Daemonium

one

One and a half years later.

I held the dagger in my hand, staring into the blackened blade, my eyes seeming to be trapped within the gleam of it. My dark eyes melted into the black of the blade and I couldn't tear my eyes away from it, my mouth hanging slightly open in awe at the beauty of it. It was sleek and beautiful; there was a black dragon curling around the hilt, the two ruby red eyes of the dragon being the only color against the darkness of the blade. How much death had this dragon blade caused? I could only wonder.

I pressed my finger against the flat of the blade. It was cold to the touch, the blade seeming to scream the finality of death at me. An inanimate object never looked so lethal, evil, and beautiful than that dagger did. Was there a story behind the blade? Why was it black? How many had perished behind it?

"Lanfen?"

I quickly slipped the dagger into the folds of my dress and spun around to look at Daiyu. She was dressed in a beautiful silver and white hanfu, her hair pinned up extravagantly with various silver pins. The glow she had on her face was too bright to go unnoticed and I found myself smiling subconsciously. She was just that type of person, the type that could draw anyone in with her light. There was too much good in her heart to ever be tainted. "Yes, Daiyu?" I said.

"I've been thinking, lately," she murmured softly. She wrung her wrists together and stared at the ground, her eyebrows pulling together. After a moment, she released her hands and peered at me through thick lashes. "I'm worried about you, Lanfen. I know you're only sixteen, but . . . " She bit her lower lip. "I think you should start considering a husband."

My blood ran cold and I was already shaking my head. "No."

"Why are you so against the idea?" she asked softly. She came to my side and placed a hand on my shoulder. Her dark brown eyes were filled with worry; I knew my behavior at the palace was questionable in her eyes, but I didn't think a husband was necessary. During the year that I was here, I mainly spent time alone and walked by myself. Daiyu was too busy and there was nothing better for me to do than to enjoy nature. It was only natural that she was worried, since I hadn't been interacting with many people. "You're now the sister of the Empress, and the sister-in-law to the Emperor. You'll have the best suitors and the best men to choose from. You can get a high ranking official, a noble's son—anyone that you want."

I pursed my lips together and shook my head. "No. I don't need a man in my life. I don't think I ever want to be married."

"Why not?"

"I've seen what men do and I don't like them." My lips thinned down as I thought about my older sisters. Dandan had married a violent man, one who was always drunk and always resorted to using his fists whenever things weren't working out for him. He always ran to her, crying and begging her to love him. She despised him. Ai had married an incompetent man that always grew angry at the smallest things. He sometimes even hit her. Daiyu's marriage wasn't much better either; her husband was the blood-tainted Emperor that reeked of sin. All men wanted was power. There was no innocence in their love, only lust.

Daiyu's eyes softened and she tucked a stray hair behind my ear. "Lanfen, not all men are horrible. Do you remember Heng? My betrothed from . . . before? He was the sweetest man I ever met. He would never resort to violence. Also, although Meilin is very terrifying to an outsider, he's an amazing husband. He would never hurt me in any way." She smiled sadly, though I wasn't sure if it was from talking about her former love or her new love. I remembered with a pang, about Heng. He had been the sweetest person I had ever met. When I was a child, he never failed to bring a smile to my face. He never badmouthed anyone, never resorted to anger, and was incredibly nice to anyone and everyone that he ever encountered. Daiyu had pleaded with him to not go to war, since she knew his heart and soul wouldn't be able to handle the bloodshed, and she had been right. He died as a nameless soldier, only to cause heartbreak to everyone. I still remembered the day his body had been brought by one of the villagers that had been in his unit. Daiyu couldn't stop crying as she held his lifeless body.