บท 18: Family Z 5

Trigger warning. Proceed at your own risk.

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They marched through lands and their unified footsteps would set terror into anyone heart's who came across such a sight. They tore down any resistance and massacred their way into the brilliant residence of the K family.

Inside, Elder K and Madam Z sat in their studies while Andre poured them tea to drink.

"Don't be angry," Elder K tried to coax his wife.

"The minute that brat calls her, she runs to him. She doesn't even give her family any time," Madam K huffed. She has never approved of Min nor did she like the fact her daughter was so love-struck.

"Now, now. She's engaged," Elder K put the strand of her hair behind her ear. He gave her a small forehead kiss.

"If shes' happy then let her be."

"Happy?" Madam K was in disbelief, "you spoil her too much and the stupid pink veil in your eyes can't let you see, she can't be happy with that brat!"

"He will soon-"

"He won't! Have you seen the way he looks at Lia? No love at all nor does he plan to."

"Dear-"

Madam K glared at him to shut up and left the room in anger. Just the day before yesterday Min was crowned as the Ghost King and Lia came back home after ages. Yet this morning she already left again to see her supposedly sweetheart.

Madam K was fuming the whole day and it was night again but her anger didn't disappear. She walked to Lia's room and sat on her bed. Nostalgia overcame her and she sighed. It was clear since the first time Elder L brought Min with him that Lia liked him.

She shouldn't have let her husband spoil her rotten or let Lia get close to Min. No, foolishly chasing after him. Madam K regretted it but maybe her husband was right. Maybe if she was truly happy, she had to let go.

Old memories resurfaced as Madam K looked around her daughter's room. It has been a long time since Lia was a little child, bright, happy and very cute, but now she's grown up and walked her own path. Even going so far as making someone the Ghost King. Her determination was frightening.

Madam K sighed and her view fell on the drawer next to the bed. A small golden ring laid there, "This girl, even forgetting her engagement ring!"

Madam K was furious again! This just showed how much her own daughter wanted to be with the brat!

Outside the mansion, in the entrance area between the house and the gate, the head attendant of the family, Andre cleaned as he heard weird noises from outside.

He stood still before he moved to the gate and opened it. In an instant, warm liquid splattered on his face and a severed head rolled to his feet.

Andre's scream was stuck in his throat as his own head fell off his shoulders and was stepped onto by Elder Z, who motioned the soldiers to clean this mess up.

The servants and attendants of the K family were all trained but in the face of four families attacking them and with them easily dying, it was an instant massacre.

The slaughter went on yet the noises were muffled and the screams halted.

Inside the studies, Elder K held a golden hairpin in his hand, debating if it was safe enough to give it to his wife as her anger still didn't disappear.

Soon it was their 6000th anniversary but it still felt like spring hit him and he saw his wife's face and her pouty angry cheeks for the first time. He silently laughed as he strode out and walked through the quiet hallways.

He first entered their bedroom but saw she wasn't there. He had a vague feeling where she could be, however, before his feet could move, a weak grip got ahold of his leg.

Surprised, Elder K turned around and saw the bloody outline of a servant, "Master, you have to run... We are being attacked..."

The servant's voice faded towards the end and his chin hit the floor. Elder K quickly felt his pulse and was alarmed. He had no idea what was going on. They were being attacked? Who could attack them? How could they kill immortals?

If they had no approval of the Ghost King-

Elder K stopped in his tracks and grabbed the hairpin until he drew blood. No way...

His wife might be right. No, there was no time to think about it. He had to find her! They had to get everyone out and then make sure that Lia was alright.

His hands started to sweat and his breathing was uneven. He hurried along the hallways to Lia's room. There were no noises but the moment he opened the door to her room, screams came from inside the mansion.

Bloody howls and desperate cries filled the night. The hairs on Elder K's neck stood up, his mind was in a frenzy and a cold, sticky feeling grabbed his body refusing to leave.

During all of his time, Elder K never came across a dangerous situation, not even when he was hunting ghosts but now there were actually people out to kill him and his family.

Elder K rushed to the courtyard and his footsteps announced his arrival to the intruders standing in the grass bathed in the moonlight, making the blood on them seem like a glorified elixir.

Elder K let his eyes wander around and more screams appeared to pierce his eardrums and heart.

All of his servants and attendants were dragged to the courtyard and one by one, in front of his eyes, their veins were sliced open, their blood poured on the ground and their intestines filled their mouths to prevent any noises from coming out.

Yet none of the sights was as horrifying as the realisation that behind the killing soldiers, stood four familiar faces Elder K loathed to see right now.

He couldn't say anything as Elder Z's amused eyes, Elder P's greedy eyes, Elder C's arrogant eyes and Elder G's indifferent eyes, stared at him.

He swallowed the 'Why' as a more important question rose in his throat and spilt out, "Where's my wife?"

His body trembled under the force of impact the sight in front of him had and he apologised in his mind to his servants that he couldn't save them. He had to get his wife and leave here, then find Lia.

"Elder K, please join us," Elder Z slowly said and motioned for Elder K to step down from the hallway platform he stood on and get into the garden. He was basically telling him to prepare himself as a swine to be slaughtered.

Elder K thought about using his power and stepped back, but soon the tip of a sword entered his back slightly and Elder K grit his teeth in pain.

"Please," Elder Z beckoned him and the soldier behind Elder K pushed him with the sword forward, each time the top penetrating his skin deeper.

He fell to his knees before the four elders and saw the green glowing pattern on Elder Z's hand. He understood. The four families and the Ghost King have allied to eliminate them but why?

Madam K's words rang in his head. Min would never love Lia. Then would he go as far as killing her after she abandoned her family's tradition and sacrificed herself to him?

Elder K grew angry not because he wasn't able to stop Lia and listen to his wife's warnings but because his dear, sweet daughter had to suffer under an unfilial son-in-law, because his daughter's happiness was built on nothing but lies and deception.

Elder K was terribly furious. A storm formed in his chest and was pondering hard against the confines of his skin to be let out. Every cell of his body wanted to mutate and make him stronger to kill them all.

Elder K was always an amiable and upright person. Seldom could anything make him angry. The times he was furious could only be counted on one hand but his bottom line should never be tested and that was if anyone dared to touch his family.

Elder K regretted, if he knew Lia would have to endure this fate of having Min as her husband then he would've never allowed himself to be so blind and overlook Min's indifference and coldness.

"Elder K, you look very ugly right now," Elder P sneered and his eyes glowed viciously.

Elder K didn't care if they were to humiliate him, "Where's Lia?"

"Don't worry, Elder K, Lia's safe with the Ghost King but not for too long," Elder C's disdaining eyes condemned the pitiful form before him and he couldn't help but kick Elder K a little.

Elder G just stood there silently and waited.

Elder K bit his tongue, Lia was in danger and so was his wife. He needed to leave but only now did he realise the screams have stopped.

He saw the shaking and quivering forms of his servants, their pleading looks and the big tears that rolled out of their eye corners before they were sent to the afterlife, hopefully experiencing a better fate.

Elder K lowered his head and bitterly endured the deaths of his people until none of them remained. He cursed and apologised in his heart. He was too weak and powerless to do anything.

He needed to escape. With an abrupt turn, he grabbed the sword of the soldier, by the blade and quickly moved his hand to the hold.

Then in less than a second, he slashed Elder Z and the other three Elders and ran but he couldn't go far as his wife was brought to the garden by two soldiers.

She was beaten and bruised yet so were the soldiers. She had put up a fight which was useless.

The moment Elder K froze, Elder P's hateful voice rang out and commanded the soldiers to grab Elder K and hold him down.

Then Elder P, holding his bleeding arm which was slowly healing, approached Madam K.

"Stay away from her!" Elder K shouted but Elder P just mockingly laughed and raised his hand to slap Madam K hard.

Once, twice and for a third time until her delicate face was even more bruised and blood spilt from her broken nose.

Madam K's eyes were full of hatred as she spit her blood at him, earning her another slap.

"Stop, Elder P, bring her here," Elder C was especially angry.

He always hated the K family and now the damned Elder K actually dared to injure him. It hurt and he needed to repay the debt.

He stepped on Elder K's head causing it to be slammed into the ground. Elder K coughed.

Elder C shed his mask of fake pretence and spit venom, "You damned bastard. I dare you stab me again!"

He brought his foot on Elder K again but he didn't give him the desired reaction, instead, Elder K's eyes were focused on his wife who stared back in worry.

"Fuck," Elder C roared but then a great idea hit his little brain and he stopped torturing Elder K. Instead he went to Madam K and ripped off her clothes.

"What are you doing?" Elder K struggled to free himself but now four soldiers held him down.

"Don't let her move," Elder C took off his sock and stuffed it in Madam K's mouth, then he turned to the nearby soldiers.

"Isn't she beautiful? Elder K's been keeping this gem to herself for all of those years. It's not fair, that's why you can all have your turns."

The soldiers didn't need to be told twice as the fair skin and her teary eyes turned them on and released the beast inside of them as they violently thrust in her.

"Look at your beloved wife closely," Elder C grabbed Elder K's head and forced him to witness his wife's suffering as he was unable to do anything. He bit his lip and blood flowed. Elder C laughed.

"That gets you riled up," Elder P walked forward, "let me in on the fun."

Despair clouded Elder K's eyes as Elder P pushed himself into Madam K and her eyes locked with his. His heart hurt as if a thousand knives stabbed it and tore and tore and tore it to million pieces again and again.

His tears flowed as he saw how helpless and desperate his wife was. He couldn't stop crying and wished he could kill them all.

"Elder K, it is a pity," Elder Z stepped forward and stroked his beard, "if only you hadn't refused to crown a Ghost King and share the powers with us. The K family is very arrogant, so we needed to bring you down from your high chair up in your own fantasised little heaven."

Elder Z gently smiled but his eyes were very amused.

Madam K's muffled screams and moans were pleasant to his ears. Soon, Family Z would be in power and could get rid of the K family who would stand beside the Ghost King.

It would be he who took the spot and even control the Ghost King. It would be his family to stand on top. He instigated all of this to bring down the K family, he knew how much the C and P family hated the K as they thought they were very arrogant.

If it wasn't for those two elders, Elder Z would have preferred a quicker and quieter method but one he saw the sight he couldn't help but enjoy it and wished for more.

As for Elder G, Elder Z was able to convince her to join because she also craved for more power and if family K would be in charge of the families under the Ghost King, they would probably not be able to attain their powers, as Elder K vehemently refused to allow others to have powers.

Elder Z held no particular animosity with Elder K but he wanted him to suffer more. It made him feel in power and control. It was a wonderful feeling.

He grabbed the sword and motioned Elder C to step aside, then he stabbed the sword through Elder K's shoulder and ordered the soldiers to slice his skin off, bit by bit.

Elder P, who still had fun with Madam K, saw Elder K being tortured and wanted to try the same. He thought it was a shame that such a beautiful face would be cut into pieces.

Soon, Elder K and Madam K were skinned bit by bit, their skin ground and their flesh slowly fell off as their bodies were holed with swords and spears.

Yet they didn't scream and as they were released, the couple crawled to each other, seeking the other's warmth and embrace.

"What a touching sight," Elder C sneered and wished to rip them apart.

Elder K finally held Madam K, even when their fleshy wounds touched and were sore and stung like acid, he felt relieved that his wife was with him in their final moments.

He then, with much effort, reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden hairpin. He slowly put it in her hair, "I'm sorry... it's all my fault if only..."

Madam K buried her head in his chest and shook her head. She couldn't talk anymore but hoped she could comfort him a little bit.

It was too late to pin the fault to anyone, she wasn't angry with him. She just wanted to spend the last bit of time they had together.

"Oh, how touching," Elder C wished even more to slaughter them.

"Let's end this," Elder Z picked up the spear and then drove it through both Elder K's and Madam K's skull.

The two still struggled as they weren't instantly dead.

'Lia, we're sorry. You have to be on your own now. Your mother and I can't hold on nor help you anymore. So, Lia, please be safe and happy. We love you very much.'

Elder K drew his last breath as he held his wife in his arms.

The four elders watched the massacre in front of them before debating if they should clean up now or let people see this and blame it on Lia.

As they discussed, Elder Z noticed the presence of someone. He left the garden. entered the hallway and he saw the profile of Lia. The corners of his lips pulled up. She came at the right time.

While the elders were out parading Lia, Madam Z and her four sons entered the K family. They took everything valuable and fancy and sneered at the sight of the pathetic corpses.

Especially Second and Third's greedy hands didn't leave anything untouched. First was amused and poked the corpses.

Madam Z stood in front of the dead Madam K and ridiculed her, "Who's now the more beautiful one? Such a lowly death suits you very well."

She saw the golden hairpin in Madam K's hair and instantly took a fancy to it. She took it off and put it in her own hair. She turned to Fourth and asked, "How do I look?"

"Good mother," Fourth just came back from his spontaneous fish trip and planned to stay at home for a hundred years until he would get another inspiration.

He didn't expect this to happen but when he heard of it he didn't disagree with it. The K family got what they deserved and it had nothing to do with him.

***

Back to the present, Madam Z with the golden hairpin in her hair watched herself in the mirror. A week ago, her son told her that someone would be coming to kill them. Her three other sons already disappeared.

Apparently, this person was Lia and apparently she just arrived.

The Z family was ready for her arrival, ready to see if it was really the Lia, tossed and sacrificed in the abyss.

The Lia who came to take revenge was very laughable.

Either way, they were prepared.

If she really managed to escape and come, then she would have to face despair for a second time.