopped practicing sword and ran for her. He followed the way the sound came from and he reached the mountain top.  To his shock. The same thing happened to him.


    "How? Why? Ho how? He asked Milan with the surprising expression on his face.


    "I don''t know, it happened just like that," she said to him.


    "Only this part or all the barriers, we never tired before, to step out, but how?" He said


    "I knowwwwwww!" She replied standing with her hands on her hips, smiling and contemplating about the matter. "Let''s go fir now," she said and walked forward. The woods ended, and opened to a huge meadow, a beautiful green meadow with full of flowers. It looked mesmerising. Her eyes grew wide and ran towards turn.


    "Slowly," Grand Prince Aiden warned her and followed her, with a smile on his face, seeing her excited self. "Wait for me,"


    "Come fast, this place looks too irresistible. No one has ever known about this place before I guess. It looked like less visited place. Look at the eco system. There are lots of birds and squirrels,  see that willow tree," she said and pointed at an old willow tree, green with flowers all over. She walked towards the tree and looked down the mountain. The breathtaking view from the edge, warmed her heart. Aiden stood behind her and held her hand, for stopping her from going further towards the edge. Her heart skipped a beat. He never cared to do such stuff before and when he did this time, it triggered her feelings and her heart. She felt her hand growing hot and she blushed. He noticed that but stood smiling pretending to not have seen or felt anything. He tightened his grip around her. They decided to sit under the tree for sometime. Aiden got some fruits to satisfy them hunger and settled down under the tree. She sat there staring the sky and towards the edge. She smiled and breathed well. She was finding peace putting away the heavy feelings in her heart.


    She could see the sea in the distance that is close by her home.


    "It''s too far away from here, am thinking the same," he said watching her. "That''s why we cannot just spot the palace,"


    "Hmmm," she looked at him and smiled. "I can''t believe all this happened, not even in my wildest dreams did I expect for things to happen this way," Aiden smiled as she said. He couldn''t believe how blind he had been for years and years. He looked right into her eyes. His heart skipped a beat this time. He saw the ocean of emotions in her eyes. He couldn''t believe that getting imprinted on somebody could be a real thing. But he accepted it in the end. He accepted the fact she has always been in love with him and the fact that his heart has changed. He wasn''t even aware of it at first, but there sitting under the willow tree, with her, at the very moment, seeing her turquoise blue eyes, he knew how he has fallen for her, unconditionally and irrevocably, in love with her. He felt it. In his heart. As it pounded loud and fast, as it wanted her, as it longed for her, as it got afraid of telling her, wondering if would be right, wondering if it is okay to tell her at the current situation. He knew for sure, that he is no longer obsessed with Aquamarine, but Milan, truly, and madly. He exhaled hiding his feelings,  looking away. She quickly turned her head away.


    And he got up instantly. He corrected his dress and helped Milan stand up.


    "Thanks," she said. She was shy seeing the way he was being with her unexpectedly.


    They walked for sometime and then picked up flowers. He made a crown for her. And placed it on her silky hair. She loved it. This is the first Aiden has made something for her and gifted her. She found happiness in this little thing. She was satisfied and did not expect anymore unaware of his feelings. He glanced at her and turned away smiling.


    Milan looked at the sky and noticed something suddenly. Things she failed to check before. "Aiden, what am I seeing?" she asked him.


    "What is it?" He asked looking around.


    "Look at the sky, the stars, look," she pointed at the sky. "Is it not....."


    "Goodness, the stars, them, it''s them, they are back, they are here, oh my god they never left," he said.  They found the truth in the end. "Why did we not check this fact before?" Aiden asked furiously.


    "I never saw them until now, no am very sure about it, it never appeared before," she assured him.


    "Are you sure that we are not hallucinating stuff? Or dreaming?" He asked her doubtfully.


    She pinched him and pulled his ear. "Are you now?"


    "Arghhhhh..." he screamed with pain. "No no we are definitely not,"


    "No you are not," suddenly they heard a voice from the back. Aiden and Milan instantly prepared to attack activating their powers and Aiden stood in front of Milan. "It''s me, slow down," he said.


    "Shifu," Aiden said and dropped his hands. Master Bo Hai stepped forward. Milan took the crown off her head, and stored it. Milan and Aiden bowed at the old man and paid their respects.


    "Why did you do this to us?" That''s the first thing Milan asked her.


    "My child you are yet to grow up," he made fin of her. "Can you not still understand it?"


    "Why did you not let us be with our family? You led them alone and die them alone," Aiden said.


    "You''re wrong," Master Bo Hai said.


    "What about these stars we are seeing right now? Are they real? Are they what we think it is?" Milan kept firing questions at Master Bo Hai.


    "Hmm yes, I can say that," he said. They looked up at the sky again, but this time it had disappeared. It was no where to be seen.


    "Where is it?" Aiden asked  searching, straining his eyes. He sat down immediately and mediated. He tried to locate them using his own star but he couldn''t even find his nor Milan''s. Only the constellation of Aquarius was visible and clear. Aqua looked safe. He tried to look more for her but he couldn''t locate her. He opened his eyes and split a little amount of blood as he strained his body and travelled far away than he should have.


    "Relax," Master Bo Hai said. I have said it. It I true, what you saw, there is hope, and more  but I cannot tell you further, find your sister soon Milan and join with her," he said. "It is important, unleash your powers Milan," he asked her to use her powers.


    "Tell us what''s going on," Aiden said.


    "We don''t have much time, and I just wanted to see if you two are okay on your own, it appears you two are more than fine, am glad," he went on. "Stay strong, don''t get defeated," and then he left.


    "Hey  wait wait  tell us more," Milan said along asking him to stop but he left anyway. "What the hell is this? Why couldn''t he tell us something more, now am curious and want to get out of here,"


    "Relax, let''s find a way,  he must be the one who helped us walked through the yard too, to meet with us," Aiden said and looked at her. His eyes grew wide and his heart grew curious, he wished to leave the forest as soon as he could. "Find Aqua, we should find Aqua, she is upto something,"

 Chapter 130: Street story telling and unexpected meeting with foster parent

    Life will not be colourful, as you wish it to be. The people in your life will go through different and difficult times which make them do things, which make them behave in a certain. Everyone have their own reasons. But what helps you build a strong relationship is when you understand them and gone with their flow, give them time and also grow your love for them, giving them strength, without showing the ego conflicts.


    Huo carried on with his work at the Demon''s castle. He did not go in search. He did not gr angry. He did not wish to interrupt anyone''s way of work. He just accepted the reality and carried on with his life, waiting for the right moment to interfere.


    He and Aqua went through a lot that only taught them variety of lesson, that taught them to grow up, grow strong, and face the world even if it stands against you. Huo and Aqua developed the elite level of relationship in the recent times. And Huo now had highest level of trust and faith in his woman.


    Huo remained in the castle, managing the demons. He met up with all the seven demon class settled in Hell. Each of the houses were in conflict with each other, but obeyed the king boldly and blindly. Huo held a summit in the Castle inviting all the seven clans together and arranged a one night camp in desert to let them interact and cooperate conducting variety programs for them. He wanted to see who are the trouble makers and who actually are ready to cooperate.


    The eagles, the vultures, the three buffalo clans,  the ravens and the peacocks. These are clans that sum up hell but there are also small demon sects that has different forms apart from these majority shape shifters. The eagles and peacocks have the highest ranks and the two clans that has ruled over hell. But the hell lies in the hand of eagle descendants. Except Huo, who is a dragon, and too rare for a Demon to be born with exceptional


    Skills, which made demons think that he can never be defeated again.


    He noticed how the peacocks held back from everything, especially the Princess Ahana. She simply did not like anybody else. And did not cooperate with anyone. And when she did she put on a drama. On the friendly hunting match, when the leaders were aksed to collect maximum of the preys, Princess Ahana tried to stick herself towards the Demon King. Pretending to have hurt herself and falling off the horse, Princess Ahana asked King Huo who was close by take her back to the castle. Seeing through her lies and act, Demon King ordered the guards to carry her back to the Castle. "No, no your highness, please, your higness," she called out for him. But he smiled and walked away. ''Little girls are too much these day, learn from my Aqua, how she acted when she liked me, thinking about that, god my woman pushed me away when she fell in love," he talked inside his head and smiled widely. He couldn''t help but recall their night together at the tree hut on the river banks, the day he confessed, the day they got together, got to know even better. He had goosebumps. ''Wait till I get hold of you one day,'' he said and walked back to the game ground. The fires were lit to keep the ways bright to the dessert. He found how the buffalo clans were always together and how eagles and vultures and great cooperation. He decided to formulate the plans and policies for the Kingdom accordingly and ended the summit the next day. Princess Ahana was such a nuisance and kept making troubles to the point that she even dared to walk into the bed chamber of the King. But he had her removed before he went into his chamber and asked the guards to take her back home even before the summit ended.


    He waited everyday, counting the time, spending time alone, wondering what Aqua would be doing. He would complete reading the petitions and meet with the people who needed help and solve their problems. He often went to the town and walked down the street watching the people himself and watch a play before he returns back to the castle. It became a habit, to pass his time. Some days he would interrupt the stories saying how wrong they are. Just like he did in the old days.


    "No, it''s wrong," he said one day. He was in disguise hence nobody recognised him. He was wearing a civilian''s black Demon robe and a hat, the black boots, with his hair tied up. He was not carrying any weapons with him. "The King never loved the Queen Regent," he said back.


    "Who are you?" The story teller got angry and asked him.


    "The guard from the palace, I have seen what happened there," the crowd murmured loudly and asked him to narrate the story. "Pay him and I will," Huo said. And the story teller agreed to it.


    "You better say the truth," story teller warned him.


    "Better that you Mister," he said and began the story. "Princess Aqua died by saving the Demon King, giving away her powers to him. But he reincarnated only a couple of years later. Using all the powers. His and hers," people looked drawn towards him, listening every single word carefully. "He was helped by the Queen Regent greatly, taking caring secretly, keeping the news to herself and her mother Fiona," he recalled the lady suddenly. "He was given treatments, he had no memory of the past, and Demon King had tough time and trust issues," Huo went on. "King had no choice but trust the Queen Regent, but she utilised the chance and fed him with love elixirs forcing him to get close to her," he said. The crowd made various noises as they heard the story. He stood there smiling and looking at curious faces of his fellow demons. "But King always kept his limits, then years later, King came to know about the truth, he reconciled with his beloved, but it took some time for the princess to forgive him, and then he declared his love for her again, he said she is the only one he will ever be able to love," he added extra in the end, cut shorting the story.


    "But this is incomplete," a lady shouted. "We know Water Princess is back, how did they two meet again?" And the crowd agreed with her.


    "I don''t know that," he lied and left the platform. The story teller called him suddenly. "Insider stories are interesting, if you get more, share with me, I will give you quarter of my profits, okay?" He asked Huo unaware that he is making the deal with the King.


    "Deal," Huo agreed and left happily.


    "You enjoy spreading rumours yourself don''t you?" General Hawk asked him.


    "They are gossiping for entertainment and for earning, if so, let them know the truth and lie about things that did not happen," Huo shrugged and said to General Hawk.


    "Alright alright alright," General Hawk agreed and quit the conversation. He took the King back to the castle. A surprise awaited him. Huo spend some more time alone and walked into the Castle''s court. There he saw a man he had not seen for several months since the extermination of Water Royals, waiting for him eagerly. Huo''er''s heart grew tensed for a moment. "What could it be?" He wondered. He smiled and walked towards the old man.


    "How are you? Your highness?" He asked Huo.


    "Do you have to address me that way? It sounds weird?" Huo replied back.


    "But it is the right way, is it not?" He asked the Demom King back.


    "It is but not for me, do address me the way you do, say for like should I call you foster father?" He mocked.


    "Don''t call me that, call me like how you always do," the old man said.


    "Haha why is it not the right way?" He asked the question back.


    "No," he stopped talking to King Huo.


    "Ok ok Shifu  forgive me, I was.." Huo was stopped by Master Bo Hai suddenly.


    "Are you not going to find your lady?" Shifu asked.


    "When the time comes, I will, for now she wished to be alone," he said back.


    "Do not forget that she will need you, whether she will ask you or not, accept you or not, a part of her lies in you and just like that, a part of your soul lies in her heart, never forget that, the full potentials depends on each other," Master Bo Hai reminded him again about their connection.


    "Why are you telling me this now?" He asked suspiciously. He didn''t feel right about something all of a sudden. "I know that you know, tell me where is Aqua right now and what is she upto?" He grew serious. His face changed from the smile to hell lot of suspicion and worry. He took a step closer towards shifu who didn''t cooperate with him in revealing the truth. He looked at shifu''s face and opened his mouth to speak.

 Chapter 131: Fucanglong

    Aqua walked out of the Star Kingdom as soon as she got the messages. She had to hurry to a place before it''s too late. Empress Lihua followed her.


    "Wait," she yelled. "Aqua, wait, and listen to me,"


    Aqua stopped right at the gate as she her the Empress and looked back. Empress Lihua reached her side and stood panting hard.


    "What happened? Why would you run? Relax relax," Aqua said and handed a bottle of water.


    "Am fine," Lihua said and pushed the bottle back.


    "What''s wrong?" Daughter in law asked back.


    "Nothing, I just wanted to give you this," she said and handed out a dagger. A gold dagger embellished with rubies.


    "What? No. I can''t take this, it''s yours," Aqua declined immediately seeing the weapon of Empress Lihua.


    "Aniyo, you have no idea, your mother gave this to me when I gave birth to Huo, leaving the Water Realm, it was hers, given to her by your grand mother before she passed away, Rivera never hesitated to give this to me, and I should return that back to you, take this, its rightfully yours, this dragon fang," Enpreds Lihua said and kept them in Aqua''s hands. The dagger looked less used, protected well and still shining like new. Amazing weapon that is part of the dragon system, a weapon that could cut through any surface, and that can clot the blood instantly. It also has the ability to kill the evil spirits in one stab and turn them into dust. Aqua carefully observed the weapon and kept them in her hanfu''s sleeve, storing them. She already had her crystal sword, the needles Aiden gave her, her own dagger and now the dragon fang handed over to her. She smiled and looked at the Empress. She expressed her gratitude.


    "Rememeber you are alone for now, never walk into traps, trust your own instincts and go according to the plan, find what you must, remind yourself about the mission you are on constantly and walk through it," Empress advised her for a long time.


    "I will keep these in my mind, do not worry your highness, I have nope, I believe in it, I will find what I should and put everything back in its place," Aqua made a promise.


    "Very good," Empress Lihua smiled.


    "How long will you stay here?" Aqua asked.


    "Maybe a month or two, I said to Tai that am going in seclusion so he obviously won''t expect my return before a month,"


    "Take care until then," Aqua wished her well.


    "Farewell," Empress Lihua said nothing more. And she walked away.


    "I will see you soon," Aqua said but Empress Lihua did not listen to her. "Weird," Aqua murmured. "What happened?" She wondered herself and walked outside the gates of the Star Kingdom.


    Aqua decided to go the place, she saw on the map. But before that she needed to confirm it with people. And for that, Aqua prepared to go the Earth, the Human Realm. The tiniest problem was, she had forgotten the way into the palace, the entrance to the Palace King Zidan resides. She had been to the palace only once when she was little even though her father went her often, he never took her with him except that one single time.


    "It''s going to be a huge take," she said exhaling and apparated. But the place she ended up was in the middle of the road unfortunately. She looked at the signal and it turned green at the right time. The vehicles rushed past her. She couldn''t use her powers since people had already seen her, standing in the middle. There were people who were asking her to step away. She had no idea where to. Standing on the track for heavy vehicles, there was container that was coming towards her. "Holyshit," she said and closed her eyes, using her power to pressure the vehicle with air in the opposite direction that will gradually slow down the truck. And it did as she expected. Everyone screamed around her and she shut her eyes tight and stood in the front, while the truck stopped at the right time, an inch away from her. She stopped the air and opened her eyes. She sighed. "Damn," she thought. "What a great entry!" She exclaimed and waited for the signal to turn red again to cross the road.


    The cops marched towards her and took her away. "How are you miss?" They aksed her. "How senseless can you be lady? Walking through the road after the signal turned green, we will check the camera and find it the signal was faulty or not," Aqua immediately destroyed the cameras around her in a single snap and moved away with them, to not get caught.


    "Sorry, sorry am fine its okay," she said and stood at the footpath in front of a pizza shop. They talked to her about health and left her alone. "Take care miss, do not cause trouble,"


    "I won''t, thank you,'' she said and turned away. She shook her head and escaped from the scene. She had no idea where she had landed but all she remembers is a city that had a river flowing in the middle, that divided district into two equal halves. She looked around her ans saw a tall building. A game developing company. She walked past it and reached nowhere she had no idea where to go. She decided to confirm if this is the right place started to look for the river. She sealed half her powers to not attract any attention and save up her energy not using it. She walked around for an hour found a place. A park infact. She aksed the security about the speciality of the place, and he spend an hour talking to her about the speciality.


    "You must do boating, it gives you wonderful views and experience miss," he said once he finished speaking with her.


    "I will, thank you so much Uncle for all the information, I was always curious about this place,"


    "Did you not learn in the school about this?" He asked her looking surprised.


    "I never went to school uncle, I couldn''t, so," Aqua said and shrugged, her little white lies making the old man believe her words.


    "I dropped out when I was little too, but my child education is important these days, you must learn, you must, you are young," he advised her. Aqua soon said goodbye and felt relieved to have confirmed the place. "Now find the entrance to the palace," she told herself. "What is the sign Kimg Zidan uses?" She thought. "No he won''t use the flag sign, or the banner, that would be easy to find, it must be something else but something that belongs to him," she kept thinking. She sun was about to set. "God days run too fast on earth," she said and walked back to the city. She looked at her pouch, she had so much gold and silver with her. "I need money, let me exchange some," she decided and walked searching around for a jewelry to sell them. She was wearing a blue and white frilled frock and her hair into a ponytail looking perfectly like a human. She saw a shop named with a very familiar name. "Fucanglong " she said. "Really? Humans put such names for shops?" She wondered and walked in without hesitation. She saw an old lady in the counter. She smiled and got up. "Welcome my lady," she said.


    Aqua nodded and smiled back at her. She took out one of her pouches and handed her. "I need money in return," she demanded. The old lady smiled and called for her staff.


    "What is the princess doing here?" The lady asked. Aqua was shocked. She looked at her.


    "What?"


    "Princess of Water Realm I have seen you before so I know you, and we can recognize the gold and silver from heaven," The old lady said. Aqua understood that the old lady is not human soon.


    "How do you know?" Aqua asked her curiously.


    "We are faires who got expelled from heaven doing business here on earth, we collect the gold and send back to heaven as a repayment, we get a little profit for that, but we need not explain to whom the coins belonged to,"


    "Why sent back? Why can''t you use it here?" Aqua asked her doubt.


    "It is the purest form of gold that is yet to be found on earth, that is used only by the gods and goddesses in heaven," the old lady smiled. She looked like she is missing home.


    "What crime did you do?" Aqua wished to know that and asked straight on her face.


    "Didn''t listen to the new Phoenix prince and the then King and left the palace, I was banished and branded and a traitor," she said. But she didn''t seem to regret her decision.


    "You mean Emperor Tai and his father?" Aqua asked.


    "Yes," the old lady said. Aqua punched the table with her fist. "What happened?"


    "How many people were banished from Heaven? Aqua asked her.


    "Many!" Old lady exclaimed.


    "All during usurping the throne?"


    "Yes, when they got afraid that heaven might turn into a burial ground, after two batches of cold blooded murder, they started sending the people who worked and were related to the Celestial palace and Emperor Tanwen to earth on exile, in a condition to never return back," the old lady explained it to her. "We were made to sign the documents, and forced to leave, live in hiding, we earn too little and some how making the ends meets giving most of the profit we make on earth back to heaven in the name of punishment,"


    "Why are you telling me these?" Aqua asked her doubtfully seeing how the old lady opened up easily.


    "Because.." old lady continued with her story.

 Chapter 132: Water Palace and Trespasser

    Milan attempted to open the ward day and night. She worked harder and got tired. She tried when the settlers in the woods were away or busy or while they were sleeping at nights trying not to alert them about what she was doing. She did not want them to think that she is abandoning them.


    Aiden watched her work, he tried to come with ideas and what Shifu possibly could have done to temporarily weaken the power of the ward that would help the gods to walk through. He tried to recall several techniques from his memory that he has learned before. And Milan tired to come up with several powers of hers. She wondered if there is anything she is unaware of in her own body.


    "What could it be?" She asked him who was busy with the thoughts.


    "We will find it," he said.


    "But we are running out of time," she worried.


    "Wait wait, calm down, be patient," he tried to put her at ease. "Did you use all the strength?" He questioned her.


    "I did," she replied.


    "Then don''t, " he advised her. "The more strength you give, the stronger the ward would grow into, so use less strength, and more intelligence," he tried to educate her. "What did feel like when we walked out of the barrier couple of hours back?" He asked her to ponder over their experiences.


    "It felt like we walked through.." she paused. "I don''t know I didn''t feel anything,'' she said. "Did you?" She asked him back.


    "Neither did I," he said and laughed.


    "Hey, be serious," she said and hit his arms.


    "Ouch," he made a sound.


    "Did you try the water techniques your masters taught you?" She asked him again. "Complex ones?"


    "Nothings works," he replied. "What about you?" She said nothing, falling into serious line of thoughts. ''How did my biological father walk in and out of the water when he used to live?'' She thought. ''There were no records or news about how he opened, does that mean there are no special tricks?" Suddenly it occured to her. Milan turned into her true form of the nine tailed fox. Aiden stood there watching her. Her hideous form. Her beautiful self that she no longer has his while living. He smiled proudly. He was happy. For her.


    "I don''t think I need to use powers, just hold my hand, stay close to me," she said to Aiden. He listened to her and took her hands. He walked closer and stood next to her. She extended her arms and put them through the invisible barrier applying a little amount of force to open it. Her hand passed through it. She walked forwards and pulled Aiden behind her and he got out along with her. She stood on her knees the moment she got out. The barrier closed once again. Aiden exhaled and looked around.


    "We really did come, so that''s all it took?" He asked her. "Just walk through?"


    "I used have my energy, probably this is the reason why father was weak everytime he stepped out of the barrier and got killed," she took a guess. "Walking through the restricted barrier requires energy from the bead that protects the barrier, and only the fox can walk through it except the person who fixed it," she informed him what she had learned from the experience. "Let''s rest and take off later in ten minutes," she said to him and sat cross legged on the ground doing a quick meditation. Her eyes were blue and tails still out. When he looked at them, Milan grew conscious of his presence.


    Couple of minutes later, the two apparated and decided to visit the Water Palace before they left Water Realm. The reached the palace and stood in front of the tall gates. Apparently there was no one guarding the gates. Milan was surprised. ''Why is there no one?'' She wondered. ''I remember well that Pa asked to keep the place well,''


    She walked forward and pushed open the gates. And as thought, there was no one inside either. The palace completely empty with nobody living around. Milan and Aiden stepped in.


    She walked around the palace, to the pond, to the pavilion, and to the court. The hall was dark and full of dust. She looked at the empty throne where her father used to sit on before the officials and civilians making various decisions, policies and plan. She could see them all before her eyes. Her father accompanied by his mother, her sister and herself. Aiden assisting the King with official matters. Those busy days and the last speech her father made the last day before they were taken away for execution. Milan felt her blood boiling.


    Aiden kept a hand on her shoulder pulling her back to reality as she stood looking around, hallucinating. She lighted all lamps and walked out swiftly. She then moved towards her tide palace. She opened the doors of her bed chamber. The grey and dusty room with cobwebs hanging around. She asked Aiden get out of the room and and cleaned everything quickly. She sighed and sat down on her bed. It felt too good to lie down on her bed. Aiden in the meanwhile set a ward around the palace to know if someone trespass.


    Milan rested for an hour while Aiden spent his time packing some weapons, medicines and clothes necessary for their travel. They are supposed to find Aqua soon who seem to be nowhere around the Water Realm.


    Milan got up when her stomach growled of hunger and walked to the kitchen in the palace to see if there is anything. Atleast wine. She ransacked the store room and all the large vessels that stored rice, dried fish, pickles, the ingredients, the wine cellar and the poultry farm behind the palace. The poultry was empty. But she luckily found some ginseng, spices, rice, dried fish, dried pullocks, and used some chilly pickle to prepare a meal. At the right time, Aiden came for her. She served him with rice, dried pullock soup and fried dried salmon and pickle. She also found some wine and poured him one tall glass of drink and took one for her.


    They settled down in the kitchen itself and had food with the help of candles she lit. He looked at her the moment he took the first mouthful of food. He coughed but controlled it.


    "How is it?" She asked eagerly. He smiled.


    "Not bad," he lied. The soup was spicy and salty. The rice was overcooked, the fried fish was burnt a little and overall, it was not that edible. But the only good thing was the wine. The older it was and the better it tasted. He filled his tummy with lots of wine finished off eating quickly and stopped her from serving him anything. Then she began to eat. She looked at him.


    "Am sorry," she said and kept the food away. "You could have told me," she said looking ar him whi handed her peaches out of his pockets. She took them from him ate them to satisfy her hunger. He stared her as she drank the wine along. Milan could see it but pretended to not know. Her heart skipped a beat again. She bit the peach. But suddenly it rolled down her hands as it got pulled. Milan was pulled back by Aiden. He stopped her and he turned her around.


    "What are you doing?" She asked him in a low voice, surprised.


    "Doing what I should," he said and put his arms around her hips. Both sitting on the floor cross legged, opposite each other. He moved the hair out of her face. Her face was glowing even in the dim light. And he felt her heart pounding loud. He liked that. He loved that he made her feel this way. He moved closer. But she pushed him away, keeping her hands on his chest. "Don''t," she said.


    "Why?" He aksed for an explanation.


    "Because I don''t want to be substitute, I don''t want this kind of affection, I don''t want to be played," she said frankly.


    "You think I still don''t have feelings for you and that I like your sister, you think am toying with you?" He asked her looking into her eyes. She said nothing at first.


    "Yes, how else should I think?" She asked back.


    "Then I will show you and let you think whatever you want to today, I don''t care if this is the right time or not," Aiden said. And lifted her in his arms. He apparated and walked towards the bed in Milan''s chamber. He settled her down shutting the doors behind and he leaned over her. Milan blushed and couldn''t believe that he was expressing his feelings for her.


    "Am warning you, my heart is no joke," she sad to him.


    "And that is the kind of want, I long for, I need now," he said and crashed his lips on hers. It was like a stat exploding in Milan''s heart. The feelings and emotions that she had for over years being finally reciprocated by her love. He got on top, and deepened his kiss running his hand over her and holding her close. She looked at his hazel eyes for few seconds as she withdrew to catch up with her breath and it looked like he was filled with his own wide range of emotions. He then kissed her once again, as she worked her fingers on his robe, untying them. And that very moment, Aiden was alerted by an entry of a man into the palace. He felt the ward breaking. He sound Milan away and looked at the direction of the door.


    "What happened?'' She asked him getting up along with him quickly.


    "Somebody is in," he said and he drew his sword out walking towards the door quickly, putting his robes back on.

 Chapter 133: Set out of the Castle with Frenemy

    Huo''er decided to quickly take care of the political affairs. He wanrned the ministers about the long absence he would be taking. He assigned the works and finished some of the personal duties he had to take care of. He appointed General Hawk to spy everything and report him on time and find him no matter where he is or whatever he might be doing.


    "I will, don''t worry your highness," General Hawk assured the Demon King.


    "Thank you," He replied back.


    Volca has been circling around him outside the court waiting for him. He was aware of it but did not meet with her not let ther enter the court. Her brown gown with orange satin borders looked good on her. She was carrying her sword with her. She walked up and down but the moment she saw King Huo walking out she hid behind the tree. Huo had Hawk on his heels. "Make sure no clans fight each. You can use the our indestructible army if you need urgently, don''t hesitate. Remember to keep eye on," he lowered his voice.


    "I got it," he said happily.


    "You seen happy to do that," Huo commented.


    "Not happy exactly but am glad am doing it. I can atleast understand the child and talk some sense," he paused. Volca did not hear it clearly as she stood there while the raven kept crowing. General Hawk soon took his leave. King Huo walked around the castle for sometime, putting his mind at ease. He walked towards the fire pond near the entrance to the hell. The heat was unbearable but he got used to it living in Hell for long. He wondered if anybody else would be able to adapt to the life at Hell. His mind full of what Master Bo Hai informed him about. He couldn''t wait to get out of the castle. He did not wish to be like his father, did not have the heart to leave his love behind, did not have the mind to obey the heavens when it kept supporting the wrong, did not have the patience to let his woman suffer alone. He did not want anything wrong to happen to both of them again. He was determined and strong on his decisions. He looked at the sky and noticed a lone star. It reminded him of the days he was healing, without his memories. He placed his hands on his hands and smiled and then he was reminded was the few months he spent with Aqua in the castle recently. "It was worth all the suffering," he said. "Wait till I get to you, do not worry for I will let you go alone or abandon you, don''t ever get wrong ideas," he spoke alone.


    "Looks like you are leaving somewhere," Volca said not hiding anymore, following him around.


    "Mind your own business," King Huo said put on a serious expression.


    "Where are you going this time?" She asked again. But he did not respond. "Am asking you your highness," she irritated him.


    "Leave," he said.


    "You think I would," she smiled at him and jumped in front of him acting all cute putting her hands on both side of her face blinking her eyes. He shook his head and moved her away with his hands, pushing her off.


    "Wait," she called him out. "Stop," she ordered instead of him. "You think I will quit if you push me away?" She was too determined and wilful to join his journey, wherever he was going to. She didn''t feel right for some reason. But she didn''t let him know that, not wishing to affect his peace of mind. She liked when he looked hopeful, she liked it when he was angry at her thinking atleast he cares to shout at her, or be rude to her and not kicking her out of the Castle. Where else would she go if not the castle in the Demon Realm. There are no good friends or acquaintances in life because of her late mother''s reputation. She was thankful for that towards him. If not for General Hawk''s kindness and protection she wouldn''t have survived even in the castle.


    "Volca am warning you, these days am going to lose my patients, and once it happens, I cannot promise you what would happen with my rotten temper," he spoke the words that randomly came into his mouth.


    "You know I will be following you anyway, am definitely going to protect the King," she said assuring him that she will do it no matter how much he will scold her.


    "Whatever," he gave up and left the place. "Remember but I wont be able save you," he said as he walked away. He went back to his chamber. He closed the doors behind him. He packed all his weapons ranging from twin daggers, swords, knives, hammers, falchion, bow and arrow, needles and a hammer. He polished them all. He packed a lot of gold since currency would be mandatory wherever he reaches and stepped out of his room. He decided to go to the place where it all began.


    "Let''s go," Volca the demonsess appeared in front of him again.


    "Leave me alone will you?" He aksed her.


    "You go, I will walk way behind you," she said paving him way to lead. He hoped on his pitch black horse that looked silky.


    "What? No that''s cheating," she cried out loud. But he had already prepared her a horse for their departure since she was so adamant about travelling with him. General Hawk gave her his own horse and waved them goodbye.


    "Come back soon your highness," he said. "And you, stay away from king and the trouble, don''t make me come for you, and arrest you," Gwneral Hawk warned her.


    "Aye aye captain," she mocked him rode akimg with Demon King who took the lead. They walked through the dessert, under scorching hot sun. She looked at him who looked like a marble, doing his work without facing troubles. While she felt exhausted quickly for no reason. She was bored.


    "What happened to you tongue?" She asked him breaking the silence once they passed the desert.


    "What?"


    "What happened to the tongue of yours? Taken away?" She repeated her question.


    "When have you seen engaged in conversation?" He asked her back.


    "Back at school, when," she began. But he stopped her.


    "Don''t talk about school, don''t talk to me about anything," he ordered. "Thinking about it will me hate you even more, I forgave you because you took care of me when nobody else did, am repaying your kindness and showing you my gratitue by letting you stay in the court and the Castle, but never test my patience ever," he said straight. She felt hurt but she rubbed it off with a fake laugh.


    "What a jerk?" She thought and followed him. They had crossed the borders and reached heaven.


    "I know where we are heading to, but shy are we going there?" She asked him concerned.


    "I have something to take care off," he said not looking at her. He was observing and analysing the woods to see if there is any human presence. And he found absolutely nothing except couple of fairies and farmers. They were in perfect disguise, dressed in the costumes of heavenly beings hence hard to be spotted aa the Demons. He had turned his hair back to think silver locks. While Volca was wearing a plain white dress fit for travelling. The boots were tight on her feet that it hurt her fingers.


    "Is that the cry of the ghost?" She aksed him.


    "Wandering soul of a beast," he corrected her.


    "But why is he let to?" She wanted to know.


    "That was his wish, final wish, even though he was a sinner and deserved to go to hell, he made his final wish to be wandering soul for week before the punishments begin," he gave her a new piece of Intel. They took no break for rest or food but chose to cross the woods before it gets too dark. He asked her to be careful and rode out of the woods quickly. The mist was getting deeper and thicker that had ample poison in that specific part of the woods which they escaped from.


    Then they took some shortcut road and reached the Water Relam''s first gate into the borders. They got in instantly without doing much nor undergoing any any security matters.


    "They are lazy to check these days I guess since the Realm doesn''t function properly,"


    "Some do and some don''t," he met her know and got down from the horse holding on to its leigh and walked towards the Water Palace on the cliffs to get the traces of Aqua believing that she would have visited her home before she left to begin the mission. When he reached the gates, he felt the ward put up and broke them in few tries. He walked in successfully, feeling hopeful seeing the ward though he knew that she wouldn''t be staying. He walked around the palace and suddenly noticed the light in Milan''s Milan''s bedchamber. He was surprised and walked towards it. "What the hell is going on? Who the hell is here?" Volca whispered to King Huo who took footsteps toward silently to not alarm the trespassers.

 Chapter 134: Joined forces and find the Crystal Princess

    Aiden opened the door ran walked out bravely raising his sword. At the right time, the person in front of him, stopped him with his sword by chance, getting caught unexpectedly.


    ''What the heck?" Huo said out loud. "My God Aiden, how? What? How? You''re back? Hiw did you?". He pushed Aiden back taking few steps forward, trying to show his face, to stop Aiden from fighting and pumped him with all the doubts and question, pretty shocked to see the people he thought was brutally murdered on the execution. Platform even thought he had a hunch that it might have been fake. He was surprised and wanted to know more.


    "What in the universe are you doing here?" Aiden was surprised. "I would have ripped you open now," he said withdrawing his sword.


    "Damn, be careful man, that was close," Huo said and patted Aiden''s shoulder. "What are you two doing here? How did you come back? What happened exactly? Who were those two disguised as you two? He asked looking at Milan at the same time.


    "Long story," he said putting his arms around Milan and keeping his sword back on its sheath. Aiden took them inside the only room that was neat and Milan served the wine quickly. They sat around the bed. Volca joined them anyway trusting her since she had joined forced with the Demon King during the journey.


    "I did not expect our parents to save us like that, they pushed me and Milan into the Water Woods," he looked at Milan who sat freely, relaxing. He continued with the narration. "Milan is the Fox Queen of the Water Woods, adopted...." he went on.


    "I know that, she revealed herself to Aqua, and so did I see it," Huo let Aiden know. Volca sat there simply shocked on the chair near the bed.


    "What?" She asked. "The Fox Queen, the daughter of the late Fox King Ain?" She asked bewildered.


    "Yes," Milan nodded and smiled. "You look so shocked," little did Milan know that Volca''s mother, the evil Demoness was responsible for bewitching the Centuars and killed the Fix King to lay her hands on the fox bead, but unfortunately she couldn''t get them since the new born has been saved by the Water King. Volca shivered and looked at Demon King Huo who shook his head asking her to keep it with her. He cleared his throat and grabbed Aiden''s attention.


    "What is the purpose of coming here now?" King Huo asked them.


    "What about yours?" Grand Prince asked back.


    "Did you come here to do the same as we intended to?" Milan asked for confirmation.


    "To see if Aqua had left any traces before she disappeared," Huo turned all serious and looked for answers with in Aiden and Milan. While Volca got up and left the room to get some fresh air and change her mood after knowing the truth.


    "Let her be, forget that," Demon King assured Milan which followed Volca with her eyes. Aiden bright more wine and poured for all. "Where do we go?"


    "I know my sister well, she is good at getting intel from people, and watching things, am sure that there must have been things she saw or found out," Milan suggested.


    "She said she had a dream once, and she net a man in the dream, he talked to her about the stars of your parents," Huo informed them.


    "Like how we saw them yesterday," Aiden said looking at Milan. "So Aqua had known it longer than us?" And Huo nodded.


    "She lived with me but she was not at peace, not even for a day, she lived because she couldn''t return back at that time,"


    "Why?" Milan asked curiously.


    "She attacked people, the heavens are angry. She broke the rule, and that too twice,"


    "When was the second time?" Aiden and Huo slowly started bonding. "When she attacked the Celestial Palace a week back,"


    "What did she do? The first time at the execution platform, and I remember seeing it on the sky, the phenomena, " Aiden was shocked and recalled everything from his memory, the day they were sent away and locked in the water woods. "She did break the rules, but," he paused. "She must have attacked for knowing something,"


    "I believe that too, she must have done it with a purpose,"


    "Where is the Empress right now?"


    "I got the news that mother has left the Celestial Palace and went into seclusion, but," Huo passed the information.


    "Nah I don''t think so," Milan said.


    "Neither I do I, I don''t think so, seclusion in the wrong time like this, and to think how Emperor Tai believed it, he must a total fool,"


    "Hmm yes he is a fool, he let her leave the palace, but thank god he did, my mother successfully got out thus," Huo said in relief. But he chose not to let the other news out about her return to her home, the Star Kingdom. He didn''t wish to leak the piece of intel and put his mother in danger, though there is absolutely nothing wrong in her actions going back home.


    "What?" Aiden asked him.


    "Nothing," King Huo said and got up.


    "Worried about the clan?" Milan asked the Demon King.


    "Uncle Hawk will take care of that," that''s how he addressed General Hawk to others while Hawk never accepted it.


    "It''s a surprise to see how you bonded well with the demons than us,'' Aiden mocked the King.


    "There is no surprise. People like you wanted me dead, people like then truly want me to succeed and stay happy in the throne," Huo''er snapped back instantly.


    "Ok that''s enough," Milan stopped them interfering in the middle. "Let''s go find sister, that''s what is important,"


    "Agreed, wife comes first, fight comes second," King Huo said and got up.


    "Wife, duh," Grand Prince Aiden rolled his eyes and stood up. Huo''er took his sword and walked out of the room. Milan and Aiden followed him.


    "I think I know exactly where to start," Aiden said as they walked together out of the palace. "Wait only two horses? Why can''t you bring more?" Aiden complained.


    "Yes I dreamt about meeting the two you here, and,"


    "Ok fine, we forgive you," Aiden said and smirked.


    "Forgive my foot," King Huo said asked Milan to ride his horse and Volca to ride on hers. "What you still want to ride the horse and let the ladies walk?" Huo asked.


    "You can ride with me if you want," Milan suggested and Huo laughed out loud.


    "Honey I don''t want to do that and we just need the horse until the gates of the heaven, we are going to earth, be prepared for that,"


    "I have been to earth several time, am fine, Huo must be the one new to it," Milan said. Huo did not listen to that but walked while taking care of the soul sword. Aiden smiled and followed them. And then Volca opened her mouth.


    "Am not coming to earth," she said. She had never gone to earth nor was she willing to do it.


    "Why? I thought you were going to follow me to any corner of the universe I go to," Huo have back the words she said to him.


    "I have a better job to do for you, thinking about it," Volca said. Huo''er stopped walking for a moment and looked at her. Huo raised his brow. "Am going to spy, get the information and report you what is happening in the Celestial Palace. The reports on death are on rapid raise and also the actions he would take to land an attack on us," but Volca also had one more intention. One more intention, what her mother hid well and what she now wanted to discover and learn. She was sure and convinced that only her mother knew about it and one more person who was part of the act. And she wanted to get into the Celestial Palace to find it out. Besides not having Empress Lihua in the Palace at this crucial time felt like a right timing to ransack and the truth. She looked at her bracelet and embraced her own heart. "Let me do what I intend to do, it means no harm to any of you, you can trust me on that Huo,


    "But what if he harms you?" Fox Queen asked the Demoness back.


    "He would never," she assumed and assured them. "I have more power in the Celestial Palace than you think each of you as the King, Queen and as a Prince do there," and in real that was truth. Emperor protects the culprits even though his own son Aaron died. Volca was confident hence. Huo gave it a thought for a while.


    "Off you go, don''t hesitate to call for help," the Demon King said to his subject.


    "No I won''t, I really hope for it," she said. "I will return to the castle first, let general Hawk about my long absence and then take my leave," she said out her plans.


    Milan stepped down from the horse. "Take him with you, we don''t need the horse anyway, take him home with yours," Milan suggested.


    "Okay," Volca agreed and took both the horses and rode away.


    "Why do you still care about her?" That was the first thing Aiden asked Huo''er soon as Volca disappeared.


    "See what she is going to do! Can you imagine what is going to happen when she unravels the truth," Huo said.


    "What truth?" Aiden aksed them.


    "So she is some sort of key to your plans you mean?" Milan asked the Demon King.


    "Let he do it," he said and apparated together to the gates. They were getting closer to the destination.

 Chapter 135: Rose Garden and the entrance.

    Aqua walked into the hotel after her brief meeting with the money exchange old lady, the ex maid from the extermimated Phoenix Family. A super good sky scraper covered with clouds on the top. 101 floors looked like beam going to touch the sky. A seven star hotel with conventional halls, mini shopping area, restaurants, spa, gym, pool, a bar, game rooms, prayer halls for all, mini theatre, golf course, and extravagant water pool and penthouse on the top floor along with helipads. She chose the best in the town and one that looked like it had a relation with what she is searching for. The logo of the hotel was unique with the emblem of a dragon and lion. King Zidan is an earth dragon, but whereas his son, Prince Leo with the true form of a lion. To Aqua it looked like a place King Zidan would own with all facilities like how the heavenly beings live.


    She walked in, with her heads held high. The receptionist offered her help, with a smile on her face.


    "Do come this way," the girl said and took Aqua towards a desk. Receptionist got behind it and discussed the matter with another middle aged man who rendered his service to book the rooms. Aqua asked for a suite with a view and waited for the procedures to get completed. She looked around and saw how marvelous the interiors looked. The modern furnishings, the mind blowing arts hung around the wall, the flower arrangements, the staff, their pretty clothes called uniforms better than any place available. Aqua couldn''t help but appreciate the talents of the mortals exceeding the expectations. It looked much better than heaven with all the interior designing, ultra modern and completely technological with LED screens, displays, and light system. She was convinced to stay here but no where elsw. She watched the screens and stood smiling, surprised and enjoying the video shown in the TV. She had no idea what it was, or who those people are, but she stood there for a moment, watching a group of young boys singing and dancing. Their choreography was breathtaking and she never knew that mortals can dance this amazingly.


    "That''s BTS, are you army too?" The receptionist asked Aqua. Aqua did not understand that but smiled wide and looked at the hands of the receptionist who was holding a card.


    "These serve as the keys Ma''am," let him take you to the room," she said and introduced a young twenty five year old boy. Aqua nodded at him and walked behind him.


    "First time here at the Lotus Hotel?" He asked her as they got into the lift. A pretty large lift with the capacity for 30 people, that had golden metal wall covering inside, mirrors on all sides and well air conditioned. She nodded and stood silently.


    "Am sure you will enjoy it here," he said and smiled again. "Everybody does,"


    "Let''s see," Aqua said.


    A minute later, the elevator stopped at level 91 and she stepped out. The first thing she noticed was the view. She walked out and looked outside the glass walls, and she smiled. The city lights down the roads, the vehicles passing, the clouds moving, the flights flying often. She then looked at the gall way. The red carpet on the floor leading to different rooms. They took a left and walked to the end of the hallway. He used the card and opened the doors to her suite.


    The most luxuries room she has not even seen in heaven. She literally dropped her jaw and and took a step forward.


    The grand living room with huge sofas, a table, a small study in the corner close to the glass walls.


    "Welcome to the moonlight suite," he said. "At nights the room will activate the light system under even the dimly lit moon light. You don''t have to manually turn the switches on," he informed her. Then he gave instructions regarding the various remote controls for recliners, for the centralised air condition, for the lights, for the blinds. He took her to the bedroom, a king size round bed with curtains hanging down the posters above. Opposite the bed on the wall was a big screen. On.the left, the glass walls and on the right a door to the washroom, another large place also had the glass wall. Near the wall was the bath tub. There was also another separate room for the shower. She looked around and walked back to the hall.


    "Have a great time, please use the phone on the bedside table to contact us and to order any stuff,"


    "Who own this place? Am curious, am here on buisness to do some interviews, so I would like to get to know," She asked suddenly.


    "You don''t know that?" He asked surprised.


    "I want wine, help me order before you leave if you don''t mind," she asked kindly to get him to talk.


    "Sure ma''am," he said and walked towards the phone in the bedroom. "I will provide you the booklet, our prospectus, you can check them out," he said and ordered a classic wine for her.


    He hurried and went down quickly to get her the things. She took out the phone she bought as soon she got the money and checked to see if she has gotten the connection activated. It was done. With in fifteen minutes the boy brought back the details. She thanked him and closed the doors.


    She walked straight to the room and looked through the prospectus. There were many faces but she identified one though. The face of Minister Pear. The right hand of King Zidan. She couldn''t tell if it is him or any doppelganger. The description was given as one of the board of directors. Then she saw nobody else. She was disappointed. "Damn," she cursed. But she was glad she atleast found one clue. She decided to wait and meet Minister Pear.


    Aqua spent couple of days waiting exploring the different facilities available as she checked the place inside out without drawing any attention. She behaved well and made acquaintance with the boy and the receptionist she met first. They gave her company often and gave ideas about the places inside the hotel and helped her find good food in the restaurant. Aqua often stayed out late trying to find the entrance to the Palace of King Zidan. She was losing her patience slowly. She cursed her memory to have forgotten the way she visited when she was too young. She met with the old lady who exchanged money, trying to get things out from her mouth, trying to get the clear route to the palace to meet with the King.


    "There is a post box, that is taken by the messenger of the Palace, why don''t you do that and wait, you might get called if your problem is serious enough to meet the King directly," the old lady advised her.


    "You would not tell me the way I see," Aqua said and got up. "Thank you, am happy you''re loyal and true to your words, but I hope you would understand how urgent and desperate I was to save something later," she said and got out. The old lady had no reaction and continued with her work.


    Aqua then decided to try the letter way too. "You know am here your higness, find me and arrange a meeting for us soon, it is very urgent,


    ~Aquamarine"


    She wrote down and posted them in the post office in the city. She was sure that it would take a really long time. Hence she decided to hunt minister Pear down and found the day he visits the hotel. She stayed at the lobby until he walked into the hotel and followed him disguising as a worker of the hotel. He entered his office. And she carried a file and followed him in. It was easier than she thought it would be. She just had to look at a painting. A painting of an old rock castle in the west side of the city with the rose garden around the castle. It was not exactly a castle but a fort, that suddenly reminded her of the entrance from her memory.


    The entrance to the palace on the other side is the old fort with the rose garden. The flower Queen of Earth loved the most. The flower she she used on her wedding day, the same flower King Zidan used to grow in the burial place of the Queen after she passed away. The rose garden is where the gate exits. A family secret but known to the Water Realm alone. Aqua hid her face, looked at the painting once again and walked out of the cabin before Minister Pear got hold of her. Aqua felt like she had won something huge and apparated downstairs to the bar. She opened the doors and entered the bar. She ordered for a scotch to try the first time.


    The bartender served her one and smiled at her. Wearing a black shirt skirt, a white crop top, and boots, she was drawing attention if many men in the room. And suddenly she felt something in her shoulder. A fine brown leather jacket covering her.


    "I knew you would be here," he said and ordered another drink same as hers. He was wearing a black jean, black round neck t-shirt


    He sipped them and kept them back. "It''s definitely strong and get you drunk easily," he said clinging his glass on hers. She smirked at his words and looked into his eyes. That eyes, deep and full of life, and that alluring smile, it was enough to interrupt the thoughts of hers. She took a deep breath and bit her lips. He raised his brows. He pulled her chairs closer gazing at her. He reached her face pushing the hair behind her ears that lay on her side of the face. She smiled.

 Chapter 136: Love is in the air

    Huo got the information of Aqua from the same old lady. Milan, Aiden and Huo reached the Human Realm under Milan''s right instructions and came to the same place she did the last time. She felt nostalgic and narrated the whole story to King Huo who had no clue about Aqua''s way of returning back to heaven. It made him feel more for her, to have remained extremely strong even while she was in the weakest points that could have ended in tragedy. He was also glad that a part of him helped her survive. It then struck him. The part of Aqua''s soul that disappeared when he held her in the saves during the ignorant days getting training from her. He took a deep breath. Aiden then informed Huo''er about the human brother of his, Aizen.


    "Are you kidding me?" Huo asked the Grand Prince.


    "He is not, we were shocked to find it out, but his father my uncle revealed the truth anyway," Milan said. "Besides he had know for long, but he never excepted to meet Aizen here at such a situation back then,"


    "Does Aqua know these interesting back stories?" Huo wanted to know that.


    "Yes ofocurse we let her know these," Aiden said and they continued travelling. They reached the hotel and Huo felt her inside the building instantly using the Crystals to trace her. He smiled instantly.


    "Go do what you want to, I will come find you two later," he said and walked away.


    "But I am the one who want to meet her," Milan called out.


    "Not now," he said and walked away. The mischievous smile attracted many people on his way. There were murmurs around him, comments and wide eyes and smiles at him. He went straight to the bar and took his jacket off. He placed on her shoulders and sat next to her on the stool, ordering the same scotch as she did. He sipped them and found put how strong the drink is and kept them down. She was looking at him. That eyes that always stole his heart. He smiled the same way back. Couple of minutes later, she broke the silence.


    "How did you find me?"That was what she asked first.


    "If I want to, I will, at any cost," he said. "Even if it means I have to join hands with my enemy,"


    "Oh my god, who did you join hands with, Tai, who else is your name?" She asked and her eyes grew wide. He pulled her stool closer. The bartender noticed them and soon he left the counter, shy to watch them. Since there were no other customers, he quickly decided to take a break.


    Huo ran his thumb over Aqua''s lower lip, asking her, "You know who," that was all the hint he gave her.


    "Wait, wait a minute," she suddenly sat straight taking his hands. "Is it Aiden?" She asked him. "You came with Aiden? You found him?" She was eager and all of a sudden surprised and excited. Her family, the person who did matter to her.


    "Not just him," Huo said. Aqua got up from the stool. "Milan, her too, Milan, Milan also is back," she teared up. She began to make moves to run, but Huo''er quickly held her hand and pulled her back, stopping her from running away.


    "Give the two some lone time and privacy, I already interrupted them once, let''s not do that again," he warned her.


    "What?" Aqua was confused. She looked at the Demon King with a question in her eyes. "Don''t tell me," she said. He tilted his head and raised his brows and sighed. "Really?" She was shocked but happy. "Seriously?" She asked again. "Milan and Aiden?" She said again and again. "Like for real? Together? For real?" She couldn''t believe it. She smiled. She got excited and laughed. "I can''t believe this. My baby sister finally made it," she felt good and happy for her little sister, Princess of Water Realm, and the Fox Queen Milan. "Am so happy you have no idea," she said and settled down back on the stool.


    "I can see that," he said, enjoying watching her, watching her happiness and finding her irresistible. He got up suddenly


    and walked towards her. He scooped her into his arms and the other people inside the bar looked at them.


    "What are you doing? Put me down," she said looking around and asking him to put her down. But he did not listen to her and walked out of doors, straight towards the elevator.


    "Sis is everything okay," the boy and the receptionist came running towards her. Aqua blushed instantly. "Who is he? Should I call the security?" He kept asking her.


    "No, oh no no, no, this is my," she began. But Huo''er cut through.


    "Her husband," Aqua coughed the moment she heard it. "Move back, there is something we have to take care of soon," he said and asked Aqua for the floor number. And she pressed them remaining in his arms itself. He put her down and cornered her against the walls. She looked at him, smiling.


    "Don''t," she said. But she was aware of how he is in a mood to massacre her clothes and explore her. He took her face in his hands and planted a kiss on her lips. He deepened the kiss, lifted her arms and kept his on her. She jumped and put her legs wrapped around his waist. And she took her arms and out them around his neck. The door of the elevator opened and Huo carried her towards the room. She opened the door and closed soon as the entered. They took off their shoes and threw their stuff they carried with them way. Aqua worked on his tshirt and took them off and Huo placed her in the bed. He kissed her face, her lips and kissed her neck, leaving a hickey again. He unbuttoned her top and took them off patiently for the first time without tearing the fabric. He then pulled her skirt down and threw them off, taking his jean off along. Aqua laughed as he tickled her. "Stop," she said. "Don''t do that," she said and pulled him closer. They looked into each other''s eyes. "Why are you not angry?" She asked him aware of how she walked away without letting him know from the castle.


    "If I don''t understand you, who else would?" He expressed his thoughts. She smiled pinching his cheek a little.


    "Really?" She asked.


    "Really," he assured her. She pulled his face even closer and planted a kiss on his forehead. She then got on top and kissed him deeper. She bit his ears and kissed down his chest and ripped abdomen. He got and took of the hair tie from her hair, letting them fall down on her shoulders, freely. He looked at her stroking her hair and kissed her gently once again. He laid her and got on top. He removed her lingerie and took her breast in his mouth. A moan escaped her mouth and tightened her grips on his neck. She remembered to not scratch him this time. He then kissed her navel and went all the way down. Soon he entered her, due fire dragon unting with the spiritual dragon, slowly and in a rhythm.


    Couple of hours later, Aqua walked into the washroom without knocking the door and found Huo''er sitting on the bath tub looking outside pondering over something. She got into the tub with him and say without disturbing his line of thoughts. Watching him, with a smile on her face. Couple of minutes let he noticed her and pulled her closer, and took her hand, the spaces between her finger which fit him perfectly. He looked at that and he began to speak.


    "When this gets over, I want to find a way, and I want us to be together, no matter how, no matter what it would take, no matter whom I should, I want us to be together in the end, you and me," and then she completed his sentences.


    "In a universe where it will be no longer dark,"


    "But glory, peace and festivals," he said.


    "Holding each other and the universe together,''


    "Forever and more in the longest lifetime of immortals," he completed. She kissed his lips and smiled, her eyes closed and enjoying their every second together.


    "I love you Aqua, I love you, have faith in me, trust me, I will do anything in the world if it is for you, for us and for our future, you should never have a doubt in that, and I want you to think of in all your plans too, like you''re mine, that''s how it would work for us," he said to her. "Let''s go find the person you want get hold of first thing in the morning and take a step closer to our achievement," he said to her. Aqua nodded.


    "I know how to get into the King Zidan''s palace, I found the entrance," she said.


    "You can confirm it with Aiden tomorrow before we take off," he said to her.


    "Once we find the King, he will surely be doomed unless and until he reveals the truth to me," Aqua said looking aqau outside the glass wall, in the distance. Huo watched her carefully, trying to understand her hidden intentions as her mood shifted easily.

 Chapter 137: New way

    Water King was going though certain wrotten reports from the spies he had hired to follow and track his children to know their activities. He was laughing aa he read the report. Even though they are trying their best find their parents, his children, he found it a little funny to see how they took the routes. And moreover he couldn''t believe that fact that they had all grown up. It appeared that, Milan and Aiden are with their men, working together finally. He was happy in the place of a father. He did not expect Milan to win the game but she had earned her love in the end. And he was least worried about it since it was Aiden, the Grand Prince of Water Realm.


    "Come read all these Rivera," he called his wife. "We have many news,"


    "What is it?" Rivera got excited in the dull life living in Underwater Realm for long, missing home and the kids.


    "Where is Krystal?" He asked for Princess Krystal.


    "Your sister is having her time spending time with the mermaids getting to know the place and resources,"


    "Not sister, in law," he hinted his wife.


    Rivera opened her mouth smiling in happiness.


    "What? Seriously?" She asked her husband in surprise.


    "You understood," King Aenon asked to confirm if they were meaning the same thing.


    "Ofcourse yes, my baby girl got herself a husband," Queen Rivera said and got excited for Milan to have ended her one sided feelings.


    "We should celebrate," Krystal walked in all of a sudden. "I heard the queen speaking, and it has happened finally," she said and walked towards Queen Rivera giving her a quick hug. "Our children are going to find King Zidan, trust me Aqua will torment him until she gets the answer from him, if he does, he will be breaking the rules he signed with Underwater Realm, it''s complete danger now, we must find a solution for this and warn King Zidan about it," King Aenon said.


    "But how? We are being inspected and you know it well, how will you pass an information or letter at this period? it''s a risky business don''t you feel so?"


    "Terrible days we are going through, am thankful and grateful that we are saved, but am not enjoying the fact that we are being watched," Princess Krystal spoke out.


    "I know, but we got to find a way and also it''s time we leave soon, Aqua will surely return back to the our then come find us here," King Aenon said.


    "I know something but I don''t know whether it would work out or not," Krystal said.


    "Let them come here and find this place, for a safety, there is nobody in the universe we can trust completely," she said meaning some unclear intentions of Underwater King Dylan.


    "I agree with that my dear sister, and that''s part of my plan, I wanted to let Zidan know that he must not break the rule saying the words out, but there is nothing stated about action and using references only word count as proof, and it was a major loop hole, I want to write him and give this idea to him, if he keeps refusing, Aqua won''t be able to find us, we would not be able to return soon either," he explained everything in detail to the ladies and they listened to him, contemporary and trying to come up with ideas. They decided to sent a remember all, not a letter but an object filled with some memories that needs to be restored and some news that will be passed on to King Zidan, two at the same time. King Aenon prepared the item quickly and called for Prince Leo.


    "When are the gates opening?" King Aenon asked him.


    "Soon," Prince Leo replied.


    "How soon?" King Aenon raised his brows, tilted his head and looked at the Prince who wished to stay back a little longer before he leaves her forever, the mermaid, the widow of the person King Aenon still doubts about.


    Prince Leo''s mission was to find that out, but he had yet to do it, half of it.


    "Tomorrow," he said sadly.


    ''Yes, yes finally,'' king Aenon thought inside his said. Getting excited. He took out a letter then. A letter that contained the message needed to passed on urgently. King Aenon discussed the matter with Prince Leo.


    "Are you attempting to breach the contract?" He asked the Water King.


    "None of us will do that, except lead my daughter here, she is meant to know about the place and visit it sooner or later in her life as the future Queen of Water Realm, I don''t find it wrong," King Aenon explained to him.


    "Should I father do this? For the relationship we have, I know yes, but breaching the contract and risking the life," Prince Leo expressed his hesitation clearly.


    "Do you think Aqua would leave King Zidan like that once he tells her to leave and quit searching about a fictitious place?" Water King asked the Prince of Earth.


    "Would she not?" He asked back. "He is a king, should she not listen to his orders, even if she is a princess, she ranks lower than him,"


    "That''s where you have gone wrong about my daughter," King Aenon laughed. "Mark my words and see if it is happening when you get out of this Realm. Aqua will torture him whether he is a King or not, until she gets the answer, and at that time, King Zidan with throw up on all the information he has inside him, he will explain them through words, in the middle of trying to Aqua, them it will become a breach of contract automatically and your Clan will be asked to choose a punishment, if you don''t choose right, your people will suffer in their lives and cursing the King for years and years, do you want that? All these I explained right now,"


    "Damn your daughter, I mean the Princess, she is ruthless if she does it," Leo said.


    "My daughter was trained for a cause from a very younger age, and as she grew up, her knowledge grew even wider, but her cause changed, and to achieve the news cause, she will do anything for her people and Kingdom," Aenon shed some lights into the head of Prince Leo.


    "What cause?" He was curious about that cause.


    King Aenon smiled. "To save the throne of Emperor Tai,"


    "What about the other cause that changed into?"


    "To save the throne and from him, to take him down, throw the Emperor Tai away," he said straightly. Water King had nothing much to hide anyway.


    "Then I will take leave tomorrow itself, I don''t want any sort of trouble right now.


    "That would be great if you can do it. King Aenon spoke more like requesting the teacher.


    "Don''t worry, I can''t play with my father''s life. But trouble is for sure, whether he does it or not, being cool about the issue is what matters now," Prince Leo said back.


    "Use the connections and get out without getting into checking process, early in the morning itself and make sure of going and having a safe journey ," King Aenon advised.


    "I will try speaking to our mermaid and come see it yourself, whether she will give me or not! But am scared anyway, afraid, that what if the plans flop. Reaching the place at the same time but then shattering down?" Leo aksed. Then be changed his mind.


    "It would not happen like that, just dont worry, go sleep well. Or is there a modern alternate way?"


    "There are no ways to take shortcuts. Just learn whatever you have. It will be hard to catch up at first, then you will get used to it and then your child will learn all about them in the future." Aenon said.


    "alright alright, alright," just wait until I get permission plus many news about what you want to do," Prince Leo said and decided to go back to his work of seducing the widow mermaid, adding her to all groups and trying to get engaged in life. He did not want anything more.


    King Aenon hoped for the best but Aqua had already made moves on the matter. Father didn''t know what day it was on earth. And interesting things were taking place. His own children trying to find the answer in their own way. Little did he know that Demon King had the intention to enter the Realm with her daughter. And he started wondering about it. "Will they win the game I bet or lose it tremendously?" He couldn''t help it. Aenon walked out of the room to meet King Dylan to let know about the departure of Earth Prince Leo, to let him go, King Aenon was also trying smuggle something else along with the letter he had written and slowly took the piece of rare object that belongs only to the Underwater kingdom, to lead Aqua to finding the place. He started counting the time. Dylan found no sort of suspicion rising and let King Aenon do as we wishes. And it was a huge success.

 Chapter 138: Master Plans

    Milan ran towards her sister the moment Huo''er opened their room door. Aqua almost fell down with the force Milan applied on her. Huo quickly placed his hands on her back and balanced her. Milan kissed her sister''s cheek and held her hands. "How are you?" That''s what she asked first.


    "Am fine, look at you, all grown up and," she eyed Aiden. "All pretty," Aqua changed her words. For a moment it was really awkward to look at Aiden the Grand Prince. He looked shy for no reason and avoided looking at Aqua. Huo kept watching him even though the tables had turned.


    "Ahem," Aqua fake coughed and caught Huo''er''s attention asking him to be good. "Where were you? I thought I lost all of you until I met the King from the Star Kingdom,"


    "Tell me everything, I want to know everything, I will tell you what happend to me," Milan said and looked at Aiden who was looking around the place. "Excuse me," she called him. "Don''t you have anything to express to elder sister ?" She questioned him.


    "Er.. I, I know Aqua survived and I was pretty confident about her," he said and shrugged. He was pretending that he is cool. But couple of minutes later, he hugged her catching her off guard and tussles her hair. "Who am I kidding? Damn I missed you Aqua," he smiled.


    "I know," she said and patted his shoulder. She let him go and asked them to settle down, ordering in some food for dinner. It was almost ten at night. Aqua had cleaned the room quickly excepting her sister to join her soon after she finished taking a shower. She asked for change of sheets.


    The food arrived on time and Huo and Aiden served them for the ladies. They spent the time catching up with news.


    "I did not expect father to save the two of us, trapping us inside the woods and using our dummies pretending to be us, and the interesting factor is that Tai did not find it out, pretty marveling, he blindly trusted himself and his proofs, catching us, presenting us in front of the heavens, and kill us just like that, without even checking twice,"


    "He is a fool," Aiden said.


    "No, don''t underestimate him," Huo warned the others. He must be well aware of the situation. But it appears that he is hiding a lot,"


    "I agree with that," Aiden backed Huo''er''s words.


    "He is killing people out of frustrations, but also because it is part of distracting people from finding out things, terrorising the people and keeping them under control," Huo said.


    "And that''s exactly what happened thousands of years back when Tai and his father usurped the throne and he is using the same technique after all these years," Aqua put forward the information that is novel to others.


    "What?" Milan asked.


    "Yes," Aqua assured her. "I met a lady in this city while exchanging money with her. She identified me instantly and revealed certain things to me.


    "What things?"


    "About the Palace history, the burials, the unfair mass murders, the forced punishments, and hiring," she narrated everything one by one.


    "My goodness, Tai never deserved anything, I feel sick to my stomach things howich we served him over the years," Milan said. Aiden patted her shoulders asking her to relax.


    "What is your plan so?" Aiden asked her. Huo just sat there, on the bed, next to Aqua, but in a very serious line of thought. Trying to come up with ideas to wage a war against Emperor Tai with his demons behind him. But he was hesitating, hesitating to attack his own Heavenly Realm. He listened to Aqua at the same time. He started concentrating the moment everyone asked for her future plans. Aqua at the same time had only one thing in her mind.


    "Kill him," she said without hesitations or any sort of worries.


    "What?" Milan was surprised. "Like really kill him?" She asked to confirm what she heard once again. Aqua nodded her head in a cool and proud manner. She had the confidence nobody else does. She looked at Huo who was gazing at her.. She smiled and got up.


    "I agree that it is good idea, but you know it close to not being so practical," Aiden suggested.


    "Yes when we keep thinking of how its impossible, it will just remain impossible, but learn it, to overcome and fight whatever you feel is wrong," she advised her family.


    "How will we do this?" Milan asked this time.


    "After finding our family, and returning back to Water Realm, our home. We will take control of our own house, then give away certain things, spread the news, spread a fear and attain the power back. None of these are going to be easy,"


    "We will do it all anyway," Huo''er said.


    "Don''t put your head in this, I am warning you,'' Aqua said to the Demon King strictly.


    "I know what to do, you don''t worry about it," he assured her. But he did not mean he told her.


    "Huo''er," but Huo stooped Aqua from speaking further.


    "What should we do now? Find our family?" Milan asked her elder sister.


    "Yes, find them, go back to the Palace, and then fight along them,"


    "But how, who, about what?" They asked the Queen Princess.


    "Find King Zidan soon and you will get the answers for all in a snap of your finger," Aqua told them.


    "King Zidan knows everything?" Milan was shocked.


    "How did you know?" Aiden asked her.


    "The last day you came to visit our master, you left without speaking to me, remember?" Aqua reminded Aiden of an incident. "That day soon after you left, I came across two maps quickly. A map to King Zidan''s palace and one more that I couldn''t identify and also different from normal landscape, but not exactly land,"


    "But I did not see the other map you were discussing about," Aiden said trying his best to recall everything he had seen in the hut but nothing appeared in head


    "Shifu is playing great in the middle," Milan shared her opinion. He disturbed others'' highlights. He always had midnight things going on with him, he is the key concept for upsetting us, sending us alone, I won''t be admitted back in my place now, he won''t be either," Aiden said and sipped a mouthful of wine.


    "Why would you not be admitted?" Aqua asked. "What did you d" Aqua wanted to know what he had done.


    "Then it is applicable to me too," Milan said along.


    "Whaaaaa?" Aqua was surprised.


    Milan narrated what happend with the wolf. And it made sense. Thw two definitely would be punished a little.


    "We will see that later, getting back to business, when should we meet King Zidan?" Huo''er asked everyone.


    "The soon the better," Aqua said.


    "I know the way," Aiden said.


    "I found the entrance today," Aqua informed them. Both together.


    "Castle," Aiden and Aqua said together.


    "First thing in the morning," Milan said.


    "Leave and find King Zidan," Huo completed the sentence. "But don''t think its easy, you think the King would easily open up?"


    "He won''t, he won''t to us," Aqua was sure of that.


    "Then what do we do?" They asked her together.


    "I know what to do, you three do not worry about that,"


    "Don''t," Huo said straight.


    "You can''t torture him, you are not that, you will not choose such ways would you?" Huo asked her. It is then Aiden noticed the little change in the heart of Aqua. He looked at Huo immediately.


    "Why not? We need answers, we do not have time," Princess Aqua raised her voice a little.


    "Aqua he is our ally, and more like your family," Huo reminded her.


    "Fine, drop it," she said and stopped talking about it.


    "The sisters are getting out of control these days Huo''er," Aiden told him. "Milan is no different," he said. "It is hard to contain their anger,"


    "We will handle it smoothly, the two of you keep to yourself," Huo said to them.


    Aqua and Milan looked at each other.


    "We know what to do," Aqua said and walked towards the study table.


    "Could there be something going on at sea?" Aqua put forward the important point. "Buried at sea he said, Tai, when I asked him, I find it very suspicious, he was a fool to do it at thag time and being a heartless piece of crap. Returned back to where we came from, water to water," Aqua carefully chose her words.


    "It suddenly makes me want to search the sea," Aiden sudden sitting straight on the bed and looking at each of them. None were in a relaxing mood but tired and frustrated. He wondered why Huo''er also looked a little bit tired and did not think further.


    "Let''s go?" Aqua asked.


    "Now?" The three, asked together.


    "How long do you plan staying inside the suite?"


    ''Not long enough, get up and let''s leave," Aiden said and prepared to leave. He gave a little space for the girl and get ready for show. Couple of minutes later, after preparing well, the fantastic four got out on the road. During the busiest hour at the night. Vehicles were passing by.


    They stood in front of the road, but nothing stopped. Something appeared in front of them at the right time. "What....?"

 Chapter 139: Aqua and Earth King

    "What? We are going to travel in this double decker public transport? Really?" Aqua asked.


    "Taxis or anything else is not allowed to go to the Castle, it''s a monument being protected by the government, they have rules here, I booked the tickets to enter the castle and for the ride, don''t worry and get on the bus," Demon King said to everyone and asked them to walk up the top floor of the bus. They got in one by one, and sat quickly before the vehicle started. The bus was crowded and it appeared that the destination is going to crowded at the same time. Aqua wondered how to open the entrance without attracting the people''s attention.


    "Wow look at that," Aiden pointed at something.


    "They are billboards, featuring people and companies, advertisements," Milan said.


    All looked at the same direction. Aiden noticed that the person in billboard is his human brother Aizen.


    "Aizen," he said out loud.


    "Aqua that''s Aizen," Milan informed her sister. "It appears that he is a celebrity in this life if his," she said and smiled.


    "Handsome," Aqua said. "So what about her?" She asked Milan curiously.


    "You mean Fairya?" And Aqua nodded at the question. I don''t know, should we find it out?"


    "We don''t have time for that," Aiden reminded them.


    "Just curious to know if they are together," Aqua said backing her sister. "You know something like destiny or stuff,"


    "Later," Aiden said. He turned serious the moment he spotted Aizen. Aizen''s advertisement for a perfume brand ended but the next one was also his, for a clothing brand. "It appears my half brother is pretty successful in this life," he commented and turned away. King Huo sat there silently observing everything around them. The day was pretty humid and had haze. It looked like this is going to be one of the hottest days on earth. Aqua did not wish to reverse the climate and alert the heavens about her presence and get hunted down. She sat there comfortably and kept checking the time, to reach the place. But it was taking long.


    "It''s pretty far away, we might take an hour more, relax," Huo said, putting his arms around her. She played with his fingers and laid on his shoulders looking at the scene outside the windows.


    "What do you think?" She asked suddenly.


    "About what?" He was confused.


    "The life here as mortals?" She wanted to know his opinion on life.


    "I don''t care wherever I live, whoever I am or the kind of life span I have, I only want to have one thing with me, and you already know what it is," he said looking straight into her. She smiled. She blushed and she laid back on his shoulders again.


    "Me too," she said. He placed a kiss on her head and looked out. On the meanwhile, Aiden and Milan were bickering about something.


    "No it''s not like that, see I never," but Aiden stopped Milan from speaking further.


    "Let''s never discuss about Aizen again, am not comfortable," he said.


    "Fine, whatever," Milan got annoyed stopped talking. She saw Huo and Aqua sitting silently holding each other. She then looked at Aiden and shook her head. She looked out and sat in silence. Aiden fell asleep on her shoulder few minutes later. She watched him sleep and couldn''t help smiling at him. "Why in the world did I fall in love with you?" She questioned herself.


    "Because am cute," he replied hearing her.


    "Oh just shut up sleep," she was embarrassed. ''Goodness,'' she thought. But he laughed out loud. He quicly kissed on her neck and continued sleeping.


    "Actually I feel sick, am not used to traveling like this," he confessed.


    "It''s alright," Milan said and patted his cheeks.


    They spent an hour more waiting patiently in the bus. Apparating takes a lot of energy hence they did not want to waste the energy level, saving it for emergency and chose to travel in the public transport. They had only a limited time to do everything. And they were holding onto all the hopes. Little did the girls know that their father had planned it well to lead them to the secret realm.


    They reached the place by noon. Aqua was a bit tensed wondering if the King Of Human Realm would give in and give her information. They walked towards the castle quickly from the entrance getting the tickets quickly and overtaking people. A moment later, they stood in front of the gates, the real entrance of the Palace, a world that is not visible in the naked eyes of the mortals. Aqua switched the entrance by performing a magic. They instantly were standing in front of the tall palace gates heavily guarded by the troops. The gates were locked. Aqua lifted arms and charged her Crystals to shoot at the locks in gates. But at the right time when she was about to let out the crystal bomb, the gates opened. Everyone looked at each other. Without any effort and attack, the gates opened quickly, and somebody walked out. They looked carefully lifting up their weapons.


    "Princess Aqua," he called her out.


    "Prince Leo," she said doubtfully.


    "Your higness, so long," he kept walking towards her. He had no weapons, no guards, no horses nor anything behind him, but just himself, alone, approaching the four of them.


    "Can you trust this guy?" Huo asked the water family.


    "Yes, he is our ally, the greatest guerilla war leader," Aiden informed the Demon King. "The first born of King Zidan. The father is a dragon but son is a lion,"


    "Alright then, put the weapons down," Huo''er said and took few steps forward standing next to Aqua.


    Leo reached them and bowed at the four of them. The four of them paid their respects to Prince Leo too and conversed with him.


    "How have you been?" Leo and the crown princess of water realm.


    "Pretty good," she said and smiled. "How are you? And where have you been?"


    Prince Leo looked around and moved his face closer to Aqua''s ears. "We will discuss about that soon, not now, not here," he said and moved away. He smiled. "Let''s go in, father is waiting for all of you," he said and took them in. Aqua stepped into the gates and felt some kind of strange force inside the palace grounds.


    "What''s going on here, " she asked him.


    "Something to do with mortals, part of work, please don''t mind that and come with me," Leo said and took them towards the Earth King. They were welcomed pretty gently as if they had known about the visit before hand and Aqua asked them that.


    "No no my dear girl,. We happened to preparing snack and food to preserve during the coming winters," King Zidan said instantly. But it was evident that it''s a lie. Aqua smiled and looked at her sister who winked at her. King Zidan then turned his attention to Demon King immediately. "We have never had Demon Clan visit us before here, it''s an honour to have you here," he said.


    "If you mean it, then yes am glad to be here too," Huo''er replied back.


    "Ofocurse I mean it, I know how you are and how your father were, unlike other demons, I saw the goodness for the first time in my life, through the two of you and it''s great, it''s never easy for hell and heaven to go in hand in hand,"


    "We still don''t go hand in hand, Enperor Tai is a criminal, I don''t agree with most of his actions," Huo''er said in a very straightforward manner. King Zidan and was surprised and laughed. Prince Leo did too, just like his father.


    "You''re good," King Zidan said and appreciated the Demon King.


    "Thank you," he said and raised his wine glass to the King. Aqua was relieved to see how well behaved Huo''er is and getting along with people instantly. She sat smiling. Soon she asked about the Human Realm''s present condition. And King Zidan had a lot to discuss about it.


    "But I guess probably you are the only King from the heavens who is into business and making huge profits through this mortal employment strategies," she said casually.


    "I will not deny that fact, but there is a backstory to everything, so," he said. Milan slowly got up and excused her self. She then walked around the Palace for some time. When people asked her, she said she got lost and will find the way on her own, going around the places and walking watching everything closely. Around an hour later, she walked back to court. They were still talking to each other. The King Zidan and Water Princess Aqua. Huo also joined the conversation often but he had forgotten that Aqua and Huo are a couple forcefully kicked a killed by their Demoness who they considered as their family.


    "Okay," Aqua said in the middle of the conversation. "Today''s is the beginning,"


    "Is it today?" King Zidan asked to Aqua. But he was not talking about what she wanted to at all. She got up front the place and walked around the room, smiling.


    "Tell me where it is," Aqua asked only that. "Tell me, I heard that....."

 Chapter 140: Leos Tension

    Prince Leo was in serious trouble. He just arrived couple of minutes Aqua did and had no time to explain the plan of Water King to his father but just let him know that he had arrived and went straight to the gate, to welcome Princess Aqua before she attacked the gates.


    Prince Leo had a lot to care of, but he had no idea how to indicate father about it all. "How, how, how?" He wondered, and tensed. The conversation between her and his father was getting intense.


    "Aqua, my lady, listen to me," he tried to distract her," instead Huo''er looked at him. And Prince Leo definitely did not want to do anything with the King of Hell. He gave an uneasy smile towards King Huo and kept talking to Aqua. "You must be tired, you look really weak today, what happened?" He asked her.


    "No, am fine, why? Do you wish to stop me brother Leo," she asked him.


    "Stop you from what?" He asked innocently. Milan and Aiden looked at the Demon King who asked them sit calmly and watch whatever is going to happen. Aqua stopped roaming and looked towards Prince Leo, who infact looked a little tired.


    "I can see that how weak you look Brother Leo, what happened to you? You look like you were not home, away for a while, am I not right?" She asked him back quickly.


    "Where else would he go?" King Zidan said covering up for his son.


    "I don''t know, maybe to a place no one knows exists," she fluffed and their expressions changed a little. Then King Zidan fake laughed loudly.


    "That''s interesting," he said. He got up from his throne and walked down. "A place no one knows exists, is it true?" He pretended well.


    "Only you know it, I know that," she said. Prince Leo Interfered.


    "Princess Aqua sure has a good sense of humour," he laughed it out.


    "Then how come I can smell the ocean in you," she questioned back with a valid point. And it need was true. She sensed the scent of his, the scent of a mermaid coming from him. "A mermaid to be specific," she caught on the point rightly. Prince Leo suddenly started coughing.


    "Can I not go swimming?" He asked her back. "And mermaid duh!" He laughed. "Mermaids do not exist in Human Realm, they are nothing but mythical creatures here, we can''t expose them to humans,"


    "I get that, that is why am wondering about why you would leave the Human Realm and go to heaven?" She repeated again.


    "Oh my god," Prince Leo got fed up.


    "My lady, let''s rest for sometime and discuss later, all of us are tired right now and father has duties to take care of, please let me guide in to the guest palace you can all well rest there," he said, finished his speech and led them.


    "That would be great," Demon King said, getting up from his seat. He nodded at Aqua and they followed Prince Leo obediently. Aqua noticed how Earth King sighed in relief to have seen them gone and she now was sure that he knows things she wanted to know, convinced that only he can give her answers. They were taken to a lavish modern house behind the castle.


    "Wow," Milan expressed her thought. "Looks better than our hotel,"


    "Agree," Aiden said and looked around. The beautifully painted colourful walls and matching interior and furnishing. The ultra modern contemporary three storied house in the middle of rose garden.


    Aqua went and laid straight on the bed. "Oh my god, was I too disrespectful towards brother Leo and uncle Zidan, I feel so bad now,"


    "No. You were not. It was fine, you just showed how brave you were," Huo consoled her. Milan knocked on the door and walked into the room.


    "Why do you look worried?" Milan asked. "Everything okay?"


    "You tell me, was I rude to Uncle Zidan and Brother Leo?" She asked for a true opinion from her sister.


    "I told you didn''t I Aqua," Huo''er said massaging Aqua''s shoulders.


    "No you are saying that to keep me cool," she said back and waited for Milan''s words.


    "Honestly," Milan sighed. "You were arrogant and had a bossy nature," she said openly.


    "Why did you lie?" Aqua looked at Huo with a sad puppy face.


    "I.. I just.." Huo looked at Milan.


    "Arrogant means I was disrespectful, god am so embarrassed," Aqua said and buried her head under the pillow.


    "It''s okay, we are on a mission, we don''t have to mind anything else, we need to achieve the dreams,"


    "Whatever," she said and laid still. She really did wish to sleep for sometime. Milan left the room silently and then Huo tucked her into bed. He then walked out slowly and discussed certain matters with Aiden.


    Leo was busy writing letter. Water King handed the duty to King Zidan, but his son, Leo did not wish to risk his father''s life at any cost and decided to the deed on his own, writing the letter himself explaining about the situation, the location of Water Royals, about the secret existance of the Underwater Realm which is a part of Water Kingdom itself. He wrote them all down in detail since they cannot utter a word and break the vow ending up with severe punishments. He took time, chose his words carefully and formed a cryptic letter with lots of puzzles and riddles hiding the direct answer.


    "I guess this would do," he said to himself and folded the letters himself and sealed them. He got up from his study in his chamber and quickly walked out towards the guest house where Aqua and company were resting. He knocked on the doors and Huo''er asked him to get in immediately. Prince Leo took a good look at the Demon King unbelievably to think that this is the the same old angel Huo who walked beside Shifu Bo Hai for years and then left heaven joining hands with the demons for his father. Huo also looked different and intriguing. Leo doubted if he had changed or if the character remains the same. But then again Prince Leo had never heard of chaos in the time of Huo''er except when he died and took time to return. Demon Realm was in ruin under the reign of Queen Regent Volca who listened to ther mother and ruined the rule.


    "Your higness," Leo addressed the Demon King. Huo turned towards Prince Leo''s direction an asked him to settle down while Huo was reading through a history book of humans in the library adjacent to the living room. "I came to deliver something to Princess Aqua," Prince Leo said.


    "Aqua is meditating right now," Huo said to her Leo.


    "Give it only to her," he said again and again and handed the big pile of folded letters in Demon King Huo''er''s hands. "Don''t give anyone, don''t keep it down anywhere, just give her it directly and never ask for more of this. Huo nodded his head and accepted the letters. He could sense that there are many cryptic items present in the paper seeing the shaownds and strokes of the quill.


    And Prince Leo left soon. He wished to discuss it all with his father, peacefully now. He left back to the castle to meet Kimg Zidan and open up. But he deicded to hide something he did back in the Underwater Realm and also hide one person''s identity for now. He did not wish to disappoint his father by talking about widowed ryimg mermaid and his feelings for her.


    Huo on the other hand, walked into the room, silently and checked if Aqua us still asleep. She was not. Aqua was wide awake, looking outside the window, lying down with her back in the bed. "Hey," he said and took out the packet of letter.


    "What is it?" Aqua asked eying the letters handed out to her immediately. She asked Huo settle down on bed and help her read it.


    "Solve them and you will find the answer you want," Huo''er boosted her. She opened then sat there surprised.


    "Return back to where you came from, " the lines struck her. She was reminded of Emperor Tai''s words and how unknowingly he gave her the confidence.


    " It means water, we were born will die the same way, it is water," She solved the first cryptic letter. The second one had the images. He had drawn a beautiful rough view of sea seen from the cliffs of Water Palace. "It means there were buried at sea but not far from Water Kingdom. She could not understand why Someone who hates them the most chose to bury at sea, clearly showing the temperament. "Tai knows nothing," Huo''er reminded Aqua and helped her proceed with problem solving. The next letter contained riddles leading to think about life under the sea. Aqua then instantly connected it to her memory. The map she saw at Shifu''s table. Where she saw some coral reefs drawn in them. "I have got it," she said smiling.


    "And also," she began. Prince Leo is working with the family. She informed Huo. She handed out the fourth letter to Huo to read it.

 Chapter 141: Volcas Entry to the Game

    Volca got into the Celestial palace. She had a plan. And she wanted to realise it. The plan was to get close with Emperor Tai, find out why her mother was close with him, had even closer ties to the the point that he did not touch the two of them when they harmed the heavenly princes and princesses. She wanted to know if her intuitions and suspicions are right. She couldn''t understand why her mother hid so much about her life to Volca. Hence without having another choice, Volca formulated this plan. She told nobody about it. The second plan was no matter what, Emperor Tai is the hindrance to her King Huo''er''s life, hence she did not want the Emperor to live any longer. She wished to find out the truth behind all the rumours she has been hearing about about the mass death and murders, the curfew and the newly imposed strict laws in the Celestial Palace.


    Volca did not tell these matters to Huo. But lied and escaped from his clutches for the time being.


    She walked to the gates of the Celestial Palace brave heartedly, ready to save anything. She looked at the guards who on the spot prepared to attack her. She took out her purple claw sword and started fighting with them. It was hard. But she won fairly against them, not harming them but support them. Couple of minutes later, the guards surrender unable to fight with her and let her.


    "I said in the beginning itself that I just want to meet the Emperor here for an urgent matter, why did you wish to get attacked and fall sick?" She asked her. They did not say a word while laid on the floor struggling to get up after getting hit with light levels of lightening and shock from her sword. She was careful about not to harm a single person it.


    She took her first step in to the Celestial zone. The main place she had never been to. It looked amazing, than the Demon''s castle comparing with architecture of each. Different and opposite of everything. From the angle of rooms to the footpaths, everything she laid her eyes on was different.


    "Why can I not find anybody here?" She wondered looking around more for people. "Why won''t anyone react to a new face?" She wondered. "Is the condition that severe? Will they be punished if I ask them for the way for the court!" She talked inside her head. "No I can''t find a replacement for my work," she taught herself. "I will find the place myself, I can learn the ways palces, where they are and show up often. She walked around the lotus pond first, took the bridge to another palace of women in harem. She turned away immediately and took another route. She didn''t fish to see anybody she knows. "Damn," she cursed and took another route. Harem is the wrong place to be. The place of death recently it has become into or referred to as the town of living dead. She did not wish to see the tragic situations. She walked past the imperial kitchen palace, and she could smell beautiful aromas of food coming out. Her stomach growled instantly. And moreover she was really thirsty. She did not mind any of it. She passed the kitchen and reached the entrance to the Celestial prison behind the palace. "No this is again the wrong way," she said. She had a veil covering her head under her hat, hence nobody noticed her.


    She again walked back to the starting point near the gates where she began her journey. She analysed carefully and took the route at the right side this time instead of left which took ker to the back side. The route on the right had so many guest palaces on the way before reaching the palace of Celestial Prince, the Empress and the Emperor. She looked at the Palace of the Celestial Prince lying unoccupied and shut down after his death. She felt bad for him, to have died at a very young age and not able even reincarnate. She felt a little guilty to have become one of the reason for the death. "Forgive me," she said and moved away. A ten long minutes worth walk later, she reached the Palace of the Emperor. "There it is," she said and walked towards the compound. The red fire courtyard. The guards stopped her.


    "His highness is busy," they said to her. The royal guards. Volca concentrated and listened carefully. The sound indeed was of some giggling and clinging of glasses often. "Drinking game is going on, is it not?" She asked the guards. "Just tell him that Volca is here, he will know," she ordered them. The two guards looked at each other. "Don''t hesitate much and do it," she said again, forcing them. She moved forward but they stopped her. "Don''t anger me," she warned them. They resisted and Volca lost her temper again. She took out her purple claw whip this time and lashed on them. The pain was unbearable that the guards let her go instantly. "I warned you did I not? All I wanted was to visit the Emperor


    Don''t repeat this again," she said and stepped inside the courtyard. She heard the moans and screams coming out of the bed chamber. Volca for a moment felt disgusted. She waited ten minutes but it did not seem to end. Soon she searched for a bow and arrow. She then shot them through and the little parts screens. The arrow hit his bedside table correctly and it made the Emperor shocked while the ladies grew scared and ran out of the bed chamber themselves. Some half dressed and half naked.


    Then the Emperor, got scared and got up from the bed immediately. "What the hell?" He uttered and called for guards. But nobody dared to move, afraid of the girl standing before them, Volca smirked and played with a small ball of her black demonic fumes in her hands, that would give shock in a person''s body. "Why don''t you come feel this fumes?" She asked the men playfully. Afraid that they will die anyway decided to remain still. By that time, King Tai walked out.


    "Who the hell dared to do it?" He was wearing only his bottom part of the clothes, exposing his shirtless body, his hair lying down, his crown not adjusted properly. Volca was ashamed to see him. She put the fumes down and it disappeared.


    "Volca," he said shocked. He kept the golden sword back to it palce and stepped down. "Volca, what a surprise, I did not expect you to come for me,"


    "You know well I would come for you don''t you? Why pretend?" She asked the Emperor back.


    "Well certainly not today," he said and shrugged. "Wait here i will be heading out in a minute, we will go together," he said vanished. He went back to his chamber, made the maiden clean the place, and keep the rooms scented. He dressed up quickly. Put on the Celestial King''s robe. And he placed the crown properly back on his head, after coming the hair well and hung a perfume sachet on his waist belt along with the sword he hung down. He wanted to make an impression in front of Volca. The Demoness Volca he has been looking forward to meet for long time. His lonely rude heart got a little excited seeing her close for the first time. Fiona never brought Volca to the heaven when she visited even though he had asked her. Hence Emperor Tai had no memory of seeing Volca clearly at all. He stepped out the bed chamber and walked towards the living room, Volca was seated there and served with tea. But she had not touched a thing kept on the table.


    "It is safe, why would you not have the snack and the tea?" He asked her.


    "Am fine, I normally don''t have food at this hour of the day," she replied. He smiled at her and sat opposite her on the chairs.


    "You look pretty, this is the first time am seeing you close you know," he said openly.


    "I have seen you couple of times from the distance," she said back.


    "Really? I see."


    "What were you doing in the broad day light with all those girls?" She asked him without hesitations, more like scolding him.


    "Can I not have fun with the ladies in my harem whenever I want?" He asked her back laughing. But it did not sound funny at all for Volca. She wanted to know why he was killing people, killing the girls in the name of having fun and having sex and kill them on the process. Volca raised her brows and looked at the Emperor. She controlled her temper. The eyes of the Emperor reminded her of several things. Her suspicions got even stronger.


    "No, the fun has a limit, do you want earn a reputation like this as an Emporer?" She asked him angrily and feeling disgusted even as a Demon. But he misinterpreted her words, and took them as her care for him, for his goodness.


    "I agree that am going overboard with the carnal pleasures, I will keep it under control, don''t worry," he said instantly. "But leave all of that, there is something we must soon discuss about though," he got up, walked around and stood behind her chairs, keeping his hands on her shoulder. "Don''t you think?"

 Chapter 142: Restricted Library

    Aqua took the letter in her hand. She read them. She sat down and read the letter very carefully all over again.


    "Anything new," Huo''er asked her.


    She had found the key, but she has no idea where the door exactly is or how to open the door after inserting the key. She tried to read between the line. She got the sea, in the heaven where Emperor Tai took the bodies to, close to the deep sea where the Aquatic animals come to the surface and hunt for any body usually. But what under it, she couldn''t understand that.


    "Maybe we need to learn new techniques, something that would open an invisible barrier or something, we will have to master new skills, but how long do we have before Tai takes any action?" Huo said.


    "You said Volca went to keep an eye on Emperor Tai, can we trust her? Ask her to delay the King by distracting him," Aqua looked at Huo.


    "We have to trust her this time, she is they block to the missing puzzle,"


    "I trust you," Aqua replied to him and continued looking at characters in the letter.


    "Huo''er," Aqua suddenly called him.


    "Hmm?" He asked looking at the other set of letters Aqua handed her.


    "Is the Water Palace still under watch of Tai?"


    "Not the day we spent time there," Huo informed her. "There is nobody there, it''s deserted, all the staff had left, there is not soul a living in there," he said it all.


    Aqua sat there all shocked to know that her home has been abandoned by everyone which used to be a great shelter for hundreds of people. She shook herself out of the depressing thoughts and sat straight.


    "Am afraid that we might have to go back," she shared her idea. "The best library in heaven belongs to Water Realm, my home, the collection in the restricted area is much more and unbelievable in our Realm like the Star Kingdom''s secret data, Celestial Palace do not have much collection like both of ours, we have to access into it, and find the techniques if there is such a thing that exists," she was full of hope and anxiety to find the matter soon, since she kept having a feeling that Tai might take actions while they are on their preparation to make a comeback.


    "When should we leave?" Huo got up and aksed her.


    "The sooner the better," she said and got up along with him. He nodded at her.


    Huo looked for Aiden and Milan who were nowhere to be found. He informed Aqua about it. Aqua instantly sent a howling message to Milan to come back immediately to the palace and leave with her. With in half an hour and Milan came running into the doors. She panted heard. "I was just lurking around the palace looking for clues," Milan lied.


    "We are leaving," Aqua said walked towards the hallway.


    "When?" She aksed her elder sister.


    "Now," Aqua said.


    "Where to?" Milan was full of doubts.


    "Home," Aqua mentioned it wholeheartedly.


    "Home," it didn''t click Milan first. "Home, our home? Water Palace?" Milan instantly got excited and followed her sister. Aiden walked into the room by then. Aqua extended her arms and asked the others to keep their hands on hers. She checked the table to see if the apology letter and the thanking letter she wrote for King Zidan and Prince Leo still there. And she apparated back to the palace, straight into the court room. She felt her energy level dropping a little. Huo scolded her for that, for not letting him do it. Aqua smiled and looked around the court. That smiled faded from her lips instantly. Her heart froze seeing the lifeless palace. The last time she was at the court room was when shifu asked her father''s permission to take her away to the moutians for training, an act to keep her distracted which she found out very lately.


    "I didn''t know either," Huo told her until I came here to meet Aiden.


    "Everything was meant to happen for us to grow strong, let''s look at it that way, none of us are the same now, we have grown strong and wild, we grew up amidst of the fact that we had lived for thousands of years. But we grew up only now. Not even when we died but now, when other people died for us, in front of us,"


    Yes and it indeed was different for Huo and Aqua. Dying for one another did not scare them, to die before the death of people you care the most.


    Milan took her sister to her room she had cleaned recently. "Did you find the clue?" She aksed her sister.


    "Yes, but we will need to learn something," Aqua informed her.


    "Restricted section of library?" Milan asked instantly and Aqua nodded to it.


    "But we swore that we would never do this,"


    "We swore to live together forever, what happened to it?" Aqua asked back. "We swear things on the daily basis, but if we don''t live according to the situation we are put through, how will we survive? To that Milan had nothing to say. "Quickly, we have to do it quickly, I am banished from heaven," she said. "Staying here long will alert other realms.


    "We shall escape to the Demon Realm then," Milan found an idea and led her sister towards the library block. One of the tallest building that was in the Water Realm. And this building has five floors where upper two floors are restricted. Aiden and Huo were trying to open the doors whole Milan and Aqua reached the place together.


    The moment the doors opened, Aqua rushed inside. She didn''t stand to notice the fact that the library looks neat and well maintained. The library had lights on. But she ran upstairs to the 4th floor. She looked through the library''s historic books carefully and safely and asked Milan, Aiden and Huo''er to find the books she called out the names off. Most of the books were on ancient myth, Vedic, astronomy and floors of baruous heavenly techniques, and magic spells that are prohibited to perform in classes. But the ones she wanted to find on the secret realm and their techniques couldn''t be found.


    "I know how smart you are to think of something that doesn''t strike anyone easily," a Male voice spoke to her. She looked behind her. An old man standing, holding the books in his hand. Book she is searching for. ''Noway,'' she thought.


    "Shifu Bo Hai, what a surprise!" She exclaimed. She looked around for a moment. "No wonder the place looks exceptionally well and neat," she smirked. Huo ran upstairs the moment he heard shifu''s voice.


    "Shifu what are you doing here?" He asked Master Bo Hai.


    "Hello there son, how are you?" Master Bo Hai said greeted his foster son.


    "Why were you living here?" He asked his shifu.


    "Why can I no? A palace must always be watched! It has treasures that should not go to the wrong hands, after all, Water Realm is my home too," he said.


    "Did our father ask you to do this too?" Milan asked Master Bo Hai angrily. She was still pissed at the fact that shifu planned things and separated her and Aiden from the family locking themselves up in the woods for a year.


    "Aniyo, he did not, am doing this under my own interests and safeguards," Milan smirked as she heard this.


    "Milan, relax and behave," Aqua warned her sister. Milan stepped back listening to this. Aqua extended her arms asking for the books shifu has been holding on to. "Why don''t you give me that shifu, after all are we not working together driving towards the same goal?"


    "Are we my dear?" Shifu asked her back, raising his brows. Huo''er looked at his master, his foster father doubtfully, ''what the hell does he mean?'' He wondered.


    "I guess now I know what kind of Water Realm you belong to," Aqua said. She took a step forward. Aqua closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Hand me that shifu, we are running out of time," she said calmly.


    "Give it to us," Huo''er backed her.


    "A demon need not interfere with this," Shifu said.


    Aqua and Huo looked at each other and threw a punch together at shifu.


    "Master Bo Hai knows how to treat his foster son, and his best student, unlike you," Huo said. "You are nothing but a shape shifting cyclops," the man standing in front of them fell on his back with a loud thud. And suddenly he replicated into ten other figures and started fighting together.


    "Find the real one and attack it, the other will follow, the eye of the original were green in color, fond the right one," Aqua instructed others and started fighting. They were careful enough to not use the weapon. The fight went on for several minutes and Milan screamed from one corner of the library in the second floor holding the original cyclops.


    "Come fast I cant hold him," Milan struggled to keep him under her strength. "He is incredibly strong, come fast,"


    All the three rushed towards her, to assist her.


    Huo took out the rope he had with him and tied around the legs and arms of the cyclops immediately. "I have an idea," he said. "Why don''t we try it?" Huo asked.


    "Am in man," Aiden said flashing a mischievous smile wiping his hands.


    "Me too," Milan said panting a little. And everybody looked at Aqua.


    "We know what to do now," she said, took the books from his hands and tapped the heads if cyclops looking into his eyes carefully. "Shall we play a game?" She aksed the cyclops. But cyclops couldn''t say word with his mouth stuffed with a white piece of cloth. He moved vigorously. "I will take that as yes young boy," she said and smiled at him. She nodded at Huo.

 Chapter 143: Locked with the fake Phoenix

    Volca remained silent. She stayed still and took precautions to attack him if he any moment attacks her. He just massaged her shoulder a little. Volca sat looking straight. "It''s bad to speak I''ll of the dead, but I was always angry at the fact that Fiona never ever brought you to heaven, to me, not even once," Volca did not react at all. Her heart pounded loud. "I always wanted to wanted spend some time with you, be with you, while you were growing up, but I was not lucky enough, your mother was the reason, I hold her responsible," he went on. Volca looked to right side of her, when Emperor Tai withdrew his hands and walked around. He stretched his arms and circled around her. "Those eyes of yours," Tai smiled. "It reminds me so much," he paused. Volca mustered up her courage and met his eyes this time. "Of my young self," he said. They locked their eyes. It indeed looked similar. No, the same. It was the same pairs in both the bodies. Volca''s heart almost failed. Reality started hitting her hard. She hated it. She was getting ashamed of herself, and her mother. ''Why did my mother had to do this?'' She wondered, miserably.


    "Volca," Tai called her, waking her from her line of thoughts. "Have you ever wondered why?" He asked her something she did not listen to carefully. Volca tired to cover and said no.


    "I know, I know how you were concealed from truth, I do not wish to blame anybody anymore," he said. Volca did not understand a word.


    "Tell me," she said trying to get him keep talking.


    "Am sorry for neglecting you and abandoning you," Volca smirked listening to his empty apologies. She could feel something is about to come up from him, to use her well. "Be my right hand, leave hell, leave the demon clan, come leave with me," Emperor Tai offered her. "Live as my daughter from now on," he put the bomb finally. Volca flinched. She felt horrible but she decided to utilise the moment, thinking of her future, and Huo''er''s.


    "Why?" She asked back.


    "Because you were better than my son Aaron, you deserve the position,"


    "Position?" She asked him doubtfully.


    "Celestial Crown Princess," he said.


    "Am a Demoness, why would I be selected as the princess here?" She asked him.


    "You are not pure blood, neither an angel nor a demon,"


    "But my cultivation and powers even the form is of a demon," she argued back.


    "But not the nature of your heart. Unless and until you let your demonic cultivation eat your heart you will never become a true demon," he said to her.


    "I have even let my soul be consumed by satan, let alone a heart,"


    "A heart too tender," Emperor Tai made fun of her.


    "No you are wrong, am a wild witch, not a mere tender bone,"


    Emperor Tai laughed out loud listening to his daughter speaking which to him sounded as rubbish. "Hold on my dear," he said and performed a spell, that completely changed the style of hers.


    The brand new Volca with the golden and black gown, the golden head dress, better belt. The starter package of heaven. But little did Tai know the real nature of Volca''s heart. A lady who has no whatsoever interest in clothes, jewellery and not materialistic but rather believe only in her point of view about life. And in her point of view, Emperor Tai is the baddest person she knows in those who are alive in the universe and then comes her mother, thinking that she is the by product of two deadly people, she ran away from all the characteristics that both had with them. Trying herself to become a better person. But she did go overboard when it came to Huo''er, forgetting that they were her only friends.


    "Your highness," Volca started. "All this.." but Tai stopped her.


    "Don''t utter a word, I will prepare the Princess'' palace in half a day, wait and start living her now on, I can''t let you back that easily. I have finally got you, my daughter, years later," he said sounding a little relieved. It was weird. Then with no other choice out before for her, she chose one and sat back on the chair.


    "Daughter?" She asked. "You say am your daughter?"


    "Why are you not proud of being Celestial Emperor''s daughter?" He asked her back immediately.


    "You know am just shocked at this revelation, why would you expect me to accept it easily, I was brought up wildly," she spoke a little authoritatively. Tai smiled at her.


    "A father will love her daughter dearly, always, don''t worry about. How about I give an upgrade to it?" He asked eyeing her purple claw sword. Volca looked at him carefully. But he did nothing and turned away. "Not now, not before you accept the position," he said and walked away.


    "I will let you know if am willing to," she said. She didn''t want to say in straight and reveal her intentions. She pretended to take time.


    "Your place is prepared, you would not be allowed to leave," he informed her and vanished into thin air. Volca stood there with her one hand on her hips reminding hers about how carefully she should even breath from then on.


    For a moment she wished she could meet Huo, tell him what Emperor Tai had asked her. But the next moment, she was full of desires, her Demoness senses waking in her, wondering if she should take the chance and live to the fullest, but the very next moment she hated the people, her so called biological father and her mother who did. She was lost in her line of thoughts. She was lost without a person to call her dear, to get advice, to get help.


    Volca walked around the palace, played and passed her day like that. But soon she was invited by her father for dinner in his hall. Volca prepared and walked in. There were few minister there dining with him. Volca hesitated to walk into the hall. But the moment she reached the doors, Emperor Tai spotted her and called her. "Come quick," he said. The other ministers were giving her strange look. She grew little uncomfortable. In the eyes of the heavenly Angels, she and her mother has always been the monsters, bloodsucking demons brutally masacarring the heavenly beings. They all hated her. She was sure of how hard it''s going to be make an impression in the heaven. She decided then. She was sure about it either. She forced a smile on her face.


    "Your highness," she greeted him, bowing down.


    "Yes dear, did you settle in well?" He asked her.


    "Very well," she said and smiled again. There were murmurs rising inside the hall. Emporer Tai nodded smiling asking Volca to be peaceful. "Take your seat," he said showing her the table adjacent to him.


    "Here?" She was shocked close to the Emperor. That''s like a place it given to anybody else except Empress and Aaron.


    ''Is he really trading everything he has for me, surely people don''t seen fine with what''s happening here,'' she thought and slowly walked towards the assigned seat sitting at the right side of King''s table. She took her glass of fine and sipped them. It did not taste good. It was sourer than ever and bitterness spread everywhere. She wondered whether it''s poisoned or not. She looked at the King who also was drinking the same drink. ''Damn,'' she cursed under her breath and put some grapes in to her mouth. It was no better. She spit them out and pretended to enjoy the meal. She tasted the chicken soup and finally felt relieved. He suited her taste buds.


    "Like it?" Emperor asked her.


    "Love it," she replied with a timid smile this time.


    Soon Emperor clinged a fork on his wine glass and seeked the attention of the audience before him. "I have an announcement to make," he declared out loudly.


    "No don''t, " she said but he did not listen to her.


    "Today onwards, celestial palace is the home for," he paused and looked at Volca. She shook her head. She did not want extra hatred and danger from the Angels. Volca, and will no longer pursue demonic cultivation, converting her powers to ours, live as one among us," he said without even consulting with her. It pissed Volca off.


    "What the actual fuck? I would never let anyone tame my wild heart," She whispered and got up. Everyone stared at her. Then some started clapping. ''Convert my foot,'' she muttered under her breath and smiled at all of them. ''Am glad I chose not to live as your daughter," she thought and looked at the Emperor who looked satisfied. He then surprisingly revealed something else. It caught everyone''s attention. "And by this, I have to say, we will no longer keep ties with the Demon Realm, whatever the result maybe, heaven is superior, and we shall keep it that way, always,"


    "You''re doomed,'' she thought and stepped forward and turned to face the Emperor. She bowed.


    "I have to leave, I have an emergency matter to take care off," she lied and walked out of the hall, without looking back, not waiting for a reply, then she ran away, to a faraway place. She did not wish to be disturbed but inform Huo immediately to let him know that things are getting tangled, and that she is going to be imprisoned in the name of becoming his daughter, the Celestial princess. Volca did not want it. She produced a piece of paper and took out her quill. "Huo..." ultimately he is the only person she trusts and has to lean on, so she trusted her own feelings, her gut, and worte a detailed report.

 Chapter 144: Will she find them?

    Aqua used her powers to search the memories of the cyclops. But he resisted well. She did not wish to hurt him, hence she decided to try another idea. Take him with them and let him perform the magic to open the gates. They weren''t sure why he disguised himself as shifu and who sent him to the library to guard. But the audacity was great and brave enough.


    Huo held the cyclops and asked Aiden to help him carry and transfer the cyclops into a coat so that they wouldn''t tire him soon while tying to get the information from him. Cyclops tried hard to speak, to say something and Huo gave him the chance.


    "See I know you people are good, I know what you are upto and what you are searching for, and seeing that, you think I wouldn''t know, you think you can still?" But Aqua paused him and knocked on his head.


    "What a young dummy cyclops are you?,"


    "I cannot tell you the secret," he shouted in the end, looking scared. "They will kill me if I do so,"


    "Even if we adopt you?" Aqua gave him a small hope and tinge of trust for him to open up.


    "Adopt me? Nice joke sister," he said. Aqua raised her brows and smiled at him. It looked like this was his initial plan. He did well. He played well and heard what he wanted to. He took out a pocket knife, cut his arm and took out his blood, then he sent them to the power source of the Water Realm, up the moutians, submitting himself to the Realm. Aqua did not stop him.


    "Betraying the Water Realm means death, you know that?" She reminded him. One thought and you will drop dead, those who get adopted in the basis of trust,"


    "I know," he said taking those words seriously. He sat on the floor, with his legs crossed. He did not look tensed anymore.


    "Ok tell us now," Huo said to him.


    "Can we trust this Demon?" He gave Huo''er a look and then at Aqua.


    Aiden rolled few scrolls of paper and knocked the head of cyclops with it. "Demon King," he reminded.


    "Oh sorry, Demon King," Huo''er closed his eyes and shook his head. He sighed.


    "Now," Aqua raised her voice a little.


    "I will take you with me," He said "but just you." "I can''t take a lot of people together at once," he said.


    "Okay," Aqua agreed.


    "No," Huo''er disagreed. Cyclops looked between Aqua and Huo. Lovers spat. Aqua asked why she shouldn''t and Huo stood explaining his worries.


    "It''s all in your head, you saw how am capable of killing people," she said and kept her hands on the shoulders of cyclops and patted him. "He will be nothing but a dust," she said confidently. "Don''t you think so?" She aksed him.


    "Sister, am just a tiny little cyclops, trust me and don''t kill me, I have new dreams too, I want to live, am a member of your Realm, you shouldn''t hurt me, protect me," he said looking a little scared among the elders. He sounded too genuine. Milan laughed out loud listening to him.


    "Aiden do you have a candy, hand him one, he is about to cry," she said.


    "We don''t have time," Aqua said. "Let''s go," Huo put something in his mouth while others did not notice anything. "Wait," he said. He walked towards Aqua and kissed her in front of everyone. Aqua was surprised. He had never done such a thing before. But then he passed something on to her mouth. She got it.


    "Don''t spit it out," he whispered and let her go after planting a kiss on her forehead. "It will help me know where you are," Aiden felt a little weird watching it but he was able to let it go. Milan stood there smiling. Her nine tails playing behind her.


    "Ma''am, your tail, they are all out," Cyclops reminded her and he left with Aqua.


    Aqua walked to the front of the gates, formed a new formation and barrier for people to not enter the palace, and stepped out carefully. She bid farewell temporarily asking her family to take care and she apparated with the boy to the borders of the Realm that will take them to the sea.


    "Why did we not apparate straight to sea from the palace, I saw it is right behind the King''s palace," cyclops asked her.


    "It''s dangerous, the winds and current are too strong if you go that way, and that''s a place allowed only for the King to go, not a soul is allowed to step in there, which am sure you did, luckily you escaped or else your head would have been fed to our lions," she tried to scare.


    "But I thought Water Realm is soft and forgiving,"


    "Everybody has rules," Aqua said and took him to the shores. "Where are you taking me to?"


    She asked him.


    "To my home," he said. "You will love it there, but I don''t," he said with a sad smile pasted on his face. He was reminded of his family''s unforeseen death.


    "Why?" Aqua got curious. She could sense the pain in his words.


    "The world should punish a criminal but never an innocent, judging a clan, prejudiced, " he said shortly and let the matter go.


    "I get it more than anybody else," Aqua said. She stood looking towards the sea. The sound of the waves hitting the shores echoing loud. "Are you not afraid of today''s consequences?" She asked him.


    "Am not, I don''t have much to look forward and live for," he said sadly.


    "You can''t be that hopeless, you are young and a lot to live through, don''t be stupid and throw your life in the gates of hell," she advised him.


    "Hell, I thought your boyfriend is Demon and control the gates of hell, bribe him," Cyclopes laughed and winked at her. Aqua smiled. He is right, she is dating the Demon King, keeper of the hell gates, who can decide anything.


    "What''s your name?" Aqua asked him.


    "Jin,"


    "You will have a great future, you are incredibly strong for you age," Aqua said and extended her arms. He kept his hands on hers and she apparated. The next moment they were under the ocean, and Aqua looked at him. She had her dagger kept on his neck, about to cut his throat while he performed the magic opening the doors to the Underwater Realm. Aqua just waited watching, anticipating. She couldn''t wait to meet her family she thought died in front of her. Jin smiled and counted the seconds. In a minute the sounds echoed inside the water, and a gate opened, right before them. Mermaids swam towards them. Aqua gasped. "My goodness," she whispered. "They are real and still existing."


    "Act along and cooperate with me, I was sent to Water Realm to take the books away as a punishment, tell them I got caught and you punished me instead, okay sis?" Jin asked her.


    "Okay," Aqua said and tightened her grip around him and almost slit his throat.


    "Don''t kill me, I did as you ordered, let me go," he acted well, struggling under hands. "Save me,"


    "Calm down princess," one among Mermaids said to her. "Let the child go, calm down," they said to Aqua. Aqua leveled up her power and took her crystals out to protect herself and the boys incase if they attack her.


    "What place is this?" She aksed. But a figure appeared towards her.


    "Welcome," he said to her. A man who looked her father''s age.


    "Your highness, be careful she is on attack mode," the mermaids warned him.


    "Your higness," Jin said. Aqua remained still.


    "Welcome to the Underwater Realm, which is also part of your Water Realm, but working secretly," King Dylan said to her. Aqua smirked. But she was little shocked inside to witness something that doesn''t exist to the outside world. "What is it Princess Aqua? Crown Princess of Water Realm, who got banished from heaven, what brings you here?" He smiled.


    "You know what brings me here," she replied boldly. Her voice strong.


    "Do I?" He mocked her. "Well then, come in, let''s rest and have some good talk," he welcomed her. Mermaids swam towards her and led the way.


    "Jin, we will discuss about this later," King Dylan said to the cyclops.


    "Jin has nothing to do with this Realm," Aqua said instead. King Dylan shot a look at her and he looked at Jin who remained silent. He had a small cut where the blood appeared on his neck. Aqua moved with the squad. They took her a long way. The moment she entered the gates, she was astonished to see the Realm, existing secretly for all the million years, beautifully. They took her to the court of Coral Palace. King Dylan opened the doors and there stood four figures. Aqua entered the court and stood still. Jin looked at her, marveled to see the strong lady melting like a candle as she stood there watching the people in front of her. She quickly ran inside the court. Tears whelming in her eyes. She did not care about anything else nor who were watching her. She had done it. She finally found them. And she couldn''t wait a single second longer. "Ma.. Pa..," she said and hugged them. Her heart pounding loud. She really made it. Her mission accomplished.


    If you work hard, some day you will see the results. And to Aqua this was it. She found her family.

 Chapter 145: The unison of Fox Queen and Dilong

    Being true to your heart, to yourself will present you with the best dream you could ever realize. And there is only one thing we should keep in our minds. To not quit working in the middle. If you do not work for it then how can you win it? If Milan stopped loving Aiden because he was obsessed with her sister, would there have been a chance for change in him? A chance to consider understand each other? A chance for him ponder over why she is so into him? If he never realized that would he have fallen for her, wanted it give all his best to her?


    Milan was sitting peacefully admiring the view in front of her and beside her. The nature and her love. They were sitting in silence for a long time.


    "What do you think will happen to sister?" Milan asked Aiden, leaning on his shoulders, watching the waterfalls in the distance sitting in the back garden of the palace.


    "She will be fine, we know, she has changed a lot, enough to get expelled from heaven, what do you think will happen to all of us, even if our families had survived and come? Will we be able to live together?"


    "Don''t scare me," Milan said thinking about everything Aiden just said to her. Her heart raised as she heard them all. "No, we will be fine, how can it not? And how can Aqua be kept away? That''s not fair is it? Or will they kick me out? Am really worried about the rules of heavens now," Milan spoke honestly.


    "Kick you out to where? No nobody has the right to do so, to our little Fox Queen," he said and pinched her cheek. Milan smiled and looked up at him. She then sat up straight. "You have no idea how glad I am these days," she said. "That I have you, that I can trust you," she said. He smiled at her widely and touched cheek with the back of his hand. He leaned his head and touched her lips with his. His heart couldn''t stop fluttering that it made him lose his control. He lost it all. He did. He kissed her tenderly but deep. Then wild. Like a hunger that has to be satisfied. She put her arms around him and held on tight to him. He cornered her against the tree and kept his hands on either side of the tree. The water falling echoed behind them. The birds chirping, the wind howling, the rustling sound of the leaves, nothing mattered to them. The cool breeze blew Milan''s hair. Aiden looked into her blue eyes for a moment. And he kissed her again, making her go breathless. He then slowly ran his finger down her neck. And he untied her cloak. He took them off. "I don''t want you to ever worry about us," he whispered to her. "I mean it," he assured her. He did not want her to doubt him. He loves her and he wanted to show her that. Milan was completely new these and had no idea what to do as he did things to her. Then she decided to take his cloak off. She smiled. She wanted to laugh but did not wish to ruin their moods. She kissed him this time, pressing her against him. "I love you," she said. "I can only have one person in my heart, and it''s you," she said.


    "I know," he said. And took her face in his hands. He kissed her eyes, her nose tips, he lios, her chin and he kissed her neck which aroused Milan. She felt her body asking for more, her nipples growing hard. He then put his hands behind her and untied her knots on the back of her gown. And he pushed them down her shoulder, seeing her bare neck and chest. Her kissed her right there. He then slowly aimed for her peach like breasts. He leaned her against the tree and took her nipples in his mouth. A moan escaped from Milan''s mouth, feeling these kinds of pleasure for the first time. She wished she could scream out but controlled her emotions and self. He took one in his mouth while he rubbed the other nipple with his hands before he took them also. It made her wet instantly. She was marveled by her body''s reactions. He squeezed them a little and kissed her mouth again. Then he touched her inner thighs that made her tremble. She looked up and moaned again. He was enjoying it well and took her to another world, giving her the best time. He rans his fingers up her thighs and he kissed her and slowly touched her genitals. It sent her a shock to her body all over. She looked at unbelievably. "Aiden," she whispered. He slowly rubbed her and took his pants off. She saw him and she felt shy. She felt shy to see each naked. Something she had never imagined to happen between them. His muscular chest, ripped body, the jaw dropping abdomen, his waist, everything made her heart explode. She giggled. She couldn''t help it. She ran her hands over him and felt him. He hard gone hard already. He did not waste much time. He ended the foreplay and slowly put himself inside her, safe and sound. He leaned her against the ground on top the grass and got on top of her. The melodious sounds coming from nature was like a music for them in the background. He tried his best to not hurt her. They moved in a rhythm and explored each other well. He pulled out then started everything all over again. He had no plans to stop quickly.


    Time went just like that. And they spent the evening, wrapped in each other''s arm in the garden. They had forgotten about everything else just like that for some time. Trying to love for themselves when they can. Milan put on her clothes and got some fruits for them from the trees.


    They had the plum, melon and peaches to satisfy their hunger and watched the sunset together, holding each other. He gave her a quick kiss.


    Huo sat restless though he had known that she had entered the Underwater Realm successfully. He felt tensed a little. Aiden and Milan were no where to be seen. He wondered what they would be upto and did not wish to interrupt them.


    He mediated and practiced a lot alone. He also quickly paid a visit to the Demon''s Castke and checked if everything is running smoothly. Apparently things were more than fine, except that he had no news from both Aqua and Volca. For Aqua he was confident that she would complete the mission where as for Volca, Huo doubted her a little. He doubted if she would take the glory Emperor Tai would offer her to attract her.


    "No she would not, she will use her brains, she is supposed to hate that Emperor Tai and not fall for him wrongly. "My faith in her would not go wrong," he trusted his own instincts and waited for news. He was walking near the lotus pond. He couldn''t accept the fact that this palace is actually his birth place. Years before his beloved was born. He wondered about how his life would have turned into if his mother never left Water Realm and continued to stay in the water palace. Could he have become the disciple of Water Realm then? Or forced to take the Demon throne. He wondered. "I would chose one anyway, what difference would it make, after all I am wanted by numerous number of people.


    Couple of hours later, Milan came for him. She did care to ask her where she was. She handed him a bottle of wine and she took off straight to her chamber to take a bath and cha get quickly. Aiden came towards Huo, with a doubt.


    "Huo''er , errrr?... wait.. listen.. I want to ask you something...." Aiden struggled hard.


    "Nope, don''t ask me that, I have already once failed in keeping things safe and have control, so you never k. Thanks luckily that there are no reactions yet now," Huo said keeping a distance with Aiden. Aiden who understood it well smiled and walked away. He decided to physically not get attached to his woman until he gets the official permission from his family and the King to make his daughter her rightfully.


    Huo shook his head, smiling, and the returned back to mediating, to his work, and he spotted Aqua in the end, with the thing he presented her with, tracking her, but he couldn''t find the exact location and failed to communicate miserably. "It appears that you have found the family or you wouldn''t give in easily," He kept the mirror away and waited for her response. Days passed and it was shocking. Each day felt like a year. It is then the a news arrived, addressed for him rightly. He walked to the gate and saw saw saw flying above the sky. He understood from whom it came from, seeing the true form of one Demoness flying above him. He gave the signal and the letter was dropped write in the hands and it flew back to where it came from. His hopes did not tire him and felt relieved. He opened the letter and remained still as he read each word mentioned. He took a deeo breath. Something seemed to be coming forward and it needed so much of preparation his mind said.

 Chapter 146: Trapped inside?

    Emperor Tai let few people follow Volca the moment she stepped out of the palace. Volca was smarter than that, she took turns and and flew away turning into her true self. She could only imagine what it would have been like if she let anybody else deliver the letter hut herself. Since nobody has seen her trueself was pretty easy to fool others. She saw Huo inside the Water Palace and she delivered the letter successfully, but since there were people on her tail, she did not interact with him. She went back to the castle, the dinner was still going on. Emperor Tai was drunk as a monkey would be, showing all tantrums. He looked filthy and unclean, and did not have the matter nor elegance the Emperor should have. Volca shook her head in disappointment, but also glad that she did not get his single trait except the eyes.


    "Dear girl, come over here," he called out.


    "Your highness, why don''t you go to bed," his eunuch suggested.


    "That would be the best thing to do, take him," Volca backed the eunuch.


    "Your highness, please," he begged. They were all getting tired, looking tired and still on duty. Volca hated it. She shot a look at him and waited for him to leave. It is then a thought occured to her. She decided to utilise the chance.


    "I will do it," she volunteered. Eunuch did let her at first. She got irritated. "I said I will do it, I was not asking for permission," she said said angrily a little. The eunuch looked at her carefully and then her eyes. He immediately took a step back. He bowed and he left. Volca did not understand what just happened. She did not care about it and helped her biological father stand on his legs, taking him away from the hired maids.


    "Come on," she struggled while holding him. He reeked of alcohol drinking too much of all kinds of drinks. He smiled.


    "Just how fast the life changes," he started sharing his philosophical thoughts and Volca got tired. "If only I was real, real Phoenix, I could have done wonder, did marvellous things and not deceive people like this," he said. It appeared that he is conscious of his own deeds and still choosing to do it all.


    "Why don''t you remain silent and move along with me so that we reach your chamber your higness?" She said to him.


    "Hmmm? Highness? Call me father," he said. Volca looked around quickly to see if anyone heard the conversation and she took a deep breath, in relief.


    "Will you please remain silent?" Volca got really angry.


    "Yes daughter," he said and then he shut him mouth. They reached his chamber. Guards opened the door for them and Volca took him straight to his coat.


    "Holy moly," she gasped. He was pretty heavy. She pushed him off and stood with her hands on her hip and wiped her sweat from the forehead. "Where is the key, I will take you!" Volca asked randomly to see if there is anything going on with him. She asked randomly to check whether she will get a breakthrough. Instead of answering her, he got up. It was more like sleep walking. He got up from the bed and walked towards her.. And stopped on a certain position on the floor. Suddenly something moved on the floor and opened an entrance.


    "What?" Volca was surprised. "Oh the secret chamber," Volca talked to herself. The old man dropped back on the coat unable to walk and slept loudly. He tested her, trying to wake him up. But his heavily drunk state was hard to handle and hence let him sleep peacefully. She noted how he opened the door. She slowly walked towards the entrance and looked down. The stone carved stairs leading to a tunnel like area. She lighted the tunnel and walked forward. The either side of the tunnels were portraits of the people she had never seen before. The portraits of the Original Phoenix family. She stood there staring at them for some moments. She touched one of the portraits of the Princess holding a baby boy in her hands. She touched the face and took them back. She wondered about all the misery the princess had to go through before she was killed. The rumours about rapes. It crushed Volca''s heart. It.made Volca feel disgusted of her father even more. She walked forward again. There were some huge painting hung on the either side of the walls. She carefully checked the signatures. They all belonged to different Realms and it appeared Tai took them all away from them. She reached the end of the tunnel and then reached a new entrance, which opens to a room. She walked in holding on tight to her purple claw sword. She entered the room and saw the amazing treasures. Her jaw dropped. "What the ..."


    "Is he a king, or the thief..." she wondered.


    She couldn''t believe that he had taken away all the important treasures of the Water Realm. The room had a door leading to another room. She carefully checked everything in the room and walked to the next one. She saw something like a coffin. She walked closer and jumped out if horror. A preserved dead body. She stepped back immediately. Her heart pounded loud. "What in the universe is this?" She said out loud. And she once again took few steps forward and checked the coffin. An old man all wrinkled and turned black due to the preservation. "Who could this be?" She thought carefully. She leaned and looked at the dark wrinkled face. It had an awful rotten smell coming up from the body. She covered her nose and took a look closer. And she found the similarities. Then at the right time she recalled seeing a portrait on the tunnel. She remembered it well. The previous Emperor. The realization struck her hard. She noticed the operations done in the body, the stitch marks, and wounds. It then occured to Volca why Emperor Tai would have chosen to kill his own father. She walked out immediately, she ran through the tunnel, but it seemed endless and dark. She lights she lit were all turned off. "How?" She wondered and walked slowly, unable to see anything. She used her powers and lit the lights once again. She spotted the staircase. But unfortunately she found no open door on the ceiling.


    "Holycrap," she said. She climbed the stairs and looked more door. Little did she know that her father''s intention was to lock her up originally.


    She checked all the possible ways, tired all magic, yet nothing worked out. "Shit am trapped," she cursed out loud.


    Tai inside his chamber, stood on top of the trap door, smiling and sipping his wine. He looked normal. He was sober. He was putting up a great act. He succeeded in his plan of trapping his daughter underground to keep her safe.


    "Stay there for a while," he said and walked away. Since it was sound proof. He could not hear a thing from Volca who kept screaming and shouting to open the doors. He also was sure that Volca would have seen everything inside the underground chamber. It was even more of a threat and a reason to why he should imprison her. He sat back on his bed and invited the maids who were waiting outside his room. He let the women walk towards him and undress him. One took off his pants while one took his robe off. The other one rubbed and massaged him body. It felt so good for him. They laid him on the bee and the three started working on him. Kissing him, rubbing him, and even sucking him. He enjoyed it all and laid there looking at the ceiling while he has been being taken care off with three on top on him. The three had great cooperation and moved in a similar rhythm with the Emperor. The experience also made him last long. He laid there freely, playing with the different set of tits and teasing them, while letting the women take the lead down the road. The three doll like pretty maids afraid of the King, made sure they satisfied him well before they left. The moment he fell asleep, the three maids ran for their lives before he did something to them.


    Volca used all her strength to break the ceiling. But her powers did not seem enough to break this particular barrier. She understood and accepted the reality and tried to find alternate ways to escape having the image of preserved dead body in her eyes. She did not wish to become one like that.


    "Huo will you come and save me?" She said. She settled down on the stairs. She took her tiny dagger and sharped it well, rubbing them on the stony edge of the stairs. She sharped all her weapons that way except for the sword that has its own life. It then occured to her. She got up immediately.

 Chapter 147: Whats with King Aenon and Ariana?

    "I have been watching you all," King Aenon said. Queen Rivera nodded her along.


    "How? Spies?" Water Princess asked him back immediately.


    "You know your father, we got a lot of help from King Dylan and sent people for us and report to us," mother said to her.


    "So you know everything?" Aqua asked.


    "Everything," Water King agreed. Aqua felt bad. Her parents now knows that she is banished from heaven to have done wrong.


    "Don''t worry," Father said to her. King Aenon could see how disappointed she looked knowing that she had been followed. She wonder what else her father would seen her doing.


    "I am proud of you, not an ounce less, I am so proud of the way you fought, I understand you, that is all you should know, you have to know, we were worried yes, but we never blamed you, we could not find anything wrong at what you did. If you don''t put up a fight how would your survive in this strange dangerous universe?" It was surprising to hear. Aqua smiled.


    "I thought you would scold me," she told her parents shyly.


    King Aenon and Queen Rivera laughed a little trying to put their daughter at ease.


    "But one thing," she said. "How serious is this? I mean getting banished from heaven? How long? And why? And when will I hear about my trial?" She wanted to know more about it. "Why have I not heard anything about it?"


    "You would not hear from them," Aenon said slowly. "Your actions will speak," he hesitated to speak about it and ended the conversation about it soon.


    Ariana knocked the door at the right time. King Aenon have a signal to Aqua immediately and smiled at Ariana welcoming her in. Ariana had come come for Aqua this time.


    "I was asked to take you around the Realm, come let''s go around a little Princess," she said smiling very warmly. Aqua nodded and smiled back at her.


    "That would be great," Aqua said and followed Ariana who led the way.


    The moment the girls left the room, Queen Rivera started asking her doubts to her husband. "Why did keep silence? You could have told her about the trial!"


    "There is no trial Rivera, my dear," King Aenon said. His face turned serious.


    "Then?"


    "She is banished, once banished, you cannot have any entitlement in heaven," he said her the truth.


    "But that is horrendous and doesnt make any sense," Queen Rivera said shocked. "Why this is not fair,"


    "She attacked the masses on her own who were on the execution hall that day, and it was wrong," Water King went on. "This is why I kept shouting that she should stop it, but it is not her fault too, we would have reacted the same way, if she knew about the plan, things would have been different but now she is held in the sword point," he said. He sounded like he is regretting not letting his daughter be part of their plan leading to this banishment. He had nothing left to do but as a King declare that Aqua will no longer be the crown princess and no longer reside in heaven as long she doesn''t repent. And he was sure that Aqua will never repent on her mistake she feels is the best thing she did in her life.


    Queen Rivera sighed and let of the matter temporarily. She did not have the heart to deal with the parting now. The two of them decided to spend some time with King Dylan for asking him to let them go to back to Water Realm soon.


    "No," King Dylan said straight. Water King did not like that.


    "Why?" He questioned back.


    "It''s not the right time yet," King Aenon looked at waiting for more. "Let''s wait until Tai does something.


    "Then you will let us go, without conditions,"


    "Without conditions," King Dylan agreed. Aenon understood that what he is waiting for is something huge and will need actions to be taken by the leaders of Water Realm. King Aenon nodded his head and shook hands with King Dylan.


    "For all the years and many more to come," Water King said.


    "And this endless cooperation of the ocean and land together," King Dylan finished the couplet and patted Water King''s shoulders. King Dylan seem to have no idea about who originally leaked this information to Princess Aqua first and he felt glad about it. King Aenon spent some more talking discussing politics with King Dylan and left around night back to his room and had quiet dinner with his family. Aqua and Rivera sat along with him. Aqua then called a boy out. "Come here," she said to him. "Pa let him dine with us," she said to Water King.


    "Sure," he agreed to her request too.


    "This is?" Queen Rivera asked her daughter.


    "A cyclops, his name is Jin," she introduced the boy to her parents.


    "Your highness," Jin said and bowed at the two of the Royals.


    "Why do you have the Water mark from the Water Realm?" King Aenon asked him.


    "I was adopted by sister," he said without hesitation.


    "What?" King Aenon and Queen Rivera looked at Aqua in wonder.


    "Ma Pa do you think he did that without any intentions?"


    "What was your intention? Water Queen asked the little boy directly.


    To leave Underwater Realm and find a home away from home, in Water Realm," he was pretty straightforward.


    "Why?" The king asked the kid back.


    "He has his own reasons pa why don''t we discuss all that later?" Aqua interrupted the conversation.


    "So he will be the citizen of Water Realm now and forever," King declared.


    "I have stamped my blood and sent it to power resource, you don''t have to worry about it your highness,"


    King Aenon laughed at what Jin said and patted his shoulders. "Be a good warrior," he advised Jin.


    "I will,"


    "You can come back with us when we return some day," King Aenon told the boy. "We will discuss about it with King Dylan and take you home officially. Jin got excited and he knelt on the ground, bowing down, touching his forehead on the ground.


    "Thank you," he said sincerely. Queen Rivera stood there watching it all silently thinking how easily Aqua is collecting loyal followers. But she wondered if they will be allowed to take their daughter back home. She soon dismissed the thoughts.


    "If you want to be on the good book of pur Queen there is only a thing you have to," Aqua said taking Jin towards her mother.


    "Be punctual," Aqua gave the tip. "That''s all you will need to please my mom," she laughed then. "Queen is the best in punctuality," she teased her mother, who has been punctual hardly in her life, walking around the place instead of sitting in the court room with and taking part in decision along with the politcal matters, personally too, to be taken care of.


    Then Jin spent his the Water King for some more time and took his leave, deciding to head back home for some days. Aqua opened up about the story of Jin to her parents. Water King was surprised to know about the inside news of Underwater Realm. He did not expect King Dylan to commit a mistake based on understanding wrongly.


    "What King Dylan did is to cover something up," King Aenon finally spoke out.


    "Cover what?" Aqua asked back.


    "Why don''t you try to get to know Ariana well?" King Aenon hinted his daughter trying to make her dig more news since he has his limitation with getting close to Ariana.


    Aqua accepted the quest after thinking a while.


    "Leo failed me in this mission, he fell in love with her, he did not find the entire matter but provided us with clues, then he returned, he had to receive you,"


    "I won''t fail you, wait for the news, but some days later," Aqua said trying to fix her puzzle and finding ways to do it slowly. Soon she took her leave and walked to the court hall. There was nobody in there. She decided to open the doors wide, attract Ariana''s and get close with her.


    She sat right in the front, pretending to be tired. People watched her as they passed by. Aqua did her nest ignoring the strange looks and about half an hour later, Ariana showed up. "What happened Princess? You don''t look so well,"


    "Havung trouble with health, I don''t know, an not used to the place yet," Ariana smiled timidly. Aqua often glanced at her to see her reactions. "Are you not tired working all the time, without break?" She questioned Ariana to see if she speaks ok.


    "Am used to it," Ariana smiled as she helped Aqua stand back on her feet. "I like keeping myself busy, it keeps me distracted," the mermaid replied to her family.


    "Why?" Aqua got curious. Ariana looked at Princess Aqua for a moment. And they both bursted out laughing.


    So many things registered in our minds and one more added to the list.


    "Well," Ariana began.

 Chapter 148: The Worried Heart of The Lady of Star Kingdom

    The stars were shining bright before her as she stood on the platform looking above her in her father''s study room which opened to the world if infinity where the fates are written along with the constellation when a baby is born. She had always felt mesmerised watching the star formation. She always loved to visit her father''s office when she was until, everyday until she left home for school, then she had never seen it again in her life. Everything changed. And in the Lihua itself changed drastically.


    Empress Lihua was restless and kept wondering about what her husband might be doing alone the Celestial Palace. She couldn''t imagine the kind of plans he would make to ruin the universe altogether. Her father was noticing it all. He smiled and walked towards her. He gazed at the stars like she did, some shining bright with their constellation, some dimmed, some about to die.


    "It a wonder is it not?" He asked her.


    "It is," she agreed. "There is not doubt in that," they stood in silence for long mg minutes and the the King of the Star Kingdom broke this long silence.


    "I can see that this one star is troubling you alot," he said pointing at an orange coloured star. Empress Lihua smiled and shook her head. "I did not know that you care about him so much, I could never understand stand as a father who had always known you, it was something I could not understand for real," he said to her.


    "It is not that, pa," she said looked at her father''s face. "Sometimes I feel like am responding for everything that happened, that he turned into," she said. There was a deeply cut wound in her heart that her father finally saw in her. "Sometimes I feel that only if I gave him one percent of what I gave to Dritain, he would not have turned this bad,"


    "That is all coming from your head, but to the outside world, you are wrong my daughter, so never blame yourself for what you were responsible for," Star King spoke calmly stopping his daughter from speaking further.


    "Pa it''s like,"


    "Listen to me, he said. "Have you never heard this saying that goes like, ''women are not rehabilitation centres for badly raised men?'' this is applicable to you too. He has rotten even before you left with him, he has been rotten and that''s the only reason he dared to take my daughter right before my eyes and impregnated while I stood helpless since they were too powerful at that time, with Tanwen gone, it was hard. I regretted everyday of my life to have let such thing happen at my own home but I let it happen anyway, and I tried my best to get over, If i felt this way, i can''t imagine the feelings you would have gone through when you were forced and threatened along. It was our mistake that we never understood you," he went on. "But see it all, did he love you like claimed? He just wanted to have you, own you, fulfilling his obsession and win a competition against Dritan and he did that successfully. Nothing more nothing less. Here you do not have role that would have influenced him at all. He is a bad guy who even broke his promise and tried to kill your son he said he would take care. And he brought up your second son Aaron bery badly that he lost his life in the end, see it yourself, what is your fault here? Did you not listen him? Do you think I do not know the way he mistreated when you stood against the execution of water royals?" Lihua shed tears slowly. She could not deny anything but see that what her father said about Emperor Tai was nothing but truthful things. Empress Lihua stood there for a moment realising all the facts and put it inside her head.


    "Pa," she called her father. "Were you never curious about your future?" She aksed him.


    "No," he said.


    "Did you never try to take a look at the fate of yours while you handled others''?" She asked him curiously. He got her point.


    "No," he said and laughed.


    "I always was," she confessed.


    "I do know that, I was well aware of that, that''s why I never taught you how to do it, the duties as a star member," he said straightly. He shrugged while Empress Lihua looked at him.


    "Pa that''s not fair," she said and laughed out loud. She was faking the laugh. Little did she know that her father had already looked into the fate of his daughter. He looked at her, smiled at her. He patted her head. Her mother walked towards them and joined them. Little did the father know that his daughter has already looked in things.


    "I have to return back to the palace soon," she said to her parents.


    "We won''t stop you at all," step mother said to her.


    "Thank you," Empress Lihua smiled with tears in her eyes. She had decided to leave and fight for the rights in heaven even though it means going against her husband, the Emperor of the universe.


    "Take care, you will do well, you will see victory this time, you won''t regret it," he said as he could and blessed his daughter. He had tears glistening in his eyes but nobody noticed it.


    "Thank you," she thanked her parents again and again. She hugged them both and walked out of the secret area of Star Kingdom which cannot be entered or controlled by others. The King and Queen stood there watching their daughter leaving them. And they looked at each other.


    "Bless her, that''s all she will need," he said to his wife controlling his emotions. "Our family did ride a very emotional rollercoaster, I guess we do not have a choice, we never had, neither did she,"


    Empress Lihua stepped out of the palace and went straight to the Celestial Palace. When she reached the palace in disguise, nobody noticed her. It helped her in knowing the situation of the palace. Less deaths were reported, then she heard about something new. The arrival of a Demoness. Lihua was least surprised about that fact. Yes as expected Tai had brought his daughter home, to make her the heir to throne even with her original Demon blood though he hates demons. His agendas looked so clear in the outside. Yet the man would never agree to the plans hiding them from Empress Lihua. She sneaked around the palace and came to know the news from the guards gossiping about the emergency meeting held by Emperor Tai. She was surprised to know. She decided to eavesdrop staying outside the gates as soon as the meeting begins, and know everything Tai let''s out from his small age itself. But before that she visited his chamber tricking the guards and getting in the doors, for taking away his sceptre. She would stand and still smile. She walked around the variety of paintings hung and then suddenly heard a faint knock on the doors where. She looked around. She couldn''t find the place where it was coming from. She looked around and tried to listen carefully. Then she felt it coming from below her. Empress Lihua moved away immediately and knelt down. She searched for the entrance to the underground chamber almost immediately. And she stepped on it again guessing it and opened the door in the end. "Yes," she whispered. Then she saw someone coming out almost immediately. "Your highness," she said.


    "Volca," Empress Lihua was shocked.


    "I was locked up here, he trapped me," she said to her.


    "Why?"


    "I don''t have an idea your highness, he pretended to be drunk, and let open this this chamber and trapped me in here. For this whole day," she said. "But you got to see what in inside there, you will be shocked,"


    "What?" Empress Lihua asked.


    Volca dragged her behind her going down the stairs once again. "Is he out? Will he come back the room? We have to get out immediately, but you got to see this," the Demoness led the way to the different rooms inside the chamber. This indeed was the first time Empreee Lihua had entered the chambers even though she had well about its existence. Then she saw it. Right there. The treasures and the body. The body of her father in law. Empress Lihua though she had always doubted the reason behind his death, did not feel surprised but pretended to in front Volca. How to tell a person that she had known about if for years and still ignored such an unpardonable crime. She did not wish to look bad in front of his daughter.


    "Volca, let''s get back to the Palace, before he shows up and locks up both of us in here," she said and walked back to the entrance. Empress Lihua did not say anything but had something going on inside her, things she found out from the stars. She made decisions again, strongly this time. And she walked straight to the court where the meeting was being held. She stood there listening to everything. She was horrified and felt disgusted to hear the things happening inside. She looked at Volca who looked angry same as her. Empress Lihua nodded her head. "Now," she said.

 Chapter 149: Tais Extraordinary Plans

    Emperor Tai called the ministers to hold an official meeting regarding the dismissal and suspension of posts, fields and the deals with the Demon Realm. In moment he locked up his only heir, he shut all the connections to the Demon Realm and decided to utilise the chance thinking Empress would not return back to Celestial Palace from her seclusion any soon.


    The minsters of all the Celestial clans prepared to visit the Emperor. Things were getting pretty difficult to handle. The ministers were divided into two groups. One against the Emperor and one supporting everything the Emperor was doing. While the secret moves of both the groups were for one single aim, a single motive, to over throw the Emperor and begin in a era with building a new empire byt these prominent clans in the heaven. They were not open about its but fighting the cold war constantly.


    Emperor prepared some documents and he stepped out of his chamber. He did not let Volca out of the underground chamber, locking her up, to protect the heir who is apparently stronger than Late Prince Aaron used to be. Emperor Tai did not wish to lose his blood again and get disappointed in life. Before he left, he ordered the bed chamber guards to not let any one inside his chamber, not even cleaning maids for hiding Volca there for some days. He was pretty excited to do the wrong thing in the life of his. He walked straight to the court hall where everyone was waiting for him. "The faces of the ministers looked gloomy, dull, and full of doubts," but Emperor Tai did not mind any of that fact. He was smiling and humming to songs which surprised everyone to see how wonderfully he has created a mood for himself. But the trainees were panicking a little. "Hurry up and sit down quickly, we really have a lot to discuss and derive on discussion.


    "Yes your highness," every single one of the ministers present in the court bowed and welcoming him unpleasantly.


    "Settle down," Emperor Tai ordered. "Say it fast," he hurried the people for no reason.


    "Say what?" They asked and looked at each other.


    "Nothing to say?"


    "Your higness we do not get you" one old man said to him, the human affairs minister of the palace said.


    "Are you dumb?" Emperor Tai got irritated. Everybody felt offended remained silent.


    "Your highness," the minister who support the Emperor began to speak. The minister of historical affairs. He had very deep intentions. "I know what you meant," he stepped forward. "War," he said openly and rightly. Emperor Tai laughed at out loud and clapped his hands. "I will raise your salary a little," The history minister bowed and accepted the reward.


    "Did I not tell you all how we will cut terms and deals with the Demon Realm?" What more doubt do you have on that?"


    "But why now your highness, are the things not fine now?" Minister of interior asked the Emperor, which filled Tai out. He got up threw a dagger towards the old man straight to his heart. The minister of interior stood in shock as he bled, and fell on the floor, slowly losing his life, stopping his breathing and died unfortunately for asking a mere question. Everybody was shocked and afraid that nobody even supported the old man aa he was attacked but let him die all alone among the large crowd. Their powers were all for nothing. They looked useless. There was strong winds blowing outside palace, and the sky looked purple with rain clouds. Emperor Tai looked outside and smirked. "We will wage a war," He declared.


    "Your highness," some called him, but he ignored them.


    "We are the Celestial beings, we do not gave to be submissive or go in cooperation with that Demons, they will always be our natural and sworn enemies, what is the need to have a bond with them? What is the need to consider their views and opinions in our affairs, in our life where they should be serving us? When did the heaven grow smaller and became place to be visited by the satan and creatures that are less human?" He raised his voice convincing his people to support him. Where is our Prince Aaron? Why was the Celestial prince, our heir to throne murdered brutally?" There were voices and murmurs between the ministers when Prince Aaron''s name was mentioned. Nothing he said made sense to anybody. But still people supported him. "He was killed by Aiden, the Grand Prince of Water Realm we took care off, Why? Because of a Demon, for a Demon he killed our prince, he was bewitched by the satan enough to kill a Celestial prince and we gave him the right punishment did we not?" Emperor Tai asked.


    "Yes your highness," everyone said together in one voice. They all bowed to him. Emperor Tai sat on the throne smiling. He took a glass of wine from the table beside him and sipped them. He felt victorious. He was satisfied. The crown on his head was shining bright.


    "We will drive away the demons back to their places, we will teach them what we are who they should be, below us, and serve us right," the minister of historical affairs shouted out loud. Some of them shouted and screamed along with him, some guards along with the ministers. Emperor Tai got happy listening to those words.


    "But first," he got up. Emperor walked down the throne, he had a serious expression this expression. "But first, we will take down the Water Realm forever," he uttered those words without flinching.


    The murmurs raised again. Noone looked happy about it, not even the minister of historical affairs. Everybody stood shocked, speechless. It is such a wrong thing to do. First killing them, now even taking away their lands without anyone''s consent.


    "And then, I will appoint one of my ministers as the stand by King of Water Realm," people gasped as Tai said that. Some were excited and majority worried. How to make somebody the King of Water Realm when nobody knows how to control the water ways, the weather and read the stars accordingly to balance with the work of other Realms. Nobody was willing to become the King of Water Realm just like that. And never had anything happened like this before in the history. The body of the old man, minister of interior laid ther, still bleeding. Nobody even cared to close the eyes. Heaven did not seem like a place people hope for and boast about. Heaven was not in the right hands and sound minds.


    Time was running, so did the tension between the realms and people grow deeper. Everything looked wrong, everything felt wrong, the dark days were dooming upon the heavens and it looked like a grand trial for someone to clear and take a position. But who? No one knew. No one cared. Yet everyone wanted the place, the position. Is that even possible? No one had the answers.


    "Should we not think about it?" Emperor Tai asked looking at the expression of his ministers. No one uttered a word, scared and sweating. They did not know what to do. "Come on tell me," Tai asked them. He kept asking for long. "Tell me, I have not decided entirely, I want to know the opinion of the memebers of my court,"


    "Come say it, out loud," he asked raising his voice. "You," pointed at the minister of historical affairs. "Why don''t you say it? Say something,"


    "Am with you, your highness, I think the similar way, a palace should not be deserted for long, then they will be taken over by the the ghosts and the satan," he said.


    "That''s nothing but a rumour," another minister of trade laughed out loud and said. Emperor Tai shot a look at him which silenced his mouth immediately.


    "What about you?" He then pointed at the minister of trade. A man who always supported the Water King, was asked asked to speak. He was brave enough to do it.


    "I don''t think one should mess with the Water Realm, the Shenlong is no joke, we all know it," he said which was backed by some other ministers. Emperor Tai smirked.


    "Shenlong, you think we cannot over the curse of Shenlong?" He asked his followers.


    "No," minister of trade declared openly.


    "Then you will lead the way for our troops to Water Realm and see if the curse of shenlong is Realm when the throne gets usurped," he said walking towards the minister and latted his shoulders.


    "Your highness," he tired to speak back.


    "I said what I have to, no more discussions, I have detailed it all, we will plan a date, I will let you know, start collecting the troops, train them now on, stockpile all the food and water necessary, because it is going to be a long journey, a long fight," he said and apparated leaving the crowd in chaos. The ministers started breathing again and screaming at each other.


    "This us crazy,"


    "No this is actually good,"


    "But what is the need?"


    "No it should be stopped,"


    "No no, we must take the demons down, we should not let then have their way, did you not hear that? Equal rights for Demons like us?" The discussion continued for hours. Then someone entered the court, the door creaked open, and there stood a figure.


    "Silence," the voice shouted out loud.


    Everyone bowed immediately and went silent.

 Chapter 150: Arianas Memories

    "Ariana, which part of the ocean are you from?" Aqua asked the mermaid curiously.


    "West," Ariana replied as they walked down the hallway close to the banquet hall.


    "That''s like the far end is it not?" Water Princess asked back. "I have never been to that place before, what is it like there?"


    "It is nothing new, but a whole different place and landscape compared to this place. Its dessert and sea. And I was born in the middle if it. We have different water currents, so the life is different.


    "That sounds interesting," Aqua hyped the conversation on going with the mermaid. "How did you end up in the Underwater Realm?" She asked. "Am curious that''s why,"


    "Have you not heard the fact that love drives people crazy to do unimaginable things?" She asked Aqua back, as she explained.


    "Wow, seriously?" Aqua was surprised. She dropped her jaw and then shut them immediately. "I can''t believe this,"


    "I know," Ariana smiled. She took Aqua over to the coral reefs at the end of the palace''s veranda leading to a pavilion like area.


    "So you left home, swam all the down here, to the Water Realm for the sake of the person living here?"


    "Kind of," Ariana said and turned away.


    "That''s..." but Ariana stopped Aaua from speaking.


    "It would be nice if we drop the topic," the mermaid said to the Water Princess. Aqua felt bad and srooped talking but she has to know more at any cost. Aqua tapped on the shoulders of Ariana.


    "Look at me," she said and smiled. Aqua''s eyes turned green and she Locked her eyes with Ariana and intertwined her memory into Ariana''s trying to reach the depths of Ariana''s mind. Ariana stood there still, her eyes open and taken over by the princess. She had no memory of what was being done to her and things taken away from her memory. Aqua used a restricted spell on Ariana which would give Aqua a greater punishment again apart from getting kicked out. It did not look like a smooth life this young lady had led. Aqua felt bad for her.


    The never ending dessert, hot and, covered with different cactus palnts. The little teenage girl often came to shore to relax and stay away from the duties assigned, for a little period of time.


    On a sunny scorching hot day, when she same came out of the sea, to the shores, a wonder was what she witnessed at that particular moment of time. She was shocked and she shut her eyes tight immediately, seeing a cloud of fire landing on the dessert. A minute later when she opened her, there she a saw boy her age standing in front of her. She screamed and jumped back at the sea, she revealed the fact that she is a mermaid to him. It was not supposed to happen. He stood there equally surprised to see her real form too.


    "I.. we.. we did not see anything of each other okay?" He managed to ask her.


    She did not say anything at first, looking at him, observing him. His pale face, his long brown hair, his bronze eyes, his height, his muscular arm and thighs. He looked amiable, she liked it but she wondered who he is and what kind of bird flies with fire. He extended his arms, asking her to take it towards the water. She kept looking at him and held her hands. She got out of the water and her tail disappeared, walking with her legs. Her red her wet and lying on her face. He pulled her towards him quickly before the waves hit him and moved further away from the water.


    "What are you doing?" She asked him moving away from him taking her hands off his.


    "I can''t touch water for now," he said and let her go.


    "Are you a?" She stopped in the middle.


    "Hmm yes, only Phoenix left in the Universe," he said without caring to hide it since she had already seen his form. "And you are a mermaid, one which the world is supposed to not know for now,"


    "Kind of," she looked at him. They couldn''t help but laugh at each other. "Ok let''s keep this a secret alright?" She asked him. He extended his hands again to shake hands and seal the deal.


    "Done," and they both shook hands. They sat there on the beach, looking at the waves for a while in complete silence. They had no idea what to speak with each other. He looked extremely tired and pale.


    "Are you okay?" She asked him.


    "No," he did not deny the fact. She knew how she running late for her work but she decided to stay.


    "What happened?"


    "A little tired, that''s all," he said to her.


    "Why? Where you at work or something?" She sounded concerned.


    He looked at her and smiled. Her red hair had dried sitting under the sun. Her deep set of eyes looked warm just like her words. He kept smiling with his cold pale lips. He had never seen a pretty girl in his life before. She suddenly moved closer and touched his forehead to check his temperature. He was caught off guard and had his heart pounding loud. Her face close to his. This was first time he has ever been close to a lady. He looked at her from close. Her melting eyes. And her red lip. He swallowed hard and quickly looked away.


    "You''re sweating hard, you have temperature too, maybe we should wait and see," she said and moved back to her space. He did not meet her eyes, avoiding them.


    "This is how I am," he said looking away at the sea. She waited more for his words. "This is how my body reacts when I take my true form, like I shouldn''t, tiring me severely, forcing me to quit," he sounded hurt deeply.


    "Your core must have been effected, did you meet with an accident or something?" She asked him.


    "I cannot remember," he replied.


    "Where are you from? Where is your family?" She kept asking more.


    "I have none, and I don''t know where am from," he said to the truth mermaid. To her it sounded like he met with an accident and lost his memory and powers. She concluded that way. "You will be alright soon," she consoled him and patted his shoulders.


    "You live here?" He asked her pushing the topic away.


    "Yes, under here," she said. "Have you swum before?" She asked him.


    "No I cannot swim while am in the true form, the others times yes a little, not in the ocean," he said drawing on the stand with a stick he got. She looked at the shapes he had drawn and kept talking to him. He looked pretty lonely and she felt bad for him, seeing the lonely figures he had drawn.


    She got up then, since it she had a very less time to finish her work. She had to make a delivery in the nearby town. Choosing to rest a while on her way made her end up seeing a rare person and she felt happy about it. "I better leave," she said and bid farewell.


    "Which direction are you heading to?" He asked her.


    "East, to the nearby town," she said as she walked away. He ran behind her.


    "Count me in," he said. He did not wish to lose the company he had got.


    "No problem," she said and kept walking.


    "No that would take a long time," he said stopping her. Holding her shoulders. "You can trust me on this," he said and took her hands once again. She looked at him and the next moment she was surrounded by people. She was thrilled. She had always heard about heavenly beings apparating. But this was her first experience. "Like it?" He asked her raising his brows with his alluring eyes looking at hers, smiling. She nodded her head.


    "This would save me a lot of time and get back home on time," she jumped and walked towards a clay house where she was asked to deliver a book. She did that in ten minutes and walked back to the point he was waiting her.


    "What''s your name?" She asked him.


    "You can call me Feng," he said.


    "Am Ariana," she introduced herself and smiled at him. His tiredness was wearing off slowly, his face gaining the color back. "What a great day to be here!" She said and took him to a hotel to dine together. She led him holding his hands playfully and he walked behind her staring at her as she dragged him. People stared at her often for the bright color of her hair. But she never gave them anything and moved forward as she wished. Her green dress and her purple purple dangling down her hip. He enjoyed it all that day. The feeling he had never felt before. "Is this what it feels like to be around people?" He wondered and sat before her as she ordered food for both of them. It is then he saw someone standing behind her, staring at the two of them. Feng''er grew anxious. He stood up immediately.

 Chapter 151: The Song of Phoenix and Mermaid

    He ran away taking her hands without letting her complete the meal the moment she spotted people behind her watching them both.


    "What''s going on?" She asked him confused running along with him.


    "You don''t wish to be caught do you?" He asked.


    "Caught?" She did not understand stand him. "What do you mean?" She got curious.


    "There are people searching for me everywhere, you should know that, so never reveal my identity, but this, these are bandits who I attacked last time they tired to steal my gold," he explained to her.


    "Oh my god," she shouted and maintained her pace with him. He looked a little weak after running a long distance. "Are you okay?" She asked him once the bandits were no longer chasing them.


    "Fine," he replied panting hard.


    "Okay," she said and sat on a bench in front of a tiny silk shop. "It''s getting late, we better leave," she reminded him.


    "I will take you," he said and apparated instantly right back to the beach where they first met in the morning.


    "That was quick, thank you anyway," she thanked him. "Take care," she said and walked towards the sea. He looked around to see if there is anyone.


    "This is a lonely place, nobody come here usually well except you," she said and went into the water. She swam a little and then turned to look at him while stood there watching her. He waved at her. And she waved back. "Bye," but he kept standing there. "go back," she showed him through action but instead he smiled at her and watched him disappear into the sea completely.


    Ariana swam back with in few minutes. Her father, the one of the minister of Underwater Realm was waiting for her to get her report. She did as usual. But kept meeting the Phoenix with her. She did not reveal it. She appeared to be in a good mood and did not look tired at all. "What?" She asked her father who was staring her.


    "Why are you smiling for no reason?" He asked her.


    "Why? Should I cry?" She snapped back at him. "Fine, fine, leave, go, the dinner must be ready," Father said to her and she took her leave, straight back to her room. She fell on her bed and rolled on top of the sheets, she was excited for no reason. She then looked st her hands, the palms. It was her first time, with a man, holding hands, and running around the street. Everything that happened since the morning, she reminded them.


    Soon after dinner, Ariana returned back to her room again, lived inside her thoughts and slowly fell asleep. She woke up early the next day and asked her father for duties if there are any.


    "Will it be okay if I send you again to the outside, will you be able to deliver the letter to the same place as yesterday?" Her father asked her. He was glad that she took up the job. "Nit angry today, how come you are volunteering today,"


    "Because today am free, the other days i would not be," she lied. She took the letter, kept then safe and she swam out of her mansion. She was hoping for lot of things.


    She swam back to the shore, same place as the day before, but there was nobody there, as usual,.especially the person she was hoping to run into. She frowned and walked to the land. Her red hair dripping with water. She saw a rock near by and decided to sit and rest to regain her strength for sometime. The breeze stroked her hair as it passed by and they dried slowly.


    Few moments later, suddenly, someone touched her hair and put a ribbon around them. Ariana jumped up and turned around. She was shocked.


    "Feng," she said out loud. Her heart thumbed loud instantly. All excited and side smile pasted on her face. He did not look pale like he did the previous day. "What are you doing here?"


    "I was just passing by and happened to see you sitting here sadly," He teased her.


    "Haha.. am not sad," she defended herself.


    "Let''s go," he said, taking her hands without giving much thoughts and she lookd at for a moment who did not seem to have understood what he has done. But she liked it. She just let him do it and followed his footsteps. He took her to the town by apparating, took her to deliver the letter first, to finish the task before they went around the town.


    "Done?" He asked her as she stepped out of the shop.


    "Done," she said. They first went to a tea shop and sat there in silence looking around and at the people who passed by them.


    "have you never spent time in the town alone?" He aksed her.


    "No, I just do the work and return," she said sipping her cinnamon tea. She liked the tea and the food he bought her. The aromatic curries, meat and salads along with rice, tofu and soup. They spent half the day eating variety food. Even though he had a lot of work to do for himself, for some strange reasons, he stayed by her side not wishing to leave the town even though it was time for him to disappear before people came in search for him. But there was one thing he had no idea about. About to which family Ariana belonged to and the position of her father. He did not wish to know either afraid that she might turn into one of his enemies .


    "Let''s go to a place," he said and took her hands apparating once again. They stood on top of a wooden bridge, under it flowed the giant river. There were cherry blossoms everywhere around the bridge and the flowers kept flying around in the valley there were standing. The view was breathtaking.


    Like painted in a scenery, the two stood there, admiring view. The wind touched their skin and showered then with the petals of the cherry blossoms. She played with them trying to hold on to them. The orange sky, blue river, the green trees, the pink flowers, and cold wind, everything was perfect to chill. Their heart were crazy but at ease when they were with each other. They looked at each other as they sat down enjoying the view. Both were hesitant at first but then got used to each other''s company.


    Such secret little rendezvous continued for almost everyday, even if it was just an hour near the sea, on the bridge, in a food court or even when it is staring at each other from the distance, they made sure they met each other without a huge gap.


    She was happy in her truly, she felt that in him too. But she was worried constantly whenever people chased. She understood that he still is living in the same place only because of her.


    "Who is chasing you this time?" She asked him once.


    "King Dylan," he said. He did not wish to hide any longer. He saw how her expression changed.


    "Why?" She was shocked.


    "He has been taking care of me for all these years, but I need some, I wish to breath," he finally opened up.


    "But how, I thought nobody knows about your existence, she turned towards him, while he sat staring at the sat, watching the waves.


    "Apparently, my father Noori, and my grandfather had known about the existence of Underwater Realm, and they were close, King Dylan always admired my family, but one day, when the palace was attacked, my mother found a way to help me escape and dropped in the sea and she left. From then on, King Dylan took care of me," he said the whole story.


    "Then why should you run away?" She could not understand that part.


    "Because I do not wish to take the throne he saya belongs to me, you see am weak, living in water has effected my fire core a lot. I want to stay healthy al little, but King Dylan does not believe in that, he is very strict," Phoenix Prince Feng chuckled. "So I want to escape from that too,"


    "Awww, my poor thing," she said and hugged him. She held him close, stoked his hair and patted his back. It was the first time and very unexpected for him. But he enjoyed it. He smiled as he lay on her shoulders. She was excited at the same time. She got up to leave. It was getting late. But he pulled her back and she fell on him. Her face close to his. They eyes locked.


    "When will you come back?" He asked her. "Don''t make me wait for long," he whispered as they looked into each other''s eyes.


    "I won''t, " she replied and blushed. "Day after tomorrow, this same place," she let him know and quickly walked back to the sea. He stood there watching her going back home and apparated away soon after she disappeared. He had to leave the place immediately since everybody from the Underwater Realm has showed up one by one. But she was not aware of that. She did not know that he had left while he asked for her to meet.

 Chapter 152: The Task

    Ariana waited for three long hours on the shore, for him. He did not show up. She waited in for another three hours, after completing her assigned task, he still did not come to meet her, by that time. She felt upset. She made her mind, consoled her, saying that he would be busy with work. But it also her, wondering who else would be chasing him. Living a life in hiding, without peace or permanence. She could not imagine the pain in his heart to think that he has been wronged, his family has been brutally murdered. Her heart ached for him. Her tears whelming her eyes, for him. She realized how truly, madly and deeply she had fallen for the Phoenix. She took a deeo breath and she dived into the sea, to return back home before she gets caught.


    "What happened?" He father asked her. She said nothing, shaking her head and tried to be as pleasant as she could.


    "Just a little tired pa, a good sleep will do ne better," she said.


    "How about a work out of the town tomorrow, only if you wish to take up, you have not travelled long have you?" He asked her. It was surprising to hear this coming from her old, strict, father, giving her a chance to travel further away from home on her own.


    "Alone?" She asked.


    "No no," he replied instantly. She frowned again. "Ofcourse not alone, you will be with few guards," he said.


    "What is the work?" She aksed him curiously.


    "You will know when you reach the place," he said smiling and walked away from the court. Ariana stood there in confusion wondering what the surprise is in a mere task of delivering letters. Then she shrugged and let go of the thoughts.


    "Whatever," she murmured and walked back to her chamber. Her bed in the shape of the pearl required new bedspread and she asked the maids to being them. She also asked for a luminous pearl to use at night.


    "We thought you hate lights at night while you sleep," maids said to her.


    "Just give me those, it''s for something of my interest," she said and changed her clothes to take bath. She sat on the bath tub where the warm water was filled freshly by the maids and she asked them to leave. She wanted to rest and relax for sometime. But Feng kept coming back to her mind. She could not help but smile at the thought of him, their times together. How they enjoyed each others company, especially the times he took her to that bridge surrounded by cherry blossoms, watching the sun setting. Ariana finished her long bath and stepped out. She took her towel and wrapped around her pear shaped slim figure. The water was dripping from all over her. She dried her body and put on her lingerie. She then walked back into the room of hers, and chose a palate green chifon gown for the dinner from the wardrobe


    She had asked all the maids leave and not bother her. Their household always had guests for dinner. Hence Ariana always put on decent gowns in the evenings.


    She decided to join her family for dinner and walkd back to the banquet hall. Surprisingly, she saw a person whom shouldn''t be visiting her home at this late hour.


    "Your highness," Ariana bowed the moment she caught sight of the Underwater Realm''s fiery King Dylan. ''What in the universe is he doing here?'' She wondered and walked towards her space in the hall for dinner. King Dylan looked extremely excited to be in the mansion of his minister. Her father looked a little tensed to have the King in the house. They served the best ever dinner that night. For all. Rich with meat, and vegetables. Since they live Underwater, fish is an item citizens under the sea hesitate to kill and eat since everybody know the importance of life under the sea. King Dylan had his fill and sat there observing the tiny crowd in the banquet hall. He then noticed the minister''s daughter, Ariana who has helped him with a case. He raised a toast for the mermaid girl and drank them. Ariana smiled at the King and remained silent.


    "What is this?" He then asked the minister pointing at the parchment sitting in front the table. "Take it away," he said. " Or she will notice it. The minister instantly took the parchment away checking on his daughter who pretended to be pretty outgoing with everyone gathered around.


    She walked towards her father and stood with him while King Dylan had his dinner. "Are you staying tonight your highness?" She asked him. And he nodded his head, chewing the food, and keeping the spoon down.


    "Oh yes my dear, I will, I have work here, with you and your father, let us talk about it all tomorrow, let us have some free time tonight," he said and smiled at her.


    "Work? " Ariana asked him and looked at her father who sat listening to everything. She nudged her father.


    ''Me?'' She showed actions asking her father. But he asked her to remain quiet and settle down for dinner. She has the sump feast in a worried manner. And she bid farewell and quickly left to her room. King Dylan had been taken to his chamber earlier than she returned.


    The next morning Ariana quickly for ready and went to meet her father who had summoned her. She had no idea why except that it is for some work in the distance.


    "Come over here daughter," he said eagerly.


    "What is it Pa?" She asked him.


    "These guards will assist you," he informed her.


    "Them?" The was royal guards of the Underwater King. "Why?" She was confused. "Where are our guards?"


    "No, they would not be enough," he said quickly.


    "Pa am fine, it''s just a small business, why bother King Dylan with this, what if he wishes to return back early, do not let him wait for us,"


    "It is totally fine with me my dear, do not worry about that, family meaning sharing and caring, remember that always," he gave her a piece if advice for no reason and looked Ariana''s father. He nodded and supported the King.


    "Okay..." Ariana said suspiciously.


    "You have brought up great person," King appreciated his minister looking at the mermaid. "Your clans outperformed every other ones,"


    Ariana found it funny to hear King Dylan praise about their Clan too much out of the blue while her father stood there smiling extremely proudly. She shook her head, paid her respect and took her leave at once with the guards following her.


    The gates opened, and Ariana went into the sea, swimming calmly. She felt truly best to part of the huge creation like an ocean that supported the lives of million which people are still not aware of. Then she was suddenly reminded of the rumours regarding condition of sea on earth which saddened all. But she pushed away the thoughts and interacted with the guarde alot. An hour later, they reached the sea shores, the same place she always visited Feng.


    "Why is he not showing up?" She wondered and turned her head around to see If he is waiting for her there somewhere. No unfortunately he was not. "He must be busy with work," she consoled herself and then waited for the guards to get fresh and travel with them. Since they were not taught to apparate, they had a pretty long way to go, reach the destination and deliver the works. She had the bag safe with her. A bag of book and she wondered what it could be. She had never bothered to check them before.


    "My lady, shall we begin?" One of the guards asked her. And she nodded her head.


    "Yes, let us go and finish it off quickly, you return back if it is boring, I like travelling alone, she said hoping for their return and hoping to find Feng and spend time with him.


    The guards hired the horses to travel which was a great blessing to Ariana.


    "Wow nice that is faster than traveling on legs," she said. But it was her first time riding one. The guards helped her into she gor steady and they rode off quickly


    With in a day of time they reached the place. A large town. Full of people, walking up and down, doing business and entertaining people.


    "This is so buzzing and beautiful," she said getting off the horse at the gates of the town and underwent checking. She crossed the gates and walked in with the guards on either side of her.


    But as soon as she entered, there she saw a man standing before her. She swallowed hard, and was in great shock. The man before her holding a golden sword. Suddenly the guards on either side of her moved towards him.


    He looked at her with disappointment.


    "No, wait no, no, come back now," she ordered the Ariana but nobody listened. She ran behind them and withdrew her Dao, the saber, she ran behind them.


    "I said stop," she screamed and she stabbed the ground with her Saber. Everyone around her stared at her. And she stood up, bravely. He looked at her.

 Chapter 153: I will never leave you

    Feng walked towards her. And took her hands. "I thought you led them to me," he said.


    "Why would I do that to you?" She searched his eyes.


    "We have been always followed around, everytime you came to me," he said to her.


    "Is that why you did not show up? but I waited really long. He leaned his head on hers touching her forehead. She had tears in her eyes finally realizing how she has been tricked by her father. Letting her out in the name of work and letting her find Feng every single time so as to chase him down. She realized King Dylan came to her house only to complete the task through her hands, keeping his'' clean. It angered her. She realized that the task of the day for is to capture the man she is in love with and she foolishly led people towards his hiding place hoping to meet him.


    "Feng''er, let''s fight, let''s not lose," she said to him looking into his eyes. He wiped her tears. And he nodded his head. He charged his sword while she turned the Dao in her hand. They has each other''s back.


    The guards were in confusion wondering what to do with the the lady Ariana. They looked at each other and decided to land an attack anyway.


    The mermaid fought well than expected but used so much of her powers which attracted people. But she did not care about. All she had in her mind was to protect Feng and let him have his freedom to live.


    Feng did fight well, with the training he had got from the King Dylan. He put them in use. But the guards were not people to be underestimated. Ariana understood why the guards are famous under the sea in the whole universe. She did her best and distracted the the guards and crowd and ran away with Feng Feng inbetween. He apparated easily out of the district and took her to another place. An entire different place. A dessert.


    "This is the Demon boundary," he informed her.


    "Nobody will dare entre the hell, don''t worry, enemy''s castle is safe place for now, let the fire settle and we will return back," he said to her. And she agreed with him. She did not wish to go back either, leaving him alone, trying to make up for the mistake she had committed. "Let''s go," he said and took her hands, holding them tight. She smiled and limped a little. She had a tiny cut in her thighs. He healed her wounds instantly, as he spotted them using his energy and gave her a pill she had never seen before. She took them as well as he suggested. He helped her disguise into a Demon. And they walked into the town of the Demons. The rush was the same as in heaven. Hell does have a lot if people, Ariana realized. She looked around as she walked but never letting go of his hands.


    He took her to eat something delicious since they both felt tired. He reminded her about how the Demon food would differ from the heavenly one.


    "Really?" She asked him.


    "Yes,"


    "Why? Because of hell?" She kept asking her doubts.


    "Because of the soil yes, not everything grows well here, so the cultivation is limited, but the number dishes cooked are way too long which might not be good also, taste," he explained in detail to her and she listened carefully like a child would.


    "Oooooooooooooooohhh!! I see," She reacted and hugged his arms as they kept walking. They reached a cloth small shop where they bought the necessary three or four pairs of dress like the demons would wear. Black robes and cloaks, the belt and hip chain. Thick ones. She bought ribbons and ornaments for them. She smiled at him as he enjoyed shopping with her, admiring his view. "I will never leave you," she said unexpectedly. What she thought in mind came out loudly accidentally and he heart. He dropped what he had in his hand and turned towards her. He looked at her in a surprised expression. He smiled, he was aching inside but he hid those facts well. He quickly pulled her closer putting his arms around her and planted a kiss in her forehead, for the first time. The shop keeper smiled and looked away.


    "Young couple and full of love these days ay, even among the demons," the old lady said to them. "You two look like a newly married couple. There is a cliff in the dessert, go there and get blessed by statue of Marriage Demon there," she advised them. Ariana grew shy and blushed red. She looked down unable to stop smiling as he heart also pounded loud. Walking around for couple more hours and she grew tired. He made sure that she had dressed her wound after he healed them. He looked for an inn. It was hard to get one in the Demon Realm since demons had a different lifestyles. The inns were less. And in the end, he managed to get one. The shabby three storied place with dim lights and old and dusty furniture. They walked to the third floor so as to not get attention and disturbed. They bought the necessary items they will need to live for some days, and the Phoenix helped Ariana carry their things. A large room in the top floor all for themselves. They had to pay only half the money since the inn won''t be providing them with food. And hence they decided to cook and live inside the spacious room itself.


    When Ariana entered the room, she noticed that there in only one coat in one end of the room.


    Immediately Phoenix used his powers and cleaned the room making Ariana wait outside itself. She tied up her red hair and waited for Feng''s instructions. She walked into the bath area to see if there is everything and found it working alright. She turned the tap and let the water run and began to fill the bath tub. She wanted to take a bath and clean herself. She quickly removed her clothes and got into the hot tub, and a few minutes later, Feng accidentally walked into the washroom, topless, to take a shower, having no idea about Ariana''s presence in the washroom. He stood frozen and so did she, covering her chest and immersing herself into the tub. She flushed red. "Feng''er," but her voice hardly came out.


    "I... I.. I didn''t know that you are.. your are taking a bath, the door was kept unlocked," he stuttered as he spoke. And he turned his back. But the very next moment, he turned to face her again and quickly moved towards her. He caught Ariana by surprise. Taking her lips in his, kissing her tenderly. The first ever kiss of this souls, slowly intertwining into one. She responded back slowly and steadily, she kissed him like he did, taking his lower lip, and continued for a long time. She pulled him towards her, making him step into the water tub and she sat on his lap. They looked into each other''s eyes for a moment. Emotions. Love. Meaning of life. Every thing in their mind understood by each other. He moved her hair away which hid her chest and looked at her beautiful body, admiring her like she did his. She ran her fingers over his chest and kissed him deep. She then put her hands inside his pants, removing them and found him. She pressed against him while he went down her neck, squeezing her breasts,taking her nipples into his mouth. She moaned with pleasure as it hit her high points. She pressed her hands on him, and he moaned along. He let out hus breath and crashed him lips on her again, running his hands down her navel. He got up suddenly, and then he stepped out leaving the mermaid wonder why he got up. Then he pulled her and took her naked self in his arms. She was no longer shy. He carried her back to the room, and the water kept dripping from her hair. He laid her on the coat and bend down kissing her belly button and moved further down, taking her in his mouth. She was shocked to experience it. Something she had never known before. A different world she felt like she was in. "Argh..," she moaned. "Don''t stop," she begged him. Few minutes later, he entered her, the Phoenix entered the mermaid. Water engulfed the fire. And together in a rhythm they enjoyed the beautiful journey, in unison. Their hearts pounding loud as one, sweat breaking all over, and with tears in her eyes, it was the best time of Ariana''s life, and so was his. They enjoyed their little time together in the best way, showing her a good time especially. But they were not aware of the things waiting for them outside, getting lost in the world of pleasure for some time. They were running out of time.

 Chapter 154: Dragged back

    Ariana watched him sleep, he looked tired often but not today and probably because he has not transformed into his real self. But she was constantly worried. Sitting next him, holding the sheets across her chest, she could not help but accept the fact that, King Dylan for sure will come find the two of them. She was sure since nobody knows the identity of people like her, it is easy to infiltrate and complete any missions that gets assigned to them. She has done numerous works like that and hence she was sure she would be chased down along with him. She could not under why King Dylan is so adamant about getting the Phoenix back. She could not understand why he has to be kept under the water while his core is getting severely damaged without enough heat.


    Suddenly to Ariana it appeared that King Dylan having ulterior motives behind taming the only Phoenix. She wished to find that out. She leaned over him, gently touched his face with the back of her hand and planted a kiss on lips again and laid down again. She wanted to a good night''s sleep too. Making love kept them busy and in the room for a long time that they ended skipping the dinner and choosing to sleep more.


    Her stomach growled with hunger, but she ignored them and chose to sleep. She remembered to put on her clothes before she did.


    There were no winds, no cool breeze, no flowery garden, no birds chirping, no proper water resource or anything in Hell. Well except for moutians, desserts, volcano, lava and fire. It always has been a wonder for people to think of how the Demon live in Hell with such difficulties and have no facilities.


    The Phoenix woke her up the next morning, and it was pretty early. He asked her what she wishes to have for breakfast and gave her a cup of tea. Her favourite. Ariana drank the green tea slowly and watched what Feng was doing. He was looking at something, with his back towards her. She then got out of the coat and saw that Feng is cooking some meat and veggies for them. She got all excited. She was damn hungry and needs massive plate of food to satisfy the hunger.


    They would walk around the place everyday after brunch and go for sightseeing in the cliffs and dessert. Not a soul identified them nor discovered the presence of heavenly beings in the hell even once when they ended up in the military camp once by mistake.


    "What are you two doing here?" The Military leader Fiona asked them.


    "We just wanted to see where the road ends, we did not know it leads to this place," she said an excuse.


    "You know now? So leave before the troops March and lock the gates," she advised then pretty rudely and they left immediately. Fiona kept looking at Feng, his hair, his eyes, his face, but she had no memory of meeting the Phoenix family directly hence could not tell who he is. She just let the two go.


    "Oh thank god," Ariana said as they walked away from the military compound. They soon crossed border of limits walked back to town, slowly.


    "I have heard about that lady," he said.


    "Who?" She asked him having no idea about the person he was talking about.


    "That woman we talked to," he told her.


    "What about her?"


    "This Demoness used to be in in love with the Demon King Dritan, but he never loved her, in she went for another man," he narrated the story to her.


    "Which man?" She asked curiously.


    "The Emperor, Tai," he said with disgust as he pronounced the name. Hatred filling him heart thinking of the man who murdered his father, grand father and destroyed him mother letting hundreds have it. It boiled inside his heart. He couldn''t accept it ever yet he did not make any plans to take the throne back but King Dylan forcing him.


    "SERIOUSLY?" She asked him in surprise again and again.


    "Yes,"


    "And?"


    "Fiona and Tai had a love child together," he told her.


    "Oh my god!" She exclaimed.


    "Yep,"


    "So it''s not just one son, Prince Aaron, for Emperor Tai, in the palace,"


    "No," he replied. "But it''s not a son,"


    "Oh it''s a she," Ariana realized. "Where is she?" She was too eager to know about it.


    "She lives in the Demon''s Castle with her mother," The Phoenix appeared to know too much about Tai and his life.


    "Oh cool, so King Dritian look after them, I see," she said slowly.


    "King Dritan cancelled his engagement with Fiona, that led to the several disasters in Demon Realm," he said.


    "Why?" She asked her doubt as they walked towards their inn hand in hand.


    "Maybe we should ask them that directly," he said.


    "I really really thought, like the stories heard that Emperor Tai is still head over heels for Empress Lihua, did he not marry her because of that? "


    She asksd a very carefully about the sensitive topic again. "What about others?"


    "Everything is a drama in there, Empress hates everyone there," he said.


    "What a pity!" She sympathised with Empress Lihua.


    "You remember the Forbidden lovers right?" He asked her .


    " am not sure, but this sounds bad, I mean the life of Empress," she said and sighed. "Anyway, who the is daughter of his?" She asked him eagerly.


    "A little girl," he replied instantly.


    "I really thought Tai has been decent over the years," she said with disappointment.


    "Never once," he looked at the people as they walked making sure that there are none innathe crowd chasing them. "And also he killed the child of Empress Lihua and King Dritan mercilessly,"


    "Damn,"


    "I know right,"


    "By the way, how do you know all these information in detail ?" She desperately wishes to know about it.


    He shrugged. "One must always know about the life and the moves of an enemy after making him believe that you know about that?," his said. "I know everything tha happens inside her, because ," she looked at him. He took a deep breath. "All okay?" He asked Ariana who looked surprised.


    They reached back the room. Ariana waited for him to step and then take shower but like the day before, she got engaged, lying down under him. She took a deep breath and also moan silently.


    Several days passed and the life at Demon Realm continued. The usual walking, talking and leading a life. Ariana grew accustomed to the routines of demons wherever she was at a shop and a public place dealing with them.


    Ariana did not miss her family the slightest. But instead worried about parting with the Phoenix often, thinking how her father is going to capture her and punish her. She was sure about Dylan finding his way even though it was taking time. But she was hell of sure that they would both get caught. And Feng was well aware of it too.


    Couple more days passed in hell when there was a buzz in the town where he new settlers had come. Ariana''s heart thumped loud. They reduced going out to the town for the walk and locked themselves up inside the room itself.


    And one fine day when Ariana woke up, she no longer found Feng next to her. Hour passed, she searched everywhere and she did not find him. "Feng''er," she walked around screaming her lung out calling his name, people looked at her strangely and offered her no help.


    And by the time she reached the end of the gates, there stood Feng, smiling. She rushed towards the figure she thought is Feng. It was none other than, "Pa," she gasped. She regretted stepping out of the room and walking into the trap immediately. They had been found. She was taken with her father instantly. Dragged away and instantly travelled back to her house.


    "Wait, let me go," she struggled on her way, but it was of no use. Her father pushed her into her room in her house and Locked her up.


    Ariana soend hours banging on the doors for then to open, since she had no idea his to apparate, it was difficult too, her powers were sealed by her father as he locked her up and she was nothing but a single living being at the moment. She cried. She had no idea where Feng had disappeared into, whether he was taken by King Dylan, taken back to the Underwater Realm or hiding somewhere, or searching for her and fall in the trap like her. She could sense the days passing as she spent time in her room. Only the food and water arrived on time, brought in by her maids who refused to speak to her and help her, getting strict instructions and list of punishment. And at that time, something happened. A flash inside her room, something creaking open. Ariana''s eyes were hurt by the flashing lights and she shut them tight, turning her face away.

 Chapter 155: She did not say yes

    Feng stood in front of her, his wings spread out, the form of Phoenix. It was unexpected and pretty hurtful to see that he turned into his true self knowing well that if would make hi go weak.


    Ariana got up from her bed and ran towards him immediately, crashing him with her hug. He was weak but she did not remember that. She could not understand how he managed to enter the house. But it was very surprising. She cried and cried, standing there hugging him. She could not help it. She did not think further.


    He tried consoling here and kissed dher forehead, and patted her back. And he waited out for her to stop crying. A few minutes later she came back to her sense and let him go. "Where did you go? Why could I not find you anywhere?" She asked him. Wondering what exactly happened the other day.


    "We were manipulated and hypnotized. King Dylan is best at that, he made us think that we cannot see other and made us search in two different places. You did not see me while I was lying right next to you, I did not see you while you were sitting right next to me too, our minds changed, we got into trouble, we panicked and we ran out of the room. They lured us into their trap perfectly.


    "Who could have planned better than this except King Dylan?" Ariana said and took a few steps forward again. She saw something gleaming on his head. She wanted to take a look at that. But he moved away and distracted her.


    "Ariana marry me," he offered out of the blue.


    "What?" She got shocked.


    He repeated it again, "Marry me," he said looking all serious.


    "You are not kidding right?" She asked him.


    "Why? Why would I?" He asked her.


    To Ariana this felt too soon, but to Feng everyday was a lose. But she was yet to know the truth. "Tell me," he said, urging her.


    "I.. I don''t know," she said.


    "Oh," he was hurt.


    "I mean, I know, I mean I.. i love you, but, marriage.. isn''t too quick to think about that, I mean you know, we just started dating," she said. She tried make it clear to him.


    "Hmm.." that is all he managed today.


    "Listen," he said. "I am going back, I cannot stay long, I know I cannot run away for long, so I have decided to go back with King Dylan, I guess this is a goodbye for now,"


    "No, wait, please," she said holding on to him. "Don''t go, I will protect you," she said..she hugged him tight. He laughed lightly.


    "Relax, King Dylan takes good care of me, he would never hurt me," he said to her. "He needs me so you do not have to worry about that,"


    She looked at him with sorrowfully. "Hmm....." she said and let him go. She gave him a quick kiss and then waved at him. Like he came, he just disappeared, apparating. Nobody knew about his visit.


    Feng went back straight to the Underwater Realm and King Dylan let him into the barriers immediately. He did not show any anger or things. Instead he welcomes Feng back.


    "Feng''er," he smiled and patted Feng''s shoulders. "Do not ever repeat this again, " he warned him.


    "You know there is never going to be a next time," he said straight.


    "Don''t say it," King Dylan closed his eyes and said. Feng smiled.


    "I know you are looking forward to know the truth by experimenting with me, I know how like my core could be kept hot and I know well that living under water was one of the reasons my core got damaged, can you deny it?" Feng asked this time, to get some truthful answers. And King Dylan had nothing to say, to deny but agree to it all silently. He took a deep breath.


    "Feng, my son," King Dylan began. "You have grown into a dine young man," he said. "Am so proud of you, am happy that you put a fight, resistance, you know how to live now, your happiness is important,"


    "You mean to say that my happiness should not cross the boundires of Underwater Realm right," Feng mocked the king.


    "Haha.." King laughed it off. "Go rest," he said and left the court.


    But Feng went straight to meet the doctor, to get treatment. He was sick, extremely tired and unhappy.


    "You overworked this time, I asked you to never use your real form. What have you done?"


    "I had to," he said. He did not wish to explain further.


    "Never go out again, I thought you would heal when you leave but you have come back even worse," healer said feeling Feng''s pulse.


    "I am not expecting anything, I did want to live, I still do, but I know I cannot turn back the time," he smiled sadly.


    "If only you were not hurt, if only your core was let to grow completely. If only we could let you incarnate often, with the set up here, Tai had locked it up, we are sorry that we could never provide you with it,"


    "Let us not talk about that," he said.


    "We are really..." But Feng stopped the old man.


    "Please, I do not want the pity or sympathy, it makes me feel depressed even more, just do not mention it again," the healer nodded his head and left. Feng walked back to his room.


    He laid down and recollected the moments while he was put. While he was with. An innocent mermaid he unexpectedly fell in love with. He could not help but wish to live long with her. He knew well that asking her to marry him was foolishness, but he longed for it all of a sudden, he wanted to enjoy a little bit of time like that, he wanted to know what it is like to have a family. But he also felt guilty to ask her and to waste her life. Thinking about that, he wished he never asked her.


    Feng was tired and fell asleep. On the meanwhile, Ariana rejected the food maids have her and made her father come meet her.


    "What the hell do you think you are doing Ariana?" He shouted at his daughter.


    "Pa, hell is better than this, I have lived there and have realized that," she said back counter attacking her father.


    "You would say this and more than this, that''s how much unfilial you are,"


    "I do not care about that," she said angrily.


    "How dare you?" He said and raised his arms but paused and withdrew them back. Ariana did not even flinch. "Goofing around with a random guy, are you that shameless and desperate for a man?" He scolded her.


    "Just think that is the way I am," she snapped back.


    "What do you even know about him?" He asked her.


    "Everything!" She claimed.


    "Then why do wish to become a widow, do you not wish to live with somebody with a longer lifespan?" He asked her, revealing the truth that is supposed to be a secret. Ariana grew pale in shock, it is something she has never heard before. He never told her that ofcourse, Feng.


    "What?" She asked her father. Thinking of trying to back his daughter from going behind a dead guy, he spill out everything to Ariana.


    "His primordial dan is dying, he could never get into Nirvana and reincarnate as a Phoenix must, since Tai took over locked them, his life span of this incarnation is ending, he will die any day, just let the damned feelings go," Ariana had tears in her eyes. Her heart ached and felt crushed. Yes she did notice how weak he looked, but she was not expecting the death dooming on his head. She recalled how he asked her to marry on, he must have loved her so much that he wished to live with her. She regretted rejecting him instantly. Anger filled her as she looked at her father. She pushed him away and ran out.


    "If you leave home, you shall never return back," her father warned her.


    "And I choose to not return," she said heartlessly and left. Nobody expected that, none. All she could think of at the moment was him, Feng, and give him everything he deserves.


    She swam all the way for a day, and found the entrance somehow, she was tired and but she had made up her kind. She was welcomed immediately. The barriers lifted, the gates were opened, and there stood him. She teared up, she sobbed. And went straight towards him. Into his arms. He hugged her tight, holding her close. People around then turned around. They did not care about anything else. She kissed his deep, as if it is not enough.


    "Marry me," she said pulling back and breathing heavily. She did not think twice. "Please, please marry me Feng''er, I want you, I need you, marry me," she proposed to him.

 Chapter 156: The Offical First Night

    "What are you talking about Ariana?" He laughed at her.


    "I don''t know, I kept thinking about your proposal, and I regretted saying its quick. Ever since you left I have been longing to be with you, and I realized I cannot part with you, I cannot," she said. She lied plainly to not let him know the truth. To hide the truth she had learned from her family.


    "You sound cute you know?" He said to her kissing her nose tip. She smiled


    "Yes i knows, so marry me, I can get even cuter than this, or hotter," he said pinching his cheek. He laughed out loud innocently believing her words. While on the other hand Ariana''s heart exploded inside has sadness deepened inside her heart. She cursed the gods and the leaders for being cruel to this poor phoenix soul.


    Feng took her hands and ran back into the gates. He felt energetic all of a sudden, happy and excited. A pure soul. He had a thousand volt smike on his face as he ran with her. He took her to his palace, and asked the maids to arrange an room for her.


    Ariana walkd around his room and liked them. Lots of articrafts, painting, rare objects and few things related to the Heavenly Realm. She watched them all, enjoying going around the palace. He followed her behind. She looked through some of the books kept on his shelf. She stood there taking them in her hand, she could not read the textbooks entirely. But she has knowledge out of the book. He stood behind her, watching her, enjoying their moments again and again. He cornered her against the shelf, trapping her between his hands. He smiled at her. She raise dher brows, asking him what he is doing. She grew tensed. He enjoyed it, feeling her heartbeat as he held her hands. He put her arms around him and touched her cheek. She blushed instantly, looking into his eyes and looking away. Then he leaned down, not waiting anymore and kissed her. Tenderly. He took her lips in his, moist and what tasted like cherries. He did not let her go until they both grew breathless. A few books had fallen down from the shelves as they got busy and did not care about this stuff keeping then far away. He could not let go at all. He have another quick kiss. Suddenly they heard someone calling for Prince Feng. They jumped end stop kissing, keeping their hands to each other, moving apart. Ariana saw how Feng is respected in this Realm. Without any troubles.


    The king was alerted about the arrival of monster''s daughter. He immediately summoned her. The guards went straight to meet Feng let him know and asked him to take Ariana to the court.


    Ariana grew tensed. Feng also had no idea how to break this news to the King. He exhaled and took her hands again, walking out of this place. "He will do nothing, come with me, I will speak with him, don''t go alone now," he said, trying to protect her and they moved towards the court hall.


    Ariana on her away kept turning her heads around, looking at the setting of the Realm, the coral place gleaming like anything, the life, the creatures, the other set up, everything looked marvellous. She kept asking doubts to Feng''er on her way.


    "I don''t know exactly when they split from Water Realm and started existing separately. But I know Water King and our King, they are pretty close," he said. I have seen King Aenon visiting and meeting with King Dylan often at sea or on land. They are close. They reached the court where the King sat straight on the throne.


    "Welcome home," he welcome welcomes Ariana wholeheartedly to his crew.


    "Thank you," she said and smiled.


    Moon is high up in the sky , you know what it means?" He asked the two of them.


    "No?" She said.


    "It means nothing, am just saying but I smell love here," he said and looked at Feng who stood there happy as ever.


    "Yes, kind of," he revealed.


    "Not just a kind of, I know, but, how about we celebrate it?" King Dylan teased Feng. And supported it. It was surprising. "I did not think that you two could be so into each other," said out loud.


    "I love her, isn''t that all what matters?" Feng said and smiled looking at her face.


    "Yes, so that I want to marry him," she said openly. Everybody who heard it in the court wen shocked.


    "What are you talking about my child?" King Dylan asked her in shock.


    "Am not joking," she made it clear. King Dylan looked at Feng who stood silently.


    "Are you sure?" He asked Feng. Ariana''s heart literally stopped seeing how the King asked her love for confirmation and she could see a flash of pain hitting him inside. She wanted that pain to be erased, to be extended. And she believed that marrying him and making him happy might extend the days. She did not wish to waste even a minute with him. She took his hands and moved closer to him.


    "I am not leaving him nor going back, I cannot, I want him, I need him," she made it clear.


    "And you?" King Dylan asked Feng.


    "I asked her to marry me first," he opened up. King Dylan was even more surprised to listen to him. He shook his head and got up from throne and walked around the two of them.


    "When do you want to?" He asked them. Feng smiled.


    "Now?" Ariana replied. Feng and King Dylan laughed our loud. Feng put his arms around her shoulders and drew her close, kissing her head.


    "Two days, from now, we will hold this grant ceremony, like a Phoenix should," the king said and sent a decree to everyone to start preparing for the wedding immediately.


    The bride and the groom were taken away separately to do rituals of both sides. The Realm was rejoicing with the wedding. Everybody was excited and making great arrangements. The lights, the ornaments, the clothes, the beautiful decorations, the stage, a platform, everything in red and green.


    Feng and Ariana were kept apart and did not let them see each other nor were allowed to spend time with each other. It only increased her longing for him.


    Everything was set and it was the morning of their wedding. Ariana put on a green gown with magnificent scales and multicolored sequins works on her fishtaled gown. A crown was kept on her thick red hair. Her lips red along. She looked at herself in the reflection and she did look good. Gorgeous as a bride could be. Indeed. Where as Feng had put on the traditional red hanfu, a Phoenix King''s costume itself. Grand, heavy, and full of gems embellished on the embroidery along. He kept the crown on his head and he walked out of his room to the ceremonial hall. The spectators were all murmuring, happy and wishing him. They waited couple of minutes for the bride to come. And as the ceremony being, the bride was brought in. Everybody looked at her in surprise. Such a beautiful mermaid, nobody has ever seen it before. Feng''s eye glistened with tears, watching her walking towards him. He extended his arms to take hers. King was there on the front watching them, holding his grail. He raised his hands asking people to keep silence. Feng took her hands and helped her walk up the platform. He looked at her. He could not stop it not could he stop smiling. A moment he thought would never be possible in his lifetime, to be with someone who loves him.


    "I now pronounce you, husband and wife," the priest said. "You may kiss the bride,"


    Feng smiled leaned forward, taking Ariana''s lips in his. "I love you," he whispered. "And I always will," he promised her.


    "So will I, forever," she said back.


    The wedding ceremony lasted for half an hour and the party lasted for the whole day.


    The lavish, luxurious feast arranged for the guests. It was lovely. Ariana''s parents were notified about the wedding, but none cared to show up. Ariana understood well that her ties with the family are over. She did not care about it. She decided to solve the family issues later and give priority only to Feng for now. They were waiting for the party to get over. When the night fell, everyone grabbed the two and pushed then inside to their bed chamber, as a part of bedding ritual and locked the door literally. "We will not open the door until late in the morning," the people screamed and left.


    The two could not help but laugh. The official first night. The two of them looked a little nervous.


    "What a day!" Feng exclaimed.


    "So this is what a marriage feels like," she said and looked at him. Smiling wide.


    "This is what a marriage looks like," he said and looked into her eyes, locking. And they found that instant spark between them. She moved forward and kept looking at him. She closed her eyes, waiting.

 Chapter 157: A life so beautiful

    Feng leaned and touched her lips with his. There was this is feeling. Like it was their first time. Though it was not. That tension, that feeling of new. The excitement, the desire, everything felt good.


    He lifted her up in his arms as he kissed her. They were wrapped in a bubble in their own world. Feng''s heart grew excited, happy and content for the first time, that caused him the feeling of fight for his life. He wanted to find a way and cure to his mortality. To remain immortal like her, like anyone in heaven. He wanted to survive, he wanted to have a family, he wanted to live well, he wanted to forever love his and bore children, he wanted to play with his kids, and he wanted to grow old with her, have her next to him as he takes his last breath and closes his eyes.


    Ariana had tears in her eyes, and she lied saying its because she is extremely happy, but it was the opposite and she made up her mind to do everything possible for him to be thallu and cherish the little time they have together.


    Feng took off the veil on her head and threw them away, then he laid her on the bed. He took the crown away carefully, he took her jewellery off carefully, he removed the hair ties and pins, and he untied her gown, letting it falling off her shoulders. And he climbed on top of her. She laid there welcoming him, and she worked her hands on his King''s costume. Removing the heavy clothes one by one. She discovered a bruise close to his heart. Similar to a burn which had almost healed but turned green. She could not understand about what could have hurt him, possibly. But then her attention was shifted to him. He explored her. Leaving her on the edge of a cliff, of sensual pleasures.


    "Oh dear," she whispered in his ears and he kissed her belly, it tickled her really bad which made her giggle. And he teased her more then on. Ariana bit her lips as she laid there and holding on tight in him. She lifted her head, closing her eyes and gasping as he took her in his mouth. "Feng''er," she whispered name again and again. He then moved up and kissed her all over again. She ended up biting his lips while his fingers worked inside. Hours passed and they laid wrapped in each other''s arms under a leopard skin blanket on the coat. She was tired and sleepy while he laid there watching her sleep peacefully in his arms. He kissed her forehead, and tired not to wake her. He could not stop from what he was doing. He tired to stretch his arms and take his clothes lying on the bed itself. But it was hard to reach for it. So he let it go and they both remained naked under the super warm blanket.


    It was late in the morning when the locks of the door opened. Ariana jumped up from the bed, hearing a loud noise.


    "No my dear, sleep, it''s just the locks on the door they locked last night", He said to her.


    "I know I know, I remember that," she said waking and stretched. She yawned and she laid back again burying herself under the sheets. And he got under them too. He looked at her and tickled her. She laughed out loud. "Don''t do this," she screamed. He was laughing along with her. The two were pretty excited in the morning itself.


    Ariana then stopped him by getting on top of him, and locked him by kissing his mouth. But he was aroused instantly. He turned her and got on top again and he began to make love again, first thing in the morning, he threw away the lingerie she had put on. And he made her go breathless. She bit her lips and laid down silently. Trying not to scream out loud. Controlling her moaning and swallowing hard. She could not tell whether she would be able to leave the room ever, stuck to each other all the time. An hour later, Feng let her free and they lay on the bed observing the ceiling, playing with their fingers. He was lying, head resting on top of her abdomen. It was late in the morning and they decided to step out.


    He called for the maids to fill their bath with hot water. And they did as he ordered them. Feng carried her into their pool, taking the bath together. They were loud and playing. They spent a long time discussing about Feng''s life in the Underwater Realm and his adventures. But they avoided talking about his health condition. His life appeared to be serious with the roles assigned to him. But on the meanwhile, Ariana narrated hers, life full of fun and stupidity that they had only time to laugh.


    The maids stood there laughing at it all secretly those who heard them and realized how happy those were together, wrapped in the bubble in their own world. They gossioed about the couple and spread it letting know that Feng is finally happy.


    After hours, they dressed up and got out of his palace. They went straight to King Dylan''s chamber. It was already noon.


    "I see you two did not appear for breakfast," he said.


    "Yeah, we were..." Feng began but was stopped by Ariana, nudging him.


    "We went around places," she lied foolishly.


    "I see you sneaked out even though the ritual lock was put on the doors around," King Dylan coughed and said. Ariana was embarrassed forgetting about it and looked at Feng who laughed out loud. "I know I know how young people are you do not have to worry" he said and led then to the table, which was full of food varieties. Like her home, they did not serve any seafood items either. She was relieved and sat next to Feng itself. He served her some dishes for her to try and ignored the King sitting with them. King Dylan smiled and let then carry on with their time. He finished and left the table but two did not notice that at all.


    "This is spicy and hot," she said and then looked up finding the table empty. Since they had skipped lunch, they were hungry and having everything they could.


    "King Dylan is gone?" She asked her husband.


    "I don''t know, when?" He replied her.


    "I don''t know either, did he sit with us?" She doubted about that.


    It was a wonderful time for both of them. Enjoying each and every moment.


    Few months passed, then a year, everything was normal, but Feng often had trouble with his health. They would do everything possible to provide him the best treatment possible and cure him temporarily. He was sad but he would never show it out in front of people. Those times he feel upset, he will cling on to Ariana and ask her to not leave him while he rests. She would keep close and always take care of him. She was offered jobs several times but rejected them. She had no interest in wasting her precious time with her only love.


    Another six months passed, Feng grew even weaker. He grew lean, pale and started losing his heat. But he would practice, and mediate to keep up with his health. It was stressful. But by that time, good news dawned upon Underwater Realm.


    True love will always have an output. A life. On one winter night, Ariana discovered that there is a life growing inside her. That she is several months pregnant.


    "Oh my God, Ariana, that''s so great, we are going to be parents, I cannot believe that," he said lifting her in his arms and kissing her.


    Feng was shocked and did not expect it. Seeing how she did not pregnant for the time she constantly made love, he believed that he has lost his ability to produce life. But he was wrong. He was worried about one thing though. The core of the baby. They could not tell who will choose to grow up as. But Ariana consoled him and gave him all she could.


    As days passed, his illness grew serious. King Dylan failed to spot the Phoenix fire room in the Celestial Palace with the help of few insiders, and let the fate play its final dance.


    Ariana was round and full and 9 months pregnant. While Feng struggled to even sit straight in his bed. But she never never let him feel sad, constantly playing with him, making him speak to their baby through her bump. She would miss him and let him know that baby loves him. Few days passed and Ariana went in labour. Very hard it was. She screamed her lungs out. She was alone with two maids. Feng was terribly sad for not being able to be with her. After two hours of pushing, Ariana gave birth, to a beautiful boy who had the birth mark of the feather. She smiled and kissed the baby. They maids cleaned the baby and took him to his bed ridden father. Feng was waiting to see his son. He took the baby and kissed his head. And noticed the feather mark. "You''re a Phoenix," he said and felt his eyes blurring, not of tears. His head feeling giddy, his breathing becoming heavy and long control over his body.


    "You will take back what is yours and have the universe under you," he said and smiled with pain. His hand slipped from the baby, and the maids quickly held on. "Your higness," they called for him.

 Chapter 158: until "Death" do us apart

    Ariana got up from the bed, sick and bleeding. Her pain were yet to ease, she put on a robe, tied it around her, and asked the maids to help her walk. She quickly walked back into their room, to see Feng when she heard the news. Tears streamed down her face, worried and tensed. Her heart suddenly began to do cold. She was worried and did not wait a minute longer. She rushed into the room, pushing the doors open, and she saw there, Feng drawing his final breath, King Dylan stormed in at the same time. "Feng''er," he called. Ariana sat beside him, crying, she touched his cheek and he smiled at her. He had tears streaming down his face. His body went cold minute by minute, his core completely dead. "Thank you, I will always love you," those were his final words and Feng passed away tragically, fading away, disappearing into think air, the fire blaze slowly put out. The was no soul, everything looked damaged and disappeared. Thus sadly he left the universe and the whole Realm went dull. To lose him, the best man, who always was responsible and did the right things, no longer alive. Died all because of that one arrogant shit sitting on the throne in the Celestial Palace. King Dylan hated him even more. He could not forgive the fact that even the last of the Phoenix had to do die because of Tai''s evil deeds.


    The guards began to arrange for the funeral. Ariana screamed her lungs out sitting near where he laid and people ket her do it. Went out all the emotions for her own good. King Dylan walked towards her and consoled her. "Bring him back, why, why could you not fight that Tai and save him, he left us, he is gone, how will I live with my son," she asked King Dylan. The maid came forward and handed King Dylan the newborn baby, who looked exactly like his father when Dylan took him in though Feng had been a few months older. Tiny and too fragile. He saw the feather mark. He realized like fathers son is also a Phoenix and not a mermaid. King Dylan started getting worried. He did not have the heart to handle death of a close member anymore. Ariana bled a she laid there, blood oozing out of her vagina after giving birth. The maids asked the people to leave them alone and tried to help Ariana stand up and take her back to the room. They helped her change quickly, called the healer and asked him to treat her. He gave her some sleeping elixirs and treated her. He looked at the baby and teared up after knowing about Feng''s sad demise. He asked the maids to not wake her as long she doesn''t wake up. King Dylan came to check on Ariana again. Feeling restless and worried.


    "How is she?" King asked the healer. He was extreme worried, for her. Wondering if she would make thriug


    "She will be fine, like she is really really tired look at her face. She might not be able to handle problems for now. Take care of the child for now, but he will have the same plight as his father if we do not get into the palace and we do not want another tragedy do we?"


    King Dylan nodded his head, considering everything said to him.


    To acquire the elixirs using the alchemical furnace, they will need more than one equipment and they are not easy to spot but steal. Hence there is only one solution. It was the only solution King Dylan saw in his head which he decided to plan slowly and steadily. He decided to wait and take the chances this time and not let go.


    Ariana prepared herself for the mourning. She put on her white clothes and she never lighted up her face again. Ariana stopped crying, trying to accept the fate and decided to stay strong, atleast pretend, bottling up her emotions inside.


    "No," she decided. "Am a parent, I have to be strong, I have to eat well, stay healthy, feed my child plenty, I should look after him, I know Feng, I know you trust him in my hands," she told herself. Tears streamed down her eyes but she did not break into sobs. People visited their palace and paid their respects. The baby was not shown to anyone. The news about the birth of the news Prince, the real heir to throne was not revealed to anyone. Afraid that the rumours will spread like fire and draw attention unwantedly.


    Ariana walked to the hall and sat down next the King. Her eyes were fluffy and red because of crying for hours. But she did nit care about it.


    "Don''t breakdown in front of everyone," King Dylan gave her advice.


    Ariana smiled uneasily she nodded her head as the answer. "I know," she said. "Don''t worry, your highness," but there were many who showed up, and literally made a mess around the hall crying their hearts out. Ariana could not tell if it was true or not. She looked at King Dylan who has tears glistening sometimes in his eyes. She had heard the stories of King Dylan who never married but adopted Feng and did everything a parent would do for him. And it was indeed true, seeing him there, sitting sadly, it showed his true nature of the heart, trying his best to also control his emotion and not breakdown in front of everybody.


    "Its just that, to me Feng''er," the lady began but she was soon stopped by the King.


    "It is enough," king said to her and asked her to leave.


    No people were allowed to move inside the court room after an hour. People prayed for the wellness of the soul of Feng to be happy and live a great after life.


    Ariana was tired by the time the meetings were adjourned. And it was almost evening. She rushed back to her room, to feed the child. It was hard to look after the child. She took off her mourning dress and then she sat down to feed that baby, taking her child on her hand which she was getting used to, and let the child suck the milk. He did not cry and stopped whining the moment he was fed.


    There were time she never understood the child regarding why he would be crying, what caused him to do it, what kind of difficulties he faces in his tiny little life and cry unable to express anything else. Those times Ariana would panic. Being a young mother and never knowing what it''s like to have babies. Especially the Celestial baby, a Phoenix in her arms.


    In between, Ariana often visited the court and discussed politics with King Dylan. Three months later, This girl got appointed in a new post for work, worth tons of work, the post Feng used to handle often, it was very hectic, but Araina took them all to forget that she has a tragedy lying in her heart.


    The baby grew well, healthily and showed no signs of weakness nor symptoms of any weaknesses so far. She prayed everything, everyday, for Feng''s souls and baby''s life.


    Like that, one day she happened to go back to the land. The way through which she got out was the entrance to the Water Realm. She swam towards the shores to quickly take a look the around the place, finish her working hours and exit the land before they get piles of work again. And before the baby wakes up.


    She walked into the gates of Water Palace, she opened them and she went straight to meet the Water King Aenon. She bowed at she met him. Queen Rivera was sitting there with her daughters next to her.


    "Ariana," he called him. " I was informed about how a Royal inspector will be coming and visiting my place," he said and smiled. "Nice meeting you,"


    "Great to meet with you too, your higness," she said and smiled at him. Water King was aware about why King Dylan would have sent him home. He immediately took out the elixirs he had with him to Keep a pereon healthy from going catching any sort of cold. King Aenon was already reported about the death of somebody in the house. But he had no idea who. Or why? But he never asked regarding the life of people in the Underwater Realm and that was the deal. In return Ariana had a weapon with her, and she submitted them.


    She also have for him a letter, that was given to Aenon from Dylan. They were all about enquiring Tai and his economy. King Aenon was surprised to see how Underwater King had great interest towards the lives of Celestial Emperor. But he decided to write a reply anyway. King Aenon''s second daughter walked into calling for her mother. Ariana looked her carefully and felt something weird about her. But she smiled and as she sat there waiting, as long as King Aenon sat and wrote the letter explaining in detail. Ariana did not stay to have lunch. She just dived back into the ocean went back straight to her new home. Shock awaited her. A shock that hit her body like a lightning would. "No," she screamed.

 Chapter 159: Dylan Exposed

    Aqua had terrible pain in her pain and soon she was pushed away. She screamed and she fell down attacked by the mermaid. Aqua hit her head on the ground. Ariana walked over and pulled her. Aqua tried to fight, while Ariana tried to land an attack on her, blocking and throwing her sword away. Aqua kept defending it did not attack back until Ariana''s anger were worn off. But soon Aqua fell unconscious. She was exhausted and had completely used up her energy. She lay there still.


    King Aenon came running towards them, hearing about the fight. "Aqua,"


    "I did not do anything," Ariana said immediately standing up and putting her sword away. King Aenon did not seem to like what had happened.


    "What happened?" King Dylan asked. By the time, Queen Rivera, Princess Krystal and Prince Adrian walked over, hurrying to see what happened.


    "Aqua," Queen Rivera knelt down. She touched the part of the head where she was bleeding. "What did you do?" She asked Ariana.


    "I did not do anything," she defended. "She tried to get inside my a head and I pushed her away," Ariana tried to explain. "I..."


    "Forget it," King Aenon said and carried his daughter back to her room. He put her down on the bed. And then he called for the healer. King Dylan summoned the healer immediately. He arrived. The old man took Aqua''s hands.


    "She will be fine soon, she is extremely tired, she looks like she just recovered from a serious wound, why would she get attacked again? Let her rest, take care of her, I will suggest to feed her with this energy pill," he said and handed out a pouch of green pills. "Give it to her mixed with food, it is bitter, she might not have it alone," healer said and left the room. Queen Rivera sat next to her. She massaged Aqua''s hands and waited. Queen Rivera has grown afraid ever since her daughter always getting into dangers. Meanwhile her father waited eagerly for her to wake up, to know what she had seen and to take necessary actions.


    King Dylan called for Water King immediately. Something did not feel right. Water King guessed it right, what the conversation is going to be about. He looked at his wife, nodded and left the room.


    Ariana stood next to King Dylan in his pavilion behind the Coral palace where there were hundreds of sea monsters are tamed. Water King was taken to the dangerous place, but he was not afraid.


    "Aenon, you did wrong," King Dylan claimed the moment King Aenon stepped inside the pavilion.


    "I do not understand Dylan," he said.


    "You let your daughter cross her limits, why is it because she is no longer part of heaven?" Dylan spoke harshly.


    "Excuse me," Water King decided to put on an act and play just like Dylan always does. "Are accusing us?" Water King asked.


    "No, but am saying what you did was wrong,"


    "What did I do so wrong exactly?"


    "You let your daughter come ivade my head, my memories I hold dear and mess up with my head," Ariana spoke angrily.


    "What?" Aenon went on pretending. "But wait, why is it a big deal? Is there something going on here? Why would she do that or else? Let her wake up, I will discuss it with her," Aenon played well.


    "Your highness," Ariana called looking at King Dylan. But instead Dylan smirked and walked forward. He stood opposite Aenon and patted his shoulders.


    "Well played," he whispered. And he asked Ariana to leave. "Aenon, there are things no one should, but your daughter does now," he began.


    "Dylan, I do not wish to be a bait any longer. You offered help and in return you are asking more than one should now,'' Water King spoke calmly.


    "What do you know about what I want?"


    "You want a war, in the disguise of the war Kill Emperor Tai and take the Phoenix''s golden core away and place it back in the body of..." Aqua paused and walked forward.


    "Aqua..." King Dylan gasped. He began sweating.


    "Pa, we are already in deep trouble. He set the stage where we were the pawn and we cannot go back, any longer, we are trapped, but..." she said and looked at Dylan bravely. "Since we never wished to covet the throne, we will make sure the person who is the rightful heir to throne will sit there, a true celestial being if one is born, and not anybody else," she said and looked at her father.


    "I will search for him," she said to her father. But right now have to return to Water Realm immediately,"


    "Why?" Father asked the daughter.


    "We have left Aiden, Huo and Milan alone there, we cannot afford to let them fight them alone," she said. Jin came for Aqua at the same time.


    "Sis, we better go back," he suggested. "Water Throne is going to be taken away, by the Emperor," he informed her.


    "We cannot let that happen," Aqua said hurrying towards the palace to inform her mother, uncle and aunt and leave all at once. On her way she met Ariana, who was sitting in front of the garden of pearls crying her heart out. Aqua felt too bad for her, to have gotten inside her head.


    "Am sorry," she apologised.


    Ariana stood up immediately. She wiped her tears. "Forget it,"


    "I had no choice but to do it, you know it well, you know how desperate I am right now," Aqua explained well. "If i do not get the truth then my life, my family''s life and all our realm and it''s people will forever be doomed," she took a deep breath. Ariana did not look convinced. "If I had not attempted to do this, how will I save my home, a home of thousands of living beings, tell me that?"


    "Now you know everything, what more do you want?" Ariana asked bravely.


    "There is one more thing, where is he?" Aqua asked for the little boy. "I did not know what happened after you returned back from Water Palace, getting the elixir for the baby, what happened? Why do I not see him her?"


    Ariana began to cry again. Aqua waited amidst of having no time to spare. "He is not here with me, he was taken away the day I returned from the Water Palace, they sent me away in the name of Elixir only to take him away and hide him. Feng had trouble because of living underwater, but my little baby should not go through the same, hence King Dylan took him away,"


    "But where is he? How can we find him? He is the heir to throne, if Tai is taken down, then we need your baby, we need the boy, we need you to be there, tell me,"


    "If I had known, would I be living here?" Ariana asked back.


    "Then how are you patiently working here?"


    "Only to discover the truth, one day I will," Aqua shook her head, the words seemed hard to believe. Aqua could not tell whether Ariana was playing her if she is really a foolish woman.


    "I do not know how to take your words, but I know one thing, you are not smart enough, either help me find your son yourself, or am doing it, if I do, am not letting him come near you, who has zero spirit to put up a fight,,"


    "My spirit died when Feng''er left me, I lived only for my son, then he was also taken away, I had no reason to live except hope that he is well and good out there somewhere,"


    "Let your beliefs save you, I am leaving," Aqua said left her alone.


    But it indeed was true. Ariana had no idea about where her son is, still clinging on to Underwater Realm only to dig the truth even after all these but Dylan was always perfect with his work that nobody could get near him nor collect any information. Ariana cried and then she went back to her office, to continue work and assist her cllllegeaues with work. They were alerted to open the front barriers to let the long term guests Water King and his family take back what belongs to them and never met Tai rule over their heads.


    Water King smiled as he stood in front Dylan. Everything unravelled. Dylan lost has face a little.


    "You only needed to tell me these, instead of tricking all of us, a thief will definitely get caught someday, anyway without warning. You Dylan was like a brother to me, do not lose that position tricking my family again," he said and left the pavilion. King Dylan had nothing to tell anybody. Few hours later, the barriers opened. The currents altered. The gates opened wide. There stood six figures in the entrance. To face the new beginning none were anticipating. The time had come. This time, there were no escape route, no help and no deals but just do or die game.


    "Now," King Aenon said and extended his arms. And in seconds, along with Jin, the Water Royals said goodbye to Underwater Realm and apparated. King Dylan looked defeated and looked at Ariana. He owed her an explanation.

 Chapter 160: The Slave Seed

    Volca stood close to Empress watching everything happening inside the palace. "They have prepared it all," Empress Lihua said. "The troops and the formation to take Water Realm,"


    "Let us go and stop them," Volca said.


    "I told you, we will, but not now, we must follow them and reach Water Realm, we will not be spared if we start here," Empress Lihua said to her.


    "Okay, then let''s follow them, but what if they take the palace, there is no on there to resist such a large troop, there are only three people there defend the Realm," Volca shared her worry.


    "Is Huo still there?" Lihua asked.


    "Yes, I informed him," Volca said to her.


    "Good," Lihua took a deep breath. "This is just the beginning of a huge shift going to happen in heaven, it always happens, the curse, to be exact, a peaceful place will turn upside down, and the work begins from level 0. A refresh button clicked often the greater gods to clean the dirt that gets accumulated. Volca did not understand a word. She looked Empress Lihua in wonder.


    "What?" Lihua asked her.


    "Nothing," she instantly replied, shrugging. Volca then left the chambers of Empress Lihua and went back to hers. People gave her strange looks and always murmured around whenever they set their eyes on her. It was evident that how everyone looked afraid of her and disliked her. But since Volca was used to it she no longer felt sad or upset about it.


    She sat in the table in her bed chamber and had tea, freshly brewed. She enjoyed sipping it and sat there lost in thoughts. How things have turned out in life. She could not help but wonder.


    "Why did it have to be this way?" She sighed and sipped her hot green tea.


    Suddenly she heard several footsteps behind her, afraid that they might attack her, Volca shot up, and drew her purple sword.


    "Relax, it''s me," Emperor Tai said walking in in a cool manner.


    "You," she said and put down her hand, putting the sword back in its sheath.


    "Why don''t you try calling ne father," he smiled. Volca also pretended to smile and remained silent while her heart wished to eat the carcass of his flesh and feed the vultures.


    "Say, say it, come on," he encouraged her to address him as father. He forced her that in the end, she said, "Pa,"


    "Very good," he said and pinched her cheek. He sat down before her and asked her to do the same. "I see you make great tea," he said pouring one for him. Volca observed him carefully and pretended as if nothing happened between them.


    Volca sat silently trying to see if he would speak but he refused to. In the end, she did.


    "You pretend well, I mean a great actor you are, Pa," she said, with a smile forced on her face.


    "Why would you say that my dear?" He aksed innocently.


    "You ask me why?" She laughed. "Pa see, just like I said, you are a great actor," he sat there pouring another cup of tea, smiling and carefully doing the job without spilling then over the apothecary table.


    "When you live too long in this world, alone and helpless, you will learn to become smart, then you will outsmart everyone, then you will find yourself in the middle.." his words broke. He looked up suddenly and came back to his senses. She was waiting for his words. "So yes I am a great actor, indeed, or else how can I rule this universe?" He changed the topic.


    She kept calling him pa. She wanted to know a lot, do a not but she was losing time by wasting time with Emperor Tai.


    "Pa, tell me, why do you drink so much?" She asked him trying to link to her topic.


    "Because it gives me a sort of pleasure," he said.


    "Women too?" She asksd him without hesitation.


    "Yes what is wrong in talking to people and then have fun with them? They live for us anyway," he made a dangerous statement.


    "Don''t drink again, am concerned about your health. Last time you drank, you locked me ho into something, it took a long time to figure out how to get out of that underground place,"


    "What?" His eyes grew wide and it made everyone''s heart thump louder. "I did that? To you, oh my god, horrible, that''s so bad of me," he went on. "What did you see in there?'' He asked her.


    "Endless representation of darkness," she lied and pretended back.


    "Why did you not call out?"


    "To my drunk father?" She asked back. "Why did you do that?"


    "The chamber was opened which is a secret then when I saw it I closed it," he explained the lies.


    "Really?" She was surprised.


    "Yes," he said and smiled at her, wiping his mouth. And he got up. "Get ready let''s have some fun today," he said. He showed her an armour kept covered in one corner of her room. Volca was not expecting that. She uncovered them and observed it carefully. The armour made of metal, according to her shape and size. She touched it. On the chest was the symbol from the banners the flying Phoenix. She could not under why she should wear that. "Consider this as an eagle, I will make one later for you," he said. She said nothing. While she stood looking at the armour, Emperor Tai took something out if his pocket, and put then inside the jar of tea. He then poured two cups again. He walked forward holding the two cups and he gave her one. Looking at the armour wonder, she did not notice anything else. She sipped the tea straight and finished them. While Tai stood not drinking them. He poured them away while she did not notice it and held the empty cup. He walked towards her and removed her cloak over the top. Volca was shocked. ''What the hell did he just do?'' She thought. And then he called for few guards. "Let them help you," he said with an evil smile pasted on his face. "Come to my chamber by evening, we will set out together," And he left.


    The guards took her clothes off one by one while she remained still. The hands whereever it touched her created a sort of pulse in her body. It was weird, but it kind of felt good all if a sudden. Soon she stood naked. She had no idea what was happening to her but she could not control herself. She pulled one of the guards and kissed him hard. She was aroused. And he responded back. The other two began to join the process. They made her sit on top of the table against the wall. One kissed her lip, the other sucked her breast and the third spread her thighs, kissed her inner thighs and fingered her slowly, one, two then three fingers together. Volca kept moaning as she continued kissing. Then she felt the guys tongue in her place instead of his fingers. He let out a small cry out of pleasure. It was fun, it felt so refreshing and awesome. "Don''t stop," she said to him. The man kept sucking her large round breats and squeezed them. She was hit and wet already. They carried her towards the court. Then she undressed them all. The three guards were excited. She grabbed one among them as he removed his pants and she let the other two work on her. They kissed her all over by talking turns. Her swell of her breats were the favourite for them. They enjoyed playing with it, rubbing her nipples, while taking her to the height of pleasure that exists and that no one would have enjoyed. ''Are these sex workers or something?'' She wondered. The way they played with her and made her lie in various positions. "Don''t stop," but that all she could say. She forgot about her love Huo that moment. They inserted the tongue again inside her, and she shivered this time. Soon the three took turns and entered her. While she laid ready for all of the three. They were better than any guards she had slept with it the Demon''s Castle. They had a very wild time. "Faster," she told one of them. And they did. The multiple orgasm of her was undeniable but the three managed to keep up with it, satisfying her. And they lay next to her for couple of minutes, looking at the ceiling, catching up with their breath. But then the process continued again several minutes later. One bye one, again and again.


    Retarded Emporer Tai watched his daughter playing with the men for sometime and walked way, feeling successful. The seed he implanted inside her now would have spread through the blood all over her body as sex would easily pump the blood faster than usual. He played well. She was played well. She was shown a good time and she has activated the slave seed herself.

 Chapter 161: Back Home

    "Aiden, come here," Demon King said in a hurry.


    "Yes, tell me," Aiden said immediately.


    "You know I cannot bring my army in here, that will turn into a huge problem, and we do not currently have troops in the Water Realm either.


    "Am thinking about that, I am not sure if Aqua will return back at the right time," Aiden shared his worry. "Did she not talk you anything?" And Huo shook his head. It''s been hard to trace her.


    "Remember Volca, she said they are hoping to make a big deal out if the and wage a war. We cannot let that happen, atleast not in Water Realm," Huo said.


    "The land is sacred and never once has been a blood shed here, the water will be spoiled, the heaven will not have clean water," Aiden educated Huo.


    "Really?" Huo was surprised to hear the new fact. "I did not know about that,"


    "It is how we believe, none of us have witnessed it over these years, so we do not know the real consequences, but also afraid what if the belief comes true," Aiden made it clear. Huo listened carefully and nodded his head.


    "That makes sense and us prisoners of different beliefs," Huo said and tired to come up with ideas. "Are you confident?" He asked Aiden once again.


    "Yes, more than ever," Aiden assured the Demon King.


    "Then let''s fight them, 3 against the troops, what say, two dragons and a fox, ofcourse we can win the battle," Huo kept encouraging him.


    "Yes got it, I will alert Milan," he said and prepared to leave.


    "Don''t distract her, it''s not the time to play around," Huo said to Aiden who nodded and took off.


    "Got it," he said as he left the King''s side.


    Milan was preparing in her own way for the battle. The Fox Queen came up with various solutions.


    She had prepared lots of traps outside the gates, and the borders of Water Realm. She let Aiden know about it. Aiden pinched her cheeks and gave a quick peck on her cheek and lip and began to explain her what Huo had asked him. The three against the universe idea.


    "So," Aiden walked towards Milan.


    "So?" She aksed back.


    "Be prepared," he said to her.


    "I am, let''s see how it will go," she said. "I mean, we have always been told we are strong, written in books that we are capable, but are we?" She put forward a question.


    "Why we are going to see that, we are capable, dragons and fox yes we can damn take down everyobdy, i see that you have already prepared stuff," he encouraged her.


    "You better support me and back me up, my parents are going to kill me when they see the Realm," She said.


    "What did you do?" He asked her alarmingly.


    "I kind of destroyed all the bridges in the Water Realm so that once the troops enter, they won''t be able to cross them," she lowered her voice.


    "My goodness," he was shocked.


    "Yes and also, I dug holes around the place, traps and everyone helped me too," she added.


    "Everyone? You mean?" He waited for her answer.


    "Yes, I visited my fellow beings in the woods, why they deserve to know what is going to happen, and also the state we are left in, cornered by Emperor Tai, I told then that the barrier that protects them is going to be destroyed and they felt agitated,"


    "You put the fire in their hearts," he said surprised.


    "I am the Queen of," she started. But he pulled her close, putting his arms around her hips.


    "My heart," he said in a flirty manner. She laughed out loud.


    "No," she disagreed. "I am the fox queen of the water woods, and I have the duty to look after people, I would never let Tai survive if he touches my wood, our realm," she said very strongly and boldly.


    He looked at her, smiling, watching her expression change, admiring her. He gave a peck on her lips against. But she pushed him away, with her hands on his chest. "Not now," she reminded him.


    "Oh yes, don''t worry, Huo''er already warned me about that," he said. "it''s not time to play around, don''t distract Milan," Aiden imitated the Demon King. Milan hit him and laughed.


    "Listen to my brother in law and don''t distract me," she said.


    ''Now don''t destroy the house, our realm I mean, stop setting traps, we need to live here long," Aiden warned her.


    "Yes, your higness," Milan replied giggling lightly.


    Aiden let her go and searched for the weapons King Aenon always kept in the crypt.


    He found some blunt ones and started sharing them all. He wondered if he could trust the Volca Demoness and her words. But apparently King Huo looked like he did.


    "Let''s see what all happens," he murmured and continued working. They had no idea that Aqua and their family had left the place they were staying in.


    Several hours later, Aiden heard something outside, the shouts and laughter and crying. Aiden hurried outside the crypt. He saw Milan crying hard and he looked up to see what it was.


    There stood every single member he thought died on the execution platform. "Ma, Pa, aunt, uncle," he hurried towards them. He could not believe what he just, he had no hope when Aqua went to find them, but now standing there before him. He teared up a little. He hugged his father who looked the same. Nobody looked different.


    "So you guys were living a luxurious life huh?" That was all he could ask. Everybody laughed at him. King Aenon patted his shoulders.


    "And watching everything my children were doing," King Aenon added. Aiden''s eyes grew wide and he looked at Aqua. He smiled and nodded her head. Milan blushed, Huo coughed, and Aqua remained silent, with a smile pasted on her face. Huo moved towards Aqua. Standing next to her. Holding her fingers, playing with them.


    "Were they really watching us?" He whispered.


    "Yes, we were spied, they know everything," she replied.


    "But How?" Aiden kept asking them.


    "The place I went is more than anyone could imagine," she whispered to Huo.


    "We will talk about this later in detail," he said. "But why is there a wound in your forehead?" That''s what concerned him the most.


    "Long story, I broke a rule," she said.


    "Again?" He was beginning to get worried.


    "I had to," she said. "There was no other go,"


    "Pa, Ma, Uncle, Aunt so you might already know but still," Aiden went on.


    "He and I are official," Milan declared. And she held his hands.


    "My daughter''s wait did not go in vain after all," King Aenon said and smiled since everyone know how serious getting imprinted and have a heart for only one person, nobody could stand against her. Aiden smiled. And he looked at Aqua who was busy chatting with Aqua. He could not believe the change that had come to his heart. But truly in his heart, Aqua still had a place, a place he will always give her for everything she went, they faced together and how she lived for the sake of others. And finally Aqua lived on her own free will this time, nothing turned good though, but he was aware of the consequences about to come. He just stood smiling at everyone.


    "And I guess you also know that Demon King earned his place back with Princess Aqua," Aiden added to the elders. King Aenon looked at Huo who stood there, silently, waiting for answers.


    "Am not worried about that, " Queen Rivera said in a very simple tone. Huo nodded his head and let go of Aqua''s hand.


    "Do not ever bring your army in," king Aenon warned the first thing. "It is an internal affair of water Realm and heaven, you do not have a role here," he said strongly.


    "I know your highness dont ever worry about that, I do not intend to reveal my identity here at all," he said. "I may help i will never be cause for any trouble, for Aqua, I will do anything," he added. He reminded King Aenon about how he was insulted and kicked out when he regained his memory and came for Aqua.


    King Aenon did not have anything to say back. He nodded his head and looked at others who remained silent. Queen Rivera understood that well and let it go. She change the topic. "Let''s prepare, we may be attacked anytime,"


    "I will keep the watch," Jin the cyclops offered his help.


    "I will go with him," Aiden said and the two left immediately.


    "Notify me when they come, I have an urgent business to take care of," Aqua said and prepared to leave.


    "Where are you leaving?"


    "I promise I will tell you when I come back, I will," she assured him and kissed him. And she apparated and left.


    "But," he began but she had disappeared.


    "That''s my sister," Milan said and shrugged.


    "But.." he stood there itself, confused.

 Chapter 162: Searching Alone, Finding the Truth

    The sun was shining bright above her head, harsh wind blowing against her skin. She had no clue about where to begin her search. She was standing in the middle of a dessert. A place Phoenix could possible keep the core warm. She looked around the place, she could feel her skin burning. She has no idea where in the middle to find him. She closed her eyes and tired to use her sense. But she did not find anything close to an angel except the demons and beats lurking around the dessert. She then apparated and went to the Beast Realm. She used her sense again, she searched from above to see if there is any Phoenix, or a boy with the mark. She did not find again. Aqua did not give up.


    But the Beast King caught, seeing her walking around, trespassing.


    "What are you doing? Princess Aqua," he asked her.


    "I.. I.. " no lies dawned in her head. "Well, I dropped my ancestral bangle the last time I was here, i was asked to give it back," Aqua managed. "I do not remember exactly where it is, am going everywhere," she said and looked at the Beast King.


    "Come with me," he said. He did not looked like he liked her arrival. She could tell that and she was surprised to see it.


    "I heard about you, banished," he reminded her.


    "I had to do everything for the sake of our Realm. Water Realm," she said.


    "It was not right, you are a crown princess," he said to her little rudely.


    "And that''s exactly why I had to everything I did back then," she defended. She hated the change she saw in the Beast King, letting go of all the favours she had done to them. ''What a rude punk he is!'' She thought and smirked as she followed him to the palace.


    "Did you find any ancestral bangle or something of the Water Realm in the lands of Beast Kingdom?" He asked his wise men.


    "No sir, nothing, no artifacts or jewellery were found on the grounds of Beast Prince," they reported him instantly.


    "You heard that?" Beast King asked her.


    "I did, thank you,'' she said and disappeared, utterly disappointed. She swore to never set her foot in the Beast Kingdom seeing the way he behaved towards her. To have forgotten about their past.


    Aqua hurried back to the place she stood and decided to go search the Wind Realm, Late Celestial Emperor of Phoenix family kept close ties with them. She called for Prince Ash and he came to assist her immediately. He was the only one she could trust with. Everybody had turned against her, changing colours like a chameleon, easier than the chameleons would. And Aqua no longer had the faith to trust them.


    She accepted the reality. The reality were she was shut out, reality were people no longer believed in her the moment she stood up, raised her voice, stood for her family and herself and fought against the imperial. Nobody liked that, afraid that her powers are enough to take over the universe, but bend her in the name of laws. Aqua had no will to surrender.


    "Has anyone been rescuing and looking after a weird kid in your country in the past few years?" She asked him in a hurry.


    "Not that I know of which are recorded in the palace, the orphans are very less in our Kingdom like yours," Ash told her. "No no, Aqua there are none, no weird ones,"


    "Are you sure?" She aksed again.


    "Very sure, why? Is anything bothering you? He asked her.


    "No child with a mark of a bird or fire or anything?"


    "Nope," he clearly said it. "Why?" He asked again.


    "Nothing I just wanted to know if you have seen any ,if you do, let me know," she explained


    "Sure," he said. "You sound very eager and in need of something, I mean what''s going on? He enquired. "Is it true that you got banished from heaven? Everyone asked her as if it was a big deal. "Will they really do that to you?"


    "Yes kind of," she replied him, looking away. She did not have time for chat.


    "Listen do let me know if you have any sort of difficulties going on in your life, call for me, you know how to call me don''t you?" He said to her, asking her to ask any sort of help to him. "We are after Master Bo hai''s students. Atleast some of us must follow what he taught us, don''t you think,"


    "I do yes we should and I am, alright, its really great seeing you, But see if you meet the child am saying again and again, senior Ash don''t forget about it ok? It is really urgent and important. Inform me straight," she said, bid farewell and vanished even before he finished saying goodbye.


    "Bye," he waved, but she was not there. He smiled shaking his head and walked away. He was reminded of their school days and his time with Huo. He also could not help but think about Volca, how smart she used to be and how evil she turned into.


    "This is life after all, the people you see today are not people you will see tomorrow nor whom you met the day before, changing colours, and living different lives," he walked back to the Wind Palace.


    "Only if I could turn back time, sit under the willow, drinking plum wines made in Water Realm." Prince Ash smiled at his thoughts.


    "Tell tales to the young girls, about adventures Huo and I encountered and excite their hearts, get yelled from shifu and get detention, we were happy then, all of us, and only if I could turn back time,"


    Aqua left ti earth then, feeling very sure how the baby Phoenix is not living in heaven. His core would have been put to sleep, sealing the powers, which makes it harder to spot him, search for him and identify him. Aqua was sure that he could be living as a human. She closed her eyes and recalled what Ariana and Prince Feng looked like. She recalled the moment of birth she had witnessed inside the memories of Ariana. She tried to see if she could remember the face of the baby. But it was not clear, she was not sure. She concentrated hard. But there were no good results.


    Aqua was getting tired, distracted and was unhappy. "Damn," she cursed. She reached earth. But she did not know which part to search for the boy. She had no idea how he would look like, what age he would be on earth, the work he would be engaged with. Nothing was clear to her. And moreover she could not believe the fact that Ariana is living without even knowing the existence of her only son she bore with her love. She was disappointed.


    She reached a small village, she stayed afloat invisibly and used her power to spot anyone with a birthmark, apparently everybody had birthmark and she tired to filter the ones with Phoenix mark. There were none. She was aware how she is running out of time.


    "Look there is an angel in the sky," a little girl shouted. Aqua had no idea how the little girl spotted her. And then she looked down and saw a half fox, pointing her tiny fingers at her. Aqua smiled. She sent the little girl a candy and disappeared instantly.


    She went to another town to scan if there is one living whom she is searching for desperately. She scanned people, and found nobody. Aqua''s heart grew tensed. "What if I cannot find the heir?" She kept thinking. "No I should find him. I have to at any cost, Tai cannot continue on the throne anymore, I have find a Celestial being," she felt determined.


    She went to another couple of towns and villages, she found nobody, not a soul from heaven even. But she got to spot vampires let lose and wondered why the hell has not taken action yet. She could feel the kind of adjustments going on between the vampires and heaven, where hell is kept under the shadows, she made up her mind to tell King Huo about it. And she went to another place, a city this time. She searched for the souls again, the Marks any doppelganger of the Phoenix kid. But instead she found one, her family. She smiled seeing him. "Aizen, I hope you''re doing well," she thought as walked past him, who was busy speaking to a girl, Fariya. It appeared no matter the number of lives he lives, he is such a sucker for Fairya, stuck in love with her. Deeply. She then walked around the place, floww again and scanned the whole city. And she immediately landed inside an apartment compound. The Television was running inside the living room. And she stood behind the couch. There sat a boy, alone, eating chips. He looked weak, and fragile, about to die. Aqua walked over. And knelt down, trying not to scare the child. She extended her arms. She was not sure about anything.

 Chapter 163: Buried in her heart

    "Hey," she said to the boy. The room was dark, cold, shabby and did not look neat. It was clear that he is locked up and people do not stay with him. There were black burns on the wall, which mean he turns into his real form. But he did not look healthy.


    The boy did not respond to her call. He only turned his head towards her. She realized that he cannot see. And he was only listening to the television, not watching them. The boy began to cry the moment he heard her. "Am sorry am weak," he cried. It broke Aqua''s heart. He was blind, weak, cold, helpless, and about to die any day.


    "No you are not, my child," she said and gave him a hug. A tear drop fell from her eyes and landed on his shoulders. It warmed him. He held on to her crying harder. She planted a kiss on his head and consoled him. "Don''t cry," she noticed the legendary mark in his body. The Phoenix. Right in front of her. Crying helplessly. She could not believe what King Dylan is doing to this kid, separated from the family and torturing him for bringing him up, forcing him in many ways. He was abused, she could tell that. The scratches on his body, the hit marks, the marks of ropes tied around his body, the mouth often stuffed with clothes, giving him wounds. He did not look like a natural blind but hurt his eyes. She covered his eyes and cured the infection. She gave him an energy pill, and she made him open his eyes. He started crying loud.


    "What happened?" She asked, as he cried hugging her. The thin finger gripping tight around her wrist. She could feel the pain in her heart, his fear and his sadness. And his gratitude for helping him see.


    "I can see now," he managed to say.


    "No no it''s alright, you were just sick, its cured, don''t worry," she said.


    "Thank you," he said. Few minutes later after he stopped crying, he looked at her. "Are you a goddess?" He asked in his baby voice. He wanted to know badly about the lady before him, helping him.


    "Keep it a secret," she said and smiled at him. "I am a goddess," she winked when he looked at her with new excitement. It reminded her of the baby she lost forever. He would have been younger than the baby Phoenix though. The boy nodded his head strongly, agreeing with her.


    "What''s your name?" She asked him.


    "I don''t know," he said. Aqua was shocked the way he was treated. ''How could he not know his name?" Didn''t Ariana name him? Why?'' Aqua could not digest it. The only Phoenix, a celestial being treated like trash. She hated it. She hid her emotions well before him, to not scare him. Though her thoughts were loud. She smiled at him and pinched his cheek.


    "How about calling you....." she thought for a while. "Luhan? Luhan yes, Luhan, here you will be called as Luhan, you should grow up well, be good, stay away from dangers, protect yourself, and do what you love okay?"


    "Luhan?" He asked. "That will be my name?" He was so cute and innocent.


    "Yes, Luhan," she said and gave him another pouch full of energy pills she always carried with her. "Have this when you feel extremely tired and weak next time, don''t give it to anyone, don''t show it to anybody, it''s a magical thing, you understand?" she said.


    "Yes goddess," he said nodding his head. "I understand,"


    "Good," she said smiling.


    Aqua stood up and let a few crystals of hers enter into his body, putting him to sleep and curing his golden core. The boy did not deserve to die. She saved him using her own blood that has healing powers. She did not want a life to perish all because of the game of thrones, she understood the clear intentions of King Dylan, trying to be the master of the Pheonix and take over the Celestial Palace with a puppet in his hands. Aqua watched the child sleeping in the couch and turned the television off. She cleaned the place, and prepared him some food and kept them in the hot box. She walked over to the couch and put on a bracelet in his left hand that would act as a protector for him, saving him from grave dangers and she left the house. She did not wish to stay any longer. She made sure that she sealed the powers and never let anyone travel towards him again. Aqua had tears in her eyes. The journey was meaningful, she felt content, but turned out that it was for nothing when it came to taking Tai down.


    Everything now depends on her. The expectations she has to meet soon and let them all down. Her own family. She was stressed and confused. She had an idea what to do but it worried her to put everyone at a stake. She wanted good things to happen. But that will need the boy who has not grown up, who needs time to take the throne. She was glad that she atleast cured the golden core of his even though she lost her blood. The precious crystals. She did not want the child to suffer any longer but let him have a peaceful human life, where it would not involve war and death at such a tender age.


    Aqua made up her mind and she left. Back to heaven, back home, back to the people waiting for her, filled with questions.


    And she had only one answer. A very clear one, a clever one, and she strongly held on to it.


    She apparated and stood before the entrance. The collapsed entrance to the Realm. And there lied few number people down the bridge long way inside the deep holes, unable to climb up, trapped. The members of the heavenly war troops. Aqua understood it. She crossed them. She did not help them. She did not mend the bridge either. She walked away. She did not wish to rescue them until it was time. Aqua activated her water crystals. It charged her body. Aqua also withdrew her crystals sword and held them on her left hand.


    She saw another bunch of people wounded and hanging down the trees. Most were unconscious. She saved none again though her heart battled with her. After walking a few more, Aqua saw a little larger crowd of troops defeated by the water woods creature. Aqua smirked. She understood how her sister had set it up all and worked it out well. "Well done baby girl," she whispered and crossed them.


    She could see that there is no sign of Tai yet. She reached the palace road that would take to Water Palace. There were masses, on horse back or on their legs, carrying heavy weapons, canon balls and archers along. There was also this one minister she was very familiar with, sho looked like leading the way. He used to be the great alley Water Kingdom who appeared to have changed his decision after the staged extermination of water royals. Little did she know that he was forced to do this. She lost her love for all the people who used to good to their house.


    The fight was going strong. She saw her father, her mother, her uncle, Aiden and Milan doing their best, guarding the gates. She saw Huo in disguise using his powers to drive the people away. But the troop was stronger with the large number.


    Suddenly she noticed Empress Lihua standing next to Huo. Her heart thumped loud. ''Empress mother, what is she doing here?'' She wondered. ''Why is she here?'' She walked forward. And then she saw somebody else, fighting her. The purple sword attacking the Empress, Huo noticed that and ran towards his mother.


    She looked wild and possessed. "Volca," Aqua shouted. Volca turned towards Aqua with an evil smile on her face. Her horrible black eyes suddenly turned normal. She dropped her weapons instantly and turned towards Aqua, tears in her eyes. But she knelt down again, burying her head in her hands. And she was back to the evilness again, it looked like her heart could not control whatever was happening to her.


    Aqua began to cross the troops fighting and slashing people''s body, and she moved towards them. King Aenon looked like he was struggling, fighting his best friend trying not to hurt him. Aqua managed her emotions somehow and kept fighting. ''Relax, just relax,'' she kept telling her. ''Don''t lose it,'' she was afraid that she might go out of control.


    Aqua kept koving forward fighting the soldiers. She couldn''t understand why everyone looked possessed by something evil. She caught one of the soldiers and observed him. Just like Volca but not as powerful as her. Someone controlling them. ''No wonder Tai is not yet inside the picture,'' she understood. ''The slave seed,'' she said.


    "The slave seed," she shouted out for others near her to hear her. "Tai is using the slave seed," she said again. "They are possessed, and not themselves, try not to kill these people, just put them to sleep," she instructed everyone. But something horrible happened by that time.


    "Mother," a loud scream was heard.

 Chapter 164: Development of Bonds

    "Volca stop it," Aqua screamed and rushed towards her. Volca plunged her fingers into Lihua when Lihua tired to take away something from her. Aqua pulled Volca back from Empress Lihua''s side. Empress Lihua was attacked and stabbed right her stomach, not just with her purple sword, but with her eagle claws. Volca looked wild and dangerous. Easily manipulated and controlled. Aqua couldn''t believe that Volca let herself be fooled.


    Lihua let out her breath, she had tears in her eyes, Lihua had taken out the seed from Volca, and closed it in her hands. Volca fell unconscious and fell on her side.


    Lihua reminded what she saw in the stars of hers, the fate, dying for a great cause. She smiled. She was satisfied that she is dying for the Water Realm in the end.


    Huo screamed his lungs out and rushed towards his mother. "Ma," he said grew angry, he almost exposed himself in front of everyone. Aqua could rewind the tragedy that happened to them both. Everything flashed before her eyes. What Fiona and Aaron did to her and Huo once, what Tai did to the Phoenix family, how prince Feng ended up dying and now his son Luhan, how her family was torn apart and murdered, how every single one of them were tortured by him. She could no longer resist it.


    It angered her. Her hatred for Tai grew deeper and the temper heated her heart and vein. She shouted out loud and floated into the sky.


    "Aqua, come down," her father warned her. But she did not listen to anybody. "Come, listen to me," Aqua''s eyes grew large and she smirked. She extended her arms and let the crystals take control over her. She lifted her arms and along with that, everything came to life. The trees, the plants, the wind, the water, everything rose above, and stood behind her. Her voice turned evil and she said, "I kept warning you all," she scared everyone. The soldiers started running away for their lives. The wind blew hard and rain falling down heavily. "You asked for this," she said.


    "Aqua don''t," Queen Rivera shouted at her. "Huo stop her," she begged. Huo looked at his mother and at Aqua. Rivera rushed over to Lihua''s side and took her hands. "You know you can heal," she said and concealed the wound with her hand and made Lihua quickly stop bleeding and heal from the inside.


    Huo flew towards Aqua. And he blocked her way.


    "Move," she ordered angrily and violently.


    "Aqua it''s me," he said and moved closer to her. He was not scared. "Aqua," but she did not stop and instead hurt him badly. The cut wound on his chest, which started bleeding. He endured the pain.


    "Aqua," he moved forward again. He took her hands. Aqua did not seem to react. He moved closer and closer. "Aqua, look at me," he said to her. "It''s me, look at me," he kept his hand on her cheek, rubbing them with his thumb. "Aqua, love," he could not believe that it was happening to her, losing herself in the end. "Aqua, Aqua, look at me, it''s me, your senior brother, Huo," he tired to remind her. He leaned his head on hers, while his body kept getting hurt. Tears fell down his eyes. "Stop," he begged her. "Control yourself," he said keeping his hands on her cheek again, looking into her teary eyes. "Aqua I love you, we don''t want any of this, we should go back, and live our life, back to our place, in our world, was that not wonderful? When it was just you and me? so stop this and let''s leave, " he started tempting her, trying to bring her back. And tired to wake her constantly, by kissing her lips even though she kept pushing him. But he held on to her. Slowly. He did not stop. He wanted to wake her conscious desperately until he could not catch up with his breath as bled from his lips.


    "Huo," she managed to say. She woke up. She did. She had tears flowing down her face. She cried hard. "Huo''er,'' she said again. And she fell down. Losing control over herself. Straight back to ground. But Huo managed to hold on her. "Aqua, you hear me?" He looked into her eyes. "Aqua,"


    "Huo," she got up with him. She hugged him.


    The surrounding was calm, silent. The wind had stopped, Water back in its places, trees and roots gone back, everything was back to normal. Lihua sat up and Volca was still unconscious. Tai did not come out at all. Something changed. Lihua''s star was shining bright all of a sudden. Rivera sitting next to her. Milan was back and Aiden stood next to his parents. King Aenon stood there, his fists clenched. He stood firmely.


    The troops had left. No one stayed longer, not wanted to fight. Water Realm thrived with new saplings. From the rain Aqua showered with her crystals. The realm looked lively.


    King Aenon stood silent. He had nothing to say any longer. He was disappointed. Lihua and Volca apparated and left while Huo was not paying attention to them.


    The troops accepted defeat and returned back to the Celestial Palace. Tai was watching it all. He smiled. He did not look surprised. But except one fact. Volca returned along with them. And so did Empress Lihua. He slapped Volca and pretended to be good in front of Lihua. He hugged Empress who was bleeding and asked the guards to summon the doctors immediately to heal her. She pushed away everyone and walked back to her hed chamber, giving a look at Volca in disappointment. Volca followed her. But Emperor stopped her.


    "Stay here," he said. Volca took a deep breath.


    "What?" She aksed irritated.


    "Where are you leaving, we need to discuss something,"


    "We have got nothing to discuss," she threw what she got in her hand and threw them all at him. But the crazy man laughed out loud while others blocked it for him. She then walked out and went back to her room. She screamed out loud.


    There laid three bodies on the flood, choked to death. The three guards she has fun with. She took a few steps backwards. "Oh shit, oh shit, shit," she then walked towards them to confirm that they are all dead. She could still feel the sore in her body but those men were killed and dead even before they got the chance to put on their clothes.


    Emperor walked into the chamber at the same time. He grabbed her by her hair. "See you killed them," he said. But she was not sure about. She wondered if it''s her or if its him. She could say that it''s not her.


    "No, it''s you," she spoke back. She took his hands off her hair and twisted his arms. Yes as she guessed he was weak inside. She could realize that something was going on with him. And she felt something familiar in his body, like hers.


    "Oh my god," she gasped. She kept her mouth shut. No she has to pretend that she doesn''t know anything. She understood why people die in the Celestial Palace. She understood why the heavenly lower level fairy guards died after serving her. She looked at him with utmost hatred and she stood straight.


    "Pa," she decided to move with him, obey him and try to know him better.


    He looked at her.


    "What is going on?" She pretended to be a good daughter who care for her father. "Am worried, why are you doing things to me without my consent, and what are you doing here? How can I be kept behind the clouds and expect me to behave as you want me to I can''t know things? I killed Empress almost, today, I can''t keep making such mistake, or was that your real intention?" She asked everything she wanted to ask him straight.


    "Do you mean it all? Why do you look worried?" He asked her, sitting on her bed, ordering the fellow guards to take the body away from the room. People only hated Volca more for becoming the reason for the the death of innocent people who pleased her the best. She felt awfully bad for them. But then she got over it reminding herself that she should be a ruthless Demoness and not a soft souled one. Volca walked towards her father and knelt down beside him.


    "Pa," she said again.


    "There are no people I trust in this world," he blurted out.


    "Not even brother Aaron when he lived with you?" She asked him.


    "No, he was always a fool and walked behind his mother, a spoiled brat, nothing but a womanizer," he cursed the dead. Volca felt bad but she did not show it.


    "Why can you not trust me this time? After all we are the only ones left to call family and blood related for one another," Emperor Tai looked at Volca''s face in amazement.


    "Are you saying...." he began.

 Chapter 165: Restoration of the Water Realm

    There was rainbow in the sky the never faded for weeks. The birds sang melodious songs throughout the day, the animals rejoicing, the people all excited. The gates of the Water Realm were officially opened for the commoners. They were happy and crying at the same time.


    It was an unexpected moment for all the citizens from all over the Realm to see all the family members back together in one place. The decorations and feasts were arranged in the palace. All the inmates, maids and soldiers returned back to their duties. Army general came running to the family who has returned. He was glad to see that nobody is hurt. People thus decided to celebrate the restoration of the Realm for two weeks.


    King Aenon and family stayed together and in peace. The news spread everywhere. King Aenon sent invitation to hold the feast to shove on people''s face how he has won and return back and will remain as strong as he could than his he used to be before. King Aenon took his strength out and put the protection charm around his Realm safely like how no one else would be able to walk in unless he let''s them.


    He tripled the security, the people were happy to be back at work. The maids excited and the guards sincerely doing their work, examining everything and implementing new security systems. Cyclops took charge of training the water beasts. He introduced shape shifting whales to the Water King who lived in the remote areas of sea not caring about anybody''s business but listening to the stories promised to use their strength to protect a righteous man and his Kingdom.


    King Aenon summoned everyone. He wanted to show off his strength. He arranged all the houses, all the palaces, all the room with lots of facilities for the guests. He tripled the strength of barrier, he made sure his second it all well. Fox Queen was quite savage when it came to her matters. She did it well. On the means he aksed Aqua to not do a thing. He restricted her strictly from going around places and asked her to stay in her room mostly.


    Thinking how her father is taking care of her, Aqua listened to him well. Huo left the Water Palace back to Demon Realm to take care of some trivial matters. He promised Aqua that he would meet her often as he could.


    Aqua stayed inside her room, and if not, she often visited the power resource and tried to meed the shenlong. But she did not come out at all. Aqua could not understand why nor guess when it would happen. She was no longer able to enter the caves either.


    Aqua in a sorrowful manner returned back home. But she went again. She often sat around the places recalling her past where she secretly trained Huo when he was ill.


    "I knew you would be here," Huo said suddenly. Standing behind her. She smiled and hugged him tight.


    "What''s my pretty lady doing here?" He asked her, stroking her hair, moving the hair from her face. He leaned in and took her lips in his. He smiled along. It felt wonderful to be just the two of them. She laughed and pushed him away.


    "What?" He aksed her seeing her.


    "I suddenly remembered what happened when I was asleep,I still remember the horrific look on your face as if you saw a ghost, all pale, how you got up from the chair and dropped everything on the floor, and I pulled you, and," she said kept laughing.


    "But i like what happened after you pulled me close," he teased her kissing tip of her nose. She hit his arms and turned away.


    "Pa has grounded me, probably because am banished and I should not enter any places," she said.


    "Hmm.. I see,'' he said and nothing more about it.


    "I don''t understand, why did I get banned in the first place?" She asked him.


    "Good people always get punished, and get tested, think that way," he said back.


    "Am serious," but she did not have plans to let it go.


    "You want to know why?" He asked her.


    "Yes," she was sure about it.


    "I don''t know," he said. And he laughed out.


    She hit him again. He stopped her and started tickling her that led to playing around and he cornered her against the one of the guardian''s statue and kissed her again. He took her face in his hands and he said to her,


    "Everything and anything may happen, but as long as we are strong, as long as we put up a fight, as long as we find the way to success no matter how much we get trampled on, we must do what we should, without failure," he looked into her eyes.


    "Can you do that? Will you always put up a fight to win your rights?" He asked her. "Will you be able to choose the right path when there comes such a time?" She had no idea why he would say such things to her. But she felt that he was right and she agreed to them. "Yes I will," she said strongly.


    "Good," he said and planted a kiss on her forehead. They held hands and walked around for sometime. Then he dropped her off back in her room and he left silently without letting anybody know.


    Aqua was happy to have met him and she skipped dinner and went straight to bed. She was tired and fell asleep.


    Queen Rivera visited her the next day to see if everything is alright. "Aqua," she called but found that Aqua is still sound asleep. It was unusual to see her daughter sleep in.


    Queen Rivera smiled and sat next to her daughter, watching her sleep. There were few wounds healing in her body and few that left scars. Aqua was wearing only her lingerie since it was too hot inside the chamber. Queen Rivera lifted her hands and slowly storked her daughter''s hair who instantly caught them and opened her eyes jumping and stopping her in a second, about to attack.


    "It''s me relax, it''s just me," she said.


    "Ma.. oh Ma..." she said and let go of the hands.


    "Yes your Ma," Queen Rivera said and continued stroking Aqua''s hair. "Good to see that you are always on alert," she said and smiled worried sick at heart about Aqua''s condition. She could see that Aqua has been constantly draining her energy and trying to save people using her blood. "You look too pale, you need nutrition supplements," Mother suggested the daughter.


    "Am fine mom," Aqua assure her mother.


    "Look at the sky," Queen Rivera said. "I have not seen them for long," she said.


    "The sky was the same as always, our hearts were not," she looked at her mother. "I missed you every day, but am thankful to few people, Star King, he had the guts to invite me though he knew that I was banished, he also appeared in my dream when I was I come, looked after by Huo in the Demon Realm after I was taken away from heaven and banished. He led to all of you," she revealed the truth. "I left Huo again, and I went in search, I was so rude to King Zidan, but then Prince Leo offered his help,"


    "Father sent Leo to do it," Queen Rivera started disclosure her side of the story.


    "What?" Aqua was surprised.


    "When we were dumped at sea, though it was all well planned, we were not sure if it would workout, Prince Leo came forward and helped us, he performed things after learning then and he made Underwater King Dylan rescue us. We were rescued and living there for really long. Dylan also lent us his facilities for us to track you kids," Queen Rivera said everything.


    "Do you really trust him?" Aqua asked her mother.


    "We had to, we had no other way," she said.


    "No, trust me, I know what he is behind, I know what he is upto, he may not harm us, but he has intentions, Ma, ask Pa to keep distance. It not going to be the same all the time, it will never be the same," she warned her, seriously.


    "Aqua, what did you see?" Queen Rivera asked her out of concern.


    "Don''t ask me, I cannot tell you," she said and got up from the bed. She walked towards her wardrobe and took the a cloth which easily came into her hand she looked inside and shut the door tightly and turned towards her mother immediately. She started sweating but also wished to laugh out loud.


    "Mom, I will come for breakfast after shower, why don''t you leave?" She asked.


    "Now, it''s not your usual time for shower, what happened today?" Mother asked back.


    "I am sweating, it''s too hot, see, am not wearing much, I better take a shower in cool water," she lied and pretended. She took her mother''s hand and led her outside. She locked the main door behind her and rushed toward the wardrobe, opening them.


    "God," she said.

 Chapter 166: Volcas Chaotic Mind

    "Yes I mean it, I mean us working together, I want us to be safe, after all we use the same dark matter to keep breathing, don''t we?" Volca asked Emperor Tai.


    He looked at her in wonder. "What?" He asked her. He did not understand the last part of her sentence and indeed peoved himself to be a foolish King.


    "Pa, I see that you still don''t get it," she said and moved closer to him. She began to massage his shoulders. He started liking her dearly. ''Indeed a great daughter. Might as well use her,'' he thought inside her his head. The quality of making use of people never left his head.


    "Listen, why did mother bring me up secretly?" She put forward the question. "To make me strong and to present me to you exactly like as it has happened, I know my mother well, her plans never fail. She led me to you, it means, you need me and i need you too, if we do not trust each, then should we end up killing each other?" She asked her biological father she had zero love for, putting up a great act.


    "What say? Should be collab then? She asked again. He was hesitating alot. "I can see you don''t even trust yourself to make decision," she said smirking, stopping massaging his shoulder and walking away from her her back turned to him, looking at the sky, pretending to gazing while she calculated more inside her head.


    "Alright, alright," he said and stood.


    ''Yes,'' she said inside her head. "Hmm?" She asked back.


    "I get your point, we should not lose at any cost, let''s work together, but don''t get involved in my business,"


    "Okay but its applicable to me too, don''t interrupt my private life, my sex life ,my love life anything," she said to him.


    "You liked the guys did you not?" Tai aksed his daughter.


    "Yes, but its terrible to see them dying, life in vain," she sympathised and looked at Tai.


    "I will give you more," he said and walked away.


    "Promise me you won''t invade my privacy again," she said.


    "I won''t, do what to you want," he said and left, walking slowly. She was sure that he would definitely spy on her. She walked back into her chamber which was cleaned spotless by the maids and she decided to take a shower. She then planned on visiting the Empress, Lihua who was hurt by her badly. She regretted it, she felt too bad about it than a Demoness should.


    She let Empress Lihua rest. But she was disturbed about what happened in the battle field. "How the heck did I get manipulated, all of us?" She could not stop thinking about it.


    "What the hell was that? Why did he do that to me? What the hell is slave seed,'' she wondered recalling the name Aqua mentioned while fighting on the battle ground.


    She asked a maid who had access to the library and got helped by her. Volca had to give away her favourite brooch as the token for it. Volca spent some time in the library. She searched for the details about slave seed for really long time. She was determined to find out. And hours later, she managed to get one. "Yes it''s here," she said.


    She turned the pages. Apparently there was only a very short description about it. And she realised it is prohibited method of manipulation among the humans, the Angels but which is legal for demons. But for centuries Demon Kings banned this method of manipulation in demons either. Slave seed feed on the blood like leech of people it lies. Slowly carving the inside until that person will no longer, cutting short the life span into half. It will help the person who planted it control it since they are let to feed on others. The seed becomes slave to the planter and controls the nature of the heart. Vicious and kills people. Once rebelled against the seed implanted, person will lose his mind forever and go insane or lead to extreme cases of internal injuries, destroy the primordial dan and kill.


    Volca stood up suddenly. But she kept reading them.


    The seeds is grown inside the caves of the Demon mountain which was later destroyed by the heavenly Emperors until a member of Phoenix family started using it again for official purposes. Volca understood it quickly. Not the Phoenix but the fake Phoenix.


    Volca decided to go visit the place and ask General Hawk for help. Only man she could trust her work with. She made sure that she is not being followed and got out of the Celestial palace safely.


    She apparated and went straight to Demon''s castle.


    "Please wait for some hours if you are here to meet the King," The King''s Guard said. By that time general Hawk came to meet her in the court.


    "Volca, welcome home," he greeted her.


    "Uncle Hawk," she greeted him back. "I heard that the King is back, is he?" That was what she asked him first.


    "Yes he is, he returned after the battle," he said smiling.


    "How is he?" She showed her concern.


    "Good, healthy, calm," General Hawk did not say much since he did not wish to hurt her feelings. He has been happy and excited ever since rekindled his relationship with the water princess.


    "Perfect," she nodded. "Listen u originally came here to meet you, come with me," she told General Hawk who looked startled listening to her.


    "Say it," he said.


    "It''s about slave seed,"


    "Hush, don''t pronounce such prohibited matters," he asked her to shut her mouth and looked around to see if there is anyone close to them. There were none. He moved closer to her and listened to her again.


    "What about it?"


    "Uncle Hawk, I am a victim of the slave seed, you know it right?"


    "I heard about it," he said nodding his head.


    "Do you know who planted it in me, Emperor Tai, but do you know the fact that slave seed can grow only in the soil of the Demon land?"


    "No I did not know that," he replied.


    "In the caves of Demon Mountain in the west of the dessert, guarded by nobody except a sphinx which will ask you a riddle to answer. If you do, you can enter the cave and pick the seeds,"


    "Unbelievable, was that not banned? It kills people, " he was shocked.


    "Yes, but reopened by Emperor Tai again for his gain. He manipulated all of the troops sent to Water Realm. And it''s dangerous. I even ended up severely injuring Empress Lihua,"


    "What do you want me to do?" General Hawk asked her.


    "Destroy it, at any cost. Tell Huo and get his secret orders. You do not have to let any soul know about the mission, nobody should know it, next time Tai goes there to get the seeds, he should not find it unless he steps inside and discovers that its destroyed, completely, shake his confidence, he is not sad or shocked to find the return of water royals because he feels he can take anyone down," she kept talking.


    "Relax Volca, we will find a way," General Hawk was surprised to see Volca, daughter of Fiona being the opposite of her mother. General Hawk wondered if Volca knows the truth or not. Things that he had witnessed, things he could never forget, things that hurt him, things which ruined Volca''s life, all because of Fiona''s foolish and filthy grudges towards Late King Dritan. And the like minded Emperor Tai who had the very similar line of thoughts just line Fiona, still living like that.


    "It''s not about finding the way, its about saving people,'' she said.


    "Do you really mean it?" He asked her.


    "I mean it," she said strongly. "General Hawk it''s no joke, and I can''t, I cannot ever have that kind of manipulation ever, what if that thing still stays inside me?" She expressed her fear.


    "I get it," he said "rest assured, I will do what needs to done, let Huo reach the court, we will discuss this matter,"


    "Better," she sighed. "Thank you," she thanked him for listening to her. At the same time the promise kept coming back to her head. Creating chaos in her head. The promise to join hands and work together. She did tempt her father and he agreed. But she wondered if she should do it and mean if she should ask General Hawk stop it. She was not sure. ''Whom should I work for?'' She asked herself. ''Huo''er doesn''t love me, he is moving further away from me every single say, Aqua hates me, Huo''er killed my mother, I only have Emporer Tai left, who will make me a crown princess which would only benefit me, but why do I hate him?'' She talked to herself inside her head. ''Fuck this shit,'' she cursed inside her head. She looked at General Hawk taking his leave. She could not ask him to cancel the plan either. ''But no, he did not even consider me as his daughter and planted the seed in me, he does not give a shit, don''t bother,'' she warned herself.

 Chapter 167: Kiss? Or More?

    "What are you doing here?" Aqua squealed. Shw grew a little tensed.


    He pulled her inside, moving aside the clothes and finding space for two.


    "What are you doing Huo''er?" She managed two stand on her two feet. "I thought you left," she said.


    "I came back, but you were asleep, I did not have the heart to leave," he said looking at her.


    "I.. you could have woken me up," she said smiling.


    "I could not do that," he said pulling her closer, and he hugged her.


    "Huo," she called him.


    "Hmm..," he did not ask anything else, living the moment.


    "Huooooo..." she called again.


    "Don''t disturb me, am..." but he stopped.


    "Aqua," Queen Rivera walked inside the room.


    "Mom," she said. "It''s mom," she said. She asked Huo to keep silence and hid him behind the clothes while he kept laughing, enjoying watching her. She covered up and she opened the door and got out holding a gown in her hand.


    "Jeez, Aqua," Queen Rivera almost shouted in fear seeing her walking out like a zombie would. "What were you doing in there?" She asked looking suspicious.


    "I was looking for this gown, I searched and I could not get it, so I went inside to look for it, I managed to get it," she said and exhaled.


    "Really?" Queen Rivera raised her brows.


    "Mom what are you doing here?" She interrupted her mother in the middle changing the topic.


    "Oh yes, that, I forgot to tell you that you do not have to come out for lunch," Rivera said. "Father said he is busy and not going to have lunch with family, so you can stay in the room, I will ask the maids to bring the food for you," she informed everything.


    "Oh," Aqua was disappointed. She did not say anything else. She just gave the smile and nodded her head. She expected her mother to call her out to lunch with her. But Queen Rivera did not think of that. Aqua felt upset but covered it up. "It''s okay, I will ask the maids to Yuri the food when am hungry," she said.


    "Okay, I will let you shower then," she said and walked outside. Aqua said goodbye and locked the door. She did not want anyone to come inside at all. She made sure that nobody can open it and hurried towards her wardrobe.


    "Come out," she ordered him. He moved away the clothes and stepped out.


    He was laughing.


    "What?" She asked him.


    "Nothing, imagine if your mother caught me," he kept laughing.


    She hit him again.


    ''Arghh,'' he made a sound. And rubbed his arms where she hit him. And she laughed along with him. He put him arms around and stood there looking at him. "Your eyes look sad," he noticed them easily. He lifted her chin and looked to her eyes, while she kept trying to hide them, looking away. "Look at me," he said and she did. She looked at his sparkling eyes that had the question. "What happened?" He asked her again. "Everything okay?" He wanted to know.


    "Hmm," she nodded. Everything is fine," she smiled. He knew that she was lying.


    "No, it''s not," he said firmly. "You don''t seem okay," and he lifted her chin again when she turned her head slowly, trying to escape. "Hey,"


    "Huo, I don''t know, I feel avoided," she finally said it. "Pa is not speaking with me, mom and Milan visit me, Aiden has not come to this at all, I can''t step out like I always did, I have a thousand rules to follow now, it''s all so suffocating," she opened up.


    "Then come with me," he said.


    "Huo, seriously," she got irritated. "You think it''s easy to throw away and come with you, don''t you know my position, and my work, don''t say it again," she scolded him.


    "Hey, no I didn''t mean that way, I just wanted to console you," he tried explaining. She turned away angrily.


    "This is why I hate sharing my thoughts with anyone," she said folding her arms against the chest.


    "Aqua, don''t say that, no I did not mean that you should leave and run away with me, I was trying to.." but she stopped him.


    "Fine, I get it," she said. He realized the depths of her frustration. And he had nothing to offer at that moment. He realized how lonely she is. He realized how angry she is at everything and how hurt she is for every thing people do to her. He did not say any words further. He simply walked towards and hugged her. A back hug to calm down her flames. He kept his head on her shoulders and kissed her neck.


    "I love you," he said. And he saw her smile. She touched him arms wrapped around her hips and she turned her head towards the left and kissed him.


    "I love you too," she said those words back to him. "More than you can imagine," she added.


    "Really?" He started teasing her. "More than I can imagine? Ok I will show you my imaginations I have right now, tell me if tops yours," he said scooped her into his arms.


    "Huo''er," she bursted out in laughter. "Huo no,"


    He put her back into her bed and laid next to her. They laid there in silence for sometime while holding her hands and playing with her fingers.


    "Great imagination, but mine tops yours anyway," she mocked him by mistake which led to his act of the wildest imagination.


    "I will show today," he said and he took his cloak and the clothes off, displaying his bare, hot and ripped body. She gasped. He leaned down, taking her off guard and kissed her. He kissed her deep while his right hand worked on her dress, taking them away, and throwing them off. In a minute, she laid naked under him.


    Love is not just words, not just actions, but two souls intertwined as one, in a language that only they know how to communicate.


    Love is a rhythm of one''s life, that brings joy in any moment, carrying you away to another world, where there are no sorrows, where there are only happiness that brings butterflies in your stomach, smile on you lips, happy tear streaming down the eyes, a gasp that escapes the mouth, and the lightening that''s sent to your body.


    Love is love. Only more and nothing less.


    "Huo,'' Aqua moaned as slid his arms down her body, caressing her. She trembled under his touch and laughed whenever he teased and tickeled her. He kissed her belly button and went further down her navel. A moan escaped her mouth again.


    "Is this your wildest imagination?" She managed to ask him gripping on the bed spread tight.


    "Wait for more," he warned her kissed her down there. Aqua covered her mouth with her hands to stop herself from shouting out. She shut her eyes tight and bit her lip as she felt his tongue below her body. "Oh my god," she gasped. He came back to her again and kissed her neck. She ran her hands over him. She kissed his lips while he slowly entered her. She bit his lips and his ear, and she accidentally scarchted his arms. Then he put her hands above her head, exploring her all over again. His wildest imagination did beat hers. They laid there for an hour. In each others arms. She sat up and sat across him. She was no longer shy to he naked in front of him. She reached for him neck, pulled him closer and kissed his lips. And she leaned her head on his. He always made her forget the kind of life she leads, in every single way he could, though words, action or signs, he just have to be there for her to melt. To smile without a heavy heart and to be her real self. Huo suddenly took her in his arms again and got off the bed. He walked straight towards the bath. He stepped into the pool of warm water and settled her down. "Get ready before mother comes again," he advised her. But she was in a great mood to keep playing with him. She splashed water on him and pulled him closer taking the lead.


    Unaware of the time running away locked inside her room, having fun in her own world with him. She did not know that it is past noon already. He helped her dry her hair and helped her put on her gown. He chose a white gown for her that had thick white crescent moon embroidery on them.


    "I will try doing the hair," he said and played with it, in the end, nothing happened, except the fact that they sat and laughed for a really long time. She got ready and helped him get ready. She took his top and handed. That''s when the door opened. The Water Princess and the Demon King stood still. Shocked and he, embarrassed, displaying his body.


    "What the.." she opened her mouth and withdrew her hand from his chest.

 Chapter 168: Cloudy with the chance for a Broken Family

    "Ma..." Aqua called out loud, shocked to see her mother walking in while she stood holding Huo''er''s clothes on her hand. She looked at him and her mother. Milan stood next to Queen Rivera without her jaw dropped open.


    "Why did you lock the do...." but her mother stopped speaking in the middle and noticed Huo''er standing there displaying his ripped body only then. Queen Rivera closed her mouth and turned away. "Should we leave? Should we not have come?" She whispered to Milan who stood there giggling. She could not help it. "What is this Aqua?" She suddenly changed her voice. Queen Rivera then looked towards her messy and the pool area. She guessed everything that could have happens letting her thoughts run wild and shot a look at Aqua, who stood in front of Huo''er, trying to cover him and his sexiness. But with his huge figure, everything was still very visible. He got the clothes from Aqua and out fastened them quickly. "A man in the chamber of the princess, who is of the marriagable age? Aqua this was not expected from you," she said.


    "Then give her to me, as fast as you can, as soon as possible," Huo made the comment. Aqua smiled. But that went bad.


    "What is she ? A toy? For us to give you shee whenever and however it pleases you?" Queen Rivera overreacted for no reason. She was rude. Aqua was equally shocked as Huo''er and Milan was. But everybody remained silent. "I am so disa....." Queen Rivera began but she stopped immediately. She did not wish to complete the sentence.


    But Aqua understood that. "Disappointed? Really mother?" She asked Rivera.


    "Hmmm... disappointed? Should I not be the one to say that?" Everyone looked at her. "Why would you get disappointed to see me spending time with a man who is part of my body and soul? Should I not be the one who should be disappointed at all of you?" She asked.


    "What?" Queen Rivera asked her. Neither Huo nor Milan said a word to anyone.


    "I broke the rule, tried to protect the family and wandered around places, all for nothing," she said. "What did I gain? Except getting avoided, locked up and grounded in my own home. Am not asking for anything, but is this the treatment i deserve? Should I not have saved anyone?" She asked back. "Pa has abandoned me, doesn''t even care to visit me ! And just like him, even the Grand Prince and his family has forgotten about my existence. Tell me, why am I treated like this ever since the battle?" She aksed questions neither mother or her sister could answer. "Tell me, should I not be the one to get disappointed?"


    "You.." her mother began and stopped unable to find any words. "Aqua, this is...." Queen Rivera could not find any words and she stormed out of the room. Milan followed her behind and did not care to say anything to Aqua. It hurt Aqua like hell. She could not understand what was going on. She controlled her tears and turned to face Huo who stood beside her.


    "You should leave," she said.


    "Hey, are you okay?" He asked her though he could feel her in him. Seeing her heart breaking. He was not expecting such a cold treatment from Queen Rivera and the family either.


    "Am fine,'' she managed to say clearing her throat and smiled at him. "I know you must be really hungry, we did not have both breakfast and lunch," she said.


    "Am full, I had the whole of you, still hungry, but waiting for the next meal,'' he teased her. She blushed immortal and hit on his arms again which she missed as he moved away, tripped on her gown and fell right into his arms. He took the chance and hugged her tight. She looked up at his face. He quickly kissed her lips and her forehead.


    "You better leave,'' she said again. "Am sure huge things are going to happen in the family now on," she said and sighed.


    "Will you be okay alone" he was concerned.


    "I will be fine, I just do not want you to put the head in the family business and get into trouble. I hate it when people say anything Ill about you," she let him know clearly. He.soled and nodded his head.


    "Take care," she said.


    "You take care too, and promise me you will never get hurt," he said to her.


    "Hmm I promise," she promised him and watched him vanish into thin air.


    Then she put on a veil on her head and stepped outside the door. She decided to check on everything happening around her. "I deserve to know what is going on, don''t I? Yes I do," she said and walked towards the big lotus pond in the palace to see if there is anyone there. To her surprise, there stood Master Bo Hai, watching the lotus, dancing in the wind.


    "Shifu," she called out and took her veil off. "Shifu, what are you doin here today?" She asked him eagerly. He smiled brightly at her.


    "My dear girl," he greeted her.


    "How are you?" She asked him.


    "Great," he said to her. "Listen Aqua, I was about to ask your father to meet with you anyway, shall we talk? Are you free?" Master BoHai asked her.


    "Sure," she said. They walked towards the lotus pavilion and settled down. "I will ask the maids to serve the tea,"


    "No, no thank you," he said. "Am leaving soon,"


    "Oh," she sat back down.


    "Aqua, am reopening the school," he said. Aqua''s clouded face turned bright immediately.


    "That''s great Shifu," she said. She almost shouted out loud. "That''s so great, wonderful, you must, a lot of souls needs your guiding," she said.


    "Yes yes, I know,'' he said proudly, smiling wide. "But there is one more exciting thing," he said.


    "What is it?" She aksed eagerly.


    "Am going to appoint you at school, you will be thr vice principal," he declared.


    "What?" She stopped smiling, her face changed serious and she looked at him carefully. "What? Why?" It indeed was an honour for her, but she could not understand why she would be given such a post all of a sudden.


    "Are you not happy with it?" He asked her.


    "No am happy, more than that, but why me?" He asked her.


    "Because I cannot find anybody who would be suitable for the position, more than you,'' he said looking into her eyes. He was not lying about it.


    "Shifu, is everything alright?" She aksed him trying to figure if this is related to anything that is happening inside her family. "Is anybody trying to kick me out or something so you are taking me in?" She asked openly.


    "What nonsense are you talking about Aqua? I don''t get you," he said.


    "Then fine," she grinned at him.


    "That''s more like it," he said and got up.


    "Let''s go," he said.


    "What ? now?" She was shocked.


    "Yes am going to school, we are starting today, by tonight students will start arriving, we will start holding tests, I need people," he said.


    "But,'' she hesitated.


    "What?" He asked her.


    "Nothing, but Water Realm, my duties," she said.


    "Nothing would happen, you can come back or travel any time, a vice principal means freedom, look after kids and formulate plans and use the freedom to it''s best," he reminded her. Aqua smiled.


    "I have to ask King about this," he has given me the permission already, he is happy about it, I discussed it with him first and only after that I decided to ask you," he said it.


    "Oh," Aqua was highly in disappointment and had nothing else to say.


    "Go pack you stuff and come with me, I will wait," he said and sat down again..she stood up and left quickly, back to her room. She packed very light, just few important stuff, few clothes and her weapons. She decided to not tell anybody before she left since nobody cared about what opinion she had on the matter but give permission to take her away straight. She was angry, she was upset and hurt deeply.


    She walked back to the lotus pavilion and found Shifu speaking with her father. "Oh you have packed and come back," Water King said seeing her.


    "Yes,'' she said as she greeted him, bowing a little. It felt weird. "Pa am leaving with shifu, send me a message or call for me if you need help with anything,"


    "I know," he said, patting Aqua''s shoulder. He looked at shifu again. "Leave before it''s too late, you will be able to reach the campus before midnight," he said. Shifu and Aqua greeted the King and the left soon. It was her first time leaving home with severe problems inside her family. She was shocked tk release that even Milan and Aiden kept their distance with her which hurt her the most. Aqua looked at the palace, smiled sadly and she took Shifu''s hands to apparate. The moment she reached the place within seconds, she saw someone at the gates. "Oh my," she whispered.

 Chapter 169: Wine Cellar secret but no clue about it

    "Senior Ash, what are you doing here?" Aqua ran towards him. Ash turned towards her, listening to her melodious voice. This was the first time he ever noticed that. He watched her walk towards him. In her princess gown. He couldn''t help but smile.


    The wind touched his rigid heart this time, as it was passing by. He was not expecting that.


    "I was summoned by the Master, What are you doing here Aqua?" He asked her casually. "You left the palace at this time?" Aqua did not get that.


    "Father and everyone was fine with it, so I came with shifu straight when he proposed the idea,"


    "I see," he said and looked around. "So it''s just the two of us?" He wondered, looking into her eyes, asking her his doubt. ''Why?'' He asked himself. ''What is happening to me?''


    "I guess so, shifu said student will start showing up at school from tonight, so I guess it will be not just us," Aqua informed him what she is aware of.


    "But I thought there would be some other old students who were in our batch along," he went on. "Do you think they would join after running away for life like that that day?" He asked unfolding the scroll of memories for Aqua. She smiled. She had pretty lot.


    "Its still fresh in my memory, seeing Huo''er in chains, knowing that school has been tattered and all under the lead of one of the best students; Volca, I remember how i ran away with Huo in front of everyone and our families," she said and showed Prince Ash her goosebumps.


    He laughed out loud and patted her arms. He was feeling weird suddenly. "Chill, it''s all in the past, let it rest and let''s see what we should do now," he said.


    "Do what now?" She asked innocently.


    "Take charge in school, teach the children," he changed the topic quickly.


    "Why would shifu call you for work?" She asked what she could not understand.


    "Because my lady, Prince Ash of Wind Realm was also among the rank of best students at school once," he cleared his throat and said funnily.


    Aqua smiled and walked into the gate on the meanwhile Shifu returned back and joined them.


    "Shifu Aqua keep asking me why am here," He said to Master Bo Hai.


    He did not say anything, remaining serious and lost deeply in his thoughts.


    "Hush.. Shifu is serious, let''s talk later," Ash whispered to Aqua and they walked in silence to their main hall.


    Aqua and Ash looked around the school in shock, to see how school look new, different and altered from the way it used to look. Everything built new, brand new and the two stood there, amazed at the scene, jaws dropping. The stone carving of various mantras, the pillars, the new statues installed and the new accommodations, everything looked wow.


    "Did we really learn here or have we come to the wrong place?" She asked shifu.


    He smiled. "Demons left very few for us to call it a school, destroying everything they saw in here, I had to prepare everything from the scratch, from the the foundation to everything you see on the surface, and times have changed so should we run along with it. Don''t you think?" He explained.


    "Yes yes, I agree Shifu," Ash replied.


    "Prince Ash is going to be the Senior Supervisor at school who will look at the matters of children and he will also assist you with administration, so you two be good team and have good cooperation. Don''t fight or end up doing silly stuff, remember that education is forever, and recall what you learned and live with it," he informed them and added a piece if advice in the end.


    "Yes shifu," the two said in the same voice and paid their respects to him. Shifu them took them to the rooms of both close to their offices itself. He showed the one Aqua would use, which looked simple with a coat, bed, drapes on the wall, a small bath area which was separated. And then they walked towards the chamber Ash would use which had lesser facilities than Aqua had.


    "That''s not fair, I want that floral carpet and room separator too. I want the bath inside the chamber too. I also want the drapes,"


    "Ash, enough," Shifu asked him to stop whining like a kid. Aqua mocked him and laughed out loud.


    Aqua walked back to her room and got ready changing into the clothes the school follows. White dress along with the boots and hair ribbons for her. She put them on and she stepped out when the night fell. Shifu opened the hates to welcome the new students. It was twilight. And Ash and Aqua assisted Shifu to prepare things. Their kitchen staff had prepared wonderful welcome feast for all the new 25 kids of all ages.


    The dim lights were used as usual. The fire place blazing with fire, there were round tables set in the front for initiating the inaugural ceremony. Aqua made sure that everything that has been set does not get messed up.


    She waited there for everyone. Aqua walked towards Ash who stood reading something in his hands. It appeared to be a letter. She did not interrupt him but seeing her, he quickly hid the letter and looked perplexed. Aqua found it funny. She started having suspicious feelings towards him. "Why are you weird sometimes in front of me?" She asked him looking straight at his face.


    "It''s.. it''s nothing," he said, sweating.


    "Okay," she looked him and raised her brows. "I did not say anything,"


    "It''s a letter from my girlfriend," he said suddenly.


    "What?" Aqua was surprised. "You? Relationship? Girl friend?" She asked him in amazement. A man who always flirted but was against the idea of love saying that it''s the letter from his girl friend really was shocking to her. It was unbelievable. It only raised her suspicion even more.


    Aqua walked to the cellar door and opened them. It looked lavish than it did before. She stepped in to see around and choose the bottles.


    She saw the plum wines on the stand from Water Realm. Her father''s special win. It broke her heart. "Pa.." she had tears in her eyes and touched the bottles. She suddenly heard somebody at the door. She almost dropped the wine. She held on tight to them and moved from back to hide behind the shelves. She found a small rack that could fit her well and sat there, completely comcelead. It was Ash, and shifu itself. Thinking that she had left the wine cellar, they got in and locked the door behind them.


    "What should we do?" Prince Ash asked Shifu Bo Hai and handed the letter to him.


    "I have the same copy with me. Destroy this letter," he ordered Ash back.


    "But this letter is the invitation, I cannot enter if I do no submit it," he said.


    "Oh you will need it so, let''s never panic and act well, we cannot let her know at any cost," Shifu went on.


    "I knew it, I knew it''s not Ash''s girlfriend," Aqua thought inside her head while she looked at his hazel eyes while speaking with Shifu.


    "How long should we hide this, one will eventually know if the titles get take away right, losing the weapons and quality?" Ash asked his serious doubt to shifu.


    "Yes, they will know it themselves, so we cannot say how longer we will be able to hold this,"


    "But why can anyone not tell the truth to the fave? Why all this ?" Ask got a little furious. "I feel really bad about this! Like really, it''s painful," He expressed his feelings.


    "Since when?" Shifu asked shocked.


    "I don''t know," he replied.


    Do you want to attend the ceremony?" Shifu asked Ash.


    "It is mandatory for me as the Prince of our Realm, how can I not go? But how can I bare it watch too," Ash explained. "How can you stay here long? Are you not the one going to initiate the ceremony?"


    "No I rejected the offer Ash, I cannot, I cannot bear to watch it, not accept it, do you think it''s fair?" Shifu asked Ash.


    "It''s not, everybody is being part of a great show, I disagree to it but I do not have the voice, it''s taken away, if I don''t have the power then why should I call myself a prince, I feel ashamed,"


    "Have some control over your temper and your feelings young man, young hot bloods always end up in a bad way, just see what happened now, you clearly know it don''t you, and if you pursue this, you will escape hell,"


    Aqua listened to everything and still did not understand a word. She wondered about it. What they were talking about. "What in the universe is this conversation about, no head nor tail, and where did hell come from now,"


    "So make sure that you do no let her out of your sight, keeping her engaged with work, distracted and protected all along. Never let anybody enter the barrier without my permission," Shifu said and opened the door. "Also, keep the Demon King away from all this internal matters," he said before he left. "He is equally dangerous and we do not want more trouble,"


    "And I will take my leave once you come back," Ash reminded shifu.


    "Okay now go look for Aqua," Shifu vanished into thin air after giving necessary instructions.


    Ash left the cellar and Aqua crawled outside and got up. Her legs hurt but she managed to stand straight. She corrected her clothes, took the wine jars and rushed outside. Ash looked like he had forgotten to lock the doors.


    Aqua kept the wine jars in the kitchen and walked back quickly to her office. She waited for the right time of the arrival of the new students while he mind was busy with thoughts of why Huo''er also was mentioned. But by then students arrived.


    And they did come in four groups. One among them was not just anyone, but Water Realm''s newly adopted life: the cyclops.


    "Jin," she called. But slowly. Aqua did not want the impressions on her to be gone thinking she would be the Queen of partiality.


    "Sistah,'' he came running towards her.

 Chapter 170: Super Hot King Destroyed the Crop

    General Hawk informed the Demon King about the information on slave seed Volca passed down from the Celestial Palace after being the victim of it.


    Huo looked at General Hawk and wondered if he should believe the girl anymore, after seeing his mother get severely hurt by her claws and it gave him chills and more hatred, but still he wanted to give her one final chance, taking pity on her.


    "What should we do? Am sure that if this leaks, this could lead to several problems if breaking the law that would effect both heaven and hell equally. What should we do?" He asked the Demon King for decision. But knowing the plight well, Huo''er had nothing to ponder over. He simply said it in one simple sentence.


    "Destroy it secretly and surprise Tai when he arrives to get them, he will love it," Huo''er said and continued reading petition sitting on the throne and waited for his King''s guard to bring the spies he appointed inside the Celestial palace and the water palace.


    Ever since he saw Aqua hurt, he did not like to Keeo her nor feel safe about her in her own house. He was that affairs of losing her.


    "You may leave taking this order of mine, the lesser the people, the little you will get noticed, don''t go this way, disguise yourself as merchants and do the deed, use the hell fire," Huo''er instructed. General Hawk took them well and showed.


    "Thank you, your higness," he said. And he left the court. General called for Volca instantly. He sent a dummy eagle to her with a message. An hour later, she arrived at the Demon''s castle and General Hawk welcomed her. They made sure that nobody is following her. He took her inside and took her before the King. Her heart got excited to see him, dancing inside crazily. Going to see him after a long time.


    "Is he in there?" She asked General Hawk all happily.


    "Yes, he is, he has returned to stay," she was informed.


    "He is not supposed leave ever, let him know, what if the civilians know?" She worried.


    "Nobody would know anything, he knows how to take care of all of it," General Hawk assured the Demoness. She smiled and looked at him. "You are so into him, uncle Hawk," she reminded him.


    "I an loyal to him, I was to his father, I will always be for the Demon Realm," he educated her.


    General Hawk opened the heavy doors of the court room again, but he was not there, the King, Huo. General Hawk looked at Volca instantly. Her smiling face turned sad. He shook his head and let her know..


    He shut the door behind him and aksed the guards.


    "He left back to his chamber once he finished reading the petitions," one of the guards told them.


    "Let''s go," General Hawk said looking at Volca and walked towards King''s Chamber in the castle.


    They knocked on the doors and let King Huo know about their presence.


    "Come in," he ordered them. General Hawk opened the doors and Volca walked in. With pride and a smile. She looked Huo who was walking towards his study carrying a book from the shelves. He was wearing no top but just a cloak that revealed the ripped body of his. From neck down his navel, his fair smooth skin, the the perfect abs and the belly button. He had a mole below the belly button on the right. Volca exhaled, and held on to her own hands tight. Volca''s heart skipped a beat and she swallowed hard. She exhaled. "Lucky bitch," she cursed Aqua inside her head. He did not look at the two of them, busy with busy with his works. Volca broke the silence.


    "Your higness," she said and called him. Huo''er who sat on the chairs, lifted his head and looked from the book and looked at her.


    "There you are," he said. He was not angry nor did he show any hatred towards her for what she had done to his mother. Volca was relieved thinking that he has let the matter go and forgave her as usual, unaware how deep the hatred was for him towards her.


    "Come in come in," he called the two off them.


    General Hawk and Volca walked towards the study. She tried her best to avoid him. Tried to avoid looking at him. To avoid looking at the heart fluttering, mind swaying, mouthwatering body of his. She coughed and cleared her throat. She blushed all along.


    "Sit down," he said to both of them.


    "We''re fine," General Hawk said.


    "Brother Huo''er," Volca accidentally mentioned him like she did in their school days. Huo did not like that. He stopped writing, dropped the pen and looked straight at her.


    "Don''t ever call me that again," he ordered her. It immediately sent a wave of embarrassment and heart attack to Volca''s heart. She did not expect to get the warning first.


    "Sorry," she apologised. She realized how much he hates everything related to their old days.


    "Your highness,"


    "Your highness," General Hawk called again to distract him from his temper.


    "Yes," he replied.


    "I think we will destroy the slave seed crop by tonight ourselves. I called Volca for that,"


    "Hmm, alright, we will go ourselves then," he said and looked at General Hawk who was confused.


    "We? You mean?" General Hawk asked him.


    "The three of us," he said and looked at Volca."No?" He asked her.


    "Ofocurse yes," she said excitedly.


    Her heart skipped a beat again when they made eye contact for milliseconds.


    "Oh!" General Hawk could not find any other words to say out loud.


    "Do not call the guards or anyone, it has high chances of leaking, let the three of us do it and destroy the poison. Huo got up from his seat, and he looked at Volca and extended his arms, to see if she is possessed with anything or to see if her body contains any sorts of pills or medications. He scanned her. And he found that she is okay. There were nothing in her body which manipulates her controls her form within. He smiled. "You are good to go,"


    "Great," General Hawk said happily.


    Huo''er walked back to his bed and took the top he had put there. He quickly put on his clothes and did his hair. He was looking perfect in his King''s costume which had dragons embroidery, for a Demon.


    The three soon got out of the palace in disguise. Voice dressed up as a peasant girl while the men dressed into merchants costume.


    They used the route of the Demon market instead apparating directly to the mountain in the middle of the dessert itself to not attract anybody. The routes were not crowded, a path less traveled. Threre were no inhabitants on their way, no signs of any more life. Volca felt relieved about that.


    ''Its a farm minimum of one hector, he and I have decided to join forces. He said the truth to me when I asked him to be each other''s allies,"


    "We will see," the king said and travelled forward, further. "But are you okay with it?" He asked her since it''s her father she finally found out about.


    "Why would I not be?" She asked him back. Huo did not ask anything further.


    And an hour worth of journey later, they reached the moutian. But they did not know about which part of the moutian has the crops growing. He flew to the sky, floated and mediated, trying to to search the palace. Huo withdrew his sword.


    "What happened?" General Hawk asked.


    "There are things here," Huo informed the two.


    "What?" General Hawk was surprised to listen to it. He looked around.


    "The invisible beast," she replied instead. She also withdrew her weapons.


    "Stay alert," king warned his people and they walked around the palace.


    Suddenly something jumped on them and Luckily Huo had good senses that alerted the arrival and he started fighting. He stabbed the beast''s chest while the others fought along. It was an ape. It did look scary and ferocious and he did care about it. He just slit open the center of the beast and killed it.


    "So it must be here," he said and walked towards a cave like entrance. He touched the invisible barriers and got shocked from it. He decided to use his powers and see if it works or if he would end up using Volca''s to match her father''s powers.


    Within few minutes, he destroyed the barrier himself. And he aksed general Hawk and Volca to walk in and destroy the illegal farm.


    Volca found them inside the caves with General Hawk. Volca noticed the water connection that keeps the plant wet and fresh all the time, to grow. General hawk destroyed the water connection. And the moment the water line broke, the plants started to ripen, everything turning into bright yellow colour. And without thinking twice, Huo slashed all the plants and destroyed them with his hell fire. Then he asked Volca and General Hawk to clean the place quickly, and make it look like the other parts of dessert and moutian. Not even the ashes remained after they burned it down. They made look like a dry rocky place.


    "It''s done," Huo''er said to his two people. Volca looked excited and gave him a little more information about how she had won Emperor Tai''s attention and trust.


    "Be careful around him, listening to everything you narrated right now, he does not look like a person who respects his family except the throne," Volca did not need that reminder since she knows it well. The sun was about to set, and the night began to fall, the twilight turning darker every minute.


    It is then, Huo received an owl suddenly there at the site. Not raven or eagles, not Falcons, but a unique white owl. He took the letter and read them. He was shocked. He immediately apparated, leaving without saying proper goodbye or giving instructions."Don''t wait up for me, you two return back home, am in a hurry,"


    "What''s in that letter?" Volca asked Hawk.


    "Probably something dangerous that needs his attention,"


    "Could it be..." Volca began.

 Chapter 171: She Found the Truth

    Aqua took Jin inside. "This is such a surprise, I did not know that you joined school," Aqua told him. He smiled uneasily. The students were welcomed and taken straight to the banquet hall. They were served food first before the ceremony itself.


    Aqua sat on her assigned desk. She observed everyone. People did stare at her, comment and smile a lot at her. But she had no idea why. She would just respond to them.


    Aqua asked Ash about his girlfriend to see him struggle to explain it to her.


    "Where is she from?"


    "What does she do?"


    "Is she a princess too?"


    "What about her parents?"


    "What does her family do?"


    "Does she know that you love her?"


    "Where did you two meet first?"


    "Is this really your first love?"


    "Brother Ash, how come you changed your ideas about love? I thought you hated it?" She asked him non stop while they sat together for dinner. They would look st the students and keep their eyes on them while they had their dinner. Master Bo Hai was yet to join them.


    "Tell me, why did you have a change of heart?" She asked again.


    "It''s natural to fall in move with someone, you see her, you feel your heart fluttering inside you, and you look into her eyes, and you know you are falling, don''t you think," Prince Ash replied her. Looking in her eyes, saying every single word carefully. He leaned forward and helped her pick the fork she dropped and looked at her again.


    "Really?" She asked him. "Like flirting or for real?" She could not stop asking him trying to see how long he is willing to put up with the drama.


    "Hmm yes," he said smiling, looking at her again.


    "So you met her where? First? Your palace?" Her place?" She asked as she cut the piece of her grilled meat and dipped then in the garlic paste kept before her. She then took a bite of bread and had the meat along with it.


    Ash laughed and shook his head. He took a deep breath. His heart skipped a beat while his mind was confused and scared. And full of pain and troubles. ''Aqua you are killing me,'' he said inside his head.


    "Say it, come on, am excited," she said.


    "Here," he blurted out.


    ''Why now?'' He asked himself. ''What''s wrong with me?''


    "Here?" Aqua was surprised.


    "Aqua, darling, see you know an never serious about love, don''t you, so let''s not dig into her now," he said to her.


    "But still," she put on her sad face.


    He pinched her cheek and served her more soup. "No still, just have it," he said and sat there, often glancing at what Aqua does. Aqua failed in her tiny mission.


    "Ash," she called him. Finishing the soup in a hurry. "I have to run to washroom, wait here," she let him know and left the scene. The night lights were shining bright. The stars filled the clear sky, not cloudy nor humid. It looked like a fine night.


    Aqua walked back to their dorm in a hurry and she opened the doors. Not hers, but Ash''s. She wanted that letter at any cost. Something did not feel right in her head. Suddenly she heard someone opening the door. ''Oh shit,'' she thought and hid under the table behind the coat close to the window.


    "Sis don''t hide, it''s me, I saw you walking in here," she heard the voice of Jin.


    "Jin?" Aqua peeked her head outside the table and looked at him. "Oh god," she sighed and crawled out. She stood up and began searching.


    "What are you doing?" He asked her.


    "The letter, find me a letter," she ordered him. She she ransacked the shelves and the coat. Jin did not find it. Couple of minutes later, she found a diary. And inside them, she found the one she was searching for. Her heart grew tensed. Even before she read them. She prayed that it''s nothing. She prayed hard. She hoped for a positive news.


    To Prince Ash of Wind Realm, The guardians of Heavenly Gates.


    We are cordially inviting you to the coronation ceremony of Princess Milan of Water Realm to bless her and witness the auspicious moment of the history.


    We also regret to inform that Princess Aquamarine, the former Crown Princess of Water Realm will be dethroned and Banished from heaven until the greater gods give her mercy. The trial will be held before the Coronation ceremony, be the witness for it and stay righteous.


    We are expecting your presence in front of the Emperor along.


    Thank you. All are welcome.


    King Aenon of Water Realm.


    Queen Rivera of Water Realm.


    Aqua''s heart exploded when she read this. It literally did. She went pale, frozen, and shivered. She crumbled the letter in her hands and she felt hot tears streaming down her face. "After all this time, after all that I have been made to go through, after all the fight I had to put up with, all the laws I broke, all the hatred and enemies I earned, all for the sake of the Realm and my family, and now they kicked me out, and they did not even let me know about it," she said going numb for some moment. She felt her legs going week. She did not expect ever to get ditched by her family. It was not something she was anticipating. Instead she hoped that her father, the great man form Water Realm will try to save her. Save her for once from the trouble she caused for them, though she never kept counts nor scores. She was willing to risk it all, but she felt horrible and abandoned. She could not even properly cry. Shout out or scream her lungs out. She could not do anything. "Why? Wae? Wae?" She kept asking, trying to find an answer.


    "Sis, sis, are you okay?" He approached her and touched her arms. She let her reflexes take action. She pulled his arms and pushed him towards wall, holding the collars. "Why did you not tell me?"


    "I was asked not to," he grew scared. "I.. I.. tired, but I failed, that''s why i left home and begged shifu to take me and put me here in school," the poor thing said. "Sister means a lot me, I will follow you to any end, but please don''t kill me," she was breathing hard as she listened to him. Her heart grew anxious. She looked into his eyes and felt the truthfulness in his words. By then, Ash came running inside the room. He saw the letter lying down on the floor.


    "Aqua," he called out and rushed towards her. Aqua let the boy go and moved back. She turned towards Ash, whom she trusted alot. She looked straight to his face. He looked terrible, but she felt betrayed.


    "Listen to me," he said.


    "Stop," she ordered him.


    "Listen, it''s not like you imagine," he began.


    "What is my imagination here?" She asked. She could not understand the rubbish coming out of his mouth.


    "It''s not easy, there were never any choices in front of your family,"


    "I don''t want to hear this," she said.


    "Try to understand them," he said to her.


    "I lived my life worst than the boots on your legs for everyone, choices I made never for me alone, freedom they said I have but laywas caged while I pretended to be happy," she shouted. "I lived for the sake of others, I cured and I fought every single time, when I did not need to as a person, do you know what it felt like inside me, the pain I went through every time I lost my blood? How horrible i felt every single time i killed somebody, was it all for me? How is that there is never a choice? How is that nobody is ever willing to raise their voice but be a dog that only wags its tail and bark it gets the order?" Sne got angry.


    "Stop it Aqua," he said back out loud. "I said stop It," he pushed her against the wall, cornered her. He looked into her teary eyes with tears glistening in his eyes.


    "Don''t touch," she said pushing him and avoided looking at his face.


    He took his hands off her. And moved back, lifting his arms.


    "Sister, sister please, don''t get angry, we will find a way," Jin came towards her and stood next to her. She wiped her tears and looked up at the ceiling, to not let the tears stream down her face. She hates crying in front of people. She pulled herself together and tried to let go of her thoughts.


    "Aqua," Prince Ash called her. But she ignored and stormed out of the room. She understood that she was moved away to the school as a part of the drama to not let her know about coronation and to keep her imprisoned in the school and take her during the time for her dethronement. She smirked and apparated. She left the school. Jin tagged along keeping up with her while Ash lost her. He hurried to find Master Bo Hai who still was in a meeting.


    Aqua reached the place, and she opened the gates of Water Palace herself. She stood there, with a smirk still on her face. She decided. She took her first step inside the gates when people assembled in front of her.


    "Now,"

 Chapter 172: The time of changes

    At the right time, Huo reached the Water Palace. The gates were wide opened. There were people in the front. Few injured while few still guarded the place. He was stopped. But he attacked those who stopped him mildly and rushed inside the gates. He did not have time to waste. He looked around him and he could not imagine the pain Aqua could be going through. Seeing her home decorated to throw her out into the wild. Huo understood how bravely she would put on a face right now. He searched her every where around the palace but finally found her in her own chamber. She changed her clothes, removed her tiara, placed the crown back, and every single jewellery she had on her body. She changed into simple white gown and tied her hair with a white ribbon, she put on the shoes and she walked out. And it was the first time Huo had ever seen Aqua dressing like a commoner. He felt crushed. He felt wronged. How could the heaven throw her out just like, after working all these years for them. It was wrong. The whole system was wrong. Huo felt glad that he left heavens, like his father. "I will never forgive anyone who did this to her," he decided. Aqua did not see Huo''er standing there but walked to the court where her parents were. They by the time had got the information about the arrival of their daughter about to be dethroned. Queen Rivera panicked, while King Aenon chose to be bold and brave, trying his best to be strong. It was past midnight. Aqua shines bright under the moonlight as she stood outside the doors of the court. She did not have the strength to open the huge doors and see her family who has let go of her. But she put on a fake brave face. She pushed the door open and took her step inside. She felt cold strangely.


    Her mother was shocked to see her state. The pale face of her daughters, her worn clothes like a civilian, her hair tied up unlike a princess would, and her body the mother never noticed before, losing weight with the heavy matters in her heart. It instantly made the Queen feel upset. Milan was right there next to her father, and Aiden did not even look at her. She smiled at everyone. There were many ministers and guards present inside the hall. They were all whispering and commenting about Aqua as she stood there giving her best to not break down. Huo stood outside watching it, to not interrupt her family meeting. He wanted to see the response of her family before he took any actions.


    "What are you doing here?" King Aenon hasked had sternly. Trying not to be soft. Putting up well with the plans. He chose the plan better than the pride and the daughter.


    "What am I doing here? Should I be taking this as I should never step inside the house or....?" She asked him straight. King Aenon was sweating hard. He glanced at Queen Rivera and Milan who stood silent and helpless. "Your highness," she addressed him officially. She did no longer address him as her father. He looked at her in shock.


    "Mwo?" He asked. He felt hurt.


    "Let me ask you something," she said. But before she did, the doors of the court opened again and Emperor Tai stepped in. Nobody paid him any respect. Tai felt insulted but walked in any way.


    "Arrest her, put her in prison," they said. "How dare she enter heaven again?" He said angrily. The guards of his rushed towards her. Aqua did not react back, looking at her parents helplessly. Tears glistened in her eyes. She smiled. "Thank you," that was all she said. Only words she could find to tell them all. Everyone put on the brave faces in front of Aqua. And stood as if it does not matter, outside.


    Emperor Tai looked excited. It was the first time he meeting face to face with the Water Royals. "Here we meet again Aenon, but How could this happen? I remember well how I made sure that you people died, I just can''t help but wonder where things could have gone wrong?" He asked King Aenon straight.


    "Your head is the problem Tai," King Aenon addressed Emperor by his name itself. He did not like that. Emperor shot a look at the Water Royals. Anger purgating inside. He wished he could burn them all alive. But he does not have the power for it inside, living with the truth concealed safely and using the various demonic challenge powers to secretly support himself. As minutes passed, Volca walked in. An appearance like never seen before. An image of a typical villainess in her maroon and brown dress that has slit opened from her thighs on all four sides, with a belt on her hip that carried her sword, the flashy head dress and her beautifully done hair. She looked hot, there is no doubt in that. Water King and his family stood there still, controlling their fury. King Aenon smiled. "Lots of uninvited guests today," he said and walked forward, stepping down from the throne.


    "Thought we should witness what the "righteous king" does his own daughter today than let it pass, let''s see how it goes," Volca said and smiled. King Aenon boiled inside as he heard Volca speaking rubbish. Huo did not walk inside when he saw Emperor walking towards the court. He chose to remain silent decided to wait and see what happens.


    A few minutes later he watched Aqua being dragged away towards the prison of Water Palace by the Emperor''s guards.


    Aqua was thrown into a cell and locked up. The prison was guarded heavily. But to it did not matter. He teleported right into the prison. Aqua was sitting with her head leaned her knees. He touched her shoulders, knelt down next to her. She lifted her head and looked st him. She had tears in her eyes, but not crying out loud.


    "Huo," he was surprised. She immediately looked outside to see if he had done anything around. And found that he has not attacked anyone.


    "Listen to me," he said to her. Stroking her hair and looking into her eyes. "Don''t struggle or try to escape, wait until the coronary and the ceremony to dethrone you begins. I know what to do then. Wait till they take you to the platform. Don''t do anything until then, just play along with them, just stay here for an hour more, we will show them later then, okay?" He said to her. "Can you do that?" He asked her. She did not say anything in the beginning. "Will you do it?" He asked again. "Will you wait for just some more time?"


    She nodded her head and decided to listen to him to see what he wishes to do. She was very sure that at any cost he would rescue her but she also wishes to bear the witness of her sister''s coronation anyway.


    An hour became four. And it was already morning. The preparation for the coronation of second princess, Milan, also the Fox Queen of Water Woods was about to begin. Emperor Tai ordered the guards to take her to the court hall to watch the ceremony.


    Aqua was dragged her again. She hated it. "Don''t touch me," she said and pushed people away. But they did not listen to her, seeing her as a powerless princess who is about to be thrown. The guards laughed seeing her reaction and cornered her against the wall of the prison.


    "Did you say? "Don''t touch me?"" They teased her. One guy slid his arms down her thighs and cupped her while another one patted her boobs. Aqua got angry and charged her crystals to attack them, but before she did, she saw them dropping dead before her. Huo stood there, behind them. His dagger drenched in blood. He sighed and smiled at her raising his brows. The rest of the guards who saw this went crazy and started attacking him. But he did not have much to do but slit everyone''s throat letting the dagger fight alone while he stood with his arms folded next to Aqua who watched the fight and added a little more weapons for them to play and die with. Huo walked Aqua out of the prison and asked her to go to by herself but before that he had something do with her. And he gave her a costume to wear. A costume nobody had ever worn before. She looked at him in wonder. "Huo''er," she called him. "Huo''er, no," she said.


    "Trust me, trust me on this and walk in wearing this, you do not have to say anything else," he said to her.


    "Are you really serious?" She asked him, unable to accept it.


    "When have I ever been not serious about things that involves the two of us Aqua?" He asked her back. He took her hands and led her to her Sea Palace for one last time. And he dressed her himself. He removed her clothes slid them down her body, and he slowly out in the gown he handed her. The black gown. Aqua looked into his eyes, who gazed back at her. The eyes told her everything. "We are in it together, don''t ever think you are alone," he whispered in her ears," which tickled her a little as his breath touched her ears. She have a smile and looked at herself in the mirror. He hugged her from the back and placed a kiss on her neck. She stood up and put on the Tiara he handed her. And she walked straight to the court. She opened the door, and stood there, making all the eyes turn towards her.


    "Aqua," king Aenon stood up front his throne. "No,"

 Chapter 173: Accuses and Charges

    "What are you doing?" King Aenon asked her. Her mother next to him. Down the platform stood his uncle, aunt and cousin Aiden, the Grand Prince.


    Volca who saw Aqua walking into the hall while she was sitting beside her father, Emperor Tai. She immediately stood up, shocked. She did not expect that. This was not what she planned in her head for the day.


    "What the hell Aqua?" She asked and walked towards her. Aqua but stopped Volca, asking her the action to move aside. Volca without hesitation, obeyed her.


    "Am here as the accused before the law, I want to hear it all, before the heavens kick me out, I want to know why, and exactly why from you, your highness," she spoke in a cool manner and kept walking towards the the platform where her family sat.


    And she bowed. Paying her respect to the elders.


    Nobody did it back. Aqua smirked. She stood there bravely, on her own, all alone, except Huo''er to back her. The one person who supported her. And had the guts to.


    "Aqua, it''s not the time yet, step aside, and let your sister take the throne," Her mother, Queen Rivera said to her. She was sweating all over, her face tensed.


    "Oh yes, why not," she shrugged and stood there itself. There was heavy lightening and thunder outside. She stood there with a stone cold heart. The nature backing her up reacting with her unfair dethroning ceremony.


    "The doors opened and Milan entered. The princess, the Fox Queen, in a lime green gown with silver and white flowers embroidered in the gown, a train 5 meters longs behind her. She indeed looked marvellous. And Aqua was happy for her sister. But she did not like the fact that they hid it from her. She still could not understand why.


    "Here comes Milan, the Crown Princess of Water Realm, the protector of the Water Woods, the Fox Queen, the epitome of perfect heart," there it was announced by a eunuch, who initiated the ceremony. Aqua stood there proudly with tears in her eyes. Milan looked at her right, as she walked, looking for Aqua and found her. Her eyes grew wide in shock, seeing her in a black gown. She gasped. Milan''s eyes filled with tears quickly. She then looked straight in front of her. She was doing what her parents asked her to, though she was not interested in it. She hated that she is taking the throne away from the real princess and the most powerful one in Water Realm. Her heart was constantly worried. But she believed that she had no choice.


    The drums were beaten aloud by the guards, giving a mass welcome for the new crown princess. Aqua had no idea how she decided to survive through the moment. She kept taking deep breaths and exhaling.


    ********


    Huo was yet to enter the hall. He was waiting for the right moment when it comes to his Aqua and not meddle with the internal issue of the heavens until even though he had the invitation to the coronation ceremony of Milan. He disliked them all. He did. Pretty strongly, to have avoided the eldest daughter whether they had anything going on in their mind or not, Huo hated that they did not trust Aqua enough with the matters and decided to kick her out, holding her as prisoner away from home and not even inform her about her getting dethroned. The very thought angered him. Huo''er saw that the winds were getting stronger rains falling hard on the ground, the sky going dark. The shenlong had been wronged. It was the shenlong rising up ready to bring chaos any moment. Huo wondered if Aqua would let it happen or control it herself.


    Suddenly Huo turned around and saw a surprise.


    "What are you doing here?" He asked.


    "I could not stay back at the castle, restless heart," he said and smiled.


    "Old heart, you should have stayed back," King Huo said.


    "Ever green heart, not old yet,"


    General Hawk sneaked into the palace at the right time. Huo did not summon him but General Hawk came on his own, since his King decided to take the trouble on his shoulders all by himself. He could not sit still and watch anything happening again.


    "How is she?" He asked the Demon King.


    "Cannot say yet, anything could happen," he informed General Hawk.


    "Are you sure about it?" General Hawk aksed him back.


    "When have I ever been not so sure about Aqua?" Huo asked back, raising his voice a little.


    "Have you imagined about the possible resistance, hatred and situation that might arise from this one move you make, or let''s say you have made already?" General Hawk tired to force Huo''er to back out from his decision. But he did not. "Are you not worried that this could turn into being enemies? And start from level 1 from the scratch to develop the better relations?


    "Uncle Hawk, you know life is never fair. And in this unfair process of living, let me do what I should to protect what I love the most," he said smiling. The bang of the drums echoed and reverberated. It was understood. The part of coronation had begun.


    ******


    Aqua smiled. She kept feeling proud of her sister Milan. Emperor Tai sat there relaxed while Volca''s neart danced inside her. Aiden stood there proudly, his head held high. It was evident that if her decides to get married to the crown princess, he would definitely become the crown prince and not just that but he would become one of the guardians and ruler along with Fox Queen.


    ********


    Milan was not enjoying it exactly. She kept turning around and went on looking at Aqua often who applauded just like others. Everyone say silently once the banging of the drum stopped.


    "Milan, take your oath," the Water King said.


    "I Milan, of Water Realm, the second princess, the Fox Queen, the protector of the universe, the guardian of water woods here by promise to take the throne of Water Realm as the descendant and the rightful heir to throne. I declare that here by I will obey all the rules, regulations and law of Water Realm and heavens equally. Treat the citizens with love and care, looking after what they want and solving the problem, follow the footsteps of ancestors," she finished saying the oath but she was least welcome by the nature st that time. She met glancing at her sister sho stood with a satisfaction and she did not look and well Milan knew it well. She so much wished to spend time with her sister, but it no longer looked possible with the new lives they would be leading.


    "I want my sister to place the crown in my head," she requested. All the heads turned towards Aqua who wiped ber tears immediately. Aqua walked forward without hesitation. She climbed up the platform, she took the crown offered and placed then rightly on top of her head. Her hands shivered a little. Milan then rose and extended her arms where the sceptre was handed over to her. She took them and showed the people sitting before.


    ********


    Aqua stepped back and stood in the front soon the ceremony ended. There were many people missing. Looked like people were leaving earlier than expected showing the resistance to the decisions made in the Kingdom.


    "Let us being the ceremony of dethroning Aqua Now," The King said. He looked calm.


    Loud voices raised inside the hall, the murmurs that disturbed everyone.


    "Silence,".Emperor ordered everyone to keep silence. And it began.


    "Aquamarine, the former crown princess of Water Realm and the first born of Water King Aenon, did several crimes and broke numerous laws of heaven.


    She was found to have attacked The Celestial Emperor and his family at first in the execution platform and later inside the court room few months later, princess Aqua chose to kill innocent people in the name of protecting people, she is guilty attacked the guards and heavenly troops in the masses, she attacked and threatened the Earth King Zidan who forgave Aqua from his part. Aqua chose to walk the path of chaos to achieve her goals at any cost and forgot about the state of being a princess on her days. She defied the ancestors. She disobeyed the elders and did not respect nor remained as the crown princess of Water Realm when the Realm was in trouble. Auqamairne illegally read people''s mind and hacked into lives. Aqua also joined hands with the Demon Realm which resulted in the worst fight amongst the clans, hence from today onwards, Aquamarine will no longer be part of Water Realm, inherit the throne nor step inside the borders of heaven, banishing her forever"


    the king went on. And it was lupsetting Aqua more and more.


    She felt silly and stood with the head held high, not one stated in her sentence was done in a selfish motive for her in all the laws she broke.


    "Tell me, why did you not tell me about this?"


    "It''s a direct order,".Water King Kept replying the same thing.


    "Was this the place I had in the family?" She aksed him. "I do not care whether am a princess or not , all I wanted was some compassion,"


    "Aqua, language," Queen Rivera got up from the seat shouting at her daughter. "How dare you?"


    ********

 Chapter 174: Goodbye

    "Huo''er, i think it''s time, her punishment has been declared, go in," General Hawk said.


    "Hmm yes, wait here do not come in, I will get her, and we will go home, if she is willing to," he said and walked away.


    "Let''s hope for the best," he said from the back as Huo left.


    Huo''er stood in front of the door, and they opened once again. The aura that attracted many. The Demon King made a great entry, and walked in. Straight towards the throne where King Aenon and family stood.


    "She will not shut her mouth," he said. "Not any longer, for you," Aqua looked to her left where he stood next to her soon. She looked at him face, glowing but full of fury, a dragon''s fury is never an easy one to over come.


    "King Huo," Aenon said.


    "Is it not over yet?" Huo but asked this straight.


    "What are you upto?" Queen Rivera asked Aqua who did not stop him.


    "Why does it matter to you?" She asked back.


    "Aqua," Queen Rivera called out loud.


    "Listen to me," she said to everyone. "Your highness, do you remember the first time I held this sword in my hand?" She asked her father, who looked at her. "Do you remember what you taught me that day?"


    King Aenon did not say a word. But Aqua continued. "To not give up on what you feel is right," she smirked. She took few steps forward. "I know everything I did is right, I know every I did for my family is clear to everyone and I know very well that how everybody forced me to make choices I did not want to in the first place from my very young age, you and you," she pointed with her sword and ar her father and Emperor Tai. "You two are solely responsible for my nerve wrecking unhappy life, which I will no longer forgive or forget, living for the greater cause?" She asked. "Yes I am still living for the greater cause, but only that the cause altered but I will work for it, there is no turning back any longer," she said firmly. "Papa you must know what your so called daughter would have chose if she was in your position," she said looking at her father with tears whelming her eyes.


    "Aqua it''s enough, we have to wrap up the trail," King Aenon said to her.


    "Aneyo," she rejected the idea. "I want to speak my mind today, before I leave this place forever, " She took one more step forward. "If i were given your position, unlike you, I would have held my country close, family closer. Pa you should know, it wouldn''t have mattered to me if I was kicked out, but it did when you hid this all from me, treating me like a stranger, showing me that I no longer have rights to be included in any sort of official matters. I had an experience recently," she said, looking at the Beast King. "Somebody severely mistreated me with an attitude, forgetting the fact that I had spend my days in pain, while i tried to cure his son, I decided I would never step into the Realm again," Beast King was shocked and embarrassed when everybody stared at him. King Aenon did not expect that. He got upset, and disappointed at his best friend. "I was meaning to say, I will no longer let it bother me, because my own family did not value me enough, to hold me close, how would a stranger who shares zero connection with me except depend on my powers would understand me?" Aqua simply insulted everyone with true facts. Huo stared her, when she revealed the fact. He then shot a look at the Beast King.


    "Aqua," Milan called her. But Aqua stopped her.


    "Pa, the righteous man lived the most righteous way, but he was great failure when it came to his family, he failed to protect his fmaily the vultures, his daughter from the dangers, from the unnecessary stress at a young age for a man who was not worthy enough and a lost cause of his, he failed to uphold the right and bring the justice, he was a righteous man in the history but only in the pages, not in his heart, never in his heart, for what the daughter has always seen through it, the righteous man was alright in the heart of millions, but severely failed in one''s, and that is.." she stopped she did not have the power to keep attacking her father with her knife sharp words. She could see him sweating hard. Huo walked towards her and took her hands.


    "The universe ditched her, but the Hell will not, if you claim that she is a criminal, then I claim that there is no man in this world as righteous as she is, not even you," he said without flinching at the Water King. "You would not need her, but I do, and I will protect her with everything I have, Heaven has lost a dragon as powerful as the spiritual dragon, the nature will punish you all and the greater gods will learn a lesson this time, wait for the rewards," he said. Aqua looked at him and he looked at her. The blazing fire around him and the crystal blaze around her scared everyone present in the hall. They stood face to face.


    "It''s over, let''s go," he said. "The trail ends here," he shouted.


    "How dare you decide that?" Emperor Tai screamed and got up from the seat. It was not going as he expected it to be. He took his golden sword out threw at Huo who looked up slowly and the sword stopped right there. It did. He walked forward and the sword moved backward.


    "The golden sword will listen only to it''s TRUE owner, you either have not learnt to control it after all these years, or this is simply not the golden sword. Come on, do share the truth with," Huo mocked him. He took the sword and observed it careful. The sharp blade with scriptures, the golden handle and its heat. "Not bad," he said nodding his head and swiflty he threw the sword back at Emperor Tai which shocked everyone, by the difference of a millimetre, the sword missed him and it went straight to the pillar behind him. Everyone made noises and gasped. The guards assembled and circled around Huo and Aqua. Huo smiled. It was getting interesting. General Devon and his troop ran inside to attack the Demon King and the title less Aqua.


    "Should we show them a good time?" He asked Aqua for permission.


    "I have got nothing to lose," she said and withdrew her sword.


    "Then I will take that as a yes," he said and withdrew his soul sword out. Aqua no longer had patience in her seeing the troops of Tai rushing towards then like crazy to kill them both.


    "I want to see the body of the two with their heads separated from their body,'' Emperor Tai shouted at the guards. King Aenon stood there looking at his family wondering what to do. Then king Aenon opened the roof of the court. The sharp sunlight entered the hall from the above that tickled the eyes of the soldiers. His eyes searched for Aqua who was on a killing streak. He eyes Aiden and asked him to her out of the place. But when Aiden approached her, he had to fight her.


    "Listen to me, Aqua," he said.


    "Don''t ever call me that again," she warned him.


    "No you are wrong, you got it all wrong," he tired to speak with her. But she had no will to listen to him.


    "I dislike you, Just as much as I once loved you, right now at this moment, Aiden, so never show up in front of me again," Aqua was ruthless and chose not to forgive anyone in her life.


    "Why can you not accept the fact that we are trying to come up with a plan," he finally spit it out unable to stand her misunderstood hatred towards them.


    "Am not buying it," she said and kept attacking him, while he kept defending her moves. It was getting harder and harder. And Huo suddenly grabbed her and moved her away, pushing Aiden off.


    "You stay out off this," he said. "This is my family matter, " Aiden warned Huo.


    "I am her only family," Huo said and landed an attack on him. Aiden tired his to resist.


    "Oh crap," he said and fell down, the soul sword winded him on his abdomen a little. Huo immediately withdrew immediately and let him go. "Learn it yourself then," he said and rested a little. Huo grabbed Aqua and he floated.


    "Say goodbye," he said to her. He grinned. Feeling too excited to have her all by himself at the moment. Everyone who stood there watched the two. Aqua smiled a little and kissed his irresistible lip quickly. "Goodbye,"


    "That''s my girl," he said and pulled her closer. And they vanished into thin air.


    "Aqua stop," King Aenon shouted. But it was too late. Aqua was longer in heaven.

 Chapter 175: The Actual Reason

    The soldiers stood there looking for King Huo''er and the shenlong Aqua. They were nowhere to be seen. They appeared to have disappeared, apparating. No one had a clue about everything that happened inside the court room for few minutes. Emperor Tai was fuming with anger and stepped out.


    "You will learn for this, don''t forget," he warned King Aenon and walked away. "What are you waiting for? Come," he screamed at Volca who was still shocked at everything that happened.


    She followed her father. And they decided to leave the palace together. His only aim was to corner Aqua and kill her. But it was thoroughly spoiled by Demon King. He thought the Water Royals kept her in the house, when he searched for her she was not seen anywhere until he stepped inside the court. He was trapped then. But he did not understand why the family avoided her too. That gave him a confidence to land an attack on her. But that was a flop too.


    He could not understand why every single plan of his turns out to be useless. It raised his rage. It created the way for the demonic cultivation in him to come out. Volca saw the veins popping in his forehead and eyes turning black. But she ignored them. She prayed for someone to show up in front of them.


    Her prayers were heard. While taking the shortcut to exit the palace, Aiden appeared in front of them suddenly. Volca sighed with relief. And he noticed the dark weird eyes of Emperor Tai. The wind blew strongly that, and the rain began to pour down.


    "Move away," Tai ordered him.


    "It''s dangerous to leave the Water Realm right now your higness, retrieve," he said back.


    But Emperor Tai did not listen to the Grand Prince and apparated along with his daughter. Aiden failed to stop them. But he witnessed what he should. He ran back to the court where his family sat devastated, losing a family member. He informed them what he had seen. "He has demonic cultivation inside him, he has crossed the limits and broken all the rules, we did wrong, we not lost our strength but also the the trust, we made all the wrong moves, we have offended Aqua and Huo, we were so wrong, our plans have failed, we can no longer defeat Tai," he said and dropped on his keens, holding on to the wound Huo gave him. Milan rushed towards him. And touched his arms. He made a light sound. ''Aaghh.." he moaned.


    "Come with me," she said to him.


    King Aenon looked defeated and lost. Queen Rivera in tears, unable to stop crying. The picture of Huo holding their daughter, she kissing him and the two leaving saying goodbye kept flashing before her eyes. "We wronged our daughter, we wronged our first born, our only girl and hurt her bad, we should have known, we should have told her. We should have told her that we expelled her to let her run wild and take care of Emperor Tai, we should have warned her to remember her way back to her home and her throne, but instead we hurt her and met her choose the Demons, we showed her heaven is unfair, we are at fault, the shenlong will never forgive us," Queen Rivera went on.


    "I am the one responsible for this, if she has put on the black cloak, keeping the white aside, it means she is fed up, and hatred filled her heart, she is sensible, she would not have done it easily, she must have felt bad, a really lot that led her to choose the sides. Her love saved her, it''s only natural for the love birds to get together," King Aenon replied back to his wife.


    "Let''s stop talking about who did wrong and who was right and find a solution to bring our girl back home," Prince Adrian said.


    "He is right, stop aching and crying, and start planning. She is important, she is our blood, we cannot lose her, how do we get her back?" Princess Krystal tired to console her sister in law, the Water Queen. "Relax sister, we will take back what''s ours, we will get your daughter back, we will fight for this, and fight against every single unfair beings,"


    "Emperor Tai has accepted Demonic ways, he is no longer fit to sit in the throne and ruin the universe, we should find a remedy," Prince Adrian said.


    "But we need a Phoenix, we were close to finding the answer, only Aqua knows what exactly happened, she went in search and she knows whether the Phoenix exists or not," Queen Rivera said.


    "Why did you not ask before Brother?" Princess Krystal asked her brother, King Aenon.


    "Because we were busy planning to let her out free, we could not tell this to anybody everyone not only misunderstood but also feel bad for her,'' Water King explained.


    "Oh," Krystal replied. "So she also did not tell you?"


    "We never let her approach us, avoiding her, since the battle on the day she returned, we got busy preparing for the ceremony," Queen Rivera said.


    "It''s a dumb excuse, but anyway sister, we have made the mistake, she is right, every word she uttered, she is right, you know it well," Krystal got up and she walked towards her husband.


    The two left the King and Queen alone. Every single guest had left the moment the fight began, even the beast king and officials from Wind Realm, Prince Ash witnessed it all and left silently. He had nothing to say. King Zidan decided to not show up, unable to watch Aqua sent away but instead he sent the decree were he forgave her. But nothing worked in the end.


    King and Queen looked at each other. He walked towards his wife and hugged her. "Forgive me," he said. "I made wrong moves this time, I should not have, i should have listened to you when you came and reported me about the question she asked you in the room, we should have stopped that day itself,"


    "Everything happens for a reason, let us think that way Aenon, let us think that way," she said and wiped her tears.


    *********


    *********


    Aiden laid on the bed in the dim lit room of his. He wanted to rest for sometime. Milan assisted him. The new crown princess of the Water Realm. It all still felt like a nightmare for her. A nightmare where her family has broken into pieces. But it was all happening.


    "You look troubled Milan," Aiden commented looking at him woman.


    "Hmm..." she said and got some white clean clothes and ripped them to dress Aiden''s wounds.


    "Don''t worry," he said. "Sounds silly does it not?"


    "It does," Milan smiled a little and said to him.


    "I kept avoiding Aqua because I was sure of myself spilling the truth to her. One conversation would have been enough for me. But I guess I should have let that happen,"


    "That was my problem too, I did not think about it to the level where sister would feel abandoning and take a stand against the family, it''s pretty shocking, brother in law was simply wow, coming to rescue sis, i never ever imagined anything that happened today," she said and looked outside. It was still raining. With heavy thunders and lightening. The candles were lit all around the palace. "Even the nature looks angry," she smirked. "Goddess is definitely angry,"


    "It will be fine, soon," he said taking her hands in his, and kissed the back of her hands. "I have hinted the two anyway, they will definitely feel doubtful,"


    "Really?" Milan was surprised. "Will she come back then?" She began to get excited.


    "The part am not sure of, I cannot take the image off my mind, the way she entered the court, opening the doors, and walking in in that heavy black dress, beautiful yes, but was it a right thing? No, it makes me wonder, whether she really gave up her life as an angel and accepted the Demon or if it''s just to fool us all,"


    "I felt the same Aiden," Milan agreed with him.


    "Let''s hope that it''s not the case," Aiden sighed and moved towards Milan who sat next to him. He kept his head on her lap and laid silently. He slowly drifted off to sleep. Milan was tired herself and she also decided to catch up with her sleep for sometime. But her clothes were wet and she decided to change them, and she chose Aidan clothes from his wardrobe.


    She took a bed spread and put them on the floor below coat and she laid there. She wanted the sleep desperately either. She closed her eyes and drifted of to dream land. A place that tempted her the most. Where her sister and her self went hunting and came back victoriously, it warmed the heart of the Fox Queen. She did not wish to wake up and remained asleep for a long time than she intended to. Seeing this, Aiden got up from his bed, covered her in quilt. He had no time to rest, with the mission he had taken upon himself. He got ready and put on the ninja costume of his, the purple hanfu and stepped out of the room. Surprises awaited him.

 Chapter 176: Settling in with the King

    The gates of hell opened, to the Demon clan. Huo leading the way. It was a scene to be seen. A glorious King walking in with his woman in his hands, winning her fair and square in the Forbidden love. Aqua demanded the Demon King to put her down, and there she stood on her feet. She had no idea about her own feeling, if she is willing to accept the invitation to live in the Demon Realm. She just stood, still and looked at the people who stared, all the demons, paying their attention towards them. Huo took the first step and got inside the gates. And he turned to look at Aqua, extending his arms for her to take and walked with him.


    She did. She held his hands and she stepped inside the hell. She looked back for a moment and the doors closed behind them giving her only little glimpses of the outside. The guards assembled back and went back to their duty of guarding the gates.


    "You okay?'' He asked her as he noticed her watching outside.


    "Hmm.." she smiked timely and nodded her head.


    "It will be fine, stay here now, as long you want, and disturb me all the time, I am not going to force anything on you," he promised her and gave her his words.


    "Yes," that''s all she said.


    They continued walking down the road. There were shops and markets on either side of the road. Heaven and hell are so every different the way everything is arranged.


    "There are more people living in hell than heaven, the populations us great but thank god to the layers and sections," he kept talking to her who looked extremely tired.


    He put his arms around her and supported as her she walked. She could feel the change in nature that drained her energy at the same time since the shenlong had been woken.


    "Aqua, where do you wish to stay here in Hell," he asked her before she comes up with any ideas.


    "Definitely not the palace," she said.


    "But how will I like take care of you?" To this Aqua laughed out loud.


    "Come on Huo, am not a baby," she closes her eyes and laughs butast the same, something flew towards her. She screamed a little suddenly, covering her face with both hands of her. It was another owl. "Uff,'' she said. "That owl landed on Huo''er hand and he took the letter out. He let fly back and it left. But he did not read. He just kept them safe and he let the conversation continue.


    "So this is you not being childish I see," he teased her and they laughed out loud.


    "Am afraid if they come towards me," she told him.


    They reached the Demon''s Castle soon. He took care of few stuff while Aqua went around places. She walked over to cliff and sat there. She had no idea what to do, about where to live but sure of one thing that she cannot entirely lean on Huo who already has enough going on inside his.


    She sat there with a blank. She chose not to think about her life. To not think about family. She sat there feeling tired and immersed herself into a power nap. That''s what what she wanted.


    She drifted off to sleep a little and she forgot about the place she was sitting.


    Couple of hours later, she found herself lying on the shoulders of a man, her own man. Huo appeared to be resting along with her. Her head resting against his chest. She smiled and continued napping. He kissed her forehead and let her be.


    "Let''s go find a house for me," she said inbetween her nap.


    "In the outskirts? Near me?" He asked her.


    "Anywhere," she said. He leaned and and placed a kiss on her cheeks that tickled her and they sat there. An hour later, he led her the way in town, walking around. She found an inn. She liked it since its a very crowded place and looked at him. The two of them were in disguise and he walked into the inn with her. Looking around it. A normal inn with a large room with a kitchen along. The furniture were old but neat and polished. The wardrobe all well arranged.


    "Let''s take this," she said.


    "Okay , as you wish," he said and shrugged. "Remember to come back to the castle any time you want, the doors are open for you," he reminded her again and again still afraid to leave her on her own. He stayed around her itself while she did some shopping. He helped her carry things back to her room. It was already evening by then. The moon looked bright and beautiful. It looked as if it''s too near them and that she could grab them any time she jumps up the sky.


    Aqua prepared a porridge in the room itself, refusing to go outside the room, go downstairs and order food. She served him who still tagged along with her. But she was glad about it. Glad that he stayed driving her thoughts away.


    Aqua spend sometime cleaning while Huo arranged some books and stationary for her. He took a book and settled down on the floor, her read them. Soon after work, Aqua changed into a black and white night gown of chifon fabric and walked towards Huo''er. She settled down next to him on the floor, took another boom and laid there on the floor, reading together. The book she chose was so random. It was talking about the life of a snail. She kept her head on his chest again while he put her arms around her and kept reading the book. He felt the heat of her body against his which made him feel aroused instantly. He turned to her side and pulled her closing, taking the books from her hands. "What are you doing?" She aksed him in surprise, smiling wide.


    "Let''s forget that we exist in this universe for a night," and nibbled her cheeks and neck. It tickled Aqua a lot and but let him play with her. She also wanted it. She also needed it desperately, to be carried away. Sex is not a remedy, but he wished to get lost inside her for sometime before the problems arises. Huo got on top off Aqua. And he took her lips in his, kissing her tenderly. Taking all his time. He kissed her until she was out of her breath Her hands worked on his clothes until she ripped them all open and undressed him. She had a smile on her face, pasted, constantly. She clearly was enjoying the moment, no longer shy, nor afraid. He put his arms around her and lifted her, two of them sitting straight, wrapped in each others arms. The heat was incredible between them. He could see that the swell of her breasts had grown a little bigger. He was proud of his work. He did not have patience. He got up from the floor and carried her to the bed. It is then he undressed her one by one. Her gown, and her lingerie. Practice had made the two them perfect in making love. He watched the naked body lying under him admired the view. He caressed and cupped her various parts letting her moan and whisper his name. Then he leaned down and suckled her nipples for long, both of them, making her cum like that. She was hot and wet instantly. He gave her immense pleasure. She moaned his name constantly. Then he ran his fingers over her inner thighs and slowly touched her part. That sent electricity to all the parts of Aqua''s body. She stretched under his caress and and gripped hard on him. She ended up unintentionally scratching his arms and her back, and squeezing him. Soon he entered her. His classic move in taking her to another world.


    She gasped, it was once again the feeling of it being more than she thought she could handle. "Faster," she said. "Now,"


    He managed to catch up with her multiple orgasms. He found it priceless. The next time, she got on top of him. Leaned down and kissed him real soft, kissing his ears, biting them, kissing his chest and nibbling on his nipples which made him breath fast and a tiny little moan escaped his mouth. She learned to take good care of him like he did on hers. He laid there speechless. Unable to believe that she is taking the lead. It was his first ever experience. Then she let him in, moving in the same place and rhythm.


    Couple of hours later, they laid there looking at the ceiling. Aqua was extremely tired and she drifted off to sleep. While Huo stayed awake. He was aware that she wanted to get lost and take a rest.


    And he made sure that it relaxed her, understanding her intentions, and they did it until she was exhausted and fell asleep. He was sure that she would have gone sore. He watched her sleep. He decided to come up with some official plans. He decided to never let her slip through his fingers. She slept soundly putting her arms around him, lying naked. He covered her in sheets and watched her. His heart was still pounding loud.

 Chapter 177: Poor Volca

    Emperor Tai set out to the Water Palace to see the new progress and know if they had brought Aqua back home. To his surprise, it appeared that King Aenon sticked with the law and really kicked his only blood daughter out of the house, the family, and the realm itself, had out performed the expectations.


    "Greeting to you, your highness," Water king greeted the emperor. Usually nobody speak up but this time since Water King found no other way, welcomed him warmly, without showing any interest or tiredness.


    "You have done a great job! Aenon keep it up," Emperor praised ths Water King. Water King endured what he discussed with Tai. He wanted to know why the Emperor has visited the Water Palace. And he solely began to make moves against Aqua. King Aenon understood this factor since Aiden has already informed to their family about the change of heart.


    "Don''t you think Demons has got great tolerance level, so a s behaving well these Days,'' King Aenon tried to test the water.


    "Yes they are, he replied back a d looked at his daughter. Volca did not mind them, instead looked around the palace.


    "Volca," Emperor Tai called he back. She came towards them slowly.


    "I was mesmerised that''s why," she said an excuse.


    "Please do look around Volca," sha saidnan excuse did not walked with them at all. She did not wish to witness any fight over Aqua again. She felt tired of the visiting of the house too. She knows every inch of the palace, she often visited and learnt, it looked, and their teachings she was taught.


    Emperor Tai nodded his head and let her go. Water King took him to ther court.


    "I did not to spend time with you, I came to see if you are strictly following the law," he said to water king.


    "Your highness, I would never break anything,"


    "And that''s what''s important, alright then," and Emperor Tai stopped walking. "Why has this happened?" He asked out of nowhere. King Aenon did not understand that part.


    "Excuse me," Water King asked again.


    "Nothing," Emperor said quickly and walked again.


    "Volca, let''s go," he called his daughter who was ignoring him well.


    Emperor Tai left just like that getting nothing from the water palace. His destination was to land in hell, to a place where he has things growing, a farm. Volca realised that and remained silent. He took the way to the cliff and apparated from one place to another. They were un disguise already. Volca looked forward the reaction. They reached the cliff and he tried to open the barrier. But nothing happened.


    "What the hell?" Emperor Tai mumbled. Then he managed to do something. "Follow me," he ordered Volca. "Why the hell? Why are there changes? Who had come here? Except me?" He fired a a lot of questions at Volca, in anger.


    "I do not know your highness," he shot a look at her. Emperor Tai kept walking and then suddenly, he stopped. He stood still.


    "Oh no," he said out.


    "What?" She asked back.


    "No, where did it go?" He asked again.


    "What?" Volca pretended. "Pa I don''t get you," she acted well.


    "The farm, my farm," he said and looked around. He rushed in and looked for it, but he failed to find even one slave seed plant. Volca felt victorious about it. She had never had such a great experience. She was so proud. And she kept thinking about Demon King and General Hawk who shared this success with her.


    Emperor Tai lost his control and screamed. It was nothing but a vast waste land before him with not even a grass growing there.


    "Pa," she tried to console him.


    "Let me go," he said and pushed her away. Volca fell on the ground with a thud. "Who leaked the information, I am going to find out, how could they take my money and just betray me, mindless bastards," he kept scolding and cursing, waiting for an opportunity.


    "Pa, pa relax " she kept telling him. Emperor Tai then grabbed her by her hair. And he pulled her closer and checked on her. "Where is your seed?" He asked her.


    She has no idea about what to do.


    "What seed?" She asked him back, trying to lose his hands over her hair. He plucked a few hair strands out of her head. It got Volca furious. She had to use her powers and push him away. "Behave properly," she warned him. "What seed are you talking about?" She asked again.


    But he was not willing to say about it. He turned away. And he took her hands and apparated back to the palace. Volca felt confused and dizzy with the apparating. She almost threw up. He opened the trap door in his chamber and walked into it, holding her in his hands. He called the most trusted guards of his along with him. Emperor had his doubts clearly on her since he remembered well how he confided every single thing to his daughter. He seal her powers and it was unexpected from his side. Volca was shocked and trapped.


    "Let me go what are you doing?" She asked him. He pushed her into the underground chamber and let the two guards manage her. The took her hands and dragged her. She felt weak. They tied her up and she could not move a bit. Both her hands hung up. Emperor Tai took a whip and walked around her. She knew that she is in serious trouble. But she had no clue about his way of punishment. The most embarrassing one. He set the guards undress themselves. And they approached her. Volca screamed her lungs out. "Move away," she said. She tried fighting as she could.


    "You think I would not know about what you have done?" He asked her. The guards stood next to her and and started caressing her body. Volca hated it.


    "Stop it," she said. But nobody listened.


    "If not you, who else knew about this place?" He aksed her, smiling. "You are the only one I informed about the existence of this cliff, how come it is destroyed?" One of the guards unhooked her dress and ripped them open, flashing her body. She was embarrassed and hurt. Her father the so called fake Phoenix stood there watching this happening to her daughter. Letting two random men molesta and abuse her. "Move away," she kept resisting. The more she resisted, the painful it got. One of the guards squeezed her breast suddenly and slapped it, which give her a sharp pain, and she cried out loud.


    "Leave me, go," The other one squeezed the other breats. Then the guard took the whip from king and gave her a lash with it. "Arghh..." she screamed. It was painful. And she failed to unseal her powers. The skin tore a little, bleeding where she was hit. The guard kept squeezing the breats as if he was kneeding a dough, crazily, to make her tremble with pain. She bit her lips and controlled her tears. Emperor Tai turned away. "Call me, scream out loud when you are willing to tell me the truth," he said and left. "Continue boys," he said and walked back up to his chamber. The guards were having the best times of their lives. She identified the slave seed activated in them. They were possessed and that''s why they kept attacking her. One man sucked her breasts and pinched her real bad. Then undressed themselves and she could see the Marks of the whiplash on their body too. She tired to avoid them by moving and kicking. But they were too strong for her to handle. She felt disgusted to have a father like him, who sold his daughter away to two possessed men. One man held on to her tight, from her back and she could feel him pressing against her. He was hard already. "Let me go," she tired to jerk him off as he kissed her neck, and slapped her butt cheek. But it did not work. The other guy in the front leaned down and placed his head between her thighs. He kissed and but her clitoris and hurt her. She bled there a little too. He then found his way inside and inserted his hand in her which almost killed her. She bled. He removed his hands and held her hips. He scratched her glass like pale skin. There were tears in her eyes.


    How can a father let this happen to his daughter, what a devil, the worst kind. She hated everything. She got extremely angry and used all her strength. She unsealed her powers. She cut the ropes tied on her hands and she let herself loose. The man held her tight from the back. But she managed to move and kick him away. "Damn it," she said. She turned him unconscious and destroyed the seed inside him. Her father''s way of activating the seed in her did not work this time.


    Then she looked at the another man, who stood with weapons in his hands. She had to fight him a lot since he was really strong, standing naked. She took his hand pulled him and punched his face straight. The man bled his nose and lips instantly. And she gave him a shock treatment using her powers. He also fell unconscious on the ground. Volca exhaled, she panted hard and was still bleeding. She was ashamed, and frustrated. She understood how the similar thing happened to her before and ended up killing three innocent guards. She decided to revenge. "No I do not deserve such bad treatment from any one," she said. She looked for some weapons and equipped herself with it. "Wait and see," she put on her clothes and walked towards the entrance.

 Chapter 178: Volcas choice

    Volca marched back into the room. There was no one. She walked over to the wardrobe and found clothes to cover her naked self. She had the sword in her hands. She wanted to looked for Tai, her disgusting father. He was nowhere to be seen. She could not ask the guards either.


    She searched the whole of the Celestial Palace and even the pavilions. He was not there. Suddenly something grabbed him from the above. It lifted her. A giant bird. She struggled but also got scared affairs of falling down from a great height. Thus she remained still and calm. She identified it as the Phoenix. Tai''s original form. He took her to a top of the mountain. It looked like a haunted placed. He threw her inside a cave and he landed on the ground coming back to his human form. He looked a little weak.


    "You are a fool," he scolded her.


    "You are a bastard," she said openly, without fear and spit on his face. "How dare you set up people to hurt me?"


    "Yes you proved yourself that you are a fool just like your mother, all about love and shit not realizing the truth about the cruel world.


    "But at the least we are not cruel like you,"


    "Look who is talking about cruelty," he said and laughed out loud. "As if you have not attacked and killed people," listening to this, Volca went crazy.


    "Shut the fuck up," she shouted. "Shut up, shut up, shut up," she screamed.


    "Babao, look at me," he said and pulled her closer, holding her chin.


    "Huo is really using you," he said.


    "Stop," she said back.


    "He used you all these years, but what did you do?" He asked. "You still help him, you help him destroy the farm, do you think that he would feel soft for you and fall in love if you help him?" He smiled. "You are only helping him win, and live with Aqua, go see what he is doing with her right now, he will be making love, but you, you were getting punished," he added fire in her heart. "You either work for me, or die here today, I don''t want a shameless daughter, go to where your mother is, help me kill Aqua, I will give him it you, or die," he said and let her go. He apparated and left knowing her decision.


    ********


    ********


    Aqua wrapped the sheets around her and stepped out of the bed. She watched him sleep for sometime and then she sat on the window sill looking outside, watching the busy street bustling with demons. She smiled and sat there.


    Days passed, then months. Aqua would sit on the window sill every morning and watch the people. Huo would walk towards her, give her a tight back hug, plant a kiss on her head, have breakfast with her and leave to palace.


    Soon Aqua began to work as a dress maker. People stacked in front her shoo she rented every day. Aqua was always good at designing hence she decided to make a living out of it. She hid her identity well and lived among the demons as a Demon itself. Nobody found out anything. Huo would soktoems visit her shop during his free time in disguise and help her as he could. But since he knew nothing about it all he took care was making her eat on time, feeding her and kissing her in every opportunity he would manage to get.


    "Is he your husband? He is very affectionate, why don''t shut down the shop for a day and spend time with him, my clothes can wait," a lady Demoness said to her.


    "Tell her that aunty, educate her, am starving for her but she is married to her works not me," he complained. Aqua laughed out loud.


    "Fine we will go home early today? Okay?" He asked her. To him past one week felt ages. She has been busy with her work that she has not let him stay the nights, pulling an all nighter to deliver the clothes on time. People adored her and paid more than she set the rate. She was making good profits. More importantly she was happy. There were no duties, no hardships, no need to be alert all the time, no enemies, no formalities to follow, no rules, and nobody to control her or watch her. Water King did send the spies to watch on her and save her whenever she is in trouble, but she wa shapoy and there were no troubles around her in Demon Realm under King Huo who looked after her like a precious treasure, like his own life protecting her his own way with his team.


    "Come, let''s go," Aqua said closing down the shop. Huo got up and held her hands, walking around the street having dinner with her, having few drinks and living a normal life outside palace like regular civilians, so in love. He never showed his worry outside, about her opinion on moving in with him, about the opinion of becoming his queen, becoming the mother of his children. He was afraid to ask her since she had requested him to let her free for some time. So he wanted her to be free as she wants to before she also arrives at a decision.


    "Wow this rice wine is too strong," she said feeling little drunk.


    "That''s enough," he said and took the shot glass from her hand and kept the wine far away from her reach. "Let get back to out inn." He helped her stand up, and then he knelt down asking her to get on his back. He carried her and give her a piggy back ride. He could sense his heart pounding in the same rhythm as hers. He felt hot and ticklish as her breath touched his hers and her lip brushed along. He exhaled. "Aqua, are you doing that purposefully?" He asked her.


    "Doing what?" She asked back.


    "Nothing," he said. It is then she really played with him. She bit his year a little and ran her hand into his cloak.


    "Ohoo," he said. "Now I know," he instead of walking, immediately apparated right into their inn. He closed the door behind his and settled her down in the bed. But she sat up. She removed her ornaments, her cloak, her gown, her lingerie and she sat naked in front of him. He looked all over her for some moment, like it''s his first time. "When do you wish to start a family of our own with me?" He asked her in a husky voice. She smiled and pulled him closer. She leaned his head against hers. She asked. "When do you wish to?"


    "Its my thought in every second of my life," he confessed.


    "Then try me," she whispered and bit his lips.


    "A prince or a princess?" He aksed her.


    "Both," she replied, smiling as she kissed him.


    "I am on it," he said but she grabbed and pressed him, teasing him. "Its not in my control, he said and leaned on top if her, laying her back on the bed. He kissed her, and began playing with her, making love tenderly, and with full of jus love for her. The moonlight shined bright outside. Couple of hiurs6later after all the sex, they laid in each others arms wrapped up, looking at the ceiling.


    "Marry me," he proposed the way he thought he is best. He looked at her. "Marry me, I cannot live a minute without you, please marry me,"


    She smiled and hugged him. She gave a quick kiss and said, "yes,"


    At the same time, some one barged into the room, breaking the door.


    "We need you, help us," the intruder said. It was a female voice. She then took the veil off her head and there stood Aqua''s sister, Milan, alone, pleading to her sister.


    "Milan," she sat up, covering herself in the quilt. "What are you doing here at this late hour?"


    "Help me, help us, we have to defeat them,"


    She went on.


    "Who?" Aqua got serious and stood up from the bed. Huo along with her.


    "Tai," Milan said the name.


    "What did he do?" Aqua enquired.


    "He is no longer an angel, his heart has changed, he accepted the demonic way and is sitting in the heavenly throne," Aqua grew furious. She then realized. "Why should I help after I got kicked out?''


    "You misunderstood our intentions Aqua," Milan walked towards her.


    "Come on, let''s kill Volca and Tai, Volca is growing into great power," Milan went on. Aqua noticed that her sister is not wearing the crown. She looked closely. "Don''t you think they all wronged you? Don''t you want to kill them?" Aqua chuckled.


    "Killing then will not be enough for me You know that," Aqua said looking in to her eyes. "I want to rip his head off his body, and also hers, slash her throat and watch while she begs for her life,'' Aqua said. She said and withdrew Huo''er''s soul sword from the near by table and stabbed right in her abdomen. Blood oozed out from the woukd and her nose and mouth.


    "Aqua," Huo shouted.


    "Sis," Milan said and fell down on the floor.

 Chapter 179: The Shapeshifter

    Volca was left with no choice. No options. But one. Just one. And that was to follow the paths of the fake Phoenix. His words did sound like facts, where sheet herself be fooled by Huo in the name of love, again and again.


    She did feel ashamed of it. But love kept her going. She did every shit all for the sake of her, that one day he would be hers. But except that, everything else happened. She screamed her lungs out standing inside that cave. "Damn my life," she screamed. "Fuck everyone, am going to kill each of you," she made noise until her throat hurt. Emperor Tai heard this from the dis8and smiled.


    "Yes come to my way now, dear useless daughter," he said and flew away.


    Volca sat there cross legged, crying out loud. The confusions killed her real bad. "Huo," she shouted. "Why?" She kept questioning. "Why just why? Why can''t you for once have affection for me?" She felt terrible. "You played me well and good. Now let me show you what it feels like to be played," she said with determination. She stood her legs and converted herself into her real from. The eagle spread its wings and flew away. Flew too far away from heaven, towards hell. Back to her so called home. She was hopeless.


    ********


    ********


    Emperor Tai was happy and excited about all the wickedness he haa done to his daughter. "Fiona you hid her from me, but I have her in my fingers now, I will show you the puppetry am going to stage soon," he said out loud and smiled, sitting in the lotus pavilion behind his bed chamber. A dreadful as he is, he had nothing to fear about anymore except one thing. He still could not tell where things went wrong in the execution platform while killing the water royals having no idea that they had consumed the atropa belladonna pills which will put them to deep sleep but not die.


    He punched the table and drank his wine. He was suddenly craving for grilled chicken and he summoned the kitchen maids to prepare him the food. And he waited for Volca all along. She did not appear before him though. But he was sure about the decision. For all the fuel he had added in the fire inside her heart. He understood why Fiona always had control since her daughter was always living under her shades, easy to manipulate. Fiona instead of teaching her daughter to be strong, she taught her daughter to be a slave to a strong person. Tai called him strong.


    ********


    ********


    Huo and Aqua had fun for all the night since she shut down the shop. But she had no idea that she had been followed secretly. Nethier did Huo, letting his guard totally down, confident that nobody would dare come and hurt them.


    They were happy in their own little world. Laying in each others arms, under the bed sheets, watching the sky together outside the window close to their bed in the inn, life looked perfect for a moment. But then it came; the problem. What exactly was it? Let''s see.


    Her sister came for her, pleading for help. She did not look good, and she was not wearing her crown nor tiara. Aqua analysed and observed her well and good. ''Why would she come at this hour? What happened to her? What happened at home? Why do they need my help?'' She wondered sitting on the bed itself. Questions kept rising in her head. She got worried. She looked at Huo, who put on his robe and tied them up.


    "What''s the issue?" He asked her.


    "Help me," she begged again. Milan was in tears and had wounds over her hands and neck.


    "Who attacked you?" Aqua asked.


    "Heavenly troops,"


    "Why would they?" Aqua asked again.


    "They want to take over Water Realm," she answered to the questions on point.


    "We marked it ours again, why would the want it?" Aqua questioned her.


    "I don''t know but we are in desperate need of help, father is injured," she said. Aqua smirked.


    "Father is injured," she repeated the words. "What a wonderful joke!"


    "Am not joking," Milan cried.


    "What a cry baby the princess is!"


    "Stop it Aqua, and come with me," her tone changed. "Help me, help us, we have to defeat them,"She went on.


    "Who?" Aqua got serious and stood up from the bed.


    "Tai," Milan said the name.


    "What did he do?" Aqua enquired.


    "He is no longer an angel, his heart has changed, he accepted the demonic way and is sitting in the heavenly throne," Aqua grew furious. She then realized. "Why should I help after I got kicked out?''


    "You misunderstood our intentions Aqua," Milan walked towards her in a studied gait.


    "Come on, let''s kill Volca and Tai, Volca is growing into great power," Milan went on. Aqua noticed that her sister is using a wooden hair clip. She looked closely and saw a wooden. "Don''t you think they all wronged you? Don''t you want to kill them?" Aqua chuckled.


    "Killing then will not be enough for me You know that," Aqua said looking in to her eyes. "I want to rip his head off his body, and also hers, slash her throat and watch while she begs for her life,'' Aqua said. She said and withdrew Huo''er''s soul sword from the near by table and stabbed right in her abdomen. Blood oozed out from the woukd and her nose and mouth.


    "Aqua," Huo shouted.


    "Sis," Milan said and looked at Aqua in disbelief. "Damn it," she said and drew her sword out. She put with the fight. But she was too bad defending and in attacking. Huo stood there enjoying the show, watching his love fighting as slowly as she could with an amateur shape shifter.


    "Aqua, before she makes another move with all thoughts, let me put on the clothes for you," he joked. Aqua was fighting with the souls sword, with another hand gripped tight in the bed sheet wrapped around her. Huo walked towards her, put his arms around her and lifted her and Aqua kicked right on the head of the shape shifter and she fell on her back. She wore out from the get up of Milan. A demon it was, with two horns on his head. His skin was ice cold. He also had canines. And dark circles under the eyes. "Half vampire he is," Demon King said to Aqua. He managed stand back on his feet and something was shot inside and shape shifter dropped dead. Aqua and Huo immediately turned around to look at who it was who shot the arrow inside. Aqua ran towards the window. But there was no one suspicious there. Huo sat next to the shapeshifter. "Hey, hey, who sent you here?" He asked him. But the shapeshifter took his final breath and died. Huo shook his head and closed his eyes for him. He took a look at things he was carrying around. He found a pouch of gold coins unpacked. He opened them and looked inside. A mixture of Demon silver couns and heavenly gold coins, he could not identify who it could be easily. Aqua shut the windows and put on her clothes, letting go of the bed sheet. She put on her gown and tied up her hair. She helped Huo clean the mess and Huo called for his guards. He ordered them to take care of the body and conduct a search secretly around the Realm. General Hawk arrived by then. "What happened?" He sounded worried.


    "Nothing, just an intruder, a thief maybe," Demon King said.


    "Why would an intruder try to hurt the two of you?"


    "He is trying to calm you down, General Hawk, the intruder came in the disguise of my sister, trying to take me somewhere," she said. "This is serious Huo''er, someone is behind this, someone who knows me very well, knows my weakness,"


    "I know that," King Huo replied back. Huo took her hands, nodded at Hawk and he apparated. Back to the Demon''s castle. He took her to fis chamber. "Stay here, until I get back, give me an hour," he said. She nodded. "Don''t get inti any trouble, don''t meet anyone you don''t know, don''t walk around the castle. You may use the kitchen and this room only for now," he made it very clear. And he left the room. Aqua smiled and watched him disappear.


    Huo reached a cliff, in the dessert, he had the dagger he took from the shapeshifter. The same dagger that was used by Fiona. He looked around. "Come out," he said out loud. "Don''t hide if you can''t face me well, then why fight with me?"


    "I did not fight you," she said and appeared before him.


    "Oh, so you were fighting her?" He asked.


    "No doubt in that, she is the only one I would fight, for all the eternity,"


    Huo chuckled. "But you will never win her,"


    Volca walked closer. "Last time I killed her, and you died too, et''s see how it works this time," she challenged him, looking right into his eyes, that was full of mockery while looking at her. "But one thing for sure, I won''t let any one lay their finger on you,"


    "Volca, there is one thing you have no idea about,"


    "What?" She asked him with a smirk on her face. He took a step closer.

 Chapter 180: Aidens begging

    Aqua sat for sometime but she had constant thoughts inside her head. She could sense that the killer and the person who had bought him must be from heaven.


    Once you are suspicious you forever will see the person you doubt in the same eye. And to Aqua, she was sure who would do that to her. She got up. "I guess you have not learned your lesson," she said. She took her sword and she got out of the room. She wondered about the direction Volca could have possible gone.


    "Oh shoot," she said when saw the guards walking up and down. She also had people on her tail. She had no way to move around. Trapped. "Damn it," she cursed. "Where has he gone?" She wanted to know about the whereabouts Demon King. She decided to respect his words and she walked back into the room. The guards had taken the body of the shapeshifter to the graves. They decided to bury him properly this time.


    Aqua waited anxiously. She wondered suddenly what could be happening back in her home. Well even though she no longer will be admitted. Her heart killed her with curiosity. Hence, she decided to fly. She got up, got out of the window in the room looked outside and she apparated. She went to the borders. The place she often spend time. The tree hut and the place she died previously. She could not help but feel like going back home.


    "What are you hesitating about?" She heard familiar hoarse voice behind her.


    Her eyes filled with tears immediately. But she managed them before she spilled them. She did not turn quickly.


    "Aqua, will you not forgive me?" He asked her.


    "Why? Is there a need for that?" She asked back. He walked over and took her hand turning her towards him. He then hugged her. She did not hesitate, create a scene nor reject him. She just hugged him back. She had a lot to suppress in her mind to not cry in front of him.


    "Aqua am sorry we are so sorry, we meant nothing. See this was a plan that went flop, we never intended to hurt or kick you out. Ae wanted to protect you so we thought we chose a good way, but apparently everything went wrong and we could not even find a right solution. Bu then we lost you from the plan we made, we were not expecting that, we regretted it a lot. Water King is trying his best with all the legal documents to the greater god," he explained everything in an order. Aqua let go of him and took few steps backward. He handed few pouches to her. A pouch for gold coin, one full of energy pills, another full of small a pouch with a small bottle of Water King special plum wine. Aqua''s heart danced inside for a moment then it was fine.


    "No I cannot have any of it." She rejected his offers.


    "Who said?" Aiden asked her back.


    "I do not wish to accept things, I should not take any more blame, am so done" she replied.


    "Do not speak like that Aqua, you should accept it. The whole of Water Realm belongs to you,'' he tired to console her.


    "Oh please,"


    "Aqua no, please," he begged her again. "Don''t hate us, we decided it all for all of us, but what to do," he went on.


    "Alright, alright leave it Aiden," she said. "I have something else to tell you,"


    "What is it?"


    "Couple of hours back Milan visited me,"


    "Milan was with me, I was in her cham.." he corrected her.


    "Listen to me, just let me complete it,"


    "Okay, okay, say,"


    "Milan came to me, crying, asking for help, to bring down Tai," and suddenly Aiden stopped walking.


    "What?" He asked.


    "She begged me and she asked me to give with her talking about family, to move me,"


    "It can''t be,"


    "Yes, sheer trap, but a stupid one, the crown princess of Water Realm was not properly dressed, apparently they failed to impress me and make me believe that the person appeared in front of me is my sister," She went on.


    "Who was it?" Aiden was eager to know.


    "A shade shifter, hired assassin, but weak one. Half demon half vampire species, but something else happened,"


    "What again?"


    "When we were capturing him, someone shot an arrow from the outside at him and killed him, we failed to save him,"


    "So it''s a planned attack," he concluded.


    "Not a very serious one, but someone''s anger on me, the hatred,"


    "We both know who it is don''t we? But you are not willing to accept it,"


    "Volca," Aiden and Aqua said it together.


    "But why would she do it again and again, to me?" Aqua got angry and upset altogether.


    "Because its clear that you have something she will never have, do I have to explain that," he explained.


    "Its been years, years,"


    "Does not matter, but why put the name of Tai you definitely would have gone to heaven, to Celestial Palace if you trusted her eventually,"


    "Yes," Aqua agreed. "With my anger issues, I definitely would have chosen to go meet the Emperor first, maybe even attack him,"


    "I know that very well cousin," Aiden said smiling. "You would have declared to the world the victory taking the head in your hand," Aiden laughed.


    "And that''s not something we will let you do alone anymore," she heard another familiar voice. Aqua was shocked.


    She turned quickly only to get heart attack seeing the line of people standing before her. She gasped and a single drop of tear fell down from her eyes.


    "What are you all doing here?" She managed to ask. But by that time she was hugged and almost fell down on the ground. Aiden stood there smiling. He looked happy and emotional at the same time.


    "I told you, I kept asking you for forgiveness, do you understand now Aqua?" He aksed her.

 Chapter 181: Joined

    Aqua and family thus reunited after long long time. Happy tears streaming down everyone''s face. They apologised to her for making her go through some painful days. But instead of sadness, she had interesting tales to tell them. Her adventures alone away from home with the man she loves and doing what she loves, designing clothes, helping people, making her own money and living without any rules.


    Everyone listened to her in wonder. But then Milan broke the surprise. Come and see my room," she invited her sister, soon after they reached back home.


    Aqua opened the chamber of the crown princess. She walked in. It looked like her room itself. All the decorations. Milan led her to the wardrobe. Aqua was shocked.


    A whole place full of clothes she designed. All her master pieces had been bought by her sister, and Aqua had no clue about it..aqua looked at Milan and hugged her tight once again.


    "This is crazy," Aqua said.


    "Not at all," Milan replied.


    "Ok, listen, what is the update on Emperor Tai? Something does not feel right,"


    "What happened?" Milan asked. She turned serious.


    Aqua began to narrate the story.


    "You think it''s some kind of fun attack?" Shw asked her sister.


    "Am sure its Volca, but... I have a feeling," Milan said.


    "I have the same feeling,"


    "She could have joined hands with Emperor Tai, becoming greedy for the position as well as For Huo''er," Milan explained.


    "Very well said," Aqua said. To have brought out the same thoughts she had inside her. "Volca is turning vicious, as each day passes,"


    "There is no doubt in that sister, we have to stop her," Milan suggested.


    "We will send her away," Aqua said.


    "Why not silence forever?" Milan asked.


    "No," Aqua immediately said without thinking twice.


    "She is going to be the pain in your neck, why?" Milan asked.


    "No Milan, no, that is not right to do," Aqua said. Thinking about playful Volca for a second. She could not come up with a heart to kill the Demoness.


    "Let''s go discuss with father," Milan said and took Aqua to the court. When Aqua entered the Court, she recalled everything that had happened the last time she stood there.


    "Pa, the righteous man lived the most righteous way, but he was great failure when it came to his family, he failed to protect his fmaily the vultures, his daughter from the dangers, from the unnecessary stress at a young age for a man who was not worthy enough and a lost cause of his, he failed to uphold the right and bring the justice, he was a righteous man in the history but only in the pages, not in his heart, never in his heart, for what the daughter has always seen through it, the righteous man was alright in the heart of millions, but severely failed in one''s, and that is.." she stopped she did not have the power to keep attacking her father with her knife sharp words. She could see him sweating hard. Huo walked towards her and took her hands.


    "The universe ditched her, but the Hell will not, if you claim that she is a criminal, then I claim that there is no man in this world as righteous as she is, not even you," he said without flinching at the Water King. "You would not need her, but I do, and I will protect her with everything I have, Heaven has lost a dragon as powerful as the spiritual dragon, the nature will punish you all and the greater gods will learn a lesson this time, wait for the rewards," he said. Aqua looked at him and he looked at her. The blazing fire around him and the crystal blaze around her scared everyone present in the hall. They stood face to face.


    "It''s over, let''s go," he said. "The trail ends here," he shouted.


    "How dare you decide that?" Emperor Tai screamed and got up from the seat. It was not going as he expected it to be. He took his golden sword out threw at Huo who looked up slowly and the sword stopped right there. It did. He walked forward and the sword moved backward.


    "The golden sword will listen only to it''s TRUE owner, you either have not learnt to control it after all these years, or this is simply not the golden sword. Come on, do share the truth with," Huo mocked him. He took the sword and observed it careful. The sharp blade with scriptures, the golden handle and its heat. "Not bad," he said nodding his head and swiflty he threw the sword back at Emperor Tai which shocked everyone, by the difference of a millimetre, the sword missed him and it went straight to the pillar behind him. Everyone made noises and gasped. The guards assembled and circled around Huo and Aqua. Huo smiled. It was getting interesting. General Devon and his troop ran inside to attack the Demon King and the title less Aqua.


    "Should we show them a good time?" He asked Aqua for permission.


    "I have got nothing to lose," she said and withdrew her sword.


    "Then I will take that as a yes," he said and withdrew his soul sword out. Aqua no longer had patience in her seeing the troops of Tai rushing towards then like crazy to kill them both.


    "I want to see the body of the two with their heads separated from their body,'' Emperor Tai shouted at the guards. King Aenon stood there looking at his family wondering what to do. Then king Aenon opened the roof of the court. The sharp sunlight entered the hall from the above that tickled the eyes of the soldiers. His eyes searched for Aqua who was on a killing streak. He eyes Aiden and asked him to her out of the place. But when Aiden approached her, he had to fight her.


    "Listen to me, Aqua," he said.


    "Don''t ever call me that again," she warned him.


    "No you are wrong, you got it all wrong," he tired to speak with her. But she had no will to listen to him.


    "I dislike you, Just as much as I once loved you, right now at this moment, Aiden, so never show up in front of me again," Aqua was ruthless and chose not to forgive anyone in her life.


    "Why can you not accept the fact that we are trying to come up with a plan," he finally spit it out unable to stand her misunderstood hatred towards them.


    "Am not buying it," she said and kept attacking him, while he kept defending her moves. It was getting harder and harder. And Huo suddenly grabbed her and moved her away, pushing Aiden off.


    "You stay out off this," he said. "This is my family matter, " Aiden warned Huo.


    "I am her only family," Huo said and landed an attack on him. Aiden tired his to resist.


    "Oh crap," he said and fell down, the soul sword winded him on his abdomen a little. Huo immediately withdrew immediately and let him go. "Learn it yourself then," he said and rested a little. Huo grabbed Aqua and he floated.


    "Say goodbye," he said to her.


    "Goodbye," she uttered those words.


    "That''s my girl,"


    Aqua came back to her senses. She saw her father standing in front of her, on the throne. Since she had no titles, she knelt down and bowed the Water King.


    "What are you doing?" King Aenon asked her. He did not like it. "Don''t repeat it," he warned her.


    "Yes your higness," she said.


    "Who am I?" He asked her. Listening to her addressing him like others.


    "The King of Water Realm," she said.


    "Who am I to you?" He asked again.


    "My biological father," she said. King Aenon lost it.


    "If you call me anything except father or pa, I will send you on exile again," he said. Aqua laughed out loud.


    At that time, someone walked in without permission. Aqua turned back immediately. She could smell the trouble. She looked at her father and back at the person who was walking in.


    "What are you doing here?" King Aenon asked him.


    "Am here to make a report," he said and knelt down.


    "What is it?" Aqua asked looking at her father who looked a little tensed unlike his usual self.


    The atmosphere turned all serious. The smiles quit the face. The heart pounded a little. Wondering why? Aqua grew anxious all of a sudden. She never had had a peaceful moment in life ! Not even once.

 Chapter 182: All Hail

    General Hawk did not wait but wanted to inform the water King about the news Demon King asked him to pass.


    "Your highness, its serious," he said. Aqua was standing right before him.


    "General Hawk, what happened? What is it about? Where Huo''er?" She asked.


    "His highness is searching for you everywhere, please go him. Water King here is my message, expect an attack any day from the Heavenly Emperor for he is not an angel anymore,"


    "He is not just a Demon, but satan, I know, he accepted the offer of the evil. He needs the throne at any cost, we will not let it continue again," he said strongly and climbed down the throne.


    General Hawk got up and watched the king walk towards him. "I will let Demon King know,"


    "Thank you, I will prepare and when the time comes, we will hit hard," King Aenon said and smiled. He looked at his daughter.


    "Am leaving with him," she said.


    "Stay," he ordered. But his daughter no longer listened to him.


    "I have to go, I cannot let him be alone,"


    "He will manage it," King Aenon said.


    ''He will, but I want to be with him, support him," she said boldly. "I do not have anything here any longer," she reminded him of what they did to her. She had absolutely no way she could stay in the palace since the enn has not been lifted.


    "Aqua, this is not right," he said.


    "Pa I know every well what is right and wrong, I am not supposed to enter here, so let me go for now," she said.


    "Aqua," Water King called her. But she had already disappeared with General Hawk along with her. He sat there on the throne all disappointed and clenching his fists. He summoned all of his royal guards. And the ministers. He decided hold an emergency summit. He called the Beast King and Wind King, he called Master Bohai and Prince Ash. Only his trusted allies. But he wondered if he should give respect to the Beast Kingdom since they treated his daughter badly and insulted her, hurting her feelings. But it was a crucial time where he could not let any sort if egoes or grudges take over him.


    Milan rushed to meet with her dad with Queen Rivera behind her.


    "Pa, what happened?" She asked and looked around. "Where is sister?" She asked.


    "She left," Water King said.


    "What?" Queen Rivera was shocked.


    "She took off with Hawk," he said again.


    "Why?" Milan asked.


    "Why would she leave? Did you not ask her to stay?" Queen Rivera asked angrily.


    King Aenon shot a look at her. He closed his eyes, controlling his temper. "She left for him," he said. He got up.


    "For who? Huo''er?"


    "Brother in law?" Milan asked behind her mother.


    "Yes, who else," King Aenon walked down.


    "What did he do?" Queen Rivera asked.


    "Hawk informed us about the attack happened today, we cannot sit idle and wait for Tai anymore, we have to take him down," King Aenon said looking far away.


    "Pa, are you sure?" Milan asked her father. She was not sure.


    "He has given up his soul to the satan, why should he rule over heavens?" King Aenon asked his wife and daughter.


    "He should not," Queen Rivera said and walked out of the court.


    "Where is Aqua?" Grand Prince Aiden walked in holding up a bunch of peaches fresh from the tree. He was all smiles.


    "She left," Milan said sadly.


    "What?" His smile left his face and he lowered his hands. He handed the guards the peaches and walked back too not asking anything further. Milan shook her head and followed him.


    ******


    ******


    Hawk and Aqua reached the castle. Huo was there in the court meeting with his ministers. He informed them about the attack, but not about Volca.


    "If it has been a play, I would have let it go, but it''s not simple, its complicated, the aim is to take the Demon Realm down with the help of Demonic challenge itself, we cannot get that happen, and nobody had the right to touch the Demon Queen anymore," he said without thinking further. "We cannot let Tai continue on the throne anymore and treat us like stray dogs. We must prove our stand," He let out the news himself. He let everyone hear the truth. The murmers rised inside the court. Everybody whispering and looking at each other.


    "King Huo''er, you mean?" One old man asked him.


    "Demon Queen, my wife," he said bravely. And at the right time, Aqua entered the hall. All the heads turned towards her. The girl in the black robes. "It''s the Water Princess, it''s her," everyone said to each other. "So she..she left heaven for our King, she is our Demon Queen, our one true Queen who will protect us," Aqua smirked as she heard the words uttered. "Will she betray us? What if she is seducing the King to know secrets of our Realm?" Some said.


    "She saved our King and he us living because of the powers she has in her, even now, if she wanted to kill him, she would have already, but she did not, it means she is true to our King Huo''er, she even conceived a Demon child in her once, willingly," some other said. "Why should we doubt her when he have proof she is the one we have all been waiting for?"


    "She will be our Demon Queen, Demon Realm welcomes her with all the heart even if Heavens no longer wants her, we will protect her, like she will fight for us, for us all, we should be one," a man said. And the rest who disagreed later agreed with him and accepted Aqua. Aqua climbed the steps to the throne and stood next to Huo, who stood proudly.


    "All hail to the queen," suddenly everyone bowed. That took Aqua by shock, she was not expecting that at all. King Huo out his arms around her and pulled her closer. "All hail to the Demon Queen, live long," they blessed her. They bowed ten times shouting praises for her. Huo''er stood there smiling whole Aqua shivered a little. She did not know what to do. She looked at Huo. "It''s here, the day is here," he added.


    "What?" She asked him.

 Chapter 183: Prepare and Buckle up

    Huo lifted his arms and performed a spell. A powerful spell that created a doom around the territory of hell. A doom that will protect and will not let a fly enter into the barrier. A doom that will instantly burn when something tries to enter and turn on the alarm and siren. A doom that can only be controlled by Huo''er.


    A magic he learned when he was young and only one in heaven and hell who knows how to perform it. A technique he mastered from the books. Living with Mater Bo Hai had benefited him a really lot.


    Huo''er alerted his guards, informed and released royal decree calling for all the guards and royal troops around hell to start training and prepare for the war with heaven, with the Mad Emperor Tai.


    "We will no longer tolerate Tai in throne, nobody is more vicious than him. Heaven and hell are two equal halves of this universe. It needs to be balanced. With Tai our lives would be affected. With him on throne, we will gain absolutely nothing,"


    "Let''s kill him," the movie screamed.


    "King Huo, King Huo, King Huo," everyone chanted his name like a mantra.


    Everyday, Huo''er made sure he personally checked and gave training to the guards and the troops, as he could, with the assistance of Aqua. She was a great help.


    He taught them formation no one had dared to try before, unbreakable formations that cannot be penetrated easily. Ones that were used by ancients which faded over the years due to the difficulty.


    He taught them carefully and patiently.


    On the mean while Aqua taught the guards new improvised Demonic cultivation sword techniques she read in the scriptures too. She led half the guards and troop while Huo''er covered other half taking their turn on teaching the lesson. Strength of the demons improved good.


    Aqua was surprised to see one thing. How loyal, real and faithful the demons are, no hidden agendas and no evil motives behind their daily routines. She saw how they respected and loved their King. She was happy. She felt the difference since she grew up in heaven where people were always jealous of each, gossiping, scheming behind one''s back for power and positions. But things Demons want looks entirely different. Aqua could not help but appreciate. When she got accepted with all the trust and respect she understood that demons are the people who love freely and carefree. Responsibilities did not tie them down, weigh them down, accepting new people were not a problem for them, but instead they celebrate and respect the person, the decisions he or she makes and take only good and react back instantly when it bad. Instead of collecting people and creating a team to raise a rebellion. But she did hear a lot about the buffalo Clan. Ones who were banished from the Demon mainland, ones who betrayed Demon King Dritan. When Aqua knew about it and the criminals behind hurting Huo when he was only a toddler, it angered her too. Almost killed him. If not for Master Bo Hai, Huo could have disappeared from this universe forever. And Aqua hated that thought.


    The training session went on everyday from dawn to dusk. Huo and Aqua but never separated except his court hours. She was called a Demon Queen but it had a lot procedures and Coronation to go through. Hence she never meddled with politics and administration of Demons. But she was impressed to see how well Huo is doing, doing great thing with his power and having a good panel of ministers obeying him, instructing him and educating him with things he still has to learn. The trusted followers of Late King Dritan was satisfied with King Huo''er''s rule too.


    Everytime they take a break during training, Huo''er would take his chance to flirt with Aqua.


    "Huo they will see it," she would say.


    "So what?" He would ask and tease her, with his smile. Tickling her, hugging her and with stolen kisses. "Do any of you mind if an with my woman, your queen,"


    "NO, YOUR HIGHNESS," They would all scream and stand with their eyes shut turning around dropping their weapons. "See my people don''t mind it," he would say. But she would kill him with her alluring smile and look at him which eventually will lead to him kissing the hell out of her, taking her lips in his.


    "Okay," she would push him back. "Back to training, let''s not keep them waiting," she would say and get back to work. But he would count every minute for the night to fall. To take her back and spend the night with her in the room,. Exploring every corner of her, taking her to another world and lying down beside her, watching her sleep and slowly drift off to sleep, and wake up in the morning and see her with a smile on his face. He wanted nothing more than to be with her. He wanted to propose to her. He wanted to marry and make her his. He wished to have children with her and have a big family. He wished to grow old with her and die in her arms. He could not stop wishing that he wanted to shower her with love all the time. He made sure that she lived better than she did back in heaven. And one day he invited King Aenon over to discuss the war plans.


    "King Huo, hope you are well and good," King Aenon greeted him.


    "Very good, you must be too," King Huo greeted back.


    They walked into the King''s chamber. There was apparently another chamber he saw next to Huo''er''s. "This is?" Water King asked.


    "That''s Aqua''s chamber," King Huo said and led him into the room. For the first time ever, King Aenon saw his daughter doing something she never was allowed to do.


    Aqua facing the long window, sitting with a canvas before her where she was drawn a beautiful painting of what appeared to be Water Realm in the middle of sea. Aenon''s eyes filled with tears instantly. It was the first time he had ever seen his daughter relax. He looked at Demon King who stood proudly, smiling at what he was watching. He looked extremely pleasant the moment he set his eyes on Aqua.


    King Aenon walked and looked at all the luxury Huo''er has given her more than he gave his daughter at the time she was a crown princess.


    "Aqua," father called his daughter. Aqua turned back and ran to him instantly, hugging him. She was wearing a black gown with silver dragon embroidered everywhere, indicating the shenlong. They spent sometime whole Demon King left to give then privacy. An hour later, King Aenon walked back to Huo''er''s chamber. Demon king was already waiting for him.


    "We need to talk," he said the moment King Aenon walked in. He turned all serious. King Aenon grew tensed.

 Chapter 184: The difference

    "Let''s wait with all our formations until he attacks," Demon King suggested to Water King.


    "And play him," Huo suggested.


    "How?" King Aenon asked.


    "Send a small troop to fake a war earlier and exhaust the enemy. The size of their is definitely going to be less and train thinking how the Demons will not know much techniques," he said with a smirk.


    "But it''s the truth," Water King said.


    "We will see about that," King Huo said confidently.


    "There is a reason demons are not allowed to learn techniques, they should not be learning it," King Aenon said.


    "So that people like Tai can win all the time, cheating, betraying, backstabbing, murdering, trapping, kidnapping, raping and in the end accepting the satanic path?" Huo questioned back. "I think the role here shifted. Heaven has become the hell and hell heaven, can you deny that?" To that statement of the Demon King, Water King had nothing to answer back. "The number of deaths, nobody is dying in vein, the punishments, the meaningless accusations and crimes he did alone, can you deny that? Why should not demons have an upper hand and erase the wrong, live among the demons, you will know what people they are, real and less demonic than the heavenly tribes, its straight, whatever it is, hatred or anger, or even fight, there is no backstabbing, and the one who did has been kicked out forever," King Huo stood up. "Father," he called finally. He turned back and looked at King Aenon. He did not have any objection with it. Father in law is definitely a father. "Father, we will win this time, and I will make sure of it, I will make sure Tai loses what he has,"


    "Volca," Water King began.


    "Volca is manipulated, she is under his seed, and brainwashed, we will think about her mater, she has to be brought back to herself, if not she will face the consequences herself,"


    "Don''t change your word, we have a limit to tolerate a wild and lose Demoness like, no more considerations for her being a friend of you and Aqua anymore,"


    "Got it father," King Huo replied back and agreed to the Water King. King Aenon nodded his head. He got up. "Let''s move on to the discussions with the formations, we will need the people who will lead, send for the leaders of the troop," King Aenon suggested.


    "Yes, please do being the leaders of troops from Water Realm too," King Huo said.


    "I have send the men already," Water King smiled.


    "Are you sure you will stand with the demons this time and not join the heavenly tribe?" King Huo asked for assurance once again.


    "Yes I will stand with the Demons," Water King replied.


    "Would they not talk bad about you," Huo asked his doubt.


    ''No, why would they?" He asked back. "Did they not see what Tai did to me, my family and my Realm? What more do they want?" Aenon put forward a great answer. "I expect nothing from the people, and none of them have the right to interfere in this matter of throwing Tai away anymore," Demon King flashed a smile feeling satisfied and called the maids. He asked them to prepare a good meal for the guests.


    ******


    ******


    Tai on the meanwhile prepared the troops, but little did he know that he no longer will be able to control or tame them, losing his real essence. Forcing would only reflect back and hurt his health.


    Army heads were learning to fight and as well teaching the newbies who had just joined the force. Unlucky that their the first ever battle is going be a deadly heaven and hell''s war.


    "Don''t slack, we should make sure, ua from heaven never lose a war. It had never happened in the history, and we just not fail the greater gods," but nobody mentioned Tai. "We will fight for our heaven, and nothing else," that was the cause they had. The motto they spread. Everyone proud took that as their oath and worked hard until the bones ached. "The victory is our, the power is ours, the hardwork is our, and we deserve it all" the motivation they found was great for them. But then one fine day, Tai walked down to inspect on the level of training taking place in the camp. He saw people training and he felt satisfied. He watched them for long to see if anyone slack, so as to punish them. But he noted nothing until one moment when few newbies were speaking and joking during their break.


    "What''s the discussion let me join you people," he said with a smile on his face. "Come on let''s hear it.


    "It''s nothing your highness," they said together. But he pulled a guy''s collars and asked him again.


    "What is it? I will ask you only once,"


    "They are on break your highness, they had the night shift I let them rest," an army troop leader walked towards him bravely, disliking Tai''s behaviour.


    "Are you the one who is letting them have their way, joking and fooling around when we have no time to spare?" Tai asked him angrily.


    "A man needs some rest to work productively, they are living people, not demons or dead, to work non stop, and moreover they are freshers, they are just learning the tactics,"


    "I will not tolerate excuses and you know it well," Tai said and slapped him. An unnecessary fight. "How dare they laugh when am here worried about the future of heaven?" He shouted. The whole troop looked at the scene. Everyone gathered around.


    "Who want rest here?" Tai screamed. "Tell me who?" He repeated. "Am I feeding you all to take rest as you will when a war is dooming on our head?"


    "Your higness, if they don''t get rest, the troops will not be able to perform the teachings, techniques and formation necessary, we should not exhaust their energy," the army leader tried his best. But instead of listening to his words, Tai drew his sword. In a minute, everyone ran back to practice and train hard. While the blood dripped from the sword, hot and horrifying.

 Chapter 185: Clash within the Clan

    All the Realms prepared for the war and provided their troops to the Emperor. But on the list they found troop missing.


    "The troop from Water Realm where are they?" Tai asked one day.


    "They have not submitted yet," King from Beast Realm said.


    "Impudence. How dare they? Call for Aenon now," Tai released a royal decree to immediately summon the Water King.


    ''What about Ice Realm?" Beast King asked.


    "They have been staying away from the heavenly affairs, avoid them as usual," Beast King was told by King of Sky Realm.


    "But their crown prince is great in war, he has excellent swordsmanship, what''s his name? Yes Dong Lixue," Beast King said again.


    "I said leave them," Tai shouted at Beast King. Beast King hated it. But afraid of the greater gods, he decided to keep his respect for the Heavenly Emperor and remained quiet, being obedient to him. He himself decided to go and let Water King know that he is wanted by the Heavenly Emperor.


    "How dare they disobey and not submit the troops to our war, for our great cause,'' Tai shouted out loud. Everyone in the court stood with their heads lowered. Some were murmuring. It appeared that only Emperor is the one who has yet to know that King Aenon had swore to never take part in war supporting Emperor Tai. Prince Ash from Wind Realm remained silent and prete like he does not know a thing about Water Realm. When he knew that Water Realm had joined hands with Demon King to defeat the Evil Emperor of Heaven. He looked at Emperor Tai and smirked when he Tai was busy scolding everyone. Prince Ash had already decided to lead his troop to war ground and then change their side to wherever Water Realm is, to support a good cause Water Realm''s brave king had put forward.


    *******


    *******


    Beast King apparated and reached Water Realm''s entrance bridge which was built newly after Fox Queen destroyed the previous one. Beast King walked down.


    "The securities are high," he sensed it. But that very moment, he was captured by two Centuars. They carried bows, arrows, and spears with them. Beast King did not take any action or make an my move. He had no aim to engage himself in a fight, but rather take the Water King back to the Heavenly Palace.


    "Am not here to fight, I simply came here to pass down a message from Heavenly Emperor Tai," he said. "Don''t arrest me, you know I am," he said.


    "We don''t care who you are, showing up without a prior notice is no longer accepted in Water Realm, betrayers will be punished," One among the Centuars said.


    "I..." Beast King tried to speak.


    "Shut up," but the Centuars stopped him and acted really rude with him. They held him like a prisoner and took him back to the palace. The whole Realm had come to know about the way Beast King treated Pricness Aqua the last time she visited Beast Realm. Everyone lost their respect for the Realm then.


    The doors opened and King Aenon looked up at who was being dragged by the Centuars into the court.


    "YOU," King Aenon said.


    "Emperor Tai has a message," Beast King said.


    "AH I see, so you have taken up the job of a messenger now," King Aenon mocked the Beast King without mercy. And Beast King felt unwelcome and insulted.


    "You are summoned by Emperor and submit your troops for the war,"


    "I have no interest in doing both," Water King said. Going to Heavenly Palace could be great danger to King Aenon. He refused the request hence.


    "No I am asked to take you to the palace,"


    "Am afraid you the messenger of Tai will be disappointed," Water King mocked again.


    "AENON ENOUGH," Beast King for angry and shouted aloud.


    "I should be the one saying that you Beast King, leave, don''t provoke me to do anything, tell your Emperor Tai that Water Realm has cut ties with heaven ever since everyone betrayed my Realm and supported extermination of my family with no valid reason, hence The descendants of Water Realm will no longer support and serve for Emperor Tai,"


    "You, you will regret," Beast King threatened Water King.


    "I will come see you after the war in your Realm, I want to see you then, I will put forward a deal that day, you will be left with no choice, that day we will decide who regretted what," King Aenon got up from the throne and walked down with a smirk on his face.


    "HOW DARE YOU AENON? HOW DARE YOU GROW THE SPINE YOU GREW RECENTLY AFTER KICKING OUT YOUR OWN BLOOD OUT OF THE REALM? HOW DARE YOU JOIN HANDS WITH THE DEMON?" Beast King shouted and questioned King Aenon.


    "But am not a fool like you," King Aenon said. "I know exactly what I have done all these day, my mistakes will be rectified that way," he said and patted Beast King''s shoulder. "Now get out, get back and inform your Emperor Tai Water Realm will never sent troops to assist him or his parties," King Aenon smiled and watched Beast King leave.


    "You will learn your lesson soon,"


    "We will see who does," King Aenon said and smiled and deep inside his heart, he constantly worried wondering whether the demons would win the war. It has never ever happened in the history of wars. Whenever the heaven and hell waged a war, heaven always won and took the upper hand. Aenon bet for the Demons to win under King Huo, but if they end up losing, King Aenon will have to kill himself in front of the greater gods for betraying Heavenly clans. "It should not happen, we will kick the evil Tai out and buy freedom for all in heaven," King Aenon took an oath himself.


    He walked out and decided to go back to hell itself where he asked his family to gather at night for dinner with his first born, Aquamarine.


    It appeared that the feast was not just for family gathering but to declare something to the family.

 Chapter 186: Oath, Engagement, and Blessings

    "When the sun rises, day after tomorrow, The Demon Realm and Water Realm will March together to the battle ground in the borders of Celestial grounds. We will use our tactics and defeat the heavens from doing wrong, will make things right, and we the humans and demons, the heaven and hell will have a long standing truce. It will be amiable and do trade that will benefit each other under the good reign of King Huo. Heavenly Empress Lihua will descend from throne, and rejoin her son, the heaven will have restructuring and will need a new Emperor and Empress which will be discussed with other Realms and chosen later. But the Demon Realm will not have a say in it. Water Princess, Aqua will be taken ba k home and everything will be back to normal," Aenon gave his speech to everyone during the dinner. "But for these to take place, there is one thing we must make sure," everyone remained silent. King Aenon''s voice echoed in the room. Aqua and Huo held their hands together and looked at each other. He nodded. Queen Rivera smiled, feeling so proud looking at her husband while Milan and Aiden sat strongly, encouraging each other. "We must win, at any cost without harming other realms, we must kill Tai," King Aenon declared.


    The ministers, soldiers and guards shouted. "Win, win, win, win," everyone screamed. Huo, Aqua, Milan, Rivera, and Aiden raised their grail. "To better day," Huo proposed a toasted and everyone sipped their wines. Water King stood their with his head held high in pride. "And if not, Water Realm will withdraw from heaven and I will take the punishments," Queen Rivera looked at him and nodded. Rivera, Milan and Aiden stood up. "We will accept the punishment," they said together.


    "What?" Aqua asked. "What punishment?" Aqua did not understand. But Huo stopped her and forced her to sit there.


    "You trust me, please put your faith in me," he said to her looking in her confused eyes. "I will protect everyone, I will protect them from everything, there will be no punishments from the greater gods," he said to her. "We will win the war, the gods are with us, the demons are with us, we will not lose," he assured her. Aqua''s eyes filled with tears and she nodded her head. Huo gave a quick peck on her lips and wiped her tears. "Cheer up, smile," he said. Then he got up. He walked over to Water King to give him support.


    "Today, we will take an oath," King Huo declared. He then looked at King Aenon. "Today onwards we will support each other, we will defeat Tai and I will appoint the Demon Queen," King Aenon looked at him, and he could not deny it. He looked at his daughter, and she looked uneffected hearing the news, sitting there willingly. He looked at his Queen again. Rivera shook her head asking King Aenon to agree to it. The demons began to praise Aqua for going to be the Queen. Aqua sat there smiling.


    The meeting was adjourned and dinner was served after the tea party. The family sat together and had their fill, mostly in silence. "Have you decided?" Suddenly father asked his daughter. King Aenon wanted to know about Aqua''s decision from her mouth.


    "What is there to think about father?" She said and kept her knife and fork down. She smiled. "I am never going to walk away from Huo''er," she said looking at Huo. He winked at her. "A separation is impossible. I have always been faithful to heavens and will remain the same way. I will never tell anything about it to the Demon King and his Realm, but i need since he us from heaven itself. And I will not disclose any matters of Demon to heaven either. I just choose the him, I want us to be together, and if it means I will become the Demon, I will, I died once, I can do it again, but only for him,"


    Milan sat smiling at her sister''s words and looked at Aiden who was looking at Aqua. He nodded his head. "You heard that?" Aiden asked Milan.


    "Yes," Milan said.


    "That''s love," he said and looked at Milan. Milan smiled and held his hands. Queen Rivera cleared her throat.


    "Aenon, you should be at ease, Aqua will be safer with him than with us," Queen Rivera assured her husband.


    "I saw that," King Aenon replied. He managed to smile while his heart ached to think that Aqau will no longer be part of heaven. It was hard for him to accept.


    "Alright it is decided then," he said keeping his hand on the table. "I will give my blessing to both of you, we will look for an auspicious date soon after the war, and we will hold the wedding, it will be the greatest one in the history," King Aenon said. Everyone clapped and news spread in the Demon Realm and wished Aqua and Huo for the engagement getting the blessing from the parents. A great unison between heaven and hell.


    It was late in the night when everyone returned back to their rooms. Aqua sat on her bed, looking outside the window. The moon looked bright and breeze slow. Her heart was finally at ease. She no longer felt a tension, her heart rate was back to normal, her anxiety coming down. She no longer felt caged. She felt her wings growing back, freely. She took a deep breath and smiled. She felt someone in the room and did not move. She felt the shawl around her shoulder and someone sitting next to her. She got his scent.


    "Happy?" Huo asked her.


    "Very," she said and looked at him. His glowing eyes, alluring smile and the lip, she hugged him for a minute while he stroked her hair. He looked at her.


    "I love you," she said.


    "I love you too, Aqua, more than you can imagine," he said and took her lips in his. The night was tender and cool while Huo and Aqua lay in their world in each other''s arms. They had a lot to prepare from the next day. But even before the sunrise, there was a knock on the door waking the King who was not found in his room. Aqua looked at him. "What is it?"

 Chapter 187: Early War

    Tai and his supporters set out earlier than the time the battle was fixed. Two days earlier. When Tai set out he had no idea that he is walking into the trap dragging the other realms along with him. His plan to surprise the Demon army before their preparations and launch and attack energised him.


    The spy King Huo appointed sent a raven from the border to the Demon''s Castle immediately.


    "My lord, we have a raven," the guard knocked Aqua''s bed chamber when Huo''er''s bed chamber was found empty.


    "What is it?" Huo asked putting on the robe on. The maids who stood with the breakfast turned away and waited for him to get ready. He asked the people to close the doors and quickly helped Aqua get ready.


    "So Tai indeed did it, it going as we planned it," Aqua put on her armour and out her hair up. She had not worn them for a really long time.


    "It''s been so long," she smiled and looked at Huo who stole her heart in a second wearing the red robes and black armour over his body. Aqua walked over and out the belt around his hip and looked at Aqua as he lifted her chin. "We will kill him," she nodded and leaned closer as he took her lips. King Huo''er kissed her for a minute and dashed out to the court. Aqua and Huo stood on the platform with all the ministers, royal guards, and everyone from Water Realm.


    "As per the plan, sent a troop to guard the front line, inside the barrier put up, let the enemies think we have no enough force. We will stand with the front line. As for the rest, remember to catch each and every soldier from other realms and apparate back to the fake castle we set up and lock them in the room until the war is settled. You hear me?" Demon King said.


    "Yes," the guards shouted back.


    "Don''t slack, and if you feel tired or severely wounded come back to the infirmary we have set up around the battle grounds, do not worry about us or any officials, we will win this war and come back in victory to celebrate for a whole week," he said. Everyone roared and began to disperse to report to the duty and go to the battle ground.


    King Aenon and Grand Prince Aiden led the Water Realm''s troop to the war field while Queen Rivera and Fox Queen Milan chose to stay in the background to keep eyes on the army brought by Tai the fake Phoenix.


    "Rivera," some one called the Water Queen. Rivera turned around to see who it is. It was Empress Lihua.


    "Lihua what are you doing here? You should not fight today, come with me," Queen Rivera said.


    "No I will not fight but I will watch him die for good, I will watch my Demon husband die," she said with tears in her eyes. Rivera hugged her only best friend and consoled her. Fox Queen stood silently. Aqua saw the event from the distance. Her sister, mother and mother in law joining forces. She smiled and left to the battle ground without interrupting them. She led her Demon Army. She had put on the black robe, looking like a typical Demoness. She did not have the plan to let go of a single soul that wishes to destroy them, and not destroy Tai instead.


    "Let''s wait, crossing the dessert is not an easy task, they indeed will march quick but they will be exhausted," Aqua told everyone. "You may hurt but must not kill one innocent soul. Remember the moves that would hurt them but not kill them,"


    "Yes princess," her troops agreed with her. "We shall win, we shall win, we shall win, we shall win," they chanted loudly.


    "Yes," Aqua smirked and rose to the sky and she saw Huo doing the same. The two rose high above the clouds and turned into their true forms. The dragons. The dragons with the power to shake the universe while combined. Everyone looked up at the sky in wonder. King Aenon took a deep breath while Rivera stood observing her daughter with a sigh of relief instead.


    "We should have never offended her," Fox Queen said.


    "I know, I did not know she would take it to her heart and grow distant from us," Queen Rivera agreed with her second daughter. "But choosing the path of Demons I was not expecting that,"


    "Me too ma, and seeing Aiden i can understand that very clearly, his regret, though he is trying to cover it up in front of me, I can understand very well," Crown Princess Milan said.


    "Aiden. He.."


    "No ma he has fine, we love each other, but he loved Aqua longer, that became a routine in his life, he is coming out of it, but it will take time, I should respect his feelings don''t you think,"


    "Am proud of you Milan, once the war is over I will let you and him decide and arrange the marriage for you with your aunt and uncle," Queen Rivera promised her daughter.


    Empress Lihua stayed out of the battle with her poor health condition. She walked until she reached the burial place and visited Late King Dritan. "We will put an end to this," she said. A rock garden it was. She could hear the drums in the distance indicating the arrival of the enemy. She knew the war has begun and the loud screams from the battlefield approached her ears in the form of echo with the wind that stroked her hair. Lihua got up and set up a barrier around Dritan''s resting place. "I will see to it, that he dies in front me, us, and I will pluck his core out myself," Empress Lihua decides with utmost hatred. "Wait for me you bastard," she said and apparated back to the castle. She rose to the sky as well and spread her golden wings. Everyone looked shocked seeing her. "Lihua," Rivera gasped.

 Chapter 188: The Cries of a Demoness

    Empress Lihua landed the attack bu sending her dragon fire from her wings towards Tai and his troop. The other troops of different Realms were way behind Tai.


    "The Empress turned against us, attack here, don''t spare her," Tai shouted to his people. But many had falled dead, burnt alive and hence the rest of the troops were afraid to attack back.


    Prince Ash stopped going forward and stopped leading his troops to the war. "I don''t believe in the cause of this war, neither do I want my people to die a meaningless death," he said and turned around and met his General and his soldiers. "Yes our No? Do you want to go to this meaningless war?"


    "No," his general and the people said.


    Prince Ash was proud. "Let''s leave," and the troops agreed with him. But before they returned they were captured and disappeared. Prince Ash could not tell what was happening. When he turned around, it looked like he was inside some kind of large cell, a dark cave like place. He tried to move around nut there was a barrier set up around him and his people. "Where is this place?" Prince Ash asked. There were guards in the place outside the barrier.


    "This is to keep the warriors of heaven safe from the war set up by the Water Princess, our to be Demon Queen," one said and left.


    "I knew it," Prince Ash said and smiled. And one by one, memebers and soldiers from other Realms were also abducted and kept safe in different halls inside the string demon barriers warriors had never experienced. They were all told the same about keeping safe. And everyone relaxed since Water Realm was involved.


    "I don''t trust it," Beast King said.


    But Third Prince stopped him. "Father," he called. "Why are you so blindly faithful to a cruel king? Can you not see King Aenon and his people? They are doing everything for the sake of all the Realms to exist in the realm. Will I have survived if not for him? If not for Aqua? And what did you do to her?" Please come back to your senses and try to be grateful," he said and stopped talking. Beast King did not say a word. He felt insulted. Hence he remained quiet.


    Everything was going according to the plan Demon King and Water King made.


    At that time, someone unexpected appeared. A person Aqua sent people to search and capture but tremendously failed.


    "No," Aqua said. She came down and stood opposite her.


    "Let''s fight for real this time Aqua," Volca said.


    "Don''t do it, you are manipulated,"


    "Am I? Oh dear, how come did i not know that?" Volca laughed out loud. Volca extended her arms and sent out her powers to tie up Aqua. But Aqua dodged them and moved away. She drew her sword out and decided to bring Volca back to her sense. Though they have the rotten history and a sad friendship, Aaua could not bring up herself to give up on her old friend.


    "Listen to me Volca," Aqua said. "You will regret this," Aqua kept reminding her. "Stop fighting and let me help you, you will be saved, and taken out of the battle here, don''t fight for that useless man, he is a criminal, he killed people, he is cruel,"


    "He is my father," Volca shouted back. "I don''t have a family, you do, what do you know? You always had everything, then you stole my love from me, you knew, you knew I loved him, but why did you do this behind my back? Why did you not tell me?" Volca asked back. "Wae? Waeeee?" She said screamed her and swung her purple sword. She ran towards Aqua and tried to stab her. But Aqua moved away and attacked back. They began to Duel. Aqua asked everyone to stay out of the fight with Volca to save Volca. While Emperor Tai fought with Water and Demon King simultaneously. His men began to attack while a few ran away. Demon army fought with troops while King Huo asked the troops of the Water Realm to stand by and not involve to keep everything clean. Huo also asked Water King to stop fighting.


    "It is between me and him," Huo said. The thousands of years of hatred boiled in the heart of Demon King. A step father who raped his mother, forced into marriage and broke his promise attempting to kill her son, and forever kept his wife in the shadow and used her powers to survive. A mad king who killed his people, who manipulated his people, who annihilated the whole Phoenix tribe, who attempted to wipe out the whole Water Realm and take control and one who accepted demonic path from the satan to remain in the throne of heaven. In short, a man who had no right to live.


    Huo had no interest in sparing Tai''s life. Instead he wanted people to see his true demonic nature. And as expected Tai took his powers out. Those who remained in the battle field were shocked to see their Emperor turning into a Demon. A black bird monster instead of the Phoenix. His supporters stood still, stopped fighting and dropped their weapons.


    Demon King smiled. Huo used his powers to make sure that all the people from different Realms he and Aqua saved and locked inside the barriers see these events.


    Every single Realm was shocked to see it. "What?" Beast King could not believe his eyes. Prince Ash smirked and sat peacefully.


    "Huo always had the knack to bring out the truth to the light," he told his people. Everyone agreed with him.


    "You bastard, I will kill you today," shouted Emperor Tai and flew towards Huo. But he was careless. What he saw was not Huo''er''s real form but just the dupe. It disappeared into think air. When Tai turned around, Huo who was there standing before him. With a smirk.


    "Now it ends," he said and plunged his soul sword into Tai''s heart.


    "Noooo..." someone shouted from the back.

 Chapter 189: What do you want?

    "He is mine," Volca screamed. Aqua stopped fighting and looked at Volca who kept screaming when Huo''er stabbed Emperor Tai. Volca managed stand properly on her feet and walked over. She used purple sword to support herself.


    "Volca," Aqua called her. But Volca did not listen to her. Demon King Huo was not patient. When Volca approached him, he mercilessly duelled with her. But Volca fell on the ground. Unable to stand up. She cried.


    Volca then amended to sit up and managed to bow to her King. "Your highness, I am begging you," King Huo stopped fighting for a moment. He looked at Aqua who reached them.


    "Huo wait," Aqua told the Demon King.


    "What?" Huo asked furiously.


    "You highness," Volca tried to speak. She was heavily wounded and in extreme pain. Next to her laid her biological father she resents the most. She looked at him. "Let me finish, or I will never be able to live with myself," she begged. "Please,"


    No one on the battle field was expecting this. "What?" King Huo asked her.


    "Let me kill him," Volca made it clear for him.


    Demon King looked at Aqua and back at Volca wondering if it is some kind of trick to attack them. But trusting her again for one last time, Aqua and Huo stepped back. They lowered their weapons.


    "You may," Volca was granted permission. Volca turned around gripping on to her purple sword tightly and looked at Emperor Tai who has ruined the heaven and her life. "You deserve the worst things that exists in the universe and one of them includes dying in the hands of your off spring justime you strangled your father to death to tsle the throne," Volca said and stabbed her hateful father right on his heart once again.


    "Volca no," Tai screamed but it was off no use. She let the sword go from her hand and sat on the ground, feeling painful and shocked. She cried. She cried out loud sitting in front of her only blood relative''s dead body. She screamed lungs. Aqua reared up but she controlled herself. Volca is still a Demoness who did harm to everyone and she deserves to be punished.


    "Why am I cursed?" Volca kept shouting. Tai took his last breath and said good bye to the universe while a drop of tears streamed down his cheek mixing up with blood and other fuilds. After some minutes, Volca stopped crying and she stood up. People gathered around her. The blood on her body that splattered from her father''s wounds disgusted her. But she herself was bleeding uncontrollably. Aqua began to grow concerned. She looked at Huo. Who stood without showing any mercy towards anyone. Aiming to win the war first and being peace.


    "You cannot escape this time," Fox Queen Milan warned her.


    "I have no intentions of doing it," Volca replied coldly. "I at least have the heart to face the reality, I do not hide," Milan smirked and looked at her sister and brother in law. Grand Prince Aiden of Water Realm also reached them.


    "What is her punishment?" He asked Aqua and Huo. "You two shall decide that," Volca looked at Huo. Her heart was aching. Thinking of going to fet punished and executed by the person she loves the most in the world.


    The skies started becoming clearer and the thunders slowly stopped. The wind was howling but became lighter. But she stood there, completely broken, inside and outside. Her clothes were torn, exposing her body. For the first time, she felt cold. The ache from head to toe was too much resist for her. The blows she took from Huo and Aqua were too much for the Demonic spirit in her level of cultivation. The look on Huo''er''s eyes was crystal clear, his intention, hoping for her defeat, not caring a percentage about her. His black hanfu and his crown, The Demon King whom she was always proud of, in the end was willing to sacrifice her for his love for the Water Princess and her ex best friend Aqua. Volca had no voice against them. Repenting on her devious sins.


    She stood motionless at first. The black wings with feather surrounded by dark fumes around that resembled the furious fire burning slowly came to an end. The belt fastened around her hip, she loosened them and her pill pouch and perfume sachet fell down. She did not care to pick them but Aqua did. She some how reached the conclusion that her life has ended. She was sure that they will execute her.


    "No, I would not do that," Aqua said suddenly. "Execution is not the answer, that would not do," Aqua said as if she had read Volca''s mind looking at her closely. "I will send her on an exile. Banished from heaven and hell until we lift the ban and call her back,"


    "Are you sure?" Demon King asked her.


    "I am," Aqua said.


    "We will do as she says in Volca''s matter," Huo agreed with Aqua. "I have no role in their business,"


    "Sister, make sure you are choosing the right option," Princess Milan warned her.


    "I know I''m doing the right thing," Aqua said.


    "A Demoness like her needs to repent on her sins," Aqua looked at Volca angrily. Volca stood helplessly.


    "I would rather welcome the decision to execute me," Volca said back instead having no will to continue living. She said not wish to live at any one''s mercy in any part of the universe having no hope to find a better life. She rather chose death than suffer and live everyday.


    "That would be too easy, why would I met you off easily, would that give me satisfaction?"


    "Aqua, don''t do this, don''t do this to me," Volca said.


    "Wait, did I not say this exact words to you, before I died?" Aqua chuckled and asked Volca recalling the same words she uttered to Volca. ''Volca no don''t do this, don''t do this to us,'' Aqua smirked.


    "What do you want?" Volca asked back losing her control.


    "I want..." Aqua took a step closer.

 Chapter 190: Aftermath

    "I did not mean anything I said to Volca," Aqua said to Huo soon after sending Volca away to Human Realm as a part of her punishment.


    "I know, I know you can never mean those Aqua," Huo said and hugged her, standing on the battlefield.


    "I want you to suffer the way you made me do. I want you to feel the pain of losing home. I want you to know what it is like to lose the person you love and understand the pain it gives you. Go. Go. Leave. Don''t come back until you are invited. Lead a life where you learn what it is like to live normally," Aqua shunned Volca way.


    Hurt with those words, and ego, and her pride, Volca did not wait for another minute and disappeared. She left but she had no aim. She did not know where to go. She did not have the destination for reach.


    General Hawk stood there feeling equally hurt. He could not understand why Aqua would not forgive Volca. But he did not have the heart to ask the reason since he was well aware of the past they had. General Hawk let it go and hoped for a healthy life for Volca who was like a daughter to him. He failed to guide her and protect her.


    Huo hugged Aqua and looked around. Every thing had come to an end. The fake Phoenix dead, Volca gone, the Realms saved, the soldiers getting treatment for injuries. What was left of the ground was the remains of dead people.


    "Bury them," King Huo ordered.


    "Yes your highness," the guards took the order and left. King Aenon, Queen Rivera and other officials walked down towards Aqua and Huo. The universe has gotten rid of the most evil that existed for long.


    King Dylan the Underwater King suddenly appeared in disguise, and so did Ice King Fuyuto.


    "Justice has been served," King Fuyuto said out loud. The Phoenix family got their justice.


    "If you were all all about justice you should have saved the water Realm from the same plight," King Huo said and looked at King Fuyuto who was lost and had nothing to say. "And I want to thank King Dylan for that, but unfortunately I''m no longer grateful because of the hidden agenda you had in the background,"


    "I am sorry, but I would never pay any respect to you," Aqua said to King Dylan. She walked towards him. "I keeping my mouth shut on what you have done to a child is the biggest pardon you can ever get from me," Aqua reminded him about his actions on the poor Phoenix child suffering in the Human Realm, battling between life and death.


    "You," Dylan began. But he was stopped.


    "Enough," King Aenon said. "Let''s return back to the Castle, the weather is going under, there will be a storm tonight,"


    "It is expected since it''s the Emperor who has passed away,"


    "Hmm yes let''s get back," Huo''er said and invited everyone to the Castle. It was only noon. All the barriers had been lifted and the leaders of the Realm were invited to join for lunch. The troops were send back to respective Realms.


    Many were furious, few were thankful. Demon King set a strong example and showed people his power and how one must not play with Demon Realm ever under his reign.


    The banquet hall was busy with people joining and resting. Non stop food and drink was supplied by the Demon maids. Also to those who were injured, treatment was provided by the Royal physician. Water King also brought his resources and helped Demon King managing everything perfectly.


    At that time, Empress Lihua walked in. Everyone stood up the moment she entered.


    "Your highness," everyone bowed.


    "Mother," Demon King addressed her openly in front of everyone. But no one said anything against it. Demon King got down from his throne and walked towards his mother to help her walk towards the throne.


    People appreciated that. He led her to his throne.


    "Sit," he said to his mother.


    "Aniyo," Empress Lihua refused.


    "You are the most powerful here and the most experienced, sit down," Demon King told her.


    Everyone agreed to it.


    Empress Lihua took the throne and lifted her hands indicating every one to keep silence. The loud noises died down instantly.


    "We have lost the Emperor," Empress Lihua began. "And I do not regret in what has happened. The universe will never will tolerate an evil heart for long, especially when it is the who should be guiding the Realms to good and keep the peace between heaven and hell," Empress Lihua went on.


    Demon King looked at his mother and then at King Aenon and Aqua. Aqua nodded her head asking him to be brave and follow the steps.


    "I never made decisions or let''s say I was threatened not to, I chose silence than use my power, I was a coward. But that does not mean I supported my late Emperor. He was cruel but I will not say further since it is not nice bad mouth about the dead. We all learn our lessons. But we should not tolerate the wrong. We should put an end to it. Today I would like to pay my respects to everyone who were tortured and killed under the reign of Tai. I may sound shameless but I am sincere. I truly feel bad and I hope everyone get their peace and rest in peace who are no longer here with us. I apologise on the behalf of the Emperor has an Empress who shared the duty with him in the universe," Empress Lihua got up and bowed.


    "Mother," Huo walked towards her.


    "Next," Lihua started again. "I am going make an announcement as well as our forward a bill," everyone looked at each other and murdered.


    "Your highness," Beast King stood up. He looked happy about something.


    "Let me speak and listen patiently,"


    "Yes your highness,"


    "Today, I am announcing to everyone about the throne, of Heaven, " Empress Lihua said. The banquet hall went pin drop silence.

 Chapter 191: No more doubts

    "What?" Everyone was shocked.


    "Your highness, please give it a thought before you arrive at a decision to give up your throne," everyone suggested. But Empress Lihua looked at her son, Demon King Huo and Her best friend Queen Rivera.


    "A change is necessary, I don''t have a heir to succeed my throne, now or later, I feel sure that am making a right decision," Empress Lihua said. To that the crowd had nothing to say. "I will soon hold an assembly in the Celestial Palace, for all the leaders, kings and queens," Empress Lihua informed everyone. "There, we will make a decision l," she said stopped. "I do not wish to talk about it right now," Empress Lihua ended the discussion. Demon King Huo understood that no matter what it is, Empress Lihua will never accept Demon Realm as a safe place.


    Huo smiled and looked at the people who all agreed to her. Everyone raised and thanked King Aenon and Huo.


    "If not for you two, heaven would have turned into hell honestly," some shared their opinions while others opposed saying. "How can we trust King Aenon? What if he join hands with Demons always? His daughter is rumoured to be named a Demon Queen already. What should we trust? But this is the sole opinion of Beast King and his followers. Huo remained silent having no will support or encourage anyone. He had asked to serve food for all.


    After some time, Huo left the court and walked back to his chamber soon as he watched Aqua leaving the court too. He wanted to spend some time with her. Alone.


    ******


    ******


    Aqua undressed, and got into water pool, to rest and take a bath. She wanted to wash up and have a fresh start.


    But her thoughts kept wandering back to past. Her days at school with the only best friend she ever made in life. How they first met.


    ********


    "Hello, am Volca," she bowed to her and her father. It was unexpected of her to do it. Volca was wearing a black plain gown and her hair tied up with a purple ribbon.


    "Aqua," she smiled and shook hands with her.


    "Oh my god, you''re the princess aren''t you?" she said in surprise looking from head to toe. Aqua''s father laughed loud.


    "You girls take care of each other, never care about what clan you''re from," he said to the girls as he understood Volca is from the Demon Clan. He knows that Master Bo Hai admit students from all the clans but he got to witness it this time. Aenon was happy and proud.


    Volca tagged along with Aqua and they both went inside the school to meet their Shifu.


    They bowed in front of him.


    "Stand up," he ordered the girls. "Huo, Ash, take the girls to their accomodation. Give them the uniforms. Ask them to come back to the main hall after lunch," he ordered and left his place.


    ********


    But it did not go as expected love began to effect their relationship. It made Aqua even wonder at some moments about whether she made the right choices.


    ********


    I didn''t do anything, I won''t, I can''t, " she sobbed.


    "Just stop crying and tell me," Huo said to her.


    She didn''t explain and buried her face in his chest and hugged him as she went on weeping. That was unexpected, and for him that was little intimidating. But he just let get. He didn''t want make her feel bad again about herself.


    Aqua came in search of Volca at the wrong time and witnessed the intimacy. She held back and left silently. Something hurt inside. Still unaware of her feelings. Since she saw something she wasn''t meant to. She sealed her lips and tried to forget what she saw. She didn''t wish to get in the middle and disturb them. But she couldn''t understand Huo. Being with her and then seeing him with Volca. She couldn''t tell to whom he was being close and to whom he was being only a friend. She was confused and went numb at the same time.


    Yet she was relieved to see Volca back at school who disappeared for a whole day, without news. She has been worrying about it and it turned alright. But something felt off for her. She felt empty all of a sudden and decided to walk around.


    *********


    "If I go back to this day, and make amendments, could things have happened in a different way?" Aqua asked herself.


    "No," Aqua heard a voice. She turned around. She saw the Demon king, taking his clothes off and stepping into the pool, moving closer to her and resting next to her. Aqua smiled.


    "Even if you gave up on me and sacrificed your feelings for her, Aqua, trust me, I would not have left, I would not have accepted her, I would not dare give up on my love I always had for you, and always will have," he said to her and looked into her eyes. It was very comforting for Aqua to hear it, feeling assured again and again. He ran his fingers on her cheek and leaned closer.


    Huo touched her lips with his. He took her lower lip and kissed her. He wanted to be alone with her for some time after all the stressful and life threatening movements that was happening around them. He wanted comfort, he wanted peace, he wanted her more than anything, without restrictions, without rules, without objections. Huo put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. He had already asked the maids to leave the chamber. Aqua smiled while she kept her hands on his muscular chest. He had a small wound caused from Tai''s golden sword.


    "You need treatment,'' Aqua said to Huo pulling back, looking at him and hugged him. But instead Huo lifted her in his arms and walked out of the pool.


    "I need your treatment more than anything," he said and began to tease her. Aqua laughed. "You come up with really cheesy lines these days Huo''er," she made fun of him.


    "Let''s see how long you can hold this time," he said putting her down on the bed and got on top of her. And he began kissing her again while she dug her nails on his back, responding to him. Heart beating louder, voice escaping from their mouths, and hands trembling. There were wrapped up in their own world of happiness. "Huo''er, tell me you love," she said looking into his.

 Chapter 192: Taking her back

    "Where is Aqua?" King Aenon barged in to the bed charmer of Aqua. But the scene was pretty regretful for a father to see his daughter sleeping while a man is watching her sleep. Luckily the two were dressed.


    Aqua pretended to sleep while Huo pretended to watch her sleep while they heard loud noises coming from outside the door whike they were sleeping together in each other''s arms. Aqua smiled as she laid with her eyes closed. Huo got up and asked everyone to remain silent.


    "She said she is tired," Huo said to her family. Queen Rivera, Milan, and even Aiden had walked into the room following King Aenon the moment the noticed the absence of Aqua and Demon King.


    King Aenon cleared his throat and looked around the room.


    "What is it?" King Huo asked Aqua''s father.


    "What were you doing here?" He asked Huo''er.


    "I was just giving her company," he lied. Aqua was smiling even more but buried her head on the pillow.


    "Hmm..." King Aenon nodded his head. "Let us talk later when Aqua is up.


    "Please walk into my room and rest there, let us wait for Aqua to wake up," Huo''er said and guided them to the adjacent bed chamber. It was the first time Milan and Aiden was visiting the bed chambers in the Demon''s Castle.


    "Quite luxurious," Milan whispered to Aiden who was looking all around him.


    "Hmm yes," he said back.


    "Of course yes, Demons are not awfully bad like you imagine, we have good livelihood too and people are pretty good as long as you don''t offend them, they may bit be bright, they may be sly, but they have a heart too, and they will understand, not Demon is a Demon you imagine," Huo''er who heard Milan explained.


    "Yeah yeah, I agree," Milan said and smiled. She felt embarrassed.


    They entered the King''s room. "Please settle down," Demon King said to everyone.


    At that time, Aiden and King Aenon found something on one of the chairs.


    "Huo''er," he called angrily. Aiden pressed his lips controlling his laughter.


    "Yes," Huo turned around and stood still.


    "What is this?" He said pointing at a petticoat lying. It was unfortunately Aqua''s. When he heard footsteps outside the door, he immediately moved all the clothes lying on the floor in Aqua''s chamber to his. But he forgot that when he was taking her family to his room.


    "Oh that, that.. " he had absolutely nothing to say. "That is, my room has good ventilation, maybe she put it here to dry the washed clothes," he struggled to lie.


    "Is that what you two were doing?" King Aenon asked.


    "Pa.." Milan tried to calm her father.


    "Pa.." that time Aqua showed up, all dressed and walked into the room. "What are you asking him? Leave it," she said.


    "I was telling pa.." Milan told her sister.


    "They are together, you know it, why overreact now?" Queen Rivera asked very slowly to her husband.


    "They are still not.. not married, can they not be careful and not make other gossip about them," King Aenon asked.


    "Is there a soul in heaven and hell who does not know about their relationship and story?" Milan asked her father. "Leave that pa,"


    King Aenon said nothing getting no support from his family.


    "Ok. I wanted to talk about something very important,"


    "What is it pa?" Aqua asked as they all settled down.


    "Come back home with me," he said. Everyone fell silent. That was not expected from Aenon.


    "What?" King Huo asked. "No," he said straight.


    "Listen first," King Aenon said and shot a look at Huo.


    "Pa," Aqua called.


    "Listen to me," Water King said again. "I cannot let you just stay in the Castle like that. You both need to get married in the right way. For that Huo''er has to come home asking for your hand with his guardians, and we elders have to approve you two, and hold a wedding, and I want to send you off with him to the Demon Realm that way," King Aenon explained what he wanted to do as a father.


    Everyone smiled and looked at Huo. He nodded. He agreed to the decision and everyone waited for Aqua''s decision. She took a deep breath. She was hurt all these days because of the way her family handled things and in the end got kicked out of the Realm. But this day, she had nothing to say against her father and disagree to his opinion which was about her future. She smiled with fears and nodded her head. "Okay," she agreed. She wanted a proper wedding too. After all the hurdles they crossed, she felt Huo and she deserve best things in the universe.


    "Others will not support you, will you invite them all if they don''t?" Aqua asked her father.


    "Who cares about others?" Milan asked.


    "This is about our girl and her wedding, we need no one''s opinion, we just want to know your words and agreement in this, it is your life not their. Whether the groom is a Demon, a moral, a ghost, a beast, a vampire or let it be anything," Aiden spoke very supportive. "Right pa?" He asked the Water King.


    "Right," Water King agreed and they all laughed.


    Aqua finally felt relived and satisfied. Their lives were no longer in danger. The villain was gone and people has got their peaceful lives back even though numerous lives had to be lost and sacrificed. Aqua watched everyone and sat there smiling, accepting the reality. King Huo watched her. He was glad that she is finally happy. ''I wish you were here to see this,'' he told his father inside his mind.


    The very next day, Aqua had to pack up.


    "See you soon," she said to Huo and kissed his lips.


    "See you soon," he said and waved at her, as she left with her family back to Water Realm. It was a good day and a good beginning for everyone. The sky was bright and clear. And laughter being carried by the wind.


    "A few more days," Demon King said and stood watching every guest he had leave one by one.

 Chapter 193: Information from Jin

    Aqua''s heart raised the moment she stepped into Water Realm. Every thing that happened the last time she left home rushed into her mind. Queen Rivera held her daughter by her shoulder and asked her to enter. Milan took her hands and led her.


    Soon as they reached back home, the royal decree from Empress Lihua reached the palace.


    "Attend the royal conference going to be held in two days, the agenda will be announced during the meeting," King Aenon nodded his head, and looked at his family. They could guess what the agenda is.


    The very next day they prepared to travel. King Aenon decided to take Aqua with him. Aqua was determined to make things right. She was aware that Demon King would not be invited to the occasion.


    Aqua packed up few clothes and decided to travel light. She did not intend to stay longer than a day or two and return back home as soon as the conference ends. She did not who all will try to mock her or stand against her hence she wanted to safe her father from hearing bullshit. Especially the ungrateful acquaintance, Beast King. She wondered why his sons were no longer morally right.


    Milan and Queen Rivera helped Aqua settled down and travel with her father.


    "Don''t mind if your father says something," Her mother advised her.


    "I''m fine," Aqua said. "It''s not like I don''t know any of you," Queen Rivera was hurt hearing that.


    "Aqua, I don''t know how long you are going to keep it in your mind and feel wronged,"


    "Mother that does not mean I was never wronged, I will take time, just relax," Aqua told her mother back.


    "Ok, just think and think about it, you can hate us all you want till you feel better, I don''t care, if you cannot forget or forgive then we cannot do anything about it either. We did admit that it was part of some plans and we could not work it out properly and had to do this all,"


    "Leave it, since you would not understand what I''m going through either," Aqua said and ignored everyone. She was trying her best to not feed her inner demon with hatred.


    The next morning Aqua woke up and decided to take a bath before travelling. She wanted to look fresh. But she felt like someone is peeping over her. Aqua turned around and sent out ropes to tie up the person. "Come out," she ordered.


    "It''s me," she heard a familiar voice. Aqua bursted out with laughter. Jin, the cyclops Aqua adopted as a memeber of Water Realm.


    "Jin, what? Aqua was surprised. She had no seen him for long. "How are you? Wait! Why were you sneaking?" She aksed him.


    "I was worried," Jin said. "Just wanted to see how you are doing, coming back from a war,"


    "I''m fine, I''m fine Jin," Aqua smiled. "Sit down, let''s have breakfast," she said to him.


    "No sister, aniyeyo, I''m fine," he rejected.


    "Sit down come on," she said. "No formalities," Aqua no longer followed any rule of a crown princess. She did not understand why one should not dine with friends whatever class they belonged to.


    "I heard you are going to the Celestial Palace," Jin said.


    "Yes, do you want to join me?"


    "Really? May I?" Jin got excited.


    "Yes yes you may, let us go together," Aqua smiled. The food she ordered for two people were brought in by the maids.


    Queen Rivera and her family members were upset about the way she was behaving, having breakfast meal with a cyclops and not her family.


    Maids served the food and left the room. "How is Huo''er bro?" Jin asked. Aqua laughed out loud.


    "You officially made me and Huo your brother and sister huh?"


    "I did," Jin said proudly. Aqua had her food, and drank her green tea.


    "Why did you want to see me?" Aqua asked Jin. It was evident that he wanted to tell her something.


    "Sis, don''t feel bad," Jin began. "I don''t know much, but please be careful of Underwater Kingdom and their people, the King is not a noble man. He is not kind. He has many intentions,"


    "I know that Jin dear, I will take care," Aqua said.


    "I know a secret," Jin said. Aqua sat stiff. She wondered if Jin knows about the last Phoenix. She looked at him and kept smiling.


    "What is it?" Aqya asked patiently.


    "I have a feeling that something is happening in the Ice Realm,"


    "What in the Ice Realm?" Aqua asked. She was relieved that Jin was not talking about the Phoenix.


    "I heard a rumour that Ice God Dong Lixue is no more, its been few years, the news has been kept hidden,"


    "What?'' Aqua was shocked. "No,"


    "Yes,"


    "Can this information maybe trusted?"


    "Yes, solid news, from the insiders, the second Prince Erwin is ripped off from his status and positions, and under House Arrest until Ice God Lixue gets reincarnated,"


    "So Prince Erwin killed him?"


    "No Aqua sis but he assisted someone to do the deed," Jin explained.


    "Crown Prince Lixue and I used ti train together. We have same Master. Master Bo Hai, but he never said anything to us,'' Aqua said and placed her tea cup down on the table.


    "Keep this in mind while attending the conference, no one knows so far but King Fuyuto will join the meeting and join hands with King Dylan. They would definitely try to say something harsh,"


    "How do you know this much Jin?" Aqua was surprised about that. "These information are really precious and dangerous to keep with you,"


    "I have told you now it is your duty and risk," Jin shrugged. "The Beasts in every realm are not treated well. So beasts of all Realms stay connected and live in our own way,"


    "Hey if you dare to sell Water Realm I will kill you myself," Aqua warned him immediately.


    "To the universe am a wandering beast with no home, no one is afraid of sharing with me, since my words will not be valued, that''s the face I have adopted, don''t worry I will be useful to only you," he said. His eyes were glowing with admiration, love, and respect for the person who saved him. Aqua smiled and tousled his hair.


    "Eat up," she said to him.

 Chapter 194: Dragon Bite

    "Wow..." Jin exclaimed as the royals of Water Realm stepped inside the Celestial Palace.


    "Is it not amazing?" Aqua asked with a smile.


    "Beautiful sis, beautiful, so happy, it looks beautiful than underwa..." But Aqua stopped her.


    "Hush now," she shushed him. "Remember to not say such things and get into trouble," Aqua advised him so that he would not offend any people.


    "Ok ok I got it," he corrected the mistake immediately.


    "Keep quiet you two," King Aenon told the two and reached the destination.


    King Aenon was welcomed and so was his team, they showed the invitation and walked into the court. Not everyone had reached. Empress Lihua had not come to the throne yet. Few court members were arranging things for the guests. It was just a two day meeting. But the staying arrangements had been properly completed.


    "Hello Aenon, you came," Beast King walked towards them with jus three sons.


    "Of course," King Aenon replied. "Why would I not?"


    "Did you not join hands with Demons? So I thought you would not, and totally forgot about the duties," Beast King smirked throwing insults at Water King.


    Aenon laughed out loud instead. "My dear friend," Aenon said. "My duty is to the universe, protecting, and saving innocent people from unfair death, how would a beast like you would understand a human?" King did not stay silent but threw the insult back in the same way; through jokes.


    "Abba stop," Third prince said to his father, rye beast king, feeling ashamed standing in front of Aqua. "Let''s go, please stop," Aqua smirked.


    One by one all the Kings and Queens arrived. The court filled with royals. Everyone arrived on the said time and got ready for the meeting.


    *****


    *****


    "My dear son what are you doing here?" Empress Lihua asked as she got his scent the moment he entered the room, without even looking at him.


    "How did you know?" Demon King asked.


    "Mother knows the child''s presence the best," Empress Lihua replied.


    "Oh come one Maa.." he said and smiled, walking towards her. Empress Lihua kept the crown on her head for the last time. "You are the best Empress the universe has,"


    "The most cowardice, that would be appropriate," Empress Lihua corrected his words.


    "Maa..."


    "It is fine my son, I never wanted this but I had to endure everything since I ended up here, it is all over now, I don''t want this anymore, it is too heavy for me to carry on," she said and stood up from her dressing table.


    "Ma.. you always did well," Huo said and consoled his mother. "You should go, everyone is already waiting for you,"


    "Yes indeed everything is set, Empress I hope you win with your agenda," a female voice said.


    "See she is here too, I know you came to see her, has it been two day and you cannot eart with her?" Mother made fun of her son''s feelings.


    "Ma.." he said laughed. It was short and happy moment.


    "Come in Aqua, look who is here," Empress Lihua said. "Don''t get caught Demon King, don''t alert others about your arrival, lie low," Empress warned Huo and prepared some scrolls to carry with her. But Huo and Aqua did not notice that.


    "Hey baby," Huo said and pulled Aqua closer.


    "Why are you here? You should not..."


    "Shhh...." Huo stopped Aqua keeping his forefinger on her lips and giving a seductive smile.


    Aqua took a bite on his finger. He put his arms around her and kissed her nose tip. "You look pretty," he said.


    "I see," she smiled. He leaned and took her lips in his. They kissed standing there.


    "Kids these days don''t respect their parents, making out in front them, giving a heart attack," They suddenly heard Empress Lihua moving around the room.


    "Maa," Huo said. Aqua pushed Huo''er away immediately and accidentally hurt him a little.


    "Oww.." he then said looking at Aqua. "Don''t treat me like a thief," he said.


    "Empress Lihua we thought you left," Aqua said. "Forgive me," she asked for forgiveness instantly.


    "It''s okay it''s okay," Empress Lihua says smiling and walked out of the bed chamber.


    "I will go with her," Aqua said. But Huo pulled her back again and gave her a back hug. He kissed her neck and tickled her. She got goosebumps all over her. "Keep your hands of me Demon King," she told him trying to control her feelings. "Huo, Huo, don''t, not now," she said and kept doing it. She did not wish to get aroused and miss the meeting at the moment. She managed to escape from his hands. "I''m going, you stay here, don''t walk around," she told him. "What?" She askedooking at his face. "What is with the face?"


    "Disappointment,"


    "Oooohh," she suppressed her smile. "Why?" He pouted his lips. The Demon King and future were acting like reckless couples so in love. She put her hands around his neck and kissed him and let him go.


    "Come back soon," he said and she walked out.


    "Bye," and she disappeared.


    *****


    *****


    Empress Lihua sat on the throne with her heads held high. She welcomed the guests with all her heart and served them with the best drink and snack.


    "I hope all of you are well," she said. "I had to summon all of you sooner than I planned it," she began. She got up from the throne. "Let me tell you what the agenda is going to be,"


    Every Kings and Queens looked at each other. Their hearts rising. King Aenon remained silent. He looked at his daughter who walked and sat next to him.


    "Where did you wander off to?" He asked her.


    "I got lost while trying to find my way back," she lied.


    "Or did a demon kidnap you?" He asked.


    "Paa.." that was unexpected a d Aqua did not expect to get caught. She nudged Jin sitting next to her. "Is there anything on my face?" She whispered.


    Jin observed carefully. "Sis.."


    "Yeah?"


    "Nothing.. no nothing," he said.


    "Oh good. Then how?"


    "Oh wait, what bit you? I think some insect bit you, on your neck," Aqua immediately cover right side of her neck.


    "Not an insect, who knows, maybe a dragon," Aenon passed the comment.


    "Paa...." Aqua was embarrassed. ''Huoooooooo,'' she thought.


    "Oh dragon hickey, nice," Jin joked.


    "Shut up," she said to Jin.


    "You two shut up and listen," Aenon said.


    "Today," Empress Lihua continued. "We will decided about who the next one is," the court went silent for a minute. Lihua''s words were loud and clear.

 Chapter 196: Well Played Lihua

    Lihua smirked seeing the reactions. Everyone looked amber except one. She got the answer right then.


    "Are you all eager to become the next Emperor?" She asked her people.


    "No," everyone said. Aqua looked at her father and back at Empress Lihua.


    "No?" Lihua asked. "Why? I thought except Water Realm''s Aenon, everyone looked eager to become the next Emperor. Everyone looked at King Aenon then. He did look dull.


    "Pa, what is going on?" Aqua asked.


    "Keep quiet, don''t take part in the election process," he said to his daughter instead.


    "Why?" Aqua searched for an answer on her father''s face.


    "I guess there is no one here fit for the crown then, no one is open and brave, I just wanted the answer, straight answer," Empress Lihua went on.


    "Your highness," Beast King stood up. "Your highness I.. " but Empress quickly raised her hand asking him to stop.


    "I don''t want to hear anything from you," she said.


    "Your highness,"


    "I said no and sit down please," Empress Lihua said. "I don''t want to count the number crimes you have committed recently and weigh if there is any quality left to become an Emporer. We don''t need another Tai," she said fearlessly and pretended to be heart less. Talking negatively about her late husband.


    "Your higness, you must not speak like that about your late husband, you are entering mourning, I will not mourn, not for Tai, he killed everyone I loved, tried to kill the innocent, he in the end sold his soul to satan, why should I mourn for a man of no morals and humanity?" She asked the eunuch who reminded her about mourning.


    "Forgive me your higness," the eunuch apologised and left.


    "All right," Empress Lihua said. "I would like to call someone here," she went on. Every one sat looking tensed. The kings, queens, and princes, everyone were eager. "Aqua," Empress Lihua called.


    "Yes your higness," Aqua stood up immediately.


    "Don''t go," King Aenon whispered.


    "What?" Aqua whispered back. "Everyone is looking pa, let go of my hand," she jerked his hands off her wrist and walked forward. She smiled at the Empress and stood next to her. To Aqua, mother in law looked pretty serious and up to something controversial and she felt sure she is going to face trouble and will need to handle it. Aqua took a deep breath. She looked at Empress Lihua again.


    "Aqua dear," Lihua began. "You have been travelling alot recently," everyone began to whisper. "Silence," Lihua raised her voice. "Yes so we were..."


    "Your highness you were asking me if I have been travelling..." Aqua reminded her.


    "Yes yes I was saying that you must have met a lot of people while travelling, in different realms, what do you think those places were like?"


    "What exactly do you want me to say here your highness?" Aqua chuckled.


    "You know what I mean, you know exactly what I mean Aqua," Empress Lihua teased her. "Let me hear, who all wanted to exterminate your race? Who wanted to destroy your Realm?" Empress Lihua asked.


    "The one who wanted to do it is dead," Aqua said bravely. "He has been killed by us," The other Kings and Queens remained silent. The guilty ones were the ones who did not open their mouth. "But he must have been given strong support, who were they?"


    "Your highness, what task do you want me to fulfill here?" Aqua asked again.


    "A task where everyone realize their mistakes and remember their own positions and what power they should live with," Empress Lihua said.


    The others had no words to speak against the Empress this time. "Just like me, and the cowards I was over these years. I want everyone to know their own position," Aqua remained silent.


    "I would like to return back your higness," Aqua said.


    "You may," Empress Lihua gave her the permission.


    "All right, let me ask you...." the whole hall went silent to listen to her words carefully. "Who do you want to choose as your next Emperor?" She put forward the difficult question to others. "You may discuss it over lunch, I will give you time," said Empress Lihua and ender the morning session of the meeting. "Begin to serve the lunch," she ordered the guards. "It is time," she said and vanished.


    The moment Empress Lihua left the hall, everyone began to discuss and state opinions with each other.


    The discussion randomly had the opinion of unwilling to take the risk and claim the throne. But Beast King looked totally offended and nobody gave a damn about it. Soon after Empress left, Water King Aenon also left the scene.


    "Pa, pa wait, stop," Aqua chased her father. Jin was running behind the two. Aenon had sent the guards back to their rest rooms. "Pa," she took her father''s hand. Aenon noticed that she has been addressing him as father like before. He felt relieved about that.


    "What?" He asked back.


    "Should you not be discussing and stating your opinion with other Realms, why are you out instead?" She asked.


    "The agenda is useless, Empress Lihua has the person in her mind, she is just toying with people to make then think that nobody deserve he position except the person she chooses,"


    "Who could it be? Would she ask her family to take the throne, the people from Star Kingdown?" Aqua said. King Aenon nodded his head. He was feeling quite tensed about the situation.


    "Ok forget about it let us go get some rest then,"


    "Don''t wander around Aqua," father warned her.


    "I won''t,"


    "Don''t get caught with Hu...." Aenon stopped and looked around. "Huo''er," he lowered his voice.


    "I won''t, Aqua smiled and left. She went back to the chamber used by Empress, he was still there, waiting.


    "I don''t know what is going to happen," Aqau sighed.


    "I saw everything," he said.


    "You came out?" Aqau was surprised. "DON''T." She said immediately. "Don''t get caught or create trouble for your mother and me," she warned him. She quickly had lunch with him and left back to the hall.


    Everyone had gathered and took their seats. Then the King of Sky Realm got up and walked towards the throne.


    "Have you all made the decision?" Empress asked him.


    "We have,"


    "Go on, then," Lihua said and waited to hear it out.


    "There is no best candidate except..." he paused and looked at everyone. They all nodded their heads except Beast King. "Except, Aenon," Lihua smiled.


    "What?" Aqua asked. Unfortunately it was too loud than she meant to that everyone heard it and turned towards her. Empress Lihua chuckled. "King Aenon," she called him. "Get ready for the coronation and handle the affairs of Water Realm quickly,"


    "What about my opinion? My choice?" Empress laughed hearing Aenon asking question.


    "No Aenon you wrong. You don''t get choose, you get chosen and you do the dity and fulfil it," Empress Lihua laughed and told him. He was left with no choice. But he already saw it coming.

 Chapter 197: Bright Future

    The heaven prepared to welcome the New Emperor and Empress. The preparation began and so did the celebrations. King Aenon and Queen Rivera were not expecting such a huge responsibility to be put on their shoulders. Lihua looked after everything and often visited Water Realm to look at the progress of King Aenon''s learning and to see if he has decided who should take the throne of Water Realm.


    "Listen to me," Lihua said to Aenon. "I gave a thought to it about my son and..." she raised. "And my daughter in law," Lihua said the words. She smiled. King Aenon looked tensed. "Aqua will marry Huo''er, and she has already been declared as the Demon Queen ever since she was sent out of heaven, she will not be able to come back, the days of her as the Crown Princess, it''s over, don''t keep your hopes," Lihua advised.


    "Milan is the only candidate," Rivera walked in. "We cannot give Aqua the throne even if we want to, she is gone from us, if we give her the throne we will become the most baised rulers. We don''t want that Aenon," Rivera opinionated. She sounded serious and determined.


    King Aenon got up from his chair. He nodded his head. "I thought about it a lot. I could only reach this conclusion too, but I am father too.. I could not let Aqua go like that for some time, I know I''m wrong, but..." King Aenon looked at his wife.


    "She is going no where, she is becoming a queen, and what more, a wife to her love she even sacrificed her life for. As parents we should be happy for her. She is finally getting the person she always wanted, she is going to be free and not tied back to anything we forced on her. Let us feel happy for her," Queen Rivera told her husband. "A mother knows feeling well, just like the father, we should do what as parents must for Aqua. Let us not drag it any longer,"


    "The marriage alliance," Lihua said and smiled. "We will hold in after the coronation," Lihua told them. "I will travel after that, I want to experience life outside heaven," she turned away. "Dritan always wanted to do it," she said an disappeared.


    ******


    ******


    King Aenon summoned his eldest daughter to his pavilion behind the study in his chamber and served her with tea and snack.


    "What is it pa?" She looked forward to his talk.


    "I have something very serious to tell you," Aenon began.


    "Okay," she sat patiently.


    "Aqua, are you sure you want to marry Huo''er and live your life with him?" King Aenon asked her. Aqua chuckled.


    "You know the answer more than anyone pa," she replied. "Yes I do,"


    "If so, I will tell you," Aenon began. "When a girl marries a man, she will be taken away by husband to his Realm, she will become and her children she will bear will have to follow his footsteps,"


    "We are equal in the partnership," Aqua quickly corrected.


    "But you will leave Water Realm, or are you planning to stay?" Aenon asked the important question. Aqua stopped and looked af her father.


    "Leave," the answer was clear to both of them.


    "You have been dethroned from the title of Crown Princess Aqua,"


    "Pa," Aqua tried to speak.


    "Milan was given the title after you left,"


    "After I was kicked out to be exact," she corrected.


    King Aenon shot her a look but he could not deny the fact anyway. The mistake was his.


    "It is a crown princess who will take the throne of a Realm," Aenon kept teaching her.


    "I''m fine leaving Water Realm and seeing Milan as the Queen," she said. "She is the right person to look after our home and our people, with you and Ma gone from here to the Celestial Palace, you cannot rest in the future for a long time, and I''m not going to live here either, Huo''er and I will have a life live together and his throne to keep, so Milan is the best and the only candidate for the throne of our Relam," Aqua stopped her father. "Why must you think that I would feel bad or misunderstand the situation, when it is the right route?" She asked her father.


    "You may not seek hurt, but as your father more than a King or Emperor, I am hurt, you are my only daughter and I have to watch you leave while all of this belongs to you as the first born," King Aenon sounded all emotional.


    "You should not be sat about this, relax Pa, this is life, mortal or immortal, unexpected things are bound to happen, meant to happen, and will happen for sure, my case is just like that. A high goddess is no exception to fate. We are all the same in the eeyesof greatest power," she told her father feeling totally fine while he was not.


    "You have grown all big and even advising me now, has time run forward too much?" Aenon wiped his eyes and tousled Aqua''s hair. Aqua hugged her father tight. She needed it.


    *******


    *******


    The empress did not mourn like she said. The body has been kept in the coffin. For some reason his soul did not vanish. But Empress made sure he is dead and will never return. Empress decided to not open him up showing his will he had written before to the ministers. But she ordered the royal guards to find the treasures and bury his father he has kept in the coffin in the underground room beneath his bed chamber. There was no heir to crown as the emperor and choosing Aenon felt si right. There was a confusion among people and trouble that stirred about whether the empress would choose her illegitimate son Huo, as the emperor who already is the demon king, the emperor of the hell. The star of Tai had fallen down from the sky. Aqua, Milan and Aiden pretended to not being in a relationship so that others don''t bad mouth Milan.


    Aiden walked around the ministers to know what they are gossiping about the future emperor. He heard what was warming to his heart and a happy thing for the family.


    Celestial Palace welcomed Aenon and Family. Aqua came along with her parents to live with them until her marriage. She liked the palace for the first time. It did not feel that threatening as it did before.


    The first ten days went busy learning about how things at the palace work and meeting and greeting people who visited.


    ******


    Days passed and everything calmed down. Coronation of Milan as queen was pending. Aqua was bored one afternoon and she decided to take a walk.


    Aqua was standing in front of the lotus pond in the west block of the palace, admiring the flowers. And she felt someone putting their hands around her waist.


    "Huo''er, you came," she said excitedly.


    "I should as a king show my warmnt and gratitude to the new emperor, shouldn''t I?" he made a comment.


    "Yes, you definitely should," she said as he kissed the tip of her nose. Then she pushed him away they heard people coming from afar. Demon king bowed to the the water princess and walked away. And Aqua couldn''t help but laugh aloud. She felt hopeful about life and she took that wilfully and happily. Making her dreams come true. But she was sure and little hurt about the fact that she will have to forever move away from the heavens even though Huo''er had promised her that water realm will forever be her home.

 Chapter 197: The Beginning

    The heavens worked peacefully. The reign was satisfactory under Aenon and Rivera. Everyone was loved and respected. Everyone was given the rewards for their hardwork and appreciated. Beast King was embarrassed to meet the friend he betrayed but he managed to apologise. Emperor Aenon pardoned him but never got closer like the old days. He learned his lesson the hard way.


    Things were normal and there were no kore mysterious murders in the heaven. The criminal well punished and locked up in prison. The question about Aqua always rose during the court meetings and that is when Aenon mustered up his courage and talked about his daughter.


    "I want to let her live her dream and fly in her own wings, no she will not become the Crown princess of Celestial heaven, she will become what she want to, and the heir throne will be the one who is desitned to. A Celestial being itself, that is how we will choose the throne," Emperor Aenon told his ministers. Everyone appreciated the opinion.


    *******


    *******


    Couple more days passed. Huo''er was super bored. He could not get in and out od Celestial Palace as he wished. And he often got caught by Emperor himself. It was embarrassing.


    "Don''t repeat it again," Aenon always warned his son in law. "Have patience, you are a king," Huo''er would smile and disappear. But it dawned on his head. "I should go ask," he decided. He informed his mother, Lihua about going to ask Aqua''s hand to Emperor and Lohua prepared for the small ceremony. They set out once Aenon accepted the request.


    Aqua was exited and happy. She ran around castle greeting all the workers in the palace. Her maids brought the dress for her to wear when the groom and family is going to visit her. A peach exclusive gown designed specially for her, designed by her. Milan, Aiden, and his parents had come to the Celestial Palace to be part of the moment.


    Huo and his mother with their group arrived on time and they had great welcome party.


    Huo''er''s eyes searched for Aqua everywhere when he walked with the family towards the banquet hall.


    They settled down and called the bride. Aqua walked in. Huo''er''s heart skipped a beat. He smiled and kept his wine glass down. She was made to sit opposite. She sat quietly. A coy young lady. She smiled and glanced at Huo''er often when the elders discussed about marriage.


    Soon after lunch, Aqua and Huo escaped the room when no one noticed. They went to the pavilion at the back of the palace and sat there.


    "Marry me," Huo''er proposed. He did not hesitate or waited any longer. Aqua was surprised. She did not expect him to propose this way and she felt the heart explode inside her chest.


    "Yes," she replied. Huo kissed the hell out of her. She went breathless. Every minute she spent with him made her feel new and exciting like their first time. Nobody had any objections since it has been going on for decades.


    The dates of the marriage was decided. The venue was also decided.


    Aqua and Milan spent days planning thr wedding and Huo often joined then during their free time. They decided to keep their distance and not sleep together until their marriage.


    Milan often mocked her sister about it. "Wait took you reach this stage my Queen," Aqua would mock back and Milan would gi silent instantly. "Oh by the way, take it slow and don''t get pregnant before marriage, you are a queen now," Aqua reminded her casually.


    "I know," Milan said and would get scared.


    *******


    *******


    The marriage took place in the Celestial Palace. That morning, everyone woke early and prepared to witness the wedding that will make into history.


    Aqua was most beautiful bride in her maroon embroidered gown, the universe had ever witnessed. and The Coronation as the Demon Queen was planned to take place in the Demon''s castle. For the first time, Aqua felt extremely tensed, just as happy as she was. To be the wife, to be the Demon Queen, she couldn''t believe anything that was happening around her, to her , more importantly with him right next to her.


    The ceremonies lasted long. It was tiring. But it was special to them. Taking each step and getting closer until Emperor Aenon kept his daughter''s hands his. His heart exploded. He had never had any desires in this world except her. He was happy. Happier than any man in the universe. "I love you," he whispered often in Aqua''s ears. She would blush each time and but luckily nobody could see them since she had the veil covering her face.


    ******


    ******


    Huo''er and Aqua bid farewell to everyone at heaven and went back to Demon Realm. The people in the Realm were waiting for them eagerly. The celebrations began then. The bride and groom was welcomed with such merry and love. Who said demons do not have feelings and emotions. They did. More than humans. They were not always scheming and cruel. They also know to respect and live with dignity. Huo''er proved that to the world showing the way Aqua was welcomed. The coronation took place at the same day by evening. Every demon in the realm sent their blessing. The Queen took the throne. She raised her hand and willing chose the demonic way of living. Aqua was long the princess of Water Realm but the Empress of Hell, the Queen of Demon Realm. The ministers accepted her. No one was against her. Every one was happy that the koduth talented princess from heaven now belong to hell and they felt safe under her protection and Huo''er''s. A security Demon Realm always wanted.


    *******


    *******


    That wedding night, after the party, every one prepared the bed chamber of king and queen for consummation and pushed then into the room with wine and food behind. The door was also locked from the outside. Such traditions still existed in the Castle. Everyone was giggling and feeling happy.


    Aqua and Huo blushed and looked at each other. Indeed the two looked tensed. They sat down for some minutes. They needed rest. It was a pretty long day.


    Huo took the crown off her head and untied her hair that fell down to her shoulders. Aqua stood up and faced him.


    "It still feels like a dream, a distant dream that came true, us, without objections," she said looking into his eyes. He stroked her hair and took her face in his hands.


    "We no longer will have hindrances, we will no longer have to hide, get hurt, run away or die a second time, from the troubles," he said to her. This time his eyes glistened with tears. He was happy, extremely more than anyone could image, to have made her his. She reached up to his face and kissed him. She took the initiative. Her thoughts were loud and all about him. He lifted her in his arms and carried her to their bed, placing her down carefully. She took his royal robes off, keeping her hands on his chest, while he slowly undressed her from the queen''s dragon gown customised just for her. He could only see perfection in her. While she saw the whole universe in his eyes. Their universe. He ran his fingers on her face smiling at her, looking into her eyes, admiring her, as his heart pounded fast with love and desire. She kneeling on the bed, wrapped her arms around him as he took her breath away, kissing her all over, stealing everything at once from her, unfolding her, the whole night. Just like fire on fire. He laid her down and whispered, in her ears "I love you," then they said that to each other again. "For all the years yet to come and forever." Aqua and Huo began to live a life they always wanted and craved. It was all just the beginning.


    The good turned evil but the evil always remained good, always misunderstood and hated the most. With love, struggle, sacrifice, life and death. The wrongs were turned right. Aqua through her three life times made it all come true.


    Sometimes it will be the least liked things, or greatly misunderstood beings who in the end might help and do good to you. And that happened in the lives of these people. The most respected fell down with massive failures, while the being forever cursed became the life and light of the thousands. Ultimately, with hopes, struggles, life and death, they had their way, all those fighters who believed, and who wasn''t blind. They got their shares. And it was a happy ending to many.

 Chapter 198: Demon King made Aqua His and Had Their Own Family

    Emperor Aenon and Empress Rivera always was engaged with heavenly matters that it made Milan keep postponing her wedding with her longtime love Aiden. She eagerly waited though she felt upset from time to time. Aiden finally managed to propose her romantically during a small getaway while visiting the Sky Realm for buisness. And he unconditionally fell in love with her over time. Well atleast that''s what everyone believed it is when he took his chance and proposed to her. And Milan since then has been on top of the universe feeling lucky to be marrying her first and only love, ignoring the fact how he has been a sucker for her sister. Well everyone wanted to forget that fact.


    The heavens was peaceful and happy as ever. The palace was decorated with bright lanterns and decoratives. Aenon requested her second daughter to hold the ceremony in the celestial palace just like her elder sister Aqua did, before she took the throne as demon queen. Aenon was worried about how Milan was going to handle the realm often, being inexperienced a little compared to Aqua. Milan was always let free unlike Aqua who has been trained forcefully. Aenon decided to put the trust on the bride and groom and happily blessed them an eternity.


    Everybody was proud of the children of the Emperor and the Empress. And appreciated the emporer for being the good father. For empress it was the most emotional moment as a mother, to see both her daughters matured and holding their men''s hands, setting out to lead their own lives, her babies. Even though she knew well about her daughters, it always had troubled her every time they set out of palace going in search for danger themselves. And now she was finally at ease to think that there are more people to protect them.


    The Demon King and Queen arrived a little earlier than expected to assist the Emperor for the wedding. Aqua has been excited like anything. Jin the cyclops chose to live with Aqua and Huo and always walked around them. Huo who helped Aqua, walked behind his Queen not leaving her out of his sight even for a moment. It was a surprise for everyone to see how the heaven and hell had a rhythm and balance in the universe and jealous of how Huo loved Aqua. Nobody could believe that such kind of love existed. The unusual era it was during the reign of Aenon and Huo. At the same time everyone wondered how the future would turn into. Ash was happy for his friends. Master Bo Hai went into seclusion and did not attend Milan''s wedding.


    Demon Queen had the tianlong descend growing inside her womb. She looked pretty, always angry, with loads of mood swings and ripe with her pregnancy and stunningly beautiful in the queen''s gown giving her a special glow.


    When Aqua found out about her pregnancy, she was shocked and Huo also was surprised. It happened much earlier than they planned to have kids. "Maybe we should not be allowed to sleep together anymore," Huo commented when they found out and he kissed her. But soon they grew excited too.


    Milan looked marvellous just like her sister did but instead opted for a navy blue long gown with silver dragon embroidery all over. Aqua wished Aiden from the bottom of her for everything he did for the family and his realm and said how deserving is he to be the king of the water realm. She felt too proud of him. She made him promise to never let her sister down and jokingly threatened him about how she would lead the Demon Clan attack him if he fails to take care of Milan.


    Huo held her hands, sitting next to her, consoling her. She couldn''t be any happier than seeing her sister smiling wide. The ceremony lasted for only a short time. And Aqua didn''t forget to tease her sister like she was attacked once.


    "It''s not like this is your first time, what are you tensed about," Aqua said when the time ti send Milan and Aiden to their chamber arrived. Milan gave her sister a sad helpless look for teasing her and laughed about it apologizing to her. "But this is going to be the first time if I have to explain in a different way," she said and blushed. The wedding was a success and the heavens celebrated it for over a week.


    Couple of months later, Aqua and Huo gave birth to a princess, Fleur. And the life became too adventurous for the king and the queen entering the parenthood. She constantly had to enquire her mother and Huo''er''s mother about matters to do with babies and think of protection while spending time with Huo often. She didn''t want another child right after one. But she ended up getting pregnant again.


    "Wow," Huo said and hugged her. So did their princess girl Fleur. This time it was a baby boy and named him Kai, a descendant of frost dragon.


    *******


    Many times later, one fine day, Aqua recieved an anonymous letter addressed to her.


    "Dear Queen,


    Greetings to you,


    I cannot be more happy for you than this. I hear the news from the story tellers even though they are a little bit exaggerated. I wish you all the happiness and love.


    I am doing fine and I survived. I still have some injuries left to heal, but shifu helped me take care of myself. I do not intend to return for everything I had done. Tell his majesty I will always be there if you can trust me ever. Even if this world ends, I won''t let our memories fade away. That will be forever.


    With Love.


    You know who.


    ********


    Reading the letter made Aqua forgive her best friend she sent on exile little by little until she started missing her one day, writing back to her. The relationships formed sincerely are hard to break away in the middle even if they are your arch enemies. There will forever be one soft corner kept in our hearts for them , in hope for their return, that someday the evil might turn good. And it will. If you are willing to accept it. Aqua thus let go of all the hatred and grudge she had in her heart and decided to live a peaceful life doing her duty to the universe.


    *******


    THE END


    *******

 Chapter: What happened to Volca

    Volca was sent to earth. She was found in the moutian, on the verge of death due to her injuries. She was weak and revealed her true self a young man on the moutian who refused her.


    Volca those was rescued by that man. Auran. That was his name. He took her to the hospital and he left her alone. For months, she stayed in the hospital. Recovery and rehabilitation took time for her. The mortal medicines worked too slow on her. Volca found out the the truth that she has lost her pouch, her pills, and her sword. She had no idea where she dropped. She tried summoning then. That is when she realized that she has also lost her power. She discovered the heavy injuries in her primordial spirit and meridians.


    Volca was least upset when she found out about that. Rather she felt lucky. She thought that she has turned into a human after she lost her powers and decided to live like that. She adopted a name; Hara and lived her life. Volca lived in a house with a mortal and she took up a job she is best at. "A baker," she baked cakes and became popular in town and people began to come for her.


    Volca thus became a successful young entrepreneur. She was 18 years old mortal who is orphan and lost memories about her life. She was looked after by a lady who is the mother of Auran who saved her. It was a coincidence.


    When Auran found about Volca living in his house. He got furious. Since he has seen her Demoness form he grew scared and worried about his mother''s safety. He used harsh words and was super rude to her. He called her a monster and named her birdie. Volca was hurt though he was innocent. She pretended to be a mortal and kept denying his accusations and acted innocent. Her fate got tangled with this strange man.


    But that''s when Volca discovered certain people in her life.


    Volca found a Demon from Demon''s castle who is also undergoing punishment and is working as a grim reaper on earth. But she had no idea about this life. Yet she called him her brother. Volca also discovered that the man who saved her life is dating a vampire and is enchanted by her. Volca decided to split them up for his sake and save his life Tai show her gratitude. But Auran kept getting on her way. Auran and vampire girl Emma had fun. Emma''s step brother who is also a vampire worked as a professor in the same university Auran and Emma are studying. Later Volca also joined there for work to teach in the catering department. It was a messy relationship all of them had. Emma has been often chased by Grim Reaper Daniel. Daniel Kent his house to Volca for living in the city. Emma and Auran were in a relationship. But Daniel was in love with Emma. And Volca had her eyes on Auran. At the same time Austin, the vampire brother had eyes for Volca. There were always clashes when this five met. It was chaos.


    Though she completely lost her powers sometimes a flickering energy was felt in her. And also often General Hawk from the Demon''s castle visited her. The one who brought her up when her mother failed her and hurt her. She could not behave rudely to him but she kept rejecting his offer. His offer to go back and get pardoned by Demon King Huo and Aqua. It was the time before their marriage. It was the time when Volca had not completely moved on from loving Huo too enough to accept whatever hell would offer her.


    Then next time General Hawk visited, it was invitation. The invitation to the historic wedding of Huo and Aqua. But by then there were slight changed in Volca.


    Auran tried getting close to Volca and he also learned about true identities of Volca, his girlfriend emma, her brother and Volca''s friend Daniel. He wa shocked but he got closer with Volca. But the fate tortured Volca. Soon as the truth was discovered, and Volca began to show feelings towards Auran, Auran had to meet with an accident. To save him from his death, Volca begs her Demon God and agrees to do anything he says. But the god took the chance and asked her to stay away from Auran. She did as he told her and save him. But it costed his memories with her.


    Volca''s torment never ended. She could never lead a peaceful life. Pain and tears followed her everywhere. She could not forget ther past, neither could she live in the present and she was no longer curious about her future and wondered why she even exits. She was tired, she always cried, and she wished she never chose the wrong paths for the sake of love. At the same time, she hated her mother for taming her and making her turn evil. She also hated the fact that it''s Emperor Tai who is father, and also the fact that he hurt her and found pleasure in it. It disgusted her. It was pretty traumatic for her and she did not regret killing him in the end. She became a Demoness who hated her parents but loved the strangers the most. She lived that way. And she encountered many events in life.


    *******


    *******


    Life cannot be predicted. Life is full of surprises. Life will make you witness things that will help you grow as a person. For life is decided by the greater gods they say. When a man is born, his fate also follows him. It is also believed that everything is predestined in this world. But how many of us believe that and follow the rules? How many of us can surrender to our fate? Will fighting against it matter? Well indeed we can fight but we still will never know what our fate is or what the altered fate is until it happens. Thus life becomes what is lived us day by day. Trying to fight our way, holding on to what we cherish the most, and try to make everything before us meaningful, protecting things we love the most. Life is what happens as long as we keep breathing.