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Dragon & Phoenix

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Chapter 1: Transmigrated

The clear blue sky was freckled with weightless clouds, peering down at daily life. But the young man looking at the view wasn't looking up. He was looking down into a small crystal ball in his palm. The world reflected on it spherically.

The spherical glass was flat at the bottom, resting peacefully at the back of the young man's hand. His head hung low, shaggy hair falling over his face, obscuring him from any onlookers in the middle of the park. But there were no onlookers. The park was as empty as any public place during work hours. The only thing visible to others would be the porcelain surface and a farmer's tan as his two most noticeable features.

Suddenly a face appeared in the glass ball. The young man leaned closer to it. The tip of a dimpled nose replaced the clear sky view.

"You are late." The young man's whispered statement was hard to hear.

The response, however, was clear. "Sorry. Sorry. I met some people on the way. It was hard to lose their trail."

The response was coming from within the glass ball.

"Are you okay?" the faint voice of the young man rose higher in concern, and his head ducked lower. The nose in the clear white crystal moved back, revealing a pair of big eyes and thin lips.

The thin lips were grinning from ear to ear, "I specialize in losing trails like that."

The young man picked up the crystal to eye level and sat straight. His hair fell back, revealing a pair of big eyes, a dimpled nose, and thin lips like in the glass ball. The shaggy hair only added handsomeness to the man.

"I won't be able to do as you do," the young man looked around once more and stood up, casually dusting the back of his pants. He lightly threw the ball in the air and caught it in his palm.

"You deal with them as you see fit. Why bother about a bunch of bullies?" The corner of the lips pulled into a smile, with one side turned up while the other turned down.

"I know. I know you are not bothered by the change in character, but you can't do that here. If anyone finds out you are acting too strangely, be prepared to get locked up in a mental hospital."

"Right. Right. Got it."

The young man smiled a little and indulgently shook his head, his lips curving up and down at opposite corners as well. The only difference between the two smiles was the mature look in the young man was in contrast to the playful head tilts of his mirror image in the glass ball.

The shaggy-haired man looked around one more time before he started walking, chit-chatting.

"Tell me one more time, how exactly does it feel?"

"Too loud. All the time. That plug idea you gave me has been a lifesaver, but I can't use them in the water. I have kept a robe by the side; use that. The pond will sap the energy, the fire so there is no immediate threat of high temperature but still... better be careful."

He moved in the open with the glass ball clasped in his hand, crossing the park clearing to the other side where a few hedges outlined the park, looking around often.

"Any path you take through the forest will lead you straight to Kaizen. Don't go in. Go around. It's a long way but better to avoid eyes. The streets might initially seem confusing, but you will get used to them. Uphill, you will see a line of buildings which are all classes. My room is right behind the 3rd building. You will see a sign on the door with my name on it." the voice poured out from the glass crystal in a rush.

"When you flip the word RuIng, You will get Hongli. Push the sign and the door opens." The guy named RuIng or Hongli looked about, his eyes widening at something before the scenery behind him started rushing past. RuIng was running.

Listening intently, he walked past the first line of trees spread thinly around the path.

"When you come here. Get... out of the water and put on the socks and shoes I have folded on the side. Then... follow the path to the right. All you have to... do is take the right path each time it splits." His pace was measured and slow, but his steps were unsteady, often hitting a stone, getting caught in a fallen log, or stumbling over twigs. The man in the crystal smiled but said nothing, nodding.

"The way is concrete and easy to follow..... You will... come out of a large gate and see a lot of cars." Each time he slipped and found his balance again, each time slowing down further. As the trees got closer, a faint gushing sound rose in the distance.

"There is money in my wallet. Even if it gets soaked, you can use a card. Take a taxi. Do you still remember how I told you to hail a taxi?"

"Yes. Yes. I remember. Use that hand thing." RuIng was huffing, and he looked at the rushing line of trees, trying to catch what had the man rushing.

"If you can't figure it out, hail one from the road. You remember what a taxi looks like?"

"Yes." the other guy answered more confidently, slowing down.

"You remember how to pay?"

"Yes."

"What about the address?"

"Memorised"

Both of them turned silent after RuIng's reassurance. A light stream was visible between the trees, so he called, "I will be there in a few minutes."

The ball filled up with the curvature of RuIng's giant eye, dark pupil, dotted with deep red freckles here and there in the dark brown.

"Minutes? I told you, let me know when you are seconds away." the eye was gone, and there was the clear sky again with a light canopy of trees rushing past. It wasn't a reflection of the sky above him but a reflection of the sky above RuIng.

"Minutes is the greater value. Seconds is the smaller one." the young man rolled his eyes but stumbled, barely catching himself and the clear crystal ball. Laughter poured out from the glass ball, followed by a light voice, "What? Nervous? Don't worry, if it doesn't work, you can come right back…" the smirk reappeared on RuIng's face within the ball, and added playfully, "if you can."

"You... Keep your cheeky tongue in check when you get here. You should be more nervous than me. There is no magic here. Let me see how well you fare." Despite the rebuke, the young man smiled and shook his shaggy mane, moving with more ease, his eyes on the ground, watching his steps. The more he walked, the closer he got to the loud slapping splashes.

In minutes, he arrived. There were trees everywhere, with a waterfall as the centerpiece of nature's mastery. Water fell over a jagged stone in the wall, making two parallel waterfalls into two bustling shallow streams. The two streams snaked around the park before they met again to continue joining the river.

"What now?" he asked.

"Now keep the orb in running water and maintain contact at all times."

"Alright." he sat down on the side, removed his shoes and socks, folded his pants as much as possible, and stepped into the stream. The water felt comfortably cool between his toes. He used both hands to cover the ball, only leaving a little space to look inside.

"You still haven't told me what's your source?" RuIng asked curiously, his eyes trying to see around but finding nothing. His face wasn't as close anymore. It was far enough to see the edge of a waterfall behind RuIng. They were both at a waterfall. Unlike his shag, his doppelganger's hair elegantly fell behind his shoulder, long and straight.

"It's a surprise for you. See it when you come.." He paused, seeing a half-naked man at the waterfall cliff behind RuIng. It was a minuscule image but he could see white hair coming down to the middle of his back. The man spread his arms and leaned back, falling, his white hair flying everywhere.

"Hurry. There is someone behind you," he called to RuIng.

The man flipped in the air, a pair of skinny wings stretched out, as white as his hair. The last thing he saw was the man flip downwards, aiming for the water, headfirst, and more people appeared on the cliff before the crystal shrouded in black darkness.

He trudged into the stream, hurrying under the waterfall, thrusting his hand and the orb within under the hard pour. Unsure and unable to communicate, he looked at his closed fist and adjusted his footing underwater, making small insignificant splashes. He felt a tug in his gut, followed by another in his chest. Was it anxiousness, or was something happening? Unsure of what was going on, he inched closer to the cascade, putting in another hand, palm flat up as if gauging the force of water.

The soft pull became a decisive tuck behind his navel as if someone had pulled an invisible cord. Then he felt another and another, each harder than the last. It was as if someone was pulling his insides out. It was painful. Was he doing something wrong?

He pulled out the orb and opened it in his palm to look at it again. This time, everything within was bathed in a dark reddish blue, moving in waves like a fire had been lit underwater. The tuck in his stomach was gone. A pair of eyes opened within the glass ball, anxious and rebuking- his own eyes but not his. RuIng looked bathed in this light as if he was one with it. The distorted shape of the face moved, jutting his chin as if telling him to do something. He looked like he was on fire. His heart beat faster. It was his first time seeing it in action. Before thinking more, he closed his fist, let his hand burst into flames, and stepped under the hard outpour. As soon as the water hammered his head- his hand, cool instead of warm- another pull snapped his muscle from his body. He gasped, stung breathless, but all was darkness. The water and the pain were gone before he could comprehend them fully.

A harsh red glow rose from the darkness, and a translucent silhouette appeared before him. He knew that outline- his. No. It was RuIng.

"Fuck," he muttered. The words felt slow and distorted, "it worked. Hongli, it worked."

The vague shape of eyes, nose, and lips formed in the distorted form of RuIng or Hongli. The lips stretched into a smile, but the smile was not his. Was it a soul? His doppelganger’s soul? Their similarities were so uncanny. It was like looking into a mirror, like the first time he had looked into the crystal ball all those years ago.

"We finally meet," the voice was excited, far away, muffled, drawn out. He could only nod, realizing the surreal situation. They were from two different worlds, and here they could meet.

"It's finally happening. Good luck finding your mother, Sevir." RuIng smiled solemnly, the tips of his lips curving up at one corner and down at the other, like his own.

Sevir felt a familiar helplessness ride off of him. He looked down. There was nothing but a lucid shape of himself. He felt a shiver but there was no body to shiver. He was doing it. He was going to find his mother. He looked up and responded with all his sincerity, "Good luck with finding yours."

"See you in…" before Sevir could say more, he saw the translucent shape press into him, pass into him, and everything hit darkness again as he heard a distant ragged breath.

One moment passed, two and three. Nothing. Should he open his eyes? He tried to feel something around him but nothing. Now what? Were they successful or not? If they weren't he should feel the waterfall still thrashing down on his body, and if they were, he should be numb and senseless.

He felt senseless. Had he traveled to another world? Maybe he had fainted. He was too anxious to eat properly and had been in the waterfall for a long time. Perhaps he had fainted in the water and dreamt about it. Nevertheless, senseless or not, he felt around in his hand and still felt his fist clasped. The crystal ball. What else? Something was hard against his cheek. Perhaps a stone. He wasn't numb after all. They had failed.

Despair gripped Sevir's heart. His chance to find out about his mother was lost.

Someone was moving around. Sevir pulled his fist back to his side, ready to get up. He opened his eyes. The world was tilted. Sevir was on the ground looking up. There was no stream or waterfall before him but there were loud splashes behind him. It was a clear blue sky with specks of white clouds on one side, thick tall trees on the other, and a half-naked, white-haired guy at the line between the two sceneries.

"Shit," It happened.

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