A Trial by Halves

A New Life

Technically, he was still the Celestials Crown Prince and a Celestial Dragon, so in effect, he was still Immortal, and the world he took them to was an Immortal one, and time moved at the same rate as his own world.   It was also outside of the three worlds known to his Immortal World and one he had learned of from his Spiritual Master who had taken him there to study the humans who were much like those they had left behind.

It was the perfect hiding place, because he did not have to close his energy down for long periods of a time like he did in the Mortal Realm.  In fact, the world he had taken them to lived very simple.  There were also no wars and no real need to fear the other Immortals so long as they fitted in well with everyone else and kept within the laws that governed them.  

These too he had studied fully in order to learn new political systems in which his Master would create all manner of scenarios for Ye Hua to resolve using the new worlds  protocols and regulations rather than their own.  So he was more than aware of the Royal family that governed and the fact that they did not involve themselves too much with the commoners.

And nor did they seem to mind what happened to the land.  Their people built dwellings wherever they wanted so long as their home did not interfere with anyone else, and this was why he had chosen an uninhabited island to move their new home to.  Only he would have to explain it to Su Su which he planned to do immediately, only she was clinging to him so tightly that it took some time to extricate himself from her tight grip.

"Su Su.  I'm fine.  You can see that I am fine." he said softly panting.   A trickle of sweat ran down the side of his face as she finally pulled back to look at him.

"Ye Hua.  I was so scared.  I heard screaming and yelling.  What happened." she cried up at the exhausted look on his face. 

With a soft smile, he patted her back gently with one hand and wiped away the tears with the other.

"What is this hmm?  My brave little Su Su, don't cry.  I don't like seeing you cry." he whispered softly down at her wide eyes that were growing wider by the second.  

Then in an instant, she flew off his lap so quickly, that he just as quickly lurched forward to stop her from falling.

"Ye Hua.  You're hurt." she squealed before quickly jumping to her feet only to be dragged back onto his lap as his arms once again enveloping her.

"Su Su.  I am fine, but you need to calm down.  This level of fear is not healthy for the baby." he said sternly down at the eyes that were trying very hard not to cry.

"But you're bleeding.  There's so much blood, let me look at you." she insisted which only had his arms tightening around her even more.

"It's just a scratch.  Now you tell me what you were doing outside.  Did I not tell you to remain in the house?" he asked  

"I heard people screaming your name and I heard what sounded like a battle.  I know you had to leave for fight Ye Hua, but I got scared." she whispered as a fresh set of tears rolled down her cheeks.

Briefly, his mind went back.  The look on the Mermaid Kings face when his slasher found its mark was one he would never forget.  Victory comes in all forms, but the hatred in that mans eyes would live with him forever.  He had his son killed, and about to become a father himself, he could well imagine how he would feel if their roles were reversed.

But the look on his Uncles face hurt more than anything, because for the first time in his entire life, he had seen tears in his eyes as he quietly slipped away under an invisibility spell while leaving him with the image of his burning body to remember him by.  And at that moment, all he could feel was guilt.  It was immense and painful, but as he looked down at Su Su and the child she carried, he forced himself to smile for her.