"The Little Things"

The past II

The villagers were cowering in fear at the strange sounds coming from the forest. The darkness of the night exacerbated the dread. An old man materialized in the middle of a muddy, deserted street. Yet there was no one to pay attention as he moved purposefully towards the line of the forest.

He stopped and listened. There was one final shriek, then silence. Zhao was moving slowly, gun in his hand, the other swatting away low branches. It took him a long time to find the first signs of the fight. The night was drawing to a close, and in the dim light of the dusk, he finally saw a dark figure lying motionless in the forage.

"Xiao Wei!" he shouted and fell to his knees beside the unconscious boy. Yunlan turned him to his back, and his eyes widen at the extension of the wounds. He immediately reached out to the boy's neck and breathed deeply in relief, feeling a feeble pulse. Then took out the healing stone, and not sure what to do with it, he simply pressed it to the boy's chest. "Come on, come on, please work," he mumbled. The small rock shone lightly, and he saw with relief that the wounds started to heal slowly. After a while, however, the stone turned black and then crumbled to dust. "Damn it, piece of junk. Like you couldn't work longer?!"

Zhao decided to move the boy to a more comfortable place, and he lifted him in his arms. It came as a surprise how light the youth was. Yunlan found a small clearing and put the boy on a grassy ground. He tore off a wide strap from his robe and used it to clean away the dirt and blood from the boy's face and hands. There was a river nearby, and he went back and forth to rinse the fabric. Then he sat down and gently combed the sleeping boy's hair. His hands were shaking badly. The mere thought of the night's events was making his heart ache. How old was Shen Wei here? Fourteen? Fifteen? How much had he already suffered? Zhao wanted nothing more than to protect him. He thought of the used up orb, now nothing more than a useless trinket. If there was no way of getting back to his time, then Yunlan would stay and shield Shen Wei from all the evil in the world for as long as it was possible. He saw a slight change in the youngster's face, a wrinkle between eyebrows appearing. He leaned over.

"Kid, hey kid, you're not dead, right?" he asked in a trembling voice. Shen Wéi moved and moaned in pain. Zhao gently lifted the boy's head and helped him drink some water. Then he slowly guided Shen Wéi's hand over the injuries, making sure he healed himself properly. It was so different from what he had imagined. When Shen Wei told him about this moment, it was laconic: "The elder helped me". Zhao now understood how much was written in between the lines of the warrior's story.

Yunlan started a conversation, carefully fishing out all the information he needed. His eyebrows knitted when he mustered the courage to ask the one he was dreading the most.

"Have you ever killed a man?" He looked carefully at the petrified expression on the boy's innocent face and let out a relieved sigh, his resolve strong as ever. He would protect Shen Wéi no matter the cost.

After they had talked for some time, the boy went to the river. Zhao built a small bonfire and used matches to light it. When he looked up, he saw Shen Wéi washing off the blood and dirt in the river. Yunlan felt his heart quicken. "I had seen this..." he thought. He instinctively touched the wooden bracelet on his wrist. He missed his Shen Wei already.

The kid returned after some time carrying two fishes and started cleaning them. Zhao moved to help him, and his hand got tangled in his beard again. "Damn it," he swore for the umpteenth time. He felt the boy's gaze on him and smiled. "Don't ever grow a beard. It's a real nuisance."

The youth smiled back at him. "Then I won't," he said simply. His expression was so genuine that Zhao just stared back, speechless. There were so much trust and innocence in those young eyes. Eventually, Yunlan grinned too and shook his head.