CH.2: THE ASCENSION BRIDGE

The sun had descended halfway in the sky when the troop finally reached one end of the bridge.

The guards that had escorted the Prince up the hill took a few steps back, merging with the crowd; only Jie Xiang would be crossing it.

The Ascension Bridge was made of pristine white stone and held in place with the same sturdy structures used to build the tallest of towers at the Imperial Palace. A straight path without borders, wide enough for one person to comfortably walk through.

On the other end, a dozen metres away, there was a small marble Pavilion decorated with flowers where the Empress and the King, along with the Royal Advisors, awaited him. There, he would officially be given the title of ‘Crown Prince of Chuan Xia’, future ruler of the Kingdom.

Jie Xiang remembered all the times he had spent as a child at the Pavilion with his brother Zhong Hei, playing freely without a care in the world. That had been long before the pressure that came with his title had weighed down on him, separating them as Jie Xiang had increasing responsibilities to attend to.

He felt a cold shudder, briefly hesitating as five words flooded his mind again; “You are one of us.”

He could feel the citizens’ eyes on his back and for the first time in his life, it felt uncomfortable to be watched so closely, their piercing gazes studying his every move; it felt as though, he thought, they would eventually discover the doubt that was hidden in his heart…

Could it be true? Could he really be one of them, an impostor, walking down his brother’s rightful path?

He tried to shove that unsettling thought aside as he stepped on the Ascension Bridge.

The air had become colder and the sun was nowhere to be seen, its rays of light never able to reach this dark place secluded by dense forestry. The festive atmosphere had suddenly grown solemn, the silence deafening; the cheering voices got quieter and quieter as they had approached the bridge, until no sound could be heard.

They all knew about the ‘Legend of The Abysm’, the black void of darkness below the bridge that supposedly served as the entrance to the Underworld. When the Prince had asked his Master about it after coming across the legend in a worn book, Guang Zhi’s face had lost all trace of colour and his mouth produced an infinite series of scolding words. He had then proceeded to confiscate the book and forbade him to further investigate on the topic.

Jie Xiang walked forward with a slow and steady pace, his firm steps echoing from underneath. A soft breeze played with his long hair, dancing around him; his cape floating in the wind. From the outside he was the perfect definition of a ruler; all mighty and omnipotent, godly in his white attire.

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He had just passed the middle of the bridge when suddenly, a voice coming from behind called for him, breaking the stillness of the valley, “NOOOOO!! JIE XIAANNG!!!”

That was when Jie Xiang realised there was someone missing at the Pavilion, someone who should have been positioned next to the Empress all the while…

He turned around, his heart sinking.

A figure clad in ebony garments had made its way through the surprised crowd, reaching the bridge’s end.

Prince Zhong Hei, ‘The Black Prince’, had arrived.

Jie Xiang’s brother was only three years younger but he still had a childlike appearance, his features slightly rounded, undeveloped and his body small in size; looking nothing like the Crown Prince who already glowed with a Heavenly aura. He had been dressed in the same silk attire Jie Xiang was wearing, except his was completely black, the colour of the long hair covering his shoulders in a disorganized manner giving him an untameable appearance. His pale skin was milky white and two black gems shone in his big eyes.

The Princes were as different as the Sun and the Moon in the sky.

‘The Black Prince’ was believed to carry a dark omen within him; having been born under the Ominous Star, prophets foretold he would bring misery to the Kingdom. No one in the city dared to say his name out loud, fearing the prophecy would come true.

And so, doomed from the very beginning of his existence, the young Prince became isolated and learnt how to live in the shadows.

Everything happened in a matter of seconds; Zhong Hei launched towards Jie Xiang like a spectre of the night, rushing across the bridge as gasps of horror were heard from behind him.

He came to a stop before Jie Xiang grabbing hold of him with both hands, breathing heavily like he had been running for a long while.

A silver tiara glistened on his head; a dozen miniature deers were intricately crafted along it frozen in various jumping and galloping positions, extending sideways from his forehead towards the back like antlers. They were a reference to the tale of ‘The Lin Lin’, a white stag that was said to live hidden deep in The Woods of the eastern Earth Realm.

Zhong Hei glanced at the Pavilion before slowly lifting his face.

Jie Xiang saw his eyes were wide with disbelief as he felt the hard grip on his arms, nails piercing his skin.

He realised Zhong Hei must have somehow discovered what Jie Xiang had been fearing since the incident with Yu Yun. There couldn’t be any other reason as to why he would interrupt the Crown Prince’s Ceremony!

Yet, such interruption was unheard of and unimaginable…

Whispers quickly rose from the crowd and the Pavilion likewise.

“I-I thought…” Zhong Hei said, not finishing the phrase, but Jie Xiang knew what he had wanted to say; that he couldn’t believe how his dear brother had committed treason against him and his own Kingdom, all his life a deception, a fraud…

Jie Xiang’s heart sank even lower, his expression unreadable.

A sudden gust of cold wind blew through the valley and grey clouds covered the sky above; a storm was coming.

He heard the citizens’ words filled with hate towards Zhong Hei; in their eyes, the bringer of doom had come to fulfil his ominous prophecy.

Zhong Hei had to step off the bridge in an attempt to appease the crowd before the tension escalated even further, Jie Xiang thought, trying to protect his brother, unaware of the cascade of events that decision would trigger.

Through gritted teeth he ordered firmly, “Turn back. Now.”

For a minute, Zhong Hei appeared to be startled and frozen in place.

Then his dark eyes brimmed with tears about to overflow.

He abruptly turned around and started running back the way he came; the opening of a scene that would be relived in Jie Xiang’s nightmares over and over again throughout the coming years.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

In his rush, the boy stepped on the hem of his long clothes, tripping over.

Horrified, Jie Xiang witnessed as Zhong Hei stumbled to the side of the narrow bridge and plunged into thin air, his back facing the endless abysm underneath.

Time stopped.

Jie Xiang’s hand desperately shot out to him, only to violently snatch the tiara from his head, crushing it into a thousand shimmering pieces that resonated with the sound of tinkling crystals.

“ZHOONG HEEEIII!!!” he cried, his voice echoing loudly from the pit.

He was too late… Jie Xiang looked in shock as the form plummeted down the cliff.

Soon after, ‘The Black Prince’ was swallowed by darkness.

Silence.

Then, a shriek was heard from the crowd and chaos erupted all around.

—

Jie Xiang had been left standing at the edge of the bridge under the pouring rain, his right hand still extended outwards. It was dripping with blood, staining his white clothes in scarlet.

And crushed under his fist, Prince Zhong Hei’s crown.

*