The Stone King's Lover (石王的愛)

Chapter 2

Wen Reian

2004 years after The Long Night

Sanlín City

<Zhōngyang Square>

He could hardly bring himself to eat as the old man began his story...

Reian listened to it all, his eyes never leaving the statue. It was as if The Stone King was telling him his story himself.

"Like I said, nearly seven hundred years ago, when The Mála Tower in Lêung Shãn was still new, a young King ruled the entire Huichâng province. Back then, Hêi'àn Hills was called Hêi'àn City. A glittering palace of raw obsidian, warmed from the underground fire pits. That was where he lived. Xie Yi-jun-"

Xie De almost choked on his food.

"The Xie Yi-jun?! But I thought he died with the rest of his people!"

Jin Yu piped up, "They say he was only King for a short while, and never got a chance to prove himself by winning the war. It's sad."

The old man blew smoke at them and they coughed-

"No more talking. Eat your meal,"

They nodded and did so. The man continued...

"As I was saying-

"The accounts have it wrong. Xie Yi-jun was in fact captured by his rival for the throne, Meng Bai. Taken to a remote area in Riyèrì, he was tortured and killed by his childhood friend, The Snake Demon; Su Lan.

"Whispers say, Su Lan couldn't stand the thought of killing his old companion. He created a flaw in the curse he bestowed upon the young King. Su Lan certainly isn't a source to go by, however it was said by those close to him that Xie Yi-jun's stone spell could be broken by the touch of his lover. That of course, was Jin Songcai. "Unbeknownst to Su Lan, when he cast such a curse, Jin Songcai and the rest of the survivors of the war at Hêi'àn City had perished in the volcanic eruption that created the mountains there today. It was a tragic thing. A tale of timing, and bad luck. The first people that came here were those few that survived. They built this city around the statue of the King, yet over the generations his story was lost to the ages. Still, every once in a while you see little kids, even sometimes young women, approaching the statue and touching it, just to see if maybe they are the one who can free Xie Yi-jun. Alas, we can not be sure when or if, Jin Songcai's soul will ever be reincarnated. Even if he was, there's no certainty that Su Lan's curse could truly be broken. Perhaps The Stone King will remain that way forever. I certainly won't see him breathe again in my lifetime..."

Silence filled the air for a few moments, until Xie De made everything more awkward by saying; "I think A'Yu should try to wake The King. He is so pretty with his little pink flower, perhaps it will work!"

The old man huffed and shook his head, his chair squeaking as he leaned back.

"Run along now boys," he said. "Consider the meal my treat. Welcome to Sanlín City."

Xie De and Jin Yu began to politely argue with the man, declaring they must pay him, even just for his wonderful story. Reian on the other hand was no longer at the table...

Something about the statue had caught his eye from the moment he saw it. As he drew closer and closer to the center of the courtyard, he felt a fluttering of nervousness all throughout his body, as if a thousand butterflies were suddenly inside him and wanted to be free.