Chapter 31: The Symbol of the Devil!

I looked at my right hand again and frowned.
There it was…….A snake circling a skull…..The very symbol which was now burned into my skin and I really doubt that my healing abilities will work on this….I had a feeling that this mark on my right hand was meant to stay forever…..the symbol of the devil…..

I looked at the Urumi and found that the red ruby had stopped glowing. I tentatively reached for it and grasped it firmly. It didn’t feel heavy for a bendy, swishing sword which was long like a lasso, instead it felt like a natural extension of my arm, like it belonged there. The weight, the length was all perfect as if it was made for me and not my father.

I went rigid when I heard someone stepping over the broken tiles. I turned my head slowly, hoping to find Justin and not one of the blood sect people, but it was neither of them.

I found a huge mountain of a man, with long black hair and a manly mustache, frowning at the tiles. He wore a mask…well not a mask exactly….It only covered half of his face. Maybe he had lost an eye or had been burned or scarred on the left side of his face, that’s probably why he hid it. I stood there, still holding the Urumi outstretched as I continued watching the old man peculiarly.

He stopped abruptly when he felt my gaze on him and looked at me tenderly, almost as if his kind eyes were caressing me.
His eyes flickered to the Urumi, then made its way to my wrist where the dagger had wrapped itself. He looked all smug and elated with his shoulders straightened with pride, like a parent watching his kid play soccer from the stadium. I frowned, is there something wrong with this guy?
I was standing there holding the world’s most dangerous weapon outstretched in an combat position and he was looking at me all proud and sentimental?

I quickly scanned his outfit, racking my brain to try and figure out which sect he was from.
He had brown and black robes on , so I am guessing that he must be either from the earth sect or the fire sect…If he was indeed from the fire sect then why hadn’t I seen him before…well then again, I haven’t been paying much attention to what happened around the fire sect. After all I was a crappy mistress.

“Who are you?” I asked him, with a touch of hostility in my tone.
He looked amused by my hostility and chuckled, as he replied, “ I mean you no harm ,Your Highness. I am merely an ordinary visitor passing through.”
“Passing through? And the Blood Sect just allowed you to pass through, did they?” I asked him skeptically, narrowing my eyes at him.

“Which sect are you from?” I shot at him.
He hesitated for a moment as if making up his mind, then shrugged and replied pensively “The Earth Sect, Your Highness”
Even though his clothes suggested that he may indeed be from the earth sect, his poise and actions suggested otherwise.

“And what business do you have here? And how did you know that I am the Mistress of this sect?”
“ I am merely a merchant, Your Highness. I supply goods to the village market. And everyone knows who you are, Your Highness. Your marriage with Dominic Valdemeire was the talk of the town for a while.”

I let out a hiss and lowered the Urumi. His eyes followed the movement as he took a step forward.
“There were several rumors circulating your marriage to His Highness. Many claim that this marriage was a scam to protect you from the people attacking you because of your father’s deeds.”
I rolled my eyes at him and replied smugly, “As expected of a merchant who always travels around, you are quite in touch with all the rumors.”

He bowed his head and asked with a twinkle in his eyes, “ So Your Highness, I am curious to know what you think of your father? Do you hate him for completely abandoning you or do you play no heed to the villager's defaming words? If given a chance would you like to meet him?”

I involuntary took a step back. I didn’t know how I felt about my father…There will always be a part of me who resents him for abandoning me and taking over my sect but there is still a part of me who still wants to see him…to demand answers…
I shook my head and clenched my fists as I spat at him, “I don’t think its any of your business…Mr?”

The man watched my face as if searching for something with an agonizing expression on his face. Then I blinked and it was gone. He looked just as snooty as before. He immediately bowed his head again as he murmured softly, “My apologies, Your Highness. It wasn’t my intention to pry.”

He looked scared at my outburst. Or rather pretended to be afraid of me. Just by the way he was standing and looking into eyes firmly I could tell that he was the least bit scared of me. The closer I watched him, the more certain I became that this man couldn’t possibly belong to the Earth Sect, which was known for their humbleness as well as their timidness.

“That’s a rather fascinating weapon you have got there, Your Highness. Very few men can claim to have mastery over an Urumi. Is that your chosen weapon?”
I clenched the Urumi tighter. I have absolutely no control over it….I didn’t even what or how it could be used….Not wanting a complete stranger to know how insignificant I was, I yelled at him, “You may leave now. And be warned, don’t mention my presence to the blood sect.”
“Why are you so against the blood sect?” He hit right back at me.

I glared at him as I replied, “Isn’t everyone against the blood sect? They are known for their shrewdness and ruthlessness. “
He stepped back grimacing as if I had just slapped him, his eyes bulging with remorse.

“I am leaving now, Your Highness. But just remember that there are always two sides to a story. No person is all good and no person is all bad either. It all depends on where you are standing…”
With that, he took off, leaving me perplexed. Didn’t everyone hate the blood sect? They were the vilest and evilest people I have ever met. They took over my sect….they are the reason Stella was now in a coma….

I let out a low growl as I remembered how they had hung Tristin on our flag that day like he was the prized possession of a hunt…..There was no way in hell that I can be apathetic or sympathetic towards the blood sect….they don’t deserve it, not after what they had done.


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For the past few days I was busy avoiding Justin and the wolves bashfully. I knew that I didn’t have any right to be mad at Justin after all he had done for me , instead I should be delighted that I now have a family member, but I had felt betrayed at that moment and wasn't thinking rationally.

After the initial shock had run over and I had calmed down I had searched for Justin high and low. It was like he vaporized from the fire sect, but my reach was quite low, cause I still had to sneak past the men in red snaking around the place.
I had changed into the red robes that I had stolen to bend into the crowd. But weirdly enough , I never ran across the people of blood sect nor the monsters they controlled. It was almost as if someone was watching over me.

I frowned …I should have run across a monster by now. Apparently according to Stella, guardians were like sweet treats for them. That’s why they always traveled in packs as the monsters never attacked guardians who were in packs. I frowned as I looked around, having a quick sweep of the village. I should have been attacked or worse captured by the blood sect people by now. What the hell is going on?

My eyes caught a sudden swirling of robes behind the trees and I immediately felt a chill down my spine.
I willed my wobbly knees to walk towards the tree. I held my breath as I pranced towards it.
But there was no one there…I frowned as I scanned the places near to the tree. I could have sworn that I saw something move just a few seconds ago.
I took a deep breath and started walking again, trying to calm my nerves but it was like I could feel someone’s gaze on my back, piercing through my skin.