Embers of the Holy War

Hanging Onto What's Left of You

As he bathed in the eternal glow of the moonlight, Guang had a moment of epiphany. It was extremely ridiculous and went against everything that he had seen and been told, but there was a possibility that Sui might have been framed for this entire incident!

It sounded more believable and logical for Guang. There was no way that Sui, the kind man as he was, could have burnt down the Dragon Manor and killed everyone in the vicinity. But then again, without properly understanding the circumstances, it was too early for Guang to jump to conclusions.

That was it. Guang had made up his mind.

He closed his eyes and lifted the cold, crystal earring to his lips.

To the Hero, he swore: I'll find you, Sui, and discover the truth, even if it's the last thing I do. 

Flicker flicker.

Startled, Guang glanced up at the ceiling, where the lights were blinking eerily. Right when he thought it was strange, it went out entirely.

It wasn't just his room either. Looking out of the window, it was like a giant shadow had consumed the land, snuffing the lights out of one building after another.

Guang gulped. He had a bad feeling about this. Putting the earring back on, he dashed across the room and slid open the door.

The lights too had gone out in the hallway, so Guang couldn't really make anything out. Cupping his hands over his mouth, he gently exhaled, and from his breath a ball of fire was born. This ball of fire, he let it merrily bounce down the hallway. Many faces of patients swam in and out of the darkness in its illuminating wake. Looks like he wasn't the only one who had come out to check what was going on. Some had taken interest in the ball of fire as well, whispering and pointing at it in curiosity.

"What's going on?"

"Mama...I'm scared!"

"Hey, sis, do you think I can eat that bright thing bobbing around?"

Above the cacophony of voices, a voice shouted, "Everyone, please, return to your rooms and relax! It's just a power outage!"

Oh, speak of the devil, the doctors were here. Summoning his ball of fire to his side, Guang made his way to the doctors who were ushering the patients back into their rooms.

"Mr. Long," one of the doctors said. For a moment, their eyes flickered to the floating ball of fire and he pursued his lips. "Please return to your room too."

Unlike an ordinary patient, though, Guang was not so easy to command around.

"Tell me what happened," Guang demanded.

The doctor looked around at his fellow doctors, as if pondering on whether he should tell or not. When it was obvious that Guang wasn't going anywhere, the doctor sighed.

"We're not really sure, either. It seems like a power outage, and it's affecting this entire city. Fret not, nothing has happened in this hospital. Until we figure out what is happening, we'll-"

Coincidentally right at that moment, the lights came back on. Some patients cheered while the others murmured in befuddlement at what just happened.

"Guang!"

Running down the hallway towards him was Jin, glasses askew and hair flying wildly. Once he was in front of Guang, he eyed him up and down, checking his limbs here and there.

In a strained, distressed tone, Jin interrogated, "You're not injured, right?"

"I'm fine, Jin," Guang reassured, pushing Jin's arms back down to his sides. Sometimes he felt like the younger brother between the two of them with how overprotective Jin can get. "What about you?"

"I'm fine," Jin insisted. "What happened?"

"A power outage or something, according to the doctor. You saw it too, right?"

Jin nodded. Deep in thought, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "A power outage...one has never occurred before in history. Why now?"

Ruffling up his own hair in frustration, Jin groaned, "Guang, I'll come pick you up tomorrow morning. You're feeling all better already, right?"

As expected, his brother can certainly read him like an open book. He had only just recovered a few minutes before, but Jin could instantly know that he was back to normal. Beaming, Guang bellowed, "Yeah! Don't keep me waiting, Jin!"

Nodding, Jin bade farewell as Guang returned back to his room. Even as the hallway outside quietened down, even if he was enveloped with silence and peace, Guang's heart was still drumming with the rush of adrenaline. While he restlessly laid in bed, staring up at white, empty ceiling, he couldn't help but wonder too...

A power outage, the first ever in history. Could something bad be happening?