by Black_Wind_Fen (Kindred of the East | Kingdoms of Torment | Resources)
Yama King: Sima Fu-Leng
Imbalance: Yin
Compared to more physical hells like the Hell of Being Skinned Alive, or the Hell of Boiling Oil, the Hell of Failed Dreams seems tame to those that know who do not fully understand it. It is only when one is forced to suffer an excruciating eternity there does its true malignancy become apparent. Filled with the souls of sinners that trampled others underfoot to make their own dreams a reality, this Yin Imbalanced realm feeds off the suffering, anger and self-loathing of its inhabitants.
Every new day begins the same. The damned is full of hope about that big promotion, that final sweeping victory over his enemy, or a marriage that could not be more perfect. And before the day is through (though "day" is subjective, it could be as short as a few hours, or as long as months), all of the sinner's hopes & dreams are crushed. No matter how great or bad things went in life, here, they always end in the worst possible way. Seemingly tame, the deviousness of this hell is that the sinner must deal with his greatest failure ad infinitum. Overwhelming feelings of despair and melancholy fill the soul beyond its capacity to deal. It almost goes without saying, but every suicide attempt ends in failure. This further frustrates the soul, strengthening Sima Fu-Leng’s grasp on them.
For each individual that inauspiciously finds their way to this realm after death, the landscape changes to fit the location of their greatest triumph. An aspiring musician might find himself on stage night after night, hearing thousands of people booing, while a promising law student may lose the one case that could make or break her career. The participation of the demented Yama King is a constant occurrence inherent to the torture of every soul. While he need not be present at the breaking of his victims to feed from them, he gains a special, perverse pleasure as he watches their failures time and time again. He appears to be whichever person is in the best position to crush the hopes of the sinner, whether it is a judge, a parent, whatever he needs to complete the illusion. This is both his greatest means of power, and his weakest link, however. An aspiring Kuei-jin can exploit if they're patient. The moment's leading up to the failure, Fu-Leng is present in each hell, but every other moment, he is distracted by his appetites. With the proper timing, a strong enough soul can see through the illusions. Once the veil has been lifted, escape is almost a guarantee, unless one is particularly unlucky. His attention focused elsewhere, Fu-Leng is powerless to hold the errant soul in check, the second breath usually occurs soon thereafter. He hates these sinners the most and he seeks, almost to the point of obsession, to eradicate them all.
Sima Fu-Leng has need of few servitors within his realm. The people that make up a sinner's "friends" and "family" are all illusions, a mental trick designed to draw as much negativity out as possible. He rarely uses akuma within the Hell of Failed Dreams, preferring to take on as many roles per sinner as he feels necessary. When he does allow them to participate, it is as a reward, to bath them in rich Yin Chi for a job well done. No, instead, they are his primary agents in the Middle Kingdom, performing services he finds to be beneath him.
Akuma are a special case, however. Fu-Leng contacts a perspective servant in his dreams, sending nightly visions of Dharmic failings, with only himself as the savior of the Kuei-jin. To those that harbor any secret hopes of making a pact with a Yama King, he appears while they're awake, as a hazy figure often mistaken for a Spectre, and offers them the ability to fulfill all of their goals. Every contract he negotiates includes so many loopholes that should a Kuei-jin take the time to read each one, the Yama King will already have become bored and moved on to his next subject. For this reason, he largely avoids Resplendent Cranes, instead preferring to focus on Dragons and Devil-Tigers seeking easy power or those of heretical Dharmas. Should a Kuei-jin respond unfavorably, resist his mental intrusions, or in any way attempt to "hunt" him, Fu-Leng resorts to absolute force, sending as many akuma as he feels are warranted to correct the situation. There are few things he hates as much as being told "no."
Sima Fu-Leng can appear to be anyone he so chooses, the better to taunt sinners. When making one of his rare visits to the Middle Kingdom, or playing inside the dreams of a potential akuma, he appears to be a young warrior in armor millennia out of date. No one knows what he is thinking, or how he reacts to any news by his facial expressions, for he has none. His face is instead a perfectly smooth surface, composed of solid obsidian. He never speaks, communicating only telepathically with those he lowers himself to address.
Report to the Most Revered Bone Ancestor of Chongqing
Given by Xin Sheng, Mandarin of the Eternal Void Wu
Re: Yama King Sima Fu-Leng
As per your request honored ancestor, I have set my disciples onto the task of uncovering any information regarding the being known as Sima Fu-Leng. It was with humility that I accepted your confidence in this endeavor, and I am pleased to report we have learned much of this enemy.
During the Three Kingdom period, Sima Fu-Leng was known as a strategist born in Hei Ne, in the Wen region, elder brother of the noted tactician Sima Yi, who is recorded as being killed while foolishly attacking a superior force. This story, as is usually the case, is far from complete. From scrolls obtained at great expense by many of our Dharma, we have discovered at least a fraction of the truth.
Raised in the ways of defeating an enemy, Fu-Leng's family had many high hopes for him. He tirelessly trained to become the perfect general, working his martial skills during the day, and his mental skills during the night. At his side, Yi would learn to be his aide, forever in the shadow of his brother. It was this that ultimately bred resentment and hatred within the younger of the two. Knowing that he would never eclipse Fu-Leng, Yi was forced to bite his tongue, and submit to his brother's orders.
It was to be Fu-Leng's day of glory, sometime after his 19th summer, when he led a small force of soldiers into a nearby region. His plan was flawless, every contingency planned for, except one. Several hours before his army was to engage the enemy forces, Yi begged his brother for a private audience. Once alone, Yi unrolled several scrolls, upon which he had devised his own strategy for victory. Fu-Leng carefully looked over each one, shaking his head in disagreement at each new parchment. From a fragment of the journal kept by Yi, we now know that Fu-Leng laughed at what he considered the utter recklessness of each plan, and it was at this time that Yi drove his dagger into his own brother's heart. The last vision he saw was Yi, his dearest companion, wiping his life's blood onto a piece of cloth.
Due to pacts made with several mandarin of the Devil Tiger Dharma, we have gained insight into what happened next. Regretfully, this insight comes at the expense of many unrighteous mortal souls.
Watching the battle from the Shadowlands, Sima Fu-Leng was outraged to see his men follow his utterly traitorous brother, and even moreso outraged to see his brother's plan succeed. What should have been the victory that made his name known across the land, turned into the last day of his mortal existence. Sima Yi would go on to become an advisor to Cao Cao of the Wei Empire, Sima Fu-Leng would come to power another way.
It was his love for his brother that prevented him from seeing the murderous intentions within, it was that same love that sapped his will to rise again as one of the Wan Kuei. It is unknown how long Fu-Leng wandered the Shadowlands before that love turned into a boiling cauldron of loathing and hatred. Only the effect is known. The pain and suffering in his heart tore at his being, shredding every piece of mortal decency that he once held onto so dearly. Being betrayed was not enough; that his brother had won the battle at the expense of his life warped his psyche. It was this pain, this raw seething emotion that caused Fu-Leng to seek out a pocket of the Yomi Wan for his own. A yearning to make those like his brother pay for their tactics consumed his every thought. In his metaphoric heart, blackness grew, a hole that no amount of sadistic inflicting of suffering would fill. Slowly, a fraction at a time, he has cultivated his hell, tailoring it to the needs of each sinner's ultimate failing. He avoids conflicts with other Yama Kings, feeling it to be a waste of his precious Chi, and little more than a nuisance that would take him away from the enjoyment his hell brings him.
Unlike most Yama Kings, he seems to have no desire to be the Demon Emperor. All signs point to him wanting only one thing; the one soul he desires to torment for all eternity, that of Sima Yi. Our forces have begun searching for Yi’s spirit in the Yin Worlds in an attempt to quell his power. The Yama King who enslaved Ji Xiang-Ling for so long will pay for his misdeeds, most honored ancestor, and the second tenet will be served.
May this information please you,
Xin Sheng
