Faithful Heart (Flesh of my Flesh...Blood of my Blood 2)

The Crossroads of Destiny - Prt 3

"Why will it not heal?" Miao Lou sobbed as she felt her powers weakening, her eye hurting her terribly in her socket. Tears fell from her good eye, and she turned to Feng Jiu, who was holding onto her chest, blood pouring from her wound in her heart. "Why have you done this cruelty to me?"

Miao Lou charged at them, her sword raised in the air, but Donghua was quick on his feet, and he met her own in a clang of metal. They struggle fiercely, their swords colliding in anger as Miao Lou raged.

"Even now you only care for her," Miao Lou raged, but she was weak, her blows not as strong as before, and Donghua pushed her back.

With a scream of fury, Miao Lou parroted away Donghua's sword and stabbed him in the gut. Dark miasma pulsed from her blade, and she yelled, growling in anger. "This is all your fault, Donghua." She raved as blood poured from her mouth.

Red fire suddenly engulfed Miao Lou and pushed her away from Donghua who fell on one knee. Feng Jiu was instantly at his side, pressing her bloody hand to his gut, smearing her heart blood on his wound.

"Little love," Donghua breathed.

"It is..." Feng Jiu choked out, blood gurgling from her mouth. "... the nine tail red fox heart blood. It purifies even the evillest of creatures." She said and, in a daze, caught Cang He's blade with her bloodied hand, smearing the blade with her heart blood.

"No, my girl," Donghua protested and caught her wrist in his hand.

"This is the way, husband," Feng Jiu insisted. "We can survive this... together."

"I am going to kill her, Donghua." Miao Lou growled in a deep voice. Feng Jiu and Donghua turned to look at her and found her face a ruin of burned flesh and blood, her armour coming undone. "I want you to experience the pain of seeing the love of your life die."

Donghua was on his feet in the blink of an eye, ready to engage Miao Lou once more. Just a bit more, he thought. She was ready to die. Ignoring the pain in his gut, Donghua pressed forward, meeting Miao Lou's blade with fierce determination.

Feng Jiu watched, her breathing coming out in a painful gasp. She needed to live on, for Gun Gun, for the child she carried in her belly. Smearing her heart blood on her sapphire blade and short knife, she stood up on shaky feet and summoned the last reserves of her magic. If she could stab Miao Lou with her blade and drive her heart blood deep into her, the demon would die. With a great cry, Feng Jiu lunged forward, her sword shining with her power and red with her blood.

Donghua struggle, his strength waning and in that agonizing second when pain lanced through his shoulder, Miao Lou stabbed him with her sword once more. Pain swelled in his body, his vision blurring, and distantly he heard Feng Jiu screaming in rage. No, he wanted to say, stay back. But his lips would not obey him and fell on his knees when Miao Lou pulled out her blade.

"You are going to die, Donghua," Miao Lou whispered softly, and time seemed to slow. Her black blade rose in the air, his golden blood dripping from it and just as she was about to lop off his head, Feng Jiu pushed her aside.

Feng Jiu wildly stabbed at Miao Lou, her short blade smeared with her heart blood sinking into her enemies' flesh over and over. Miao Lou screamed in rage and fear, struggling to roll away from Feng Jiu. In the chaos of the struggle, Miao Lou lost her grip on her sword, and it clattered to the ground away from her reach.

"Let me be," Miao Lou screamed in terror. "Stay away from me." She sobbed and pulsed magic into Feng Jiu sending flying in the air to land painfully on her back. "Monster!" Miao Lou screamed as her eye grew crazed and pain ripped through her body.

Feng Jiu crawled towards Donghua who was still on his knees, wheezing in pain. "Husband," She called out, staggering to her feet, and stumbling forward to catch him when he toppled over.

"I can do it," Donghua said, magic pulsing in the air as he released a breath and soft petals of flowers fell to the ground. "She is almost dead."

Feng Jiu pulsed cultivation into him, their soul bond brimming with creation magic. "Just a bit more and we can go home." She sobbed and smeared the Cang He with her heart blood.

"Husband, I love you, you are my chosen mate. I shall endure anything, so we remain together." Feng Jiu whispered fervently, looking into this anguish eyes, calling upon the ancient bonding magic of her animal skin keen.

"Feng Jiu, I love you." Donghua said, accepting her vow, and power pulsed through them. Giving them one last pushed of magic and they staggered together to their feet together.

Miao Lou shook in anger and fear as she picked up her blade from where it had fallen. "I will not vanish to the eternal slumber, Donghua." She said, shaking as she gathered the last of her powers.

Donghua looked at her, anger plain in his features before he charged at her one last time, breaking through her dark miasma and destroying her blade. Flowers' petals fell around them, purifying her miasma and casting everything in a soft purple glow. "Begone from this Universe," Donghua growled and cut off her arm.

Miao Lou screamed, dark blood spurting from her severed limb and with her remaining hand pulsed dark magic at Donghua sending him staggering backwards. But Feng Jiu was there with her sharp blade and she drove it right through Miao Lou's gut pulsing creation magic into her and stabbing her with her short blade.

Miao Lou wailed and dark magic pulsed from her, sending Feng Jiu flying through the air. "Noooo," Miao Lou shriek. "Stay away from me."

"Begone!" Donghua growled as he suddenly appeared before her and lop off her head with the Cang He.

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Donghua dragged his feet to Feng Jiu's side. She lay motionless on the stone ground, her chest barely rising and falling, her eyes close. Kneeling by her side, he gathered her limp body in his arms and kissed her forehead. "Feng Jiu, little love." He called out and caressed her cheek.

"Husband," Feng Jiu said slowly. "Is she dead?"

"Yes, my girl, she is gone." Donghua answered and rocked her boy in his arms. "Are your wounds closing?"

"It hurts, husband," Feng Jiu whispered.

"You should not have come." Donghua said and caressed her cheek with his knuckles.

"I would never leave you to face death alone." Feng Jiu answered and cough, blood dribbling from her mouth. "What will happen now?"

"I have to close this portal, little love." Donghua explained. "I am tired now, but I will do it in a few minutes."

Feng Jiu smiled, seeing he was averting his gaze. "Liar," she whispered, a bitter smile on her lips. "You are exhausted."

"I wish you would not have come."

"Another lie." Feng Jiu berated him. "You want to take me everywhere you go and I want to go with you." Feng Jiu's palm ache, the cuts in them making them throbbed. Reaching for Donghua's hand, she found his palms raw and cut as well. "I always want to be your side and keep you company."

"You are right, sweet love." Donghua whispered and look into her eyes with bright shining eyes, his cheeks wet. "I wanted you to come. But it is selfish of me, love."

"Hold my hand," Feng Jiu asked and saw Donghua lacing their fingers together. "I've loved you for so long. We have gone through so much together. Our son is waiting for us."

Donghua pressed their foreheads together and his tears felled on her cheek, mingling with her own. He felt power pulsing through their soul bond, magic coursing through his veins where their blood mingled. "I love you," Donghua whispered before kissing her lips.

Power surged between them, and creation magic spilled forth, bathing the entire dimension in a blinding white light. Donghua rose in the air with Feng Jiu in his arms and magic pulsed into the Universe. Life sunk into the barren lands of the Demon realm and the trees sprouted leaves. The fabric of time and space was soaked in creation magic and the seas churned. The earth shook, and the Realms were expanded.