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Jing Yuan had a calendar in his office, but he never looked at it.
The concept of the passing minutes and days were needless for a long living being—for him, specifically. Save for the Foxian’s custom of celebrating birthdays, the other Xianzhou natives would count their age by decades or centuries, never the lesser number. If Jing Yuan didn’t need to know the date for the paperwork, he wouldn’t know that today would be his birthday.
“General, did you oversleep again?” Qingzu questioned as Jing Yuan stepped inside the Seat of the Divine Foresight.
“I got lost,” he reasoned as he smiled. The amount of documents on his table wasn’t an exception on his supposed special day. Qingzu didn’t know and it was alright. Jing Yuan hadn’t celebrated his birthday for seven centuries.
The last he celebrated a birthday was Yingxing’s, and he was sure the man had long forgotten the concept of time as well. On the contrary, he was searching for a way to end it.
A wry smile crawled to the general’s face, safely hidden from the sight of others as his ivory locks curtained it with a tilt of his head.
Jing Yuan occupied the seat he usually sat on. He did what he usually does—work. And he remembered a day forgotten by others as he made no effort to let them know of it.
It didn’t matter. A man like him aged with each passing moment. A measly day wouldn’t make a difference.
It was just another day in his long list of days.
Irony played its melody through Luofu’s morning breeze as time was known to deprive a soldier’s life, but not his.
“General, I have a question.” Yanqing visited him by the afternoon, sitting idly on the edge of his table with his swords floating in the air. Unsheathed.
“What would that be?” Jing Yuan didn’t look up from his papers, but he toyed with one of the weapons as it hovered around his chair.
“Have you given your Flower of Eternity to someone?” The younger one asked.
Flower of Eternity.
An object blessed by the power of Abundance. Fire cannot burn its existence. Water cannot douse its flaming light of life. It cannot be frozen for it is already encased beyond the realms of time.
It was the symbol of forever.
It was the symbol of everlasting.
And it was the symbol of him as living for almost a millennia felt like immortality.
It was a custom within the Alliance to give the flower to one's object of affection.
There was a long-standing belief that whoever the flower will be given to, will always be with it. Given time, its leaves shall feed upon starlight, but its petals are sewn to one’s existence, bounded from promise to death.
His mother had a flower with her. His father had a flower with him as well. Exchanged with promises that kept them together for centuries. None of those wilted.
Jing Yuan liked its meaning, but he didn’t follow tradition—not his family’s ties with the Realm-Keeping Commission nor this one.
“I haven’t,” he answered honestly, tone embedded with his signature calmness. “Do you plan on giving yours to someone?” His lips curved into a smirk, and Yanqing’s swords flew haphazardly in the air.
“I-I’m just asking out of curiosity!”
Before he could press on the roots of Yanqing’s curiosity, Qingzu approached them with a brightened expression. “General, it seems we have visitors.”
Jing Yuan pushed himself out of his seat, signaling Yanqing to keep his weapons at bay. Qingzu’s smile told him it was one of her favorite guests as she grew long tired of receiving for him. “Is that so?”
“It’s our friends from the Astral Express.”
His smile stretched into a grin at the sight of familiar faces gracing him from their latest feats in Penacony. The Luofu might have been a pit stop for them, but Jing Yuan kept in touch with their adventures. One trailblazer had no reservations about sharing details of her trip with him.
A pair of golden-hued irises met his from the other side of the room, donning a childlike smile with her ashen locks falling to her waist. Her hair grew longer at the measly time they were gone. She also wore a different set of clothes—a white dress hugging her form with sunglasses sitting on the crown of her hair. The jacket was still there and so were the gleaming eyes that never failed to amaze him.
“I didn’t expect you’d be at the office today,” Stelle quipped as a greeting.
“A rare occasion indeed, but a fortunate one.” Jing Yuan stepped down to the holographic starchess board, occupying the gold side as Stelle stood on the blue one. “Welcome back to Luofu.”
“Yeah, it’s nice to be back.”
Unlike him, time had touched Stelle, but the way she looked at him never changed.
Perhaps today wasn’t a normal day after all.
Jing Yuan spared Qingzu the role of entertaining guests as he personally took the time to stroll around Luofu’s streets with the trailblazer. Stelle no longer asked questions about Luofu’s customs, enjoying the scenery of the ever-bustling Central Starskiff Haven with a longing smile. It reminded him a bit of himself.
“This is nice,” she commented, “no monsters here and there.”
“It is,” Jing Yuan agreed, “we have the Astral Express to thank for it.”
"No, Jing Yuan." Stelle shook, taking none of his compliments. She turned to him, leveling her gaze with his sincere ones. "This is all you."
It never failed to twist the corners of his lips in an unspoken appreciation. He didn't need to express it through words. Stelle would still know of it with the faint brush of his fingers on her sleeve. The warmth was there, and she kept the polite distance in acknowledgement.
They were greeted by civilians left and right. A welcomed sight with good mornings akin to happy birthdays. It wasn’t an everyday occurrence that the General and their heroes would be seen walking in public with Steamed Puffergoat Milk. Today must be a special day, indeed.
“Mom, can we go to Tall Auntie’s today?” A Foxian girl begged her mother as they couldn’t help but overhear their conversation from the sidelines.
“Honey, we eat at Tall Auntie’s every day.”
“But today’s a special day! It’s my birthday.”
Jing Yuan smiled a little at the scene—eyes closed to immerse himself in the joyous sounds of the people of Luofu. It was a delight to know someone was celebrating today despite their different reasons to do so. It felt like someone celebrated his as well.
Silence befell the two of them for a good minute—their shoulders brushing as they observed everyone else around them.
“Say, are there any places I haven’t been into yet?” Stelle asked as she drank the remaining contents of her beverage. There were remains of milk on the corner of her lips—evidence of the well-enjoyed treat she was unaware of.
Jing Yuan smiled softly, hand outstretched as he wiped the corners of her mouth. “Perhaps.” Stelle merely blinked at his gentle touch. “Circumstances before had necessitated my whole attention. It was unfortunate I wasn’t able to show you what Luofu had to offer myself.”
“We have time now, don’t we?” Stelle bent her head, dampening his sentiments with an opportunity. “Show me what Luofu has to offer this time. One without abominations, if you would have me.”
Beyond the silent nod he bestowed on that statement, Jing Yuan couldn’t help but agree that today was a meaningful day, unlike the usual days in his life. He skipped napping. He partly skipped working. He didn't skip the moments drawn by the trailblazer as she spent the rest of her day with him.
"Let's go over there. I'm craving for Songlotus cakes."
"Do you like mung bean soda? It tastes bad but you should try it at least once."
"Does Luofu have an amusement park? Ah, I think you don't have any. You would've loved a rollercoaster in the Seat of the Divine Foresight."
From the maze-like structures of the Alchemy Commission to the single open space of the Realm-Keeping Commission, Stelle had been tugging his hand to places, roles reversed as she led the way without qualms. It had been a while since someone reached for his arm and whisked him to famous landmarks for merrymaking. Jing Yuan felt like a tourist despite memorizing Luofu's layout in the back of his mind.
"Hmm… where should we go next? I'm running out of ideas."
"Stelle, you know more of Luofu than most natives, but I'm sure there's still one more place you have yet to see." Jing Yuan said as he halted in the middle of the Divination Committee. Their hands were still connected, none of the two making a move to let go.
She grinned at the notion, excitement rising for the unknown. With the smallest gesture of her head, she asked him to take her to the place she had yet to discover.
For the first time in a long time, Jing Yuan preferred if the day went longer even just a little bit.
Most of Luofu had been preserved by time.
The people. The culture. The battle against the Denizens of the Abundance.
And so was the only good thing brought forth by the Abundance, the Flower of Eternity.
Vegetation in Luofu was scarce. There wasn’t much to appreciate under the artificial atmosphere and the lack of greenery, but the fleet did conserve a meadow of glowing flowers for its symbolic meaning. It was a famous site, yet rarely chanced upon by its natives due to recent onslaught.
Stelle gaped at its sight, enamored by the surreal view. “March will go nuts when she sees this.” Quickly, she took out her phone. “Can I?” She meekly asked for permission.
“No one shall stop you, Stelle.”
With that sole approval, she ran to the field, capturing the moment through the lens of her phone, immortalizing it from the depths of her being. Jing Yuan watched as she went everywhere—left and right, by the feet of the meadow, and on the edge of the cliff (a spot where he needed to pull her back to safety).
“Jing Yuan, smile.” She snapped a shot before he could even smile. Prided over by the fact that she caught him off guard, Stelle was met with disappointment when she checked the photo. “You still look good. How is that possible?”
A chuckle escaped his lips. Jing Yuan liked how he didn’t feel like a general at present. The sense of normalcy naturally accompanied him whenever he was with Stelle—away from the title that identified most of his life. He smiled at this subtle gift to his existence. It reminded him of what he needed.
Stelle reached over to her box of Songlotus cake, opening it in the middle of the field. Despite being confused at the sudden show of hunger, he silently watched as she brought out a small candle and lighter from her satchel.
“I don’t know if it’s your birthday, but here you go.” Stelle beamed at him with the small fire that lit up the tremors of his heart. “I saw you look at the little girl with envy so—”
Jing Yuan stifled a laugh—head dipped as he covered his mouth to dampen it. The sounds of his hilarity died down the words from her throat, making her bite her lip to stop the rising grin on her face. Stelle said nothing, choosing to soak herself in this rare display of ease from Luofu’s general.
Soon, he calmed down, but the smile never left his face. “You are right. I was envious of that little girl.”
“You must be a fan of Tall Auntie then.”
“Perhaps.” Jing Yuan closed his eyes for a silent prayer, then blew the candle by the next second. The date of his birth wasn’t a secret to be kept nor was it a detail of him to tell. Jing Yuan found it unnecessary to be shared, but if it was for the kindness of a Nameless, then he would be more than welcome to share a part of him he hadn’t in a long while. “And you are right once more, it is my birthday today.”
Stelle blinked in surprise. “Oh.” Then, she stared at the small Songlotus cake in her hand. “I knew I should’ve bought the bigger one.”
Jing Yuan shook, taking the treat from her arm. “This is enough.”
“No, no, it’s your birthday. I got March a limited edition camera for hers while Dan Heng got a Kindle. Well, they don’t know their birthdays so I just decided it for them.” Stelle frantically looked around them, seeing nothing but a field of grass and flowers. “Anyway, I can’t give you nothing.” Pressing her lips to a thin line, she took the nearest eye-catching object she could find.
A Flower of Eternity.
Plucking it from the ground, she cleaned it of dust and sediments, flattening its leaves as she arranged its petals for a neat presentation. “Here you go. I’ll give you a better one next year.”
Next year?
“Yeah, next year. Don’t you celebrate birthdays every year?” Stelle questioned with a flower in her hand. Jing Yuan failed to notice he voiced his thoughts out loud.
So, Stelle would be here next year as well.
His waves of golden irises settled on the lone flower waiting for his acceptance. Jing Yuan kept his gaze on its ever-blooming colors, wondering if she knew what this action meant for a Xianzhou native.
“Do you prefer the flower over there? I think that one has bigger petals.”
The corners of his lips tugged upwards, hesitation bidding him goodbye as he reached over to the flower presented to him. His calloused fingers, which were touched by endless spars and strategizing for a tomorrow, grazed its stem, warmth flooding him as a promise was unknowingly made.
“Stelle, when is your birthday?” He asked, eyes moving into hers.
Stelle scratched her cheek, admittingly shy about the question. “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I don’t remember much of my life before I met March and Dan Heng from Herta’s Space Station.”
Jing Yuan bent over to the ground, plucking out a Flower of Eternity for his giving. “Then, would you like to share birthdays with me?” He got rid of its roots, dusted off the remains of the soil, and flattened the petals for her reception. “Consider this as my gift.”
“Sharing birthdays with the Divine Foresight, huh? Such an honor, Jing Yuan.” Her hands reached out to it, fingers brushing against his as Jing Yuan placed it safely on her palm. “Do you give flowers to anyone, General?” She teased, a full-brown grin making its way to her features as she tucked the flower behind her ear.
“No.” He shook, keeping the one he received safe from the whispers of the wind. “Just you.”
For Jing Yuan, it didn’t matter if Stelle knew the meaning behind tradition. She understood him, and that was all that mattered. Time would never change that.
The day had passed, and Stelle had to say goodbye once more.
“I’ll return from time to time. Do you want souvenirs of the next world I’ll be in?” She asked. “Wait. Don’t. I’ll surprise you myself for your birthday next year.”
Next year. Jing Yuan liked the sound of that.
“See you around, General.” Stelle squeezed his hand, flower in tow as it glowed brightly on her tresses.
“See you around, Nameless.” Jing Yuan wore his own, befitting the metal armory on his chest.
Farewells were exchanged yet none of them moved to leave—gazes shone with a subtle hope for a reunion.
Jing Yuan hoped for a lot of things for the Luofu more than anything else. Centuries of being an Arbiter-General was the definitive proof while time was his witness. It wasn't as great as history deemed it to be nor was it as joyous as what his accolades would say. By a shred of honesty, it was a path of martyrdom, following the ways of the Hunt in eternity.
Yet for once, Jing Yuan hoped for himself. Not as a general, but as a being of this world.
Somehow, Stelle heard the silent plea.
“I know,” she whispered before she boarded the Astral Express. “I know what this flower means.”
She smiled, the corners of her eyes twinkled mischievously with unspoken thoughts hanging in the air. The glass windows of the express closed in on them—a transparent barrier hiding nothing beneath those golden colors they shared.
Jing Yuan was caught off guard, at a loss for words as he watched the train slowly disappear from the horizon. In a stretch of time in its minimality, the realization sank into his system—a smirk painting through his amusement.
“Next year, I see. I shall look forward to it.”
Jing Yuan had a calendar in his office, and he checked on today’s date, marking it with the stroke of his brush pen to be remembered for the rest of his days.