"Big brother," the little voice called, "when will you come out to play? Or do anything." The little voice had failed to understand the situation, it seemed. His agitation growing, the elder prince sighed, turning from the young boy as he ran his hand over the red covers of his bed. "Little brother, go and focus on your work." Rising from the bed, he crossed his arms. "You should be old enough by now to know that your business is yours, and mine is mine."

  "But, big brother, I can't help but feel worried." The younger boy clenched his fists to his chest. "I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure if you let me know, we could handle it together! Like that time I fell ill, and you sat by me any chance you got to help me feel better. It would be just like that!"

  Xieren's teeth had clenched. Why was his little brother being so agitating all of a sudden? Doesn't he know how to listen? Of course, he's a mere child. None of them can do that! Neither of them were of age, but Xieren still had three years on the younger one, he was far more mature already! "Little brother, this is different. Don't bother trying to do anything for me, understand?" There was a heavy tension in the room. Before his little brother could speak up, he added on, "You saw what happened with Teacher Pan's arm, right? I could do that to you... No, I could do worse to you."

  "But... You wouldn't!"

  His anger seething, Xieren turned back and in an instant—Crack!

  His hand made sharp contact with the younger boy's face. He wanted to teach him a lesson, he wanted to force him to understand. In that moment, Xieren's anger had vanished completely, like a weight that had been removed from his body, but then a wave of fear was quick to take its place. The younger prince fell to the floor, clutching his face in agony. A black spot had appeared on his previously flawless cheek, but the spot grew with haste over his jawline, then his neck. The boy's body was rotting before Xieren's very eyes!

  "No... Oh...no..." Xieren's wide, azure gaze was glued to the unfolding scene before him. It felt as if time had slowed, as if he had gone deaf. "What have...I..." Reaching up, he gripped his neck with those poisoned hands. This is it, he thought. Die. Die. You must die! DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!!

  "Ah..."

  His heart raced, his body trembled. Xieren must have been daydreaming. That nightmare... A mere fabrication...

  What am I doing? Releasing a slow breath, he rubbed his forehead as he made clumsy, heavy strides through the grove. He must have become so bored his mind simply wandered. Glancing up, the thief Liang He was still in front of him. Unlike Xieren, his movements were graceful and elegant. He truly appeared to know this forest like the back of his hand, just as he had said. Though Xieren would never admit it, he found this man quite admirable in a way. A man who knows exactly what he needs to do, when he needs to do it. Set in his ways and unmoving. Inside, Xieren felt an inkling of envy.

  By this point in time, the sun was resting behind the tree line. They had walked the whole day, taking momentary breaks to eat the smaller portions of their food. "Tonight," Liang He had said, "we'll cook some of that meat. The rest needs preserved." Xieren felt he was learning so much that he never would have learned in the palace. He was in awe, and it was clear that Liang He was drawn to this reaction. "Don't worry about eating in abundance," he had added. "We'll have no problem finding meals." Xieren was sure this was overconfidence, but so far, based on what he had witnessed, Liang He had full reason to feel that way.

  As they continued down the trail, Xieren, still drifting around in his thoughts, suddenly stumbled over a root. Before he could fall, he caught himself on a nearby tree trunk. Liang He turned back. For a brief moment, his narrow eyes widened, but almost immediately, his natural, comfy expression returned. His only response, "You'll have to be more careful, Your Highness." A sly hint of mockery laced his words. Noticing this, Xieren sucked in his cheek, but gave no response. Liang He added, "We can't afford to make any mistakes. You know that, right?"

  Xieren's only response now was to grumble as he righted himself, his face growing warm with embarrassment. Never had anything so humiliating happened to him. He didn't have to worry about such uneven ground and such long, awkward treks back in Shanhua's city walls.

  "How much farther is the Tear?"

  The only reply at first was a deep chuckle. Xieren was feeling ill.

  "We still have a ways to travel, Your Highness. You can't have the bear's paw and the fish, can you?"

  Again, Xieren grumbled. Sucking in a deep breath, he slowly released it before nodding. "Right. Understood. Let's keep going, it'll be dark soon." With a sneer, Liang He nodded along. "That's what I like to hear," he said in a hushed tone. Without further hesitation, the two moved on.

  The further they traveled, the darker the forest seemed to grow. The thicker the plants, and the stronger the dark qi. The sense of dread was only further increased by the lowering of the sun. As they pressed on through the undergrowth, a heavy, straining weight pressed down on Xieren. He felt it on his back, in his chest, his hands and face. All were enveloped by this weight. It was strangling him, but he ignored it until he could no longer. Slowing his breathing, he focused on the beats of his heart, the quiet chirping in the forest around them, and the crunching of the twigs and rocks on the forest floor. Peaceful and relaxing.

  "Is something wrong?"

  Startled, his calm breathing hitched. He had nearly forgotten Liang He somehow. Neither spoke for the moment before, once again, Liang He asked, "Is something wrong?"

  "... No, sorry. I'm just not used to so much walking." Liang He's expression was totally unreadable, as usual. After another length of silence, he responded, "Fine. Whatever you say." Peering around, his form sturdy and strong, he added, "We're getting close."

  "To the Tear?"

  "We're not that lucky." His lips turned into a partial smirk. "We're getting close to...our first 'trial', you could say."

  "Trial? What do you mean by that? You always seem to speak in riddles, Liang He." Xieren's tone took on a hard edge as he crossed his arms, his brow perked in honest curiousity. Never had he dealt with someone so complicated before. Liang He's face seemed to flush with pride as he turned back to face Xieren. "I've already traveled down a portion of the path that I believe leads to the Tear of Moonlight. Along that path are natural obstacles I would align with trials, so to speak. You understand?" The condescending tone in his voice irked Xieren, but he withheld the urge to argue. "I see. What exactly are you calling the first trial?"

  Liang He turned and pointed ahead. "Down there. Can you see it?" Xieren squinted. Taking small steps, he stood side-by-side with Liang He, and from there he could see, what appeared to be, a dark wall formed along the stretch of barren land just below. "A wall? Why would someone build a wall out here?"

  "It's not a man-made wall. Come on, let's get closer." Without anything else to say, the two made their way down the approaching hill. Xieren stumbled here and there as he struggled down the incline. Liang He peered back on occasion, a smirk appearing vaguely before vanishing as he took sure, confident strides. "You come off as some pampered guy who never left home. How true is that?"

  Xieren forced back a groan, though his attention was taken away as he lost his balance. "I...I left home. And I wasn't pampered, not really..."

  "Is that so? A prince that wasn't pampered? That's news to me. So, what was your life like, Your Highness?"

  "Why would you ask me such a thing? Aren't we in the middle of something?" Xieren heard a low chuckle before Liang He answered. "It's not really ever too late to get to know someone. Not until one of you's dead, that is."

  "How reassuring..."

  "It is, isn't it?" The smile in Liang He's voice was palpable. Xieren couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Then, Liang He continued, a vague hesitance in the start of his words. "Anyway," he cleared his throat, "What was your life like? Was it as great as they say?"

  Xieren didn't answer at first. His sky blue eyes seemed to dance around, taking in everything but Liang He before he finally spoke up. "If you've heard all of that stuff about me, I think I'd rather talk about you."

  "Oh?"

  "Yes." Xieren kept his voice strong and steady as the taller man outpaced him. "I've never heard anything about your life. It would be fair, wouldn't it?"

  "Wow. So you are pampered."

  "What?"

  Xieren was startled when Liang He turned back, his black hair nearly brushing Xieren's face in the process. As usual, the man's features were empty of any specific emotion. One could only catch a glimpse, a mere sense of anger in his dark eyes. Liang He looked as if he would say something, but a deep silence hung between the two for, what felt like, days. Xieren couldn't help but gulp. Aside from that, he remained steady and undeterred. "I meant nothing by that, if that's what you're thinking," he forced out, his heart hammering away in his chest. "What did you find so offensive about my words?"

  Liang He's demeanor only slightly relaxed, but his face still held a silent intensity to it. "... Fairness is only a joke." And with that, he turned. Without another word, they moved ahead.

  "Alright, this is it, prince." The pair came to a stop, the feeling of melancholy along with the upset of qi having grown so strong in its intensity that Xieren felt the need to constantly watch his back. The moon had come out as they made their way to the wall, but once they had fully descended the hill, a thick fog had consumed them, and the sky was no longer within sight. It was as if they had entered another world.

  "Are there any ghosts around, Liang He? I feel..."

  "Watched? Get used to it." The viscious force of Liang He's response startled Xieren. Had his comment really bothered him so much? You were the one pushing for trust. What is going on? Before he could say anything, he realized what it was they were standing in front of, what exactly was blocking their path.

  "Are those..."

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  "Thorns? That's right."

  The wall was made up of tightly packed, writhing thorns. The pointed growths jutted out every which way, their tips screaming out to draw blood. This was not an obstacle that could be climbed or run around.

  "These are thorns..."

  "I already said that."

  "No, I mean..." Xieren was growing agitated with his companion's attitude, but regardless, he continued. "They can be pulled off. It would take time, but—" As he reached out to grab one, his wrist was tightly grasped.

  "Don't." Liang He's large hand had a firm grip on Xieren, and the force with which he was grabbed had caused some pain. Still, given the tension between them, he said nothing.

  "Don't touch that." He released Xieren's hand and the prince took a step back. "It's enchanted. Touch it and it will cause you harm."

  "How do you know that?"

  Liang He crossed his arms, his posture strong. "I've tried before. Do you remember what I said?"

  "Of course..." Xieren felt a wave of embarrassment creeping up once again and turned away to face the wall of thorns. Glancing back to Liang He, he noticed the thief peering down at his belt and messing with something. Seeing he was distracted, Xieren lifted his hand and pulled his sleeve back. Liang He had partially grabbed his wrist, luckily missing his skin. Pulling the glove up, he saw a vague bruise. Nothing serious, but something he was not accustomed to.

  I suppose, he thought, feeling deflated by the turn of events, this is good for me.

  "Come here, Your Highness." Xieren winced. As his shock settled, he released a sigh and did as told, trudging over with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm. Liang He had folded his arms out of sight. Xieren was confused. "What are we doing now? If we can't touch it." Surprising the prince, Liang He smiled. "I have my ways. If you learn some patience, I could get us through these situations faster."

  Xieren tried to hold his tongue, but he felt the agitation from all of the past taunts and jokes building. He couldn't hold it back anymore. "Okay, I can't take you anymore!" Turning on his heels, he began to stomp his way back to the hill.

  "You're going back on your own, Your Highness?"

  "Of course! Can't you listen? I can't stand you!" With a swift turn, his sword was now in his hand. "If you want to stop me, go ahead and try! I would take great pleasure in ending you!" Instead of being frightened by Xieren's words, Liang He laughed. It was a confident, strong laugh, as if what he had just heard was the most amusing of jokes. Xieren didn't like this. He was actually quite worried now. Gritting his teeth, he dropped to an offensive position. "I am not joking! I will—"

  Without warning, Liang He had pulled his sword and jumped Xieren. In the nick of time, the prince had turned his blade and caught Liang He's strike. A long, gleaming dao was mere inches from his nose, and behind that was Liang He's handsome face, a weak smirk on his lips. As he pressed his weight further into Xieren, he said, his voice gruff and low, "I suppose in that case...I shouldn't mind killing you, either."

  Xieren's heart pounded hard in his chest, he felt like he'd faint. This was life or death!

  Pushing back, Xieren had no choice but to give it his all! With a sweep of his arm, he managed to free himself from Liang He's blade, but within the next moment, Liang He struck again and Xieren was forced to defend himself.

  "I did need you, Your Highness," he sighed as he forced Xieren back. "But you're too stubborn for my liking."

  Xieren had become absorbed in blocking the frantic strikes, so much so that he had forgotten everything around him.

  It was then that Liang He saw his opportunity. As he took a slash at Xieren, he twisted, dropping low and kicked Xieren off his feet. Before Xieren knew what was happening, he was on the ground and his senses had diminished. When they returned, the dao's blade was at his throat.

  "Now," Liang He rolled his neck. "I should kill you, is that right?"

  Xieren grit his teeth, his head lowered, but his gaze set firmly on the blade. "Alright," he spoke up with little hesitance. "Do it." Liang He froze, but his face gave no hint as to what he was thinking. Nothing happened and the unusual quiet stretched on. His impatience growing, Xieren said, "Aren't you going to do it? Go on!"

  All Xieren heard was a scoff before the blade was pulled away. He wanted to speak up, but the swordsman beat him. "What kind of prince are you?" Liang He sighed, replacing the sword into its scabbard. "You were serious just now. Why?"

  "Why? What do you mean, why? Why wouldn't I be?" Xieren tried to keep himself steady, but his bottled, long-suppressed emotions began to bubble up as he spoke. "I have nothing anymore. I haven't had anything in years! And now? What now!? I've gone off into the deadliest forest in Shanhua with one of the deadliest people! And for what? Some damn gem that is nothing more than a fairytale! What...what's at the end of all this? Nothing! It's all so hopeless! I'll never have my old life back! My mother, my father, my little brother? None of them would take me back! It's all impossible! A hopeless dream..." His emotions had raged before he ran empty, and now he had nothing more to burn as fuel. He had nothing left; he was done. "I tried to die once, twice, maybe three times already... You would be doing me a favor." He wanted to curl up and die. He could only hope Liang He would be merciful enough to do it. But then, the thief knelt down. Xieren didn't want to stare his killer in the face. He wanted to go without any feelings of remorse!

  "Life isn't fair, Your Highness," Liang He whispered. "Maybe it seemed that way to you in your nice little palace, but it is far from fair everywhere else. And so..." With ease, he grabbed Xieren by the chest of his top and lifted him to his feet. "I'm going to force you to keep going, whether you want to or not."

  Xieren was stunned, his mouth dropped and his eyes couldn't go any wider if he had tried. What? What... What is he saying?!

  Liang He grabbed onto Xieren's arm and began to pull him back to the thorns, but suddenly came to a pause. Peering back, he knelt and picked up the sword Xieren had been using. "A beautiful jian. Lovely coloring."

  Xieren said nothing at first before muttering, "It was my father's."

  "Really now?" Coming to a stand, he tossed it to Xieren. The prince attempted to catch it, but after jostling it a few times, he failed and it fell to the ground. Liang He raised a brow. Xieren had fallen to a crouch to pick it up, but was stopped. "Let me see your hand." Grabbing the smaller man's right hand, Liang He went to pull off the glove when Xieren pulled away. "Don't do that! You'll..."

  "I know." He grabbed Xieren's forearm instead, and the prince cooperated. Reaching for the finger tips of the glove, Liang He pulled gently. Xieren gave no reaction. Once the glove was partway off, it became clear that the bruise had not been a simple bruise. His wrist had swollen where the mark had been. Xieren had felt pain that had considerably hindered him during the fight, but he hadn't realized there had been swelling.

  "I see..." was Liang He's response. "I didn't mean to grab you so hard. I'm not used to handling other people." His hand went to hold Xieren's wrist before remembering who he was dealing with. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a roll of cloth. "We don't have anything particularly cool to work with, so I'll soak this with some of the water I have. Then, I'll wrap this around it, alright?"

  Xieren remained silent the whole treatment. Liang He assessed the swelling as having stemmed from a fracture. That alone left Xieren feeling in awe of Liang He's strength. Beyond that, the thief applied some herbs from his bag to the area, and applied a somewhat chilled cloth over top of a small splint.

  The two now sat in silence, the tension returning in the form of an awkward atmosphere. Xieren felt miserable. He had broken down and exposed such darkness; such weakness. He wanted to be prince again? He was not fit for such a thing! There was no way he could go on.

  "Perhaps now is a good enough time to get to know one another." Liang He spoke in a low voice, lower than usual as he crossed his arms over his legs. "If we wish to be successful on this quest, we have to understand one another." A weak, awkward smirk spread over his face. "So, who's going first?"

  More silence.

  "I guess I will..." Xieren glanced at his hand. For a while, Liang He had told him to keep it lifted to his shoulder, but by this point he had rested it against his stomach. "I..." He sighed. He wasn't sure what to say.

  "Take your time."

  Xieren exhaled before speaking. He said the first things that came to his mind. He was the emperor and empress's eldest son, three years older than his little brother, who was now eighteen.

  "I can't help but wonder sometimes...what he's doing."

  "You can find out after we get the Tear of Moonlight." Xieren ignored him. Instead, he continued on about his past. He mentioned the curse, how it came to be, but felt a lump forming in his throat. His reluctance to speak about it came inching its way to the surface. He didn't want to talk about the so-called 'Tear of Moonlight', but he also didn't want to talk about his curse. What was he even doing here? Taking in a breath, he continued. "This curse... It was as if it came out of nowhere. Just one day, for no reason at all..." The silence came back.

  "I see..."

  "Hmm?"

  "For no reason at all, you came under this affliction. It sounds like the gods are pissed."

  "That thought ran through my mind a lot. I've meditated, prayed and asked for any kind of explanation but have gotten nothing."

  "A lot of us understand that." Liang He smirked for a moment, his head resting in his hand, finger tapping his jaw. "The gods are...questionable at times." Xieren had nothing to say to this. He, instead opened and closed his fingers as he was told to, ignoring the pain it brought him. "Are you sure this will help?"

  "That's right. If you keep them stiff, it won't heal properly."

  Xieren nodded. "Alright. I talked about myself, now it's your turn, right?"

  Liang He smiled.

  He's not going to, is he?

  With a sigh, Xieren shook his head. "Life's not fair..."

  Liang He smiled less. "I don't have a particularly interesting past, not like you, Your Highness. If you really want to know something, try me." Xieren sat up, shocked by Liang He's sudden willingness. Now that he was open to the idea, Xieren felt strange about it.

  "Well, uh... Your wish. You're going to make a wish on the Tear, aren't you?"

  "Yes."

  "What are you going to wish for?"

  "..." Liang He gave no reaction. A moment passed before he said, "That is something we can talk about at a later time. Alright, Your Highness?" Xieren sucked in his cheek before nodding weakly. Xieren knew now that there was no point in badgering him for answers if he didn't want to give any. He just wouldn't answer.

  As Xieren fell further into his thoughts, Liang He examined what he could of the area around them. "There's not much here, and it's too damp from the fog. We need to pass this wall and find somewhere else to set up camp."

  "Camp?" Xieren had forgotten. With everything that had just transpired, his thoughts were jumbled and confused. "That's right." He nodded before forcing his way to his feet. Seeing this, Liang He's smile returned for a flash before being replaced by his look of apathy. Coming to a rise himself, he returned his attention to the bag on his side. "Now, are we going to cooperate this time around?"

  "I feel like I should ask you that." Xieren's blue eyes narrowed, but aside from a whistle from his companion, nothing else on the matter was said.

  "I can take care of this wall in a heartbeat, Your Highness..." He peered up quickly before glancing back down to a phial he pulled from the bag. "You have a kid brother, huh?"

  "That's right. Do you, Liang He?"

  "No."

  "Oh? Any siblings?"

  "No." Xieren noticed the increasing lack of interest in Liang He's voice, and thus decided to quit asking questions. In turn, Liang He noticed the sudden silence and decided to speak up. "Have you realized how boring I am?"

  "Not that, in particular."

  "If you keep trying, perhaps you'll find something interesting."

  Not with the way you answer questions. Xieren sighed as he watched Liang He uncork the phial. Glancing over to Xieren, Liang He let out a triumphant, "Ha! Watch this, gege."

  "What—"

  "Stand back a little." Deciding now wasn't a good time, Xieren followed his command and took a few steps back. Liang He, in one swift, easy motion, emptied the contents of the phial in a swing, splashing the thorns in a vertical spray of the shining liquid. It wasn't wholly impressive on its own, and Xieren was mentally questioning what he did, but then came the sizzling, popping sounds.

  "That should do it, Your Highness." Replacing the phial back in his bag, Liang He and Xieren watched as the thorns looked to be eaten away. Through the showing gaps in the vines, they could see the other side of the forest coming into view.

  "We're good. All we have to do is survive this forest...and each other."

  "I fear that may be the hardest part."

  Liang He scoffed as he began to move forward, heading into the opening path ahead of them. "If you keep up that attitude. I always saw you as an optimist."

  "An optimist?" Xieren questioned this under his breath. He would never consider himself a true optimist, not at all. Even if he tried, pessimism would win. Peering down at the cloth wrapped around his arm with the little splint tucked into the bandage, he eased his breathing. "Just push a little more. Just a little more. Go for the fish..."