Prologue I: The Boy With No Memories

He dreamt of nothingness. He was one with the universe; thoughtless, sensationless. Like a leaf in the wind, he simply went with the flow. Stagnant. Peaceful.

But suddenly, the ground gave up beneath him. Uncontrollably, he was falling, falling, and-

He awoke with a gasp. Colours faded in and out of his vision like a mirage. A cacophony of voices filled his ears. Too loud. Unfamiliar. He screwed his eyes shut and cupped his ears to get rid of it - to get rid of everything. Humans…he sensed humans…

Something warm touched his wrists and he hissed, instinctively lashing out with a punch. However, it landed on something soft. After blinking a couple more times, he realised that a man dressed in white had blocked his little fist with his palm. It was the first time he finally got to see. He gave the room a quick scan, his breathing picking up with more and more things he couldn’t understand.

Who is this man? Who are all these people surrounding him? Why is he on a bed? Whose bed is this? Where is he? Where is-

A sharp pain shot through his head and he yelped loudly, gripping his head. The man in white leaned closer, way too close, and he felt his heart hammering madly in his chest. 

In an attempt to ease the knot in his chest, he murmured, “Go away…”

But the man continued to get closer, as did the other people in white, gathering around him, murmuring sweet honeyed words, sending his mind into a frenzy.

“You’ll be alright.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Calm down, take deep breaths.”

“You’re just confused, it’s OK now.”

Lies lies lies lies. The people in white…humans…despicable creatures…

With all the panic building up inside him, he felt like he was about to combust. Go away…don’t come near me…don’t touch me…don’t-

“GO AWAY OR I’LL KILL YOU!” 

As if responding to his call, fire engulfed him, blasting away the men in white in a wave of scorching heat. But to him, it was warm, comforting. In that warmth he calmed down - or was it because those men were not around him anymore?

He heard footsteps rushing in from the door ahead and he readied his flames which were rearing to go. However, what came in were not men in white, but a man and woman in expensive casual clothing. The man in a black and white suit, the woman in an elegant dress.

The woman teared up at seeing him, completely disregarding the spheres of orange flames dancing around him. “Baby! You’re awake! Oh, we were so worried!”

Baby? Him? Who was this woman who’s calling him in such an endearing tone? It sickened him to the bone to be called in such a way by this woman - even though he doesn’t understand why.

“Who are you?” he demanded. Around him, the flames flickered agitatingly.

The man in a suit held onto the woman whose knees weakened at his demand. With strong, steely eyes, the man said in a careful tone, “Do you not remember us, Guang? She’s your mother, and I’m your father.”

Mother…father…? Did he just call him Guang? Was that his name?

His mother and father were total strangers as far as his memory told him. His name...it didn’t sound familiar too. But the more he tried to think about it, he realised with daunting horror that he doesn’t remember anything. Not where he lived, the people dear to him, how he got here, and who he was.

He gripped his aching head. Just what was going on here? 

“I’m sorry Mr and Mrs Long, but Guang still seems to be confused,” one of the men in white said. Turning to him, the man explained in a soft, gentle tone, “I need you to listen calmly, Guang. You were involved in a major accident and your head suffered serious damage. But fret not, we’ve fixed you up, and from how you’re looking, you can go home the next day. It’s a miracle, really, that you’ve managed to survive. You’re a strong little boy, Guang.”

Anyone would have been happy with the news. But Guang - if that was even his name - felt unnerved. Something about all of this, to him, was wrong.

***

True to their word, the men in white - doctors - let him go home the next day. While Guang was not happy being looked after by these two people who were his parents, he was sort of looking forward to returning home. While he laid in bed for the entire day yesterday, he had tried to recall something - anything - from his memories. But try as hard as he might to glare at a blank sheet of paper, it will remain a blank sheet of paper. He had come up with nothing, even by the next morning, which made him somewhat frustrated. It didn’t sit well with him that he didn’t know a single thing about who he was; it wasn’t helping either that he found himself unable to trust his own parents, much less the doctors. The only thing he could trust was his physical appearance: a six year old's body, tan skin and long, bushy red hair. 

He had hoped that returning home, somewhere he grew up in, might make him remember something about himself. Alas, when he arrived at the front gates of a manor, he was only greeted with yet another unfamiliar sight.

The red brick walls, the wrought iron gates, the crest of a golden dragon - none of that sparked a trace of recognition within him. It was all new. 

Thunder roared in the background. Dark clouds rolled overhead, and soon, it started to rain. Guang was aghast. That small shimmer of hope that he held, sniffed out as easily as a candle.

A fair brown-haired young man bowed to them at the gates, holding out an umbrella. Yet another unfamiliar person. “Welcome home, Mr and Mrs Long. Young master, it’s good to see you are in good health. Now please, allow me to escort you inside before the rain gets heavier.”

If he set foot in the manor he won’t be able to turn back. No, he refused to accept reality as it is. Living with people he didn’t recognise in a place he didn’t know - to hell with that!

“Guang?!”

Guang ran. He didn’t know where he was running either, letting his feet carry him to somewhere - anywhere but here. He wanted to be far away. Away from his parents, away from that manor, away from everything.

Behind him, his father and mother screamed for his return, but he ignored them, for they were no one but strangers to him. Splish splash, splish splash, the sounds of his shoes turning up puddles. The rain seeped into his clothes, pulling him down, enveloping him in its cold, cold embrace. But Guang didn’t mind. Compared to the disgusting embrace of those humans, this was much more welcoming.

He didn’t know how long he had run for. Only when breathing became way too difficult did he stop to try to catch his breath. Haggardly, he looked around. He seemed to be in a town. There were not many people around. Well, it made sense - he would prefer not to be caught up under this torrential rain as well. The only ones that could be seen were hurrying here and there; escorting their young ones indoors, pushing their goods into their houses, or getting to a dry place themselves. So busy they were they barely batted an eye in Guang’s direction. Not that Guang really cared. At least, here, he was like an ordinary person. 

Soaked down to his bones, but way more relieved now, Guang aimlessly made his way down the street.

Now that he had escaped from his parents, he wasn’t sure what to do. It was a moment’s impulse - he hadn’t thought what he would do after escaping. Judging from the growling and rumbling from his stomach, he’s hungry too. He massaged his stomach with a sigh, trying to calm it down, as if his stomach was a misbehaving dog.

“Hush now, grumbling will get you nowhere,” he told his stomach sternly, although it still came out a little half-hearted.

A gust of wind blew by, carrying with it a sheet of rain that pelted at him like bullets. Grunting, he raised his arms to shield himself against nature’s attack, but found that abruptly, the rain had stopped.

“Are you lost?”

Raising his head towards the soft, silky voice, Guang found a breathtaking sight. Standing in front of him was an ethereal figure. Appearing like a young man descended from heaven, he had short shimmering transparent hair that flowed like water, reflecting a multitude of colours. His skin was so white and pale, like jasmines in full bloom. His eyes - a mesmerising shade of blue, like light dancing off the surface of the ocean. 

That wasn’t mentioning the intriguing outfit he wore. A clear crystal earring on his left ear, a dark blue jacket with white fur over a black turtleneck, and black ripped jeans with silver gleaming chains hanging from his belt. His boots were interesting too. When did boots come with fur? 

It was then Guang noticed that the rain had not stopped at all. Rather, water bounced off what could be an invisible umbrella; not a single water droplet brushing his skin. It's not just him either - this man was completely dry, down to his clothes. Was he causing this?

Mesmerised by the man’s unique appearance, Guang mumbled half-stupefied, “I’m…not.”

The man stared quizzically, as if wondering how bad of a liar he was. After a while, he finally asked coolly, “What’s your name, little boy?”

Guang met those captivating ocean blue eyes. For some odd reason, this person was…different. Unlike everybody else he had come across, Guang didn’t feel the need to be hostile or distrusting towards this person, even if they had just met. Astoundingly, his presence was calming and relaxing like a soothing lullaby.

In a headstrong tone, he declared, “Guang. My name is Guang.”

The man smiled, his eyes crinkling happily as they did so. “Hello, Guang. I go by many names, but you may call me Sui.”