Work Text:
The very concept of a soulmate had always left Hong’er with an odd blend of nervous excitement and trepidation.
On one hand, this was something that he could call his own. It was unlike the food or money he would steal and therefore can never truly be his . He didn’t have to fight off other street urchins to keep it in his possession or guard it on his person at all times. The thought of a Fated One always left Hong’er with warmth blooming in his belly that not even the coldest of nights could chase away.
On the other hand, the idea of binding his ill-fated soul to another and likely bring misfortune upon them left Hong’er with the sensation of needles crawling up his spine akin to malicious spiders. They would surely hate him for that, wouldn’t they?
And yet….and yet, he would see the other children, rich and poor alike, smile at their lumens as they buzzed around their heads, chase them in their own personal game of hide-and-seek meant only for two, laugh whenever their lumens playfully tickle their sensitive cheeks and necks. Children that were assured in the knowledge that while they haven’t met their Fated yet, they will never truly be alone.
Hong’er would then glance at the empty spot where he imagined his lumen was supposed to be and feel burning jealousy bubbling up in his chest.
Even the lowest of the low-class had been blessed with one, so why hasn’t he….?
Wait until my birthday…. Hong’er quietly assured himself. They’ll appear by then.
His sixth year on this earth had already come and went.
Then his seventh arrived..
…and the eighth quickly followed.
..ninth…
It took until his tenth birthday for Hong’er to start believing the terrifying reality that he might not have a soulmate.
That dreadful thought would only grow day-by-day until the little boy felt something delicate and fragile within slowly crack and shatter into a thousand pieces. Piercing his innards with their countless shards.
Against his will, a voice, the one that he had been doing everything in his power to not give in to, echoed Hong’er’s greatest fear:
No one loves you. No one will ever love you. It’s a pity that a poor soul had their red-string tied to a little beast like you .
Hong’er bit the inside of his cheek until he drew blood.
No point in pitying someone who doesn’t even exist, then.
The little boy shut his eyes in a futile attempt to stem the flow of tears. Hong’er curled his body further to protect himself against the evening chill. Winter was almost here and he needed to keep himself warm somehow.
Afterall, there was no lumen to do that for him.
In spite of this shattering revelation, the world never stopped turning. Hong’er was left with no other choice but to keep moving forward.
Even after surviving a few more months on the streets just so that he could keep his miserable life for another day, even after Hong’er fell to his unceremonious death and had to constantly escape from stronger, more powerful spirits that wanted to snuff out his ghost-fire, even after Hong’er- Hua Cheng clawed his way into Supreme status out of sheer spite and contempt for the world, always defiant in the face of the shitty hand that fate dealt him.
Even after eight hundred years, when the pain had long since dulled into an ache, Hua Cheng knew that the all-consuming sense of loneliness and dejection will never truly leave him.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
He was lounging in one of Paradise Manor’s numerous balconies, mindlessly watching the hustle and bustle going on in a city that never truly sleeps. The red lights illuminating the Ghost King’s visage, accentuating his sharp features quite fetchingly.
Hua Cheng had just finished a long and exhausting meeting with that freeloading bastard Black Water and was currently nursing a minor headache. The wine warming his cheeks likely wasn’t helping either.
From the corner of his eye, Hua Cheng could see a little silver blur approaching him.
He thought nothing of it. Most likely, it was one of his butterflies with another message from Yin Yu.
Wait….
Hua Cheng stiffened and sat up. Suddenly alert.
It wasn’t fluttering its way towards him. The way it was hovering in the air was… off . As if it didn’t need wings to keep itself aloft. It was also far smaller than the typical size of his wraith butterflies.
The strange object stopped just a hairsbreadth away from his face.
Hua Cheng felt his thoughts grind to a halt.
For the first time in who knows how many years, he was speechless.
For one wild moment, he thought someone must’ve let their lumen out of their sight.
Except that wouldn’t make any sense. Ghost-fires scramble away once they catch a whiff of the abundant resentful energy rolling off of Hua Cheng in waves.
A lumen was infinitely more fragile and precious. None would dare hover so close to him, even with their Chosen in tow.
Hua Cheng hesitantly held out a trembling hand. Long fingers slowly uncurling, palm facing up.
Without even a moment’s pause, the little lumen made itself home in the Calamity’s open hand. Nestling itself against the skin of his palm.
Hua Cheng stared at it in shock and no small amount of awe.
The lumen was perfectly spherical-shaped. It had a subtle silver glow that was neither too dull nor too bright. Prettily standing out in the night backdrop, one could easily mistake it for a star that decided to drift away from its place in the Heavens down to earth.
It was also incredibly tiny. About the size of a grape and felt even more delicate than the most expensive bauble. Hua Cheng feared that he might accidently crush it just from letting out a bit of yin energy alone. Yet it immediately trusted the Calamity with its little life.
“Hello….” He breathed out in disbelief. Not knowing what else to say.
After all these years, why now……?
The little-lumen enthusiastically blinkered at him. Practically exclaiming back with an eager: Hi!
Hua Cheng couldn’t stop his lips from quirking upwards at the endearing sight.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
To say that Yin Yu had been startled because the lumen of Hua Cheng’s soulmate finally presented itself would be an understatement.
Hua Cheng would’ve made a few snarky comments at his servant’s shocked countenance, but he was currently preoccupied with a rather needy ball of light.
“Perhaps we should look for them….? At least to ensure that they’re in fine health.” Yin Yu quietly suggested. Slightly unnerved at his lord’s uncharacteristically gentle behaviour when it came to his soulmate’s lumen.
Chengzhu glanced at his servant for a moment. Contemplating the idea.
Not liking that the elder’s attention was no longer on it, the little-lumen started vibrating and rolling around in Hua Cheng’s cupped hands. Looking very much like an angry marble as it announced its clear displeasure.
Yin Yu watched as his lord turned back to the little light with an indulgent smile and traced his thumb on the small orb’s surface. Softly petting the tiny sphere, urging it to calm down.
Immediately, the lumen stopped its minor tantrum and nuzzled itself against Hua Cheng’s thumb. Quiet once more.
“I think it’s best that we leave them be.” He finally decided. “Judging from the size, they must’ve just been born. There’s no point in being in their life right now.”
Yin Yu nodded in acquiescence.
(It wasn’t until over two decades later, when Hua Cheng would find out about the kind of life his soulmate lived.
Never had Hua Cheng felt the fervent need to run himself through. Even though he knew this penance could never make up for his failings.
Oh, Wei Ying…. I’m so sorry….)
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
In another world, within the room of a small decrepit inn located at a village with no name, a woman was reclining in her bed. Utterly exhausted from a rather excruciating and bloody labour.
Daring not to breathe too loudly, she quietly watched as the small bundle in her arms slowly cracked their moonstone eyes open. Their gazes locked and he let out a gurgle-laugh at the sight of his mother’s smiling face. Cangse Sanren giggled as she used her pointer-finger to gingerly stroke the babe’s soft cheek.
He’ll be a troublemaker when he grows up. She was sure of it. He is her son after all.
So long as he’ll always have a reason to smile, I’ll be content.
Still marvelling at the new life in her arms, Cangse Sanren watched as her son’s eyes were slowly pulled to the being hovering protectively above them. As if in a trance, both of his little hands peeked out of the blanket, instinctively reaching out.
A large, red lumen slowly- cautiously descended to her infant son’s open embrace. As if it were worried that it might crush the babe.
And hadn’t that been a shock? Lumens were incredibly rare, only one in a thousand would find themselves blessed with an actual soulmate. So, to see the Heavens bestowing such an honour on her son was as startling as it was concerning.
What could this possibly mean…?
Cangse Sanren studied the crimson lumen for what felt like the hundredth time. It had suddenly appeared the moment her child came into the world. With its bold colouring, it resembled a red star that had a splotch of a starry night-sky located at the sphere’s centre. Floating around the lumen’s interior like the yolk of an egg...or the iris of an eye.
It was also unusually big. About the size of a cuju-ball, which made for quite a comical sight as her son couldn’t fully wrap his chubby little arms around the glowing orb.
Cangse Sanren wasn’t sure what the size could indicate about the type of character her child’s soulmate was, so she put it out of her mind for now.
What did concern her was the absurd amount of yin energy exuding off of the red sphere. It wasn’t hurting her son, per say, but it’s best that she look into it.
Cangse Sanren watched as her little Wei Ying tried to bite the lumen, likely checking to see if it was something edible. Nomming on it as the red orb stayed docile as a lamb in her son’s embrace. Seemingly indulging the babe’s mindless curiosity.
“Now now…” A male voice softly scolded. “That’s not meant for eating. Is this how you’ll treat your other-half when you meet them?” The man’s hand lightly pushed at Wei Ying’s little fingers. Freeing the bright lumen from her son’s clutches and giving it the option to fly away.
It didn’t. Instead, it allowed itself to be held hostage by the infant once more.
Wei Changze watched the cute scene with a hint of amusement and exasperation.
“Unbelievable. They haven't even met yet and our child already has them wrapped around his little fingers!”
“That just proves that our future in-law has good taste.” His wife teased. Tickling a laugh out of her husband.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
News of the little silver lumen making its sudden appearance at Crimson Rain’s side had spread all over Ghost City within a single night. Every resident had assumed - hoped - that it would mean that their sarcastic and unpredictable king would mellow out after receiving such a blessing. No matter how delayed it may be.
And mellow out he did. Since the lumen of Hua Cheng’s soulmate finally materialised, there have been slight, subtle changes, both in the Calamity’s demeanour and temperament. Yin Yu would be the first to notice how his lord’s signature smirks would have a touch of genuineness to them, how Chengzhu would uncharacteristically deal with troublesome matters with a little more patience than he would usually spare them, how the elder ghost seemed more prone to let out a sincere laugh instead of the usual sardonic chuckle.
Of course, Hua Cheng only extended this sort of special treatment to his lumen, as for everyone else ... .well, they still received the same attitude as before.
Lord Black Water would be the first one to make that painful discovery.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Sharp, golden eyes surveyed the turquoise-coloured lumen zooming around Paradise Manor’s gates. Looking very much like a tornado as it went above, below and around the archways in excitable, dizzying patterns.
“Behave yourself.” He Xuan hissed quietly. Equal parts exasperated and ashamed. It always acted like this whenever they visited sites that the lumen had never seen before…or whenever they went to places that practically advertised their wealth.
Honestly, why was he given a lumen that was both hyper and vain?
Perhaps he should follow Yin Yu’s example and just stuff the troublesome ball of light into his sleeves. Out of sight and out of mind.
It would certainly prevent it from knocking over precious treasure again….
“Lord Black Water….?” The familiar, collected voice of Hua Cheng’s assistant cut through He Xuan’s thoughts. Waning Moon Officer now stood before him in a respectful bow.
“This one apologises for the long wait. But I am afraid that my lord is….otherwise indisposed at the moment. I advise that you take your rest. He shan’t be long.”
“Indisposed…?” He Xuan echoed; brow furrowed. If that flower bastard didn’t have the time, he would usually just say it to He Xuan’s face before kicking him out of his property.
Either way, He Xuan couldn’t afford to wait this time.
“I just need to speak to him. A few minutes and I’ll be gone.” He muttered, leaving behind his lumen to the servant’s care. He easily bypassed Yin Yu who didn’t make any attempt to stop him.
Strange.
Having already memorised the route, he made his way to Hua Cheng’s study. But when he slid open the door, He Xuan was met with a sight that shook him straight to the core.
He Xuan expected to find Hua Cheng hunched over his desk, scowling over a mountain of paperwork. He expected to be greeted with a biting remark for interrupting said paperwork or to even be thrown out of the study without an exchange of words.
But he just couldn’t make sense of what his eyes were telling his mind.
Instead of acting like the workaholic He Xuan knows the flower bastard to be, he was -for a lack of a better term- playing .
There was a small, silver, overly hyper, lumen tugging at the locks of Hua Cheng’s hair. Clearly trying to divert the elder’s attention away from his task. Hua Cheng just smiled and went along with it, indeed even languidly twisting his head in the lumen’s direction, as if the puny marble could actually pull at the Calamity with its miniscule strength.
Crimson Rain ‘fought back’ by flicking his ink-soaked brush at the lumen, wherein a droplet of ink splashed atop the glowing sphere.
The lumen blinkered rapidly, as if in protest. Bouncing up and down in the air as it did so. In retaliation, it dipped its little body into the inkpot, deliberately covering itself with the pigment, and took a swipe at Hua Cheng’s nose!
With his nose and even the side of his cheek stained with ink, He Xuan thought surely , Hua Cheng would be furious over the marble’s impudence. Quite the contrary! The bastard laughed and even playfully made a grab at the lumen, which it happily dodged. Now thoroughly satisfied that it has Hua Cheng’s attention off of boring documents and back on its mischievous self again.
He Xuan swiftly left the room with a turn of his heel.
There was far too much sweetness in that study even for him to stomach.
Per Yin Yu’s suggestion, He Xuan decided to go to Paradise Manor’s excessively ornate dining hall and contend himself with the feast laid out before him. The annoying turquoise marble, his marble, managed to ditch Yin Yu and join He Xuan in the hall, hovering above the ghost in circles.
Perhaps…. He thought as he ripped off the meat from a chicken bone …asking Crimson Rain for help now will be easier. He seems to be in a good mood today.
A familiar clink-clinking chime resounded within the vast hall. Announcing Hua Cheng’s arrival along with the silver lumen resting on the Ghost King’s broad shoulder, eagerly twisting its little-self left and right, as if it wanted to absorb all the hall’s intricate details.
“Taking advantage of my pantry again? Shall I prepare the next feast for you?” The familiar sarcasm was about as pleasant as an open sore.
Never mind. He’s still a prick.
“....you’ve still got some ink on your face.” He Xuan muttered with his mouth full.
“...”
Unfortunately, He Xuan couldn’t revel in the flower bastard’s rare moment of him being embarrassed for once. The two lumens spotted each other and froze.
Both ghosts tensed slightly. Two lumens acting like that when they’re in one room could be rather…unpredictable. In most cases they just ignore the other in order to coexist peacefully, but sometimes, all it takes is for two lumens to sense the other and immediately get into a fight. Usually because their counterparts already knew each other and were established as enemies. Those cases, while rare, could still happen here.
The turquoise lumen slowly floated towards the smaller one. Just a few centimetres from Hua Cheng. Said Ghost King sent He Xuan a warning look before training his gaze back on the larger sphere. Ready to bat it away at the first sign of aggression.
He Xuan was already in the middle of standing up, about to stop the potential fight, when the bigger lumen darted forward and gingerly bumped the silver sphere. Almost in an affectionate manner.
The two Calamities blinked.
The little silver marble was vibrating on its perch before it launched itself off of Hua Cheng’s shoulder and right into the turquoise lumen. The two lights collided, blinkering, excitedly circling around each other before giving chase. Darting all around the pillars and furniture….and eventually knocking over a vase that was, undoubtedly, worth more than He Xuan could make within a single century.
(The silver one was responsible for knocking it over, but He Xuan was certain that Hua Cheng wouldn’t see it that way. Semantics. He’d probably say.)
He Xuan grimaced. Just barely resisting the urge to facepalm.
Never had the ghost prayed harder for the floor to swallow him whole than as of this moment.
You’ve at least tripled my debt, you little shit! That vase had to be from the Han dynasty…!
He Xuan braced himself for the elder’s scathing remarks.
“Huh. I think I’ll take one-tenth off your debt, you lousy fish.”
Black Water slowly opened his eyes.
What….?
But the flower bastard wasn't even looking at him. Instead, that one dark eye was following the smaller lumen as it continued its game of hide-and-seek with its new playmate, absentmindedly rubbing off the ink from his cheek as he did so. He Xuan didn’t ever think he’d see that glacial gaze melt into something so warm . As if Crimson Rain did not wish to miss a single moment of this absurd display.
He so badly wanted to mock the elder for going all soft, but He Xuan kept his mouth shut, lest the prickly ghost go back on his word.
There was a time and a place to pick his battles. This was not one of them.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Excited giggles and playful shrieks echoed within an untidy chamber.
A bright red blur zoomed past the inn’s window, a slightly larger grey blur hot on its tail. They had already knocked over almost every single piece of furniture within the small rented room, their game of tag had elongated past the point of reason and there was no clear winner, but neither seemed to have tired from this nonsensical game.
His red star shielded itself by hiding on the other side of the bed. One of the two things that hasn’t been toppled in their little game. It swished itself side-to-side. Almost taunting its younger opponent.
The boy retaliated by taking a literal leap of faith, only he overshot! The child’s leg snagged on the crumpled blanket on top of the bed, he tumbled shoulder first onto the floor in a pile of tangled limbs and cloth.
“Ow!” He yelped as his shoulder made contact on the hardwood.
The red lumen froze mid-air. The black splotch at the centre shuddering in dismay.
Five year-old Wei Ying popped his head out of the blanket and flashed the lumen a bunny-tooth grin.
“I’m okay!”
His lumen didn’t seem to hear him, though! The bright ball immediately started fussing over the boy. Apologetically brushing itself against the bruised shoulder in soothing circles.
“A-Ying’s okay! Promise!” Wei Ying exclaimed, giggling. His red star could get so protective at times! The little boy was silently preening at the attention when something in his peripheral vision caught his eye.
The other thing that they haven’t knocked over. Neither of them dared to.
Wei Ying gently pushed away his lumen and carefully detangled himself from the blanket. He slowly made his way to the metal pot filled to the brim with uncooked rice, keeping the burnt out incense stick upright.
His parents were never able to afford a proper incense burner.
Without a word, the boy plucked out the stick, put it atop the growing pile of burnt out sticks and left a new incense in its place.
They’ve never been gone this long…. Wei Ying thought as he lit up the incense.
He noticed the red lumen take on a greyish hue. The sphere lowering itself until it was only a few inches off the floor.
“Don’t worry!” The child assured the lumen. Thinking that it was also worried. “A-die and A-niang will be back in no time!”
The large lumen merely made its way over to the boy and affectionately booped itself on Wei Ying’s nose. Inciting a small, precious giggle from the lad.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
He quietly lifted the lid off of the decorative pot and looked inside.
Only to be met with an empty bottom.
Not here.
He stooped down and peeked underneath the divan that he usually favoured.
Not there.
He made his way down the hallway and checked behind each curtain.
Not there, either.
The longer Hua Cheng looked, the deeper the frown etched into his face. He was certain that he’d already checked all of its typical hiding spots.
In a last ditch effort, Hua Cheng decided to check his personal chambers.
If it's not there, he’ll work Yin Yu to the bone for his negligence. How could he lose it like that?
Hua Cheng strode across the empty bedchamber and carefully scanned the dollhouse resting on the windowsill.
It was fairly common practice. Encouraged even. Buying a dollhouse for your soulmate’s lumen was considered a great act of love, to show that their Chosen also had the lumen’s comfort in mind and to deepen the bond between the two. Many merchants saw this as a great opportunity to make lavish-looking dollhouses with cheap materials and sell them to nobility and royalty alike at inflated prices. A lot of them would walk away with fattened coin-purses and a snigger at having fooled their ignorant customers.
After a few hours of browsing the shops in Ghost City, Hua Cheng deemed none of the dollhouses on display as worthy for his lumen and decided to just make one himself.
(He was sure that Yin Yu was sporting a funny expression behind his mask when he made that announcement, Hua Cheng just couldn’t prove it.)
The blueprints for the dollhouse were rather…amusing.
Hua Cheng had asked his little star in a series of yes-no questions on its preferences, how many floors and pagodas would it like to have, did it wish for a mini-garden and a lake, flooring plans, room locations, etc.
Only to realise that the lumen was giving him the exact descriptions of Paradise Manor.
Typical. I try to spoil it and it only wants the bare minimum.
Still, he was never going to forget the silver lumen’s excitement once Hua Cheng finished carving out the final details and put the miniature furniture in their proper places. Zooming around at dizzying speeds as it went room to room, trying out the movable doors and cabinets, resting on the cushions and beds Hua Cheng painstakingly stuffed and sewed, marvelling at its new home.
The memory was enough to pull the corners of his mouth upwards. Sour mood slightly lifted.
Hua Cheng broke out of the happy recollection when he heard the sound of rustling sheets.
Wide-eyed, he made his way to the fanciful bed where a cushion seemed to be trembling non-stop.
Hua Cheng gently lifted it and looked at the little one hiding underneath. Its vibrant light had turned a dull grey.
“Little star…?” He uttered, concern leaking into his softened voice.
The poor thing was shaking so bad and appeared to have taken refuge beneath the pillow for warmth. This winter had been particularly harsh, but the lumen almost never showed such a severe reaction to the changing temperature.
With a flick of his sleeves, several butterflies shot out and immediately got to work on the chamber’s fireplace, while Hua Cheng gently scooped up the shivering sphere. He frowned, concern gave way to worry. The lumen was as cold as ice.
He wrapped a fur blanket around himself and carefully tucked the silver orb into the collar of his rob. Deliberately heating up his body as he did so. Hua Cheng gingerly sat near the now crackling fireplace, the curling flames radiating a much needed sense of warmth and cosiness for the quivering sphere.
Despite all these efforts, the lumen did not seem to be getting any warmer. It just tucked itself closer to Hua Cheng’s chest.
Hua Cheng’s brows furrowed further. That feeling of uneasiness blaring louder in his mind.
Something’s wrong.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Moonstone eyes vacantly watched as the snowflake slowly drifted from its place among the grey clouds, lower, lower, lower…… until it finally became one with the ground covered in unmelted snow.
The little nine year-old was curled up in an alleyway, shivering uncontrollably, with no gloves or shoes, a pile of snow forming at the top of his head and wetting his hair, his tattered robes doing a poor job at protecting his body from the cold. Teeth chattering, nose dripping, lips turning blue, chilblains appearing in the form of angry red splotches all over his fingers and toes. Painful little pin-pricks would flare up every time he tried to curl the chilled digits.
After the innkeeper had kicked him out, Wei Ying had stubbornly insisted on waiting outside of the inn for his parents to come back.
A-die and A-niang will be here! Just give me a few more days, please!
Still, it was kinda funny watching his red star turn an angry crimson and barrel into the innkeeper’s gut after he shoved Wei Ying out of the building.
Now, it was the fourth winter and there was still no sign of Wei Changze or Cangse Sanren.
The only thing that was keeping the child warm was his lumen. Wei Ying had to switch between keeping the lumen close to his chest then pressing it to his bare feet.
He saw what frostbite did to people. How the limbs turned black and blue and dead , until all you could do was cut it off before you rot alive.
Winter also did funny things to the body. He would see many street kids near his age or younger that were once so energetic in the warmer seasons, slowly curl inwards, go to sleep and never wake up again.
It looked really…. peaceful. Just close your eyes and all the bad things will go away. Wei Ying wasn’t sure if he wanted that, though.
The lumen in his tight embrace was visibly shaking. Its hue had again taken on a deep red.
“W-what’s..wrong..?” The little lad managed to stammer out. Wei Ying understood that the shade meant that the lumen was angry about something, but he wasn't exactly sure on what . He was never really good at reading the other’s thoughts.
His red star just cuddled itself closer to Wei Ying’s chest, as silent as ever.
(It wasn’t until years later, when Wei Ying finally met the man who he would one day call ‘husband’ did he understand that the lumen was simply scolding itself over the fact that it couldn’t do more .
Aiyah…! What have I done to deserve this? If there’s anything that fate did right, it was giving me you , Hua Cheng. )
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
During the last twenty years since the little silver lumen had made its appearance, it had not left Crimson Rain’s side and Yin Yu could honestly say that he had never seen his lord look this contended.
Of course Chengzhu spoiling the lumen past the point of sense was part of the deal. His lord didn’t stop at the dollhouse, he went so far as to provide custom-made brushes and bamboo scrolls fit for the little one’s size whenever the lumen was in the mood to draw or scribble, make it little scarves and hats whenever winter season arrived, and even had miniature kitchen-ware prepared anytime the lumen fancied making one of its spicy dishes.
(Yin Yu couldn’t comprehend how Chengzhu was able to stomach those concoctions with an excellent poker-face, while showering the lumen with compliments for its ‘innovative cuisine’, but he’ll never say it aloud. He’d like to keep his job, thank you very much.)
However, all those sweet and ridiculous moments could never fully cover up the cracks that both Hua Cheng and Yin Yu would see in the little light’s mischievous nature.
During the times that they would go out for a stroll around the city, they’d notice how the lumen would flinch and hide in Hua Cheng’s sleeves whenever a street performance involved the crackings of a whip, which resulted in Chengzhu banning anyone using it outdoors.
How the lumen would cower at the mere sound of a bark and quiver in the presence of an actual dog. No matter how small.
(The first time it caught sight of a dog, the lumen had shot like an arrow, launching itself off of Hua Cheng and furiously flown away from the canine, which resulted in the mutt to chase after it in some form of play. Both he and Chengzhu looked all over the city until they finally found the poor thing huddled up in a tree with a pack of mongrels circling around it.
All it took was a flash of his crimson eye for Chengzhu to disperse the dogs and send them yelping, running away with their tails between their legs. Afterwards, Yin Yu was tasked with keeping any stray dog out of the surrounding grounds of Paradise Manor.)
No matter how many times his lord would gently question- interrogate the silver lumen, it wouldn’t give Hua Cheng any sort of answer for these alarming signs.
Then, one day it eventually accumulated to something truly terrifying. A type of change that was wholly irreversible.
A stain had formed within the pristine silver. It started off as a small misshapen reddish-black dot at the centre, growing and expanding like a fungus, until it practically enveloped the whole sphere and only left a few splotches of its original colour.
Hua Cheng masked his panic with fury. He knew what it meant. His other half was toying with demonic energy, an utter detriment to one’s health and cultivation, which was clearly reflected in the lumen’s behaviour, becoming less and less energetic as the months passed by.
Throughout the years, they were able to narrow down that Chengzhu’s soulmate was a young man who was following the righteous path, that he was taken in by a renowned sect, that he was a martial arts’ prodigy who mastered the Four Arts, swordsmanship and had a knack for talisman work.
Hua Cheng would go on manhunts with this little bit of information. Subtly checking every young cultivator he came across, anyone who fit the corresponding age, gender and other criteria. Trying to track down and stop his foolish soulmate from playing with forces that shouldn’t be messed with. Yet, with every hint, every lead, every shred of hope or potential breakthrough, he would always hit a wall.
Then came the day when it just…quiets. The lumen, once vibrant and playful, always seeking Hua Cheng’s attention, simply stopped hovering all together and found refuge in the lord’s sleeves. Refusing to come out no matter how many times Hua Cheng would coax it with his soothing words or tempt it with gifts. He would take it to all its favourite spots, remind it of all the pranks it pulled, all in an attempt to improve its mood.
Nothing. No response. It might as well have been an ordinary ball at that point.
Hua Cheng was at his wits’ end, fear was now an ever-tightening noose around his neck. It was only because of Yin Yu’s suggestion did he go to the Gambler’s Den to take his mind off of the issue.
The Calamity decided to take out his frustrations on the next fool who thought they could challenge him.
He didn’t have to wait long.
A paranoid merchant, already at the height of his success demanded for his rivals’ businesses to go under, predictably lost all his fortune for his insatiable greed.
Next, a novelist who had run out of ideas begs Hua Cheng to provide him with his next muse in exchange for his priceless writing tools, he stumbles out of the den sans hands.
Then, an arrogant martial artist comes up, bets on his family’s precious sword in exchange for a rare cultivation manual. Twas an heirloom passed down through generations etc. etc. Wouldn’t stop whining about how the game was rigged after he lost his dumb sword. Hua Cheng ‘advised’ that he could win it back if he bets on his sword arm. The idiot hightailed out of the den with the patrons’ jeers keeping him company.
Hua Cheng impatiently tapped his fingers against the armrests. Normally he’d feel a sense of boredom or smug satisfaction in the face of his opponents losses, but there was too much going on in his mind, a tumbleweed that wouldn’t stop furiously spinning in the sand. He felt tense and antsy, if he were alive, his heart would’ve been beating unusually fast. It was as if his body knew what was about to happen.
CRACK!
That awful awful sound echoed throughout the Gambler’s Den. The laughter lodged in everyone’s throats, all the smiles died, in just one second, every semblance of movement came to an abrupt halt. An eerie silence descended on the previously rowdy crowd.
Everyone knew what that sound meant before their King did.
Their lord became still as a statue, wide-eyed, a sheen of sweat breaking out on snow-white skin, hands tightly gripping the armrest until his veins stood out. Hua Cheng could feel tiny, sharp pricks all over the underside of his left arm, drawing blood and wetting the interior of his sleeve. Slowly, shakingly, he lowered it and out his little star came in a jagged blood-stained waterfall of shards, forming into a pile on his lap.
Hua Cheng thought he heard the watchful ghosts let out horrified gasps. He couldn't be sure, every sound that reached his ears seemed muffled and warped, as if he were underwater.
This couldn’t be happening. It was a joke, right? Another prank?
Yes. That’s what it was. Maybe his little star had learned some new trick and was going to pop out any moment to startle him.
But no. The ‘glass shards’ did not miraculously reform into the orb he so adored nor was it some kind of clever switch.
Bit by bit the threads of his carefully tied control snapped. An oppressive wave of resentful energy flooded the den, driving every single ghost, demon and spirit to their knees from the sheer force of Chengzhu’s rage, even disintegrating a few that were too close to the altar. It was as if a mountain descended from the Heavens and crashed down onto each of their shoulders, forcing all the ghosts to bear its immovable weight. Not even the other residents in Ghost City were spared. Earthquakes of hellish magnitude erupted from the Gambler’s Den and reverberated throughout the city’s entirety, extinguishing all the street lanterns, leaving everyone in darkness as carts, people and buildings were knocked over, while demolishing others from the cracks that have formed within the earth. Every ghost near the den instinctively skittered away, having just a mere taste of their King’s wrath was enough to make them flee to safety. While back inside the den, the frozen ghosts watched in silent horror as blackish-red smoke permeated off of their lord, distorting the air around him. Silver-wraith butterflies now rapidly fluttering above him in a furious dance, E-ming had awoken from its slumber, wildly trembling in its sheath in response to its master’s distress, Hua Cheng’s one eye glowed an ominous red, hands tightly clenching the armrests of his throne until they splintered.
“ Yin Yu… ” Even his voice was off, somehow coming out deeper and malformed, as if his vocal chords had been shredded and stitched back together.
“Yin Yu.” Hua Cheng spat out through clenched teeth, thinking he hadn’t been heard. Utterly pulverising the armrests with his unforgiving grip, driving the splinters into his palms and fingers. Not that he felt it nor cared.
“I’m here, my lord.”
“Monitor all the ghost-fires that wandered into the city. I want a list of every single recorded death that took place within the last few minutes, search the entirety of the Central Plains if you have to.” He might as well have ordered Yin Yu to bring him the moon next, the sheer man-power such an unattainable task would need… Hua Cheng’s mind started overworking itself, trying to narrow down the search while at the same time leaving no stone unturned. “Dis-dismemberment…” if the lumen’s state was anything to go by… “Look into cases where a young man died via dismemberment or bodily mutilation.” Hua Cheng forced out, mentally shying away from the image, scarcely restraining himself from flinching at the mere thought ….
“My lord…” Yin Yu hesitantly muttered, wanting to interrupt.
Hua Cheng wasn’t listening. He had to stand up. He needed to get up and start the search.
But he couldn’t . Whatever remained of his little star was still on his lap. Hua Cheng will never forgive himself if he scattered the lumen’s remnants all over the filthy floor.
“ And for fuck’s sake call that stupid fish! ” The Calamity seethed, resentful energy swirling around, viscously lashing out. “It’s past time he pays off his debt with something useful. I don’t care what you have to do, just bring him here!”
“MY LORD!” Yin Yu shouted, tightly gripping Chengzhu’s arm and wrenching him back to the present.
“Can’t you feel that presence?!”
Hua Cheng’s eye widened at the implications. He attempted to centre himself and stretch out his senses, anxiously combing through the demonic qi of every corner, every crevice of his city, brow quickly furrowing in frustration when he didn’t pick up anything. Hua Cheng was about to snap at Yin Yu, when he finally felt it.
It was light and so so very weak. The yin signature barely discernible among the ocean of demonic qi permeating from Ghost City. Like a shrivelled leaf that rustled its way here, purely by accident, the wind being the only thing that kept it moving forward.
A strangled gasp tore through Hua Cheng’s lips.
His soulmate was on his way here….
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
There he lied, ignorant to the ensuing chaos his abrupt death brought upon the poor residents of Ghost City, the young ghost was in a fetal position on the cold, grassless ground, utterly numb to the ongoing mayhem happening half a li away from where he was curled up.
There he lied, silver eyes vacantly staring forward yet not really seeing anything. The thought of moving or even twisting his head never once crossing his mind.
Wei Ying just wanted to stay like this until he can finally stop thinking all together.
The full moon hung high in the sky. Illuminating the empty field with its serene glow. Bright enough to make the black speck stand out from Wei Ying’s peripheral vision.
Wei Ying didn’t know what exactly pushed him to go and take a closer look. Perhaps it was an attempt to distract himself from this suffocating emptiness or just plain old morbid curiosity.
Regardless, the now-ghost found himself sitting up on his knees and slowly crawling forward to the round-ish object.
Wei Ying saw a lot of black, plenty of dark red, a few hints of white and-
Oh.
It was his own head.
Wei Ying blinked owlishly as he grabbed the head and laid it on his lap. Inspecting it with a detached air. Uncaring to the congealed blackish blood slowly seeping into his torn robes.
Honestly, if it wasn’t for the half-lidded moonstone eye, identical to his own, Wei Ying would’ve thought that it was the head of another one of his fierce corpses.
There was hardly any skin on the face. Most of it were torn off by blunt teeth or sharpened fingernails, revealing the jaw bones, muscles and sinew underneath. The nose and chunks of meat beneath the flesh were also chewed off, even some of the teeth were missing. The lower jaw was gone, leaving the now-purple tongue to just hang off from the severed neck. Wei Ying was somewhat surprised that it wasn’t devoured as well. The hair wasn’t spared, either. There were bloody bald patches all over the top of the skull, several handfuls of hair had been ripped off, taking bits of flesh along with the strands.
Wei Ying doubted his own mother could’ve recognised him. The only identifying feature that would’ve linked him and this thing was that one eye, the other was nowhere to be found. With the way the stringy nerve hung out of the empty socket, most likely the second eye was plucked out and eaten too.
He looked around and noticed several body parts scattered throughout the field. A limb here, a hand there. Wei Ying spied a torso not too far away from where he was currently sitting.
Did he have to reassemble his own corpse? Like some sort of macabre puzzle?
Why was he here? Where was here?
In the fashion of broken pieces of glass lazily put back together, his memories of what happened that night gradually reassembled. There were still several pieces missing, but from what he could recall, after copious amounts of his blood spilt on the cave-floor, they soaked into several half-formed experimental arrays that he haphazardly drew on the rocky surface. It must've resulted in some type of mutant spell that functioned as a bastardised distance shortening array. Wei Ying vaguely remembered all those scribbles glowing in unison, a certain pull ……and then nothing.
Wei Ying looked down at his own head again.
The head stared back.
A ghost having a staring contest with its own head.
Unexpectedly, his lips started twitching upwards.
Wei Ying pinched himself, trying to school his expression.
“Pfffh-!” He quickly clamped his mouth shut with both hands.
That didn’t stop his shoulders from shaking, though.
It started as muffled, bubble-sized chortles that squeezed past his clasped hands, turning into bursts of giggles of varying pitches and decibels, before finally descending into manic, body-rocking laughter, hot tears bursting out of widened, unblinking eyes, streaming down his face as Wei Ying continued to howl in complete hysterics, his mania echoing all round the field, cradling the mutilated head to his chest as he did so.
If a group of travellers stumbled upon this sight, they would’ve assumed Wei Ying had hit his head and turned into a complete lunatic.
Head! Hah! Get it?! A ghost holding its own head. Wasn’t that just fucking hilarious?!
Maybe he did turn into a lunatic after all.
There was something warm urgently pushing at Wei Ying’s cheek, with enough force that it twisted his neck to the side a bit. His deranged chuckles sputtered to a halt as Wei Ying flinched away, near-feral eyes swerving at the potential new threat.
It was his red star.
Wei Ying let out a broken gasp. Almost choking on air as he accidentally took his first breath in this new form.
“ You’re still here…? ” He rasped disbelievingly. The crimson lumen’s surface was convulsing uncontrollably, similar to the rippling waters of a disturbed lake. Its black splotch shimmering non-stop, were it human, it would be holding back tears.
The poor thing was forced to watch as its Chosen was having the mother of all breakdowns, distressed that it couldn’t snap Wei Ying out of it sooner.
“You’re still here…” He stated with a bit more certainty, shaky hands reaching out, to touch, to feel . Wanting- needing to confirm that this was real.
The lumen wasted no time, jumping into Wei Ying’s arms, furiously pushing the head away from its mate’s grasp. It rolled a fair distance away. Good. The further, the better.
“ You’re still here…you’re still here… ” Wei Ying repeated, a never ending litany of reassurances and comfort, both for himself and his red star. His hysterical sobbing turned to that of relief, expressing his tearful joy and sorrow without care or shame.
The red lumen fiercely burrowed into Wei Ying’s chest. Wanting to shout: I’m here! I’m here!
“ I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry . Wei Ying was wrong. An awful soulmate. This lowly one will never push you away again.” He whimpered pitifully, rubbing his cheek against the warm, quivering surface. Recollecting the past few months where he purposefully distanced himself from the lumen, even verbally pushing it away at times, Wei Ying was recoiling from his own abhorrent behaviour. How could he have treated his Chosen like that….?
The lumen was rapidly shaking itself side-to-side. Not wanting to hear or even see Wei Ying looking so apologetic again. He shouldn’t be the one apologising! Not that the ghost was paying much attention to its reaction. The lumen patiently waited until the shaking stopped, for the sobs to eventually quiet down, for its Wei Ying’s breathing to even out.
Once his emotions finally settled, Wei Ying felt the wave of exhaustion hit him with a vengeance. He was so tired . The young ghost was about to lie down on the cold ground and curl up again, this time with his red star to keep him company, but it forcefully wrenched itself out of his embrace.
He let out a shocked cry. Confused and hurt in equal measures. Wei Ying was about to reach out to the lumen again before stopping himself. Hands lowering to clench his robes instead, head bowed defeatedly.
What right did he have to-
Whatever self-deprecating train of thought he was having was firmly derailed once he felt the lumen urgently pushing at his shoulder-blades. Clearly telling Wei Ying to stand up. He hesitantly did so. Legs quaking from having to support his full weight. Wei Ying wobbled on his feet a bit, unused to this new form.
It was at this moment he realised that his feet were bare and his robes? Most of the layers were torn off and he only had his underrobe that was barely hanging off his shoulders. It no longer looked white beneath all the smeared dirt, blood and filth. Wei Ying thoughtlessly felt the back of his head and noticed that there was no ribbon keeping his hair up. Leaving the black tresses to tumble down his back like a mournful banner. That, coupled with his malnourished state from when he was alive…
At least Wei Ying looked the part of a ghost.
His red star was now glowing brightly. Wei Ying stared, fascinated and baffled as several tendrils grew out of the lumen, extending, coiling and firmly wrapping around one of his arms like vines, each end of the tendrils were oddly shaped, for some reason they looked like animal paws. But for the life of him, Wei Ying couldn’t say what type.
His red star started moving forward, pulling Wei Ying along with it. He had no choice but to follow. Not that he minded.
Wei Ying couldn’t say how long he walked. He didn’t bother focusing on where they were going nor was he all too alarmed at this strange development. A sense of calm apathy settled within Wei Ying’s mind as he distantly heard his feet crunching against the harsh ground, slightly wincing as the jagged rocks tore into the soles, listening to his own breathing, the night breeze whistling past his ears, with nothing but the moon, stars and his lumen to accompany him.
That bubble of peculiar serenity popped the moment he set foot in what appeared to be a city that had just been razed. Wei Ying’s eyes widened as they bore witness to sheer pandemonium. People-animals-demons(?) were everywhere . Some trying to help their fellows out of crumbled buildings, others stampeding and climbing atop each other, clearly trying to get away from something, all of them wailing and crying over how their lord(?) seemed to have finally lost his mind.
What was worse was that his red star was actively pulling Wei Ying towards the panicking crowd. He was forced to brush against other people, squeeze himself in narrow gaps among the throng of demons, experience inhuman shrieks and bellows blaring right into his eardrums, as the lumen purposefully dragged him to go the opposite direction of where the horde of spirits were going.
The constant shoving, pushing, stumbling, tugging within a small space where he was at the mercy of those beings had Wei Ying break out in cold sweat, eyes popping out of his head to the point that the whites showed, his vision of this crowd intermingling with what he ordered the fierce corpses to do with him. Taking Wei Ying back to that night again.
“ Stop… ” He weakly called out, knees buckling, breath quickening. The lumen wrapped around his arm was the only thing that was keeping Wei Ying upright. “Stop…!” He called out again, hoping that it would hear .
No more! No more!
His legs could no longer bear his own weight. Wei Ying lost his will to keep going and crouched down to the ground, using his free arm to protect his head. Instinctively aware that the terrified masses will likely trample all over him now.
Except that didn’t happen. There was a flashing red light, blazing so brightly that Wei Ying tightly closed his eyes and used both arms to shield his stinging retinas.
Wait. Both arms?! When did his lumen let him go?!
“ Red star…! ” Wei Ying shouted, he couldn’t open his eyes. He was tightly wedged among the terrified rabble, unable to move his arms or even stand within the enclosed space. Heart filling with a new kind of dread.
Don’t go…. Don’t leave me too…
Gradually, the blinding light died down. Wei Ying was ready to spring back up and start searching for his companion like a man possessed. Only he didn’t need to.
There was a familiar warmth brushing up and down his raised arms. Soft and soothing.
It took Wei Ying a few seconds to register that he now had enough room to move. He instinctively grabbed at his lumen, firmly wrapping his arms around the sphere and squeezed. Were it any other creature, he would’ve been constricting its airflow. The lumen indulged Wei Ying until he ultimately calmed down again.
Tentatively, Wei Ying stood back up. The previously screaming crowd, the one that had been toppling over each other in their panicked state and compressing him into a tight space had fallen into an abnormal hush. They’d even given Wei Ying a wide berth. Now, the demons stood statue-still, staring at the young ghost with wide eyes, pointing and whispering to each other, expressions rapidly shifting from terror induced confusion to cautious optimism.
Wei Ying felt his skin itch from all the gawking. No matter what anyone would say, he had never really liked being the centre of attention. Not when it was always accompanied with scorn and derision, people acting all high and mighty because they thought themselves morally superior.
Had the Yiling Lazou’s shadow followed him all the way here? Was he forever haunted for his sins? Wholly irredeemable from his past crimes?
Even death couldn’t give me the escape that I wanted….
There was another insistent tug at his arm.
Oh, that’s right. His lumen was still here, securely gripping his wrist. Like a puppet, he impassively let the sphere guide him to wherever he needed to go. Anyone that was in Wei Ying’s way quickly skittered off to the side, as if the thought of them brushing shoulders was enough to fill them with fear. His features turned slack, almost doll-like in the face of all the whispers, finger-pointing, nervous shifting and evasive gazes. Let them say what they want, think what they want. Wei Ying still had his red star and that was all that mattered.
Several times Wei Ying was close to falling on his knees and just sit down on the street to rest, he’d lost all feeling from the soles of his feet to his thighs. But whenever the thought would tempt him, the lumen would let go of his wrist and gently brush against Wei Ying’s hollowed cheeks, blinkering reassuringly. He could practically hear the words:
It’s okay. You’re doing so well. So so well.
Just a few more steps. We’re almost there.
The amount of care this strange ball of light would provide his wretched-self nearly made him weep. Wei Ying will never understand what he did to deserve this.
The young ghost stumbled and shambled his way into what looked like a gambling den, untouched by the disaster that seemed to have struck the rest of this bizarre city.
The uneven, rocky cobblestone gave way to soft, smooth carpeting. He was able to see his path much more clearly with the lumen, now too bright for comfort, instead of the den’s faint lanterns hanging above him. All the hushed voices that seemed to follow Wei Ying like flies unexpectedly died down. The only sounds that reached his ears were his own rattling breaths.
For reasons unknown to him, Wei Ying felt apprehension creeping up his shoulders, a stiffness in his spine that kept growing the deeper he got into the building.
Even more alarming was that the closer they got to whatever was in that den, the more his red star was changing . It didn’t stop at those odd tendrils or that blazing light. The lumen’s colours were shifting, the black within breaking apart, each piece floating around the crimson interior at varying speeds, it reminded Wei Ying of a miniature snowstorm. The lumen was spasming so much that it was losing its roundness, becoming more and more of a glowing blob. Wei Ying could’ve sworn that the lumen was trying to force itself into a new shape. In spite of the impromptu changes, it never once stopped pulling Wei Ying forward or let go of his wrist.
He should be unnerved, he should be scared . This was out of his element and he didn’t understand what the hell was going on, but Wei Ying was more petrified over who or what was in the main hall that was making his lumen act-up like this.
A shaking hand reached out and hesitantly pulled back the beaded curtain. The first thing that caught his eye was the altar with its red curtains drawn. As he slowly made his way into the hall, Wei Ying was able to see the outline of a man sitting on a throne. He didn’t need to look behind that curtain to know he was being watched. It felt like that strange man could see all the way through him, puncturing the young ghost’s flesh and bones until he was peering right into Wei Ying’s soul.
He winced. An instinctual part of himself wanted to shy away from that intense gaze.
The lumen eventually stopped Wei Ying at the foot of the altar, letting go of his wrist. The young ghost’s legs gave out, crashing onto the floor. Finally gracing the abused limbs with a moments’ rest.
Wei Ying watched, entranced, heart in his throat as the blood red lumen started to disperse , breaking apart into tiny pebble-sized pieces, pulled by some unknown force towards floating silver shards that appeared to glow -another lumen?- the pieces furiously orbiting around each other in a radiant whirlpool, colliding in bursts of silver and red sparks that hurt the eyes, exchanging and mingling colours with every contact, the pieces reassembling, reforming into something else. Long bodies, four legs, claws, snouts, tails….
Wei Ying gaped at the two foxes now standing before him.
Well, one of them was standing. The smaller of the two tried to take a step towards the other fox, but tittered off to the side and smacked onto the floor like a newborn foal.
The larger fox let out a low cry of dismay. Crouching at the other’s side, nuzzling its companion’s head, urging it to stand back up.
“...red star…?” He hoarsely called out. Prompting the bigger of the two to look at him.
Wei Ying studied the ‘fox’. The creature had a shining deep red coat, with thick white fur sprouting from its chest, long legs that blended from red to black, white-ringed ears that twitched playfully, a thick white-tipped tail that looked soft to the touch and its entire body the length of a man’s torso. The most remarkable thing was that it had one brown-ish gold eye instead of two. It looked like it was winking at Wei Ying, giving off a boyish, mischievous air. It was beautiful , majestic even. If it had a few more tails, Wei Ying would’ve mistaken it for a king of foxes.
The fox’s regal appearance shone all the brighter compared to that pitiful black creature lying behind it.
The other fox’s fur was a deep black with a ruby-red underbelly and face, silver-tipped tail and moonstone eyes, matching Wei Ying’s. It would’ve given off a more subtle beauty had its coat not been dishevelled and unkempt. It also appeared to be malnourished to the point that its ribs were showing and had trouble standing on its own feet. Legs trembling with every attempt to stand.
He will never claim to be an expert in lumen-lore, but even Wei Ying knew what this transformation meant.
An odd clink-clinking sound echoed within the quiet hall, like soft bells tickling his ears. Wei Ying heard curtains rustling, approaching footsteps overlapping with those sweet chimes, getting closer to where he was kneeling.
Wei Ying’s thought process stopped altogether, whatever breath in his lungs was viscously expelled. He needed to leave. He had to leave.
He tried pushing himself off the floor with his hands, smacking his useless legs when they wouldn’t listen. To no avail.
Of all the times that I could’ve met my soulmate, why did it have to be now?!
Why can’t fate just stop using him as the butt of every joke…?
Something wet and coarse glided across Wei Ying’s cheek.
Huh…?
The red fox was nosing the spot it had just licked before bumping its Chosen’s chin with its nose. Once, twice, thrice, until Wei Ying’s breaths evened out again.
The fox stepped aside and backed away. In its place, an elegant hand appeared in Wei Ying’s field of vision, steady and unmoving.
There were no noticeable scars or blemishes on it, the fingers long and slender, the middle-finger had a red string loosely tied at the base, each digit topped off with black-painted nails, making the snow-white skin even more pronounced, the palm broad with thickened skin, there were also noticeable calluses on the fingers, particularly in the areas where a brush or pencil would be secured. An artist’s hand.
Wei Ying swallowed around the lump in his throat. Reluctantly, he gripped the offered hand with two of his own, allowing the other to pull him up on his feet with ease.
Unfortunately, Wei Ying’s legs still refused to function properly and he tipped forward, arms instinctively grabbing at the nearest object to keep his balance, which -to his horror- happened to be the mysterious man.
Somehow, it ended up with the younger wrapping his arms around that person’s neck, ear pressed to their chest, while the elder enclosed Wei Ying’s thin waist with one arm, steadying him.
Three realisations hit the young ghost at the same time:
One, the man was tall . Wei Ying by no means considered himself short and the fact that his ear reached the other male’s chest was a sheer testament to the other's freakish height.
Two, there was no heartbeat, which - obviously - this guy was a ghost too, but since that was the case, why was his body radiating so much heat? Did he do that for Wei Ying’s sake? Subconsciously aware of his aversion to anything cold?
Three, the elder ghost smelled lovely . There was a fluorescence that ringed of freshly bloomed carnations, coupled with an earthy scent that reminded Wei Ying of spring rains with rusty, metallic undertones.
Wei Ying almost didn’t want to leave this spontaneous embrace, he couldn’t remember the last time someone willingly hugged him like this.
….didn’t he want to leave just a few minutes ago…?
Wei Ying was mortified. Both by his own perverse thoughts and the man’s seemingly endless patience. Any normal person would’ve shoved him off by now. If he still had a beating heart, he would’ve fainted from all the blood rushing to his head.
The moment some feeling came back to his legs, he jolted against the man’s hold. Silently asking to be let go. The man quickly dropped his arm, as if burnt. Wei Ying backed up a step, hugging himself, gaze stubbornly trained on the other male’s collarbone. Not because he found the jewellery draped on it interesting or worth examining.
He just didn’t have the heart to look at this man in the eye.
The other ghost didn’t seem to agree with that idea, though. Those same elegant digits carefully curled around Wei Ying’s chin, gently but firmly coaxing the younger to look up.
The moment Wei Ying did so, he thought: Oh. He should’ve known what the fox’s appearance indicated.
The words ‘handsome, but feral’ would be an apt description. Flawless features, jade-like skin, perfectly shaped eyebrows, slanted nose, bow-shaped lips with sharp canines peeking out and a dark eye that appeared to be shining beneath the dim lights like a lone star.
What a devastating beauty…..
That same eye crinkled a bit as the man twisted his lips into a tentative smile. He uttered one word:
“Hello.”
“Hi…” Wei Ying replied back, equally breathless.
The man - his soulmate his other-half - let out a slight laugh. Awed and relieved in equal measures. The fingers that were gripping his chin slowly drifted upwards, lightly cupping Wei Ying’s cheek. Silver eyes involuntarily fluttered at the unexpectedly intimate gesture.
Wei Ying didn’t need a mirror to know that he was in just as much disbelief.
“May this one know your name…?”
“W-wei…” It was as if he’d just swallowed sand, he was parched . The younger licked his chapped lips and tried again.
“Wei Ying.”
“ Wei Ying… ” The elder echoed. Slowly enunciating each syllable with an undercurrent of reverence and attentiveness, etching the name into his memory.
Like beams of sunlight breaking out of grey clouds, the man gifted Wei Ying with a smile, not the kind one would plaster on to calm a spooked horse, but a genuine smile, one of unadulterated delight. It was the smile of a man who at long last was able to put a name and a face to the person fate chose to be with him.
“Mine is Hua Cheng. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“...sorry to have kept you waiting.” Wei Ying rasped out.
Hua Cheng merely shook his head in reply. Gently declining the unnecessary apology.
Wei Ying felt his heart lurch at the familiar gesture.
His lumen never did like it whenever he told it ‘sorry’.
Against his will, tears pricked up at the corners of his eyes, clinging to his lashes.
Gods, what was wrong with him…?
Feeling far too vulnerable for comfort, Wei Ying looked away, tightly clutching his ruined robes, shivering slightly.
There was a small pause, the warm hand that was resting on his cheek disappeared, a rustle of clothes and then a new weight on his back, followed by that familiar flower-rusted scent.
Wei Ying blinked. Hua Cheng had just draped his outer robe on his shoulders.
“You look like you needed it more than me.” He swiftly answers in response to the younger’s inquiring gaze.
“...thanks.” What else could he possibly say? Wei Ying knew the sorry state that he was in. He clutched the crimson robe tighter around his body, feeling all the more self-conscious.
Wei Ying thought he heard Hua Cheng let out a slight gasp.
“Your feet…” He uttered, dismayed.
Wei Ying peered down at the limbs in question and let out a small ‘oh’.
If his state of dress was bad, this was even worse. His feet were caked in mud, grime and dried blood. So much so, that he couldn’t even see his own skin. All of his toenails had dirt beneath the nail beds, some were even chipped. Adjusting his weight to his heels, Wei Ying let out a low hiss as he felt the pointed stones and debris stuck in his soles shift with the motion.
If Wei Ying saw anyone’s feet in a similar condition, he would’ve demanded that they get medical treatment immediately or risk getting an infection followed by a swift amputation, but since he was already dead….
He met Hua Cheng’s troubled gaze with a shrug.
“It doesn’t hurt as much anymore. Besides, I’ve had worse.”
He really couldn’t have picked a more atrocious response if he tried. Wei Ying watched as Hua Cheng’s brow furrowed, numerous emotions flickered in his eye, the elder pursed his lips and got close - too close! - to the younger ghost.
“What are you doing?!” Wei Ying yelped. Backing away from the sudden movement.
Having noticed that he had startled the young man, Hua Cheng dropped his previously outstretched arms.
“You can’t honestly expect me to just leave you to walk around like this.”
“And you’re going to…what? Carry me? I’m fine . It’s not like this will kill me, anyway!”
Hua Cheng’s expression tightened. He looked frustrated, as if there was something that Wei Ying just wasn’t getting.
The elder eventually lowered his head, black hair falling around his face, concealing his features. Hua Cheng let out a quiet sigh.
“Indulge me just this once and I’ll never ask this of you again.” He requested softly.
The way this ghost -this lord , for who else could Hua Cheng be?- acting so docile, so subdued, towards a fledgling spirit like him made Wei Ying’s stomach churn.
“You don’t have to….I’m not worth the trouble.”
“ Wei Ying .” The shift in tone made his ears prick. Dark eye looking at him steadfastly before continuing “I’ve lived over twenty years with your lumen. This hardly counts as trouble.” A slight, secretive smile played on Hua Cheng’s lips, one that spoke of colourful tales and impish stories.
Wei Ying tightly clenched the robe to his chest. Hands shaking.
Stubborn man….
“...fine. If you insist.”
For a moment, Wei Ying thought he was floating, arms immediately snaking around the man’s neck once more as he found himself in a maiden's-carry. Hua Cheng gave Wei Ying a few moments to adjust comfortably in his hold, frowning deeply when he felt that the younger ghost was far too light for someone his size. He steadily made his way out of the den, careful not to jostle Wei Ying too much.
Do I even weigh anything to him…?
A sudden thought struck him.
“Red star….!” How could he have forgotten?! He never went anywhere without it. Wei Ying craned his neck to look over Hua Cheng’s shoulder, ear brushing against the side of the man’s head as his eyes rapidly darted around the place.
“He’s fine.” Hua Cheng assured, warm breath licking the shell of Wei Ying’s ear. His chest vibrated with his next words “Yin Yu has them.”
Wei Ying reflexively shivered at that. Thinking he was cold, Hua Cheng raised his body temperature slightly and tightened his hold. Hoping that it would warm up the younger.
Wei Ying ignored the nervous fluttering in his belly and focused on the scene unfolding behind them. This ‘Yin Yu’ -likely a servant of sorts- was crouching down at the two foxes’ level, blanket at the ready. The smaller of the two was wobbling its way towards the waiting man, leaning against the bigger fox for support.
Perhaps it was the sweetness of the scene, perhaps it was the exhaustion finally catching up to him, but Wei Ying found himself completely dropping his guard, mind going blank as he did so. He rested his forehead against the other’s shoulder, eyelids becoming too heavy for him to keep open anymore. The steady pace created a soothing rhythm, further coaxing his drowsy mind to just close his eyes and go to sleep.
“ Rest , Wei Ying. I promise that nothing will disturb or harm you here. Not anymore.”
***Bonus scene***
After having the best bath of his (un)life and his poor feet tenderly wrapped in bandages and ointment, Wei Ying found himself lying on a massive bed in a room fit for a king (which had a dollhouse sitting on the window sill for some strange reason).
He was lying down on his side, blankets up to his chin, watching the two foxes cuddling together on the pillow next to his head.
Mind repeating the same confusing turn of events for the nth time.
“Wait! Why are you giving it to me? Isn’t it your fox?”
Hua Cheng gently shook his head. His gaze noticeably softened at the sight of the red fox hovering over the black one. Tail swishing back-and-forth in slight agitation.
“I don’t have the heart to separate them. You don’t mind keeping them in your room for the night, do you?”
‘Your’ room. As if Wei Ying now had somewhere to belong in this grand mansion.
“I’m gonna need to come up with a new name for you.” He said, out of the blue. The red fox twitched its ears, questionably looking at its Chosen.
“I can’t just keep calling you ‘red star’. It doesn't suit you anymore.” Wei Ying babbled on in explanation. The red fox let out a low chitter of agreement.
“And you….!” He pointed at the smaller fox, making it blink its silver eyes in confusion. “You need to start eating more. And groom yourself! You can’t always rely on red star to take care of you.”
The red fox let out a higher-pitched chitter. Agreeing with some points and disagreeing with others.
Wei Ying reached out a hand and carded his fingers through the red, warm fur. Marvelling at its softness.
He stretched his neck and planted a lingering kiss on the fox’s forehead. The creature fluttered its eye in contentment.
“Good night, you two.” Wei Ying mumbled, drifting off to a -thankfully- dreamless sleep.
In a study on the other side of Paradise Manor, Hua Cheng was startled out of his thoughts when he felt someone lightly running their hand up and down his back. The touch warm and the fingers nimble.
There was no one in the room with him.
The phantom stroking faded to a stop. He was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when he felt something warm and slightly damp brush against his forehead, gentle as a petal’s touch.
Hua Cheng layed a cool hand on heated cheeks.
Does his soulmate not know?
Tomorrow . He’ll educate Wei Ying about lumen-etiquette tomorrow....
......and why he shouldn’t just let anyone touch his fox.
End.