The party for the villagers were fun. Though it made Wei, Hu Shi, and Hu Ming a little worried for our safety.
My parents assured them, it was only the people they knew were invited.
I saw Wei's panic face when she noticed I wasn't there but before she did something I already showed up from the back door.
She let out a relieved sigh then noticed the girl I brought with me, she gave a thin smile to the girl.
The girl I found near the lake before, I was right, her dress was different from the rest of the other common girl.
Her robe seemed to be lighter, unlike Wei or my mother who wore layers of robes. It was like she only wore half of it.
She must be poor … I felt bad.
"Young master," Wei bowed, I nodded.
"Is that your friend?" she gave a suspicious look to the girl, our hand entwined; I assure myself to do this often because children often hold hand without any meaning behind it.
I gave a curt nod before pulling the girl into the table full of homemade food, she gave a loud /whoa/.
I chuckled proudly, my mother was a great cook, "try this," I gave her a meat bun.
She looked happy as the smile was there again, she took the bun, "it's so fluffy," she laughed.
I grinned as I took other food and dragged her to a small terrace at the back of our house.
It was less crowded there, she sat beside me as we ate together.
"What's your name?" the girl asked me, she leaned on the bamboo terrace as her feet dangling at the edge.
My terrace was like Japanese's house terrace, there were at least 40 cm gaps from the terrace to the ground below.
I blinked, it's been a while since people asked my name, they usually knew my name.
First, because I was the village's doctor son, second; because I was the fated maiden.
She used one of her hand as her pillow, eyes staring at me casually, "Seo Joon," I answered.
She hummed, "so you're the famous child, the fated mate," she chirped.
I smiled, "yes, that's Seo Joon!"
She stopped munching after I answered, she gave a mocking laugh at that. I felt attacked, she clearly mocked me for no reason.
"No, it just," she chuckled lightly, "your tone is ridiculous."
I wondered why she said that to a little kid like me, it was my turn then, "and what's your name sister?"
She pouted her lips, wiping the bread crumbs from the side of her lips, "my parents and my siblings call me Huo Hai."
What a bold name, unlike the usual feminine name for a girl.
"That's cool," I commented, she laughed again.
Then she suddenly bolted up into a sitting position, crossing her legs again and looked more eager having a conversation with me.
"Don't you think talking with a stranger like me dangerous?" she spoke out of the blue, I looked at her with disinterested eyes, "what if I came to assassinate you? Do you even understand that?"
I waved my hand, "Wei, Hu Shi and Hu Ming will certainly take care of you if you're dangerous," she gave a small huff.
"Those servants?" she asked, I nodded.
"You're a spirit, big sister?" she seemed to be thinking for the answer this time.
She scratched the back of her neck, "I guess so …?"
Judging from Wei and the other who didn't really notice her nor taking me away from her, she must be a weak spirit.
They didn't even detect magical power from her, she might be even lower than a ghost at some point if she didn't even know she was spirit or not.
"Eat, eat," I said, pitying the poor girl. She looked fine though, sooner or later there must be someone who would take her willingly.
She ate again, this time the chestnut cookies, "this is delicious," her eyes widened and if this was a movie there would be sparkles from her eyes at this point.
My matured side couldn't help but want to take care of this girl but it was obvious she was older than my eight-year-old self.
"Don't you want to run away?" she drank the tea, taking a clean towel from who-knows-where to clean my full of crumbs hand.
I gave a confused sound, "you know, suddenly the Capital came and a big ass man with full armours said you would live and train to be one of the immortal's mate."
I averted my eyes from her, noticing her pretty amber eyes far too late, "why must I?"
She looked bewildered, "they gave me facilitations, good food, good clothes, and it isn't like the Phoenix is a demon lord right?"
It might be treason, to address the ancient one that way but she was nobody so it would mean no harm.
She smiled, "what if they are? A demon lord?"
I challenged her smile with my grin, "then I will be the strongest demon lord's mate and I can rule the world."
"You're funny," she said at the end, "you're obviously not a normal eight-year-old kid, boy. You're too matured to be one."
I felt a little proud for that, worries about being found out I was indeed an adult inside was long gone between us.
"But do you know the famous rumours about the ancient one?" her eyes turned sharp as if hating the immortal, I looked to her with curiosity.
She started to tell me about the famous story, a forbidden one about the great phoenix.
It was a story about him and his favoured great-grandchild, we didn't know which generation the grandchild was because of how old the ancient one at that point.
The ancient one really loved the boy, taking care of him since he was merely an egg or a baby boy I didn't know.
He gave all the care the boy need, be it expensive pills for cultivation or even sharing his magic with the soon-to-be-his heir.
The boy supposed to be the next Vermilion bird or even the other phoenix under the great one's care.
But the destiny gave a huge twist, the boy fell in love with a mere human.
It wasn't even a human from this realm, but a human from a different realm.
A world where magic didn't widely known. Where people hunt down witches and burn them alive.
Where magic and spirit remained hidden and slowly vanish into thin air.
His grandchildren chose to live in the other place and left the empty position without a word.
He left the Great Phoenix all alone at once, blind for love with the human.
"He was so angry, upset, to the point the volcanoes kept exploding and giving hot cloud," Huo Hai explained, her face serious like a teacher trying to scare off her kindergarten student.
I knew this story, also the truth behind this story.
"He took his heir's children and if he refused to give it-"
/'You son will never be a magical creature, nor a spirit'
'If you refuse to give him to me, he will be even lower than a ghost'
'He will be the lowest, an easy food and power charge for demons'/
So cruel, the phoenix refused to give the blessing or protection due to his anger.
He was heartless, rejecting incompetence even for his favoured one.
Betrayed.
The story wrote him cruelly, but the fact was, he was angry because his heir didn't tell him anything. The political issues weren't that simple.
The headache for the empty position, his heart being broken.
But the heir was spoiled and it was his mistake too, the ancient one was aware and upset with himself.
Also hurt, he was so deeply in pain behind his stoic facade.
His precious one chose someone else, a commoner; a stranger.
And about the children, it wasn't his authority. His heir had a forbidden child with people from a different realm, it was normal to have a messed up offspring.
If the heir refused to give his children under immortal's care, then the magic would be more messed up. The child would be lower than a mere spirit, he would be a nice food for demon indeed because the child still had the immortal's blood in its veins but with no power to control it.
"Story is written by other people," I said after she finished, Huo Hai gazed at me.
This time was my turn to give a huff, "we don't know the truth," I shook my forefinger right before her face as if I was in the middle of lecturing her.
"We can't judge a person from the story without living proof," I said, "I believe he had another reason and explanation for that."
She once again looked surprised, then after a while she took another meat bun and ate in silence.
"Aghh, you win," she groaned after she finished, hands raising pathetically to the air, "I can't make you regret following this destiny," she looked exhausted.
I laughed, "Why you try so hard then?"
She gave a glare, "just curious about the result if I try," she said, "also your opinions about the ancient one."
I heard my mother called me from the front gate, must be for saying the last farewell to our neighborhood, "I must go to the front door," I told her and wore my straw sandals again.
"Wait," she grabbed my hand before I left her, "here."
She gave me a bracelet, "what's this?" she put it on me, to my left hand.
"It's lotus beads," I touched it, each bead crafted skillfully by professional hands, lotus flower engraved to it, "consider this as a lucky charm."
I smiled happily, pulling my hand to my chest and hugged it, "thank you so much, sister Huo Hai!"
She gave another smile, one of the corners of her lips quirking up, "yeah, yeah, see you soon, Seo Joon-ah."
I waved my hand and walked to my parents who talked with the villagers, Hwan ran to me happily as he told so many stories about his friends and his day.
I laughed, holding hand again with my brother and then my eyes caught the bracelet on my wrist.
When I gave a slight tug, I notice the string of the bracelet to connect the beads was a beautiful crimson thread.
Similar to the red string of fate's one, also reminded me of Huo Hai's waist ribbon she wore, "it's so pretty," I mumbled.
I hoped someday I could meet Huo Hai again and gave her a lot of food, so she would smile sweetly to me once again.
"Till I see you again, kiddo."