Chen Yi has a minion!

Xi Yang Long the Huolong

It’s impossible to know how one could end up here. Here, a valley where time seems to stand still. Ancient wooden bridges create the roads on which the citizens of such an odd, timeless town traverse. One can lose themselves in the perfume of the cherry blossoms and in the rose-tinted beauty of the sky, painting the great lake in shades of red. Yet no one touches the water. No one fishes. No boats sit on the shores. Holding up the boardwalks and bridges is not in fact wood, but steel.
That’s when the wind kicks up, just slight enough to smell the reek that the perfume covers. It’s the acrid stench of smoke and sulfur.

…
A small reborn Ruffie sits alone on a bridge overlooking the steaming and bubbling waters. As you approach, she glances up, her green eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“The Lake of Dragon’s Tears has been here for many centuries.” That’s what she says when you ask. “This was the final resting place of the ancient God, Xi Yáng Long. He was the God of the evening and of the setting sun, and of the spring. At least that’s what they say. I just know that there are things that happen here that can’t be explained. Things that happen to the wildlife, the trees, to the residents, to me.”

After inquiring about the water, she offers what she knows. “It’s a stagnant lake. It came out of the ground, and keeps growing. Unfortunately nothing can live in it. It’s too hot, and anything that touches it burns. Good though, there’s minerals and things that come from it that is real good for the plants.”

And what about the wildlife?
“There’s some freaky fauna, to the likes that I don’t think you see anywhere else. Nobody knows where it comes from, either. One day there isn’t any fish. The next, there’s fish living and breathing in the lake. Nothing can really live in there. And after we go fishing, the fish just disappear like they never even existed.”

“We get dragons too. Or at least the elders say they are dragons. They’re really small serpents that fly around and get everywhere and eat mice, birds, and crops. They are protected by law here, but they are so pesky that nobody particularly likes them. Except maybe the domestic ones. Those are alright.”

Some other residents have started gathering around. It seems they are as curious of you as you are of them. It’s likely that people don’t come here often, if not at all. Feeling nervous, you decide to leave, even when so many questions have yet to be answered. You say a hasty goodbye to the tiny Ruffie, and try to find your way back from whence you came.

And suddenly

With a blink, it’s night. The mysterious lake and the land of eternal spring is nowhere to be seen.

…

-Chen Yi, born on Febuary 20th, changed to Reborn on the same day.
-Likes cherry blossoms, jade, fish, and domestic dragons.
-Daughter of the current priestess, has a high class family.
-Really wishes to see what it’s like outside, but is afraid to leave.
-Spacy, hopelessly romantic, naïve

The Baby Pheonix
A little bird can be found following Chen Yi around. It's a curious little thing, with eyes as black as coal. It puffs out its chest when it sees you, and flies off.
"Oh, that?" Chen asks."A white Irion bright it here years ago. He said it belonged to me. I'm not quite sure what he meant, but it's been following me around ever since."




Page and story © Nithak