Another pov
My name is Qu Li. I hail from the Li clan. Our name has echoed for hundreds of years throughout the entirety of murim.
And today I, nicknamed "The Phoenix," am being executed.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked, looking at my father.
He sneered. "You were a mistake, a bastard child I had with a commoner. Be happy that your sacrifice will serve a bigger purpose," he said with an evil smile.
I then turned my gaze.
"Gu Feng, even you?" I cried quietly.
"Tch, don't blame me. You were destined to die. Why should I follow you? And besides, your sister is quite beautiful, unlike your scarred face," he mocked.
I whimpered quietly. I had given everything for this clan. All the hardships and sacrifices I had endured. I was a once-in-a-century genius who managed to break through to the martial master level before I turned 16. Everyone revered and respected me. I returned the family to its former glory after its decline.
But when I lost my cultivation and became a cripple, they all turned their backs on me.
"Why?" I asked.
My sister smiled and walked closer, whispering into my ear.
"Since you're going to die anyway, I should at least tell you a secret." She giggled.
"I was the one that crippled you. The medicine that you drank was poisoned," she whispered.
My eyes widened. My body shook with rage.
She moved back as my father spoke.
"This unfilial daughter of mine betrayed our clan and was in contact with the demonic sect," he shouted.
The crowd shouted in outrage.
"Execute her," someone yelled.
"Kill her," another echoed.
I watched as the clansmen I once cherished all believed his words as they chanted for my death.
My father turned to me and smiled.
"Execute her," he commanded.
Slash, psh.
As the blade plunged into me, I did not look away. As tears fell, something else emerged—anger.
I grit my teeth. "Y-you will all pay for this! All of you will die a gruesome death! None of you will survive. I curse all of you!" I screamed with the last of my strength.
They all shuddered hearing the words full of venom.
"Kill her," my father shouted in anger.
They stabbed me again as slowly my vision disappeared. If I'm given a second chance, I'll get my revenge. Everything turned blank.
"Wah wah wah," a baby cried.
Where am I? And who's crying? I slowly opened my eyes and saw myself in the arms of a woman. I was shocked. This woman was huge—no, I had become small. I realized this as I saw my tiny hands.
I looked around and saw that the room looked different. It had decorations I had never seen before. Soon I was placed into another woman's arms. As she cradled me, I could tell this was my mother.
She was breathtakingly beautiful—the most stunning woman I had ever seen. She had porcelain skin and silvery blonde hair that was almost white.
While I was still admiring her beauty, I heard heavy footsteps and saw a giant man enter. Everyone in the room bowed except for my mother. I assumed he was my father as he kissed her, though he looked rather stern. Then, to my surprise, he covered his face with his hands.
"Peekaboo!" he said, revealing his face.
Is he a fool?
He scratched his head as my mother laughed.
"That usually works," he said.
"Mommy, mommy!" someone called as they entered.
I looked toward the voice and saw a child with white hair.
"Let me see," she begged.
Mother laughed as the girl climbed onto the bed.
"She doesn't look ugly like when Igneel was born," she said.
"What are you trying to say?" another voice chimed in.
I turned to see a woman and child, both with flowing, wild flame-like hair.
"Hello Elsa," the woman said with a smile.
"Hello Merida," mother replied.
"Second mother," the boy called.
"Igneel," she greeted back.
"Have you thought of a name?" Mother asked.
My father smirked and pulled out a long sheet of paper.
"Cough, how about Princess?" he suggested.
I frowned.
My father, noticing my expression, scratched his head.
"Uhm, how about Phera?" he asked again, looking at me.
I don't know why he kept looking at me when he asked these questions. Did he think I could respond?
This went on for an hour before I finally got angry and yelled.
"Ahh!" I screamed.
They all laughed as my father took a step back.
"Ok, ok," he said, trying to calm me down.
He scratched his chin, then paused and smiled.
"How about Crystal?" he suggested.
It didn't sound bad and matched my mother's appearance. I hoped he was naming me Crystal because of my similarities to my mother—otherwise, I'd be mad.
A few weeks later
It's been a while, and I've discovered something interesting. My body seems to grow rapidly. When I asked my mother about it, she explained that I grew faster because of my father's unique genetics. I pressed her for more details, but she refused to elaborate.
Even more fascinating is that I seem to have a special ability—I can produce ice at will.
A few days ago, I accidentally used my ice powers on Igneel after he annoyed me. He was frozen solid. I was worried at first, but then he somehow melted all the ice himself.
He explained that I had inherited my mother's magic, while he had inherited father's fire dragon slaying magic. Just this morning, he showed me a real dragon. They look quite different from the depictions in the stories I heard in my past lives. Meanwhile, my older sister Moon seems quite different from us. Her intelligence is rather low, and she's noticeably spoiled.
I thought her behavior was because we're from a royal family, but I was wrong. From what I can see, my father spoiled her rotten. Though for some reason, he barely listens to any of Igneel's requests—probably because what Igneel asks for is ridiculous.
As I drank tea with my mother, I couldn't help but ask, "Mother, how did you and father meet?"
She smiled. "Well, our situation was quite unique."
"How so?"
"He threatened to kill me if I didn't join him," she replied.
My eyes widened. "So he forced you into marriage?"
"You're mistaken," she corrected. "You see, he was from a tribe that normally only marries one person. It was actually your first mother who persuaded him to marry me."
"I see. Then what about the army thing?" I asked.
"I guess I could tell you," she said. "Before your father and I met, he was a warmonger. He went around conquering lands everywhere. Before he came to my kingdom, he had conquered hundreds of islands in just two years."
"Two years?" I muttered in shock.
She nodded. "You see, he was searching for a way to revive your first mother."
"Revive?" I asked, confused.
"Your father used to be just a tribe leader. He was content with his life, but then an evil man caused trouble and killed your first mother. After that, he grew mad and started searching for ways to revive her. We met two years after that incident."
I nodded. He must have found a way, then, if she's alive.
"When we met, he witnessed my power. He told me I was a variable that lived near his territory. That if I didn't submit, I would die. So I joined him," she added.
"Is that when you fell in love?" I asked.
She shook her head. "I slowly fell in love with him. I spent time with him and did many things to gain his attention, but he remained oblivious to my advances." She sighed.
"Really?" I asked.
She nodded again. "He only started noticing after your first mother told him about it. Only then did he start paying attention to me. After that, he apologized and tried hard to make me happy," she said with a smile.
I nodded. "By the way, I played around with the magic I inherited from you and found that it's extremely powerful. How strong are you?" I asked.
She put her finger on her chin and contemplated.
"As of now... I can freeze this whole island within a second," she answered.
"Wow, I didn't know," a voice said.
I turned and saw my father. How was he able to appear right next to me without me noticing?
"Oh my sweetie pie," he said as he tried to hug me. I put up an arm and stopped him.
He recoiled and looked shocked. He fell to his knees and looked heartbroken.
"My daughter doesn't love me anymore," he said, tears flowing.
Mother laughed in the background while I sighed in defeat.
"Stop playing around. If you want me to show affection, then act like you deserve it," I said.
He clutched his chest again, looking hurt.
"What do I have to do?" he asked.
"Show me your power, show me how you conquered over 100 islands," I said.
He paused, and then his face turned serious. He slowly stood and asked me, "Are you sure?"
I nodded in confirmation. He nodded in understanding and walked away from me and mother.
After reaching some distance, I heard bones cracking and looked toward the source. It was my father. He suddenly started growing, with scales appearing all over his body, horns growing on his head, and wings sprouting from his back. As he grew larger and larger, my eyes widened.
He had become a massive dragon over 50 feet tall. He then started breathing in. I sensed a large amount of energy forming around him, centering around his mouth.
He roared, "Fire dragon roar!"
He released what seemed like a beam of pure concentrated fire toward the sky. After reaching hundreds of meters, it exploded, causing the clouds to separate and the seas to move.
He then transformed back into a human and stared at me.
"Is that enough?" he asked.
My eyes were still wide. I gulped and nodded.
"Esteemed father, please teach me your ways," I said, bowing.
He scratched his head. "No need to call me esteemed father," he said, confused.
I shook my head. "It's only right that I show respect," I said.
Erik's POV
It's been a few weeks since I showcased my power to Crystal. Ever since then, she's started calling me "esteemed father." I've talked to her multiple times about it, but she refuses to budge.
Since that day, she's visited me every afternoon with Moon. Every time they arrive, Moon always asks for something. Crystal, seeing that I never refuse, decided to ask for things as well. Because of this, they've both gotten spoiled. Crystal has started learning from Moon—she's now using crying tactics and puppy dog eyes.
I've been trying my hardest to refuse them ever since Merida and Elsa arrived one day and lectured me about spoiling the children.
And now I sit in my office with Moon and Crystal sitting on the sofas, drinking tea and eating snacks.
"Sigh, when will you leave? You know your mothers are mad at me," I said.
Moon started crying, and Crystal, seeing this, followed suit.
"Daddy, you don't love us anymore," Moon whimpered.
Crystal nodded right behind her.
I sighed. "Fine, you can stay, but make sure your mother doesn't find out," I warned.
They nodded and went back to eating their snacks. I don't know why, but Crystal has turned from a calm, cold girl into a spoiled, happy-go-lucky child. She isn't as bad as Moon yet—I should teach her some life lessons before Moon influences her too much.
As I finished the last of my paperwork, I put the pen down. In a few months, I'll be going back to my conquest. China will be the first one I conquer. But first, I'll send some spies to see the current state of the empire.
I should also bring Igneel along on this conquest. He needs more experience as the next king, and he needs to be closer to his soldiers. Other than that, the school in the kingdom of Enchancia will start its new year in a few months. I will send Moon there. It doesn't seem like Crystal would like something like that. As for Igneel, he would probably lose his mind if he had to go.
I started using notion. It's a app. If you notice the writing is better. And it has none of that ai bs.