“I…” Fuxiao gasped out, “I ran away from my group when they were attacked by the hudoqs.”

Lord Senjahari kept unblinking eyes on Fuxiao. Finally, he released the metal tag and stood up, turning to Setia.

“Send them to Doctor Melati and have their injuries treated.”

“My Lord?!” Setia and Captain Taring said in unison.

“They’re simply a medic who had lost their people and they have a duty to return to Shewei to inform the kingdom of the incident. Once they are well, let them be on their way.”

“But what if he’s not?!”

“Are you questioning Lord Senjahari?” Setia interrupted.

“You were as surprised as I was!!”

“That’s enough, you two.” Lord Senjahari waved a hand to end the fight.

Reluctantly, Setia unlocked the prison cell.

Fuxiao was glad that he wasn’t cuffed but walking out of the prison and into the presence of the three men caused him greater discomfort than any physical pain he could endure. A lord, a knight, and another who appeared to be a secretary. If he were to cause a commotion, he wouldn’t walk away alive.

He kept his head down and followed Setia out of the dungeon without so much as a glance back.

Once the two of them had disappeared up the stairs, Captain Taring returned his attention to the Lord.

“Are you sure of this, My Lord?”

“Did you not realise it, Captain? Out in the desert, when I unleashed my Royal Cendrawasih Bloodline, they showed no response. Bloodlines will always answer–it is within our nature to bare our fangs either as a defensive mechanism or an assertion of dominance. The Cendrawasih Bloodline is above all, so everyone will be forced to reveal their Bloodline and submit. But didn’t you see? No markings appeared on their face. No signs of disturbance, no struggle to hide.”

“So he’s really a Dormant…” Captain Taring paused, “But this doesn’t sit right with me, My Lord. What is a Dormant doing out in the wilds? As a combat medic to boot? They have no Bloodline powers to wield against the hudoqs, granted the hudoqs do not target Dormants. But what can a normal human do against those monsters?”

Lord Senjahari smiled, “I’m glad you’re asking the right questions.”

Seeing such a rare smile caught the Captain off-guard.

“If it is impossible for a Dormant to be a combat medic and to survive an attack that supposedly wiped out their entire group, why didn’t their Bloodline respond to mine?”

“Maybe he’s too frightened to the point where his body doesn’t work as it should?”

“You know that’s impossible.”

They exited the dungeon next to the barracks. The clashing of swords travelled from the training grounds. New cadets ran the perimeters as their instructor watched them with hawk eyes.

“The most reasonable answer is that they are an exceptional Dormant who enlisted with the army. Or perhaps, their Bloodline simply doesn’t submit to mine.”

Unlike Lord Senjahari and Setia, Captain Taring always preferred to act based on instincts rather than rational. His raw powers and steadfast confidence garnered him the position as Lord Senjahari’s left-hand man. He had served Lord Senjahari for many years and experienced firsthand how tremendous the Royal Cendrawasih Bloodline was, so hearing the Lord’s presumption of a Bloodline that didn’t submit to him enraged Captain Taring.

“That’s absurd! Please do not jest on this matter, My Lord! There is no one in this entire land that can defy the Royal Cendrawasih Bloodline!”

“It is mere speculation, Captain. But it is never too safe to be wary. After all, they originate from the Eastern Kingdom of Shewei, one which we hold at a distance.”

While the south had the Royal Cendrawasih Bloodline, the east had the Royal Snake Bloodline and boasted equal strength with Cahayaranga. For generations, both kingdoms eyed each other but no war broke out. If the two firepower chose to clash against one another, disaster would befall this side of the continent and neither would be able to recover quick enough to prevent the Western and Northern Kingdom from raiding them.

It was no secret that Shewei was powerful.

So it wasn’t unimaginable that a Dormant combat medic would be out in the wilds.

And it wasn’t impossible that they would hold something in secret.

“That medic tagged along with the monster who killed half of our troops. I hope it is only a coincidence and not an elaborate plan on Shewei’s part.”

Captain Taring ruffled his hair in dismay. “Will this lead to something far more dangerous? Do we have to report it back to the Capital and prepare for a possible war?”

A tense silence weighed down on them.

“No,” Lord Senjahari’s brisk steps clicked against the tiled hallway. “Doctor Melati will take care of them for now and Kirana is already assigned to watch their every movement. Whatever they may be hiding, whether they are a Dormant or not, once we acquire their Blood, we will have our answers. Bloodlines don’t lie, so whatever they are not telling us, we will find out in due time.”

-

Though Setia walked ahead of Fuxiao with no consideration of his bare feet against the tiled floor, he remained within two strides. An easy distance to keep up with, and to catch him if he even dared to attempt an escape.

But unlike the Lord, Fuxiao didn’t feel any overwhelming pressure from Setia. Nature made power hierarchy clear.

“Excuse me.”

Setia’s turquoise eyes glared at the unkempt appearance of the medic.

“May I know where… the prisoner is?”

“And why do you need to know?”

Fuxiao pondered his words carefully. “Regardless of what you think of him, he is still the one who saved me from the hudoqs.”

Setia stopped in his tracks and towered over Fuxiao. Contrary to his elegant attire and tender look, his voice cut with a warning threat. The silver scales of the Arowana Bloodline flashed on his face. “Just because Lord Senjahari showed you mercy, doesn’t give you the right to push your luck. Once you are treated by Doctor Melati, you are to leave Cahayaranga’s Sunrise Boundary back to where you came from.”

Based on everyone’s assumption, Shewei was Fuxiao’s hometown. But with his memory loss, he wasn’t entirely convinced that it was true and he didn’t see the need to correct anyone. He didn’t care. He only wanted to find Topan and stay by his side where he knew that he was safe.

A dry breeze brought the smell of dirt and metal from the open training grounds.

Young soldiers learning the arts of war. Desperate movements all for the sake of survival.

He was just a kid.

Barely able to speak.

But he had to kill to survive.

First animals.

Then humans.

The general gave him a second chance and he held onto the knife because his life depended on it.

Even though he was in the Kingdom of Cahayaranga and had no memories of where he came from, the training grounds brought him a comfortable sense of familiarity.

Further down the hallway, the smell of antiseptic greeted them. Several patients rested on the benches and a few lay unconscious in bed. The pure white walls and cool air were a stark contrast to the open desert he had been running in the past few days.

It was cold.

Unwelcoming.

Oh, he wished he was in Topan’s strong arms.

“Doctor Melati,” Setia approached an old woman in a white robe. “Lord Senjahari requests that you treat this patient.”

The doctor glanced over at Fuxiao and almost dropped the tray of surgical equipment she was holding. “Oh my! You look terrible!! Please come over here and get washed up! How long have you been in that wet robe?!”

Fuxiao only then realised that he had been practically naked all these times–a salvaged robe held together by a sash, stained with dirt and blood, now soaked wet and stuck to his body. It wasn’t his fault that he couldn’t find any clothes in the wilds but Setia had the audacity of not owning up to his actions and simply stood to the side in silence.

Doctor Melati ushered Fuxiao to the back of the hospital and into a bathroom. “Here’s a towel, water’s in the well. You’ll find some spare clothes in the cupboard, feel free to take any of them. I’ll be waiting outside.”

When he was alone, Fuxiao gingerly took off the dirty robe in front of the mirror.

His reflection showed a slim man with athletic muscles on his limbs and abdomen but no matter how much scars littered his body, he couldn’t hide the feminine face, slender hips, and small breast cups. Despite how different his body was to his gender identity, Fuxiao held no hatred towards it. In fact, he didn’t find anything wrong about it. This body was the body he had. The body that had helped him survived through countless fights and harsh realities.

A sharp pain shot through his head.

Long white hair. A gentle smile.

Spring was always blooming.

He held his breath, willing the pain to go away. This wasn’t the time to bring up more confusion to himself. Though there were many people in the area, his Bloodline didn’t once tremble in fear which convinced him that the only one he had to be wary of was the Lord.