Divine beasts serving the celestial dragons are often referred to as the great guardians. They are only found in the areas they have been given charge of. Both of the celestial dragons spread their divine beasts throughout the world to help maintain balance.

  Tae tossed his sword with a flick of his wrist, catching it again as it spun in the air briefly. He waited for his opponent to get into position. Once Hei-Kwan took his stance, Tae settled into his own as well. One hand gripping his sword, the other palm flat a finger’s width away from the flat of his blade.

  Tae nodded, signalling to Hei-Kwan that the first move was his. Hei-Kwan sprung into motion and Tae danced out of the way. He could have countered but he preferred to watch his opponent first in a sparring match. The whole point of this was to help calm his mind, so he was going to do things his way.

  “What, afraid the wood will give you a bruise?” Hei-Kwan taunted. Tae stayed silent.

  Hei-Kwan didn't stop moving, he was getting faster with each strike. Tae smiled as he blocked his opponent’s blade. He still didn't counter and Tae could see this was bothering Hei-Kwan.

  “With movements like that you seem more like a dancer than swords-master.” Hei-Kwan said. “I'm beginning to doubt the rumours.”

  As their match wore on, his opponent’s frustration built. The man couldn't get a hit on Tae and Tae wasn’t even trying to get a hit in. The fact that Tae was completely ignoring his verbal taunts only added to it. Tae smirked as his opponent’s emotions finally got the better of him.

  Hei-Kwan swung his sword in a powerful arch. It'd be a blow that would knock most men backwards with the sheer force of it. Tae used his sword to guide his opponent's sword further than Hei-Kwan had intended, making him stumble as he lost balance momentarily. That moment was more than enough.

  Tae stepped in, closing the gap between them. Grabbed his opponent’s sword hand with his own free hand. A quick sweeping of his foot was all it took to take out his opponent’s feet. Faster than Hei-Kwan could blink, Tae had him on his back with a sword to his throat.

  The bell called the match and Tae removed his sword, holding out a hand to help his opponent to his feet. Hei-Kwan smiled ruefully and took the offered hand. The smile turned into a true smile as soon as he was back on his feet.

  “Damn.” Hei-Kwan sighed. “I didn't stand a chance did I.”

  “Don't let it get to you. “ Tae told him reassuringly.

  “Can't imagine you ever losing a fight with skills like that.” His younger cousin laughed.

  “I have actually.” Tae replied. “More than once.”

  Maybe it would help the boy if he knew that there was always someone stronger, faster, better. That had been part of why he’d agreed to the sparring match in the first place. The sooner Hei-Kwan learned that lesson the better. It was the kind of information that could save your life.

  “Your opponent couldn't have been human then.”

  “As far as I'm aware he was human.” Tae told him calmly. “I let my emotions get the best of me.”

  Thankfully the conversation was interrupted before Hei-Kwan could ask any more questions.

  “Good match,” Ryung said as he and Min approached. The brothers looked shockingly alike. Both had blue-grey eyes, and white hair which marked them as part of the Seok clan. Something Tae had only learned after coming here. Hei-Kwan, the younger of the two, was, from what Tae had gathered, about eighteen. There was an eight-year age gap between the brothers. Like Hanseul and Min’s relationship however, the age difference hadn’t seemed to have had any kind of negative impact on their relationship.

  “Hei-Kwan has the makings of a great warrior.” Tae replied. He was being entirely honest, the young man did have the talent to become an amazingly skilled warrior with time.

  “If the general says so then he’s not just a trouble maker after all.” Ryung teased.

  “Ryung!” Hei-Kwan protested. Tae felt the corner of his lips twitch upwards.

  Min handed Tae a towel, and Tae took it. He hadn’t really done more than warm up a bit, but the gesture was very welcome. He considered teasing Min but decided against it.

  “We have an invitation to tea.” Min said. Tae tensed slightly but forced himself to relax. He was still adjusting to the situation and he’d noticed that both sides of his family were very close to each other. A tea invitation meant there was a good chance they all would be there. Fifteen people.

  “If another time would be better no one is going to be offended.” Ryung said. Tae knew that the man meant it. They had all been very understanding of his struggles with the situation.

  “The only ones who might give you grief about it are Haru and Wook.” Hei-Kwan said. “And they’ll forgive you the moment they see you next.”

  The reminder of the two children helped. Only two of his cousins were married, and they each had one child. Both children were incredibly sweet natured, and fascinated by Min. Dark hair was as rare here as the clan’s white hair was elsewhere. The memory of the two children crawling from his lap to Min’s and back again made him smile slightly.

  “No,” Tae said, shaking his head as he put his wooden training sword away. He turned back to them before finishing his answer. “We’ll be there.”

  “I’ll let mother know.” Ryung said. Hei-Kwan hurried after his older brother as he left. Tae and Min watched them as they crossed the gate and slipped out of sight.

  After a moment of near silence Tae felt Min’s fingers interlace with his own and he turned to look at his lover. The quiet support Min had been for him since he’d woken up here had meant the world to Tae. He knew he’d still be falling apart at the seams without Min’s steady presence holding him together.

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  “We’ve got some time before they’d be expecting us,” Min said. “I found somewhere peaceful we could go.”

  Tae squeezed Min’s hand in thanks and nodded. He followed Min from the training yard, the towel slipped off his shoulders and Tae just let it fall to the ground. They continued past buildings, and into the forest that surrounded everything here. The moment he could no longer hear the hum of people Tae felt himself relax. He’d always felt a bit more at peace surrounded by nature.

  There was a pressure from being around these people. Too many gazes searching for something in him that he didn’t remember. He wasn’t sure if they were searching for remnants of his parents in him, or signs of the small child they’d once known. He hadn’t felt this way in the imperial city, but then again, he’d been living under an alias and no one had expected anything from him there. The fact that he could cook for others in relative peace had made it enjoyable.

  The trees thinned and Tae got a glimpse of just where it was Min had taken him to. He’d noticed the rumbling had gotten louder, now he knew why. They stepped out from the trees and the small clearing with the waterfall opened before them. Tae let Min lead him closer and didn’t hesitate before following Min as he sat on a rock that had clearly been smoothed out for such a purpose. Tae lifted Min’s hand, pressing his lips to the back of it before resting his head lightly on the top of Min’s. Min squeezed his hand slightly in response.

  Tae let the sound of nature around them sooth him. The thundering waterfall washing away his tension. The serenity of the scenery before them helping settle his nerves that had been on edge since the ambush. His very soul seemed to connect to the valley.

  Pain laced through him and Tae hunched over, releasing Min’s hand. His eyes, his core, both burned with a cold fire. Tae gasped for air as he tried to wade his way through the pain. He could hear Min calling his name but couldn’t get enough air to respond. The cold fire spread, burning through Tae like flames licking up dried straw.

  Tae half fell off the rock, his hands digging into the dirt. Something about the sensation felt off and Tae realized it wasn’t fingers that dug into the dirk but talons. Talons that weren’t the familiar black. The pain flared and Tae screamed, only it wasn’t a scream that escaped his lips, the sound echoed back to him sounding far too much like a roar. A sound he hadn’t heard in roughly six years, and at the time it hadn’t been coming from him.

  ***

  Min watched in horror as Tae convulsed in pain. He continued to call Tae’s name, hoping it’d help ground him. He tried to get closer to Tae again only to be pushed back by some unseen force. He shoved at the air, his hands slamming against what felt almost like a wall. He gritted his teeth and pulled on his own Qi, activating his eyes. He only had a moment to wrap his head around what he saw before the white Qi filled force went out in a wave throwing Min.

  He landed on the ground with a hard thud. Min groaned as he rolled over and got back up. He looked at Tae again and his mouth fell open in shock. Before he’d seen just an outline in Qi energy. Now where Tae had been was something impossibly large. He should have been afraid of it, but instinct told him that the beast before him was Tae. He hurried up to the black and white dragon. The white sections looked like flames trying to devour the black.

  Nothing tried to keep him back this time so Min gently rested his hand on what had been Tae’s wrist. He rested his other hand on the finger like bit before the talons. It was the closest he’d be able to manage to holding Tae’s hand at the moment. He looked up at the head. Tae’s silver eyes stared back at him. The pupil split like a cat’s. As Min watched, the silver drained out of Tae’s eyes. In its place was a blue so light it reminded Min of ice.

  “Tae-Hwan, Min!” a familiar deep voice called. Min turned to see Beom rushing towards them. He didn’t slow when he took in the dragon, but a tightness formed around his eyes and lips. A rumbling growl stopped him in his tracks. He held both hands up signalling he didn’t mean any harm. The claw Min was holding moved, and Min found himself in its grasp. He looked up to see Tae fixated on Beom. His teeth were bared in warning.

  “Tae!” Min called. “I’m okay, it’s just Beom.”

  The massive head shifted to look at him. Min’s eyes met Tae’s ice-blue ones and he saw the fear in them. Tae wasn’t seeing Beom as a threat, he was just scared. Min couldn’t blame him. He also realized Tae might not know how to speak in this form, he might not even be capable of it.

  “Beom can help, Tae.” Min continued. “He’s the guardian and under the celestial dragon. If anyone is going to know what’s going on it’ll be him.”

  A whimpering sound came from Tae before he lowered his head down to the ground. He released Min but continued to watch both him and Beom. Beom approached slowly, his movements reminded Min of how people handled a spooked horse.

  “It’ll be alright, I promise.” Beom said, his voice incredibly gentle. “It’s sooner than we anticipated, but not unexpected.”

  “Wait, what?” Min asked, the question startled out of Min.

  “We were going to tell you both,” Beom replied. “We wanted to give him time to adjust to being here, to the fact that he had blood relatives. The plan had been to ease him into everything.”

  “Hold on.” Min said. “You all expected this to happen?”

  Beom glanced at Min before turning his attention back to Tae. He stepped forward and Tae growled. Beom sighed.

  “Yes,” he answered. “It’s not common, but this does happen every so often.”

  “You’re going to have to explain what you mean by every so often.” Min insisted.

  “Every few hundred years or so.” Beom replied. He must have realized that Tae wanted him to answer Min’s questions.

  “What exactly happened? Why did this happen?” Min asked.

  “The Seok clan aren’t exactly… human.” Beom said. He was within arms reach of both Tae and Min now. He didn’t reach for either of them though. Instead he slumped a bit before sitting on the ground. It was a clear signal that he was no threat. Min was certain that Beom had done this on purpose to help keep Tae calmer.

  Min just stared at him. He knew Tae was otherworldly but… what in the blazing depths of the afterlife was Beom talking about. This didn’t make any sense unless… Oh. He needed to stop assuming things were just legends it seemed. Life was continually proving to him that that was not the case.

  “The Seok clan are descendants of the White Jade Dragon.” Beom continued. “They’re mostly human, but every so often, and very rarely, one of them is born more dragon than human. Insoo is about half and half, which in and of itself is not common. Korain, Tae-Hwan’s father, was slightly more dragon than human.”

  Beom paused, letting them take in the information. Not only was it a lot of information, it was the first time someone had mentioned Tae-Hwan’s father by name. A shudder had gone through Tae at the sound of it.

  “Areum, Tae-Hwan’s mother, was a rare one from a branch family that was just under half dragon. The combination must have allowed for their son to be more dragon than human.”

  “How much?” Min asked after a moment of silence. Something about that felt important. He glanced at Tae and saw sorrow, grief, and fear chasing each other in his eyes. He then realized that Tae had never once mentioned his mother’s name. None of his relatives had either. Remembering what Tae’s life had been like, Min's gut felt hollow. This might be the first time he’d heard the name. The fact that this chaotic moment was likely when Tae learned what his mother’s name was, felt wrong.

  “When he was a child he was only three-tenths human.” Beom answered. There was something about the way he answered that told Min things had changed.

  “And now?” Min asked. He gripped Tae’s scaled finger. The scales were a lot bigger in this form than the one Tae had shown him what seemed like forever ago now. As complicated as things had been, it seemed like their world had been simpler at the time.

  “Best I can guess, he’s now one-tenth human and nine-tenths dragon.” Beom’s response was so quiet it was nearly a whisper.

  Min stared at him in shock. He glanced at Tae and the look of surprise on his dragon face was too much. Min dissolved into something akin to laughter. Tae snorted at him.