Lifting his head, Hayden stared into the realm laid above the thick layers of grayish clouds. His sorrowful hazel-brown eyes poured out layers of bitterness nobody understood.
2019. It had been eighteen years ever since they parted ways. Back in Ring of Deity, he remembered how it ached his heart, watching his pal imploring Felynx to let him go...
"I… I can't do this anymore, Felynx. I-I can't do this anymore..." Yisroel knelt and fixed his dejected gaze on the ground.
Felynx's silk robe brushed past his trembling arm.
"Get up, Yisroel," he commanded, turning away. "You know you can't escape from this. His Majesty wouldn't allow it."
"O-One… one by one sent to me." He gulped the sour lump down his throat. "One by one vanished also because of me."
There was a hint of despise in his voice as he glanced over at the iced cuboids hung deep in the wall. He hated himself for failing to bring them back alive.
"Everybody wants a happy ending…" Felynx stared into the deserted fountain outside the round window surrounded by twirling silver vines.
The water was forming the shape of the late white dragon. Distorted, but the formation was there. It took him a whole lot of effort to stop Long Shen from abolishing it. Outstretching his hand, he traced the figure from afar. So affectionate, as if it was the real dragon that he was caressing.
"But not everyone is lucky enough to have one," he muttered.
"I'm not asking for any happy endings! I don't need them!" Yisroel yelled. "I… I just want to quit."
"Yisroel." His voice turned hard, and the instant drop in his tone gloomed the divine smoke emanated by the silver fronds. "Do you really think you can quit? We all know it deep inside. Regardless of being a TinXi or a dragon, we can never quit." Felynx helped him to stand up. "This is the oath we live in."
A reflected light streak pulled him back from dwelling further on the past. Hayden glanced at the old metal board hanging miserably at the mailbox—only "Residence" was written. The name before was smeared and scratched more than once.
'Tired of changing?' Hayden thought.
Standing in front of the quaint mansion laid next to the abandoned resort, he shoved the wild bushes away, looking for the ring to knock.
"Yes?" It was from the mini camera fixed at the side of the bricked wall.
"Good day, I'm Hayden Watson, and I would like to have a talk with Mr. Yis—" He cleared his throat and continued, "I mean, Mr. Vincent. Is he at home?"
Right then, the latch clicked. The iron gate folded inward. It was as if his presence was expected. A new-looking lady, who seemed to be in her mid-40s, showed up with a slight smile on her face. She looked good despite dressing up in full black.
Bowing, the lady stretched out her arm to lead him in. "This way, sir."
Hayden walked along the stone pathway exposed under the plain blue sky. Wild grasses stroked his bare toes, and soft flaps of blinds echoed in his ears. It felt exactly like eighteen years ago, only that those greens had yet to be trimmed, and he had to make every step wider so they wouldn't get stuck in his brown flip-flop.
"Here, Mr. Vincent is inside." The lady stopped at the last stone. "Please go ahead. I'll not be seeing you in."
It was a rule Vincent set. No servant could go beyond the final piece without his permission.
"Thanks." He nodded and immediately looked away.
The energy surrounding the main section of the barn-style residence triggered his eyes to turn blue. Pausing his steps in front of the vertical blinds, he shook it off.
The man sitting on the couch looked toward the entrance upon hearing the noise.
When their eyes met, Vincent furrowed his faded brows for a long moment before ignoring the presence of the guest.
But Hayden was so not backing away.
Stepping into the barrier invisible to the mortals, he greeted him, "Hey, friend."
"Yo." It was all the pal said as he drifted his sight back to the vapors floating from the cup of tea he held.
"You've got nothing to say?" Hayden asked directly, walking down the three-step stairs.
The sight of a pathetic prosthetic hand kept at the side of the wall caught his attention for a moment. It was almost obliterated by the layers of cobwebs.
"What else should I say when you know about it already?" Vincent flipped the newspaper over to hide what he was reading. His unfilled sleeve swayed.
Hayden slapped hard on the target page. "And you plan to do nothing at all?" He stared at the articles talking about the recent mysterious deaths. "Again?"
He flashed him a glare. "I told you I quit."
"I hope you do understand that avoiding and quitting are two different things," Hayden hissed, challenging Vincent's aloofness.
And it worked.
"Hayden—"
"Vincent, please." He crouched to meet his devastating gaze.
"Pal…" His sigh was heavy. "You know it. If there was something I could do, I wouldn't lose my limb," he uttered, pointing to the black and white images of the victims, "and they wouldn't be dead. You just wouldn't understand."
"I do."
"NO, YOU DON'T!"
"I DO! I'M A TINXI TOO!" Hayden grabbed his shoulders and screamed back at him. "Listen here, Vincent. Trust me, we can stop them. We can do it this time. The dragon, her mark is different—"
"Stop telling me about dragons! I'd rather not know," he said, gulping down the remaining tea, "than to lose."
Suddenly, Hayden snapped his fingers, and a blue radiance appeared hovering on top. Its ferocity increased as it swirled in place for a few seconds before diving into his skin. His flesh started to burn. But he wasn't intending to stop. The ray continued to stream toward his shoulder.
"What do you think you are doing, Hayden Watson?" Vincent waved his hand and brushed off the glowing ray before it could do any harm. "Are you dumb?!"
He locked his gaze on him. "If I can gain back your trust, I don't mind losing one arm."
"Even with the dragons, you know we can't win against the evils, against Arlyaen. You know it better and deeper than I do, Hayden. They're getting stronger, and we're getting weaker. Haven't you learned? If mortals still choose to doubt the existence of dragons, if they still have the curiosities lingering in their breaths, we'll never win."
"It'll be different this time."
"It'll be the same."
"No, it won't."
"It'll still be the same!"
"Trust me, Vincent. it's going to be different."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because the first step to win is to be sure of what you're doing. Right now, I need you to check something."
"Gosh, Miracle! I really don't have an answer to that!" Lyn exclaimed, squeezing out too much anti-acne cream on her palm. "How can you not know? You've been here longer than I do!" Miracle shot up from the turquoise queen-sized bed and threw a pillow in her direction. "Being here early doesn't mean I know everything!" She twisted her body and dodged the hit. "It's clear that Mynheex has gotten so much stronger than before. We could hardly trace them out even if they were to disguise themselves among the humans," she said, tossing it back. "That's why I'm asking if they have any marks!" "Trust me." Lyn stomped toward Miracle and snatched her pillow. "We don't know any more than you do. This is the first time somebody actually asked me this question. We all know how dangerous it is to catch a glimpse at their marks even if they have one." When the room fell into silence, she continued, "Miracle, Mynheex ate too many humans. They conceal their breath of immortality so well that it's
That scream didn't sound friendly. Startled, Hayden cracked the glass he was holding. Tea mixed with blood coursed down his tensed arm. The twins frowned, watching the silver smoke around the ceiling tangling into a confused mass. When they rushed to the door, their jaws almost dropped to the floor upon seeing the unconscious Melvin. His arm was draped over Miracle's shoulder. "What happened?" Hayden asked, keeping his scratched palm behind his back. The wound was closing. What should she say? If she were to say the truth—that this human boy could see the barrier when he wasn't supposed to—he was surely getting chased out of the house. "Nothing serious. Just a mild heatstroke," she said simply. She didn't want to tell them what exactly happened yet, though it might be a mistake keeping them in the dark. Lyn raised a brow. "Mild? The scream—" "Now that we don't have to worry about the mortal overhearing us," Miracle cut in before she had a chance to further her doubts, "let's c
Cold sweat rolled down the bridge of her nose to her shivering chin and pattered to the fallen Magnolia. The drip was so clear in her ears that she could barely hear anything else. Melvin hit the bull's eye. Her heart was leaping into her throat. Hundreds of excuses ran through her mind. She needed something to cover up desperately. Anything at all. Miracle poked her nails into her palm to pull herself together. "W-What? Melvin, what are you talking about?" Her voice cracked as she stammered to finish her sentence. He remained quiet. His ebony eyes were darting around wildly. "Dragons in this generation? Melvin, are you serious?" she said, increasing his doubts about dragons' existence while taking a step closer to the door. Though she had always wanted mortals to acknowledge the presence of dragons, now was certainly not the time. Moreover, when their doubts were literally everywhere. Melvin outstretched his leg and flashed in front of her. He didn't sound convinced. "But
Standing in front of Stellaerio, Miracle stared at the peculiar building with complicated feelings. The stained white crescent hung on the main block resembled the loss of hope in starting afresh. Caws of crows flying past the swaying trees further gloomed the surroundings. Rather than a school, it looked more like a place of life and death. When Miracle reached the second-floor corridor, she headed to the punch card rack and heaved a sigh of relief. It was a Saturday, and Maddie was in the school. While she was still feeling good that her trip to Stellaerio on the weekend didn't go down the drain, a piece of paper flew in her direction and landed next to her feet. A shiver ran down her spine the moment she flipped it over. Her throat constricted, and a twinge of guilt gripped her heart as the words read aloud in her mind. It was the same announcement from that day. 'Xiao Xun, they were the ones you died protecting…' Right then, pictures of the deceased started to merge into
Whatever he said was too real to be claimed as a made-up story. "How did he know about the tragedy?" she murmured, stepping out of Stellaerio. Wandering along the streets, Miracle clipped the diamond pendant with her lips while immersing in her train of thought. Far ahead, the soothing color combination of the clouds brightened the rows of houses and shops. Lilac hue topped the orange, overtaking the rest. The evening had descended. Three black pigeons on the overhead cable flew across the sky upon seeing their flocks approaching. When a young man in a teal coat picked up his incoming call, he forgot that his office bag was unzipped. The documents kept inside were scattered everywhere on the road. They smashed toward the accelerating car that was trying to get past the yellow light. The man immediately surged forward to save his papers. The driver honked. 'Free me.' Miracle snapped back to reality, frowning. "Who is that?" A strong wave of mortality breath registered its presen
"She went to Stellaerio? On a Saturday?!" Lyn freaked out. "Did she tell you why?" Hayden flashed him a questionable look. The decrease of warmth in his voice slapped hard on Melvin's face. Kingsley leaned against the couch; his legs outstretched. "I hope it's not a trap you set." "I swear upon my life," Melvin hissed, "… that I'll never do a thing to hurt her again." The Watsons were back just a few minutes before Miracle did. She was outside, hesitating to enter as she lowered her eyes to the bamboo scroll in her hand.'Should I let them know?' she thought. When the noise in the house turned louder, she quickly unrolled the piece and tucked it inside her pants. She pinned the hook of her vintage belt to an inner notch, securing it tightly. Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself together and creaked open the door. "I'm back." Four pairs of eyes switched to her as one. The sudden change of pressure crawling in the air put a pause to their heated conversation. Miracle choked on
The next Monday, Maddie turned into the usual badass again. Miracle tried to have eye contact with him, but he avoided it. He made the students in his class stand on the tables when they failed to answer his questions correctly. It wasn't surprising to see many heads almost touching the ceiling. Some of them even had to crouch a little to save their lives from the fast-spinning fans. His questions were always out of the box—reincarnation was one of his favorites. When it was the Watsons' turn, they turned harder. The bias was obvious. He didn't like them. "You." He jerked his head in Lyn's direction. "It's Lyn." She rolled her eyes. He didn't give a damn about what she said. "If you have the right to choose, would you still choose to be a hu—" he paused, gaping for a brief second before forcing the -man to the hu-man down his throat, "… choose to be who you are if you are born again?" "Why not?" "Tell me why." "I see no reason in telling you." "Then I see no reason for you t
Silver fronds swayed, more when they sensed the dragon girl approaching. Veins at the midribs lengthened, transforming into fine little hairs along the edges of the pinnules. Detaching from the plant, they turned into layers of smoke and joined the rest lingering around the house. A silver puff leaped forward and caressed her forehead like it owned five fingers. When Miracle stroked the gray blades, she felt an instant replenishment of the elements in her body. "I didn't know you're interested in decorative flowers." "Hmm? Decorative flowers?" Glancing back, only then did she realize that these plants must've seemed dead in the eyes of a mortal. "Oh." She chuckled. "Yea. A… A little." Rubbing his palms against the three-quarter pants on him, he stammered, "Miracle, I..." When he failed to deliver the words, he went behind her and dropped a piece of black cloth over her eyes before she had a chance to say no. "I want to bring you to a place," he muttered, adjusting the blindfol