The snake struck before either of them could move.
A blur of scales, a snap of fangs—Taotao barely had time to flinch before
pain bloomed through his ankle like fire. He let out a strangled sound, half
curse, half cry, and collapsed sideways into the mud.
"Taotao!" Ju Xian scrambled across the trench to him, her heart pounding
louder than the rain above. His leg twitched violently as the venom took
hold. His breathing turned erratic, eyes fluttering.
"No, no—wake up, you idiot!" she shouted, slapping his cheek lightly as she
fumbled for her satchel.
Taotao gave a weak groan, but his eyes rolled back.
Just moments before, they had both spotted the serpent.
It had slithered into view from behind a moss-covered stone, its tongue
flicking and eyes focused on them. Taotao had instinctively stumbled back,
stepping hard on Ju Xian's foot.
"Watch it, thief!" she hissed.
"Blame the snake, not my balance!" he barked, stumbling sideways.
"Of course you'd blame a reptile—finally something slower than you!"
"Oh good, joke while we're about to die—classic noblewoman flair!"
"I'm the one trying to keep us alive!"
They'd shouted in unison—then the snake lunged.
Now, her fingers trembling, Ju Xian uncorked a vial of golden tincture. She
poured it over the wound and pressed hard. She tore fabric from her already
ruined robe and wrapped it above his ankle, tying it fast with shaking hands.
His breath grew shallow. His lips trembled.
"Wake up, you idiot!" she repeated, voice cracking. "You don't get to fall
asleep! Not now!"
Taotao's head lolled, then stilled.
---
In his mind, the world fell away.
Smoke filled the air.
He stood on a battlefield drenched in fire and blood. Soldiers screamed.
Horses shrieked. Flaming arrows rained like stars fallen from a hateful sky.
And there—amid the chaos—he saw her.
Li Xian.
Dressed in battlefield robes, a dagger in one hand, an injured soldier on her
back. Her face was bruised but unbroken, her mouth set in that same
determined line he'd seen just hours ago in the trench.
Beside her fought a man—Ren Xu. His long hair was soaked in blood, and his
blade swung like lightning. He struck down enemy after enemy, roaring to
keep the path clear.
But it wasn't enough.
A sword found Ren's chest.
Li Xian screamed. She rushed to him.
More soldiers closed in.
She fought.
And she fell.
The vision blurred. The battlefield melted into silence.
And there, in the center of the abandoned field, sat a single figure.
A bird.
Sky, the macaw, circled above the two bodies before landing between them.
The battlefield was empty now—everyone gone, the war ended, victory claimed.
But Sky remained.
For days. Then months. Then years.
Perched on the broken hilt of Ren's blade. Watching. Waiting.
People came and went. Kingdoms rose and fell. Seasons turned. Still the
bird waited, never flying far, never forgetting.
Taotao—Ren—watched it all. Tears streamed down his dream-self's face.
Memories he never knew he held now bloomed in color and grief. He saw
himself, once brave and loyal. He saw Li Xian's smile, heard her laughter,
remembered her voice calling his name as she took her final breath.
And now… she was here again.
Not Li Xian, but Ju Xian.
Not a battlefield, but a trench.
Still, fate had brought them back.
And Sky… Sky was waiting.
---
Taotao gasped awake.
His body seized. His skin was pale, and sweat poured down his brow. Ju Xian
was beside him, still pressing the cloth to his wound, her eyes wide with
fear.
"You're alive," she whispered.
He looked at her, eyes unfocused.
"I… I remember everything."