the kingdom of xianle.
a grand shangyuan heavenly ceremonial procession.
a man in a golden mask dressed in glamorous attire accompanied with a sacred sword in hand.
an endless sea of people gathered on either side of the grand street.
cheers. laughter. amazement. awe. beauty.
those things were only background noise. the one thing that always drew yue chen's attention was xie lian. his royal highness the crown prince of xianle. people often knew him throughout xianle nation as the beloved, yet strange prince who never showed interest in what was considered normal for a prince.
he always wore extravagant clothing and also two red pearl earrings, though he gave one to yue chen as a token of friendship or some unspoken promise, yue chen didn't know. the layers of his god pleasing crown prince robes and the accessories each held a different meaning. the white outer robe symbolized divine purity while the red inner garb symbolized canonical tradition.
his golden crown stood for royal power and wealth. the white plumes hidden beneath the heart symbolized fight to ascension and the loose cordon ribbons along the sleeves symbolized to carry all lives. although xie lian was a prince and yue chen a noble, he always considered them equals.
he was a prince of the earth, of the natural richness of men, never one to decorate himself in gold or jewels unless he had no choice but to do so. to xie lian, every rock was precious, every ray of light was golden and from the earth grew the only treasures worthy of praise.
he could see right within yue chen and pull forth the goodness; show him what mattered and what to let free. xie lian was a light in the darkness, though to shine amid such terror was a hell to him, he was perfect in yue chen's eyes. he would have followed xie lian anywhere in the world or any other, hardship or fair sailing. the male saw it as his duty to keep the prince's flame alive when the hurricane came.
to ward off those consumed with jealous pride. to be the one who protects when the dark forces come. yue chen believed he was born on a starlit night, amid the warmth of late summer. some say it became a part or him, that brilliant light from above and cozy feelings remaining from sunshine behind and ahead.
yue chen saw that in xie lain, always assured that there was a sparkle in every darkness, behind every cloud. it was as if when coldness came he was the warmth. his voice held a slowness, as if he had all the time to talk with yue chen, as if he mattered to him. there was no one who ever held him in his eyes the way xie lian did, another might need use of arms, not he.
yet in all that gentle spirit there was a warrior, one who would make any sacrifice to save others, to guard them, to pay any price. yue chen had always wondered how much of a price xie lian paid to get where he is today. over the years, yue chen has watched him ascend only to be banished.
by the time his third ascension came, yue chen could tell he was still a kind and gentle person who never held his status over others and treated people equally. however, there was still the weight of grief that rested upon his shoulders. yue chen often wondered if it had anything to do with the human face disease that contributed to the fall of xianle kingdom.
the disease that he himself had caught and died from long ago. people were frightened, they panicked and harmed themselves. they even started riots and searched for xie lian. in the end, at least three thousand people had lost their lives with yue chen being included.
the laughter that once filled the beautiful kingdom of xianle soon turned to screams of horror. and the beloved crown prince, xie lian, soon became the one people hated and despised. but yue chen never once held anything against him.
it pained him to know how much grief he's gone through over the years. how much pain and suffering he's been put through; that he's still being put through. if he had been more careful then maybe...
a silver, translucent butterfly came into view cutting his thoughts short. as always it looked exceedingly beautiful, pure, and limpid. they were sparkly and always glittering when flying, leaving behind bright traces in the air. deathly spirit butterflies. such an odd name for something so exquisite. he held out a hand, allowing it to rest upon his finger.
"have you come to admire the view with me?" yue chen questioned as he focused his gaze on the lake that was located next to the paradise manor.
a number of will-o- the wisps were floating above the water. the first time yue chen was brought here he was amazed by its glamorous golden pavillion and intense aura of bewitchment. it truly was a sight to see.
"yue chen."
at the sound of his name, the male removed his gaze from the lake and allowed it to travel the empty space before landing on hua cheng.
"i'm surprised you're not in your true form this time around," yue chen commented as the silver butterfly spread its wings, removing itself from his finger.
yue chen dropped his hand to his side, allowing the sleeve of his red silk robe to fall back into place; hiding the symbol that was branded along his inner wrist. hua cheng's eyes lingered on his right arm, eyes darkening just the slightest.
"since i'm bored and in need of amusement, i've decided to pay the mortal realm a visit. would you care to tag along?"
YOU ARE READING
𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐒 ━ tian guan ci fu
Fanfictionyue chen, a friend xie lian adores, was one of the casualties of the plague. it wasn't until xie lian was exiled that he found out about his death which was the first step to his spiral of despair. even after centuries passed, xie lian still felt di...
