The Silent Guard (mxm)

Chapter 45

Zen braced himself for whatever was beginning to rise from the darkness of the floor. His grip on his sword's hilt tightened as he withdrew his weapon again, his eyes locked onto the unknown figure before him. He'd thought that it would be another mythical beast made out of spiritual energy, but when the figure appeared to be a person, and a familiar one at that, his blood began to run cold. 

No...

Lee Shaan moved closer to him, holding his own weapon up as the dark energy began to dissipate from around the other man. They had celebrated too early. Mingsu might have weakened somewhat, but that no longer mattered. Not nearly as much as who he'd just pulled up out of the lair beneath their feet. 

Yuen Shui...

The man slowly lifted his head as the last of his father's energy slipped from his form. He then immediately turned his attention toward their small group. Zen felt his body coil like a taut spring as the man took a step toward them, but then paused mid-stride. When Shui looked down and behind himself, everyone else's attention followed his gaze. 

A hand? 

Someone had a hold of his left ankle, but whoever it was clearly struggled to surface as their hand began to slip downward.

Zen expected the ice general to quickly shake the hand from his leg and return his attention to his new task, but instead, he stared down at that hand, clearly unsure of what he wished to do about it.  

It was the perfect chance to attack since he was clearly distracted, but for some reason, when Zen chanced a step closer his master immediately grabbed his sleeve, holding him back. 

"Something seems off. Let us see what lord Shui intends to do," Qi said, making Zen frown but relent without a word. 

Thus, they watched in tense silence as Shui considered his own situation. The fingers grasping at his ankle slid downward slightly, then again a few moments later. Whoever was trying to keep hold of him was struggling greatly. Zen was just about to look back at his master, honestly concerned that they were missing their one chance to catch the man off-guard while he wasn't paying them much mind, when he noticed a second hand break free of the dark energy upon the floor, clearly struggling to escape the tar-like substance. 

To everyone's surprise, it managed to grab hold of Shui's leg just above where the other hand still hung on. 

"Shui, I'm afraid that your brother has betrayed us and our kingdom," Mingsu said, making Zen's face pale as he realized who was trying to climb out of the false emperor's lair. 

Huang...

Lord Shui slowly lifted his calm eyes to his father's. He said nothing as the two simply watched each other, but Zen could see the gears turning in the general's mind. He was, after all, a master tactician and war-hardened man. He had ensured victory after victory over the years in which his father reigned, but something didn't seem to be sitting well with him at that moment. 

When the fingers around his leg began to slip again, Shui jerked his attention away from his father and reached downward, grabbing one of his brother's wrists right as his grip fell away completely. 

After a brief struggle with his father's remaining energy trying to pull his brother back beneath the floor, Shui managed to pull him upward and completely free of the lair beneath them. He even went as far as to hold him gently by the upper arms so that he could regain his footing, then, once Huang was steady, Shui released him, then to everyone's surprise, stepped between his younger brother and their father. 

What is going on? 

"What are you doing, general Shui?" Mingsu asked in a tone dripping with venom.