Chapter Text
Flames, smoke and screams were the only things that could be heard and death was the only thing that could be seen as far as the eyes reach.
Fallen bodies of comrades and enemies alike decorated the ground, bodies mangled, horror-stricken faces of the warriors too young to have participated in the war that embroiled their lands.
The war continued, undeterred in its path of bloodshed and the death it brought. Teenagers, young adults, clad in attire fit for warriors ran towards their doom, their enemies, determined to slay those in their path.
To fight for a better future, for a world free of war, free of bloodshed, of hatred.
Their comrades fell, some lost a beloved, some lost a family, a brother or a sister, mothers lost their children and others, others lost their purpose.
In this world made of war, of hatred, the three immortal sects and their disciples fought to protect, to cherish and to perish for the land they loved.
The first of the immortal sects, Medicine Valley, the founding sect of immortal cultivation, origin of some of the world's best healer as well as warpath cultivators and priests even.
The second of the immortal sects, Heaven's Eye, the originator of world class, realm's best warpath cultivators and tactitions.
Third and last qof the immortal sects, unique in its existence, it was called the ChúnJié XīnFēi Temple, or simply the Temple of Pure Soul. The originator of strongest priests and monks to ever have lived among the immortal cultivators.
A decade ago, the seal preventing the awakening of the Heavenly Demon Yīng SiMìng-jūn was broken and ever since, the world was plunged into war.
The seal had not only prevented the awakening of Yīng SiMìng-jūn but also locked away the portal of Nine layers of Hell from the world, but when it came undone, the demons escaped and warred against the immortal cultivators in order to bring back the reign of their king.
Since the day the seal was broken, in the grounds of ChúnJié XīnFēi Temple, monks and priests had been working tirelessly, days and nights on end in order to repair the seal and slay the escaped demons.
Initially the situation had been optimistic, there was hope, but now, as time stretched on and destruction continued, the working priests of all sects began losing hope.
But not one of them ceased their efforts of resealing. However, their forces were on their last straw, the territory of ChúnJié XīnFēi Temple was utterly and completely destroyed, the sealing grounds were protected only by senior disciples and masters.
Forces were diminishing swiftly.
One of the forces protecting the sealing grounds were the disciples of Medicine Valley, led by their Da'Shixiong Wen AnShu, one of the strongest warpath cultivators of the realm.
Their reason of protecting the sealing grounds?
Their Er'Shixiong, their ZongZhu's disciple, one of chief healers of the sect and honorary disciple of ChúnJié XīnFēi Temple's elder Zhu, Wei Wuxian was also the part of priests endeavouring to repair the seal for the past decade.
Wen AnShu stared ahead with a faraway look in his eyes, he was of tall build and handsome visage, his face showed no emotion as he looked at the encroaching demonic army. Long raven hair flew with the wind as he gripped the sword in his hand tighter.
The blade crackled with lightning and flashed as he rushed to meet the attack head-on, followed closely by the disciples of other two sects
Mechanically slashing away, he closed his eyes, electricity crackling in his arms.
He sighed.
The end is near. My end is near.
“Shixiong!“ A voice yelled, making Wen AnShu look back at the source of the voice.
Third Shidi.
“Shixiong!“ Third Shidi called out again. “Those treacherous demons! They are taking advantage of our absence! They have sent one of their strongest demons to slay Er'Shixiong and the others!“
Wen AnShu's pupils shrank and his hands quivered ever-so-slightly.
“Da'Shixiong,” the same Shidi urged. “Go back! We will handle these demons! You must protect Wei'Shixiong!“
Wen AnShu hesitated briefly. Seeing his hesitation, one of his Shimeis spoke up.
“Go back, Da'Shixiong!“ She screamed, blasting away a demon. “Heaven's Eye's second eldest disciple went back to protect her Shijie! You must go too. Wei'Shixiong needs you.“
Wen AnShu's eyes hardened, he nodded and turned around rushing back as fast as he could.
“Zhu'Shifu,” a slender youth, with delicate peach blossom eyes and silver irises, chiseled features and thin, pink lips, murmured. His hands moved dexterously, making signs as golden glow of spiritual energy swirled around them. “The demons have invaded.“
The man he spoke to nodded but didn't reply, muttering intelligibly as his hands , too, made the same signs as the silver-eyed young adult.
The silver-eyed youth, too, bowed his head and closed his eyes, long hair falling to his waist as he sat cross-legged inside a luminous formation.
He, too, resumed muttering intelligible sutras, his spiritual energy flowing through the formation beneath him and into the broken seal around them.
The entire ground was covered with the broken seal as it glowed an ominous red.
Just as shiver crawled down the disciple's spine a hideous creature broke into the sealing grounds and attacked, it's hands shot out and innumerable sharp blades whizzed towards the cultivators working to repair the seal.
The youth did not cease his hands but a single thought ran in his mind.
This is the end.
He was content in dying while trying to save the world.
As the blades rushed towards him, threatening to cut him into thousands of pieces, twin voices screamed in unison, one pronouncing his name and the other his colleague's.
“Wei Wuxian!“
“Shijie!“
In the fraction of a second, a body shielded the youth, intercepting the blades. However, not many other's were as fortunate.
The formation was broken, the seal was coming undone as the person shielding Wei Wuxian fell into his arms.
Wei Wuxian opened his eyes facing the dreadful sight of his Shixiong's face covered in blood and body pierced by thousands of blades.
Wen AnShu fell into his arms, holding Wei Wuxian tight, protecting his body at the cost of his own.
Wei Wuxian breath hitched. His hands stopped moving, he touched Wen AnShu's back, touching the sharp blades that drew his blood.
“Shi, Shixiong,” he whispered in a trembling voice, unadulterated horror seeping through. “Why?“
Wen AnShu smiled, a trail of blood pouring down his lips, he brought his shaking hand to Wei Wuxian's pallid face.
“I had to protect you, Wuxian,” he answered. “Protecting you… is me protecting my world.“
Wei Wuxian's heart stopped, a sob stuck in his throat as he looked into Wen AnShu's glazed crimson red irises.
“No,” he whispered, holding his Shixiong tightly as the latter's breath slowed down. “No... No! No! NoNoNoNo! You can't, you can't die on me like this, AnShu!“ He screamed, the sound of it was raw and agonised. “I didn't wait for centuries just for you to die on me after confessing! Wake up, AnShu, wake up! Please! Please! Please—”
“Wuxian,” Wen AnShu whispered hoarsely, his blood ridden face so close to Wei Wuxian's tear streaked one. “Wuxian, I, I— forgive me Wuxian, this is the end... But...“
Wei Wuxian hugged him tighter, channeling his spiritual energy into Wen AnShu in an effort to heal the other.
“No, no, no!“ He wept. “I beg you, AnShu... Please, don't go... Don't leave me, Shixiong! Shixiong—”
“—Wuxian,” Wen AnShu murmured, pressing his forehead against Wei Wuxian's as the latter's tears fell on his face. “Kiss me?“
“AnShu...“ Wei Wuxian gazed into his eyes, uncaring of the armed demon sneaking behind him. “Is this the end? Of us?“ He asked, holding the dying man close. “Of you and I?“ Then, he leaned forward, pressing his lips on Wen AnShu's, smearing his own pale lips with blood and mixing it with tears as he did so.
“This is the end of the world, Wuxian..“ Wen AnShu answered, holding the back of Wei Wuxian's neck in a gentle grip. “If there is a next life for me... I will love you, I swea...”
The hand fell, hitting the bloody floor limply.
Wei Wuxian's eyes shook, face frozen as he felt a cold blade against his neck. Not due to fear, but shock and grief.
Uncaring of the threat looming above him, Wei Wuxian buried his face in Wen AnShu's chest and sobbed hysterically.
“No! No! No! No—” his screamed pierced the sky. As he sobbed and sobbed endlessly, even the demon sent to kill him paused, watching as the immortal cultivator grieved the death of his beloved.
“No,” Wei Wuxian whispered hoarsely. “This world is doomed.“
Then, a white light engulfed the healer's body and a huge shockwave spread out from him.
The demon stepped back in shock and ran back.
“He's destroying his Mahayana soul!“
And then—
—Bang!
A blast occurred, destroying everything and everyone in its wake.
In an alternative universe, an alternate reality, where this world wasn't yet doomed, a boy surnamed Wei, but called the son of a servant, fainted. His heart nearly stopped beating when it happened.
The Healers of the sect he was a part of laboriously worked to keep him life.
He was young, far too young to lose his life just because a chronic abuser could not keep her hands off him.
He was too young.
Was it too late to save him? Laying him flat on his stomach, the Head Healer sighed, gingerly applying salve over the young boy's tattered back. Biting back a sigh and the outraged protests at the back of his throat, the Head Healer stood up and walked out of the room in order to fetch more herbs to make more salve for the boy.
“It's only YunMengJiang sect that treats it's Head Disciple in such a manner,” the Healer's assistant muttered indignantly. “Such disgrace!“
The Head Healer Jiang shook his head, caressing his beard as he returned into the room.
“Keeping Wei'GongZi healthy is the least we can do. Yu'Furen, she's a disgrace to motherkind.“ He muttered, wiping away the inordinate salve from his patient's back. “And Jiang'ZongZhu? He is a spineless coward. Can't even protect him.“
“Bit still it'd be better for Wei'GongZi to keep his mouth shut if he wants to live peacefully in Lotus Pier,” the assistant shook her head, taking away the bowl of salve. “As much peace as Yu'Furen will allow him, that is.“
The unconscious boy's eyelids twitched as he slowly stirred into the world of wakefulness.
Slowly, as the boy opened his eyes, his glazed silver irises peered at them before blinking and closing them.
“This is afterlife?“ They heard him mutter, the listless cadence of his voice shattered their hearts. “It can't be... Shixiong isn't—”
Then suddenly, his eyes shot open, the boy jerked up, wincing at the searing pain in his back.
“Who are you?“ He asked blankly, struggling to keep his body raised, he looked around frantically surveying his surroundings. “Where am I?! What is this place?! This isn't DiYu, nor is this Heaven! What am I doing here? Who are you both?!“ He snarled. “Where is my Shixiong?!“
The two Healers shared a concerned look with each other before promptly trying to soothe the frazzled nerves of the boy.
“Calm down, Wei Wuxian, calm down!“ Head Healer Jiang instructed, trying to get close to the boy. “You are safe. You are absolutely safe and in Lotus Pier. And did you forget, Wei'GongZi, you are the Da'Shixiong of all the disciples here?“
Wei Wuxian froze, staring at the man who called him by his name and yet dared to say that his Da'Shixiong did not exist.
“Who are you two?“ He asked again, blankly looking down at his body whose hands were so unfamiliar to him.
“I'm the Head Healer Jiang of YunMengJiang sect,” the Head Healer Jiang reintroduced himself. “Don't worry, temporary shock has done this to you and your back will heal slowly.“
Wei Wuxian had no time to listen to him prattle on. The last thing he remembered was being in the sealing grounds of ChúnJié XīnFēi Temple with the cooling corpse of his Da'Shixiong in his arms.
He remembered weeping, the searing pain in his heart and then, he remembered the feeling of destroying his own Mahayana soul and causing enormous devastation just before his death.
His hands trembled at the memory of holding his Wen AnShu against his chest, his vision blurred with tears that threatened to spill out of his eyes at any moment.
“Mirror... Mirror!“ He whispered erratically. “Bring me a mirror!“ Touching his face he could feel the distinct difference from his own face.
Assistant Healer nodded and fetched a mirror, handing it to the frantic Head Disciple of her sect.
Looking into the mirror while touching his face, Wei Wuxian stared at his reflection, wide-eyed and face devoid of any colour.
“This...“ He whispered to himself, horrified at the face in the reflection which resembled his own face from many, many centuries ago. “This face... It's too young! Too young!“ He gasped, tears streaming down his pale cheeks as he gritted his teeth and struggled for breath while harshly pulling at his hair.
Flinging the mirror away, Wei Wuxian hugged his head, pushing it between his bent legs, resting his forehead on his knees as he struggled to regulate his breathing.
“No, no, no!“ He shook his head, pulling at his hair harshly. “I should be dead! I should be dead! I should have crossed the bridge... with Da'Shixiong! We should have reincarnated together! Why? Why? Why?“ He muttered to himself in a low voice, his speech becoming incoherent. “No! No! Do I not even deserve—”
Then, he lost consciousness.