The Kingdom of Roses

6

Soul Beasts

The time came when the living beings dwelling in the realms could choose masters and become their soul beasts. On the appointed day, the Tiānshǐ gathered. They were permitted to move freely in any of the realms until they found their soul beasts. They were not allowed to entice or force any of the creatures, lest it became an enslaving act. It was up to the living beings to decide if they resonated with particular Tiānshǐ and to choose them as masters. It was also totally acceptable to not own a soul beast or in the case of the creatures, to not have a particular master.

The living beings that were drawn to belong to a master, often complimented the latter in terms of strength, wisdom, power and other gifts. They were not necessarily alike, but they made excellent partners. In turn, the masters would care for and enhance the growth of their soul beasts. Some Tiānshǐ owned a single soul beast, while others owned more than one. The soul beasts often left their flocks, herds, packs and swarms to go and live with their masters in the southern realms. However, they were free to roam around and return to their own habitations to meet their kind. Bonded pairs were accustomed to choosing the same master so that their bond would not be broken. Soul beasts resonated so strongly with their masters that over time, they took on their masters’ characteristics and some mannerisms or habits.

On that day, Pèi Zhōng had followed Yīng Fēng as promised. They started in the northern realms and moved excitedly among the warmer reaches where all kinds of birds flocked, insects swarmed and water creatures swam. Drawn by the sound of the birds, the yellow pearl-like living stone that the Bride had given to Pèi Zhōng, became animated and flew as a dove from his belt holder into the trees.

‘Oh no! Help me catch it!’ Pèi Zhōng told Yīng Fēng. The latter gave it chase with Pèi Zhōng in close pursuit, only to find it leading them directly into a flock of roosting birds. They sped through the unsuspecting creatures, causing a ruckus among them. Yīng Fēng used his gift of ram’s horn to make a stirring call. This stopped the living stone and summoned it, returning it to its original form in its owner’s hand.

‘Keep it safe now and do not let it fly out while we are on quest!’ Yīng Fēng told his brother who carefully tucked it away into his belt holder and secured it in place. The words were hardly finished when the flapping of wings was heard overhead. A magnificent, white dove with silver-tipped feathers was descending towards them. She appeared to be moving towards Yīng Fēng. When the latter realized this, he desperately tried to stop the dove, thinking she had mistaken him to be the owner of the living pearl.

‘No! No! Listen, I am not the one! He is the owner. Go to him!’ he repeated, helplessly pointing to Pèi Zhōng. The dove alighted on his shoulder and gently nestled her neck against Yīng Fēng’s neck. Yīng Fēng was still trying to convince her, but the bird did not listen. Instead she started to coo softly. Pèi Zhōng tapped his brother gently and signaled him to stop.

‘There is no mistake. This dove has chosen you as her master because she resonates with you. Perhaps, she will balance your energy with her own calmness and with her, you will become a messenger of peace?’ Pèi Zhōng said thoughtfully. Yīng Fēng had indeed calmed down for the first time and was now seated on the grass, gently stroking the dove’s feathers.

He spoke tenderly to the dove and said, ‘What do you think of the name Ānjìng? We can bring double the peace and tranquility with the messages we carry henceforth, right?’

Meanwhile, Zhì Shēn had decided to stay home and play some music rather than search for any soul beast. His eyes were closed as he confidently picked on the strings in harmony with the sound of the waters of the lake. As he enjoyed the tune, a soft bellow harmonized with his music. He slowly opened his eyes to see a very large and sturdy bull standing on the banks of the water. He hesitated for a moment before putting aside his instrument. With one leap, Zhì Shēn flew across the water and landed beside the bull. His coat glistened with gold-tipped, soft and long, light brown hairs while he firmly stomped on the ground with his golden hooves. His horns were large and double-pronged, with a smaller one growing on his forehead.

‘Would you like an apple?’ Zhì Shēn asked while taking out a juicy, deep red apple which the bull eagerly ate from his hand. He gave him a nice scratch behind the ears, ‘Now, off you go!’ Zhì Shēn said softly. The bull instead started to make its way through the lake towards the cottage.

‘Er… no, no! Not that way – off you go to your home. It is that way,’ Zhì Shēn said as he went after the bull and tried to turn it towards the eastern realms. The bull for his part, turned around causing Zhì Shēn to stumble and fall into the water. For the first time he was perturbed and wet, but instead of being angry, Zhì Shēn burst out laughing at himself. He stood up, all disheveled and shook his head in disbelief, ‘So, you have chosen me as your master? It will be a boring life for you, my friend. But if music and fine conversations entertain you, be my guest!’

He named the bull Wáng Léi for he said, ‘Surely, you are the king of thunder when you bellow, and your strength is like an immovable pile of rocks!’ Wáng Léi was the perfect companion for Zhì Shēn, often drawing him out of silence and his solitary life of music and study. With Wáng Léi by his side, he spoke more often and was willing to follow the bull into the realms for little adventures, including the search for pastures and meeting the rest of Wáng Léi’s herd.

Xióng Zhǎn and Jiàn Shēng had gone to the colder regions of the northern realms after having roamed through the western realms. They flew through the mountain passes and entered quiet caves where nothing but the sound of dripping water broke the halls of silence. There was a particularly steep slope of sheer ice clinging to one of the cliffs. Xióng Zhǎn spotted something dark behind the icy wall and flew up to examine it. He pulled out his dagger and struck the ice, causing it to crack and a part of it fell away. Peering within, he saw a nest of copper twigs adorned with little, shining moonstones.

‘There was definitely some creature that was birthed in this energy spot but the energy has dissipated!’ he said as he looked down at Jiàn Shēng from the heights. When he turned back towards the nest, he saw keen, glowing eyes in the darkness beyond the nest peering back at him. Before he could react, the creature flew straight at him and picking him with its beak, flung him over its head and onto its back as it soared high against the strong winds. It moved as light as a feather, and swirled like a whirlwind as it turned and flew back downwards. Xióng Zhǎn realized it was an eagle that had soft, baby pink feathers intermingled with fiery, blue ones. On his head was a tuft of black feathers similar to the glistening black flight feathers on his tail and wing tips. He had little moonstones on his claws and his talons were curved and sharp like daggers.

As they flew towards Jiàn Shēng, Xióng Zhǎn whooped in unrestrained excitement which was rather unusual considering his normal disposition. The eagle scooped Jiàn Shēng up as gently as one would hold something that was fragile but of great worth.

‘You sound like Yīng Fēng!’ Jiàn Shēng exclaimed in surprise.

‘I feel like Yīng Fēng!’ Xióng Zhǎn replied with glee.

The eagle landed on the top of one of the mountain ridges after gently dropping Jiàn Shēng first. Xióng Zhǎn patted the magnificent bird on his neck and said, ‘I will call you Zǐ xīn because you are a seed of joy to me that can only grow greater!’ While they were getting to know each other, Jiàn Shēng signaled to them to be quiet.

‘Did you hear that?’ he asked.

‘Hear what?’ his brother enquired.

‘Wait here - I will go and check it out…’ Jiàn Shēng replied as he crawled, belly-down upon the snow and slowly dropped himself over the edge of the ridge. He did not have to drop far nor fly because the source of the sound swiftly flew towards him and caught him mid-air. The flash of light blinded him for a moment. As he regained his sight, he found himself in the golden claws of Sān sè Lóng, the tri-colored dragon. It was not fully grown. It had thought that he was falling, hence ‘rescuing’ him as it recalled that he had once saved it from a similar fall. It gained its three colors because of its scales which could move like little, synchronized mirrors. On one side, they were gold. The second side was scarlet, and the third was bronze. The gold scales could move and act like mirrors, catching available light and reflecting it strategically in such a way as to cause temporary blindness. For this reason, the dragon kept the gold part hidden and mostly appeared either fully scarlet or bronze.

It brought Jiàn Shēng back to the ridge where his brother was waiting with his eagle.

‘Whoa! The Sān sè Lóng resonated with you?’ Xióng Zhǎn marveled.

‘Not a real surprise! We were meant to be,’ Jiàn Shēng replied as the young dragon wound itself around his leg like a serpent that would coil around a branch. It was quietly studying Xióng Zhǎn and Zǐ xīn while they were busy conversing.

‘Then you must have already thought of a name for him?’ Xióng Zhǎn asked.

‘Indeed,’ Jiàn Shēng said tenderly as he looked at the dragon. ‘You will be called Wěi hóng for you are like an immense, red light that floods the eyes as you shine!’ Wěi hóng looked back at his master with tenderness and love like a child gazing at its father.

Meanwhile, Pèi Zhōng and Yīng Fēng had moved into the western realms after going through all the others.

‘Maybe I am not meant to have a soul beast,’ Pèi Zhōng wondered aloud.

‘How can you be certain when we still have this realm to search?’ his brother questioned disapprovingly. ‘Pèi Zhōng… Pèi Zhōng?’ Yīng Fēng said as he looked back and realized his brother was missing. He traced back his steps and saw that Pèi Zhōng had fallen down a slope into a little pit in the hill. He had landed squarely on a large lion that was sleeping earlier, but was now fully awake.

‘I am sorry… did I hurt you?’ Pèi Zhōng mumbled as he tried to pat down the lion’s rich fur and smoothen his mane that was disheveled by the fall. The lion was a beautiful white, muscular creature with braids of blue fur intermingled in its mane of luxurious waves. It was wearing a lovely golden armor encrusted with little rubies in the engravings upon it. He let out a loud roar and just as the brothers thought that he was angry, he bent and started to lick his paw. Then he rose and circled around Pèi Zhōng and rubbed his head against Pèi Zhōng’s legs while letting out soft purr-like rumbles.

‘Go on! It appears like he has chosen you as his master,’ Yīng Fēng replied.

‘Most likely not! I am not a great warrior like the rest of you. He would not pick me. It was an accident,’ Pèi Zhōng said as he was trying to convince himself if this was indeed the truth. His brother nodded his head in disagreement and was about to speak, when the lion spoke instead.

‘I was waiting for you over here master. I heard a lot about you and determined that only you were worthy of my loyalty. I am at your service henceforth. Please, whatever else you say, do not doubt my words nor my loyalty for it is as fierce as your own!’ the lion declared. ‘Oh, and give me a name by which I may be called your own.’

Pèi Zhōng scratched his head for a moment and looked at his brother who had amusement written all over his face. Who would have thought that the humble Pèi Zhōng would resonate with a royal creature like the lion?

‘Does Jiā Háo sound good to you?’ Pèi Zhōng asked the lion.

‘You see me as brave and more than that, as your own family! I love it!’ the lion exclaimed and let out a loud roar of great joy that reverberated through the forests.

Thus, their quests complete, the Tiānshǐ returned to their habitations with their soul beasts. These soul beasts could grow in size or shrink depending on the need, and to fit in their new living spaces.

The King and his Bride were waiting for them in the southern realms and everyone introduced themselves to each other’s soul beasts. Some of the soul beasts met existing soul beasts of their masters who would accompany them and be as close as family outside of their own habitations. The brothers told the King and his beloved how they were found by their soul beasts, and in turn they heard how the King and the Bride had also found their own soul beasts.

Bèi Yǎn had made her way to Méiguī shān that morning so that the Bride did not have to go searching for her. The horse that appeared silvery white by moonlight now shone like champagne gold in the sun. He had resonated with the King when he went into the eastern realms. He made this known by nudging the King to the cool shade beside still waters where they each had a drink. Then he nudged him yet again and asked him to mount. The horse ran like the wind before taking to the skies and at one point, he even opened his large, fiery wings of burning gold to glide through the upper currents. He followed the King from that point and was named Bái Fēng.

Jiàn Shēng marveled at the Bride’s choice. ‘Why did you allow such a small and feeble creature to choose you?’ he asked. From his perspective, the Bride deserved a soul beast far more regal and mighty. She smiled calmly and winked at her beloved hummer while responding, ‘She may be little, but she is fierce!’ That only confused Jiàn Shēng further. Eventually, each returned to their home for rest and the King and his beloved went back to their garden along with their soul beasts. There was something strange though about their soul beasts. Though the horse belonged to the King, he loved the Bride as much and eagerly sought her out. Similarly, the hummer loved the King as intensely and followed him around, often sitting on his shoulder or descending on his head.

It was a common sight to see the Bride riding Bái Fēng through the realms while the King journeyed with Bèi Yǎn fluttering eagerly around his crown. This was nothing unusual if you thought about it. The soul beasts are known to take on the character and mannerisms, likes, and dislikes of their masters. Since the King and His Bride deeply loved the other and exchanged their lives, it was only reasonable that their exchange would affect their soul beasts.

The new soul beasts eagerly looked forward to their future as their journey of growth had just begun. The night was pleasant with many beautiful dreams and hopes lighting the sky and the hearts of both masters and beasts.