Embers of the Holy War [BEING REVISED]

Fight or Flight

All of Guang's energy was sapped the moment he placed one foot into the inn. It was so bad he nearly passed out right then and there, but unfortunately, Jin refused to let him go so easily. With a good, awakening smack that could have sent him right into the afterlife, Guang was forced to use the nonexistent energy he had left to drag his body to shower.

By the time Guang had fitted snugly in his pyjamas and hit the nice, soft bed, he was already halfway to dreamland. His tired body cried out in joy as it can finally relax after a long day. Good night, world.

Tap. Tap.

Who was knocking at his door? Jin? Guang groaned, too exhausted to answer it. If he ignored it, Jin would soon realise it was futile and leave him alone. So he shut out the irrelevant sound from his mind. Instead, he indulged in the siren-like, lulling melody of dreamland, which was pulling him deeper and deeper...

Tap. Taptaptaptap. Tap. Tap.

...into the realm of peace and tranquillity-

Taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap!!

Frustrated, Guang hurled his pillow at the door with the force of a cannon. The pillow connected with a muffled thud, incapable of encapsulating his fury in its wholesome fluffiness. "WHAT IS IT, JIN?"

Fully awake against his will, Guang's senses became sharper. Even after his outburst, the hellishly annoying sound was still persistent. Hero, what had he done in his life that he couldn't even be granted a good night's sleep?

However, upon listening closer, he noticed that the sound didn't sound like a door getting rapped. Actually, it sounded more like...

Guang turned to the curtained window behind him, where the source of the ruckus was coming from. Wanting nothing more than to give whatever or whoever a piece of his mind, Guang fearlessly tore open the curtains, only to be faced with...nothing. The tapping ceased as well. Guang made the most bewildered expression known to humankind. What the hell was that all about?

Since the noise had stopped, Guang shrugged. All's well that ends well, he supposed. Just as he turned away from the window, fate decided to raise a finger and object in the flashiest fashion.

Following the loud shattering of glass, a man doused in moonlight flew into the room. Millions of broken glass shards accompanied him, dancing like crystals across widened gold eyes.

Guang watched in amazement as the man casually got up and dusted himself off. Did he just...break through the window to get into his room?

In a half-stupefied state, Guang pointed at the door opposite the room. "You know...the door is over there."

The man was intimidating, to say the least. He was the same height as Guang, with a strong, fierce expression and - holy hero - bulging arm muscles. His black spiky hair, sharp, blood red eyes and shiny, silver ear cuffs were not making him any less terrifying. His long, open coat flapped in his thunderous steps as he sized Guang up.

An odd sensation was festering within Guang. Fear, admiration, excitement - he was feeling this, all at once. This man was driving his instincts haywire. As much as he wanted to run, he wanted to fight too. Stuck in a crisis, his legs refused to so much as move, even as the man leaned in extremely close.

"You," the man breathed right into Guang's face. Surprisingly, his voice was deep and smooth - pleasant to the ears. "Are you Guang?"

This man...was looking for him? Guang wondered when he had ever met this eccentric man. Nope. His mind came up blank. Surely he would remember someone who stood out like a sore thumb. Who was this man, then? He knew who Guang was, but Guang didn't have the slightest clue as to who he was. That doesn't really sound fair to Guang.