He made an example. With the merciless slaying of one man, he brought the entire government to its knees. Rebellions were cut off at the root, and the nation moved into a beautiful golden age. -The Life and Times of Shen Shimao, written by Mei Shiyu

  The entire square was silent for a long moment. The Disciples of the Shattered Moon Sect didn’t know how to react to the knowledge that I really was the very same Ascendent they’d placed upon an altar and worshipped. Yet, they’d all seen my transformation with their own eyes, witnessed my battle with Lin and Xinya. That version of me lived up to the legends they’d heard, even if I did not.

  That was fine by me. I was the Darkened Moon, both in the past and present. In the future, that title would come to mean more than just the sins of my past. It had to. It would be hard, but I would make it so. It was the only way I could move on from the past and prove that I was truly deserving of being freed from my chains.

  It was not the Shattered Moon Sect who stepped forward first. Instead, a shimmer of death qi coalesced a few feet away. Moon insignias formed on blurred armor.

  “You…you’re the Prince?” the Moon Guard’s voice was a whisper, but his qi made it clear for all to hear. “Why…why did I feel the need to subdue you before?”

  My heart ached. I put a hand on his shoulder, infusing my touch with qi so he could feel the touch. “Because I know you. I know your name and your path.”

  “You…you do?”

  “I do. Would you hear them?”

  The Moon Guard turned his head away as he contemplated if he really wanted to hear his own identity. After so long without it, did his old life mean anything to him? I wouldn’t have blamed him at all if he decided that being the Moon Guard was all he needed anymore.

  “I would hear it. Tell me how you know me.”

  I smiled. “You are Hua Zhen, Captain of the Lunar Guard and Personal Guard to the Lunar Prince,” I announced. With every word, more definition came to his features. “You were one of the very first to stand against the Darkened Moon when his madness threatened the kingdom. Even though he was your liege and your friend, you opposed him, trying to talk sense.” Now it was my turn to look down in shame. “I didn’t listen. You tried to subdue me with the other guardsmen, tried to contain me until the Sword Saint could arrive. I…I killed you for your efforts. For thirty-thousand years, your body lay in the throne room in Half-Moon Manor. I buried you in my sister’s garden when I returned.

  “Yours is the Path of the Crimson Lotus, a path of fire and wood.”

  “An odd combination for a servant of the Avatar of the Moon,” he muttered, and I chuckled.

  “We met on the road. You were just a young cultivator, but you had a good heart and wanted to help the common man,” I explained. “I was so moved by your speech that I gave you directions to Half-Moon Hearth and instructions to sign up with the guard. You were so shocked when you realized who I actually was.”

  Finally, the qi of Hua Zhen’s face sharpened, and I could see his warm eyes, filled with tears as they were. As soon as I was finished, he fell to his knees, kowtowing fully to the ground before me.

  “My Prince, I remember,” he announced, drawing a stir from the crowd. “Not everything, but some. Please, forgive me for acting against you. I deserve death for the crime of raising a hand against my master!”

  “Hua Zhen, you’re already dead,” I pointed out. He only bowed his head to the ground again.

  “Then I deserve to be fully dispersed and destroyed! Please, my Prince, carry out my punishment!”

  I could see Hua Zhen trembling beneath me. He really wanted punishment, but I didn’t have the heart to grant it. As far as I was concerned, he’d already died by my hand once, and even that one as an injustice he didn’t deserve. And so, I knelt next to him, lifting his arm until he was looking up at me.

  “If you truly wish to be dispersed, then I would sooner release you from your duties and let you pass on to the afterlife,” I said, meaning every word.

  He shook his head adamantly. “No, My Prince, I may not remember much, but even when I was Forgotten, I could feel that I was meant to serve you. Please, if I cannot ask for oblivion, then let me pledge myself to you once more.” He pressed his forehead to the ground once more, speaking clearly for all those gathered. “I, Hua Zhen, Leader of the Forgotten Shades, pledge myself and my faction to your service. May my core be shattered should I fail in my duty a second time.”

  To my great surprise, the other shades all stepped forward, where they stood and kowtowing, as well. Even Crescent, though she gave me a meaningful eyeroll, followed the lead of the Moon Guard and kowtowed before me.

  The crunch of falling stone and rubble drew my attention to my left. I only caught a glimpse of blue before a fist shot towards my face. Though Flash Forward warned me enough to avoid the first blow before it broke my nose, I let the second hit my shoulder. Satoro grabbed me by the collar and began shaking me.

  “Did you think that a building would stop me? Let. My. Pipsqueak. Go!” he shouted, shaking me back and forth like a ragdoll.

  “Satoro!” I protested. “Please…stop.”

  “Not. Until. You. Let. Him. Go!”

  “Uncle Satoro!” Xinya rushed forward, putting a hand on the Oni Prince’s arm. “He freed himself! That’s the real one you’re shaking!”

  Satoro stopped shaking me, and I shook my head to clear the dizziness. Even in his strange state, both having cultivation ranks and not, he still was incredibly strong.

  “Since when am I your uncle?” he growled at Xinya. She just stuck her tongue out at him.

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  “All the Demons of Devastation are my Uncles and Aunts. I said so.”

  “Wait,” Chikara Shion stepped up, standing just behind Xinya, as was his position as her subordinate. “Grumpy old Satoro is a Demon? One of the Five? But that would make him…” He trailed off, his eyes going wide with awe.

  Satoro crossed his arms and looked away, his cheeks flushing indigo. “No. No, I’m not. Don’t even think about it.”

  “Is that so, Demon Kaishin?” I said with a mischievous smile. “There’s only one Demon of Tragedy, you know, and Xinya won’t let you escape.”

  Now, it was Shion’s turn to bow deep to both of us. “Grandmasters of the Chikara, if our Chieftess has declared you her family, then please allow us to pledge our loyalty to you and to your cause.”

  “Wait, isn’t that my job?” Xinya mused. Shion flashed her a satisfied smirk.

  “Do you object?”

  She shrugged. “Not really. I’d have done it anyway.” Then she reached over and punched Shion hard in the shoulder. “Also, I told you I was a princess! You didn’t believe me!”

  “You mean that story about you being descended from the Darkened Moon’s sister was actually true?” he asked incredulously.

  “Yes, but her stubbornness comes from Shi Reili. Chouko was perfect in every way.” I crossed my arms.

  “Right, because her persistent hunting of a very specific merchant over the better part of ten years doesn’t count as stubborn,” Lin chimed in. “I think I know perfectly well which side of the family was the stubborn one.”

  As we talked, the state of the crowd became more and more restless. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Sect Leader Iza Kirana and the rest of the Blushing Rose Sect standing to the side, warily eyeing the remnants of the Shattered Moon Sect. Their position was delicate, as a Sect that operated more like a trade guild than a true sect. I never expected them to swear any sort of fealty to me, despite their Sect Leader’s efforts to get in my good graces, but it seemed that that wasn’t even close to the top of their list of concerns, right now.

  The top priority for them, and everyone else for that matter, was rapidly becoming the state of the Shattered Moon Sect. They whispered amongst themselves as the Forgotten and Chikara both stepped forward, and it didn’t seem like they were anywhere close to coming to a conclusion. Tempers were rising, and with their branch leader dead at my hand, two distinct factions had begun to emerge from their ranks.

  “You saw it with your own eyes! How could you deny the evidence before your very face!” said a kitsune man to a nearby kappa. The turtle yokai was seething in anger.

  “I saw the Darkened Moon try to free himself, only to be bound again by that imposter! Lady Asha would never believe that he’s the real Demon of Misfortune, and so neither will I!”

  “How do you know what Lady Asha would believe?” spat the kitsune. “You’ve never met her!”

  “She would never accept that the innkeeper was our great Lord! The Shattered Moon Sect has more pride than that!”

  The kitsune flicked the kappa’s forehead. “We can’t call ourselves that anymore, you dunce! The Demon made a pretty clear example of Elder Song for it! We’ve obviously insulted him!” The kappa rubbed his head before glaring at the kitsune.

  I sighed. If I didn’t intervene, there would be violence. Even if I did intervene, there might still be violence, but at least I could say I tried. As I crossed the distance to the arguing sect members, the crowd parted before me. I took the opportunity to weave moon qi around me, changing the embroidery of my robes to better match the shades of voidlight emanating from the armillary. Moths shifted from green to blue, and the silver swirls turned to chains, reminiscent of those that had clung to me only minutes before.

  “What are we supposed to call ourselves then?” the kappa shouted back. “We’ll be the laughingstock of the city if we lose our name!”

  “Personally, I don’t really mind your sect’s name, so long as you’re not actually trying to hurt me,” I said.

  Both the kitsune and the kappa flinched and turned. Immediately, the kitsune dropped to his knees and pressed his head to the floor, his five tails spreading out behind him. “Oh, Mighty Demon Tsuyuki, please forgive these disciples for insulting you! Have mercy, please!”

  “What’s your name?” I asked.

  “This fox is Hei Shenshou, one of the inner disciples assigned to this district, your eminence,” he said without lifting his head.

  “Very well, Hei Shenshou, please could you tell me why I should grant mercy to your sect?” I asked. “Under the leadership of Song Qiu, your sect beat people and damaged property in the Fourteenth district. Workers in the Red Lantern districts were abused, and families starved, all of which was committed in my name. Why should I have mercy for those who have damaged my reputation in such a way?”

  “We…I…” his ears drooped. “There is no excuse, Great Demon.”

  “We did it because it’s what the real Darkened Moon would want, heretic!” the kappa spat at my shoes, drawing a gasp from several of his sect mates. Without a second glance, his neck snapped as a voidlight blade slammed into him. The body crumpled to the ground.

  “I will not argue with you,” I announced. “However, I’ve had enough violence for one day, and I would like nothing more than to return home with my family instead of killing any more of you. As such, I will say this only once. This branch of the Shattered Moon Sect is disbanded. As an organization, you are no longer welcome here. Those who wish to remain will be allowed to, under the condition that you become a part of the community. I’ll leave it to Captain Hua Zhen to determine your community service. Those who are not willing to accept these terms are to leave at once. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes, Great Demon!” said Hei Shenshou immediately. The sentiment was echoed by several others, though many simply seethed in rage.

  “Good. The rest of you may tell your Sect Leader that I will not tolerate any further slights to my name. Now, be gone from my sight.”

  The disciples shuffled their feet, quietly picking whether they would remain in the Fourteenth or not. Those who chose to stay followed Hei Shenshou in reporting to the Forgotten, head bowed in subservience.

  “That was merciful of you,” Satoro noted. “I’d have killed the lot of them.”

  “I’m going to take that as a compliment,” I said to the man who was arguably my greatest nemesis in history.

  “Things are going to be real tricky for us going forward,” he continued. I nodded.

  “I expect as much, but I’m tired of being afraid of myself.”

  “Good,” he punched me in the arm, and I stumbled to the side a bit. “That’s for knocking me through a building.”

  “You probably deserved it.”

  Lin stepped up, smiling. “He always does. Now, I see Ishida and Xiaolong waiting nearby. Anyone care to join us for dinner? I’m starving.”

  “Only if drinks are on you. I’ll meet you after I get the mortar out of my hair,” Satoro grumbled as he stalked off to get cleaned up.

  “You know, I still don’t actually know where he lives,” Lin muttered.

  I shrugged. “I think a gutter suits the pretentious prick just fine.”

  We began to walk away from the battlefield where Hua Zhen was already instructing the defected Shattered Moon disciples to begin putting things back in the proper order. Xinya skipped ahead, with Shion a few steps behind her. The girl started blubbering over with excitement, telling both Xiaolong and Shion all about how she managed to tap into her bloodline to save the day. The sight of her and her friends made me smile.

  “You know, I think the void spirit look suits you better without the chains,” Lin whispered. “You look more like the ethereal beauty I saw in the paintings of Half-Moon Manor.”

  I stopped, blinking in surprise as the wood artist broke into a jog and rushed ahead to join Xinya and the others. For a long moment, I wondered if I’d heard him correctly, that he’d described me the same way I always wished he would. Moreover, he was genuine about it, instead of joking.

  A sense of peace welled up within me, and I rushed to catch up. There was food to be had, and friends to share it with. The troubles of tomorrow, threats from the Mind Bender and the Shattered Moon Sect, those were not the troubles of today. Today, the void whispered of sanctuary and safety, of good food and laughter.

  If only for this single moment in time, we were safe.