Page 110 of Empire's Curse

“Daiyu—” A startled gasp escaped from Feiyu and he fell down to one knee. He clutched the front of his chest, the mask nearly falling off his face in the process. Daiyu lurched forward, her hand flying to his shoulder to help steady him.

“What’swrong?”

“It’s—” He breathed out shakily and gently eased her away. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”

“But, Feiyu, are you sure?”

His breathing was still shallow when he straightened. “I’m fine. Just … go home, Daiyu.”

She didn’t want to leave him, not when he sounded like he was in so much pain, but there was a warning in his tone that frightened her. She backed away from him, torn between running back home and staying with her friend.

“Daiyu, I’m fine.” Feiyu stepped away from her. “Go home. Please.”

“I don’t want to leave you?—”

“You must.” He waved her off and the lighthearted nature of his tone eased some of her discomfort. “I’m fine, Daiyu. I’m the head mage of the empire, remember? I was just surprised about something. Nothing more, nothing less. Now stop worrying and scurry back home.”

Daiyu hesitated.

“I have to go back to the palace. If I’m gone for too long, people will grow suspicious. So go, Daiyu.”

She finally nodded and began walking down the path that led to her home, albeit slowly. He watched her the entire time, and it wasn’t until she was a dozen feet away from him that she whirled around to face him again.

“Thank you for being my friend in the palace, Feiyu.” Her words pierced through the silence, carrying over to the swaying fields of flowers. “I wouldn’t have survived without you. Thank you for everything.”

He only nodded. And not for the first time, she wanted to tear that mask away to reveal his true emotions, to see what he was hiding from the world. She balled her hands together, her chest squeezing painfully. She would miss him, she realized. He was perhaps the only true friend she had made there.

“We had a bargain,” she said. “You wanted something fromme in exchange for helping me, remember? Well, tell me what you want and I’ll try to help.”

“There’s only one thing I’ve only ever wanted from you, Daiyu.”

She waited for him to speak, but he didn’t. He only watched her. The tall grass oscillated against his feet, the flowers and weeds joining in the dance and buoying with the gentle breeze. His mask looked black in the night.

Finally, he murmured, “I just want you to be happy. Do that for me, all right?”

She blinked.

Why did he sound so … sad? So quiet? “Feiyu?”

“Goodbye, Daiyu.”

She stepped forward, her hand stretching out like she could cross the distance between them in a split second, when his form rapidly changed in the blink of an eye. One second, he was a man, and the next, the mask flew off his face and scales erupted over his body. Powerful wind blew against her, ripping her hair behind her and sending her skirts billowing against her trembling legs. She stumbled back, mouth agape, as a giant white dragon stood a few feet away from her. He glimmered silver in the moonlight, his iridescent scales appearing like shimmering water.

He was … beautiful. Like nothing she had seen before.

His eyes were two large pools of midnight, and he was staring at her.

“F-Feiyu?” she whispered.

The dragon stretched out his long neck and massive, leathery wings. He stepped closer to her, his face inches away from her. His hot breath steamed over her face and he continued to stare at her as if waiting for her to do something. Daiyu placed a hand against the side of his colossal face. The scales were smooth and slippery. He closed his eyes, a sigh seeming to escape from the gaps of his sharp, pearl-like teeth.

He backed away suddenly, his large wings flapping and sending her nearly flying backward.Without another sound, he soared up into the sky, his tail whipping behind him in a stream of silver light.

“Feiyu!Feiyu!” Daiyu’s words seemed to fall on deaf ears as the dragon rose higher and higher, disappearing into the night sky.

Tears filled her eyes again.

“Goodbye, Feiyu.”

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