Xie Yi-jun

1301 years after The Long Night

Hêi'àn City

"What do you mean he's missing?! Where is he?"

In front of Yi-jun the two soldiers cowered, lowering their heads, one of them stammering out a desperate apology...

"I'm sorry sir! He was there one minute and gone the next-"

The other chimed in quickly; "We searched everywhere, as far North as The Spirit Orchard, as far South as Zuótiãn. The Commander wasn't anywhere to be found!"

Feeling his fists curl in frustration, the King barely managed to hiss out the words-

"Well don't just stand there! KEEP LOOKING-"

As the two bowed several times and quickly scurried off, Xie Yi-jun knew with certainty that his eyes were glowing red.

He tried closing them, but all he could think about was Su Lan and the last time they'd spoken. It was before his second in command had gone out three weeks ago on that expedition to Xuêshan.

Yi-jun was still trying to convince those frozen bastards, despite their weakened state, that Meng Bai and his followers were not just a threat to Hêi'àn City but to everyone. The Xuêshanian King had told Yi-jun he was willing to talk, thus prompting Su Lan to volunteer...

In a situation with no good options, Yi-jun was left with a single choice. Sending one of his only trusted allies and friends away while he attempted to put out each new fire as Meng Bai lit them.

If only mother could see me now, I wonder if she'd laugh or scold me first-

With a defeated sigh, Xie Yi-jun put his head in his hands.

What am I supposed to do?! If I wasn't held here by Meng Bai's ridiculous threats, I would obviously be out there looking for Su Lan myself. Now what? Am I just going to sit here and hope nothing bad happened to him?!

Perhaps no news was good news. Perhaps as long as his friend hadn't actually turned up dead in a ditch somewhere, Yi-jun was supposed to look on the bright side.

Recalling Su Lan's last words to him he smiled, though it felt more like a grimace...

"Yi-jun don't be a fucking idiot!"

The King had glared at his friend while Su Lan grinned.

"It's not like the war is going to be won in a matter of days or weeks now. You need allies, diplomacy. So don't worry! Sit on your royal ass for a bit and let me handle it."

Trying for once to do what his friend had suggested, still hoping he would return any day, Xie Yi-jun waited. Of course, he was busy leading his people, attempting to fortify the boundaries of Hêi'àn City, but he was waiting nonetheless.

Always in the back of his mind, as scout after scout came back with no sign of the man, was this sinking feeling like he had misplaced something vital.

Su Lan had been his longest friend and closest advisor, aiding Yi-jun during his particularly frustrating upbringing, as well as his early struggles after Meng Bai had declared war upon the young King. Yi-jun didn't know if he'd be able to continue on without him...

More than anything though, he just wished he was still alive-

Maybe he did decide to leave, after all he's done for me. On one hand, I could hardly blame him. On the other, if it's true, he has let me down in more ways than I can count.

The King didn't want to think such a thing of the man, but as weeks turned into months, he was forced to accept one of only two terrible options.

Either Su Lan had died somehow, killed on purpose or by accident. Or he finally decided that supporting Yi-jun through such a deadly war was indeed a bad idea.

Unfortunately there was nothing Yi-jun could do to find out one way or another, however he promised himself that if he did end up surviving, he would make sure to discover what had happened to his friend. He would avenge him, or atleast solve the mystery of his disappearance...

As it turned out, the King would do so. He would solve it, but not by choice. By a plot orchestrated entirely by his arch enemy, his cousin and rival for the throne; Xie Meng Bai.

What followed was what Yi-jun would at times consider his most painful memory. A kind of nagging sharpness in your lungs, a bitter taste in your mouth. That forever raw, and aching wound. When the one you believed you could trust with your life, goes and uses it against you.

In that moment, you find that you can't help but blame yourself even though it's not your fault. You blame yourself for all the times you spent laughing with that person, all the secrets you shared, those instances in which you let your guard down and let them in.

Yi-jun's joyful childhood memories turned to haunting regrets in an instant, as he saw the familiar face of Su Lan, leaving the scene of a battle alongside Meng Bai's army.

He called out to him, voice loud enough to startle birds from their sleep. A flock of crows flew overhead as Su Lan met his eyes from across the hill, his expression shadowed and intense, unlike anything Yi-jun had ever seen.

The young King felt his heart tighten and was about to rush closer, but his feet remained frozen where they were as he watched in shock and horror, Su Lan turning his piercing gaze upon several of Yi-jun's men who were making their way towards him.

Time seemed to move, his friend's eyes glowing bright yellow, the soldiers suddenly halting and falling to the ground. Writhing in pain, it was several moments later that Yi-jun realized why...

Green and yellow snakes, about the length of his arm and just as thick, were slowly squeezing the life out of the soldiers, their scaly bodies wrapped tightly around the men's necks.

Feeling his own heart thud in his chest and his breathing halt as if he was the one being strangled, Xie Yi-jun didn't even think twice before he was suddenly running as fast as he could toward them.

Before he could even reach the soldiers, Yi-jun saw with a cold shudder that they'd stopped moving. Su Lan was hardly paying attention, seeming about to follow the rest of Meng Bai's retreating soldiers.

Yi-jun tripped, falling over, his ankles suddenly being held together by one of the writhing snakes, its strength clearly driven by magic...

"SSSssssS!"

Blinking glowing eyes at him, the last thing Yi-jun saw before he fainted was the snake's blue tongue flickering out, tasting the air. And then it's fangs sinking into his leg-

He woke with a horrible fever several towns over. The healers who were taking care of him did everything in their power to ease him through the pains of the snake's venom, though he was bed-ridden for two weeks.

Yi-jun's entire body felt like death itself, the heartbroken King only waking every few hours to throw up the food he'd barely managed to choke down...

It was in that time, through the ins and outs of his poison-induced nightmares, that Yi-jun's fear of losing his oldest friend turned into swirling hatred in his heart.

All his concern turned to fury, and any thought of Su Lan in the coming weeks only caused the King's stomach to roll, as if the name itself was making him ill. He had too many unanswered questions, and not enough time or energy to go about solving them.

Somehow, Su Lan had changed into something not even Yi-jun could fully comprehend. At the same time, he'd abandoned Hêi'àn City, turning his back on his family and everything he's ever known to fight on the other side.

It was impossible not to be affected by it. It was impossible not to see how it was affecting Yi-jun...

The King grew angrier day by day, more impatient. An already personal battle had become even more horrible overnight and soldiers, servants, even the townsfolk developed such pitiful looks in their eyes for him, that Yi-jun spent as little time as he could out of his room or the main hall.

Planning the upcoming battles, directing those under his command; Yi-jun's life became one strategy after another, always calculating how much risk he could afford to take at any given time. In the back of his mind was a little whisper that he would never succeed, only buy them a little extra time.

In his attempt to do just that, the King had managed to finally organize a time to meet with the Xuêshanian King; Zhou Han-Ying, as well as in a month or so the head of the elusive healing city Wúmeng; Jin Bai-Xing.

Despite his betrayal, Su Lan had been right. Yi-jun would need allies. With his confidence and trust shattered, he very much doubted much would come of the meetings but regardless, the King had nothing left to lose.