Heyu/Story
Speak Not of Returning Come Spring
| Bond | Lv. 2 | Reward |  Dough ×100 |
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This year should have been no different.
Inside the Plum Blossom Pavilion, the fire burned bright and warm. Wrapped in a mantle of soft brocade, little Heyu was little more than a fragile bundle, as warm and flawless to the touch as polished jade. The older youths of the clan busied themselves packing for the journey south. Yet, whenever they passed by him, they couldn't help but pause to steal a few moments with him.
"Would you like to bring this river lantern with you, Young Master?" "Mhm!" Little Heyu beamed, a smile sweet enough to melt the winter frost. "And what about this? The little porcelain sheep we made together. Shall we bring it too?" "Mhm!" He reached out and gently poked the little sheep held before him. "I think we'd better pack this quilt as well. He never sleeps well away from home." "Mhm!" Little Heyu wrapped both arms around it. So soft. "What for? It's so warm down south. He'll roast under that thing!" "Then how about this pillow?" "Or some canned peaches, for when you're sick?" "He'll need his cup for hot water, won't he?"
Before long, the pavilion had filled with people, their voices rising in a lively hum.
There was so much to pack. This one... or that one? Little Heyu furrowed his brow, unable to decide. He knew he was the frailest of them all, and that everyone had gone to such trouble for his sake. But it wasn't as though they were leaving forever.
"We'll come right back when winter is over, won't we? We don't need to take so much with us."
Silence settled over the pavilion. Then someone smiled. "I suppose you're right." One by one, they drifted back to their tasks.
Outside, the autumn wind stripped the last lotus leaves from the pond. Only the pines remained.
Just as they did every year, the clan set sail once more. Lulled by the winds and waves of the Starsea, little Heyu drifted into a quiet sleep. As for what happened next... he couldn't quite remember.
When he finally opened his eyes, the ship had been moored at an unfamiliar planet. It was a garden of unnatural, suffocating extravagance. Sunlight spilled over endless, lavish layers of blooming flowers, growing so densely that they completely swallowed the path back.
Before he even had the chance to say goodbye, his people were already gone. Perhaps they had found somewhere else they preferred to spend the winter.
Thankfully, Sister Jiu was still there, holding his hand with a gentle smile.
"Don't be afraid, Young Master. When spring comes, we will go home."???
| Bond | Lv. 4 | Reward | Dough ×200 |
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| Bond | Lv. 6 | Reward | Dough ×300 |
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| Bond | Lv. 8 | Reward | Dough ×400 |
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