Rui sat carelessly on a prayer cushion in the temple's meeting room, not paying much attention to the serious atmosphere.
This round room was usually meant for meditation and spiritual meetings but now had a very unusual guest.
Incense smoke floated through the rays of afternoon light while twelve senior monks sat in strict order, their expressions ranging from open dislike to careful curiosity.
Rui squirmed on the thin cushion, trying to get comfortable.
She wondered how these monks managed to sit like this for hours without pain. She stretched deliberately and then used her finger to tap on a nearby scroll.
"Please don't touch the Sacred Sutras of Purification," a young monk said, struggling to keep a polite tone.
"Oh?" Rui picked up the scroll regardless and opened it slightly.
"What happens if I do? Will demons appear?" She grinned mischievously.
"Oops, too late."
Elder Sun's face flushed with anger. "This reckless behavior only shows what we already know. Your presence violates this sacred place."
Master Tao raised his aged hand.
"We wish to understand why you are here, young woman, and the nature of your sudden arrival."
Rui tossed the scroll back onto its stand nonchalantly.
"First of all, I'm no young woman. I'm the princess of the Underworld."
"And second, I didn't mean to cause such a commotion."
"Traveling between dimensions is unpredictable, especially when one gets tossed between worlds against their will."
"You expect us to believe you ended up here by accident?" Elder Sun retorted with skepticism.
"Believe whatever you like," Rui said, examining her nails,
"If I'd planned an invasion, I would've worn better shoes." Said Rui as she wiggled her bare toes.
Jin, kneeling quietly at the edge of the room, struggled to hide his amusement.
Master Tao leaned in more intently.
"Then what do you propose? We can't just let someone with your abilities roam around freely."
Rui straightened up, changing from casual to serious.
"I propose a deal. You need protection—I noticed your protective wards are almost falling apart"
"And that barrier spell? It's two hundred years out of date."
The monks exchanged worried looks.
"I can help strengthen them," Rui continued
"Ridiculous," Elder Sun burst out. "We don't need assistance from a demon!"
"Well, if I may…" Jin spoke up softly.
"The eastern barrier failed twice last month, we could use the help"
Master Tao stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"So, what do you want in exchange?"
"Sanctuary," Rui replied with a wide smile.
"Food. And maybe a cushion that doesn't feel like a rock."
"I'll just stay here until I... sort some things out."
After a tense silence, Master Tao nodded slowly.
"We will permit a trial period. Any sign of treachery—"
"Ya ya, you'll exorcise me to the nine hells and back," Rui waved dismissively.
"Which would be redundant since that's where I'm from."
The discussions ended with a reluctant agreement. Master Tao assigned Jin to be Rui's official guardian.
This new duty made the young monk blush and pale as he guided her to her room.
The "room" was a small meditation cell, barely big enough for a sleeping mat and a prayer table.
"This is it?" Rui asked, looking around at the bare space. "Where's the rest of it?"
Jin blinked in confusion. "The... rest?"
"You know—the bath area, the dressing space, the sitting room." She glanced around the tiny space.
"There should at least be a vanity." cried Rui.
"We practice simplicity here," Jin explained, indicating the single oil lamp.
"We only keep what we need, nothing more."
Rui flopped dramatically onto the thin sleeping mat.
"What I really need is a real bed. And where is Kee Kee—where have they taken him?"
"Your friend is in a different area. Elder Sun insisted on it."
Rui sat up quickly. "They've locked up my Kee Kee?
"That little creature might be annoying, but he's mine."
Before Jin could say anything, loud noises came from somewhere in the temple.
There was shouting, a squeal, and what sounded like Kee Kee swearing loudly.
"LET GO OF ME, YOU HAIRLESS MONKEYS! I'LL INCINERATE YOUR SHINY EGG HEAD!" Kee Kee's unique voice echoed down the hallway.
Rui smiled. "Looks like keeping him contained isn't working."
Soon, a black blur zoomed into the room, leaving smoke and burnt prayer beads behind.
Kee Kee jumped straight into Rui's arms, his small horns smoking a bit.
"Princess! These savages tried to exorcise me!" The demon beast burrowed against her chest.
"One of them sprinkled me with holy water. WATER, Rui! As if I'm some common imp!"
Three monks appeared at the door, their clothes slightly burnt and tired.
"The containment failed," one said.
"Hand over the beast" said another
Rui hugged Kee Kee tighter.
"He's staying with me and that's non-negotiable." commanded Rui as she stomped her feet.
"Let her keep him. I shall bear the consequences if anything happens."
Jin ensures the monks.
The monks gave a polite bow and left.
Soon after, Jin excused himself with an awkward bow.
Rui examined her new small room with dread.
"This is barbaric," she murmured, nudging the sleeping mat.
"I'm a princess, not a savage."
Kee Kee scurried around the tiny space, sniffing at corners. "It smells like an old man in here."
Rui leaned against the wall and slid down until she sat on the floor.
She closed her eyes, thinking about her room in the Underworld—the big bed with silky sheets as dark as night, the makeup table made from rare bones, and the balcony looking over the Lake of Screaming Souls where she enjoyed her morning tea.
"I had sixteen different pillows, Kee Kee. Sixteen! Each stuffed with different exotic feathers."
She sighed, "And my cursed music boxes! Who will wind them while I'm gone?"
"No one," Kee Kee replied, chewing on the prayer mat's edge.
Rui spent an hour moving the little furniture, which only moved the table from one side of the room to the other.
She tried to meditate like the monks, sitting with crossed legs but gave up after half a minute because her back hurt.
"I can't take this," she told Kee Kee, who was sound asleep.
She stood, dusting her robes. "I'm going to find Jin. At least he's interesting to look at."
--------------------------—
Moonlight streamed through the paper screens, bathing Jin's simple room in a soft, silver hue. The room was bare, with just a sleeping mat, a small table for meditation, and a wooden chest holding his few possessions.
The door slid open suddenly, and Rui slipped in quietly, holding Kee Kee. The tiny horned creature was peacefully asleep, occasionally twitching and making soft, growling noises.
Jin was startled and nearly dropped the scripture he was reading.
"Lady! You shouldn't be here," he whispered, glancing at the door. "If Elder Sun finds you here—"
"Then baldy will have a stroke," Rui finished, settling comfortably on his meditation cushion. "And honestly, that might improve his personality."
Jin glanced nervously between her and the door.
"The evening bell has rung. All disciples should be alone, meditating."
"And yet here you are, reading," Rui noted, looking closely at him.
She noticed his hair, longer than a typical monk's shaved head, falling in soft waves past his ears.
"Speaking of not following rules," she said, reaching out to touch a strand of his hair. "Why do you get to keep this while everyone else looks like polished eggs? Are you some rogue monk cosplayer?"
Jin flinched away from her touch, his cheeks coloring. "I'm not... I just haven't taken the final vows."
"What does that mean?"
"I'm still in training," he admitted, looking at his hands. "I couldn't complete the path because of... complications."
Rui leaned in, intrigued.
Rui leaned forward, suddenly intrigued. "What kind of complications make someone ban you from shaving your head? Did you try to smuggle in wine? Women? Both?"
"Nothing like that," Jin replied, his voice so low she had to strain to hear."
It's not important." But his expression of pain told a different story—something deep and unresolved was beneath his calm exterior.
Jin cleared his throat, eager to change the topic.
"What about you? How does a High demon from the Underworld end up crashing into our temple?"
Rui's eyes narrowed at his obvious deflection, but she allowed it, settling more comfortably on his meditation cushion.
"Ah, changing the subject. Very monk-like of you."
"I'm merely curious," Jin said, keeping a respectful distance between them.
"What exactly are you running from?"
"Not running from—running through," Rui corrected, absently stroking Kee Kee's fur.
"The Nine Infernal Trials. It's a whole tedious succession thing. My father, the Demon King, has gone missing."
Jin's eyes widened. "You're... the Demon King's daughter?"
"Princess Xiao Rui, reluctant heir to the Throne of Blazing Judgment," she said with a playful bow.
"I'm undergoing these challenging trials to prove I'm worthy, but it feels silly since I'm clearly not."
"Why think that way about yourself?" Jin asked, genuinely puzzled.
Rui shrugged, but there was a glimpse of vulnerability in her expression.
"Everyone sees me as the useless royal—great for parties, not fit for ruling. I think the council wants me to fail so they can take control."
Her fingers unconsciously traced the mark on her wrist.
"Anyway, enough about me."
"Tell me about this place. Do you monks do anything fun, or is it all chanting, fasting, and hitting each other with discipline sticks?"
"We don't hit each other with—" Jin stopped when he saw her teasing smile.
"There's peace here. Purpose. The cultivation of spirit through discipline."
"Sounds thrilling," Rui said sarcastically,
"It's no surprise everyone looks so cheerful."
His fingers moved to the prayer beads wrapped around his wrist, gripping them tightly.
"Those seem interesting," Rui pointed out, noticing the beads.
"They don't look like typical prayer beads."
Jin quickly shielded them with his other hand.
"They're just... they help me concentrate my spiritual energy."
Curiosity piqued, Rui reached out before he could stop her, her fingertips brushing against the smooth wooden beads.
The moment she touched them, a jolt of energy shot up her arm—dark, ancient, and unmistakably demonic.
Her eyes went wide. "These aren't—"
A low growl rumbled through the room.
The sound came from the beads themselves.
Something monstrous stirred within them, responding to her touch like a beast rousing from slumber.
The growl deepened, vibrating through the prayer beads and into Jin's skin, making the veins in his wrist darken visibly.
Jin yanked his arm away, terror flashing across his face.