Chapter Text
The forest is lush and green as it always is in Luse (pronounced Lu-SAY). The green expanse stretches around the landscape, acting as a wind breaker, shelter and shield.
The forest is not the only thing that is prominent about Luse; its fresh waters make up the bright springs and lakes that reflect the sky. The water is so clear that it gives people the illusion that they are levitating rather than swimming.
The most prominent and beautiful thing about Luse is its cultural heritage, the Meigui. The people of Luse are very cultural and value traditionality, which is one of the reasons why they were isolated from the rest of the world on their small island. They were not too many, with only a population just barely over seventy heads.
Their sparse population contributed to the closely knit relationship between the people. The village head was chosen by heritage from a long line of ancestral Chiefs that were known as the Xinyang. The people were indiscriminate in choosing their heads, men and women alike became the village Chiefs as long as the Meigui ancestors approved of them.
Guided by tradition and culture, the Meigui people lived a life of tranquility and serendipity. Unfortunately for them, being isolated from the world did not guarantee their safety and this they would come to learn in some time to come.
The forest echoed with the sounds of feet pattering against the wet floor. It had rained overnight yesterday so the ground was wet and muddy. This didn't stop the children from playing in tropical greens of Luse though.
"Tenten shunu, please wait for me!" A boy's voice called out. His partner only stopped to give him a brief glance with an excited giggle.
"Then hurry up!" The girl shouted, her voice rich with the Meiguin language, before she promptly turned around again and raced through the forest. Her partner chuckled a bit and then picked up his pace, catching up with her before long and running along with the excited girl past the trees.
Birds flew past the both of them and insects beckoned their names as they passed. Tiny animals scampered off their paths as they mapped the familiar terrain of Luse's forest floor. Both giggling and racing each other until they finally reached their destination.
Slowing down, the girl swept back the hanging vines that covered the entrance of the cave like a curtain and stepped inside the place. It was dark save for a beam of sunshine which poured into the cave through a hole in the ceiling. Directly underneath the sunbeam was a plant. It had just started budding but that was the beauty of it.
The flower, the Zhuliye meigui, was extremely rare even with the abundance of roses in Luse. It bloomed only once in every fifteen years but when it did, it was the world's most beautiful and fragrant flower. The girl, Tenten, had been gifted the Zhuliye meigui's seed for her birthday four years ago and it was just budding, bringing out its first little flower.
"It is orange." Yota spoke from beside her. The boy was a servant in Tenten's household but Tenten never acknowledged him as a mere helper. He was her brother, confidant and best friend.
"This isn't orange, this is more peachy in colour." Tenten argued as she walked over to her precious plant to observe it closer. The rain had done a splendid job watering it so she didn't think it needed water. All she needed to do was to pick out any insect that ventured too close to the flower so that they didn't eat it up.
"Peach is still orange." Yota countered, following Tenten to check out the plant. If Tenten wanted to argue, she didn't and chose to look into his eyes instead. Her caramel shiny ones glimmered excitedly into his green ones. "What?"
"Do you think it really glows at night?" Tenten asked. She heard from some adults and other children that the zhuliye meigui glowed under the moonlight but she had never come across one until four years ago on her ninth birthday. Being the Xinyang heiress had its perk as she had access to things most people couldn't have.
"That is just a rumour." Yota dismissed, not wanting to engage in one of his young mistress' crazy adventures again. Their escapades were fun, but very risky and sometimes even life threatening, but fun even though he usually got hounded by the village chief for feeding into Tenten's adventurous spirit.
"But what if it isn't?" Tenten pushed. "We have a zhuliye meigui so we can know if the elders were telling the truth or if they were just moonlight stories." Yota groaned and Tenten grinned victoriously because she knew that once Yota groaned, he wanted to do what she suggested even if it was out of reason. "It'll be fun and quick!" The girl pushed. "Just sneak out at night and check it out."
Yota groaned louder and covered his ears to block out her tempting voice. He was also curious to see if the flower really glowed under the moonlight but being in charge of Tenten's welfare and being the older one between them, he had to be reasonable and consider the consequences of their actions.
"Please? Please? Please? I really want to see if it glows and I don't want to wait until it blooms because that's too far away. Yota please?" Tenten whined and tugged at the teen's brown locks repeatedly until he finally conceded. He just had to watch over her extra carefully, right?
"Okay, but once we check it we leave. Understand?" Yota bargained.
"YES!" Tenten squealed and jumped into the surprised teen's arms. Yota barely avoided their fall by bracing himself with his weight. "Carry me back?" Tenten did not wait for answer and shifted herself so that she was on Yota's back. "Let's go!"
"Shunu, you're insufferable." Yota mumbled fondly and lifted his young mistress up. The walk back was peaceful save for the times Tenten pulled on Yota's hair like horse reins. Threatening to drop her did the trick of getting her to stop.
Once back at the chief's tent, Tenten was given little time to eat and wash up before she was pulled into chieftaincy lessons. As the Xinyang heiress, the young princess had to take boring (Tenten's words) lessons from her parents and some village elders.
"Come on Tenten shunu, you have to take your lessons in order to be an excellent chief." Yota tried to lift Tenten's sour mood but it wasn't working.
"Being the chief is boring. When I'm old enough, I'd marry you so that we would share responsibilities and go on adventures together!" Yota choked on his spit at her confession. This girl, did she know what she was saying? Tenten could say nothing further because her father emerged from the hut where she would be learning about leading her people.
"Tenten!" The village chief scolded his wayward daughter once again within thirty minutes. This was getting wholesome. Tenten was unwilling to learn anything that she didn't deem fun and to put it lightly, she was a handful to teach. "You are the next chief of the Meigui people. You have to learn in order to protect your people."
"I'll protect them my own way!" Tenten huffed indignantly. "When I become the Xinyang chief, I would marry Yota and then I would make everyone explore beyond the island." The girl proudly declared and Yota choked once again at her declarations. She was really bold with her intent, wasn't she?
The village head and his wife shared glances with each other and then with Yota, who bristled up under their scrutinizing gazes. While it was not unlikely that a servant would wed a chief, Yota highly doubted that he was the suitor the chief had in mind for his precious daughter.
Later during the evening, Tenten was about to learn of the sacred heirloom of the Meigui people. Her parents led her to the temple of their ancestors, where the chieftaincy ceremony was held for generations. Now this was an adventure to Tenten.
"Now Tenten, what you are about to see is the sacred heirloom of our people passed on from generations to generations. Every Meiguian clan has one but the Xinyan's hold much value." Her father stopped at a stone altar of the sorts and seemingly pulled out a gemstone from thin air.
Tenten gasped at the beauty of it. Its ruby red luster illuminated the temple with the light falling on it from the sun, its rays shaping into a dragon's form. If this thing was this beautiful, why hide it? Tenten thought as she cradled the gem gently in her hands as if it were an egg. "The Long Juanzhou." She whispered in awe. This was her first time seeing one.
"The Long Juanzhou is the most priced possession of the Meigui people. It is not just an ordinary gemstone, Tenten. It contains the hearts of our people and the bloods of our ancestors who worked hard to polish them." The village chief explained. "It is not something to be sold as mere accessory. The Long Juanzhou is the soul of our people and so must be protected and remain with Luse." Tenten gave her mother the stone who passed it back to her father. The man returned the stone to its hidden position in the stone altar and they proceeded out of the temple.
Tenten was antsy. The moon had risen to its peak and the whole village was asleep, except her that is. She bounced on the balls of her feet in anticipation of her guard and best friend. After a while of anxious waiting, Yota finally arrived at her hut and they both stalked away into the forest of Luse.
The night was tranquil and beautiful. The waters surrounding their island glimmered with the silver shine of the moon's light and the flowers shone, also bathing in its light. Luse had the most beautiful flowers, especially roses, the sweet smell of which permeated the midnight air. The island smelled like the sea and a flower field, like dirt and tree sap, it was an indescribable smell that Tenten absolutely loved.
The princess and her trusted companion weaved their path through the forest like it was the back of their palms and they finally arrived at their cave. The small rose bud looked beautiful under its single moonbeam and it didn't glow. At least not in the way Tenten imagined it to. She had expected it to shine like the Long Juanzhou or a diamond.
"The elders lied!" The girl huffed.
"Eh? But I think it is glowing though." Yota said. He would never understand where Tenten's energy to be this awake despite running around all noon came from. "The silver moon bathes it with its light and makes it beautiful."
"Well, I guess so." Tenten mumbled. Now that she had quenched her curiosity, Tenten was reluctant to go back to her hut to sleep so she tried to beat around the bush. It didn't work on Yota though. The boy didn't want to get into trouble with the village chief and his wife.
They were halfway to the homesteads of their island when the smell of burning ash reached their noses. Something was burning. Both teens ran towards the smell. The flames were becoming more visible as they neared the place as well as the sounds of screams becoming audible. When they finally reached the forest opening, Tenten and Yota could not help the horrified gasps that left their mouths.
Their whole village homestead was on fire and in chaos. Livestock and their animals scampered around for safety from the fire but what made Yota's heart tremble as they ran towards their village was that no human was running around. The boy pulled Tenten back with the sharpness of a leopard and covered her mouth to muffle her screams.
The sight before them was nothing short of horrible. Some figures were gathered in front of the chief's hut, about three or four of them, and lying before them in a pool of blood was Tenten's mother. The flames from the burning hut highlighted her features but the perpetuators had their backs turned to Yota and Tenten.
"Shunu, please hide." Yota whispered into Tenten's ear. The shakiness of his voice betrayed the fear and anxiety he was currently feeling but he had to be strong for Tenten. He had to protect her. They both crawled under a rose bush some feet away from Tenten's hut and could unfortunately see all that happened too clearly.
Tenten watched as the men dragged her father into the scene. One of them was holding what she recognised to be the Long Juanzhou. Now that she noticed it, she saw that the figures had seven other gemstones with them. They were not as bright or red as her family's but Tenten knew that they were Long Juanzhous. The dragon outline from the fire reflecting through them was indication enough.
That was what they were after? Their sacred heirloom? Yota's hand clenched down hardly against her mouth and his body held hers down to keep the girl from screaming and thrashing as one of the figures thrust a short sword into her father. The man fell limp on the earth. Silence took over, constantly broken by the hammering of Tenten and Yota's hearts against their ribcages.
Tenten's scream had not been muffled enough. They heard her. One of them was coming towards their rose bush. They would find them! They would kill them!
The silhouette grew bigger and bigger as it drew closer to the rosebush Yota and Tenten hid at. The pain the rose thorns caused on their flesh did not register in both their brains as the man drew dangerously closer to them. It was stifling and heart wrenching.
Yota’s hand around Tenten’s tightened as he whispered in her ear. “No matter what, shunu, be quiet and do not leave this place.” The trembling in Yota’s voice was very well pronounced but what he was about to do was crazy after all.
Without any warning, Yota suddenly stood up from the bush making sure not to expose Tenten, rose thorns scratching his skin all the way, and fled towards the opposite direction. The man that drew closer shook himself free from the little shock Yota’s sudden appearance gave him and pursued after the boy. Yota headed for the forest. If he could find shelter in the forest of Luse, he would be safe and hopefully Tenten would be able to escape with the decoy he gave.
Tenten’s eyes widened in shock at the sounds she was hearing. Her hands pressed tightly against her mouth so as not to give away her position as Yota was dragged back to her field of vision by his hair. He was caught and beaten up. The men that sabotaged her village discussed in a language that Tenten fairly understood and they seemed to come to a decision.
Hot tears flowed down Tenten’s cheek as a scream got stuck in her throat. Yota’s dulling green eyes looked towards her direction weakly. His mouth moved wordlessly as blood spewed out of it– his final words to Tenten. His lung had been ruptured by the knife pierced into his ribs.
Tenten watched in horror as the light in Yota’s eyes faded. She watched as the foreigners took their spoil from the massacre and headed off. She saw the marking gleaming on the man that killed Yota’s back. Wings. Tattooed black wings.
Blood bled into the roses that Tenten stayed under the safety of. Minutes, probably hours, passed as Tenten gazed dazedly into the lifeless eyes of her best friend. It took her a great deal of courage to crawl out of the hurting roses whose scent did nothing to drown out the smell of smoke and blood. Luse crumbled to the earth in front of Tenten’s own eyes.
Everything she loved and called home burnt to the dust along with the people in it. The dead people in it. Tenten was a living dead as she walked through the homesteads, taking in the sight of death and fire. Her tradition, her people, her island, every thing was gone. The animals had scampered to the forest leaving only the unfortunate ones who got burned to crisp behind.
Tenten came back to where her parents and Yota lay. As her sullen caramel eyes gazed at the pale flesh that had become of her loved ones, a pledge made itself in Tenten’s heart to bring justice to the people that did this to her family. Salvaging what she could, Tenten had no rest that night until she took everything that was not burnt into the safety of her cave.
It took her four weeks to dig enough graves for the dead people, some of which had rotten by then and some of which were burnt to crisp. Nevertheless, Tenten managed to swallow the bile that threatened to spill from the morbidity of it all and buried the dead bodies.
No longer was she carefree and cheerful. She was hardened with resolve now, resolve to find the winged man and her people’s precious Long Juanzhou. Her mother’s dangling earring swung on her left ear and her father’s on her right to the breeze that blew past Tenten at her mental declaration. Yota’s stud was hooked in the piercing at the top of her ear. She would never forget how morbidly those three died in front of her or the last words Yota said to her.
‘Woshi ai ni.’
Tenten fisted her hands and set off on a small sailboat that she had managed to save from the fire and repaired alongside digging graves. She would be back to her island, her home, to Luse one day with the Long Juanzhous with her and the winged men in justice.