(Note: POV will shift between the characters.)

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...-Li Xun-...

...ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ...

The silvery moonlight spilt from the hands of the night sky, seeping into the shimmering, calm waters. Accompanied by a thin sheen of fog hovering over the river, the dreamlike scenery was

almost like a painting.

Amidst the calmness stood a young man in the waters, wading into the river with his body already half submerged. Even though he was soaking wet, the cold was the least of his worries.

After all, his mind was set on obtaining the treasure that lies in the middle of the Great Heavenly Lake

A week ago, his expedition had begun.Accompanied by his most trusted bodyguards, the noble Crown Prince travelled out of the palace, his whereabouts a secret to everybody else. He could have delegated the job to someone else, but no. This was something he needed to do with his own hands

It was for his beloved mother. After spending many arduous months of searching, he finally managed to find a potent cure to her terminal illness - "the Celestial Flower"

According to the legend, this flower grew in a lake, one that was quietly tucked away in the mountains and surrounded by thick, forested valleys leading down from nearby peaks. It was often

said that no one could enter this sacred place as they wished. The gods forbade mortals to use their produce as part of their wicked schemes. As such, they cast a barrier on this holy land; only those with a pure heart and bore a great desire to obtain the Celestial Flower would be naturally granted entry.

This was the reason the prince found himself venturing off alone. As he harboured a great desire to seek a cure for his mother, he was the only one who could get past the misty barrier. His guards

who were left behind, could only anxiously watch him go. They cursed their ill fate for not being able to enter, even attempting to throw themselves at the invisible barrier that protected the place,

but their efforts were futile

Before Li Xun set off, he had to reassure them countless times that he would allow himself to come to no harm, promising to put his years of training to good use. He wasn't weak. Despite

being born into royalty, he was a formidable warrior, too. He had confidence in his skills, and nothing was stopping him from saving his mother.

As he went deeper into the lake, the freezing, cold waters rose to his chest. The moonlight illuminated the place, revealing to him the flowers sleeping on a tiny island in the centre.

A breath caught in his throat as he watched them dance in the slight breeze There it was - the cure to everything. The fruit of his hard work was almost within his reach. Now all he had to do was to obtain it and hurry back to his mother before

everything was too late

Considering the depth of the waters, he was going to have to swim the rest of the way there. Without wasting any time, he dived immediately, cutting through the waters with strong, powerful strokes. He couldn't help but feel a ripple of excitemen

At the thought that he was able to accomplish a difficult feat that hundreds of thousands of people couldn't

But to his greatest dismay, he got carried away. The next thing he knew, something had grabbed his ankle.

And it was pulling him "downwards."

...-Li Xun-...

...ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ...

He was sinking fast. Something grabbed his ankle and was pulling him down hard. Letting out a surprised yelp, he struggled and kicked as his head

Went beneath the waters. Darkness swarmed in on him quickly

As water rushed into his nose and mouth. His heart pounded furiously out of fear and, most importantly, for survival.

This wasn't how he had imagined his death to be. Whatever this creature was, it had a good grip on his ankle and refused to release him. Even if he kicked at it, it was futile. With no one elseAroundd whom could help him,

he watched helplessly as he was

dragged further into the depth of the lake, the air in his lungs escaping with every passing second

No, no!

He couldn't simply die here

, not when his mother's life depended on him

In a swift motion, he grabbed the hilt of his sword, pulling it out and stabbing the creature below him. His attack must have been somewhat successful because he was instantly released, and the

mysterious, dark mass swam off.

It may be gone, but there was a likelihood that it might come back. He grasped the opportunity to swim back up to the surface, rasping and heaving as he welcomed fresh air into his burning

lungs.

Swimming in fast, powerful strokes, he made it across to the island where the Celestial Flowers were growing on. He dragged his heavily-soaked body out and lay himself on the grass, panting heavily.

As he tried to catch his breath, his mind was

spinning wildly from this unexpected encounter.

What the hell was that?

Judging from that monstrous shape and strength, it most definitely didn't fit the description of a human

His question was soon answered. Coming from the waters on his right, a low, ghastly growl was heard.

Startled, he leaped to

His feet, his hand already holding onto his sword in a defensive stance. His eyes were sharp and focused, fixing his gaze cautiously in the direction where the noise was last heard.

Ever so slowly, the creature gradually emerged from the lake Water ran in rivulets down his body. A pair of red eyes glinted dangerously in the dark, clearly enraged that Li Xun had gotten away from him earlier.

As it came fully into view, he observed its body proportion carefully. Seeing it this close, he noticed that it was walking just like a human but was much bigger than he first thought.

With a towering height of over two metres, its face was as grisly pale as a dead person and its teeth were as sharp as a wolf's canine. Baring its fangs, it let out a menacing roar. In a flash, the creature

Crouched on all fours and lunged straight for him, claws swiping in his way.

But he avoided it by leaping to the side. Having been trained in martial arts since he was young by the very best swordsman in the country, he was quick and light on his feet. Moreover, he took the advantage that he was smaller in size as compared to the creature and evaded its subsequent attacks easily.

Parrying with his sword. At some point, he even managed to slice across its broad chest, leaving a gash of red behind.

A loud cry of pain erupted from the creature's throat. With an angry growl, it charged straight for the prince, seizing his sword in its large hands. It ignored the blood gushing out of its wounds

and ripped the weapon out of his hands, stunning him.

The strength it possessed was overwhelming, for Li Xun soon found himself being grabbed by his legs and lifted high up in the air. In the next second, he found himself being thrown onto the ground

hard.

The impact knocked the air out of him. Before he could catch his breath, the creature wrapped a hand around his throat and lifted him again. Fear rose within him, his eyes wide with fear.

Weaponless, he could only watch on in horror as the creature opened its mouth wide, seemingly intent on biting and ripping his head off.

Was this how he was going to die?

If he failed his mission and died, his mother would soon follow into his footsteps. The thought itself was unbearable. As his lungs started burning

Once again due to the lack of air, a sudden arrow flew through the air, piercing through the creature's heart from behind.

They were both shocked. The light in the creature's eyes slowly died out and it released its hold on the prince. He fell to the ground, gasping for air, as he watched the monstrous beast before him slumped onto the ground, dead.

Glancing around, he eventually spotted a person standing at the edge of the riverbank. From where he was standing, he could only make out a slim figure dressed in black robes and a mask

concealing the bottom half of his face.

Likewise, his saviour returned his gaze calmly and quietly, carrying a longbow by his side. Neither of them spoke or made a move, just simply watching each other Even though he was immensely grateful for the help, Li Xun was confused at how this person made it past the barrier and into the

Great Heavenly Lake.

Who are you?

...-Li Xun-...

...ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ...

From a distance, a pair of light, hazel eyes stared back at him quietly. With a face concealed behind a mask, his saviourvemanated a mysterious aura. Before Li Xun could snap out of his surprise, the figure turned his back on him and attempted to

Leave.

"Wait!" he called out. "Please wait."

His voice made the person stop in his tracks, but he made no move to turn around. Waiting for him to speak. As such, Li Xun could only convey his words of gratitude across the waters that separated them

"Thank you for saving me. May I have your name?"

Silence answered him. With quiet footsteps, his saviour walked towards the shadows between the trees, vanishing into the darkness quietly.

As quickly as he had appeared, he was gone with the wind.

Confused by the events that had just happened, Li Xun turned back to his main task on hand - the Celestial Flower. He beganvplucking some flowers from the ground quickly. Pulling out a silk

Handkerchief from his pocket, he grimaced at how wet it was, but what choice did he have? Shaking his head, he worked quickly and wrapped the flowers as neatly as possible…

Casting one last glance at the dead creature, he swam his way back to the riverbank and went back up the mountains to reunite with his bodyguards. Throughout the entire hike, he never met his

Saviour again. It was a shame, really. All he truly wanted was to express his utmost gratitude for saving him back there, especially when he was so close to ending up on Death's doorstep.

However, he had to tuck the image of his saviour to the back of his mind and set off to return to the palace on their horses. Even though he and his subordinates were overwhelmed with fatigue

Due to the long journey, they persevered in hopes of saving the Empress.

A week later, they arrived back at the palace. Li Xun presented the flower to the royal doctor - - a very wise man. He got to work immediately, and in just two days, the medicine was concocted perfectly.

With the Emperor and Crown Prince in attendance, they fed it to the Empress immediately.

The medicine was a wonder cure, and the colour soon returned to her cheeks. She had often retched

blood, but that stopped, too. In just a matter of days, she regained her vigour and was no longer bedridden. She could move around her room and even attend the court for gatherings. The significant

improvement to her health surprised everyone.

To celebrate her recovery, a banquet was held.

On the throne, the Emperor rose to his feet.

"My son," he addressed Li Xun in front of all his officials.

"You have done well. Let us give you a toast to honor your achievement and congratulate your mother's good health."

Hearing praise from the Emperor himself was rare, which was why Li Xun was deeply moved. He knew the man since he was born. As the great ruler of the Celestial Empire with many ambitions and responsibilities, he was a cold man with few words

It was always Li Xun's mother who taught him the way of life, whereas his father taught him war and politics. Nonetheless, she still loved his father and knew the many sides of him that Li Xun hadn't seen before. She would always tell her son that despite hisfather's harsh demeanor, he loved him very much

"It's because he doesn't know how to express his love in words, my child. Please understand him.

Rising from his seat, Li Xun cleared his throat, held his head in high regard and lifted his cup towards the Emperor

"Thank you, Father."

And then he downed the wine in a single gulp.

The rest of the night was spent listening to the musicians playing their instruments, the dancers performing their dance and finally drinking ended, with it the had rest gone of the past midnight

royal subjects. When the banquet and everyone decided to retire to their bed chambers.

Back in his room, Li Xun laid on his bed, exhausted from his journey. But that didn't stop a smile forming on his face as he relished in the joy that his mother was saved and healthy now.

There was only one thing left on his mind which had perturbed him since the day of his return. The image of his saviour flickered through his mind again and again. Li Xun was indebted to him,

and the thought of not repaying the favour would never allow him to rest in peace. After all, a good man ought to be rewarded for his good deeds.

Three days later , he set off on his horse again with his bodyguards but this time, he wasn't going because of the Celestial Flower.

He was going for a completely different reason.

This time, he was determined to seek out the person who had saved his life