7

Kindred Spirits

Now, the twenty-four realms of heaven were rich in pools of energy whose source were the King and the Bride. If the energy pools had the Bride’s life in them, they glowed in different shades of blue. Those originating in the King’s life, glowed golden, or fiery-orange. This was how new life was birthed in the heavenly realms, the source always being the Creators. None of the bonded pairs could conceive or birth life but all could nurture it. The energy pools could form any of the creatures that belonged in the different habitations. The only thing the pools could not birth, were Tiānshǐ who were personally crafted from the dust of Dàshān by the King and his Bride. The heavens were teeming with life, and constantly expanding in the four directions to contain them. This is why one can never be bored in the heavens as there was always something new to discover in the territories being formed.

The northern realms had many blue pools. Wěi hóng, the Sān sè Lóng hatched from an egg nurtured by the Bride’s life force. While he was serpentine and long in flight or with his master, he grew strong and muscular when in combat. Thus, he was the incarnation of beauty, grace and strength just like Jiàn Shēng. His wings were feathered like a bird’s, and were golden like his claws and teeth. These wings disappeared when he was not using them to fly. While he kept his scales down to show just one color, they were smooth as the soft fur of the beasts in the western realms. But when he raised them to use the golden side as mirrors, then it was obvious that his body was fully covered in scales like a reptile. The gold scales always rattled with a peculiar sound when he shifted them around.

Wěi hóng could learn just by keenly observing others – be they living beasts or Tiānshǐ. His memory retained their every move and word, enabling him to imitate them. This made him a master of disguises as he could change his voice or act like another under various coverings. He grew accustomed to playing such pranks on other soul beasts, that his cunning and schemes were only second to Jiàn Shēng’s.

His bed in the northern realms was in the icy caves with openings that glistened with clear and starry skies overhead. But here, he was growing accustomed to the life of luxury and pampering his master indulged him with. He had shrunk himself to the size of a wolf cub, and was sleeping belly-up in a warm bed filled with silken fillings, that Jiàn Shēng made for him.

Further away, by the lake Wáng Léi had turned into a little, sandy-colored calf. He was content laying his chin upon his master’s lap, listening to the soft melody emanating from the zither that Zhì Shēn was playing. His eyes glistened as he drifted in and out of sleep. He preferred a life of simplicity like his master. While he mostly appeared as a skipping, golden-fawn colored calf playing upon the hills, one should never be fooled into thinking that he was weak.

In combat, he was always a fully grown bull whose nose bellowed with smoke and eyes turned to fire. His armor was as tough as rocks and impenetrable, and he could stomp hardest rocks into fine dust with his golden hooves. It was best to keep clear of his three horns, two of which were pronged, while the other grew on his forehead. Wáng Léi could fly like every other living beast in the heavens, but he lacked wings and was not the most graceful flyer. The land was his natural habitat and contact with it would help him grow gigantic in duels. His way of learning was through music which his ears could pick even from great distances. He could decode the notes and understand their hidden messages. Wáng Léi was highly curious and emotional. He loved puzzles and solving riddles with his master. His photographic memory ensured he remembered every detail on a map or a given location, right to the tiniest blade of grass.

Xióng Zhǎn’s eagle loved making nests of rocks which he found in abundance around his master’s home. The eagle was prone to preening his beautiful soft pink, and flaming blue feathers. Each of these feathers which he plucked and gave as gifts had the power to heal, restoring health and life. However, in a world where sickness and death were not familiar friends, these feathers had greater value in giving light to the bearer during their journey through sky and water. The feathers also had the power to turn into sharp, frost arrows in combat. Zǐ Xīn would then take his true form, which was a very large, blue fire phoenix. His eyes glowed with a deep blue flame, like the Bride’s. For this reason, both Jiàn Shēng and his dragon were always drawn to and in awe of the phoenix. Zǐ Xīn created storms and whirlwinds by twirling himself in flight. The moonstones on his claws fell as fiery stones that could crush entire continents in our world.

Zǐ Xīn learnt best through movement, be it dance or battle. Hence, his sense of sight was very keen and even the slightest movement from the farthest distance, drew his attention easily. He could also tell exactly what creature or plant was within his vision, based on these observations. He was the best at telling truth from disguise and for this reason, he was the dragon’s best opponent, being evenly matched just like their masters. Zǐ Xīn could discern and easily complement any move Xióng Zhǎn required of him.

Pèi Zhōng’s lion had made himself comfortable in his master’s house. He loved roaming through its gardens and mingling with all those who visited them. His luxurious white mane with blue braids of fur always tempted the Tiānshǐ to run their fingers through it. He had many jewels and often wore necklaces, but he was in the habit of giving them away to the other creatures for he did not hold on to treasures tightly. The only thing that he truly valued was the armor that the King had given him. He was not any smaller than the throne guardians and when he flew, it appeared like he was running in the upper currents.

Jiā Háo’s roar was so loud that it reverberated through the realms. His strength was in mustering numerous allies and uniting their gifts under his power. The packs and herds willingly followed his call and it was rightly said that he was a great leader among them, trusted and well-loved. Further, his roar could freeze an opponent temporarily, giving his master the upper-hand in duels. His strategy lay in his offense and his learning was related to his sense of sight, hearing and smell. While he was not as good as Zǐ Xīn when it came to seeing, nor Wáng Léi when it came to hearing, the lion combined these with his sense of smell to make the most of all three. Hence, even the things hidden in deepest darkness were easily exposed by him.

Ān Jìng loved racing with her master and she was very skilled in navigating all his hurdles flawlessly. She was so fast, that it was impossible to catch or stop her once she was locked onto her target. Her eyes were trained to finish her race without turning back with even a single glance. She was an able messenger along with Yīng Fēng, growing large enough to be his mount.

Her silver-tipped white feathers were soft, and her gentle coos could soothe the hearer with a blanket of peace. On beautiful, moonlit nights they would fly through the skies slowly and rest on distant mountain tops away from everyone. Both of them knew that such freedom afforded the best peace in the realms. Neither of them were combatants but if engaged in a duel, their greatest strength was evasion and resistance. It would be near impossible to catch either of them.

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There was another thing about Ān Jìng that not many knew. She was very close to Bèi Yǎn and the two could easily combine their powers. The dove considered the hummer as her teacher and often took her orders directly from the Bride’s soul beast. To untrained eyes, it was easy to see the dove and not spot the hummer behind her.

That is why it is said that Bèi Yǎn is the tiniest of all the soul beasts, but the most dangerous. She had powers that exceeded even that of the Sān sè Lóng, but she kept them all hidden in her little, bejeweled body. Her wisdom exceeded that of Zhì Shēn, for she constantly learnt new things from the Bride. She was a master of strategies and not one to back out of a duel. Her courage rivalled Jiā Háo’s as did her ability to convince other living beings to combine their powers with her own for the common good. While Zǐ Xīn would easily steal the show in terms of beauty, it was Bèi Yǎn who was the true chief of birds to whom even Zǐ Xīn deferred. She could fly in any direction she chose and even suddenly change direction mid-flight, against strong winds.

Her feathers were radiant like a gown and each color had its own power that Bèi Yǎn could use to achieve her goals. Her long beak was deadly and the best swordsmen in the realms, dared not take her combat powers lightly. She had learnt to master the water moves that complimented the Bride, and her deadliest ability was to stay hidden before striking an opponent. It was said that she was as gentle as a dove but as cunning as a dragon. This cunningness was not towards evil causes, but it was great wisdom to avert calamities that would enter the realms at a later time.

Of all the creatures, she resonated the most with Bái Fēng, the King’s stallion. He was magnificent beyond measure and his mane flowed in unrestrained waves right down to his hooves which were of burnished bronze. All the herds of the eastern realms looked up to him as their leader and often followed him when he went to graze among them. Even Jiā Háo loved Bái Fēng and the former’s roar could not freeze the magnificent creature. The stallion shifted between the softest, silvery white by moonlight but by day, he was the lightest gold. In flight, he had feathered wings of fiery gold, and even the fiercest winds could not stop him from making his way through them, for such was his determination.

Every stomp of his hooves sent fiery flames scattering beneath them and there was no height that he could not scale or wall that he could not breach. He learnt from every fibre of his being, for he could pick up the slightest tactile changes in vibration caused by sound, movement or any other disturbance even at a very great distance. He keenly observed others and noticed their moods and emotions, giving him great advantage over them because he understood them before they even uttered a single word. His combat powers included stirring courage in the hearts of those around him, and using his fore and hind legs to kick with great precision. He could run or fly over vast distances at a steady pace or faster gallop, carrying various weights as if they were weightless.

He was one of the few living beasts who had the ability to wrestle with different fiery stones, winning them over. He used these stones to make pathways that intertwined like the roots of a tree. The living beasts loved to walk along these paths because each step they took taught them something new from the heart of the stones. The more they followed the instructions they learnt, the more they gained and grew. However, what Bái Fēng loved the most was resting by the gently flowing streams on Méiguī shān with the King, the Bride and Bèi Yǎn who nestled in his locks.

In the morning, the brothers had gathered with their soul beasts for a round of dueling. Even Zhì Shēn who did not usually join in such combats, was present for the sake of Wáng Léi. The lion, the bull and the dove along with their masters, engaged in earnest combat while the eagle and the dragon joined their masters in duel.

For their challenge, they had cast a flying, musical scroll into the sky. The one who could catch it first and decode its message would win the round. The best of five rounds would determine the final winner. Ān Jìng could have easily flown after and captured it, but Wáng Léi had bellowed and stomped so hard on the ground that he raised a thick fog that obstructed her vision. However, the dust cloud did not stop Jiā Háo from spotting the flying scroll, and pursuing it with his master clinging onto his mane for dear life. Just as he was about to capture it, Ān Jìng flew out from under him and Yīng Fēng took hold of the scroll. However, the scroll began to sound its coded notes which Yīng Fēng quickly tried to unscramble. He was not fast enough though, for a single roar from Jiā Háo froze both him and his dove for a moment. That time was long enough for Pèi Zhōng to grab the scroll from his brother.

While he tried to break the code, Zhì Shēn appeared along with his mount and whispered, ‘Brother, let me help you with the notes for even Wáng Léi has the skill to understand them. We can split the points and play an extra round to determine the winner.’ His strategy helped, and the first round was split between the two. As they continued, the battle was heating up between the riders of the eagle and the dragon.

Zǐ Xīn had turned into his phoenix form and the dragon had enlarged himself for a round of sky dueling. He encircled the phoenix with many twirls of his body, and created a cloud as disguise. Then he quickly shrank himself and projected his voice from various parts of the cloud so that it was hard to say where he was hidden with his master.

Xióng Zhǎn almost fell into his trap, but his mount knew better. The phoenix unleashed his frost arrows causing the cloud to dissipate, exposing the Sān sè Lóng with his rider. Before the dragon could launch a direct attack, the phoenix stirred a whirlwind to chase after him, but the dragon moved swiftly and encircled the whirlwind, to still it with his own counter-clockwise movement. He blasted it with the flames of his breath. Then both these spectacular beasts rushed at each other in aerial combat. When it appeared like they would crash, their riders became airborne.

Xióng Zhǎn opened his top pair of raven black wings that were encrusted with faceted stones in hues of blue, while Jiàn Shēng opened his top pair of brilliant, crystal wings. Both clashed their spears with equal force, while passing each other by, landing on the other’s mount. The dragon and the phoenix were taken aback for a moment by this unexpected error, but the brothers laughed before launching out again midflight.

At that moment, Bái Fēng galloped past them. Jiàn Shēng spotted the King who sat behind his beloved woman, holding her close against his chest with one hand while pointing to something in the distance with the other. The King’s long, wavy hair was windswept and intertwined with that of the Bride who had woven small, red roses into fine braids in her otherwise loose hair. She was not looking at what the King was pointing at. Her gaze was transfixed on him, as she distractedly pushed a strand off his chiseled, clean-shaven face, and placed one of her little roses in his crown. Bèi Yǎn was perched behind the stallion’s right ear and watching the path they were heading towards. Just as the Bride encircled her beloved’s neck with both her slender hands, drawing him closer to herself, the King spotted the dueling brothers and smiled in acknowledgement of their presence. The Makers were a sight to behold - the most beautiful beings in all the realms, wild and free, with a love that could not be hidden.

Jiàn Shēng’s moment of distraction cost him as they rode past him. Xióng Zhǎn took the chance and knocked the spear out from his brother’s grip, thus winning the round. While he celebrated with his magnificent phoenix, Jiàn Shēng barely concealed his emotions. His hand closed in a fist, while his brows appeared knit in a strange emotion that he had never experienced before. He grasped his heart for it felt like it was burning with a hot fire within. There were so many new feelings that were coming upon his heart in waves, that he neither understood them nor cared. All he knew at that moment was that he desired to be the one on the horse with the woman he loved. He longed to be the one she was pulling into her arms and holding onto. What would he not give to gain her?

It was Xióng Zhǎn who stopped his thoughts from turning any darker. ‘Do not be a sore loser now, Jiàn Shēng. We still have four rounds to go. I may let you win the rest!’ he said in amusement before giving chase to the dragon and his rider.