Chapter Text
Ying Yue had no concept of time, it was not something she had ever needed to keep track of before. Nor did it help that the dungeon in Chase’s lair was fully enclosed, with no way to tell whether it was day or night. She never saw anyone or anything, food appearing occasionally inside her cell. She was left utterly alone, stuck in this room made of smoothed andesite with nothing, nothing to do but feel her freshly mortal body age with every passing moment.
It was agony.
That was how Jack found her, after the days of smoothing things over with the Spicers and checking in on the monks. He was rested, if a little smug about the fact that Kimiko and Raimundo were both still hospitalized from their last interaction with Chase.
As light filled the cavernous room, Jack looked over the woman that had once been his older sister. The woman that had once terrified him, ridiculed him, called for the most severe punishment over such a small mistake…now skittered away on the floor like a frightened animal. Her facial features had not changed, she was an old world sort of beauty, the kind that belonged to an empress.
Jack found the stark contrast of her current state both disturbing and satisfying. Her hair had fallen out of its elaborate style, ornaments dangling dangerously close to falling out. Robes were in a disarray, dusty and stained from the days of crawling and feeling around the dark dungeon.
“Ying Yue…”
“Here to finish me off?” Jack froze at the vapid accusation. She was huddled against a wall, glaring at him but trembling. Had she eaten? Did she even attempt to keep up with her now mortal form? He frowned, crossing his arms. The torches that lit the room were at Chase’s command, and Jack knew the man was keeping an eye on their interactions.
Ying Yue looked pitiful, like she might collapse at any moment. It made Jack wonder briefly how he had ever feared her.
“Have you eaten anything?” He rolled his eyes at the flinch when he crouched in front of her. She would be a head taller than him if they both stood, but in this instance, he was looming over her. Her newly dark eyes blinked, confused by the question.
“You expect me to consume whatever slop is presented to me?” Ying Yue tried to hold up her head, trying to think of a way to get to her brother. The brother that should no longer exist.
“I mean, if you expect to last longer than a few weeks, yeah.” Jack shrugged. “But then, you don’t know much about being human, do you? Never gave enough of a shit to find out, now that you are one… why would I need to finish anything when you seem perfectly content in doing it yourself?”
Ying Yue’s eyes widened. Would this man really just leave her here to rot away into nothingness? The moment the thought crossed her mind, she felt an unfamiliar anxiety creep through her chest. Would Jack do exactly what she had planned to do to him?
“Yeah. Sucks, don’t it?” Jack got back up to his feet, turning to walk away. The disgraced princess felt a rage pump through her. With a strangled cry, she launched weakly at his leg, grabbing on with an almost animalistic fervor. Jack yelped, pulling a small device from his sleeve as he tried to wriggle out of her grasp.
The prongs were jammed into Ying Yue’s shoulder before the electricity coursed through her. Having been an ethereal being for over a millennia, she had never experienced pain. Her screams echoed off the dungeons walls, body spasming as the taser sent wave after wave of electricity through her.
Jack pulled away, allowing the woman to slump to the floor as he tried to get his breathing under control. He gripped the taser, looking her over as he straightened up. He honestly hadn’t made up his mind on how he wanted to deal with Ying Yue, but this interaction had proven to him at least one thing. There would be no saving her in his eyes.
“You know…I think I’ll take your idea, Jiejie.” He turned the device off, slipping it back into his sleeve. Ying Yue was panting, shaking from the pain, but she managed to turn her head to glare up at him.
“What…idea…?” She managed to hiss out. A few of the silvery hair ornaments had fallen to the ground, the precious stones shattered from the fall or the electrical current they had been subjected to.
“I’m going to leave you in here, and forget about you.” Every word was frigid, hatred filled those striking crimson eyes. Ying Yue felt the fight leave her as she looked up at him. Her little brother was indeed gone, all that was left was the red and white monster she had helped create. With a snap of his fingers, he was gone and so was the light. Ying Yue was plunged once more into darkness, left to be forgotten in the bowels of the mountain.
Chase was leaning against the wall, arms crossed as he watched Jack come down the hall. The younger man had his hands balled into fists, eyes cast down. Clearly, caught up in his own head, going over the events that had just transpired. Chase had been watching the entire thing, making sure that woman didn’t try anything outrageous.
“You handled yourself well.” His voice startled Jack out of his thoughts. The storminess cleared out of those red eyes the moment they landed on him, becoming bright and crystalline like rubies. It filled Chase with an arrogant pride to see such a change in the man at the mere sight of him.
“You think so? I thought about stabbing her but I…I lost my nerve.” Jack pulled a small dagger from a hidden place in his jacket, looking a little disappointed in himself. Chase took the weapon and tossed it aside, using a small bit of power to transport it back to his armory. The casual display of power earned him another of those mild star struck looks.
“No, I think this is better. It’s far more cruel.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Killing her wouldn’t teach the princess anything. However, inflicting the very torment she had intended for you? The slow deterioration will drive her mad long before her body gives out.” Chase caught Jack’s waist, pulling him flush against him.
“I did good, then?” He asked, arms looping around his neck. Chase nodded, smirking before catching him up in a kiss. His inspiration was home, safe and sound, and while he was not physically stronger, Jack had blossomed into a fine example of cut-throat villainy.
The Heylin dragon had secured the finest jade treasure of the Moon and he intended to never let him go again.
End?