Lune quickly sat up on the ground, unaware of the other who sat before him. He grimaced and clenched his teeth, his hand flying to his blindfold as he felt it loosening around his head.
He was bewildered.
How could he, an immortal being from the heavens, miss his step and end up on the floor? If his siblings found out, especially his elder sister, Quest, they would be utterly mortified. Perhaps he shouldn't have spent so much time marveling at how high the buildings stood and how strange the layout of the city was that he didn't pay attention to where he was going.
He felt the cloth around his head around slip off underneath his hair, exposing his usually shrouded eye to the cold air. Filled with discomfort, Lune moved his legs to stand, only then to realize the presence of a human right in front of him.
He parted his lips, startled.
He'd only just arrived at this realm, he didn't expect to meet someone so quickly, especially not in a situation like this. But as an immortal who wasn't paying attention to his step, it was only right if he apologized, right?
.
.
"I'm sorry, sir," the man suddenly said, his voice alluringly calm. "I should've paid more attention to my surroundings."
Channing stared at him in shock. This whole situation was now backward, and it felt terribly wrong.
Channing hastily got back on his feet, and he crouched before the man in uncertainty, his hand outstretched. "N- no. I'm sorry, I should be the only apologizing instead. Do you need help getting up?"
He couldn't remember the last time he had apologized to someone, and the words definitely felt foreign on his tongue.
The man seemed surprised at first, but then a smile formed on his thin lips, catching the usually collected president off guard for once.
"You have seen my eye, haven't you?" he asked, his fingers curling tightly around the black strand of cloth in his hands.
Channing withdrew his hand and took in a sharp breath as his eyes flew back up to his lifeless eyes. "...yes," he answered.
The man lowered his head and promptly tied the blindfold back around his eyes, making a quick knot underneath the top half of his hair. Then, he placed his hand on the ground to push himself up.
Channing reached out with his arms, feeling obliged to help, but the man shirked away from his touch, getting back up on his own with no problem at all.
He brushed down his white coat and straightened his collar.
Channing couldn't help but stare at his simple but graceful movements. Now that they were both standing, he could see that this man stood just about the same height as he, giving him a clear view of the sharp features of his face.
The man somehow seemed to notice his staring and gently smiled. He took a step towards him while hooking a strand of his hair behind his ear with his finger.
"You needn't take my blindness as a liability," he said mildly. He gestured at his eyes. "Though it must've been startling to see such a sight-"
He stopped mid-sentence, his expression dropping all of a sudden. His head turned to look towards the streets, his brows furrowed. "Ah...my apologies, but I have to take my leave," he mumbled.
He turned on his heel to go, but not before stopping to give Channing a parting smile. "Have a good day, sir."
Channing could only watch as he left, the enchanting voice of that mysterious man lingering around the front of his mind. He felt drawn to him...it was an unusual feeling, and he couldn't seem to get rid of it.
He stared after the direction the man had disappeared, puzzled.
'You needn't take my blindness as a liability,' he had said.
Channing lowered his eyes to his hands, recalling how he had instinctively avoided his touch. Guilt rose up in his chest, and he curled his hand into a tight fist.
He didn't offend him, did he?
"I'm back!"
June came running out the front doors with an envelope in his hands to see his young master staring at his fist, his expression troubled. He frowned as he noticed the questionable scratches on his suit.
"What's wrong?" he inquired. "Did something happen while I was gone?"
He clamped his mouth shut at the cold look his boss flashed him and backed away, holding the documents to his face.
Something was wrong, indeed. Channing Yue had a reserved personality, he was never usually this quick to hold a grudge or show his anger outwardly, even if it was just a small gesture.
.
.
An undead?
Lune stepped into the slums of the city, quite a bit of a distance away from the great, flourishing towers and contemporary designs he was just minutes ago. He didn't expect there to be such a run-down area so near a place full of riches...
The roads were worn, the noticeably smaller homes were shabby and unkempt. However, that wasn't his priority concern.
An undead was nearby, just at the tip of his radar. Judging from its significantly weaker aura, he assumed it must be a new one that has just appeared. He should have it eliminated before it starts killing the humans for their qi...
He stopped at the end of the tattered road, the moon shining in the early night sky directly above him. There wasn't much, only a few old shacks and little shrubs surrounding the wooden planks, and the little gaps between each building.
Lune turned right in the direction of which he sensed the undead's energy pulling at him, leading him right into a small, dark passage.
"H...hun...gry...," a deep voice growled. "W- want...food, heh...hehe."
The human-like figure turned around from the brick wall it shivered against in excitement, holding out its thin gray arms towards the being before him. Dirty rags hung loosely over the creature's soon but strong body, and it took a step towards Lune, its ruby-red eyes craving for the first taste of another's spiritual energy.
"P...rey...," it groaned, flashing its sharp fangs at Lune's calm expression.
It was just an undead...a simple task.
Perhaps if it were someone else doing the job, they would have some type of reaction towards such a horrid and awful appearance. Perhaps a bit of fear from seeing the undead's bony and gray skin, its sharp teeth, or its wild eyes...
But for one who doesn't see the world the way everyone else does, Lune has never once had the flaw of fearing his enemy by their looks, size, and ability. He judged them by their power, and he can tell the extent of one's power just by feeling their spiritual aura.
And this one was simply a mere ant.
Not much.
Was there really nothing much an immortal can do in the current days of the mortal realm?
Lune stood unmoved as the creature leaped towards him, its sharp claws outstretched and teeth bared.
With a simple raise of his finger, a tiny compact of his qi flew from the tip of his hand like a bullet and struck the undead through the head. It dropped to the ground with a loud thud, blood pouring from the open wound through its head.
Defeated in one blow.
How plain.
But it was for the sake of the humans, after all.
Lune turned on his heel, his dark, long bangs flying in front of his blinded eyes as he stepped out of the passageway with his hands folded behind his back.
He inclined his head up towards the heavens beyond the starry night sky, wondering how his siblings were doing at the moment. Did they realize that he was gone, yet? Barely an hour has passed since he left their realm.
He could imagine them going about in their daily activities, too engrossed in their interests to notice his disappearance. Sage with his books; Solstice and her stars; and Quest was probably out with her spiritual beasts on another task requested by the Emporer.
Lune stopped in his tracks as he felt a human presence following him suspiciously. It stopped as well, hiding behind a building yards away.
It was a child, a thin and frail girl in her early teens. She stood behind the corner of the small house, peeking curiously at the strange but beautiful person in awe. He looked so much like one of those fairies and princes she'd seen in the school's picture books that everyone liked so much.
She gasped and retreated into the shadows as he turned his head, embarrassed for being caught sneaking around a stranger she'd never seen before. But his stance seemed to be so calm, and he didn't look like one of those scary bad guys her grandmother had warned her to stay away from.
Lune let out a breath of content and continued on the road, leaving the girl be. He needed to find a place where he could rest and rid himself of his growing fatigue, only realizing just now that he hadn't done so in the past day.
Lune tended to sleep a lot, whether it was night or day. He slept more than an immortal should, and possibly even more than that of a normal human. No one really knew the exact answer to his problem, not even his all-knowing brother Sage or the great Emporer. There didn't seem to be a cure either, and the others could only pass it off as a defect in his health.
It was indeed a bit frustrating at first, knowing he was born into a body that couldn't handle the formidable extent of his power, even the essence alone. Despite being such a powerful immortal, his usage of qi was always limited to a short amount of time.
Not that it bothered him anymore, though. He just had to get used to it, like how he got used to seeing the world in a different way after giving his eyes to his younger sister.
Weird.
But then again, no one can do anything about it.
Lune returned from the outskirts of the grand city and ascended into the windy air. The higher he rose, the fewer buildings stood at his side. Soon, he was all the way up at the top, where the tallest glass building stood out from the others.
He stepped out of the sky onto the isolated roof of the tower, overlooking the entire district and its blinking lights. The noise was faded from his ears, and all he could hear was his own breath and the blowing wind. No one would find him there...
Seemed like a good place to spend the night.
.
.
The driver opened the door and bowed. "President, we've arrived," he announced.
Channing stepped out of the slick, black limousine and was immediately met by the clicks and flashes of multiple cameras. Reporters and onlookers called for him as he ignored them completely, instead, focusing on the brand new building that stood in front of him.
Security held open the heavy glass doors for him as he arrived at the gleaming entrance, banners and flags hanging from the ceiling above him.
The moment he stepped foot onto the sleek black marble and carpet inside the building, he was greeted by many familiar and unfamiliar faces, all rushing to crowd around him in anticipation.
"Welcome, President Yue!"