The Raven chuckled as he stared as our shocked faces. He had silver hair and white pupils, but he wasn't blind. The bottom half of his face was covered with a black mask and his skin was deathly pale.
With a wave of his hand, ZhouHan flew across the forest hitting tree by tree. I run after ZhouHan, but he grabs a hold of my neck and held me up to where my feet couldn't touch the ground. I look that the Raven choking me as I struggle to breathe. Then he pulls me closer to him spoke.
"I can't be having anyone ruin my little plan just--- You have golden eyes." He smiled widely and laughed. "I've finally found you~" The Raven then proceeded to violate my mouth with his finger and slightly cut my tongue with his long sharp nail.
Just then ZhouHan attacks him from behind with a thousand pebbles each one stabbing into the Raven. The Raven's grip loosen and I kicked his groin area before running towards ZhouHan.
"Run! He's not an opponent I can defeat!" ZhouHan shouted.
As we ran back and mounted our horses as we rode off. I could hear the Raven laugh as he shouted,
"You can't hide golden bird~ I've already marked you."
Mark me? I felt my tongue burn and I groaned in pain. It felt as thought my tongue was going to melt off.
"What's wrong?!" ZhouHan asked in concern.
I couldn't respond. All I could do was shake my head. We rode off to safety and as far away from the Raven as possible. Within 3 days, we finally reached a populated town and checked in to an inn. The horses had collapsed from the long run and we hadn't have time to even sleep or talk. Walking into our room, ZhouHan sat me on the chair and grabbed my chin lifting it up.
"Open your mouth." He asked.
I shut my eyes and slowly opened my mouth showing him my tongue. Blood seeped through the sides of my mouth and the pain was unbearable as my body trembled relentlessly. He sighed as he told me,
"It's a branding seal that's meant for tracking. Your tongue has practically been ripped to shreds. Junhe, is it really that painful?"
I nod my head and as I do ZhouHan bends down and throughly lick my tongue. It was so painful I felt like fainting, so I try to push ZhouHan away, but he grabs me and licks even deeper causing me to moan in pain. I didn't understand why is was kissing me, but the pain gradually lessened. It wasn't until a while longer when the pain completely disappeared.
"The only person I have ever kissed was my fiancee, but because you're my brother and I promised to protect you, I won't go back on it. A lot of earth type users have healing abilities, but it it only works by bodily fluids. However, the seal is still there."
ZhouHan crouches into a corner and sulks for a while as he yells out how he betrayed his beloved fiance and that he didn't mean to. I couldn't help, but chuckle and smile.
"How did you betray her? You only promised not to take my eyes?" I said.
"Ha~???" He looks back at me in confusion. "Kissing someone other than my beloved is betrayal."
"Hmm? But it only means you won't take neither of our eyes, right?"
"What kind of logic is that?!" ZhouHan sighed. "Listen closely now. You only kiss the people you love romantically. In this case it couldn't be helped because your tongue was in shreds. If I didn't heal it then you wouldn't be able to speak anymore, understand?"
"Mmm." I nod my head, but my mind was elsewhere.
Memories of Raiya kissing me the night when I was sexually assaulted flooded in. He had kissed me a few times, does that mean he loves me? But the way he looks at me and how he avoids me screams out that he's discontent. Ah. Hulang also kissed me, but he said he still preferred women. Is it because I'm a man, that's why they are unhappy with me? Is it possible to become a women? Or is there a different reason like ZhouHan's healing abilities.
"What are you thinking so deeply about?" ZhouHan asked.
"Oh. I'm just wondering what other reasons why someone would kiss you."
"Why? Did someone kiss you?" he asked as he poured a cup of water to drink.
"Ah yes, two of my previous elder brothers." I replied and ZhouHan chocked on the water coughing heavily.
"They kissed you?!" he asked and I nodded my head.
"One said that if I kissed him then he wouldn't take my eyes and the other said he still preferred women." I explained.
"They were playing with you." ZhouHan sighed. "So that's where your weird logic of kissing came from. Those brothers are messed up in the mind, forget them."
"Ah. Okay."
So I was being played? Well, I knew it'd be too good to be true, but I was still hopeful that maybe there was more meaning behind his kiss.
"JunHe. I have something to say." said ZhouHan as he kneels on one knee in front me and looked me in the eyes. "These past several weeks have been fun, but I must return to Qin country. I can't accompany you on your travels anymore."
I look down to my hands and a sense of sadness befalls me. I had wanted to travel by myself in the beginning, but that thought changed when I met ZhouHan. He was a lieutenant in Qin country and has duties to fulfill. He took time off to travel with me, so I couldn't reject his choice.
"That's alright. I'll manage on my own. I've seen so much and I know better now. I'm sur-"
"I can't accompany you on your travels, but I also can't leave alone. That Raven put a tracking seal on you. They'll come looking for you and if they do I won't be able to protect you. Will you come back to Qin country with me?"
Back to Qin country? I never thought of returning there so soon, but ZhouHan's violet eyes looked as though they were begging. However, I didn't want to return. It hasn't even been a few months when I began traveling.
"I-I don't want to go back. I'm sure I'll be fine. If I keep moving then they won't be able to track me down."
"You don't understand, Junhe. They're dangerous. If they want something then they'll ta-"
"I'm not going back!" I gripped my robes tightly as I shouted for the first time. "If the Ravens want me then they can take me, but I refuse to return. I don't want to go back there!"
"Is it because of that family? If it is, then you don't have to worry, I'll make sure you won't have to ever see them. You can stay with me in my quarters at the palace."
"That's even worse! ZhouHan, my brot-" I slowly lost consciousness from ZhouHan's gentle touch. I didn't see what he did, but I could hear him say,
"Forgive me Junhe, but I can't leave you here. Sleep. I'll undo the enchantment after we get back."