Chapter Text
As the summer solstice draws closer, the city of Zhu’an was busy in preparations for the Festival of Burning Lights. A fair, black-haired maiden observed from afar as various villagers decorated their homes with colourful lanterns, lights that sparkled with the full moon’s reflection, and dancing tropes practicing tirelessly for their performances in days to come. It was truly a magnificent sight, to see the community of people band together to celebrate.
“I’m going to be so excited for the festival! I bet there will be tons of food to snack on.” Wanwan exclaimed, jumping for joy—she was always the more energetic one.
Zhuxin was lucky to have her as her assistant shopkeeper, though she does have a bad habit of chasing away her crimson butterflies. Perhaps it was her feline instincts kicking in.
She began to pack up her things for a night of rest but she was soon greeted by a panting, fox-looking creature that appeared to have been augmented with robotic parts.
“Huff… huff. I wish for a thousand bags of potato chips to fall from the sky!” the talking fox shouted out excitedly, panting in between words.
Hmm for once, a wish that is more manageable than the others, Zhuxin thought to herself. Although she cannot make bags of chips to fall from the sky, she channeled her gift in her magic lantern into creating a gigantic bowl of crisps for the hungry fox instead.
“Thank you Missy!”
“Uh… you’re very welcome…” she spoke, before waving goodbye to the now-cheerful Chip the talking fox. What an interesting patron.
“Bye bye Mr. Fox! Come again if you want more chips!”
Zhuxin bid farewell to her shop assistant, thanking her for her help after a long day of fulfilling wishes. Indeed, she felt blessed and incredibly privileged to be helping people from all walks of life to achieve their desires but at the same time, she felt a looming dread of emptiness over her shoulders.
What about my own wishes? What do I want in life, truly?
She sighed and gazed over at her lantern, “I shouldn’t distract myself with such selfish desires…” she murmured, toying around with her crimson butterflies. Its wings sparkled against the dimly lit fluorescent lights, reflecting a reddish-pink hue, one that was more bright than others. It flew out of the wishmaker’s shop, passing through the crowds of villagers that were also in awe of its beauty.
“Hey, come back!” The lady pleaded, it was unusual for her butterflies to show their cheeky side, running away like that.
Zhuxin panted and panted, chasing after the butterfly that seemed to find it amusing at the sight of its master running, and screaming at it.
“Come back here! I was about to close shop, darn it!”
The butterfly then spun around the entrance of the park, landing on a bench facing a gazebo, giving it a perfect view of a couple having their intimate moment. Two men.
One with brown hair that was tied up in a high ponytail with a devilish smirk, and the other— a lean, graceful looking fighter with white hair with bangs that framed his delicate face. They were in each other’s embrace, basking under the orange hues of the sunset that illuminated the park.
Zhuxin, as curious as ever, stopped her tracks to witness the budding romance between the two oriental fighters.
Aww. That’s really sweet.
She thought of the different men and women that would wish for gifts, either to help with winning a lover back after a fight or misunderstanding, or even perhaps to court them for a lifelong marriage. Either way, she never understood the human nature of relationships, yet alone love. To her, it all seemed fascinating to observe from a third person’s perspective but sometimes, she could not help but to wonder what it is like to experience it.
She turned to her crimson butterfly, who was gleefully watching the romance unfold as well. “Wait… you dragged me here just to watch this, did you?”
The butterfly playfully flew around Zhuxin.
“So I’ll take that as a ‘yes’ then,” she chuckled, letting it sit on her finger.
And so, she watched the couple from afar, being careful not to interrupt their intimate moment or scare them away. She was, after all, a curious onlooker who wanted to learn the ways of courtship and romance.
The brown haired warrior slid his arms around his partner’s waist, bringing him closer to his side. His partner—the graceful looking fighter, Ling, she heard his name was, blushed in response to this gesture, his face becoming crimson red. A colour that is a polar opposite of his attire as the Cyan Finch.
Zilong, the one with the boyish smile, pulled him closer into an amorous hug, before giving a soft kiss on the man’s cheeks. The gesture made Zhuxin’s heart race, with its pureness and sincerity.
Is love disgustingly sweet like that? Just like in the fairy tales that she had read before as a child? Or do they always end in tragedy, something like that movie with the sinking ship? What is it called, Titanic?
“I wonder if I could ever find love like that…” she spoke to herself, fiddling with her long braids as she admired the couple’s displays of affection. She knew the banes of being gifted with such powers, it would mean having to let go of typical worldly desires, of which one of them is love.
She shook her head— No, no. There’s no time for such things. “Snap out of it, Zhuxin…”
After supposedly having the wisdom of old age, three thousand years worth of experiences (and life in general) to be exact, Zhuxin for once felt like a complete child in the realm of romance.
.....
“I’m telling you man, I think this shaman or wishmaker, whatever ya call it, is going to cure me!” The master martial artist, Yin spoke, his voice filled with optimism.
“I suppose you could try…” Suyou replied.
If he was being honest, he just wanted to accompany his friend so that he does not do anything stupid, especially not to accidentally summon Lieh in the middle of the village. Yin also took the time and effort to travel from Floral Falls, which was located deeper in the forests of Cadia Riverlands. So as a good friend and host, Suyou reluctantly agreed.
The man was also intrigued about this so-called wishmaker or witch, or shaman, or whatever they call her. As Suyou was the last descendant of the Exorcists of Nuo, he carried the power of the immortal deity to safeguard Zhu’an from the dark spirits. So when he heard of another person blessed with a certain power or a gift, his interest was piqued immediately.
“I heard that the wishmaker lady is really pretty. I bet I can set the both of you up!”
For the love of Nuo… no. My duties are far more important than romance, Suyou thought.
“Let’s just focus on getting rid of your inner demon first?”
“Aww, you’re no fun…” the martial genius retorted.
.....
The shop has always been Zhuxin’s safe haven, and it truly was a museum on its own, reflecting centuries upon centuries of history in the Land of Dawn. Vintage ceramics dated back to a thousand years ago lined the shelves, while paintings depicting the old city of Ridgeburg (also known as Necrokeep in the present day) decorated the amber coloured walls of the shop. Nearby the entrance of the shop lay several indoor plants—money tree, aloe and cactus, with its greenery contrasting the oranges. Visitors would find themselves immersed with the various decor while waiting for the wishmaker to call out their names.
Zhuxin was busy with a client when she heard the wind chimes rang, its light clinking sound alerting the lovely feline assistant, who later went swooping ahead to greet the two patrons with enthusiasm, and two cups of jasmine tea, a favourite of many.
Her bright yellow eyes darted towards the two men, one of whom brought back happy memories from the past.
“Wanwan! It’s been so long!” Yin shouted, with his voice ringing across the room.
Yin was never one for subtlety, which was not surprising given the evil god that lies inside of him. His friends, the other members of the oriental fighters found it impressive that the boy had yet to go insane.
“Yin, is that you??!” The assistant spoke before gleefully reaching out for a hug.
She remembered the last time they met, half a decade ago perhaps, where they made a promise to attend the Festival of Burning Lights together.
“You two… know each other?” Suyou asked, as he sipped on his jasmine tea. Its floral notes soothing, with the just right amount of sweetness and warmth.
“Yes! He’s my childhood best friend! We used to get into a lot of trouble together back in Floral Falls! I could share some of his most embarrassing moments—”
The agile tiger was interrupted by a cough, “Uh… I think we can save the stories for next time, don’t you think, Wanwan?” Yin said, his face now a bright cherry red.
He thought of all the shenanigans that the two of them got themselves into as children, such as stealing honey from a beehive (and then getting stung), being chased by an abnormally gigantic chicken because his best friend wanted fried chicken wings.
But what Wanwan doesn’t know? Back then, he did all those silly things to appease her, all because he harbored feelings for her.. a crush, that’s what they called it.
“Aww, come on Yin! I’m sure this man would like to hear all of our fun adventures… Come on, please?”
She’s doing that stupidly cute face again, Yin thought.
Their playful banter was abruptly interrupted by a melodious, honeyed voice. “Wanwan, could you fetch the next client please?”
“Oh, I think you guys are next, come on…” Wanwan gestured to the men to follow her, walking past the numerous mini-greenhouses that contained many crimson butterflies, and an awkwardly placed fish tank, which stood out like a sore thumb.
“That thing is probably for your feline friend,” Suyou commented, as they paused to poke at the stained glass walls of the mini-aquarium. The fishes were making weird faces, as if they were mocking them.
.....
“Wanwan, I told you to be careful with handling the ceramics or it’ll be a tripping hazard—oh.” She was greeted by two men, one with blonde hair tied in a braid, and several circles of rings at his forearms. But what made Zhuxin stop in her tracks was the sheer beauty of the one standing next to him.
The man was an epitome of eastern beauty, striking a balance of sharp features and delicate, soft ones that made him appear kind and approachable. His hair was as long as hers, which stopped right at his waist. And the woman was no stranger to admiring people’s bodies, with her gaze inevitably lingering at his muscular, yet lean physique. He must be a warrior of sorts, she thought. But from the way he walked in, it was as graceful as a dancer, his movements light and feathery, poised, yet dangerous. Who is this enigmatic man?
And by the gods, HE’S HOT.
Wait, did I just say that?
“Uh. Ma’am, are you alright?” The warrior spoke, reaching out his hand to introduce himself.
“Zhuxin! Earth to Zhuxin… hello?” Her assistant probed at her, tickling her with her tail. She was not used to seeing the lady zone out like this, especially in front of new clients. It’s bad for business.
Zhuxin was taken out of her dreamlike-state immediately, and glared at Wanwan for tickling her. Though, part of her feels glad that her beloved assistant snapped her back into reality as she could not bear to embarrass herself any further.
“Ah! Wanwan, you scared me…” She sighed, before turning to the two men. She shifted her gaze away from Suyou, in an attempt to avoid getting herself flustered again, after all, her cheeks were still crimson red.
“Ma’am, I’m Suyou, and this is my friend Yin. We sought your assistance… we heard you’re a granter of wishes.”
“Uh, yeah. Hi Zhuxin, I’m Suyou! A granter wisher… butterfly lantern of sorts…” Snap out of it. She was stuttering like a schoolgirl. This never once happened to her in three thousand years, not once, ever! This felt incredibly frustrating and all new to Zhuxin.
The warrior let out a soft chuckle. “Charming.”
“Oh.. I mean. I’m Zhuxin, what can I help you with?” She coughed out, trying to salvage whatever’s left of the painfully awkward interaction.
Wanwan, observant as ever, noticed her boss’s flustered appearance and smirked. She gave her good friend a side eye, hinting towards the possible blooming romance. Yin knew what was on his friend’s mind, as if they would speak to each other telepathically.
“I need to kill off this evil God inside of me, before he takes control!”
A god? Evil? What is this boy on about? “Uh… what God are we talking about, mister? My powers have limits…”
She thought about the simple wishes that she had fulfilled for the past few days. Baxia wished for an emergency stash of toilet paper, while the black dragon Yu Zhong himself requested for an additional packet of ramen flavourings. Moreover, Wanwan’s source of entertainment a.k.a her fish tank and the fox’s potato crisps. Simple, straightforward items and wants. Not kill off a deity. That would take too much of her energy and time, which also meant having to sacrifice other people’s happiness at the expense of Yin’s wish.
“I’m sorry, Yin, as much as I would like to help you, I can’t. My clients’ wishes were all easy—straightforward, expelling a God is not that simple. You’ll have to seek someone more powerful. I bet the Moniyan Empire would have the answers you need, not to mention the resources.”
She spoke apologetically, sighing as her lantern’s light dimmed, a telltale sign that his request was not feasible.
Yin nodded, understanding where the lady was coming from, although he was slightly disappointed as he did travel from the other end of Cadia Riverlands to meet the famed wishmaker. However, Yin, being the ray of sunshine that he is, decided to not make his visit to Zhu’an go to waste, and his face lit up the moment he remembered that the Festival of Burning Lights was days ahead.
“I think Suyou and I would stay a few days for the festival! Remember Wanwan? We promised to go together one day, and this is the perfect opportunity!”
“...Wait, we are?” Suyou replied. He was slightly distracted by the crimson butterflies that were toying around with him. They were teasing Zhuxin as well, tugging her to stand closer to the exorcist.
Wanwan smiled at her friend’s positive attitude. She always loved how Yin was able to see the bright side of things, the silver lining in the clouds, the light at the end of the tunnel. She wondered, perhaps that was the reason Lieh chose to take control of him. Because it would be a challenge—and conquering Yin completely would be the ultimate definition of success to him. But Wanwan knew that her best friend would not succumb to the evil god.
“Say, what don’t we all go out for dinner later on? All four of us. It would be like a great catch up!”