Work Text:
Laughter, sadness and anger.
He knows such emotions but only one remains in his face, forever etched with reassurance.
He smiled as his friends raised their wine cups high, the clear liquid splattering on them lightly. A swordswoman smiled as she looked at her dear student with pride. Her said student grinned, hooking his arms around his companion’s shoulder. The said companion - a blacksmith - lightly patted the student’s arm. Their Foxian member laughed as she raised her glass, waving at him.
Qiong knew this was a sight to behold, for a High Elder’s life is no child’s play. He raised his cup alongside his companions’ own. Their laughter wafted in Scalegorge Waterscape, almost mocking the High Elder Statue behind them.
Caelus stood in front of the High Elder Statue, the latter’s stone sword pointing at the direction of Scalegorge Waterscape. He held a wine cup. The familiar scent of rice wine was never his type, but rather, it feels right to drink it. Memories began to bloom in his mind, like transient lotus blossoms forever in their prime.
This was one of the few times his face twisted the other way, frowning upon the statue. The statue seemed to be mocking him. It reminded him of a past he never had, but a past he was cursed with to never remember. That same past landed him in Shackling Prison for five centuries until he was exiled. No one in Xianzhou never even cared should he lived or died, but he feared even stepping a foot on the Fleet.
He feared imprisonment, loneliness, and darkness.
Caelus was also chased around by a nigh-insane Stellaron Hunter, his very existence now threatened. Everytime he escaped, he hoped to never encounter him again, fearing that his friends from the Astral Express will be collateral damages in his revenge runs. The Hunter accused him of these sins - one he does not even remember nor did he think it was worth remembering.
He closed his eyes, darkness conquering his line of sight.
“You really think you can run away?”
“And where did it bring you? Back to me.”
Caelus opened his eyes to see what he always thought was a transient dream, frowning upon the sight of someone he remembers of seeing. The long silver hair, golden crown of horns, golden tail and ichor eyes… He remembered all of it very well. This was no mirror image, but a nightmare waiting to be acknowledged.
Qiong - the Imbibitor Lunae, the former Vidyadhara High Elder, and the traitor of Xianzhou.
The fully-transformed golden-scaled Vidyadhara has his sword pointed at Caelus's chest, his smile contradicting his actions. Caelus knows better than to underestimate Qiong’s facial expressions as he could do the same thing. To kill with a smile was a trait exclusive to Qiong’s reincarnations, including Caelus himself.
“Run all you want.” Qiong smiled, still pointing the sword to his chest, “But you'll never escape from your past.”. How dare a dead person dictate what Caelus should do? It simply disgusted him how his fate was controlled by a shadow - one that doesn't haunt him but made a mockery of everyone’s tragedies in the Fleet.
“But I am not you .” Caelus growled, whipping around before unveiling his sword. Sparks soared as their blades collided with each other, “You don't get to dictate shit in my life, especially not by you .”.
Their blades clashed with each other as sparks fly. The ripples on the water became larger with every step they take, gracefully dancing on the stagnant pool in his mind. To Caelus's surprise, he managed to catch up with Qiong’s millenia worth of experience. He managed to block every hits that could have been fatal for him.
Caelus slashed and whipped his sword, only to be countered by Qiong’s own blade dance.
“You should know by now…” Qiong said, his face turning serious despite the gleeful expression, “It's futile!”. Blades of water surrounded his form before he fired them all at Caelus. The projectiles rushed at him, preparing to run him through with them.
He thanked Yingxing’s swordfight training as he excelled in Qiong’s blade dance in no time (Did Qiong teach Yingxing his own fighting style?). His sword deflected every attack that Qiong threw at him, the water blades fusing with the pool they stand upon. He ran towards the supposedly dead man with his sword raised.
Whip, snap, slash!
Yet, Caelus failed to even land a hit on Qiong, his sword creating ripples with every miss. It almost seems like the latter was dancing as he dodged the attack with grace. Was it a surprise that a fighter has the grace of a theatrical dancer?
It was even more surprising that he managed to block the other’s attack with precise timing. The lotus cloudhymn spells Qiong inflicted, Caelus managed to deflect with his sword. However, he was less than confident to win in this fight.
Compared to Qiong, Caelus was a mere hatchling.
Water began to swirl around the elder, the cloudhymn magic almost drowning Caelus with its intensity. He has not felt magic this intense since he last saw Scalegorge Waterscape. He feels entangled, almost showing the amount of pain he is going to be in.
Qiong whipped his hand as a huge tidal wave approached Caelus, towering over his oh-so-tiny form. It was the size of one of those tsunamis that Yingxing told him about that once ravaged a civilization. There was no time - to run away, to block it, and even to use his own powers.
His breath stolen, his lungs shrunken. Caelus feels like drowning as the tidal wave crashed onto him. His hands flailed as tried his best to rise up to the surface. From below, he saw Qiong looking down at him, seemingly underestimating him. His sword floated a few meters away from him as he desperately reached for it.
He hates this. He really does. He hated being responsible from somebody else’s sins. He hated looking back at a past he does not remember.
“From this day forth, you'll be one with us - the Astral Express.” Himeko
“You can always count on me.” March
“Find a future you so much desire, do not play by what he left.” Yingxing
“I want to travel the universe with you.” Dan Heng
“Caelus.”
He loves going with the Astral Express, trailblazing through the universe and help those in need. He loves the strong scent of Himeko’s coffee (but he hates drinking them). He loves watching Welt’s animation board. He loves looking at March’s photos displayed in her room - a memoriam for every world they visit. He loves fighting with Dan Heng, and getting his ass kicked sometimes.
He feels his cloudhymn magic surface from within, the waters swirling under his command. He growled as his hands flailed even harder. You won't control my fate! You are not me! I am Caelus . The Vidyadhara you left unnamed! The Nameless!
“I'll blaze a path of my own!”
Water swirled around him, splitting around his body. His golden eyes now slitted like a reptile’s glared at Qiong. His silvery gray hair became long, the inside hair becoming strands of gold. His ichor crown of horns shine under the nonexistent light of his mindscape. His black and gold Xianzhou robes fluttered innocently despite the battle ensuing.
Caelus now held his sword once again, now heavy with the power he created. The fire his normal human form uses swirled around him, dissipating and changing its form into the water that filled the pool. A blazing water dragon now casted under his command with his blade pointed to the older Vidyadhara.
The dragon roars, its power intense with the blazing cloudhymn magic he does not use often. He points it at Qiong. For the first time, Caelus smiled as his form blew past the elder, never harming him as the water dragon splashed back to the pond harmlessly.
The intensity of his magic swirled as it rained as his line of sight returned back to normal, now standing in front of the High Elder Statue. The form of Qiong remained frozen. His eyes were blank, his mouth open with shock. He did not expect his young incarnation to best him in battle with a battle-feral smile.
“Very well,” The elder sighed, his form dissipating in stardust, “I will not stop you. Go and do not disappoint your own expectations.”.
Caelus smiled blankly at his incarnation’s last words before looking at the High Elder Statue. What he said to Qiong was no statement, but rather a promise. It was not a vow to Qiong or to any person Qiong had already disappointed in the Xianzhou.
It was for himself and he swears in Long’s name, he will blaze that path himself.
Well… Speak of the devil…
“Caelus!”