Lantern Holder#

When night falls deep, his light shines down, Summoned is the Yin, suppressed is the Yang. Like harvesters hastening before the dawn, He reaps with his blade, and souls are gone.

The insect guais loathed patrolling after dusk, as their instinct to chase after light made the nighttime perilous for them. But luck favored them when a tribe of pale-faced yakshas from the west of the place, having traversed the world, chose to settle at the Webbed Ridge and volunteered for the night watch, a task the insect guais were only too happy to relinquish to these newcomers.

The yakshas are proud and fierce by nature. Turned into feral yaoguais, yet they still clung to their old ways in the days they were revered. They kept to their own, with lanterns lit from dusk to dawn, and rarely mingled with the insect guais. To the latter, they were a curious sight with their merriment and banter that paid no heed to hierarchy or status. Yet, what puzzled the insect guais most was the yakshas' bond; close-knit in joy, yet they'd often erupt into disputes and hurl sharp words with no restraint.

One night, a quarrel broke out during an idle chatter among four yakshas on patrol, and their raucous noise woke the insect guais. "Why must you carry on as this?" the insect guais rushed to mediate, persuading them. "Arguing one moment, chummy the next. Why not treat each other with proper respect, like we do?""

In an instant, the quarrel ceased, and in unison, the yakshas retorted, "You are mistaken," one spat. "Only through open discourse, we grow." Another chimed in, "Exactly, when we air out our disagreements, it only makes our bond stronger." A third added, "Indeed. By having each other's backs, we've made it through a lot of tough times. Our harsh words don't mean any harm." The last concluded, "Unlike you insect guais, we hide no secret grievances under the guise of harmony." With that, arm in arm, they departed, leaving the insect guais to dismiss the exchange with bemused eye rolls.