The Destined Path, Chapter Eighteen, Paroxysm.

"Here it is, the entrance to the throne room," Princess Lian spoke. Her voice, usually commanding and sure, now resonated with uncharacteristic hesitation. "I doubt he'll take this intrusion kindly, especially with the information we've learned."

Every step they'd taken had increased the weight in Sky's heart, now it crescendoed into anxiety that made his skin sweat and his stomach feel rancid.

They'd been flirting the line between duty and affection for too long. He promised to give her space, but failed to restrain himself at every turn. Sky promised to not be a distraction, but conversely he feared for the confrontation with the Emperor and wished to convey his true feelings. Though he believed strongly in Jen Zi's abilities, he had an overwhelming fear of the unknown, usurped powers of a god Sun Hai possessed.

"I promised not to be a distraction, but I have to say something," Sky spoke before the group stepped off into a likely confrontation. Gently grabbing her arm, Sky led her to the back of the group to the minimal privacy the hall could provide. "You will rescue your master, I know you will, but I need to tell you... I find you irresistible. Just being in your presence, my heart lifts. When I learned of your nobility, strength and honor, I knew you were special."

"You're special to me too, Sky."

Her words warmed his heart, but did little to assuage the painful worry in his gut. "What I'm trying to say, is before you go..." What courage he'd gathered retreated like a wave upon the shore. "Please be careful."

Shame at his cowardice overwhelmed him, until Jen Zi's small hand gripped his firmly. "I know what you're trying to say," she smiled and a light blush colored her delicate face, "and I feel the same."

Once again, Sky couldn't help but be humbled by her kind and generous nature. Always, Jen Zi thought of the feelings and concerns of those around her, whether stranger or dear friend. "Thank you-"

"-If you two are finished," the princess' shrill and angry voice cut through their moment, "we have to find your master and the truth of what has been happening in the Empire."

Jen Zi nodded without turning, her eyes locked onto Sky's for a moment more. Her hand gave his a comforting squeeze before pulling away. Sky, both dreading the upcoming encounter and eager for their mission to be complete, followed behind Jen Zi as the group entered the large chamber beyond.

The throne room was enormous, opulent, and (unlike the previous chambers) well maintained. Thick red columns lined the room, their bases wrapped with golden filigree. How insignificant you can feel standing in the presence of such giants.

Voices teased Jen Zi's ears, hearing the sound but not the words, bringing her to full alert. As they ventured deeper, recognition dawned on her and she looked to Dawn Star for confirmation. Dawn Star nodded, one of the voices ahead belonged to their master. The goal they had held close for so long was finally within reach.

Silk Fox lead the charge. As they rounded one of the large columns their targets came into view. Emperor Sun Hai and Master Li stood before them. The emperor was heated, angry as he spoke to their master. Li stood reserved, no show of fear or emotion on his face. Relief flooded Jen Zi as she met her master's gaze. Though he still wore the dirty robes she'd last seen him in, he looked healthy and relatively unharmed. He seemed his usual quiet, confident self.

"Father!" Sun Lian called out to the emperor, injecting false confidence into her words.

Sun Hai seemed startled at her voice, but tried to hide it. "Child? What are you doing here? I have important matters... what have you done to yourself. You look like a common street woman."

Gazing behind his daughter, his voice grew stern. "And who is this? You bring this filth into the palace? This is not how a princess should act!"

"Don't lecture me! Master Li's student brought me evidence from the Lotus Assassins. You allowed Death's Hand to corrupt the Empire!"

"Master Li's student?" The emperor mimicked his daughter, seemingly lost in thought. "The very person who tested my Lotus Assassins, brought to my doorstep by my own daughter." He turned to face his brother. "Li. Layers upon layers, always the glorious strategist."

Dawn Star spoke, tentatively, gently. "Lian, do you not see your father is the heart of it all?"

Jen Zi could sense Lian's pain as sharply as if she'd been stabbed. For once, Jen Zi felt pity for the harsh princess. She could only imagine finding out such a horrible truth about someone you love.

"Father? I don't understand." Lian's voice was meek, broken.

"I do not blame you for your foolishness. The Emperor is the manifestation of divine power. What can you possibly know?" Hard as stone, the Emperor spoke to defend his actions.

"How could you betray the people?" Lian's pain turned into flames of anger, feeding her need for answers. "Your greed has unsettled the whole of the Empire! The dead no longer sleep!"

"Remember your place, child. I have no patience for anyone who challenges my authority. Not even you."

"I will not let you disgrace the Empire!" Lian shouted at her father, perhaps hoping against hope that he would retreat from the horrible path he'd taken. But it was to no avail. With but a gesture, Sun Hai ordered his guards forward. "Capture Lian, kill the rest."

The companions leap into action, taking down their opponents quickly and turned to their real enemy.

A concussive force emanated from the Emperor, striking the whole group like a tidal wave. Sky collapsed, trying desperately to remain conscious. He glanced to the others, who were already down, save for one. Jen Zi remained standing, seemingly unaffected from the blow. Against the wish of every fiber of his being, Sky was unable to fight the tide and was pulled under into the darkness.

Sky awoke with a start. Pain lanced through his skull like lightning. Aches wreaked havoc on his body as he struggled into a sitting position, his mind sluggish and unable to recall...

Leaping to his feet, Sky ran Dawn Star, still on the ground near him. Kneeling, he checked for a pulse. A small amount of relief flooded him as he felt her heartbeat, strong and steady. The others were still out cold, strewn around him and untouched with one notably absent. Jen Zi.

The silence filled him with unspeakable dread. Following the signs of battle, Sky rushed up to the higher platform. Many defeated guards littered the floor, broken stone and damaged pillars marked a difficult fight. His heart beat nearly out of his chest as he climbed to the next platform, then the next, until he crested the top of the final rise. His eyes were drawn to the base of the stairs before the throne.

On the floor was a small form, back towards him, swathed in robes that were all too familiar.

Sky's mind in turmoil, his feet carried him forward. He ran, stumbled, collapsed, his knees protesting as they slammed hard against the stone floor. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he turned her and pulled her unresponsive body into his lap. Frantic, he rocked back and forth, asking, begging her to open her eyes. Show a sign, anything, that the woman he loved was in his arms, that she would continue to be a part of his life.

No breathe passed her lips, her chest unmoving. "No, no no, no."

He was fractured, split in two. His continued existence was no salve on the turmoil of her loss. Despondent, he didn't want to live, not without her - a pit of despair engulfed him, one he'd visited before in his young life. Her loss was his complete undoing.

"She was important to you."

A demon of anger and sorrow possessed his soul. Who dare intrude upon a broken man in his grief? Atop the rise, sitting on the Emperor's throne was the man Jen Zi addressed as Master. Sky realized Sun Li had been there all along. His humble robes a stark contrast to the opulence of the throne he'd claimed as his own, his superior smirk replaced the one of reserve he wore earlier. Sky was confused, until he spotted the Dragon Amulet around Sun Li's neck. Realization dawned on him like a crushing weight falling from the heavens, leaving a crater in his soul.

Reverently, Sky placed Jen Zi back on the floor, delicately positioning her hands upon her torso. Free from the struggles and burdens she'd carried for so long, Jen Zi's face was peaceful, as if the gentlest of prods could rouse her from slumber. If only it could be true...

She deserved better than this, the thought haunted Sky's mind, fanning the flames of his anger into an inferno. Blinded by the fury and the pain he reached to the dual sabers at his back, and charged the target of his hatred.

Ascending the stairs like a bolt of lightning, all fury and heat, Sky lunged at Li, swinging his blades down with all his might. The sudden stop of his blades sent pain up his arms, nearly causing him to drop his weapons. Striking again and again, Sky' couldn't pierce the invisible barrier around his adversary.

Li laughed, proof that to him, Sky was nothing more than a toy to test and evaluate his newfound powers. "Delightful."

Renewing his efforts, Sky slammed his body into the barrier frantically, desperately wanting to end it all.

An unseen force pressed, tossing Sky back like a leaf in a storm. His body slammed and rolled down the stairs until he finally came to a stop at the bottom, bruised and bloodied. Shakily, he rose to his feet, eager to renew his assault, no matter how futile.

A delicate hand placed on his shoulder interrupted. He glanced at the interloper, ready to direct his rage upon a new, closer target. Dawn Star stood before him, her eyes alight with unshed tears, her lip trembling. A somber reminder that he wasn't the only one who'd lost someone this day.

The vale of rage parted from his eyes, leaving the crushing weight of failure and loss to wash over him. The departure of his rage nearly made him fall to his knees, feeling weak. The hollow ruins of his heart throbbed, an aching reminder he had lived while she had died. Unbidden, his eyes searched the faces around him, they mirrored the same fear and pain. An unspoken understanding arose between those that had followed Jen Zi, their only option was to flee.

Sky felt removed from himself as he returned to Jen Zi's side, his movements not his own as he gathered her into his arms. A fleeting thought wondered if this is how the victims of the clay golems felt. Detached, but able to see.

The others gathered around him. Hui, Black Whirlwind, Kang... everyone, but their eyes were on the newly crowned Emperor.

"Go," he said dismissively, "tell your tale of the new God-Emperor, and let the people know he will not be defied. The Jade Empire is mine and none can oppose me."

Dawn Star looked long and hard, but found no trace of her Master in his eyes. She felt dual daggers of betrayal in her heart, one for Jen Zi and one for herself. The man who'd raised them was nothing more than a mask discarded now that his goal had come to pass.

At the retreating footsteps, Dawn Star turned to follow her friends without a word. If he was willing to murder his most favored student for his ambition, she was nothing more than an insect.

It was a desperate race to leave the palace behind them, fearful the new God-Emperor would decide not to let them live.

Even with the palace nothing more than a small dot on the horizon far behind them, Dawn Star felt she was still trapped under her master's icy gaze.

Author's Notes: This was officially the hardest thing I've ever written. It's so challenging to portray such emotion. I hope I managed to pull it off.

Paroxysm [par-uh k-siz-uhm] any sudden, violent outburst; a fit of violent action or emotion.