Back to You - Dan Heng IL, Blade

6. Too Late

"Your Higness, you're back" the servants and maids of the manor bowed as soon as Blade got off his war horse.

His red eyes looked around the manor and he noticed there was no sign of Dan Heng. He was sure he left the order to escort the Imbibitor outside the cell if he wanted as the doctor convinced him to give him so freedom to manage his stress and maybe get his memories faster.

"Atsu." Blade entered in the zone of the manor where the Royal doctor was staying, but he just noticed one of the assistants who bowed in fear 

"Your Highness, glad you've returned from your raid unharmed" she smiled and Blade was still wearing his armor fully black.

He had one week outside the manor for an important mission of sabotage in the Holy Lands. The shinobi were the best in terms of sabotage and assassinations missions, and Blade wasn't the typical noble who would let only his men have the fun. He was most of the times on field himself, specially if the mission was in the Holy Land. 

When Dan Heng told him Yinxing died, he still couldn't find anyone with that name in the register of the other lands, and that was something just too weird. So he was keeping his research.

He knew he was the key for the success.

"Thank you, where's Atsu?" he asked and the maid looked a little worried

"He's with the Imbibitor in the dungeon"

Blade tilted his head "... Has the Imbibitor ever got out of there during my absence?" he asked and the maid smiled innocently, feeling in awe at his stiff expression 

"No, your Highness. The Imbibitor has expressed he wanted to stay in the dungeon"

"What's this nonsense" he muttered annoyed, walking already towards it. 

Who was the fool who would rather stay in the dungeon instead of walking freely in a manor of a Prince? 

When he entered in the dungeon, he could hear Atsu's voice and Dan Heng's one releasing surprised sounds.

"I did that?!" Dan Heng sounded excited 

"Indeed, Imbibitor, this happened two years ago, you managed to heal a whole camp of soldiers from the Emperor even if the rapports were already not so stable"

"Damn, I am strong... I might look like a five star broken character" Dan Heng laughed thinking about all the gacha games he was playing with Yinxing back to highschool and college

"...A what?"

"What in the world is happening here." Blade had no idea how to feel when he noticed Dan Heng chained, listening to Atsu who was sitting in front of him with a book opened. The two guards of his cells were also sitting, listening to the doctor, excited to hear more.

"Oh... Your Highness!" the guards stand up embarassed and came out of the cell, to then bow, making the Prince staring at them with flaming eyes "We... We tried to make the Imbibitor come out the cell, but he didn't want"

"I am glad you came back unharmed, your Highness!" 

Dan Heng from happy and quiet, looked again in fear and annoyed "Oh, so that's why everything was going so well" he whispered to himself, he didn't know Blade wasn't in the manor. 

"Atsu." Blade left a mad glance at Dan Heng and the doctor smiled innocently

"Your Highness" the doctor showed the book "The Imbibitor didn't ask for any stroll in your manor, but he definitely wanted me to read him the ancient tomes"

"And why is that?"

Dan Heng smiled innocently "I thought hearing some of the reports of what I have done, could help me awake some memories in my troubled mind" he said with his puppy eyes. Blade wasn't fully believing that.