36 Story Tunnel

The never-ending darkness had disappeared and everything was bright and luminous. There were no light bulbs or light sources. The light seemed to come from nowhere. It was strange and fascinating that Fan Daiyu couldn't help but ogle at its radiance. She hadn't even had enough time to catch her breath before she saw all the treasures hidden there. There were jewels, gold, herbs, silks, and many other treasures. The underground room was long and expansive. Everything had a golden glow.

However all the treasures seemed to pale in comparison with what had caught her gaze. The rusty broken chains dangled at random ends. It looked so dull and dark in that muddy corner of dirt but it seemed to be the only thing that was in her sight. It plagued her mind and threw out all reason from her mind.

Slowly she walked closer to it ignoring all other riches.

As she walked through the expansive room, a small voice squealed in excitement. The hibernating Ercan smelled the treasures that were near and blasted out without permission.

{GOOOOOLD! SWEET GOLD! AAAAAAAAAAHHHH DIAMONDS! AISH, YOU DIDIN'T HAVE TO! I KNOW YOU LOVE ME BUT ALL THESE TREASURES ARE TOO MUCH! NEVERTHELESS, I WON'T BE RUDE! HAHAHHAHAHA!}

The small white dragon wheezed like an old windshield and his squeals resonated within Daiyu's head.

The small dragon began to dance on two legs and failed to notice the blank expression and silent response from Daiyu. She reached the small dull metals. It was a pair of ankle bracelets.

Chains within chains… They were like a painting, which was sad but captivating.

They were chains that had broken dangling chains hooped on them along with small silver leafs. They seemed dull but had no dirt or dust on them despite being in such a messy place. She was entranced by them even though they looked worse than any plain accessory ever made. Her knees bent and she reached out to put them on.

However, her shoes were in the way and it caused her mood to fluctuate as if something great was interrupted.

[Who needs these anyways? My skin is already tough enough to go out barefoot without feeling pain from the rocks I step on.]

Her hands flashed and her shoes and socks flew out and landed on a poor dragon's head.

{GET YOUR STINKY AS* SOCKS OUT OF HERE!}

The only sound in response seemed to be silence. He turned to see what was wrong but it was already too late to see what had happened.

*Click* *Click*

Fan Daiyu had already put on the ankle bracelets in a matter of seconds.

The rust from the chains fell off to reveal beautiful intricate designs on each chain and leaf of the bracelet. It shined golden and jingled as her legs moved.

Ercan had turned to see Daiyu glow and a brightness emerge from her ankles. It smelled like… BIG TREASURES!

He ran to her side and felt his heart tremble at the sight of those ankle bracelets. He could tell they were special but he didn't know why or how. All he knew was that she was lucky to have been chosen by it. He sighed and shook his head.

{I think I'm more worthy but whatever I guess.}

[What?]

Daiyu looked at her small companion in confusion only to be ignored.

{Can we keep all of this!?}

Seeing her question ignored she felt a bit irritated but quickly pushed those sentiments down as she looked at his dazzling hopeful eyes.

They both looked through everything. There were countless of treasures but how could they keep it all. Unknowingly they ended up in front of a wall. It had more strange markings but somehow Fan Daiyu could understand them.

"Chains chain down things but broken chains release them. Whether one is chained or not can only be decided by ones past and path. We walk, fight, and survive for a purpose but we also die for one. With broken chains you learned from being chained and caged and live for a changed will. The chained one was separated from freedom, rights, and life while the one with broken chains learns to live again and values life more than the chainless ones. Those who have been chained and fought for freedom have more potential than any other type of being.

Fight, live, and survive."

After reading the words aloud, the letters on the wall glowed gold along with her ankle bracelets. They swayed and chimed as if they were excited. There was no wind but everything seemed to resonate and vibrated as her silver hair swayed and shined.

The wall collapsed and revealed a light up tunnel.

She steadily walked as her chains chimed with each step but with each advance, visions crossed her mind.

Screams, blood, pain, sorrow, hate, and anguish. She seemed to feel everything that was being felt. All the feelings clashed with one another and filled her heart with chaos.

She wanted to turn back but she seemed to be possessed. Her feet kept leading her forward and her mind was attacked by those visions.

She could see people crying and men fighting. They possessed an immense amount of power. She felt pressure even though she was so far away. She could hear screams filled with anguish screaming for fellow brothers and fallen comrades. She could hear the cries of women for their husbands and the children crying out for their parents. Above her, there was dragons with cuts on their bodies. They were fighting with the people against something.

But who where they fighting? Who could unite the two races that disliked each other?

The ground shook and everyone went forward. People screamed but she couldn't hear what they were saying. They mouthed a name.

Fan Daiyu…

That's when she saw it.

That silver hair. Those mystical eyes. Those golden tears. She looked just like her but something was different. That Fan Daiyu had everything the same including the ankle bracelets but the dragon at her side was black and the tattooed tear was under her eye. The dragon was Ercan but different. His red eyes glowed with viciousness and flashed in agony. They were both grieving.

She could hear them.

"Ercan. Fight. We shall get vengeance for him. The world hates us. Everyone hates us. They killed him because of us. They did it all because of fear. They are COWARDS! THEY ARE RUTHLESS! THEY ARE MONSTERS!

Especially HIM!"

Her tears fell as she pointed towards a man. He was tall and handsome. His black hair was messy and his dark swirling eyes were cold and empty.

"I should have listened to Wei. I should have… I should have listened. He was right. I was wrong. Now his soul is falling apart. He was meant for immortality. If it weren't for me this wouldn't have happened.

Wei I'm sorry. All of us could have been together for eternity but I ruined it."

She pounded her fist against her chest in guilt as her tears fell.

She lifted her arms up slowly and along with them figures formed from all kinds of elements. Mud, ice, water, shadow, light, lightning, and invisible wind soldiers and beings. There were different types of beasts being formed along with them and standing at her sides.

She had formed her own army.

Her head was facing the ground as she mumbled.

"Why? He never did anything. He was vulnerable. Everyone took advantage of his weak moments. He didn't deserve this."

"Haha."

Her sad laugh erupted as she cried.

She slowly lifted her head up to the moon as her blood tears fell.

"You loved the moon."

She whispered and smiled weakly.

"You said it reminded you of me… But right now… It's reminding me of you… It's the only thing keeping me sane, BUT I DON'T WAN'T TO BE SANE RIGHT NOW!"

Her eyes flashed with insanity as she screamed.

"FIGHT! FIGHT AND WIN! MY FAMILY, MY FRIENDS, MY LOVED ONES… I WILL AVENGE YOU AND WE SHALL BE BURIED TOGETHER! Wei wait for me. I will make a cycle. You will live again even if its millions of years later. I will wait! We will all be together again"

All her soldiers flew forward at an incredible speed and fought.

The handsome man was shocked.

"H-how? When did you learn how to make these soldiers?"

The beauty slowly descended like a heavenly fairy. She giggled but it sent chills down people's spines.

"There is no use in regretting. Wei has been killed but before he died, he gave me his power. I'm the Goddess now. I'm immortal. You will never win. You will die and your soul will disappear. You will NEVER join the stars."

The man was shocked. He fell back and looked at the woman who had once been so kind to him.

"Impossible! That was meant for me! The Cari told me. I-It said all I had to do was give it your dead body and capture your soul."

"HAHAHAHAHA! I c-can't believe that you're actually so STUPID to believe it! Did you know that it just wanted to enter this world! Did you know that I'm the soul it has chosen. It wants ME! You BASTARD! IT'S YOUR FAULT! IT'S YOUR FAULT HE DIED!"

She kicked him and punched him until he was black and blue.

His face was swollen and he was coughing out blood. And yet he still laughed.

"Hahaha! I was also the cause of ALL your loved ones death's."

She stomped on him and burned his soul away slowly.

"At least now you won't exist."

He screamed and Fan Daiyu could feel his panic and fear along with the woman's anger and sorrow.

He was burned away. Nothing was left behind, not even his bones. It was as if he had never existed. She stood alone in all the chaos as Ercan fought along with her soldiers. Soon enough the enemy gave in. They all hated her but she didn't care because she hated them too.

Many dragons had died and many humans had died. People blamed her for this. But if one looked closer all she did was love. She loved so much that she had to avenge those that she loved.

They blamed her for loving so much. They blamed her for paying back for the death of her loved ones. They blamed her for doing something that anybody would do in her shoes and the reason they blamed her was because they were all part of the crime. Everyone was the perpetrator. They all wanted to bring her down. They wanted to damage her. They wanted her to quit and lose her power.

They wanted her to be weak so that they could take her place. They were full of greed and fear. They preferred taking it out on an innocent person than to be ruled by another. She had too much power so she had to pay for it in the cruelest way.

With blood. With love. With hate.

Fan Daiyu could hear the story being said. It was painful and unjust but it still happened.

The beauty held the handsome man's corpse by its neck and pulled out the darkness. It was the Cari. She gathered it, subdued it, and locked it away for eternity. The only way for it to emerge again was if its queen allowed it to.

That queen was Fan Daiyu.

The scene changed to a forest. The woman took a small boy with her and built a house.

"Orphan. What's your name?"

He looked up at the goddess with round eyes as her replied, "I have none."

"From today onwards you will be Fan Jian. This will be you home forever and that will be the family grave forever."

She pointed towards a hill behind the mansion she had built.

JIAN- From Chinese 建 (jiàn) meaning "build, establish", 健 (jiàn) meaning "strong, healthy"

She built a family tomb and cast a spell. It had infinite space within after putting a grave in. After a vault was put in, more space would be revealed. She made a secret grave beneath it and buried many treasures for their future selves. She buried her friends, followers, and loved ones.

After a few years, the boy grew into a man and found a wife while she disappeared after giving her blessings. She went to that secret grave with her dragon and refused to leave her small isolated world.

She turned to a man's body but Fan Daiyu couldn't see his face. It was blurred out.

The woman touched his face with a tender gaze and she said, "I regret not realizing which man I had truly fallen for. You were with me for so long and yet I barely realized. However your gone already."

She cried golden tears and sniffed, "But… that's okay because I'm a Goddess now. I can make everything start afresh. The payment for this endless cycle is my title and so much suffering. I will make it real. Reincarnation.

But eventually we will also have to join the stars. That will be our Nirvana."

She smiled, "Love, let us meet in our next life. I will fix your soul with my own life. I will no longer be immortal after this but everything will be worth it after meeting you again. I wish I could have called you this when you could still hear me. You are the love of my life. I will create a fate for us again. I love you."

Her body gave out a golden glow and she sat on her golden throne looking at all the open vaults with corpses before her. She closed her eyes and never opened them again.

Fan Daiyu watched the scene end as she took her last step out of the tunnel and arrived to that exact room. The vision faded and everything came into view.