The Dragon Prince's Warrior

Healing the Wounds

The morning had taken Heng and his son Jin by surprise because as they entered the chamber where their children and the strange girl were recovering, they found that Yun had awakened from his state of convalescence, and it appeared that his energies were significantly renewed.

"Jin... Father," Yun said as he tried to sit up.

Heng and Jin assisted Yun in getting comfortable in bed, one on each side. When they looked at each other with more composure, Jin leaned on the bed, hiding his tears of happiness, and Heng couldn't help but hug his son for all that time when he knew nothing about him.

Soon after, the healers left the room to give the Qing family some privacy.

"Forgive me, son... Forgive me," were the first words that came from Heng's lips, his voice trembling.

"Father, there's nothing to forgive," Yun replied, in Heng's embrace, and tears overflowed from his eyes inevitably. "I'm the one who should ask for forgiveness, and a lifetime won't be enough to atone for this feeling. I failed you, Mother, my brothers. There's no forgiveness from heaven for this fool who didn't know what to do in the midst of a desolate mountain."

Jin furrowed his brow upon hearing Yun's words and looked up.

"Have you gone mad, Yun? It wasn't your fault, brother, we were deceived in a vile way. The old man... he knew it was all a sham and fled the moment he had a chance. That despicable creature..."

"What are you saying? So... nothing about the riddle or the journey was true, then?" Yun asked with a choked breath.

Jin shook his head, and Heng spoke up.

"You have no idea of the hell we endured here after you left at that crossroads," Heng sighed. "Your mother's condition worsened, the city fell into darkness, and a war began. We were attacked by an unknown troop, and we barely know if it could be a neighboring city or a distant village hungry for power or vengeance, only to deal the final blow with the death of..."

"Father, don't say it. I know how much it affects you, just like it does all of us. It's better not to reopen old wounds," Jin said, his voice choked, mirroring Heng's sentiments.

While Yun listened, his eyes ignited once again with that characteristic crimson red, which he could control with great difficulty. The death of his mother had left him devastated. Heng and Jin were startled when they saw the reaction of the youngest Qing.

"You also have that in your eyes..." Jin affirmed, uncovering the sleeve of the robe Yun was wearing. "And you have this strange tattoo! This can't be mere coincidence, Father."

"You're right, there is no coherent explanation for these events, nor for the appearance of those dragons that attacked the palace and the city," a somber Heng mentioned.

"Dragons, so you and Shun..." Yun murmured.

"Yes, brother," Jin nodded. "The war's catastrophe culminated in an attack by dragons as black as night. While I fought one in the city center, my brother battled another in the warehouse area. We still don't have his account, but the evidence is the tattoo and the armor that enveloped us just before we faced them."

"By Buddha... We were also ambushed by those creatures on Yumai Mountain, and I, too, was clad in armor just when I thought I would die at the claws of one of them," Yun said, and Heng looked at him with dismay.

"Yes... I saw her in the carriage, when Li and Ten took her away. I asked them to keep her in my chambers," Jin responded, watching his father, who seemed eager to speak, so he fell silent.

"Did we go?" Heng inquired, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms. "Did you reveal your mission to someone?"

Yun swallowed hard and began to subtly fidget with his fingers. Why did he feel so nervous? Clearly, it was because he was more than convinced that his mother had died because of him. He was never alone during that journey - the old man had been very specific - at least from the moment he started heading to the monument.

"I swear on my life I didn't tell anyone," Yun replied with determination. "The thing is, I couldn't go alone; things happened, and before I knew it, I had company. I'm sure that spoiled the mission, and if the riddle was ever going to work at some point... I'm guilty."

He had spoken these words, leaving his father and brother stunned.

"Son, it's not a moment for us to blame each other," Heng intervened, taking Yun by the shoulders. "Your brother Jin and I are more than sure that the whole riddle and the crossroads were nothing more than a distraction for an even greater evil."

"What? But... How can you be so sure?" Yun inquired as he looked at both of them.

"Well, the old man fled in a way we still can't explain, brother," Jin affirmed. "We need Shun's version to tie up many loose ends, but she's been in a coma for a week now. You woke up just by a miracle, but you had been unconscious for days."

"I still can't believe Shun is like this," Yun commented. "I know she'll wake up, and we can talk properly."

"That's right, son... Which brings me to the fact that you should rest; you've only just woken up, and you shouldn't talk too much. When you're fully recovered, we can discuss your experience away from home and...," Heng turned to glance at the unconscious girl lying on the cot in the corner, "other important matters."

Yun immediately understood what his father meant and nodded, feeling his cheeks flush at the mere thought of what his father might be thinking.

Jin coughed, feeling the tense atmosphere.

"Alright, Father, we should let the healers examine him to rule out any relapse or something worse. Yun isn't entirely well," Jin suggested, helping his father stand up from the edge of the bed.

Heng nodded and preferred to stand up on his own. Upon Jin's suggestion, he lowered the corners of his mouth and shrugged.

"Brother, get checked out and then come down for breakfast, that is, if you're hungry," Jin smiled, beginning to leave the room. Yun quickly noticed, once again, he wasn't wearing luxurious attire and rolled his eyes. It was always the same with his older brother.

"I'm glad to see this stubborn rebel again," Yun thought, smiling, as the healers approached to give him a general examination.

After about half an hour of examination, the team leader gave Yun the green light to leave. He got up immediately, thanking them and bowing, not failing to notice the subtle, mocking giggles from some of the healers. Did he have something funny on his face? He ignored it and continued to be happy to see them again after so long.

"It's a pleasure to see you all again, my friends," Yun said with a smile, and he was about to leave. However, he noticed that some of the healers had a smirking look they were trying to hide. Was there something amusing about his face? He brushed it off and continued happily on his way.

"But what's going on? Would it be too obvious that something unusual is going on with me and that girl? And what is happening to me really? I have no idea. I guess it must be gratitude and guilt, yes... that's it. So, enough of overthinking it. I'll go visit my dear mother's tomb," the prince pondered, continuing on his way while taking deep breaths to calm his nerves.

Meanwhile, inside the room where the healers had remained working, something unusual caught the attention of the youngest healer. She opened her eyes with surprise because Siu's entire anatomy had completely healed from the scars that should still be in recovery, and most extraordinarily, there were no marks left of her injuries.

"Mrs. Ling, I need you to see this, quickly, please," the young healer requested.

"Is it serious?" Mrs. Ling inquired as she approached, adjusting her glasses. Upon seeing the unconscious girl, her eyes widened like the young healer's. "But what do we have here? This is definitely not normal. Her injuries should be forming scabs at the very least."

Soon, the entire team of healers gathered around Siu's bed, who had started to stir and create quite a buzz with this unusual and unexplainable development. The royal family needed to be informed of this as soon as possible.