As the shadow of the moon descended upon Quzhou, the Song Sect disciples gathered just outside of the village.

Nervous fingers were already twitching around the edge of their swords, all on high alert as they knew that the creature would soon arrive. They crouched, waiting behind the cover of the trees as they readied themselves for the signal.

Song Mengyao listened closely for any change in their surroundings. His ears had grown sensitive in the time since he lost his sight and he relied on them more than anything to guide him now. If there was any sound that should not be there, even if it were only the quiet snap of a twig or a distant crunch of leaves, he was certain he would hear it.

When the signal did arrive, it was not the one they had expected. Although, the prince could not say he was surprised when he heard the hysterical yells of a particular young master as he came sprinting down from the mountains.

It had been the only way to draw the creatures away from the village. He needed to venture into the mountains on his own, relying on his quick footwork to remain out of the monsters' claws as he lured them to where they would battle.

"Song Yun! Song Yun! They are coming!"

The sound of the grown man's squeals was humorous but there was no time to allow for even a small chuckle. They were coming — both of them. The creatures leapt from surface to surface as they scrambled across the rocks and boulders leading down from their nest.

Master Yin chuckled through his cries, taking the situation with far too mush ease as he leapt up into the air. When his feet landed atop a nearby rock, the beasts were out in the open, each snarling as they looked around.

"Now!"

Song Yun led the charge out into the open while Qin Bingwen watched on with amusement from the side.

Seeing the young master and blind prince run into battle without even a trace of fear or worry was inspiring. Still, he barely batted so much as an eye as he watched from the sidelines. He was not a fighter after all. No, he was a simple traveller who had found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The disciples of the Song Sect circled around the creatures, caging them in as they moved to attack.

A Nian. It was the first time any of them had seen one in person. Large monsters with skin as dark as the night. Covered in thick, fearsome scales that shone with the smallest tinge of blue reflecting in the moonlight. They each stood at the height of two men, towering above those that threatened them harm. Their gnashing yellow fangs bared themselves as they growled and roared at their prey.

With his blade raised, Master Yin looked to Song Mengyao with a pit in his stomach. Although he had faith that the prince could hold his own, he was still worried that it was too soon for him to partake in such a battle. The area was open enough to provide him with the space he needed but there were other factors at play.

Only moments after the fight began, dozens of Song disciples were hurled through the air and their bodies ripped apart by razor-sharp claws and gnashing teeth. Their blood had stained everything in sight.

When Song Yun felt a splash of liquid hit his face, he dived forward and plunged his blade deep into the beast's shoulder, landing his strike after the brave sacrifice of one of his men. As he jumped back, the creature's claws barely missed his stomach, cutting harshly through his clothes as his feet resettled firmly on the ground.

Piercingly vicious golden eyes glared at him but, before it had a chance to strike again, another disciple threw their blade into the beast's eye, scarring it and taking away some of its sight. It roared and lunged, filling its hungry mouth with the body of the attacker.

Qin Bingwen could stand idly no longer. Not while so many men were being torn apart by the beasts. He rushed forward and drew his sword, charging in to take up arms by their side.

The disciples had taken serious casualties, but the creatures were weakened. Their attacks had begun to slow as their wounds started to take their toll. However, with every silver lining comes a grey cloud and, eventually, a storm.

As the rain began to fall, pitter-pattering on the ground, their situation only grew more dire.

In a split second, as Song Mengyao was focused on one of the beasts, the other had him in its sights. It pounced with its sharp jaws open wide, ready to devour its young attacker.

"Song Yun!" Master Yin cried out as he dived, crashing into the prince as they fell into the mud, narrowly escaping what would have been a fatal blow.

They were on their feet again in an instant, blades at the ready as they countered the attack.

Only, before their blades could encounter the beast, a spark flashed through the sky accompanied with a loud crack of thunder.

This startled the creatures, as beings so sensitive to sound, and they scattered, now ignoring the disciples completely as they ran in the direction of the village.

No matter how fast they ran, every man knew there was no way to catch up with them before they tore through the village. It seemed to be the end of their battle, but it would have been immoral for the prince to have given up even then and so, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a talisman.

Thedrastic change in weather would prove to be an inconvenience at best as SongMengyao, determined as ever, would not let it be their downfall. He was a protector,and he would die before he let a whole village fall victim to any such monster.

He listened, allowing himself to pinpoint the location of the creatures as best as he could before he quickly drew out some characters with his finger, using his Qi once again to write onto his talisman. Then, he listened again to be sure before casting the parchment straight up into the clouds.

In seconds, a crackle of thunder boomed again, and a streak of blinding light flashed down from the sky, crashing into the ground only paces before the creatures. He had not managed to hit them, but he had managed to alter their path.

"Song Yun!"

As the creatures diverted back towards the mountains, however, another flash shot through the sky. Before anyone could gather what had happened, the prince had been struck too, the heavens turning against him after he used their power to deter the beasts.

The darkness that greeted him was far more frightening than the prince would have liked to admit but, when he felt the warmth of a hand wrapped gently around his own, his erratic heart began to calm itself down.

"M- Master Yin?"

Those gentle fingers curled, tightening around his hand as he turned his head to the side, forgetting for a moment that his vision was nothing but darkness and the feeling of bandages around his eyes.

"I'm here." His voice was comforting to hear, more so than the prince would like to admit. A familiar light that shone even still in the darkness.

A sigh of relief slipped past the prince's chapped lips, and he turned his head once again to the ceiling.

His body hurt. It was sore in a way it had never been before, and his chest felt oh so heavy. It was as if there was a weight crushing down on his ribs every time made to breathe. His every vein and every organ felt like land deprived of water, the cracks between the ground flaking as they cried out.

Through the pain, the prince slowly began to push himself up. Master Yin helped him with a careful hand placed softly against his back.

"Water... I need water." His voice was like sandpaper in his throat, every syllable scratching up the metallic taste of blood.

When his hand slipped out of the one holding it, Song Mengyao felt another piercing pain in his chest. It was as if he had been plunged into darkness again, all alone to keep the demons at bay by himself.

The feeling was soon dispelled again when the young master sat by his side, taking his hand again to guide it into holding the cup so that he could drink.

The water stung from the moment it met his parched lips, the cold liquid scraping past the tender and crusted lining of his throat as he took it into his body. It was the first harsh drop of moisture in a barren land that had long since dried up.

"There is some medicine in the water. They told me to give it to you once you woke up."

The prince drank it all, swallowing every last drop despite the pain he was in. Then, when the young master tried to take the cup away, he cupped his hands in his own and pleaded, "The bandages... Please, unwrap my eyes."

"But your eyes have not recovered, they might even be worse after this."

When Song Yun only squeezed his hands desperately tighter, Master Yin found that he did not have the strength to deny him this wish and so, he hesitantly began to unwrap the prince's eyes.

Song Mengyao knew that it would probably only make them worse. He knew he was seriously injured once again, but he no longer cared. He did not want to feel so alone anymore. He just wanted to see Yin Jianguo's face again.

When the rough fabric fell from his eyes, the prince was disappointed to find that he could only see a blur of shapes and colours. The light hurt his eyes but compared to the rest of his wounds, it was bearable.

In front of him was a shape he recognised to be the young master. Instinctively, he reached his hands out to feel what was in front of him, allowing the tips of his fingers to lightly touch the young master's face.

Yin Jianguo smiled, although it was a sad smile, and sat patiently as the prince's gentle fingers moved across his face. The light touches were almost hesitant as he traced Master Yin's features, his eyes closing as he envisioned a face he knew all too well. It had been so long since he had seen this face. So long since he had seen anything but the empty darkness.

They sat in a comfortable silence as the prince traced his fingers across his eyes before dragging one slowly down his broad nose. Then, he ran them faintly along the curve of the young master's lips before they touched the side of his jaw.

The interaction had been much more intimate than either of them had anticipated and, when the trance faded and he became aware of his actions, Song Mengyao was quick to pull his hands away.

With a tint of pink ghosting over the apples of his cheeks, he turned away from the young master. Although, there was little he could do to hide his fluster as the blush reached all the way up to the very tips of his ears.

He cleared his throat and asked, "How long have I been asleep?"

The young master smiled and lifted the bandages back up to tie them once again around the prince's wounded eyes. "It has been a few days."

"A few days? What of Quzhou? The Nian? Did we-"

"We are still in Quzhou. As for the Nian, they are both dead. We tracked them down in the mountains and managed to finish them off. Do not worry, A-Yun, the village is safe."

Song Mengyao released a sigh of relief, knowing that all he could do now was rest.

"Your injuries are bad, Song Yun. We were not sure if you would make it. The lightning struck your chest. You were lucky. It seems you managed to use your Qi to shield your heart but- Well, there is no easy way to say this. Your Qi is diminished... completely. The physician does not know if you will ever be able to practice cultivation again."

The prince did not move, nor did he speak a word. A part of him already knew from the moment he woke up that something was wrong. Broken beyond repair.

Cultivation and martial arts were all he had ever known but now that the lightning had ripped through his life force, tearing through his very state of being, he was weak and frail. His body would no longer be able to handle the pressure and strain that would be put on it if he tried to continue as he had been before.

He was useless and weak but, most importantly, he was no longer special. Everything that had made him who he was had been taken away from him. He was no longer the strong Third Prince of Shiyanyi. Now he was as normal as anyone else, weaker even.

"Song Yun..."

"It is okay, Master Yin. I understand."

It broke the young master's heart to see him so downtrodden. He knew what it would mean to the prince if he were to be told that he would never be the same again. He had taken it bad enough when he damaged his eyes but, thankfully, they seemed to be getting better. Whatever drop of power was left within him was being used to care for his eyes and, with the proper medicine, he would have the chance to recover from that at least. The rest of him, however, was a different story.

"We will depart for the palace in a few hours, get some more rest until then."

Copyright © 2020 doriguro. All rights reserved. If you are reading this anywhere other than wattpad you are reading a copyrighted work, please report such instances to @doriguro on wattpad so that legal action can be taken.