69 We Stand, We Fall, We Die Together (2/2)

Arriving back in her room, Hongyue looked over at Qingyu who was still unconscious. She frowned and strode over to the bloody bedside. As she stepped closer to him, the strands of silvery strands that guarded him started to melt apart, leaving a safe path for her. In her hand, she held a glittering gray pill. She had gained it by stealing it from the third prince without his notice. Now Hongyue stared at Qingyu blankly as she stood above him.

How was she supposed to feed it to him?

”Wake up!” Her voice cut through the air, but the boy gave no response to her sharp command. Hongyue's frown deepened. She had never cared for a person like this before nor had anyone care for her like this. What was she supposed to do? Grabbing him by the collar, she pulled him closer to her. Cupping his cheeks, she forced his mouth agape and tossed the pill inside his mouth. Then she roughly smacked his chin upwards and watched as the pill slid down his throat.

Good.

He'll be fine.

She released her hold on him, and Qingyu fell back on to the bed. Stepping lightly, she left the room. With a light exertion on the windowsill, she propelled herself into the air and descended gently on the branch of a tree near her room. Her fingers casually braced the truck of the tree, balancing her weight upon the tree branch. Her eyes peered up at the sky. There was only an empty spot where the moon should be but a web of stars could be seen. The gentle breeze of the night that passed her figure seemed to sing her loneliness into the void.

The loose strands of her hair appeared to flutter gracefully in the air as she mused deep in thought with her legs swinging about.

Finally, her ruby lips opened and a melody seeped out:

”We fall, we stand, we die together

All we have and all for the better

Dancing flames of the sinful desires

Grasping for victims, grasping higher

Take a sip of poisoned honey

Take a handful of glittering money

Carry the chains of the past

Take the blame that'll come to last....”

As she sang, the siren's eyes seemed to burn. The grass sighed as the wind began to pick up its pace and the eerie resonance drifted around her residence. Singing the last words to her song, Hongyue's eyes began to flutter shut, and a strange smile hung on her lips as she drifted to sleep.

Inside her room, the unconscious figure began to stir, the dark purple crescent moon on his neck strangely glowing.