Earlier that day.

It was three o’clock in the morning, and Yi Zichen had already been up for an hour, unable to go back to sleep. Today was the last day of a twelve week-long, complex trial. The jury would announce their decision as early as this afternoon. In addition to the trial itself, the last nine months of extensive preparation, constant fights with defense counsel, and traveling back and forth to take various depositions in different countries left Yi Zichen utterly exhausted. Even though this was his tenth year as a seasoned trial attorney, he would still wake up anxious and nervous as ever on the last day of jury deliberations. The nervous pit in his stomach was the same now as it was ten years ago.

The difference now, though, was that he knew to expect it. So instead of laying in bed, tossing and turning and overanalyzing all the different ways the trial would end up, he got up out of bed, made himself a pot of coffee and turned on the latest installment of trash television to distract himself. 

Another hour later, he started checking his emails, catching up on all of the messages that he’d been neglecting. His mind started spinning again as he responded to several strings of emails from the senior partners at his law firm. He contemplated just going into the office, but decided against it. He slammed down his laptop and got up, determined to not let his nerves get the best of him. 

His eyes moved to the red surfboard standing in the corner of his living room, and without giving it a second thought, marched into his bedroom and changed into his wetsuit.

Yi Zichen lived in a modern brownstone between the downtown area of Midnight City and the bay. He wanted to be close enough to his law firm but far enough from the constant buzz of the downtown area. After he was made partner three years ago, he bought this brownstone in cash—the second major purchase he made in the last ten years. The first was his sleek, silver sports car that he bought himself after his first successful verdict. Yi Zichen didn’t need a lot of nice things, but when he really wanted something, he didn’t think twice about it.

He threw his surfboard on top of his sports car, securing it on the roof. He had taken up surfing over the last year, discovering it after he was gifted the red custom surfboard from a client of his who lost one of his limbs due to a car accident. His client was a well-known surfer, and would continue on to surf despite losing his leg from the knee down. To thank Yi Zichen for winning his trial, his client had a custom surfboard made for him. 

To Yi Zichen’s surprise, he found that surfing served as a form of meditation for him. He tried traditional meditation but quickly found it wasn’t for him—Yi Zichen was the type who couldn’t sit still and constantly needed to be moving. Surfing, on the other hand, required focus and physical exertion, providing the mental clarity he sought.

When he got to the beach, he parked his car, grabbed his board, and walked toward the shore. He saw a solitary surfer out on the water, cutting through the waves with effortless grace. The sun behind him cast a golden glow on the water, highlighting his form as he carved through the waves, leaving a trail of white foam in his wake.

Yi Zichen started to slowly make his way to the water. He couldn’t help but admire the surfer’s skill. Every wave seemed to bow to his command. It was clear that this was someone who spent countless hours in the ocean. The surfer caught a particularly large wave, performing a series of intricate turns and maneuvers. Finally, he rode the wave all the way to the shore, dismounting with a smooth, graceful motion. Yi Zichen felt a rush of curiosity as he watched the surfer glide towards the shore. 

With a sly grin spreading across his face, he decided he was going to make sure that the surfer noticed him…

Later that day.

Even after the verdict was announced, even after a round of drinks back in the office after everyone was adjourned from the courtroom, even on their way towards the firm’s favorite rooftop bar for more celebrations, Yi Zichen could not stop thinking about the man on the beach. 

So it was quite the auspicious encounter to run into him once more later that evening. 

Sitting together at the end of the bar, Yi Zichen was doing his best to pay attention to what this man who introduced himself as Ao Jianyu was saying. However, he was already three beers and a couple of whiskeys deep into the evening, and while that wasn’t nearly enough to get Yi Zichen drunk, it was just enough to make him lean in closer than he normally would when conversing with a complete stranger. 

As they talked, Yi Zichen couldn’t help but notice how his eyes would flicker between shades of dark gold and light yellow depending on the angle of the bar lights above them. 

“Shouldn’t you go back to your co-workers?,” he said to Yi Zichen. “I overheard that you’re celebrating winning some big case.”

Yi Zichen nodded, loosening his tie a bit more. “Yeah, but I’d rather talk about surfing than talk about work with a bunch of lame lawyers.”

“Aren’t you a lame lawyer?”

Sighing, Yi Zichen, leaning in close, said, “Unfortunately, I am.”

As he was leaning in, he caught a whiff of- what was that- magnolias?

How do I know what magnolias smell like?

Across the bar, someone called out, “Yi Zichen! We ordered everyone another round of shots!”

Grinning wildly, Yi Zichen waved them off. “I’ll be right back,” he said, his eyes lingering for a half-second longer before he made his way to the other end of the bar.

Yi Zichen couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed when he found that the man with silver hair and yellow eyes left the bar without saying a word. He savored his whiskey as he looked out at the cityscape, feeling unsettled. 

Suddenly, his attention was drawn to movement unfolding quickly below. A pair of large demons were scaling the building. He recognized the man from earlier that night at the bar- except now this man was in mid-air, wielding two swords fighting off two demons. Yi Zichen took a sip of his whiskey as he watched the man move with fluid grace, his swords clashing with the demons’ limbs in deadly arcs of moonlit steel. Each strike was deliberate, powerful, and perfectly timed. Alongside him was another figure, a woman clad in traditional gold armor and red flowing robes, her staff a blur of motion as she fought with equal prowess.

The demons were quickly outmatched, and as they dissolved into the ether, the two warriors hovered above the rooftop bar, surveying the scene below. To everyone else, the night continued without interruption, but Yi Zichen witnessed everything that had just unfolded. 

He continued watching with an air of calm as two others arrived on the scene, who saluted the two who fought off the demons with deep reverence. The armored warrior reverted back to a modern outfit. Yi Zichen continued sipping his whiskey, watching the Celestial beings hovering above him discuss what just happened. As they prepared to leave, Yi Zichen watched as Ao Bing’s gaze drifted back down to the rooftop bar.

Amidst the oblivious patrons, Yi Zichen held his gaze, meeting Ao Bing’s eyes with a calm, knowing expression. 

He raised his glass in acknowledgement.

“Ao Bing, are you listening?”

Sun Wukong grabbed his arm, trying to get his attention.

Ao Bing turned to Sun Wukong, admitting he hadn’t heard what she said, and quickly looked back down. Yi Zichen was talking to his colleagues who were urging him to buy them another round. The group walked back to the bar to get the bartender’s attention. 

Ao Bing blinked. 

Was he seeing things? Wasn’t Yi Zichen looking up at them just now?

“Jianyu!” Sun Wukong snapped. “What’s with you? Let’s go!”

Ao Bing swatted off Sun Wukong who was now pulling his arm and together, all four transported to Heaven, where the Celestial Intelligence Agency headquarters was located. 

Down below, Yi Zichen looked back up at the spot where he saw Ao Bing, his eyes lingering on the now-empty sky.

Author’s Note: Yi Zichen…who are you?