Chapter 9

To the realm above the thick layers of misty clouds, Hayden stared. Sorrowful hazel-brown eyes beholding the amount of bitterness nobody knew. 2019. It had been a solid eighteen years ever since they bid their last goodbye. The goodbye that twitched his heart, watching his pal pleading Felynx to let him go. Pleading to not be a TinXi.

Pleading to be freed in the Ring of Deity…

“I…I can’t do this anymore… Felynx I… I can’t do this anymore...” He knelt and fixed his gaze on the ground, dripping his tears into the silver fogs.

Corners of Felynx’s sleek robe stroked Vincent’s trembling arm. “Get up, Vincent,” he commanded, turning away. “You know you can’t escape from this. Long Shen wouldn’t allow it.”

“Please… Felynx. O—one…one by one, send to me.” He raised and dropped his Adam’s apple, gulping the sour lump down his throat. “One by one vanished also because of me.” There was a smell of despise at the edge of his voice as he circled his sight to the iced cuboids hung deep in the wall.

“Everybody wants a happy ending…” Still having his back facing him, Felynx stared away, into the fountain beside Hong Cheng Ji. It was puking out water in the shape of the late white dragon. He crawled his fingers in the air, tracing the figure with much affection like it was going to emerge. “But not everyone is lucky enough to have one.”

“I’m not asking for any happy endings! I don’t need them!” Vincent yelled. “I…I just want to quit.”

“Vincent,” His voice turned hard, and an instant drop in his tone gloomed the divine breaths releasing by the silver fronds. “Do you really think you can quit? We all know it deep inside, regardless of being a TinXi or a dragon, we can never quit.” Felynx cupped his arm to hold him up. “This is the oath we live in.”

A slash of reflection at the corner of his eyes pushed him away from his subconscious mind. Hayden glanced at the old metal board hanging miserably at the mailbox – only ‘s Residence was displayed. It was clear the name before was smeared, scratched more than once. Tired of changing? Hayden thought.

Standing before the mansion laid next to the abandoned resort, he stopped for a moment when he realized the place had been buried deeper into the wild bushes. He shoved them away, looking for the ring to knock.

“Yes?”

It was from the mini camera fixed at the side of the bricked wall.

“Good day, I’m Hayden Watson and would like to have a small talk with Mr. Vincent.” He stood on his toes, trying to look through the gadget. “Is he at home?”

Without demanding for further identity clarification from him, the latch was clicked followed by the iron gate folding inwards. It was as if his presence was expected. A new-looking lady seemed to be in her mid-40s showed up with a slight smile across her face. She looked good, despite dressing up in full black.

Bowing, the lady stretched out her arm to lead him in. “This way, sir.”

Hayden walked along the stone pathway exposed underneath the plain blue sky. His bare toes were greeted by the touch of wild grasses grown in between while soft flaps of blinds echoed to his ears.

It felt exactly like eighteen years ago, only that those greens have yet to be trimmed and he had to make every step wider so they wouldn’t stuck in his brown sandals.

“Here, Mr. Vincent is inside.” The lady stopped at the last stone. “Please go ahead, I’ll not be seeing you in.”

It was a rule Vincent set, that no servants can pass the final piece without his permission.

“Thanks.” He nodded and looked away immediately. Energy surrounding the main section of the Scandinavian home was triggering his eyes to turn blue.

He shook it off, pausing his steps in front of the vertical blinds. The man on the sofa looked towards the entrance upon hearing the noise. And when their glances met, Vincent frowned his faded brows for a long moment before ignoring the presence of the guest.

But Hayden was so not going to back away.

Indulging into the barrier invisible to the eyes of mortals, “Hey friend,” he greeted.

“Yo.” It was all the pal said as he dropped his gaze back to the vapours floating from the glass he held. It was Huangshan Maofeng Tea.

“You’ve got nothing to say?” Hayden asked straight-forward, pacing down the three-steps stairs.

Sight of a pathetic prosthetic hand topped with layers of spider-webs at the side of the wall caught his attention. But the clank Vincent made snapped him away.

“What else should I say when you know about it already?” He flipped the newspaper over to hide what he was reading. It sent out a puff of air, swaying his unfilled sleeve.

Hayden slapped hard on the target page. “And you plan to do nothing at all?” He eyed the articles discussing the recent mysterious deaths. “Again?”

He flashed a glaring stare. “I told you I quit.”

“I hope you do understand that avoiding and quitting are two different acts,” Hayden hissed, challenging his attempt to stay stern on his voice.

And it worked.

“Hayden—”

“Vincent, please.” Crouching to meet his devastating gaze, he wrapped his only palm in his ten fingers.

The man pulled to free. “Pal…” his sigh was heavy. “You know it. If there was something I could do, I wouldn’t lose my limb,” he muttered, pointing to the black and white images of the victims, “and they wouldn’t be dead… nor printed on this paper like now.” His hand shook as the muscles on his cheeks wobbled hard. “You just wouldn’t understand.”

“I…I do—"

“NO YOU DON’T!”

“I DO! I’M A TINXI TOO!” Hayden caught his shoulders and yelled back at him. “Listen here, Vincent. Trust me, we can stop them this time. We can do it this time. The dragon, her mark is different –”

“Stop telling me about the dragons. I’d rather not to know than to lose.” He sighed, gulping down the remaining tea.

Suddenly, Hayden chanted a radiant of blue at the tip of his two fingers. The ferocity was increasing as the light bit onto his skin. His flesh started to burn. He pulled it close to the joint connecting his own arm to his shoulder.

“What are you doing, Hayden Watson?” Vincent waved his hand and brushed off the glowing ray before it could do much of a harm. “Are you dumb?!”

He locked his gaze on him. “If I can gain back your trust, I don’t mind losing one arm.”

“Even with the dragons, you know we can’t win against the evils, against Arlyaen. You know it better and deeper than I do, Hayden. They’re getting stronger, and we are getting weaker. Haven’t you learned? If the mortals still choose to doubt the existence of dragons, if they still have the curiosities lingering in their breaths, we’ll never win.”

“It’ll be different this time.”

“It’ll be the same.”

“No, it won’t.”

“It’ll still be the same!”

“Trust me, it’s going to be different.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because the first step to win is to be sure of what you’re doing.”