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Quan Yizhen didn’t know if the rain would ever stop. Curled up beneath an outgrowth of roots branching from a tree in the heart of the forest, he stared upwards at the thick wood that protected him from the downpour. The ground was bumpy and uneven and it dug into his back. He was very uncomfortable, but it was a lot better than staying in the alleys of the nearest town where people had mocked and ridiculed and even threatened him for being there. He didn’t know why those people cared where he slept. It didn’t make sense, but their incessant complaints were enough to drive him from the dirty streets and into the forest.
There weren’t any people here, which meant nobody told him what to do, and he liked that freedom. He missed stealing the street vendors’ food, but there were many fruit trees scattered about filled with pears and plums and peaches that tasted just as sweet as the candy he once loved. He bit into a particularly juicy plum and felt some of it drip down his chin and fingers. He wiped the sticky mess with his sleeve and licked the trail of juice that ran down his fingers and wrist.
The rain kept falling, and as Quan Yizhen finished off his plum, he made himself as comfortable as he could. Situating himself in a divet between two roots, he stretched his legs out and rolled onto his side, wood pressing into his skin. The rough texture would surely leave marks on his arms and legs, but he didn’t care about that as he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, hoping the rain would let up after a quick nap.
~
Yin Yu sighed when he saw Quan Yizhen on the bed. His bed.
Yin Yu had never met someone so comfortable doing whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. While it was normal for Quan Yizhen to enter and leave his room as he pleased, he had never taken the liberty to do anything more than sit beside Yin Yu as he wrote reports or read poetry. Sometimes he touched things he wasn’t supposed to, like the time he accidentally shattered Yin Yu’s tea cup after reaching for the shiny, silver dagger that sat behind it, but most of the time, he was content enough to simply watch Yin Yu work.
But Quan Yizhen was always full of surprises, and Yin Yu was surely surprised when he saw him huddled in the corner of his bed, wrapped so tightly in the sheets that it looked like he was tangled in them. Despite being fully covered, his unruly curls were still peeking out. Yin Yu walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, gently nudging his bundled up shidi.
“Yizhen, what are you doing here?”
Quan Yizhen was laying face-first into the bed, hair splayed out in all directions. He curled further into the corner when he felt Yin Yu’s hand on his back and didn’t respond to the question. After a few moments of silence, Yin Yu moved the sheets off his head. The fabric felt damp under his fingertips. Most likely from the rain that came out of nowhere earlier that afternoon. The summer weather was incredibly fickle, changing by the hour with almost no indication of what was to come next.
Yin Yu and Jian Yu had been practicing sword forms when it started to drizzle. Unbothered by the rain, they both continued to practice even as the size and speed of the droplets increased until it was a full on downpour. A loud clap of thunder made the two of them sheathe their weapons and find shelter in Jian Yu’s room. Metal swords and lightning were never a good combination.
Taking turns to practice in the narrow area between the desk and the bed, the two spent the time it took the storm to pass in comfortable silence, commenting about the other’s form every now and then. When the clouds cleared and the sun sat high in the sky, drying the puddles that collected in the courtyards and along the gravel pathways, they walked to the dining area for a snack. The servants gave them both fresh plums. “They were picked this morning.” An old man said as he tossed them through a small window in the kitchen.
They walked back to their rooms while they ate. Jian Yu was a bit messy, and plum juice splattered on his robes when he took a bite. He wiped at them, but it only made the stains worse.
“You look like Yizhen.” Yin Yu laughed. As expected of the sect’s lead disciple, Yin Yu ate cleanly and neatly. He did not let even one drop of juice stain his fingers nor his clothes.
Jian Yu gagged. “Please never say that again.”
“Then don’t eat so messily.” Yin Yu smiled and laughed again when Jian Yu flicked plum juice at him. “Alright, you don’t look like Yizhen. Happy?”
Jian Yu rolled his eyes, and the two parted ways, each going to their respective rooms. And that was how Yin Yu had found his shidi snuggled under his sheets, sleeping soundly in a bed that wasn’t his.
Yin Yu shook Quan Yizhen again.
“Yizhen, get up. Your hair is getting everything wet.”
When he failed to respond this time too, Yin Yu grabbed the corner of his bed sheet and pulled. He tugged and tugged, standing up from the bed to pull the sheet harder, unraveling the boy nestled within. Unwound and a little dizzy, Quan Yizhen sat up. He looked a bit confused and sad that his cocoon of bedsheets had been destroyed, but they were Yin Yu’s sheets. He could do what he wanted with them, right?
“What were you doing in my bed?” Yin Yu coaxed the not-so-awake Quan Yizhen out of his bed and began to put the sheets back. Quan Yizhen sat on the floor, crossed his legs, and leaned back on his hands. “It’s not even dinnertime. Are you that tired already?”
Quan Yizhen shook his head back and forth. “I’m not tired.”
“Why were you sleeping then?”
Yin Yu finished making the bed, returning it to the way it looked before Quan Yizhen made a mess of it. He sat in the center and patted the space next to him, gesturing for Quan Yizhen to sit, but he shook his head again and stood up. He walked towards the window and climbed out.
Kneeling in the frame, Quan Yizhen turned to face Yin Yu and said, “The storm stopped. I’m going to train now.” Then he jumped out and left a bewildered Yin Yu sitting on his now damp bed, wondering what could possibly be going through his shidi’s head to make him act the way he did.
~
Yin Yu loved the summer months because the warm weather made it possible to practice late into the night. He and Jian Yu often sparred together in the courtyard when the moon was full. Without the dreaded heat of the summer sun, it was quite nice. The crickets’ chirping blended well with the croaking of the toads and the sounds of the other animals that moved about at night. Their symphonies carried from the courtyard into their dorms, and Yin Yu liked to crack his window open at night to listen to them as he slept.
Yin Yu and Jian Yu were sparring. It wasn’t a full moon, but there was just enough moonlight to allow them to see the other’s movement. Yin Yu side-stepped Jian Yu’s punch. The other boy lunged forward with his non-dominant foot, and Yin Yu took advantage of that by grabbing his wrist and tugging. Using Jian Yu’s own momentum, Yin Yu twisted around and pulled his arm downwards. In one quick motion, Jian Yu was flipped onto his back, landing with a thud on the ground. Yin Yu grinned down at him. Jian Yu sighed, but he didn’t get up.
“Is it comfy on the ground?” Yin Yu put his hands on his hips and laughed before plopping himself next to Jian Yu. He laid flat on his back, putting his hands behind his head. “I guess it’s kind of nice down here.”
“Shut up,” Jian Yu spat, but there was no heat to his words. He gazed into the sky, watching some clouds gather in the distance. Yin Yu mirrored him, and the two boys sat silently under the stars as their breathing evened out. The clouds had just covered the moon, blocking out the main source of natural light, when a bright flash split the sky in half. It was gone as quickly as it came, but Yin Yu and Jian Yu had seen how the thin, white line danced across the clouds, illuminating the sky for a fraction of a second.
The two of them sat back and watched as streak after streak of lightning lit up the night sky. There was no rain and no thunder, and it looked like two gods were fighting in the heavens, unaware of the way their clashing swords created sparks visible even to the mortal realm. Yin Yu knew that wasn’t actually the case, but this type of lightning had always fascinated him. He had no idea how or why it happened and let his imagination fill in the gaps his sect’s library texts could not.
“Do you know why it’s silent?” Yin Yu asked Jian Yu, but he knew the other wouldn’t have the answer to his question.
“No.” Jian Yu turned his head to look at Yin Yu, but Yin Yu was still staring skywards. “Do you?”
“No, but…” Yin Yu trailed off. “I’d like to know someday.”
“Maybe when you ascend you can find out.”
Yin Yu closed his eyes and sighed. “If.”
“When.”
~
When Yin Yu returned to his room, Jian Yu’s words still echoed in his ears. He replayed their exchange over and over in his head, wondering how Jian Yu could be so confident in his ability, when Yin Yu himself felt so unsure about his future. Sure, he trained everyday with the intent to ascend, but many people did that. And not all of them made it to the heavens.
Yin Yu groaned. He probably wouldn’t sleep well. Instead, he would waste the night away stressing about ascension. Sometimes he wished he could turn his mind off because overthinking never solved his problems. It only drew them out, and yet, he couldn’t stop.
Thankfully, Yin Yu had a very clingy shidi who often distracted him at the best of times. Returning to find Quan Yizhen in his room was quickly becoming a frequent occurrence. He was always in his bed, and Yin Yu found he didn’t mind it so much anymore. He had gotten over his initial aversion to sharing his bed with other people. Well…with Quan Yizhen. It was endearing to see him wrapped in a ball of sheets.
This time Quan Yizhen was asleep near the foot of the bed. He was rolled up with only a tuft of hair poking out that gave away where his head was positioned. Yin Yu sat next to him and leaned back against the wall. He reached a hand out and moved the sheet down. Trailing his fingers through Quan Yizhen’s hair, he ruffled it lightly to wake him. His shidi slept like the dead though, and it took some not so gentle shaking to finally get his eyes to open.
“Yizhen, it’s late already. How long have you been here?”
“Mmm…I don’t remember. I came here to sleep.”
If it had been earlier, Yin Yu might’ve sent Quan Yizhen back to his own room, but it was nighttime. He looked so exhausted as he yawned, falling back asleep. Before that could happen, Yin Yu shook Quan Yizhen again and told him he needed to put the sheets back to their proper position so they could both sleep.
Quan Yizhen stood up and climbed out of Yin Yu’s bed as Yin Yu rearranged the sheets. He didn’t say a word, and Yin Yu wasn’t sure if he was completely awake or stuck in that weird half-awake-half-asleep state where dreams and reality merged into one. But he must’ve been semi-cognisant because he listened when Yin Yu told him to leave some space for him when he said he could get in again. He did take the only pillow though.
Yin Yu walked closer to the window and opened it just wide enough to hear the lively animals and insects outside. The lightning still silently streaked across the sky, lighting the room for the briefest of moments.
“Shixiong, come here.”
Yin Yu glanced backwards. Quan Yizhen wasn’t looking at him though. He was now facing the wall, his back turned to where Yin Yu was standing beside the window.
Yin Yu made his way to the bed and climbed in next to Quan Yizhen. Even without a pillow, Yin Yu fell asleep easily.
~
Quan Yizhen woke to the sound of thunder. It was still raining quite heavily, but very little water reached him, blocked out by the tree’s canopy and root system. He couldn’t tell if two minutes or two hours had passed. Just like the rain, sunlight was sparse where he was laying. It was impossible to tell the passage of time by measuring daylight. He still had one plum left and two pears, but the pears were unripe and probably wouldn’t taste good. He hoped the storm would end soon, so he could find better fruit. Or maybe he’d go back to town to steal some meat. It had been a long time since he’d eaten meat, and just thinking about it was making his stomach growl.
He ate his last plum, savoring the taste of its sweet flesh. Then he ate one of the pears, but it tasted so bitter and awful that he lost his appetite. Sitting up, he removed himself from the two roots where he was napping. Little indents were imprinted in his skin. His shoulders cracked when he stretched, and his legs ached when he stood as high as the roots overhead would allow. It wasn’t much, and he basically had to crawl out of the roots until he broke the surface.
He didn’t know a lot about trees, but this one was exceedingly large and seemed rather ancient. The trunk was wider than some of the smaller houses in town, and it was definitely taller than any building he’d ever seen. The branches stretched far from the trunk, and they slowly creaked as the storm’s wind picked up in speed. Leaves rustled against one another, and rain pelted their surface. Thunder sounded distantly. It didn’t seem like the storm was going to end anytime soon. Quan Yizhen’s stomach growled again, but he couldn’t hear anything except the rain, the wind, and the thunder.
~
Sunlight filtered through the tree branches, casting shadows across the patches of wildflowers scattered about the forest floor. With all the recent rainfall, Yin Yu was surprised there weren’t more growing along the dirt path. There had certainly been enough to make the weeds that stayed in the corners of the courtyard spread over the entire area. Jian Yu thought they were ugly, but Yin Yu enjoyed their presence. They made the courtyard seem livelier.
Yin Yu stopped to pick up a small, white flower. Several layers of oval petals swirled slightly around its pale yellow center. A tiny ant crawled along the edge of one petal. Yin Yu was about to place the flower on the ground when Jian Yu grabbed the petal, ant and all, and tossed it in the air.
“She loves me.” He grabbed another one. “She loves me not.”
Yin Yu threw the flower at Jian Yu’s head. “She loves you not.” It landed in Jian Yu’s bangs.
“Haha, very funny.” Jian Yu blew upwards, dislodging the flower from his hair. It drifted to the ground, where Quan Yizhen stepped on it. He lifted his foot and stared at the crushed flower. He kicked it to the side of the path and looked at Yin Yu.
“Where are we going?” Quan Yizhen asked.
Yin Yu and Jian Yu were tasked with collecting a special type of firewood used for smoking meat. Their Shifu had asked them to take Quan Yizhen along to show him how to chop wood. Usually boys his age weren’t asked to do such strenuous work, but he was a lot stronger than his peers and had quickly become one of Shifu’s favorites.
“We’re almost there.” Yin Yu pointed towards a clearing in front of them. As the three of them walked towards it, Yin Yu explained what to look for. “The trees ahead have grey bark that flakes off around this time of the year. When you cut them down, try not to let the bark fall off. It’s what makes these trees ideal for smoking meat.”
Quan Yizhen nodded and stopped when Yin Yu halted in front of a tree. This particular species didn’t have a thick stump, nor was it very tall, which made them easy to cut down. Yin Yu gripped his axe with both hands, showing Quan Yizhen how to properly hold it. His shidi mimicked him, and when Yin Yu was satisfied with his, he showed him how to swing the axe.
“Hit the same spot until you’re halfway through the trunk, and then you can start on the opposite side. The tree will fall under its own weight, but watch that it doesn’t fall on you.” Yin Yu tapped the trunk with the edge of his axe. “This is the height to cut from. You can start on this one. Just check to make sure you’re far away from anyone else before swinging.”
“Okay,” Quan Yizhen nodded again and raised his axe to start chopping. Jian Yu had already made progress on another tree to their right, and Yin Yu went to find one far enough from the other two after ensuring his shidi was all set.
The three boys worked silently, letting the song birds fill the empty air with their melodious tunes. The sun’s intense heat grew stronger as the morning progressed, and Yin Yu found himself wiping sweat from his forehead quite often. When his first tree fell, he got Quan Yizhen’s attention to show him how to remove the smaller branches and what width to cut each piece.
A while later, Yin Yu, Jian Yu, and Quan Yizhen sat in a circle surrounded by several piles of chopped wood. Even though Yin Yu and Jian Yu had both cut down three trees, the amount of wood provided by each was still insufficient. Quan Yizhen had finished one and was working on his second when his shixiongs had called for a break.
“Jian Yu, what do you think?” Yin Yu leaned back on his hands and eyed their progress. “Maybe...four more?” Yin Yu looked at Quan Yizhen. His shidi was strong, but he was still only eleven. Yin Yu and Jian Yu were each at least a foot taller than him, and although he might’ve been strong enough to chop down a couple trees, his back was only so large and could only carry so much wood.
“That’s fine with me.” Jian Yu picked stray wood chips from his hair.
“Yizhen, why don’t you finish the one you’re working on. Jian Yu and I will take care of the rest.” Yin Yu stood up and stretched his arms above his head, shoulders popping in the process. Clouds had rolled in during their break, and with the sun rays no longer beating down on them, Yin Yu was confident he could work faster than he was this morning. “Does that sound good?”
“Mmhm.” Jian Yu walked away, twirling his axe in his right hand.
Yin Yu looked at Quan Yizhen, expecting him to nod in affirmation, but he was staring skyward, a frown dawning his usually blank face. Yin Yu only ever saw Quan Yizhen frown at the other disciples who pissed him off, and it almost always meant he was about to start a fight. His shidi had a reputation for quarreling with his disciple brothers, but there were no other sect members in the area besides himself and Jian Yu. And even though Jian Yu and Quan Yizhen often bickered, nothing had transpired between the two of them on this trip...yet.
“Yizhen, is something wrong?” Yin Yu looked where his shidi was staring. The clouds in the distance had darkened considerably, and Yin Yu could see them shifting and expanding. They meshed together into one large mass that was moving at a solid pace in their direction. “Oh, it looks like it’s gonna rain. Maybe we should head back soon...”
Yin Yu turned to find Jian Yu. He stopped mid swing when Yin Yu called out to him. “Jian Yu! I think it’s gonna rain soon. Do you want to continue or go back?”
Jian Yu lifted his hand to shield his eyes before glancing at the sky. It did look like it was going to pour at any second, but he also just started on a new tree. He went back to chopping. “Let’s keep going. If it gets worse, we can head back.”
Quan Yizhen tightened his grip on his axe. “Shixiong, will the wood be okay if it gets wet?” Even though he was addressing Yin Yu, his eyes never left the sky.
“It’ll be fine, but if it does rain, hold the axe tightly.”
Quan Yizhen stayed silent for a moment, frown still very apparent on his features, but it disappeared when he turned to face Yin Yu. “Okay, Shixiong.” Then he walked away to finish up the tree he was working on earlier.
Yin Yu eyed him strangely but didn’t give too much thought to his odd behavior. The rest of the sect thought Quan Yizhen was weird and annoying. They said he picked too many fights, lacked social awareness, and ignored the rules, and while all those things were true, Yin Yu didn’t think that made him weird or annoying. It just meant he approached life in a way that differed from the majority. He was a mystery that Yin Yu hoped to one day understand better.
Yin Yu grabbed his axe and found another tree to chop down. He felt a rain drop when his first swing made contact with the unmarred trunk. Several more followed, and within a few more swings, Yin Yu was drenched. Rain poured from the sky, heavier than any of them had anticipated. Despite the less-than-ideal working conditions, Yin Yu continued hacking away.
When the tree fell down, he leaned his axe against his leg and brought both hands up to shield his face from the downpour. He scanned the area until he saw Jian Yu who was carrying his chopped wood towards their growing piles. Quan Yizhen was standing next to his fallen tree, but he didn’t seem to be working on it anymore.
Jian Yu saw Quan Yizhen doing nothing and walked over. He was saying something, but Quan Yizhen didn’t seem to be listening. Yin Yu knew Jian Yu well enough to know this wouldn’t end well and walked towards the two before any fighting broke out. As he drew closer, he heard Jian Yu’s voice over the sound of the rain.
“...gonna answer me?” Jian Yu waved his hand in front of Quan Yizhen’s face to get his attention. “Hey! What are you doing? Why’d you stop?” When Jian Yu saw Yin Yu, he addressed him instead. “Yin Yu, what the hell’s he doing just standing there? Tell him to keep going so we can leave.”
Yin Yu approached Quan Yizhen. When he asked what was wrong, the other simply said, “I think we should go back.”
“Okay,” Yin Yu nodded, “We’ll go back soon, but since you and I each chopped another tree down, let’s finish those up before we go. Alright?”
Quan Yizhen was silent, and just when Yin Yu thought he wasn’t going to get a response, his shidi shook his head from side to side and turned to face him. They made eye contact for a brief second before Quan Yizhen turned away. However, in that brief moment, Yin Yu thought he saw something he’d never before seen in the youth’s eyes.
Was that fear?
“No, Shixiong.” He shook his head again. “We should leave now.”
Jian Yu frowned and took a step closer to Quan Yizhen, but Yin Yu held up a hand to stop him. Yin Yu wished he could see Quan Yizhen’s expression, but he was staring at the ground, his wet curls blocking his face from view.
“Is something wrong, Yizhen?” Yin Yu kneeled in front of his shidi, but he turned his face away again. “We can leave now if that’s the case.”
“What do you mean we can leave now?” Jian Yu gestured towards the tree on the ground. “There’s only two left. Let’s just finish them, and then we can leave.”
When neither Yin Yu or Quan Yizhen responded, Jian Yu walked closer and placed his hand on Yin Yu’s shoulder. “Hello?” He shook the other boy. “Have we all stopped breathing? What is going on?”
A low rumble resounded in the distance.
Yin Yu stood up as Jian Yu rolled his eyes and huffed.
“Great, now it’s storming. Let’s just finish this quickly and g-- Hey!”
Jian Yu shouted when he saw Quan Yizhen throw his axe on the ground. His fists were clenched, and his breathing quickened. Quan Yizhen glanced at the sky, but when he saw how dark it had become, his eyes widened, and he took several steps backwards. He looked ready to take off at any moment, but before he could move any further, Jian Yu reached out and grabbed his wrist, keeping him in place.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Jian Yu tried to pull him back, but Quan Yizhen resisted. “You think you can run away and leave us to--” Suddenly, Jian Yu was laying flat on the ground, breath knocked clean out of him.
Quan Yizhen had flipped him over!
While Jian Yu and Yin Yu were in shock, Quan Yizhen took his chance to run away, leaving them in a stupor as to what had just occurred.
“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Jian Yu screamed when he finally caught his breath. “That little fucking brat! I’m gonna kill him.” Jian Yu got back on his feet, looking very much like he was about to sprint after the other boy.
“Wait, wait!” Yin Yu pleaded, grabbing his friend’s robes before he too could dash off into the forest. “Let him go! It’s fine. We can carry what we have now without any trouble.”
“No, it’s not fine!” Jian Yu countered. “What is wrong with him?”
He looked in the direction that Quan Yizhen ran off towards before facing Yin Yu. “Did you teach him that?”
“To flip people?” Yin Yu asked, and Jian Yu nodded. “No.”
“Then how did he…?” Jian Yu trailed off.
Quan Yizhen had probably learned it by himself through watching the older disciples, but mentioning that might’ve made Jian Yu even angrier, so Yin Yu kept quiet. He suggested they pack up and leave, and Jian Yu cursed Quan Yizhen again before he started helping Yin Yu prepare for the trip back.
~
Quan Yizhen stared at the pear. The other one had tasted so bitter, but now his appetite was back. He wanted nothing more than to venture outside to find another one of those godly plums, but the storm was still raging, keeping him prisoner within the tree roots. He picked up the pear, letting hunger overcome his taste buds, but the moment he opened his mouth, thunder boomed from overhead, startling him.
The pear dropped to the ground. Quan Yizhen reached for it again, but as soon as he extended his arm, a crushing feeling suddenly overwhelmed the tiny space. Wood creaked, splitting and breaking, and the roots surrounding him grew closer and closer, until he was forced to curl into a ball to fit into the shrinking space.
A tree branch had fallen directly on top of him. It was only the strength and thickness of the roots above that protected him from an early death.
He could see the large branch above him, sitting atop a now cracked root that groaned under the weight. Part of it had fallen directly on the pathway that led outside. He tried pushing with what little room he had available to move, but the angle was bad, and even if it wasn’t, Quan Yizhen was certain he wouldn’t be able to move such an immense object. He tried a few more times, but nothing worked.
He was trapped.
The branch was far too heavy, and as much as he struggled, the wood barely budged. He flinched as the wind picked up and several more branches landed near him, each snapping louder than the last.
Another flash of lightning stuck from the sky. The thunder followed the flash almost instantaneously. Quan Yizhen closed his eyes and covered his ears. If he was going to be here for a while, he didn’t want to listen to the storm anymore, nor did he want to see the lightning.
Suddenly, a new light flared in the dark, bright enough to make its presence known beyond his closed eyelids. He thought it was just more lightning, but the light didn’t disappear. It kept shining, and when he opened his eyes, he felt his heart stutter. The branch above him had caught fire, and it was spreading. Quickly.
He backed as far away as he physically could, but the space was too cramped. The fire crept towards him, and when he looked into the blaze, he froze. Flames attacked the leaves hanging off a smaller branch. He watched as it sucked the life out of them, turning the once green foliage into a shriveled up mess that crumbled into dust and ash, easily swept away by the wind.
In a panic, Quan Yizhen wondered whether human flesh would suffer a similar fate.
He didn’t realize he was holding his breath until he inhaled and felt smoke burn his lungs. He coughed and gagged, trying to expel the toxins, but every breath he took filled his lungs with more smoke and ash. It was suffocating, and even though Quan Yizhen had never gone swimming, he thought this must be what drowning felt like. He covered his mouth with his sleeves. It barely helped.
Quan Yizhen didn’t know when he had started crying, but tears were streaming down his face. He heard muffled screaming from somewhere. It sounded familiar, and vaguely, he realized it was his own voice. Calling for help. Calling for anything or anyone that would save him.
The fire was lapping at the root above his head, and he felt paralyzed with a fear so cold it must’ve frozen his blood solid. He couldn’t shout or breathe or think. He could only feel the intense heat that threatened to take his life.
Time moved in slow motion as Quan Yizhen watched the ceiling of his hideout burst into flames. He lifted his arms to protect himself, but he was too close to the fire and a searing pain erupted across the back of his palms. That pain traveled further along his arm, and Quan Yizhen gazed with wide eyes as his sleeves caught fire. The fabric curled in on itself, burning to a crisp, and Quan Yizhen frantically swatted at it before he could see his skin do the same.
His palms burned as he put the flames out, but it did nothing to lessen the overwhelming heat that surrounded him. His breathing sped up as he tried to figure out an escape route. All the pathways were blocked, and even if they weren’t, he’d need to crawl through fire to get out.
Quan Yizhen let out a choked sob. He closed his eyes again, tears spilling down his cheeks. This was how he was going to die. He silently prayed to any god he could think of to save him. He was debating whether gods even existed when another huge blast of thunder rang through the forest. Not a moment later, the ground shook as another tree branch fell. It must’ve landed on the burning branch above him, since it jolted, reopening the pathway that led outside.
Quan Yizhen’s eyes widened. This was his chance! He scrambled forward and crawled his way upwards, feeling awful pain in his hands and knees as they met with the burning wood. He worked as quickly as he could, and thanked whatever god had saved him when he finally made it out. He sprawled on his side on the ground, and brought his hands to his face to examine the damage.
They were red and blistering, and it hurt when the rain drops hit them. Little pieces of wood were lodged in his palms. He tried to pull one out when a smaller tree branch fell near him, shattering upon landing and sending shards of jagged wood in every direction. Quan Yizhen shielded himself with his arms, but one of them sliced his forearm, blood trickling from the cut. He needed to get away from the trees.
Quan Yizhen picked a direction, and ran and ran and ran. He ran until his foot slipped in a patch of mud, and he fell forward. Instinct made his hands reach out to catch his fall, but this put pressure on his burns. He cried out in pain and hugged his arms close as he curled in on himself.
The storm continued to ravage his surroundings, and while he kept his eyes closed, he could do nothing to cover his ears. His hands and arms hurt too much to move them. So he sat and listened as nature revealed its true powers.
The wind roared, weaving between trunks, branches, and leaves. It slipped through every nook and cranny its formless existence could find, and each gust emitted a ghastly sound. The rain continued to pelt everything in its path. Nothing was safe from the downpour, and it drenched him in an unrelenting torrent that never faded.
But thunder was the worst. Whether it be distant rumbles or startling blasts, thunder left him feeling helpless and fearful. It was like nature had scorned his very existence, and thunder was the embodiment of its anger. He didn’t know when it would punish him next.
The anticipation was too much. Quan Yizhen was crying again, but this time, along with the fear, exhaustion overtook his body, gradually pulling him into a dreamless sleep.
~
It was still raining when Yin Yu and Jian Yu returned that evening.
When he entered his room, he expected to see Quan Yizhen on his bed, but it was empty.
Yin Yu was drenched and wanted nothing more than to change into fresh robes and maybe sleep for a week. Chopping wood was a tiring activity, and his back ached. But even more than the physical tiredness, Yin Yu was mentally spent. Who knew worrying about Quan Yizhen would make him feel this exhausted? After thinking about it the entire way home, Yin Yu was pretty sure the emotion in Quan Yizhen’s eyes had in fact been fear. He needed to make sure his shidi was okay before he could rest easy.
Yin Yu peeled off his soaked clothes and donned dry robes. Turning to place the wet garments behind his desk to dry, he was met with a pile of poems lying in a puddle on the ground. The ink had smeared into an undecipherable mess, and Yin Yu internally cursed himself for leaving the window open. He quickly laid his clothes around the puddle, placing the wet papers on his desk before reaching to close the window. But it was already closed. Confused, he glanced at the poems before looking out the window again. It was still raining, and Yin Yu sighed before grabbing a towel to clean up the water. He scrubbed the area clean and was relieved to see the ink hadn’t stained the wooden floors.
Yin Yu stood and was about to grab an umbrella to check if Quan Yizhen was in his own room. That was, until he heard the strange noise coming from under his bed.
Yin Yu jumped, but when he listened closer, he found that the noise sounded less strange and more like a certain boy he was looking for.
“Yizhen?” Yin Yu kneeled next to the bed and leaned down to look underneath.
Quan Yizhen was on his side, snugly fit in the narrow space between the floor and the bed. His back was facing Yin Yu, and even though he couldn’t see his face, Yin Yu knew the boy was crying. He was trying to be silent, but his shaking shoulders and tiny sniffles gave him away.
“Yizhen,” Yin Yu said again. “Why don’t you come out?”
Quan Yizhen didn’t stir, nor did he make any move to leave his hiding place. Yin Yu didn’t want to force him out, but he also didn’t want him to stay like that.
“Yizh--” Yin Yu was cut off by a sudden burst of thunder.
Quan Yizhen flinched, curling further into himself, and Yin Yu didn’t miss the sob that left his throat.
“...are you scared of the thunder?”
He couldn’t tell if Quan Yizhen was nodding or just adjusting his position, but when another thunderclap sounded, it confirmed his suspicion. Quan Yizhen was shaking, and Yin Yu’s heart ached. He reached out and gently nudged his shoulder.
“If you come out, you can use the sheets to cover your head.”
When Quan Yizhen finally turned to look at him, his eyes widened a bit, and he blinked a few tears away. Yin Yu smiled gently and tried coaxing him out more.
“It’s okay, Yizhen. I’m here. We can sit on the bed, yeah? It’ll be more comfortable, and we can get under the sheets.”
Quan Yizhen didn’t speak, but now that he was facing Yin Yu, he seemed a little more comfortable with coming out from under the bed. He gave a tiny nod before crawling out and standing on shaky legs. Yin Yu also stood and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
He looked up at Yin Yu, and it was in moments like these, that Yin Yu realized Quan Yizhen was still just a child. He might’ve been wild and rambunctious, and maybe he was stronger than everyone his age and the year above him, but he was still young. Yin Yu supposed, like other children, he too had things he was scared of. It was just so odd. Quan Yizhen never showed fear. Not even when Yin Yu had first found him surrounded by the other disciple brothers, about to get beaten for his crazy antics.
But now, Quan Yizhen was staring up at Yin Yu with his arms hugged to his chest and eyes so wide and scared, Yin Yu thought he might collapse from all the fright. Yin Yu motioned towards the bed, and Quan Yizhen moved to hop up when a flash of lightning illuminated the room, followed by another burst of thunder.
Yin Yu fell backwards as Quan Yizhen threw himself into his arms. The thunder’s residual rumbling fizzled out as the two landed on the floor.
“Yizhen, are you okay?!”
Quan Yizhen’s arms wrapped around Yin Yu’s abdomen, and he buried his face in his chest, squeezing so hard Yin Yu had a hard time breathing as he sat back to lean against the wall. If his strength were anything to go by, Yin Yu thought Quan Yizhen was physically fine, but mentally, he was still a wreck. Yin Yu placed a hand behind Quan Yizhen’s head and brought his other arm around his back, hugging him tightly, shielding him from the storm.
Yin Yu’s dry robes were once again becoming wet as Quan Yizhen’s tears overflowed, but this time, he didn’t care. All he cared about was easing his shidi’s fear. So he patted his back and told him everything was okay and that the thunder couldn’t hurt him, but Quan Yizhen was adamant that it could. He started shaking again, and Yin Yu pulled the sheet off his bed and draped it around them, covering Quan Yizhen almost entirely.
His shidi’s odd behavior finally made sense. He hadn’t come to Yin Yu’s room because it was raining. He came because rain often meant storms, especially during the summer months. It was better to hide in a safe place when it rained just in case the weather took a turn for the worse like it had earlier that day. Yin Yu wondered what had happened to make Quan Yizhen so terrified, but that was something he could learn another day. Right now, he needed to make Quan Yizhen feel safe. He whispered reassuring words, feeling Quan Yizhen’s arms tighten around his chest in response.
Quan Yizhen jumped every time he heard thunder, pressing further into Yin Yu’s embrace as if the two of them could get any closer. Yin Yu couldn’t see anything other than Quan Yizhen’s messy curls spilling out of the sheet, but he could feel his body tremble and his breathing hitch as he cried. It was heartbreaking seeing him so scared, so Yin Yu let Quan Yizhen hug him and tried his best to comfort him as the storm ran its course.
Yin Yu glanced down as he felt Quan Yizhen adjust his position, moving his head around a bit as if he was trying to find something. He stopped, hovering over the left side of Yin Yu’s chest, before pressing forward.
“Yizhen, what are you doing?”
“I’m listening.” He explained, but Yin Yu still didn’t understand.
“To what?” It couldn’t have been the thunder because Quan Yizhen was now acting the calmest he’d seen him all night.
“Your heartbeat.” He nuzzled further, pushing Yin Yu’s robe open a bit more until Yin Yu could feel his breath on his chest. “It’s louder than the thunder.”
Yin Yu’s eyes widened for a moment, and then he smiled adoringly at Quan Yizhen. “I’ll always be here for you, Yizhen.” He hugged him tighter. “You can listen whenever you want.”
Quan Yizhen smiled, feeling safe within Yin Yu’s protective embrace.
The two drifted to sleep together. Yin Yu, happy and relieved his shidi had calmed down, and Quan Yizhen, content to fall asleep listening to Yin Yu’s heartbeat.
Nothing, not even the thunder, could mask its gentle beat.