His Demoness

14 ⚔️ The Missing Children

Zhijian flipped through the Book of Ancient Runes – the same one that spoke about the summoning of the soulmate. Growing impatient, he let out a low groan when he couldn't seem to find the answers to his question.

How could a person sever the bond he had with his soulmate?

The book spoke about the connection that soulmates would share; their thoughts, feelings and injuries. It also talked about a cure to the deadly fevers that he was getting. In order for the curse to break, both soulmates have to grow to love and accept each other as their partners.

Absolutely preposterous, he thought. There was no way that was possibly going to happen.

But this wasn't his only frustration. The last conversation with the Demoness had startled him.

Kill her, she had said.

Did this make any sense? She was begging to be killed? Did she finally regain her conscience and guilt?

Sighing, he set the Book of Ancient Runes aside and rose to his feet. Where did his little brother go? Zhijian hadn't seen him ever since he ran off to play after dinner, but looking at the time now, he should have been back ages ago.

Zhijian left the room. In his search for Zhixuan, he decided to drop by the Demoness's room to check on her, just in case she might have a change of mind and resorted to escaping from their hands.

But he very much doubted it. Judging from the past couple of days, the Demoness was surprisingly obedient and quiet, not causing any ruckus ever since she was released from the dungeon. On several occasions, he had found her holed up in the wardrobe in the same position, refusing to budge.

For some reason, she had preferred to stay in that dark, tiny spot instead of a warm, cosy bed. It was her sanctuary, he realised, the place where her emotions were the most stable.

This time, when Zhijian eventually found her sitting on her bed instead of hiding away in the wardrobe, he was utterly surprised.

But what was even more shocking was when he discovered a child – his brother – sitting by her side and grinning up at the Demoness with a cute, toothy smile. Unaware of Zhijian's presence, he was busy waving his wooden carved figures of animals and telling a story that he had made up about a dragon making friends with a human boy.

Somehow or other, the boy had stumbled upon this place and found her instead.

Zhijian had never intended for him to find out about her existence, fearing that she might hexed him with a dark curse, and he certainly wasn't liking the fact that they were sitting so close together.

With a note of disapproval in his voice, Zhijian called out, "Ah Xuan." 

Startled by his sudden appearance, the pair's conversation ceased and they both turned back, finally noticing him. Zhixuan merely beamed widely, not realising how much trouble he had gotten himself into.

"Big Brother!"

Zhijian shot a dark, wary look in Xiaoyu's direction before his eyes flicked back to his brother. "Come here."

The boy obediently picked up his toys and waddled towards him, leaving a guilt-ridden Xiaoyu behind. Grasping his small hand, Zhijian led him out of the room without a word. Once they were out in the corridor, Zhijian knelt on one knee, facing his puzzled brother with a serious look in his eyes.

"Zhixuan... How did you manage to get past the seal?" Zhijian questioned, "The room was charmed with a lock."

"Oh!" Zhixuan exclaimed, his tone was overly excited. "It was Brother Jinlong who unlocked the door for me. I told him I wanted to see a princess and he brought me to her. And she's really pretty! Brother, why is a princess locked up?"

Zhijian tried to suppress a groan, pinching the bridge of his nose as if he was getting a headache. That Jinlong! How was anyone going to explain this situation to a five-year-old child?

He cleared his throat loudly. "She did bad things," he explained carefully, trying not to reveal details that would terrify his brother. "Don't get too close to her, Zhixuan. In fact, promise me that you will never go back to her room again, alright?"

Almost immediately, Zhixuan's face fell sadly. "Why? She looks so frightened and lonely, Brother. Zhixuan hates it when he's lonely."

Zhijian exhaled loudly, gripping his brother's arms lightly. "She'll be fine," he reassured, "But you're not. Listen – you're aware of what's happening in town recently right?"

The news had reached all ears. Children were disappearing without a trace, leaving their parents in sheer panic and despair. Helpless, they had requested for the Xu clan's assistance in this matter, hoping that they would be able to solve this mystery and retrieve their children safely.

With large, doe-like eyes, Zhixuan gasped loudly. "So it's true? A monster comes every night to steal a child?" he asked worriedly.

Zhijian nodded. "Don't you worry," he patted his brother's head, who was starting to tremble slightly in fear. "There's nothing you should fear about, especially not with me around."

Zhixuan tugged on his sleeve desperately. "You'll have to sleep with me tonight, please."

"Of course," Zhijian promised. Picking up his brother into his arms, he frowned slightly at how lightweight he was and made a mental note to watch him take his meals properly. They headed back to their room to turn in for the night.

Zhijian could feel a fever approaching. There it was – the familiar sensation of heat spreading up his neck and forehead. With a dreary sigh, he pressed his lips together, once again loathing how weak he was.

Whether he liked it or not, it was almost time for the Healing Fire.

A/N: Look at how far we've come! This story is a real challenge to me – the plot is so much more complicated and there are more characters. But I'm loving this anyways.

Bear with me, guys~ I'll do my best to give you a good story. ❤️ I'm truly thankful to all of you who read up till this point, voted and left wonderful comments. 😊