The Fallen Idol And The Artist

Chapter 11

When the spring season was close to arriving Xie Lian was chosen to be the main event in a parade. It was something he had begun to do for the passed couple of years. The parade was something meant to the gods, like a gift to honor them and their memory. A gift that would be filled with grace and beauty. A gift that would be given so that the gods may bless them with good fortune and good tidings. His clothing would be decorated in colors red, gold, and a light shade of pink. His hair would be long and tied back with a crown lightly shoved into his hair. Due to him appearing as such before a crowd he became known as the heavenly prince of the Xianle agency, and would be referred to as 'Your Highness.' He didn't mind the title, but it was often awkward to hear it. Even when his friends had started to call him as such he would cringe and just beg for them not to call him with such a title. No matter how many people saw him as some spoiled rich kid of an idol, only he knew who he really was. He didn't see himself as spoiled. And he didn't see himself as someone arrogant or ignorant, until it was too late.

The day of the festival was a day he could never forget. He had finished his practices for the day and had ran off away from his mentor and friends. He was still decked out in his princely attire and was wandering about the venue where his play would be held after the parade. He would dance to several pieces of music and in turn end the festivities for the day. He wanted to make an entrance and an exit that was filled with exaggerations. He wanted it to be something different. Something surprising. Something that no one has ever seen. He wandered about the upper levels of seats near the balcony viewings, and upon peaking through the curtains he happened upon a small boy a year younger than. He was dressed in tattered clothing, covered in dirt and grime and was covered with bandages from head to toe. From afar he looked as though he was just viewing the area from the spot, but then he could hear the sniffling that was coming from him. His hands pushed onto the edge as he lifted his body up to climb on top. He watches as the boy stands there with his eyes casted down to the empty space and seats below him. Xie Lian by now is able to realize as to what he was going to do. He quickly moves into action just as the boy begins to fall. He runs forward and grabs a hold of his hand. The boy turns to him reveal a face partially covered with bandages. His one eye was revealed to him within the light exposing the deep black color that could only shine like stars in the sunlight. Xie Lian pulls him back onto the ground, and at first he was prepared to hiss at him like an aggravated animal, but his jaw slacks and his eyes widen upon seeing Xie Lian in the light of the sun. To the boy he was graciously beautiful, and in that moment he felt as if he was truly staring at an angel. Xie Lian sighs a bit with relief as he moves the boy further away from the rails of the balcony. He looks at him with a slight frown of concern.

"Are you okay? That's scary you know..." he says softly as he straightens out his clothing.

"Why...why did you...?!" The boy shouts, but stops when he responds just as quickly.

"Well...why did you?"

The moment these words leave Xie Lian's lips the boy is suddenly filled with a sense of dread and sorrow. It's as if all of his frustrations have decided to rise to the very center of his core to fuel his voice with a cries of anguish.

"I don't want to live...! It's painful enough for me to go on! It's painful at home and painful everywhere else! I don't have any reasons to go on!"

Xie Lian could hear it in his voice as it cracked with rage and pain. He was no stranger to seeing the lives of others be more difficult than his own. He was a pampered boy after all. However, he wasn't so ignorant to the outside world like many people believed. Mu Qing and Feng Xin came from households that were either in the middle class or lower class, and they would often tell him about their lives and how tough their situations were. This would bring Xie Lian to understand those who struggled. But this boy was different from others he had seen. He seemed so hurt and not just in the physical sense, but emotional and mental sense as well. This wasn't something he had seen before, but it hurt him to witness. He reaches forward to the boy and pulls him into a hug. The boy squirms for a bit in his arms, but stops when he feels the small idol's hand press to the back of his head. Xie Lian doesn't speak and waits until the boy's body stops shaking. Instead he feels a sudden flood of tears soak through his robes to his chest. A small sob slips through the lips of the boy who was now clinging to him for dear life. Xie Lian rubs his back and lightly hums before speaking out loud.