Book 1: Water | 63 | Spirit Ties, Part 1

                                    

                                          
Hei Bai couldn't believe his eyes; He'd found him. After over a hundred years of waiting, of hoping, he'd returned. The entirety of the spirit world felt joy as Hei Bai brought the little one through the veil.
He was the one, their Little Prince, named Ayaan. All spirits know this name, just as they knew every other name he ever bore. It was a lullaby all those who respect and love the ancient spirits know. They sing it in hopes their beloved child can hear it.
"Our son of the ocean; Born by moon's light," Now in the safety of his spiritual domain, he could hear his fellows singing in joy. "Eternal soul, eternally loved..."
Even after all of this time, they would remember his presence. That scent, like fresh rainfall and flowing rivers, forever marked his identity. Lights danced in the darkened sky, vibrant as the stars as Hei Bai pressed on. "To be held close, to be kept safe; Our son, our pride."
But he was weak and hurting. Something had injured him. How dare they? Hei Bai was flooded with righteous anger once more. But he couldn't let it show again, not yet, not now. His little prince needed peace, calm, and gentleness. So he found a place to rest in his domain, his favorite spot.
The breeze caressed the child's skin, tracing the scar that even marred his spiritual form. The scar on his spirit was reflected on his mortal skin, affecting how it healed. A spiritual injury was different from a normal wound. Much more devastating, a saddening outrage. But in every life, there was a betrayal, in every life there were demons who sought out their prince for his gift.
The spirits in his glades continued to sing to the sleeping prince, his troubled form easing, "Still tides, calm storms, let our child to sleep..."
The black and white beast held Ayaan close, emitting his spiritual light. It fed into the ailing youth, blocking away his nightmares. The panda wanted him to rest well, doing what he could to ease the pain his scars caused him. All of the spirits knew of them, hated them, and wished they could take them from him.
But only the root of his blessing, his forebears, could truly mend what was broken. It is why they called to him constantly. Every night, they sang the song which the spirits surrounded them now repeated. "Our child of the Moon, our prince of the Sea. To watch over forevermore, until the day we meet..."
The demons were thieves, monsters. The spirit world abhorred the Asrani, passionately. They were abominations that spat on the concept of life and balance—a mockery of who they used to be. They could not be allowed to live, to breathe the same air as their prince.
They'd hurt him too much, and here his spirit was, marred and weary. Even this life wasn't spared from their influence. If only they weren't masters of being hidden, staying just beyond spiritual reach. The righteously furious would have long snuffed their existence. But nay... with the gates closed, only the truly powerful can enter the mortal world.
There were too few, however, and too many rules restricted them. Hei Bai felt his anger at humans grow. How could the great light spirit bond with them? It made her judgment meld with their own, breaking one of the first promises they'd made to the ancient entities of balance.
To protect and nurture their blessed, the only embodiment of their love.
So the spirits gave their mortal counterparts, the Asrar, their gifts to help. It only added that they were already set on protecting this child, almost religiously. They kept their bloodline strong and made sure their faith was unshaken. The spirits, whenever possible, enabled those who carried their will to banish the demons from the living and spiritual worlds.