A knight in shining...body

Xian and Chen Yu were riding on the same horse. Firstly, it was because of the cost. Horses weren't cheap. Actually, in Selnan, poor people were mostly walking whereas the rich families, the first of them being the imperial family, flaunted expensive carriages, sometimes with four or even six horses. Such a waste of money just to display their power and wealth !

Moreover, it had not been easy for Xian and Chen Yu to find a suitable horse. In the small villages, they could barely see a single horse at all. People used oxen for the farm work and donkeys or mules for the day-to-day transportation. Those were also used for the merchant caravans, drawing wagons of wares. Life was rather slow in the countryside. It was a welcome change of pace for Xian who was usually confined within the Palace to protect Lady Wei or running secret errands for Soon-Yi in the imperial capital.

The second reason was because, even though he knew how to ride, Xian was not confident he could stop Chen Yu from escaping, had they chosen to ride on two separate mounts. Therefore, it was the best solution. Xian rode, holding the reins, and Chen Yu was sitting astride behind him with his hands on the younger boy's waist. It was awkward at first but they soon relaxed when the horse picked up the pace and started to gallop.

To the young Lysanian soldier, it was a new experience. Riding a horse felt definitely better than a mule. He was exhilarated, almost giggling like a kid. Xian hadn't realized his companion was such a novice. Even though the latter seemed straight-forward, he could also be secretive and a good actor to boot, able to fool Xian. Soon-Yi would have been upset. Xian knew she would have scolded him, had she been with them. He heaved a sigh of relief and made a mental note to keep his guard up when dealing with Chen Yu.

Unlike Chen Yu, Xian was a bit bored. They flew so far away from the Imperial capital while trying to shake off their enemies after escaping the sewers, and they also wasted time finding a somewhat cheap horse. Leaving aside the time they needed to recover from their injuries, Xian still felt they needed to make up for the lost time.

With his enhanced body, Xian could run faster than their horse – which was clearly not in its prime. With the help of magic, he could fly even faster and in straight line towards the capital. He could definitely catch up. But he wouldn't do such a reckless display. He was just glad the horse was obedient and inconspicuous enough. Riding a horse was eye-catching but the rich people could afford it. It wasn't as jaw-dropping, nor as mind-blowing, as his own physical or magical powers. Actually, he was just relieved he could get by without using magic at all. He didn't want this powers in the first place.

Both youngsters rode in companionable silence. At the back of his mind, Xian was still wary of the two mages who had been fighting and tailing them. Did they abandon the search ? Anyway, he needed to lie low in case they were still after him, lest they catch the two runaways. If he had to fight them again, Xian thought he would still be able to throw a few punches but it would be difficult to deal with them without magic.

After the first encounter, he realized they were powerful and well-trained. Both the fire and the water mages seemed battle-hardened and Xian could surmise that they had fought a few powerful foes and Spirit beasts in order to hone their skills. When she was still trying to teach him some magic spells, Soon-Yi had told him that students of the main magic academies of the various countries had to spend some time deep in the Infinite Forest, at the border between Lysania and Aliker, where the Spirit Beasts were located.

Magic had always been the strongest in these two kingdoms and the dragons ruling over Lysania were but the most powerful of Spirit beasts, keeping both the other Spirit beasts and the humans in check. But in a way, they also protected the forest and its inhabitants by controlling the access to the Infinite Forest, only allotting a quota for beast hunting per magic academy.

Xian knew this part of Lysania's and Aliker's ancient History by heart. Aliker was his homeland, after all, and Lysania was the land of the dragons. His interest regarding everything related to these living legends was real. Unfortunately, Chen Yu didn't know much about them, he was such a scam for a Lysanian ! Or maybe he lied and hid the truth because he didn't trust Xian ?

According to Soon-Yi's teachings, the two ancient kingdoms had been entangled in a long-lasting and bloody war over the Infinite Forest mostly because Aliker's ancient magic lore used the Spirit Beasts' cores to create unrivaled magic artifacts. But now, the ancient Aliker kingdom had collapsed, even the following dynasty – Xian's family and ancestors – was no more. The dragon kingdom had won and controlled anything related to the Infinite Forest.

Anyway, only Lysania could have fought the ancient Aliker and put a stop to the slaughter of the Spirit beasts. But even though they regulated the access to the Infinite Forest – which was obviously not infinite, but very large, and only a small part of what it used to be according to legends – the Infinite Forest was an independent territory. The dragons themselves declined the ownership of the forest, stating with reverence that nobody could own such holy ground. Indeed, rumor had it that deep inside this forest, was hidden the sacred land of the dragons, where generations of dead dragons had been buried. It was a dangerous place, eerie, haunted, cursed. Nobody was allowed to disturb the peace of the dead beasts.

Actually, even though Lysania was stuck between the Infinite Forest on one side and the sea and the Southern Duchy of the Selnan Empire on the other side, it was nonetheless a powerful kingdom, and not only because of the dragons or the Spirit beasts and rare plants in the forest. The land itself was rich, both with underground ore and natural resources, water sources, fertile soil and access to the sea.

It looked like the neighboring Southern Duchy of Selnan in many ways, except that the shore of the Southern Duchy was a lot smaller than the one belonging to the powerful Lysania, and dragons could sometimes be spotted high in the Lysanian sky. A good thing for Selnan that the ruling dragons of Lysania weren't so greedy as to invade the Southern Duchy in order to monopolize the coast.

The border between Lysania and Selnan could even be crossed freely just by walking on the beach when the tide was low. Thanks to the efforts of the diplomats of the Southern Duchy, the international relations between both countries had been amiable since the foundation of the Selnan Empire.

Xian had never set foot in Lysania. His schedule and plans to go there had been messed up by the assault on Lady Wei. Being a matter of life and death, it had obviously taken precedence over the dragons. Xian had had no time to think otherwise, only time for regrets.

Xian was from Aliker kingdom, the weakened archenemy of Lysania. Crossing the border might be dangerous for him. He also knew he was supposed to be a prince of the previous dynasty but in his heart, his home had always been in the Selnan Empire. And, truth be told, he missed the Orchid Palace, Lady Wei, his fellow maids, even Soon-Yi and Zhou Xi but he would never admit it, even over his dead body.

When they finally caught sight of the Imperial capital, Xian felt like a lost child running towards his mother. The previous couple of hours had been agonizing as his magic was, once again, out of control. He desperately needed his foster mother's help and knowledge. Maybe she could even give him another artifact to replace the broken medallion ?

It had been a long time since he felt such blind trust and hope towards Soon-Yi. He was just like a little child who knew without a doubt that everything would be better with his mom or dad taking care of him and protecting him. Even though Xian was at that rebellious age when young people always felt they knew better than their old-fashioned, unreliable and far-from-perfect elders, the 14-year old Xian was at his wits' end and didn't know what to do anymore.

His whole body was shining brightly, even his clothes couldn't conceal the glow anymore. Chen Yu was holding him close from behind, in an attempt to cover the heavily leaking magic but to no avail. Xian was urging the horse forward, if they could ride faster, he would be able to find shelter inside the Orchid Palace.

Ever since they left the mountain where they hid to recover from their wounds, Xian had bathed in every stream they came across, even the smallest ones, to keep the level of his magic elements in check. But contrary to his expectations, the level never decreased. There must have been something in the river near their hidden cave that could absorb the surplus of magic.

Xian felt so frustrated. If he hadn't decided to leave so soon and return to the Imperial capital, he could have studied the stream or brought some of the water to Soon-Yi to devise an antidote. Instead, he recklessly left in a hurry, with Chen Yu in tow, completely disregarding the amazing characteristics of the water they chanced upon.

He was now aware he had been naive and cursed his lack of experience and insight, but it was too late. How could he truly believe that any river, any pool of water would simply take away the magic elements gathering around him. Now he felt his body would burst due to an excess of magic powers. It was definitely not a pleasant feeling.

When they arrived in the Imperial capital, Xian and Chen Yu took shelter in an cheap inn in the most disreputable area, quite far from the City center where the Palaces were located. It was easier to hide in this kind of districts. Nobody asked them a single question, even when Chen Yu and Xian had to go in the common room to eat their meals.

Inside the inn as well, Xian was wrapped up in heavy clothes from head to toes and people sometimes shot glances towards their table but everybody minded their own business and they didn't even lift a finger to pick up a fight with the new patrons.

Late that night, Xian left Chen Yu fast asleep in their shared room and sneaked in the Orchid Palace. He had been worried the entire evening, champing at the bit to go into the Palace. In the common room of the inn, he had heard that Lady Wei was not in the Orchid Palace but in the Inner Palace of the Imperial Palace, under the responsibility of the Empress. This was a dangerous place, what had Zhou Xi been thinking ? The First Prince Zhou Xi, on the other hand, still stayed in the Orchid Palace with his other wives. How could he leave his favorite wife and their child by themselves ?

He knew Soon-Yi would be residing in her tower within the Imperial Palace's premises. She was the closest to Lady Wei, should anything happen. Soon-Yi was also the one person Xian absolutely needed to find but the Imperial Palace was not as easy to sneak in as the Orchid Palace. The guards there were far more numerous, experienced and with the last assault, the watches had probably been intensified. Xian needed to prepare and his various disguises were all hidden in the Orchid Palace.

The corridors of the Orchid Palace were silent. The quiet peace was not unusual at this late hour, but Xian's acute instincts told him that something was off. He needed direct information in addition to his clothes. Moreover, he felt lucky that nobody had noticed his glow yet but in the darkness, his body was shining like a beacon. It was strange that nobody came to question him and he was sure to be caught once he set foot in the Imperial Palace. He desperately needed a disguise that could conceal this glaring light.

During the journey back to the capital, Chen Yu had been there, distracting Xian from brooding over his body's condition, at least until the dazzle had been so blatant that it was inevitable to worry about it with every passing minute. But Chen Yu had remained in their room at the inn, maybe he would even flee before Xian's return but there was nothing to be done about it. It was unrealistic to bring the huge foreigner inside a Palace. It would amount to treason if he were caught. Chen Yu was obviously in no position to blend in within the refined Palace.

Xian felt a urge to bite his nails. He had never felt so nervous in the Orchid Palace, which was like his home. Out of habit, he silently moved forward, trying to be inconspicuous and merge in the darkness even though it was currently impossible for him. He was so quiet that nobody could hear his footsteps but he clearly heard running steps coming his way. He hid as best he could and waited.

But nobody came his way, instead, he heard a muffled argument. It seemed that the pursuer, probably a guard, was just trying to talk the fleeing woman into going back to her room. Xian had a split second to reach a conclusion. He rushed towards the couple, leaped and hit the man with a flying kick, right in the jaws. A resounding crack could be heard before the man collapsed on the floor, and even Xian winced as he gracefully landed a step away from him.

The previously dark corridor was now brightly lit thanks to Xian's body and he could now clearly assess the situation. Of course, he wasn't really expecting the woman to be Lady Wei or Soon-Yi, but he felt highly unlucky that he met Lady Qing Chan. The short beauty was stunned and displayed an unusual flabbergasted face while staring at Xian. Time seemed so slow it could as well have been frozen.

Then :

"You're Wei Lin's attendant, right ? Come at once, I need your help."

Not a single word of thanks. Lady Qing Chan's pride really rubbed Xian the wrong way. He was also upset that the Lady almost instantly recognized him when he wasn't in his usual maid disguise and he was blindingly glowing.

"Wait a moment, please." He reluctantly answered.

He bowed slightly then turned around to heal the guard. The healing spell he created was now even faster and more efficient as he was overflowing with magic and he had practiced the spell repeatedly on Chen Yu. It was the only spell he was really willing to use.

Of course, Qing Chan didn't bother to wait for her savior and she even didn't even spare a glance for her bodyguard who tried to convince her to obediently stay put as she had been confined to her room, under house arrest, during the investigation on Lady Wei's disappearance.

As she walked away with a small smile on her painted lips, Lady Qing Chan imperceptibly shook her head thinking of her unlikely knight in shining body.