The night is cruel and merciful and bright, and the former emperor wants nothing more than to strike down the great sky orb and send its radiance to the Dark Continent. Lifting weary eyes, he glares from his empty goblet to the vacant tables in disarray to the speckled blankness overhead.
Silver and blue. Silver stuck on blue. What did you expect?
He scans the trails of stars, oddly fascinated by how the million pinhole gaps have yet to tear through everything. But fate has, he murmurs, tasting salt and geysers.
If only time would stop. The ageless gong beats on, striking its whimsical cacophony between his ears until he gives in and goes mad a second time.
He fights it.
The cawing and the clapping and the belching thunderbolts come to a halt. He is alone. Alone, save for his weapon and the few items of clothing on his person and the knowledge that Judal is somewhere else and Alibaba proposed to Morgiana and she accepted and he suddenly doesn't look forward to coming home to Kou because home is different and he is different and Morgiana will never love him and now there's nothing left and he's lost.
Morgiana.
She's happy, he tells himself. In all the years he has known this fanalis girl, her eyes have never sparkled like tonight. And she had never been as beautiful.
Hakuryuu never imagined a broken heart could be so quiet.
Maybe I'm crazy, maybe I'm weak
Maybe I'm blinded by what I see
He's breathing. He still is.
There are two solid iron weights in the hollow of his chest leeching out fitful gasps of air. He rubs the offending lumps away, but they only seem to grow in size, strangling him further. He wonders if this may actually be a side effect of scorpion venom.
He'd rather suffer blood poisoning than this – whatever this is.
Such irony. His farce of a mother had done a fine job ripping up his world; the rest he had taken care of himself. In theory, he shouldn't have to feel a thing. And yet here he is, knuckles white over where his chest is about to explode as his nauseated mind shuttles through image after image of four travellers frolicking under endless sky. There, in that special place, the world is perfect and beautiful and everything he is not right now.
She's happy, he reminds himself. They're happy. Alibaba is back, alive and healthy for Morgiana and Aladdin to fuss over in this long-overdue reunion. The boy who searched the world for home can settle down at last. The girl who never knew family will finally have one of her own. They're good for each other; the cheering crowd was proof of that. He knows that applause can be one of the most heartbreaking things.
Ah, this is more than he deserves anyway. He thanks his scythe for failing.
But sometimes he asks, what if things were different, what if, what if. Again, this is something he can't blame that woman for.
Once you start, there's no turning back. But there are no regrets, right?"
Lies. Having a throne is not everything. Neither is winning a war. Or exacting revenge.
Now he just wishes she said no.
That's all.
The youngest Kou prince rises on flesh and bone feet (they're shaking, but they're real, and he really should thank his stepbrother for that - and apologize, of course) to ponder his next move.
It doesn't take long. There's a time for everything, he knows. Being a former emperor taught him as much.
Now is the time to disappear.
You wanted a soldier but it wasn't me
Cause I could never set you free
Once Hakuryuu was a little boy with sullen eyes and a secret that could uproot an empire. The boy grew up and turned the world upside down, threw away everything, very nearly broke it all, and now his revenge is over.
At last.
Hands shiver over the woolly fabric of their shared tent as he prepares to exit for good. It's way too late for anyone to notice him sneak out, except perhaps the soon-to-be-wed couple guaranteed to be the talk of the town in the morning. He'll be travelling light; memories are heavy enough to replace the crown his cousin bears now.
It's not in Arba's hands, and that's enough for him.
His country will be okay. Under Kougyoku's leadership, they will surely rise again. Right now, there's no greater warrior in all of Kou besides her.
He made a promise, too. He'll live on to protect his people, even if all that awaits him is darkness.
One step.
One breath.
Repeat.
Time to go.
"Hakuryuu-kun, wait up!"
It's Aladdin. Grown-up, worldly-wise, comrade-in-arms Aladdin.
"You're leaving," the younger boy says. He gazes with those sad, worried eyes, just like all those years ago when his dungeon quest buddy's soul was sealed away. There's empathy in those eyes; he understands, and he's sorry.
No. You don't know what it's like to lose… But he does. Life has coveted too much – his home, his childhood, his best friend, his next best friend, and who knows what else.
"I'll be fine. Please watch over them for me." Hakuryuu tries to smile, really, but his mouth just can't curve without trembling and anyway the teenage magi has an exceptional talent for reading into what goes unsaid.
Aladdin barely manages a nod. Tonight's departure must affect him more than he lets on.
"I will. Take care of yourself. I hope you find who you're looking for."
"Thanks." And the white dragon slips away into the unknowing night.
Wind licks thirstily at his skin. Fire crackles from a few scattered bonfires. There's a pair of lovers perched on a hilltop, no doubt making plans for their future – a future he isn't a part of.
Ah, that hurts.
You won, Alibaba-dono. Congratulations. Make her happy to the end of her days and I won't breathe another word.
He hurries away. Dawn is fast approaching and he can't stand another goodbye. Faint red stripes start to blur into the horizon, reminding him of a beautiful side ponytail. He shakes his head, forcing those treacherous thoughts away.
For now, a certain elusive magi to track down. And try not to self-destruct in the process.
So fly on your own
It's time I let you go