(Future me, did I hit 5k words?)

(Yes)

"That child was always so sneaky..."

Sneaky was an understatement. She was a goddamn master of deceit! Or maybe Yun was just gullible.

Whatever it was, he couldn't help the flabbergasted look on his face as he trailed alongside his sister with the four borisin following close behind. Rhea... was his sister all along?!

He could've guessed from the fact that they had the same exact eyes, but still..! Why'd she feel the need to deceive him? Couldn't she have just... offered to help like normal?

'Was I too cold with her when she swung by the first time?' Yun wondered, 'Oh 💩, what if she thinks I hate her? Did I make it seem that way? Why else would she show up in a wig and pretend to be someone else?'

He let out a soft groan, ears drooping, and y/n gave him a little concerned glance, 'I need to get Yun out of here as soon as possible...the stress seems to be getting to him. But I need to be very careful about this...'

"Hey, Yun, how long can you hold your breath?" y/n finally asked and the boy tilted his head, giving her a little frown.

"Two and a half-ish... why do you ask?" he murmured.

Y/n glanced at the borisin following them before lowering her voice a little, "There's an... unorthodox exit at the bottom of the Shackling Prison. We can make a quick escape if we get there, but we'll be shot out into the waters of Scalegorge Waterscape. The swim back up isn't quick."

"What about the guards? There's definitely more of these things here, will they be okay?" Yun murmured.

"I'm... not sure," y/n replied, "But, right now, my priority is making sure that you make it out alive. I don't want any harm to come to you, so they're on their own."

Yun let out another soft groan, looking at the ground with furrowed brows. "W-Well, it's not as easy for me to disregard their well being. These guards here are my friends, they supported the restaurant, they look after me—how could I just run away with my tail between my legs knowing they're all in danger?"

Y/n didn't reply—even if she planned on it, what was she supposed to do? Lie? At the end of the day, she felt just as agonized over the thought of leaving the rest of the guards to fend for themselves.

"Hey! What are you two whispering about?!" one of the borisin demanded. Y/n didn't respond, glancing at the long drop down to the bottom of the prison. She could hear sounds of a conflict from below.

She glanced at Yun, the boy giving her an anxious look. 'Damn it, don't look at me like that. Whenever you look at me with those eyes, I can't help but be reminded of...'

"Y/n, take care out there—alright?"

The h/c haired trailblazer halted, inhaling deeply... then exhaling, "Oh for 🚚's sake. Fine."

She grabbed Yun by the back of his clothing before taking a running leap off of the pa to way, sending her and her screaming brother plummeting down the hole that would take them further into the prison.

Yun's screams were drowned out by the air rushing past them, the noises coming to a shot with a little help when some roots sprung into action from one of the walkways alongside the hole and snatched them to safety.

Y/n set Yun down, barely giving the trembling foxian time to recover before she grabbed him by the hand and ran towards the sounds of combat, "There's likely guards this way. We can join up with them—it'll be safer if we're all in a group together."

Yun nodded, letting out a quiet gulp as he slowly but surely recovered from that brief fall they'd both experienced, "R-Right!"

The two of them ran, only coming to a halt when y/n stopped and Yun damn near fell from the sudden change in speed. He looked at her for reassurance, only to find that she was eerily silent.

He glanced at the stairway leading further down into the prison—the one that had captured his sister's attention. The sounds of battle were coming from down there.

"...y/n..?"

"Something's wrong. Stay close."

Yun nodded, holding his sister's hand tighter before the pair began to descend down the hidden path into the depths of the Shackling Prison. Y/n started off walking, but she quickly broke into a sprint with that foxian boy hurrying to keep pace with her.

'She seems anxious, but why?' Yun wondered.

They skidded around a corner at the bottom, Yun halting at the sight of borisin—way too many goddamn borisin—and some guards fighting in front of this massive gate with a horrifying, sickening aura.

The boy covered his mouth, eyes wide with horror, but y/n didn't hesitate to lunge into the fray and choke slam one of the creatures that had been moments away from seizing one of the people fighting. Oh! It was that dude, Jiaoqiu! That Judge lady who'd been hunting down y/n ages ago was there too! And... that hooded rando whose presence was one y/n couldn't help but find a tad bit familiar.

The pink haired man and the trailblazer locked eyes, instantly recognizing and acknowledging one another before getting right back to fending off the swarm of borisin.

"Care to explain what this is all about?" y/n inquired as she covered Jiaoqiu blind spots, easily dispatching any of the abominations which got close while the foxian handles the ones in front of him with literal EXPLOSIONS.

"How to put this... the plan was to have Hoolay transported to the Yaoqing, but it seems like these borisin here had a similar idea with a different destination in mind," Jiaoqiu murmured, "—you're that woman from the restaurant, why are you here?"

"Food delivery." y/n replied simply as she used one borisin as a shield, punching right through it to clock another in the nose before tossing the injured one away and swiftly dislocating its jaw, leaving the disoriented creature to stumble away only to be killed by another guard caught in the conflict, "My boss insisted that we help the guards here, and who was I to refuse?"

"Food delivery, huh?"

Before y/n could retort, there was a snark from the gates of that ominous door before a borisin was haphazardly flung out from the glowing depths like a ragdoll—slamming into a wall.

The fighting immediately stopped as all eyes turned to the gate, right as a massive, clawed hand emerged. She glanced at the Judge, Xueyi, who looked posed to attack as a big 🍑 borisin emerged from the ominous glow of the gate. Too damn big, what the hell?

He was still clad in that weird muzzle, those big 🍑 chains and cuffs, and even had swords protruding from his back. It all seemed to make him even more terrifying.

Xueyi wasted no time, moving before anyone else could with the intent to strike the creature right below the base of its jaw...! Only to get slammed to the ground, holy 💩 that looked like it hurt-!

A strangled noise of distress left Yun as he laid eyes on the very damaged looking Judge who was literally sparking and 💩. If you thought y/n hit her hard when she was making her grand escape after resurrecting herself, then this was... whew.

The big 🍑 dog abomination went and picked up Xueyi with his big 🍑 has (seriously, what did his parents feed him?!), "I've waited far too long. My first meal after regaining my freedom... is the flesh and blood of my fellow kindred. A sad scene indeed..."

Y/n grimaced when that big 🍑 dog went and crushed the damn Judge before throwing her away carelessly, Yun immediately rushing to his sister's side—seemingly in search of comfort.

"Y/n..." he whispered but the woman shushed him, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. He'd heard stories of borisin and the Warhead Hoolay, but to see him in the flesh was... suffocating.

One of the borisin—who looked too much like a foxian, approached Hoolay to bow. Ugh... the nerve of this mutt wearing Cloud Knight armor-! "It's been a long time, Warhead. Welcome back."

Y/n backed up, sticking close to Jiaoqiu with Yun tucked close to her side as Hoolay strode towards the center of the room and the borisin around began to howl. She scanned the area carefully, noting how the borisin to ally ratio was not looking good.

She could make a quick escape with just Jiaoqiu and Yun—it seemed like Jiaoqiu's hooded buddy took off, likely for the sake of informing someone outside of what had happened. However, one look at Yun's wide eyes trained on the fallen guard quick snuffed out that idea.

Some of them were likely still alive, and she couldn't just leave them there knowing how it would impact her little brother. She had to think of another plan. A safer plan.

"How many times as the old verdant home spun around since our last hunt?" Hoolay snarled at the bum 🍑 borisin wearing a foxian's face, "Ah, Duran's whelp! Tell me your name!"

"Great Hoolay, nemesis of the foxians... and the hunter of all beings...! I am Mok Tok, a humble—" ok, y/n was bored of the glazing, "It's been... at least seven centuries since you led out Pack—" seven centuries? Oh, hey... y/n remembered seven centuries ago! She participated in the Wardance back then and enjoyed tasty snacks with Jing Yuan. Good ol' days... oh, right— safe plan. Think! "I'm thrilled to see that you are as cunning and skillful as ever." Brother eugh.

"Seven centuries... Seven centuries have passed, but why have Duran's whelps grown to look like this? Tell me, Mok Tok, why have you grown to resemble our most despicable slaves and enemies, the foxians?" Hoolay growled as y/n covered the frightened looking Yun's ears.

She didn't need her precious little brother hearing this slander. He was already frightened enough. She glanced at Jiaoqiu, the pink haired foxian meeting her gaze as well. This was a tense situation, but the pair couldn't help but share a brief moment of mutual exasperation over the rather despicable nature of the borisin they'd come to be familiar with.

'Honestly, it might be wiser to just make a break for it with these two. With Hoolay as part of the equation, things are too dangerous to be worried about the wounded right now. Especially considering these two are foxians and pretty much guaranteed to either be hate crimed or killed,' y/n noted, taking a small step back to stand beside Jiaoqiu.

"Don't think about it," Jiaoqiu murmured, before y/n could grab him and bolt like she'd been planning.

"I know this prison better than they do, that's for 🚚ing sure. I dunno who you are, and you don't know who I am, but it'd be in your best interest to trust me right now," y/n retorted quietly as Mok Tok and Hoolay talked about escape plans, "I know a way out—you'll just have to hold your breath a little while."

"And what makes you think we could outrun all of these borisin? They have us surrounded." Jiaoqiu whispered back.

"I kill the ones blocking our way out, and we go down a path where we can get them off our 🍑es."

"Aren't you just a restaurant employee?"

"Shut up, do you want to get out of here alive or not—?"

"Argh... what a reckless plan, you idiot!" Hoolay suddenly snapped, jolting the pair out of their quiet back and forth, "Even if we manage to get the ships, our chances of escaping are slimmer than a foxian slipping through my claws!"

Y/n's brow twitched a little, 'Whatever you got from Jingliu, you 🚚ing deserved you son of a bit—'

"But we have no other choice...! The angel serving under the Master of Immortality sent me a message, 'Only your return will end the prolonged divisions among the borisin.'" Mok Tok protested frantically, "My entire crew is fully prepared to give up their lives for the sake of setting you free!"

"Hmph..." the big 🍑 dog let out a chuckle, "You may be a sneaky weakling, but you're quite brave. Even if you're rather reckless. Fine, you'll get what you want... as will all of Duran's whelps."

Mok Tok perked up at the back handed compliment he'd received, "Well then, my lord, we should leave immediately."

"Before that..." Hoolay seemed to hesitate before letting a begrudging, "Give me one of those magic pills."

Drugs?

"My Lord, you seriously wish to don the skin of a lowly beast? That would be a disgrace to your greatness, my Lord-!" Mok Tok began.

Oh, to make them look like foxians.

Hoolay let out a low growl before snapping once more, "You idiot! Greatness means nothing without freedom! Once I get out, I will require a disguise that won't raise any suspicion!"

Y/n was with him on this one, Mok Tok was an idiot.

"Ah— as you wish, my Lord." the idiot stammered.

Hoolay's gaze behind that goofy muzzle trailed over to where the trio were huddled, locking onto Jiaoqiu and Yun—though y/n quickly moved to shield them both.

"Hm... are those foxian slaves my meal?" the giant dog inquired. Y/n's efforts to cover her brother's ears clearly did little to help as his e/c eyes widened, glimmering with incoming tears.

"Hey! Yun is off limits!" y/n snapped, her outburst earning her a frantic look from Jiaoqiu, "If you're gonna eat someone... eat me!" It was Yun's turn to give her a flabbergasted stare, while Jiaoqiu suddenly looked a whole lot more mortified than ticked off by her lack of caution.

"Uh— no, the pink one is an envoy from the Xianzhou Yaoqing. I plead you to show some restraint, my Lord, he's more valuable as a hostage!" Mok Tok said hurriedly, "The small one, however, you can eat him."

"Idiot dog, I just said he's off limits! I'll rip out your throat if you so much as take another step closer—!" Jiaoqiu smacked his hands over her mouth, holding her still as she spouted curses behind his hands and Yun scrambled to hide behind him, the older foxian placing a reassuring hand in the top of his head.

"Hmph... that one is far too small to be considered a meal. Perhaps a small snack for later," Hoolay murmured.

Y/n's eyes blazed with fury, but Mok Tok—the Glazer—didn't give her time to protest as he shouted to the other borisin, "Take the two foxians, it's time to go! Kill the woman!"

"Ah— no, please!" Yun protested, "Don't hurt her, she- uh... she knows the prison well! She can ensure a swift and easy getaway! Please!"

It was the boy's turn to receive shocked stares from Jiaoqiu and y/n as the young woman immediately stopped shouting behind the older foxian's hands, 'What the hell, Yun, you know I'm not gonna die no matter what they do to me!'

At the same time, it was better if she stayed close enough to Yun to keep him safe. 700 years ago, she wouldn't have been able to even fathom fending off Hoolay for the sake of protecting someone else. Now, however, if it came to it—she could probably handle the borisin on her own.

'This is good, this isn't an entirely 💩ty situation,' she thought as Jiaoqiu gave up on covering her mouth, focusing on keeping Yun close instead as Hoolay regarded them carefully

After a long moment, the big 🍑 borisin finally spoke, "Is this true, Xianzhou scum?"

Y/n took a deep breath before glancing up at the giant creature, her furious look melting away into a small, easy going smile. "I've walked these halls more times than I can count, and I know the quickest way out." 'The one with the most treacherous path that'll be sure to cut down your numbers.'

Dan Heng shivered, earning a curious look from Caelus.

"Are you alright, Dan Heng?" the hydrogen bomb inquired, his companion giving him a quick nod.

"I'm fine, just... uneasy." he admitted.

Upon realizing the dire situation, Hanya and other personnel at the prison leapt into action to hold off the intruders and the prisoners who had been freed.

They hurried to the bottom of the prison, quickly reaching the area where Hoolay was being held—well, where he had been held. Before he escaped.

All they found were countless bodies of guards and borisin lying around, a couple with suspiciously familiar gaping wounds in their bodies where it seemed as though they'd been struck very forcefully.

"It seems like there was a fierce battle here," Dan Heng murmured, Caelus quietly nodding his agreement.

Hanya wasilent for a long moment, brows furrowed, "The gate to the prisoner delve is wide open... Hoolay has managed to escape. Where are the Yaoqing messengers, and where is my sister? Are they alive?"

"We can probably find some clues," Caelus spoke up, "Why don't we take a quick look around, yeah?"

Hanya only nodded with a soft, "Yes, let's do that. The messengers are a foxian with exquisite clothing, and a man in a dark cloak who is dressed like a fugitive. Keep a lookout."

Caelus nodded, him and Dan Heng beginning to check out the area. Hanya took to wandering as well, searching for any clues before spotting her sister's body slumped in a corner, broken and sparking with electricity.

She stood silently over Xueyi, Dan Heng and Caelus joining her. The trash panda grimaced at the sight of the Judge slumped against the wall, "Well. We found your sister."

Too much silence. The two men exchanged a look.

"Uh... so when's the funeral—OW!" Caelus winced when Dan Heng immediately smacked him on the back of the neck, giving the train guard a pained look while he glared back at Caelus with a warning look.

"Funeral? There's... no need," Hanya murmured as she turned to face the pair, "Thanks to the Ten Lords' blessing, my sister turned into an ingenious centuries ago. Dying and returning as a soul to the Hall of Karma's document office has become a routine for her. I don't enjoy seeing her disregard her body like a replaceable part, seeing her like this is still..."

The Judge's voice trialed off before she shook her head, "Anyways, have you seen any bodies that might be the Yaoqing messengers?"

Dan Heng shook his head, "I've only found borisin and guards." Caelus shrugged, "Same here, nothing else."

"So... the intruders and Hoolay must be holding them hostage," Hanya concluded, crossing her arms, "This situation isn't good... the hostage situation could damage relations between the Yaoqing and the Luofu. We already have enough on our plate with trying to handle the prisoners. We must rescue the messengers, get out of here and—!"

Hanya paused, spotting a broken cycrane on the floor. She approached it with a little frown, her sudden silence unnerving the pair of trailblazers.

"Miss Hanya?" Dan Heng asked hesitantly.

She was silent, only the ominous noises of the prison surrounding them before the broken cycrane croaked, "Han... Han..."

Caelus let out a squeal, immediately hiding behind Dan Heng, "EEK! It talked! Why is it— it sounds like a zombie!"

"Re... Reconstruc..." the cycrane croaked again.

Hanya finally let out a breath of relief, "It's my sisters looks like her soul had not yet returned to the Hall of Karma."

"It seems like she's trying to communicate. Let's fix up the cycrane and see if that helps," Dan Heng advised.

The trio swiftly repaired the cycrane, the little thing beginning to fly normally again in a few short minutes.

"Welcome back, sister. I'm not sure what sort of expression I should have... but let's not dwell on that." Hanya murmured.

"Hey, your new form is kinda cute!" Caelus chirped.

"Now is not the time for j-j-jokes!" Cycrane Xueyi snapped, "This cycrane can't h-h-hold all of me!"

"Right, I understand. Sister, please tell us what you saw when you were," Hanya hesitated as if trying to find the right words before murmuring, "Killed."

Xueyi relayed as much information as she could, from Hoolay being freed to the Borisin beginning to flee the prison with Jiaoqiu, Yun, and y/n in tow. Wait...