Chapter 8: Mu Yan
Just the same as her dream for the past day, it was dark again. There's none in that place other than the color black.
She thought. What is it this time? Would I meet him again?
With courage, she starts to step forward and walk to nowhere. Thankfully, she's not afraid of darkness or else, this dream will be a pure nightmare for her.
Just as expected, after a few steps ahead, she saw it again. White lights are starting to show up and it's blinking again— turning on and off.
She continued walking towards it and she saw, blue lights showed up but this time, it didn't like the other dream. It just turned on and didn't blink like the white lights.
Few steps away from the light, she stopped from taking steps when she heard some footsteps.
Is it him? she thought and waited for the sound to stop. Four steps more and it finally stops and now, she can see his silhouette again. He's just behind the blue and white lights.
She took a deep breath. "H-Hi?" Oh damn her for stammering.
The man didn't say anything to her.
"Who are you?" she asked. A moment of silence happened again and she thought he wouldn't answer her but to her shock, the man took two steps forward— revealing the down part of his body— chest down to his shoes.
He's still wearing the same. Blue tuxedo with white long sleeves inside, black pants, and black whole-cut oxford shoes. Now, it's just his face that is still under the darkness.
He is tall and lean, she can see that. The way he stood up straight as if he's a somewhat kind of model is damn amusing to her. Who is he?
"M-Mr.?" she opts to say again, calling him.
"Who really are you?" with courage, she took a single step forward again.
"Lu Xia. My name is Lu Xia." She introduces herself hoping that he will do the same and fortunately, her wish is granted. She heard him heave a sigh and say politely.
"Your Highness."
She stilled. W-What?
Her thoughts suddenly went to the man that she was with earlier. He Tian, he called her 'that' earlier!
As she looks at the mysterious man in her dreams. His lean body suddenly remembered him. The way he stood up, the way his voice sounded was as deep and husky as his, and when he called her 'your highness', is it possible that it was him?!
There's only one way to find out. So, she squeezed her both hands and as fast as she could, she walked towards him, held his right arm and dragged him out of the darkness— between the blue and white lights.
"He Tian—" she gasped. Her words didn't finish when her eyes settled at the face of the man in front of her.
That pale white skin, messy black hair with bangs, squared-like jaw shaped, thick black eyebrows, pointed nose, and a bow-shaped thick lips. Tall, had broad shoulders, lean and had tone right muscles that's enough to make him look more manly.
They look almost the same as He Tian. Almost as if they're brothers but the thing is, his eyes. Of all the features that they're the same, their eyes weren't.
He Tian has his nut brown but this man infront of her. That deep and tantalizing brown onyx pair of orbs, it made her body go stilled and caught her off guard.
"W-Who..." her hand let go of his right arm as she stepped backward while she's still staring at him.
"W-Who are you?!"
And then suddenly, he met her eyes and his bow-shaped thick lips formed into a smile.
Her lips part. H-He's gorgeous. That's all she can say to him. Him, okay? N-Not that jerk earlier! she shook her head slightly. The heck, Lu?!
"Your highness." he said again that made her out of reverie. Her forehead creased in confusion.
"Highness? I ain't a royalty. Why would the two of you called me—"
"Cause you are." she stilled. "What?"
He smiled again. "You are my 'her highness'." she grimaced a bit. Smooth talker, eh?
"But who are you anyway? What's your name?"
He sighs. "Mu Yan"
She blinks . "Mu Yan?"
"Hmm.." he hummed and stared at her again.
"Mu Yan at your service." her lips formed wryly. 'Why are these two the same, really?'
..
..
"IS IT always dark in here?" she asked him.
They're still in the same place, sitting on the ground— facing each other and the only thing that can help them see each other are the blue and white lights that surround the dark area.
"Light will never appear here, your highness."
She was a bit stunned. "W-Why?" but he didn't answer and questioned her instead.
"Why are you writing, your highness?"
"My reasons.." She went silent for a minute. She actually doesn't know why she's writing. It was just as if she found herself getting committed to it until her heart loved the way she wrote every piece.
She didn't know what to say but she just found herself, saying all of those words as if she really meant it.
"I write to express myself. That's a cliche remark, right?" she chuckled a bit. "But that's my reason. I only write when my feelings get overwhelmed and flowing that I can't take it anymore so I'll just decide to write it down."
"And it feels so great. It's not just helping me to not overreact on my feelings but it also satisfies me as a person. That I have a value in life and it's still worth it to live because I am a writer."
He smiled gently. "You're always worth it to live, your highness."
Upon hearing those words, it feels like someone caresses her heart gently and the next second, it pumps fast like it wants to be out of the ribcage. That kind of reaction made her so confused.
"Why are you asking anyway?"
"Your answer is the same as what's here, your highness."
"What?"
"This place will only be enlightened when you are seeing your life worth it to live. But for now, since there's still a big fear in your heart, this place will always be dark." he explained and smiled again. "But since writing gives you a value of existence, these lights.." he pointed to the blue and white lights around them.
"Will enlighten this dark place and it serves as your hope to continue living until the fullest, your highness."
Her forehead creased. "I-I don't understand. Why does this place depend on how I see my life? Why am I connected to this?"
After she asked those questions, Mu Yan stilled for a second before sighing.
"Mu Yan—"
"Your highness." He cut her off and what he did next stunned her.
He leaned closer to her, raised his left hand while the other one landed on her side to balance himself— and gently touched her cheek, caressing her face.
"You're drowning in this beautiful fiction, your highness." he said while staring at her directly in the eyes.
He leaned down again and she was awed in surprise when she felt a warm and soft thing touch her forehead. She can feel her heart hammered fastly— wanting to be out of its rib cage while hot blood runs up to her face— resulting in her cheeks to be reddened.
He just kissed her forehead!
"Y-You—"
"Wake up." he whispered to her ear. His breath touches the side of her face making her eyes close.
"Wake up to this fiction, your highness."
And that was the last words that she heard him say and when she opened her eyes again, what she saw was her dull ceiling.
She's now awake.
Slowly, she got up from her bed and leaned her back to the headboard. What happened to her dream flash again in her mind but his last words keep on repeating like a broken stereo.
'Wake up to this fiction, your highness.'
She sighs. Was he just part of her imagination? So what about she felt earlier? Was that only a part of the beautiful fiction?
***