XiCheng: The Last Lotus [AU- OMEGAVERSE]

40

"After all, now we have not one- but two bundles of joy!"

When Jiang Cheng was little, his mother used to tell him a story about two lovers in the sky. One was a beautiful young maiden from the ninth heavens- the servant of the Jade Emperor. The other was the brilliant young hunter that shot the nine suns- a hero of the people.

Legend has it that long ago, there were ten suns in the sky- raining their intense heat down on the land. Crops dried and shriveled, the droughts overwhelming in their advance. Amidst the despair and desperation- a young archer lay in wait, determined to save his village.

His name? Hou Yi.

Hou Yi was a hunter- a very good one at that. And of the ten suns, he shot down nine- appeasing the people and quenching their thirst.

To reward him, the Heavenly Queen Mother gifted him an elixir of life- three vials of everlasting vitality. She warned him- to drink it would be to give up one's mortality- dooming themselves to life in the heavens forever.

Hou Yi was ecstatic- planning on drinking the tonic with his beloved wife, Chang E. He rushed home, leaving the vials in her possession as he set out with his favored disciple and friend- Peng Meng. They were tracking down prey- a big hunt on their heels.

Hou Yi was excited, itching for an excuse to hone his skills further. But Peng Meng was a greedy man- a bastard that had seen the vials Heavenly Mother gifted his mentor. He wanted the elixir- wanted to be ever-young himself.

So on the way, he made an excuse- complaining of the stomachache that had been plaguing him. He left Hou Yi behind, with promises of coming back after he had relieved himself.

But Peng Meng didn't go back.

Instead, he went straight to Chang E, holding his fists up menacingly as he demanded her to give him the vials.

"Give them here, little girl!" he sneered, scoffing at the false bravado she put on. "You would not dare pick a fight with me!"

But Chang E was the renowned hero Hou Yi's wife. And as such- she was anything but a coward.

She grabbed the vials, downing all three in one go- much to Peng Meng's chagrin and surprise. His eyes had widened, looking on in shock as the soft figure of Chang E began to float- her body becoming lighter and lighter as she flew in the air.

For you see, only one bottle would suffice in achieving immortality. To drink three, and one became weightless- forced to leave the Earth they loved so dearly.

And leave Chang E did.

Her feather-light body was carried by the wind- whisked away to the moon.

She became the goddess of the moon- the trapped wife that could never hope to reunite with her lover. With her bunny by her side- Chang E spent her eternity looking down on the land her husband so loved.

When Hou Yi returned- he was heartbroken, burning his food in an offering to his beloved. And every time he chanced a glance up at the moon- he was reminded of the cruel twist of fate that tore his love from his side.

Jiang Cheng sighed, bringing his eyes up to the full moon that shone tonight.

He never really liked the story of Chang E anyways.

He always thought the moon goddess was quite lonely up there- with no one by her side except her trustworthy little rabbit. And even then- to have lived thousands of years, watching as the world flew by. It must be torture- to see the sweet nothings of mortal love- and to be constantly reminded of everything she had lost. It must be such torment to have seen the world so intricately tied by the red string of fate- to have seen soulmates gather and fall for each other. She must've suffered so much over the years- to see the devotion she once inspired- through the eyes of an outsider.