A Song for The Ages

Feiyin strode forward, his grip firm on the centipede-blade in his hand, his mind clear for the first time in weeks.

No more doubts.

No more desperate searching.

He knew where he needed to go.

Bai Yu slithered comfortably around his shoulders, its small white-scaled body resting against his skin. Though the snake had no words, Feiyin could feel its subtle shifts, its movements in response to his own emotions.

And he?

He was no longer lost.

He walked with purpose, his steps measured but unyielding, his senses attuned to his surroundings.

The further he traveled, the more signs of life he found.

A group of three ragged survivors, barely older than him, huddled in the shadows of a narrow passage. They looked at him warily as he passed.

Feiyin smiled.

Not forced. Not strained. Just… a small, natural smile.

His mother once told him that one of the greatest gifts, the strongest weapons, was a simple smile.

"You would be surprised what a genuine smile can do, Feiyin. It can reassure, it can disarm, it can lead."

He didn't stop for long, didn't make any offers to join, just nodded and moved on.

They weren't his people.

A little further ahead, a pair of brothers, older than him, crouched over the lifeless body of a large bat. The older one tensed when he sensed Feiyin approach, instinctively placing himself between Feiyin and his sibling.

Feiyin didn't react with caution.

Just smiled.

The older brother hesitated, confused.

Feiyin walked past them without a word.

They weren't his people.

This continued for what felt like hours. More survivors, more encounters, more gazes filled with suspicion or desperation.

Each time, Feiyin smiled.

But he never stopped.

His mother was right. A smile could be a tool, a gift, a weapon. But it was also a boundary.

And these weren't his people.

His people were out there. Waiting.

The familiarity came gradually.

At first, it was just a feeling.

A subtle shift in the air, an ease in the flow of the tunnels. The sharp, overwhelming scent of blood and rot was lessening.

The attacks?

Fewer.

The presence of beasts?

Weaker.

That meant one thing: people had been fighting here.

People had been holding their ground.

Feiyin's chest tightened with anticipation.

He picked up his pace.

The first true sign came in the form of a makeshift marker, a small pile of stones, deliberately placed at an intersection of tunnels.

A trail sign.

Someone had left it for others to follow.

Feiyin knelt down, heart pounding.

The placement of the stones, the alignment, it wasn't random.

It was organized. Practical.

Shen Mu would do this.

Yue might as well.

Feiyin exhaled sharply, a grin breaking across his face.

"I'm close," he whispered.

Bai Yu lifted its head slightly at his words, flicking its tongue.

Feiyin moved forward, following the faintest traces of disturbances in the ground, footsteps, drag marks, shifts in dust where bodies had passed.

The tunnels twisted and turned, each corner bringing a growing sense of recognition.

Until finally…

He stepped into a cavern that felt like memory.

It was dark, like all the others. The air was still, the sounds faint. But Feiyin knew this place.

He had been here before.

A deep breath steadied his heartbeat.

He was home.

Or at least, as close to home as this wretched cavern would allow.

And his people were here.

Waiting.

A single breath.

That was all Feiyin allowed himself before he stepped forward.

The cavern stretched before him, both familiar and foreign. The shadows pooled thick against the jagged walls, the dim light barely revealing what lay ahead.

And then,

A voice.

Faint, but undeniable.

"…I'm telling you, we need to move soon."

Feiyin's breath hitched.

Ren.

Another voice followed, sharper, worried.

"But what if Feiyin comes back?"

Yue.

A small, involuntary sound left Feiyin's throat, a soft exhale, part disbelief, part relief.

He wasn't too late.

Bai Yu stirred around his shoulders, sensing his emotions as Feiyin took another step.

Then another.

The tunnel opened up to the larger cavern where a group of survivors sat huddled in hushed conversation.

Feiyin recognized them immediately.

Ren stood with his arms crossed, expression unreadable, but tension lining his frame. Yue sat nearby, ears twitching, her tail flicking in agitation. Shen Mu, ever-calm, rubbed his chin as if lost in thought.

A few others, their faces worn and weary, listened with uncertain expressions.

No one saw him yet.

For a moment, Feiyin just stood there.

Drinking in the sight of them.

After weeks of darkness, weeks of solitude, of pain, of relentless survival, he was finally,

"…Feiyin?"

The soft, disbelieving whisper came from Yue.

She had turned her head, nose twitching, golden eyes widening.

Her body froze.

Then, in the next breath, she bolted.

The next thing Feiyin knew, he was nearly tackled to the ground, Yue crashing into his chest, arms wrapping around him in a fierce grip.

"Feiyin!" Her voice cracked, raw with emotion. "You! We thought... I thought!"

Her body trembled against his, arms firmly embracing him.

Feiyin blinked, stunned, before a soft chuckle rumbled from his chest.

"I'm back."

Yue sniffed, shoving away just enough to glare at him. "You, stupid, you were gone for weeks! Do you know how worried we were? Ren almost lost it when we realized you were trapped, "

A scoff cut through the moment.

"Don't exaggerate," Ren muttered.

Feiyin turned his head and met Ren's eyes.

For all his indifferent words, the way Ren's jaw clenched, his fingers curled into fists at his sides, spoke otherwise.

Feiyin smiled. "You missed me."

Ren clicked his tongue, looking away. "You're annoying."

And yet, he didn't move.

Didn't step back.

Didn't act like Feiyin wasn't standing right in front of him, alive.

Shen Mu stepped forward next, sharp eyes scanning Feiyin up and down.

"You're injured."

Feiyin sighed. "I'm fine."

"You say that, yet you look like you crawled through hell." Shen Mu's tone was as dry as ever, but there was something tight in his voice.

Feiyin smirked. "It wasn't hell. Just a few tunnels filled with things that tried to eat me."

Ren scoffed. "Only you would call that 'just a few tunnels.'"

The others began murmuring, expressions shifting from disbelief to relief, from relief to curiosity.

He was back.

The boy who had been trapped on the other side of the cave-in.

The boy who had survived.

And he was stronger.

Wiser.

More resolute.

Feiyin exhaled slowly.

"I made it back," he said softly, his voice steady.

Yue's tail twitched. "Of course you did."

Feiyin blinked.

Yue sniffled, then grinned through the lingering tears in her eyes. "You're Feiyin."

As if that was reason enough.

Feiyin chuckled.

Maybe it was.

Then,

"Hsssss."

A collective flinch went through the group.

Every head turned toward the white snake curled around Feiyin's shoulders.

A moment of tense silence.

"…You brought back a snake?" someone finally muttered.

Feiyin hummed. "His name is Bai Yu."

Yue immediately leaned closer, nose twitching. "It's so small! But…" Her ears flattened slightly. "Isn't it a bit dangerous to have a snake?"

Ren crossed his arms. "It's a snake. Of course it's dangerous."

Feiyin snorted. "Everything here is dangerous. At least Bai Yu is on my side."

Ren frowned but didn't argue.

Shen Mu tilted his head, studying the snake with sharp eyes. "It's unusual."

"Very," Feiyin agreed. He glanced at Bai Yu, who was watching the others cautiously but hadn't reacted aggressively. "But it's a friend."

That seemed to put some of the others at ease.

Another murmur rippled through the group, this time more of curiosity than concern.

And Feiyin, for the first time in weeks, felt something settle in his chest.

Something warm.

Something right.

He had found them.

And this time,

He wouldn't lose them again.