Zhan swore under his breath, his hand clenching the hilt of the sword until his knuckles were white. In front of him, the slab of jade sat as cool and undisturbed as before.
Why?
Why?!
WHY?!
The boy angrily flung the sword at the slab of jade. The blade made contact with the rock, flashed, then shattered.
Zhan stared at the mess of metal on the ground and swore again. Things weren't just going from bad to worse, they were… they were… he couldn't find the words to describe it.
"Careful of the sharp bits when you sweep all that up," said a voice.
Zhan turned to find Morgan sauntering down the set of metal stairs bolted to the cave wall. He gritted his teeth and folded his arms, bells around his wrist lightly tinkling. Things were even worse than worse. How did the man even know to come to this cave? Zhan thought he'd been careful but clearly he'd missed something.
"What do you want?" he spat as Morgan's feet touched down onto the cave's wet ground. The man walked to the shards of sword by the jade and stooped to pick up the hilt.
"Ling's getting impatient. She wants us to finish up the job with the Raging Waters Dragon," said Morgan as he turned the hilt over in his hands. He held it up to his eye and looked down where the blade had been moments earlier then lowered it.
"I thought that was your job," said Zhan. He walked to the jade slab, held out his hand with the palm facing outwards and recited a few words. The jade gleamed then darkened, becoming as unremarkable as the rocks around it.
"Ling specifically stated that she would like you on the job as well," said Morgan.
Zhan rolled his eyes and walked to the metal staircase. "At some point it's going to be just you and me doing all the work of the Unity, and we're not even believing members," he said over his shoulder.
Morgan smiled and dropped the sword hilt to the ground then followed after Zhan. "Next time," he said, "if you want to get a holy blade to help with your… problem, make sure to get a real one. A replica's only going to cause you trouble."
Zhan stopped and looked at Morgan sharply. "A replica?" He looked back at the shattered sword fragments on the ground.
Morgan held his hands out and shrugged. "I'm no scholar, but if there's one thing I do know it's that that blade was not worth the hilt it was hone onto."
Zhan's eyes narrowed and Morgan stepped back a little. Even he knew to be careful when the boy's rage surfaced.
"A replica…" Zhan muttered, a smile tugging up at the corners of his mouth. His eyes gleamed. "Ha. The Raging Waters Dragon, was it? Lovely. I was just heading in that direction."
--
You said you were dead tired after Amethyst left, so after ushering you into your old bedroom (the one with a proper bed), I sat alone in the slowly brightening living room. I promised I'd sleep soon, but that was a lie and I knew it.
There was no way I would be sleeping, not with all these thoughts whirling around in my mind.
Did you like me? Like me, like how I like you? If Amethyst hadn't knocked on the door and that moment gone on, would you have really kissed me? What would have happened next?
Despite all my fantasising, my actual experience with relationship up till that point was strictly relegated to TV shows and RPGs with dating sim elements so I hesitated to take anything I thought too seriously.
But there was one matter I couldn't stop thinking about, and it wasn't wonder how soft your lips might be.
It was a nagging fear that the true source of my affections for you were born from a need to survive. Given my current situation, all of my everything was dependent on you from where I lived, to even the clothes on my back, it all came from you.
You said before that you didn't mind this, and I believed that you meant it, but what if this all meant that was I really felt for you wasn't... real?
And to go further, if it was only the case that I'd end up heartbroken, then who cares, but if it ended up that we get together then I'm the one breaking up with you... Well, I just couldn't bear the thought of hurting you.
What if my situation changed and I was able to get back on my two feet without your support, would my affection remain the same?
The more I thought and turned the matter over in my head, the more worried I became.
The sound of a morning radio woke me from my thoughts, and I looked at the little clock on the bookshelf. It was almost six in the morning, and I hadn't slept a wink. I also was feeling tired, not yet at least, so I decided to write you a little note about heading out to check the Wishing Box.
It was a beautiful morning, and I stopped right outside by the railing to admire it. I think it was even more stunning than usual as I could actually see the sun rise in the distance and see the square below the building slowly come alive with people. First there were the early risers, the quiet heroes of the city that make the whole place tick - drivers, cleaners, people like that - then there were the overachieving office workers. Closely following after them were an endless stream of much younger people in uniform.
School students.
Was it that time of year already?
I counted the days and weeks on my fingers. I was right. I'd come to Pearl City in the height of summer but it was already the beginning of autumn and that meant school was back in session.
I leaned over the railing with my arms outstretched.
I'd thought I'd be among those students going back to school - not high school, but university - but that hadn't happened. Not at all. I'd had all these plans that had just gone up in smoke almost as soon as I'd landed here.
There was no way I'd have been able to predict it, I don't think anyone would have been able to, yet it had happened all the same.
Perhaps it wasn't worth worrying about what you did or did not feel about me, or what I did or did not feel about you. If something was meant to happen, then it would happen. Of course, I'd do what I should, but that didn't mean I had to gripe so much about all the potential outcomes.
I stood up straight and gave a massive yawn. Maybe I was more tired than I thought.
After some hesitation, I decided to go ahead with what I wrote in the note and nip down to check the Wishing Box then come back, make some breakfast for you, then have a nap myself. All that planned out, I turned and headed down the corridor to find the lift.
It was quite fun poking around this unfamiliar apartment complex for the first time that was also somewhat familiar with its familiar faces and familiar signage. The warped architecture of the Walled City had seemed like a big departure from reality, yet now that I got to see the real world, it was oddly samey. Just fascinating.
I was also surprised at how quickly I was able to find my way to the Wishing Box. I'd expected to get lost a few times on the way, yet my feet took me directly to the little intersection and I was able to make a thorough inspection of the box in under half an hour.
There was a small bag's worth of dust as well as a few posted notes with mushy confessions on it, but the thing that really drew my attention was the small silver bell tucked into one corner. From the placement of it, it wasn't pushed through the slot of the box but instead placed directly inside through the cover.
I picked it up and looked at it under the bright sunlight. There was something uncannily familiar about it. I closed my eyes to try to remember.
The boy, the one from the Under City, the one who'd stolen your sword!
I dropped the bell and it tinkled lightly as it rolled off the pavement and into the drain. A chill went down my spine and I quickly fixed the Wishing Box back to normal and raced off back home.
Was there a spell on the bell? I had no idea. All I knew was that if that bell really did come from that boy, then you and I were in trouble. That kid had bested the both of us when you had your sword and were in pretty good health, but if we had to fight him again now, well, I don't want to talk down our abilities, but the fact's a fact and you don't have your sword. Heck, the kid was probably planning on swinging it against us the next time we meet.
I looked both ways down the road then quickly jaywalked across and darted into the entrance of our estate.