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On nights of a full moon, sleep evades the Xianzhou Luofu general.
And as fate would have it, tonight was one such sleepless night for Jingyuan. He sits alone outside his office with no company but a cup of pu'er tea as he wistfully stares at the projected visual in the dome above him.
He knows well; the bright and full moon he gazes upon is but an illusion, the drink in his hand but a distraction and the old friends he loved so dearly are nothing but a shadow of the past.
And yet…
Jing Yuan closes his eyes and breathes in the cold nighttime breeze, recalling a moment lost to the ravaging waves of Time.
~~~
Garden of Recollection: Jingyuan's Archive
Memory Record: Jingyuan's Childish Dream
Memory Status: Retained with perfect clarity
~~~
"Someday, when I'm much older and wiser, I'd want to be a Galaxy Ranger! They travel through planets and fight off all the evil that exists, how cool is that?" Young, ambitious Jingyuan announced to his friends during one of their combat lessons.
"Friends" was probably the wrong choice of word here considering the wide age gap between himself and the rest of the High Cloud Quintet, save for the arrogant craftsman who seemed to be around his age.
But Jingyuan didn't care about these trivial technicalities, at least not yet.
"Cool? There's nothing cool about a group of people who decided to call themselves Galaxy Rangers " Yingxing scoffs, turning his nose up and away from Jingyuan in a childish manner.
"How dare you make fun of them? Don't you know they killed a Lord Ravager? That's a huge deal!"
Yingxing smirked, amused by how riled up Jingyuan was. "Well, I bet their weapons aren't even as good as ours. I bet they use lame—"
"Hey kids, maybe you should stop fighting about a different intergalactic organization and focus on being my star pupil again?"
Cool and collected was the tone Jingliu held as she interjected, breaking the rising tensions between her two students. But they both knew, their master was a gentle lake, its surface so still you wouldn't even notice the beast that lurked within it.
"Enough talking. If you're both energetic enough to argue about such things, then you should be able to go for another 1000 practiced strikes. Go on then."
Despite their little squabble, Yingxing and Jingyuan's admiration and fear towards their swordmaster took over in an instant. There was no way they could ever think of facing Jingliu's wrath. So they did as they were told, crossing their weapons and striking each other in turns. They repeated the process until their arms were sore, their mouths so parched they barely made a sound, and the sun faded as stars rose to the holographic skies upon the Luofu.
Jingyuan no longer recalls how they resolved their fight, but he suspected that it had to do with the shared experience of suffering through Jingliu's grueling exercises from sunrise to sunset.
~~~
Garden of Recollection: Jingyuan's Archive
Memory Record: Setting Dan Heng Free
Memory Status: Foggy, partial recall
~~~
It had been raining, heavy and unrelenting tears pouring from the skies on the day he decreed to set the sinner free.
The decision had taken Jingyuan far too long, for the other high elders and Viyadhara folk still harboured deep resentment and complex feelings towards the previous Imbibitor Lunae.
In truth, Jingyuan could understand their mixed emotions.
He didn't let it show, but he absolutely dreaded the long and excruciating walk towards Dan Feng's prison cell. Jingyuan had tried his hardest to avoid ever stepping foot in there, he didn't know what he might've done if he were to hear Dan Feng's constant cries of anguish or see his perfect face scarred with cuts from his tight chains.
Jingyuan may have been the Luofu's steadfast general, but he would always be weak in the face of his most beloved companions.
Alas, the long journey ended, and he stood in front of the cold and quiet prison cell.
The lone figure sat facing him, his head down as he continued reading his scrolls and books, refusing to acknowledge Jingyuan.
Jingyuan took a deep breath. He could do this.
"... Hello there, I am the general of Luofu, and it has been agreed upon by the elders to let you go free."
The figure did not speak nor did he raise his head to look at him. Merely resumed reading the book in his hand.
Flip. Flip. Flip.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Jingyuan didn't know if what he heard were the sounds of a clock's ticking or the rhythmic tune of sewer water as it dripped from the ceiling onto the prison floor. He supposed it didn't really matter. Not when a soft voice finally sounded from within the darkness.
"Setting me free… on what grounds? Never mind, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I'd be released on a random Tuesday since I've already been punished for someone else's sin."
Jingyuan felt himself slowly suffocating, as if Dan Feng had summoned invisible waves to drown him where he stood.
His lips trembled as he issued the order to unlock the gate, to unchain him, to give him a new pair of clothes and shoes, to let him wash up.
He thought he had been fully prepared to meet Dan Feng's reincarnation. Yet, as he watched the young man walk out of the prison he grew up in, Jingyuan found that he couldn't recognize that face at all.
He doesn't remember much from that important day, but one thing he would never forget was the way the young man looked at him.
One last glance before exiting the prison, his eyes had shone with the same strength and verdict, the same glint of teal seaglass that washed ashore on Scalegorge Waterscape after a stormy evening… the same beautiful eyes he'd always known.
"I'm sorry, old friend."
Jingyuan whispered into the lonely prison cell, feeling some form of wetness against his cheek before falling to the cold and wet floor.
Tick.
~~~
Garden of Recollection: Jingyuan's Archive
Memory Record: Forging a New Destiny
Memory Status: Currently in Progress
~~~
When Jingyuan finally awoke from his long and dazed trip down memory lane, the sun had already begun to peek through the clouds. The cup in his hand emptied out, and yet he remained seated on the wooden tiles outside his office. It was early enough that even the usual guard who stood watch over the entrance to his office hadn't yet arrived.
As he continued to ponder his thoughts over the rising sun, he felt a familiar and sharp gaze behind him. Jingyuan smiled, closing his eyes as if to pretend they were playing a simple game of hide-and-seek before opening his mouth.
"And why are you still aboard the Luofu, need I remind you that you are a wanted criminal with a big bounty on your head?"
Blade smirked as he emerged from the shadows to stand next to Jingyuan. "Then why don't you arrest me right now? Oh, that's right, it would be a hassle to sneak in and release me again wouldn't it?"
Jingyuan furrowed his eyebrows, "Keep talking and we'll both be in trouble. I would like to avoid any more problems, we have far too many issues to deal with after Phantylia."
Blade parted his lips fully intended to make another snarky comment towards Jingyuan, but something stopped him.
His usual confident and calm demeanor cracked, revealing a rare expression of anticipation and shock. If Jingyuan observed him a little more, he could even see a faint smile upon his lips.
"...I wasn't expecting you to be here too, Blade."
The owner of that voice was none other than Dan Heng himself, standing before the two of them with his arms crossed.
Jingyuan cleared his throat — when had it gotten so dry? — and addressed the young man, "Well, this is quite the surprise. Did you need anything else from me? I had thought you already left with the Astral Express."
Dan Heng's eyes darted around, looking anywhere but at Blade and Jingyuan. "I guess, I thought… I was just thinking that I should thank you for everything. And, I just thought it would be fine if we could stay in contact even after this." He closed his eyes, his hands turning into fists as he continued speaking. "And although I am not Dan Feng, I am not him. But I want to get to know you, Jingyuan and… Blade, as myself. As Dan Heng."
After he spoke those words, there wasn't much the two of them could say. Jingyuan found himself restraining every ounce of his body from leaping in to give Dan Heng a hug. Blade meanwhile had a funny look on his face, somewhere between a maniacal smile and frown.
As they stood next to each other, overlooking the Ambrosial Arbour in somewhat comforting yet awkward silence, Jingyuan felt the wilted flowers within his own heart begin to bloom.
"I'm thinking of retiring as general." Jing Yuan muses, breaking the silence. "Upon seeing Fu'qing's efforts in handling the Luofu while I was indisposed, I can finally rest easy knowing she's mature enough to take up the mantle now."
"And then what, join the Galaxy Rangers?" Blade sneered in response.
The snarky reply meant to stab at Jing Yuan, but all it did was elicit a genuine laugh, "So you remember my silly, childish dream from centuries ago? How thoughtful of you."
Blade furrowed his eyebrows, a deep frown tainting his perfectly chiseled face as he grimaced in defiance. "What nonsense. I merely chose any random group out there. You think too highly of yourself, former general ."
"I suppose that's how you ended up joining a criminal group, then? By randomly choosing to be with anyone who offered their sweet hand in your direction?" Dan Heng — who had been silently observing their banter, crossed his arms, finally joining in.
"Are you not the same? Following that little crew of yours on that train because it was the only place where you could avoid your past."
Dan Heng's eyes flashed with a dark glimmer as he stared at Blade, "Do not insult them any further."
Blade smirked, unable to contain the dark and festering emotions within him upon hearing the familiar tone Dan Feng used to carry.
Ah, so this is what it feels like to be alive again.
Jingyuan didn't need to ask to know that Blade was feeling the same way. It didn't matter that they were all so different now from that distant memory. It didn't matter that they took on different names. None of it mattered when they could always find each other again.
Dan Heng cleared his throat, "Ahem, it's almost time for me to return to the Astral Express. March and the trailblazer will chase me down if I stay any longer."
"Hmph. I should return to Kafka now as well." Blade said curtly, and Jingyuan realized with a pang of bitterness that there truly was no way for him to prolong their conversation.
"Oh my love, may we never part ways.
Oh my love, may time stand still for us."
The melancholic tune of a Viyadhara folk song drifted through the air, surrounding them as if it were a final embrace before their destined parting.
Jingyuan gave his signature gentle smile as he finally dared to speak. He prayed to the Aeons above that his voice wouldn't crack with lingering emotion, with longing.
"Yes, perhaps it is time for us to go now. Farewell, and may your journey lead you starward."
Just like that, Blade and Dan Heng turned away and walked off into the distance. And although this was a scene all too familiar to Jingyuan, he felt that he could finally do what he couldn't for all these centuries.
He could finally let them go.
The ghost of his past, the memory of what once was, the names of Yingxing and Dan Feng.
Goodbye, goodbye. You were my entire world. Thank you for the memories, even if I am the only one who still remembers it now.
And so he waved at them, knowing well that they couldn't see him anymore. Knowing well that they wouldn't turn to look back at him, but that was fine too.
As Jingyuan continued to watch them for a while longer, he heard the sound of someone stomping towards him.
"Jing—! I mean, ahem, General! I have divined that the time for me to step up as general of the Xianzhou Luofu to be nigh, won't you listen to me this time?"
He let out a genuine laugh upon hearing Fuxuan's declaration as she panted for breath. "Yes, I suppose it is time for me to properly give your speeches a listen now. Let us go, we can have this conversation over some tea."
With that said, the two of them left the area as well. The only thing left behind was the soft smile of a guardian fox spirit from the clouds above as she watched the scene unfold beneath her. The bittersweet separation between her old friends as they walked away from each other, never a glance over their shoulder. Just as the golden leaves drift away from the Ambrosial Arbour, the three friends would part ways, scattering in the unpredictable wind. Each of them were headed in such intergalactically different paths now, and yet there is hope in his heart.
"We will meet again, my dear friends. And this time, let me be the one to travel through galaxies, to reach for the stars and the moon — for your hand."