“And that’s why I was extremely surprised when ZenTar1Literally zen (silent) + tar (wind) contacted me, telling me that ZaiWin2Literally zai (blade) + win (chaos). had left him behind to go after you. I always thought that he would be glad to get rid of you. The link between you two must be stronger than I initially thought,” VinWei added.
“The link …?”
“You feel it too, right? Compelling you to watch him, to follow him, to protect him, to obey his command.”
Oh. Was that why he sometimes acted the way he did, before he could think things through?, Snow wondered. It was true that he was annoyingly compelled to obey ZaiWin’s commands, especially when he got angry. Now that he thought about it, that had been true since the moment they’d met.
It was also true that, somehow, he couldn’t stand seeing ZaiWin get hurt. It always made him feel panicky and anxious. And things had only gotten worse since ZaiWin had found him in that cavern and had reestablished the bond between them.
Now, some times, Snow felt as if his heart was about to explode from beating so fast, and he felt flustered and angry at the smallest things. So that was all because of the link they shared, Snow concluded. If so the whole thing was very, very annoying.
“It’s even worse for ZaiWin,” VinWei went on, capturing his attention.
“Chosen Ones are Tien’Elhar3Literally tien (Heaven) + el (supreme) + har (girl child). The Heavenly Beings also known as Celestials in the common language.’s bridges to our world and, at the same time, they are supposed to act as their protectors. But because your bond isn’t completely established, he can’t grasp you the way he should.”
Snow looked inquisitively at her, more than a bit discontent with her phrasing.
VinWei smiled and took a deep breath.
“I obviously can only speak based on the things and accounts I’ve read. I am not a Chosen One, and I have never had the chance to personally ask any of these things to any of them. But according to the manuscripts, the bond between a Tien’Elhar and a Chosen One is established both instinctively and energetically.
“The instinctive part is supposed to assure the Tien’Elhar’s survival. It's what impels you to do the things I’ve told before. I don’t know why Tien’Elhar are compelled to obey their Chosen One’s commands, though. But maybe it's because you tend to exert yourselves too much, and to get lost in your tasks if not called back to reality. Like you did today. You would probably still be lying there, on the ground, listening to whatever you were listening, if not for ZaiWin commanding you to open your eyes.”
Snow averted his gaze but, even so, he couldn’t stop his cheeks from heating up.
“That’s why I’m always telling him that he can’t allow you to go too far. Because I know you can’t help it. It’s in your nature to do whatever it takes to make things right. It’s his task to watch over you and stop you, if he sees that you’re exhausting yourself. But he never listens to a word I say!” VinWei complained with an angry frown and ended up taking a deep breath, before she went back to her explanation.
“Anyways. Then we have the energetic part, and that’s where you two are lacking. Once the bond is complete it’s said that Tien’Elhar and the Chosen One will share each other’s energy. Meaning you could use his energy if needed. And he could use yours. It also makes it so that you can feel the other person as if they were you. Which grants a kind of peace of mind. You don’t need to be near each other, or see each other, to know that the other person is safe and well. And if something happens, any disturbance, the other one immediately knows about it too.
“In your case, you are instinctively linked, but lack this energetic communion that would allow you to deactivate that instinct when it’s not needed. And so you’re always feeling unstable, unsure, unbalanced. Especially ZaiWin, who’s instinct to protect you is stronger than yours to protect him. I’m sure that right now he’s trying his best to occupy his mind with other matters, so he doesn’t march all the way here to take you back to where he can keep an eye on you. And even then. By having you by his side he knows that you are physically safe, but he can never be sure that there isn’t something wrong with you other than that. I warned him about this, the last time we were together. And I must be honest. I thought I would find him in much worse shape. He has surprisingly been able to remain balanced, which only goes to show the extend of his self-control. And then you even went and ran away from him, and did such a horrible thing, and almost killed yourself!” she added, scolding him again. “I can’t even imagine what he must have felt.”
Snow lowered his head.
It had never been his intention to cause anyone any more trouble. Quite the opposite. He had only wanted to solve everything once and for all.
He guessed he could more or less understand what VinWei was describing. Although she was right. He didn’t know if ZaiWin really felt that way, but thankfully he did not.
On the other hand, Snow had freed him from all that, right? So, if theirs was such an uncomfortable situation, why had ZaiWin went back for him? Snow could have considered the possibility that ZaiWin might have felt sorry for him. But he’d seen ZaiWin condemn other people to death without so much as blink. He was not the kind of man to feel sorry for someone he hardly knew, much less if said someone was one of those Celestials he hated so much. So why had he wanted to bind them together again?
It wasn’t as if he could ask VinWei about any that, though. He didn’t understand why, but apparently ZaiWin didn’t want the others to know that their bound had been completely severed at one point.
“From now on you must try and be more obedient,” VinWei said and Snow immediately frowned at her. “I’m not telling you to just walk around, obeying his every whim. But in front of other people, you must do as he tells you. I know you don’t see yourself as a Tien’Elhar, and the fact that ZaiWin doesn’t treat you like one only makes things harder. But you are not like the rest of us. You’re not a mere human, Snow. You are a holy being. And, with some luck, others will always see you like that. And that’s what will keep the two of you alive. They will kneel at your feet and ask you to bless them. Most of them won’t even dare look up at you, much less touch you.”
Snow couldn’t help feeling a bit panicky at the picture she was painting.
“I … can’t bless anyone …”
“I know that. You know that. But the people still believe you can. And so you will bless them, even if only in words. In return, they will be grateful to you and love you. And because they will love you, those who stand above us,won’t dare lay a hand on you. And that’s why you must be the perfect Tien’Elhar. Perfect enough that they won’t even care if you have golden or silver hair. In fact, you’ll be even more amazing than the rest of them. You are different, and different means special. When news of the silver-haired Tien’Elhar spread across the Empire no one will dare try to kill you, at least not out in the open. And because they won’t dare try to harm you, they’ll have to restrain themselves where ZaiWin is concerned. Do you understand? The survival of the two of you rests entirely on your hands. From the moment ZaiWin announces that he has become a Chosen One, only you will be able to guarantee his safety. And that is by being the perfect Tien’Elhar that everyone wants to see, and by earning everyone’s hearts in the process.”
Snow squeezed his hands nervously.
“Are you sure I can … do this?”
“Of course!” VinWei replied without a second’s hesitation. “After all, you have me to help you. I’m absolutely confident that I’ll be able to transform you into the most amazing Tien’Elhar in the entire History of Wen.”
Poor Snow, to.carry such a burden with all that pressure...
Loved the chapter excited for the next one?
Yeah. A lot depends on him