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March stared at her blood-soaked hands.
The red blood didn’t bother her, but rather the wounded, serpentine dragon lying close to her side. Even through the dark forest, she could still make him out from the darkness.
March attempted to move closer, slowly but carefully, toward the wounded creature. From the visibly dark red pools seeping beneath its stomach and its raspy, deep breaths…it was clear that the dragon had taken the punishment meant for her.
March sank to her knees, tears trailing down her dirtied face.
This incredible dragon saved her so many times from death, and yet, the one time she tried to do the same, it never worked out the way she wanted it to.
And now the dragon—no, the boy whom she loved deeply- was dying.
“This is all my fault…”
Everything came with a price.
Ten-year-old March Seventh learned it the hard way.
Kidnapped from her home one faithful night, March was stripped of her name and identity and was forced to labor in a legendary bathhouse—located at the bottom of the Lunarescent Depths. Under the supreme verdict of the Vidyadhara preceptors, March was held as a prisoner, devoting much of her time and energy to catering to the many bathhouse guests. Most of the guests were of Vidyadhara blood, seeking recreation and relaxation from their everyday lives.
March remembered how fascinating it was to see a horde of wingless, serpentine dragons flying back and forth, their colorful, iridescent scales quite impressive and pleasing to the eye.
While March was the only mortal prisoner, she managed to befriend a few other servants who were also forced into the same labor contract as she was. There were Tingyun and Huohuo, for example, who hail from the low-life Foxian race and have stayed in the bathroom far longer than March was even born.
Stuck at the bottom of the ocean, trapped inside a place where March was meant to serve for her entire life… at some point, she lost hope.
Only for that hope to be rekindled in the form of a young dragon boy.
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Their encounter happened by chance.
March had nearly drowned while attempting to swim desperately back to shore. What was once a vast field of grasslands had magically turned into a bottomless ocean, and at that time, March knew that her opportunity to escape back to her own world wore thin.
Before she knew it, a long and slender body wrapped itself around her, hoisting her briefly to the surface for a chance to breathe the fresh, salty air. Regaining her sight, March finally met her savior in his truest form.
Even as he morphed into his desired human figure—one with black and shiny long hair and layered white and green clothing, his sharp and glowing green eyes remained the same as they once were.
“You can trust me.”
At the start, March wasn’t quite sure to trust him.
He belonged to a race of Vidyadharas—a long-lived species whose influence reigned supreme among the rest. Turns out, he was different.
As the reincarnation of the previous High Elder, Dan Heng was expected to be the next successor of the bathhouse. But due to his age, it seems he was nothing more than a figurehead as the current regime consisted mostly of the Perceptors, with Taoran as their main leader, and the one responsible for such restrictive rules.
Even so, many Vidyadhara knew Dan Heng by name and title, and in a way, the young Elder High still had some power bestowed upon him.
Since their untimely reunion through a brief passing by the halls, Dan Heng immediately enlisted March to work close to him. By doing so, he would ensure that she would be taken care of and be treated equally with his other appointed servants.
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” He promised her one night as he walked her back to her private space, whispering into her ear as if he were passing her a well-kept secret.
March smiled as she bowed her head in respect, thanking him. “Thank you, your majesty.”
Dan Heng smiled back, and as he rushed to get back to his room, all March could do was hope and pray for the best.
Even now, as the days and years rolled by, she kept his words tucked close to her heart.
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Over time, she and Dan Heng grew close.
As promised, he looked after her and kept her close to his side.
He snuck leftover sweets for her, taught her to read and write their ancient texts, and in return, March taught him about her own world.
“We don’t live at the bottom of the ocean as you do, but we get to see the sky every day.”
“You do?”
March nodded, blushing.
Away from the crowd and the preceptors’ watchful eye, the pair rendezvous in their secret corner of Dan Heng’s room. Together, they stared at the large window displaying the ancient beauty of the ocean, the large tumorous waves, and now and then, shadows of ancient serpentine dragons would come idly by.
Tonight was a little different as a horde of star jellyfish emerged out of hiding, illuminating the depths of the ocean around them.
March couldn’t help but smile sadly, as the spectacle reminded her of the vast stars in her world.
“I hope you get to see it again.” Dan Heng spoke up, breaking the silence between them.
March shifted her gaze over to the young High Elder and smiled, nodding.
“Yeah, me too.”
She felt a large hand slide atop hers, causing her to stiffen.
Looking up, March was surprised to find Dan Heng shifting himself over, and not once did he leave her eyes.
March stared back, and for the first time in a while, she didn’t feel scared at all.
“Do you think I could see it too?” Dan Heng wondered, tipping his head.
March caught this, then reinforced her smile again. “I’m sure you will,” She assured and placed her hand on his own, tapping it gently.
As much as she hoped and wished for such a dream to come true, in the end, it was impossible.
For now, a white lie will have to do.
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“Tonight, we’ll run away together.”
It was such a bizarre statement, especially since it was coming from Dan Heng of all people.
But underneath his usual, stern tone of voice was a layer of urgency.
And March knew exactly what it meant.
In fact, she half-expected it, knowing him for quite so long.
Tomorrow would be his birthday—his thirtieth birthday.
In human logic, it’s equivalent to a human turning twenty-one, the age when one becomes a fully recognized adult.
Such a day was also momentous among the Vidyadharas, for it would be the day when Dan Heng would fully ascend, reclaiming his title and sheer power as the High Elder. Except, all this time since they’ve met, March knew that was never what he wanted in the first place.
“But where will we go? You know I can’t swim,” March warned him through her whispers, careful not to make a sound as they spoke through the paper walls.
“I know, but we have only one chance at this,” Dan Heng urged her, keeping his voice low. “If I ascend, then you and I will be stuck here in this rotted prison for all eternity.” A pause. “Do you want that?”
“—No, I don’t!” March replied quickly, surprising herself.
Despite not being able to see him through the paper wall, March could picture him with a soft look on his face.
“Then come with me. Let’s run away together.”
Then March felt it, his fingers slipping through the paper walls, searching for hers.
Sensing this, March did the same, her heart throbbing hard once the tips of their fingers made contact.
Dan Heng was quick to seize hers, propping his own on top and interlacing them into a knot.
“I promised I’ll take you home,” Dan Heng managed to say, taking a deep breath. “Trust me, we will do it. We can make it out of here, together.”
As always, March kept his words close to her heart.
“Okay.”
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“...March,”
Hearing her name, March snapped back to reality.
She whirled her head directly to the voice, coming face to face with the wounded dragon. She shuffled close to his side, minding the twisted pain in her ankles from their sudden fall.
“I’m here,” She calls out to him, arms reaching out.
In response, Dan Heng managed to hoist his large dragon head and then propped it atop her lap.
March smiled at this, hands fondly stroking the wispy, white-green locks around his head. “I’m right here.”
Dan Heng sighed and groaned, angling his head a few times on her lap.
Catching this, March bit her lower lip. Knowing Dan Heng, he wouldn’t dare admit that he was hurting, especially when he’s around her.
But March knew better.
That deep down, he was fighting hard to regain consciousness.
It was expected, of course, for it took all his strength to transform into his true form and swim as fast as he could while fighting off the other Vidyaharas chasing after them.
Eventually, they made it to the surface, with March awed by the patches of land near the gateway.
But before they could head straight for the portal, an explosion was hurled straight at them.
The last thing March could recall was Dan Heng wrapping her as quickly as he could in an effort to protect her.
While she remained unscathed and in one piece, he was not quite so fortunate.
“The gateway is just close by,” Dan Heng murmured, heaving deeply. “Walking should be plausible from here on out—”
March furrowed her brows. “What are you talking about?”
Dan Heng coughed brashly, and to his dismay, his splattered blood stained her layered clothes. “You must go without me. But I’ll be right behind you, don’t worry—”
“NO, DON’T YOU DARE!” March cried, slamming her fist into the dirt. “WE ARE BOTH GOING TO THAT PORTAL TOGETHER!”
“...”
“You said so yourself!” March exclaimed once more, overwhelmed with the twisted feeling inside her stomach. “You never lied, not once! So, don’t you dare start lying your ass off!”
This wasn’t the right time to fight, not when both their lives were in danger.
Any minute now, one of the Preceptor’s goons would find their hiding spot and drag them back to the bottom of the ocean…back to that prison—
“March.”
Sniffing, March lowered her head, her eyes set on a pair of comforting, green ones.
“I want to be with you,” Dan Heng confessed to her, “But…”
“...But?”
“But I want to be in a world where you’ll be safe, where nobody will ridicule you or hurt you,” Dan Heng goes on, eyes glassy and gentle as he reveals his truth. “...where we can live freely and be in love together.”
March sniffed, wiping away her tears as she felt a sharp pang in her chest.
Even years later, Dan Heng kept his word to her.
“We will,” She assured him, reaching out and stroking his head carefully. Adjusting her position, she made sure their heads were pressed with each other, nuzzling her right cheek with his cool, scaly one. “And I’ll be with you, every step of the way.”
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The blood kept flowing.
Even the strips of clothing that March stripped off from her red and white hanfu robe to stop the pain weren’t working.
She bit her lower lip, fighting back the rush of tears.
Right now, Dan Heng needed her more than anything.
But when he needed her most, she was failing him—both as his devoted servant and his lover.
“It’s okay, I just need some rest,” Dan Heng assured her, and yet, March refused to believe him.
In desperate motion, March dug more into her pockets, hoping and praying that maybe something or anything could help them right now.
“Wait.”
She fished out a small, circular, dark green potion.
Then it occurred to her that, during one of her sessions, she had been blessed with this very same gift by a certain Alchemist Commissioner.
“Take this elixir, and it’ll make any pain that you have go away in a flash.”
…This was it.
“Dan Heng?”
“...”
“Hey, Dan Heng?”
“...”
March held her breath.
Dan Heng wasn’t responding, but he was definitely listening.
The pain must be unbearable… March wondered, looking back at his bloodied stomach from the side. Inhaling a deep breath, she knew that she needed to do so now.
She held the potion tightly.
“Your majesty, forgive me, but please, trust me.”
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It happened so quickly.
Without thinking, March threw Dan Heng’s large dragon head against the dirted ground, forcing him to awaken from his sleep.
As soon as his jaw opened wide, March was quick to throw herself—with one hand keeping his jaw open and steady as she thrust the potion deep and directly inside his throat.
Naturally, Dan Heng snapped back at her, trying hard to fight back as he physically recoiled and turned.
“Agh…aghh!”
March fought back twice as hard, finally closing his jaw shut. Clenching her teeth, she pressed her entire body against his entire snout, holding tight to his massive jaw to keep him absolutely still.
Even as the surge of pain swept through her arm, March held back her grunts and screams inside.
Right now, keeping Dan Heng alive was her top priority.
“I got you…I got you…”
After a gruesome (and painful) process, her plan worked as a soft green glow emitted throughout his serpentine body. A tornado of autumn leaves and scales erupted after, and in the blink of an eye, Dan Heng magically transformed into his human form.
Resting his head atop March’s sleeveless shoulder, Dan Heng lets out a deep, comforting sigh.
March snuck a glance at his ragged, layered clothes, and while the deep blood stain was still there, to her relief, the blood finally stopped gushing.
The potion worked wonders.
Dan Heng was alive and well.
“...Thank you.” He murmured into her ear, pressing his lips close to the nape of her neck, not minding how dirty or sticky she was.
And all March could do was sigh, leaning the side of her head with his and closing her eyes as the exhaustion finally took her.
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“Are you ready?”
March gulped, trying hard to collect herself.
After a brief moment of respite, Dan Heng transformed back to his true form.
With plenty of assurance and encouragement, March found herself on top of him, or rather, saddled up close and personal next to his giant dragon head. Hands holding tight to his lustrous, peaked horns, March braced herself for what was to come. As she slowly pressed her body against his cool scales, she nodded briskly and murmured, “Ready,” close to his large ear.
Dan Heng slithered through the dirty, wet ground, slowly but surely gaining momentum while making sure not to harm his beloved strapped to his back. Picking up more speed, he located the nearest tree and, upon slithering up its trunk, finally flew up into the air and into the cloudless night sky.
March gasped, eyes wide and shining like the stars.
Down below, the bathhouse and Lunarescent Depths grew smaller and smaller.
And before they knew it, it was just the two of them swimming through the skies, as if the world was meant for just the two of them.
“I’d never dreamed of seeing the sky again,” March spoke, breaking the silence. Smiling widely, she tried hard to blink away the tears that were threatening to fall down her face. “Knowing that it’s still blue, it makes me so happy. It’s like I’d never left.”
She heard a soft, low hum coming from her dragon lover, as if he agreed with her in passing.
March smiled regardless, then moved back closer to give him a quick peck on the head. “Thank you for saving me,”
Suddenly, a tornado of autumn leaves and green scales erupted out of nowhere.
March squeaked, nearly flung over as she felt Dan Heng’s massive body magically transform—and before she knew it, found herself staring back at piercing green eyes.
His long, black, flowing hair and red eyeliner on the corners of his eyes.
His sharp jaw, elongated ears, and that mesmerizing smile.
He grew up so handsomely, so jaw-dropping.
Despite his longevity, it was as if he wanted to match her age, to silently confirm his devotion to her.
Hypnotized by his transformation, March failed to catch his arms, only for Dan Heng to naturally wrap them around her with his other free hand caressing her left cheek tenderly.
Once March felt this, she nuzzled close to feel the warmth of his skin.
Forehead against forehead, the pair inched closer, lips eager to taste the other.
Together, they floated midair, arms and hands tangled around each other, as they made another wish come true under the stars.
It was a long-awaited reunion.
The once kidnapped girl finally returned and reunited with her family.
And she wasn’t alone…not anymore.
For Dan Heng kept his promise and would continue to do so for many more years by her side.
“What is this?”
March looked over to where her lover pointed innocently to a large vehicle parked next to her family’s house. “That is my father’s noble steed,” She joked with a teasing grin. “Except this one is exclusively used on land.”
Dan Heng frowned, trying to make sense of her explanation. “Then what do you use to explore the skies and the sea?” He went on, gesturing to the whole world around them. “Humans don’t grow wings or gills, do they?”
March laughed at his teasing as she shook her head. Advancing her way over, she flashed Dan Heng a smile as she reached out for his hand.
Dan Heng did the same in return, holding hers tightly and intertwining their fingers.
“Do you trust me, your majesty?”
The pair stared at one another.
Dan Heng was the first to break the silence, giving his lover a rare, genuine smile.
“I do,” He said without missing a beat, and squeezed her hand. And I always will.
“Then let me show you the world,” March introduced, gesturing her arm over to the bustling, bright scenery in front of them—and for the two of them, their brand new home, their sanctuary, a place where they can proudly share a future.
A place where they can live and be in love forevermore.