The Legend of the Underwater Palace and the Sea Dragon Prince

19. High in the skies, flying beyond the cycle of life and death

He was flying high in the skies on the crown prince's sea dragon body, passing like thunder and moving like the wind, towards the sun and over an endless sea. The sun was fiercely golden, and close to the horizon: without knowing their location, it was impossible to determine if it was a sunrise or sunset.

Hua Cheng felt freezing cold as he had only wet trousers on, and even E'ming had been dropped off somewhere – but all he could think of was the crown prince.

"Gege!", he exclaimed, hugging the dragon's body, "I'm so happy to see you! I-I'm so sorry for everything that's happened, and I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but... you're back right? You're not going on reincarnation. Your Highness?", he called breathlessly.

After a moment, the sea dragon spoke, "Highness? Yes. I was a crown prince once". He paused, then continued, "Xie Lian, my name was. The crown prince of XianLe, a sea dragon demon. But – "

His Highness was talking slowly, as in a trance, as if vaguely remembering things long lost in the past.

"I still don't know if I was Xie Lian dreaming he was a sea dragon, or a sea dragon dreaming it was Xie Lian", he said, "The difference between Xie Lian and the sea dragon... is the transformation of things. The transformation... a change of consciousness between reality and illusion".

Why was he... talking like this, Hua Cheng wondered, starting to get worried. Did his soul, having left the body to prepare for reincarnation, started to forget everything? But, isn't he immortal, or, by not joining the cycle of death and rebirth, unborn and deathless?

They were flying towards the sun over a boundless sea, so Hua Cheng asked, "Gege, did we die?"

"The constant flux between dreams and awakening... leads the self to change, from being unaware of the distinction of things. To being aware of the definite distinction between and among things" he said, still dazedly, and Hua Cheng remained silent, trying to make sense of everything he said.

"The underwater seal on your body run out, you lingered for too long in that cave... my soul inside your body summoned my true form, which is my demonic body, at the last second – "

He continued, "Death is behind, life is ahead. Or life is behind and death is ahead. Or both – we're between the consciousness of what is reality and what is illusion, flying beyond the cycle of life and death, above the red dust of existence..."

Hua Cheng's heart tightened on his chest, and he broke into a cold sweat at hearing all this: that dazedly tone, and his words... he sounded so self-sacrificing and detached of everything. But his soul entered Hua Cheng's body, he agreed to return to XianLe... so how come –

Looking at the horizon, afraid of what he was going to hear next, Hua Cheng still went ahead and asked, "Gege, where are we flying to?"

After a long pause, the crown prince replied, "I've been cultivating for thousands of years, even reaching immortality, my soul not automatically going into the cycle of death and rebirth – in spite of that I still have what can be considered an attachment: the one and only I love on Heavens and earth is you, San Lang".

Hearing the crown prince saying his name soothed Hua Cheng somehow, and he smiled tenderly.

"We're hovering between life and death. You should have died, but at the last possible second I pulled you to a state of being neither alive nor dead. This goes against the Heavenly Dao, which is absolute. Heaven's net is wide, and none can escape its mesh: naturally, I have to give up my immortal soul so you can live".

His tone was so serene, that's what horrified Hua Cheng the most: his complete detachment and disregard for his own existence, even though he was clinging for his one attachment, Hua Cheng, till the end, even beyond the cycle of life and death!

"No", Hua Cheng replied firmly, "I can't accept that. How could you even think I would, I'd rather die for you to live, Gege! After all I did to you – "

The crown prince remained silent, so he went on, "You have to live. Live, and take the underwater palace back, and then I'll be at peace. I wanted to make amends for you, I was willing to kill He Xuan, his men, the whole Confederation if needed... Gege. Listen to me. When I'm gone you won't be bound to your word anymore, you can – 

Hua Cheng trailed off, suddenly thinking of what the crown prince had just said: the one and only he loves on Heavens and earth is him. He was the one attachment the prince had, what he was waiting for this whole life of thousands of years!

He felt his eyes burning, and couldn't hold back the tears smearing on his face with that strong wind, and his whole body tensed, his knuckles going white at holding onto the flying sea dragon.

"You're the only one I love too, Gege", he said, his voice breaking up, "I just realised it too late. Since very young I've been living like this: kill or be killed. A ruthless, evil and selfish man, stopping at nothing to get what I wanted, making use of any means possible. I even seduced and betrayed you".

He exhaled, lying down on the sea dragon's body like an arrow at the end of its flight, pressing against it in an attempt to hug him, to merge with him, to become one and the same.

"What's the point of me surviving, without you?", he whispered hopelessly, "What's the point of anything else on Heaven and earth, if you're not – ", he sighed, "I realised too late what you really mean to me, and I don't expect or even want forgiveness or anything, just... Gege, live. Overturn Heaven and earth, leave me behind, and live!"

The crown prince didn't say anything, and all Hua Cheng could hear was the winds passing swiftly through their bodies on their steady flight, and feel the sun warmth on his skin. Sunlight seeped through his closed lid, making him see only a bright shade of red. Then all he felt was the winds getting stronger, the light brighter –

This lowly writer herself can't describe the vibes of this chapter! Deep stuff, detachment, undying love, despair? Let me know in the comments. 😊

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