With a flick of her wrist, the ground shakes and golden crystals eject from the ground. The remaining demons hang from them, mangled, bodies bent in unnatural angles. Yuexia sighs as she wipes the blood off her blade. She swings it around her wrist, disconnecting it so it wraps around her left arm. She walks off with death dripping off her fingers and loneliness gripping her throat.
3:00AM: Gingko Temple, The Center of the World; Yuexia’s room, the Month of Harvest
Yuexia lies in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. No matter how many sheep she counts, the merciful release of sleep eludes her. Maybe this time it will work.
1 sheep, 2 sheep, three sheep, four sheep….no. Still not working. Maybe flowers?
1 Daffodil, 2 chrysanthemums, 3 peonies, 4 begonias, 5 lilies…no no, too much to think about. Yuexia tilts her head towards the window, with the moon high in the sky, its light swimming through the night like a whale in the sea. It washes over her, bathing the room in a silver glow. The moonflowers in a vase in her room shine with the moonlight, their petals sparkling. She lumbers out of bed, her blanket trailing behind her like seafoam. With every step she takes, the ocean moves with her. One step forward, another step, another. Receding, advancing, receding. Yuexia finds herself in front of Ataegina’s room, the gold light from under the door seeping through like honey. Her blanket pools around her feet, bathed in the flickering light. Should she go in? Or should she not? Would it be improper of her to arrive at such a late hour, requesting her presence? For some semblance of happiness, to not be so alone with her thoughts? To not be so lonely? Loneliness grips her by the waist, like a lover. It holds onto her, whispering sweet nothings as its hand trails down to grab her wrist. It absorbs her, holding onto her like a lifeline. No longer the sweet lover it was before, it becomes the tempest, shaking her ideals, her stubbornness, everything that makes her Yuexia. It wraps itself around her body, down her throat, and absorbs Yuexia as a part of it. After all, they are one and the same.
I am you and you are me/solitude