Love Eternal

Han Lanzi breathed out tiredly. His ink black hair fluttered with the wind as his eyes focused on the man in front of him.

Nie Li…

Lanzi remembered the day he crossed over. His life, before the Divine Continent, was a constant struggle. He was lost in solitude and aimless wandering, emotionally detached and withdrawn. But when his eyes connected with Nie Li's blue orbs, for the first time in his life Lanzi felt peace.

Fate, really, is cunning. An accident that he thought would claim his life brought him to a place where he could take root, grow and connect.

From the moment he met Nie Li, Lanzi knew he found his way home.

The Divine Continent was an unforgiving place. But for someone like Lanzi, who was used to conspiracies and deceit, it was like wading through familiar waters.

Nie Li kept him by his side. By design or accident, it never mattered. As long as he could stay with Nie Li, Lanzi was satisfied.

But he wasn't the only one by Nie Li's side. Nie Li was special and Lanzi wasn't the only one who could see it. People flock towards him like moths to flame. It was understandable. Nie Li's personality is steady. He's determined and patient, clever and wise beyond his years. Lanzi suspects that Nie Li is an old soul trapped in a young body. But it's a conjecture he would never voice out.

At first it was alright. Lanzi buried his feelings beneath a facade of a close friend, a confidante. But as time flowed his feelings grew, uncontrollably so.

Lanzi started to resent Ye Ziyun, Xiao Ning'er and everyone else in between. He hated the fact they could stand alongside Nie Li; as friends, as lovers and even as family. Lanzi loathed that they could easily express their desire, their admiration and love.

Lanzi's irrepressible feelings have nowhere to go, to vent. To feel such boundless emotion and not be able to express it is a great torture to one's soul.

Lanzi started to plot and deceive, to conspire. He got caught in a whirlpool of his own making and slowly... he drowned.

"Why?" Nie Li asked furiously.

Lanzi fell on his knees and coughed out a mouthful of blood. He slowly looked up at Nie Li's enraged face and smiled. He would never know, he could never tell. This sort of ending between them was inevitable and it was sad.

Nie Li would survive the storm that Lanzi created. He would stand at the pinnacle of strength and live a long, happy life. He would do this because Nie Li is the embodiment of desire, tranquility and love that Lanzi could only hope for. A dream that he will never realize.

As Lanzi breathed his last he thought of all the adventures they had, the moments that cemented their relationship. These memories were fleeting but they were true.

Lanzi's final thought was of Nie Li's handsome face, his silly smirk, the crazy orange hair and his clear blue eyes.

If he could go back in time Lanzi would not change a thing. He would still choose to fall in love with the unattainable, to conceal his feelings until it drove him mad and to die in the hands of his unrequited love.

Does he regret it? Perhaps but not entirely….

To die in the hands of the one you love, there's no greater glory nor more blissful ending.

To know love in one's life, no matter how painful, is a blessing.

Not all stories have a happy ending. But everyone deserves to feel the emotion that rocks you to the core and change your life. This love is true, it is eternal.

The end... or is it?