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For the first time in his life, Jing Yuan’s vision has been completely covered with gold.
The hellish fire with golden tips devoured Luofu, charring the buildings, people, and starskiffs. Not even the abundance abominations were safe, which says a lot, knowing their terrifying regeneration. Golden blood, like magma, pouring out of the cut on his cheek as well as from the wounds of the one person who had Jing Yuan in their (his?) grasp.
But the most striking hue of gold, one he could not escape no matter how much he tried to look away, were golden eyes, one of them covered with white hair.
Exactly like his own.
Jing Yuan spent so much time sustaining peace on Luofu. How ironic that it is Jing Yuan’s very father to be the one who brought an end to an era of prosperity on this ship.
Jing Yuan felt a tongue push past his lips, as he shuts his eyes and pretends it's anyone else, anyone but him .
His father was kissing him, with no hint of shame or regret. Kissed him in the same manner they long ago kissed their wife, Jing Yuan’s mother. How would she react had she been alive now and saw what her beloved husband was doing to their son? Would he even sink this low in the first place? Would that then imply that this is some weird way of coping with… grief?
Can Aeons even grieve? Especially Aeons like Nanook?
How did Nanook even end up with a wife and a child in the first place? They are an Aeon of destruction. He is destruction in and out of itself. So why? Was this just a long, convoluted plot to take down one of Xianzhou's ships? Would Nanook even be patient enough to go through all the steps, wait all these years? Wouldn't that contradict everything they stand for, everything they are ?
Wouldn't just blowing up the ship with the power of a thousand suns be much faster and easier and in-character for them?
Jing Yuan moans, throwing his head back and freeing himself from a suffocating kiss, after Nanook grinds his hard clothed length against him.
“You moan just like her too,” the Aeon whispers, like Jing Yuan was a boy again, exchanging secrets with his father, or like when he and the Aeon would converse quietly, while his mother was taking a much-needed nap.
“Please,” Jing Yuan begs, and Nanook stops everything they were doing, waiting for his next words. “Shut the fuck up.”
There was no pain. No reprimand. Just one disappointed sigh. It’s like he knows how much this hurts Jing Yuan, in what mental anguish he is right now. But he doesn't stop. The destruction never stops. Even if it's the ruin of its very son.
“Did she mean anything to you? Or did you just use her?!” Jing Yuan asks, since he had Nanook’s attention now. The man could feel tears begin to run down his cheeks and Nanook, so lovingly, just like a father would, reaches out with his hand, wiping his son’s tears away. “Did you love her at all?!”
“Of course I did, Yuan’er,” they respond, their voice sounding nothing like a low rumble that they introduced themselves to the unfortunate citizens of Luofu with, promising them doom. Instead, it sounded just like Jing Yuan remembers: a deep, but smooth, velvety voice, one that puts you at ease almost instantly. The way Nanook called out to Jing Yuan almost made the latter throw up and beg the Aeon to never ever call him like that again. Not after everything this monster had done. “You think I would’ve done everything that I did for a woman I couldn't care less about?” They ask, kissing Jing Yuan’s forehead, exactly how they used to when Jing Yuan was only a little boy, not even big enough for a sword.
“Then why ?!” Jing Yuan’s body is shaking with anger and disgust. “Why are you doing this, father ?!”
They smile, as if happy at being, at the very least, acknowledged as a father. “What exactly?” Nanook asks. “If this is about Luofu, then, I’m sorry, my son , but I can't help it. I only ever cared about you and your mother, which is why I strayed from my path, the very thing that defines me,” his hands ran along Jing Yuan’s waist, down to his hips. “You two were the only people that prevented me from laying waste to this place, even as I walked these streets every single day for two thousand years.”
“What changed?” Jing Yuan asks, his own hands moving to his father’s, trying to prevent him from unbuttoning his son’s pants, but, of course, he can't stop the Aeon.
“You left. Both of you,” they state. “I don't blame your mother. That would be foolish of me. She simply ran out of time she could spend with us.” Big hands had undone each button, one by one, like a kid unwrapping their present, scared and excited for what it is. “But what's your excuse for leaving me behind?” Nanook looks up at Jing Yuan again, golden eyes meeting their match. “Was the… Ah, what was the name again, Jing Yuan? Something about clouds…” Whether they were mocking him or not, Jing Yuan still tried to calm himself, by loudly exhaling from his nose.
“High Cloud Quintet,” he reminds.
“Tsk, what an awful name,” Nanook shakes his head and sighs. His hands pull Jing Yuan’s pants down slightly, along with his underwear. The man’s cock sprung free, along with his ass being now exposed to the empty world. The Aeon hums lustfully. “Was this… quintet worth abandoning your lonely father for, who just recently lost his dear wife?” Nanook’s fingers caress Jing Yuan’s hardening cock, making the man shudder at even a little bit of contact. “Especially considering that they then left you, all by yourself?” The Aeon leans in and looks into their son’s eyes intently. “Take Dan Feng for example. He still has his memories, albeit not all of them. Yet, he wants nothing to do with you. After everything you've done for him.”
“He has his reasons,” Jing Yuan parries, but any argument is gone in a moment from his mind the second his father takes hold of his cock and begins giving it gentle, but insistent pumps.
“Or how about Yingxing? The same man who used to bicker with you so much? The one who made the very glaive you tried to slay your own father with,” Nanook gestures at what remained of Jing Yuan’s signature weapon that he held dear to his heart for the simple reason of it being a gift from his friend. Now, the glaive was shattered into many pieces, with the tip of what used to be its blade partially molten from going into contact with the god’s blood. Yingxing clearly could never anticipate this weapon to be used against Aeons, their emanators at best. Even if he did, despite his renowned skill that surpassed those of the long-lived species, even he could never hope to craft such a powerful weapon. Let alone Blade, a man Yingxing had become, only a weapon himself, no longer the smith.
Jing Yuan doesn't respond to that, now focusing all his attention on trying not to cum from the stimulation provided by his father. But, once Nanook rolled their hips and flicked their wrist in a specific way, Jing Yuan could see the stars, even through the smoke of… Wherever they currently are.
Nanook leans back in his seat, looking rather pleased at winning the argument. Yet, he still continues. Either as a way to break Jing Yuan’s spirit, or to further drive a point home, just how they used to lecture him back in the day. “Or how about Jingliu? Ah, she's the most interesting of them all,” they muse, continuing to persistently pleasure their own son. “She was the one who taught you how to use the blade. I would've done that too, but…” Nanook trails off, his movements slowing down and Jing Yuan whines at that, because he was so, so fucking close . “Adlivun swordsmanship is very different from the one invented here, on Xianzhou. Not like anyone would even remember Adlivun or what it was like… Besides me, of course. But I still wanted to be safe. I wanted you to be safe,” they explain, as if Jing Yuan was actually listening, like he actually cared. “But, what was interesting, if not scary, wasn't her swordplay. It’s her loyalty and devotion to Lan and the Alliance,” Nanook then sighs and pulls at Jing Yuan’s cock, watching as the man throws his head back and comes into his father's hand. He gives some more pumps, milking his son of all semen, before they continue. “Sometimes, I wonder… Had I not allowed you to become her student… Would we still be a family?”
Jing Yuan pants, recovering from his orgasm, because, honestly, he doesn't remember the last time someone jerked him off this good. Pity that it's his father, who also happened to be the destroyer of Xianzhou.
Nanook gets up from their seat, Jing Yuan still in their grasp, as they lay him down on the cold surface of… something. Under a close inspection, Jing Yuan realized that he was laid upon a desk. Ah, they must be in his office then. He could've sworn they fought in the shackling prison. What happened? How did they get here? Meanwhile, the Ruin Author pulls the man’s pants down, until Jing Yuan is laid bare from the waist down. Nanook takes a moment, overlooking Jing Yuan, before they reach into their open wound.
“What are you doing…?” The man asks, but then his father hovers his fist over his body, golden burning ichor dripping onto the armor and the blouse. It was then that he felt first hotness, then cold, as the rest of Jing Yuan’s clothes burned away. He wanted to gasp, he wanted to be surprised, except he already anticipated this. Nanook would certainly go through with this, he was never the person to delay or to question his actions. As more of Jing Yuan’s body was revealed, Nanook smiles again in satisfaction, as they admire the man’s body, the well-defined muscles, the beauty marks, in the same places as the woman they once loved had.
“Beautiful,” Nanook praises, leaning in and kissing Jing Yuan on the lips again, like a lover would. “You're just too good for me, Yuan’er.”
Then don't fucking touch me , he wants to scream, but doesn't. As if his body actually wanted this and didn't dare to let Nanook know otherwise. Jing Yuan shakes with both pleasure and fear. Nanook towered over… pretty much anyone, really. Far taller than an average man, his presence felt nothing short of suffocating and overwhelming. Nanook can kill Jing Yuan so easily, they wouldn't even have to try . And yet, they've been nothing but gentle and careful, like an antiquarian inspecting a family heirloom. Like Jing Yuan was a precious artifact himself.
Jing Yuan felt something push against his entrance, and a wave of panic overcame him. He didn't even notice his father freeing his cock, when did he…?
“Father, it's not-” Jing Yuan chokes out, his own dick throbbing in excitement. “It's not going to fit. Please, don't do it.”
He doesn't know if Nanook did something to him, to his body, that made Jing Yuan seize any resistance, but, he didn't even try to fight back, when he wanted to, needed to. “Of course it will,” Nanook reassured him, as they grasped their cock with their free hand, the other pinning Jing Yuan to the table by his shoulder. “You're my son. I made you. You were made for me ,” they say as the pressure intensified, and Jing Yuan whispered weak but rapid “no”s. “And even if it won't…” The Ruin Author pushes his length inside and for the first time, Jing Yuan screams, as his father's cock ripped its way inside his body. “ I’ll make it fit. ”
Jing Yuan is hyperventilating, his head spinning and vision blurring with tears. Sobs replaced screams, as Nanook, slowly, begins to move. “No, no, no, no! Fath- Dad-!” the former general cries, wanting to disappear into air, to never exist, to at least close his eyes and grow numb, so that he could pretend he wasn't being raped by his father. But he knows he won't have it. His father will keep him here, awake and aware, make sure Jing Yuan looks the Aeon in the eyes and his body remains sensitive to Nanook’s touch.
Jing Yuan doesn't have to look down to know that his father's cock left a distinct outline in his stomach. Nanook fucks into him, with a pretense of gentleness and care that destruction shouldn't be capable of. Jing Yuan tries to cover his mouth to at least muffle the humiliating cries he was making, but the Aeon roughly yanks his hand away, pinning it to the desk. “Let me hear you,” they growl, a clear command in their voice and Jing Yuan, as if he was some void ranger, mindlessly obeys them, no longer bothering to hide his noises. Nanook “rewards” him, by making a particularly rough and deep thrust, before resuming their slower pace. “Good boy,” the Aeon whispers, his expression relaxing.
Jing Yuan’s vision blurred, clouded with tears and the overwhelming lust.
“Please, I don’t-! I’m your son!” Jing Yuan screams out, looking into his father’s eyes.
“Exactly,” Nanook says, grabbing hold of both of Jing Yuan’s legs, spreading them further apart. “I missed you so much. You are my creation, one that I gave too much freedom…” They pick up the pace and the former general cries in pain. “I paid greatly for that mistake of mine… Left all alone by my own son. Do you know how horrible it felt?”
You deserved to be abandoned , Jing Yuan wants to argue, had he had any breath left.
“But even then,” they grunt, as the thrusts grow shallow. They’re close. “I still love you, my son.” They kiss Jing Yuan on the forehead, the innocence of the kiss clashing with the slapping of skin against skin. “Yuan, I’m going to-”
“Don't-!” Jing Yuan sobs. “Don't! Don't! Don't! Please, are you trying to fucking kill me?!”
Jing Yuan is pinned harshly against the table by the sudden series of rough thrusts that knock all air from his lungs. He could've sworn he felt his father's cock ramming against his stomach, nausea overcoming the formal general like a tidal wave. And then he feels the Aeon cum inside him, flooding his insides with seed and rendering his mind blank. All thought leaves his head when he senses the cum overflowing out of him, pushed out by a lack of space. There was so much , he now definitely feels some of it inside his stomach. And even after all that, Nanook still wasn't stopping for a good minute, still thrusting in and out, milking the last of his cum from his cock. By the time the Aeon was done, Jing Yuan’s stomach had extended forward just a little bit, as his body tried to keep as much sperm inside as possible.
“Look at you,” Nanook pants, pulling out only a little bit of his length. “Gorgeous.” He smiles and kisses Jing Yuan on the lips again, with the latter not responding. Jing Yuan’s eyes were glazed over, mouth open and drooling, trying to catch breath after what can only be described as torture. Nanook then stays like this, their dick still buried deep inside their son, as they caress Jing Yuan’s cheek, looking into those empty golden eyes that, overtime, were regaining life and consciousness inside them.
But Jing Yuan was still docile and quiet, mind attempting to comprehend what just took place. In a sick and twisted whim, the Aeon pulls out in a single motion and Jing Yuan gasps as cum pours out of him, like he was a broken dam. The Ruin Author watches in satisfaction at such a lewd display and then grins when they press their palm against Jing Yuan’s stomach, more cum, with more force, gushing out of his abused ass.
“Ahh, fuck! ” Jing Yuan whines at the bizarrely uncomfortable feeling of emptiness. “Are you done, you piece of shit?!”
Jing Yuan gasps as he is swiftly flipped over, like he was a page in a book, and while trying to get over the motion sickness he is sobered up with a strong smack against his ass cheeks.
“Language,” Nanook reprimands him, smiling at the high-pitched moan escaping out of Jing Yuan's mouth. “I raised you better than to swear like a starskiff pilot.”
Jing Yuan hides his face by pressing it on the table, so that anyone who might dare to come and try to rescue the former general from the claws of the God, wouldn't see the pathetic faces he was making, as Nanook continued to spank the man. “I never raised my hand at you until now,” they recount. “I was scared I would. But, no, even thinking about hitting your small frame filled me with revulsion.” Second strike. Third strike… Tenth. Fifteenth. “But I guess there's nothing wrong with it now. You're a big boy now, aren't you, Yuan?” A particularly harsh smack from Nanook that made Jing Yuan scream at the impact. “You can handle some much-needed discipline, can't you?” Jing Yuan sobs, the skin on his buttocks growing hotter with pain.
The spanking seized, mere moments, but enough for the man to get a breather. Then, he felt the tip of Nanook’s cock breach his asshole once more. Yet again they don't give him any time to adjust (not that they need to after the previous round), pounding into Jing Yuan with newfound strength, each thrust earning the Aeon a moan or a whine of, what was for certain now, pleasure. The man had grown numb to the pain, with it only being a mere accompaniment to the roaring pleasure of being filled again. “Enjoying yourself, huh?” Nanook playfully teases, bending down and reaching to grope Jing Yuan’s cock. Both found out that the former general was starting to grow hard again. “Oh, you are… Aren't you? Getting off to being punished… Naughty boy.”
There was no longer the pretense of gentleness that was there the previous time. It was a rough, almost animalistic, fucking.
“I’m… not-!” And right after saying that, Jing Yuan shivers, and he yelps when Nanook pulls him by the hair.
“Yes, you do,” he says as a matter of fact. And he's right. Jing Yuan started pushing back, meeting his father's thrusts, and squeezing around the Aeon's cock. That resulted in Nanook making small noises of pleasure himself, along with showering his son with praise. “You're doing so great. You accept my cock so easily, milk me dry. You really were made for me. Ah, you're perfect. Perfect for me .”
“S-slow-” Jing Yuan tries to plead through a grueling pounding, trying to make his voice louder than the slapping of skin against skin and Nanook’s own moans. “Papa, please, slow down!”
And Nanook, bizarrely, does so.
They stop for a moment and then begin moving, their dick sliding in and out of Jing Yuan at a steady pace. If Jing Yuan can't stop this depravity, he can at least try to make things his way and enjoy it a little bit. “Better?” Nanook asks, their voice saccharine, the same kind when Jing Yuan was a little boy, getting himself hurt and needing his dad’s help. The Aeon would shush the boy, treating the wound from the sword training and telling him how good the child was at handling the pain. No tears. No cries. Only a quiet request to treat him, wincing when the medicine would sting unpleasantly at his wound, but nothing more. A reward always awaited Yuan at the end, a promise kept by his father.
“B-better,” Jing Yuan muffled into the metal of the desk, as he hid his face. Thankfully, just this once, Nanook lets him have this. Because Jing Yuan can't pretend that it's someone other than him and, more importantly, can't pretend that he's not getting off to it now. After all, despite it being their first time together, Nanook somehow knows exactly how to drive his cock deeper, what pace Jing Yuan likes, where his son's prostate is, how to reach it, and how to make the most of it. It was rather scary and uncanny. Has the Ruin Author fantasized about this day? Planned ahead? Or is Jing Yuan really just that similar to his mother?
Jing Yuan tries to think about everyone else, who got in the crossfire between him and his father. He knows what happened to Jingliu and Luocha, but what about the others? Did the Stellaron Hunters predict this? Had they managed to leave, escape the Luofu before Nanook came here? Was this also part of their plan? How is the Astral Express? Did they manage to leave, helping Dan Heng, possibly Luofu's sole survivor, to escape from meeting such an unjust and gruesome end? And Yanqing! The boy is so young and naive, his mistake chasing Blade making it ever more evident! If everyone is dead… is Yanqing too?
As if on cue, the door to the office swings open, both Jing Yuan and Nanook raising their heads to meet the intruder. Or, well, intruders, as it appears. Fu Xuan, her cosmic dress now tattered, edges of it covered with cinder, and Yanqing, sword at the ready, as always, no doubt helping her get through the horses of the void rangers. Both had a look of desperate determination mixed with worry, no doubt trying to find Jing Yuan, hoping to save him, as if it would mean anything. But, what they found made their hearts sank, as both Fu Xuan and Yanqing gasp in horror at the sight of Nanook, still inside Jing Yuan, bending the former general over the table.
“G-general?” Fu Xuan croaks out, her eyes wide with pity and, no doubt, disgust. “What-?”
“Have your parents not taught you it's rude not to knock first?” Nanook glares at the pair. They raise their hand, flames dancing between their fingers. Jing Yuan knows what this means, so he pushes back against the Aeon, squeezing his cock and, fortunately, distracting him.
“Father, no, please!” Jing Yuan begs, his hand on the Ruin Author's chest, clawing at their skin like a desperate prey. “Please, please, just let them go! Let them leave Luofu! I'll-” He cuts himself off, looking back at Fu Xuan and Yanqing, knowing this is his last time ever seeing them. Yanqing shakes his head, tears begin to stream from his honey eyes. Of course, the boy had already figured out what Jing Yuan was about to say. He lived with him his whole life, and knows how Jing Yuan is like in and out.
“General!” Yanqing hiccups quietly. The man's heart breaks for him, but he must do it.
While Fu Xuan is eyeing Yanqing with a combination of suspicion and horror, Jing Yuan continues. “Please, dad. I'll do anything. You can take me and do whatever you like with me,” Jing Yuan draws breath and, finally, Fu Xuan now understands everything too.
“Ge- Jing Yuan, no!” She begs, as Yanqing is unable to contain his sobs, breaking down crying like a child that he always was. All the while, Fu Xuan is trying to come up with something, anything, to persuade the Aeon to let all three of them leave, no matter how absurd that thought was.
“Only if they leave first,” Nanook sighs, as they take hold of Jing Yuan, sitting back down on the bench behind the table. The man was still sat on his father's cock, but know, it was almost like the Aeon was putting the formal general up like a display, like he was some sort of… trophy.
Fu Xuan bites down on her lip, closing her eyes and, then, grabs Yanqing's hand, who now stood dumbfounded at the sight of Jing Yuan’s naked form, before running out of the office. “Fu Xuan! Fu Xuan, we can't leave him-!” The boy screams, as he was snapped out of his trance-like state. He tries to resist, tries to break free, but, apparently, the diviner had some hidden strength inside her, one that held on to the boy tightly and dragged him out of the office.
Jing Yuan could still hear Yanqing cries echoing down the hallway as Nanook grabbed his face and turned it to look at him. “What did you even see in them?” They mutter, then kiss Jing Yuan, with the former general not bothering to fight back. He promised, after all. “How did you even tolerate them, hmm?” Nanook thrusts and, with this new angle, Jing Yuan gasps, as he feels the head of the Aeon's cock press against his stomach. The grueling fucking resumes and Jing Yuan just… takes it. Accepts it. After all, it seems he had struck a deal with his father. If Nanook actually lets Fu Xuan and Yanqing leave safely, then…
Then it's worth it.
“I asked you a question, Yuan,” Nanook frowns, with the former general still bouncing on his cock. “Answer me.”
It's only going to get worse if he disobeys.
What was the question again?
“They're… my friends,” Jing Yuan croaks out, not even sure who he is talking about. High Cloud Quintet? Well, Nanook is right - they don't want anything to do with him anymore. There's nothing left from the strong bond that was once there… Or was there one? Was Jing Yuan really that close to the rest of the quintet? Or did he just convince himself because of the survivor's guilt? Was he talking about Fu Xuan and Yanqing? Well, Fu Xuan, for all her quirks and temper, meant well, no doubt. She wanted the position because, unlike Jing Yuan, she is far more suited for it. Besides, surely, a diviner, blessed by Nous themselves, would've noticed Jing Yuan's struggle. She would've noticed how he actually never wanted this title. Surely, she felt pity? Surely she felt like she could elevate some of that burden? And Yanqing… Ah, poor, poor Yanqing. He's only a child, but works like an adult. The confrontation with Jingliu and Blade sure left an impact on him… Albeit not the one Jing Yuan hoped for. He would probably blame himself for the Legion's invasion being successful, because had he been more vigilant, wasn't distracted by Blade and Jingliu and Dan Heng… Ah, if only Jing Yuan could apologize to him! For everything: for robbing Yanqing of a normal childhood, for taking him on the front lines, for not spending enough of a precious time with the boy, for not checking up on him on that dreadful day… Hopefully, this sacrifice would be enough of an apology.
While deep in thought, Jing Yuan doesn't notice his father covering his shoulders with kisses, suckling and licking at the pale skin…
Before sharp pain racks through the former general's whole body as Nanook's teeth plunge into the flesh. It wasn't the bite a passionate lover would leave on their partner. No, no, it was like Nanook was actually taking a bite out of his own son.
And he was.
The Aeon pulls away, flesh still between their teeth, as they rip the skin and tendons, their son's blood pouring down from their mouth. The sickening sound his flesh made, accompanied by the pain of being literally eaten , made Jing Yuan scream, snapped out of his despair. Nanook bites off a good chunk of his son's meat, eagerly accepting it into his mouth, chewing on it only briefly, before swallowing it down.
“You taste like a liar,” he concludes, licking his lips of the remaining blood.
“I-I wasn't lying!” Jing Yuan sobs, looking back at his father, who only raises an eyebrow in doubt.
“Liar,” Nanook repeats themselves, one of their hands shaking down to tightly grasp Jing Yuan's dick, jerking it off furiously, while the other held the man in place as the God continued fucking him. “What did you see in them? The Quintet? The diviner girl? The boy? The whole of Luofu?” Jing Yuan began to feel light-headed, all he wanted to do was throw up and close his eyes, preferably forever. “What made you choose them over me ?”
Is this what it's all about? A some sort of weird jealousy that reached its peak?
“I… I…” Jing Yuan shuts his eyes. He was close again. Really close to the release. His cock was aching and pulsating, while all thought was pounded away. He was set up for a failure. If Nanook was interrogating him - he was doing a shit job at that. Jing Yuan not only can't reply truthfully at this state, no, he can't reply at all!
“I won't let you cum until you answer me truthfully, Yuan'er,” Nanook whispers into Jing Yuan's ear, almost like he read the man's thoughts. He wouldn't be surprised if this is what actually happened.
“I… Papa, please ,” Jing Yuan begs, but Nanook isn't buying it. Not this time. The man's balls grew heavy with pent-up sperm, as Jing Yuan shook with pain and anger and desperation.
“I want the truth, Yuan'er. Then, you can cum,” Nanook doesn't relent, their hold growing almost painful.
Something inside Jing Yuan breaks.
Indeed, what did he see in the cold and distant Jingliu? Arrogant Dan Feng and an even more arrogant and haughty Yingxing? Ingenuous Baiheng? Wrathful Fu Xuan? Naive Yanqing who is far better off without him in his life?
“I don't know!” Jing Yuan cries, giving up on everything that was, is and will be. “I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! ” His cries grew into almost shrieks and Nanook, for the first time, faltered. “I'm sorry, Papa! I'm sorry I left you! Please, please, please forgive me!” It was no longer the arousal or the pain making his core shake, but the strangled sobs. Nanook looks at him with pity and a shadow of guilt, but Jing Yuan doesn't care anymore. “I promise I'll be a good child, Papa. I'm sorry. I'll be good, I won't leave you again-”
“Shh, I know,” Nanook kisses the crying man… a child on his cheek. “I know. I forgive you. Just promise you won't do it again, alright?”
That tone of voice again.
Papa really isn't angry at him anymore.
“I-I promise! I promise, Papa!” Jing Yuan nods his head and the Aeon smiles at him. So kindly. So warmly.
He feels safe now.
He is home now.
He finally came back home.
It feels so good.
“Good boy,” his father whispers and begins to jerk of Jing Yuan again, along with the slow thrusts.
The child's eyes roll back into his head, as he feels the orgasm approaching. “Ah! So good! It feels so good, Papa, don't stop!” Jing Yuan cries and Nanook shushes him, kissing his head and whispering to him to wait a little longer.
He's cumming in no time, throwing his head back, letting out a scream, before his dying dignity and rationality are completely destroyed. The Aeon follows soon, overflowing his insides with his seed again. Jing Yuan shuts his eyes, as his father's cum fills him up. The second he let go of everything, it stopped hurting. How is this possible?
The former general lays back against his father's chest. He felt his blood, gushing from his shoulder wound, leak down his body, mixing with the cum splattered on his stomach. Jing Yuan was crying too. He didn't know how to describe his emotions. He wasn't even sure what he was feeling now. All he knew was that he wanted to stop feeling. Stop thinking. Jing Yuan feels Nanook lick at his wound, sampling his blood and flesh.
“Are you… going to eat me?” Jing Yuan asks, innocently. He doesn't mind being eaten by his father. He belonged to them, after all.
“Only if you ask me to,” Nanook says, placing a single kiss to an open wound. “You may lie to me, Yuan, but your flesh can't lie to me.”
Ah… Makes sense.
“I wasn’t lying!” Jing Yuan perks up, turning his face, with tear streaks decorating his cheeks.
Nanook smiles softly and nods. “I know. I figured so,” he whispers, and that alone made Jing Yuan relax, dropping his head on his father's shoulder.
“... Take me with you…” Jing Yuan weakly asks. There was no place for him on Luofu or in the vast cosmos. Not anymore. With how ugly and broken he is, Jing Yuan only belongs in one place: his home.
And home is where his father is.
“Of course,” The Ruin Author pats his head and hugs him. “That's what I came here for, remember?” Has Nanook ever said that to anyone else? Do the victims of the Legion's invasion know of why their lives have been taken away?
There was another kiss. Chaste and careful. “Close your eyes. Rest now, my son,” the Aeon said. Like a spell working, Jing Yuan's eyelids grew heavy. “You did very well… You endured enough. Rest.”
Jing Yuan sighs heavily against his father's shoulder as he slips into unconsciousness.
»»————- 🌋🦁 -————««
His dream was one of recollection.
Of what happened. How his father came back.
He anticipated Luocha somehow being related to the Stellaron Crisis. Jingliu, however, was… unexpected.
He thought he killed her. He carried that guilt with himself for centuries, even if that was Jingliu's own request… Well, Jingliu he remembers that is.
“And this time… We will put the Abundance in their grave.”
Is that what this was all about? All the sacrifices? The Stellaron Crisis? The Legion's invasion?
Fire burns inside Jing Yuan's soul. Fire that's hotter than the surrounding cold, that came with the swordswoman. Fire fueled by hatred, betrayal, confusion. He knows that she's doing all this because she went insane, that the master he remembers would desecrate Xianzhou like that…
… right?
Either way, Jing Yuan had been outsmarted. Question is, how is he supposed to turn things into his own favor? The path that Jingliu and Luocha want to lead Xianzhou to… It doesn't matter if it's their very own or if they serve another Aeon. They can't succeed. He won't let them. That path promises nothing but more suffering and doom. And they have already done enough.
“And how are you going to accomplish that?” He asks, knowing that it’s not something he should be asking a mara-struck person. Why? How? When? It doesn’t matter. However, he needs more. Now that Jingliu and Luocha revealed themselves, he should make the best of this situation. Even with Jingliu’s power and Luocha’s help, they don’t stand a chance against an emanator of the Hunt. Unless, of course, they too have caught the attention of an Aeon. But which one? Which Aeon is eager to join the war between the Hunt and the Abundance? Destruction? Why would the Destruction try to join the war and yet, only target one side, instead of targeting both? They’re known to act as a third party that, ultimately, just like their path suggests, ultimately brings the war to an end… by eliminating everyone . Being the sole winner, the ultimate conqueror.
Or are they trying to get themselves arrested on purpose?
“Is that genuine curiosity, general?” Luocha mocks behind Jing Yuan’s back. “Are you agreeing with us? Or are you trying to outsmart us?”
Jing Yuan grits his teeth. He has been backed into the corner. These two really worked hard. Or, perhaps, Jingliu remembers Jing Yuan really well. Still remembers all his weaknesses.
“All of you are fools, blinded by your arrogance.”
Who’s that?
Whoever it was, Jingliu and Luocha also hadn’t expected them. The voice was one of a woman, deep and commanding, sending everyone in the Shackling Prison to a state of dread and almost total submission.
Jing Yuan turns around and, there, towering above everyone, where he once stood, was a woman. She was wearing a very old-fashioned Xianzhou clothes and, judging by her dragon shaped armor and the cape, which bore striking similarity to the ones Jing Yuan was wearing right now, she is…
Another Arbiter-General.
Except, he doesn’t recognize her.
“And who are you?” The question slips out on its own. Luocha looks between her and Jing Yuan, clearly coming to the same conclusion he did just now.
The woman hums. “I’m your father’s… enforcer, General Jing Yuan.” She says, as she begins descending from the platform. As she creeps closer, Jing Yuan gets a better look at the general. Her dark hair was also done in a traditional Xianzhou style: an updo with the hairpin decorated with the number of jewels, as if she was no general, but an empress instead. The woman’s eyes glowed an eerie and almost sickening green hue. In one of her hands, she was carrying a steel lantern, inside which was a yellow and cyan flame.
At that moment, it all clicked together, and Jing Yuan felt a chill run down his spine as the sense of doom was threatening to crush him down.
Not only did he recognize the woman now, he also recognized the flame inside of her lantern.
In front of Jing Yuan, Jingliu and Luocha stood non-other than Celenova herself, Nanook’s loyal front-line general. And in her lantern was another Lord Ravager, the very one who was at the center of the Stellaron Crisis - Phantylia.
“What do you mean, father? ” Jing Yuan heard Jingliu ask, and only then did Celenova’s words began to register in Jing Yuan’s mind.
Father?
“You do know how our Lord looks like, do you not, Jingliu?” Celenova chuckles. “You did catch their attention after all. Though, not for the reasons you think,” the Lord Ravager walks past the terrified merchant and Cloud Knights, the dumbfounded Jing Yuan and stalks towards the swordswoman. “Don’t you think they and Jing Yuan look a tad bit too… similar?”
She walks behind Jingliu and, with one swift motion, rips the blindfold off of her. Jingliu gasps, her red eyes widening in shock. But, she does not dare to move. No one dares to move. Celenova grabs Jingliu’s face with her free hand and forces her to look at Jing Yuan. “Look at him! Is he not a spitting image of our Lord?!” She growls into the swordswoman’s ear, and she looks mortified at Jing Yuan. He hopes that the notes of recognition in her eyes are simply from her finally laying her eyes on him for the first time in centuries and not… Not what Celenova is implying.
But, his hopes are crushed almost instantly.
“Jing Yuan… You…”
He snaps out of his confusion, finally. Nanook is…?
No. No, no, it’s not possible! Why would they ever have an offspring?! Let alone with a woman such as Jing Yuan’s mother?! Their path is supposed to stop them from even considering doing something like that! They can’t think about anything other than destruction!
“You’re… Nanook’s child?” Luocha asks, his voice going more quiet with each word, as if the idea alone was courageous if not blasphemous.
“I’m…” Nanook couldn’t possibly be his father! He’s… not even sure if he ever did have a father. Everyone told him that he did. That his father was a quiet, but honest and kind man. He remembers his mother, a Foxian woman who ran away from her home to build a new life on Xianzhou, to always be smiling and happily laughing when in his father’s presence. Jing Yuan remembers constantly getting comments about how much he looks like his father, with the same hair and eyes, only inheriting the skin color and the beauty mark from his mother. He remembers the kind and deep voice lulling him to sleep.
Yet, no matter how much he tries, Jing Yuan can’t remember his father’s face. He doesn’t remember what he looks like at all. Jing Yuan always found this selective amnesia odd, but always brushed it off as a side effect of memory wipe from the meditation, that would help the general prevent himself from going mara-struck at the young age.
“I’m not.”
And still, just because… Just because he doesn’t remember his father when everyone else does. Just because everyone tell him that he looks exactly like his father… Just because Celenova and Jingliu think that the general of Luofu and the Aeon of destruction look almost the same.
“Lies… All lies!” Jing Yuan screams out, his anger, the burning anger, getting the better of him, as he summons his glaive and lunges to attack Celenova, to either kill her or get himself killed, doesn’t matter. He just wants this humiliation to end. This treachery.
Something zooms past Jing Yuan and lands near his feet. This action alone made him freeze in his tracks. The general looks down and sees… a feather?
“Your anger only proves us right,” the male voice responded from behind, and Jing Yuan, once again, turns to look at its owner.
Behind Luocha and his coffin, with vines sprouting from it, that were cut and pinned to the ground by the same feathers that zoomed past Jing Yuan, was a tall, winged man. The man had long curly hair and wore a long tunic along with a single chest plate, that paired with large avian wings, made him look like an angel. Luocha tries to get away from the man, but as he tries to move, the man unfurls his wings, with the feathers pointing at Luocha’s throat. A threat.
That must be Zephyro. Yet another Lord Ravager.
“It’s good to see you again, Jing Yuan,” Zephyro says and flashes the general a cheerful smile. “Last time I saw you, you were… Oh, I think you were around 5 years old?” The emanator of destruction cocks his head. “You were a fun little kid. A little spoiled, but such was our Lord’s decision.”
Jing Yuan’s heart was beating rapidly in his chest.
It’s over.
It’s over for the Luofu. Not one, not two, but three emanators? All at the same time, standing right in front of him? How could he let this happen? This happened under Jing Yuan’s reign. He would be credited for the fall of Luofu.
“You’re lying! All of you are lying!” Jing Yuan is looking from cackling Celenova to Zephyro. Oh, how he wished that the true culprits were Jingliu and Luocha now. At least they were human. At least they could be defeated.
How ironic that those that preached about the Aeons’ indifference towards mortals and how they were being used as mere pawns in their games… to be used as pawns by the Aeon’s followers. It would’ve felt karmic, had it not been the Lord Ravagers to be the ones behind the scheme.
Jingliu’s scream pierces his ears and Jing Yuan looks in horror as she is engulfed by the greenish flames, as the cage Celenova was holding was now opened and empty. “Master, no!” The general yells in panic, just for Celenova to step forward between him and his teacher.
“I think you owe Phantylia an apology for all the nasty words you said to her back at the Arbor,” she says flatly, as Jingliu tried to resist the possession by Heliobi. “You may apologize to her once she gets your master’s body.”
Jing Yuan points his glaive at the Lord Ravager, initially hoping to stab her, slash her, cut through her, just to get to Jingliu in time to save her… somehow. Instead, his body stopped moving, muscles locked in place as an invisible force held him back. Celenova grins at Jing Yuan’s frustrated growl.
Behind her, he could see the swordswoman’s last moments of freedom. Jingliu looks at Jing Yuan, her blood-red eyes meeting the warm gold. “I’m sorry,” Jingliu struggles out, with her last free breath, with the last bit of strength still left in her…
… Before she collapses, right in Celenova’s arms.
Behind himself, he could hear Luocha’s scream of pain as well as a sound of flesh being pierced and cut through, bones breaking, organs being punctured. There came more, from the Cloud Knights, those ordinary boys and men, that spent their last moments standing still, silenced by the presence of servants of gods. Jing Yuan stood still himself, but this time it wasn’t an invisible force or fear keeping him in place.
It was despair.
He was alone now. Everyone is gone. No doubt that the streets of Luofu were already in chaos, a bloodbath, where no one, not a single soul was being spared. This ship was slowly being turned into a slaughterhouse, with people having nowhere to run. Trapped by the clever machinations of the servants of the Destruction.
Celenova, still holding Jingliu’s body, gently brushes the light-blue hair behind the woman’s ear. “Phantylia? Are you there?”
The body stirs in the woman’s arms, as “Jingliu” opens her eyes. They were the same blood-red color, but the soul behind them was no longer hers.
“Yes,” Phantylia answers in her own deep voice. “Thank you for picking this one for me.”
“Do you like it?” The traitor asks, smiling down at her comrade, helping Phantylia to stand up.
“... Very much,” Phantylia chuckles, looking down at her new host. She then turns to meet Jing Yuan’s empty stare. She smiles sadistically. “We meet again, general!” Phantylia stretched out her arms in the pretentious welcoming gesture. “Did you really think that that was it? Did you really think you could finally breathe easy when I pretended to leave?”
Jing Yuan heard Zephyro step closer to him from behind. “General, the Xianzhou has been one of the Legion’s targets for a long time. We know how your people think, how you fight, why you fight.”
“The war between the Abundance and the Hunt has been going on for so long, yet both refuse to see how many innocents got hurt in the crossfire. The Abundance and the Hunt… are just two sides of the same coin. Both are hypocrites. The Xianzhou take advantage of immortality, given to them by Yaoshi, while the Denizens of Abundance don't share their master’s idea of pacifism and compassion. And, at the end, both shall perish to the fires of the Destruction,” Celenova finished for both of them. She looked expectantly at Jing Yuan, but what was she waiting for? Was she waiting for Jing Yuan to realize the “error of the way of the Hunt”? Realize that his place was among the Antimatter Legion’s ranks? Was all of this just… a recruitment?
Heavy steps could be heard echoing in the Shackling Prison. They immediately shut all three of the emanators up, as they froze in what Jing Yuan assumed is… anticipation?
“That’s enough,” the fourth voice spoke and… it was so familiar. Jing Yuan has heard this voice before. But where? And who could that possibly be?
He didn’t want to know the answer. Like a coward, he finally moved… To run. He didn’t know where, he didn’t care. As long as he is away from whoever that person is… No, no, he knows damn well who it was. But he denies it. He would rather die than to see them. To meet face to face. He runs, hallway after hallway, passing by the cells of inmates that were imprisoned here. Some were laughing maniacally. Some were screaming in agony, begging for mercy. Some were yelling about how the Lord of Longevity, for all their love and mercy, will never forgive the wretched scum that is the Antimatter Legion and their leader.
Some cells were dead silent.
And as Jing Yuan ran further and further away, the silence grew louder and louder, with only the sound of his echoing footsteps, ragged breathing and rapidly beating heart filling the void. However, that was it. He didn’t hear anything else as he traversed further towards (hopefully) the exit from the prison.
What was terrifying, however, was the fact that no matter what, he couldn’t shake off their presence, as they chased silently after him. When Jing Yuan would seldom look back, he would see no one behind him.
When he reached the main exit, he was dismayed to see the ruins and the collapsed wall blocking the exit. What’s worse is that the Space Anchor was also smashed into pieces in the process. Jing Yuan could clear the way using the Lightning Lord…
… But, just as he readied his glaive, he heard heavy, slow footsteps.
Right behind him.
“Yuan,” that voice calls out again, sounding so, so close.
Jing Yuan, as his body is shaking from fear and exhaustion, decides to make a last stand, however futile it is. He roars in anger, turning around, and stabs the Aeon in the chest.
Nanook took the hit.
But they don’t care. They don’t even falter. They just took it and stood as if nothing had happened.
Nanook is far taller than any man Jing Yuan has ever met, dwarfing him in size, looming over the general like a wrathful God they are. Their body is decorated with numerous scars and wounds, bleeding gold ichor, making Nanook look like a damaged weapon that was hastily repaired over and over again. When Jing Yuan looked up to see their face… He wanted to vomit.
They’re right. The two of them do look alike.
Same white hair, even with a similar texture. The same golden eyes. Same facial structure.
Nanook looks down at the general. They close their eyes, as a single bloody tear, gold, just like the blood seeping from their wounds, rolls down their cheek. The Aeon sighs. “I’m sorry to barge in like this… After all these years.”
So… This is supposed to be some fucked up “family” reunion.
“Liar! You’re full of-” But Jing Yuan doesn’t get to finish his sentence. Nanook interrupts him by plunging two of their fingers inside his skull. He could feel them, piercing through his brain. He doesn’t even scream - it was so sudden and, when it finally happened, the general could feel the disconnect between his brain and the rest of his body. Jing Yuan tilts his head further up, almost to a painful angle, as Nanook opens their eyes.
“I’m sorry for leaving you so lost and confused. I thought that without your memories of me… Well, your life would be much easier,” the Aeon twists their fingers inside Jing Yuan’s head, making him gasp at the feeling of something messing with his brain. “But it’s clear that I was wrong. It’s time for you to remember… my son.”
With the final movement of their fingers, Jing Yuan’s brain short-circuits, as he feels the organ pulsating, sending waves of signals down his nervous system.
And then, he remembers.
Jing Yuan remembers everything .
Nanook pulls their fingers out and Jing Yuan immediately collapses to the floor, on his knees. Beneath him was now a nice red carpet that softened his fall. The glaive falls next to its owner shortly after. His father… Yes, his father, Nanook, doesn’t bother to help him up. He walks past him, approaching one of the lion statues, examining them.
“Heard you had pets,” the Ruin Author begins. “Well, the ones after I left. I expected you to become a cat-person. After all, you would always beg your mother and I to get you a cat… And then another one… And another one.” They turn around, finally looking back at their son. “Do you remember Manchu? Or maybe Fei? Or how about Hua?” Jing Yuan does recognize these names. He remembers how he would stay up late at night, excitedly picking names for his pets or how he would ask his friends for suggestions. He nods and Nanook chuckles. “Oh, they were quite a bunch. I certainly remember taking care of them while you were studying and your mother was at work. To be honest with you… They did keep me company and kept me somewhat busy and entertained. Even though I felt no love or any attachment to them. I knew you did, so that's why I tried my best.” The Aeon glances back at the statue. “However, lions ? I would understand if you used them in battles or whatnot, but, no! You just kept them as if they were ordinary house cats!”
They turn around and proceed to walk up the stairs, looking around. “And what’s with all those weapons that are uselessly hanging on the walls? Why do people, even back then, on Adlivun, do this? I never understood this tradition. Even when I was a human myself.” Jing Yuan quietly stands up, knees twitching. He looks at his glaive that, just like the weapons on the display, was uselessly laying on the ground. He grits his teeth, picking up his glaive and, before he knew, he was lunging at his father. This time, though, Nanook decides not to play games with him. The Aeon’s reflexes are as quick as you would expect - they turn around and grab the blade of the glaive, stopping it inches away from their body. The blood from the new wounds melts the weapon, destroying one of the last artifacts that was left by Yingxing, no mercy, just like you would expect from Nanook. They frown and, in one swift motion, break the weapon, shattering it into multiple pieces. Before Jing Yuan could react, his father’s strong hand was on his throat.
“Why? I thought I already made it clear that I’m not your enemy, Yuan, ” they hiss out, fingers curling around Jing Yuan’s throat, forcing a choked groan out of the man. “I did everything for you. I sacrificed so much for you and your mother. Do you even know how hard it is to be an Aeon and defy the very path you represent?!” When Jing Yuan’s hands flew to Nanook’s, trying to peel it away from his throat, Nanook’s face softened, and they let the man go themselves. However, they then pick Jing Yuan up in their arms. As Jing Yuan coughed, while attempting to slither away from the Aeon’s grasp, the latter continued. “I did all of this because I love you. You are the only one I have left…” Their hands wander around his body, caressing his back, his strong arms… And his buttocks too.
Jing Yuan's breath hitches and his struggle intensifies. He grits his teeth as his heart is hammering away in his chest. It was hard to breathe, with Nanook holding him so close, an iron grip on the much smaller man. “You and your mother… You two changed me,” he says, golden eyes not looking away once from their match as the Aeon laid Jing Yuan on the floor, pinning his body with their own. “Yuan, I'm not the God I once was. I don't know what happened or how. But now I can safely say I don't wish to destroy you, break you, kill you.” Nanook presses his forehead against the general's. “I wish to claim you. Take you away and keep you, all to myself.”
Jing Yuan knew damn well what that meant.
“You sick fuck,” the man whispers to the God. “I didn't expect the Aeon to follow human morality, but I'm your son, for fuck's sake!”
He feels rough lips pressed against his own. Nausea rapidly creeps up his throat, but he fights it back. Instead, Jing Yuan bites at his father's lower lip, not to tease or humiliate, but to make it hurt. But Nanook only lets out a low growl of content as they break the kiss and look down at Jing Yuan.
Smirking.
“It's going to take more than that…” They grab Jing Yuan's legs and pull him closer to themselves, positioning themselves between his legs. The general's heart skips a beat when he feels something hard pressing against his ass. “To hurt me more than you already did.”
“How?!” Jing Yuan screams out. “How did I hurt you? If it's revenge you're seeking for, then just kill me and leave Xianzhou alone!”
“How you hurt me? See for yourself.” Nanook presses a finger against Jing Yuan's forehead again, and memories overflow his mind. He sees the quintet, in their glory days, happily drinking wine and celebrating their hard-earned victory. He remembers receiving the title of the general, looking to the crowd in search of familiar faces… Looking dismayed to only find Nanook, looking grimly at him, with a hint of pity, as if he knew what his son was about to go through. Dismayed not to see his friends in the crowd. Jing Yuan remembers crying his eyes out, as his father hugs him close, with the Aeon quietly listening to the general sobbing in regret and despair. Listening to him go on about how Jing Yuan was the one who was supposed to die. He was the one who was supposed to sacrifice himself. Maybe then none of this would've happened. Maybe with Baiheng alive, she could’ve stopped Yingxing and Dan Feng from going through with the ritual, prevent Jingliu from going mara-struck.
And he remembers their fight.
Jing Yuan found out about Nanook's true identity a couple of centuries after the sedition. Mother was long gone by then. His father, understandably so, was left devastated by the loss. He did honestly try to help, tried to support his father. His golden eyes went empty and dull, a look he can't imagine on the wrathful Aeon everyone know him as. From time to time, there would be a twinkle or a sparkle of life in them, always when he saw Jing Yuan, forcing a supportive smile, despite hurting deep inside himself. But, work proved to be more important to the general. He was confronted with a choice if he was to dutifully serve Xianzhou or choose his father, his last family. But, on the other hand… If there is no safe Luofu, then his father, his defenseless and mortal father, wouldn't know peace either, right?
Turns out, Nanook never knew peace.
Maybe only got the general idea of it, when they started a family.
The next time they met, Nanook was in his true form. He wasn't nearly as tall, or as intimidating, when Jing Yuan was growing up. Sure, an exotic appearance was an immediate eye-catcher, not to mention the fact that the Aeon is, genuinely, very good-looking. Sure, their human disguise was almost identical to their true appearance. But it was surprising how the scars, the golden blood and the great height changed how Jing Yuan perceived his father. He had the same face, but it took the general awhile to recognize his kind and loving father in the God that was standing in front of him.
Jing Yuan remembers attacking him. He saw very little, tears of betrayal obscuring his vision. None of his strikes landed on Nanook. They didn't need to. His words hurt the God more than any weapon possibly could. The very words he strained his voice with, screaming them in anger and sorrow. It would've been better if his father was just an ordinary human and who could just die like everyone does. Jing Yuan is used to death and loss.
But not to such dirty betrayal.
Then, he remembers the Aeon’s fingers in his brain again, severing his frontal lobe from the rest of his brain.
Before he knows it - the recollection is over.
Jing Yuan's eyes flutter open, and he was now sitting in his father's lap. In the distance, he could hear the distressed cries and screams, as Luofu gets burned down to ash.
Nanook reaches out, to cup their son's cheek… Just to roughly yank it away, leaving a small, bleeding cut on his cheek with their nail. Jing Yuan hisses in pain, but that's it. He won’t give Nanook anything more.
“Do you understand now?” Nanook asks. “You are a part of me. No matter how much you try to deny it.” From the corner of his eye, Jing Yuan sees the small spot of golden blood. “I thought it would be best to give you freedom. To let you have other people in your life. But I was wrong. Those fools hurt you and trapped you on this ship… Which only means that they hurt me in the process.” The Aeon's hand cups Jing Yuan's ass, sending shivers down the man's spine. “It was heartbreaking… Seeing you weep for people that never cared about you. Never cared about you like your mother and I did. But it hurt more to see you choose them over me.”
Nanook's voice turned to a low growl when he mentioned the quintet. Perhaps, he was right, but that still doesn't justify everything Nanook did to Luofu… To Jing Yuan.
They sigh, and sit back in their seat. For a second, it looks like they are deep in thought. What were they thinking or, perhaps, reminiscing about? Jing Yuan might never know. But a second later, they look at Jing Yuan, holding their gaze for a good moment.
They pull Jing Yuan closer and closer, clearly for another kiss, but, before that, they say:
“You look just like your mother, you know?”