Fall

Ruan Yanxi was walking alone through the woods. The trees towered over him. Rays of sunlight slipped past the lush leaves. He tightly held his bow as he scanned his surrounding. He remembered that he was hunting with his brother but they had gotten separated when a tiger attacked. His horse had gone mad and ran away. He had to jump off the horse when it almost ran into a tree. Now he was alone and wounded. His right ankle throbbed angrily with each step he took. But he couldn't stop. he had to find his brother.

As if his situation was not sad enough, the sky began to darken and rain came down. The humid ground became slippery causing Ruan Yanxi to fall on his face.

"Ugh!" Ruan Yanxi tried to get up but his sprained ankle protested. He looked around and found a sturdy branch which he used to prop himself.

His young body couldn't handle this level of harshness. His sight began to blur from exhaustion, pain, and rain. He slowly walked while looking around for a shelter. His brother had told him to find a safe spot and stayed there if he got separated. After some painful minutes passed, he caught sight of a cave. Ruan Yanxi made his way there and stopped at the entrance. It was quite dark but he could still see the inside of the cave. There didn't seem to be anything occupying it but the cave seemed deep. He settled near the entrance until the rain couldn't reach him but did not go any deeper.

Ruan Yanxi began to shiver. There were no materials to make a fire so he could only huddle to make himself warm. His mother would cry when she saw his condition. Ruan Yanxi didn't dare to go to sleep but his body was too tired. His eyes fluttered closed many times but he fought back. When he was about to lose against the sleepiness he heard the sound of a group coming closer.

Ruan Yanxi straightened his back and looked out. Was it his brother? He frowned as he tried to make out who it was. No, it was not. Ruan Yanxi clenched his fist when he saw the crown prince and his group.

It was too late to hide because the crown prince already found Ruan Yanxi. The crown prince was surprised at first but he then smirked. He and his group entered the cave. The crown prince got off his horse and approached Ruan Yanxi.

"It was a surprise to see younger brother here," the crown prince said. "What's with your sorry state?"

Ruan Yanxi calmly replied, "Thank you for your highness's concern. My brother and I were ambushed by a tiger and we got separated."

"Oh, dear. I hope your brother is alright. Why do you stay so close to the entrance? It is too cold here. Why do we go deeper?"

"I do not think that it wise we don't know what is inside the cave."

"No need to worry, this is the royal hunting ground there shouldn't be anything too dangerous here."

And a tiger was not dangerous? Ruan Yanxi frowned. It should be impossible for a tiger to be here but here it was. The crown prince's companion dragged Ruan Yanxi up and pushed him to follow the crown prince. Ruan Yanxi ignored their mocking faces.

"Do you know what this cave is called?" The crown prince said.

"I don't, your highness."

"This cave does not have an official name but people like to call it the gate of hell. Do you know why?"

"I don't, your highness." Ruan Yanxi kept his face calm despite the rising fear. What was this guy planning?

"There is nothing noteworthy in this cave but in it, there was a giant hole with an unknown depth. Everyone that dared to enter never returned."

Ruan Yanxi's eyes widened as he saw the hole that stood in front of him. Cold and darkness emanated from its depths. He took a step back but a companion stopped him and pushed him forward.

"What are you doing?!" Ruan Yanxi asked.

The crown prince merely smiled. A companion kicked Ruan Yanxi and he fell to the edges of the hole. Ruan Yanxi tried to fight back but the crown prince was older and stronger than him. He easily lifted Ruan Yanxi.

The smile on the crown prince's face was as pleasant as ever. It was as if he was walking through a beautiful garden. "What my father should have done." With that, he let go.

Ruan Yanxi fell.

*

White found himself sitting face to face with someone who looked just like him. But unlike the black locks of hair, the person in front of him was white. Though their face was the same, the person's eyes were electric blue. Those eyes were locked on White.

"Using my face, how daring of you," Yulan said.

White said, "Give me a break, I'm not good at shapeshifting."

With a flick of her sleeve, she turned the blank surrounding into a place where he had lived for a long time. Outside, the sky was blue. The trees swayed because of the soft breeze. Yulan's dongfu was humble and simple. There were only two buildings. One where she stayed and did her work. The other was for the boy. They were now sitting in Yulan's room. White examined his lost home. He didn't expect to see it again.

"What are you doing here?" Yulan asked.

"I am in a tournament. I should be fighting against my inner demon right now. I never expected you to imprint a sliver of your divine consciousness in this spiritual treasure. Are you here to test me?"

"What do you think?"

The calm scenery outside warped into the isolating wilderness. A boy covered in blood was leaning on a tree.

Yulan gazed at the dying boy. "Eternity is a lie. Everything is impermanent."

White didn't dare to look at the boy. He said, "I merely wished that he had a gentler end."

"Is it revenge that you pursue?" Yulan asked.

"Are you telling me to stop?"

"No, because you will not listen in the end."

White said, "Why did you do it? I could've helped but you sealed me."

"I don't wish for you to partake in that war."

"And so both of you died."

Yulan shook her head. "I don't regret it. Things could've turned much worse if you fall into their hands. Our death is not your fault, it's mine."

"I know you would say that. I don't think I can stop. It's funny. You want me to live and experience joy but the only thing I want is to kill Seir."

She smiled sadly. "There are always joys to be found but only if you open your heart. But those who have been hurt closed their heart so tightly they can only see darkness."

White laughed. "Do I even have one?"

"You grief. That's enough of a proof."