A Song For The Tormented Soul

Lan Wangji

The cave was spacious, although it was cover with cobwebs, a few bones remains and dust all over, but at least it will keep the cold out once they make a fire. There was no signs of corpses remaining inside the cave, so it was safe to stay there for the night. The place was quiet without the sound of the copses lurking around, so it was even a good place to cultivate for a few hours.

"Yes, this place will do for us, Lan Zhan..." Wei said to him, turning to look at Wangji, who was simply staring at him with red ears. Wei Ying smiled mischievously.

"Lan Zhan... you are not thinking about those fantasies of yours are you? A dangerous place surrounded by dark energy..." Wei Ying came closer to his husband and almost laughed at the intensify blush of those lovely ears.

"Nonsense." Lan Zhan refuted. He was simply staring at his husband, as he honestly couldn't help himself but admire him at each given opportunity.

"Ah, you are so cute!" Wei said as he unexpectedly jumped on him, to be firmly caught in those strong arms.

"Wei Ying..." Wangji whisper as his mischievous lover lower his head to kiss his waiting lips and he had told Lan Zhan before, it indeed felt heavenly to taste him as well as to feel those strong arms around his waist as he held him in place.

"Lan Zhan... you should know now... not matter what may happened next, we are fated to stay together and help this world to heal." Wangji assented, slightly kissing Wei Ying's nose, as he put his down.

"Should I bring Yinse here, to give you more insight on your heavenly energy?" Wei asked as they walked back to the entrance of the cave. The sky above was darkening, making the still active array glow brighter in the open space.

"No, we must do this together." Wangji told him, feeling the need for both of them reaching out to the source of their energy.

"Alright, I will try to reach Yin... but last time she panic and hurt both me and Xuanyu." Wei said.

"You have my protection now." Lan Zhan said and Wei smiled.

"True, my very caring husband went to such extent to give me a part of him... just don't go too deeply on your own, it make me worry too." Wei Ying said as he gently put a hand over his cheek, that Wangji took and kiss it.

"No need to worry." Wangji whisper with a half-smile, before pulling him back inside the cave once again.

There was a rock inside the dusty cave that was large enough for them to sit like they did back in Nuwa's temple, face to face while holding hands. Lan Zhan looked at his Wei Ying and slightly squeezed his hand to reassure him.

Then Wei Ying closed his eyes, gathering dark energy and reached out under the protection of his husband over his core. Wangji also spread his own white energy out, but with another purpose. Wei Ying was already protected, so he could focus on his own core, trying to get a better understanding of the true nature of his seed.

It was commonly believed that both dark and white energy came from the elements of their world. The dark energy from the earth and the white one from the air, for which it was everywhere. However, that had proved to be wrong, as white energy didn't came from earth, but the heaven itself.

Now that he think about it, that make the relationship between Yin and Yang so necessary to one another, as in the earth realm, Yin was the one with the strongest energy, but Yang had the ability to transform her endless energy into a heavenly one, giving life to the earth she commanded, making a perfect balance.

But then, Rouhan had alter that balance, not only because he used Taotie, but because he separate them, making Yin gone mad, as a part of her consciousness was lost and Yang unable to produce the energy that Taotie eat away, as his own seed had probably been damage. Been unable to find heavenly energy to replace the lost one, in that realm and without Yin to help him produce more, what he could do on his own was limited to what remained in his damaged seed.

Right now, he was no different from Yang, as if he lose Wei Ying, his white energy will weaken over time as he too will not have a source strong enough for him to transform it into a heavenly one. However, finding Yin and bring her back from her madness was not really the end of the problem, as she was still missing a part of her consciousness and Yang's white core was damaged.

"Was that why the seeds were brought back?" Wangji asked himself as he reached a white plane, cover in golden mist.

It was a place warm although as far as he could see there was only endless mist, but as he walked forward, he could distinguish some forms going out of it. Where those dragons? Wangji asked himself internally, as he watched serpentine forms flying up the mist and going in different directions. Blue, green, red, white and black.

"Wait, dragons?" Wasn't Yinse the last one on earth? Wangji thought as he looked up to a golden sky, then a presence like that of the sun itself, warm and bright came at him from his back, as he turned. There stood a beautiful woman with a kind and calm expression showing on her face. She was dressed in red and gold, gifting him with a smile, like that of a mother to her child.

"Lan Wangji... you came at last..." The woman said in a melodious voice no human could produce and he understood. He was carry away by his heavenly energy into the other realm and he kneeled in front of the woman and bowed deeply to her.

"Goddess Nuwa?" Wangji guessed and the smile of the woman widen.

"That's right. It had been hard for me to see humanity suffer for so long, but after I sealed the demons away, I could no longer interfere in the affairs of humanity. I could only call Xiao Man back and give her new seeds." She said.

"Am I to transfer mine to Yang?" Wangji asked.

"No, my child, once you assimilate the seed inside your core, as you did, you can no longer be parted with it, as if you mix milk with tea, you no longer can separate the one to make it two again. However, Yang's core can be repaired by you, the same way, Yin's lost consciousness can be brought back." For some reason, that statement make Wangji restless, as if he feared the way that could be accomplish, as only Wei Ying had the other black seed.

"Does Wei Ying has to die?" Wangji dared to ask, even when just asking such question, make his heart bleed.

"Yes and no. Only by doing the sacrifice he can bring Yin's lost mind back. The transferring of the souls between Wei Ying and Rouhan will give him access to Taotie's dimension." Lan Zhan open his eyes in panic.

"Goddess Nuwa, please... I beg you, don't kill him." Wangji bowed again, even deeper.

"His soul will leave his body, but his body will not die, nor will his soul. He already know about this, but you don't need to worry about your other half. His fate is strong and he is not meant to leave you behind. That is why Xiao Man had had allowed the rouges to go this far, in order for Wei Ying's soul to bring back what Yin lost, as well as what Yang was deprived off."

"Then he will come back?" Wangji asked, looking at her, as his heart pounded with both fear and hope.

"Yes, as a chosen child, he will do more to help heal the world along with you. So when the time comes, let Wei Ying sacrifice himself for you. I promise you, it will not be for long and when he return, all your hardships will be over." She assure him and then, she lifted Wangji's head and gently kiss his forehead, enveloping his entire body in that golden light that brought him back to the cave and to his meditating Wei Ying.

Wei Ying

There was a deep void, a darkness that held no spark of life or light, but madness. Wei Ying was half submerged into that darkness, as he try to walk, but the black mist on his feet was like hands holding him in place. He try to command that energy, but Yin having a stronger seed, it could resist his strength.

"Yin! Yin! Wake up! Yang is not dead, he is waiting for you!" Wei Ying yelled, but the darkness on his feet try to sink him even further. Then a creepy laugh was heard all over the void, making it tremble and Wei Ying had to struggle to keep himself in balance in order not to fall into the waiting darkness.

"Yang? Who's Yang?!!! Who are you?!! Do you came to mock me? Leave!!" Yin yelled as a cold wind blow his way making him give a step back and move his arms in front of his head to protect himself from the resentful gale.

"Yin! I'm Wei Ying and I'm here to help you!" But once again she only laughed, making the madness spreading further and further.

"Be part of me!!!" She shouted, as the darkness pressed even more under him.

"Ah, so troublesome..." Wei said, as he try to get free of the darkness holding him in that void and he struggle as hard as he could, fiercely commanding the force on his feet to let go. He was a child of the earth too, so it will not be that easy for Yin to submerge him on her madness.

He bite his finger and create a dark talisman and send it down and immediately he was released at the same time he hear a piercing scream. Did he hurt her with the talisman? No, that was not it, her scream just now was not from physical pain, but from a mental one. It was despair.

"Yin, your pain will go away soon! Fight this darkness!" Wei yelled hopefully, but there was a long silence, until he begin to struggle again, trying to get out of the void.

"Help! Please help!" The scream resonate like a vortex, making the darkness fiercer, becoming denser and denser, making it hard to even get a step. Then hundreds of figures made of the resentful energy emerged from the ground and slowly moved his way.

"Get it back! Get it back!!!" Yin's screamed some more and Wei Yin struggle to get away from the coming figures.

"I will get that you lost, soon! Just wait for a little longer!" Wei Ying yelled back, using more talismans on the shadows trying to hunt him down.

"It hurts! It's too painful! Give it back!!" She screamed even lauder and the shadows, surrounding him moved faster, extending those misty hands to try grab him.

"Damn it!" Wei cursed, sending talismans all over the void. She was stronger than he was at that time, for which he begin to sink in her darkness.

"Seriously, how can I help when she try to assimilate me inside of her?" Wei asked himself as he struggle against her madness even more.

"Lan Zhan... I hope your spark of light truly dispel all darkness, I am in need of it here..." Wei thought and as in cue, a ball of light came out of his chest and floated there, as it became brighter and Wei smiled as the mist on his feet disappeared, releasing him.

Then he heard the beautiful sound of a zither, his Lan Zhan's zither, playing the tune he had composed out of love to help him balance. The pureness of the sound make Yin more afraid and she release him from her hold completely, making Wei Ying come back to his senses inside his physical body and when he open his eyes, he saw his Hanguang-Jun sat in front of him, playing the soft tone with such care it was heartwarming beautiful.

Wangji smiled at him, as a welcome back, but keep playing the tune for a while, to ease the sorrow of the place and of the hearts.

Inside the temple the others heard the sound of the zither echoes around the place and felt the warmth of the tune, ease their worries. The Lan Clan had the ability to put energy in their tunes that could either heal or kill, thus they listen to it with renewed determination to help those two bring back the balance of the world.

"He is so in love that even his tune speak of it." Mainmian said with a slight blush.

"It's a beautiful song." Wen Qing whisper as she gave Jiang Cheng a ration of cold dry food. Their gaze linger for a moment, before Wen Qing moved away to give Wen Ning another serving.

"That it is..." Jiang Cheng whisper as he followed Wen Qing around with his intense gaze.

"You mean the song or the woman you fancy?" Yinse asked at his side.

"Hum, both..." Jiang Cheng said casually without thinking. The dragon laughed.

"Dear gods, this place is full of love birds." Yinse said to Zilin in return.

"Kids... they are of that age." Zilin confirmed and Wen Ning blushed, daring to look at Miamian for a few seconds before he looked away in embarrassment. Yinse laughed, then the sound of a flute joined the zither in perfect unison.

Outside the cave and above the temple, another pair in black and white sat holding hands at the border of the stone roof. There were no stars shining their night, as thick clouds cover the night sky, but the glow of the heavenly array give them enough light to see around as under moonlight.

"Bichen... hum... well..." Suibian whisper as he look at her nervously and she smiled at him.

"Last time I did it..." She whisper with a soft blush.

"Then, may I?" He asked.

"Do you have to ask?" She asked back and Suibian smiled more nervously.

"I guess not... that's kind of the right song, even in this darkness..." Suibian whisper as he came closer to her, then give her a gentle kiss on the lips.

"Right..." She said, then pull him closer and kiss him back without holding back, making Suibian blush like mad, yet respond her kiss with the same urgency he was been kissed. As the song keep going for a bit longer, the darkness dispelled as the hearts united.

AN: Thank you my darlings, I hope you like this softer chapter. It was a heartwarming one. Now, see you next weekend, my darlings, please take care until then. 😙😄❤❤❤❤