Give Me Fire

Fated Encounter, The Fall of Darkness

The wind howled like a hungry beast, the trees trembled in fear, ashes mixed with snowflakes; the world was in disarray and Bai Mu had nowhere to run. He tried nonetheless, and went up the stone stairs that circled the mountain, leading to an old temple near its summit. The pathway was framed by small bells, meant to dispel evil spirits, but the gale made the chiming sound like the laughter of demons, mocking Bai Mu's attempt.

Tightly against his chest, Bai Mu kept an instrument wrapped in a white cloth, it was the only thing he could savage before running out of his room. Sometimes, as he ran, the chords whined in pain, creating more dissonance. The cacophony joined the bells, the leaves shaking, Bai Mu's irregular breathing.

Bai Mu legs hurt as he climbed up but he dared not to look back. What was behind him was too terrifying to mention.

A smoky scent tickled his nose. He knew his sect, his home, was probably burnt to the ground, or swallowed by the darkness. Neither were good, though arguably fire was somewhat familiar. An unknown enemy was the worst of evils.

Bai Mu was always a lousy disciple of that sect. He cared little about lessons and the dangers of the world. Because everything was unknown, he was more scared than the rest, who stood and fought, who tried to make a difference.

Bai Mu couldn't, his heart was weak. Finally, his legs gave up as well, though he made it to the sacred gate leading to the temple. A wooden arch framed his glowing silhouette. Bai Mu's hair was as pale as snow, so the remnants of light were captured and reflected in his surroundings, making him look like a fairy.

Bai Mu still dared not to look back and with a scratched knee he stood up. The wind tried to push him back, yet he still did not dare. He couldn't face the darkness. He cried at the thought, one moment he was talking to his Master and the next his world was completely turned.

"Shizun!!" He thought he would find his master up in the temple, where he liked to be. Though that made little sense and he knew it. "Shizun!" He cried, crossing the gate and looking around the desolated place.

That temple had been abandoned long ago. The walls were covered in lush, the wood was rotten, the stone broken, and spiders have made intricate patterns in the beams. No one would answer Bai Mu's call, no one had business in that temple, not even Gods.

Bai Mu breathing calmed just a bit. This time he walked, each step made a crunchy sound as he progressed through a mantle of orange, brown and yellow. The colors of sunset lead him further into the abandoned building and yet, the dawn was about to come.

The sun peeked behind the mountains, giving only one line of gold to Bai Mu's view. Only one coin for a beggar. The sight made Bai Mu smile with relief; a coin could mean the entire world for a poor man.

At the promise of the sun coming up, he finally dared to spin on his heel and look back. Bai Mu knew that view from before; the stone pathway, the dilapidated wooden gate, the tall trees, the dollhouse size of the white buildings of the Qian Bai Ling sect. However he feared to find shadows and flames erasing the white of the walls. His expectations were correct and yet not quite.

He saw fire and darkness, not in the distant buildings, but in the silhouette of a person, so beautiful, it couldn't have been human.

There was crimson, orange, teal and azure. The colors of the dawn were embroidery and weaved in the attire, the sleeves barely showed delicate pale fingers, both wielding fans. Dark hair like burnt wood framed an even more delicate face with thin lips and a playful smile, yet the eyes were covered by a fox mask.

The silks were so long and majestic they fell courteously over the wooden gate, where that creature was standing. It resembled a cascade of blood or perhaps, droplets of sunshine that were a gift just a second ago.