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It was his only physical reminder that she was real. That what they had together hadn’t been a figment of his imagination. And therefore, he couldn’t ever give up.
She was still out there. Perhaps in a realm not too far away.
If he didn’t give up, one day, by some miracle, there was still a chance he could find her.
She was real. Their love was real.
“Okay, we’ve been hiking up and down these mountains forhours…”
Shai’s deer-like ears perked up at the still distant grumblings that was carried to him on the wind.
“And still there are more mountains! Are you sure these artifacts are taking us in the right direction? How about I just shoot up some lightning in dragon form, call for a little get together all around the realm, and we can see if he shows up to the party?”
The mutterings were faint, but Shai could clearly hear them from where he was resting in his cave, tucked behind a boulder and a few shrubs that no one would notice unless they stumbled directly upon the entrance.
“Time has no meaning here, remember?” a different male voice said.
It sounded somewhat exasperated, yet patient at the same time, as if the speaker was used to dealing with the whiner.
“It might feel like hours—”
“Ithasbeen,” the other man said stubbornly.
“—but that’s to be expected. This realm is unfathomably vast. Turning dragon and lighting up the skies like a batman beacon will attract more than just our dragon, if he’s around to see it. We’ve talked about this. Besides, you don’t even know if youcantransform. The magic of this realm is pervasive and limiting, like a heavy cloak. Even I can feel it.”
“But these little human legs aren’t made for prolonged exertion,” the first man huffed.
The voices were coming closer. Soon, the men would walk right past Shai’s cave. There were three of them, from the sounds of the footsteps, though the third man hadn’t yet spoken.
That there were humanoids traveling through the Celestial Realm wasn’t anything special to note. Fairies, guards, and other magical beings could often be seen. Once in a while they came to his mountain to see how he fared.
The fairies usually brought lush fruit and flowers from the Palace Garden as an offering, which he ignored. He didn’t trust the food they brought and preferred to hunt his own.
The soldiers appeared predictably whenever he ignored the Jade Emperor’s summons in a small act of rebellion. They possessed magical staffs that could shock him into making an appearance in the Palace Hall.
And once or twice, the Master had come personally to retrieve him.
The little old man never said much, merely regarding him with unreadable eyes as he stroked his long white beard in thought. At a snap of his fingers, Shai would be transported to the Palace Hall to receive his next mission whether he was willing or not.
Even when he became more obedient and didn’t fight the summons any more, the Master would always regard him with a strange sort of disappointment. As if he knew what was really in Shai’s heart—
That he was only biding his time here.
That he would never forget his human love. He would never give up trying to reunite with her.
“I have amazing stamina as dragon, as my beloved Mate will attest,” the first man wheezed.
“But in this weakling form, I’m only good for short bursts. And Ireallydon’t like hiking. Or running. Or any sort of activity that isn’t sex or eating. In that order.”
“TMI,” the second man muttered.
As they drew ever nearer, the silver band around Shai’s left claw began to heat and glow.
He stared at it in awe.
What could it mean?
The metal was getting increasingly brighter, like a small sun wrapped around his claw, making it impossible to look directly at it. The heat was like being roasted in a forge. It burned, making him hiss softly at the sharp, unexpected pain.
