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How long had he been awake?
Jiyan wasn't entirely sure. The days had begun to blur together after the most recent wave of battles. Tacet Discord outbreaks growing more frequent with each passing dawn. Every day was another fight, another struggle to make sure every one of his fellow Rangers survived long enough to see the next sunrise.
But some days, even his best efforts weren't enough.
This was one of those days.
He had fought fiercely, keeping most of the Tacet Discords away from his squad. Yet one of them, a brave, reckless soul had noticed an enemy closing in behind the General and moved to intervene.
Jiyan didn't realize it until he heard the choked cry behind him. And when he turned... and saw the Ranger fall, eyes already fading, something in him snapped.
The next thing he knew, the battlefield was silent. The Tacet Discords lay in ruin, and his subordinates were staring at him with a mixture of awe and fear. His Tacet Mark burned like fire, and he could feel the wild energy pulsing through him, desperate to be contained.
"Go back to camp." he ordered, his voice low but sharp. They obeyed without hesitation, fleeing toward safety, away from the image of their General's rampage that would surely linger in their minds forever.
Jiyan stayed behind, pouring the chaotic energy coursing through his veins into annihilating every remaining trace of Tacet Discord.
Now he was trudging back to his tent, exhausted, heart-sore, and numb. But upon entering his tent, he stilled, eyes immediately locking onto Raya sitting on the edge of his bed.
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Jiyan and Raya had known each other since childhood, but the word "best friend" had never been spoken between them. It didn't need to be. Their bond was written in glances, laughter, and the quiet moments shared between battles and dreams. They grew together, two souls chasing the same dreams, never needing words to understand one another.
After graduating from the Military Academy ten years ago, their paths slowly drifted apart. Duty kept them separated, allowing only fleeting reunions when the weight of responsibility eased just enough for old memories to breathe again.
Jiyan rose through the ranks with unyielding resolve, eventually becoming a General of Huanglong's forces. The lives of thousands rested on his shoulders, and with every victory came the quiet echo of its cost. He was a man of duty, bearing both strength and sorrow in silence.
Raya, meanwhile, had carved her name into the very core of Huanglong's justice system. Now serving as Secretary of Justice, she upheld the delicate balance between crime and order. She pursued the shadows others feared to face, prosecuted the guilty, and restored what chaos sought to destroy.
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"Madam Secretary." Jiyan greeted politely, his voice tired but polite. "What brings you to my quarters?"
She tilted her head, studying his face for a long moment. The exhaustion in his eyes spoke louder than any words ever could.
Raya didn't answer him.
She just stared.
Her expression was unreadable. Anyone else would've thought she felt nothing at all. But Jiyan knew her too well. He noticed the tightening of her jaw, the slight tremor she forced into stillness, the way her eyes kept drifting to his injuries like she was trying not to imagine how close he'd come to losing himself.
She knew.
Of course she knew.
"Raya?" he tried again, quieter this time, as if afraid to break whatever fragile thing sat between them.
She stood, closing the distance between them. Then, without a word, she reached up and gave Jiyan a light knock on the top of his head.
Jiyan blinked, clearly taken off guard. "...What was that for?" he asked, surprise flickering across his face.
Raya arched an eyebrow, pretending to look serious. "You're frowning again. It's starting to look permanent. Not a great look for a General." she said, her lips twitching as if she were fighting a smile.
Jiyan let out a quiet exhale that was half sigh, half laugh. "Is that your professional opinion?"
"Obviously. I have years of experience dealing with people who don't know how to relax."
He gave her a faint, tired smile. "And how do you suggest I fix that?"
Raya hummed, pretending to think. "Hm. You could start by not carrying the entire world on your shoulders. Maybe take a nap. Or eat something that isn't field rations for once."
"Are those doctor's orders?" he asked dryly.
She smirked. "Friend's orders." Then, softer, "You did what you could today, General. That's enough."
There was a brief moment of silence before Jiyan decided to speak again.
"Raya. I thought I could handle it." His voice was low, weighed down by something he couldn't quite name. For a man so used to command, he suddenly looked... lost. "That after all these years, I'd grown used to it. That it wouldn't shake me like this anymore." He drew in a slow breath, but it came out uneven. "It was our first casualty this year, and I-I'm not sure I handled it well..." His chest tightened, and he averted his gaze. "I don't know if I'm fit to lead them. Losing a Ranger under my watch... I felt-" He paused, shaking his head. "I felt like I failed them."
Raya didn't speak. She knew better than to interrupt when he was finally letting himself talk.
"But it did." he went on, gaze fixed somewhere on the floor. "He was just a boy, Raya. Barely out of training." His throat tightened. "And now he's gone." He dragged in another breath, his voice faltering. "I keep replaying it in my head, the look on his face, the way everything went silent after.
Raya's chest ached at the sight of him. "You always take the blame on yourself." she said softly. "Even when it isn't yours to bear."
He gave a quiet, humorless laugh. "If not me, then who? They look to me for direction, for certainty. If I falter, they lose faith. So I keep it together." His voice dropped lower, rougher. "But lately... I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this."
Without thinking, Raya reached out and rested her hand over his. His fingers were cold and tense beneath hers.
"Jiyan." she said softly. "You don't always have to be the strong one."
He lifted his eyes to her, as if searching for the meaning behind her words.
"It's all right to feel like this." she continued, her voice low and sincere. "To doubt yourself. To hurt. Even to fall apart a little." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "You've been carrying the weight of everyone else for so long... when was the last time you allowed yourself to just feel?"
He looked down again, his jaw tightening. "If I let myself feel too much, I'll fall apart. And I can't afford that. Not when people rely on me."
Raya shook her head. "You're not made of steel, Jiyan. You never were." Her tone softened, but there was strength in it too. "And that's what makes you the kind of leader people believe in. Not because you're flawless, but because you care enough to break when it hurts."
"Lately... it just feels like it's eating away at me." he admitted.
Raya's gaze softened. "You don't have to carry it alone, Jiyan. You've got people who would follow you through anything, but you also have people who'll stand beside you when it hurts. Especially me."
The corner of his mouth twitched, not quite a smile, but something close. "You make it sound so simple."
Raya gave a faint, teasing hum. "Maybe it is. Or maybe you just need someone to remind you once in a while."
Jiyan went quiet for a long moment, the tension in his shoulders slowly loosening as if her words had reached some part of him he'd long kept buried. Without a word, he leaned in until his forehead came to rest lightly against hers.
https://imgur.com/gallery/raya-jiyan-7e1PG6c (Copy this into your browser's URL bar to view the image.)
Raya froze for half a heartbeat, caught off guard by the rare vulnerability in him. But she didn't pull away. Instead, she stayed still. Her heart beating a little too fast at the quiet weight of his trust.
"...Thank you." he said softly, the words muffled but sincere. "For reminding me I don't have to carry everything alone."
Raya smiled faintly, her voice barely above a whisper. "You never did, Jiyan."
He wasn't sure how long it took for the world to come slowly back into focus. But when Jiyan finally pulled back, he felt steadier.
"I know we should call it a day, but...Tacet Discord activity is off the charts...I need to at least examine the map, make sure the strategic points are still secured..." a faint crease forming between his brows as his gaze fell on the folded map resting on the table. "And that we have enough reserve forces to rotate out. My mind won't rest until it's done, and besides..." Jiyan frowned, "I have to appear in control, or else the rest of the Rangers will also lose hope. And I need to, I need to manage, I can't-" He paused, fingers tightening around his hilt. "Just...give me a moment, and then I promise that I'll rest." Overworking himself wasn't a choice, it was a duty he couldn't afford to neglect.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Raya asked. Having previously been a member of the Military Defense Team under General Geshu Lin's command, her expertise and experience were invaluable.
Jiyan spread the map across the table, studying every detail with lips pressed in thought as he cross-referenced it with the Tacet Discord activity the Resonators had reported. Huanglong's borders was a task without end, and he carried it like a weight he refused to set down.
Jiyan turned back to Raya, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "You could give me your unbiased opinion, like always. Keep me from potentially running myself into the ground."
"You can go over my records and reports, see if anything new shows up on the Tacet Discord's movements." he said, gesturing toward the scattered papers. "I don't trust every word at face value. A second set of eyes can make the difference."
With that, Jiyan returned to his map, eyes scanning the depiction of Jinzhou and its surroundings. His fingers traced the lines lightly, weighing different strategies to contain the outbreaks.
The calm he had carefully maintained cracked for a moment when a freshly marked Tacet Discord hotspot caught his attention. Yet Raya's presence did more than he might realize. Jiyan's eyes flicked toward her, a fleeting relief passing through him. He wasn't sure if she noticed, but having someone to share the weight, even silently was something he hadn't known he needed.
"General. It's important that we pinpoint these areas, especially since the Rangers are stretched too thin as it is." Raya suggested as she attentively observed the placement of the Tacet Discord marks on the area.
As both of them analyzed the map, Jiyan found himself relaxing a bit more. He'd always admired her sharp mind, and while she spoke, he found himself absentmindedly staring at her. "So, General, what do you think about my plan?" She abruptly asked, shifting her gaze towards him, which snapped him out of his trance.
Jiyan's cheeks warmed with a faint embarrassment, and he hastily looked away, refocusing on the map. "That's a solid plan. We'll need to move the Rearguard into sectors with the densest Tacet Discord activity. Some Rangers reported multiple sightings of Tacet Discords moving in coordinated formations. I want to investigate that further." His voice drifted slightly as he studied Raya's expressions, weighing both the map and her insight. "It'll be chaotic, but we can chip away at some of these hotspots. There are reinforcements camped to the southeast. I'll need to rotate them in... and perhaps bring fresh supplies to the Rangers already on the front lines."
Raya leaned closer to the map, her finger tracing several routes with precision. "If you divert the southeast reinforcements here..." she said, circling a cluster of red marks, "You can establish a containment perimeter before dawn. If you reroute the flow through these ridges, you and your squad can bait them away from the supply lines."
"You never miss a thing, do you?" Jiyan said quietly, a note of admiration threading through his tone. "Your eye for strategy is sharper than most people I've met."
And then he paused, letting the weight of his words settle.
"Thank you, Raya. Your input has helped more than I can say." His eyes flicked toward her, soft with appreciation, before returning to the map. "With this, we can tackle the hotspots more effectively. Once the replacements are in place, I should finally be able to rest..."
"Ha! Admit it, I'm better than you." Raya teased with a smirk, her arms crossed over her chest as she chuckled.
"Not a chance." The General replied with a light laugh, shaking his head in disagreement.
Jiyan stretched, rolling the tension from his back, the ache from the battle still clinging stubbornly to his muscles. Sleep would have to wait a little longer. He reached for a small box on his desk, rifled through it, and set a tea bag on the table. "Tea?" he asked.
"Absolutely." she replied with a warm smile.
And the rest of the night was filled with conversations that brought smiles to their faces.
[2 hours later...]
"Thank you, General. I had fun!" With midnight approaching, Raya knew that Jiyan needed to rest.
"Hey, would you mind if I dropped by Jinzhou the day after tomorrow?" Jiyan asked, his voice casual but warm. It had been far too long since they'd talked without the weight of duty pressing between them. No ranks, no responsibilities. Just... the two of them.
"Of course." she replied. They both knew how unpredictable their schedules could be, how little time their positions allowed for moments like this. Still, she said it sincerely, and that was enough to make his chest feel lighter.
"Anyway, I should head off. It's getting late, and you're not exactly good at hiding how tired you are." Raya teased, reaching up to pinch his cheek.
"Hey—cut it out!" Jiyan laughed, swatting her hand away as a faint flush crept across his face. For a moment, he wasn't the composed General of Huanglong, but that same boy she used to fluster without even trying.
In return, Jiyan reached over to ruffle her hair and caught her in a loose headlock, restraining her movements.
"Alright, alright! You win!" Raya laughed, finally throwing her hands up in surrender. Jiyan had her locked in place.
"What was that?" Jiyan teased, one brow raised. It wasn't often he heard her admit defeat, and hearing it now was almost satisfying.
Raya rolled her eyes, slipping free from his arm with a huff. "Don't let it go to your head, General."
He chuckled, brushing a bit of dust off his sleeve. "Would you like me to accompany you back to Jinzhou?" he asked. Despite her confidence, the idea of her traveling this late with only a small escort didn't sit right with him.
"No need. I can take care of myself." Raya replied without hesitation. She was a well-known Resonator, though she also had a tendency to get a little too carried away.
"Still..." he said, crossing his arms, "You rely too much on brute force. You can't just go rampaging through every encounter and expect it to end well."
Raya smirked, unfazed. "And yet it usually does."
Jiyan exhaled a quiet sigh, shaking his head with a faint smile. "You're going to be the reason I never get any rest, you know that?"
"Then you'll just have to keep up with me, General." she shot back.
"Stubborn as always." Jiyan murmured under his breath as he walked Raya toward the exit.
"Goodnight, General." she said, offering a small smile before turning away.
"Until then, Madam Secretary." he replied, watching her disappear into the quiet night before he headed back inside.
Within the tent, the air felt heavier. The steady hum of the camp outside faded, replaced by the quiet creak of his armor as he unfastened each piece with care.
When he finally lay down, the exhaustion hit him all at once. His breathing soon slowed, and before long, the room was filled with the gentle sound of his sleep.
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- End of Chapter 1