From the balcony of the palace, Xu Yang looked over the city, drawn to the afternoon sunlight reflecting off the buildings below. Children were playing in the streets, clothes covered in mud. He couldn’t help but smile, recalling a time when Zhen Xue, Ming Yi, and he would do the same. 

“Oh, crown of gold,” a woman sang before the children, strumming a lyre with graceful strokes. “We were once not so lost under your rule. Swords held high, an empire shining brightly, not fractured in two.”

Xu Yang’s breath caught in his throat, recognizing her sorrow like his own. He was old enough to remember when Cassanova wasn’t divided by the Upper and Under City. As a child, he didn’t understand the war that split their country in half, but now, he was educated. Now he knew the weight behind those heavy hearts.

“Oh, crown of gold, do you notice the making of a hero’s brew?” she continued. Xu Yang froze, knowing she spoke about him. “Eyes set ablaze, words resolute. He reminds us so much of you in your youth. Oh, crown of gold, with your embers that have gone cold, let us fall no longer.”

Xu Yang’s hands tightened on the railing before him when she finished. “Soon,” he whispered back.

Ever since the gods left the mortal realm, the power hierarchy had become complex. The Alistair family lost their pillar of strength that day. Few people realized that while the Alistairs’ maintained authority over Cassanova, their real strength now came from the Unruly, who would protect the peace behind the scenes. If not for Li Wei and his group of misfits, the ghosts and deadly things roaming Lumaria would have consumed them long ago. 

However, a problem occurred over the last century. A problem so scarce not even his clever brother knew about it.

The Unruly were losing their powers, just like the gods once did. 

It was hard not to take notice of how the victim cases had mounted by the dozen. Only those with access to the royal archives would know this, though. The Unruly kept this secret hidden very well, and unfortunately, Li Wei gave no indication that his theory was correct, but that didn’t matter. 

Xu Yang was determined to find a solution, a way to restore their power. Without the Unruly, this country would not survive. With a sigh buried in his chest, he made his way towards the private library to continue his research.

There must be a reason the gods lost their powers. While he mulled over his theories, he noted the hallways were empty, meaning he could walk without being harassed by his mother. 

After the announcement yesterday, starting from the moment he publicly disowned his brother, his mother had been harassing him every chance she could get, no longer feeding him sweet words to wrap him around her finger. 

She got what she wanted. Zhen Xue was no longer the ruler, and since Xu Yang had always been very helpful to her, she didn’t think he would disobey. Therefore, to his blissfully unaware mother, the crown was hers to claim. 

The only obstacle left for her now was the King, whose health seemed to have deteriorated since last night. It still didn’t sit right with him when Zhen Xue told him about that part of the plan. He could not deny that the thought of his father being poisoned made his stomach twist into a knot. 

After all, no matter what his father did, that was still his father, but Xu Yang wasn’t so softhearted as not to let him suffer a bit. Especially when his negligence was the root cause of their problems. If he had done research like Xu Yang, found a way for the gods to return to their former power, they wouldn’t be in this mess.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, he paused with a sudden chill. 

Someone was watching him. 

Thinking fast, he spun around on his heels, prepared to draw his sword, only to stand down at the sight of Ming Yi.

Ming Yi visibly stiffened, surprised to be stopped. 

“You still haven’t showered yet?” Xu Yang demanded, scrunching his nose. 

Ming Yi glared at him, shoving past. “Busy,” he stated. The library doors shuttered as he opened them, and Xu Yang followed him inside.

“Busy doing what exactly?” he asked, matching his strides.

“None of your concern,” Ming Yi quipped back. It wasn’t just that he smelled terrible, but he looked the part too. His hair was uncombed, dark circles under his eyes, and there was this dark aura around him that was uncomfortable to say the least.

Xu Yang stared after him with growing concern. Normally, Ming Yi’s rebelliousness wouldn’t bother him, but he needed to be sure this knucklehead hadn’t completely gone bonkers in his brother’s absence. He unsheathed his sword from the scabbard, holding it to Ming Yi’s neck, stopping him in his tracks. 

The steel glistened under the lights overhead while a moment of silence passed between them. 

“It was already suspicious you didn’t go after my brother, so I will only say this once,” Xu Yang said, holding the hilt firm. “Don’t forget who you serve.”

Ming Yi turned his head just slightly, enough to glare at him. His bright green eyes seemed to glow with intensity. “I serve Dianxia,” he growled low, voice rough. “You may have the crown, but you will never be him.”

After a moment of consideration, Xu Yang relaxed his grip, sheathing his sword. With a sigh, he stared down at Ming Yi, who hadn’t moved yet. “Good enough,” he replied. “At least you haven’t lost your way.”

“Of course I haven’t,” Ming Yi said, looking offended. “Not when he needs me the most.”

“Well, you could have fooled me!” Xu Yang sighed dramatically. “The way you sneaked up on me in the hallway, I thought you were going to cut off my head!”

Upon hearing that, Ming Yi turned around, his expression somber. “I wouldn’t do that, no matter how I might want to after yesterday. Dianxia would be sad to lose you.”

With a scoff, Xu Yang gave him a flat stare filled with dry humor. “Should I be grateful you thought that far?”

“You only did what he asked,” Ming Yi said, looking away with a heavy expression. “I know he can make it hard to refuse him.”

Seeing that Ming Yi wouldn’t bite, Xu Yang sighed, losing his teasing nature. “You’re right, he did.” While crossing his arms, he leaned against the bookshelf with a relaxed posture. “Did he really believe we would let him fight alone?”

“Probably,” Ming Yi replied with quiet defeat.

Xu Yang revealed a grin, determination swelling within him. “Well, that’s too damn bad. So, let’s do our best to catch up to him, okay?” He raised his fist, an offer for Ming Yi to fist bump, and after a moment of blinking in surprise, he did.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

After a chaotic night, Li Wei was still asleep in the morning, resting peacefully under the blanket—half his face buried in the pillow, sunlight shining over his shoulder length blond curls. Zhen Xue smiled at the sight, a faint tug of something warm in his chest. He slipped on his fox mask and went downstairs to have a cup of tea, minding his footsteps not to wake him.

Hushed voices greeted him upon reaching the first floor, sunlight emitting throughout the premise. Their surprise was understandable. Who would dare stay the night where six people mysteriously died? He ignored them, taking a seat by the window.

Let them think whatever they want. While wearing this mask, he was a nobody. He may have chosen the narrow path but there were still moments he needed rest, especially after the ‘excitement’ from yesterday. 

Since the whole ‘novel concept’ was never real, that meant this world didn’t abide by storybook rules like he thought. He never did finish his novel. The future remained uncertain, but perhaps not so unpredictable. 

The blind woman claimed fate could be broken—fate, which meant history was repeating itself, but to what extent, he didn’t know. Calisaya seemed aware of his regression, too, claiming he was the reason she never got her happy ending. He chose to restart repeatedly, she had said.

The realization hit him like a punch in the gut, making him lose his breath. 

That meant he had the power to regress on his own.

What happened that made his past self so desperate? No matter the different developments through his regressions, it appeared he ended up making the same choice, starting over from scratch. If fate was destined to repeat, and he forgot the past in the current loop, then he really was screwed. 

Not unless…

Unless he destroyed the Strings of Fate, intercepting this world’s destiny, freeing them from the loop.

He breathed a quiet, bitter laugh. Looks like the blind woman would get her way after all.

A server appeared at his side, withdrawing his attention. “Honey tea, please,” he decided, looking up to meet a pair of familiar brown eyes. His mouth fell open, every thought he had evaporating as he stared at… Aelius. That was Aelius standing in front of him, red hair pulled back into a high ponytail. He wore dark clothes under a lacy apron, the latter of which did not match his grumpy expression. The sight elicited a faint tug to Zhen Xue’s mouth.

A muscle in his jaw twitched. “Want anything else, Your Highness?”

Zhen Xue covered his laugh while simultaneously almost falling out of his seat. He shot him a look when he caught himself, half annoyed, half glad to see him. “Can’t you see I’m in disguise? Don’t call me that!”

Aelius fought to roll his eyes, burying his smile. “Sure, sure.” He took the seat across from him, expression shifting to something heavier, border lining concern. “What are you doing here?”

“You’re joking, right? That’s my question.”

“Not much to tell.” He glanced down at his apron. “I work here.”

“Obviously.” Zhen Xue huffed, narrowing his eyes in turn. Just how much did he know about their situation?

Aelius narrowed his gaze, too. “We can talk after my shift,” he said, sliding out of his seat to stand.

Zhen Xue leaned back in his chair, turning to stare out the window with dissatisfaction. “Fine. Don’t forget my tea.”

“Matcha, right?”

His stomach turned at the thought. Zhen Xue spun around to find Aelius staring back with a shit eating grin. This guy… Zhen Xue rolled his eyes, flipping him off. Aelius barked out in laugher, walking away to serve another table.

Moments later, he returned with his honey tea—a small cup placed on a round saucer with a little golden spoon on the side. Zhen Xue stared at the spoon, wondering why the sight of an unnecessary detail made him happy.

Aelius winked at him. “Missed you, too,” he remarked, leaving Zhen Xue utterly dumbfounded at his candor. Aelius didn’t stick around long enough for him to reply, but he found the tea tasted slightly sweeter then he imagined.

He placed his half empty cup on the saucer, the clinking sound ringing through his ears louder then it should have. He shut his eyes on instinct. Voices flowed into his mind and he recognized his own voice talking energetically with Aelius. He could not recall them having such a friendly conversation. There were other voices, too. He tried to focus on them, but the voices dispersed as footsteps rushed to his table.

His eyes flew open, finding himself staring up at Ming Yi, who was out of breath. “We need to go. Now.”

“Hold on a second...” Ming Yi dragged him away before he could object. The winter chill nipped at his skin as they arrived outside. Ming Yi pulled harder, ignoring his discomfort. Tired of being manhandled, Zhen Xue yanked his arm free. Ming Yi whirled around to him, but Zhen Xue held his ground. “Are you going to explain yourself?!”

Ming Yi’s stare hardened and for a moment, Zhen Xue faltered, recalling their first encounter, how this was the same person who was supposed to kill him. He’d nearly forgotten after growing closer to him over the fifteen years they’ve known each other. Footsteps hurried in their direction breaking his train of thought.

Ming Yi grabbed his waist, turning them down an abandoned alley.