HIC.
Stepping out of the brothel at 4 in the morning, Xue Jie swayed back and forth on the ground, his mind groggy from all the alcohol consumed. All his clothes had been ripped off earlier in the night so he was butt-naked.
He glanced around and saw the empty street in front of him.
Walking down the street and without a care in the world, started to piss on a flowerbed near the entrance of a produce shack, causing them to wilt.
Looking at his handiwork with a smile on his face, he turned and began his journey back to his sects home. Reaching it in a short period of time he roughly kicked the front door down and stumbled past the antique room.
Sauntering up the wooden stairs he ignored the ugly glances secretly thrown his way by the subordinates that had been awoken by the commotion and checked on his most prized possession.
As he entered the dark room his eyes went straight to the limp bird in the cage that was set on a table in the middle of the room.
Softly walking towards the bird it raised its head weakly and stared with a vicious light in its eyes.
"hahaha you're a vicious little thing, aren't you? Either way it doesn't matter because your troublesome existence will soon end once I sell you to that buffoon of a king. Then they will bargain your life to that annoying bird in the forest, killing you after they have baited it into their trap."
The alcohol had loosened his lips and so he carelessly revealed his entire plan, its not as if anyone could hear him anyway.
"Then you disgusting trash will vanish from this continent."
He continued on and bullied the poor bird for a little longer before going to his chambers and looking at the response from the royal guards.
If you wish to make a trade then come in person in three nights to the palace grounds, make sure to come alone, we give you our word not to harm you during the trade.
Glee bloomed in his chest when reading the message, his drunk mind not paying to the fine print of the words.
..
.
.
Laying down on the cold metal floor of her prison she was left to the insecure thoughts running amuck inside her head.
"erhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"
A groan slipped out of Kristens chest as she tried moving her tired body, only managing to endure a few seconds before her strength gave out.
Even though she didn't show it, her mind was shaken up from Xue Jie's words.
'Is he right? Do I deserve to die? Is there something wrong with me? Something broken?'
Cursing herself internally for being so weak, for never being able to protect herself when it mattered most.
She felt an ember of grief start to grow into a raging wildfire inside of her as the anger at herself faded and was replaced with something even worse.
'Wow.
I guess this is how it ends'
She thought bitterly with a heart full of grief as she could only wait for the end. Her eyes got watery just thinking about it.
'I really thought this was it, a new chance, a new beginning. How fucking stupid could I be.'
The waterworks were now in full gear as she grieved over her short life in this harsh world.
SOB.
SOB.
'WHY. why do these things always happen to me? Am I cursed with BAD FREAKING LUCK? WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS TREATMENT. IN NOT JUST ONE BUT TWO LIVES.'
The grief from her past life that she hadn't fully gotten over only worsened her condition.
'Did I do bad things in my past lives? Is that it. Because if - SOB! - that's true then... well then its a pretty shitty thing to hold me responsible for! I CAN'T EVEN FUCKING REMEMBER IT!
Whoever is messing with my life wh-why can't you just let me live in peace?'
Questions spilled out of her even though there was no one there to answer them.
SOB.
SOB.
SOB.
'You know, I really tried this time. I didn't stand still as my life passed me by, even when I became a bird I didn't give up. And yet...all of it was for nothing. Just a waste of time and space, thats all I was and all I'd ever be.
They say that misery manifests in many different ways.
This was especially true for Kristen as when she broke down her body did the opposite, flooding with adrenaline and moving on its own.
'I...I give up. Jus-just let die in peace'
SOB.
HIC.
While busy accepting her fate she failed to notice that she drilled a bird shaped hole through the bars of the birdcage.
Wiping the tears off her head with her wings she slowly got up and snuggled down onto the wooden table, preparing herself to die for the second time.
With eyes still puffy from her breakdown she looked around and saw that she had just managed to perform a miracle; escape the cage by ramming at it at full force with her beak.
'wait...I did what? I moved? But I thought that....how then?'
Not knowing how she would be able to complete such a feat her eyes widened like saucers at the scene.
Still in disbelief she slowly walked with shaking legs towards her prison, glancing at it one last time she turned away and got ready to take off into the air and out of the room.
However before she took off the whiplash of the previous events hit her like a house falling on top of her head and knocked her unconscious in less than a second due to the intense pain.
..
.
.
Meanwhile in the palace a calculated discussion was taking place.
"Do you think that he will take the bait?." One of the friends in the room asked the king.
"Of course, those fools at that silly sect are so stupid they think that they are so inconspicuous yet they couldn't figure out that many strong powers in this city had taken notice of them.
The only reason that they still exist is because of their leader. He's like a cockroach.
With the amount of gold I'm offering that sect will surely fall straight into my hand, after all, a mans greatest weakness is money. Well, besides women, ain't that right fellas?"
He replied with a laugh.
Following the example the rest of the men taking place in the conversation heartily laughed at the joke as well. While some of the maids outside of the room snorted disdainfully, thinking that there was a fine line between a joke and an insult.
After escorting his closest friends out of the room with a smile he talked to the royal guards and commanded them to allow and escort a person named Xue Jie into his throne room.
Some of the guards voiced their concern but the king quickly disregarded them as he was one of the most powerful cultivators in the kingdom and he surely wouldn't perish because of this lowly leader whose sect hadn't even been officially established.
And besides, this king was especially cunning, manipulating everyone and everything around him.
He didn't even need the baby carrion crow, the only reason he hadn't taken over the Black Forest was because of the all the high level creatures that dwelled in the deepest parts of it.
With how big the forest was no one could tell how many ancient beasts inhabited it.