Heaven's Golden Finger - Chapter 18: Chapter 18

Damn that idiot Shidi of his. Why didn't he follow Shun into the auction hall like he was supposed to? Shun stood to the side, ignoring the stares as the others passed. Once fake Shirong got his slow-poke rear through that gate, Shun was going to twist his ear and kick his butt for making him worry.
The crowd thinned. Trickled to nothing. And still no fake Shirong. Now a chill ran down Shun's spine. "Where is he?"
"Where's who?"
Auntie Green's question was all the more frightening for its honest confusion. She really didn't know who he was talking about. Shun examined their surroundings; a richly decorated hall leading towards a much larger room. The scent of flowers filled the air and the murmur of the other guests could be heard in the distance.
Heaven and Earth my witness, let our fates be one. Shun could almost hear fake Shirong's soft prayer, repeated so many times. It was meant to protect Shun, but did it, instead, put his Shidi in danger?
Not too long ago, Shun would have been briefly tempted to leave Shirong Shidi to whatever trouble he'd gotten himself into. After all, if he really was the Chosen One, he'd fall into the cookpot of an ogre's granny, befriend her by some lucky chance, and wind up winning a Princess and a kingdom.
Now, having traveled with the boy, having grown to actually like this replacement to the original, he couldn't do anything of the sort. "Auntie, do you have a master?" he asked, trying to sound merely curious.
"Eh? Of course no...." Her voice faltered and she stared at him, her expression startled and a little frightened. "I... but... Who?"
A demon bound to a master would always feel the shackle on their spirit. From Auntie Green's reaction, she'd felt its presence, even though she couldn't remember how it'd come to be there. That meant Shirong Shidi was still alive, even if he'd been hidden from her memory.
"Where is he?"
A suspicious expression crossed Auntie Green's face. If he'd been anyone other than his mother's son, she'd have turned on him. Spells that blocked memories this way tended to be like that; protecting themselves from discovery by causing their victim to defend their new self-image.
Fortunately, even if he hadn't accepted his demonic heritage, Shun was the son of the Demon King. Not even a demon bound to a master could refuse him. Instead of going for his throat as imposed instinct demanded, she closed her eyes. "Outside the world."
Shun was startled. More than a little scared. How had that idiot Shirong Shidi managed to get himself dragged out of reality? And how was he to get to his Shidi before the damned fool got himself into worse trouble? Had he been taken to Heaven? Hell? Or was he simply trapped in yet another pocket world? Not this one, certainly, or Auntie Green would know it.
He turned his attention on the portal they'd stepped through earlier. It was fading, the faint double image of a mirror reflecting the room behind him and the room they'd come from earlier getting weaker. "Heaven and Earth my witness," he growled. "Where he goes, I go with him!" Without hesitation, ignoring Auntie Green's cry of alarm, he flung himself into the portal and focused his thoughts on joining his Shidi.
Falling, twisting and struggling, body trying to be too many things at once, he found himself hanging in darkness, contained within a delicate orb built of glittering white strands. They were trying to block him, trying to tangle him into a web that'd hold him back.
A voice spoke in his thoughts. No words, just images. He'd no place here. No right of entry. He must go back. Go back and wait his fate, for it was coming.
Calm as he could be, despite his rage at the world's constant effort to drive him down for no good reason at all, he held his position. Even knowing his Shidi was likely safe, Shun would not abandon the boy. Whatever fate held in store for the two of them, even if Xu Shirong turned on him in the end and suppressed him as the prophecy claimed, he would not abandon his Shidi.
He slammed through the wall of white, its strands ripping at him and tangling around him. If he'd been human, it might have succeeded. Half-demon that he was, half-snake demon that he was, his body simply twisted in turn, sliding past the strands a little at a time.
Until he fell through the hole his serpent form created and crashed into a huge and elegantly appointed throne room. Right on top of his Shidi.
It took a minute or so before Shun recovered enough to crawl off fake Shirong. Another minute before his fellow disciple did more than sit up and stare blankly. Then, at last, the boy said, "Oh Gods.... Shun? Is that you?"
Who else would it be? Shun was about to express his irritation when he realized his body looked nothing at all like it ought to. Up until now he'd never used his demonic powers to shape-change. He'd no idea what he'd look like in his serpent form. He tried to talk. Failed. His mouth wasn't built for human speech.
Shun's vision was entirely new to him. The decorations looked like they should resemble a royal chamber, with bright red lacquer and shining gold. Instead everything either had a blue-green cast or was completely black. No, wait, there was another color coming into focus. Not red, or even gold, but a pale glittering rainbow-tint that sparkled elegantly through every surface.
Shifting himself so he could examine his new shape, Shun wasn't sure if he was impressed or aggravated with Shirong Shidi. Shun was entirely, completely and totally a snake. How could the foolish boy tell the thing that'd floored him was his Shixiong?
He had a peculiar dark shade running along his scales. It shifted, as if changing color as he moved, its shade reminding him of certain types of butterflies. He was also quite large, a startling feeling for someone accustomed to being the smallest adult in the room. Feeling something against his tail, he twisted round and saw he'd knocked two heavily armored guards back against the wall, his coils pinning them there.
Unable to speak to apologize, all he could do was pull himself into better order. He coiled, setting his head on the top coil and glared at his Shidi. Could he communicate like this? He'd a feeling the answer was 'no', simply because he was too young and inexperienced to work out the correct means.
Shirong Shidi stared into his face. "It is you. I'd know that disgusted look anywhere."
Really? That was how the silly fool's mind operated? Shun considered his Shidi's worried face and sighed, or rather hissed. He couldn't talk, but could he project his thoughts some other way? Like whatever it was that'd tried to keep him out of this place? He focused, glaring into Shirong Shidi's eyes.
He was, indeed, Shu Shun. His Shidi had gone missing and he - as senior brother - was responsible for finding him. By chance or good fortune, he'd guessed the transfer had happened in the moment when Shirong Shidi had passed through the auction house portal and had attempted to follow.
"I'm glad you're here. I wasn't at all sure what I should do." Cautiously, clearly unsure how Shun would react, yet driven to do it, Shirong Shidi reached out to touch him. "Your scales are so soft. So pretty."
Shun was hard put not to purr, a thing demon snakes could apparently do. This simply wasn't the time for that sort of thing? Fake Shirong was brighter than his predecessor but he wasn't behaving like it. They needed to figure out where they were and find a way out. Needed to be quick because places outside the world were seldom safe for mortals such as they.
"And what make you think you're mortal, little demon child?" The sonorous voice came from the other end of the room. He slithered up onto his hind scales to peer across what looked like a huge throne room. "You were not invited. You are not welcome. Shall I toss you to hell now?"
Before Shun could respond, Shirong Shidi moved. Stood between him and the figure seated on an incredibly elaborate throne. Made of gold, with the five great beasts carved into it, it rivaled the King's own throne. "If he's not invited, I'm not either."
Shun rose so he could set his head above Shirong's. Communicated the only way he could. Invited or not, he was here and he and Xu Shirong would be leaving this place together. Chosen One or not, Xu Shirong was still a child. Still Shun's Shidi and Shun's responsibility. He would not stand for anyone, even the Emperor of Heaven, interfering with that bond. And the more he looked upon this place, the less and less sure he was that this was Heaven at all.
"You dare question the will of the Emperor?"
The source of the voice drew closer. Revealed a form not unlike a dragon's. Claws - three of them on each foot - dug into the marble, leaving deep scratches in the pale stone. It was intended to intimidate, Shun was sure, but instead it revealed just how flimsy this other world really was. The marble floor of Heaven's court would be thick and strong. The Emperor might be strong enough to damage it, but the cuts would not reveal glittering black splinters of chaos itself.
If the Emperor were there to question, then yes, Shun would question it. He'd accepted his fate years ago. Accepted that one day he'd be thrown to hell to take his mother's place. But now, having walked at the Chosen One's side, having defended him and been defended, he couldn't accept it anymore. The Chosen One and their Eternal Enemy were supposed to be natural foes. So how could he possibly like this foolish child? How could he possibly want to protect him? Yet he did and he would.
The so-called Emperor growled. Reared back. Lightning flickered around his body, sparked from within his throat. Before Shun could do anything, Shirong Shidi flung himself in the way, twin swords gleaming in his hands, sparking green where they met and forming a shaft of dark gold. Heaven and Earth, connected by wood, flaring bright in a hastily constructed shield.
The dragon's attack struck the impromptu shield and crackled against it. The force of the blow flung Shirong Shidi backwards, slamming him into Shun's body. Gamely, he struggled upright, trying to push back against the energy. But he was too young, too weak, too inexperienced.
Seeing his Shidi at risk, there was only one thing Shun could do. Lacking fingers, he couldn't form a sword seal to call his weapons out. All he had were his element and his Attribute, neither of which were strong enough to attack on their own. He could use them in tandem, but the next step - consolidating them to a single Movement - was right at the edge of his skill.
He'd no choice though. He gathered his fire. Spun his lake into being. Set both swirling around himself and Shirong Shidi. Drew them together, coiling them close. He set to melding them into one strand, spinning them tight despite their antithetical nature. Then, though his head ached and his vision blurred, he squeezed them into one, creating a defensive sphere. Lightning Strikes, no surprise, given his personality.
A common side effect of consolidation was the creation of an additional element, the next in the cycle. But something felt wrong. Fire generated earth, so why did the new element feel like metal, instead? Not good. Not good at all. Fire overcame metal and that meant the new element might shatter before he could properly connect with it. He struggled, using all his strength to maintain his balance.
The dragon's attack strengthened, as if he realized he didn't have much time. Electricity flowed over Shun's body, agonizing and nearly overwhelming. Panicked, he instinctively forced his foundation to spread, to grasp for his new element and make it him.
Metal sprang up around him, channeling the dragon's lightning and grounding it harmlessly in the ground. At the same time, Shun set his newly formed Movement striking back, a serpent of pure lightning driving its fangs into the dragon's throat.
Then he and Shirong Shidi were falling and all he could do was hope they'd land somewhere safe.
Something pressed against his lips. Which was good, in that he had lips again. But bad, because was someone kissing him? No, wait. Breath. Warm, tasting of congee. Someone was trying to breathe for him? He forced his eyes open. Narrowed one to glare at the lips' owner.
Startled and clearly embarrassed, Xu Shirong jerked backwards. "Oh damn. I'm sorry. It isn't what it looks like. You'd stopped breathing."
Shun waved a hand weakly in his fellow disciple's face. Patted his cheek. "Helped. I think." He tried to sit and had to pull himself upright with Shirong Shidi's help. "The hell?"
"No, I'm pretty sure this isn't hell. Or the Abyss. Or whatever." Shirong Shidi gave Shun an arm up so he could look around more easily. "It reminds me of something from my other life, but I can't figure out why it would."
The scene was of a vast sea of trees, with one huge tree in the middle surrounded by a steaming lake. They lay at the base of the big tree, beneath a brilliant and cloudless blue sky. He'd never seen a place like this before. "Try to tell me what it reminds you of without those strange words of yours."
Shirong Shidi thought about it. "Back in my other life, there was something called a vee dee oh game. It put images on a screen that moved around at your command. This looks a bit like Yig dra sil in Wild Arms Three."
And now Shun knew just as much as he had before. "That didn't help much, you realize."
"I'm sorry. It's just, where I came from is so different from this world I just don't think there's any way I can explain it."
To tell the truth, Shirong Shidi was right. Given what little he did understand of the fake's past, it was something of a miracle he could function at all. He touched the tree behind them, feeling its energy. "Why does the power in it feel so familiar?"
"I'm not sure."
"That was more to myself than you, Shirong Shidi." Shun stretched, checking himself over. Yes, mostly unhurt, though there were newly activated muscles that were complaining over their sudden use. "Do I have any scales left on me?" He'd never shapeshifted before and he wanted to be certain he was properly human again.
"No scales, but you have a beautiful crest."
A. Crest? Oh dear. Oh no. Well, he ought to have expected it, once his mother's blood activated. He stumbled over to the lake and found a rock so he could lean over and look at his reflection. A single delicate mark in blue-green had formed on his forehead, shimmering with demonic power. "I have to hide it."
Shirong Shidi sounded puzzled. "From whom? Me?"
"No, you foolish Shidi. From anyone else who might see it." When Shirong Shidi looked around in a confused sort of way, Shun pointed out, "Sooner or later we're going to get out of here. I'd rather not walk around in public with the royal crest of the Demon King's heir on my forehead. We're sure to run into trouble that way."
"Ah. Yes, that's true. But how do we get out?"
"First things first. I figure out how to hide this thing. Then we leave." Shun was almost sure he knew what this place was, but he wasn't moving an inch until he'd handled his crest.
Because while there was no law against demons wandering the human world, there were humans who thought there ought to be. Not to mention humans who thought they could prove themselves and their power best if they subdued a demon and bound them to their will.
Shunmight have to accept his fate with Shirong Shidi, but that was no reason to letsomeone else in on the prophecy.
Shirong: Can I skritch your jaw? (proceeds to do so)
Shun: Can I bite you? Ah.. oh... er... you have a million years to stop doing that.
Yggdrasil: *sweatdrops*