Fire and Water

"Ah shit, pretty boy is in trouble," Arahabaki nudged Kanghui while his head gestured towards the slowly flickering flames slowly surrounding the unmoving Alex.

Da Siming moved cautiously away from the flames. Chongli's fire was too much for him to handle.

"Move aside," Kanghui said.

"Are you sure you want to take that risk? For a newcomer to the hidden realm with Chongli's seal?"

"Da Siming, I never interfered in your matters," Kanghui shot him a sharp glare which made him shrink back, before proceeding to Alex's side to examine him.

"Hehehe," Arahabaki chuckled as he sat on a nearby rock and gaze at the surroundings of the extensive garden within the compound. It was zen-like, plain and boring, similar to many gardens on Takamagahara's side of Youdu city.

"Get off me, you dumbass," something spoke below him.

Arahabaki leaped off aside next to the cypress tree and leaned against it while eyeing the rock with suspicion. Why did it even dare to talk back?

This is a bit too much. Even the rocks in Takamagahara knew their function.

"Lean on someone else," the cypress tree spoke as its leaves rustled.

"Jeez, you must be all old farts," Arahabaki blurted out. "To talk…"

"Um… don't go near the trees or the rocks. The grass doesn't complain too much," Da Siming winced as Arahabaki smacked the tree.

"Hit me with those branches and I will make firewood out of you," Arahabaki snarled.

"On account that you can be my great great… never mind Jurassic age ancestor. Fine, out of your grand old age," the cypress replied, waving its leaves about.

"Dafuq…" Arahabaki stood up at the insolence shown.

"Ok. Ok, just a misunderstanding." Da Siming slid himself between the cypress and an pissed off Arahabaki to appease both.

"He called me OLD!"

"Give it a rest, Ara. You are always hyping about being older than Takamagahara," Kanghui interjected as she waved her hand absentmindedly at Arahabaki while examining Alex's body.

"You allow these things to talk back to you on the Xitian side of the city?"

"Even the furniture can talk," Shao Siming said. "Everything in my brother's properties has a life of their own."

"What is the grass saying, then?" Arahabaki squatted down to examine the grass, which seemed rather quiet.

"Nothing. They are used to being walked on… don't step on the gravel pathway though," Shao Siming pointed her finger at the garden path filled with innocuous greyish jagged stones. "They groan nonstop for hours."

"You allow your furniture, garden and even the gravel on your path to grumble," Arahabaki stared incredulously at Da Siming, who squeezed the space between his delicately plucked eyebrows.

Arahabaki heard the rumours about how the Xitian side was odd within their compounds. If not for Alex, he couldn't explore one. The brat is useful, he thought.

But a primeval being bullied by the insignificant inhabitants of the hidden dimension was beyond Arahabaki's understanding.

Even Takamagahara would not go so far. Their primeval beings there would never tolerate insubordination in their own resting places.

However, the vision of a great primeval being, like Da Siming, being hassled by all the complaining objects within his compound, amused Arahabaki.

If he could stay and watch, it would be hilarious, but the roof or wall might complain loudly to alert Da Siming. Like how the old human Japanese feudal lords used squeaky floor boards to alert them to anyone sneaking up.

"And your grand home? Does it complain too?" Arahabaki pointed to the large spacious Chinese temple with two mythical beasts sitting placidly at the sloping Jade-green glazed roofs with verandas several paces down the garden from them.

"Well… not really, but the furnace complains," Da Siming mumbled.

"Say what? Jeez, the Xitian side is weird," Arahabaki exclaimed.

"No surprise why there were two sides since both Xitian and Takamagahara operated differently," Da Siming said, hoping to change to the topic at the pause as he eyed the surroundings, wary that they may complain to him all at once Arahabaki leaves.

"Kanghui's habitat doesn't do that to her."

"She lives underground with barely any furnishings," Da Siming said while glancing at Kanghui, who was now running her fingers over the flames.

"Funny how your grass doesn't complain when scorched by the fire from a pretty boy," Arahabaki said.

"They walked away," Da Siming pointed to an odd green patch of grass sitting on the gravel. "In danger, they do it."

"That's too weird. Hey Kanghui, any progress with your burning pretty boy?"

No reply. Da Siming, Shao Siming and Arahabaki looked around. Their conversation had drawn attention away from Kanghui. No sign of her. Just the body of Alex, with flames licking out.

"Sibai, have you seen where she has gone?" Da Siming asked the cypress tree.

"Into his body," the cypress answered as it waved its branches at Alex.

"Why did she enter sleeping beauty's realm? What was the relationship between her and this Chongli?" Arahabaki asked.

"Well… long story. They were more like frenemies, ordered not to clash. But after the fight, which resulted in the deluge… no one really knows."

"What was the fight about?" Arahabaki wondered about Kanghui and her history with the great flood.

"No one really knows, but it almost wiped an entire human population in what you know as current day China."

"They fought each other so fiercely, huh?"

Both Shao Siming and Da Siming nodded. "Countless human lives washed away in a matter of minutes. We can show you the replay of the scenario…"

"Quite devastating," Shao Siming added.

"No thanks. Ignorance is bliss," Arahabaki raised his palm to refuse.

Arahabaki had known Kanghui for millennia, yet he hasn't figured her out yet. Every emotion she expressed was not true, but mimicked from what he sensed.

A fight that resulted in monumental destruction which made the other primeval beings wary would require a certain overwhelming quantity of wrath, anger and even fury - something which he had never seen and perhaps, thankful not.

Aware that the strength displayed from her fights came not from emotion but from her actual powers, Arahabaki wondered how much restraint she had shown.

Most of her fights Her fights were tasks requested by others or establishing the so called delusional greater balance of things as the others like to promote. Why did she even bother when she was equal, if not more powerful, to him?

To at that scale surpassing even Ōmagatsuhi-no-kami, Takamagahara's very own being of Great Disaster. What was Kanghui like even in the past?

***

"Nothing like an old friend visiting, even forcing her way in." The corner of Chongli's lip curled at one side as Alex watched the blackish wisps drift from thin air into the bright reddish magma chamber.

The wisps struggled to pull together, with each blackish part slowly vanishing.

"Entering a soul realm with me inside reduces your elemental power of water, you know that. Fire and water… too much fire, water loses," Chongli said.

The wisps faded into white as they rapidly swirled into a ball and a burst of energy threw Alex back, but not Chongli, who stood his ground.

A poker-faced Kanghui appeared and said, "Still the same after several millennia."

"You seem different. In the past, you would have shown some emotion." Chongli narrowed his eyes. "Even hollered and tried to hit me."

"Emotions?" Kanghui pointed to her lips, which flashed a big smile. "This?"

Chongli frowned. "I don't sense emotions from you. You are not the same. That smile is fake."

"Emotions… overrated," Kanghui replied with a wave of a hand. "A hindrance."

"That's not the old Kanghui I knew… did they…"

Ignoring him, Kanghui glanced at Alex. "If there's nothing else, I want my little apprentice back."

"Just be aware that the other Zhurong wants this one to replace him," Chongli said as he leisurely sat on the floating lava. "And no one knows who that Zhurong is."

"I know," Kanghui turned her head and said, "Jiuwei is searching for your current successor."

Jiuwei, who was Jiuwei, Chongli racked his mind. Xiangliu was always Kanghui's right hand, the deputy who trailed alongside her like a pitiful dog loyal to its master.

"Not Xiangliu? Your old right-hand man? The one who fled with you," Chongli taunted.

Alex looked at the both of them. Whoever this Xiangliu was, is none of his business. However, the name did sound familiar, like Kanghui's old Chinese moniker, Gonggong.

Still, Alex didn't really care, given the situation of one poker faced being, being possibly pissed off to the high heavens, while the other was trying for a reaction. Both reminded him of high school courtship.

Alex merely shook his head at the two. If he wasn't wrong, it almost seemed like Chongli enjoyed teasing her, almost like an old lover. Except Kanghui just didn't look interested.

"None of your business," she replied curtly.

Then Alex realised - the situation before him replayed past scenarios of his dating life in university where the girl whom he was interested in would opt for the shortest answer possible. Sometimes monosyllabic.

Easy to be an expert watching and figuring the faults in others, but difficult for oneself. Alex sighed in resignation. Maybe he is the human soul mirror image of Chongli.

Chongli pouted, trying to seem cute, which made Alex uncomfortable.

"Now that's the old Kanghui's answer."

Alex sighed. Yup, Chongli is hopeless with females. That much he knew.

"No time for you, I am taking him," Kanghui grabbed Alex by the wrist.

"Fine, go but… Alex… remember what I said…" Chongli trailed off as the scenery of the volcanic magma chamber faded away into darkness.