She whimpered, a small, broken sound coming out of her.
After shoving her into this suffocating darkness, Jiang Lang's killers had promised to give her blankets and food. That vow, to her had felt like an eternity ago, and no one had returned since they locked her in the chilly cell. Perhaps it was for the best. She didn't want to see them again, didn't want to hear their voices, didn't want any interaction with them. She would endure the cold and the gnawing hunger.
Shivering, she pulled her thin jacket tighter around herself. She was grateful they hadn't taken it from her during the long, terrifying descent into this underground prison.
Just then, a small, furry creature scurried across her fingertips, its tiny claws scratching against her skin. She recoiled with a gasp. Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods. She scrambled back into the farthest corner, her heart pounding in her chest. It was a mouse . A mouse. A filthy rodent that would devour anything. And where there was one...
Her stomach churned. She strained her eyes in the gloom, but it was useless. The cell was shrouded in an impenetrable darkness, and she wouldn't have been able to see a monster even if it stood directly before her.
"Stay still." A shaky breath in. "Stay calm." A long exhale. She continued the process of breathing in out and she felt relaxed.
I will tell you anything you desire to know, but please do not harm me again, Broken Arm pleaded, his sobs echoing in her thoughts. I did not intend to trespass. There was a long silence. Fine, yes, I did. I intended to, but only to observe who had taken residence here. I am not a hunter, I swear upon my ancestors.
Ling's ears twitched, and she pressed herself further into the rough stone wall. Hunter, the man had said. Jiang Lang's killers had called her a hunter. What did they mean? A bounty hunter? She frowned, rubbing her swollen, aching ankle. Who could ever mistake the unassuming Xu Ling for such a person?
"It matters not. You must find a way out of this place, Ling, get out for Jiang Lang" She had to inform the authorities about Jiang Lang's murder. But would they believe her? Would they even care? Or had these men, these self-proclaimed angels, somehow bewitched the townspeople, granting themselves impunity?
A sob escaped her lips, followed by a violent tremor. No one deserved to die such a slow, agonizing death. Stripped of dignity. Their cries for help ignored.
She had witnessed everything, and everytime she thought about it, she reminded herself to fight for justice.
One way or another, Jiang Lang would be avenged.
Meanwhile...
Jiang Lang screamed.
Flames engulfed him, licking at his skin, consuming him from head to toe. They blistered and melted his flesh, reducing him to ash in what felt like an eternity, yet there was only a breath. No, not even ash in the next instant, he mused with a detached horror. The flames had obliterated him entirely. Yet, a sliver of consciousness remained, a persistent awareness. He still knew who he was, what he was, and the agonizing certainty that he would return to the inferno with the next cycle of the night.
The agony was a physical manifestation of the hell that dwelled within him, almost more than his immortal essence could bear. Plumes of smoke billowed around him, carrying his very being away as soot. Disgustingly, he knew that soot was him.
Too soon, the blackened remnants coalesced, reforming into the shape of a man, his man, lying on the cold stone. And then the flames would return, licking, devouring, melting his flesh once more, until nothing remained but the searing heat and the echoing screams of the damned that mirrored the beast within him. Another gust of black wind, and the cycle would begin anew. Again and again and again.
All the while, Violence, the ancient spirit bound to him, roared in his mind, its bloodlust momentarily sated by his death, now desperate to escape its fiery prison. Mingling with its primal urges were the shrieks of the other condemned souls, their eternal torment a symphony of suffering. Demons, grotesque winged creatures with glowing red eyes and skeletal faces, flitted between the damned, their laughter a cruel counterpoint to the screams.
I harbor one of those monsters within me. Except mine is far worse.
Even the denizens of this fiery realm recognized the darkness within him. "Welcome back, brother," they would jeer, their fiery, forked tongues licking at his ethereal form.
Always before, Jiang Lang had yearned for oblivion when the flames consumed him, a final release from the endless cycle of torment. He had longed to cease to exist, to finally silence the pain. Always before – but not tonight. Not this time.
Tonight, the searing agony was overshadowed by a different kind of burning. Desire.
Xu Ling's image bloomed in his mind, a tantalizing vision that tormented him far more than the demons ever could. You will find only bliss with me, her eyes seemed to promise, her lips parting slightly, softening in anticipation of a kiss.
She was an enigma he ached to unravel. His first glimpse of paradise in her warm, amber eyes and hair the color of sunset honey. She was exquisite, vibrant, her very femininity a potent lure that stirred every dormant instinct within him.
Surprisingly, she had fought to remain by his side. Had even attempted to defend him from the others, a realization that had only fully dawned on him moments before his death. He didn't yet comprehend her motives, but the notion pleased him nonetheless.
He might not have known what he intended to do with her earlier, but now his desire was a sharp, undeniable craving. He wanted to taste her, every inch of her. After enduring this endless torment, he deserved a sliver of pleasure.
She was a puzzle he desperately wanted to solve. His first sight of heaven with her warm, amber-toned hair and eyes the color of honey. She was beautiful and vibrant, and so clearly feminine that she stirred every masculine instinct within him.
Surprisingly, she had fought to stay by his side. He had even realized just a few minutes ago that she had tried to protect him from the others. He didn't completely understand why, but he liked the idea nonetheless.