Honkai Star Rail (READER)

Jing Yuan - Mara Struck

Death is more often than not an indiscriminate act of taking. To leave the earth a worse place off than it once was. None were more averse to such heavenly punishment as those who lived among the clouds in the Xianzhou Luofu. Gifted with long and prosperous lives, death often posed as a distant and uncertain end. 

You supposed that whatever cruel god was watching over the Luofu was disgraced by such longevity and thus created a curse to accompany their vitality. A curse that offered a poison far more vicious than death. 

Gentle breezes in autumn, cold fronts in winter, peonies in May, all these wonderful feelings of joy were devoid in the eyes of the mara struck. You sat in the courtyard of the General's estate and watched in envy the practicing General. The peace you found under a thousand tiny leaves, did little to alleviate the fears that lingered in your mind. 

"How was my form?" Jing Yuan pondered; his sweat ridden face gleaming in the sunlight as he asked your wandering mind a question.

"Pleasant." You admit, pouring him a cup of warm tea. 

"I certainly hope my enemies do not share such sentiments." He laughs, causing a soft smile to appear on your withering face. 

He takes a sip of tea with a relaxed expression, choosing to ignore the perfectly good cushion on the other side of the table to stay beside you. "Are you alright, beloved?" He asks somberly, taking a hand to your face in concern. 

"Don't worry about me General. I am no orchid; my roots have grown quite deep." You respond stoically, flexing your muscles in response to his worry. No matter how much you attempted to hide it, he knew. He knew you as well as he knew himself, you were an extension of his own heart, that dared to beat apart from the protection of his chest. The moment you caught a cold he would know and a simple change in your expression would alert him of a problem. 

"I will schedule an appointment with a healer immediately." He states, ready to go at that very moment. Before you can refuse, he cups the side of your face with a warm spirited smile, "I won't let you miss even a moment of rest." he picks you up and carries you inside your shared residence, placing you down on your bed attentively. 

"Jing Yuan, I am not an infant. I do not need coddling." You state firmly as he places tough pillows behind you for support. Heating up a bowl of congee to offer to you. It was simple, chives and plain rice cooked with extra water. 

"And if I wish to coddle you?" He says, taking the congee an bringing it to your lips, blowing on it to cool it down. You sigh, noting that in all the great leaders throughout time, none would be able to give you a command other than the one before you. Listening to Jing Yuan was your choice, you rationalized. 

Little time had passed in the comforts of your room before the General returns with a healer. This old woman was supposedly known for medical remedies that could bring one back from the death. Although you highly doubted it you made the effort in support of your husband's wishes. 

The old woman takes her hand to sternly place upon your wrist, closing her eyes to listen to the flow of energy throughout your body, carefully sounding for any improper flow or obstruction. You watch in silence as her eyes grow wide with fear, before she can utter a word you command your husband to step out to grab some fruit for the kind healer. 

"You do not wish for the General to know?" The healer asks in concern, her long hair draping over her shoulders in lavender waves. 

"As a child he had endured the hardship of having to draw the last breath of his most beloved teacher. He sulked by a lotus pond for months, restless and crestfallen. To watch his spouse, suffer the same fate would be too cruel a punishment." You relent, taking a steady breath to maintain your composure.