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The night is young. Speckles of stars illuminated the blanket of darkness encompassing the sky, its glow reaching the tips of Nezha’s outstretched fingers. His other hand is cushioned underneath his head, resting upon the soft grassy field that spans farther than their vision can reach.
Ao Bing is nestled next to him inside his blanket. He insists on not needing a pillow. From the past few days they’ve spent camping out together, Nezha learned that his friend liked to snuggle his whole body into the covers and pull the blanket over his face, leaving only his small horns poking out from beneath the sheets; a trait that Nezha finds both adorable and amusing to look at. Usually, he does not question it. However, today, he feels restless, and his childish tendency of needing attention flickers to life. He propped himself onto one elbow, eyeing the lump beneath the blanket with a smirk.
“For someone who controls ice, you seem cold in there.”
Ao Bing pokes his head out from underneath the blanket with a soft, questioning look. Nezha chuckles, reaching over to flick the edge of the blanket. Now in his adult form permanently, his arms are no longer stubby like they once were. “Do you need me to warm you up with a fire, Your Majesty?”
“As long as the blankets don’t catch on fire again.” Ao Bing says, a smile gracing his lips.
Nezha grins, “I can’t promise anything.”
After a moment of silence, Ao Bing spoke again.
“Nezha…” His voice was soft with a tinge of sadness. “I was thinking. Do you think we’ll be able to keep doing this…? Camping out, flying side by side, exploring and seeing more of the world together after everything has ended?” he asked.
Nezha sits up. “Of course! After we expose Wuliang, we’ll continue travelling together, just like this.” The childish, smug look gradually fades from his face, replaced by a newfound determination that blazes behind his eyes. It was the same look that had sparked something within Ao Bing when they parted for the first time on the edge of that cliff, overlooking the seas after the battle against the heavenly Chan sect. “We’ll find my brothers, save my mom, and free the Dragon Clan from hiding. Then, we’ll reach all the ends of the world, tear through every injustice in these lands, and change our story."
“Because we’re too young to fear,” Ao Bing whispers, gazing fondly at his friend.
“And because we’re the legendary Demon Orb and Spirit Pearl," Nezha declares.
Just then, a shooting star flicks across the night sky, which draws both of their attention. A few new ones follow until a meteor shower begins descending like rain. Ao Bing sits up as well, pushing up against both arms to tuck his legs underneath him, the blankets falling away. His hair and long white robes flow like streams of water in the wind. Ao Bing’s eyes sparkle, the glint far brighter than any star that Nezha has ever laid eyes on.
“Wow…” he gapes in awe.
Nezha chuckles, scooching his mattress closer to Ao Bing. “First time seeing a meteor shower?”
Ao Bing leans over and rests his head on Nezha’s shoulder. Strange, when did Nezha activate his powers? He feels the surging heat of a brilliant fire throughout his whole body, but more intense at his face.
“No, but it’s much rarer when you live in the Dragon Palace.” Underwater. Your kind chained to the bottom of the seafloor by the suppression seal.
“It’s all for you to see now. Take it all in.” Nezha smiles. When he was even younger, his Niáng used to carry him outside in her arms every so often to their backyard to stargaze. She would point out each constellation to him and teach him how he could find his way back home using them. “No matter where and how far you decide to go in the future, Diē and Niáng will always be waiting right here for you.” She would comb her fingers through his hair while singing a lullaby he’d long forgotten, but the love in her voice as she sang would forever be etched in his memories.
Something brushes against his right cheek.
Nezha glances down. Ao Bing’s looking up at him. A droplet of water rests between his cheek and Ao Bing’s finger.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly, eyes searching Nezha’s face in concern.
“Just thinking of her,” is all he mutters.
A quiet hush settles between them, and the night is silent save for the rustles of grass in the breeze. The sky above weaves beautiful blue and turquoise swirls as if the heavens were guiding them on their journey ahead. Ao Bing didn’t say anything right away; instead, he shifted his body closer, gently resting his head on Nezha's shoulder. His touch is light but steady. “I know she would be very proud of you.”
Nezha exhaled slowly, the tension in his chest dissipating beneath Ao Bing’s warmth. He rests his head on Ao Bing’s without thinking, feeling the soft blue strands of hair tickle his cheek. Ao Bing sank into him just a little more, tucking his head underneath Nezha’s chin. Nezha allows himself to let go of the weight and uncertainty of tomorrow, holding onto nothing but the warm figure pressed against him.
They shift again, this time lowering themselves until they’re both lying on top of the mattress, a confused mess of both Ao Bing’s and Nezha’s.
Ao Bing closes his eyes, a soft hum of content leaving his lips.
When Ao Bing fell asleep, Nezha absentmindedly played with his hair, combing his hand through the flawlessly smooth strands. Ao Bing’s facial features had softened over time, no longer burdened by the heavy responsibility of saving the Dragon Clan weighing on his shoulders.
Nezha anchors himself in the present; it is as if time slowed, and all that is left on his mind is the night they will share in each other’s embrace. Is this what it means to feel grounded? That despite how far you fly, there will always be a home to return to.
Once kindled to forge a new dawn, Nezha’s fire now burns for the night.
—
The fire’s greedy hunger licks at every inch of Nezha’s vision, swallowing the battlefield and consuming everything in its wake. The smell of burning flesh and rubble was invasive. Tides of the Four Seas raged in the horizons as the Deification War tore through the lands. The sky is falling; the heavens, everything this world was built on, are shattering.
Why isn’t Ao Bing moving?
Nezha’s hands tremble as he cups Ao Bing’s cheeks. They were cold to the touch. His friend lays limp in his arms, eyes fluttering in an attempt to keep them open. His hair was completely down, threads of it matted messily to his forehead, and Nezha brushed loose strands from his cheeks.
“Nezha…”
“Shī fù and Shen Gongbao are coming, Ao Bing. Hang in tight there. I can’t lose you— please.” Nezha begged, desperately clutching at his body. Tears streamed down his face, blurring his vision, and he frustratingly blinked them away. “Please…” A litany of pleas fell from his lips.
The battle rages on— relentless and raw, with each side clashing like furious tsunamis caught in a storm. Blades scraped through the air as arrows descended upon the masses below, turning the battlefield below into a bloodbath. Mortals, demons, monsters, and immortals fought to the death, with every clash sending tremors through the earth. Screams are swallowed by the chaos of war. The metallic scent of blood was heavy in the air as smoke coiled into the skies and drowned out the light. Ao Bing was struck by a fatal attack meant for Nezha.
A trembling hand settles atop his wrist, where the golden hoop lies. “I-… I want you to take the Spirit Pearl’s powers,” Ao Bing says weakly. “C-...Combine it with your Demon Orb.”
Reincarnate the Chaos Pearl.
“Not without you,” Nezha cries, pressing his forehead into Ao Bing’s. “I can’t do this without you.” I don't know what happiness is without you anymore.
More sobs rattle from his body. “I’ve defied fate for so long, but if you’re not there to walk this path next to me,” Nezha pauses, “then what’s the point?” His voice cracks. “What’s the point of changing this world if I can’t even save the most important person to me?”
Warm droplets drip onto Nezha’s fingers from Ao Bing’s eyelashes, and with pain in his heart, Nezha feels the urge to softly wipe them away, like how Ao Bing would for him on nights he missed his mom, or how he would gently offer to blow sand from his eyes when he claimed he had some in his eyes.
“I’m sorry…” Ao Bing’s voice was barely above a whisper, every word straining his body.
He held him just like the day they watched the meteor shower under the stars’ watchful gaze, drinking in the warmth of each other’s bodies and snuggling beneath the sheets to their heart’s content.
Ao Bing’s eyes fluttered closed.
A raw, gut-wrenching scream tore from Nezha’s throat. Flames ripped through the battlefield, devouring it in a blaze born of the Demon Orb’s wrath as he grasped onto his friend’s lifeless body.
That day, the Chaos Pearl descended upon the world once more.