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Long, long ago, thousands of years ago, all kinds of divine beings lived in harmony and happiness on Earth. Everyone understood each other and had a certain role in society that they could not give up. The gods had created them that way, but one day something unexpected happened. People appeared who were not at all like the rest of the creatures. Unlike long-lived magical creatures, humans had short, if not negligible, lives. The gods assigned them not a role, but a mission. Their mission was to find meaning in their stay and life path. Only in this way would they be able to prolong their lives.
Initially, they were not very smart and even almost destroyed themselves. However, after getting to know the world of other beings, they began to understand and learn from them.
But they could never extend their lives.
People were very emotional and unstable. Thus the envy that was to blame for the disastrous events that followed took root in them.
One day humans decided to start a war against the other creatures who had no choice but to fight back.
Thus severe times of war and death passed until the moment when the Gods could not endure. They decided to take what was different from magical creatures and turn them into humans. Erased everyone's memories of the war so they could live a cohesive and quiet life.
However, as a punishment, they left one person to remember everything and live forever, so as not to allow similar mistakes in the future. He would live with this eternal burden. The gods took pity on him and allowed themselves to leave a creature to share the same fate.
So the two looked for each other forever so they could comfort each other as they guarded the new world by roaming around.
***
A bird perched on a high branch was chirping its melodious song. Early in the morning, when the sun's rays barely touched the earth, nature was in a hurry to wake up. Hard times were over and spring was a sign of renewed life. Everything had begun anew, and no living creature remembered the years gone by.
The sky was colorful and the waters crystal clear. It was green and beautiful everywhere. The animals walked on the ground like a gentle dance. The embodiment of all this was a sleeping handsome youth. He was lying under a large budding tree on one side of its crown, while on the other side the leaves were orange and falling. The gentle breeze was guiding them towards the young man who had long almost black hair and horns showing from it. A dragon-like tail had wrapped around his legs, but everything else looked like a human body.
A doe had come up to sniff him out of curiosity and rubbed her wet nose on his face. He slowly opened his eyes, which seemed to contain all of nature within them. They were blue-green in color and had a strong shine. They looked as gentle as his face.
He blinked a few times in realization and smiled at the doe who had stepped back a bit. He rose from the soft grass and held out his hand so he could pet the animal.
Unfortunately, it flinched and ran away to hide because it got scared. The youth lowered his expression and pouted his lips. He lowered his hand to his side in frustration and sighed slowly.
On the ground in front of him he noticed a leaf with something written on it. Dan Heng. With fine signs. The young man guessed that was his name. He tucked the leaf between the cloths of clothing and began to observe around him.
After a few pleasant moments of enjoying the awakening nature around him, something caught his eye. He thought he saw a human figure in the distance.
Dan Heng got up from his seat and started walking forward. He entered the dense forest and soon got lost in it. He didn't know where he was going and what he was actually looking for, nor what his mission was.
The animals near him were not afraid, but even followed him with interest.
A bird flew over his head and he held out his hand for it to land. He watched with joy as it settled on his finger and played its song.
In a moment, however, it flew away again, and he was staring at the heavens, hoping to see it again.
Dan Heng didn't feel the shadow behind him and screamed as someone wrapped their large arms around him, holding him steady.
"Let me go!" He tried to get away, but the other was much stronger and taller. "Who are you?!"
"Dan Heng, take it easy. It's me." It was a man's voice, but it sounded gentle.
The creature turned to see a man who had blood red eyes and dark hair.
"Who?" Dan Heng stared at the other's face in fear. He wondered what was going on. "Who are you?" He kept asking the same question.
"I am Yingxing." Answered him and let him go so that he could examine him better. He was sure it was Dan Heng, but he didn't understand why the other didn't recognize him.
"No.. He.. you're lying to me. You are not him. He was dying. I saw it with my own eyes. I know you're lying to me. It's not possible." Dan Heng was beginning to have flashes of the past and became saddened at the memory of his close friend's death. His legs went limp and he collapsed to the ground. He remembered everything from the past years.
Yingxing crouched down next to him, but this time he didn't want to touch him so as not to scare him further.
"Yes, you are right, but... the gods gave me a new life. A second chance. look at me I want you to remember what they told you in your dream." Yingxing said and after a while Dan Heng looked at him. He remembered everything. His past life. The heavy battles in which he had to defend himself in order not to be killed. All until yesterday and meeting the gods in his dream.
"We are... immortal?" He whispered and the other nodded to him. "And we are the only ones who remember the past."
"That's right."
"Also. Our task is to keep everything new safe." Dan Heng calmed down and ruffled his hair. "But you are not Yingxing. He died. You are... Blade. His spirit. That's what they told me." He remembered one more thing. In his previous life, he was called Dan Feng, but now he is another. It didn't feel like him, even though he remembered everything from his life before, Dan Heng was a new being.
He looked Blade in the face and listed all his similarities and differences with the memory of Yingxing. The man in front of him had the same facial structure and shape, but instead of ash white, his hair was dark blue with red ends. His eyes, instead of violet and cold, had become eternal flames that no one could put out.
"Maybe I am, but in my opinion. They used the bodies of our previous lives to resurrect us." Blade stood with an outstretched hand towards the other creature. Dan Heng cautiously placed his small palm into the larger and stronger one. He easily felt himself being straightened without any sounds from the other.
"You have more power than before. You look younger too." He commented as he continued to hold his hand tightly to make sure it was all true. He smiled when he felt a thumb caress the top of his hand. "Your heat is stronger than before. You are more alive and... beautiful." Dan Heng blushed at his own words, which had never been more sincere before.
"Unfortunately, the wound in my chest is still open." Only then did Dan Heng notice his bare flesh and his torn clothes covered in blood. The wound was intact, not fully healed. His blood had dried up and at least it wasn't flowing anymore. It looked strange and hideous, but mostly frightening. Dan Heng raised his hand to feel if Blade's heart was beating in his body. He placed it near the wound, and Blade's breathing had quickened, he tried to take deep breaths. Fortunately, his heart was beating and his lungs were expanding with air that he was breathing out and breathing in again without a problem.
"Why hasn't it closed?" Dan Heng whispered with a frown that Blade drew with his eyes and expected them to meet their gazes.
"I don't know."
The dragon tried to summon his powers to heal him, but all he managed to create was a small water dragon. The flying ball of water wrapped around his neck and rested comfortably on his shoulders. Blade laughed at the cute creature and their new companion.
"My healing abilities are gone." Dan Heng admitted with a trembling voice and worry in his eyes as he finally looked at Blade.
"Don't worry. We can no longer die." Dan Heng nodded, but that didn't calm him down enough. The wind blew and his long hair flow. The water dragon slept soundly, untroubled by the hair falling on top of him.
Blade let go of his hand to separate the other that was still stuck to his body. In his left hand, he held something that had not made any impression on Dan Heng. It was a long sword, the blade of which had dug into the soft soil behind his back. Blade picked it up and tucked it into its holster that hung from his hip. At this moment, Dan Heng remembered how tall the other was, but now he looked even more massive.
"What are we going to do now?" Dan Heng asked as a few more silent seconds passed.
"We'll walk." Blade looked at his horns and tail, which had lost some of their luster. "Can you hide them?"
Dan Heng blinked several times, at first he didn't understand exactly what the question was about, but he quickly guessed. He tried to distribute his energy and only managed to remove his tail. In the process, he didn't realize how the dragon on his shoulders had increased in size.
"That's all I can do."
"That's enough."
Blade reached out to Dan Heng to take his hand and the two of them walked aimlessly, directionlessly and fearlessly. They would live forever with heavy burdens and new cares among mortals. The only thing that kept them calm was the shared destinies of the past and the future. Eternal, but at least they are together for this entire existence. Wandering nowhere and everywhere, through the immortality that held life's innermost secrets. What is life without end? Could they find an end or the more they searched for it the more it got away from them. They longed for an end, it seemed to them that it was something beautiful and dreamed of by everyone, but the more they remembered the views of the people, the more they guessed that for them it was just the opposite. Only they knew how pitiful it was to live for millions of years without gaining control over one's own destinies. Maybe that was life for them. To move forward in the hope of meeting the end. Humans fight against their nature to keep it as far away as possible, but at what cost? Therefore, Blade and Dan Heng decided that they would do their best to make people appreciate what they have. How they valued their new destinies.