As Yue Zian walked with Abyss by his side, he didn't mutter a word. There were some random chattering from Scias and Nadia though. Seems like Scias couldn't possibly stay too long without talking and interacting with people. His overly friendly personality wouldn't let him keep his mouth shut, but that wasn't the case with Nadia. Being her collected self, she kept her head low and kept nodding or just humming soft responses that most of the time wouldn't reach the other's ears.
She found this whole situation awkward, sitting with the First Son right behind her, close enough to make every woman feel uncomfortable as her back bumped against his chest with every step Abyss took. Scias of course was too busy trying to have a conversation to notice how Naida was feeling, but Yue Zian could see from where he was that her ears had turned slightly red. Either in embarrassment or for other reasons, he couldn't tell. After a while Sicas gave up and eventually shut up.
Meanwhile, Yue Zian seemed to be in deep thoughts the whole time. Since his hands were occupied, one holding the reins and the other touching Abyss' head, he had to fight the urge to rub his chin. However his eyebrows were furrowed and he started to chew on his lower lip. His face looked so serious it had taken a dark expression, so no one, neither Scias nor Nadia, dared to talk to him for he looked rather scary. So deep in thoughts, Yue Zian hadn't noticed anything and kept going through his messy thoughts in his head.
"Do these guys have chocolate?" Yue Zian thought. "Hm… actually corn syrup would be enough I guess…. But I don't remember writing about such things in the book. Uuu there's also chicken blood." The more he thought and tried to come with a solution, the darker his expression became and he wasn't even aware of it. He looked more like the Menace of Keogon and that look was making the people on top of the horse reconsidering life decisions and wondering if this man was taking them to their death.
"Hm…. Well I guess I will have to figure out something about this later. Being reborn in this body is such a pain. No, no… it's not exactly being reborn. What's the word… UGH!!! This could be solved in a few minutes if these guys had internet. I will forever miss Google." He pouted inwardly. "I think I have watched an anime like this… Nah… they were about reincarnation." Then out of the blue, that man with a blood-curdling dark expression exclaimed. "TRANSMIGRATION!"
The duo on the horse jumped, startled to death. They had been uneasy for quite a while, but now their hearts leaped out of their chests. However Yue Zian paid no attention to them, still lost in thoughts. "Even though it doesn't feel exactly like transmigration, I guess it's pretty close. But if my soul is in this body it means I have his abilities as well. The Ink Spells worked, so I have that, but does that mean that…. OH MY GOD, IF THAT'S THE CASE THAT WOULD BE SO COOL!" The last sentence was once again spoken at loud, scaring Scias and Nadia again.
Scias couldn't go on like this anymore and leaned over to tap Yue Zian on the shoulder. Upon feeling someone touching him, Yue Zian snapped out of it and looked up.
Scias "May we know for the love of God, why the fuck are you yelling nonsense???"
Scias was far away from the palace, and after being treated in a very savage way for several days, he had lost a bit of his manners and patience. He had come in terms with the fact that he would either die or never go back in the palace, so might as well forget about his title as the First Son, a Young Master, and the courtesy way he should behave. Might as well talk freely and cuss how much he wanted while he still had the chance. Yet the vulgar talking, took Nadia by surprise.
Yue Zian didn't look fazed at all. It's not like he hadn't heard people cussing. Actually he had heard way worse, words that would make even dead people cover their ears and turn in their graves. But he was confused as to what Scias was talking about, not having noticed that he had exclaimed earlier.
"Huh?" He raised his eyebrows.
Scias sighed. "Whatever." And Yue Zian resumed his trail of thoughts.
He had wandered before about this and had some doubts, still not quite sure. He remembered pretty much everything there was to remember about his past life as Mathis Bauer, but as he came to find out last night while thinking under open sky, he could as well remember all there was to remember about Yue Zian. And not just things he as Mathis Bauer had written, but more. Way more than that. He remembered a whole past that wasn't his as Mathis Bauer but was his as Yue Zian. Those memories didn't feel like they were planted in his head neither, but were genuinely his memories. Now he had two pasts. What he discovered about Yue Zian made Mathis as the writer feel like he hadn't been fair with this character. Recalling such memories made one wonder… Can I also do whatever he can?
Yue Zian wasn't called Menace of Keogon for nothing. He had certain abilities and skills which were a great advantage given the fact that this new life was in a place with danger all around and Yue Zian was meant to die in the near future. The chance to prove such theories wasn't given to him yet, even though Yue Zian felt he was capable of doing what he could do before waking as Mathis Bauer. However this also would mean that along with these advantages came the disadvantages, which was what scared Yue Zian the most. Unconsciously he touched the bracers on his forearms and frowned.
There was so much to think about and to consider, so many things that didn't need solutions for the solutions were already written, but since Yue Zian didn't want to recognize those solutions he had to come up with new ones.
"Damn it man, being a villain is easy but being the Zuko of the story surely is a headache." Yue Zian sighed, voicing his thoughts at loud.
Scias and Nadia gave him strange looks. "What is he talking about?" Scias whispered to Nadia, his mouth being uncomfortably close to her ear. Nadia just shrugged, but by the look of it, it looked more like she was trying to shift her body away from him… which was probably the case
Suddenly, Yue Zian who had been holding his head low, deep in thoughts this whole time, raised his head with his hand clenched into a fist thrown into the air. His eyes looked like they had fires within. "THIS BITCH CAN DO IT!" He shouted and the dark expression suddenly disappeared only to be replaced by a huge goofy grin. Yue Zian looked rather satisfied with himself.
Nadia's eyes bulged out at the word, shocked, offended, hurt and confused at the same time for she wasn't sure if that word was directed to her or not. She was the only woman around, so who else was it meant for? Either way she didn't say anything but let the white hair fall like a curtain covering her expression, her face going from red to chalk white behind that hair.
On the other hand, Scias gasped and glared at Yue Zian. "How dare you call a lady like that?!" He looked rather enraged.
Yue Zian looked at them in confusion for a second. When it finally hit him, he started laughing awkwardly. "Hahaha, no no. I said that to myself." He laughed some more. Only when facing people like them, did one understand that the way modern people talked was truly weird and odd. "I'm the bitch. Hahaha."
"Why would you call yourself such a vulgar name?" Nadia asked curiously.
"Ah… well… this place I visited once… hahaha, talked like this. It's… hm… hahaha, I was encouraging myself."
"Is that the place where you tried that weird dish called Taco?" Scias now sounded rather interested.
"Hahaha, yeah." Yue Zian felt like face-palming himself hard in the face, but thinking at loud from time to time and talking to himself had became a habit that couldn't be forgotten easily so he couldn't help it and most of the time he didn't even notice he was doing it.
Scias "I'm curious what place is this you're talking about. It's a very odd one."
Yue Zian ignored him. His eyes had fallen on Nadia. The corner of his lips turned down. "Are you okay? You don't look so good."
Nadia looked at him but no words came from her mouth. She didn't even move a muscle. Up until now, being too busy with his thoughts, Yue Zian hadn't noticed how uncomfortable Nadia was feeling with Scias so close to her. But now that he had finally snapped out of it, he could tell that something wasn't right, but he couldn't tell what exactly was that thing, because truth be told Scias wasn't that close to begin with.
How could Yue Zian know that she was uneasy because it was a man behind her in such proximity and that man right now looked terrifyingly identical with the man who had been subtly harassing her back in the palace. That… and other reasons…
Fortunately before Nadia could mutter a lie, Yue Zian looked around and "ah"-ed. "We're here." He stopped Abbys and helped Nadia off the horse. "You can spread your wings now." The smile on his face was sincere and soft.
While Scias hopped off the horse, Yue Zian broke the Ink Spell on his wrist and put his bracers on. Again with the corner of his eyes he watched Nadia spread her wings, aweing in silence. It seemed like he would never get over that sight and it pained him that he never had her free her wings like this in the book, but this only made him glad that at least he gave this opportunity to her in this reality.
"We're here? Where here? Where are we?" Scias asked with his hands resting on his hips, looking around.
While walking and walking with the scenery changing with every step, the three of them had finally came to their destination. However, unlike the other sceneries filled with trees or green fields, this place looked like a lifeless mountain sliced in pieces with a knife. The red of the rocky walls of the canyon made the place look rather deserted. No green life could be seen anywhere. Even the river slithering through the canyon, other than wetting the place, wasn't helping much with giving life to anything. With the lack of life, the place looked almost haunted, especially with the wind howling every now and them, sounding like some soul being tormented.
Yue Zian grinned. "This is exactly like I imagined it." He thought.
But his companions didn't look so happy facing such place. Scias looked like he was mere seconds from turning around and running away, while Nadia was trying very hard to remain clam and not show any emotions, even though judging by her eyes she looked a bit angry.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Scias asked. "Why would a man like Azariah live in such a place?"
Yue Zian "It's because it's a place like this that my man Azariah lives here." He pulled the reins of Abyss and entered that scary looking canyon. "Come, come."
It's not like they could do anything but follow him. After all even if they decided to run away, none of them had any idea where they were. So with doubt coating their hearts, Scias and Nadia entered the canyon right behind Yue Zian. Scias with his pride in danger of getting hurt, tried to hide his true feelings and schooled his expressions, however as the wind howled, he found himself shifting closer to Nadia, low-key hiding himself behind her.
Yue Zian noticed it and bit into his lip to stop himself from laughing at such scenery. He thought of holding Nadia's hand to ensure her that nothing would happen. His hand even extended to her, but he pulled it back immediately before anyone could notice. He's Yue Zian after all. Holding her hand might terrify her more than the place they're in at the moment. Besides… she looked rather calm. In the end he just walked ahead patting Abyss every now and then.
They walked alongside the river, following it for a while in silence then as usually Scias couldn't go any longer without talking.
"Have you met the Elder before?"
Yue Zian hummed and then nodded. "In a way…"
"Then Lucien is aware of his existence as well, right?"
Scias seemed to think that since Yue Zian never left Lucien's side unless under his orders, meeting this mysterious Azariah whose existence was just a legend should have been either while he was with Lucien or his brother ordered him to find the man. There wasn't any other logical explanation. Even when taking into consideration the fact that Yue Zian, according to him, isn't working for Lucien anymore, that meeting must have been while he still did whatever was told and reported everything to the Second Son. But having Lucien knowing this man's existence and whereabouts would be like opening a third eye in his forehead.
"He doesn't."
"How come?" Scias didn't even try to hide the distrust in his voice, but Yue Zian didn't mind nor did he care about it.
"The Second Son will never meet Azariah nor even know about him. The circumstances in which I have met him weren't exactly the perfect ones so I can't actually say that I have met the man physically. However I'm afraid that even if I explain it to you, you wouldn't be able to understand it or recognize it as the truth."
How could Yue Zian possibly tell him that, no, he has never seen or met Azariah, but he is his character, he has talked the words he had written and had conversations with his other characters who also said the words he wrote? So yeah… In a way he had talked to him. Yeah, in a way he had been there by his side. Just not in that way Scias was thinking of.
The words Yue Zian said only made the First Son even more confused to the point he couldn't even talk anymore. Instead he started to decipher the meaning behind that response.
In front of him, Nadia hesitated once before talking. "Is he like the legends say?"
Yue Zian turned to her and smiled in a fatherly way. "Yeah. I guess you can say so."
"He's more like a grumpy grandpa." He wanted to say but didn't have the heart to. Nadia was asking in such a voice that made him think of a child finding out fairies and unicorns are real. It was rather ironic, because in Yue Zian's eyes Azariah wasn't that much of a fascination. Nadia was more of it.
The three of them and Abyss walked for a while through the rocky ground of the canyon. The farther into the canyon they went, the taller the walls of it grew. Besides the wind and their footsteps, nothing else could be heard. These only two sounds echoing in-between the rocky walls, were carried away by each other before fading away. With such kind of silence one couldn't help but feel being watched. Such feeling woke anxiety and paranoia in the heart and before they could notice, both Nadia and Scias were looking around, convinced that danger would jump in the way in any given moment.
On the other hand, Yue Zian was completely relaxed even humming a strange song under his breath that the two of them had never heard before, but given the weird lyrics of it, it must have been from that place where Taco came from. Abyss, walking by his side, didn't look too bothered neither. It ate the sugar cubes and apples Yue Zian gave her and happily accepted his pats. If compared back to yesterday noon, the horse had completely changed attitude towards its owner, who couldn't be more satisfied with himself achieving such thing.
After a while, the river they were following disappeared inside a dark cave carved in a wall that stood high in the middle of the way. They couldn't go forward any farther, unless they walked back and took another path, but Yue Zian had rested his hands on his hips looking around with such a grin it wasn't hard to understand they had reached their destination once again. The problem was that there wasn't anywhere else they could go, unless it was inside that cave.
"Are we going in there?" Nadia pointed at the cave.
Yue Zian turned around as if he had just noticed the cave and chuckled. "Technically yeah, but I'm feeling a bit lazy at the moment so I guess we will take the shortcut."
"You know a shortcut?" Scias asked in disbelief. The poor man was pretty convinced at this point that the Yue Zian he knew and the one in front of him were totally different people. Twins separated in birth perhaps. This or the Menace of Keogon had gotten possessed by some rather goofy ghost that was pretty carefree. He didn't know which one was more absurd, but there was no other explanation why this man who hated everybody and was as cold as a popsicle would change so drastically.
Yue Zian chuckled again, then with eyes filled with pride he smirked. "HAHAHA, I invented the shortcut."
He wasn't lying and there was no one who could possibly call it a bluff and have proofs about it, but just as he said that, a black pot came out of nowhere and hit Yue Zian right at the back of his head. The pot hit him so hard, he would have almost passed out on the ground, but a loud furious voice echoed through the place that brought back his consciousness that was drifting away from the extremely merciless strike.
"HOW DARE YOU SHOW PEOPLE THE WAY TO MY BACK DOOR???!!!!" The voice roared inside that square-ish area the three walls that surrounded them had formed. It looked like that voice came from above and within the walls, like it came from everywhere, making Nadia take a step back and terrifying Scias who hid behind her and was grabbing on her shoulders with shaky HANDS. Nadia tried to subtly shake him away, but Sicas' only tightened his grip.
Upon hearing that voice yell at him like that, Yue Zian jumped on his feet with the pot in his hands and threw it at the direction it came from. "You fucking…" He started to yell but he didn't have the chance to finish as now a pan came flying to his head.
This time Yue Zian dodged and looked at the pan as it hit the ground. It wasn't even a clean one, but had an egg burned so badly it had became one with the pan. A tired sigh breathed out of his lips as he shook his head. "Why did I give this man the temper of a mule?"
"Don't you dare swear at me like that Mathis Bauer!!!!" Out of the wall on their right came a leg, quickly followed by the tall body of an old man, his skin dark as the night, eyes blue as the bluest sky, a white robe on his body and a wooden staff with a curled head in his hand. He looked displeased and was glaring at Yue Zian like he wished to throw another pot at him but had none nearby at the moment. "Who are you calling a mule?! Tell that to your mother." The old man eyed Yue Zian from head to toe and "pfft"-ed. "Don't people from your side know how to respect the elders? Imbecile!"
Scias and Nadia stared at the old man with wide eyes, not understanding anything but not quite sure if what they were seeing was a hallucination to begin with. The man walked out of a wall. A WALL!!! And threw a pot and a pan at Yue Zian. YUE ZIAN! And the two of them were cussing at each other like that…
Nadia "Is that…"
Scias "Is he…"
Yue Zian rolled his eyes while rubbing the back of his head. "Such a temper." He mumbled under his breath. "Yeah, yeah. This old mule is Azariah."
As if a pot had appeared from thin air in Azariah's hand, he hurled it at Yue Zian and hit him at the side of his head. "Ill-mannered piece of dog shit." He muttered under his breath.