#||Also channeling my genshin into this aka venti.

[shining-gem34]

❛  why can’t you just let it go?  ❜ // IL @ dh

Angsty Question Prompts !! Accepted for @etherealguard

||Companion Quest to this blog.

"Why can't you just let it go?"

"What do you mean, Yinyue Jun?" Dan Heng asks coldly, turning around to meet the High Elder's stoic gaze.

The question leaves him confused, annoyed, and irked- all packed into a bundle of spite swirling in his chest. He's not sure what prompted Yinyue Jun to ask this. Why was he even asking this at all?

Is this another mind game of his? Was he baiting him to see a reaction? Or was he trying to confuse him with the question(s)?

Because Dan Heng knows exactly what the High Elder is referring to. Yet like always, he refuses to acknowledge it.

Yinyue Jun remains impassive. His tail sways lightly behind him before it stops and he responds, "Do you remember my words, Dan Heng?"

☛ You are not weak. I know you are not. Because you are not me. ☚

"No matter what anyone says otherwise: My sins are not yours to bear." Yinyue Jun explains, staring straight at his incarnation. "You are free."

Outside past the door, the skies start to rumble. A drop of water hitting the ground summons a storm. The heavy rain drowns out the sound of Dan Heng's blood rushing to his head. Fury blooms within his chest, its red petals curling hideously around his heart like spider lilies.

"Free?" Dan Heng repeats, fingers curling tightly into a fist. His shoulders trembling with thinly veiled rage, "How dare you, Dan Feng? How dare you presume I am free when your past chases me like a shadow?"

Lightning flashes between the clouds, striking the ground as quickly as Dan Heng's temper.

"I am not free, Dan Feng." The guard states coldly, shoulders sagging, and he shakes his head. "So please don't ever say I am free when clearly I am not."

For once in a long time, Dan Heng feels tired of everything. He wants to be alone, praying for Yinyue Jun to get the hint and leave him be.

Like always, the High Elder refuses to respect his wishes.

Yinyue Jun rises from his seat and approaches him. His incarnation takes a step back, but no more, and turns his head away. He stiffly raises his hand to touch Dan Heng's cheek. The young man flinches from the contact, but he remains resolute in avoiding him.

"Sooner or later, you'll understand the meaning behind my words." Yinyue Jun sighs wearily, but a faint smile breaks his stoic mask. "When that time comes, you'll be liberated from the chains that shackled you."

Dan Heng snaps his head up and asks, "What do you-"

"It's time to wake up, my pearl."

Then in a flash, Dan Heng is gone from the dream leaving Yinyue Jun alone in this room.

He returns to his seat and closes his eyes to meditate. Perhaps, this will give Dan Heng time to ponder over his words. The young man will need to find the answers on his own at his own pace.

The High Elder opens his eyes to stare at the floating feather on the shelf. A beautiful turquoise plume from the tail of the eastern dragon that commands the winds. Another unrelated artifact with a deep significance to those who understand it.

As if a gentle breeze tickles his ears, Yinyue Jun can hear a whisper in the wind.

"What does freedom really mean when demanded of you by a god?"

Outside, the heavy rain slows down to a light sprinkle. Soon enough, the winds blow the clouds away revealing the beautiful full moon once more.