everything is the same as before, but also not. his futon is still on the floor, blanket crumpled as if he had just climbed out of it yesterday. the note left for the others remains on the desk, memory of frantically writing it still fresh in his mind. the books that he was reading before warping to the luofu remain behind his crooked pillow. the tea set is untouched. the machines hum softly in the background.
everything is the same as before, except for him.
dan heng touches the base of his horns with lithe fingers. his ears are more sensitive, and his senses are sharper. he can hear the engine's quiet hum, doors sliding open and shut, muffled voices and footsteps. power swirls within him, ancient and unfamiliar, yet also recognizable by the way his fingers move through the air, coalescing water instead of wind.
now that he has embraced his previous incarnation, he no longer follows the path of the hunt but treads along destruction, similar to caelus when he first awakened the stellaron in his body. he sits on his bed, manifesting cloud piercer on his lap. his old friend will be able to rest, for now, until he wields it, once more.
knocks sound on his closed door. he looks up and calls, "come in." it slides open, and caelus steps inside.
"hey. i'm not bothering you, am i?"
"no."
silence dances between them, similar to when they stood in front of the high elder's statue, their first reunion after being separated, the first time anyone on the express saw his transformation. dan heng lowers his eyes. "do you want some tea?"
he doesn't see the nod, only hears footsteps across the floor and a swish of jacket as caelus sits on the steps. dan heng prepares his tea set, takes out a bag of tea leaves, and plugs in the electric kettle. he works in silence. caelus watches in silence.
dan heng draws in a breath. he has to start the conversation somehow. "speak your mind. i know you have something to say."
nothing. he looks up. caelus stares at the bookshelf, lips pressed together. "words are free," dan heng says. "use them how you'd like to express yourself."
"is that dan heng saying that, or the high elder?"
ah. dan heng lowers his eyes. "i am not my previous incarnation. we share a similar appearance and abilities, but that's all. i am dan heng; dan feng was forcibly molted for his crimes."
"i don't know what kind of dynamic we have now." caelus's tone is quiet, melancholic. "it was easy, before, but now...you're a thousand years old yet you're not. you have cool powers. you have a duty to an ancient race of dragons-"
"my duty to the xianzhou is fulfilled, but my duty to the nameless is not. i'm here now, aren't i?"
"but for how long?"
"until we've traveled the path carved for us in the stars." the kettle whistles. dan heng pours a thin trail of steaming liquid into the pot. "there is...much history that has been lost because of what dan feng did, but that responsibility does not fall to me. i am the astral express's guard and administrator of the data bank. that won't change."
he offers caelus a cup. the trailblazer doesn't move, so he leaves it in the space between them. dan heng releases a breath. "i am sorry i didn't say anything about it. i had no intention of revealing it until i had to. and now..."
"and now...the horns stay?"
"...yes."
"and the tail?"
"that, too."
caelus looks at him through narrowed eyes over his shoulder. "lucky for you that you can hide it whenever you want."
"consider it a perk of being a reincarnation of the high elder." dan heng nudges the tea closer to him. caelus hesitates before taking a sip. he makes a face.
"bitter. it's march who has the sugar cubes with her." his hand falls on his lap. "she hasn't talked to you yet, has she?"
"no."
"i'll get her to come at some point. for now..." their eyes meet. caelus keeps his tone steady. "you'll keep traveling on this path with us?"
"yes."
"no matter what happens?"
"i travel with the nameless as dan heng. there is nothing more or less about it." his fingers drift over the express's emblem on his shirt.
"okay. thanks." caelus is still, hesitant. he offers a hand. dan heng blinks at it. "welcome back, dan heng."
"thanks." his hand fits in his, a familiar shape and warmth over his.
nothing has changed, yet everything has. regardless of what will come next, dan heng remains sure of his own identity.
