kingdom falling | gyuricky

sixtytwo | everything comes back

Being in Meteor Court, walking through Celestial Hall every day, eating breakfast and dinner the Eclipse, waking up to sunrise glazing the rooftops of Sunshower City; all of it felt a little like he as stepping into Gyuvin's world, seeing things through his eyes, walking in his shoes. Everything reminded him of Kim Gyuvin; he was the cool winds that stirred the drooping willow branches in the moonlight, he was the sound of splashing water as the rivers broke over rocks and boulders, he was the stars that shone on the nights Ricky remembered to look up and admire them. And as much as it hurt to remember that it was only like this because Gyuvin was gone, being here in these halls Gyuvin had grown up in gave him an odd sense of deep comfort. Like a blanket wrapped around him that was so warm and so familiar he could, for a second, forget that his heart was bleeding out from his chest. Like someone out there was still holding out for him, a reminder that he's not all gone.

But Ricky tried not to let his mind wander too much during the day. He was here for work, after all. He had still yet to figure out exactly how he was supposed to replicate something that had never been replicated before; barriers were not at all uncommon and many sects had wards surrounding their residences as a basic safety precaution, but self-sustaining ones usually only existed in places where the environment was already naturally energy-rich so the barrier had a source to feed off. Sunshower City was hospitable to cultivators, of course, but its energy was nothing out of the ordinary. At least, not that Ricky could tell.

So what exactly had been sustaining the city-wide barrier for the better part of the past two decades? He'd read all the books on the shelf in his quarters from cover to cover, and then scoured the Aperture Library for anything else that could help, but he'd ultimately come up empty-handed. At a loss for any other option, he found himself wandering the streets of Sunshower City one of the nights.

It was a quiet night. The weather was comfortable, cool without being cold, and the wind that pushed through the golden locks of his hair didn't tease it into tangles like the winds up at Moonrise Palace were known to do.

Sunshower City was a vibrant place. The outskirts of the city, where houses were built far apart and there was more farmland than anything else, was set aside for agricultural purposes, for the farming of rice and grain and the rearing of sheep and cattle. The more central areas of the city were full of shops and merchants' carts, selling everything from raw meat and fresh produce to things like textiles and childrens' toys. But at night, when all the shops closed their doors and all the carts packed up their wares and headed home, the streets would clear out, illuminated only by the yellow light of enchanted lanterns hanging from tall posts. And it was so peaceful, with the crunch of dry leaves underfoot and the smell of incoming rain lingering in the night air, that Ricky sometimes found himself walking for hours and hours without realizing so much time had passed.

It wasn't like he'd ever needed too much rest anyway. In the stillness and quiet of those early hours of the morning, Ricky felt like he could roam those streets forever and never wish to be anywhere else.

Tonight was one of the earlier nights; it was not yet past midnight as he weaved through the alleys of the city. Sunshower City was full of willow trees; they dotted the grounds of Meteor Court liberally, and every few feet he walked he could see their boughs peeking between houses, along the banks of the river, forming winding trails along open fields.

"These willow trees are Sunshower City's pride. They don't grow anywhere else, you know?"

Ricky jumped a little, startled by the sudden voice. It was an old man, sitting on a low parapet by the river.

"They don't?"

The old man shook his head. "We bred them right here in this city. They're special, one of a kind. Native."

"They're very beautiful." Ricky nodded thoughtfully. He let the silence fall for a few long moments before continuing. "Old sir, it's late and it's dark outside. I think you should head home soon."

"That's right, it's getting late. My wife used to scold me for coming home too late at night, but ever since she passed..." The old man stretched leisurely and stood up from the low wall. "Ah, no need to talk about old news. I'll be going now, boy."

Ricky bowed shallowly. "Have a safe journey home, sir."

The old man regarded him for a long moment, the light of the lanterns casting a warm glow over his frail figure. "You know, boy, about the old saying?"

"What old saying, sir?"

"Those who wander when the sun is down seek fruitlessly for something they can never get back," he recited. "Ever heard of it? But I don't believe in it. I don't believe there's anything in the world you can never get back."

Ricky smiled politely. There were many things he'd lost and never gotten back; the old man's ramblings were just ramblings. He saw no need to argue.

"Tonight, I see myself in those bright eyes of yours. Whatever it is you're looking for, if you believe that you'll find it, maybe you will. But if you close your eyes to every possibility, you'll never see what reaches out to you," he continued. "As for me...I believe I'll see my wife again very soon. I can feel it. I'll tell her about you when I see her again. We'll say a prayer for you wherever we are, boy."

"Thank you, sir."

The old man said nothing else before he turned to leave, shuffling down the empty street. Ricky pulled a piece of yellow talisman paper from his sleeve and burned the word Peace into it before sending it in the direction of the old man. With the barriers breaking down recently, there was no harm in taking precautions.

He didn't know when he started carrying talisman paper with him. But habits had a way of creeping up on people.

Ricky turned away from the old man and kept walking into the night.