The screaming was horrendous from both the Mermaids and the Celestials. The moment Ye Hua fell into a ball of flames, the battle effectively ended with both sides rushing towards their leaders. Screaming in fear, Su Jin dropped her sword and raced towards him. Her maniacal screaming soon alerted Lian Song and Die Feng while the Mermaids high pitched squeal sounded as the King went down with him.
For a moment, Ye Hua felt immense fear as the first spell hit. The flames were a magical illusion that gave off enough heat to keep them back, while he himself was instantly enveloped in a thick invisibility barrier. To their eyes, his form remained inside the flames where they could all see his body die before erupting and scattering his illusionary remains across the sands of the Chang Sea.
But the screaming from Su Jin, had him looking back briefly to witness her throwing herself at the flames with the intention of pulling him out only to have Die Feng tackle her to the ground to prevent her from hurting herself. But the horror and immense pain in her expression, only made him feel physically ill. There was something extraordinarily unstable about that womans love for him that made him quickly turn away from the seeing her hands digging into the sand until they were bleeding.
Leaving them all behind, Ye Hua did not look back, but Lian Song was searching the surrounds for a hint of him, knowing that what he was looking at was not Ye Hua, or at least he was praying it wasn't. He had no real way of knowing because the entire beach was in mayhem. The storm that was raging along with the fierce wind and rain, made it impossible to see anything other than the Mermaids who were dragging their leader back.
But it was their high pitched cry that send shivers down his spine and raised the hairs on the back of his neck. It has been said that the Mermaids cry of grief can shatter the mind and that was exactly how he was feeling. It all seemed so surreal, as if he were watching a scene from a play and the actors were all playing their parts to perfection.
For three hours, they battled to put out the fire, the longer it burned the more heat it produced and approaching the flames became impossible. But when it finally did die, they were not even left with a single ash to take back with them, the boys entire remains scattered with the last of the wind, which also seemed to die the moment the fire died.
Now heading back to the Celestial Heavens with dread in his heart and tears in his eyes, Lian Song had to order Su Jin to be shackled, because she refused to leave. Carrying her back on a stretcher was all he could do for her, their Medicine king would deal with her on their return and no doubt the Skylord would deal with him.
_______
Stumbling though the barrier, Ye Huas arms suddenly reached out and grabbed hold of Su Su just as she was about to race through to find him. Though the mirror he had given her, she had heard the sounds of battle and the screaming from a woman and several men. Frightened and immensely worried, she had run out into the storm that was still raging across the sky the moment her feet hit the hard ground.
"Ye Hua.... Ye Hua... Ye Hua...." Su Su cried as his arms fully enveloped her before dragging her into the house, his third spell had already been woven and they needed to get inside before it took effect.
Ignoring the pain in his chest and the crying, he picked her up and ran for the steps. He could feel the spell taking hold. The entire surrounding forest was wavering in the rain just seconds before his feet hit the entrance. Flying though the door with Su Sus arms wrapped tightly around his neck, he quickly slammed the door just as the entire forest outside, disappeared then reappeared. The spells were now complete.
The first was to hide his star. The second was an illusion spell which gave the impression that his body had exploded, which was something all Celestial Dragons do when their hearts stop beating in battle so as to leave nothing of themselves for the enemy. And the third was to move himself, Su Su and her home that she loved to another time and place and far enough away from prying eyes.
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.
"Battles are never pleasant Su Su. What you heard was terrifying, but I will not be leaving you again. I promised you it would be the final time, and I meant it." he said kissing the top of her head.
She was still sitting on his lap with her head nestled against his chest. The sound of his heart beat and the warmth of his arms, was all she needed to find peace again and in no time at all, she was smiling happily as if the past year and a half had not even happened. In Su Sus mind, the only thing that mattered was her husband was not going to leave her again and as his lips lowered to kiss her head, she suddenly tipped her head back to steal it with her own lips.
Suddenly, the explanations he knew he had to explain to her, no longer seemed all that important. Her flushed face, the way her hand gently stroked his face and the slight wriggle of her bottom in his lap, soon sent those thoughts from his head as he very gently lowered them both down onto the blanket.
_________
One week of mourning took place for the Celestials Crown Prince. His sudden and unexpected death had completely thrown the entire world into disarray. And none were more affected than the Celestial Palace.
In his chamber, Lian Song sat on his platform lost in thought as the past week ran though his mind. Dressed only in white under robe, he was preparing himself for punishment which he did not mind too much, but his thoughts were on his father.
The moment he had informed him of Ye Huas death which was not only verified by every witness there, but also with the disappearance of his star, he was ordered to receive punishment from Lord Pua for not protecting the future Skylord with his own life.
Smarting heavily from the insinuation that his nephews death was far worse than what his own would be, Lian Song had said nothing, instead he had quietly bowed his head and removed himself from the hall just as Su Jin was carried in behind him. The chaos that ensued was not something he wanted to see, because Su Jin was his fathers most favoured person in all the Nine Heavens, even more so than Ye Hua. Though of course he expected there to be a backlash for her condition as well, he did not stick around to wait for it. Instead he had gone straight to Lord Pua to not only inform him of Ye Huas death, but to receive his punishment.
This had put the old man in quite a bind, because technically it was not Lian Songs fault, but to appease the Skylord, a just punishment had to be given as ordered. So sentenced to thirty bolts of lightening for seven days, the exact number of days of mourning, Lian Song waited to be led away for his final day of punishment before leaving for the Sea of Innocence, to lay an empty coffin in Ye Huas memory.
But what had him extremely worried was Ye Huas Spiritual Master Ci Hang. He seemed to have noticed the spell over Ye Huas star and though the old man had said nothing to his father, he had immediately sought him out the moment he was alone and their conversation had left him in no doubt that the old man knew that Ye Hua had bowed out of his life and the Nine Heavens under false pretences.
"I know that you and the boy are close, and I also know you are aware that he is not dead. What happened, and where is he?" Ci Hang had asked in his no notice tone, one that scared him even more than his father, and he was scary enough.
But he had promised Ye Hua that he would say nothing of his plans, and so he did not but nor would he lie to this man because he was one of the Nine Heavens most revered Gods, one that few ever had a chance to talk to because like Di Jun, he secluded himself from them all, and only made his presence known when such events as this one presented itself.
Ye Hua had been his last Disciple, and the most treasured by this ancient God, so Lian Song weighed his words very carefully before he spoke.
"I am afraid, I do not know where a Dragon Spirit might be but on the sands of the Chang Sea before hundreds of witnesses, Ye Hua died." he said softly. It was not a lie, and nor did it give any information that would give Ye Hua away, but still he felt the old mans glare rip into him.
"Then let me make myself clear. When I find him, and I will, you will personally face the full consequences of his disappearance, and believe me when I say, one week of lightening bolt punishment is nothing compared to what I will dish out." he had said before leaving his Palace as quietly as he had entered.
Rising off the Platform, Lian Song sighed deeply. The boy had literally placed him at the forefront of the backlash and though he had agreed to cover for the boy, he knew he would not be able to keep Ye Huas disappearance to himself for long, he needed to offload, and it was at that exact moment that Cheng Yu breezed through the door as if she were merely taking a pleasant morning walk.
"You know to make your presence known before entering a mans chamber." he said grimacing as she stood stock still in the middle of the room to look him over. Her face softened but there was a definite hint of mischief in those eyes as she drew closer to take hold of his arm. She had never seen him cry, and the tears on his lashes had yet to fully dry and it was the sight of his pain that had forced her to take him in hand.
"I have come to escort you to the punishment rock, then after you have completed your duties at the Sea of innocence, we are going to the Mortal Realm to get drunk." she said with an airy wave of her hand at the door before dragging him along with her.
Grimacing even more, the thought of her getting him drunk brought back old memories he had buried a long time ago. But suddenly the thought did not sound so abhorrent as it would have, getting drunk actually sounded like a damn good idea. So taking a deep breath, he sent up a silent prayer for Ye Hua and his pregnant wife, and one for himself, in the hope that the ominous feeling he had for the days ahead proved nothing more than his over active mind needing nothing more than a few drops of a fine ale.