Zheng Zixin

The cave trembled, the waters around us turning a bright scarlet. The magic Belphegor used to keep the water divided faded, and it started filling the space we were standing in. And then all hell broke loose as large boulders came tumbling down into the ocean. I narrowly dodged one that threatened to squash me.

“What the hell?” I exclaimed.

“It’s the prophecy,” Asari said. “The second trumpet will follow, and Her Might will make the heavens fall. The waters turn to blood and the mountains burn, serving as one final call.”

“I don’t care about the damn prophecy. I just want to get out of here. I have no intention of dying in the ocean,” I replied. “Hurry and summon your vehicle, Jin.”

The rickshaw appeared in a matter of seconds as a large carriage, and everyone piled in quickly. It lifted us just as the water cascaded into place, leaving no trace of the cave. I glanced up to see nearby mountains crumble against itself, sending large pieces of itself falling into the blood red water.

“Do you know where they are?” I asked.

“Tui and I share a special connection. We always find our way to each other somehow. Maybe it’s from when we used to be one being,” Jin replied. “The downside is her incessant yelling in my mind. She loves taking charge.”

“You can hear her thoughts?” Aimi asked.

“If I could turn it off, I would,” he answered, wide-eyed. “You don’t know what goes through her mind. It’s not something a brother would want to hear from his sister.” He shivered for good measure, appearing traumatized.

“Imagine if you find your mate. It could get crowded,” she perused.

“I won’t have a mate.” His serious expression led me to think he truly believed that.

Yami snorted. “Tell that to Meihui.”

“Get some rest. It’ll be a couple of hours until we get there,” Jin said. As soon as the words left his mouth, sleep claimed me, lulling me into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

I shot up suddenly, searching for Belphegor, but she was nowhere to be found. I found myself in an unknown bed, in an unknown place, bandages wrapped around the wounds on my hands that I didn’t notice until now. A splitting headache made my head spin. Memories from earlier flooded in all at once. Belphegor was dead.

In a secluded forest, with nothing but trees and the chirping birds within their midst to occupy my attention, my thoughts wandered to my battle. A small rustling sound filled my ears as I noticed I was covered with a leaf-like blanket and my outer robes were seated behind me as a makeshift pillow. I didn’t even remember falling asleep. Did Jin cast some sort of spell on me?

“Taizi, you’re finally awake! You slept for five days,” a voice noted cheerfully. When my vision cleared, my eyes met Sun Fang’s bright blue gaze. “You’ll need some time to recover, but the trip back to Wuzhen should be easy.”

“Back to Wuzhen?” I asked groggily, my voice coming out ragged.

“Of course! This mission has put your life at risk. It took hours to extract the opposing energy in your spiritual root. I was concerned miasma would engulf you!” He continued with his preparations for the return trip home with a cheerful grin, like he was pleased with how things turned out.

“I can’t return to Wuzhen. There are five Fallen left and the Dark Court is now aware of my involvement.” I took the generous cup of osmanthus tea, reveling in its hypnotic scent. One sip from the cup was enough to rejuvenate me. However, nothing compared to the scent that clung to me like a second skin. The one aroma I never wanted to part with, even if I knew it was against my best interests.

“Do you think it would be wise to do so in your condition?” Sosuke asked me, his blind eyes filled with silent inquiry. There was something in his tone, like he was almost chastising me.

“Sun Fang, leave us,” I said, not breaking my gaze with the fox before me.

“We’re in the forest, Taizi. Where am I supposed to go?” he asked.

“Go!” I bellowed. The birds that roosted peacefully in their nests in the trees fled, leaving a trail of leaves in their wake. Sun Fang wasted no time as he scurried off through the dense mass of trees until I could no longer see his silhouette. Turning to Sosuke, I continued, “They’re superficial wounds, nothing you need to concern yourself with."

“Your body is recovering from using someone else’s energy. Water and fire don’t mix. Why did you do it? You could have died before your spiritual root assimilated it.”

“There was no other choice.” An awkward silence followed. “We should focus on more important matters. Where are Jin and Tui?”

“They’re deciding where we should go next. The Dark Court will have our heads if we’re not careful,” he replied, grabbing the bowl of rice he had resting on his back with his teeth. He set it in front of me. “You must be hungry. That’s all we have for now, but we should be able to catch fish once we get close to the coast.”

“Why are you giving this to me? Haven’t I scared you off yet?” When I reached for the bowl, my hand grazed his fur. It was soft and warm, how it made my heart flutter with excitement. It had been too long since I experienced such emotions for an individual.

“You’re my mate. It would be strange if I let you starve,” he said once I took the bowl. He blew a stray leaf out of the way before sitting across from me.

He could see. “You could tell how tired I was and yet, I wasn’t able to deduce when you got your sight back.” 

He seemed unsurprised by my discovery. Instead, a hint of a smile appeared. “It comes and goes. Before it was just blurs of colors, but I’m finding it a little easier to see full shapes, faces even. It’s most likely the result of the curse weakening. When we break another seal, I might be able to shift back. I miss being able to feel the sun’s rays against my human flesh. It’s been too long.”

I found myself unsure of what to say next. Rubbing the back of my neck nervously, I asked, “What happened during our battle with Belphegor? I remember seeing you fall and there was so much blood.” My hands shook uncontrollably with rage, recalling the terrible memory. He placed a paw over my hand and immediately, my anxiety and fury calmed.

“You mean why did a meager blow from a Fallen wound the mighty Hirayama Sosuke?” he asked softly. I nodded. “I’m still a Celestial fox. Although I have engaged in dark magic in the past, it’s strong enough to hurt me. It’s ironic, though. My other senses have improved since I lost my sight, but I wasn’t strong enough to expect Belphegor’s attack. Perhaps it’s punishment for messing with the balance of the realm.”

“I should have blocked it for you,” I admitted. “I was selfish.”

“You did what you could. You defeated a Fallen and brought us one step closer to bringing the Hierophant back into this world. Anyone else would have walked away.” Although he uttered words of reassurance, it did little to eliminate my guilt.

“I’m not that heartless.”

He smiled again, as if he was in on some joke. “Jin said you nearly devoured her.”

Bashfulness washed over me, the need to explain myself grew. It was strange because I never thought people deserved an explanation for my actions. No one dared to question me. “I don’t know what came over me. I don’t usually eat my enemies.”

“Being in close proximity to the personification of gluttony can influence your emotions. You have to be careful to avoid that in the future. The remaining Seven are masters of manipulation.” Was he humoring me?

Realization hit me immediately. “Hunger.”

“This is only the beginning, Zixin. Being my mate is not like the battles you’ve fought. To be my mate means you will take on this curse. Are you certain you don’t want to return to Wuzhen?” His voice wavered slightly, the vulnerability in his tone was evident. Was he scared?

I broke eye contact with him, unable to bear looking at him. Clearing my throat, I said, “Why wouldn’t I? You are my mate. If something were to happen to you, I would suffer for it and maybe even die with you.”

What are you doing? We are alone with our mate and you finally have the chance to tell him how you feel without concerning yourself with eavesdroppers! my dragon snapped in my mind.

I have my pride, I said.

Pride is not everything. Our mate is.

And what about Fùqīn? He’d have him gutted in a heartbeat. “And if we were to complete this task, what would you do once the curse is broken?”

Even though I’d experienced many things in the past, there wasn’t anything quite as difficult as the one I was currently trapped in. I wouldn’t be able to deny my attraction to Sosuke any longer; my dragon grew restless, and it was becoming harder to hide my affections. 

Pushing him away seemed to be the only viable option and could potentially save him heartache. Although he wouldn’t be able to find another person to rival our connection, he could learn to be happy with someone else, no matter how much that admission angered me. “You will return to Mutsushina and make peace with Azusa. And I will return to Wuzhen to rule without a little moth to disturb me.”

“Cutting off all connection… you are crueler than they say, Zheng Zixin," he said, laughing coldly.

My fingers dug into my trousers like claws, knowing I hurt the only person who could care for me more than my own parents. The sound of his retreating footsteps was the only thing I could listen to. There was nothing else I could do. I lost the right to go after him.

Cruelty was guaranteed, given my origins, but being an irrevocable fool was the true curse.

“Taizi Zixin!” Sun Fang said, appearing through the bushes. “I spoke to Bìxià, and he’s not as angry as I thought he would be. If you return home at once and explain the situation, you could avoid being punished.”

I grabbed him by the collar, threatening him, “You are not to mention Hirayama Sosuke to my father. No mention of a mate, you hear? Or you will live to regret it.”

“B-but Taizi, I already told Bìxià.”

I immediately released him, and he landed on the floor with a loud thump. The last thing I wanted was for my father to find out about my mate like this. Knowing the old man, he had to be seething. He most likely would plan for me to still marry Lindie, but to take my mate as my concubine. “And what did he say when you told him my mate is a kitsune? Choose your words wisely, for they may be your last.”

“A-all he knows is that you found your mate. He doesn’t know it’s Sosuke.”

Relief washed over me, knowing I had a little more leeway with the situation. However, I wouldn’t be able to block my father’s thoughts for long. He was a powerful dragon with centuries of cultivation and practice. Any walls I erected in my mind would surely crumble beneath his tremendous pressure.

I stomped past Sun Fang and said, “It’s Hirayama to you.” The way my mate’s first name rolled off his tongue irked me more than I cared to admit to the water dragon.

We rejoined the rest of the group. They were sitting on the edge of the lake we were previously swimming around in. The carriage was nowhere to be seen, and the other kitsune seemed to be deep in conversation about our next steps. For a second, I caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar man who was throwing rocks across the lake’s surface.

Under the sun’s gentle rays, his white hair glowed like an angelic halo. His ears and tail were on full display, but he didn’t seem to care. His focus was on the rocks skipping along the water. I felt a dull ache in my abdomen and need shortly followed.

“Am I interrupting something?” I asked, my eyes never leaving the man.

“No, we were just wondering if you would join us,” Jin said.

“Sosuke?” I called him hesitantly. He turned around and gone was the beautiful man. In its place was a fox with intermittent blindness. The spell had been broken, and I was finally able to gather my bearings. “Never mind. The sun must have gotten in my eyes.”

“We thought it would be best to stay here for some time. It’s neutral territory between Shalizar and Aeyaviel and offers security while you and Sosuke heal. There have been sightings of Abbadon in Sofavegr. I hear she is leading the peace talks with the spirits there,” Jin explained. “We’re deep in Iniguthian territory. We should be mindful of where we go from here. The Inari Defensive Forces will take rounds guarding the camp and have already left for their first shift.”

“And the valkyrie are alright with her presence?” I questioned, astounded.

“The valkyrie live in the floating islands above. As long as the Dark Court doesn’t invade their territories, there can be no dispute. Besides, the valkyrie are meant to be neutral. They can’t be seen exacting death when they’ve sworn to keep watch over the spirits and guard the line that separates life and death,” Tui commented with a hint of sarcasm.

“I don’t like it.”

“You never like anything, Zixin. It’s in your personality to disagree with everything.”

“We shouldn’t stay here. Just because we haven’t bumped into one of the Seven yet does not mean it’s automatically safe to stay here. We should leave as soon as possible, where it’s safe. One of the Seven is enough. We shouldn’t try to take on all of them at once. We’ll provoke them if we stay.” My gaze flitted over to Sosuke for a moment before I turned to walk away, feeling frustrated in many ways.

“Taizi,” Sun Fang whispered. “You can’t be serious. What do I tell Bìxià? He’s expecting us in the Mainlands before dusk.” His panic made my dragon restless.

“Tell him nothing,” I said.

“I can’t just ignore his mental calls. To do so would be insubordination!”

“Develop thick skin, Sun Fang. You’ll enjoy life a little more. And who knows? You could meet your mate.”