Guardian: The Awakening

The Origin Of The Dark Lands

Special Celebration Gift Part One

-Yunlan-

Zhao Yunlan wake up in the middle of the night, surrounded by a cosmic mist. Stars shined around the vast plain as he walked, through the mist, unable to say why he was there or how. He felt lost and drained, yet he instinctively walked around the darkness and light of the high cosmos until he distinguish the figure of an old man.

"Lord Shi..." Yunlan whisper, hastening his steps to reach the old man, leader of all Clans.

"Ah, Yunlan... it was about time you came. I have been trying to reach you, but you looked too busy hugging and enjoying teaching your gentle lover of the things you had dreamed for year. Congratulations, your union was written in the stars for the very beginning." Lord Tao said, winking at the mischievous Water Prince and Zhao laughed.

"Lord Shi, how naughty of you, where you spying on us for fun?" The old man coughed, which only make Yunlan laugh harder.

"I wasn't spying, I just told you it was writing in the stars." The man said pointing at the cosmos above their heads.

"Yeah, right... the stars..." Zhao said, humoring the Oracle, then looking up to the perpetual night sky. "Why did you summon me? Is everything okay with the Clans? Shen Wei worries about his brother and there is a sickness spreading around like hot rumors." Zhao said in a serious tone and Lord Shi smiled.

"The Fire Prince is right to worry about his brother and Clan, things are not too good right now... have a look." The stars mist clear out and an image replaced the ground under their feet. A forest at night replaced the stars and Zhao watched as a few horses were running through the forest with their masters looking for something.

He saw a glimpse of long white hair, two figures to be exact as well as some others following closely. He recognize Ye Zun as one of the white haired man and the other one looked like a Sage and if he wasn't mistaking, there was also a man from the Serpent Clan, with the distinct purple robes, which was the official color of the Clan.

"That's Wei's brother and someone from the Sage and Serpent Clan. It's seem we are not only ones joining forces... are they hunting Shadows?" Yunlan asked, already knowing the answer and the Oracle smiled.

"Indeed. Your sight is getting better." The Lord said.

"Are the Clans doing fine? Shen Wei is already worry about his brother taking his place until his return, please tell me I don't need to give him bad news... they had a special link, my Prince will know if something happen to his other half." Zhao asked a bit worry.

"The sickness is still spreading, but the young Lords are hunting down the source of it, the Clans will recover from the sudden blow soon. However... your journey worries me more." The image changed to those of endless high picks in a sea of clouds. Yunlan knew this was another warning and so his heart beat faster inside his chest.

Last time Lord Shi warned him, Shen Wei's life was at risk, so he feared this time again, his reckless lover was going to be in danger in the next territory too. The false sky looked calm, but he knew better than that and the image changed further down, bellow the false sky made of clouds, at the very bottom of all picks and cliffs, was a creature as big as the whole place. It was made of long tentacles that, like a huge net of red vines reached far and wide.

"Those tentacles can scorch skin and set it aflame is it gets a hold of you for long enough and its quite sensitive to movements, so be careful while going through that territory. The picks are set too far apart from each other, which will increase the risk each time you move from one mount to the other."