Creak!

The window shutters opened, and the smell of fresh air and rosemary filled the stuffy room. A man, with his hands resting on the windowsill, looked out into the night. From where he stood, he could see a faint pillar of green light dissipating into the sky in the distance.

That aura… It's so familiar, but I can’t seem to remember whose it could be. 

He closed his eyes and rested his head in his cold hands. Broken memories flashed through his mind. A crowd. A fall. The pain.

What is this? What happened!? The man slammed his hands on the windowsill in frustration.

Knock, knock!

"Who's there?" asked the man.

"Bei Gong-zi, it's me, the waiter. I've brought the food you requested."

"Oh. Come in, then."

The wooden door creaked opened, and the waiter came in. He settled the food on the table in the middle of the room, bowed, and left. Outside, the waiter muttered to himself, "Who goes around ordering a full course meal this late at night? What a weird customer.”

Bei Gong-zi sat down in front of the food. He looked at the braised slices of beef, the stir-fried potatoes, and the plate of black dumplings. Staring at still-steaming pieces of black dough, he distantly wondered why he even bothered to call for these dishes of old. His eyes lay still on the dumplings, and his body sat unmoving, but his mind raced as he remembered every single time he made them.

A long moment passed. He finally picked up a dumpling, now cold, and brought it to his mouth. The first thing he tasted was the aromatic flavour of mugwort. Then, he was hit with the taste of roasted peanuts and the bitterness of betrayal. A tear rolled down his cheek as the memories of that fateful day came back to him. He recalled the moment he was betrayed by the one he loved, and in his anger, the pair of chopsticks in his hand snapped.

Why! Why! WHY! Why was I so stupid? He never loved me! Yet here I am still trying to remember him. Pathetic!

The food in his mouth no longer tasted like sweet memories. He forced it down and glared at the remaining dumplings in disgust. He picked the plate up and went to the windowsill.

It was tempting to toss out the food. But the memories of his starving childhood made him pause. The gaunt faces of an elderly woman and man appeared in his mind. Nai-nai… Ye-ye… He missed them.

He settled the dumplings back on the table. Grabbing a new pair of chopsticks from the tray, he finished all of the food in silence. Including the dumplings.

A fluttering sound caught his attention. He saw a blue bird perched on the windowsill. A rolled-up piece of paper was tied to its leg. He untied the note from the bird and opened it.

I deeply apologize for my delay. I shall arrive to escort Mo-jun1 as soon as possible.

He crushed the slip in his fist and turned all traces of it into dust. As he stared at the dust slipping through his fingers, wryly he thought, At least someone still cares about me.

He lived on a secluded mountain peak for most of his life, only venturing down to the common villages on occasion. But he had been banished and disowned. Now, a desolate island in the middle of the ocean was the only place he could call home. His new home felt distant and strange to him, still.

Petting the bird's head absently, he stared out into the night once more, letting out a long sigh. His heart was numb and empty. It bled from the shards of broken love. Yet, he still could not forget the one he loved, no matter how hard he tried.

Fan Yiheng…! His fists clenched. The blood in his body boiled. The fires of anger scorched and burned.

Something wet and soft was in his hand. He looked and saw the bird lying in it, crushed.

The sight made his mind wander to him, to the day on the cliff, and all of the rage started to fade.

Fan Yiheng, Fan Yiheng… Why do I still love you?

***

Chixi Mojun rushed from Bi An Island towards Qianyang, with a letter from Yuelong in hand. It told of their elders’ plans to strip Yuelong of his powers and banish him for trying to protect the demon lord. Lanyue couldn’t let that happen. He went, prepared to fight for Yuelong. But what he was met with instead was a fight for his own life: it was a mountainside ambush! 

The battle on the Cliff of Regret and Resentment passed in a blur. Even when pierced with Fan Haoren’s sword, all that Lanyue could think about was how Yuelong could have betrayed him like this.

Cornered at the edge of the cliff, Lanyue was out of options. With a sweep of his hands, he used the last of his energy to call forth a shield against the cultivators who had come to kill him. Enemy blasts started to bombard his shield. Amidst the bursts of light and energy, and through wet eyes, Lanyue gazed unblinkingly at him, his first, his last, his only love, the one who once mended his heart and the one who had now broken it, Yiheng.

His mind spun madly with fragmented visions. The sword wound in his chest burned, and he felt as if his whole body was on fire. But this suffering was nothing compared to the pain in his heart, to the bitterness of betrayal and to the loss of a home.

He closed his eyes and started to focus on strengthening the shield. But a memory intruded. It was the image of that handsome face, held dangerously near. He remembered feeling his heart race. A first kiss. Soft, warm lips pressed against his. Too long. Too passionate.

Lanyue’s focus was completely shattered, and the shield, along with it. The crowd roared cheered, but he heard nothing. He was too submerged in his own thoughts.

He remembered Yiheng pulling away, his charismatic eyes staring back into his own. A brilliant red surfaced on the mighty Yixiao Zhenjun's face. And Lanyue smiled back at his shi-xiong.

Shyly, Yiheng mumbled, "You…"

Lanyue’s body felt hot from inside out. Yiheng had feelings for him! He grasped the back of his shi-xiong’s neck and pressed his lips to his once again. It was like kissing the fires of heaven, or hell.

He pulled away and looked at his shi-xiong. Yiheng's cheeks were as red as haitang flowers, his eyes wide with shock.

The memory faded away as he felt the rush of air against his back. He opened his eyes and saw the edge of the cliff disappearing into the distance. I don't want to live anymore. Please, just let me die with these happy memories.

But as he fell, his third eye suddenly started to show him a vision: Yixiao Zhenjun stood high and proud on top of a mountain of corpses, his armour and robes splattered with blood. Before the mountain of cadavers were the cultivation sects and the people of the world, bowing down in fear. The scene shifted and blurred. It changed into a vision of disaster. Perched atop Qianyang Peak was an enormous serpent. Its had eight heads, and each head was that of a devilish looking human, each stacked up in a pyramid. Yiheng faced the monster alone. The vision shifted again, and this time, the world was in complete darkness. The earth had become swampland, and green fog traveled across the lands. The joys of human laughter were replaced by the screams of pain and defilement. The naked body of Yiheng was sprawled out on a bed, as a well-built man lay over him.

Jealousy and anger started to rage within Lanyue as the wind whipped around his falling body. He knew that he had seen a vision a vision of the future, and now he needed to think. And buy time!

Quickly, he launched two ribbons from his sleeves with the last of his spiritual energy. The ribbons dug into the cliffside like picks, securing him in place.

His emotions were storming. The hurt of betrayal made him want to die, but now worry ate at him. He knew—as naturally uncertain as visions of the future could be—that leaving this world would be leaving Yiheng at danger. 

He had to save him. But then what? Could he live to bear the pain of forever watching Yiheng only from afar?

His heart still bled, but he knew that there was only one thing he could do.

He let go.

His body fell a dozen meters. But in a split second, he launched his ribbons out once again and hooked them into the cliffside. Once he had caught his breath, he let go again. He did this again and again until he reached the bottom of the cliff.

Exhausted and drained, he lay down at the base of the cliff, staring back up at the setting sun. He closed his eyes to rest, just for a minute. But when he opened his eyes, the silver rays of the moon had already begun to peek through the forest.

At the rustling of leaves towards his right, Yuelong snapped to his senses. He sat up and saw the shadow of a person randomly hacking away at the bushes. This was not good. He tried to conjure up an illusion that would hide his whereabouts, but before he even had the chance to raise his hand, the figure jumped out from the bushes.

That person looked at the demon lord. And the demon lord looked back.

"Chixi Mojun!?"  

Under the dim light of the moon, Lanyue tried to make out the colours of the figure’s robes. They were definitely not robes of the Huangxue Sect or the Jingxuan Sect, because these robes were dark in colour. 

The figure turned around and started to shout to his fellow scouts. "He's here! That criminal, he—"

Before he could say any more, Lanyue, with a flick of his finger, shot out a needle made of pure ice. It punctured the man’s throat, instantly silencing him.

The man gurgled and held a hand to his neck, but he hadn’t died yet. He drew his sword and started to attack. Lanyue dodged the sword in a backwards lean. The attacker stumbled forwards. And with his palm, Lanyue quickly struck upwards at the man. The power of his attack jolted the man's heart, leaving him dead with that one hit. But now, the wound on Lanyue’s chest throbbed.

Ugh… Looks like I ended up using more energy than I intended to.

Lanyue rolled the dead man off of himself and stood up. Seeing the body on the floor, an idea came to his mind. He took off his garments and swapped them with the dead man's. Lanyue placed his hands on the man's face and began feeling out the man’s facial structure. After a moment, Lanyue finally nodded. He formed five ice needles from thin air and sent them burrowing into the man’s face. With every needle that punctured, the man's facial structure morphed. Once the last needle entered his skull, the man's transformation was complete. His face was now the exact replica of Lanyue's. For extra measure, Lanyue formed a blade of ice in his hand and plunged it into the man's chest, perfectly mimicking the wound that he himself sustained.

Lanyue looked down at his bloodied hands, sighing at how life had turned out, how he had turned out. If it hadn’t been for what happened over the past four years of his life, he wouldn't have become this. His heart, once compassionate, was now cruel and icy. Nothing mattered to him anymore. Not even the lives of others. Except one.

Towards the side, the sounds of rustling gradually grew louder. Lanyue quickly fled into the forest.

***

In the inn, Lanyue found himself staring down at the same hand that he used to kill that disciple, realizing that he hadn’t even bothered to find out which sect that disciple belonged to, let alone his name. But Lanyue was sure of one thing, at least: he had changed.

He sighed and lay down on his bed. What am I going to do after I return to Mantuoluo Palace¹曼陀罗宫 Spider Lilly Palace? That demon is definitely planning something. I just wish my visions would come at a time like this rather than… Lanyue did not finish the thought.

I wonder what he's doing right now. Was it easy? The choice of betraying me? What went on in his mind?  

Lanyue turned to face the side. He had trusted Yiheng completely; he had given his heart to him. Yet, his offering had been thrown away like trash. Even though he knew that Yiheng now hated him, he couldn’t help liking him still.

He flipped onto his back and smacked himself. I'm so pathetic! But what about that vision? That demon, taking over the world, and Yiheng… Lanyue swallowed at the thought of his lover being taken by someone else.

He stared blankly at the ceiling. His mind tumbled, remaining a complete mess until he became too tired to think. Then, and after days of restlessness, he finally fell into a deep sleep.

RadishTyrant

Sorry for the late post everyone! I made too many mistakes on my first draft that it burned out my editor 😅

But a HUGE thanks to my editor, LatentMusings, who put up with my terrible writing and fixed everything