Chapter Text
The taste of iron in his mouth. A splotch of crimson in his sight. He can’t move. Ah… he must’ve died.
”General, what do we do with him?”
A beat. A hum. “What is his state of mind?” A rustle here. Every sense of his feels dialed up, the noise a bit loud for his ears. He scrunched his face and groaned, his whole body aching. What happened?
He opened his eyes and saw two guards hovering above him, checking every vital sign of his body. “The mara seems to have been contained, sir. He is responsive.” The world blackens for a second and goes bright.
“Bring him to the infirmary and let him rest. I’ll think of what to do with him after that.” Soon after the words were uttered, He felt his world shift, the guards carrying his body away from the place where his life was supposed to be cut down. Why isn’t he dead?
A silhouette emerges in his line of sight. With trembling arms, he raises his bloodied hand toward it. "..." His voice comes out hoarse and scratchy. "yinyue jun?"
The silhouette freezes and places a hand gently on his forehead, causing his eyes to close involuntarily. "Go to sleep, Yingxing," the figure utters.
Once again, darkness envelops his world, and he succumbs to its embrace.
♪♪
“Where is he?” A man with black hair spoke, standing in front of Jing Yuan’s seat. He was heavily bandaged from head to toe, yet both of them know that it was only for formalities, because no one else could know that his injuries could disappear in a matter of seconds.
“Who’s ‘he’? I know a lot of people…” The general replied cheekily, albeit halfheartedly, as he plays a piece in his chess game, deliberately ignoring the man at the front. Jing Yuan has no one to play chess with, yet he could at least pretend that he was still here, outsmarting and winning against him.
The chess pieces are sent into disarray as the man slammed his hands on Jing Yuan’s desk. The general blinked in surprise and dismay. “Don’t play coy with me, Jing Yuan. You know who I’m speaking of. Where is yinyue jun?” He snarled, rage barely contained.
“He’s not here.” Yingxing expected those words, yet he doesn’t want to believe them. He doesn’t want to believe that after all that they did, after all the sacrifices that both of them have done, the other would just up and leave. After a few seconds of turmoil in his head, he grits his teeth and goes to leave the room, intending on leaving the Xianzhou to look for him.
Before he could even make 5 steps, a voice cuts through the air. “Don’t leave, Yingxing.” The general orders him, his voice leaves no room for discussion. “After all…” Yingxing turns back to face the general again.
Jing Yuan dusts off his sleeve and fixes the chessboard back to its state before it was disrupted. He places his move, and beckons Yingxing to join. “I’m sure that Dan Feng will come back soon.” He continues, letting Yingxing take a seat in front of him.
Analyzing the placements of the pieces, Yingxing makes a move, to which Jing Yuan replies with his own. They pointedly ignore the missing variable in their chess game, where one used to be sitting on the side, analyzing and making suggestions on every move they make.
After a few moves, Yingxing breaks the comfortable silence, his rage dissipating a bit yet still burning deep beneath. “How do you know?”
"I just know,” Jing Yuan spoke with twinkles in his eyes, the mischief always present. He makes a move. Check. Yingxing clicks his tongue, snapping his fingers once in a while to think of a countermove. “Besides, I can’t let you leave the Xianzhou. Imagine the disaster that I have to handle once word gets out about your condition.”
Yingxing stops.”They… don’t know?” He muttered, moving the rook around to protect his king. This fact surprised him. Knowing how big Jingliu’s incident was, it’s a marvel that no one else knows of the disaster that happened to the High-Cloud quintet. Not even Baiheng knows, and Jing Yuan intends to keep it that way. Let her explore the world without trouble.
“They knew that she died. Other than that, they thought Jingliu and Dan Feng died in the war. However…” Yingxing‘s fist tightened, and Jing Yuan took notice of it, yet he ignored the action, continuing his sentence. “... The Preceptors knew what happened, and sentenced Dan Feng to force exile.”
.
.
The words taste like blood on his tongue. Jing Yuan hated lying. However, if it means that Yingxing can move forward with this unwanted life, he’d gladly let this burden drag him back.
.
.
“... He’ll come back.”
Jing Yuan blinked at the sudden statement of his friend. “What do you mean?”
Yingxing laughed, but it was devoid of the joy it once held, now tinged with brokenness and pain. "Yinyue jun," he said. "He promised me he wouldn't abandon me. There's no way he would break his word."
"I know we have our differences, and we always argue. But I want you to believe me on this thing I’ll say only once.” Yingxing spoke with seriousness, before making another chess move. Checkmate. The game resets. “Yinyue Jun… Dan Feng… he’ll come back. I do not know when, but he will. And when he does… I’ll wring out all answers from that pretty mouth of his.”
Jing Yuan coughed at the brash comment and went silent at that declaration. He doesn’t know if Dan Feng will come back, given that he was forced to rebirth and was abandoned while still in his egg, but he’ll believe him if that means he wouldn’t go out and cause chaos. “Then stay by my side, Yingxing. So when that happens…” Another move. Jing Yuan looks at him, his eyes meeting bloodshot red.
And so, Yingxing waited for decades, longing for a glimpse of those emerald eyes that held both cruelty and fondness. When the news finally arrived of a certain Stellaron Hunter captured, possessing those very same emerald eyes he yearned for, he knew it was time.
He had come back.
♪♪
“... Yingxing.” Dan Heng spoke, his emerald eyes widened at the appearance of the man he kept seeing in his dreams. He didn’t know he would meet him so soon.
The man in question didn’t even speak, eyes scanning Dan Heng up and down. He spent doing that for an uncomfortable while, so the Vidyadhara backed a step, getting embarrassed by the other’s staring. “What are you thinking—”
"You've changed," a rough voice interrupted his words, its tone reminiscent of rubbing sandpaper against cement. "Your attire is different. You behave differently as well. Tell me... Are you Yinyue Jun, or someone impersonating him to tarnish his reputation?" The man growled, moving closer to Dan Heng. In response, Dan Heng retreated even further. "Why do you possess his bracer? The spear I crafted for him?"
He was getting annoyed at the accusations the others keep spewing against him. He was about to speak in his defense when the sudden shaking of the ground cut off their conversation. The earthquake caught Dan Heng off guard, making him stumble and fall, but before he could crash into the floor unceremoniously, Yingxing caught him, hand on his waist.
This position forced Dan Heng to look straight into the other’s eyes, his emerald meeting those same red ones he keeps seeing in his dreams. It may be full of unconcealed hatred and contempt, but he can still feel the same gentleness and fondness it holds for Yinyue Jun.
But he wasn’t Yinyue Jun. That man was a fragment of his past. Dan Heng and Yinyue Jun might look the same, but that’s where their similarities end. In a way, Yingxing is right. He was only an impostor wearing the image of Yinyue Jun.
And now that he knew what the other looks like, he doesn’t want to let Ying Xing suffer any longer, seeing the face of his dead partner.
"I... I'm not Dan Feng," he spoke truthfully, ignoring the confusion and pain that flowed through the bracer that he wore. He feels the other's tight grip loosen at the revelation, crimson red eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Jing Yuan had lied. Dan Feng wasn't coming back at all. Yingxing gritted his teeth. All of the questions that he wanted to ask suddenly disappeared like mist. How would he get his answers if the one he wants to talk to is now gone?
(He ignores the ache in his heart as he remembers that the one he used to share his drinks with under the moon has molted into this... person.)
When the earthquake stopped, Dan Heng used the momentary distraction to slither away from the other’s hold and scamper out of the open jail cell, leaving the Cloud Knight alone in the room.
I already got my answers, Yingxing. It’s time for you to find yours, and those don’t concern me.
♪♪
A step forward, and the world seems to shift around him. The once tranquil surroundings of Luofu transform into a surreal landscape of vibrant colors and twisted forms. The Ambrosial Arbor, a manifestation of otherworldly power, sprouts from the ground, its branches reaching toward the sky with an uncanny vigor. The air crackles with raw energy, carrying the scent of both life and decay.
Another step. He sees Kafka talking to the Trailblazer, their conversation seemingly reaching the end as Kafka breaks off her binds. A whistle. His signal.
With grace and elegance that everyone can associate with Yinyue Jun, Dan Heng intercepted the Trailblazer’s advance, the pointed end of his spear towards the Trailblazer’s surprised face.
A laugh, a call. It was all in Elio’s script. Kafka glanced at her comrade, her empty dead eyes full of mirth. “We’ll meet again soon, my dear. And you, yinyue jun...” Her lips curve into a smirk. “Do not take longer than what’s necessary,” Her voice resonates through the air, filled with a mixture of amusement and anticipation. The words she utters send a shiver down his spine, lingering in his thoughts like a riddle waiting to be solved. He tries to decipher their meaning, but their true significance eludes him, adding to the confusion that plagues his mind.
After she uttered those words, she leaped off the edge of the stage, arms spread like a bird. Dan Heng followed, as is the script, yet before he can process those words correctly, a gloved hand caught his wrist, before grabbing him and running away, leaving the Trailblazer alone on the stage.
His bracer hums in delight, both of its masters have finally reunited once more.
“I have waited for your arrival for so long,” Yingxing spoke, voice gravelly. "I'm not about to let you escape from me so easily," Dan Heng’s eyes met his— a gaze they once shared under the maple tree, which was once full of fondness and gentle loving. Now, the look was mixed with confusion and determination, hatred and contempt, and fondness and love all the same. Oh, how Dan Heng hates those red eyes (he doesn’t).
Dan Heng knew he shouldn't be following him. He knew that what this man wants wasn't in his best interests, but his heart doesn't listen, as it seems to control his movements and matched the other's footsteps.
He sees a myriad of emotions reflected in the other's crimson gaze. It is a gaze that has witnessed pain and loss, carried the weight of unspoken words, and harbored a love that defies the boundaries of time and circumstance. It is a gaze that Dan Heng both longs for and resents, for it serves as a reminder of the past they shared and the uncertain future that lies ahead.