Chapter 44: Home
The last day in London was quite gloomy without Viktor. Yue had tried to say that it was fine and that when January came around they could see each other at school and that two and half months was nothing but he was actually quite unhappy with the situation.
Mai helped him as co-leader to inform the people that were in London of the situation. Evacuations slowed after news so they could open up a teleport pad to bring people from the mage association to London to survey what was left of England and try and assess whether the land could return to what it once was. They went over and talked to Mr. Wagner when some of them finished their survey and Mr. Wagner relayed to the students that their expedition was officially over.
“Ah, finally It’s over!” Mai said and dragged her trunk up into the teleport pad. Mr. Wagner was going with the luggage and Yue was going with the students.
“Yeah, now we have 2 and a half months to relax!” Annabel said and stretched as Mai walked over to where Yue and most of the girls were.
“What are you doing during vacation, Miss Yue? You don’t celebrate Christmas right?” Annabel asked, she had already heard all about Mai’s plans with Huy so she was curious about Yue.
“I’m just going home. I have responsibilities there.” Yue said and nodded. Saying he was going ‘home’ felt weird, he’d never had a home in China. But now the temple could probably become something like a home for him so perhaps it wasn’t a lie.
“When are you leaving?” Marianne asked.
“Around the same time as Mai,” Yue said and smiled as Mai locked their arms together.
“Okay, are you leaving earlier Anika? Or are you all going to be in the dorm?” Marianne asked and turned to Anika.
“I’m leaving in two weeks actually,” Anika responded. She was a bit down. She had been affected by the deaths of their classmates, but not as much as she had been in the previous expedition. Things felt different this time and she couldn’t quite put her finger on why.
“Okay,” Marianne said, leading Yue, Mai, and Anika to be confused.
Marianne didn’t elaborate but she was blushing as everyone got onto the teleport pad to teleport to academy city.
Yue took a deep breath as they started to teleport. He hadn’t seen Alice’s guardian around since the day he found Alice dead and he had gone to look for her when he had some time earlier in the day but he found out that she had been evacuated a few days prior. He was sad that he didn’t get to apologize or even see her again before leaving but he heard from Mr. Wagner that she made a funeral locket for Alice before leaving so he felt a little better to hear that Alice wouldn’t be forgotten.
‘I guess this is Goodbye London and ...Alice.’
—
Yue was surprised by how quickly the days passed by as he and Mai lazed around the dorms. He had been hoping that Viktor would send a letter or something since one of his maids sent over a letter portal that was from him but he hadn’t gotten a single letter yet he stared down at his grimoire and the letter portal sitting on top of it and sighed. He wanted to just drop his head into his grimoire and groan but Mai would be angry.
They were in the lounge room at the dorm and Mai was braiding a light green ribbon through the white section of Yue’s hair. Yue found out the day before when she did the same but with a yellow ribbon that she didn’t want him to move and mess it up.
Yue still had no clue why his hair had turned white but he didn’t feel like it had any negative effects on him so he just let it be.
“Miss Marianne is here to see you two and Anika,” Aimee said as she walked back from the front entrance and went up to Anika’s room.
“Is this why she asked if we were going to be here..?” Yue murmured.
“Probably,” Mai said and finished the braid before standing and walking with Yue to the door.
Marianne was standing at the door with red cheeks and three letters in his hand.
“I-Is Anika not here?”
“I’m here!” Anika said and rushed to the door since he heard her name.
Marianne looked nervous as she handed the three of them the letters and then stopped them from opening them immediately.
“Please open them after I leave. And have a good vacation.” Marianne said before all but running away.
Mai immediately opened the letter while Yue and Anika watched Marianne disappear.
“Oh my gosh! They’re getting married!” Mai exclaimed and Yue and Anika both looked at her letter and then immediately opened their own letters to make sure they saw it right.
Alexius and Marianne were apparently engaged and were having their engagement party in January.
“I didn’t know they were a couple!” Anika exclaimed, shocked.
“Really? They make it quite obvious.” Mai giggled and then turned to Yue who was smiling softly.
“We’re next.” Mai teased and nudged Yue a bit.
“Tsk, don’t joke around,” Yue said and turned around and walked back into the dorm with a blush.
Yue went to his room and looked at the invitation for a bit.
He couldn’t get married. Not to Viktor. Not to anyone.
Not until he destroyed Li Chaoxiang’s organization.
—-
Mai left a day earlier than Yue so Yue walked to the teleport hub alone. He was glad that was the case though. It was easier to get into the right mindset if he was alone. He was more aware of the fact that he needed to be serious and that he needed to get work done if he was going to get stronger.
At the Chinese teleport hub, people were confused as he came out of the teleport pad. He was dressed like a young woman but he carried his own trunk and walked out of the teleport hub without any servants coming to help. People watched him as he went off into the small town near the teleport hub but he didn’t pay them any attention. Even the lecherous stares of the men in the inn he walked into didn’t matter to him, nor did the startled look on the innkeeper’s face when he saw his eyes.
He had already seen a prophecy about this innkeeper and he knew he was scum just like all the men staring at him.
“1 night please,” Yue said and placed some money on the counter.
The innkeeper nodded and gave a glance to the men in the inn before he walked with Yue to the room he was renting out. Yue already knew where this was headed. Men were going to enter his room at night, expecting to be able to take a poor defenseless girl but of course, he had no plans of letting them do anything to him.
When the innkeeper left the room Yue opened his trunk. It was empty except for a simple black men’s hanfu, a hat, a bag that was already full of the few belongings he was bringing with him, and his sword. He immediately started changing his clothes after opening his trunk.
He had chosen a hanfu that he didn’t really like and a simple trunk he bought in a store in academy city. He would be leaving both behind so he didn’t want to choose things he liked.
He put on the black hanfu and changed his hairstyle so his hair was half up half down and looked at the mirror in the room. He had to pause for a minute and stare.
It wasn’t like he hated women’s clothes or being perceived as female...But being in men’s clothes and being seen as masculine felt right to him and he was glad to be able to look like this.
He took his bag, hat, and sword and left the hanfu he had been wearing and opened the window as he heard footsteps coming up the hall and realized it was time for him to go. He jumped out of the window and disappeared when no one was watching.
The men from the inn opened the door and were shocked to see an empty room. They were annoyed, they thought they’d get to have fun with a woman. They thought that at least they’d be able to steal something valuable but the trunk was empty so they just cursed and went to the innkeeper angrily.
—
Viktor laid on his bed in the main house, staring at the painting of Yue on his desk. He wished it was a painting of Yue in his expedition uniform but the painting as it was would do. He figured his head maid had made it for him, she probably knew that his father would be dragging him to Russia days before it even happened. He was still angry that he was in Russia and not in Academy city. He had ye to receive an explanation as to why he was there but his mother and stopped him from lashing out at his father by saying that it was partially her decision as well so now Viktor was just conflicted.
“I miss you…” Viktor murmured and took the painting from his desk and looked at it more closely.
“Young master. The master is calling for you.”
If the painting in his hands wasn’t of Yue, he might’ve broken it as he heard that. He gently set the painting down and then left his room, slamming the door closed as he went off.
—
The Xia family house was large but it was as if it was devoid of life. Other than the silent servants, there was no movement. Not even the opening and closing of a door or window until Yue dropped down from the roof and into the window of the ceremonial room.
“...You’re back.”
Alone in the room, there was an older man in a white hanfu with gold patterns. This was Xia LiJun, Xia Guiren’s father and the head of the Xia family. Yue stayed near the window, he would be leaving quickly.
“It is only for a short time. I just need you to know…” Yue said and shut the window before he finished speaking, “Li Chaoxiang is alive.”
Xia Lijun dropped his teacup from shock.
“It is unlikely that he and his people will attack you. But this means I need to get stronger very quickly.” Yue murmured.
“Then I’ll send a message to Fei Xi-”
“No, I’m going to the Azure Dragon temple. I can get stronger there.” Yue interrupted and raised his head.
“I have already foreseen my future, and I don’t get to meet Master again...The future can’t be changed so I’d rather not try and meet him. It might cause something bad to happen to him. I’m an adult now, I should learn to do things by myself.” Yue said and smiled a bit, showing Xia Lijun his eyes. He was going to leave immediately afterward but he stopped before opening the window.
“And don’t worry, I’m not shaming the Xia family name out in Europe.” He said before leaving.
Xia Lijun sat silently for a couple of minutes.
“They were able to make contact with him…” He murmured and from behind a partition two people walked out.
“...My contact says that the ‘undead mage’ was in England recently. They probably met and that mage revealed the truth.” Fei Xiang said and handed Lian Bai a handkerchief, she had been crying since Yue entered the room.
“What will you do?” Xia Lijun asked.
“If he wants to deal with them alone I must let him. If the future will not allow us to meet then that means I have done all I could do for him…” Fei Xiang sighed.
“Fate is too cruel…” Lian Bai murmured and attempted to wipe her tears which wouldn’t stop falling.
“Indeed…”
Fei Xiang stared at the window that Yue had come in through and sighed. As much as he pretended that it was easy, it was actually painfully difficult to let him go.