Monochrome Paradox

 Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ming Ran stared blankly at the wall of his room. It had become so stifling now. Everything had. Gong June had been sent to the borders, and the Emperor seemed to be intent on severing all connections with the people who he had once called his friends— his sworn brothers. The Ming family head— his father— had been stripped of all his power, and only existed as a figurehead, the Crown Prince had been demoted… worst of all, Khan Qing was dead. Ming Ran closed his eyes and took a deep breath, retreating into the only place that would keep him from going insane.

 Taking a step into the waters, Ming Ran kept walking further and further, letting the cold of the springs seep into his very being. This wasn't the first time he had done this, now that he thought about it. The familiar sinking feeling of knowing that you are dying… that you will no longer be. When exactly had this stopped being scary to him? Not then, or then, or then… he closed his eyes and let the water come over his head. Nothing was around him anymore, he was no longer there, and everything else ceased to exist too. The space around him was no longer cold, it was just space, empty nothingness. There was no sadness, anger, hatred, there was no happiness, calmness, or joy. No strife, no worry, no fear. Pulling back all the pieces of one collective mass— nothing and everything, darkness and light, not good, but not evil. Not happy, but not sad. Not positive, nor negative. Beginning and end all came together over and over, the two ends of a cycle that one would think do not fit together at all coming together into one. How does one even begin to describe nothing? 

I don't know, when does nothing become something..?

Ming Ran opened his eyes to find a strange space standing before him. No, standing wasn't correct, this thing, this mass, was undoubtably nothing, and yet, how else could he describe what was before him? Something caught his attention, and soon Ming Ran was drawn out of this void and brought again to human flesh.

…

 He gasped and took a few short breaths as he tried to orient himself. Gong June was still lying beside him, enjoying the shade on this warm day. The marketplace was bustling as servants ran back and forth on errands, merchants continued about their business, one such merchant was selling trinkets. A familiar trinket stand, a familiar merchant, and… a familiar bag devoid of all the roasted peanuts! Ming Ran shook Gong June awake. She sat up quickly and looked around, seeming a little panicked but her eyes landed on Ming Ran and she sighed in relief. She hugged him tightly, 

"Thank goodness! Still here." she murmured. Ming Ran tilted his head and snuggled in deeply. He stayed there for a minute, and Ming Ran enjoyed the feel of the warmth that this person gave off. Even if this was just a dream, it was alright so long as he could enjoy this warmth a little longer. The empty peanut bag crinkled a little, startling both of them. 

"Ah. Still hungry?" Ming Ran shook his head, but Gong June only got up, "C'mon! Tell Jiejie what you want to eat, I'll get you anything you want." Ming Ran looked at her with tears in his eyes, and pointed at a stand with candied hawthorns. "That? Alright! Let's go!" Gong June and Ming Ran hurried toward the stand, passing by a blur of pink and the smell of a perfume sachet. Ming Ran paled and clinged onto Gong June tighter. 

 "And where have you two been?" Ming Cheng looked at the two with untold fury. The day had long since passed, and it was well into the night. Ming Cheng had hurried to find his missing youngest brother only to find them in a brothel. Gong June was clearly begging for death! She pursed her lips and looked away.

"I was enjoying the flowers. We got told that food and drink were 50% off, so we went flower viewing." Ming Ran still looked confused, he hadn't seen any flowers other than the ones embroidered on dresses and fans, and decorating hair pins and vases. No real flowers. 

"Why did you bring my little brother to a brothel! And why are you both drunk?!" 

"We're not drunk! We only had juice!" Gong June swayed. Wei Ning held up a few fingers, 

"How many?"

"We had three glasses." Gong June grinned. Ming Ran held up two fingers, they shook a little and his head swayed a bit. The juice had been very sweet. He licked his lips, his face flushed and his eyes dewy. Wei Ning placed his outer robe over his head, and picked him up. 

"You all are just jealous that A-Ran fed me by hand and you missed all the fun!" A young man in a fiery red robe handed her a drink. 

"Here, kiddo! Drink up!" Gong Jo gave her a small concoction. She smelt it and sobered a little from the rancid smell.

"Ugh! What is this?"

"Sobering." Gong Jo grinned, "Little sis, next time you want to go flower viewing, let Shixiong show you the good houses! The incense here is subpar." He grinned at Ming Ran who was still swaying, "Of course the offer is extended to our young master over here too." 

"Absolutely not." Ming Cheng growled. Gong Jo shrugged,

"Anyhow, it wasn't really the drink that did them in but the incense. But it's the cheap stuff, so it's good I saw them outside the window." A cold young man made his way out of the brothel, holding the owner by the collar, followed by Fa Lin. The young man had a face that never seemed to lighten— like a perpetual rainy day— and his face now was so dark that one would expect the world to end. Fa Xuo shook his head and his cold, iron voice seemed to sneer despite the fact that it held no emotion at all. 

"Leave it to you to find an underground human trafficking ring. The Gong family really does have a nose for these things." Fa Lin was swiftly moving her fingers about an abacus.

"The amount of money we found here will fill the treasury well. However did you find such an oasis, and right when we needed some extra cash too!" Gong June who had more or less sobered up, looked over at her.

"What?"

"Didn't you know? The barbarians are acting up in the south. We needed funds to get the imperial armies ready to exterminate some rodents." Fa Lin smiled, but Fa Xuo ruffled her hair, expressionless. 

"I keep telling you and father not to smile." he said, moving on. 

…

 Morning light filtered through the window and into Ming Ran's room. He sat up and looked about the room. The white vase filled with gentle orchids, a few toys left on the floor, a dresser filled with clothes, a few tables, small enough that he could reach up to them, even as tiny as he was, chairs, and a bed with a light, green quilt. His shoulders tensed and he hurried outside, running as fast as he could to the family room. The door quickly slammed open revealing surprised members of his family. His mother was dressed up in a flowing dress— one that had long since been sold— his father had his military uniform on, his brother was still here, and Ming Quan looked at him with childish surprise. None of their eyes were dead or defeated. His father's legs weren't broken. Tears filled up Ming Ran's eyes and he rushed towards his family. This wasn't a dream, was it? No, even then, he wouldn't care. All that mattered was he had his family. 

…he huffed as he looked in the mirror. Why did he need to dress up like this? He was a boy, wasn't he? Ming Cheng was 15 years old tonight, as was Gong June, Fa Linn, Khan Qing, Wei Ning, and Wen Quinn. All of them, plus some other children who had turned 15 that year would have their coming of age banquet at the palace that night. The cultivation ceremony would happen tonight as well. So why was he dressed like a girl?

 The Gojo Empire was the largest empire in the east. It's origins were said to have begun long ago when the Spring of Origins reached down towards the lower world and transformed into a beautiful dragon. The dragon was made from the purest energy of the universe transcending both the beginning and the end. It's scales colored a dusty silver like sifts of snow blown about on windy winter nights, and in some places dark as the natural face of the night sky, it's eyes were that of an inferno that was endlessly exploding— reminiscence of the cosmic explosion that brought everything to being… and this great being touched one claw to the earth and dived deep within it. Its body pushing aside the earth and surroundings and creating twelve mountains. Immortals came to call this place and its limitless cosmic energy the Twelve Mountains. Centuries later, the great dragon awoke to defeat the Demon King. The ground shook and the dragon emerged in the form of a human. The human sealed away the Demon King, and lived out its days cultivating on the thirteenth mountain where it had emerged from the earth. Finally, came the day were its life ended, and so the dragon-born human descended again to the lower realm just at the foot of the mountain. It journeyed for seven days and seven nights before dying in the middle of an empty space. As it lamented the world around it and slowly came to except everything the mundane world had to offer, its body disintegrated. In its dying breath it became a great oasis in the middle of a barren, ruined land that had once been corrupt with the evil of the demon race. The Empire was founded by a sage monk who had studied under his master until it passed. The first emperor of the Gojo Empire. 

 It has been tradition since its founding that the youth who come of age journey seven days and seven nights to the Twelve Mountains and learn cultivate before making their way back to the mundane world. Soon, Ming Cheng and the others would ascend the mountains and find their path in life. Wei Ning had already made those mountains his home, as he had been taken in by Cang Yuan, however, this was an extremely rare occurrence. 

 Ming Ran looked into the mirror, there was a time when he was quite vexed at the fact that he had the body of a boy. He had thought that he was a girl, but now he would give anything to look a little more manly. Looking from the mirror back at him was a pretty little thing. Long silver hair being decorated with jewels and hairpins, long flowing and lovely silks in a light a dew blue dye, big red eyes, and fair complexion. How was he supposed to deal with this..? Ming Ran sighed, and looked over at his mother. Ming Qing hummed a merry tune as she picked out a few more trinkets. Ming Ran smiled softly; a dark room where a haggard woman sat singing deliriously next to an open window flashed through his mind. He looked in the mirror and made peace with what he saw.

"Wow! My brother is a goddess!" Ming Quan ran inside looking at his little brother in awe. He puffed up his cheeks, "Just wait, shidi! In three years I will have my coming of age ceremony! You have to dress up even prettier, okay? You gotta!" Ming Luo smacked his head, 

"Today isn't about you."

"Right…" Ming Ran laughed silently. This was exactly what he needed.