The Prince's temper seemed cooled when the two of them returned to his chambers. There, with the doors sealed and the formation wards humming softly, the Adviser poured tea and resumed their discussion, truly safe at last from prying eyes.
"I don't believe the Mirrors' Master will be easy to find," he said, handing the Prince a filled cup. "Not if you intend to search personally."
"Probably not…" The Prince accepted the tea, staring into the pale surface. "In fact, I doubt we'll find him at all… especially if my Father hid him the same way He hid the Wind Master…"
He took a sip. Sadness etched itself across his face, unguarded.
"I thought I would never see my so-called brother again," he said quietly. "And I had no desire to endure my existence any longer… but if He is truly alive, then I..."
He stared at the tea as if answers might surface there.
"But, Your Highness," the Adviser finally interrupted the silence carefully, "I believe I know where the Wind Master might be."
The Prince leapt to his feet, overturning the tea table. Porcelain shattered. Boiling water splashed over his hand.
"You take no care of yourself at all!" the Adviser scolded, catching the Prince's wrist and blowing gently over the burn. Spiritual energy flowed, healing the skin in an instant.
But the Prince yanked his hand away and spun back toward the Adviser.
"What did you just say?"
His voice dropped. "Repeat it."
"I said I may be able to guess where the Wind Master is," came a lazy reply. "But why such a reaction?"
The answer burned in the Prince's eyes.
The Adviser stiffened, realization dawning too late. He immediately dropped to his knees.
"Your Highness, this servant is ignorant," the immediate plea was rushed as the only survival. "Please enlighten me. I fail to grasp the weight of this knowledge."
The Prince grabbed him by the elbow and hauled him upright.
"Get up," he snapped. "And tell me now where that sly old fox is hiding."
The Adviser rose and turned to the wreckage. With a calm breath, he blew over the scattered shards, just as he had over the Prince's burned hand. Qi rippled. The fragments lifted, spun, and reassembled themselves into a flawless table.
The Prince sat down and pointed sharply at the teapot.
The Adviser refilled the cup and placed it before him.
"According to recent reports," he began, "the Wind Master is in the mortal world. The same goes for the Water Master. The Emperor punished them, sending one to guard the rift between realms, near the Darkness itself, and the other to watch over the Flower Goddess, who is currently undergoing mortal rebirth as part of her cultivation."
The Prince exhaled slowly and pointed at the teapot again.
"The Wind Master and the Water Master are not together," the Adviser continued. "Which one guards the rift, and which watches over the Goddess, I cannot yet confirm."
"Amazing," the Prince muttered.
He placed his cup down.
The table collapsed.
The Adviser winced.
"But tell me this, Your Highness," he said cautiously. "Why is the Wind Master so important to you? And why did you believe we could never find him?"
The Prince frowned.
"Well, this isn't your first day in the Heavens, is it?"
"Didn't you know?" he went on. "The Wind Master was the only one my brother ever spoke to freely here, aside from me. Even though I annoyed Him constantly, He still stayed closer to the Wind Master than anyone else."
Understanding dawned slowly in the Adviser's eyes.
"How interesting," he murmured. "I had no idea. That explains a great deal… If the Wind Master might be found, then there is a chance he may help us."
The Prince snapped his fingers sharply, pulling the Adviser back from his thoughts.
"You're thinking too slowly," he said.
The Adviser straightened at once.
"You wish to visit the Wind Master in the mortal world?"
The Prince nodded and took another sip of tea.
"And since the Emperor is in meditation," the Adviser added carefully, "you have no intention of requesting permission to descend?"
The Prince nodded again.
*Thx for reading.