Until Next Time, Wandering Hero; Chapter 3: In the meantime, I hope this message reaches you

Every now and then, she would turn and stop, merely staring at him whilst she held the lantern with her long sleeves, waiting for him to follow. Never leaving him behind. The two walked in that manner for a while, he would move as fast as he could before stopping, and despite being far ahead of him, he would always see those ripples lead back to him as she waited for him. The buildings grew smaller, turning to ashes and mere rubble showing nothing but a sea of smoke and ash before two small figures as they walked along this murky path, a burning flash of light cascaded over them both, causing them to pause and witness the enormous size of what the dragon warrior had become in a mere shadow. It towered over them in a way that reminded him of the palace but somehow more frightful. Tigress turned away quickly when the flames died down, her lantern flickering and he couldn’t really blame her. Zhenjin merely kept quiet, catching the hint that she couldn’t speak or didn’t want to, again; he couldn’t blame her. What could they talk about as they attacked a part of her home country? Should he apologize for his sister’s actions against her? There was too much to ask and so little time. He stepped over a wooden plank, no doubt an old piece of a balcony for a house that he could lean on for the moment as he witnessed her intake the area around them. Even here, she looked out of place. A light within the darkness. Every part of her seemed separated from reality, no part of her outfit seemed to shift with the winds, not even the ruffles at the bottom of her shirt or the long sleeves she touted. Only the lantern seemed to play by the world’s rules. Her amber eyes looked back at him, waiting. He simply nodded and forced himself to continue on, off the porch, and past a decoration of some sort in a language he did not understand. The prince rubbed at his head, trying to stop himself from rubbing his eyes but it was no use. They were already messed up, everything on his body was, and he couldn’t do anything about it on his own. He stopped abruptly at that. ‘They left me…Did they even check to see if I was dead?’ The pain in his shoulder began to throb again, it came and went as he got used to it. Even the parts of his body that ached were slowly becoming a normalcy to him but it still didn’t change the fact, that it hurt. Another arrow zipped past them both into the distance, hitting another already downed soldier. “I don’t think I can hope for tomorrow, Zhengui…” He surprised himself with his own words and voice. It was no longer as proud or loud as when he patrolled the fields of Khanbaliq. It was subdued and tiring. “You won’t see your friends because of my sister, and I might not see my family again because of her actions toward me…I don’t even know why you’re helping me.” He did know but also he didn’t understand. Zhenjin could feel his resolve slipping and his head had already lowered in defeat. “I ruined your beautiful home.” The chimes rung slowly toward him, as small steps. He’d already sunk to his knees for another break and knew she would not answer him. She waited for him, as always, and hung around until he was ready to head wherever she was leading him. Tigress held that lantern over his head with unmatched patience, as the only light in his vicinity among a dull watery battlefield, as those gold waves beneath her shoes never ceased to wash over his shoulders. In a moment, they continued. He had no choice. Link to the story: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52758184/chapters/133827514#workskin FFN link aswell: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14272797/1/Until-Next-Time-Wandering-Hero