"Brother, you really are here!"
On a high hill outside Heaven Dou City, Xue Qinghe stood with the Dull Blade in his hand, its faint glow flickering rapidly.
His face lit up with joy as he looked at the young man sitting atop a nearby stone.
After the Blue Tyrant Academy incident concluded, everyone from the academy had quietly left Heaven Dou City, their whereabouts unknown. The others had also scattered.
He hadn't lingered either and rushed back to the Crown Prince's residence.
Everything in the estate remained as usual—yet something felt missing.
He walked into the courtyard where he'd spent the most time recently and sat on a stone bench inside a small pavilion.
One hand supporting his cheek, his gaze wandered idly across the yard.
"Keke, who do you think will come out first today—Brother or Paimon?"
"Hmm… Paimon will come out first."
"Keke, how did you meet Brother and Paimon in the first place?"
"Oh, that? Back then, I was…"
Xue Qinghe almost saw the little girl sitting across the table, chattering away with him.
"Qinghe, what's for food today? Hehe~ I'm starving."
"Your Highness…"
"…"
Xue Qinghe snapped back to reality. The courtyard was empty now. The familiar silhouettes were gone.
Keke was gone. Brother and Paimon hadn't returned either.
He had imagined many ways they might say goodbye—but not this.
Keke was gone, and Brother and Paimon never came back.
"Didn't even get to say goodbye…"
He murmured, voice low. He'd prepared himself for this, but his eyes still held sorrow and loneliness.
Hum~
The Dull Blade at his waist seemed to respond to his emotions. Its body trembled slightly, glowing faintly.
"Brother? Is that you…? Where are you…"
Xue Qinghe grasped the hilt tightly, standing up and scanning the surroundings.
But aside from the trembling sword, no one appeared.
"I'm sorry… I want to return you to your master, too… I just don't know where he is…"
He mumbled to himself. Some memory seemed to flash across his mind, and his expression darkened further.
Hum~
The sword let out another soft chime. A gentle force pushed him forward, making him stumble a few steps.
"You… want to find your master?"
The moment he spoke, the blade pulsed again. It was as if it were urging him somewhere.
He paused only briefly before understanding. He chose to follow the gentle pull.
Through alleys and streets, he eventually left Heaven Dou City.
It was here, on this hill, that the figure in his heart and the youth before him finally overlapped.
"Hm? Your Highness?"
Aether turned at the sound, giving Xue Qinghe a calm smile.
Xue Qinghe froze. Though they'd spent many days together, in that moment he felt something different from Aether—an aura that had never surfaced before.
Free. Unbound. Detached. As if he existed beyond the constraints of the mortal world.
Like the wind: comforting, soothing, yet never staying in one place for long.
"The Traveler…"
Xue Qinghe whispered.
Only now did he understand the identity Aether had once introduced.
Only now did he feel he had truly met the real him.
"Your Highness?"
Xue Qinghe snapped out of his daze, realizing his lapse. He spoke with slight embarrassment:
"I… I came to return your sword, Brother."
All the things he'd rehearsed for this moment vanished the instant he stood before Aether.
In his nervousness, he gave a simple, honest reason.
"Hehe~ It's yours now."
Aether chuckled. The Dull Blade responding to Xue Qinghe's heart meant that within him burned a deep conviction.
Since he would eventually leave no matter what, he might as well brighten the path with a gift of sunlight.
"You… you're giving it to me?"
"Mhm. A parting gift. I hope it stays with you until the day your dream comes true."
Aether nodded. He knew Xue Qinghe's greatest wish.
He hadn't planned on interfering—but after everything that had happened with Keke, his thoughts had changed.
Something was wrong with this world. Xue Qinghe had a kind and upright nature. If his wish came true, maybe it would change the unjust and oppressive things in this place.
"…Thank you, Brother. I really like it!"
Holding Aether's affirmation close, Xue Qinghe's eyes narrowed with happiness. He cradled the blade carefully in both arms, afraid of losing it.
"Brother, where's Paimon? And… Keke…"
Seeing only Aether here, Xue Qinghe thought perhaps they'd buried Keke's body—but even Paimon wasn't present. That left him worried.
Brother and Paimon were always together, even while sleeping. She wouldn't leave him.
If Paimon wasn't here either, had something else happened since then…
"Ugh! Traveler, you're the worst! Sitting there enjoying the view while you send us to fetch firewood!"
Before Aether could respond, a familiar grumbling came from the bottom of the hill.
Soon, a small figure appeared in Xue Qinghe's view.
"Eh? It's Qinghe—Qinghe!"
Paimon hovered up with effort, arms full of dry branches.
When she saw Xue Qinghe next to Aether, her eyes lit up and she waved enthusiastically.
But her arms wobbled, almost dropping the firewood, so she panicked and clutched them tightly again.
"Paimon~… Keke?!"
Seeing Paimon made Xue Qinghe breathe easier and wave in return.
But then, bouncing along behind her, a familiar little figure came into view.
He almost dropped his jaw in shock.
"Your Highness…"
Seeing a familiar face, the figure gave a small curtsey and greeted him sweetly.
"You… this—she…"
The voice echoed in his mind. He stared between Keke and Aether, completely speechless.
"Qinghe, you came at the perfect time. We haven't eaten since morning, and gathering firewood was such a pain… We were just about to cook something, hehe~"
Paimon dropped the branches and grinned eagerly.
She glanced at the small critters lying nearby and fondly remembered the roasted rabbit legs from when they first arrived.
Slurp~
Just the thought made her secretly swallow her drool. She really was starving.
"Paimon… is that really Keke?"
Xue Qinghe stared at Yu Keke, now standing quietly beside the firewood, clearly alive and well. He couldn't believe it.
Keke had died. That was a fact. So why…
"Your Highness, it's me."
Yu Keke tilted her head slightly and spoke crisply.
"Keke… it really is you?!"
Xue Qinghe dropped all decorum, stepped forward, and gently pinched her arm.
Then he patted her head. Even rubbed her rosy cheeks.
Her face flushed red, the color blooming like ink across paper, and her soft little ears looked like they might start dripping blood.
_
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