The empire of Shanhua was a place of beauty and wealth. Where the balance between royalty and the common people was perfect, undisturbed by complaints or rebellion. It was a place of mystical proportions, a place that would need to be seen to be believed. The royal family consisted of the emperor, his wife the empress, and their two sons, both growing into handsome young men. The eldest son, known as Duan Xieren, was a particularly beautiful boy. This son stood out amidst his people for his unusual aspects; his golden hair and stunning blue eyes. Upon seeing such a boy, everyone around him was astounded. A boy with such glowing features would undeniably have a fortunate future. Not only did this youth have otherworldly features, his knowledge absorption was profound! He learned at an astonishing pace. His teachers and parents were amazed with the progress of this young lord. Could they truly have been blessed with such a child? A kind, clever boy who possessed the beauty of a god and the intelligence of the brightest scholar. When he became emperor, he would certainly lead the country to even further prosperity!

  Ah—Such things could not come to pass. By the young lord's fifteenth birthday, something startling happened.

  Lessons had finished for the day, and young Xieren had attempted to assist his mentor in cleaning up the books and other supplies.

  "Please, Prince Duan. You should go out and get some air." The young lord had halted his attempts, peering up at the older man in a sheepish manner. "Teacher Pan. If it's not too much trouble, I really wouldn't mind taking a little extra time to help clean up. This is my mess as much as it is yours." Despite his logic, Xieren was pushed outside, whether he wanted to go or not.

  The courtyard available to him and his younger brother was quite large and spacious, with a pond and a tremendous garden. The life of the young lord was often hectic. He typically found himself knee-deep in studies of all sorts, being trained physically and mentally for his future as emperor. Having a short span of time to sit and admire the garden was something he found rarer in these recent years, but a moment he found worthy to charish.

  Stepping out onto the grass, Xieren made casual strides over to the pond, the air warm and comforting. The trees around the garden dropped white petals into the grass and soil creating a feeling of peace and tranquility.

  Xieren had come to the decision to do some meditations before his next lessons were to start. As he moved with methodical strides through the garden, careful to avoid stepping on any of the flora, he climbed onto a large flat stone that had taken its place in the center of the courtyard years and years ago. He knew his family—the whole empire—was relying on him to be the perfect heir, the perfect prince turned perfect emperor. He had to try his hardest to please them. Even breaks were used for further mental and physical development. He couldn't stop lest he were to fall from his family's graces.

  The young lord closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath before he started. But just before his eyes had shut, he had caught a glimpse of something, and so he opened them once more. He had noticed a dark spot in the gardens and upon a more focused inspection, it appeared that some of the flowers had died. This was highly unusual for a couple of reasons. The servants who tended to the plants should have never allowed such a thing to occur. Not only that, Xieren had just walked through there, and he was positive that every flower had been blooming with life. This mystery had piqued his curiosity. This phenomenon was impossible, he was certain!

  Jumping from the rock, he landed before the dead flowers. Wilted, withering. Here and there the flowers were crumpled and black. He most certainly would have noticed this! Crouching down, he scrutinized the unusual sight. How could this have happened? Why would this flower have died, but not this one, or that one? He glanced between the different plants. He was positive these that died weren't even all the same species. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to this pattern. It was just that a random string of flowers seemed to wither. Was it this patch of soil? Reaching out, he went to move aside a clump of the flora to get a view of the earth beneath, but as he did, a terrifying sight played out before him. The flowers in his grasp wilted.

  Crumbling, shrinking away, the once lush, glowing blossoms turned nearly to ash at his touch. The youth pulled back, horrified at what he was seeing. What should he do? It couldn't possibly be so. It was absolutely impossible! Filled with denial, he reached out and touched another cluster of flowers, and just as before, they died at his touch.

  How? Why?

  What sort of affliction was this? Should he tell someone? If he did, what would they think? He couldn't possibly hide this forever!

  Xieren was flooded over with thoughts and worries. He was perfect! He couldn't have something like this happen to him! Teacher Pan! Before he let his parents know, he could ask Teacher Pan!

  Sprinting back to the house, feeling the flowers brushing his ankles as he did, Xieren called out, albeit in a quiet voice, "Teacher Pan! I need you! Please listen!"

  The older man had stacked away the materials, but he remained in the room just as Xieren had left him. His eyes were wide and his lips went tight when he heard the dire panic in the prince's voice. "Prince Duan? What happened? Why are you so frightened?"

  "Teacher Pan! I—" He cut himself off, his mouth sealing tight. How could he explain such a thing? It was inconceivable, and for him of all people to say it! But he had to. This was no laughing matter. It was truly life or death! So he pushed on. "Teacher Pan... I..."

  "Yes? Did you see something?"

  "Y-yes, in a way." Taking a slow, eased breath, he continued. "Teacher Pan, I don't know what to do in this situation... I killed the flowers!"

  Pan, or Pan Yang, squinted his eyes. It was evident that he was confused. Why would this boy kill the flowers? Why was he this worried? Ah, but he's too kind! It must have been an accident!

  "Prince Duan, what happened? I'm sure Her Highness will understand if you explain—"

  "No!" This outburst shocked the both of them. Something like this was completely out of character for Xieren. Nevertheless, he didn't falter. "Please, allow me to explain!" With little uncertainty in his voice, he relayed the events that had just transpired to his trusted mentor and advisor. The first sight of strangely wilted flowers, then the flowers wilting as he touched them. Though it appeared that he had killed them through his touch, he had hoped Pan Yang could reassure him that there was some logical explanation to this!

  His mentor's reaction was not what he had wanted to see. After a prolonged silence, a weak smile formed on the older man's face. "Prince Duan! You shouldn't joke about such things! Her Highness will understand if you tell her the truth!"

  "But—Teacher Pan! I am not lying! It really happened!" Xieren grabbed his mentor's sleeves, his body beginning to tremble as fear started to build up inside him. A strange look flashed over Pan Yang's face, but it vanished soon after. He released a sigh and promptly reached to remove Xieren's grip from his clothes. "Prince Duan, you are much too old for such fantasies—"

  As his hand made contact with the prince's, a sudden pain spread through his arm. Without a second of hesitation, he quickly drew back from his pupil.

  "Teacher Pan!?" Xieren lunged forward to see what happened, but upon realizing what it was, he stepped back. It wasn't just flowers he would hurt. "I..."

  Pan Yang was hunched over, his hand hidden by his back, but the trembling was apparent and terrified the young prince. Xieren's voice caught in his throat, his swallows stuck, his breath stuck. How could this happen?

  The leaves rustled, dry and grating. Above the mountains and tree tops, the sun was on the verge of setting. The sky was a deep pinkish-orange along the horizon, but straight to the heavens it had become a deep, sleepy blue, almost black. A sight many might find beautiful.

  "Tch! I don't get paid enough for this!"

  "Hey, at least we get paid! I heard they were originally thinking of sending us out here without any pay at all!"

  "Doesn't mean they couldn't shell out a little more for us, don't you think? I mean, it's the royal family after all!"

  The two rough and worn guards stood against the cliff side, arms crossed as they chatted away in the fading light. "You know, if this place wasn't so creepy, I really wouldn't care as much about the pay."

  "But it is creepy."

  In sync, the two nodded.

  Nanshan was a desolate, isolated forest, far, far away from civilization. Due to the lack of people, wild life and creatures from the other side dwelled rampant without fear. When a human set foot in this place, they were likely the ones to find themselves hunted. It was treacherous to journey here, it was a death wish. And yet, these two guards stood here almost on the daily.

  "We really need better pay..."

  With a sigh, the taller of the two glanced around his companion. Along the ground, forming a circle over 213 meters in diameter, was a ring formed by methodically placed stakes, paper tied roughly to each one with hastily scribbled characters on them. Inside this ring was an old, abandoned shrine, its charm of life drained from it and the clutches of death hanging over it. Dilapidated and forgotten.

  With a snort, the tall one dropped the sword he had rested over his shoulder and sheathed it. "I think we can get going now. No one will know. I'm starving!" The shorter, more fragile of the two nodded along with his companion's idea. "My daughter wanted me to help her prepare dinner today, so it would be nice to get back a little earlier. I'm never home in time for dinner, so she started insisting we eat together late!"

  "You've got quite the devoted kid!"

  The smaller guard chuckled as they strolled away from the circle, their footsteps crunching and echoing through the cluster of trees and flora. As their presence faded from the forest, total silence took over. But as the sun set lower and lower, the silence would find itself replaced by the call of night dwellers. The screeching, croaking and buzzing would fill the air at a ceaseless rate. It would be enough to terrify the strongest of men. And yet, this young prince had to bear it alone each and every night

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  Within the dilapidated shrine, not a word to say, lied the forgotten, abandoned eldest prince of Shanhua. Every night for five years, the cycle would continue over and over. During the day, the guards would chatter non-stop, and then at night, the creatures would come out hoping for an easy meal, but failing time and time again to pass through the barrier. It was a terrifying sight at first, but one he adjusted to quickly. After all, they couldn't get in, and he couldn't get out. What was there to be so afraid of? Some of the creatures had figured this out as well and given up, yet others were ruthless in their perseverance.

  Such dumb creatures, he mused, opting to ignore their snarls and clawing. At one point, he feared they would dig under the barrier, but found that such a thing was impossible. Not only that, the guards simply filled in the holes that next morning. He was safe, yet he was bored and lonely. The guards would not occupy him at all. They had no interest in a former prince. He read through the few books and scrolls he was given. His studies were nearly all gone from his memories. All he could do, it felt like, was meditate, and hope the gods would see him being such a good devotee, and through this they would forgive whatever sins he had committed to have ended up in this situation. It wouldn't be so simple though, would it?

  Once the guards had left, it wouldn't be long before the light of the sun had completely faded. The young man was not sleeping, but he was barely awake. After some stretch of silence, when the sun had nearly said its farewells, the former prince blinked to life. With an unsteady push, he lifted himself from the shrine floor and turned to peer out into the forest at his back. It was dark.

  Before the guards would leave daily, they would collect for him wood for a fire and meats, nuts, or fruits for him to eat. But tonight, they left without doing a thing. It's only one night, they must have thought. He'll survive for one night.

  He wanted to argue with these thoughts, his mouth screwed up as he forced his lips shut. I'm the prince of—!

  But no. He was the prince of nothing. What kind of rebuttal was that? And so, he would have to make do with what he had for the night. Dragging himself to his feet, he exited the shrine with languid steps. The fire pit remained, but would anything in it burn?

  Perhaps I can find something within the barrier?

  And food. He ate nearly everything from the previous night.

  I should be fine with what I have...

  And so, he scoured the inside of the barrier for objects to burn. The shrine itself was old and already falling apart, and this tempted him severely. After all, what help were the gods and his ancestors being to him? They haven't done a thing! And yet...

  Kneeling before the shrine, he lowered himself to the ground, kowtowing in forgiveness. The ancient ci shrine seemed to grumble at him.

  No matter the amount of anger he felt, he couldn't get himself to harm the aged shrine further. After all, work and effort had been put into it by the common people. It would be more productive to rectify it over demolishing it further.

  Despite the fact he should have risen now, he didn't. He remained in his lowered, groveling position. He didn't have the energy to rise.

  This position...suits me well... Always groveling, always begging for forgiveness... His gloved hands clenched into fists. He was tired, so tired... After taking a moment to reflect on his situation, he sat up. Peering down at his hands, he hesitated before removing his gloves.

  No, he had not been a promising child at all. He was Duan Xieren, the prince who brought death! The only thing that was safe from his touch was himself. And this was, by far, the most painful part of it all.

  His slender fingers wrapped around his neck once again, but just as before, nothing happened. His fingers simply carressed his throat, and not a thing more. Everyone he had known but himself was at risk. It wasn't fair.

  Removing himself from his kneeling, he returned onto his feet with an air of listless care, returning the gloves to his hands. He had been stuck in this situation for five years. If there were a way out, he most certainly would have found it by now. Besides, even if he did find a way out, where would he go? He couldn't return home. He wouldn't be accepted with open arms, he would be thrown right back here.

  As he gathered around a few sticks, logs and dried grass, he mulled over the situation one more time in his mind. As he thought about it over and over, he finally came to a decision. Maybe this is just fate.

  Yes. He was a 'special' child after all, everyone knew he was meant for something. But that something wasn't automatically something good. He was certainly going to be known far and wide, but again, that didn't mean he would be known for something good. And now, as a young man, he was known far and wide for one thing; death. His past accomplishments and amazing qualities have been long forgotten in the short span of five years. He is simply known as that exiled prince who could kill with a single touch. As he grew older, the strength of his touch grew along with him. He became terribly feared, and now there even seemed to be scary stories told of him. Was he a man, or a myth?

  He scoffed, somewhat sarcastically as he piled the bundle into the fire pit. Now, he had one thing left to do.

  How do I start a fire?

  Ah, he didn't think that far ahead. In all the time he had been held here, the various guards had done this for him. They collected firewood, they collected food, they started the fire. Even though he was exiled royalty, he was still royalty to an extent. Not to mention, if a cure for his 'condition' were ever found, he would know full-well his parents told the guards to treat him kindly, so he would have no reason to be angry at them. And yet, his lack of life experience was beginning to bite back. He had no idea how to start a fire. Luckily, it was warm, settling in at the height of Dashu, so he didn't need the fire for survival, but it helped him to see what was going on around him, and this made him feel more secure regardless of the barrier.

  The light from the sun was gone by this point, and Xieren had found himself guided by the light of the moon. He had seen the guards start the fire time and time again, but the information had proved useless to him, so why keep it? He was sure he could dig it back up if he tried hard enough. He just needed something to trigger the process.

  The time spent searching and thinking was immense. By the time the moon had nearly fallen, Xieren himself had as well, splayed about on the ground next to the dark, lifeless fire pit. Lying on the ground all about him were various tools: stones, wood, bundles of dead grass. And yet nothing helped, and so, he fell asleep. When next he woke, the sun was in the sky once more. It wouldn't be long before the guards would return.

  As he sat upright, bits of nature clinging to his golden hair, face, and clothing, he felt a pang of hunger shoot through him. Since the forest became his new home, he had lost a fair amount of weight. At first, he had refused to eat anything, but once his hunger had grown too painful, he pushed aside his rebellious attitude and began eating once more. Even so, there was too little food for him to be eating as he did at the palace, and much less variety, and thus, his weight never fully resettled to what it once was. He wasn't starving, but he wasn't at a healthy weight for his build either. He was rather fragile in appearance.

  These new guards were a lot more flighty than his last few, so he could never be sure when exactly they would show up (not that he particularly minded). When they were late to return, he managed to get some peace and quiet, but regardless, they were still his sole suppliers of food. Though this was the case, he already had some leftovers, so he wouldn't need to worry about that for a while, but if he wanted to stock up, he'd have to wait for them to show. Until that happened, he would snack on some of the dried pig that was given to him.

  As the sun was inching its way to the pinnacle of the heavens, the guards finally made their appearance. The larger of the two carried with him a dirty sack that seemed to hold something quite heavy. "Look here, prince. Got you some more snacks." Taking a casual step over the barrier, he tossed the sack in front of Xieren. These guards were the only two permitted to enter and exit the barrier. On each was placed a seal, nullifying the effects of said barrier and allowing them easy in-and-out access, not that they used it much.

  Xieren stared at the sack in silence before finally dragging it closer to his person. "Thank you."

  No reply was given.

  Upon opening the sack, he found the carcass of a pig, decent in its size, and a few bundles of fruits and nuts. His usual meal. Xieren couldn't afford to be picky here.

  The smaller of the two was glancing around the area, and as he did, he noticed the assortment of objects still scattered around the fire pit. "Were you trying to start a fire, Your Highness?"

  Hearing that title stirred his stomach in unsettling ways. Ignoring this, he replied, "I may as well put my time to use and learn a thing or two."

  "You've been here for about five years, shouldn't you have thought about this before now?"

  Xieren couldn't deny that. But up until this point, he truly hadn't thought of trying to do things on his own. It wasn't until these two came to guard that things weren't getting done for him all the time. Xieren, for the first time, was truly coming to realize that the world wasn't always pampering and cozy. While he found them both unbearable, they at least gave him that.

  "Geez! You really are hopeless," the taller one groaned as he turned away, strolling over to the spot behind the trees where the two often stood watch. The smaller of the two looked between Xieren and his companion.

  "Yes. He is right," Xieren muttered. His guard peered down at him with furrowed brows, but said nothing in response. Instead, he turned away and followed after his large partner. Xieren remained seated in the dirt, the filthy bag in his hand. He had more food now, but still, he knew not how to start a fire.

  The day dragged on in a crawl. Rather than focus on more meditation or martial training, he toyed around with the fire pit. Seeing how dedicated the former prince was, the guards left him to his own devices. All throughout the day, he tried all the different ways he could to successfully start a fire, but even when he thought he had it right, it failed. He had no intention of eating that meat raw, so he was going to need a fire sooner or later. If the guards had no intention of lending a hand, he would gladly handle it himself.

  Darkness started to creep up on Nanshan, and the guards, feeling satisfied in their work, took their leave early once again. Thanks a lot... Xieren sighed as he went back to work on the pit.

  By this point, he had created a small bundle of dried grass, imitating the actions of his guards. He had witnessed one of them rubbing sticks woven together in some interesting way to create the fire, but this tactic had been proven useless time and again, so he opted for another method. Picking up the stones once more, Xieren struck them together, having realized fairly early on that they created sparks. Just what he needed. He continued over and over, his hands growing sore and his fingers getting nicked from improperly aimed strikes. Each time the pain grew, he would stop and look over his hands.

  What am I doing, he wondered. I shouldn't be doing something like this. Of course, he had little choice now. No one else would do it for him. Feeling lost and worn, he climbed backwards onto the shrine steps, resting his head on the floor as he curled over on himself. Uncomfortable, tired, hurt... He was a grown man now, but he wanted to complain. He wanted to cry like a child. Was this how the rest of his life would really go? It hurts... Lifting up his sore arm, he looked over his hand. His gloves were getting ripped up, but luckily nothing went through. There couldn't be any wound too terrible underneath. Sucking in a deep breath, it was held momentarily before being released slow and steady. Get up. You have to do this. Pushing himself back up in stiff, forced movements, he returned to the unlit fire pit. The sun had vanished now, and the moon was in full, radiant bloom. Picking up the rocks, he struck them together in a continuing cycle.

  Strike...

  Strike...

  Strike...

  Sparks flew, but not enough. He continued.

  Strike...

  Strike...

  Strike!

  The biggest one yet! Xieren was so amazed, so taken aback by this large, glowing ember within the bundle that he didn't move. Then he recalled the next important step—it needed life! Throwing down the rocks, he lifted the bundle with care and gently blew into it. This had to work! He could do this.

  He blew over and over. As he blew, smoke started to rise and soon poured out from the bundle in droves. Realizing the fire was growing, he set the blazing bundle into the fire pit, continuing to blow into it all the while.

  I did it. It's going to work! A flood of pride and excitement rose up from within; a sort of feeling he had never quite felt before. He was ecstatic!

  In what felt like no time at all, the fire was at full force. A real fire. And Xieren did it himself. He could finally let out a sigh of relief.

  Now, he could rest.