It's a night like any other at the Celestial Tower; Sizhui traveling long, winding iridescent pathways, dotting the skyline here and there with stars as he moves. This time is when he thrives most, burning bright, free to do whatever he pleases while daytime citizens dream away. Right now, the nighttime is his and he plans on seizing, using it to his full advantage and exploring past his usual boundaries that he's always joked about being unnecessary.
Tonight, however, he'll learn differently.
Outside those high protective gates, past the safety of moonlight and into the darkness, near the edges of the plain in sections he's not supposed to go alone is where Sizhui travels, soft starlight guiding him further onward once brilliant paths fade away to untrodden roads. Rumors constantly circled: if one were to travel too far, they might succumb to twilight and lose their way, return different than they'd been before— but sometimes, something worse would happen, like becoming a fallen star and never being seen again. (Nobody has ever disappeared in his lifetime despite hearsay, nor have they lost anyone to such things in the past either, so he hasn't worried nearly as much as he probably should.) The problem here is venturing into the unknown can also reap great rewards that are worth the risk; moonstones, shining with extraordinary light and containing miraculous healing properties, reside in the great beyond and he's determined to obtain one (or burn out trying).
For a bit, everything seems absolutely fine, he even starts the trek back sometime before dawn, precious rocks in hand. Moonbeams of the tower are within sight, pinpricking through the gate slats, thin beacons of reassurance that he's almost home-free in his perilous task, yet just as he's nearest his destination, there's a sudden floundering, a sideways stagger, his arms windmilling momentarily, until he's knocked fully off-balance by something that feels like a gut-punch and is sent rocketing downward by some unseen force.
I wish...
His glowing hand flickers, twinkling bleakly, a sunburst lights up the night sky as he's falling, falling— and Sizhui's eyes slam shut right as he breaks the chilling calmness of a lake. Sinking feels different, but it's being temporarily suspended in cold liquid that rouses Sizhui, has him awakening just long enough to start clawing his way back toward the surface.
♪ i will be chasing a starlight, until the end of my life
Tonight, however, he'll learn differently.
Outside those high protective gates, past the safety of moonlight and into the darkness, near the edges of the plain in sections he's not supposed to go alone is where Sizhui travels, soft starlight guiding him further onward once brilliant paths fade away to untrodden roads. Rumors constantly circled: if one were to travel too far, they might succumb to twilight and lose their way, return different than they'd been before— but sometimes, something worse would happen, like becoming a fallen star and never being seen again. (Nobody has ever disappeared in his lifetime despite hearsay, nor have they lost anyone to such things in the past either, so he hasn't worried nearly as much as he probably should.) The problem here is venturing into the unknown can also reap great rewards that are worth the risk; moonstones, shining with extraordinary light and containing miraculous healing properties, reside in the great beyond and he's determined to obtain one (or burn out trying).
For a bit, everything seems absolutely fine, he even starts the trek back sometime before dawn, precious rocks in hand. Moonbeams of the tower are within sight, pinpricking through the gate slats, thin beacons of reassurance that he's almost home-free in his perilous task, yet just as he's nearest his destination, there's a sudden floundering, a sideways stagger, his arms windmilling momentarily, until he's knocked fully off-balance by something that feels like a gut-punch and is sent rocketing downward by some unseen force.
I wish...
His glowing hand flickers, twinkling bleakly, a sunburst lights up the night sky as he's falling, falling— and Sizhui's eyes slam shut right as he breaks the chilling calmness of a lake. Sinking feels different, but it's being temporarily suspended in cold liquid that rouses Sizhui, has him awakening just long enough to start clawing his way back toward the surface.