A sour taste clung to the insides of Ryuu’s mouth after he had downed his drink to hide a gag. He filled the cup with more wine, forcing a leisurely tilt of his head, as he braced himself. The name of that song simmered the acid in his stomach. Ryuu didn’t know much about the world and could not have cared less. Tonight, however, his ignorance crippled him. He had never heard of the song, but during his journey, he learned that people associated his kingdom with the devils. He was unsure about how the song would affect him.
Currently, the crowd worshipped the flawless Mohan. In this era, his beauty was unrivalled. His ink-dipped hair teased the milky skin of his neckline with its luscious edges. To the side of his face, the patch of icy blue hair was kept in two braids that swayed alongside his husky eyes. Whereas Ryuu was built with rough muscle, Mohan stood taller with lean muscle hidden under his robes. Ryuu shuddered as he imagined dragging his thumb over Mohan’s lips, which were as if stained by blood – no matter how much one rubs at it, the red stained stubbornly.
Mohan strode into a cloud of mist that hung over the stage. When the smoke cleared, Mohan perched magnificently on a stool with a black Tagelharpa resting on his inner knee and a bow in his right hand. Once he stroked the bow across the snares, the rich vibrations verberated throughout the atmosphere, piercing the chests of the nobles. The sonorous notes resounded back to its master once they found they hadn’t struck a dark being. The nobles could not see or feel these notes that tested their bodies. The peak trembled as a mysterious drum echoed from the lingering mist in perfect rhythm with the strokes of doom.
Mohan cast his unassuming gaze on Ryuu and carefully assessed the man’s body language. Ryuu still maintained a peaceful face but had leaned forward to rest his elbows on the low table. He appeared to be listening attentively. The drop of sweat creeping down the side of his face could be explained away by the heat. Mohan would have accepted that excuse if it weren’t for the notes that hadn’t returned to him. The song that entered Ryuu’s heart did not bounce back out. Instead, it mingled with the blood being pumped through his organs.
Amazed applause filled the silent ending of Devil’s Death. Mohan did not acknowledge this applause. His instrument vapourised in the mist as he marched back to his seat. He felt conflicted about Ryuu’s reaction and annoyed that his presence bothered him. The night was supposed to be boring and uneventful. He had planned to drink himself tipsy and be excused an hour or two into the show. Now, he felt too anxious to drink. He felt too curious to sleep. Who is this new king? Why did Devil’s Death affect him? What about him compels me towards him? His thoughts ran rampant like beasts after human flesh.
Instead, Ryuu was the first person to leave early. Everyone was too enamoured with the following act to notice the retreating back of the king, but Mohan’s gaze had not left him since he sat back down. He gulped down his drink, threw on his cloak, and impulsively followed Ryuu. They blended into the bundles of people in the lit streets of the City of Everlasting Light.
“Excuse me, Sir, do you have any rooms left?” Ryuu asked innkeeper after innkeeper as he wove through the buildings. They shook their heads and waved him away. They had attention to spare only for their paying clients and would not waste their care on him.
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As he neared the city’s gate, he stopped and stared blankly at the lively crowd. He cringed when a child ran into him. With the child’s shout of shock, his mother appeared and cursed at Ryuu, “Why would you hurt my boy? What did he ever do to you, you scum?” She spat at him before leaving with her son in tow. Ryuu scoffed emotionlessly. How impudent, he thought.
But his ears perked as he heard a sales call from the crowd. He followed the twangy voice and found a skinny girl in front of a table covered with stones.
“Mister, do you wan’ a healing stone? The price is good. You won’ find better in the city.” The girl pitched her sale to Ryuu with bright eyes. Upon seeing slight curiosity on his face, she continued, “This one is but three bronze leaves – it treats the common cold. But Mister looks healthy. Tha’s good. Tha’s good. This one is for the sore heart – it will warm your heart right up and take the brokenness far away. Is two silver leaves, but for two more the brokenness will go to the person who broke your heart. You won’ hurt anymore, and they will. Mister, does your heart hurt?”
He almost scoffed again at the fake empathy ladling her voice. “No. Do you have anything for pain?”
The girl counteracted his coldness with a dashing smile, “Of course, many! What sorta pain does Mister wan’ to treat?”
“Devil’s Death. Do you have any?”
The girl paled and bumped into her table of stones. She giggled nervously and rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. She fretted with the stones as she mumbled, “Of course, of course. The bes’ in the city. But the price is high, high. Twenny gold leaves. I’ve only got the one.”
“Give it,” Ryuu ordered. Her eyes grew wide with greed as she saw the gold leaves. She knelt under the table to fetch a small wooden box and replaced the gold leaves with it.
“Mister is wise, wise. Mister should find a peaceful pool outside the city and put the stone in the pool. The stone will use the energy of the water to heal. Mister should relax in the water until the pain is gone. But Mister should be the only one in the pool. Another’s energy will ruin the stone’s energy and won’ heal no more.”
With that, Ryuu abruptly left the city. He headed towards the mountain facing Central Square. The thousands of temporary tents outside the city irked him. He walked diligently for an hour before he finally crumbled to his knees. It was quiet except for his laboured breaths. He shivered at the sensation of blood flowing through his body. It was as if the burning blood had become a being of its own, invading his body with its agonising touch. He ground his teeth. One should not be aware of the blood moving in your body. One could see the veins but could not feel the movement within. Only when cut open, one should be able to feel the hands of blood. He hated this gruesome feeling!
But he got up again. He walked a few more hours until he reached the secluded pools at the edge of the mountain. He chose a pool in a cave which was rather difficult to find because he needed the extra protection as he cultivated the healing energy of the stone. He unwrapped his robes and laid them on a rock. After placing the stone on a step in the pool, he submerged his aching body in the cool water and closed his eyes to relax.
“It won’t work,” a voice said from the entrance of the cave. Ryuu sunk down in surprise. He imitated a hippopotamus with only his eyes above the water. He blew a few bubbles that broke through the tranquil surface as he blinked at Mohan.
“The stone won’t work,” Mohan said again, “You were swindled.” When Ryuu remained frozen in the water, he slowly stepped forward as if dealing with an abused dog and placed a stack of gold leaves next to the robes. Ryuu quickly glanced at the gold leaves, then again at Mohan.