Xian's POV

It's cold and warm at the same time. I open my eyes to sunlight escaping through gaps between shimmering leaves.

What is this place, I wonder, sitting up and looking around. It's a garden, that much is obvious, but it's unlike any I have seen in my short lifespan.

An apple tree catches my eyes; it stands right in the middle of a Lotus pond. The low-lying branches look inviting and tempting. Unconsciously, my feet carry me towards it.

"Xian." The wind whispers as I am about to touch it, and my hand stills before plucking the ripened fruit.

"What do you choose?" Gentle voice inquiries, making me turn around and look for the source, but I am all alone.

"What are my choices?" I ask, only to receive silence as a response.

I wait and wait till my stomach grows and my feet ache. I step out of the pond and decide to perch myself on top of a branch. I fall asleep almost instantly.

When I wake next, I am still in the forest; only this time, Jun is lying by my side with his arm possessively draped over my shoulder.

"Jun," I cup his cheek, and knowing full well that he can hear me, I demand, "Where are we?"

"Heaven." He replies, taking in a deep breath; he opens his eyes, "I need you to choose, Xian. What will it be? Heaven or the underworld?"

"Can't we return home?" I ask, wondering why that was not one of the options, and wait for Jun's answer.

"We can't."

Slowly the events that had happened before I had woken up in the garden returned to me. "Wait! Am I dead? Is this a dream?"

"You are not dead. You are between realms. I can't tell you much more than that. I am sorry." He replies and leans down to kiss my forehead. "By the way, I am proud of you, and so is your mother."

"I would like to meet her. Can I?"

"Maybe. It depends on what you chose. You need to choose. Now."

"What happened to Hei Chi?" I enquire, trying to ignore the hunger in my heart and belly.

"That depends on your choice." His answer is annoying and frustrating.

"Jun, at least give me something to go on. How am I to make a choice when I don't know the consequences, hum?"

Jun averts his eyes and remains silent.

"Fine. I chose us. Anywhere is fine as long as we can be together."

"Are you sure?"

I nod.

"What if you can never see your mother?"

I shrug, "Can't you make it happen, irrespective of my choice? A peek will do too."

"I will try." Jun caresses my cheek, "What if the place we can be together is dark...gloomy... surrounded by sorrow?"

"Jun, as long as you and I can be together-" There is something off about the way Jun is questioning me.

Why is Jun talking in riddles?

Then it dawns on me. We could never be together in heaven. The alternative was the underworld, but angels couldn't set foot there. It was impossible.

"Jun, I can give up everything...anything except you, but..." I had requested Grandfather to forgive Jun. Had he listened? If so, did Jun still want to be with me?

"Xian, if you don't choose, the Heavenly Father will choose for you. Do you understand?"

Desperate, I cling to Jun, "Please, just answer me this, do you still want to be with me?"

"Yes. That is my greatest wish."His answer fills me with relief. My heart feels light; I let go of a breath I had been holding. Confident in my choice, I reply, "The underworld. I chose the underworld."

"Congratulations, my prince," Jun whispers; his eyes glaze over as he plucks the reddest apple from the nearest branch and brings it to his lips. He blinks, setting a tear that was begging to be released, free, before taking a bite. Keeping his eyes on me, he gulps it down, then cupping my cheek just like I had done previously, he whispers, "Mine."

The apple falls into my lap, and Jun disappears, leaving me all alone in the garden. I call his name over and over again till my hunger gets the best of me, and I devour the fruit in one go.

Not a moment later, my eyes grow heavy. I return to where I had woken up next to Jun and decide to take a nap.

*****

The warmth of the bed spreading through my back is the first thing I notice as consciousness returns to me.

I open my eyes to a room painted entirely in maroon. However, as soon as I sit up, a chill enters my bones and makes itself comfortable under my skin. My eyelashes seem laden with frost, and I hear a clatter. It's the sound of my teeth reacting to what I presume to be subzero temperature.

'Where am I?' I wonder yet again and scan the place whose walls were no more maroon but pale yellow.

"Jun," I call, hoping for him to turn up next to me just like he had done before, but only silence greets me.

I get out of bed, and the distinct charm of the room: the warm tones of the sheets and the golden drapes, make me wonder if it perhaps belonged to a woman.

I catch a pair of slippers by the side of the bed and am surprised to find that they fit. Without much thought to where I was going, I leave the room.

Large, magnificently carved pillars and equally pleasing marble carved angelic figures, dressed in armor posing in fighting stances, with bows, daggers, and swords line both sides of the corridor. However, the eerie emptiness surrounding me stays, looming over my anxious heart.

Jun, where are you?

Where is everyone?

Am I still between realms?

With the pile of queries rising, I decided to take a stroll and explore this place that I had woken up in, but even before I could wear my proverbial explorer's boots, faint murmurs of distress reached me. Putting my plan on hold, I decide, instead, to follow the voices, which grow louder, more desperate, the closer I get.

The words become clear and what I hear makes shivers run down my spine. 

"Father, please reconsider." A female voice pleads.

"Father, please. Xiōngdì has always been loyal to you. You are hurting all of us by doing this." A familiar voice begs.

It's Jian's.

'Wait, is he referring to Jun?' I recall that he had called him Xiōngdì earlier.

"The boy has chosen, and YiJun has consented. Let the matter rest." I hear Grandfather's voice; it's clear but not calm. There is pain lining every syllable.

Fear replaces chill and pierces my heart. I quicken my pace. Soon, I am facing a crowd. All of them had their heads lowered and were on their knees.

A sense of foreboding hung heavy in the icy air that blew past me, scratching at my exposed skin. I am sure its purpose was to hurt any intruder that happened to wander between their ranks, but the pain it undoubtedly was causing didn't register.

I pass through the gaps in the crowd, but no one pays me any heed. It's like I don't exist in their reality. I ignore them as well and look ahead.

I come face to face with the eternal tree swaying merrily at a distance. Three figures stand with their backs to me.

The scene is familiar. It takes less than a second to recall where I had seen it and what had followed.

"Noooo!" I yell and rush towards Grandfather. I fall at his feet.

"Grandfather," I tug at the hem of his robes and look over my shoulder where, as expected, I see my Jun on his knees, waiting...

The Heavenly Father's orbs lower and meet mine; he sighs and offers me his hand. I take it and rise. He holds up his hand, and the soldier dressed in black with long blades hovering over Jun's wings nods.

"Father, did you change your mind?"
A beautiful woman, my mother, archangel Xuan, asks, hopefully.

The heavenly father shakes his head, "There is a matter that needs my attention. I will return shortly." He replies, smiling pitifully at Jun, whose eyes hold nothing but joy.

How can you be happy, Jun?

You have never said it, but I know what your wings mean to you. How can you feel anything but heartache now when you are about to lose it!?

I follow Heavenly Father away from the crowd where he sits us down and closes his eyes.

"You chose underworld, Xian. An angel can't step foot in the underworld."

"But Hei Chi-" I start to protest, but he interjects, "I took his wings before exiling him. Hei Chi hated humanity, and by extension, me, for I was its creator. Still, I couldn't end his existence. I am his father. I loved him. I love him still, but I could not afford for him to return; he was a threat to everything I wanted to protect."

The disappointment in his tone is overpowering. He leaves a broken breath, "When you gave up your life willingly, you cleansed this realm and rejuvenated its essence. I regained what I had lost as well. With my sword by my side once more, I put an end to the uprising and confined Hei Chi." The supreme ruler glances over his shoulder, "By choosing to take charge of the underworld, you freed him as well."

"But I didn't-"

"Xian, you were born to lead. When you chose the underworld, you agreed to take charge of it. Think about it, can you stay in the underworld peacefully knowing that everyone there blames you for taking their King away?"

"No, but-"

"As I was saying," The heavenly father intervenes again, not letting me finish, he presses on, "The underworld needs a ruler, someone powerful and wise," he leans in and winks, "Someone, who is preferably on my side."

"Mn?"

"Think of yourself as my envoy and YiJun as your guardian." With a faraway look in his eyes, the supreme leader continues, "in that dark world, he will be your light, and you will be his. He will protect you just like he has been doing since your birth, and together, you will help keep balance in the realms."

I gulp thickly. I feel wetness on my cheek, "Do you have to take his wings?" I ask, and he nods, "Child, will you love him any less without them?" He demands, and I shake my head.

"Xian, if you would have chosen to stay in heaven, YiJun would not have lost his wings. You would have become brothers in the true sense. I would have given you wings too. It's a different matter that you don't need them. But that's not what either of you wants, is it?"

I shake my head, "Grandfather, he loves you. I know he has been dreaming about returning to you, returning to his home one day, but if you take his wings..."

"There is a saying on the mortal realm. I am sure you have heard of it," The ancient soul takes my hand in his, "Home is where the heart is. We both know where YiJun's lies, don't we?" He points at my heart and smiles fondly. "You, both of you, have taught me much. I am grateful for it, and if you or YiJun ever wish to see me," he leans in and whispers in my ear, "-just visit the mortal realm and pray. I will do the needful."

The Supreme ruler lets go of my hand and glances at Jun, "I promise, taking his wings will not hurt him, at least, not physically, for I am not punishing him. Now, leave. You shouldn't be witnessing such things." He instructs, dismissing me.

A split second later, the floor beneath me disappears, and I fall.

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