One Three, One Four
In light of recent developments, the Winter Masquerade Ball had been postponed to late spring, and it was in full swing tonight.
The bass on the dance floor was thumping so loudly Yiran’s entire body vibrated.
He yelled above the music, “I’m getting a drink!”
“What’d you say?” Mai hollered back, her flouncy ballgown twirling as she continued to groove. Not wanting to shout anymore,
Yiran mimed what he’d just said. She waved him off, shimmying her way to another circle of friends.
The beat dropped, and the dance floor went wild. Yiran fought his way through the throng of cadets and guests. Most of them
still had their masks on, but Yiran had lost his. He found Teshin staring at the various large bowls of brightly colored liquid
on a long table, trying to decide between what looked like a toxic-green lime slush with radioactive-blue jelly and another
concoction that could either be a strawberry daiquiri or the blood of one’s enemies.
Casting a dubious eye at the bowls, Yiran opted for ginger ale from a can. Despite the enclosed space, he felt the chill from
outside. A freak spring snowstorm had hit the city the night before, and temperatures had plunged. The designer suit he’d
gotten to match Mai’s dress did little to keep him warm. At least it was a little quieter in this part of the room, and he
didn’t have to scream every word.
“Not dancing?” he said.
“Maybe later,” Teshin replied, settling on the ruby-red beverage.
Boisterous laughter came from a corner. Two girls were doing funny dances that had gone viral on social media, giggling at each other as if they’d had too much to drink.
One had an elegant headdress of pearls and beads shaped like an open fan, the other wore a bejeweled rabbit mask that matched her black and fuchsia ensemble, but Yiran recognized Tesha and Ada instantly.
He nudged Teshin. “Glad our president got some time off to have fun. She’s done a great job with this event.” He stifled a
yawn. To stabilize his spirit core, he’d been put on a strict regimen of rest and nutrition. It was still an hour until midnight,
but two past his healer-dictated bedtime.
“Are you tired?” Teshin said, looking concerned. “You could go back to the dorm to rest.”
“Nah, it’s fine. They haven’t announced Best Dressed yet. Mai will kill me if we win and I’m not around.” Yiran rubbed his
hands together. He should’ve asked the bartender for a cup of hot tea instead.
Teshin nudged him. “Do you want to have a sparring session at my place this weekend?”
“Sure, I need to start training again.” Yiran patted his stomach. “All the eating and bedrest is making me lose my strength
and my abs. I could test Tesha’s new iteration of my stabilization gloves while I’m over.”
“Oh . . . yeah. I think she’ll be around.” Teshin faced the dance floor, suddenly mumbling. “I was also thinking of grabbing
dinner after. You and me—if you’re free, that is. There’s a new restaurant in Tangren Quarter with amazing soup dumplings.
The reviews say they’re better than Laodifang’s.”
Even under the flashing lights in the ballroom, Yiran could see Teshin’s flushed cheeks. Was it the alcohol or—
Oh.
Initially, Yiran had sought Teshin’s company because they were part of the esteemed Mak clan. But a true and deep friendship
had formed between them, and he didn’t want to jeopardize that.
Be happy . . . fall in love.
The memory of a gray-eyed boy was imprinted on his heart, and he didn’t think he would be ready for anyone else in the foreseeable
future. He knew he had to work on himself first. Still, a dinner with a friend didn’t have to be anything more than that.
“Amazing soup dumplings it is. I’ll drive.”
“Great.” Teshin beamed. “The girls are calling for us.”
“Go ahead. I’ll find you later.”
Yiran had spotted Ash slinking toward the ballroom exit.
“Fancy seeing you, Song da shaoye,” he teased, catching up with his brother by the double doors. “Didn’t you graduate decades
ago? Here to relive your youth, old man?”
Ash threw him a dirty look. “Aging is a privilege, you punk. One of the new qi sensors they installed on campus near the ballroom
went offline. I was nearby, so I came to check. Seems fine. Must be the weather.”
“Rui did a sweep earlier. All’s good, no Revenants around,” Yiran said, following Ash to the reception room outside the event
hall.
“Of course she did. Guess she can’t let loose even at her own graduation party.”
Rui’s injuries had healed faster than Yiran’s, and she’d thrown herself into preparing for her official admittance into the
Exorcist Guild. Yiran had a feeling it was a way to distract herself from her own thoughts.
Ash clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m headed back. Dinner at home this weekend?”
“Make it lunch.”
“All right. Have fun, kiddo.”
A gust of wind rattled the windows, and Yiran retreated into the ballroom. A hot cup of tea sounded more enticing by the second.
He called out to the bartender, who gave him a curious look.
“Song Yiran?”
“Yeah?”
“Got a delivery for you.” The bartender placed a tall paper cup with an oversized straw sticking out of its cap on the counter.
The sweet scent of winter melon tea wafted up. Heart racing, Yiran ripped off the cap and looked inside. Tapioca pearls and
nata jelly.
The dance music seemed to fade into the background as he stared, motionless.
Zizi’s destruction of the rogue talisman had caused a temporary shift in the human realm’s atmospheric energies that day at the warehouse.
It’d felt as if the world had taken a long, deep breath and restarted.
Yiran couldn’t explain how, but he’d known then the balance between the realms had returned.
The wing shard he’d been holding had vanished, and he’d immediately gone back to the spot where he’d left Yuki.
There had been no one and nothing there. No violet yinqi shards.
But no ashes either.
What if . . .
Yiran spun on his heel, eyes desperately scanning the crowd.
Someone tapped his shoulder from behind.
If he turned around, would he see those storm-gray eyes again?
As an unofficial member of Ada’s organizational team, Rui had been busy since the morning. Now that the banquet and party
games were over, there wasn’t much to do except dance. But she hadn’t found her friends, and her new shoes were hurting her
feet. She was on the verge of breaking the heels off when she spotted a familiar figure by the bar. Pulling off her mask,
she trotted over and tapped him on the shoulder.
Yiran swiveled around.
“Did I scare you?” Rui said when she saw his face. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” To her surprise, he started laughing
as though she’d told the world’s funniest joke. She scowled. “I thought you said you didn’t drink.”
Bent double, Yiran shook his head. “Not drunk . . . He’s—I shouldn’t . . . Never mind. Forget about it.” He straightened,
grinning from ear to ear. “You caught me in a great mood.”
“Riiight.” She noticed the cup in his hand. “Did you actually order delivery in the middle of a snowstorm?”
“Not exactly. Want some?”
She shrugged and took a sip. The tea was warm, and the bubbles were still chewy.
Yiran stared at her gown. “You look like a tiny purple fairy.” When she glared, he added, “It’s a compliment.” More quietly: “I see the inspiration.”
He and Ada were the only ones who knew that Rui’s Zizi-shaped memories had returned. On a whim, she’d designed her own outfit
for the ball, and Mai had recommended her family’s seamstress. It turned out surprisingly well, considering Rui had given
the lady an amateur sketch. The final result was a beautiful bustier gown with layers of gossamer embroidered with sequins
and crystals in a pattern that resembled wisteria petals.
“My feet hurt,” Rui said, knowing Yiran would understand her cue.
He obliged and changed the topic. “Mom’s visiting the city next week. She’ll be staying at the mansion, and she says she’ll
cook dinner if Auntie Kimmie lets her have free rein of the kitchen. You’re invited too.”
The smile on his face was so contagious, Rui’s mood lifted. “I’m sure Auntie Kimmie will agree, or they could have a cook-off,
and we’ll be the winners because we get to feast.”
Mai appeared then, screeching at Yiran, “Where have you been? All Best Dressed nominees have to go backstage. They’re announcing
the results soon.” She dragged him away, calling out over her shoulder, “You look beautiful, Rui—we have to take photos later!”
The pair disappeared into the crowd.
Yiran had left his cup of tea. It would be a waste if no one drank it. Rui snickered to herself and filled her mouth with
tapioca bubbles, chewing contentedly. The chairs had been cleared for the dance floor, and there was nowhere to sit. Time
to remove her wretched heels.
She took a step back abruptly and bumped hard into someone, almost losing her balance. Just when she tried to apologize, a
pesky bubble lodged itself in her throat. Tea spilled onto her dress as she started coughing.
A tall boy was next to her, as if he’d been there for a while. She didn’t know how she’d missed him. She knew every senior
cadet in her cohort, but she didn’t recognize him. Maybe he was someone’s guest.
Unlike the sparkly masquerade masks that other cadets were wearing, the boy’s mask was that of a fox’s head, and it covered his entire face and all his hair.
Even his eyes were shadowed. His inky suit was like the night sky full of stars, the fabric shimmering softly in an almost magical way.
It was grand, regal-looking, and it fit him like a glove.
It must have cost him a fortune. Rui wondered who he was trying to impress.
She could tell he was laughing at her embarrassment behind his mask, and she pounded her chest and subdued her coughing. “Sorry,
I didn’t—”
“May I have the next dance?” he cut in, his voice muffled by the mask. He was extending his hand in a polite, old-fashioned