Worshippers, young and old, wandered in and out of the temple. Ao Shun sat on the steps smiling at the many people who still venerated him. He had never thought much about the humans who commemorated him, but finally being on the mortal plain, he felt appreciated. He watched Jin An, wandering through the temple. Her curiosity, about him and his world, fascinated him. He couldn’t imagine why she was so calm knowing her destined husband was an actual dragon. He chuckled to himself, “Maybe if she saw my true form…”. A bald, elderly man stopped in front of Ao Shun, bowing low to him. As he straightened his curved back, he stared into the eyes of the man before him. The dragon’s eyes flashed between a pale blue and a silver as the sun appeared from behind the clouds. The man’s eyes suddenly widened, and he struggled to his knees, bowing to the ground before. He began speaking in a low, raspy voice, “I am thrilled, wise dragon. Today is a fortunate day, for I have

A brilliant, full moon lifted over the forest, creating shadows across the narrow road from the temple. Just a few minutes before midnight, Ri Il paced back and forth impatiently. His dream of becoming an immortal human would finally come true. His men gathered and bowed before him. They awaited his transformation, some silently wondering if he would change physically from the elixir, becoming a monster. Most of them were loyal to the insane man. He had given them riches beyond thier imaginations for the time period. Others were too terrified to ever leave and suffered with the guilt of the hundreds of murders they had been a part of. Ri Il yells, "AHHHHH, it is time...who will rise with me and follow me through this life?" A widespread hum silenced the night insects and birds in the forest.Pulling the sealed top from the bottle, Ri Il took a sniff. A red essence hovered between his nose and the opened top. His mouth crept into a conveluted smirk. H

PURGATORY- Zhou Shuren sat on his bed staring at the contents of the glass in his hand. The red liquid swirled in a circle just as his thoughts swirled in his head. He groaned and threw the expensive goblet across the room, the shattered remains scattering across the hard black tiled floor. Yao Fu stepped from behind the pillar protecting him from the sharp blades of glass. His eyes bowed low, he walked closer to the frustrated god. “Yan Wang, what is bothering you so badly on this beautiful, dark night?” The Purgatory King sighed heavily, “Why am I bothered by the fact that a human can do what I can’t because I am stuck in this hell?” He shook his head, long black hair falling from its binding, making him look as if insanity had taken it’s hold. “I should be the one killing her; to destroy the dragon’s happiness and power. But instead, I have to depend on the disgustingly immoral Ri Il to do the work for me. I get nothing out

Jin An exited her room after spending the evening before celebrating with Ao Shun and the new family members. They had spent the dark of night shooting fireworks and dancing to music played by Huxian on his flute. The couple had decided they would celebrate and have a wedding ceremony that weekend and the staff of the manor began preparations. The dragon's bride would become the dragon's wife. Jin An was very nervous but she had seen that she couldn't leave if she wanted to. There was something holding tightly onto her heart, painfully tensing the palpitating muscle every time she even considered escaping her fate. The clouds were ominous as they hung in the sky. Distant thunder crackled across the heavens as if warning of an impending storm. The wind dusted across the treetops, red leaves and pink petals cascading down into the courtyard, almost looking like a shower of blood droplets as they floated to the ground, covering the white pavestones. No one noticed the i