Deep beneath the temple, in an ancient chamber known only to the temple's most senior monks, Jin sat cross-legged on cold stone.
A single candle cast wavering shadows across his face, its flame flickering in response to the energy pulsing through the room.
Ancient texts covered every inch of the walls, and layers of protective talismans hung from the ceiling.
"Contain... control... confine..." Jin chanted, his voice barely above a whisper.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, trickling down his temples as he fought to maintain the incantation.
His prayer beads, hastily repaired with a binding spell, trembled between his fingers.
His mind betrayed him as visions of Rui flooded his consciousness.
Her laughter at the creek, water droplets glistening in her hair. The determination in her eyes during training. The electric sensation when her chaotic energy had connected with his core.
The largest bead pulsed with crimson light in response to these thoughts.
"Focus," Jin muttered through clenched teeth. "Clear mind. Empty heart."
But the memories persisted. He could smell the scent of her hair as she walked past him, her flirtatious smile, and how his heart paused whenever she looked at him.
Jin's fists clenched until his knuckles whitened and nails dug into his palms.
He forced himself to focus on his breathing
—in for four counts, hold for seven, out for eight—
He'd been taught this as a child to control his emotions.
"Control…I am the master of this body," he whispered, fighting to keep the dark energy contained.
The crimson glow receded slightly, but Jin knew it was not over.
The beast within him had grown impatient since Rui's arrival, responding to her chaos like a moth to flame.
Above ground, Rui flopped onto her back in her quarters and glared at the ceiling.
The thin mattress crinkled beneath her like it was offended by her restlessness.
Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Jin's face—that mixture of panic and shame when his prayer beads had cracked during their training session.
"What are you hiding, Monk Jin?" she whispered to the darkness.
She sat up, pushing tangled hair from her face.
Kee Kee snored softly from his makeshift nest of stolen temple cushions, tiny puffs of smoke escaping his nostrils with each exhale.
"Some familiar you are," Rui muttered, slipping from under her blanket.
The stone floor chilled her bare feet as she stood.
She conjured a dark cloak, swirling it dramatically around her shoulders.
With one last glance at her slumbering pet, she opened the door just enough to slip through.
The monastery hallways were washed in silvery moonlight streaming through high windows.
Rui flattened herself against a wall as two monks passed by, their hushed conversation about proper meditation posture masking her quiet breathing.
"Mission: Discover Jin's Big Secret is officially underway," she whispered, ducking behind a large potted plant as another monk shuffled past.
"Agent Rui, reporting for duty."
She made her way toward the main sanctum, pausing occasionally to strike exaggerated spy poses.
When she reached the grand hall, she noticed a sliver of light coming from beneath a door she hadn't seen before. It is concealed behind a tapestry depicting enlightened sages.
"Bingo," she mouthed, wiggling her fingers dramatically before approaching.
The door was sealed with enchanted locks, their energy resonating with warning.
"Oh, please," she scoffed, "I reorganized my father's forbidden library when I was nine."
She pressed her palm against the lock, allowing a thin thread of chaos energy to seep into the pattern.
The lock pulsed with a bright flash of energy, sending Rui stumbling backward with her hair standing on end.
"That was rude," she huffed, blowing a frazzled strand from her face. The enchanted lock glowed smugly, as if mocking her demonic powers.
Rui planted her hands on her hips, studying the stubborn door.
"These monks certainly didn't want visitors. Which meant whatever lay beyond was worth seeing."
"Fine. If chaos magic won't work..." She tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"What would Jin do?"
She mimicked his profound meditation pose, pressing her palms together and closing her eyes.
"Ohhmmm. I am very pure and boring and never have fun thoughts."
The lock remained unmoved by her sarcastic impression.
Rui narrowed her eyes at the door.
"Maybe it would just let me in if I knocked hard enough?"
She playfully tapped against the wood.
To her absolute shock, the lock clicked open with a soft chime..
"No way," she whispered, eyes widening. "That actually worked?"
Rui pumped her fist in victory, then immediately covered her mouth, glancing around to ensure no one had witnessed her celebration.
Behind the door was a cramped passage lined with ancient scrolls and walls covered in faded inscriptions.
At the far end, another door stood partially ajar, with golden light spilling through the crack.
Rui tiptoed down the passage, running her fingers along the scrolls.
Dust swirled in the dim light, tickling her nose. She pressed a finger against her nostrils, stifling a sneeze that would have echoed through the entire temple.
"So many secrets," she whispered, scanning the shelves of ancient texts.
She pulled out a scroll at random—"Proper Techniques for Mindful Vegetable Chopping"—and rolled her eyes before shoving it back.
As she moved deeper into the passage, the scrolls changed. These were older, their casings made of dark wood rather than bamboo.
The atmosphere felt different here, charged with the residue of powerful magic. She could feel her wrath tingle beneath her sleeve.
As if guided by instincts, her hand moved toward a particular shelf.
Her fingers closed around a heavy scroll case, its surface carved with intricate warning symbols.
"Now this looks promising," said Rui.
Carefully, she unrolled the brittle parchment, and the ancient paper crackled beneath her fingers.
"The Rageborn Behemoth," she read aloud, tracing the characters with her fingertip.
"Born of mankind's fury and chaos..."
The scroll detailed a creature of immense destructive power, a manifestation of pure wrath that had torn through battlefields, feeding on the rage of dying soldiers.
Illustrations showed a monstrous being of flame and sinew, its eyes burning coals, and its face twisted with eternal rage.
Rui's fingers trembled as she continued reading the ancient text.
"Following the Great War," she read aloud in a hushed whisper, "many kings and warlords sought to harness the Behemoth's destructive potential for their armies."
The scroll details how rulers across the mortal realm hunted the creature, not to destroy it but to control it.
Illustrations showed ambitious men in ornate armor as they reached for the beast.
"In the reign of Emperor Jian, a group of seven mages devised a sealing ritual," Rui continued.
"They crafted sacred artifacts from the branches of the Weeping Blood Tree."
Rui recognized those trees; they grow only in the deepest caverns of the underworld.
"These artifacts, when properly enchanted, could bind the Behemoth to a human vessel, allowing it to channel its immense power."
Her eyes skimmed down to the next section, which depicted chaos across the mortal realm—villages burning, armies clashing.
"However, the vessels rarely maintained control," the text continued.
"The Behemoth's rage proved too potent for most humans to contain."
"Many succumbed to its influence, unleashing devastation greater than the beast had ever caused."
Rui's breath hitched as the realization clicked into place.
"Jin… is the vessel," she whispered, pressing a hand to her mouth.
She began pacing the narrow passage, the weight of the truth settling like a stone in her chest.
"The Trial of Wrath didn't just bring me here—it led me straight to the beast… because it's sealed inside him."
Beneath her sleeve, her wrath mark pulsed in quiet confirmation.
She leaned against a shelf of ancient scrolls, trying to steady her thoughts.
Jin—sweet, earnest Jin who blushed when she teased him and carefully prepared the world's blandest porridge—was carrying a creature capable of destroying entire provinces.
"No wonder he's so obsessed with rules," she muttered, half-laughing, half-horrified. "He's one bad day away from turning into a walking apocalypse."
Her thoughts jumped to the training ground. The moment their powers clashed, her chaotic energy triggered something inside him. Had she weakened the seal without meaning to?
The guilt hit fast and hard.
"I have to help him," she said aloud, straightening with resolve.
"But how do I tell him I know without him thinking I've been snooping around where I shouldn't?
The air in the passage suddenly grew heavy as dust froze in the dim light.
The hair on the back of Rui's neck stood on end, a warning that she was no longer alone.
Rui spun around, the scroll tumbling from her fingers.
Jin stood in the doorway, his silhouette eerily still against the golden light spilling from the chamber beyond.
The ground beneath them trembled as ancient scrolls rattled on their shelves. The walls shuddered as dust and small stone fragments rained from the ceiling.
"Jin?" Rui stepped back, her shoulder blades pressing against the bookshelf behind her.
His face remained in shadow, but his eyes—his gentle, kind eyes—now blazed with crimson light.
Demonic energy poured from his body in visible waves, distorting the air around him.