The young man has always been aware that this wasn't his first life.
Of course, as a Vidyadhara, this information had always been available to him through his studies while imprisoned in the Shackling Prison. Should he count himself lucky to be able to learn that much, he finds himself wondering. Other times, he thinks he must be going crazy – maybe the Shackling Prison is all there is to the world? Him, the darkness, and the meager resources that get drip fed to him over the years. But then he moves, and feels the rattling chains around his wrists and is assaulted by the sense of wrongness about it all. This is a prison.
And he IS imprisoned– there is no mistaking it, judging by the amount of restrictions that is placed on his movements, the constant watchful gaze of his guards when he can see them from the cracks of light occasionally appearing inside. And, of course, the shackles that restrict his movement. He cannot even move more than 15 feet away from the center of his cell.
Then, there is the neverending darkness. The young dragon has had to rely on his sense of sound and smell and long, long periods of time ticking by to get a feel of how big his cell is, because it is bigger than what he can reach, and it drives him mad. He cannot see where the room ends and begins, and does not know fiction from reality.
He tries to act like this doesn't bother him at all, like his soul isn't always screaming to be let out, to be rid of this torturous solitude and confinement. Pretends that this is all normal to him, that this is all he knows, because it should be, but it isn't, and for the longest time he couldn't understand why.
For the first few years of his life, he has only known chains and darkness. Ever since he was young, only the dim lighting of the cell was something he could call his companion. There was also water, once, but as he grew the water gradually drained out, leaving him bereft and empty.
But then, he dreams of a vast sea framed by the ever setting sun in the sky, and suddenly it all begins to make sense. Suddenly he has an escape from the suffocating void of the prison.
And in his dreams…a man appears.
He meets the High Elder, and by some miracle of foresight, the young dragon remembers to lower his head in respect for the Elder. The High Elder, who introduces himself as Yinyue-jun, tells him to cease the formalities and speak as naturally as he is able.
The young dragon easily accepts, and that has Yinyue-jun staring at him for a few moments before he nods and offers him some tea.
It did not make sense right away, of course, but after that first meeting, he finds that he awakens with a new memory each time, detailing a life outside the prison with startling clarity.
The dreams are strange, depicting short-lived species with elemental powers and a combat structure completely alien to the universal paths and elements, but they feel so familiar to him. Day by day, he starts piecing things together.
He finds that this is not his first life – that revelation has two separate occasions. One from Yinyue-jun, who confesses that the young dragon is the High Elder's reincarnation. There had been a dark shadow overcast Yinyue-jun's face, so he wisely chooses not to ask. The second occasion came when he was staring at the lone withering tree that appeared in his dream. It was familiar, and he is unfathomably drawn to it.
Like a moth to a flame, he approaches. It's a simple maple tree, and its leaves fall gently onto the ground. Under its shade, he closed his eyes and let a new memory wash over him.
A mane of wine red hair, held in place by a headband, a cheeky knowing smirk with peridot eyes so piercing.
Gentle but firm hands holding his own and squeezing, the gentle press of a forehead on his own.
Nights spent in each other's arms, warm and safe.
The young dragon opens his eyes, heart aching and eyes stinging with unshed tears. The whisper of a name touches his lips.
Heizou.
His mind reaches a state of clarity. That's right. He…he wasn't who he is now, before. Wasn't a Vidyadhara, but a simple human in the land of the Narukami, able to wander the high seas and vast rolling plains of a world mired in Destiny.
He was –
"Kaedehara Kazuha…" The young dragon murmurs. "I am…Kaedehara Kazuha."
Despite his new identity, the old name brings comfort to his weary soul.
He doesn't hide this revelation from Yinyue-jun. There is no need. Ever since his rebirth, Kazuha has been distancing himself from the identity of Dan Feng, the seditious Imbibitor Lunae. Traditions of the Vidyadhara work in his favor, as Kazuha is told that Vidyadhara are reborn without memories of their previous incarnations. Despite this, his visitors (he refuses to call them teachers no matter what they present themselves as), numbered few among the years, cannot help but hammer it in his head again and again that he is the Imbibitor Lunae, traitor to the Luofu – but to no avail.
As it so happens, Kazuha has no present memories of Dan Feng. So it brings him a lot of vindictive satisfaction to have further proof that he is not simply Yinyue-jun's reincarnation.
"Indeed," the elder says. "This would, by all accounts, disqualify you for the role. The Preceptors and the Elders all want the succession to remain as pure as possible, so a taint like this would no doubt disgust them," his eyes trail over to Kazuha who, after many days of recalling old memories, reacts exactly how he behaved in his old life.
Serene, unbothered, almost faintly amused but ultimately dismissive.
"I see. That's rather unfortunate for them, isn't it?"
Yinyue-jun does a horrible job of hiding a delicate snort behind his sleeve.
Kazuha, as eager as he is to rid himself of the identity of Imbibitor Lunae, finds that he cannot just leave the legacy of succession completely in the dust.
Or rather, he cannot simply bring himself to forget and dismiss his connection with the former High Elder.
"There is no need to concern yourself with it," Yinyue-jun says bluntly, tail swishing sharply behind him. "The consequences of my decisions fall on me alone. You do not need to shoulder the burden."
After a moment, Kazuha exhales. "Yinyue-jun, may I speak my mind?"
Yinyue-jun nods.
"If you ask me, regardless of whether or not I accept the identity of Imbibitor Lunae, it still falls to me to resolve the crisis." The sense of responsibility is one familiar to him. Indeed, it's something that Kaedehara Kauzha himself has come to be acquainted with for many years of his life.
"In my life as a human, I was born to a family of bladesmiths. We were a part of the Raiden Gokaden, five bladesmithing schools in Inazuma. The Kaedeharas practiced the Isshin Arts, and up until my generation, were incredibly devoted to the art.
However, foreign entities wished to weaken the internal workings of Inazuma, and sent many agents to sabotage each of the schools. I won't bore you with the details, but eventually, only the Amenoma arts survived intact. The Isshin practitioners…we were dwindling by the minute. And by the time I took up the mantle, I was the only practitioner left."
Deep into his memories, he barely notices Yinyue-jun wrapping a tail around him, protectively.
"My family tried time and time again to revive the arts, but it was a lost cause. The sabotage ran far, and it ran deep. Against my fathers wishes I dove deep into my studies, hoping desperately that I could prove myself worthy of something my father never even asked of me. Of course, I failed."
"Little one –" Yinyue-jun starts, but Kazuha quickly interrupts him.
"Despite that, I still wanted to try again. I am not weak of heart, nor of spirit. Failure did not discourage me – what I wanted, in the end, was…closure, I suppose."
Yinyue-jun is silent, peering at him with a somber gaze.
Kazuha huffs a laugh. "In the end, I had it, and it was…freeing, in a way."
"And you think…" Yinyue-jun's gaze turns severe, tightening his grip on the younger dragon. "That this also applies to my actions?" Something haunted lies beneath it. Something he dare not touch, not now.
"The Ten-Lords Commission and the Preceptors already sentenced me to this prison for it," comes the reply.
"A completely foolish decision," denies Yinyue-jun, a jeering curl to his lips.
"Perhaps. Still, I would feel better if we finally tie loose ends, and bring your affairs to a close," he says. Sitting next to Yinyue-jun, the young dragon decides to lean on the elder's side. He pretends that the explanation he has given is the only reason he wishes to take on Dan Feng's burdens, and not because he needs something tangible to hold onto, a goal that gives him purpose outside the Shackling Prison.
"Hm. Do as you wish." Yinyue-jun gently brushes a lock of hair behind Dan Heng's ear. "It is your life."
Kazuha smiles faintly. "Thank you…father."
Yinyue-jun sees how restless the young dragon is everyday, while in his dreams, and decides his new avenue as a parent is to teach him the ways and life of a Vidyadhara.
He expounds more on the knowledge Kazuha can't quite recall, the birth-life cycle of their people, the roles the High Elder needs to play for them, and the presence of the Preceptors.
Yinyue-jun is a brilliant teacher, and ever the diligent student, Kazuha thrives under his tutelage. That is one difference between his old life and the new. Or rather…it is something of a new attitude that has bloomed in him due to the cruel, isolationist nature of the Shackling Prison – ever more than before, he is hungry for knowledge. If he cannot wander, then he is desperate to know all things about the galaxies, for it is the closest thing he has to sate his wanderlust.
It's a bright spot of comfort over the darkness that enshrouds his very being while inside the prison. At least, in his dreams where Yinyue-jun teaches him all he knows about the universe, Kazuha is free.
He sleeps more and more, hiding away from the real world. His mind has turned into somewhat of a solid landscape, and somehow, Yinyue-jun does not feel like a mirage anymore. He feels present. Real.
He thinks of a curious item called the Serenitea Pot. His dreams with his predecessor are much alike to its functions. Yinyue-jun feels less like a ghost and more of a visitor in his dreamscape, or a permanent resident. Kazuha is comforted by the fact, and he finds himself smiling more and more, in the privacy of his own mind.
Yinyue-jun says nothing, but his tail sways frequently. It is a lot more telling than his blank, expressionless face.
Yinyue-jun, somewhat taken aback at being called father at first, grows into the title with almost alarming eagerness. He fusses over his son more and more, less restrained than he was at the beginning.
Kazuhais subjected to constant hugging, affectionate touches and the soft crinkling of Yinyue-jun's eyes whenever his son accomplishes an assignment or a task set by the Elder. There is no mistaking that Dan Feng is growing unbearably fond of his successor.
Which means, of course, that he becomes incredibly protective and downright vitriolic at Kazuha's treatment in reality, locked away in the Shackling Prison. Moreso when the young dragon brings up the topic of Yinyue-jun's sins, and how he might face the Luofu to rectify it.
"You need not place yourself in the crosshairs of the Preceptors," Yinyue-jun says, gathering his son's hair and tying it so it falls over his shoulder. "They are dangerous and crafty. Uncaring of anyone else in the Xianzhou. What if they manage to get you? They are not easy prey, my son."
"I know. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
And he does. Kazuha is a man with simple needs, and simple desires. For all that he does want to eventually resolve the sedition of Imbibitor Lunae and put his sins to rest, personally speaking he would rather just continue on as he once had, wandering the land in search of a new adventure.
Or in this case, wander the galaxy under the watch of the stars.
So being in this prison, of course, pains him. He is a child of the Breeze, a free spirit. Being locked away chafes at him, and he wants to be let out.
But the Xianzhou do not intend to let him go, not while they are convinced he is Dan Feng reborn. So he needs to convince people that he is not Dan Feng and thus should be excluded from paying the price of the traitor's sins.
He hears of his next punishment from the jeering lips of his prison guard. Yinyue-jun seethes in rage when Kazuha reports to him about it. He is to be banished eternally from the Luofu. He may never again set foot on the flagship, else he will immediately be sentenced to another lifetime in the Shackling Prison.
Regardless of how it sounds, he pounces at the opportunity to be set free.
The day does come, and General Jing Yuan delivers the punishment with a shadowed face. However, he notes with curiosity that the man is as eager to push this banishment through as the rest of the Luofu are. A whisper from Yinyue-jun convinces the young dragon that this was deliberate.
The Ten-Lords Commission all watch with blank gazes, not sparing Dan Heng a glance, while some of the Precepters all watch with intent gazes, thinking their decision would break Imbibitor Lunae further.
Some of them falter when they take a good look at him.
Once again, there is a serene sort of quality to his expression. He does not smile, but he does not frown, nor does he show any outward sign of negativity.
Some are appeased by the squeeze of his hands crumpling the fabric of his attire, convinced that he is indeed angered by the sentence of eternal banishment.
However, the young dragon is simply impatient, and has to bite his tongue and dig his claws into his lap so as to not tip anyone off about his eagerness to finally be let out.
Jing Yuan, part of the farewell party, hands him a spear – Cloud Piercer.
It sits oddly in his hands. He knows how to use it, but he much rather uses a sword than a polearm. Regardless, he thanks Jing Yuan, because he is sure Yinyue-jun appreciates the gesture, as bitter as the man feels about his old friend's actions.
"Thank you for your generosity, General Jing Yuan," he bows low, low enough that it finally pulls a genuinely flabbergasted sound from the man. He recovers quickly, though, and by the time he straightens to look, Jing Yuan is smirking at him.
"You're welcome. Remember, you aren't to board the Luofu under any circumstances. Dan Feng is forbidden from accessing the Luofu in any way, shape, or form."
Kazuha pauses. When the General notices, he tilts his head. Leaning in closer, so that others may not hear, Jing Yuan speaks.
"My apologies. Neither the Preceptors nor the Ten-Lords saw fit to grant you a new name, after your rebirth."
Kazuha's lip curls. In his mind, he feels Yinyue-jun make a low sound of displeasure. Another cruelty of the Shackling Prison, denying it's prisoners their dignity. He did think it was odd that he was never referred to by any name, simply by 'prisoner'... He didn't think it was a deliberate act.
Now he knows better.
[If I may, hatchling…] Yinyue-jun whispers in his mind. He presents a suggestion to the successor, a chance to tie himself officially to his father. Kazuha eagerly accepts, and is honored by the action.
Newly named Dan Heng faces Jing Yuan, composed and speaks.
"I understand." In a short show of humor, Dan Heng adds, "May we meet again, General."
"We may not, you lout," Jing Yuan rolls his eyes hard, and Dan Heng grins.
