_________________________________________

as he came out what he saw was horrifying 

 What greeted his eyes was a scene he could have never imagined.

 The Kandarian were under attack...from humans men and women all dressed in full red battle armour 

He could only catch glimpses of the fighting, but what he saw was surreal. 

Men and women in Eastern-looking clothing and armour fought toe to toe with some of the Kandarian guards, moving with inhuman speed and strength.

 Xu lin could only imagine that these were the Sectist of the red Star sect the Kandarian fell in droves about from time to time.

where did these guys even come from? he asked himself 

An explosion in the distance brought Xu Lin back to his immediate situation, and he finally registered all the noise around him. 

His eyes lowered, and he beheld pure chaos.

 Slaves, practitioners and Kandarians ran everywhere, panicked. 

The crude ghetto that the slaves lived in was spread out around him, all the roads leading to the mines. 

The crude shacks were not much to look at, just cheap wood with hammocks strung inside this was for the lower class people as the higher class lived in the caves, 

 but now some of the houses had been destroyed, and others were on fire. 

The thin, dry wood was going up like tinder. 

Kandarian guards, easily recognizable with their multicolour hair were directing and screaming slaves away from the mines.

 One, a huge, Mandarin bellowed and casually back-handed a slave forward. The slave, an old woman, hit a wall and fell limp to the ground. 

The guard didn’t even notice that he had just killed the woman 

Xu Lin felt sick to the very core watching the whole horrible scene.

The sectist in red armour was slaughtering people left and right and they were laughing and yelling as if it were nothing to see the people killed.

He stood stunned as he watched hundreds of slaves perish before him petrified not knowing what to do 

then he saw another man casually plunge his spear into a child no older than two  or three

the spear tip sunk deep into the boy’s chest and he cried out as he slowly fell to the ground dead.

Xu Lin felt the deeply buried rage flare. 

He started forward, about to do something stupid, when he was tackled to the ground by something.

 In a panic, he pushed away, his hands touching something soft, and quickly realized he’d been knocked down by the woman called Julia 

"let's go fool" she urged as she pushed the boy forward 

Xu Lin was led like a sheep toward the centre of the mining compound where to his surprise a fort made of sand and stone was standing erect 

Xu Lin was shocked only yesterday it had been an empty piece of land 

now there was a huge building there 

"What is this?" he said, his voice trembling in terror

she turned to him "don't worry. We're gonna get you out of here."

Xu Lin couldn’t believe it as the woman led him into the fort while doing and fighting a dozen sectists 

********current time**********

Xu Lin shuddered as the events of the pSt week went through his mind over and over again.

the massacre, the battle, the casualties 

He remembered feeling helpless, being unable to do anything while that Sectist killed and slaughtered people indiscriminately

he recalled the fear in his heart at how many people were killed without anyone helping them,

He recalled seeing children fall to the ground while the adults fought on

He remembered feeling helpless, terrified, angry, upset, confused, terrified.

he remembered everything and more and he didn't know what to do 

as soon as he had entered the fort the gates had been closed and the drive and begun 

Xu lin's hand began to shake as he thoughts of the battles he had seen 

 played themselves over and over in his head.

"I should go," he whispered, pulling at his fingers.

Julia sighed, "no. You stay. They'll kill you if you go," she said firmly

Xu Lin bit his lip. He knew she was right

but seeing his big brother being dragged to the altar knowing full well what would happen next 

over the past week, many children during the darkness of the night had been led, dragged, carried to that altar never to see the light of day again.

they would bring before the altar and their throats would be slit open  

and their blood would be poured on the glowing stone sitting on the late 

and then their lifeless  small bodies would be thrown to the side 

he knew their sacrifice was necessary as the altar was providing a golden done protecting them from the sectist and the blood of children was the fuel it needs to stay active 

he had seen the true horrors of life over the past week 

he hadn't known the things they'd been forced to endure

but he knew they had been needed 

He knew they all had their reasons but

he was horrified by what he'd seen.

He wasn't sure how he could sleep now.

Even worse still as he sat there he knew he was powerless as he watched big brother being led as if he was lamb ready for slaughter 

feeling even worse because he couldn't do anything he couldn't help

couldn't stop what was about to unfold.

"here is the boy, Priest," he heard the Kandarian speak to the man-made of shadows called the priest 

"now give him the blade." the priest spoke 

Xu Lin heard him say

he  looked towards the altar as one of the kandarian guards brought a golden sword 

the same sword that killed who knew how many children for the altar 

"Now take it and bring it over to the stone slab"

Priest commanded 

Xu lin closed his eyes not wanting to see the death of someone he actually knew 

but 

"I'll take care of the boy"

a deep voice

a soft voice

it had an echo of gentleness and peace

 Xu Lin opened his eyes 

to see a strange sight a demonic woman was embracing big brother in a hug 

She was dressed in a tattered and dirty white robe which was almost yellow 

Her face was haggardly wrinkled and looked tried 

But unlike most people, her skin was completely black not dark but black 

she was a demon 

Xu Lin began to back away as he saw the Kandarian burst into different colour lights and attack the woman 

put the man called the priest banged his staff and his shadow split into two and two sisters rise into the air and blocked the thirty or so Kandarin guards who were  glowing like the sun 

and then the dome around them disappeared 

Xu Lin felt a great terror grip his heart as he felt warm stinking liquid on his crotch 

~POV CHANGE~

Xiao Shi excitedly looked at the slowly fading some like brown shield as he felt excited 

 he absorbed the coolness of the situation 

he felt the wind from the outside rush in as the barrier dissipated and the sun shone into the fort once again

his heart swelled with joy as he felt like dancing!

He let out a happy squeal as he twirled around

A small chuckle caught Xiao Shi's attention he nervously looked to his side to see the woman of his dream 

Yao lin stood proud and daunting holding a pair of identical sabres as she chuckled 

as her eyes pierced the some 

Xiao shi  smiled shyly as he blushed slightly

Yao lin's eyes sparkled like diamonds as the sunlight reflected off them and gave Xiao Shi the impression he was staring into space as he admired Yao lin's beauty.

Yao lin smiled softly and said: "awe finally get to do something 

Xiao Shi nodded "yes".

Xiao shi felt his heart shudder as he heard the voice of the girl he loved and hoped to marry one day 

he wanted to feel close to her. He felt his heart pounding and his body shaking.

He wished it could be now.

He wanted to run over to her and kiss her passionately!

He wished he could hold her in his arms and kiss her lovingly!

"We better get going." a loud voice boomed 

Xiao Shi clenched his hands in anger and gritted his teeth  in hate 

the one who spoke was Liu wang the prestigious child of the Liu clan and like him and Yao lin he was a foundation stage cultivator 

Xiao shi felt disgusted and contempt when he looked at the golden eyes of Liu wang 

there was a rumour going around that he had been blessed by the heavens 

Xiao shi did not believe that for a second it was a heaven defending genius the sect nascent soul elder should have taught him 

he shouldn't be here at all

 to put salt in wounds  this disgusting piece of shit was betrothed  to his precious Yao Lin  

all three of them had been placed under the same tutelage of master shu

she was a teacher to follow and respect  as she never really taught anyone anything all she ever did was 

 tell them they weren't strong enough

that they were weak

Xu Lin knew the truth about her. He knew the real reason behind her actions but he didn't dare to say anything and risk angering her.

Xiao shi stole one dismal glance as his senior sister and love interest Yao lin before he transformed into a star light and rushed into the fort 

he would kill many of  the sect traitors and prove to Yao lin that he was more powerful than his heaven blessed second senior brother Liu Wang 

, and he would be able to protect his precious Yao Lin

Xiao shi charged straight into the group of enemies 

his hands began to emanate with star light  as his each of his fingers become a star spear 

as sharp as my 2nd-grade sword 

  as his left hand became a sword with 3 stars shining on it as he threw the spears with deadly precision hitting the hearts of those closest to him  killing everyone in the process

the spears made of star light flew faster and faster cutting through everything they hit.

he cut down everyone and anyone trying to fight him.

his hands glowed red as star lights surrounded him.

as he rushed madly among his enemies killing all and every one 

soon

 As the light faded away he jerked his hands, they had been dyed with blood

his hands trembled from exertion

and blood was dripping from both his hands but none of it was his 

Large numbers of sect youths were at the side, fighting against alien white men wildly 

to them, it was a simple exercise  no one here was above the foundation level 

even the few core foundation aliens were nothing more than false core cultivators weaker than the elite peak foundation sect disciples 

Xiao Shi vibrated with excitement  as he once again charged at the white alien  men and women 

 

but before he could cut down more of his enemies 

Seven false core aliens glowing with a strange light and eliminating a faint pressure surrounded him 

Xiao Shi let out a happy smile that looked deranged with all the blood covering his face and hands 

both his hands glowed and two red star light swords appeared  in his hand 

Seven figures attacked from seven different directions, pouncing towards Xiao Shi en masse.

Xiao Shi stood there, not moving at all, waiting for the seven blurs to reach him. And when they did, 

he moved! 

As all those attacks flashed towards him, 

Xiao Shi moved like a Red star, 

demonstrating extreme accuracy and precision in terms of control, positioning, speed, and power…easily dodging and moving through the combined attacks of the seven Kandarian men 

"What....."

The seven all halted, their eyes filled with disbelief. 

Just then, without giving them a chance to recover or react Xiao Shi flashed and with the two red light swords, slashed them in half.

One after another the six men crumbled to the floor

"What are you!" the last one shouted screamed.

as he tried to get away but the tendons of his legs were severed 

he helpless fell to the ground as he tried to crawl away from Xiao shi 

Xiao Shi smiled wickedly as he walked toward him, he stopped directly in front of him 

"What are you..."

Xiao Shi simply kicked the man straight in the face interrupting his speech or talk 

 he didn't know which

Xiao dismissed his star swords as 

Xiao Shi raised up his right hand and with both of his hands he grabbed each of the man's heads and pulled them forward until his face pressed up against the hard surface of the earthen Fort 

he pulled his hands apart and watched the man's brains pour out of his open mouth onto the ground 

As he watched with glee at the carnage he had caused 

he began to laugh wildly but then he heard something 

something he had forgotten 

Xu Lin's voice filled his ears

The Xu Lin who had grown up with him 

the same Xu lin who played with him when they were young 

the same Xu lin who had once saved his life 

the same Xu Lin who was his brother in all but name 

the same Xu Lin whom he had sworn to protect forever and always

the same Xu lin he thought dead 

now as confusion flooded his mind he heard the long-forgotten voice 

"Die"

as his instinct kicked he does the incoming attack with great difficulty 

 as it was difficult to block

it as he is being crushed by the weight of the man's body

Xu Lin

Xiao shi screamed

At that moment a loud explosion rocked the fort as smoke filled the sky

allowing both boys to gain some distance 

It happened so fast 

Xu Lin had launched his attack with all his might and energy

with a massive amount of force

Xiao shi also summoned his star light spear  and charged Xu lin whilst simultaneously he took out a talisman 

both boys crashed into each other with great force 

Xu Lin's body was thrown backwards as well he crashed into the wall of the fort

Xiao Shi was sent flying backwards as well

Xiao shi landed on the ground with a thud

he slowly rolled to his stomach and groggily got up 

his head was spinning but his world came to stand still as he saw 

Xu Lin's lifeless body lay on the ground covered in blood

Xiao shi cried loudly in horror and pain as he stared on in complete disbelief

His tears dripped from the corner of his eyes

He cried silently as he looked on

at the bloodied corpse of his best friend

he clenched his head 

"what have I done, what have I done.........

he began to mutter to himself  with tears streaming down his cheeks

Xiao shi fell to his knees and bowed down at his fallen best friend's side crying uncontrollably.

He sobbed uncontrollably as he wept.

he wept silently as he cried

His shoulders shook

a sense of guilt washed over him as he continued to cry

He began to shake as he cried

The feelings he held in his heart were tearing him apart.

he cried uncontrollably

The words kept on repeating themselves within his head

over and over and over again.

" what have I done"