soooo i just finished reading no paths are bound by cataclysmicevent and there is so much i loved about it but for the purpose of this post i will specifically focus on one aspect of it: the myth of the fire master and his soulmate.
i absolutely love the soulmate trope and when this part came up i audibly SQUEALED!! spoilers ahead:
im going to copy paste that section so all of you can understand why it’s one of my favorite parts - i don’t think it’ll sound nearly as good if i paraphrase it (and for context: when HC ascended he was appointed as the fire master)
“See, according to the mortals, there was a volcanic eruption eight centuries ago—and a star that burned so brightly in the aftermath, it could even be seen in the daylight, and it remained that way for several months—” Shi Qingxuan prattles on, and Xie Lian stops her.
“That actually did happen.”
Shi Qingxuan stops, surprised. “...Really?”
here it’s implied that HC was born on the same day this happened!
The drum beats stop again, this time landing on another civil god, with some tale that doesn’t seem particularly worth describing.
After all, Xie Lian’s revaluation is more interesting.
“Yes,” the prince agrees, straining to remember. “It happened when I was...around seven years old. The star burned red in the sky for around three months. It was... beautiful, but strange.”
Later on, it would be called a cursed omen, foretelling the fall of Xianle. Xie Lian only remembers thinking that it was beautiful.
“Well, who knows—maybe there’s some truth to it. The story goes that the Fire Master was an ancient star, looking down on the world each night—until one day, he fell in love with a mortal. One of royal blood.”
The prince smiles faintly, listening close.
“He would watch the mortal each night in his dreams, and the young noble would look up at the stars each night, finding one more beautiful than all the rest. And as time went on, it became more and more painful to be apart.”
It’s a beautiful story. Something like a fairytale, but...
“The Fire Master knew his beloved would ascend as a god one day. So, he waited, and he waited...but when the noble’s day of ascension came, his godhood was stolen from him.”
That’s the thing about fairytales.
“And so, the exalted fire master, bound to the heavens, was torn from his beloved, shackled to the earth below. In his rage, a volcano rocked the earth, spewing flame and ash into the sky. And his star burned brighter and brighter, until...”
He faded away.
Xie Lian frowns, his stomach sinking.
What a miserable story.
But—
“He gave up his godhood, and his star fell, crashing to the earth below.” Xie Lian pauses, his lips parting. “His beloved caught him, cradling the fading god in his arms.” Shi Qingxuan recalls.
“And in exchange for giving up his own life, his beloved rose at last as a god, separating them once more.”
There’s something heartbreaking about the tale—and without thinking, Xie Lian finds himself grasping the chain around his neck, his chest aching with something bittersweet
“According to such tales, his beloved still roams the earth as a martial god now, sustained by one believer—the fallen fire master, who watches over him from the ghost realm below.”
just the. symbolism?? in Shock And Awe o_o i just loved this part soooo much so so so much how do people even think of these things!!!
















