He was Almost Absorbed by the System

Chapter Eighty Two - Yin and Yang

Aidan opened his eyes to discover he had returned to the white space and let loose a sigh. This was not what he had wanted to see after a good night sleep beside his beloved. Closing his eyes in denial, his mind formed the image of Ah Liû's pale face with it's aged lines surrounded by a wealth of silver grey hair, but as clear as the memory was now, he knew with time it would fade a little. Despite his memory seeming to improve each life, once he returned here, all he could usually recall were those two, beautiful pale eyes.

A soft, shuffling noise disturbed his thoughts. He opened his eyes and turned his head to one side and stared for a few long moments, before his vision began to blur. A boy lay beside him. He was perhaps no older than 16 or 17, the age where the features of the child had sharpened with maturity, but still glowing with youthful vibrancy. His hair was not long or at least not long in the sense that he had become used to, but the bangs fell over his face, almost reaching his soft pink lips. It was mostly straight, as it hung over his ears unstyled, but seemed to curl at the tips. The roots and undergrowth were ash brown, but layered with tints of dark to white blond. He seemed to be all arms and legs and far too skinny. He nuzzled against the floor as he slept, before unconsciously reaching for Aidan next to him. One outstretched finger revealed a black metal ring with an embedded pearl.

Aidan wiped the moisture from his eyes and reached for his small lover, who suddenly woke and stiffened as his wide, pale eyes darted about. "Where am I?" He said, holding down the panic within him, as he sat up and looked around. "Where is Yu Long?"

"It's okay," Aidan said, softly, hoping to sound reassuring, moving to sit beside him. "Ah Liû, it's me, I am Yu Long."

The boy looked suspicious, his eyes narrowed. "Say I believe you... is this supposed to be some sort of after life?"

"No, not exactly," Aidan wasn't entirely sure how to explain it. "Although this is the place I usually come to after I die." There was clear confusion in the boy's eyes; Aidan wasn't able to refer to him as Warren or Ah Liû easily. As much as he knew this boy was the same person he had chased for five lifetimes, he did not resemble any of his incarnations.

As Aidan tried to formulate an explanation in his mind, the rings on their fingers began to melt and reform in the air as two spheres, Yang all white with its one black eye and another, all black with one white eye. The boy was startled, flinching away from the floating ball that he had been wearing. "Ah this is Yang," Aidan said, pointing to white sphere. "And the other..."

"I have named that one, Yin," a voice interjected behind them. As usual, the dark haired man with the linear markings on his pale white skin sat upon his throne like chair. In his hand he balanced a huqin, a single string musical instrument played like a cello, from their last world. Naturally, the instrument was pure white. It seemed he had found a new hobby.

"And this is the Master," Aidan introduced, before rising to his feet. He held out a hand to the boy, who cautiously reached for it and allowed Aidan to help him stand. He gasped softly and stared at their hands, how they fitted so perfectly together and knew in that moment that Aidan was telling him the truth.

"You are Yu Long," he whispered. "You do not look like Yu Long, but my heart tells me that you are him. How is this possible?"

"There is much to explain," the Master advised him, but then continued in the mysterious way he seemed to enjoy. "However, you know the answers you seek." He placed the instrument to one side and rose to his feet. The instrument and throne sank into the ground as he approached. "Those answers are sealed away here." He pressed one finger against the boy's forehead. "Do you wish for me to unlock your memories, I warn you, it will be most painful."