Chapter Text
Far up above the clouds, separated from the world of mortals, lay Tianjie in all its splendour. Wide plains of lush grass stretched as far as the eye could see, clear blue rivers flowed leisurely through flower fields, and the silhouettes of mighty cities towered on the horizon. And in Mingdu, the largest and most prosperous of those cities, was the great palace of the Jade Emperor, a massive structure made of gold and jade and silk. The immortals that roamed the streets talked highly of their ruler – he was a respectable man who always acted for the sake of the greater good, never losing sight of the bigger picture.
After countless years of peace and prosperity, the Jade Emperor chose an Empress to rule with him, a powerful woman from the Avian Tribe, who was fierce and cunning in nature. She was a Fenghuang, a bird of flame and a symbol of auspiciousness, virtuous and graceful, with strong spiritual energy as fiery as herself. She brought with her new concepts and ideas that made life in Tianjie even more comfortable and enjoyable, and thus she quickly gained favour with the residing immortals. With the realm flourishing, the two rulers had enough time to focus on the finer things in life, and soon the Heavenly Empress was pregnant with a child. They still tell the story of the crown prince’s birth to this day – when a bright firestorm engulfed the palace without charring even the most tender silk. All of Tianjie celebrated that day, rejoicing at the knowledge that such kind and just parents had given life to the future ruler, who would surely be just as capable as them.
And soon the immortals of Tianjie realised that they had been correct in their assumption. The crown prince took after his mother, with a fiery temper and a fiery heart, daring and courageous. As he grew up, he spent a great deal of time outside the palace, refusing to take much heed of etiquette while he made friends with lesser immortals. The crown prince was, impossible as it seems, even more popular and well-liked than his parents. Who could not love the dashing young man who put others before himself even though they ranked so much lower? Who could not love his open nature and his many talents?
When he came of age, the young crown prince started to change, as his Fenghuang nature became more and more obvious. The fire he had inherited from his mother manifested around him, making the air glimmer with strong spiritual energy. But what was most impressive, and what made people look up to him in awe and wonder, were the two massive wings he could sprout from his back, red and gold and beautiful. It was only fitting then, that he would be given the role of the Fire Deity, and with it the position as the general of the Heavenly Army. Normally, this would elicit some disdain from other, more seasoned veterans who might have lain claim to the position. But not this time. No one could dispute the crown prince’s abilities with the sword and his cunning when it came to military strategy. From a young age, only the finest scholars and most knowledgeable immortals had been allowed to teach the crown prince, so of course his abilities, mental and physical alike, were unparalleled. And so everyone, from foot soldiers to captains, gladly followed the newly appointed general. He kept in close contact with even the lowest ranking members of the army, encouraging them to do their best, causing morale to steadily rise. Fenghuang they called him, turning his very being into a title, into an accomplishment. Under him, the Heavenly Army soared higher than ever before. The people said that, should it ever come to a war, the forces opposing Tianjie surely stood no chance.
~*~
Far below the earth, separated from the world of mortals, lay Diyu, where no light reached. Rough stone mountains, so high that their peaks weren’t visible to the naked eye, jutted up from barren grounds, and bare rocky deserts stretched out into eternity. Through those bleak lands, the Wangchuan River cut like a scar, its black and fathomless depths threatening with the unknown. And in the middle of it all was the great capital Youdu, in which the royal palace loomed over the small and cramped buildings of the city below.
This palace was a place of simmering tension that, one day, was bound to finally come to a full boil. The Court of Ten Kings that governed the realm, discordant on their best days, almost reached the point of breaking apart at the cracks that had formed between them. Were it not for Yanluo Wang, the High King, the descendant of dragons, and the foremost ruler, then surely the entirety of Diyu would be consumed in the flames of strife. But as it were, Yanluo Wang could put an end to the quarrels, cool down the smelting rage, and convince the Ten Kings that the good of the realm was more important than their own pride.
Unfortunately, his efforts to mend the rift between the others brought to light another kind of discontent. Like moths drawn to a flame, the Ten Kings sought out grievances and unhappiness as if they needed them to exist. And when they shifted their focus from themselves to the realm around them, they realised a harsh truth: Diyu’s power was on the decline.
It had been a great realm once, many millennia ago, when the ancestors of Yanluo Wang had ruled over it. A violent realm, steeped in blood and built on bones, to be sure. But a great one. Since coming into existence, Diyu had always been ruled by dragons, and dragons were mighty creatures. Their true form, should they choose to reveal it, was a sight to behold, with long and slender bodies that were covered in gleaming scales, and sharp claws and sharper fangs. But even the human form they took on most of the time was impressive, with large antlers that sprouted from their heads and unnaturally pale eyes. Mighty and prideful and vain, and they would not let others rule over them. And so, the Diyu of the past had waged many wars, fought many battles, and raised itself up to become one of the most powerful realms in existence. Its main antagonist in those battles was the realm above the clouds, where deities reigned that were no less aspirational than Diyu’s dragons. Many of those wars were carried out in Renjie, for the realm of mortals lay between them. There were deaths all around, but most losses certainly occurred on Renjie’s side, which had no way of defending itself against the rage of those immortal beings.
It went on like that for millennia. No peace was in sight as the dragons fought the gods in a never-ending circle of hate and revenge. Until one day, the Emperor of Tianjie and the Monarch of Diyu killed each other simultaneously, from one moment to the next leaving their descendants with a blood-soaked battlefield and divided realms. Maybe it was fate that decided that all things must come to an end, and even a war can’t go on forever. The new rulers looked around, seeing the destruction and the suffering their realms had wrought, and knew that this had to end. Of course there would never be friendship, or even simple understanding between them. They would continue to hate, and to despise, and to sneer at each other. But at least they resolved to do it without confrontation and without violence.
And so Diyu retreated back underneath the earth, and Tianjie returned to above the clouds, and Renjie lay peaceful in between, left to pick up the pieces of itself.
And all was well, for a while. Time went on and on, and all realms coexisted. But balance couldn’t last forever. Eventually, dust gathered on the finetuned scale that held in one arm Tianjie and in the other Diyu, and the dust didn’t settle equally. Tianjie, being the realm of deities, slowly but steadily gained power as the mortals worshipped them, and power always brought with it a certain attitude.
It was that attitude that now sowed more discontent among the Ten Kings as they realised that Tianjie was more powerful than them, and that its power would only grow further. It elicited something between envy and fear, and caused the Ten Kings to convince Yanluo Wang to put an end to the growing difference in power. But Yanluo Wang, despite being a dragon, was calm and collected, and he knew how important the fragile peace between the realm was. He denied all requests to take up arms and fight against Tianjie. He refused all pleas to help his realm rise up again. And that, of course, did not sit well with the other Kings. Most of them knew that they had no right to do anything their High King didn’t allow, and their discontent remained just that, instead of developing into rebellion.
But one of the Kings, Biancheng Wang, refused to see reason. He plotted in secret and raised his very own army in hopes of helping to restore Diyu to the magnificent realm it had once been.
~*~
The still dormant violence that would soon take ahold of Diyu was yet unnoticeable in the winding streets of Youdu. There, in one of the small alleyways, inside a shabby little establishment lit by red lanterns, lived a beautiful woman who, despite her being kept away in such a small hovel, was known all around Youdu. Officials and scholars alike came to pay her a visit and enjoy her services, but even though they left ever pleased, no one bothered to give the poor woman more than a few pieces of copper. And then, one fated day, the woman was summoned into the palace of the High King. Even though she was afraid, the boss of her establishment insisted she go, not accepting her refusal.
And so it was that the woman spent a night in the bed of the mighty King, something that was entirely unheard of before. The King’s imposing appearance had intimidated her at first – the two massive antlers that sprouted from his forehead, the gleaming scales that covered parts of his skin, the piercing blue eyes that seemed to see right through her; a dragon through and through. But the High King was not at all how she expected. He seemed worried, the woman thought, fearful even, as though some painful thoughts occupied his mind. The hands that touched her were gentle and careful, not at all what the woman was used to. The night she spent in the palace turned out enjoyable in unexpected ways. The next morning, she was sent away with a bag filled with large gold pieces and a bundle of beautiful dresses. But the woman was an honest sort, and instead of keeping it all to herself and settling into a comfortable life, she thought about the debt she owed her boss and took it all to him. When he saw the riches she brought, his eyes lit up and he realised that it was enough money to live without having to work another day. He took it all from the honest woman and closed up his establishment immediately, leaving her to fend for herself. She should have been resentful, but her heart only harboured sadness.
One year later she sat in a small hut, cradling a child in her arms. The boy took after his father, with a cold beauty and a cold heart, withdrawn and quiet. His mother loved him dearly, but she had trouble expressing her feelings to him, as he always reminded her of the things that had happened. As he grew older, his body started to change. When his mother saw the two dragon antlers jutting out from his forehead, a sudden wave of panic overtook her. The last time she had seen antlers like that, she had lost everything. And so she cradled her son in her arms and took a rough file to scrape away at them, little by little, until nothing of them was left. The boy didn’t understand why his mother would inflict such pain upon him, but as he saw tears streaming down her face, he knew that she must have good reasons. And so he let her file his antlers each time they threatened to grow out again, until the pain became nothing but a part of his life.
But despite his suffering, the boy grew up to be a kind and quiet young man, helping his mother wherever he could. Each day he would visit the notice board right next to their little hut, where people sought assistance with various tasks. No matter what it was, the young man would do it without hesitation. It didn’t earn much money, but it helped nonetheless. And then, one day, he passed that notice board again and saw an inconspicuous scrap of paper hanging right at the bottom. So it was that the young man joined an army that was to head into battle soon. He did not know what he fought for, or why, but he knew that the pay was good and would certainly help his mother.
The other recruits laughed at his slender build, porcelain skin, and silken hair, claiming he’d be much better kept in a brothel. He paid them no mind; his expression remained placid as he picked up a guandao. No matter what happened to him – whether he lived or died – it would surely only benefit his mother.