Dan Heng always has the jade pendant.
In one of the books on Vidyadhara culture that he reads under the light in Shackling Prison, the myth says that when a Vidyadhara puts a jade pendant in their mouth during rebirth, they can recognize their lover in the next life. Dan Heng doesn’t know if the myth is true or not, but as he clutches the jade pendant tightly, he hopes that it is true. That he will recognize his lover from the previous life. Dan Feng might be a sinner, but as he stares at the jade pendant—Dan Heng can feel the semblance of love he had for Dan Feng’s lover.
Dan Heng wonders then, if said lover will recognize him as Dan Feng's incarnation. Will they accept him? Or will they reject him, thinking that Dan Heng is a worthless and flawed incarnation just like what the preceptors tell him all the time?
He doesn’t know. Yet, he still tucks the jade pendant close to his heart as he sleeps.
————
Years have passed in the darkness of Shackling Prison. It feels like forever, and a blink of a moment. Dan Heng finds solace in the company of books. And whenever he feels the tendril of heartache, he will whisper to the jade pendant and kiss it softly like he imagines Dan Feng's previous lover would to him.
One day, Jing Yuan, one of the Arbiter-General and once a friend of Dan Feng, arrives at Dan Heng’s prison.
Jing Yuan stares at Dan Heng—chained to the wall that day because of his incompetencies in his knowledge—then sighs deeply. In his hand is a well-made bracer but without its pair. Dan Heng stares at it curiously, wondering why it seems familiar to him.
“This used to be Dan Feng’s bracer,” Jing Yuan says. He puts the bracer in front of Dan Heng. “The other pair is with Dan Feng’s lover. You can feel his temperature with this one.” He sighs again, looking as if he ages in a moment. “I think they will want you to have it,” he continues.
Jing Yuan then walks forward to unlock the chains and Dan Heng—craving any semblance of memory that can comfort him—reaches the bracer and carefully wears it on his arms. Soon enough, he can feel the warmth emanating from the bracer. Dan Heng’s other hand cradles the arm with the bracer into his chest, feeling his throat clogged with emotions he can’t discern. He doesn’t even notice when Jing Yuan leaves his prison, because at that time there’s nothing more important than the bracer and the jade pendant, the remnants of memories from his previous self.
————
The bracer comforts him like nothing else does. The warmth of the bracer gives him a sense of another presence in the cold and lonely Shackling prison. Sometimes the warmth will be gone, giving Dan Heng a sense that the other person has removed their bracer before they wear it again after minutes have passed. Sometimes, and what alarms Dan Heng, the bracer will slowly go cold until no warmth emanates. The first time it happened, Dan Heng was left in panic. Did Dan Feng’s lover die? Because that was the only thing Dan Heng could think of as to why the bracer slowly lost temperature. Yet before the grief dawned on him, the bracer slowly went warmer until it was back to the usual temperature—hotter than Dan Heng’s own Vidyadhara temperature. Dan Heng doesn’t understand why it happened. And it happens, a lot, that Dan Heng worries that the next time it happens, the bracer won’t return to its usual temperature.
He doesn’t know how long has passed until one day Dan Heng is reading a scripture when the bracer feels different. The telepathic connection is as if telling him that its pair is close. Does it mean that Dan Feng’s lover is currently on the ship too? Near the Shackling Prison? But why? Dan Heng is confused, staring at the bracer on his arm all the while clutching the jade pendant tightly.
It doesn’t take long until a slight commotion is heard from a distance and two heavy footsteps walk closer to Dan Heng’s prison. Soon enough two people—one a man with red eyes and another in heavy armor—arrive before him.
“Move back,” says the one in armor. Frightened, Dan Heng walks backward until his back touches the wall. The armored person then destroys the lock with a beam of fire and opens the door.
The man with red eyes quickly gets inside the prison. “Let’s get out of here,” he gruffly says. The man throws a cloak to cover Dan Heng. One of his hands is covered with the other pair of bracers and Dan Heng can feel his heart beat fast. This man is Dan Feng’s lover!
“I can’t go out, I’m a prisoner!” Dan Heng protests when that man grabs his hand and drags him to go outside the prison.
“That’s why we’re getting you out,” says the one in armor impatiently.
“That’s not how it works!”
The man and armored person share a look and suddenly Dan Heng’s feet are up in the air as the man with red eyes throws him onto his shoulder.
“You—” Dan Heng yelps.
“Be silent or we’ll be found out,” says the armored person in a loud voice. Dan Heng would have shot them an incredulous look if he’s not busy clutching the red-eyed man’s shoulders to balance himself.
He keeps his silence as they walk. Sometimes they will fight others, the armored person with their sword and beam of fire, and the red-eyed man with his sword. Dan Heng, on the other hand, is too busy trying not to throw up and hold the red-eyed man’s shoulders tighter as the red-eyed man maneuvers in his fights.
After a while of walking in the dark, they go out of a back door, and suddenly, Dan Heng sees the sun for the first time in his life.
It’s bright and warm and makes Dan Heng dizzy. He closes his eyes for a moment and when he opens them again, he’s inside a starskiff. There are other women in it, a woman with red hair with a mysterious smile, a gray-haired woman holding onto a bat, and a small girl with gray hair.
Dan Heng blinks and hesitantly says, “Hello? I’m Dan Heng?” This is how people introduce themselves right?
“Ah, he speaks,” the small girl blows a bubble even as she maneuvers the starskiff expertly.
“Hello, I’m Firefly,” the armored person says. What a cute name for an armored person, Dan Heng can’t help but think. However, just as the thought crosses Dan Heng’s mind, the armored person suddenly turns into a girl with silver hair. “My armored form is called SAM.”
“I’m Stelle. I love trash and I will beat people up with my bat,” says the woman with gray hair.
“Silver Wolf here, I’ll teach you how to play games,” says the girl driving the starskiff.
The woman with a mysterious smile says, “I’m Kafka.”
Then they all look at the man with red eyes who hasn’t introduced himself.
“Hmph,” the man grunted.
“This man,” Stelle slings his arm around the man’s shoulders. “Is Bladie—”
“Blade,” the man interjects.
“Bladie is the one who wanted to get you out of the prison,” Stelle doesn’t even flinch at the glare that Blade sends to her.
“You were Dan Feng’s lover,” Dan Heng says bluntly. Blade doesn’t say anything in reply but his eyes look sad as if he’s caught up in memories.
“Oh right,” Stelle grabs a spear from behind her and gives it to Dan Heng. “This is supposed to be Dan Feng’s… isn’t it?” She questions Blade.
“It is,” Blade answers. “And now it’s yours.”
Dan Heng looks at the spear in his hands, feeling a longing inside of him as he looks at it. He traces the word 丹 engraved on it.
“Welcome to freedom, Dan Heng,” Firefly says sincerely.
And Dan Heng—looking at the bright blazing sun so different from the darkness inside the Shackling Prison—smiles.
————
It’s raining outside the window. Dan Heng watches the rain in fascination from the bed. It’s been a while since the Stellaron Hunters got him out of Shackling Prison, yet Dan Heng is still amazed by the worlds he sees. From the scorching heat of the sun to the coldest icy rain, everything feels new to him every day.
“Do you want to go outside?” Blade asks. His head is lying on Dan Heng’s lap as he plays with Dan Heng’s long hair. It’s nice to be out of his disguise and enjoying the day.
“No, I don’t want to feel cold,” Dan Heng replies. He really hates cold, he wonders if it’s because he’s a Vidyadhara or because the cold reminds him of the Shackling Prison.
They stay in comfortable silence until Blade’s phone rings.
“Kafka?” He answers the phone. Dan Heng watches curiously as a myriad of expressions plays on Blade’s face. “No, we won’t go back,” he growls. Kafka must have said more things because the tendril of mara appears around him. Alarmed, Dan Heng uses his Cloudhymn to suppress the mara. Thankfully, the mara recedes and Blade looks up at Dan Heng gratefully. “I need to talk with Dan Heng first about this,” he finally says to Kafka then ends the call.
“What is it?” Dan Heng caresses Blade’s hair.
Blade grabs his hand and kisses his knuckles. “Elio has a new script, we have to go back to Xianzhou,” he caresses Dan Heng’s hand, trying to comfort Dan Heng from remembering his time in the Shackling Prison. “That brat promises that they will pardon us if we fix the problem in Xianzhou.”
“That brat is the Arbiter-General,” Dan Heng says in amusem*nt and Blade snorts in annoyance.
“We will have to act and get the Astral Express to help them too,” Blade adds.
Dan Heng hums. “Ah, that’s good. It’s been a while since we last saw Stelle.”
“Do you not mind?” Blade asks curiously. “We have to go back to Xianzhou and fix their problem. Even though all they do since your rebirth is hurting you,” he ends the sentence with a growl.
“But they’ll also pardon us. I would like to go out sometimes without a disguise. Just you and I, as if the universe doesn’t chase us.” Dan Heng says softly. Perhaps it’s a tall order, they’re still chased by IPC with bounties on their names. But to think they can walk around Xianzhou without disguise is something that Dan Heng longs to do.
Blade falls silent. “If they hurt you—”
“Then we’ll run away and forego the thought.” Dan Heng says. “It’s fine, isn’t it? We’ll protect each other anyway.”
The rain doesn’t stop, with lightnings and thunders, and the howling winds. “Of course we will,” Blade scoffs but there’s a smile on the edge of his lips.
Dan Heng smiles back.
