Hero Among the Clouds — Meilin

“Hide the orb and run. Now!” Yulan unsheathed her sword from her belt and began attacking the monsters around her.

Himari grabbed my hand tightly, with fear clouding her eyes. Her eyes darted back and forth, trying to find an escape route, but we were cornered. She gritted her teeth as Haruki flew up to look for a different path.

“Nya! Over here!” Haruki pointed at a small gap, only enough to fit a cat like him.

“Oh goodness.” I cannot take out my staff; otherwise, the monsters will get the orb.

Yulan was strong, but the monsters kept coming. At this pace, she won’t be able to hold it much longer.

“Himari, can you fight?” I looked at her with determined eyes.

“Ah?” Himari blinked twice, then clenched her fist. “I can’t, but I can try!”

How optimistic. But blind optimism is not what we're looking for here…

“See that tiny gap? Try to push through, punch any monsters if needed, I’ll be right behind you.”

We pushed through the monsters, whose slimy bodies felt disgusting to the touch, and my hands were slipping away the moment I landed a punch.

This was not going to work.

At least we got through.

But to our demise, just as we struggled through the opening, we were met by another army of monsters.

Yulan had defeated most of the monsters in the area and rushed ahead to follow us. “They just never stop, do they…” She whipped out her sword and charged at the monsters. Even though she wore a reckless and courageous mask, I could tell she was getting weary.

Her pace slowed down, her shoulders drooped, and she occasionally missed some swings. Then I noticed her leg was wounded from fighting the leader of the monsters earlier. Despite being hurt, she still fought fiercely.

Out of nowhere, Haruki cast a shield upon us.

“Nya! I’m no good at offensive magic, but this should work for a while!”

I never knew he could cast spells without a staff.

Still, the monsters just kept coming. It was endless. My wish orb kept flashing, like a danger sign. The whispering of the bamboo became louder and louder, clouding my thoughts...

Then, a hero wielding a spear stepped into the spotlight.

It was like a fairytale, where the hero steps in to save the day. How nice. His timing was perfect. But there was a gut-wrenching feeling in my chest. I didn’t want to be saved. It seems like I’m the hopeless girl being saved all the time: from the villagers' gaze by Himari, from the monster by Yulan, and now by this young gentleman.

“Take this!” He flung a weird cloth at me. “Cover the wish orb. The monsters are after it; by using it, they won’t be able to sense it anymore.”

I did as he told, and indeed the monsters withdrew from the battle.

“What a handsome guy.” Himari muttered under her breath, “I always seem to meet people who have pleasant appearances these few years…or is it just that I’m ugly?”

I reassured Himari that she wasn’t ugly at all, and turned to the young man, “Thank you, you can have your cloth back—”

“Keep it.” He refused to take it back and insisted that I keep it for my safety.

The man introduced himself as Jianyun, a former soldier of the Tian Cheng military. He had medium-length crimson-red hair and eyes of a similar color. Himari was right. He indeed had a quite charming appearance that would make most girls blush.

Yulan had been weirdly quiet ever since Jianyun arrived. Her baby blue eyes were accompanied by a loathsome stare.

“This area of Tian Cheng is quite dangerous.” Jianyun stated, “It would be my honour to accompany you past the dangers of Tian Cheng.”

Himari’s eyes sparkled as she replied, “Of course! It’d be a pleasure to have you guide us through Tian Cheng.” She blushed ever so slightly.

I turned to Yulan, and her gaze softened. I asked her if she was fine with Jianyun joining us.

“It’s fine. It would be better to have someone help fight the monsters.” She forced a smile, though I could tell the detestation still lingered in the bottom of her heart.

“Shall we go then? Time won’t stop for us.” Jianyun returned the smile and led us forward.

We had arrived at the most ethereal place I’ve ever laid my eyes on. It was a flight of stairs, leading to the heavens above. Yulan mentioned that the emperor of Tian Cheng was an ambitious person and ordered his men to build a ladder leading up to the sky, known as the Stairs to Heaven.

"It was once bustling with workers, now silent and still," Yulan remarked.

The top of the ladder was covered by clouds, spiraling to the sky. The sun was setting beyond the horizon, and the sunlight gently shone on the staircase, brushing against its surface and creating a glowing effect.

“It’s…spectacular.” I breathed into the cold air.

“It is indeed.” Jianyun stood next to me, staring at me with a soft gaze. “I can still remember when it was under construction. It was still as sturdy as ever after the attack.” He looked stunning, with rays of sunshine shining on his face. His eyes reflected the light, shining like the morning sun. His bewitching eyes met mine, and we gazed into each other’s eyes for a while.

“Is something the matter?” I asked, shifting my focus back to the sunset.

Jianyun shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

I struggle with maintaining eye contact with people. If I dare gaze long enough at my classmates, who knows what’d happen to me. They’d say I’m too proud, too full of myself. So I always hung my head low. I was only able to make occasional eye contact with Himari because she reminded me of Haokei, whom I could look straight in the eye.

Being able to hold eye contact with Jianyun for so long was unusual. I’d be freaked out if he were any of the boys from my class.

Yulan and Himari had finished setting up the camp and called us in for dinner. When Jianyun approached Yulan, she still had the look of resentment worn over her face. I wonder why she despised Jianyun so much.

They were both from Tian Cheng, so I expected them to get along.

I guess they have a complicated past of their own.

Tian Cheng sure is a nation of mystery.