6 Insight

-Yunlan-

Several hours later, Zhao Yunlan open his eyes to find the third Prince beautiful face, just inches from his. He smile at the sight of the man that had change his life in such a short time and wished he could kiss him again, but Shen Wei looked pale still, probably because his dragon blood was neutralizing the poison as he rested. He touched his forehead, to find he no longer had a fever.

"Good, my healing at least help you with that..." Zhao whisper, kissing the Prince forehead, but his soft touch on his porcelain skin, make Shen Wei unconsciously pull him closer, quite possessively, while burring his face on Zhao's neck, murmuring things in his dragon language he didn't understood.

"You are quite greedy, my Prince..." Zhao whisper happily, as he combed Shen's hair with his fingers. It felt so good that he almost fall asleep again, but as his eyes became heavier with sleep, something pop up in the air by their bed. As Zhao looked up, also holding the Prince protectively, a fire salamander appear in middle air, then it open it little mouth and spit the scroll that it had swallow when Shen first summon it.

The dry scroll hit the floor and roller open and to his surprise, something big go out of it, taking the form of a human man. Zhao was about to move and sit, to protect his Wei, but the tall man was faster and use magic to paralyze him, where he was.

"Do not panic, I just don't want the Prince to awake." The slender man said and Zhao relaxed a bit. He looked like an old man, with long white hair and bear, dressed in gold and red robes. The Captain instinctively knew who he was and he wonder why he decide to go out from his chosen home.

"You are the dragon guarding the scroll right?" Zhao asked, still unable to move a finger.

"Yes, this is my human form. I am call Yan Ning by the mortals and you are a descendant of Kunlun, god of all mountains." The dragon said and Zhao arched an eyebrow in surprise. Not many knew about him been a descendant of a god and even less from Kunlun of all of them.

"Just how old are you, to have such knowledge of my bloodline?" Zhao asked.

"I'm centuries old, but I lost the count to give you a specific number. I will release you now, there is something I which you to see, but you must come alone." Yan said, releasing Zhao from his magical bind.

"Why alone? I thought Shen Wei was the one who could go inside the scroll." Zhao asked as he gently got away from the Prince strong hold.

"Lord Shen will always be welcome inside the scroll, but there are some things that are forbidden to him for now. As a descendant of a god, you don't need the blood to access the scroll, like the Prince. Come and I will show you why you need to help the Prince in his quest if not ends up him helping you, that is." The dragon said despairing again inside the open scroll. Zhao got out of the bed and after giving the Prince a fatherly kiss on his soft lips, he jumped inside the scroll, opening his black wings as he fall from the sky.

Yan Ning was waiting for him in the pagoda right in the middle of the lake, were the real scroll was suspended in the air, so he landed in the stone path that Shen Wei and him had been just a while ago. He was still a bit tired from using the living stone, but he guessed he didn't need to use more energy, because the old dragon was the guardian and he only his guest.

"Come here kid, we don't have much time before my magic wears off and the Prince awake, looking for you." Yan said urging him.

"Will Shen Wei know I'm here?" Zhao asked curiously.

"Oh, trust me, he will. A dragon, even a half one, will always find his chosen mate no matter where he is or how far. There is a very ancient magic at work when a dragon mates, that binds them together for life." The older dragon explained.

"But we are not mates... yet..." Zhao added. This was an interesting subject he wanted to know a lot more.

"Ah, it's a matter of time, I can tell he had already choose you. The way he protects you is not different from a claimed mate, for which I warn him to be careful around you, if he was not certain of his choice. He is still young and inexperience and a bond between mates if for life, it can't be taken lightly." The dragon said, as Yunlan finally reached the pagoda.

"So, he chose me already? How come? Do you feel something special when you see someone who can be claimed? Perhaps something like instinct?" Zhao keep asking. He was around cloud nine with the news of his Prince a step closer to be his, or most probably he belonging to the hot Prince.

"You are quite interested, are you willing to be a dragon's mate? It will hurt you know, the mark of a claimed partner is burned into the skin, I assure you the pain is no joke." Yan said, glancing at him before taking the floating scroll in his hands.

"I had been told that before, but to be honest... I kind of don't care about the pain, if he does choose me. I like the idea of spending my life with such a handsome man, quite brave and kind. Damn, I may love him already."

"As a descendant of a god, things may be different with you and maybe there is some special bond with the two of you since birth. Your destinies may be already been intertwined by the gods will, that are watching us from their hidden realm. Royals usually chose faster than common folks, because their carry a heavy burden and the gods gift them with partners that will help them share that burden. I'm not surprise now of the sudden attraction between the two of you... but that's not why I brought you here." Yan said opening the sealed scroll.

"So, this scroll can really tell us where to look for the pieces?" Zhao asked, having a look at the piece of paper, but saw nothing.

"Enchanted scrolls are created to hide more than information, it has many secrets than can either save or kill alike. Touch the scroll with a drop of blood from one of your fingers and you will see." Zhao looked at the old dragon, before biting the tip of one of his finger, then touching the aged paper with the crimson blood.

He felt a pull, like there was an invisible tread that force him down, thus he found himself yet again inside another enchanted scroll, with the one difference. This one didn't have a beautiful paradise taking from a Zen painting, but the contrary. The place was cover with golden clouds, but you could distinguish a huge tree, that looked like dry and lifeless from where he was standing. There was some kind of city below the tree branches, but everything looked destroyed.

All buildings, were smashed by some thick branches and as he walked forward to have a better look, he could distinguish bones, a lot of old human bones scattered everywhere he look at. Then, he notice some movement from above and as he look up, he was surprised to see that a long dry branch of the tree was heading his way at blinding speed. It was only his luck that save him from been stabbed, as the living stone he was connected with, appeared in front of him and burned the branch in the moment it touch it.

"What the hell? Is this real?" Zhao asked as the living stone grow in size and trap him inside of it.

"Not really, this is a memory of the past, but as all memories that are recorded in magical ways, they retain their reality, so it is not real in the time you live, yet in here it is."

"What? You mean I could have been killed just now? Are you crazy old man?" Zhao asked, trying to get out of his crystal trap.

"The gods protect you, as you carry their blood within yourself. The fact that you are still alive proves that you have been indeed chosen by the gods to destroy the beast tree. I felt it in the moment the Prince brought you here. The time has come, in which the beast tree can finally be destroyed for good."

"What do you mean? Hey, how do I go out of this?" Zhao asked as he try punching the crystal stone.

"Rather easy, just move back, the stone is your shield, it does not restrict your movement." Zhao looked back to the old dragon and gave a step back and just as Yan had said, his prison moved along with him, until he was back to where he started, then it disappear as suddenly as it came.

"So this is the Moon City?" Zhao asked.

"Yes, hundreds of years ago, long after the tree killed all his inhabitants. The same thing that will happen if the tree roots touches the land below. You most retrieve the stolen piece as well as the rest of the pieces of the magic compass. The Moon City location, changes every year and only with the compass, you will find it." Yan then, touched Yunlan's forehead and Zhao winced as his head begin to hurt.

"I had pass all the locations of the pieces to you. Find the Moon City and destroy the tree along with the seed. You are now the only one capable to stand close of the tree, burn it down with the gods fire that you carry in the living stone, then this world will be free of it biggest threat. Now, go back, your Prince has wake up and is impatient for you to go out. He will not wait long outside this scroll." Zhao barely notice as he was pull back to the pagoda in which Shen Wei was waiting for him.

"Yunlan!" Shen hurried to catch him before he could hit the stone floor, as he fall forward.

"Shen Wei..." Zhao whisper as the Prince took him on his arms, bridal style for a second time.

"What did you do to him? Tell me now!" Shen demanded at the old dragon, his red eyes piercing him like if he wanted to tear apart his skin, but Yan only smiled instead of been intimidated. He understood young love was fierce, especially when the partner was still unclaimed.

"Ah, don't worry, your mate is going to be fine in a few minutes. I give him the remaining locations of the pieces." At that, Shen widen his eyes and looked down at Yunlan, who smiled at him despite the pain in his head.

"It's true my Prince... I got them all." Zhao whisper, resting his head in the small of his neck, while putting an arm around his shoulder.

"Yunlan, are you okay? Are you in pain? How did you enter the scroll? Not even I could and I was supposed to..." However, Zhao moved his head up to kiss his Prince to silence him. Just like before, the kiss was short, barely a touch, but quite effective to stop the questioning.

"Later... bring me back, we had so much to do." Surprisingly, Shen sighed, but did not insist further.

"Very well, I will take my leave now, guardian..." Shen bowed a bit in respect, even when he had acted rashly before.

"Go ahead, find the pieces and save the world." Yan said before the Prince disappear back to the Captain room.

In there, Shen gently put Yunlan back on his bed and when he was going to move away, Zhao pull him back, half falling over him. Now having him against his body, Zhao gave the Prince a full kiss. If the gods liked to play with bonds and fates since birth, at the very least he will make the best of it. He had no objection of the one they had bring him and so far, neither had Shen Wei, who was already choosing him for life, even if they just met by fate.

AN: Thanks for reading. It seem that all my Weilan's are fast paced, but we already know they are meant to be together.