Soul Switch

An unseen force yanked Ashina back from claws of the never-ending darkness. His eyes sprung open, greeted by the sight of a young man dressed in red in front of him, sitting by the bedside mixing a clay bowl.

The features of the young man reminded him of the Dayan Grand Prince. There was some resemblance. And he seemed to be only slightly older than Ashina himself.

The strong bitter smell of medicinal herbs wafted from the bowl, making Ashina's breathing ragged and labored, almost suffocating him. Whatever in the clay bowl didn't smell of poison, n but it will taste like poison.

Is it meant for him? Then again, what happened to him?

Ashina's instant reaction was to get out of bed despite the searing pain and confusion. Alas, his forearm failed to obey and failed to lift. The young man continued mixing something from a sachet into a bowl beside his bed.

Ashina's last memory was of the fierce battle with the Chief Shaman, the relentless pursuit by those who sought his twin brother's life. Someone betrayed him and revealed the existence of his twin brother.

The Chief Shaman had come for Ashamani, driven by the cruel decree of the Xirong Imperial Law that only one twin could survive. No matter what skills he had, the Chief Shaman posed a more powerful opponent.

He had underestimated the damn old man in his arrogance. Those last words of the Chief Shaman were something about one cannot live beyond twenty-one, or the Xirong Empire will fall. They had planned for his twin brother to die over an accursed legend.

No matter how Ashina tried to change fate, a sudden torrent of anguish overwhelmed him from a sinking feeling that he had failed. His instincts told him to remain calm. He still needed to figure a way out of the place.

Ashina glanced around his room. He caught glimpses of movement, two manservants tidying the room and the shadow of a guard standing outside the closed door. He noticed the bloodstains on a carelessly thrown bedding on the ground.

The sense of being trapped made him more cautious of his precarious position. This body is too weak. Is it even his body? He struggled to lift even his hand.

"You gave me a scare…," the young man grumbled in the language of the Central Plains as he helped Ashina to sit up with deliberate roughness.

Ashina grimaced at his touch. The young man didn't seem to like him at all. Yet with his body felt heavy, as if bogged down by invisible chains. Ashina couldn't attack.

"Where…am…I?" Ashina asked with inadvertent hesitation. Even speaking exerted an effort. The young man leaned back and gave him a long hard stare, which made Ashina uncomfortable.

Whoever this man was, he clearly made his dislike and annoyance very clear.

"Do you know who you are?" the young man asked, his tone tinged with disdain.

Ashina feigned ignorance and shook his head, which he pretended to clutch with a wince.

"Funny… blood loss doesn't cause memory loss…nor those injuries," the young man muttered, his brow furrowing in consternation as he set the clay bowl aside. With a sudden, swift motion, he reached for Ashina's wrist.

Ashina recoiled from instinct, attempting to pull away, but his body betrayed him, succumbing to a sudden weakness that left him helpless. Ashina knew he harboured a dislike for him, or maybe the owner of the body.

The young man's grip tightened, his fingers pressing down on Ashina's pulse with an aggressive force that bordered on hostility.

"Just palpating your pulse," the young man said before yanking Ashina's wrist with his hand and pressing down on it.

"Odd," the young man muttered, tilting his head while keeping his grip on Ashina's wrist. The lines on the young man's deepening with a puzzled look.

"Too odd. Hell…Yinyue will kill me if you die."

Ashina's eyes brightened at the name. Isn't that the name of the Dayan Grand Prince, who is a girl? If he is here, then Ashamani must be around.

The young man noticed his change of expression. "Do you know anyone?"

"Yinyue…," Ashina said slowly and added when the young man frowned at him. "The Dayan Grand Prince."

"Figures…," the young man sighed, flinging his hands in the air as though in exaggerated despair. "Of all the people, definitely her. But do you know who you are to her?"

Ashina shook his head, wary of saying anything wrong. The best course of action is to pretend the loss of his memory. He sensed the young man knew him, or the owner of this body, from the demeanor.

"Just remember, she isn't your lover or anything special. She's your master."

His stern remark surprised Ashina. Master? Ashina had no master, but Ashamani had, as 01. He slumped back, sliding down the pillow in quiet despair.

Dread came creeping in, causing his body to tremble — did his soul switch bodies with 01?

Ashina knew of soul switching used in Xirong shamanistic practice. He never witnessed it done before. Only shamans of a higher rank could work such magic. However, to soul switch, one body must be empty, which could only mean Ashamani's death.

"Don't have wishful thinkin—"

Before the young man could finish his sentence, a heavy wooden door burst open, slamming against the wall with a loud thud. Startled, Ashina and the young man both turned to face the intruder.

A guard with panic written all over his face stood in the doorway, his chest heaving from a quick run to deliver his message. Sweat glistened on his forehead, and his eyes darted around the room frantically before landing on the young man.

"What happened?" the young man demanded, rising to his feet swiftly, with his crimson robes billowing behind him.

The guard took a moment to catch his breath before speaking. "We found the Grand Prince unconscious in the garden, my lord," he said, his voice trembling slightly with urgency.

"Unconscious?" the young man exclaimed. "How? Why? No, WHERE?"

"We don't know what happened, sir," the guard blurted out. "The patrol found the Grand Prince slumped in the garden, unconscious —."

"Bring me there!" the young man interrupted, gesturing towards the door. "GO!"

Without hesitation, the guard turned on his heel and dashed out of the room, with the young man following close behind. Ashina could make out the footsteps of the guard, but not the young man.

Ashina felt an odd relief about being so weak that he couldn't strike out. He would have been no match for the young man.

As the sound of footsteps faded into the distance, Ashina couldn't help but feel a sense of unease settle over him. What had happened to the Grand Prince? And why was the young man so concerned?

Turning his attention back to the room, Ashina noticed the manservant still standing near the door, gawking in the direction of those who left. This was his chance to find out if he had indeed soul switched to Ashamani's body. A mirror could confirm his suspicions.

"Hey," Ashina called out to the manservant, his voice breaking through the stunned silence.

The manservant jumped at the sound of Ashina's voice, quickly snapping out of his distraction.

"Yes, sir?" he responded, his voice trembling slightly.

"Bring me a mirror," Ashina said. The manservant nodded hastily, rushing over to a cabinet in the far corner of the room to retrieve the requested item.