A/N: Merry belated Christmas, everyone! As my late Christmas gift to you, I give you the next chapter of Illusion (Hope that's a good enough gift for some of you, anyway!). I've noticed that the fandom has come to a startling halt recently, though that may be due to the busyness of the season. And with that thought, where Christmas has past and New Years fast approaching, it's definitely hard to believe that 2015 is coming to a close. But even so, I hope you all will continue with me into 2016 with Illusion as well as Imbroglio!
Special end of the year thanks to my beta reading duo, without you my writing wouldn't be where it is today; my regular reviewers, whose insights bring me encouragement to keep going; and to all my readers, every single one of you. Whether you read at every update or just once in a while, thank you for the time you take to read the stories I put a lot of passion and care into.
Prince's PoV
Where... Where am I? A blue sky greeted me when I opened my eyes, dazedly watching a large, white cloud roll on by. Last thing I remember was ordering more booze after leaving the grou— oh shit!
I sat up straight with a jolt, worried I had once again gotten myself stranded and spent an exuberant amount of money in doing so. However, I let out a breath of relief when I saw I was surrounded by all my friends, the majority laying on the lush green grass like causalities on a battlefield. "Uh, guys?"
"Your Highness, you're awake!" Gui said joyfully, though not with the same amount of energy as usual. He was laying on the ground next to me, and I saw that he had been using himself as a barrier between Bohemond and myself. Bohemond was currently passed out on Gui's other side, with Godfrey lying in a similar state close by. Weren't we in Autumn City? I thought in bewilderment, looking around to see that we were now in the grasslands outside of the city's walls.
"Good," I heard Lolidragon from behind me, her voice menacing, "that means I can strangle the little bastard for what he did back there!"
With a yelp, I quickly scrambled to my feet to get away from the murderous thief. "Why!? What did I do!?" I cried, now running away from Lolidragon around the open landscape.
Yang Ming decided to speak, using that ridiculous tone whenever he would "reprimand" me, "You really have no one to blame but yourself, my future wife—"
"Who are you calling your wife!?"
"You were the one who wanted Prince to sing onstage," Yang Ming continued, apparently playing deaf to Lolidragon's remark, "and that's exactly what he did. We should have known from previous experience what would happen next!"
"In her defense, the only ones here who have first-hand experience in the post-concert mayhem are Gui and Prince." Yu Lian added, before letting out a small sigh and mumbling, "I really hope we won't have to pay for the damages..."
"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" I asked pleadingly, having effectively evaded Lolidragon's wrath by using my usual meat shield— Gui.
Ugly Wolf stood up, casting his healing spell on the now-pulverized bard. "In your drunken state you barged onto the main stage of the festival and sang. Hearing your voice riled up the crowd so much that we were forced to escape the city."
"And you can't expect newbies to your amount of fans to be able to handle that kind of onslaught." Lolidragon added, now wiping her hands after the beating, "It really wasn't that bad, we weren't trampled and we got you out with all your clothing on!"
"Oh, well that's a relief... I guess." I said with uncertainty, now watching Bohemond be the first of the two to recover to a sitting, albeit dazed, position.
"D-Did we make it out... Or is this the rebirth point?" Bohemond asked wearily, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the bright sun. When he looked over to his right, he saw Godfrey still sprawled face down on the meadow. Alarmed, Bohemond quickly leaned over and started shaking his guildmate, "Oh my god, Godfrey! Are you alive!?"
Godfrey let out a small groan, "I... I think so." With some help from Bohemond, he weakly propped himself up on his elbows, "Your friend here really knows how to make a scene, doesn't he?"
"You don't even know the half of it." Lolidragon remarked dryly, "But that's besides the point, as now we need to decide where to go next. I think everyone can safely agree that returning to Autumn City is not an option at this point."
"Most definitely not," Ugly Wolf replied, "after all who knows what we might..." Ugly Wolf, as did the rest of us, felt the dangerous aura from Yu Lian, "have to do if we try to enter again."
"Well, if that's the case," I began, "Bohemond is the resident expert here. What do you think we should do now?"
When I looked back at Bohemond, I found both he and Godfrey were staring at each other intently before he twisted his head, "Ah, forgive me. We both received a message from the guild, what were you saying?"
"Oh, uh sorry for interrupting..." I apologized awkwardly. "But I was asking where you think we should go next, since we can't go back to Autumn City?"
Bohemond quickly looked over to Godfrey before replying, "Well, it's getting late in the game anyway at this point so there's no use in trying to train here. There's a small town about fifteen minutes west of here that has an inn so you can have a rebirth point that isn't within the city. Then tomorrow we can discuss our next destination." Bohemond frowned, "I'm sorry, I would figure it out now but Godfrey and I need to go back to headquarters for the rest of the night. Apparently something serious happened within the guild and our presence is required."
"Right, understandable." I said, disappointed that Bohemond was leaving. "I hope everything is alright with your guild and all..."
He got up and gripped my bicep, the action causing a slight shiver of excitement. "Don't fret, my friend!" He reassured me, now clapping my other arm with his free hand, "I am a man of my word, and would never abandon you."
"O-Of course!" I stuttered nervously, caught between Bohemond's sweet, heart-melting sincerity and the increasing intensity of Gui's seething glare towards us. Oh please God, Buddha, whoever— get me out of whatever this mess is!
The next day went as well as one could expect after the events of the previous night. Our school was in a frenzy as they swarmed poor Gui, attacking him with questions of the "mysterious Prince-like figure" that sang onstage in Autumn City. For the sake of both his lecture time and our sanity, he firmly told the class that he was not at the moment discussing any events that occurred within the game. But even with it, he was sure to hint that last night's event was only a prelude of what was to come— causing the attentiveness of his classes to plummet for the remainder of the day. And as for me? Well, outside of keeping my head lowered out of paranoia, I was quickly dragged aside during the lunch break by Jing and Yun.
"Okay, Lanny. Spit it out." Jing demanded, with she and Yun entrapping me at a table in the corner of the cafeteria room. "What are you hiding from us now?"
"Well, you see—"
"First we find out Prince is back playing Reveries," Jing quickly cut me off, apparently still not finished with her lecture, "and now suddenly everyone is interrogating Professor Min about that Prince-lookalike singing at the Bard Festival!"
"Okay, okay. If you just give me a minute to expla—"
" What's next," Jing kept going, now with a hint of teasing, "are you going to tell us you've been sneaking into Gui's office too for a little—"
"Jing!" I exclaimed loudly, causing the whole cafeteria to go quiet. I stayed silent as the cafeteria quickly grew back to its loud bustle, but as with my usual luck, Gui had been across the room enjoying his lunch with Wolf-dage. Both of them looked over at me with confusion and concern, which I quickly shook my head in embarrassment to assure them nothing was wrong.
"Whoops, sorry! Forgot he had the same lunch period as us this semester!" Jing said as she covered her mouth.
"God, Jing. I expect that kind of thing from Yun, not you." I groaned, still wishing for the floor to conveniently swallow me up.
"Yaf 'ing, hoff coudff you?" Yun reprimanded while chewing. It seemed he had been deaf to my insult, noticing he had become engrossed in his food and manhua that he was trying so hard to hide from us.
Jing whacked the back of his head in annoyance, before ripping the manhua out of his hand. "Pay attention, Yun! We're trying to have a serious discussion here!"
"Sorry..." He apologized, albeit a bit half-heartily.
"Anyway, please continue Xiao Lan!" Jing replied, now moving Yun's plate to her other side to remove further distractions.
With a deep breath and hushed whisper, I began explaining everything that had transpired— from my date with Gui, where we discovered the existence of the Prince doppleganger; to meeting Bohemond and Gui's theory of his guild's possible ties to the impostors; to the events of last night in Autumn City.
When I was finished, it was obvious that Jing and even Yun were both thinking over my story. Eventually Jing exhaled and shook her head with a sympathizing smile, "I swear, Feng Lan, it seems like you're always getting yourself stuck in the middle of something."
"Only this time we can't just go in for a easy rescue!" Yun added.
"I'm starting to think you guys think of me as a lost dog to be saved than a friend in need." I remarked dryly.
"Well you do get lost easily—"
"Don't even start, Yun." I warned, my infamous glare quickly shutting him up.
"Either way," Jing began, her expression changing to that sly and all-knowing smirk we were all familiar with, "it sounds like those impostors aren't your only problem."
"What are you talking about?" I asked in bewilderment, isn't the impostors what started all of this drama?
Jing let out an exasperated sigh, "As typical of our Xiao Lan, oblivious to nearly everything— even problems of the heart!"
"Problems of the heart...?"
Yun folded his arms and shook his head sadly, "It's only if it concerns food that she truly pays attention!"
"I'm right here, you know!" I protested, narrowing my eyes at the two.
My angry expression, as expected, had no affect on Jing. In a blink of an eye, she jumped up from her seat and firmly turned my head with her hand, "Do you see who I see, Lanny?" She asked me in a hushed tone.
At first I was confused by her question, till I realized Gui and Wolf-dage's table was in my direct line of sight. "... I see our professor and school nurse?"
"Wrong!" Jing corrected, "Right now I see one of the hottest and famous bishies in the 22nd century, a guy countless girls would die to have look in their direction. But he isn't available, because his heart has been set on one person for nearly two years now— and that person is you, Feng Lan."
Not this again, I thought irritably, "Yes, yes we've already establi—"
"I'm not finished, young lady!" Jing chided, waiting a moment before continuing, "And do you know why he has his heart set so deeply? Because not only is he the most persistent man I've ever seen, but he firmly believes he has a chance. Because you gave him that hope, over and over again. You've given him so much time, so much compassion and love, how could the man not think he doesn't?" She then took my face and turned it to face her own, her expression disapproving, "But now someone else has come into the picture once more, and you're not sure again."
"Jing, I—"
"First it was Wicked, now it's Bohemond. Don't you think this is a little unfair to Gui? Unfair to you?" Jing asked, "You told Gui, us, and hell, even your brother, that you would give him a proper answer after what happened a year ago. But you've been avoiding it, haven't you?"
I bit my lip, thinking about every time Gui tried to speak to me alone soon after he was released from the hospital, and how I somehow slipped out of the situation. "No... I just haven't had the chance..."
Jing narrowed her eyes, "You're a bad liar, Lan. That's why we figured out you were Prince as quickly as we did." Unexpectedly, Jing grabbed me and pulled me into a hug, "No matter what you do, Lan, we'll support you in your decision." She pulled back slightly, as her sympathetic smile from earlier returned, "But make that decision soon. Because if something happens again, Gui might not be as lucky as last time."
