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When Dan Heng first saw a mark on his wrist, he researched extensively and stumbled upon the subject of soulmates.
Soulmates are a rare phenomenon even in the vast universe with many unique planets.
They are blessed with the knowledge that they have another half waiting for them, but they are also cursed with the long journey of finding their soulmate.
Another curse was placed upon them, knowing that every mark appearing on their body is a memory of their soulmate's injuries. Sometimes, they may experience utter agony if their soulmate dies akin to a string severed between them.
In the Xianzhou Luofu, out of all the three races, the Vidyadhara is known to be intimately associated with the topic of soulmates. However, there was a limit to how much research can be done when the subject is simple yet so complicated just like the universe itself.
He was no Vidyadhara, but Dan Heng concluded he was one of the few people unfortunate enough to have a soulmate.
Unfortunate being the keyword, because apparently, his soulmate is the type to get injured a lot.
The spider lilies continue to appear on his body in varying sizes blooming bright crimson-like blood.
Dan Heng wore longer clothing to hide his marks from people questioning gazes.
Besides, as concerned as he is about his soulmate, Dan Heng believes they’ll never meet. After all, who would ever love a criminal like him? He was exiled from his homeland and forced to wander throughout the galaxy.
The chances of them meeting are slim .
Or so he thought until an intruder attacked the ship.
Forced to raise his spear to block the incoming blade covered in gold cracks, Dan Heng came face to face with the said intruder. He nearly froze on the spot when crimson eyes glared at him murderously and a wide grin almost splits his face. With his long dark hair flowing around him, he looked no different than an incarnation of death coming for him.
“I finally found you.”
“What..? Who are…?!” Dan Heng questions him, eyes wide in shock and his arms tremble from the other strength.
The intruder's eyes narrowed, peering at him as if he were looking into his soul. Dan Heng swore his expression falls, appearing pained that he didn’t know him which is utterly ridiculous in his opinion.
However, he must’ve imagined it, because the murderous intent returns at full force.
The other snarls furiously before he shoves Dan Heng back. They break apart, but he gives Dan Heng no chance to recover and charges in with his sword aiming straight for his heart. Dan Heng's shock shifts into determination, leaping on his feet to meet the intruder's sword with his spear once more. The intruder, surprised and delighted that his prey is fighting back, cackles as he spins his sword with savage fury.
Metal sparks between them every time their weapons meet, their bodies moving fluidly in motion as if they fought each other many times before this. Ridiculous in Dan Heng's opinion, but he cannot shake away the familiarity of this man in front of him. He’s forced to go on the defensive, trying to find an escape route. A difficult endeavor when his opponent insists on taking his life and leaving no openings for him to take.
“What’s wrong? What are you thinking about when I’m right here in front of you ?” The intruder taunts, sounding displeased that Dan Heng's attention wasn’t on him.
“You’re persistent for someone who I just met!” Dan Heng retorts, shifting on his feet and gripping his spear tightly.
While Dan Heng prefers to end this battle without killing, he has no choice if he wants to live.
“The truth of life and death revealed in an instant…”
As if sensing his intentions to finish this fight, his opponent grins feral-like and charges his sword; the cracks glowing bright gold. It was right that he meets Dan Heng's most powerful attack with his own.
“...This sanctuary is but a vision!”
The moment Dan Heng opened his eyes, he jumps straight at the intruder. Within his range, he thrusts his spear forward aiming toward his chest. At the same time, his opponent cackles and swings down his sword to strike him down.
Then there was silence.
High on adrenaline, Dan Heng barely registers the pain in his shoulder. The blade digging deep into his flesh, but he’ll survive. He’ll survive, unlike his opponent whose chest was pierced by his spear and staining the floor with his blood. Slowly pulling his spear back, Dan Heng watches the intruder fall to the floor covered in his own blood.
For some reason, his chest hurts both physically and mentally.
He doesn’t know why, but he has no time to dwell on it when he needs to leave now. If the alarms are any indication, the ship was beyond any saving after the engine was heavily damaged by monsters.
Staggering on his feet, Dan Heng turns to run down the hall to find the escape pods. He spares a glance at the corpse behind him; unmoving and unresponsive. The unsettling feeling he had earlier hasn’t subsided one bit and he hopes that his opponent remains dead. To fight a troublesome foe like that again is too much already.
If Dan Heng bothered to examine the corpse a little longer before he left, he would’ve noticed the intruder's fingers twitch and a maniacal smile almost splitting his face in half.
This isn’t the end...Dan Heng
Much later at a faraway planet, Dan Heng finally found shelter to take a quick rest before he boards the next ship. He takes the opportunity to take a bath and fix his clothes, and then he’ll partake in a light meal while he writes his notebook.
Removing his shirt, Dan Heng freezes seeing that another mark has appeared on his body. Usually, it’s not a surprise at this point, but where it has shown makes his blood go cold.
On his chest is a giant blooming spider lily, the same spot where he stabbed the intruder at the ship some weeks ago.
“No way…That means- That man is my soulmate? Why? Just why?” Dan Heng whispers, fingers trailing the mark to find it pleasantly warm. He stares at his reflection, searching for an answer, “Better yet…If I’m not feeling anything, does that means he’s…alive?”
Fate is truly cruel to give him a soulmate that wants him dead for some reason.
At the same time on a ship in the middle of a galaxy of no interest, Blade tenderly touches the string of maple leaves on his shoulder. His expression is soft, eyes flickering with fondness before hatred clouds his vision once more.
“So, it turns out we belong to each other…Yinyue Jun.”
Fate is truly generous enough to give him a soulmate that he has yearned for many centuries.