YiJun's POV

With a heavy heart, I let go of Xian. I go to the pastry shop two streets over and buy a basket of double glazed chocolate chip cookies and knock on Siara's door. "I come bearing your favorite delights. If not me, at least let these cookies in. They have done nothing wrong, have they?" I announce loudly, even though I knew she must be standing with her ear plastered to the door. As a woman who had lost some of her hearing over the years, I pitied her, but at the same time I loved her strong sense of self.

I patiently wait by her door holding the cookies, artistically arranged in the basket with a sorry note clearly visible on top. I knew she would check if my words were truthful before letting me in. I start counting in my mind, and before I have reached thirty, she opens the door a smidgen.

I direct my most charming smile at her, and she huffs. I catch the upturn of her lips before she snatches the basket from my hands and turns away. She doesn't invite me in; nonetheless, she leaves the door wide open.

Placing the gift in the middle of the dining table like a trophy, Siara mutters irritably, "Ungrateful, angel."
I don't think she realizes that I can hear her. Poor woman. I tap her shoulder and bow, "I have been most ungrateful, Siara. Won't you forgive this jerk of an angel?"

Showing regret and making up for hurting the elderly by being clingy and owning up to the mistake usually works. This time is no different. Siara purses her lips but the mild, alluring fragrance of the cookies wins her over soon enough.

"You need to keep your distance from the boy," Siara warns, "At least till the king of the underworld has the power to manipulate him." She states, taking off the red lace bow adorning the basket's crown.

I don't question how she knew that Hei Chi's voice could affect Xian; instead, I jump to the most pressing matter, "Siara, how are things up there?" Since my charge had implied that maybe my father was not as stone-hearted as I had presumed, I couldn't shake the thought of contacting my sister, who was his most delicate, precious creation.

Siara takes a long deep breath and closes her eyes, and I wait for news from the place I once called home, the place I want to call home again.
Siara's brows knit. She clutches the arms of the chair as if anchoring herself and speaks, "The mother is anxious. She is walking a thin line. She is contemplating contacting him. She knows she can reach you through him."

I nod and am about to ask her if she can tell me anything else when I notice Siara's eyes move behind the closed eyelids. "Your brother knows. Everything. He is scared but hopeful."

The seer opens her eyes and looks past me. "Your father is melancholy. He laments for his lost sons. Regret, betrayal, and love are making his heart grow weary." Her eyes regain focus. I can feel, more than see the worry in her chocolate-colored orbs, "YiJun, the portal to heaven is weakening."

The last piece of news shakes me to the core. The portal drew its power from father and the eternal tree. If it was weakening, that meant that something was terribly wrong with father or the tree itself. The fact that the seer could even look into my father's mind- something she has never been able to do- made sense now.

"Why?" I ask, more to myself than to the woman who was looking at me with eyes full of pity.

"YiJun, heaven needs you. But you will never fully belong there until you leave him." She holds out her hand, and I take it. "I can see your heart, I can see his too, but I am afraid the mortal realm can not bear the consequences of your union as you are now."

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure. If the portal weakens further, heaven's defenses will fall. If you are not by your father's side, heaven will fall in the hands of the underworld. What little semblance of balance the mortals are clinging to will be gone. The king will lay waste to humanity."

"Is there no chance for us?" I ask, hoping against hope. I can feel wetness on my cheek, but I don't care. I only care about what Siara might say next.

She cups my cheeks and wipes the traces of my feelings for my charge, my Xian, "There is none for you here." She replies softly before guiding my face onto her lap. She pats my back, and I accept her kindness. I let go of my brave front and breakdown. Siara runs her hand over my head. It radiates the love I had never experienced: mother's love. I wrap my arms around her and let my tears fall with abandon.

When I have emptied my heart, I stand. I wipe my tears away and bow to the woman who had shown me the way.

I step out and start driving towards Mount Lavin: the place where I had landed when I had fallen.

I park at the base of the perpetually snowcapped mountain and start climbing towards its summit. After having climbed three forths of the way in utter darkness, the moonlight reflects on the thin layer of ice, illuminating the path ahead.

Ice makes me feel right at home; ignoring my aching heart, I trudge higher, letting the cold into it, till ice replaces blood.

Confident that Hei Chi's hands were full, and he wouldn't notice the shift in the cosmic forces, I let my wings unfurl. I open my palm, "Bichen." I call, and my sword teleports into it, sucking the darkness for miles from all directions. I command it to heel, and the glow diminishes till it's a shadow of its former self.

I crouch down and take flight, letting my wings carry me the rest of the way. I reach the summit within seconds instead of the hours it would have taken my human form to trek.
Holding my sword pointed west, I chant a mantra I hadn't used in decades. In fact, I had rarely used it since the time I was created, for the minds of men were never my domain, and the spell was a means to gain access to a human's subconscious.

I think of Xian, and sure enough, his mind opens itself to me.

We spend what could be our last moments together; alas, he won't be able to recall it till he searches for me. As we kiss, touch and savor each other, despair grips my heart. I knew what I was planning to do would hurt both of us in equal measures, but I didn't have a choice.

Xian will understand why I chose this path, I am sure of it. But will he forgive me?

I feel time slip by. I can't keep Xian with me anymore. There was only so much time before heaven's eyes would find the imposter, me, who was using the spell to connect with a human without authorization. Granted, that Xian was not human, but he still called mortal realm home and had grown up here. For all technical purposes that made him human...a human who had seen me...all of me.

After I send Xian back, I close the rip, and holding my sword pointing to heaven, I open the portal by channeling my celestial light at it.

Another tear appears. It splits the sky, and golden rays suck the darkness around me just like Bichen had done previously. Once again, my wings unfurl, and I take flight, commanding them to take me home.

To say that I was hoping to be welcomed with open arms would be a lie. I fear retribution, punishment for my sins, and payment for betraying my father. My mind runs a mile a minute.

Will I be let in?

Will father grant me an audience?

What will Xuan think of me when she sees my heart?

Will Jian try to kill me at sight, or will he leave it to father to draw first blood?

The confidence with which I had opened the passage leaves me. When I am at my lowest, my thoughts turn to Xian. 'I know we are meant to be together, Jun. I can feel it. Trust in our bond, Jun.' His words come to me, and ironing the wrinkles in my soul, they smoothen out my doubts and apprehensions.

Yes, we belong together.

Sooner than I expect, heaven's gate comes in my line of sight. I notice the diminished golden radiance right away.

Siara had indeed spoken the truth.
I slow down and aim for the pedestal like I had done thousands of times when I was the General of heaven's armies. When I touch down, I expect my once subordinates to surround me, cuff my hands, and point swords at my throat.

Nothing could prepare me for what happens next.

I draw uninterested glances. When I stand and step down, a guard gives me a once-over.

"Have you any prisoners?" He asks like it's his millionth time doing it like he would rather be anywhere but here.

"I seek an audience with the Heavenly Father," I announce and hope for something. Anything.

I had hoped I vain.

"Gidian," The angel calls, summoning another equally uninterested celestial being and instructs, "Take him to the Jade Emperor."

I shake my head, "I know my way around." I reassure, declining the offer. The guard shrugs, but before I can cross the last barrier between me and heaven, he calls, "Did you just address the Jade Emperor as Heavenly Father?"

I nod. Lying was futile. The angel at the gate was not the only one who had heard it. "Yes, is there a problem?" I enquire, squaring my shoulders; I could see their aura. Red was lining the usual blue. There was definitely something wrong.

"We haven't heard anyone..." My would-be-guide starts but gets jabbed in the stomach by the one at the gate. He adds, "Please be on your way."

The uneasy feeling in my mind grows. I nod and scan the area.

Why are there only two guards stationed here?

Why did they not ask me to show proof of my identity?

My gut tells me to act. I hadn't been in charge of the Heavenly army for almost two decades, but my instinct that had led us to victory time and again had never misled me, and they were still as sharp as they were before I had handed in my title.

I stop a step before crossing the barrier, slit my palm and dipping my index finger into the pool of blood, draw a demon restraining sigil that had the power to attract and contain demonic energy. I fling it towards the two tainted angels hoping that it would be enough to contain them temporarily.

A red steak, appearing like a string of blood, detaches from the soldiers' auras. It strikes at the sigil like a snake baring its fangs before getting trapped in it. The soldiers fall to their knees, looking dazed and sway on the spot.

"What is happening?" One of the guards questions, while the other's eyes find me, "Who are you? What are you trying to carry past the gate!?"

Loud screeches exit the trap and revibrate through the outer gates. And before I can answer them, a dozen or so angels rush out and surround me.

Their faces hold surprise, shock, and apprehension. "Why did you return, General?" One of them asks. These were the angels I had trained and led. They were my men, so to speak. They knew that even though I had fallen, it wouldn't take much for me to slaughter them all, if I so wished.

However, they also knew how much I cared for them. After all, I had saved all their lives at least once in the thick of battle.

They were loyal to the core. And the only reason these angels would ever raise their swords at me would be if my father commanded them to do it.

"The outskirts have been compromised," I state. I hold up the trap and hand it over to the one standing closest to me: Giles.

"I am here to see my father. Tell him it's urgent. Tell him his most precious creation is at stake." I sheath Bichen and hand it over to him as well. Then, smiling ruefully, I hold my hand out to the red-faced celestial being. "Bind me, Giles." I command, making the young angel fumble all over himself,

"General...I mean Sir...Yi...please endure it." He stutters and pulls out golden thread from his robes that transform into chains as soon as they wrap themselves around my wrist.

I check if they are secure enough before humming my approval, and then looking past the army surrounding me, I fix my eyes on the golden gate. Something comes to my mind just then. Standing up straight, I take a deep breath and speak like I had seen actors do in movies when faced with similar circumstances. I smirk and demand, "Take me to your leader."

{Note:- Hope you guys liked this update.

I also wanted to mention here that a story can't always be told succefully by focusing on only two characters. Even in The Untamed there was a time when Lan Zhan and Wei Ying had to walk separate paths for a while before coming together. This story is no different. Please bear with it. After all, distance makes heart grow fonder, right? ❤😅

If you have enjoyed this update please ⭐Vote⭐ to show your support!}