Wen Reian

2004 years after The Long Night

Wúmeng

Reian quietly skipped another stone from the pier, wondering to himself when Xie De and Jin Yu would return from the water. As soon as the two had seen boats coming to and from Skipper's Island, it was a mad dash to see who could swim there the fastest.

Xie De was a natural in water. Jin Yu a little less so, but it was more about bragging rights than anything else. Something Reian cared for very little. Content to sit and watch his friends flapping around in the distance, he picked another stone from beside him and threw it.

It skipped several times and then sank. Reian paused. He began to wonder how it felt to be a stone. To spend several thousands of years being slowly washed ashore, finally have peace and quiet and not be at the whim of the tides... only to one day be chosen at random and tossed mindlessly back into the deep.

Reian's thoughts strayed back to Xie Yi-jun, as he realised that maybe that was how he felt too-

Holding another pebble in his hand, Wen Rei stared at it, belatedly realising several minutes later that he wasn't alone.

Trying his hardest to keep looking down, and not sidelong at the red-dressed King that had sat beside him, Reian wanted to leap into the water suddenly and swim away.

Why is he here?! What does he want-

"I remember the first time I ever came here," Xie Yi-jun sighed. "Back then the ocean was still covered in ice. If you skipped a stone it wouldn't even sink."

Yi-jun spoke to the world, as if Reian wasn't there, and yet his words were a mirror of the boy's thoughts.

Finally, Reian glanced at the man.

He was different, having changed into new clothes that seemed far less ornate and old-fashioned. The crimson suited him, as did the leather cord tied around his waist. He seemed almost his age.

Staring out at the water, Xie Yi-jun seemed to be calmer as well. It was still impossible to sense any feelings from him, but the way he sat back on his hands, chin tilted up... it was as if he was finally in a place he felt safe.

Reian spoke, because his silence was starting to feel like a confession-

"You shouldn't be here,"

Yi-jun looked at him.

That didn't sound right...

Reian frowned. "No, I mean! I can't leave you alone if you are here. And I'm waiting for my friends to come back. You shouldn't be here if you want me to stay away."

Xie Yi-jun seemed to recall their conversation in the forest the day before. It was still all Reian could think about, even after he'd decided not to care.

Yi-jun glanced down then, seeming incredibly distracted all of a sudden.

"I can go if you wish," he said. "I only came to apologize."

"... to me?!"

The man nodded. "Yes. I am sorry I yelled at you, and I'm sorry I hurt you. It wasn't my intention."

Before Reian could even process his words, he was mumbling; "What was your intention?"

"This isn't easy, Reian." Xie Yi-jun said, "You know why-"

Reian swallowed, "Why?"

When Yi-jun grinned, it was almost like a spark went off right above Reian's head.

Ding-

The young King laughed. "You're very curious." He nodded, "Alright. I'll tell you,"

Reian waited patiently, but Yi-jun seemed to be having a hard time finding the words.

Eventually he frowned, raising a hand into the air and as Reian watched, flickers of light began to shimmer to life inside the man's palm, blue sparks, azure flames... Wen Reian couldn't take his eyes off them, as the flames danced shyly between Xie Yi-jun's fingers, as if the power didn't want to stray too far, like it liked him.

"Last time I was here," the King said softly. "I was with Jin Songcai. He liked watching the way the fire reflected off the snow, so I would show him."

Reian was silent, just listening...

"From my perspective, it's only been a month since I left. I keep waking up expecting to find him here, but then I remember. Yet here you are... and I know what Su Lan told me about the spell. I remember it word for word. So, I can't help from feeling confused."

"Because I am not Songcai," Reian replied firmly, not admitting the fact that he'd begun being visited in his dreams by Jin Songcai himself...

Xie Yi-jun let out a sigh then, almost as if Reian finally saying the words had brought him some sort of peace. If he'd known that, he would have said it sooner.

After several moments of quiet, the boy became curious about the fire he'd seen Yi-jun wield. He knew those from Hêi'àn City were masters of powers and magic similar to that, but it was still amazing to see it first-hand.

"How do you..." he gestured.

The King nodded, "The flames?"

Yi-jun smiled then and without even raising a finger, closed his eyes and whistled. From his pursed lips, Reian watched a glowing blue flicker swirl through the air. Contorting itself into spirals, not behaving like real fire in any way except for its magical glow. Wen Rei was mesmerized...

Xie Yi-jun opened his eyes as the flames died down, leaving only faint sparks that drifted off and then faded too.

"That's... beautiful." Reian said. "Were you born with this power?"

Xie Yi-jun nodded. "Yes, but it took years to be able to control it. At times I wonder if I spent all those years studying, only for it to end up controlling me."

Reian seemed to understand. He too had spent and will spend years practicing and cultivating in Jingshén. He was destined for a life of traveling and expelling dangerous spirits. He always thought it would make him happy eventually to be doing what his Master and friends were doing, and yet recently things hadn't been so clear.

Recently... ever since he met Yi-jun. Ever since he'd tried to heal him-

"These days unless you're from Lêung Shãn, no one is born with magic," he told the King.

"Some are lucky enough to be born with traits that make it easier to learn, but most are ordinary. You won't find anyone that's able to do what you can do anymore."

Reian meant it to be somewhat of a compliment, if not just a statement of fact, so when Yi-jun glanced away suddenly and his fingers curled, it took Reian more than a few moments to realize what he'd said.

About to apologize, he found the King already staring at him, though it was more a gaze of curiosity...

"How about you?" Yi-jun nodded, "Were you born ordinary?"

Reian answered his question honestly.

"Most of the orphans that come to Jingshén to cultivate and study aren't special in any way. Jin Yu came from South Jiezhî, and has a bit of talent for natural magics because of that."

Xie Yi-jun blinked, "Orphans? I didn't know... I thought Master Hao might be your father."

Reian smiled. "He might as well be,"

"But you don't know who your parents are? Where you're from?"

The boy swallowed the knot in his throat. As much as he loved his family and his life, it was still a topic that seemed to haunt them all, even himself. Who are we?

He just shrugged it away as usual, not willing to dwell on it.

"I know I was found in The Spirit Orchard as a baby. My parents must have left me there knowing I'd be taken to Jingshén. It is likely they couldn't afford to keep me..."

"There was no such place like Jingshén in my world. Parents would keep their children despite every odd being against their survival. I'm... glad you were found."

Reian only nodded.

After a while, he realized something else. Something he'd seen several days ago during their time in Sanlín City but hadn't had any time to think about. Turning to Yi-jun he narrowed his eyes...

"A few days ago when you used your powers, I saw it. The flames were orange, but just now they were blue. Do you control that as well?"

Yi-jun shook his head, "The colors represent my emotions at any given time. My powers are tied to them. For example, red flames would mean I was angry. Orange means panicked-"

Reian nodded, "What does blue mean?"

"...grief."

Realizing he probably should have guessed that and not asked, the boy frowned, eventually deciding to change the topic all together. He quickly mumbled the first thing he could think of.

"Do you think you can teach me anything? Any old magic?"

Yi-jun raised a dark eyebrow slyly, "I thought you had refused to call me Master?"

A smile lifted the corners of Wen Reian's mouth before he hid it-

"Yes. But I would still be a fool not to ask..."

The King thought for a second, seeming to be remembering something, then he nodded.

"Okay, I can teach you a trick right now. Here, hold out your hand."

Reian paused for a moment and then did so, jumping slightly when Xie Yi-jun took it and turned it over, palm up.

The man placed his hand above Reian's, closing his eyes. Wen Rei watched in breathless silence, the small smile playing on the King's rose-red lips, and how he exhaled gently, calling for Reian to imagine something "small", something "pretty"... something he wanted to see.

Of course, Wen Reian's mind was preoccupied by having these few precious seconds to study the King's features secretly, so when Xie Yi-Jun suddenly raised his hand off of Reian's, the boy stifled a gasp at what was hovering delicately between their palms-

A rose... a blue one, with every petal and thorn exactly how I pictured in my mind, when I pictured the King's sweet smile.

Blushing, Wen Rei tried not to act too surprised, forcing his voice to come out as even as possible as he said;

"Oh... well, that's... how lovely! A blue rose, it's quite unique..."

Xie Yi-jun was staring at the flower too, as it spun and gleamed, appearing as if someone had set fire to a real rose. It indeed looked unique. Otherworldly, even. Reian could hardly believe such magic was possible, much less that the one before him was conjuring it!

Yi-jun just nodded thoughtfully. "The image is so clear," he mused. "Fascinating..."

Reian could almost sense that hidden buried in his words was some deep curiosity, or concern. Brushing that aside for now, Reian smiled shyly...

"Did you know, Yi-jun?" He said, stammering slightly as he tried to hide his awkwardness with conversation. A terrible decision, really.

"We hold something impossible here in our hands... roses bloom in every single color, all except blue. Perhaps this flower will be the only one like it to ever exist!"

Feeling silly for sputtering such childish nonsense, Wen Rei was about to nervously add something to his tangent, when the King hummed softly.

Reian paused. Finally, Xie Yi-jun nodded slowly, eyes seeming caught by something far off that Reian couldn't see even though he was looking in the same direction.

"How sad," Yi-jun smiled. "To be the only one of its kind."

As the image faded, Reian and Yi-jun lowered both of their hands. Between them, Wen Rei felt that there was more of an understanding, which he was grateful for.

If he doesn't feel the same, well... at least now I can say I know a bit more about the man. Fires and impossible things. Could that really be all that lies behind his guarded eyes?