Races: Online

"Are you alright?"

"Mhmm." the young man nodded.

"Do you need anything?"

"No."

"Well, tell us if you do."

The rest of his family doubted that he'd speak up, but then again, there was nothing they could do for him. This young man was normally well-behaved so the Dai family did not have any complaints and simply allowed the young man to be.

His family was affluent in a way, and surprisingly, unlike those portrayed in cinemas, movies and other shows. Their family did not have any brothers trying to outdo one another, cousins trying to take over the family business or anything like it.

Or if something like that occurred within his family, the man barely noticed it himself.

His head was usually in the clouds, at a certain point where even the daily affairs in his life did not matter. The man was usually just bored, except today.

Something really didn't feel right to Dai Song Lan. 

He had been sure of it from the moment he and his cousins arrived at the beach yesterday. While the so-called companions of Han Jing managed to shroud their presence and it was only by chance that he had met the Mermaid and then the rest during dinner—the terrible sensation didn't cease at all.

Maybe it wasn't them in particular, but the air vibrated with a certain thrum that even he couldn't ignore. It begged for attention.

Perhaps it was just because of the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival? The Veil of the World was thinner and more visible during this time around, and somehow, it was as if he had heard about a prophecy.

Maybe he was just mistaken or worried too much.

If Mou Gu was around, then the man would have worried far more because Dai Song Lan kept a usually neutral stance to how things happened. He had already let Mou Gu wiping Han Jing's memory before be kept a secret whereas it should have been normally reported to their superiors.

Dai Song Lan usually did whatever he felt like doing.

In that aspect, he was the most wild card in their group. Even his own decision to keep Han Jing's involvement with other beings despite the need to report was something he chose. While he had promised, no, he had wanted for things to be kept under wraps. The cultivator twisted the necklace that hung around his neck and kept his gaze in a certain direction.

Han Jing's response about bringing the pearls tomorrow was nice and all, he couldn't help but think that there was something wrong in the air. This direction was more specifically at the same beach where Han Jing and the rest were.

Something was coming.

.

.

.

The view of the sunset spilled through the waters, multiple shades of reds, oranges and a hint of purple shimmered akin to glistening starlight. It was nearly the end of the day, Han Jing closed the curtains and looked back at his three visitors focused on their craftwork. Time, space and reason—each one truly held an importance in one's way of living. 

And while Han Jing never paid much attention to it before, the return to the hotel room and availing of the purchase of lantern materials made him thoughtful.

"I'm decorating mine with stars," Faeran declared.

Odele stood up and grinned at them. "I'll be right back, I'll gather some seashells on the beach."

"Do you want me to tag along?" The Wood Elf asked.

"No worries, I'll be back here asap." 

This situation reminded him of kindergarten or early elementary. It was apparent that a simple activity such as this one was enough of a reason for them to stay put in one place and listen to Han Jing's instructions as he constructed one of his own lanterns. 

He stifled a chuckle as the Mermaid padded outside. He eyed her retreating back and asked once the door closed. "She'll be alright, yeah?"

"It's not that far," Jilanya rolled her eyes. She found it unbelievable that both Human and Elf paid more attention to a Mermaid than herself. The lantern that she was making was quite similar to Han Jing's own—actually, it was made better than he could ever do. "If you wish to tail her, then do so. I'm sure she'd appreciate having you around."

Han Jing scratched the back of his head. "Eh, I'll stay here. She'll be back soon."

"You know, if there's anyone we should be worrying about more, it's you, Han Jing. How old are you again? Twenty-two? Twenty-three? At that age, Elves are usually still acting like bratty children and demanding a lot of things—somehow, the aging process is a bit slower for us and then finally halts at a certain point in time." Faeran said. Somehow his topic swerved back to himself again, or rather to how his people function.

"Your hair already has streaks of white, doesn't it?" Jilanya snorted. She held up her lantern and assessed it with a critical eye. "And yet you act like a child yourself."

Faeran dropped his glue, blinked and touched his hair. "That's not a nice thing to say, I'm perfectly in my prime, I'm simply youthful, in comparison to you who's always out to do something. What's the term I'm looking for? Needlessly competitive. I'm not the one who's bullied Han, have I?"

Jilanya huffed. "If you have any trouble with my decisions, then respond in kind."

"Well, just you wait til Han here gets stronger. He'll definitely vanquish the Demon lands and take it for himself."

"Er, you've made this Alliance with me to act as your future meatshield, huh?" Han Jing eyed the Wood Elf a bit resigned to the fact. "I'm not sure if I should thank you for seeing my potential, or feel dismayed at this revelation."

"You are already aware that I'm only letting this one grow because it's more beneficial to kill him at a later date than now, Faeran." Jilanya shook her head. "While your presence here may stifle me a bit, at the end of the day, Alliance or not—I can deal with it all by myself."

Han Jing rolled his eyes. "You two bicker a lot, don't you?"

"Do you call this bickering? I'm merely insulting him."

"She's only jealous of me." Faeran shook his head. "It can't be helped though, so I feel an ounce of pity for this Succubus sometimes. She constantly needs a lot of attention or else she'd go on a rampage at the lack of it."

"I have no use for any of that. If you wish to put your attention anywhere, then put it on that young Mermaid. You've gone out of your way to trade with her in the Creator's World, haven't you?"

Han Jing recalled that the Wood Elf never gave him one weapon at first, never bothered to get up and leave the Enchanted Forest but then visited the city of Gloria and met up with both Ellynn and Odele. Jilanya sorta had a point.

The Wood Elf sniffed. "There is room for favors with me, but come now—we're not yet done with the lantern." He picked his lantern up and snapped his fingers. The normal materials of the lantern suddenly glowed alight with a fey magic. "I plan to bring this with me once we've lit up some incense for this Chang'e individual. I also heard that there's something like mooncakes, isn't there? I'm tempted to get a box myself while this celebration is taking place."

"Do you guys really need to eat?" Han Jing asked. A box of mooncakes was just a box and not that expensive, but he still liked keeping himself financially constrained when it came to these purchases.  Who knew how long it would be before he and Odele met again right after this?

"If you can enjoy partaking and consuming them, then I see no reason to hold back myself." Faeran grinned. "Surely a good host will let their guest partake in every aspect of this festivities."

"Alright, alright. I'll buy a box later for all of us to share." Han Jing agreed at last. He shook his head and rubbed his chin. "Maybe I'll actually get to buy the white lotus paste filling… that thing's premium, you hear? My family usually just buys red bean paste."

"Is there any actual difference?"

"Yeah, I ain't no connoisseur but the flavors differ. I wonder if there's an assorted box, I'll get some when Odele returns."

—-

For the most part, Odele walked through the sandy beach with a relative amount of ease. Her footsteps were light, and it did not feel like she was walking on knives. The sun no longer bore on her back like a torturous heat that aimed to dehydrate her and then turn her entire body to bubbles. She really didn't wish to worry Han or the others about an Undine's condition whenever they chose to come on land.

Instead, she looked forward to the rising of the moon. 

The waters were a bit turbulent now though, wasn't it? The waves roared at her and spoke of a song that was unfamiliar to her, but otherwise, not unpleasant. The Mermaid knelt down and quickly gathered some pretty seashells for her to use.

There was one in particular that didn't seem like it belonged here.

It was far too shiny and pretty for it to actually be just on the sand and unperturbed by the people that walked here. Suddenly, sand crunched underneath someone's feet, and she quickly realized that someone was standing in front of her. Odele's heart thumped wildly for a second and she raised her head.