Song

Chapter 14: Secrets

The glaive cuts through the chilly morning air with meek howls, performing a graceful dance as Shu's hands guide it's slender figure across the silent courtyard. But his movements are slower than he'd have liked. Too slow. It's as if his muscles have been petrified, and each time he swings the glaive grows heavier. After three sets of drills, Shu lets the glaive fall onto the stone floors with heavy pants, sweat dribbling from his features.

"You're not making my job easy, are you?"

Bracing himself, Shu looks up to see Mei walking towards him with a disapproving look.

"You're up early," Shu says.

Mei looks up to the dark blue skies, where the sun would only rise in a couple of hours' time. "I could say the same about you."

"How did you know?"

"You're always like a zombie during the day even though you've got no training or missions assigned to you, so I figured something was up." Mei sighs. "Your muscles aren't fully healed yet, so stop pushing yourself. If you get hurt..."

"I have to," Shu says through his panting. "I need to get stronger if I want to support Song."

"My my... where did that come from?"

Shu's glaive dematerialises into dark purple wisps before fading away. He gestures for Mei to follow him, and the both of them begin walking back to his quarters.

"I can never tell what Song is thinking sometimes," Shu says as they stroll down the lantern-lit walkway. "That boy is always getting into trouble for no reason. But y'know what's funny? He's also the one that gets me out of trouble too, and solves his own problems regardless. Many times, I feel like I'm just being dragged along to whatever nonsense he's up to."

"He's a handful one, isn't he?" Mei says. "Must be difficult to keep up with him."

"Which is why I have to get stronger." Shu looks at his palms, which are still slightly pinkish from the martial art drills. "Song is always moving forward, chasing his dreams no matter how ridiculous they are. If I relax for even a moment, he'll leave me in the dust."

Mei bites his lip, a mask of sorrow steeling over his features. "Seriously... that boy doesn't know how lucky he is."

The song of nocturnal insects serenade the walkway as they approach the Garden of Resolution, a magnificent pavilion surrounded by twisting stone paths, with dense shrubs and flowers flanking them. Shu has always loved the gardens in the palace, even the more modest ones. The song of nature gives him a peace of mind. Maybe Song should try it too; he sure needs it pretty badly.

"Naive as ever."

The voice burst out of nowhere, startling Shu and Mei and causing them to jerk and bump into each other. Shu quickly whirls around to search for the third person, his heart thumping wildly in his chest and his exhausted senses shocked back to hyper-sensitivity. But aside from Mei and himself, there doesn't seem to be anyone in the walkway or the garden.