The world dissolved beneath his feet. His senses went numb as he felt the eerie energy inside the gate wrap around him like a cloak.
He could not see, smell, hear or touch anything, only the iron taste of blood lingered in his mouth as a sign that he was not dead. Ji Yong felt weightless, until a faint flicker, a distant ember started to shine.
It was like a candlelight.
His body turned towards it, hand stretched as his skin felt the comfort of something pushing the dark energy around him away. Yet, as it grew panic started to settle in.
It was not a small ember, but a blinding light coming from another gate as similar as the one he had been pushed into. It was positoned below him and his body fell through it.
The wind screamed past his ears, a high-pitched shriek that drowned out everything else. Not too different from Empress Mother when he had accidentally ran into a maid that was holding sweet wine that poured all over her robes.
She had screamed for a solid minute, her voice rising to a pitch that made the porcelain vases in the room tremble, before she remembered to compose herself.
The memory made him almost chuckle before the pain in his stomach reminded him of his state.
He was tumbling, not in control, and the world was a blur of a red and shifting brown hues below. The ground wasn't just coming closer, he was rocketing toward it.
There were no trees to break his fall, no water to cushion the impact, just sand. He squeezed his eyes shut against the rushing air, bracing for impact.
The shriek of the wind became a roar, then a muffled thump as his body slammed into the soft, hot grains. He tumbled once, twice, before finally skidding to a halt.
The grains grated against his skin, embedding themselves in fresh wounds. Every bone shrieked in protest, some undoubtedly shattered.
A low hiss sliced through the air. Then, another.
Ji Yong's eyes, blurry with pain, darted. Shadows stirred at the edge of his vision, changing into demonic-like creatures with red eyes that were ready to pounce him.
He was prey, broken and helpless.
This was it.
Just as the first creature lunged, a sound, ethereal and pure melody filled the air. The strings of a guzheng wrapped around him. It wasn't just music, it was a physical force, a shimmering, golden barrier that pulsed outwards, pushing the creatures back.
They recoiled, hissing in frustration, their glowing eyes fixed on him, yet unable to cross the invisible shield. A wave of warmth, cool and soothing, washed over Ji Yong, easing his pain. The fractured bones, though still agonizing, felt less… shattered.
A voice, like aged silk, soft yet resonant, drifted through the melody.
"Do you wish to live boy? At any cost?"
He almost scoffed, what was that question?! Of course he did. His mouth was to dry to reply, but the force of his will must have carried through because the melody intensified, it began to raise him up making him float as the creatures tried to claw their way in.
Was this hell or heaven? He did not know. The pain told him that he was alive, but if he were nothing explained the demons, nor the power his savior possessed. He felt drained, as if he was going crazy. Maybe, it was all just a dream. He closed his eyes.
When he'd wake up he'd be back in his bed, thick padded quilts and sheets made of the smoothest silk. He would wake up to his attendants sweet talking him into allowing them to put his robes on, not a finger lifted as they'd do his hair and bring breakfast before his eyes. He drifted, soothed by the melody and thought.
When he woke up he was not in fact in his bed.
Above him was a thatched ceiling, cobwebs clinging like lace. He layed on a thin mattress, the straw rustling with every shift. The air, thick with the scent of dried herbs and something musky, pressed in.
He pushed himself up, the mattress creaking in protest. His eyes scanned the small, windowless room. Shelves lined the walls, crammed with an unbelievable assortment of oddities.
Glass jars held shimmering dust, twisted roots, and what looked suspiciously like a claw. A pair of iridescent, moth-like wings, larger than his head, pinned to a board. Dried garlands of unfamiliar flowers hung from the rafters, their petals shriveled and dark. This was no ordinary room, maybe it was that of a shaman.
Yi Long had heard from whispering maids and concubines how there were people who used herbs for all kinds of purposes. Some tried to make themselves more fertile to bear sons, others to do dark magic on rivals they hated. He has scoffed at their silliness but looking around and remembering why he was alive, maybe such people did exist.
He swung his legs over the side, bare feet meeting cool, packed earth. A shiver ran through him, not from cold, but from a profound sense of displacement. He pulled aside a heavy, embroidered curtain that served as a door.
Sunlight, a brilliant, almost blinding, green, assaulted his eyes. He blinked, adjusting. Before him stretched a village, unlike anything he'd ever seen.
Small, wooden houses with upturned eaves nestled amongst a riot of emerald foliage. Thatched roofs, some adorned with intricate carvings, dotted the landscape. A gentle stream, clear and gurgling, wound its way through the center, children splashing in its shallow banks.
The air hummed with a thousand unseen insects, and then he saw it, a faint shimmer on the horizon, a translucent wall of energy curving around the entire valley. A barrier.
A tiny voice piped up, startling him.
"Oh! He's awake!"
He turned to see a girl, no older than ten, her dark eyes wide with curiosity. She wore simple, indigo robes, her hair braided with colorful ribbons.
"Wait here! I'll go tell the old man." Then, before he could ask she turned and rushed forward. He blinked. A white mist, almost like a steam, burst out from the girl's heels making him stagger back.
'What in the Heaven's is going on?!'