Chapter 32 Rui
Rui
The throne room was an enormous hall shaped like a pyramid. Black-and-white-marbled walls curved up at an angle, meeting at
the peak. The alternating colors reminded Rui of a pack of playing cards, giving the illusion that an invisible pair of giant
hands was shuffling the deck above her.
Shades of black and white and silver covered every inch of the place. Even the Reapers were dressed in pristine white suits.
They milled around the armchairs arranged in two huge circles on either side of the central walkway. Some Reapers were seated,
while others gathered in small groups of three or four, talking among themselves.
Lyn and Raymond didn’t sense her yangqi, but the Reapers might if she wasn’t careful. So far, no one was paying attention
to the inconsequential attendant moving quietly down the hall. Keeping her head lowered, she walked on.
Shimmering silver swirls veined the dark floor, and at the very far end, a huge upright marble slab stood behind the opulent
throne. The marble glowed, reminding Rui of a dark sky and twinkling stars. A figure stood on the elevated platform with his
back to her, and a celestial wash of jewels adorned the long black cloak hanging grandly over his shoulders.
The Fourth King.
He was deep in conversation with a Reaper. Rui was too far away to tell if he was exhibiting any Zizi-like behavior. She had
to get closer.
She could feel the Fourth King’s spiritual presence permeating the air, growing thicker as she approached the throne. Yet
it didn’t feel the same as what Ten had unleashed on her before. This power felt a little more ancient, and a lot more fearsome. The Zizi she knew wasn’t capable of this.
Back then, Rui had been able to hold her own against Ten, but she was struggling against this mysterious Fourth King.
Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her legs felt like jelly.
The platter in her hands grew heavy, as did her shoulders.
It felt like she was breathing in a muddy pool.
She was several feet away from the elevated platform when the conversation between King and Reaper concluded.
With a sweep of his cloak, the Fourth King leaped onto his majestic throne, draping himself over its seat and dangling one
leg over the armrest in an all too familiar way.
The King turned his head.
And Rui saw his face.
Her breath caught. Her heart sang.
Zizi.
Then he rose from his throne.
Her eyes widened.
No. It wasn’t him.
The Zizi she knew was happiest moving in the shadows. This new creature commanded attention like the sun, the brightest star
in the sky. Their eyes met, and something inside her burned.
Her knees buckled.
She tried to catch her balance, but it was too late. Plates of sushi crashed noisily onto the floor, breaking into small pieces
that scattered everywhere.
All eyes in the room turned on her.
Rui gulped, unable to move. Unable to look away from the Fourth King.
“I haven’t seen you before,” he said in a voice that chilled her skin. “Are you new to my Court?”
It was Zizi’s voice, but it was the Fourth King speaking. His gaze was cold and curious, clinical like a surgeon examining
an unconscious patient before scalpel met flesh. There was no recognition in his eyes. They were Zizi’s eyes. That startling blue like a winter’s lake. But there was a black spot, more unnatural than the blue, as if the lake
had been poisoned. He was wearing Zizi’s face, but he wasn’t her Zizi. He was a stranger.
A King of Hell.
“Kneel and apologize, you silly girl,” a Reaper hissed from the side.
Rui wanted to scream, she wanted to rage, she wanted to rip the Fourth King from his throne, to curse him and beg him to give
her love back. But she knelt and lowered her head.
His footsteps came close.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” she said, trembling, not with fear but fury. “I’ll clean up the mess and get you a new tray of
food from the kitchen.”
“Oh, I think not,” the Fourth King said. “I’m afraid you have the misfortune of encountering me in an exceptionally foul mood
today, which means a little punishment is in store.”
Rui lifted her head, glaring up at him.
His dark hair grazed the bridge of that blade-sharp nose, but it was streaked with silvery-white strands. His lips curled
in that same off-kilter smile, but it was frosty like his expression. It was too painful to look at him, but she looked anyway,
hoping he would feel her wrath.
All Kings are dangerous, Nikai had warned her once. The Fourth King was walking around her like a python tightening around its prey.
“You look so defiant despite your mistake. That tray of food you just dropped? It isn’t something the kitchen can whip up.
It came from the mortal realm, and I’ve been looking forward to it the whole morning.”
As the Fourth King spoke, Rui felt his spiritual presence enveloping her. She braced herself, thinking it would crush her
the way Ten’s did, only to realize that it didn’t feel oppressive. She could breathe—much easier than before. Strangely, the
Fourth King’s spiritual presence felt almost . . . protective.
“We’ll replace the food from the mortal realm right away, Your Majesty,” a Reaper said hastily, eager to appease.
But the Fourth King only had eyes for Rui.
She stared back boldly, matching his ice with her fire. The sinister black dot in his eye seemed to grow, and she thought
she saw something else in his expression. Something almost like—no. It couldn’t be. He didn’t know who she was.
He looked away first. “Forget it. I have lost my appetite. Get her out of my sight. Nikai—deal with it.”
Some of the Reapers looked surprised. There was no need for the Head Reaper to escort a lowly attendant out.
“As you wish, my King.” Nikai stepped out of the crowd. His hair was the same shade of bright peacock blue as when Rui had
last seen him, and he was the only Reaper dressed in all black.
Rui gave him an urgent look as he took her arm, willing him to acknowledge her. But Nikai avoided all eye contact as he made
a show of hauling her across the hall. Yet his actual touch on her arm was gentle, confusing her even more.
The Fourth King had returned to his throne, but Rui could still feel his spiritual energy encasing her like a cocoon, and
his eyes tracking her movements. She wanted to turn around, to curse him for taking Zizi away from her, but she had a bigger
problem to deal with now. If Nikai was bringing her to be punished or, worse, imprisoned, the underworld would know she was
trespassing. Would they kick her back to the mortal realm or would they keep her soul here forever?
Once the great doors closed behind them, Rui tried to pull away.
“Nikai, it’s me, Rui. Don’t you remember?”
The Reaper remained poker-faced, and he kept his grip on her. But he spoke under his breath, “Follow me and act like you belong
here.”
He knows who I am. Rui stopped struggling, hunching into a submissive position. She wasn’t sure if Nikai had been part of Ten’s scheme from
the start and if he had helped lure her to the Outram tunnels. But like the first time they’d met in the alleyway in the mortal
realm, her first instinct was to trust him. If he was on her side, maybe he could get her to the bridge and back home.
Her rescue mission had failed, and she hadn’t gained any new information about the rogue talisman either. But she refused
to give up hope. Ash was right; there were other ways to defeat the Hybrid Revenants, and she needed to return to join the
fight.
There would be time to mourn Zizi later.
Lyn had brought her to the throne room earlier through a single door, but Nikai’s route to wherever they were going was far
more complicated. He led her through a maze of passageways and doors and stairs, and after the third spinning door, Rui lost
all sense of direction. They walked up flights of stairs that defied gravity and got sucked into mirrors and spat out so many
times she was sick to her stomach when Nikai finally announced, “We’re here.”
They had come out of the worst elevator ride of her life, and Rui was trying not to throw up on him.
Nikai’s peacock-blue hair flopped as he bowed apologetically. “I’m so sorry, Rui. We had to take a more indirect route to
avoid detection. You should be feeling less queasy in a while. Underworld traveling isn’t for the faint of heart. Trust me,
I know.”
He approached the plain wooden door in front of them. Rui half expected it to grow fangs and swallow him whole, but Nikai
merely scanned his eyeball at the sensor. The door clicked open, and he gestured for her to follow.
To her surprise, he’d brought her to someone’s home. Was it his? She wouldn’t have expected a Reaper’s home to be so impressive.
The massive double-ceiling apartment overlooked the ocean. Sunlight filtered through the glass windows into the living room,
casting an ethereal glow over the neutral palette of the decorations and furniture. It was such a stark contrast from the
throne room they were just in. There was no sign of anything dark or metallic or marble. Instead, the place was warm and rustic.
Outside, the waves lapped softly against the craggy cliffs and sandy beach, the sound soothing like a lullaby.
There were a few closed doors beyond a short hallway, but she was only sure of one exit—the way they had come in. Something
at the windows caught her eye. Lines cut into the glass. She walked over and gave the panel a tentative push. It opened. Wind
whistled through the gap. There was a ledge outside hanging precariously over the cliff.
Two exits.
Nikai made no move to stop her as she stepped onto the narrow balcony.
The ocean view was spectacular—and disconcertingly familiar. It reminded Rui of the coast of her own city. There was even
an island in the distance shaped like the one Xingshan Academy was on.
The sun hung in mid-sky. Rui checked her watch. Three hours had passed. There was still time to cross over. Once Nikai left,
she would escape and look for the river that led to Naihe Bridge. It was best not to trust him. At the end of the day, he
was the Fourth King’s lackey, and she was two for two when it came to meeting Kings with terrible personalities.
She went back into the living room, shutting the balcony door behind her.
“Beautiful view, isn’t it?” Nikai said with a broad smile. “It calms him. There’s no sun in the underworld, only night. He
went through a lot to get a permit to set this place up.”
Rui frowned. “Calms who?”
“The Fourth King. We’re in his private chambers.”
“You brought me to his swanky bachelor pad by the beach? I thought he wanted me punished, and then I thought you were bringing
me somewhere safe, that you were helping me.” She had been fooled. Was she expected to entertain the Fourth King?
She edged to the door, ready to bolt. But Nikai got there first, blocking her way. “You can’t leave. It’s too dangerous for
you out there, and he wants to keep you safe.”
“Get out of my way, Reaper, or I’ll make you.”
Nikai shook his head vigorously. “He’ll be pissed if I lose you. You must stay here, Rui. He was protecting you earlier. That’s
why he asked me to take you away from the throne room before the other Reapers noticed you’re a living soul. He pretends he
doesn’t care, that he doesn’t want to know anything, but I know he does.”
“What in the world are you talking about?”
Nikai was looking starry-eyed for some reason, and he was practically gushing. “You mean so much to him that he would do anything. It’s incredibly romantic if you think about it.”
Rui was even more baffled now. “You’re wrong. The Fourth King doesn’t care about me.”
“Zizi cares.”
She must have misheard him. “Say that again.”
“Zizi.” Nikai repeated the name reverently. “He’s the Fourth King.”