Chapter 8
“Come in.” The Emperor spoke, and Jia’s body instinctively moved forward. As soon as she crossed the threshold, the door closed behind her.
They were alone in the vast chamber. The sheer weight of his presence was overwhelming. Without thinking, Jia fell to her knees.
“Yo-Your… Ma- Majesty… I… I… greet… you…” Even to her own ears, her trembling voice sounded pathetic. Jia kept her head bowed low, avoiding his gaze.
“Come closer.” His voice drifted down from above. Trembling, Jia shuffled forward on her knees, as slow as an ant.
“Walk.”
Her body reacted before her mind could process the command. She scrambled to her feet and walked towards him.
Finally, she stood before the Emperor. Jia’s eyes fell on his long, flowing white robes, then to his bare calves and feet. She’d clung to those feet once, only to be met with agonizing pain. The memory sent her heart racing, a frantic pulse pounding in her ears. Amidst the throbbing, she heard the chirping of a bird. Jia couldn’t believe her ears.
Forcing her gaze upwards, she saw the Emperor’s thighs and the large hands resting upon them. In his bony grip, he held a tiny bird.
“Oh…” A gasp escaped Jia’s lips. Her eyes met the bird’s. It chirped frantically, as if pleading for its life.
“I hear you’ve manifested holy power.”
“…Y-Yes, th-that’s… c-correct…” Her voice was barely a whisper, as small as an insect. The Emperor remained silent. Perhaps her abject fear was more pleasing to him.
“Show me.” He opened his hand. Though freed, the bird remained frozen, chirping desperately, as if still bound by invisible chains.
Jia’s eyes darted nervously. Show him? To the bird?
“Y-Your… M-Majesty… are… are you… referring… to… the… b-bird?”
“Yes.” The Emperor’s voice was low and utterly calm. Jia stared at the bird, feeling as though she’d been struck by a blunt object.
Suddenly, water cascaded over her. “Aagh!” She screamed, trembling violently. The water was icy cold, chilling her to the bone.
“Focus. I do not like to repeat myself.”
Soaked, Jia nodded rapidly. She extended a trembling hand, palm up. Please, please….
A faint, white spark flickered in her outstretched hand. It was pathetically small, like her cowering spirit. This can’t be happening, she murmured.
“Is that all?”
“…I-It… w-was… b-bigger… b-before… b-but… now… it’s… s-strange…”
“Again.”
Again. I have to do it right. I have to do it right to survive. I have to prove it… I have to… to live….
Despite her desperate pleas, the spark dwindled. Jia blinked, stunned. Hot tears streamed down her cold, wet cheeks.
The Emperor chuckled. The sound was like a trigger. Jia flung the meager spark at the fragile bird.
Blood erupted. Jia stared blankly as the bird’s neck split open, spraying blood. Its head and body separated, the headless body collapsing onto the Emperor’s hand. The severed head rolled across the floor.
“Uh…” Jia’s eyes lost focus. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her trembling lips turned a shade of violet. The bird… Where’s its head? We just made eye contact…
“Insignificant, but it seems you have a capacity for killing.” The Emperor’s voice was still monotone. He continued, “Now, attack me.”
Jia remained unresponsive, her unfocused gaze fixed on the bird’s headless body. I… I killed it…
“Haah!” A swirling black mist enveloped her, snapping her back to reality. The coiling darkness pressed against her, constricting her like invisible chains. Jia, half-delirious, stared up at the ceiling with wide, unseeing eyes. She hated this world, Erendia, with every fiber of her being.
She wanted to go back to Earth. She wanted this to be a dream. She prayed that when she closed and opened her eyes, she’d be back in the warmth of her family’s embrace. But no matter how many times she blinked, nothing changed. The alien landscape, the headless bird, the silver Emperor standing like a light-absorbing phantom…
“No, no… Mom…” Through her flowing tears, she saw visions of her family. She cried out, reaching forward.
“I want to go home. Take me home. Please, please take me home, Mom, Dad, Sis…” Forgetting the Emperor’s presence, Jia sobbed uncontrollably. She couldn’t bear it any longer. She wanted to give up, to let go. Her resolve from the night before, her desperate desire to live, crumbled. Even her longing to see her family again faded in the face of her overwhelming need to escape this horrific abyss.
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