Zhea

0830 hours

Rao Yueru

Yueru stretched, arms reaching out to the headboard behind him. He let a satisfying sigh escape his lips the second his bone cracked. Next to him, Herbert was fast asleep, tugging onto the blanket close to his nose as if it was the only thing that could shield him Running his fingers into those soft blonde locks, Yueru exited the bed silently. He added another layer of the blanket and headed over to draw the curtains. When he turned around, Yueru spotted Actticus laying on the ground. The wolf perked up, sniffing at Herbert's scent and proceeded to lay down with a soft whine. He tugged his paws underneath his chin, staring protectively at his sleeping owner. Yueru leaned down, running his fingers gently on his back. It was a rare sight to see Herbert asleep since the elder was always awake most of the time. He planted a kiss above the wolf's head.

"Well, let's see what we will be having for breakfast. I bet you are hungry already," Yueru uttered on behalf of the wolf whose stomach was growling as he proceeded in dragging the menu from the bedside table. "Before I feed you, I have a couple of questions. You must answer me."

Actticus let out a soft growl. He proceeded in whining when Yueru threatened him by putting the menu back on the table. The prince could only smile, holding back his giggles so that he did not wake the elder vampire. Flipping through the pages of the menu, Yueru studied the menu specifically. He was glad that the ingredients were listed in detail. He could have guessed it would not be the full ingredients list yet since it would mean exposing their secrets. Dancing worms on a tray with a cup of black tea sounded like an adventurous way to start his day, hence the prince picked it as his choice, not forgetting to include The Triple Red Cubes for the wolf next to him. He punched in the choices on the silver translucent card that popped cinematic confetti with the words 'order complete'. Once settled, Yueru allowed Actticus to set his head on his lap.

"Okay, back to my questions, Ac, has Herbert always been like that?" Yueru asked, turning his head around to check on the elder whose figure rose and fall very ever slowly as if he had been set free in another dimension. "I mean lost in a different universe where he is trapped or couldn't be himself. He does seem like he is about to give in to whatever he had been holding back."

The wolf blinked, sniffing Yueru's palms. If he wanted to assume, Yueru would guess that Ac was trying to say yes to his question. Herbert had taught him to communicate with the wolf during their journey here once the elder realized that he and Actticus got along better than expected. Herbert even expressed his level of jealousy when Ac proceeded in inviting him for a run in the woods instead of his owner. Yueru admitted that his ego rose slightly higher when Herbert revealed that Ac only got closer to him quicker than the first time they met. Scratching the wolf's neck, Yueru watched the sun rise behind the curtains just at the same time when a screen popped out of his menu.

"Dear visitor, your menu has arrived, kindly collect it from the TriCart. Once you finished your meal, please set it at AutoCup at the end of the level," the menu announced in its partially distorted voice which Yueru detected might be due to lack of magic access from where they had been.

Rushing to the door, Yueru picked up the dishes and hurried in to prevent the voice from speaking further when he heard the bed creaking. It reminded him of the lore about vampires not needing any sleep, but Herbert proved that the lore might be fake. He caught the vampire dozing off at times as if trying to catch any rest he could afford. Yueru set the large place of red meat stacked like a three-storey building on the ground for Actticus who gobbled them up immediately. Holding onto his plate, Yueru headed out to the balcony. He arranged his tray on the tiny table and proceeded in feasting on the sight of the morning sun. The sound of the water from the river slapping across the rocks served as music to his ears as he watched a few children diving into the water with a splash.

Opposite, Yueru made out the sound of ringing bells from vendors who try to tempt their customers. Zhea is a large kingdom, to begin with, and searching for his uncle among all those unique creatures could be like searching for a peanut among the large bush of tea. He sighed, picking up a worm to munch. They were not as tender as the caterpillars bred by his people, but they were favourable for the sake of controlling his blood lust. As he watched the children playing with magic, Yueru tried to narrow down the details of his uncle. His uncle, an Evolver unlike his father had a strong love for medicine, just like his mother. Perhaps he should scour through all the pharmacies and medical shops. The cheers from the kids snapped him from his thoughts the second they turned to a high growl with exciting roars. Yueru took a peak at them, returning a wave when the Haranke child bowed with her large dragon head with two dusty pink horns and tiny brown ones.

"Goodness!" Yueru hissed softly at the wolf who appeared by his side, sneering at him for waving at the new companies. "Aw, Ac, you are not jealous are you? I still love you more you know. Maybe you and I should go out to the markets together,"

Ac shook his tail happily, running in circles but stopped the second Yueru shook his head. Ac purred.

"Herbert needs you to be here. I can be out alone. Besides..."

Ac whimpered, burying his face against Yueru's lap.

"It's a large city, Ac. I will be back by tea time. Stay here and look after him, got it?"

Ac slumped himself down in defeat, earning a grin from the prince who finished up his meal and headed in. Herbert was still asleep so ever soundly that he doubted that even waging war could wake him up. Picking up the pen and the tiny notepad on their bedside table, Yueru left a simple note for the vampire so that he would not be worried.

Out in the cities, and might cross the ones at the opposite side of the river. Will bring back some caterpillars. - Your Insect Consuming Prince -

With that, Yueru picked up two of his knives and headed out after a change of attire. Taking one last glance at the wolf who jumped onto the bed, snuggling close to Herbert he waved and trotted downstairs to the reception. A lady dressed in pink greeted him cheerfully. Her gleaming purple eyes did not go unnoticed by his observant eyes. Once the warm rays of sunlight hit him, Yueru stopped his pace, studying the sparkling waters that shield the fully transformed Harankes from their enemies. He had to admit that living in a city with different species could be both a boon and a bane. Should one of the species rise and become stronger than the other, would the ruler of Zhea topple? Leaving the thought of the city as their fate, Yueru made his way over the bridge.

The market showered itself in different colours with the mixture of people trying to go through their daily life. A group of older folks sitting at the coffee shop exchanging gossip caught his attention since their hair was coloured in different colours. One in ruby red, the others in, lemon yellow, citrus orange, and striking cyan. Their thunderous peals of laughter synced with the ongoing music from the band performing on the opposite side. When his nose caught the scent of herbs, he made his way forward, escaping a close collision with a small child carrying a bag of fried noodles. She sneered at him, tightening her grip on her meal. From the stains on her collar, Yueru had the right to assume that she was on her second breakfast. Stopping at the bright colour settlement, Yueru sneezed at the strong scent of chillies and lemon grass. They reminded him of the syrup his mother forced down his throat when he was just a kid.

"You're not here because you are sick," the woman whispered next to his ears, causing him to jump. "Searching for a particular something or someone?"

Yueru studied the wrinkles against her cheeks and forehead, moving to admire her golden eyes. They reminded him of the delicate carvings on the golden sword belonging to Herbert. She tapped her walking stick several times on the ground, circling the prince like a hawk eyeing the best piece of meat.

"Is there anyone with the name of Rao living around the settlements of Zhea?" Yueru inquired, and the woman stopped in her tracks right before his eyes.

"Then, you are looking at the wrong medical hub, child. It's far ahead, the one with windchimes," she answered with a wide smirk. "Wait here, I will get you something to bring there. Zhea is not a very big kingdom, my child. It is a small one despite the area. Just wait for a while."

He nodded, mumbling on his own.

"Windchimes," Yueru muttered on his own, hearing the woman scolding someone inside the settlement before she emerged waving her walking stick towards the direction behind her. "Windchimes."

"Ah, yes windchimes. Something quite rare around here since we lack musicians who understand the essence of perfect pitch and rhythm," she uttered and handed him a bamboo carrier that smelt so good of buns and dumplings. "Do me a favour when you head over to the house with the windchime. You won't miss it. And, send them my regards."

Tilting his head to the side, Yueru lifted the carrier a little higher to study the beautifully crafted peonies and lotuses on them as he proceeded in meeting those golden eyes.

"You'll know what I meant when you find them. Oh, golden with green dahlias. It's hard to miss," she waved as if trying to chase him away from her settlement after exchanging pieces of information and demanding requests. 

Word Count: 1749 words

Cumulative Word Count: 13,014 words