Daybreak

Chapter 1-2

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Chapter 1-2

Chapters 1 and 2

This image somewhat evokes the feels of this chapter, but I’ll let you guys find out for yourselves haha. Courtesy of Ibuki Satsuki.

The crescent moon was like a hook- its silvery threads of light penetrated through a circular hole and into the dark prison. A figure wearing rough sackcloth was curled up in the corner of the cell, his blank and unfocused gaze staying on the silvery patch of light on the ground. A breeze seemed to blow outside, as pink petals drifted about. The cold prison in the middle of the forest was almost beautiful.

Was it… spring outside?

His staring gaze began to slightly turn about, locking on the round hole above him where a fine steel mesh fence blocked some of the moonlight in the night sky. But suddenly, stomping sounds broke through the deathly stillness that had not been broken for several years. The fine steel fence whose cross-sections were as thick as his thumb slowly opened. His pitch-black pupils finally reflected the moonlight.

Tian Xiao absentmindedly focused on the gate, and slowly stood up. It had been opened? Were they about to let him go? He took unsteady steps towards the gate, but immediately a black figure was thrown into the prison cell without any show of mercy. The fence was closed without pity yet again. The sounds of footsteps that came from outside slowly faded.

Tian Xiao blankly stared at the girl in black on the floor. By the way her chest still moved weakly, he could tell she was still alive.

He hadn’t seen a live person in such a long time. Half distracted, half curious, he crouched down next to the girl. She seemed to have born an extremely severe injury. Even though he could not see bloodstains on her clothes, watery blood slowly seeped out onto the floor. Tian Xiao extended his wan hand, but before he could touch her, the girl suddenly captured his palm and got up. Tian Xiao only felt an immense force knock him over, as his body suddenly sank into the ground. The girl had pushed him down and was controlling his movements. Immediately following which, his neck soon became cold, as a dagger was pushed against his windpipe. With just a tiny bit of force, he could lose his life.

Tian Xiao looked at her blankly. The girl’s figure was too thin. As the moonlight projected onto her back, from what he could see, the girl was like a G.o.d that was worshipped at a shrine. Her head was emitting light. He moved his hand, wanting to touch the girl’s face, but he was immediately held down again. With a smothered cough, a few drops of blood fell from the corner of her mouth onto the side of Tian Xiao’s face. A scarlet and winding arc was drawn on his wan face; a ghastly sight.

“Who are you?”

The girl’s coa.r.s.e and heavy breaths fell onto Tian Xiao’s face, bringing with them, the girl’s distinctive smell. Tian Xiao was unable to concentrate for a heartbeat.

He remembered many years ago, in the women’s quarters in the Palace, his Imperial Mother had also hugged him within her bloodied embrace, and coaxed him: “Tian Xiao do not be afraid!”

If it wasn’t for meeting this person today, he would never have recalled those ancient memories.

“The former crown prince.” Tian Xiao’s voice sounded rough from a long time of disuse. “Tian Xiao.”

Such a long time had already pa.s.sed, and he hadn’t felt this warm since…

Tian Xiao slowly closed his eyes, some pink petals floating in to fall upon his face. He thought, The peach blossoms outside must be extremely moving, and bright and beautiful…

—

At midday the next day, someone delivered some food and water down thro

ugh the hole with some rope. The sound alarmed the girl resting on Tian Xiao’s body. A murderous glint swiftly flashed through her eyes, and she grasped her dagger tightly once more.

Tian Xiao wasn’t afraid. He softly said, “You’ve awoken.”

The girl’s gaze fell on his bright face, and only then did she realize how improper their positions were. She coughed two times and her body flipped over, as she lay down to the side of him. Tian Xiao’s body had been pressed down for an entire night, and he was numb and sore from head to toe. However, he didn’t say a word and sat up, taking the food that had been given and began to eat- doing exactly what he did on a daily basis.

After he filled his stomach, he glanced over and realized that the female on the floor was steadily looking at him. Tian Xiao thought about it for a moment, and felt she had probably become hungry, but was unable to move at all. He took her meal over and silently picked up some food with his chopsticks and put it in her mouth, going as far as to feed her.

The woman was startled, but she did not refuse his kind intentions. She opened her mouth and ate everything. One person silently fed the other, while the other silently ate everything. The scene displayed harmony that stemmed from a mutual lack of human interaction until this moment. After she finished her food, the woman did not say any words of thanks. But, Tian Xiao was looking at the empty bowl absent-mindedly. Then, he suddenly began to laugh. It seemed like he had not laughed for a long time, as his smile was somewhat stiff and shaky. Still, the expression in his eyes made the woman gape.

“What’re you laughing at?”

Tian Xiao didn’t reply to her words. Instead, he used his fingers and gently wiped the corner of her mouth, almost as though he was taking advantage of the opportunity to caress the edges of her lip. The woman’s brows creased as if she extremely disliked other people touching her. With a wave of her hand, she shook off the man’s hand. This single motion made the blood and vital energy in her mind bubble forth. After gasping for a long time, she managed to say, “Don’t touch me.”

The back of his hand had become swollen from the woman’s strike. Yet, almost as if Tian Xiao couldn’t feel the pain, he remarked, “Can move.” The woman frowned, and then she heard more, “You can move.”

Throughout the innumerable days and nights, everything in this place had been deathly still. In the beginning, he had felt anxious, but after he became numb to everything, the deathly stillness of this place made him feel like his body had been stripped of its roots, rendering him silent as well: he never moved, he never talked, and he was alive, but he had forgotten what he lived for. But now, seeing her had made him feel that G.o.d was proving to him that he had to live on, so that he could leave an imprint in other people’s lives. Even if it was a tiny imprint, it was enough.

“What is your name?” Tian Xiao gently inquired, not caring that this person had just hit him.

The girl closed her eyes, and coldly ignored his question.

Tian Xiao did not fume. The female beside him hugged her legs, keeping a close eye on him. As her chest heaved incessantly, his hands itched to touch her, but the pain from the back of his hand made him afraid to rashly take action. Thus, he asked again, “How did you get injured?”

Unable to get a response made Tian Xiao feel like his chattiness had been switched on. Every few moments, he would ask a question, “Where are you from?”, “Why did you get imprisoned here?”, “Isn’t your injury serious?” They came one after another, until the woman opened her eyes and fiercely glared at him.

Tian Xiao looked at her fearlessly, his eyes full of brilliant rays of light. A feeling of powerlessness indescribably leapt up in the woman’s heart. “Shut up.”

Upon realizing that the woman didn’t like to hear him speak, the bright light in his eyes turned slightly gloomy. But when he saw that she had started to bleed again, when she had waved her hand a moment ago, his fingers moved subconsciously as he stealthily shifted over. Carefully, he grasped the corner of her robe and said, “Your wound is bleeding.”

His pale fingers on her pitch-black clothing formed a stark contrast. The woman was at the end of her patience, as she sat up. She moved too quickly, startling Tian Xiao into letting go immediately. He hugged his hand, as if he was afraid that the woman would hit him again.

The woman gazed at him for a long time, and then she stood up with difficulty and walked over to the wall before sitting down and leaning back on it. She seemed to have erected a cold and detached wall through her actions, refusing the approach of everyone. The abandoned Tian Xiao stayed where he was, muddleheaded. He then slowly shifted over by the woman again who was hugging her legs and staring at him.

Their breaths intertwined in the dark cell. Tian Xiao’s lips curved yet again, and after a moment, he actually began to laugh quite foolishly.

“What do you really want to do?” Extremely irritated, the woman spoke.

“What is your name?”

“Yu Yao.”

“Yu Yao, you’re bleeding.”

Veins protruded from Yu Yao’s forehead. “I know.”

Tian Xiao’s fingers unconsciously fidgeted. “I can help you stop the bleeding. I know how to help people heal their wounds.”

The former crown prince had been imprisoned in this type of a place, and he knew the art of healing? Yu Yao was a bit flabbergasted when she considered his cognitive abilities. However, she did not ask anymore. The experiences of this crown prince had nothing to do with her. As long as she survived, she could do what she wanted to do, and that was enough.

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