First statute of the celestial dragons: If one wouldst rise to the stars, they must first balance their soul. We have left five keys to guide those below. One must begin with having the perseverance to walk the path.

  Min felt relief as the familiar shapes of the imperial palace complex came into view. Tae veered their course slightly and they landed in the courtyard of Min’s palace. There was a lot of bustling about as his servants and guards reacted to their sudden appearance. Min and Tae were both whisked away to the bathing chamber. Min was relieved that his servants were used to Tae, as Tae was the one giving orders. Min just let himself be steered along.

  Water splashed over his head and Min blinked in surprise. He looked around to realize it was only him and Tae in the bathing room. Tae had just finished washing both of them. Min barely had any time to process this before Tae picked him up and carried him into the bath. He positioned Min in front of him. Min couldn’t seem to find words so he just leaned back against Tae, letting his body relax into his love, to show him he appreciated it. His eyes flustered closed as the warm water and the feel of Tae against his skin soothed him.

  The sound of birds woke him. Min opened his eyes, only slightly surprised to find it was morning and he was laying in Tae’s arms in his own bed. The peaceful surroundings seemed to drive home what had happened just days ago. Min nestled closer to Tae, he felt nothing but gratitude when Tae opened his eyes and rolled over, pulling Min on top of him. Min hugged Tae as tears he hadn’t known he’d been holding back slid down his face and onto Tae’s chest.

  She was dead. He should feel relieved, this was what he’d been working towards for so many years. She was dead. How on earth was he supposed to tell Hanseul? She was dead. His and his mother’s lives were no longer under the threat that had chased them from their home. She was dead. The children were safer now. She was dead. How was he supposed to tell his mother that the woman she had loved, the woman she had never once shown any desire for revenge against, was gone? His mother, father, and Hanseul. He hadn’t even been the one to kill her, but how was he supposed to tell them what had happened. Something inside him hurt, it was like a jagged hole had been punched inside of him and the edges were cutting away at his heart. A hollowness replaced the place where anger and determination had once burned.

  After crying himself out Min got up and began getting ready for the day. Tae hovered behind him. Had it been anyone else Min would have yelled at them in frustration. Tae helped him put on his outer robe, tied his belt, and tied up his hair. Each movement was filled with so much love and care that Min felt comforted instead of irritated. Min looked in the mirror and realized the hollowness he was feeling was on full display on his face. No wonder Tae was worried. Min kissed Tae on the cheek before putting on that familiar mask, hiding his emotions, his distress, behind it. He glanced at the mirror again and nodded to himself. The hollowness was no longer visible. He no longer even looked worn or tired. He looked as he always did.

  His cold mask enveloped even his Qi. As he marched from his palace he was incredibly grateful to the skill. He could not show weakness, not now. He may trust his people, but he wasn’t staying tucked away in his palace. A litter waited for them in the courtyard. Min’s only show of surprise was a brief pause before he climbed inside. Tae followed him. Min didn’t miss the fact that Tae had lightened his body with Qi. Min let a smirk grace his lips before covering it with the mask. Tae just smiled innocently. That smile told Min two things. One, Tae had been the one to set up the litter. Two, Tae was not confident that the servants could carry him.

  “If it wouldn’t cause more chaos I’d have flown us both there.” Tae whispered.

  “Once this is all over I think I’d like to cause a bit of chaos.” Min replied. He hadn’t realized until just now but Tae appeared fully human. He’d hidden away all traces of his dragon heritage except for his white hair and blue eyes. The pupils were round, not slit. The horns and scales gone. No sign of the talons. And his ears were no longer pointed but rounded. Though a little disappointed, Min understood.

  The trip to his brother’s palace was both impossibly long and far too short. Min did not feel ready when the litter was lowered to the ground again. Nevertheless he stepped from the litter onto the gravely path. Tae held his hand. Min knew that was against imperial etiquette but had no desire to let go. He needed the anchor that Tae was providing him. As only brother to the emperor, and Tae being who he was, if anyone could ignore proper etiquette it was them. For now people might give them pause, but once this was all over and everyone knew what Tae was… well who was going to argue with a dragon about protocols, etiquette, and stuffy human rules?

  This was not the palace in which the daily court sessions took place. No, they would handle that afterwards. First, they needed to meet as a family. Min took a deep breath to brace himself before entering the building. Servants waited to guide them. Min and Tae followed silently. The door opened and Min froze in surprise and he was pulled into one hug after another, passed around like a doll, before ending up in the middle somehow. He gripped Tae’s hand tightly as he fought to keep his emotions in check. He glanced at his mother and it nearly broke his resolve. The look in her eyes told him she knew just how unstable he was. She was using her Qi to see past his barriers, something only she and Tae could do. Min did not miss the fact that the children were missing.

  “Seo and Nari are in classes.” Jae told him before he could ask. Min felt his shoulders relax. They were safe. He wouldn’t fully relax until he saw them with his own eyes, but for now it was enough. Min glanced around the room and realized he couldn’t bring himself to meet his brother’s eyes. Eyes that, like Min, he got from his mother.

  “It’s okay Min.” Hanseul said. With the expected hints of grief, there was a solidness to his voice that surprised Min. He finally met those warm brown eyes. There was no sign of accusation in them. “I knew this would be necessary one day.”

  Min shook his head. Jae and his father started to say something, likely to reassure him. Tae held up his hand and everyone stopped, surprised.

  “I didn’t kill her.” Min said quietly.

  “But-” Hanseul began.

  “She’s dead.” Min continued. “But I didn’t kill her. She… she took her own life.”

  The shock was nearly a physical force. Min glanced at Tae for support, Tae squeezed his hand and gave him a small smile of encouragement. Min took a deep breath and told his family everything that had happened from the moment they stepped into Song, Hea’s chambers, to the moment Tae picked him up and leapt out the window. His voice didn’t feel like his own. There was no emotion in it, he wasn’t reliving that night, just going over it, detached. A small sound made him glance over at his mother. Tears streamed down her face. She met his eyes briefly before burying her face in father’s shoulder. Jae held Hanseul who was also crying silently.

  Min slumped once he finished. The story having taken more out of him than he expected. He stumbled and Tae caught him. He vaguely heard his family calling his name, but when he went to look at them to reassure them all he saw was bright colourful Qi overflowing with emotions. Pain shot through his skull and Min gripped his head reflexively. He felt something shatter and Min gasped for air. Qi pressed on him from all sides. He could see and feel them all. Not just his family, the servants, the guards outside, the officials, more and more pressed on him. The weight of it all buried him. He vaguely noticed his own Qi lashing out in a vain attempt to shield him. White iridescent light enveloped him, shutting everything out. Min’s body gave out and his eyes felt heavy. He fought it but felt himself lose the battle as his consciousness faded.

  ***

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  Min screamed, letting go of Tae’s hand to grab at his own head. Gold glowed around him. Everyone stepped forward as if to help, Tae pulled Min into his arms, supporting most of his weight. Min flinched when the others got closer and Tae gestured them back. Min’s eyes glowed far too brightly. Something was wrong. Tae let his eyes shift to their nature split pupil, allowing him to see Qi with ease. The tendrils of golden Qi that usually gently branched out from Min allowing him to gather more information from people than normal was far too spread out. The edges were also jagged, bleeding Qi. Tae glanced at Min surprised, that’s when he saw the jagged hole in Min’s center. Min was bleeding Qi, and with Min’s gods blessed eyes that meant he felt everything.

  Tae wasn’t sure how far out Min was sensing right now, but it was clear he was getting far too much information. Min was gasping for air as if struggling under a weight. It was likely the weight of all the Qi that touched his own. Min’s eyes moved sightlessly in panicked movements. Tae pushed his Qi outward, enveloping Min in it. Everywhere his Qi touched Min’s the bleeding seemed to stop. Tae carefully surrounded Min in his Qi. Min calmed. With that calm his body gave out. Tae caught him and gently lowered him to the ground. Holding Min to keep him off the floor. Min’s face relaxed and his eyes fluttered closed.

  Tae examined the jagged hole. The initial damage must have been old, something he’d carried for so long that no one noticed it. Then the weight of the emotional turmoil over the last week had strained it until it finally broke. He had some guesses on just how long it’d been there and what Min had been using to patch it. Tae swore under his breath wishing Beom was there. He could shield Min, he could even create a patch for him, but he wasn’t sure how to heal this. Patching it wouldn’t be enough. But it would buy them time. Tae worked quickly, using his own Qi to gently guide Min’s. Even when the patch had been made Tae didn’t pull his Qi back, not fully. He kept a thin layer surrounding Min, shutting out all other Qi. He’d slowly remove it later when Min was conscious again.

  “He’ll be alright now.” Tae said. Everyone in the room sighed in relief. “I know this isn’t the best time for this, but as much as I want to rush Min back to his quarters, it can’t be put off.”

  Min’s family knelt around them. Tae met Hanseul’s eyes, his friend nodded, determination burning in his eyes behind the worry he very obviously felt for his brother.

  “As you likely guessed from what Min told you, Song, Hea was being controlled.” Tae continued. “It’s a tactic I’ve seen before. An implantation of demonic Qi that slowly takes over the host, eating away at their very soul.”

  The anger that flared with that statement was exactly what Tae had expected. It was techniques like this that had gotten the demonic sect shunned by the world. Tae was also very aware of the fact that the demonic sect used these techniques to control the evil faction and eat away at both the neutral and righteous factions. He’d been tasked with cleaning up after such things were discovered. He’d used one such mission to escape the sect.

  “The leader of the Demonic sect didn’t die at the end of the last war.” Tae said. “He escaped and has been building up his forces to try again.”

  “Any idea of what they’re after?” Hanseul asked.

  “He wants me, but that’s mostly personal.” Tae said. “Before she died, Song, Hea told us what they were after. The celestial relics.”

  Heavy silence filled the room. Though the imperial family had been tasked with protecting one of these relics, they wouldn’t know why the demonic sect would want it. Tae knew. He had overheard enough conversations while in the demonic sect’s compound. That combined with what he’d learned from Beom… oh he knew. He also knew why demonic sect patriarch Yun-Seo had been so obsessed with him. Why he’d wanted to own, control, and break Tae. Why he’d never used the soul eating or brainwashing techniques on Tae. Even though his mother had hidden away his Qi and the man could never be sure, his eye and hair colour had made the man obsessed at the chance.

  “They are aiming for one of two things, they don’t care which one they succeed in.” Tae told them.

  Tae did not take his eyes from Hanseul. He needed the face of a friend to get through this. He’d hoped Min would be beside him for this, but that wasn’t possible right now.

  “They want to either break the seal of the great celestial demon,” Tae continued. He paused and took a deep breath. “Or, create a new fallen dragon.”

  The silence seemed to echo as they processed what he’d said.

  “But the dragons don’t wander this plane anymore.” Sena said confused.

  Tae shook his head. “They don’t walk it openly.”

  “What do you mean?” Ju-Won, Min’s father, asked.

  “I’d planned to explain this with Min.” Tae sighed. His Qi rippled around him as his form shifted. Revealing his horns, scales, talons, and tail. He wasn’t sure why they hadn’t noticed his eyes, but then again they’d all been focused on Min. He was relieved that they didn’t pull away from him. “The Seok clan descends from the White Jade Dragon.”

  “Are there more like you?” Ju-Won asked. Tae shook his head.

  “No, I’m the only dragon of the Seok clan.” He answered.

  “So they’ll be targeting you then.” Sena replied. The worry in her voice clear. Tae gave her a small smile.

  “They’ve been targeting me all my life.” Tae told her. “It’s not anything new.”

  Hanseul muttered a rather long string of curses. Tae hadn’t known that his friend knew most of those until now. How he hadn’t let those slip during the last war he wasn’t sure. The unexpected nature of it caused Tae to laugh.

  “It’s not funny Tae.” Hanseul barked at him. “They kept you captive and tortured you.”

  “Where did you hear that?” Tae’s voice went cold.

  “Don’t worry, no one broke your trust.” Hanseul reassured him quickly. “You don’t get scars like yours from anything less than that. It didn’t take much to put two and two together. You kept getting targeted by the enemy, knew too much about the enemy, knew some of their names. You also had too much anger for them. It was clear they had done something to you personally. The way Hyuk and Shin both hovered around you to make sure you stayed stable clicked the last of it into place.”

  Tae sighed. Hanseul may not be as smart as Min but he wasn’t stupid. Tae had definitely left enough hints for someone of his intelligence to follow. He was sure Shin and Eun-U, hell even old man Geon had probably put it together. The only person he’d told was Hyuk. Hyuk would never have told anyone. He’d told Min as well, but Tae had no doubts about Min either.

  “They’ll try to get the relic of the Celestial Golden Dragon.” Tae said, turning the conversation back to the original topic. “Once they have it they’ll aim for the White Jade relic as well. They’ll need both to break the seal. They’ll want at least one of the relics and very specific circumstances to carry out the other plan, but they won’t need the relic.”

  “Creating another fallen dragon.” Sena whispered.

  “Yes. They’ll have two targets, we can use that to draw them out.” Tae said. “They won’t be able to ignore it if I join the front lines again.”

  “So you’re going to play bait?” Jae asked.

  “Yes. I’m too tempting of a target for them to ignore. Especially now.”

  “I don’t like the idea.” Sena said.

  “You’re going to like it even less.” Tae told her. “Min will need to join me.”

  “What!” all four exclaimed.

  “They’ll target Min as well. After all it’s the best way to make their plan work. If we’re both in one place they’ll target us with the majority of their forces. It’s the only way to reduce the risk and casualties.”

  “Was that your plan last time?” Hanseul asked.

  “No.” Tae reassured him. “I didn’t know what I was then. I didn’t understand what they wanted from me. Had I known I could have prepared for it, Hyuk would still be alive.”

  “What do you mean?” Sena whispered.

  “That’s how you make a dragon fall.” Tae told her. “You take everything from them. It causes them to become enraged, making them susceptible. Then you give them a little push. It almost worked last time too.”

  “So if Min dies…” Hanseul choked out the words.

  “Yes.” Tae looked at Min, caressing his face lightly. “That’s why I need him with me. I’m sorry. I know you all love him and want him to stay safe, away from the front lines.”

  “He knows doesn’t he?” Sena asked.

  “Yes.” Tae whispered. “Though I don’t think he knows I know. I noticed it in the way he worded his confession, when he gave me those keys.”

  The silence was heavy. Tae didn’t look up from his love’s face. He knew the burden his love placed on Min wasn’t fair. But he’d already given him his heart, there was no going back. Tae was very aware of his own instability. He wasn’t sure if it was his dragon nature or the hell his life had been, but he’d never really been sane. It wasn’t fair to give Min this burden, but Tae knew there was no way to reverse the process now. Should Min die, Tae would fall, and he would take the whole world with him. If Min died, if Tae lost what was left of his heart, there would be nothing that could stop him from engulfing everything, including himself, in destruction and flames.