SKILL: ORATOR (1/5)
for Daiyu <3

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Thunder cracked through his dreams, a deep, rolling echo that followed him into the waking world. When his eyes opened, the world had changed around him.

He was alone.

There were no grand palaces, no silk sheets, no servants rushing at his call. The marble courtyards and golden banners of the Celestial Empire were gone — replaced by the damp scent of earth, the press of trees, the quiet whisper of wind through rustling trees. This was not where he had laid his head.

For a long moment, he didn’t move. Then, with a quiet exhale, he rose. Dew clung to his coat, and he shook it off in a small shower that glittered faintly in the light. The sound that rumbled from his chest wasn’t quite a growl, but not a sigh either — something between disbelief and mild irritation at how poorly his morning was beginning.

Broad shoulders squared, he surveyed the strange terrain with a steady, measured calm. His eyes — deep bronze, sharp as tempered metal — swept across the landscape, noting the smallest things: the curve of the horizon, the faint trace of water in the distance, the unfamiliar scent of the flora. He studied it all with the same precision he once used to read the lines of a battlefield.

It wasn’t uncertainty that held him still, but a distinct understanding that knowledge was as vital as strength any day of the week. Only when he caught movement between the trees did he shift, muscles tightening beneath his coat of dust and ink.

喂，那边的你, (Hey, you over there.) The command wasn’t barked so much as spoken with the quiet confidence of someone used to being obeyed.

Then, after a brief pause, he repeated himself in the common tongue, his accent thick and weighted, the consonants softened and the vowels drawn like honey over stone.

You— there, he said, the words careful, deliberate, as if testing the shape of them in his mouth. Explain… area. He spoke in broken common.

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skill: orator

Daiyu had been to this place before. It was a simple, yet calm and serene meadow which stretched out northeast as far as the eye might see. The towering peaks of the Morningstar mountain shadows in the great distance south. She had not walked through here since she had first arrived to Mythris, before she had found home in the Cosmic Isle. A home, no more.

A morning, crisp and cool. Daiyu moved with a light, prancing step through the sparce tree cover through the area. She pauses, lifting a paw to lick the fresh dew from it and ears perked so suddenly at a voice. But not just any voice. It was a voice which spoke a language she had not heard from another's lips in far too long. A language of her own people.

是的 - 是的，你好？ (Yes - Yes, hello?) She heeded the man's call prompt, walking in delicate footsteps into the direction for which she was being summoned. There he was - soft brown and tans, clocked in black over his backside. He stood with an unspoken pride and with a powerful build to match that commanding stance.

(This is the Honey Meadow. In a world called Mythris.)这是蜂蜜草甸。在一个叫做. In common, his accent was even more thick then her own, which had lessened given her time here and the very few which spoke her tongue. It was pleasing to hear another speak this, so she continued to do so.

SKILL: ORATOR (2/5)

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For a moment, he said nothing and only watched her approach, heeding his beckon with little thought. The wind combed through the grass and caught faintly in his mane, the morning light running soft gold over the edges of his silhouette as he waited for her to approach.

Then, he laughed. Quietly and low in his throat. The kind of sound that could’ve been mistaken for a sigh if not for the faint curl at his lips.

你會說母語嗎？ (You speak the mother tongue?) he murmured, the old tongue falling from his mouth like something precious and half-forgotten. Treasured compared to his rough common. His gaze sharpened as it settled on her, studying her with a depth that spoke more of appraisal than any true recognition. 要想到我會在這裡找到屬於自己的東西，在一個如此遙遠於我昔日統治的星辰之地。 (To think I would find one of my own here, in a place so far from the stars I once ruled beneath.).

He moved forward a pace, unhurried, as he closed the distance between them. 蜂蜜草甸, (Honey meadow) he repeated, eyes sweeping across the quiet meadow while keeping her in his peripheral vision. 你怎麼會在這裡？你也醒了嗎？ (How are you here? Did you wake too?) His gaze cut back to her, a flicker of faint amusement beneath his calm.

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skill: orator

Daiyu's smile is deep at his words and nodding a silent 'yes' at the pleasure which is filled within him to know they shared the same language. A language still spoken in this stranger, foreign world, far from both of the homes they once knew.

不是很多。实际上，现在只有我自己了 (There is not many. Only myself now, actually.) She spoke, a frown pulling at her mouth, if only for a moment. 好吧，你. (And well, you.)

She did not miss that he had said he had 'ruled'. She was the presence of royalty then, it would seem. Daiyu's own family was far from this standing. More so, middle-class. Though he had said one of his own and this held weight and promise.

是的，我做到了 (Yes, I did.) She spoke as she lowered her head, black ears sweeping back. So he had only just come then, awaking and yet, kept his calm throughout what was a very jarring experience. Daiyu at the time had left her natal pack and planned to reunite with some of her younger family members that had branched off. When she slept, she woke to a completely new place but, it wasn't like she had really known the place she was in by then, either. He - he apparently ruled an entire dynasty. A man who had much to miss and pine for.

我曾经住在王朝时期一个叫海龙泻湖的地方 (I once lived in a place called Seadragon Lagoon, under the Wang dynasty.) Was this familiar to him? Would his family crest be to her?

SKILL: ORATOR (3/5)

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His eyes narrowed a fraction, the faintest sign of recognition glinting there. Sea Dragon Lagoon.

For a heartbeat, he was quiet, then a soft exhale—almost a laugh, but not quite. More like disbelief dressed in amusement. 海龙泻湖, (Sea Dragon Lagoon,) he repeated under his breath, tasting the name like something dredged from the bottom of a long, forgotten memory. 沒想到我竟然會再次聽到那個地方的消息。 (Didn’t think I’d ever hear of that place again.)

He tilted his head, bronze eyes glinting beneath the lazy sweep of lashes. 所以你也是從那裡來的， (So you were from there too,) he said, voice smooth but laced with something close to nostalgia. 王朝，對吧？我記得他們的旗幟。藍色絲綢，金線。儀式太多而實際智慧不足。 (The Wang Dynasty, right? I remember their banners. Blue silk, gold thread. Too much ceremony and not enough sense.) The smirk that followed softened the jab. 雖然我想我們大家都有這樣的過錯。 (Though I suppose we were all guilty of that.) Him with his Jade Palace and dragon and lotus motifs all over. The Tianlong Dynasty was a prosperous one, and no expense was spared when it came to showing off its wealth and power.

He shifted his weight, his gaze sweeping briefly across the meadow before falling back on her. 我曾經經過海龍潟湖， (I passed through Seadragon Lagoon once,) he went on, tone casual, like recalling a half-remembered dream. 貿易路線、聯盟……或者也許那只是其中一場晚宴，每個人一邊微笑，一邊暗中策劃對方的衰敗。說實話，很難分辨。 (Trade routes, alliances… or maybe it was one of those dinners where everyone smiled while plotting each other’s downfall. Hard to tell, honestly.)

The air caught a little in his chest then, though he hid it well. His voice dropped lower, more thoughtful. 不過……那真美。清澈的水，夜晚海灣上漂浮的燈籠。弦樂聲和茉莉花酒的香氣。 (Still… it was beautiful. Clear water, lanterns drifting across the bay at night. The sound of strings and the smell of jasmine wine.) He paused, as if realizing he’d said too much, then shrugged lightly. 感覺像是別人經歷過的故事。 (Feels like a story someone else lived.)

When he looked at her again, there was something gentler in his expression—a type of understanding that only two people with shared experiences could claim.

那麼， (So,) he said finally, dry humor sliding back into his tone like it had never left, 看起來我們都是時代的遺物。一位皇族與一位平民，被困在一片名字聽起來像糟糕詩的草地上。 (it seems we’re both relics out of time. A royal and a commoner, stranded in a meadow with a name that sounds like a bad poem.) His brow arched just slightly. 你覺得上面有人在開玩笑嗎？ (You think someone up there’s having a laugh?)

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skill: orator

A narrowed look. There was knowing there in the eyes of the royal man, followed by words which would confirm it to be so.

As he spoke, Daiyu couldn't help the wave of her tail behind her, the glint in her eyes and smile forming on her features as he continued on. His description of the place tugging at her memories, pulling at her heart strings enough to cause a flutter in her stomach. She nods and whines with confirmation.

Daiyu was far from the Seadragon Lagoon now by worlds and who knows, maybe even lifetimes away. Yet even in knowing someone at least shared a knowledge of the land she once so knew... She was breathless a moment with satisfaction in this.

Feels like a story someone else lived... Her black ears swept back, head lowering just slightly. 是的，是的。 (Yes, yes...) She had indeed. They both had.

现在我们必须强迫自己在这里创造一个新的故事。 (Now we must force ourselves to make a new story here. ) A pause, she straightened herself before the man of royalty. Middle class that she were, she'd not like to have him think of herself as lowly, but someone who might be worth having among his dynasty. For a man of royal standing would never settle for less, but to claw and scrape to the top once more. Perhaps even, he would be required far less clawing and scraping. That is often where those like Daiyu came in.

你会发现，这里的生物所做的远不止是嘲笑。 (And you will come to find the entities here do far more then just laugh.) She spoke with a twitch of lips.

SKILL: ORATOR (4/5)

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Shēnléi’s eyes lingered on her, something soft flickering behind the calm. Feels like a story someone else lived, he repeated quietly, his voice low and rough at the edges. And now we’re the ones stuck holding the pen, trying to figure out what comes next.

A small, crooked smile tugged at his mouth. Maybe that’s what this place is. Just another page. Another chance to start over.

He took a slow step closer, not threatening, just... curious. The sunlight caught along his fur as his gaze found hers again. You sound like you already know what part you’ll play in that story, Daiyu, he murmured. So which is it? Are you the one bold enough to change the ending?

His tone softened after a moment, losing that edge of teasing for something gentler. You’re right, though. Whatever this new story is, we should make it worth something.

He started to move past her, then paused halfway, glancing over his shoulder with that lazy grin of his. And if the creatures here do more than just mock, he said, voice dipping lower, amused, then I’d say we’ll get along just fine. He paused just briefly before asking on a whim. Do you have anywhere to go, friend?

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skill: orator

Or another book entirely... A murmur of words to chime in with his own. And now he is taking a few steps closer, causing a hitch in her breath as she looks up to meet the royal's face. His eyes pale abd soft, calming and yet, the marking of colors on his face looked almost, Ghost-like. He is not the first royal-blooded man which she had stumbled upon in this world. Perhaps not the last, either.

Oh me? Well, I'm just a wee sea siren, your Highness. She speaks, offering a falsehood with innocence which would be tied up neatly with her grin. And he then turns, taking to the slopes of the meadow only to pause, turning back to Daiyu as though waiting. Waiting... Would she be the first to follow his steps in this new world? And truly, now that her own pack had disbanded and she knew not or where go to from here, what reason had she not to follow him?

As it were, I've only the sea itself as my companion now. She admits as she arches back around towards him.

I am Jiāng Daiyu. You know of my homeland, now you know me. Would you tell me of yourself, then? Of your people? Who was it who called her at his side, to walk along with him on this new path in such a strange and unusual world?

SKILL: LEADER (1/5)
I also never realized how right you are how he looks ghost like!!

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He heard the murmur—another book entirely—and allowed the faintest curl of amusement to touch his mouth. It wasn't a smile, not fully, but the quiet ghost of one. Enough to acknowledge her wit without granting her the satisfaction of seeing him openly entertained. His steps were unhurried and deliberate, the meadow parting beneath his paws as though it recognized something sovereign in the way he moved.

When Daiyu answered him—a wee sea siren, your Highness—his gaze slipped sideways, bronze eyes narrowing with the softest hint of play.

A siren? He echoed, voice low and smooth. How fortunate, then. I was beginning to think the sea had grown dull in this strange land.

The slope carried him forward until he paused, glancing back over his shoulder. Waiting not out of need, but out of intention. A silent come, then woven into the angle of his body. When she stepped toward him, he lifted his chin slightly, a gesture of acknowledgment—approval, even, though he masked it behind his usual veil of composure.

Her confession—only the sea as my companion now—softened something behind his ribs. Not that he showed it. His ears tilted a fraction, listening.

So you, too, have been severed from where your blood once rested. It was not pity he spoke with, bit understanding, quiet and level. This land is kinder to those who arrive unanchored it seems.

She offered her name, her homeland, her openness like a hand extended towards him.

He faced her fully.

Jiāng Daiyu, he repeated, her name turned careful and precise in his mouth, as though testing the weight of it. I am Téng Shēnléi. Emperor of Tianlong… though titles matter little if one’s kingdom has fallen beyond reach. He finally introduced himself.

He stepped closer, slow, composed, and deliberate until the cool valley wind threaded between them.

My people value discipline, devotion, and quiet strength, he began, voice taking on the calm authority of someone who had spoken these truths since childhood. We were a dynasty carved from the spine of a dragon-god. The Téng bloodline was said to be born of celestial fire—scaled ancestors whose bones became mountains and whose breath forged storms. My forebears were not merely rulers; they were living remnants of a divine beast that once bridged heaven and earth.

His gaze lifted briefly to the sky, as though recalling something sacred.

Our traditions come from those old gods, rituals of honor, rites of ascension, and vows that bind our souls to the land we guard. Every child of Tianlong is raised with that weight. That expectation. To be more than mortal. To be steady as stone, fierce as flame, and quiet as the breath of the dragon itself.

He looked back at her, eyes gentler now.

But my people are gone. I am all thats left. Torn from the roots that once held me. An Emperor without an Empire. Yet… A slow, almost tender exhale left him. I intend to rebuild my lost kingdom if I can be so bold to ask for your help. He inclined his head slightly, regal, soft, and inviting in a way few ever saw from him.

If you would walk this path beside me, Daiyu… then let the sea share you a while longer.

The unspoken 'I would not mind your company' lingered beneath his tone, warm as sunlight and as subtle as mist.

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Wrapping this one up!

I have never known the sea to be dull, your Highness. Least while I'm around. A smile on her lips, one with a showing of feet, as she takes quick steps after the tall, ghostly man. She walks with him at his side, if not a pace behind at his flank. Since she had left home, Daiyu had been more or less a free woman. The strict heiarchy and structure had been left in the dynasty that was her homeland. Yet here she was, slipping back into the customs of her people with ease.

As it were, he was royalty. An Emperor, at least once before. She did not have her doubts if he were to put himself up to it, he would be an Emperor once again. Daiyu might be one of his first followers, in this realm. She would be honest in her words, yet respectful in display.

He faces her again and she pauses quick, limbs tensing from his turn then to face her. Closely, closer still... Daiyu watches him through gray-blue eyes, hanging on his every word and the passion for which he speaks them. Tianlong, the people of the dragon. Daiyu's own family was a more humblr one, their hearts turning to the gods of sea and moon. Yet at its core was the desire for balance.

And there it was - an invitation, soft, hopeful, even in the dour knowledge of having lost everyone and everything he had known, if even for a little while. There was determination there, in his stance, the height of his head and in his eyes, a promise to prevail. Téng Shēnléi, I will follow you.