Chapter Text
I should be grateful, shouldn't I? The end has finally come.
Wei Wuxian knew it, but that doesn't release the knot in his stomach or the tightness in his chest. He does not stop the strong taste of bile rising up his throat, threatening to come out.
He swallows...
Wei Wuxian's body leans forward as he watches the 4 great sects invade his territory.
His new family, the Dafan Wen who had so generously welcomed him and allowed him to be one of them... They just thanked him. For the little time of peace he could get them, for trying to fight for them, for defending them.
What a failure...
Things shouldn't end like this but he has no strength anymore, he can't continue anymore.
How grateful he must be that the sect leader, Jiang Fengman, took him in. That he had at least at some point, a place at his table, a position as a senior disciple and the opportunity to belong to a place.
He loved his shijie and shidi. He is grateful for every bowl of lotus and pork rib soup, every kind smile, every friendly quarrel, every mischief, every laugh. He is grateful for a place to live.
He's grateful for everything he knows he doesn't deserve.
And he is, he really is...
Still, Wei Wuxian can't help but look back, at these last moments. The Dafan Wen... They really showed him what love and family really is.
Wei Wuxiang realizes now that perhaps the place he thought he had at Lotus Pier, it was never truly his home, it was just an illusion of one, a poorly told lie.
If not, why would he be able to watch from his place Jiang Cheng, his own brother, leading a siege against him, against his family?
Getting to know the true side of a loving family now. The kindness of a shy brother due to Wen Ning and the strict determination, bad temper but absolute protection of a sister due to Wen Qing. The love and great care that a grandmother can provide. The strength and support that your aunt and uncle can give you. And finally, the pure and unconditional love that a child can give you.
From his place on the floor, blinking gently to prevent moisture from accumulating in his eyes, the wounds on his body that never healed well and continue to burn, invisible under his layers of clothes. They only reinforce his decision.
They may die today, but it will be on their own terms...
There is a small and selfish part of Wei Wuxian that wished things would end differently. He wishes he hadn't had to hide his little A-Yuan so that the sects wouldn't catch up with him, leaving nothing but a letter for Lan Zhan and his red hair ribbon. He knows that he is the only person he could trust now that his life is coming to an end.
Wish I could have lived with him a little more. I wish he didn't hate me...
I wish Wen Qing and Wen Ning hadn't left so soon.
I wish his family didn't have to die...
There is a small curl of warmth in his chest, which grows as he remembers that the Dafan Wen decided to end their lives together with him, instead of letting the sects touch them. That day they all hugged together, and cried for the end that they knew they could not avoid.
That little warmth that blooms in him quickly fades away under the ice of his ex shidi's gaze.
It is obvious that Jiang Cheng would be at the head of the siege...
It's a pity they came for nothing.
Jiang Cheng must realize this, because he stops abruptly, his hands curled into fists, so tight that his knuckles turn white. The other sects also stop their advance, just a few moments before resuming their run with greater force as they look at Wei Wuxian with a mixture of hatred and deep greed reflected in their eyes.
But it's too late.
— Take them away...— A crackle splits the air in the place when Wei Wuxian raises his arm in the air and a burst of resentful energy comes out from the stygian tiger amulet that he holds tightly between his fingers while completely enveloping the Dafan Wen, with its growing black fog.
And so everything is frozen again.
Wei Wuxian barely looks up, when his family's bodies start falling lifeless in the next second. Such a death was not painful for them, it was almost like sending them to sleep but it does not stop being painful for him.
He feels his chest tightening in the most painful of agonies. His throat is burning as if he had swallowed an incandescent iron. Somehow, he manages to bear it and screams until his throat is raw, until it goes out in choked sobs. The horrible image of his little family dying replays over and over in his head. His nails dig into his palms, trying to focus on the people in front of him, choking back loud his sobs, as his throat will let him, trying to silence the sounds echoing in his own mind.
It hurts...
'Come back. Please! Let's meet again in the next life' — Is all Wei Ying thinks.
The words come out in a tiny, choppy whisper. He's not even sure if the words are audible, or just in his head.
Eventually his mind clears up, the last of his strength is exhausted and Wei Wuxian blinks, trying to ignore the tears that accumulate in his eyes, because he is very tired. Tired of having hands that barely work, tired of not being enough, tired of losing, tired of being tired.
Everything that follows is a blur to him.
The seal in his hand begins to shake. The sky flashes starting to be consumed by darkness in a tangle of black clouds. The resentful energy is so dense that the little of life that had begun to grow in the place, dies the next second.
The corpses that used to surround the perimeter of the burial mounds shoot out in his direction and imprison him.
The sects stop again. Jiang Wanyin's eyes are wide enough that Wei Wuxian can see the little light in the place, reflected off the suddenly glassy surface of them.
A single tear slides down his cheek.
Wei Wuxian's lips curve into a tired smile, and he hears the cries of cultivators. The resentful energy explodes from his fingers, burning them like fire. The nails of the dead have begun to pull on their limbs. Scratching the fine rope that represents their life, like crazy animals.
The world is still.
A loud thunderclap was the last thing he heard before finally succumbing to the darkness.
It's all over...
Then, Wei Wuxian's face crashes into the cold and wet ground.
He can't tell if his eyes are open or closed. Everything is pitch black as his senses struggle to catch up. The only sound now is the distant rumble of thunder and the gentle patter of raindrops falling on the ground.
The world is so still.
The air enters and exits through his lips, making a soft noise. It tickles his dry throat and his body resents it with discomfort, trying to force a cough, but he has no strength left in his body.
His limbs have no strength and fall back to the ground at the first attempt to get up. This time, Wei Wuxian's face crashes into a hard and cold surface. His teeth are caught in the lip. Blood flowed from the wound, trickling down his face in warm, red lines.
It's very hot, Wei Wuxian thinks. It's as if the last remnants of his body are burning.
He tried to stand up again, only to have his world turn violently. The panic begins to increase in him, moving he tries to get up slowly, trying to prevent everything from spinning.
Blood is flowing from his throat, and Wei Wuxian tries to open his mouth to spit it out. His body is shaking, trying to bend somehow to push the liquid out of his throat.
He stirred uncomfortably because of the wet robes sticking to his body. The rain was starting to come down as his eyes finally cleared to be able to fix on his surroundings, confusion was painted on his face as he observed what was in front of him, breathing deeply as he walked.
Then, the rattling of an unknown artifact fills the road. Wei Wuxian stands up. Of course, he falls down before he can get fully upright, but manages to raise his arms so as not to hit his face on the ground again.
A little dazed, Wei Ying manages to hear the creaking sound coming from the unknown artifact as he skids on the wet ground stopping his movements. His first reaction is to lift Chenqing up to summon the resentful energy in case the artifact rushes against him again, but a few moments pass without anything happening.
It is then that Wei Ying scans his surroundings a little better. He remains motionless and shocked while his eyes absorb the new landscape that surrounds him.
Maybe it's just the pain, but a single blink makes Wei Wuxian feel dizzy, lightheaded.
Everything will be OK.
His knees hit the ground once more, but he still throws a glance towards every possible end as his body contracts.
Everyone will be fine.
He was sure that a few moments ago he was dying in the burial mounds. His own army of the dead tore him limb from limb moments before. His skin buzzes before the memory of his limbs being torn by the corpses that the seal of the Stygian tiger summoned during its destruction.
But... right now he is standing, in the middle of a place completely unknown to him. Everything is full of bright colors that he had never seen before. There are people locked in giant mirrors, strange and bright symbols on the walls, gigantic structures and some... iron chariots?
What the hell?
— You idiot!!!
Wei Ying feels himself reddening when he turns his gaze back, just to observe a maiden... practically wearing underwear, while getting off the metal carriage that moments before was heading towards him at high speed.
— What do you think you're doing, standing like an asshole in the street during a downpour, right in the dead of night?? Don't you know what traffic lights and pedestrian crossings are??
What the fuck?
Wei Wuxian does not know exactly what is happening or where he is currently but he is completely sure that he had to have died and his soul moved to a limbo of strange phenomena.
Is hell supposed to look like this?
Suddenly the hysterical maid who was continuing to scream at him, stops abruptly, looking at something beyond him. Wei Ying looks at her carefully, noticing that she looks shocked and seconds later she looks... Shy?
It is then that he decides to turn his gaze back to face whatever the maiden is looking at, when his eyes meet a figure in white a few meters away from him, holding an umbrella above him.
Wei Ying blinks trying to clear his eyes, hoping that they are not playing tricks on him, because he can clearly observe a beautiful face already well known to him.
Despite all the confusion and the incessant headache that had begun to form in him, when he arrived at this strange place, in spite of everything... Wei Ying feels for the first time in the day, a deep relief floods him, at the same time he feels a strange feeling of calm taking over him.
— Lan Zhan!...
Wei Wuxian just lets out another soft buzzing sound. If Lan Zhan is here, it can't be that bad... Lan Zhan couldn't possibly be in hell, much less dead. He is here, like an angel who has come down from heaven...
He does not go beyond that thought, because his head is suddenly flooded with a feeling of dizziness and weightlessness. The world leans to one side and his fingers grab onto the robes, practically clinging to the fabric in a deep effort to stay upright. The pain in his head triples, causing nausea to bubble up in his stomach and fluid to rise up his throat.
That's when he notices it. The man in front of him, Lan Zhan, is in fact not the Lan WangJi he remembers. The Man in white seems to examine him with his eyes while he does the same himself. White and immaculate robes, although not the disciple clothes he remembers. These are more refined, more exquisite; like those of a leader. His forehead ribbon looks just as white as in his memories, with its characteristic blue cloud embroidery. His face, although similar, looks more mature, his golden eyes show a confident and firm glow; his jaw looks sharper, the baby fat is completely gone. His shoulders are wider and he seems to be a bit taller in stature too.
His bearing is majestic and imposing.
— Who are you? — He manages to listen, when the golden gaze connects with him and the powerful and imposing Qi that it gives off like a storm, becomes palpable for the first time for him. The suffocating energy is so overwhelming that it makes it difficult for him to breathe.
— An Immortal? — Manages to say before everything turns black.