The Untouchable Prince | A Norenmin FanFiction

一百

One Hundred
Updated: November 20, 2023

The sweet sound of birds chirping greeted the morning sun, warm and comfortable despite the late winter breeze that frosted over the morning dew. Nature sang peacefully, bare trees swaying to its beautiful tunes as if the harsh winter never once hit. It was almost spring, early March, and it seemed the world was preparing for its blossoms.

Renjun woke up in a cold sweat, jolting out of his bed and onto the floor, and he felt himself unconsciously grasping his quilt and wrapping it around his body tightly, unfamiliarity washing over him.

But, wait.

No.

It... it wasn't not unfamiliar.

A wooden screen stood in front of him. A screen that had painted himself, and shining onto the screen was the yellow sunlight through the cracks of the window.

Sunlight...

It... it was sunlight. Real light. It wasn't the dull orange light of the candles. It was the light that came from outside. It wasn't dark. It wasn't dim anymore. It- it was... it was beautiful.

The way the soft light landed gently on the colors on the wooden screen, brightly illuminating the vibrant and soft paint strokes. Soft dust particles swirled in its light, almost dancing happily to feel its warmth.

And, the light... it had also landed on his hand, and he felt its heat. It was warm, comfortable, like a soft blanket on a cold winter day. It brushed against the surface of his skin as he turned his hand, moving it to feel the warmth touch every part of his skin. It... it was addicting, and he momentarily forgot about that terrible dream he had, the quilt around his shoulder pooling at his legs.

A bird outside chirped, and Renjun turned his head to the window that was slightly ajar. There was the bird. It was a small sparrow, sitting on the naked branch of a small bush. It tilted its head when it saw Renjun, chirping once before flying off.

How...

How long had it been since he was home?

Renjun's heart felt heavy.

Was... was this even real?

Was he still dreaming?

If... if he opened his eyes... would he end up in that dungeon? In the cold darkness with nothing but himself to keep company?

He looked around, staying right where he was on the ground, savoring every bit of what he saw and storing it into his memories. He wanted to keep it safe, locked up, so it couldn't run away, so it couldn't be stolen from him again in case he woke up. He didn't want to lose this dream, especially when it was so sweet.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Renjun flinched at the sound, grasping his quilt in his fists.

"Second Senior Disciple? I heard a noise." The voice spoke gently. "Are you awake?" He knocked three times again.

The prince frighteningly crawled and bundled himself into a corner, his hand knocking into the leg of a small table, causing a loud thumping sound, and he winced.

"Second Senior Disciple?"

"..."

"It's Minghao. Can... can I come in? Master had me bring you your medicine."

His heart jumped. "No!" Renjun squeaked out, shocked to hear his own mangled voice. "D-don't come in!" He hugged his quilt to his chest, peeking over it with just his eyes, watching the door.