The Vessel

The ritual took place at midnight.

Xue drew a circle of blood on the cave floor. She had Fan sit in the center, shirtless. His skinny, scarred chest rose and fell rapidly.

"Close your eyes," Xue commanded. "Focus on me. Focus on your desire to help."

Fan closed his eyes. He pictured Xue flying. He pictured her smiling at him, really smiling, not the sharp expression of a predator, but the warm smile of a lover.

"I am ready," he whispered.

Xue placed her hands on his shoulders. She began the chant.

It didn't start with pain. It started with cold. An absolute zero that seeped into his marrow. Then, the fire came.

Fan screamed.

It felt as though molten lead was being poured into his veins. His back arched, his muscles seizing.

"Hold it!" Xue shouted, her voice straining. "Do not let go!"

Black lines, like ink in water, began to flow from Xue’s arms into Fan’s neck. The curse was moving. It was a living, malevolent energy that hated existence.

Xue’s skin grew brighter, returning to the pristine alabaster of an immortal. Her aura expanded, filling the cave with the scent of ozone and pine.

Fan’s skin turned gray. His veins bulged, turning black. His hair, once black, bleached white in seconds, drained of vitality.

The pain was beyond anything the foreman’s whip could inflict. It was the pain of his very soul being chewed apart.

"Xue..." he gasped. "It hurts..."

"Almost done," Xue said. She didn't stop. She pushed harder, flushing the last dregs of the curse out of her system.

With a final, sickening crack, the connection broke.

Fan collapsed onto the stone floor. He couldn't move his legs. He couldn't feel his feet. He coughed, and black dust came out of his mouth.

He looked up.

Xue stood over him. She was glowing. The dirt of the valley repelled off her skin. Her power was a thrumming hum in the air, terrified and majestic.

She took a deep breath, savoring the clean flow of Qi.

Fan tried to push himself up, but his arms trembled and failed. He was crippled. The curse had eaten his nervous system.

"Xue," he croaked. "It worked."

He waited for her to kneel. He waited for the promise.

Xue looked down at him. Her expression was unreadable.

"Yes," she said. "It worked."