Imbibitor Lunae—A title reserved for the Vidyadhara High Elder of the Xianzhou Loufu.
Successor of the Azure Dragon.
Commander of the Clouds and the Rain.
Just some of the many honourable handles this title has for the one who bears this name.
Through the vast history of the Xianzhou, each one placed their own unforgettable mark that would be remembered for decades to come.
But stains could also be considered marks in their own way.
"What are you blanking out for?"
A bright day with the subtle sun shining down his face, the man turned his eyes to the woman to his left.
Silky light purple hair, fox ears that drooped just slightly and a soft smile that was impossible not to reciprocate. She poured herself a cup of tea.
"So has our little High Elder grown bored of the duel? I guess that a battle between two skilled fighters wasn't enough to rouse your interest~."
"...Not really, I was just thinking."
"Isn't thinking all you ever do? I guess the Preceptors have you at wits' end, Dan Feng!!"
Her laugh tickled his ear. His expression didn't change, but the strain at the edge of his eyes wasn't hard to notice.
"Ah! It's finally getting interesting! You think the boy will finally land a hit?"
"...."
The man took his silence and sipped on his tea instead. His eyes finally focused on the fight in front of him.
Sparks dance in the air. The collision of steel echoed as a woman with long white hair quickly swung her blade forward.
Her arms blurred and her opponent felt a shiver go down his spine.
This however, didn't last long and his focus sharpened trying to find a way through this intense match.
"Master, here I come!"
The woman didn't say a word but her actions spoke volumes. Her swings increased in strength and occasionally tilted forward to brace the attack suddenly being thrown at her.
A polearm moved through the gaps within the collision. Still, with the weight and reach the weapon had, it proved to be harder to break than he thought.
The sword changed direction midswing and forced him to defend.
"The boy has improved a lot, dare I say."
"Still lacking in parts."
Dan Feng sipped his tea casually. The woman only let out a faint smile at his rather blunt answer.
'I need to find a way out of this…'
Facing his master has always been a challenge, no matter how hard he improved. Her experience and technique with the sword were too deep for him to match.
While it was like facing a grand ocean, he wasn't discouraged. Rather, it was the progress he felt that made him dive headfirst.
The blade's speed shot up and the edge barely touched the hem of his armour. His movement began to feel smoother and his vision felt clearer.
'Nice! Now I can finally dodge Master's attacks—!'
His expression brightened upon seeing his speed.
Various ideas began popping into his mind on how he was going to go forward, but this brought a moment of distraction.
And this moment was not missed by the woman in front of him.
"Distractions are fatal in combat."
"W-Wait—-ARGH!!!"
The boy saw his master lower her sword and with a quick sweep of her legs, he lost his balance.
Her sole found its way towards the center of his chest and the air was knocked out of his lungs. His weak body flew across the field and landed a few meters away from her.
"Pfft… Looks like I spoke too early..."
The person beside Dan Feng tried her best to hide the laugh that was spilling through her fingers and jumped up from her seat.
"Jingliu~! You could have held back a bit."
"...Nonsense, getting distracted in the middle of a fight is a foolish mistake."
"Hmm… I guess that's also true!"
Jingliu crossed her arms and her eyes landed on the boy who was trying to catch his breath.
"Hey, how about we give him a break for now?" The woman asked her and offered her hand to the boy. "Are you okay, Jingyuan?"
His expression softened and he immediately jumped up as if forgetting the attack from earlier.
"I'm perfectly fine, Baiheng!! I can still go on no problem!"
"Yes, that's the spirit. Here, wipe yourself up. There's some dirt on your face."
Jingyuan took the towel from her and cleaned himself from the grim and sweat covering his body and face.
It was a shame that what they said was true but the feeling of finally being able to dodge one of his master's attacks was too much for him to just forget.
"So the idiot got forced to eat grass after getting slightly excited in a fight? I wish I could have seen the whole thing."
A mocking laugh appeared behind Jingyuan and his face turned red, hearing the words specifically aimed at him.
There he saw a man with long white hair and pale grey eyes. A sneer was stained to his face and this look irritated Jingyuan even more. "Who are you calling an idiot?"
"Yahoo, Yingxing! Finished your work for the day?" Baiheng waved.
"Pretty much. Had a lot of orders and traded some precious materials in the process. Expect your weapons to be under commission for the meantime."
"Are you guys ignoring me!?"
Jingyuan had to speak up seeing his words fall onto deaf ears and Yingxing didn't hesitate to send him another smirk.
"Oh? There should be only one idiot here, so what's wrong?"
"You're the bigger idiot!"
"I doubt that. Shall I remind you who it was that just ate dirt? I know for sure it wasn't me."
Like lighting a fuse, the two began to bicker, which to them was a regular occurrence. Jingliu covered her face seeing that another match was off limits for now and took the water given to her.
"Rest for now, it will be a while before they stop~."
"I guess so."
"I brewed a new pot of tea so feel free to pour some for yourself~"
Jingliu let out a sigh but Baiheng's words were enough to let her mind gently ease out. Getting used to their bickering, she took a seat and used the opportunity to relax.
Dan Feng continued to sip on his tea and seeing this scenery from a distance, made him feel oddly at peace.
The bright sun, a rowdy argument and people casually watching. It was one of the moments that just felt … right.
"Are you still thinking?"
Once again, Baiheng found herself right beside him. Dan Feng noticed her expression and her eyes were glued ahead of her.
"You know, these days I've been at peace."
"That sounds ominous. I thought the lifespan of foxians were rather long."
"Did it now? I didn't mean to make it sound like that."
A laugh escaped her lips once more. "But there's still something I always wondered."
Seeing his silence, she took it as a quiet agreement that he was listening.
"Why did you do it?"
The air turned chilly. Her words were soft but the weight and implication behind them pierced through his core.
"Dan Feng, why did you do it?"
He tried to speak. He tried to let out at least a word but then came an anguished roar of a dragon, as if pleading for death.
Interrupting his thoughts completely.
There was no longer the sunny sky and the echoes of bickering floating in the air.
The sky was dark, clouds rumbling as rain poured from the sky.
The arrogant craftsman who boasted about the precious materials he recently traded was now on the floor. The blood that poured from him was endless.
His body convulsed as an unknown power started breaking him down from the inside.
Beside him was no longer Baiheng but an amalgamation of dragonic flesh. Her bright and soft smile no longer to be seen, but cries of pain were the only things left of her.
"You…what have you done…?"
A sword that was once peerless and bore a symbol of victory to whatever abomination she slayed was broken and now solely aimed at him.
Her once clear eyes were hidden beneath the overwhelming rage she tried to contain.
"I..Impossible. The preceptors said... The blood of my race and the soul of my ancestor should have created another high elder. All this... It shouldn't be like this."
He couldn't control the words coming out of his mouth. Not like he wanted to.
"If your death could return everything to how it was before…I would do it."
Jingliu turned her back to him and a spiral of ice surged from beneath her feet. In its reflection was a sole moon.
Dan Feng could only blankly stare at the scene of her lonely back walking towards the monster he created.
Its cries ringing through his ears.
What are you thinking about?
A sentence he could no longer listen to.
And if he could, he no longer had any right to.
***
Dan Heng's eyes opened and feeling the cold metal wrapped around his body, a hint of nostalgia rose from his chest.
It wasn't a good one to remember but it helped ease his mind a bit seeing the scene he was accustomed to.
The dark cell and its sole light source permeated from a single opening. It was all too familiar to him.
'Did I fall asleep? I remember getting dragged into a cell after following that man…'
Taoran's actions were still fresh in his head and seeing the cell he was left in, that odd dream he had slowly faded away.
As it faded, a knot within his chest lingered and he was left staring at the wall.
"I'm back where I started…" The words rolled off his tongue.
It wasn't what he expected when he decided to leave the Express but seeing his current state, it felt like karma had decided that it was his time again.
The sins he had were harder to wash away than he had originally thought.
"Is the prisoner still alive?"
"Of course he is, I heard him groaning inside, so he's at least breathing."
A couple of chuckles were made outside his cell and Dan Heng listened carefully.
Hearing how easy and carefree they were, he already assumed that Taoran had no need for him anymore.
Considering he had the person he was truly after already in his grasp.
The chains around his arms tightened and he grit his teeth in silence.
Damn it.
[What are members of the Vidyadhara doing here?]
Dan Heng momentarily pushed the guilt he felt down and raised his head towards the door when he heard a voice.
It was a different tone from the guards and he suddenly felt the air around him rise a few degrees.
[Hmph.]
The voice, cold and distant. Dan Heng felt like it was ringing inside his head rather than his ears.
"Hey! What are you doing here—-!?"
"Stop screaming, just seal it or take its head!"
Dan Heng's full attention was now focused on the commotion outside.
He was too pessimistic to think it would be help. His time within this prison was anything but enjoyable
Even when chained down, he had heard passing stories of the types of criminals that were housed here.
Seeing as Taoran was able to get to one of the lowest levels to seek help from Hoolay, Dan Heng felt like it wasn't strange to see other criminals escape as well.
The screams eventually faded into silence.
He held his breath, patiently waiting for the disaster to make its way past his cell, however he saw a flicker of blue light fill the space outside his cell.
A faint flame slipped from beneath the cracks and eventually materialized into a blue medium-sized fox.
Its face was filled with a hint of indifference and annoyance. Bits of sulking could also be seen. It curiously looked inside the cell and her eyes eventually met with his.
[A prisoner here? I thought all of them ran away at this point.]
She hopped towards Dan Heng and frowned when she saw the chains wrapping around his arms.
[These things again!]
Her coat burned brighter and eyed Dan Heng cautiously who felt the surface of his skin sting.
People who were usually tied down by these chains were either really dangerous or forced to wear them due to circumstances.
But considering that this was just a normal cell at the lower levels, it should just be the latter.
Still, the more she looked at him, she felt his face was looking more familiar.
[Hey! I feel like I've seen you before…What's your name?]
"...."
[Why are you so quiet? Are you thinking about something?]
Star was beginning to feel like Dan Heng had lost the ability to speak but after a while, it finally dawned on her why he looked so familiar.
[Ahh!! You're one of Yuuto's friends right? With that Vidhadhara girl that went missing.]
The chains that tied him down rattled. "...You know me? But before that, you also said Yuuto? He's here?"
[W-Wait, calm down. You're getting antsy.]
Star stopped Dan Heng who looked like he was about to jump at her and looked at the chains wrapping around his body.
She paused for a moment and flickered out of his cell and came back with a small jade key within her mouth.
Convenient.
[I felt that it was suspicious to see some Vidyadhara guarding a cell at this time but seeing that it was you… I bet you're part of the commotion that annoying girl was talking about…]
She worked quickly and released Dan Heng from the cuffs sealing him. It felt strange noticing the shift in weight it had and rubbed his arms.
Relieved that they were finally off.
He was initially worried about how he would escape but the answer came quite quickly.
There was a moment of awkward silence.
"...Is the door also unlocked?"
[I could open it if you want…]
"..."
Dan Heng only nodded his head and Star went on her way.
[I noticed it before but you don't say a lot of words.] The lock located on the door melted and Star poked her head through.
[You can speak freely with me if you want. I'm not scary.]
"...Alright."
[Ah! I'm not forcing you, don't worry!]
"I wasn't thinking that so—"
[I heard pushing people past their comfort zone is not good so I'm just making sure.]
"...."
[Oh, now I get it! You're just awkward meeting people for the first time. I'm Star and I'm apparently a special poison that kills the soul or so I've been told.]
"..."
[Yuuto said not to mention it casually but I figured that since you're his friend, then it's fine. Ah! But don't pass it around since I'll get in trouble if it comes out.]
Dan Heng walked out of his cell and felt a bit of his energy deflate from the chatty fox near his feet.
Even if some of the content she was talking about was alarming, he could tell she had good intentions at heart.
That soul part though… he felt a solid two steps apart would work best for the time being.
Apart from that, Dan Heng felt like he needed to touch the subject he heard before.
"So you mentioned Yuuto was here?"
[Him? Hmph!! That big idiot told me to run around for a bit while he tests a new trick he made. Said that it was a mini training arc or something.]
"Sounds like something he would say…"
[But he feels a bit different than usual…]
Star mumbled to herself but sensing that Dan Heng stopped following her. She stopped walking as well.
[Did something happen?]
Dan Heng paused. "I need to go back to the deeper levels first. Could you tell him to catch up quickly?"
[You alone?]
"There's no time, I don't know how long it's been since I've been chained up but I need to hurry or else."
Dan Heng looked around and saw a familiar hall. He recalled a few similarities from the path he initially took.
"Something dangerous is about to happen and could affect everyone on this ship."
Before he could pass Star a brief message to pass along, the air around them froze.
"What do you mean by that?"
The two quickly turned around and noticed a man dragging the body of what seemed to be a Borisin.
It looked stiff and if one were to look closely past its thick fur, countless sword marks were engraved within its very skin.
All with the same length and depth.
However that didn't catch his attention more than the person dragging the body.
Compared to the relaxed and composed person he was used to, the man in front of him gave a feeling of unfamiliarity.
Faint fragments swirled around him and the moonlight wrapped around him was like an unsheathed sword. A level different from what he was used to.
However, his gaze was what caught him off guard.
It was like all his secrets were being read right in front of him. All the stories he had were being seen through.
"You're really here…?" Dan Heng asked while staring at Yuuto who appeared before him. His entrance was so abrupt that his mind blanked out a bit.
"I felt energy spike up here and wondered what trouble this little fox had started so I rushed over."
Yuuto glanced at Star who huffed her head away and lowered the Borisin he brought along.
"Are you surprised? I should say the same for you. Weren't you supposed to go and escort Bailu back to a safe zone?" He asked back skeptically.
The air and faint shimmers of fragments around him faded. His tone was initially unfamiliar but slowly eased out as if a switch was turned off. Returning to the person Dan Heng was familiar with.
"....That's.." Dan Heng relaxed while he decided how to respond.
As soon as Dan Heng thought about what had happened he paused and this caught Yuuto's attention.
There was a feeling of urgency that rose from him and Yuuto immediately listened to his next words.
"We need to go down. I can explain on the way but the Vidyadhara are attempting something really dangerous."
"How dangerous are we talking?"
"It might affect their future on the Loufu for better or worse."
This was a strong accusation so Yuuto was extremely curious as to what Dan Heng witnessed during his time away. This anxious expression was a first for him.
The one who usually held a cool and collected front was now uneasy.
It wasn't something he wanted to see.
'There's also his mental state…' Yuuto's eyes flashed a subtle hue and saw how clouded and chaotic his mind was. 'Did a memory from his past resurface?'
Dan Heng's situation was delicate, if put in simpler terms.
He's been through trials that only he could speak about, so he had no place to comment on them.
However, it wouldn't be a surprise to have the setting around him trigger something deep inside.
"Summarize what you know while you lead me. It's urgent, isn't it?"
Yuuto felt that Sparkle's comment about their game being interrupted was tied to this, and wondered if it was also one of Phantylia's plans.
Phantylia. The Vidyadhara. The Saint of the Arbor. Sparkle.
Each one, while being different, all had some sort of tie to each other.
"I thought solving the Sanctus Medicus would make this journey easier but it just got more annoying …"
Screw this butterfly effect.
Now another faction wanted to join this late?
Or perhaps they were here all along.
His instincts were telling him that this was just the start to the main course.
Without missing a second, the two fled the cell and rushed towards the bottommost layer of the prison.