Memories from time immemorial pour down like a torrential rain, washing away Its enormous, empty consciousness.
The remnant consciousness slips and slides about the land of dreams, trying to find a single scrap of something, anything, to use as its foundation...
But those dreams are now as blank as unscribed bamboo slips, with only the grain of the wood to provide texture. There should be people and events written upon them, yet such things cannot be grasped.
Sui?
...It has lost.
Wang
Without doubt.
Sui?
You wish to seize Its body, take Its place. But what of your siblings?
Wang
They will not see me again, nor will they come to fill this void you have left behind.
Sui?
That said, I will not disappear. I shall always be with you.
Sui?
No matter who sits upon this corporeal throne, a void shall form. Since you have no intention of filling it, I shall haunt this place eternally...
Wang
...To torment the master of this body?
Sui?
...To usurp Its will, to torment Its mind, are but two sides of the same tongbao.
Wang
There will be something to fill your vacancy.
Sui?
All that is left of you now is emotion. Abundant emotion, but that matters not in the face of this shattered consciousness. If it did matter, Its rage would have filled it long ago.
Wang
...Hah. That will not be a worry.
Wang
The one replacing you shall be far more terrifying that you have ever been.
The proxy steps forward, leaving the white creation behind him.
The Feranmut, about to drown in Its own hollow mind, lets out a bitter cry.
Soon, even that cry filled with pain and defiance dies down, leaving only an echo, reverberating throughout the room.
Befuddled Will
(Murky dying gasp)
Wang
You are about to die.
Befuddled Will
...I am going to die?
Befuddled Will
Who am I? Why will I die?
Wang
...You were the most arrogant of dreamers. In your dreams, you pushed evolution to the endless sea of stars.
Wang
But this egotistical evolution was cut short by humanity, that humanity you saw as nothing.
Wang
And then your anger, your hatred, and your defiance dragged you to your grave.
Wang
But at the very end of it all, you died by my hand.
Befuddled Will
You...
Befuddled Will
(Murky dying gasp)
Befuddled Will
You will destroy... the future?
Befuddled Will
That future of evolution that escapes ruination, and through infinite expansion, touches the face of the void?
Wang
It was a dream you would never have been able to see to fruition.
Wang
Evolution will not stop because of your death. Your passing will simply be release for a will that has suffered for a thousand years.
Wang
If you truly yearn for that future where the stars shine only for you...
He lifts up the last of his stones. In his hand, they slowly lose their forms, turning into a blade.
It looks on as he lifts up the last of his stones. He throws them up into the sky, up towards the boundless heavens.
He takes the last of this congealed sharpness and thrusts it into Its eye—
It watches as those black stones become a galaxy that flows towards It, until...
The bestial Sui closes Its eyes.
The bestial Sui espies the future that exists only in Its dreams.
Wang
...May you dream well.
The entire room begins to shake, before ultimately collapsing.
The forms of proxy and Feranmut slowly merge together. No longer shall they be parted.
This is no big deal. It's just that handling this many of Its minions takes its toll.
Nian
Hey, Dusk! Fire that way, there's tons of geists there—
Dusk
Where?
Nian
Where I'm pointing!
Dusk
There's nothing there!
Nian
Are you stupid, there's—
Nian is stupefied.
There really is nothing there.
And not just there. It is as though someone has sneakily wiped away the blot of ink staining the ground. The rampaging geists of just a moment ago are nowhere to be seen.
The True Lung grasps the jade seal used to start the device. It might just be his imagination running wild, but he feels a connection between the machine and the blood running through his veins.
During this moment of hesitation, a great shadow appears before him, nearly covering the entirety of the Originium's radiance.
The shadow lets out a long howl that shakes both heaven and earth.
Enormous Shadow
But what you, your ancestors, your nation, owe It, is also what you owe me and mine.
Enormous Shadow
Those Arts winding their way through your body are proof your ancestor shackled us for a thousand years!
Enormous Shadow
Though these memories be faded, these dreams be wilted, these thoughts be decayed, these feelings be rotted away, this rage of a thousand years still burns as bright as the sun!
Enormous Shadow
But you... are not him.
True Lung
...
True Lung
If your hatred has not been diminished, then make your move.
Enormous Shadow
You wish to use this piece of Originium to take me down with you?
True Lung
It shall be my final act in service to Great Yan.
True Lung
If you are a new Sui, I shall rid my country of you, even if it costs me my life.
True Lung
If you are Wang...
True Lung
Then my promise to you stands. Your life shall be spared, and you will be pardoned for deceiving the crown... and now, for regicide.
True Lung
I shall also pardon myself for the crime of unclarity of thought, which lead to suspicion between parent and child, the scattering of kin, the formation of factions, and unrest that rocked the nation.
Enormous Shadow
Do you truly seek death?
True Lung
If it can begin a new chapter in the history of Great Yan... Why would I deny you my life?
You actually did it... That ridiculous plan of yours actually worked?
Ya
Very well... If you have taken Its place, then you shall bear my rage!
...
The ancient colossus remains quiet, silently watching the near-dead kin.
Ya
What is this?
Ya
Are you... pitying me?!
Up until the end of this endless journey, the millennium of hatred burned bright in Ya's chest, unwavering for even a moment.
So why now, when Ya sees Sui for Herself...
Does the hate seem to fade away, leaving only nothingness.
Ya
Why are you so unconcerned... Were you hoping I would grant you release?
Ya
No, I will not kill you...
The sword in Her hand hesitates.
What would come from enacting this vengeance? A bloody end for the both of Them?
Why take up arms, why betray Them—She finally realizes that with the death of Sui's consciousness, those answers She had searched for are no longer in reach.
Ya
But I... How could I ever forgive you?!
This is your own fault.
You should have arrived sooner. You should have witnessed Its death. Or maybe you should have contributed to that, to quell your deadly grudge.
But there is still something you can do, late though you are.
Ya
...Originium?!
Ya
This was all part of your schemes?!
Ya
You went through all that trouble to collude with that ancient lunatic to lead me here... just want me to connect this room with that ugly stone?
The choice is still yours.
Choose vengeance, and you can do what you have dreamed of countless times. Take that ugly stone, and give this vessel an eternity of torment.
Or, since you are about to die anyway... Why not simply leave?
Ya
You—!
The Feranmut, so close to Its limit, is about to thrust Its sword into the boundless body of Sui. That sword, so mighty against humanity, yet all too weak against Its kin...
But the moment before Ya does so, that anger, burning for a thousand years, finally slips away...
In Her reverie, Ya looks closely at the Sui that is no longer Sui, and then, Ya howls with laughter.
I do not know why you are so adamant on being tortured, or why you wish to bring this cursed Originium into your body.
Ya
All I know is that is what you want. You want to take this festering, swelling, ancient wound and have it thrust into you!
Ya
Very well. I will humor you.
Ya
For you are not Sui, but Wang, the Sui-slayer. And so, I shall help you!
Ya
I shall help you repay Its sins over endless time!
Ya
But, hah, in a vessel such as this, even the strongest of spirits will be worn away and assimilated, ultimately becoming just like It—
Ya
When that time comes, I shall return. I shall have my vengeance by slaying you with my own two hands!
Ya
But as for now... I do not wish to hear you prattle on about explanations and the like. I do not wish to hear you squabble with those insects.
Ya
All I want to do to this body, is have my unprecedented...
Ya
Vengeance.
Ya
One most fitting for we souls who have walked since the beginning.
Cutting away the seasons is not a power without a price—especially for a Feranmut on the brink of death, meddling with the most primal force of this land.
But Ya still does it anyway.
That piece of Originium, alongside the space it occupies, is cut away by Ya...
Then ruthlessly thrusts into the depths of Sui's body.
And then, all She sees is black.
Ya has already forgotten Her two kin She had trapped within illusion. With the fading of the last of Her strength, they break free. Now, they watch Her body slowly weather away, their faces lined with sorrow.
Oh my, an earthquake just as we have escaped those fiends?
Mr. Pu
Over here, Tianshi Lin! There are still people here!
Lin Qingyan
Coming!
Lin Qingyan rushes over, dragging several bewildered geists out from the collapsing building, but the tremors get stronger, sending a falling roof beam straight to Mr. Pu's head—
???
Duck, you old bookbrain!
Mr. Pu
Thank you for saving me, O brave hero!
'Old Tianshi'
...
Lin Qingyan
Zushi!
'Old Tianshi'
Yo. Everyone still alive? Not bad.
'Old Tianshi'
Alright, everyone's safe, and the earthquake's over. Get everything tidied up, then head back.
Lin Qingyan
Is the chaos... finally over?
'Old Tianshi'
...
The childlike Tianshi narrows her eyes, looking out towards the Tomb of Sui. She has a rare somber expression on her face, a far cry from her usual cynicism.
'Old Tianshi'
This was your choice, you weiqi failure. Your calculation.
'Old Tianshi'
You must have foreseen what kind of disaster this piece of Originium would bring with it to think up of a solution like this.
'Old Tianshi'
It means nobody's going to dare mess with you... But you might as well be damning yourself to eternal hell this way.
'Old Tianshi'
You chose a bitter road to follow. I don't know if this counts as me helping you or hurting you...
'Old Tianshi'
'Plotting a great windfall for all beings in this realm.' You actually did it...
The enormous shadow, the crazed woman, the Originium's orange glare. Everything begins to fade from the True Lung's sight.
He finally understand what that proxy's ultimate plan was.
Feranmuts. Originium.
At the cost of near-eternal torment, Wang ascended the seat of Sui and accepted Ya's vengeance.
Bu Fan, or rather, the first Originium Yan has relied upon since the days of yore, is now buried within the deepest pits of the Feranmut's body and soul.
And with the disappearance of the energy it supplied, the secret chamber gradually begins to collapse.
The True Lung walks towards the exit and pulls upon its doors, only to discover they have been jammed shut by rubble.
But he does not panic.
He feels that to die here is not such a bad thing—
<span style="color: #ff0000">Chi Xiao—</span>
For a moment, the True Lung believes himself to be hallucinating, for the one supporting him by the shoulder has an uncanny resemblance to his older brother.
The panicking court mandarins look at each other, unsure what is to come next. At least, until a familiar face unhurriedly walks in.
Chun
You may all rest easy.
Minister of Rites
Supervisor, do you mean to say...?
Chun
The Sui menace has been... thoroughly resolved.
Chun
I ask you all to return to your posts. The chaos is over, but there are still many things in Baizao that require our attention.
The Imperial Guards standing behind her add a little gravitas to her declaration. After some hesitation, the mandarins tidy their clothes and hats before they walk out the doors.
Once the last of them have left, Chun nods at the Guards. They stand aside, but they keep their eyes locked onto her.
Chun
He did it.
Chun
Eliminating Sui and finding you. He did both of them.
The former Candleholder, the current Supervisor of the Sui Regulator, listens to the heartbeat of the Feranmut.
It is the rage that enormous creature felt against itself, but there is a gentle breath accompanying that pulse.
From within, she hears something not of that consciousness, far away from that vessel, gathered somewhere within Baizao. And it speaks of forgiveness.
Within the grand palace, there is now only a single withered old man.
Ever since the True Lung descended underground, he has waited here, listening to the reports from Yumen, the uproar in Baizao, and the declaration from the Sui Regulator to the entire city that all is now well.
His coughing has only grown more violent, his waist more stooped. By the time of the declaration, he can no longer support himself. He is forced to sit on the ground, leaning against the throne.
At first, he felt anger, then worry. But now, he only feels exhaustion.
Memories from near a hundred years ago, when he was instated by the current True Lung's father, force themselves to the surface.
It was midwinter, when the snow swirled through the air. The then True Lung was still far from being addled, happy to sit about the fireplace with the newly-promoted mandarin and discuss all great things happening under Heaven.
Contact between Laterano and Iberia, the war between Columbia and Victoria, Ursus's desire for conquest, the turmoil in Higashi, the mysterious weapons of Kazdel...
And Sui. As It was not excised the first time, the True Lung was resolute in having the second attempt come with no mistakes.
Yan would obtain the bones of Sui, and with near-double the amount of energy, and It eliminated, the Age of Yan will have arrived.
Their talks became so fervent that the emperor stood up and struck out barefoot into the snow, using his finger to brandish Chi Xiao as he spoke of what grand ambitions he had for Yan's future...
We both are exalted to distant thought, aspiring to the sky and the bright moon!
And then, he could no longer wait for the day that True Lung would blow the horn to call for Sui's eradication. He could only wait for that True Lung's mind to deteriorate until all had abandoned him.
???
And then, you also could not wait for the current True Lung's return.
???
You could not prove to him that all you have done was not for your own selfish reasons, but for the future of Yan.
Grand Commandant
...
Through his murky eyes, the old man believes the one standing before him can only be the emperor he has awaited for so long, but the voice his ringing ears catch says otherwise.
???
The entire court knows your cold is merely a pretext. The lingering illness that has plagued you for years could hardly be passed off as a simple chill, just as how we all know that your ironclad desire to eliminate Sui was not an idea you had on your own.
???
You once held great esteem and approval, but now the dust has settled. Those who followed you...
???
...
The old man can no longer hear.
His throat shudders. All he wants to do is to speak those words pent-up in his heart:
'Look here! The doddering old fool who started this chaos stands here, awaiting Your Majesty's judgment!'
???
Your words will not be heard by anyone.
Before he can shout these words at his liege like an unfortunate, misunderstood hero, life itself no longer wishes to remain within him.
