It was about 11 p.m at night and most of the inner city streets were empty under the bright moonlight. There was only one carriage on this specific road, heading further into the city.
Hao Xuan was sitting in the back playing with the ring absentmindedly, engrossed in the thoughts of what was about to come when he heard a low buzz.
*Shiing*
With a slight frown, he opened the right side window to peek outside. As if it was waiting for such an opportunity, the noise suddenly got louder and sharper, and a barely visible flash of light shot forward, aiming straight at his head.
Green and Red both turned around in an instant. Their arms extended to over four times the length of their bodies, covering both sides of the carriage.
But the flash of shimmering light that was going in and out of the visible spectrum twisted in an unfathomable way, almost like it was alive, and moved between the space of Green's finger and continued on.
All of this happened in less than a second.
Hao Xuan's eyes contracted and even though he could roughly see the trajectory of the incoming object, his body was not able to keep up with his other senses.
The muscles on his neck and shoulders bulged and he did everything he possibly could, which was to rotate his head to the left, so the object would impact with the back of his head instead of the forehead.
"Master!" x2
Green and Red both shouted at once and tried to charge over, but there wasn't enough time.
There was a dark silhouette sitting beneath a tree branch about 30 meters away from the moving carriage. It seamlessly blended in with the shadows and even if one stared right at it, there was no way to tell it was there.
A half-smile adorned the silhouette's masked face, even though it couldn't be seen by others.
The object entered the carriage and connected with the back of Hao Xuan's head, but the result was not what the assailant had expected.
Almost as soon as the object connected with the back of his head, a small white tentacle shot out from the window at almost 4 times the speed of the first object, aiming directly for the silhouette.
Now it was the silhouette's turn to be surprised. With a stupified expression on its face, its body recoiled and it leaped back.
*BAM*
The tentacle hit the exact spot it was sitting on a second ago.
"MINE!"
An angry little squeak came from the carriage and five more tentacles came out. The silhouette didn't wait for them to attack and leaped back once again, vanishing into the shadows like it was never there.
"Stop, let it go," Hao Xuan ordered solemnly and all six tentacles reluctantly retracted.
He peaked out once again but could see nothing out of the ordinary other than the broken tree in the distance.
"Can you sense anyone else?" he whispered to Fortis.
Fortis shook his little head, "No!"
"Hmm."
Hao Xuan leaned back and closed the window.
Just now he had used Fortis's ridiculously strong body as a meat shield to block the attack, and it worked.
The object he was attacked with was like a small needle or a spike. There was a sticky liquid at the end of it which even melted a part of the carriage where it had dropped.
He ordered Green and Red to change directions and go to a crowded area.
There he recalled them to his mind palace and changed into a new set of clothes before merging with the bustling crowd. He left the carriage and accompanying beasts there and walked around on foot.
Going in circles for hours, he left himself open to attack but Fortis didn't sense anyone chasing him nor did anyone else attack.
It was only after 3 in the morning that he returned to the mansion.
He called out Green and Red and told them to be on full alert and not go outside before they were able to completely change their appearances to that of normal human beings.
He asked them if they saw anything and both of them said the same thing.
"The attacker was not a human."
From their descriptions, it looked like some kind of a beastman. With small black wings on its back and a spiky tail, it wasn't any race native to the Mei kingdom.
Hao Xuan returned to his room but it was empty. The bed was cold and Xu Qing was nowhere to be found. He ran over to her room but it was empty as well. The bed hadn't even been slept in. His heart started beating faster and faster.
Just as he was about to summon Ensis and the others, a light melodic hum came from the courtyard. He sprinted outside and saw the same silhouette sitting on the patio under the maple tree.
He let out a sigh of relief and walked over to her.
"Its almost 4 in the morning, why are you still up?"
Xu Qing was looking upwards at the full moon. The moonlight reflected in her eyes like a hall of mirrors. Her fractured eyes retained every little bit moonlight that entered, almost making them shine.
"I was praying," she replied softly.
Hao Xuan took the seat beside her, mesmerized by her beauty. Her entire being was shinning, body, and soul. Of all the beautiful women he had met, Xu Qing was the only one that was perfect in every way imaginable.
Be it her mannerisms, her outward appearance, her treatment of others or any other aspect, there was nothing lacking whatsoever. If only he could give her the gift of sight, he could probably die happy.
"Who are you praying to?"
"To the moon goddess," she whispered with a resplendent smile. Hao Xuan had never seen such a smile on her face before.
*Ba-dump*
"Who is the moon goddess?" he asked curiously.
Xu Qing turned towards him with that smile that could rip a soul away, "The kindest and wisest of goddesses in existence. She listens to the weak and needy, the ones that have nothing to offer but their prayers, and provides them shelter, and hope."
*Ba-dump*
Just who was it that was able to make her smile this much? Hao Xuan was truly envious right now. Envious of the goddess who was the reason for such a smile.
For the first time in his life, he wanted nothing more than to be the cause of a smile like that.
"That melody, was it a hymn for her?"
Xu Qing shook her head, "No, that was a song my mother used to sing for me when I was young."
"Mhm," Hao Xuan nodded back and looked up at the moon.
Neither of them said anything to each other after that.
Xu Qing continued humming the melody while Hao Xuan listened. It sounded like the most pleasant sound in existence to his ears. The cold winter wind blew slowly and maple leaves fell down every now and then. It was the most peaceful he had felt in a long time.
All the anger that was bubbling deep inside him calmed down. All the uncertainties of what the near future held, all the tough decisions he had to make, all the worries that were holding him down just….melted away.
And he couldn't help but break out into a wry smile at that realization. For he was much more self-aware than others and knew how he had changed over the years.
He had fallen head over heels for the woman beside him.
When he was away from her all he wanted was to see her again. To eat the foods she made, to listen to the songs she sang, to feel the warmth of her dainty hands, to take care of her and protect her from every bad thing in existence. But he didn't know how to tell her that.
Xu Qing was sent to him as a slave. He had freed her, but he knew that she still treated him like she owed him a huge favor.
And he was worried that if he confessed to her, she would feel obligated to say yes. And that was the last thing he ever wanted. He didn't want to force her into a relationship unless that was what she desired as well.
So he chose to keep things going as they had always been, until such a time that he was sure that the feeling was mutual.
Until then, just staying by her side was more than enough for him.
"I have to leave tomorrow. I will be gone for a while this time," he whispered lightly.
Xu Qing looked down at her feet and nodded wordlessly.
Hao Xuan seemed somewhat disappointed and got up. Just after he took one step he felt a tug on his shirt. Turning around he saw Xu Qing holding onto it.
"P-Please be careful, and…come back quickly."
It felt like a volcano had erupted in his chest and he almost got a nosebleed looking at her blushing figure.
"O-Of course!" he moved his head up and down vigorously.
Hao Xuan returned to his room for the night and the next morning he left silently with Ensis. It was time to join the war.
Xu Qing stood in her bedroom window, staring at him trying to sneak out with a worried smile. Hands clasped, she closed her eyes and prayed fervently.
"Please watch over him and protect him, no matter where he goes or what he does. Bring him back safely…."
