Destinies : Connected by Fate✔️

Chapter 16

YiYang quirks his brow, "So what you are telling me is that you can talk to... the soil and help heal it?"

YiHuang nods.

The crown prince presses on. "And that you took him out and unexpectedly found out that he can breathe our air?"

The duo nod in reply.

"That you almost destroyed half the grove because you thought that this human died!?" Slowly but steadily, with each question, the older Yuanjian's tone rises. Each statement is spoken with more disbelief than the last.

"Ah, about that," Zhang shakes his head, "in his defense, he did not know he was capable of it." He is about to add more but shuts up when YiHuang squeezes his hand and gestures him to stop.
Fixing Zhang with a cold gaze but addressing his brother, the crown prince asks, "Why did you hide it from me?"

"I don't know. I am sorry."

"What else are you hiding from me?" YiYang presses on, feeling somewhat betrayed. He had always thought that he knew his brother the best, but now it seemed like he was wrong all along. When he is met with silence, he leaves a frustrated breath, "That still doesn't explain what I saw earlier." He says, changing the subject, "I may have a soiled reputation, but I have never crossed my limits, YiHuang. You know our way. There can be only one You! You know the consequences of straying from our path. You know the price father had to pay!" The crown prince's words are venom, and his eyes are distant. He seems to be looking past his brother and into things long forgotten.

"Brother, I have not strayed. I haven't done anything that would shame our race...our people." YiHuang guides his brother's hand to his heart. He glances at Zhang, "Could you give us a few moments, please?" He requests; Not wanting to make matters worse between the brothers on his account, Zhang exits the cave without a word.

Left alone, YiHuang uncharacteristically embraces his brother, startling the older. "Brother, I almost lost him. I was careless. He...I want to be with him." He confesses and steps away. "The thought that he may leave me or that our father may not accept us scares me..." He clutches his chest, "I haven't...we haven't done anything. He doesn't feel the same way about me, brother."

YiYang grabs his brother's arms to stop the man from shaking, "Calm down. First, tell me what you were...why were you in that position? If he doesn't want you the same way..."

YiHuang finally realizes what had upset his brother. "At dawn, I took him out. We altered the mask to facilitate his breathing. Unfortunately, when we were in the grove, it broke. He lost consciousness momentarily, and I lost control over my emotions." He averts his eyes, "I hurt it," he places his palm over the cave's floor, "-but before I could do something irreversible, he stopped me. I was able to heal it, but the process drained me. He carried me back. Our ordeal had left us covered in dirt." His fingers fist I the hem of his loosely secured robes, "I noticed that his wound had reopened and his back was soaked with blood."

YiYang gasps at the imagery the words create. He gestures to his brother to continue.

"He knew that the Lotus pond is sacred. He refused to enter it and collapsed...I.. what you saw was merely me treating his injury...injury that I was responsible for." His shoulders slump, "He doesn't know how I feel about him. Brother, I would like to keep it that way."

'Who is this human? How is he alive? Is he indeed a human as he claims to be? What am I missing?' YiYang's mind races to find the answers, but alas, he finds none, at least not at the time. 'This is not the time to tell him what I know. In any case, Zhang has not done anything to hurt him or our people.' He decides and demands, "Ah-Huang, what do you plan on doing next? You can't keep him hidden here forever. Did you give what I suggested earlier a thought?"