Wen Reian

2004 years after The Long Night

Jingshén

It was luck, merely miserable luck that Wen Reian had the whole library to himself. Not brave enough to find Master Hao or anyone else to ask for help, he was left to his own devices in uncovering the meaning of Xie Yi-jun's mystery word.

How great would it be if the answer was in the first book I opened?!

Sighing, Reian climbed the ladder up to the second landing with a looming sense of unease at the many hours he knew awaited him...

At least I know roughly where the language section is, he mused. All that time in here must have paid off a little bit-

Once again, the boy pulled his sleeve back to stare at the two things written there in the King's very unique handwriting;

What did you do today?

ɮiɟ͡ʝ

He supposed it made sense to look through languages dating back seven or more centuries, as that would have been when the King lived. Those books were tucked away in a corner, most of them falling apart and very few of them first editions.

What stood out most to Reian was the arc over the last three letters of the word... if he could just skim through these texts and find one that looked similar to that, he hoped it really wouldn't be that hard...

Deciding it would just be better to sit here and read, he crouched down, pulling out tomes and manuscripts from the back shelves, all of which were covered in dust that made his nose itch.

The first few things he looked at were some sort of industrial instruction manual in a very old, partially illegible language from the South. It wasn't what he was looking for, but it was certainly the correct time period...

Wen Reian scratched his head absent-mindedly, thinking how bizarre and insane it was that Yi-jun had actually lived that long ago! Seven hundred years before I was born... does that mean he really is an old man?

Briefly distracted by a well-worn journal of a scholar from the 13th century, Reian read the few entries he could understand;

For many it seems, the effects of The Long Night still persist...

This is most true for the people of Lêung Shãn, and it wouldn't be shocking if their climate change lasted much longer than they want to say.

Thirteen-hundred years ago, it was by the strength of one man that we survive today to tell the story of that great freeze.

May it be that his wisdom continues to light our way in the darkness-

May it be that hatred, and bitter cold stay away as we venture into this new age-

By the grace of The Gods, The Rightful King Whose Fires Run Under The Hêi'àn Hills...

May it be that we as a people stray from temptation, and strive for truth in all things.

Reian blinked, wondering if the King written about could be Xie Yi-jun. It certainly was a possibility, but he also remembered Yi-jun telling him how much of his Kingdom was starkly divided over his claim to the throne.

Hmm... perhaps something to research further.

Getting back to work, Wen Reian looked through book after book, page after page. As the light eventually dimmed outside, he even brought up candles, squinting his eyes at the strange symbols scrawled over everything in sight.

It was several hours later that he found something. And not something helpful, something quite the opposite of helpful that left a deep knot in the boy's throat...

In his lap lay a book, very old but clearly re-printed. It was bound simply, not anything that would catch the eye, in fact the thing looked rather tossed about. He'd found it stuffed between two other books at a back shelf, folded over and creased.

It was the title that made Wen Reian pause when he yanked it out. A title written so simply, yet with so many unanswered questions he felt like he was suddenly holding a piece of his own puzzle.

My King and His Lover

By Zhao Xingyi

Reian knew somehow that he recognised the name, but he wasn't sure from what. Holding his breath as he opened it, Wen Rei thought perhaps he had seen it in a dream.

There, on the first page as clear as day, was a portrait of two men. They stared at each other, the one perched on a tree-branch wearing bright red robes and twirling a feather in his hand... the other wore white, a contrast to his silvery hair and light blue eyes. Eyes that Reian recognised immediately as belonging to Jin Songcai. The man in red was clearly Xie Yi-jun... the book was about them!

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Reian was confused but curious. After several minutes just staring at the one picture, he finally got up enough courage to thumb through the pages-

It appeared to be journal entries formatted like a book. Some drawings, both colored and not. Reian stopped on one of Xie Yi-jun with his sword in hand, his eyes glowing a deep red color, and Reian nearly shivered at the intensity of his expression.

I've never seen him look like that... thank goodness-

He flipped a few more pages, trying hard not to read too much of it, but then he stumbled upon something quite familiar. It wasn't an entry by the writer, or a picture. It was a few lines of poetry written in the same scribbly, slanted handwriting that was still on Reian's wrist;

While I'm alive, I will only love you

Every breath I take will be loving you

And when I die, I'll do that loving you too

Swallowing the feelings the words gave him, a nervousness suddenly descended on Reian, as if he was being watched while doing something bad...

Closing the book abruptly with a frustrated sigh, the boy went back to the language books. He'd gone through almost all of them, and as his candles slowly flickered away, the night growing darker and colder by the minute, he felt his eyes closing, arms supporting his head gradually falling away.

It was approaching dawn by the time he woke, shivering and blinking in surprise that he hadn't had another dream.

Perhaps I was too exhausted to dream...

Wen Rei yawned, about to just give up for the time being and go to bed, when a book he hadn't looked at fell over as he put things back.

"Ah!" Startled by the sound, Reian's heart skipped a beat before he finally reached for the red-bound text and opened it with a grimace.

He was beyond tired of reading these things, but he conceded that doing it as fast as possible would be better for several reasons...

Wait a second-

Eyes widening, it took several moments for Wen Rei to rub the sleepiness from his eyes and realise that the gibberish symbols he was looking at seemed oddly familiar.

He stared at the mark on his wrist, then at the book. It was the same!

Or if not the same, far too familiar to be a coincidence!

Feeling like he'd just been blessed, he flipped madly through the pages and then discovered it was a copy of a thesaurus of a very old language... a very dead language that was apparently unable to be spoken, but appeared every so often in books.

When the symbols started looking very alike to Xie Yi-jun's drawing, Reian practically shouted with happiness. That happiness however turned very quickly into a frown when he finally read what the King had written on his skin.

ɮiɟ͡ʝ

(verb) kiss

Touch with the lips as a sign of love, desire, or greeting

Reian's poor heart nearly gave out then and there! He felt his face turn red, hands tightening into fists as embarrassment and anger surged in him...

Why would he do this?! Why would he write this on me?

All the boy could think was that Xie Yi-jun must have known the whole time about what happened that night! He must have done this, thinking it would be a silly joke to make Wen Rei fuss over the meaning. Surely, it was a cruel joke!

He's making fun of me! Probably only wanted to teach me that spell so he could get my reaction when I realized he remembered the kiss...

Heart racing, more embarrassed than anything else at recalling how Yi-jun had offered to be friends and Reian had accepted with a shy eager smile, the boy stood in a huff.

Acting purely on impulse, he nearly stomped his way up the stairs toward the dorms and then on, where the King was staying in a guest room. Unable to think clearly, Reian stopped in front of the door, about to bang on it in anger when Xie Yi-jun himself suddenly opened it.

Their eyes met, the King nearly running into him in surprise. Wen Rei swallowed his own shock at seeing Yi-jun's bare chest again, as the man had clearly just woken up...

Blushing bright red, Reian glared furiously, crossing his arms and feeling like a child being teased by his elders. He hated feeling like he got tricked! Like he was stupid-

"Wen Reian?" Yi-jun blinked, then the man did something absolutely awful.

He... smiled!

Reian nearly exploded; "It's not funny, Yi-jun! I feel like a fool..."

The King blinked, "What?"

"This!" Reian huffed again, pulling his sleeve back.

"If you wanted to tease me about the kiss, you didn't have to make me search through the library all night!"

"Hmm?! Hold on, did you say kiss?"

Wen Rei's heart ached. Was Yi-jun really going to pretend he didn't know?!

"Yes! I translated what you wrote. I thought you forgot. I hoped you forgot..."

Now nearly laughing, Yi-jun put his hands on his hips and stared at the boy.

"What are you talking about Reian-"

Knowing full-well how loud he was being and that people were surely going to hear, Reian did the only thing he could; "Ugh!"

Pushing Yi-jun back into his room and slamming the door behind them, he glared at the very shocked man before him.

"The night I healed you! The night you took my first kiss! It might have been funny enough to turn it into a little game, but... why... why are you staring?"

Yi-jun eyes were huge, his voice coming out whisper-soft;

"You're the one that healed me? And I did what?!"

Reian froze. Huh?!

They looked at each other in dead silence for several moments before Wen Rei finally swallowed and muttered; "You mean, you didn't know this word says kiss?"

Xie Yi-jun laughed in exasperation, grabbing the book still in Reian's hand.

"No! I wrote; pretty flower!" He flipped through the pages quickly.

"Seven hundred years and they couldn't even translate one language correctly- huh?! Oh, I accidentally added the line at the top, wait! Kiss?! I kissed you?"

If Reian was red before, now his face was burning. Stuttering nervously, he raised his hands; "No! You were asleep, you didn't know who I was! I thought you forgot-"

Yi-jun blinked, then ran his hands over his face...

"I did forget. I thought, it was a dream-"

"Just pretend I didn't come here," Reian was about to run out of there, go to his bed and try to sleep, try to get his heart to stop pounding.

Before he could reach the door, Yi-jun blocked his path-

He hadn't even seen him move...

Frowning, the boy lowered his eyes in shame. "Yi-jun please forget it."

But the King didn't budge. Instead, he seemed like suddenly he was remembering something. His eyes, when Reian finally glanced up, were wide and full of understanding.

"You healed me..."

Reian paused, then nodded slowly.

Xie Yi-jun's eyebrows drew together. "I thought you were... him. I didn't-"

Heart aching, tears threatening to spill, Wen Rei managed an awkward smile.

"I know! I know you didn't mean to, it's okay."

Yi-jun suddenly blinked, gazing down at him; "How did you do it? You..."

Reian bit his lip-

"You saved me, I... thought I was going to die that night."

Then the King shook his head, "First kiss?! Your first-"

Bursting into tears, Wen Reian couldn't stand it anymore, pushing past the man and out the door. He ran back to his room, thanking god that everyone was still asleep. As he threw himself into bed and wrapped a pillow over his face, Reian felt like dying was exactly what he wanted to do now.

Why did I do that?! Why did I say that? Why couldn't I have thought first... why am I so stupid? He must think I'm so stupid! And I cried in front of him, he saw me cry... I'm just a stupid little kid, not worth his time. He even said it! That he wished I was someone else-

Reian fell asleep soon, exhausted, in a puddle of tears. All his thoughts were of Xie Yi-jun, and Jin Songcai. He recalled the portrait of them in the book he'd found. How they looked at each other, how they seemed like two halves of a whole.

They were two sides of the same coin, their beauty and power completed the other. And Reian? Reian was nothing compared to that. He had woken Xie Yi-jun up to a world full of suffering without his loved one.

I didn't save him, he has it wrong. Wen Reian trembled as he slept, realising the horrible truth...

The real curse upon Xie Yi-jun is the one I gave him-

Life.