"I cannot believe you..."

  "Truly, Lu Yi?" Xieren cocked a brow at his attendant's seemingly folly statement. The young lord's room was a complete mess. The scrolls that his various mentors would bring him were thrown astray, and it was unclear when his bed was last made. It appeared that Xieren had taken to the habit of pulling things out and leaving them where he stood.

  "This room was set up for perfect feng shui, Your Highness."

  "Has it done me any good, Lu Yi?" Xieren sat cross legged on his bed, his head resting in his palm as he gazed with languid eyes at the young man. Lu Yi's typically calm demeanor seemed to have been pushed to the breaking point by this disastrous sight, his bright, brown eyes had lost their sheen of sprightly youth. Xieren knew exactly what this meant.

  "Just get out if you don't like it."

  "..." Lu Yi seemed to struggle with himself, struggled to decide what to do. If he left, who would be there to clean up this mess? Who would push Xieren to keep himself clean and presentable? No one else would do it, and most certainly not the young prince himself!

  "I will not."

  "What?" Though his voice was lazy and weak, there was a certain snap to the word that agitated Lu Yi further. "That is correct! The only ones who have been taking care of you are myself and Pan-xiansheng! You are an utter mess, Your Highness!"

  "And why does that surprise you!?" The roughness, the raw sound of Xieren's voice sent a chill through Lu Yi. Hearing such a sound from Xieren was shocking!

  "You really are dumb, Lu Yi," Xieren muttered more than spoke, but Lu Yi strained his ears to hear it all. "You shouldn't be here. Teacher Pan shouldn't either... Everyone knows what I did to him. That's why everyone is staying away. Why won't you two go?"

  Lu Yi kept his mouth shut at first. But after some seconds past, he answered, "We are devoted to you, of course." With a weak, time-worn smile, Lu Yi said, "No matter what happens, I know I speak for both of us. We will always assist you. We will always care for you. Actually..." The youth's voice trailed off before, almost with a sense of uncertainty, he took steps toward Xieren's bed, dodging the piles of junk littering the floor. "Your Highness, please," sliding up his sleeve to expose his forearm, he declared, staring Xieren in the eyes, "Take my arm."

  There was no hesitation in Xieren's movements. He acted solely on instinct at the sound of those damning words. He went to slap Lu Yi across the face, but stopped himself before it was too late. He could have just done something horrible! Though Lu Yi had reacted little, tension had formed over his young face. Xieren paused, remained frozen as he tried to comprehend what had just transpired. "Lu Yi," he whispered. "Have you lost your mind?"

  "Maybe I have," he chuckled, a glistening bead of sweat rolling down his chin. "But if that's what it means to want to stay by your side, then I am fine with that!"

  "Lu Yi... You..." Xieren wanted, on some level, to feel happy hearing that. But he knew it was a horrible thing to say! Lu Yi would be throwing away his young life if he chose to stay with Xieren! "Lu Yi, your life isn't as worthless as you seem to think it is. You are talented and smart. You shouldn't waste your skills on me."

  "If you believe I am being wasteful, then so be it. If you find my honeyed words akin to poison, I apologize. But truly that is not my intention, Your Highness." With a low bow, Lu Yi continued. "I have devoted myself to you. I promise to never go back on that. I swear my life on it, Your Highness."

  The planks across the bridge creaked as Liang He put his full weight onto them. Xieren gulped repeatedly as he watched Liang He move farther and farther away. Don't fall, don't fall!

  "Things are going well so far, gege." Liang He teased. His steps were slow, and careful as he progressed. The bridge swayed side-to-side ever so slightly as the man held himself tall and strong, his hands merely floating over the ropes that seperated him from the seemingly endless abyss below. This sight sent chills all throughout Xieren, who remained safe on solid ground.

  Things were progressing as well as they could for Liang He, but a sudden strong wind rushed past him, shaking the bridge. Xieren shot upright, his teeth clenched as he watched. But as suddenly as the wind had started, it had calmed to a gentle breeze. Liang He scoffed, glancing back at Xieren. "You'll need to watch out for that on your turn."

  "I'll...keep that in mind." Though the threat had gone away, Xieren still couldn't ease up. The stress was only mounting!

  Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, Liang He made it across. With a soft chuckle, he turned back to Xieren, who was now those fourteen meters away. Liang He called over, "Okay, gege. It's your turn! Just take your time and hold on tight! I don't want you to get blown away!"

  Xieren's mouth fell at the last comment, but even still, he nodded and inched his way to the first board. Just take a breath. Doing exactly that, he let his breathing slow to a crawl as he took his first step. The board felt oddly malleable under his weight, but regardless, it didn't break or crack. Inhaling and exhaling, he took slow, eased breaths, his hands gripping each rope as he moved along the bridge, his sights barely focused on anything. He had planned on focusing on Liang He, but thought that might be strange. If he focused on the land on the other side, he figured Liang He would tease him for the sole reason that he just happened to be there. Instead, he squinted as he focused on the very end of the bridge. That's my goal. I just have to get there! He pushed on, his courage only barely holding as he felt the bridge tilting and heard the boards groaning. The wind whistled through the cracks and every step seemed to cry out in agony now. It was nearly unbearable, but Xieren had to press on. He needed to reach the Tear of Moonlight, and this was the only way!

  Over halfway! You're almost there!

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  His relief started to quench the fear that had taken up home in his chest, but as he moved closer to his goal, he heard the whistling begin to build up, and a cool breeze began to tug harder and harder against his loose clothes and hair. Before he could even realize what was happening, the breeze turned into a gust, a strong force that shook the bridge. Xieren gasped as the wind struck him, forcing him to the left side of the bridge. Liang He lurched forward in pure instinct, but he remained put. Rushing out now was unnecessary. Chances are, the wind would die down as soon as he stepped foot on the bridge.

  As Liang He thought this, the wind began to lessen, only to pick up once more. Xieren had a moment of reprieve, his body tumbling about as if he was a drunkard, and he looked just as messy. But that next instant, as the wind picked up again, he was thrown back to his corner. As he stumbled, he felt the plank beneath his foot warp in an uncomfortable way, and in the blink of an eye, Xieren found himself being scratched and slapped his whole body over by shattered splinters of wood and vines.

  "Gege!"

  "Ngh...hh..." Xieren groaned as he felt a sharp, hot pain searing his arm. His grasp on the rope had saved him from an even more terrible fall, but the strong wind still tugged at his body, his lower half in particular as he hung from the middle of the bridge. Seeing this sight unfold before him, Liang He dashed out onto the bridge without hesitance, but the strength of the wind slowed him greatly.

  "Ngh... Liang He!" The wind was pounding against his ears, and Xieren could barely tell if he would be heard or not. Then, his hand began to slip, the pain in his arm, combined with the rush of wind had loosened his hold. He struggled to reach up with his free hand and before he could, as the wind began to fade, his grip released and he began to drop.

  "Gege!!"

  Liang He, now free from the pressure of the wind, lunged toward the hole. Xieren clutched the boards that had just failed him, both hands gripping the fragile thing for dear life.

  "Gege? Can you hold on?"

  "I would prefer...being pulled up."

  "I mean," Liang He crouched closer, judging the strength of the plank before getting closer. "Did you get injured at all?"

  "Heh," Xieren furrowed his brows as he smiled awkwardly, sweat rolling down his forehead, chin and cheeks. His left hand was gloveless, the item lost in the wind, and his right hand was in the process of losing its own. In this predicament, he couldn't possibly ask Liang He for help. He was just going to have to climb back up on his own. "I...I'm fine, Liang He. Just give me some time. I'll pull myself up!"

  "But you're hurting!" Liang He was too observant! Fearing he would reach out to grab him, Xieren warned him, his voice filled with an unusual frenzy, "Don't touch me!! I'll—" Xieren's fingers began to slip, he felt it! His left arm was giving in to the strain it was forced to endure, and his right hand was growing weary. And in that next moment, without even realizing it, his grip released.

  Xieren, for a quick flash, saw nothing. It was as if his vision had wavered.

  Ah, he thought as he suddenly felt weightless. I really am going to die.

  "Your Highness?" Lu Yi quirked his brows as he peered down at the lump in the bed before him. "Your Highness, you mustn't lie in bed all day. It isn't good for you."

  "You remember what you told me, Lu Yi?"

  "Hm? I have told you many things, Your Highness. You would have to elaborate further." From under his covers, Xieren only peeked out, his eyes gloomy and his blond hair a mess. "You said...you would always be with me...or something to that effect." At the dismissive waves of his prince, Lu Yi chuckled. "Yes, I believe I did. But," he paused as his amused smile left his face, "what does that have to do with any of this?"

  Xieren didn't answer immediately. He seemed to ponder over what he would say before finally coming to a decision. "Even if I'm a mess like this, you should be fine with it, right?" Lu Yi tilted his head, his eyes wide as he seemed to try and understand what was going through Xieren's head. Then, he said, "Even though I said such a thing, that doesn't mean I will accept your dirty habits." Dropping down onto the bed, Lu Yi went on. "Your Highness, what happened?"

  "..."

  "Your Highness?"

  "Teacher Pan has resigned from working with me." Lu Yi's features tensed. He hadn't expected to hear that. He didn't know this. Not only that, it sounded wholly fictitious! Pan Yang? Resigning?

  "Your Highness? When did this happen?"

  "I can't say," Xieren sighed as the blanket dropped from his hair. He rested his head onto the pillow as he continued with a weary voice. "I was only informed this morning. I thought you already knew..."

  "No! I heard of no such thing! It must be a mistake!"

  "It is not! Are you dumb? A total idiot? Of course, Teacher Pan wouldn't want to be around me anymore! Everybody knows what I did to him... I'm only surprised he didn't leave sooner..." Lu Yi and Xieren remained in a heavy silence, their minds both plagued by this unexpected topic. For the past month, Lu Yi had struggled with Xieren's incessant pessimism. He wanted to tear it down, deconstruct it and turn it into something more befitting of the once shining prince. But alas, all of his efforts went in vain, and the only outcome to form from this was the lowly, filthy youth that lay sprawled beneath the bed covers. How could he convince this shadow of the prince that he would remain devoted to him?

  "Lu Yi," the weak voice spoke up.

  "Yes, Your Highness?"

  "If you don't leave now, I'll kill you."

  Xieren gasped.

  He was sure he was dead, but, to his utter shock, his hand had been grasped by none other than Liang He. The young man groaned as he held on with all his strength. "Gege," he forced out breathlessly. "Your wrist...is it...?" Seeing as Xieren's left hand was gloveless, Liang He reached for and grasped Xieren's right hand instead. The hand that was bandaged up.

  Xieren was so startled by the fact that he was still alive, that he had to take a moment to properly understand the question. After blinking twice, he finally answered, "It..it's fine. No, it's my left arm that..." Xieren trailed off, realizing he couldn't pretend everything was alright now, given the severity of the situation. Just then, he felt his heart sink as he realized a problem. His glove was slipping.

  Liang He struggled to hold Xieren up. Not because he was weak. He was a very sturdy, strong youth as Xieren was well aware by now. But he was holding onto one of the ropes of the bridge, and was hanging partially into the abyss himself. Liang He clenched his teeth as he struggled and strained to lift both of them back up, and with his intense focus, he noticed immediately that Xieren's glove was coming off.

  "Liang He," Xieren spoke under his breath what was supposed to be an inner thought. If that glove came off, and Liang He went to grab him, that would lead to one thing for the both of them. There's only one choice...

  "Liang He! You have to let go of me!"

  "Don't be an idiot, gege!" Xieren's heart froze over. He hadn't heard Liang He raise his voice before and, quite frankly, it startled him. "I won't let you fall! I will pull you up, just hang on a little longer." Despite Liang He saying this, Xieren couldn't, no matter how he tried. It was painful. Liang He only had Xieren's fingers at this point as the glove slipped off further.

  "Liang He," Xieren's voice was pleading. A wave of pain and sorrow was filling his being from top to bottom. He didn't want this to happen again. He didn't want to see it happen again. He would much rather die!

  "I can't take anymore..."

  And so, Xieren shook his hand free.