Chapter Text
Chapter 6: two broken phones
Express returned to the purple meadow where they had first landed. The city remained hidden behind the fog, or rather, the clouds. After providing first aid to the Behanians, Luocha and Pompom were sipping hot water with them on the meadow. Dan Heng gazed at the two suns of Beha. He occasionally checked the time behind the scratchy lines on his phone's screen, which had likely cracked during the fight.
It was approaching two hours, and neither Yangqing, Blade, nor Aglaea had returned. He had so many questions about Beha 23, but he didn't have the strength to ask any of them or rack his brain for answers. He sat on the door of the express, his legs dangling, the tall purple meadow grasses hiding his shoes.
The on/off button on the phone in his hands was about to break from how often he was checking the time. A hand —though calling it a hand wasn't quite right— was offering him an old-fashioned wired headphone. Dan Heng smiled at Pompom's kind face and accepted the headphone. "Thank you." He said dryly.
"It's a good way to pass the time. Listening to music while cleaning at the company gives me more energy."
Dan Heng admitted, showing off his nearly dead phone. "I don't think I can listen to anything on this.”
Pompom asked anxiously, "Is it that bad?"
"I'm just using it to check the watch. I'll have it fixed when we get back."
Whatever emotions Pompom was carrying, his face was easy to read. As sadness slumped over his shoulders, he said, “I want Blade to come back quickly.”
Frankly, it was surprising that he said that. Pompom even felt a little uneasy, as if he were surprised by himself. "I'm not saying this because I've forgotten what he did to you!" He exaggerated, but Dan Heng realized that perhaps Pompom was the one who understood him the most.
“It’s okay.” He muttered while nailing the headphone cable. “I want him to come back too.”
Without a word, Pompom left Dan Heng alone, his ship to face the massive waves of his own ocean. His ship was leaking water through cracks and sinking with each passing minute. It was a hollow ship, unknown to him for its purpose or its trajectory. It had neither crew nor any treasure.
He double-checked the time on his phone's scratchy screen; Time was wrapping his hands around his throat, squeezing harder with each passing second. He knew it wouldn't kill him, but he also knew that living without breathing was impossible. He leaned his head against the cold metal and endured for two hours. Dan Heng had known all this time that Blade and Yangqing would never be able to fight each other. Even if Aglaea herself opposed Blade, Dan Heng had to admit that Blade was a formidable opponent, even if he had never witnessed what Blade did or could do when he lost his mind. The entire wait was filling him with anxiety. He stood up to speak to Luocha, who had been resting on the sofa inside, and stood by Luocha's body on the sofa. Just as he was about to turn back to the metal where he'd bruised his ass, assuming he was asleep because his eyes were closed, the blond man grewled. "You have something to say, archivist?”
Dan Heng was slightly surprised and pocketed his phone. “It’s been four hours. They haven’t returned. Should one of us go check?”
Luocha rubbed his face as he sat up. “They’ll be back.”
“Blade’s mara was supposed to be over in a few hours.” Dan Heng snapped.
Luocha almost couldn’t suppress a chuckle, but he hid it behind a cough. “A few hours? Archivist, have you ever read Blade’s profile?”
Dan Heng swallowed and dug his nails into his palms. Profiles are forms updated annually by company members themselves, and whenever information changes suddenly. Reading the profiles of other team members is mandatory before going on a mission. Dan Heng is one of the few who happily fulfills this obligation. He must admit, he's never read Blade's profile.
Profiles didn't contain very specific information, but they were more comprehensive versions of an ID card. They would include everything from your allergies and illnesses —no, Dan Heng doesn't have any mental health issues listed there— to what kind of vehicle you could drive. Blade's mara was definitely included, too, but why would Luocha even mention it?
Dan Heng wished he were stupid. Blade's mara probably lasted more than a few hours, and Aglaea had lied to him. Because he wasn't thinking rationally at the moment, and if Aglaea had been honest, Dan Heng would have rebelled against his team leader to stay and watch the monster he had created shed blood and sweat.
Luocha thought he could read the pitiful expression on Dan Heng's face for a few seconds. Perhaps he should take his poor soul more seriously. He patted his side on the couch. "Sit.”
Dan Heng did as he was told without hesitation.
Luocha, “The fragmentum monsters were a bit dense outside. I… I’m not a good enough fighter. So Blade was in front of me, parrying many of the attacks with his sword or himself. I tried to heal his wounds, but it wasn’t a sufficiently effective method.”
After a brief moment of silence, Dan Heng spoke. “He called out to me on the communication network just before the antistellar deployment.”
"I don't know exactly when his mara took over. I'm pretty sure it wasn't something that happened suddenly. So when he called out to you, I can't say whether he did it consciously or unconsciously. Immediately after the antistellar effect activated, Aglaea silenced you on the communication link and directed Yangqing to Blade. I was no match for him.”
Luocha placed a hand on Dan Heng's shoulder. "You may both consider the sins you've committed unforgivable. Perhaps no one will forgive you, but you can forgive each other, and perhaps that won't erase the past, but it will rewrite the future." Luocha guided him to lie down. "Get some rest, archivist. I'll be watching the road for you.”
The thing that would be most helpful to Dan Heng was a pair of eyes to watch the road while he rested. He would have been truly grateful for this, as the pain in his muscles had reached an unbearable level. He was particularly unable to prevent his muscles from contracting and moving uncontrollably when he was stressed.
The moment he laid his head back, his vision blurred, his hearing deepened, and he fell asleep. Fatigue had taken over him. A long time later, while it was still daytime on Beha 23, Dan Heng was awakened. Pompom kept poking him, finally slapping his cheek. “Dan Heng!!”
As soon as Dan Heng opened his eyes, he looked at Pompom from where he lay.
“News from Aglaea!”
“Ah…” As his eyes adjusted to the intense light of the express, recent events suddenly ceased to be nightmares and became memories. “What… What is she saying?”
"Blade, Yangqing, and Luocha are returning to the company. You and Aglaea will stay in Beha 23 and sort things out with Orax, Zandel, and Agubina.”
Dan Heng frowned, suggesting that the names were floating above his head in a haze.
Pompom, “Three names, the surviving Behanians!”
Dan Heng, “Oh… Where is Luocha?”
Pompom, “He went to call the Behanians to express.”
Dan Heng stood up and, shaking off his sleepiness, looked at Pompom. “Didn’t Aglaea say anything else?”
“???”
“About Blade…”
“Ah… I think Yangqing and Blade are injured. You know, the whole mess wasn't easy. So Luocha will accompany them on the way. I'm sure they'll be fine.”
“I… agree.”
As Pompom took his place in the cockpit, Dan Heng went to the express's door and extended his hand to Behanian below. He pulled them into the passenger compartment, where the other two Behanian and Luocha were also inside.
The express rose, humming, from the purple meadow and soared toward the city.
Dan Heng stood up and went to Luocha, but despite knowing the answer, he was still burning with the need to confirm what he'd heard from Pompom. "How are Blade and Yangqing?"
"They're injured.”
Luocha's single sentence was far from reassuring or satisfying to Dan Heng.
Dan Heng suddenly poured out all the courage in his chest. "Can I ask you something?”
Luocha glanced at him and replied, "If you want to return to the company in my place, I have no problem with that, but you need to convince Lady Aglaea of this idea.”
Luocha might have been among those most deserving of rest. Of course, Blade, Yangqing, and Aglaea were the priority. Who was left? Dan Heng had already rested. So he is the one who must stay in Beha 23.
His damaged phone, now completely blank on the screen, rolled around in his pocket.
Still, greed had taken over him, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the monster off his back.
When the express positioned itself on top of a building that remained intact among the rubble near the other team members, Dan Heng, who had thrown himself out from the crack of the opening door, looked at Blade, who stood weakly on his two legs and walked towards them with Aglaea's support.
Sins cannot be undone.
Sins cannot be undone.
Sins cannot be undone.
Repeating this phrase to yourself three times is often insufficient. This is just one of those moments of inadequacy.
Blade's clothes were torn, his bandages ripped, and the blood from his wounds had dried on his skin, making him look as if he had died ten times and come back to life ten times.
As he and Aglaea walked past, his head bowed and one leg dragging, Lucoha went to Yangqing. Yangqing grinned wryly as he said, "I'm fine! You can take care of Blade first.”
The Behanians got out of the vehicle and looked at the heavily damaged city, half of which was destroyed. Dan Heng knew he should tell them something, that he should stay in Beha 23, but at that moment, a greater desire overwhelmed him. Dan Heng called into the express. “Lady Aglaea… There is something.”
After Aglaea had laid Blade down on the couch and entrusted Luocha with his treatment, she jumped off the express and, in the gentle breeze, walked over to Dan Heng. The woman looked truly exhausted; Dan Heng should have stayed here and helped her. Luocha and the two of them wouldn't be able to function properly. Beha 23's data from the past two hundred years was on his flash drive.
Dan Heng took out the flash drive and handed it to Aglaea. “Here is everything I found about the Professor’s past activities on Beha 23.”
“...”
“Let me return to the company on this flight.”
“...”
“I have sufficient medical knowledge. I promise to keep an eye on Yangqing and Blade on the way.”
“...”
“Please…” Dan Heng’s plea was too strong for even the breeze couldn't disperse it.
Aglaea took the flash drive and twirled it between her fingers, "What does Luocha say about this?"
Dan Heng quickly replied, fearing rejection. "He accepted my request."
"Then I'll wait for him here. You may go." As Lady Aglaea hurried back to the Behanians, Dan Heng ran to the express and caught Luocha's eye as he used his healing on Blade.
Luocha spoke before Dan Heng could say anything. “I’ve stopped the bleeding from the deep wounds. Pompom said the journey will still take an hour. Yangqing seems fine, so let him rest for a bit. There’s a lot of work to be done for Blade, but I’m sure you don’t have the resources or the skills to do it. Just trying to keep his fever under control will be enough.”
Dan Heng nodded in understanding, and as Luocha jumped out of the express's open door, Dan Heng called into the cockpit. "Pompom, we're ready to go!"
The express doors closed, and Beha 23, with three Astral Company members inside, was quickly abandoned.
Dan Heng took all the pillows from the chair except for the one under Blade's head, made a small bed on the floor, and gestured to Yangqing, who was sitting in the chair, to lie down there. "Sitting in the chair will be tiring. Try it out; if it's more uncomfortable, you can sit back in the chair.”
Yangqing stumbled and fell onto the pillows.
Dan Heng poured Yangqing a mug of hot water and also prepared a basin of hot water. Luocha's healing had healed Blade's wounds, but it hadn't washed away the dried blood.
He returned to Yangqing and Blade, taking the clothes from the lockers. He woke Yangqing from his almost-sleep nap. “Hot water and clean clothes if you want to change. I’ll turn my back, so you can feel at ease.”
Yangqing nodded and accepted the mug of hot water and the clothes. Dan Heng turned to Blade and pulled two chairs next to the coach, placing a basin of hot water on one and sitting on the other. He first wiped Blade's face and neck with a wet cloth. There were scars running from the base of his neck down to his shoulders and chest, and each scar made him feel how painful it was to breathe.
After removing his partially worn glove and unwrapping the bandage on his other hand, he realized they were as still as stone. Blade had said that when he was awake, his hands had been shaking constantly, but now it seemed he was completely unconscious. He had probably fainted immediately after finding a comfortable place to lie down. Dan Heng's movements paused for a moment as he traced the old scars on his hands and gently erased the new ones. He looked down at his own hand, which held Blade's. His own white, spotless hands appeared almost painless. Dan Heng's pain would never be comparable to Blade's.
He wanted to change his clothes, but perhaps he should have just cleaned his exposed wounds. Since the latter option best suited their intimacy or lack thereof, he continued this process for half an hour, and when he stood up, the water he was about to pour from the sink reflected Dan Heng's face in an ugly shade of red.
He returned and, after checking Blade's temperature —which hadn't risen along the way, probably consumed his year's worth of luck and answered prayers— he placed a thin sheet over him. Blade winced and grunted in displeasure, and Dan Heng, afraid he'd open his eyes and be the first face he'd see, covered Blade's eyes with his hand. Dan Heng held his own breath, and a dull thud sounded as the groans in his throat quieted. Dan Heng pulled his hand back, but Blade continued to sleep —sleep being a form of consolation— and looked at the device that had fallen to the floor.
A phone, and not his own.
He bent down, picked up the phone, and pressed the power button, but only a blue buzz appeared. It had clearly fallen from the Blade. He put it in his pocket and decided to have both phones repaired together. That way, if he didn't have the courage to make amends in the future, he would be obligated to see him while returning his phone back.
What a great plan, Dan Heng!
Dan Heng visited Pompom in the cockpit. As soon as Pompom saw him, he said, "Ah, I was going to let you know the jump."
Dan Heng breathed a sigh of relief. "Yangqing and Blade are completely unconscious. Did you inform Lady Bailu about both of them?”
"Yeah. She said she'd be waiting at the landing area with a stretcher. She'll take Blade and Yangqing to the clinic. This time, Dr. Ratio will be with her."
"I see."
Pompom knew the team wasn't in the mood to recite their usual jump call out loud, but the two of them hummed and counted down from five anyway.
They arrived at the landing site 10-15 minutes after the jump, and just as the express's door was opening, Yangqing, woken by Dan Heng, groggily laid down on one of the stretchers waiting outside. While Bailu tended to him, Dan Heng helped Ratio load the stretcher into the express and lay Blade on top of it. Before Pompom left to inform Welt Yang, Dan Heng said, "Tell him I'll stop by his room later for a mission report." Knowing Welt Yang is always in a hurry, he added, "Could you also mention that I'll be at most half an hour late?”
"Of course! I wish our patients well." Pompom shared his heartfelt wishes and waved to him. Dan Heng ran to the stretcher Ratio was dragging. The clinic was a single-story wing separated from the company building. Direct access was available from the express landing area and the main building, just in case.
In the clinic, aside from the private rooms of a few people —those who specialized in healing and treatment, such as Natasha, Hyacine, and Lady Bailu— there were also a few anonymous healer rooms.
Lingsha greeted them at the entrance and said to Lady Bailu, “I’ll take care of the young lieutenant. I’m taking him to examination room 2. There are two vacant beds in examination room 1 for Blade and Dan Heng.”
"I'm not injured or ill." Dan Heng stated to Ratio's questioning gaze as he entered examination room 1 with Blade.
"I'm just... a companion. I don't need to lie down."
Ratio replied coldly, "Companions can wait outside the room.”
When Dan Heng looked at Bailu for help, Bailu had lowered the stretcher to her height, concerned only with Blade's well-being. She spoke with a pure sense of duty as she ran blue water bubbles over his wounds. "Doctor Ratio, could you get me some of the IV fluids I've reserved for Blade?”
Ratio immediately responded to Bailu. “Of course.”
After Ratio left, Dan Heng sighed. Just as the archivist opened his mouth and was about to question Blade’s recovery, the curtains between the stretchers parted, and two hunters emerged. Dan Heng swallowed, taking a step back, and exchanged glances with Kafka, his hair disheveled, glassesless, and jacketless, and Silver Wolf.
Kafka glanced at him briefly before walking over to Blade's stretcher. Seeing the man's state, she clicked her tongue and asked in a disgruntled tone, "Mara attack?"
From Dan Heng's recollection, Kafka and Firefly were also on duty, but they must have returned recently; a closer look revealed Kafka had also recently received treatment.
When Dan Heng opened his mouth a second time, a series of loud footsteps echoed down the hallway. Some familiar voices are heard.
“Doctor Ratio! Doctor Ratio! Dan Heng and his team are back!”
“We heard Dan Heng has come to the clinic! Is he injured?”
“Which examination room??”
Before Dr. Ratio could respond, the sliding door to examination room 1 opened, and Caelus shouted to the world. "I'VE FOUND HIM!!"
With two long strides, he threw himself into Dan Heng's arms, Stelle and March joining him. Dan Heng, afraid he would fall backward, cried, "You're going to make me fall!”
“We missed you soooo much!” March had the same habit of stretching words.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Stelle asked the first thing that should have been asked.
“I’m okay!” Dan Heng explained, pushing them off himself.
Amidst all the chaos and noise, three loud bangs of metal erupted.
Bang, bang, bang!
As the pressure on Dan Heng eased, Kafka spoke up. “Can you handle your shit outside?”
When the archivist looked back at her, Kafka's face was completely devoid of the striking smile she always wore.
March defended herself, turning red with anger. "What's so ‘shit’ about worrying about our friend?"
Kafka replied, "That's what I want to do for my friend.”
Everyone fell silent, and Blade was noticed lying on the stretcher. Dan Heng, though he didn't appreciate Kafka's way of scolding them, turned to his friends and said, "This is the examination room. We shouldn't make any noise."
Caelus was a fool. "And you're not injured. So why did you come here?”
Dan Heng tried to explain in a flat voice despite the thorns pricking his throat.
“Blade… He was my teammate.”
Good. That’s a fact. Come on, you can continue logically.
“...”
“And he’s injured. I need to make sure he recovers.”
Come on, anyone can feel responsible for their teammate!
“...”
“Aglaea actually asked me to do this.”
…
You're pathetic, Dan Heng. A wretch who is unable to hide even behind the stars, unable to be swallowed even by black holes.
Caelus nodded. "Oh! Yes, Aglaea would have wanted that.”
March, “I heard Yangqing was injured too. Should we stop by and say get well soon?”
Dan Heng quickly jumped in. “Why don’t you go ahead? I’ll catch up with you.”
His friends must have believed wholeheartedly that Dan Heng, supposedly on Aglaea's orders, should ensure Blade's recovery, because they left examination room 1 after casting a few hostile glances at Kafka.
Doctor Ratio, hidden from the chaos and only after things had partially resolved, entered and began by establishing an IV drip for Blade. He didn't say anything to Blade's guards anymore to avoid causing trouble.
Kafka didn't seem to mind Dan Heng's stay. He turned his attention entirely to Bailu and Blade.
Silver Wolf, however, leaned against the wall, chewing gum and watching them.
Kafka, "I asked before your friends came in, but you didn't answer.”
Kafka wasn't looking at him, so Dan Heng didn't realize she was talking to him at first. "Huh?"
"Was this a mara attack?"
"...Yes."
"Did you trigger it?"
"We weren't fighting in the same area. But his side was under heavy attack.”
Kafka turned to him and showed a cruel smile. "I'll inform Lady Aglaea of Bladie's health. You're free to go, archivist."
Dan Heng's fear, anxiety, and desire all mixed together, nearly pushing him to the breaking point. No one was going to give him the right to stay with Blade, were they? All his efforts were in vain. Because he was the one who pushed first, and he pushed very hard indeed.
Overwhelmed by emotion, Dan Heng simply wanted to cry. He turned and walked out of the examination room, leaving the clinic wing and directly behind one of the expresses. He leaned his back against the express's cold body and buried his head in his hands. Dan Heng was always calm, rational, and always on the right track between cold and gentle.
Sometimes he's simply panicked, unpredictable, and angry. In such moments, he's often alone, and no one witnesses his pain, his anger, or his convulsive panic.
His chest burned as his breath, hot and urgent, rushed up and down his throat.
He hadn't even noticed anyone approaching until someone touched his arm. He took a step away, wiping his wet eyes as he stared at the approaching person like a fish out of water.
"Dan Heng? Are you okay?"
"...”
To be contiuned.