Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume 12, Part 1)

81 An Empty World

The king who was adored by the people of the dragon race was currently sitting at the side of the bed where the crown prince of the Nine Heavens was still lying unconscious. Thinking of how he couldn't even stay with him for the next few days, he sighed. "Well, I'd love to stay around but this is about your father's distrust, after all. Maybe if I go back and spend a few weeks at his palace, I can lessen it somewhat. By the time you've woken up and worked through all of your issues ... maybe we will get his blessing and all your worries will be solved."

He leaned down and kissed Jing He's forehead, his lips lightly touching the Mark of Wisdom between his brows. "I know you probably can't hear me but after you wake up ... as soon as you want to, you can come and see me. I will wait for you no matter how long it takes so don't hesitate. Whether you've made your final decision or just miss me in the time before that, I will be there."

He brushed back Jing He's hair, hesitated for a moment, and then gathered his beloved into his arms, holding him tightly. "I don't know how long it'll be until we see each other again. You ... Just let me hug you for a moment, alright?" He gently brushed through Jing He's hair, his eyes turning a little red.

He didn't want to be apart for so long. He didn't want to stay alone and he didn't want Jing He to stay alone either. Even if it couldn't be him, it would be nice if there was somebody else to accompany him. Unfortunately, there was nobody suitable, was there? After all, Jing He didn't know many people, and all of them were mired in the matter of his marriage. No matter who he asked to accompany Jing He, every word they said would count as trying to influence him, wouldn't it? And he really didn't think there was anyone who wouldn't ...

Qiu Ling blinked his eyes, the movement of his hands stopping halfway down Jing He's back. "Uh ... Maybe I can indeed find somebody to accompany you?" He wasn't sure but if it was allowed ...

His gaze slipped back and forth and finally, he gently put Jing He back down, smoothing out his hair and the wrinkles in his robe again. "Alright, let me go and find Tian so I can check. If it's possible, then maybe you won't have to be all alone up here. You'll probably feel better that way." He pursed his lips and finally sighed. "I will also feel better knowing that you will have some support, even if it's not much."

He pressed another kiss on Jing He's forehead and then got up, leaving the replica of his beloved's palace. Standing in front of it, he looked up at the sky, marveling at how similar this place looked to the Nine Heavens. If he hadn't seen the changes himself when he came, he might have actually thought he was back down there.

He shook his head and turned to look at the city in front again, quietly making his way over to search for Tian. Where the supreme sovereign was, was obvious in a way: Naturally, he would be at the side of his own beloved. The problem was that he wasn't familiar with the layout of the ancient capital city of the gods so he had no idea which palace had been Xing's.

He randomly wandered down the street in front, looking at the houses to both sides. He knew little about Xing and also didn't know much about the gods. He had learned more about the latter throughout the ten years he accompanied Jing He but it clearly hadn't been enough or much of the issues during his trial might not have happened. In the future, he should take care of that problem but for now, he could only make do with the little information he had.

"Let's see ..."

Xing had been a member of the imperial family so it made sense for him to live close to the Heavenly Emperor's palace. He didn't think that that building had ever changed so it stood to reason that he was on the right road. Xing hadn't been favored though so he also shouldn't live that close to the palace. Instead, a side road nearby would make more sense.

Qiu Ling turned a corner and started looking around. The city was completely empty. Even though the buildings were all in very good condition, none of the windows or doors were open, not a single person could be seen on the streets, and nothing could be heard from inside either. It was eerie. To live in such a place ... He shook himself just thinking of it.

He still remembered the time when he had lived in the wilderness because he was too afraid to return to a place with other dragons after he found out what his mother was. Even though there had been no other people, he still hadn't felt as if he was all alone in the world. After all, at least there would be some animals around and he could hear the sound of the wind and water. If he wanted to, he could even sneak up on one of the cities or towns in the vicinity to listen to the other dragons for a while and maybe watch.

While he might have been alone and felt lonely at times, he never felt as if the world around him had ceased to exist. The High Heavens were different. Here, it seemed as if time had stopped passing and everyone but him had perished.

His chest constricted as he walked down the road and he couldn't help but wonder how Jing He was supposed to live here. Yes, his beloved liked to be left alone by strangers but ... this was different. If he stayed here for too long, he might return with more issues than he had had when he left. He absolutely couldn't let that happen!