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Only after Dan Heng steps into the Lunarescent Depths, enveloped by the glowing teal streams, does the gravity of the situation dawn on Ren.
He is alone.
Again…
It's already been seven hundred years since Dan Heng's rebirth – yet to Ren, they passed by in the blink of an eye.
The Vidyadhara spent the first century of his current lifetime in the Shackling Prison, then another hundred years running across the universe. For two centuries, Ren's life was driven by the desire for vengeance.
The squabbles on the Luofu happened in a span of time pathetically short in comparison – but they made his immortal existence change forever.
The star-crossed lovers took the last stand against Nanook side-by-side, as if they had never been separated in the times of the High-Cloud Quintet. And after the evil was vanquished – the final trailblazing mission done, the final script completed...
Ren was finally free to be with Dan Heng.
Perhaps the Vidyadhara didn't understand the true meaning of his promise, uttered after the Quintet's bittersweet reunion. More likely than not, he only said it to appease the Stellaron Hunter who had just been denied the respite of death by his former master yet again.
And yet, when Ren showed up on the Astral Express outside the missions shared between the crew and the Stellaron Hunters, Dan Heng didn't make him leave. On the contrary, they had tea in the parlor car, mostly in silence.
It took several years of sporadic one-sided visits before Dan Heng invited Ren into the Archives – his personal room aboard Akivili's train. At that point, Ren was still doubting Dan Heng's intentions; refused to believe that long-forgotten happiness was finally within reach.
But then... Dan Heng confessed – shyly, awkwardly; forsaking his stoic emotionless facade in favor of stumbling over his words and blushing profusely. Ren gaped at him for a solid minute, but just as Dan Heng was about to take the words back and apologize, the Hunter sealed the sentiment with his lips.
Ren's life became measured by periods of time spent between returning to those soft lips that always taste like sea salt.
A few weeks, sometimes a couple of months from one assignment to the other until they're reunited in the twilight of the Archives.
A year to make the final preparations until they see each other on the battlefield during the final confrontation against the Destruction.
Several hours before they collide fervently in the aftermath of victory, uncaring of anyone watching or the blood soaking their clothes.
Five centuries follow – and they're the best time of Ren's endless life.
They do anything and everything together, just the two of them – from spontaneous escapades to distant planets after Kafka ends up driving Ren up the wall, to tender cuddles on the futon in the Archives after Dan Heng loses track of time working on another entry.
Ren hadn't known how much he needed this bond, beautiful in its simplicity, until he felt Dan Heng welcome him with open arms for the first time.
Alas, all good things have to come to an end. Ironically, the notion rings especially true for an immortal being.
Five hundred years come and go.
The Stellaron Hunters disperse after Destiny's Slave confirms that the future of the universe is no longer threatened. Kafka makes it her goal to bother Ren at least weekly; he groans but begrudgingly responds with the requested selfie every time. Silver Wolf continues to send him invitations to co-op games; sometimes, he even humors her.
It's odd when the two women vanish from Ren's life. They've never been particularly close, but he does miss the strange camaraderie of the Stellaron Hunters. He doesn't grieve in a way that would warrant the endless hugs and comforting murmurs Dan Heng offers – but his heart feels a little emptier.
The current generation of the Astral Express crew is gone. Himeko and Welt are the first to go. Stelle and March take over, welcoming new Nameless onboard for a few more decades. Eventually, even the cheerful girl duo takes the final journey.
Dan Heng stays for as long as he can to ensure the prosperous future of the Express and its new crew of unfamiliar faces. Pom-Pom firmly reassures him that they'll be fine, but a lone tear slips down the conductor's cheek when they think nobody is looking.
The goodbyes are short and bittersweet.
Hand-in-hand, Dan Heng and Ren walk towards the Scalegorge Waterscape.
A bitter thought that Dan Heng won't be able to fulfill his promise lingers in the back of Ren's mind – undoubtedly, remnants of the dormant mara. He quells the unease with a rational argument that Dan Heng accompanied him until the end of his lifetime – and that's all someone whose lifespan is infinite could ask for.
All the unshed tears and unspoken emotions are revealed in the last kiss. The sea salt is laced with sorrow.
Ren forces himself to smile. He wants his beloved to be at peace in the face of the rebirth this time.
Today, it's him who makes the oath – to wait until the end.
The pearl-like shell sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
Ren is alone.
It takes about a century for the mara to resurface. The curse hasn't flared up when the immortal was with Dan Heng – the Vidyadhara's presence soothed the agony of past horrors.
Ren clings onto the lifeline of his oath to retain a sliver of sanity. He just has to hold on. His beloved will return. Everything will be alright once again.
A hundred years turn into two, then bleed into three.
Ren's not closely familiar with the cycle of Permanence, but his gut is telling him that it's been far too long. In a fit of mara, he corners a Pearlkeeper and half-hisses, half-growls his demand.
Where is he? Where is Yinyue-jun?
The trembling Vidyadhara mumbles the truth that shakes Ren's entire world.
He's already hatched.
He emerged from the egg fifty years ago and left shortly to explore the universe.
Fifty years.
Dan Heng has been back for half-a-century... And he hasn't sought Ren out.
The heartbreak is a thousand times crueler this time around.
Ren doesn't chase. Not again. He just wanders aimlessly from galaxy to galaxy, slaying and destroying everything in his path.
Dan Heng said that he'd remember. That Yinyue-jun would be exempt from the clean slate state the other Vidyadhara are subjected to after rebirth.
He swore he wouldn't forget again...
But he did.
Ren settles down much faster, dealing with the same morbid misfortune twice now. The mara's shrieks are reduced to indignant whines. The pain ebbs away until it's but a dull throbbing.
Ren drifts between familiar places as true, unbound grief eats away at his soul.
The halls of Penacony.
Dan Heng and he once went to a ball here on an undercover mission. They ended up letting the target escape while dancing the night away. Kafka and Himeko chided them a little too lightly to be taken seriously.
The streets of Belobog.
Dan Heng and he were invited here to attend the grand reopening of the local museum. Ren thoroughly enjoyed teasing the flustered Vidyadhara over a large, framed photo of him, not so humbly titled ‘The Hero of Belobog’. Dan Heng's playful revenge that night was all too welcome.
The Luofu...
Everything started and ended here.
Ren stands beneath the statue of High Elder, looking over the gorge. He used to spend hours here, gazing at the many eggs of the Waterscape, trying to guess which one held his beloved. His chest was filled with hopeful warmth.
Now, there's nothing but the iciness of a loss.
Ren doesn't react to the quiet, careful steps behind him. People tend to scurry away as soon as they sense his murderous aura. He doesn't want to taint the beauty of the scenery with a bloodbath.
The stranger seems carelessly persistent. They move closer, slowly but surely.
Ren warns them. Once. Twice. The steps falter only momentarily before pressing on. The immortal lets out an exasperated sigh.
With a swift motion, he turns to point his sword at the opponent—
The blade clutters to the ground. Ren stares at the person in front of him.
There could be no mistake. He would recognize that verdigris gaze – that midnight hair, that pale skin, that everything – anywhere. But...
He must be dreaming.
Ren chokes on his words several times before croaking out the name he's been afraid to utter for centuries.
The intruder— his beloved— smiles.
“Ren.”
He is... not dreaming.
“I’m back.”