♜|~ 1x1 (ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ c;) ᴡɪᴛʜ blissie x breezey

[blissie]

nicknames ----
colleagues/regular friends. su
regular. yuqing
loved ones. xxxx







Yuqing and Lei stepped into the building. The building shook, uttering "damn, there's people". The building blows up. RIP everyone.

Yuqing, moments before death: "Damn, I didn't even get his number yet."

Le Fin.

[blissie]

xxxxWhen the city built the museum, the building was blue-printed at a national level. Vast, high ceilings connect three floors filled with different exhibitions, the main lobby designed to fit thousands.

xxxxThis famous destination would regularly brink with tourists- families, kids, and students that all swarm in crowds to the massive museum.

xxxxHe wrinkled his nose, turning his head to the side in disgust. As soon as he stepped foot onto the marble floors, Yuqing immediately felt the black energy fog creep towards him, attempting to attack his subconscious in vain.

xxxxYuqing led the boy through the vast, empty lobby, their footsteps being the only sound echoing through the dark, cold space.

xxxxSuddenly, Yuqing stopped in his tracks.

xxxx"Enough is enough, do not test my patience," he stated into the openness, pretending to be annoyed- only having the glimmer of excitement in his eyes betray his real beliefs.

xxxxClearing his throat, he crossed his arms, exaggeratedly hugging himself. "Why, it is so cold here!" He spun around on his heel, causing the boy behind him to almost bump into his chest. "You think it's a tad bit chilly too, don't you?" Yuqing's face cracked into a bright, sunny smile, eyes crinkling into shining crescents. Turning around again, Yuqing furrowed his brows in mock anger. "Taking the tax money and not paying for electricity bills, tsk tsk."

xxxx"Don't worry though- I will be so very generous-" He smiled, closing his eyes, loling his head to crack his neck.

xxxx"-and offer to provide personally." A booming sound rang through the empty building, centering around the two males. And the source of the sound? A heatwave of tremendous force brutally colliding with the marble assets of the museum. Immediately afterward, the intense heat dissolved, leaving the dark museum warm and toasty. Yuqing opened his eyes, giving a satisfying yawn.

xxxx"You're welcome."



xxxxYuqing stood in front of a display cabinet, squinting his eyes as he tried to read the description in the top corner in the dim display light.

xxxx"Boar's helmet," Yuqing muttered, reading to himself. "In ancient times, there existed a tribe named the Ouwei. The people of the Ouwei tribe were gentle, peaceful people of the plains. However, after years of peace, they were forced to go to war as a nearby kingdom began conquest. The Ouwei people, not trained for battle, were no opponents to the developed army. At this time, the prince of the Ouwei tribe set out on a mission to find the great witch of the plains.

xxxxThe prince traveled far and wide, galloping on his horse at the swiftest speed, hoping to make a quick return to save his people. However, his trusty companion was of ripe age, and the three days and nights of traveling took every last ounce of strength out of the old horse. On the fourth day, the prince, tearfully saying goodbye to his old friend, trudged out alone on foot across the great plains.

xxxxThe prince met many people along the way- traveling merchants with interesting trinkets from the west, hunters with their spears, another tribe that welcomed him to stay for a festival. Everything was very new and exciting to the prince- however, after his brief stays, he would wave his hands to his friends, politely refusing to join in their journey, as he had to save his people.

xxxxFinally, after many, many days of aimless traveling, the prince arrived outside a little stone opening to an underground cavern. He hasn't seen who breathed inside, but the prince knew that it was the witch- and the witch knew it was the prince.

xxxxAfter five days of not eating, drinking, nor sleeping outside of the witch's cavern, the witch finally was moved by his determination.

xxxx'Come close,' she said, coaxing the prince to her eternal seat. As the prince came close, the witch began again, knowing his intentions. 'Gather the skulls of fourteen boars, and combine them into one.' she whispered, 'When you wear the helmet, you will be able to protect your people.'

xxxxThe prince, delighted to know such an easy method, graciously thanked the witch. As the prince was about to leave, the witch spoke again, her old, shaky voice ringing about the cavern. '...never use the power for anything other than protecting your people, as everything has a price... everything has a price...."

xxxxThe prince, not knowing what the witch saw in his future, reassured the witch that he would abide by the rules.

xxxxThe witch watched as the prince left her cavern, and letting out a last sigh, closed her eyes in everlastingness.

xxxxFollowing the witch's instructions, the prince hunted thirteen boars, each boar leaving lasting scars on his young body. As the prince battled the fourteenth boar, it punctured its tusk into his soft chest before succumbing to his desperate attacks. The prince, unable to withstand the pain of a shredded heart, collapsed on the stained crimson grass alongside the boar. Before closing his eyes, he thought of the people he needed to protect. He thought of his little cousins running around, jumping and dancing along with the fire; he thought of his parents, old but kind; he thought of the girl flocking the sheep, her smile as she turned around in the sunset, delighted to see him.

xxxxAnd the prince tore out his heart.

xxxxAs the blood poured from the now-empty hole in his chest, the completed helmet slowly faded from bone white to dark, black-red, eerily shining in the sun, greedily drinking up the hot liquid like starved peasants released in front of a feast.


xxxxWhen the prince returned to his tribe with the helmet of boars and the power to finally protect his people, he soon discovered that he didn't need to protect them- as there were no more people. Even from a long distance away, the large patch of scarlet and black burnt into the prince's eyes.

xxxxThe prince madly ran about, checking every single corner for even a small trace of life. He looked in front of their territory by the firepit, looking for his little cousins jumping and dancing by the fire; he looked in the main tent, looking for his kind, gentle parents holding hands; he looked in the hills, looking for the girl herding sheep, looking for her smile, looked for that sunset.

xxxxAlas, nothing. Nothing except for the scarlet grass, except for the burnt chars.

xxxxNot even a single sheep- Not even a single body.

xxxxThe prince screamed, he screamed in anger, in pain, he screamed in terror. He cried, crashing down in front of a charred, barely visible figure in his parents' tent, his hands violently shaking as they tried to pull it in his embrace.

xxxxThe figure, being charred to the core, immediately broke into dust.

xxxxThe prince screamed, blood and tears streaming out of his eyes, mixing in with the ashes as he desperately tried to gather the pile back together.

xxxxA gust of wind blew through the tent, knocking over the pile of black dust and pieces. The prince stared in a daze, reaching out his hands into the air, desperately trying to catch the little dust particles. He partially crawled after the gust of wind out of the tent, trying to salvage the particles in the air. He chased it to the main grounds, reaching, reaching. It was too far away, and the prince tripped, falling once again to his knees.

xxxxThe prince screamed- he screamed in the place that was once his home; he screamed amidst his people.

xxxxAnd the helmet cried with him. "

xxxxYuqing suddenly stopped, his eyes snapping to the glistening replica headgear in the display case, pupils suddenly contracting. Looking to the boy next to him, he furrowed his brows, drawing a quick, elaborate talisman in the air- before hitting it to one direction of the exhibit. The building hissed and screeched, a shadow figure slowly forming, growing bigger and bigger.

xxxx"Holy crap, is this the core?" He heard the boy ask beside him. However, before Yuqing had the chance to address the boy, the shadow morpher moved. Yuqing glared at it, standing in front of the boy in a protective stance.

xxxx"Grab the talismans- the citizens are in the next room. Protect them. I also have protection over you- you will not be in danger. The talismans should be enough to ward them away."

xxxxYuqing turned his head, smiling encouragingly at the boy. "Their safety depends on you."


xxxx"The next day, the prince put on the boar's helmet for the first time.

xxxxOn that day, the nearby kingdom was blood-washed- not a single citizen survived. No one knew how, but many believe that it was the prince who was seeking revenge. Others think that it was the curse of the helmet that ultimately led to the kingdom's demise. Sadly, to this day, the truth is still unknown, as the prince, along with his helmet, disappeared right afterward."

xxxxFourteen missing. Fourteen boars.

xxxx"Bastards."

[breezey]

ＣＡＩ ＂ＬＥＩ＂ ＬＡＮＬＥＩ !
𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐋𝐎𝐖 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 ! 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄

slow motion by flor

indentGLASS in the faux museum seemed to reflect darker, like a tinted light. the displays seemed to only get more and more obscure, less and less like the original museum lei was used to. he didn't dare to say anything, too scared to faze the other man standing nearby, who was staring intently at a placard as he mumbled the little words out to himself. lei looked at the artefact in front of his face, a golden dagger.
indentthere was really nothing special about the dagger itself except for its obvious golden sheen and a scorpion hilt, and lei realised it must've been strictly used for ceremonial purposes. the little plaque on the side of the display box agreed with him, stating it was, in fact, merely used for ancient rituals, but the other dagger next to it was a cut-throat weapon, its name scratched out. it seemed to glimmer in the dark case, a glint of mischief seemed to smile back at lei. he wasn't sure what it meant, but he decided it couldn't be for the better.
indentas he stared at the golden dagger, lei felt faint, as if something had came over him again. his vision got foggy again, but unlike the last time, there was no vignette, just a dream for the male to reach for. he shook head, unsure what he experienced.
indentsoon enough, mysterious-life-saving-man looked up from the boarish helmet, which seemed to move. lei stepped back from the displays, watching as the other man draw a sigil in the air, revealing a shadow with an aura so sinister, the male flinched. it seemed to notice him, darting towards lei's direction, and lei's first instinct was to cower and run.
indentthe words of ass-kicking-mystery-man reminded lei he came to the museum with an intention, and lei sighed from behind the column, jogging towards the room adjacent to the exhibition.
indentthe museum seemed to be replicated almost perfectly, the only difference between the real and the fake was the eerie atmosphere and the dark shadow energy that everything seemed to be coated in. lei cringed as if he could feel the shadow energy on his skin. he wondered how he'd managed to entangle himself into such a predicament where he was following around a stranger without second thought.
indentblack marble columns accentuated the next exhibition, a room full of fourteen statues, each one looking more human than the other. there were no descriptions of the statues, they seemed to just be placed in the room without much thought, a filler for empty space. the people stood in awkward positions, as if something had surprised them from behind. it didn't make sense— where were the captured citizens?
indentlei's eyes glanced at the face of a woman who's face was contorted into an alarmed expression, a scream seemingly being ripped out of her. the male looked at her face again- and then at the thirteen other people in the room, and it suddenly made sense. their expressions were all the same. the fourteen statues were the fourteen captured.
indenteach display case held one person, an exception for the mother-daughter pair in the back of the room. lei brought his hand into a fist, attempting to break the glasslike material, but unlike his previous encounter with a shadow morpher, the material didn't break, in fact, it barely cracked. lei shook his head, confused. lei punched the wall again, and another crack danced across the glossed shadow. at this rate, he would only get be able to get one person out alive before man-with-talismans would be able to defeat the monster. if only he had something stronger to pierce the glass, something to boost his strength.
indentsuddenly, the same washed out feeling hit lei again, the same one he felt facing the other shadow morpher, and inside the museum— and something inside him clicked. the dagger. it probably wasn't strong enough to help him that much, but lei needed something to help mr-museum-wrecker. maybe it would even give him answers to his strange memories.
indentwith a newfound urgency, the male sprinted towards the other room to see the cases were already destroyed with force— probably the mysterious man's doing. his eyes darted around the room, trying to find the case with the two golden daggers. the museum shook all of a sudden, and lei saw the glint of gold in the corner of the room. lei dashed to the opposite side of the room, careful not to step on the broken shadow pieces on the floor as he reached for the blade's hilt.
indentribbons of light appeared when lei touched the hilt of the dagger, pouring out of the blade and into lei's core. he'd never seen light as an energy before, but it was a wondrous thing, golden strings and specs of silver flying into his chest. despite the sight, the energy shocked lei and made him instinctively withdraw his hand.
indent"the hell is that?" he muttered. the building shook again, most likely sustaining another hit from the stranger and lei returned to reality. there was no time to waste anymore, he already wasted enough gawking at the dagger. lei gingerly reaching out for said dagger again, determined to help. the light appeared again, but this time, lei embraced the warmth of the energy, gripping the blade's hilt as he ran back to the other exhibit.
indentit seemed the shaking of the building cracked some of the shadow-glass in the exhibit, which in turn, made lei's job much easier. the male clenched the stolen short sword and stabbed it into the closest glass case, waiting for the sound of glass shattering. the blade instead sliced through the material, light energy dancing against the blade, sparking against the shadow. it felt like slicing butter, like second nature, for lei. something protruded from the man's back, a stalactite holding him in place. the male wasn't sure how to get rid of it, but the ringing voice in the back seemed to have an idea.
indentlei placed a cautious hand onto the stalactite, watching as the shadow dissolve as he grew slightly fatigued. the man fell forward, his breaths tripping over one another as lei tried to catch him. the older man started to mumble words, incoherent to lei, who braced the other man. he slung the arm of the older around his shoulder as they staggered to a nearby column.
indent"w— who are you?" the other suddenly spoke up, eyes staring into lei's. "that doesn't matter right now. you need to sit down and rest," lei gently whispered, helping the man sit against the pillar. "i need to get the others out of their cases. and then, i'll," he paused, unsure of himself. "i'll find somewhere safe." lei smiled grimly, leaving the man to collect his bearings.
indentslowly but surely, lei was able to free each citizen, using the blade and the new mysterious power he both acquired through the museum. perhaps he should pay more visits to the real museum after. the stronger people helped lei to crack open the cases, desperately trying to help each other as the museum shook around them. each person seemed to take more and more energy away lei, and the fatigue started to creep into his consciousness. by the fourteenth person, the male started too see stars in his eyes, unsure whether it was the light energy or the dark.
indentit could have been hours or days since lei had last seen daylight, and as he lead the people out of the crumbling museum, he was no longer sure what he should do. the sun seemed to be setting, a pale purple hue painting the sky.
indent"the museum‚ it's not actually real," lei explained quietly, leading the group out to the park across the fake museum, sitting against a tree while he pocketed the sheathed dagger into his sweatpants.
indent"well son, what is it?" the first man asked. "it's a morphing... thing, for lack of words," lei replied, trying to sound polite.
indentnot much longer, the museum collapsed onto itself, and a tall man came out of the rubble. lei waved his arm, standing up to greet the other. his limbs felt like lead as he stood up, and as he stumbled over to speak to the stranger, his legs gave out, leaving the other to catch him.

[blissie]

nicknames ----
colleagues/regular friends. su
regular. yuqing
loved ones. xxxx





Quand j'etait petite


Je me taisais comme une fleur


xxxYUQING squinted, taking out his gloves. Looking back and making sure that the boy is out of range, he combed back his loose bangs with his fingers, looking up at the morphing, humanoid shape.

xxxHowever, eye contact did not last very long, as Yuqing soon turned his head, nostrils slightly flaring.

xxx"You are an ugly bastard, aren't you" he mumbled, squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head. The figure seemed to twitch for a second- before suddenly lashing out- dark, whispy fumes piercing from all sides of the museum walls.

xxxYuqing slightly raised his eyes, peering at the figure through the shadow of his long eyelashes.



J'adorais les mythes


xxxThe room was completely dark- a swarming dark cocoon at its center. Yuqing was nowhere to be found-the black shadow cocoon seemingly alive, devouring whoever, and whatever, that it wraps in its stark fumes.

xxxSeconds passed in complete silence aside from the moaning and whisperings of the building itself. The shadow morpher emitted a crying laugh- a declaration of triumph. However, it has not let down its full guard, its eyes warily and alertly observing the foggy cocoon.

xxxAs time went on, the dark figure began to relax more and more, a wide grin appearing on its barely visible face, showing rows of rotten teeth.

xxxBefore it could celebrate fully, however, its grin started to twitch, slowly turning into an expression of agony as it let out a low-pitched scream, hissing as it twisted and turned- its now bloodshot eyes glaring at the dark cocoon. It jerked back, letting out another scream, before diving for the shadowy cocoon.


Mais tous ces mots me faisaient peur

xxxSuddenly, a tattered glove shot out, dripping in black ooze, shredding through the top of the shadowy structure, followed by a clean hand. The hand snapped, and in an instant, a wave of force exploded within the room, forcing away the creeping black shadows looming from the walls and shattering all the display cases. The shadow morpher did not have time to react before being blown away by the extreme force, its whispy dark body twitching and dissipating on the ground.

xxxAfter a few moments, the dust from the destructive force faded, revealing a tall man standing in the center, covered in black liquid. Yuqing walked towards the shadow figure twitching on the ground, glimmering eyes showing through his dripping bangs. About six feet away from it, Yuqing stopped. He grinned, raising his hand and gesturing a beckoning motion at the figure. Immediately, the shadow morpher- who was attempting to regain his power through the museum- screeched, being forcefully separated from its energy source.

xxxWhen the figure was in front of him, Yuqing lightly tapped its shoulders. Immediately, the shadows from all sides of the room faded. Yuqing cleared his throat, looking at the figure held in front with wise, sad eyes, shaking his head.

xxx"Young one, you could've been a good ghoul. Why did you go down this path? Alas, I must release you from this painful life." Right as his voice stopped, Yuqing's expression disappeared, one newly gloved hand shooting out at lightning speed, prying the ghoul's mouth opening open, and another hand thrusting down its throat, tearing through the limp, soggy skin inside. Quick, sharp, and clean. The shadow morpher gurgled, its bloodshot eyes bulging, attempting to channel the museum to attack him. However, it was useless- its ties with the museum were already broken. After a split second, Yuqing's eyes shone, his stoic expression flickered for a second before ripping his hand out of the ghoul. The shadow morpher then collapsed into a dark, foggy cloud on the floor. Yuqing glanced at it, muttering strokes for a talisman. However, before it could reach the shadow morpher, it disappeared, leaving behind only a burning glare.

xxxYuqing let out a tsk, squatting down and touching the ground in which the figure was seconds before. He looked at his fingertips, cocking an eyebrow.

xxx"Oh?"



J'adore mon poisson rouge

xxxYuqing opened his eyes, holding out two of his fingers. In the next instant, a small, white flame erupted from them. He squinted before his eyes adjusted to the light in the small confounds of the cocoon.

xxxIt was a bizarre space, the walls of the cocoon there, but not quite. Yuqing carefully extended his other hand, touching the dark, whispy walls of the cocoon. He frowned, fingers slightly recoiling at the touch, before concentrating his vision at a certain point of the void, jabbing it quickly with his other hand.

xxxThe walls rippled, waving in and out of contact with Yuqing's hand. His eyes shot up, alert by the reaction of the cocoon walls. A second later, he chuckled, remembering a piece of far away knowledge.


Il m'appelle jour et nuit..


xxxYuqing took out a talisman- a special one- carved into a piece of flexible fragrant wood, touching the surface gingerly. At Yuqing's touch, it slowly lit up with a golden glow. He closed his eyes, and at the same time, the talisman shot forward through the dark walls. With eyes still closed, Yuqing stepped after the golden piece of wood- and into the never-ending void.



Il tourne en rond pour moi



Et je me tais

xxx"Is that him?"

xxx"That's the boy who killed his parents?"

xxx"I heard that he hadn't even blinked when they begged for mercy! What son is this!"

xxx"A monster. That's what it is. How can someone be so cold-blooded?"

xxx"Raising such a monster as a son for so long. Look where they are now."

xxx"They should've killed him when they had the chance."

xxxYuqing's mind buzzed, his conscious slowly returning to him. He tried to emit the noise from his head, opening his eyes to find the sound source. However, he soon found that he could not control his body- no matter how hard he struggled with his eyelids, they were as if they glued shut.

xxxSuddenly, Yuqing felt a dull pain in his side. He gasped, coughing as he curled into a ball, wincing at the waves of pain in seemingly every inch of his body. He heard a soft mew coming from the right of his head- He felt the owner of his body smile, trying to open his swollen eyes to see something in the corner.

xxx"Come back here, don't kick him." He heard a woman scold the little boy who had landed the kick on his stomach. However, the woman was not defending Yuqing. "What if you catch his disease? What if he kills you too? We can not lose you in this family- you are our only boy."

xxxHearing this, Yuqing rolled his eyes mentally. The only disease here is your IQ.

xxxAt this point, Yuqing has already figured out his surroundings. The air stanched strongly of raw fish, the wet feeling of the floor against his body.

xxxHe sighed, hearing a voice of thought parallel to his screeching in his mind.

xxxIt wasn't my fault. it cried,

xxxIt wasn't my fault.


Rien que pour lui


xxxThe loud booming sound of Yuqing's talisman in the shadow museum snapped him out of his daze, the last bits of darkness masking from his eyes as he looked back at the falling museum. He cleared his throat, turning to the boy that stood in front, seemingly waiting for him. Yuqing glanced at him, looking past him to see the citizens scattered on the lawn behind. He raised his eyebrows, snapping lightly before a talisman immediately flew into his hand from the ruins.

xxxYuqing glanced at it, and in the next moment, the talisman dissolved into thin air.

xxxHe focused back at the boy, looking him up and down. The boy seemed like he wanted to speak- but before he could get the words out, his knees collapsed. Yuqing's eyes widened, quickly extending his arm, pulling the boy in towards him. He looked down at the boy now snuggling against his chest. Yuqing sighed, looking back at the burning shadow-museum, and to the citizens scattered in the front. He looked back down- the boy's features were soft, seemingly in comfortable, secure sleep. Emotionlessly, he took out the jade badge in his pocket, hovering his finger over the smooth surface and closing his eyes in communication.

xxxAfter a bit of time, he re-opened his eyes, tossing the jade back into his inner pocket, rubbing his temples to try and free his head of the side effects of the frustrated screaming that echoed through his head through the badge a moment prior.

xxxYuqing wrapped his arm tighter around the boy, his other arm swiftly swooping under the boy's legs, before giving a quick nod to the demons who had just arrived at the scene- and turning away, leaving.

xxxAs Yuqing moved further and further away from the building, the boy stirred, burying his face into the crook of his neck and letting out a little sound of protest when Yuqing was walking too fast.

xxx"What a brat," Yuqing mumbled under his breath as he gently adjusted the boy's position against his chest.

xxxHe chuckled as he felt a nudge, shaking his head.

xxxWhat a brat.



J'aime mon jardin de roses


xxxYuqing stepped out of the bathroom, ruffling his wet hair with a towel. This time, the hotel room was quite a bit bigger than that in the small, musky hotel that Yuqing had found prior. Precisely speaking, Yuqing, as the representative that Headquarters have sent to the district, would usually be treated in a way as an honored guest. However, due to location and the limited time, he chose the closest hotel to where the ghoul was detected.

xxxHe tightened his robe, throwing his towel onto the delicate steel cart in front of the bathroom, before jumping into the bed, his body sinking into the soft mattress. Yuqing shuffled around a tiny bit- before throwing his hand over his head and letting out a satisfied grunt. He took a relaxed breath before opening his eyes again, slowly turning his back towards the outside of the bed. Facing him was a boy, about twenty-something years old. It was the boy that he had brought along previously, the one who displayed signs of being a demon. The boy's expression was soft- the usual snarkiness significantly faded in a calm sleep.



L'odeur
me rend heureuse




xxxYuqing watched as the boy breathed slowly, eyelashes fluttering. Although his eyebrows were still locked, his eyes softened at the boy's soft breathing. He turned onto his back again, feeling the soft pillow compress under his head as he looked at the ceiling above him- before slowly closing his eyes.

xxx"Please..." the man begged, crawling on his knees towards the tall figure in the shadows of the room. "Please... I didn't have a choice..."

xxxThe room flashed, and the man was propelled backward into the bookshelf behind him before he was able to approach the figure. He coughed, shielding his head as books rained down from the tall shelves.

xxxYuqing's eyes twitched in distaste as he looked down at the distraught man, casually taking off his black gloves and putting them back in his jacket pocket.

xxx"No choice?" Yuqing echoed, giving a little chuckle. He tossed the jade badge in his hand up and down, narrowly catching it every time. “I suppose you can explain that to the Judges, can't you?"

xxxYuqing swiftly kicked the man in the chest, and before he could say another word, the trembling figure was out cold.


C'est le silence qui m'parle


xxxYuqing sat at the table, eyes slightly crinkling due to the bright morning sun. He took a bit out of the apple in his hand, leaning back against the plush chair, adverting his glance to the boy still in bed.

xxxThe boy previously had displayed all signs of a demon, though it seems that he was not around any others. Yuqing took another bite out of his apple before his ringtone begun to blast out from his pocket. He groaned, fumbling out his phone. Seeing the contact name, he groaned again before picking up.

xxx"I heard that you encountered an unregistered demon," the voice boomed sternly. "Bring him back here."

xxxYuqing rolled his eyes, "That's the plan- we are going to head out as soon as he wakes up. He is quite drained from everything he did last night."

xxxThere was a long pause on the other side of the phone- if it weren't for the sounds of paper shuffling, Yuqing almost thought he hung up. Finally, the voice, seemingly struck by some shocking news, started again.

xxx"What again?"

xxxYuqing raised an eyebrow, waiting for the voice to finish.

xxxThere was an awkward cough on the other side- before it continued, "Keep a close watch- the community has been turbulent these days."

xxxYuqing's expression hardened, looking out the window, "I will make sure of it."

xxxAs he spoke, he heard the blankets ruffling from across the room. He turned his head, seeing the boy start to stir.

xxx"Alright, old man, he's awake- we'll be back before noon."

xxx"Don't miss me too much."

[breezey]

ＣＡＩ ＂ＬＥＩ＂ ＬＡＮＬＥＩ !
𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐋𝐎𝐖 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 ! 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄

slow motion by flor

indentFAINTING in someone's arms was not on lei's bucket list, especially if said someone was practically a stranger (lei still didn't know his name, for hell's sake!), and the stranger was some sort of sorcerer-witch-whatever combination. even worse, he didn't mind it. the guy's physique was strong in the sense that lei didn't see it coming. he closed his eyes, deciding that it was the other's problem to deal with. lei couldn't find himself to care about other people when he was tired.
indentthe sound of a crunch woke lei up. he didn't think of himself of a light sleeper, but since the past few days, lei found himself more and more sensitive to light noises.
indent"are you taking me to the place you were talking about?" he sat up, rubbing his eyes. it must've been morning— the sun was still visible through the window. some sort of flying creature was curiously peering into the windowsill. lei had seen tons of the creatures before, they never really seemed to harm people, but it was strange that it was suddenly looking back at lei now. "hey.... uh...." the male stumbled for the other's name. "why is it staring at us?" he pointed at the creature. perhaps it was just because of yuqing's presence. "what? you're staring at me like i grew a halo or something."
indent"also. i don't think i told you, but in the weird museum, i got this dagger. it's weird as hell, man." he took the seat next to the stranger, producing the ornate dagger. "it wasn't glowing like this before i touched it. the blade was silver." he stated, touching the illuminated blade. "anyways," lei cleared his throat, sheathing the dagger and putting it in his pocket.

indentthe cold jade badge created a dimension that lei had never even fathomed could happen before. sure, he had seen some weird stuff, but a pocket dimension was out of the question. he glanced up at yuqing's face. was it okay to enter? where was he taking lei? lei breathed in, and out, before entering the strange world.
indenthuh. it was just like lei's world, similar blocky buildings and pavements. heck, even the people were the same— dreading the next minute, yet walking as if with intention. "is this the right place?" lei squinted, trying to figure out why yuqing would take him somewhere that was so plain, so indifferent from the same world he was used to. the other mentioned something about needing a pass before grasping lei's palm and placing a jade badge (similar to his own) in it.
indentthe world suddenly shifted in colours- shapes becoming more oblong. lei clenched his eyes, regretting everything entirely. the change in everything was too overwhelming for him. he counted to ten before opening his eyes again. lei had truly never seen a place like the one they stood in. he felt so out of place, standing in a world with people dressed in traditional hanfus and buildings built so extravagantly, roofs curling upwards with red and gold accents. "why is it so fancy here? hey, do i have to wear a hanfu as well?" leí thought out loud, trying to get his head wrapped around the idea of a secret world being hidden in plain sight.
indentafter buying lei a hanfu so he could properly fit in without strangers glaring at him, the duo reached the heart of the city— a large citadel which towered over both of them, definitely at least ten storeys high. yuqing opened the door for both of them, holding it open for lei. "you're certainly the gentleman today." lei muttered, walking into the fortresslike building. the taller lead the two up the stairs to one of the higher storeys, not leaving room for lei to catch his breath. lei thought he was fit enough— he liked going to the gym sometimes, and he walked to work and classes, but walking so many flights of stairs wore him out quickly. damn stairs.
indentof course yuqing's boss was traditional and seemingly stuck up. lei never liked those kinds of people. they always had something cruel to say, and lei was somehow always at the end of the complaints. "
indent"yuqing, is this boy the one you were talking about earlier?" yuqing nodded, trying to explain the predicament lei was in. lei didn't understand most of the words they used— something about being an unregistered... demon? and much more. "i don't see exactly what you're seeing. but that might be my eyesight getting poorer-" for some reason, lei felt as if that was an excuse to cover the fact that yuqing was more skilled than him, "-but i do sense a great power within you." mister grazie pointed at lei's chest. "your energy seems familiar, but i cannot remember who it is who shares it," the man concluded at last. lei felt so small again, so unfamiliar with the people who surrounded him. the way yuqing and mr grazie spoke about him made him feel like an animal— fragile yet could bite. he felt an ugly sense of beastliness, like how he felt when no one else could relate to his sense of vision, and—
indent"show him the dagger." yuqing nudged him, startling him back to the real world. "wh— ah, crap, right." lei produced the same dagger from his pocket again, unsheathing the blinding blade. "only after i touched the blade in that... shadow morpher?—" lei looked up at yuqing for approval, "-did it start shining like that. when i'm not holding it, it doesn't shine like that anymore," lei explained, holding out the dagger. grazie gave him a hard stare, as if trying to read lei's intentions. he squinted at lei, face contorting slightly. "what is it?" lei snapped, tired of the stares he was receiving. he looked up at yuqing again for answers, but yuqing's face was unreadable. how cruel could it be that in all the worlds that lei stepped foot in, he could not be the norm? what about him was so unusual wherever he went? perhaps he wouldn't know, but he wished the feeling of unfamiliarity would stop.
indent"do you, by any chance, know your mother? your father? what is your first memory?" grazie finally asked, grabbing a piece of paper from his desk. lei, shocked by the questions was not very sure how he should answer. "no... no. and, i don't remember..?" lei tried to answer as best as he could, but grazie was not satisfied, judging by the look on his face.
indent"remember harder!" grazie roared, visibly upset. lei furrowed his eyebrows, equally upset.
indent"i'm trying, you bastard!" he shouted back, exasperation showing in his voice. of course he knew his earliest memory. grazie just made it hard for lei to open up to. perhaps he was trying to help him, but lei was stubborn as a mule. instead, he turned to yuqing.
indent"i think, it's of my mom," lei muttered, swallowing. "she sent me down somewhere. maybe it was, like, from here—" his breath hitched. "she was so... sad, i think. she had this look on her face, like she was conflicted between sending me away, or keeping me." lei clenched his left fist. "she said something, but i was too young to understand words yet. i don't think i would've understood if i could, either though." lei exhaled, unsure what else to say, "happy now?" he turned around, staring back at grazie, who had a strangely confused and angry look on his face. lei knew something was wrong, but couldn't put his finger on what it was.