Together with you

A visitor 2/2

Zhao Yunlan stood in an ancient forest. The sun, filtered through the thick canopy of dark green leaves, painted bright patterns on the mossy ground. Zhao heard a murmur of a stream and slowly went in that direction. He soon found a small clearing overgrown with grasses. Further down, a wide river meandered through some stones. Near one of them, he spotted a slender figure of a teenage boy washing his black robes. Obsidian hair cascaded down his lean body into the river, where the current played with it gently. Yunlan couldn't take his eyes off the boy.

"This is how we first met," Kun Lun's gentle voice whispered in the wind.

"Come out," Yunlan called. The boy froze, then slowly lifted his gaze. When it fell on Zhao, the detective shivered as his heart threatened to jump out of his chest. "I... didn't mean you, cutie," he said, grinning to hide his embarrassment.

"He doesn't really hear you. It's just a memory. The boy, who had been the Ghost King, decided to follow me from that moment. We spent many unforgettable days and nights simply strolling through the world." While Kun Lun was talking, vivid images of his past appeared before Zhao, the Ghost King present in most of them.

"That fire," Zhao pointed at one of the scenes.

"Ah, yes," the Lonely God smiled fondly, finally appearing before Yunlan. "It's one of my flames. It was scattered in the darkness, and he took time and effort to collect it. He brought it back to me, but I didn't need it, so I presented it to him." Kun Lun laughed.

"Shen Wei still has it," Zhao blurted out, making the god raise his eyebrows. "I can feel it sometimes when... When we are together."

"That's interesting," Kun Lun pondered for a while. "It means he is still my Ghost King and your Shen Wei."

Another scene played itself before them, making Kun Lun sigh. Zhao's eyes widened, seeing Shen Wei on his knees, crying his eyes out. The detective shuddered, his heart beating madly. He had seen Shen Wei sad, sometimes with silent tears in his eyes, but he had never even imagined such suffering.

"Stop... STOP THAT!" he shouted, shaking uncontrollably. "What is that?! What have you done to him?!" he demanded, grabbing Kun Lun by the robe.

"I died," The god said quietly. "It was my last memory of him. I tried to explain that it was simply a way of things, but the parting was still hard. Such a sentimental child."

"He loved you," Zhao said quietly, accepting the truth.

"And I loved him. But it was time for me to strengthen the seal." The god sighed, then looked at Yunlan, smiling sadly. He reached out and wiped away a tear from the detective's face. "Don't despair. It's over. Now he has you."

"For how long?" Yunlan folded his hands on his chest, looking straight into golden eyes.

Kun Lun looked amused. "What do you mean?"

"You've got some nerve to even ask that, Kun Lun. You are the only one going by that name."

"Of course," the god nodded, his smile spreading wider.

"And I used it when I travelled to the past."

"Indeed. You, of all people, are the most privileged to do so."

"I took the place of a general who went by that name and who had died at the hands of the rebels. Admit it. There had never been anyone else. That general will be me."

Kun Lun had the decency not to deny it. Instead, he stepped closer and placed a hand on Zhao's shoulder.

"You have a sharp mind to figure that out. But fret not. You still have plenty of time left before that happens. You will have been more than ready by then. Stop thinking about it."