#SOUPSERUMꨄfanfiction

[soupserum]

SWMTBB [ 1 ]

the first chapter of swords were meant to be broken! crossposted on ao3 first which goes up to 6 chapters :] tws for this one : desc of battle and mild gore

Fire.

That was Jing Yuan's first thought as he rushed through the dying ruins of a Xianzhou outpost. His soldiers fought around him, swords clashing with the undying blood of Abundance abominations. Three platoons followed behind him, poised to invade the heavily-guarded worship sect.

The building crumbled around them, bricks striking the ground and flames licking at their armor.

"Stand wary," he commanded. If the intel was right, there could be civillians in there. Or what was left of them, anyway. This sect of Disciples was rather obsessed with ritual killings for the Plagues Author. Rather contradictory, he thought to himself as he rushed into the sect, glaive already summoned and sparking with lightning desperate to unleash itself upon his enemies.

As expected, screams rang out, immediately followed by the clang of metal and the telltale sound of arrows whizzing through the air. He cut down wave after wave of Disciples, barely even seeing their faces, attention fixed on one point. "Get to the holding cells!" Sergeant Huoqiáng ordered the troops behind them. The Cloud Knights immediately followed her words, forcing themselves through the waves of enemies. Jing Yuan was faster, sparks trailing in his wake as he sliced open the thick iron door.

Blood rushed through his ears, obscuring the sounds of his footsteps on the stone bricks. He tried not to think about how they were slicked with blood.

Left, right, right, left, forward, left… They had certainly spared no expense in hiding their sins from the outside world. He tried to open his ears, to listen for screams, but the only sound accompanying him was the echoes of his own steps along the pitch-black hallways.

There-! He barely had time to formulate another thought as he summoned the Lightning Lord, directing it to destroy a fake wall. He had seen a lot of gore in his centuries of life, but Aeons…

Ancient symbols were drawn on the walls with a dripping red substance, the thick metallic stench permeating the room. Corpses laid abundantly across the crimson bricks, and he did not dare to think of which were innocent and which were Disciples.

The guilt settled heavy on his shoulders, but he was long used to the weight. His footsteps sounded far different among a miasma of blood and gore, but maybe… maybe there would be one survivor, maybe he could still fix this…

-

At least an hour had passed since his first discovery of this hidden room. Cloud Knights were rushing to and fro among the halls, Sergeant Huoqiáng shouting orders that echoed off the bricks… and the permeating smell of death. How silly, to have that in a place that worshiped the Abundance.

"General!" Turning around at the echoing call of one of the Cloud Knights, one of the soldiers had rushed towards him and seemingly had run through the maze to fetch him..

"Speak." "We found a survivor, chained in the deepest cell they had. Superficial injuries, but the bones in his legs were shattered. As far as we can tell he's a Xianzhou native, and looks to be around the age of five." Looking to Sergeant Huoqiáng for confirmation, he recieved a nod in return, a faint glint of happiness in her eyes. It seems the Aeons smiled upon him today. "Take me to him." He commanded, and was quickly led through the halls and out to the quickly cooling battlefield. There were several medical tents set up for both soldiers and survivors, but until now, they had only been populated with Cloud Knights. The one on the far left seemingly housed the boy.

He couldn't help but ponder as he walked. Why did the Disciples chain him so deep? Was he born to one of their own, or taken from his family? And at such a young age…

He was jolted out of his thoughts by the tent flap opening, and a frazzled looking healer stepping out. "General Jing Yuan." She greeted him. "Xinyu." He responded. "Is the boy alright? "He's fine," she opened the tent flap wider, so that he could enter. "With a few weeks of treatment back at the Alchemy Commission, he should be up in no time, and in a few months completely healed." "I see. What a-" Jing Yuan cut himself off upon truly taking a good look at the boy.

He seemed… strange. That look in his eyes- of course, he didn't expect his face to be filled with youthful innocence after being rescued from a Disciples cell, but… There was something else in there. He couldn't put a name to whatever it was that felt off.

Dragging his attention away from those haunting yellow and blue eyes, he scanned the rest of the boy. Long, untamed blonde locks, and a scar tracing the side of his face. The child was sitting up in the hospital cot, leveling everyone in the room with a wary, but unafraid stare. He seemed more.. curious, if anything. Rather strange, Jing Yuan thought to himself. This boy had seen who knows what in the depths of that maze, and yet… the only visible marks are the scar, his legs, and those eyes… "He will need to be evaluated by a psychologist upon entry to the Luofu. I imagine whichever family takes him will be aided by the Realm-Keeping Commission with matters of that sort." Ah… of course. The boy would need to go to a home- and there certainly were no shortage of those on the Xianzhou Luofu. Parents whose children had moved out, families already in swing looking for a sibling, even new couples looking for a child of their own… 

"Xinyu, what are the procedures for adopting a rescued child under the jurisdiction of the Realm-Keeping Commission?" He said without thinking, surprising both himself as well as the poor healer.

"I'd… imagine you'd have to file paperwork with the Commission upon return to the Luofu, prove you're a suitable guardian for the child, and things of that nature… If I may be so bold, General, what caused this question?" She questioned, and he did not blame her for it. 

"Just a… passing curiosity." 

-

Unfortunately, his attention was quickly diverted by all the responsibilities a General must have on a cooling battlefield, so he did not have the time to ponder on the strange child much longer.

Although, in his rare moments of downtime, he found himself visiting the tent. The boy did not talk, which wasn't unusual as a trauma response, and so did not have a name. He had taken to calling him Yanqing, and the boy did not seem as though he disliked it, so Yanqing it was.

He kept that odd look in his eyes, and some days it felt as though he was talking to two entirely different children. Yanqing did not remember a conversation they had only a few days ago, but the next visit the memory had returned. The healers assured him this was most likely some sort of trauma response, and Jing Yuan found himself both dreading and wishing for the day when they would return to the Luofu.

-

Two weeks passed, and Yanqing was steadily improving. They had limited access to health equipment, so the tests and bloodwork were held off for the time being.

Jing Yuan cleared these thoughts from his mind as he entered the medical tent for the last time, as the transport starskiffs had already landed, and there is no doubt Yanqing would be carted off to the Alchemy Commission soon. "Good morning, Yanqing." He greeted, sitting beside the cot as usual. Yanqing did not greet him verbally, but he turned his head and fixed him with a stare, which Jing Yuan found good enough.

"I assume you have heard the commotion going on. Have any of the healers deigned to warn you?" Yanqing paused, shaking his head after a couple moments. Jing Yuan cheered internally at this success.

"Soon, the medical tent will be packed up and put onto a transport starskiff, and you will be transported to the Alchemy Commission on the Luofu for further treatment. Do you remember when I told you about the Alchemy Commission and the Luofu?" Another pause. A nod. Victory!

"The healers there will be kind. Perhaps you can befriend Lady Bailu. Do you remember when I told you about Lady Bailu?" This nod came without a pause. Yanqing has been remembering more as of late!

"The healers will treat you well there, and you should heal far quicker there than in this medical tent. When you're adopted by…" He trails off, unsure of how to continue this without aggravating the strange hole in his stomach that has suddenly opened up.

Yanqing tilted his head.

"Well… when you go to the Luofu, you must be adopted by a guardian… The Realm-Keeping Commission will make sure they are fit to care for you."

Yanqing did not un-tilt his head. Without a voice, it was hard to tell what he was asking.

"I do not know who will take you. There are many on the Luofu who could, and even more on the other Xianzhou ships. I am sure the Realm-Keeping Commission will not fail you." He tried to guess at what Yanqing was confused about.

Yanqing pointed at him. He did not often communicate clearly like this, so Jing Yuan would be rather excited, if that excitement was not overshadowed by confusion.

"I am unsure what you mean by 'me'. Here, how about I can repeat my words and you can point when I get to the words you are confused about." Yanqing did not protest, so he continued with this plan.

"I do not know who will take you-" He repeated, only to be cut off.

Yanqing had furiously shoved his little index finger as far out as he could.

"Me…?" Jing Yuan paused for a moment, trying to make sense of the child's request. Children were hard to make sense of when they are very verbal about it, and practically impossible when they aren't…

Yanqing leveled him with an unimpressed stare, and Jing Yuan was about to try and decipher him… if he wasn't suddenly interrupted by a Cloud Knight. He was needed at the transport starskiffs, and the healers were probably about to kick him out of the medical tent anyway. As he left, he resolved to go see Yanqing after the chaos had subsided and make sure he was adjusting well on the Luofu.

-

Unfortunately, it seemed time passed faster than he wished it to. He found himself very quickly excusing himself from the Seat of Divine Foresight and rushing to the Alchemy Commission as fast as he could without arousing suspicion.

Upon arrival, he discreetly requested Yanqing's location. Thankfully the receptionist was understanding of his situation, and even advised him on where to go to avoid the most eyes.

He was unsure of what he expected when he entered the room, but it was not an immediate cannonball straight into his chest. Yanqing had barrelled off the threadbare bed and straight into him, clutching onto his robes with tiny, impossibly strong hands.

Out of instinct more than anything else, he quickly steadied Yanqing in his arms. "Are you alright, Yanqing? I am sorry I have not come to visit more often, it has unfortunately been very bus-" He cut himself off upon Yanqing raising his head, tears brimming in his eyes. Oh dear.

"A-are you okay? There is no need to cry, A-qing, it's okay…" He tried to soothe, feeling incredibly out of his depth in this situation. "Please don't cry…"

He stood up shakily from where he had half-kneeled on the floor, and went to sit on the bed. Yanqing clung even tighter at his movement, and he tried to soothe the boy by rubbing circles on his back.

Guilt weighed on his shoulders, and he mentally berated himself for not having the foresight to visit Yanqing sooner. He sat there with Yanqing for what seemed like only a few minutes, but he was rudely informed otherwise when he checked the time and it had been three hours.

He spent another hour coaxing Yanqing to let him go, with promises of quick returns and gifts. It felt like he was being torn apart all over again upon leaving the hospital room, and he found himself walking a path to the Realm-Keeping Commission, instead of back to the Seat of Divine Foresight.

Before he could properly think about what he was doing, he approached the surprised clerk at the desk.

"Excuse me." He greeted him. "G-General Jing Yuan! It's a pleasure. How may the Realm-Keeping Commission be of service to you?" The clerk sputtered for a moment, before falling into the professional spiel he had heard a million times before. Admirable. "I wish to go through the procedure of adopting a child." He stated bluntly, before his mind could catch up with his voice. 

first chapter! again, crossposted on ao3. see u soon :]

[soupserum]

SWMTBB [ 5 ]

after this chapter it gets better (figured out a better layout etc)

Yanqing lay on his bed, contemplating the recent events. Thankfully, the other three had quieted down, seemingly going to be interrogated by Zephyrus in a corner of their mind where he didn't have to pay attention to their bickering.

He really needed to do some research. Clearly these spirits- Baiheng, Yingxing and Dan Feng- were important to Jing Yuan in some form. They were contained within that shrine- but how important? Clearly nobody had cleaned it up, or made offerings in a long time. He also knew that the erosion process on the Luofu was significantly slower than on normal planets, due to the carefully maintained atmosphere and weather, he just didn't know how slow. 

How long had it been? It could've been anywhere from 800 to 100 years. Not to mention he had no idea what their relationship was! Perhaps they were close friends of Jing Yuan. But if that was the case, why was their shrine left to rot and become overgrown? Why were the spirits left to lay dormant? And…

Just… just how strong were these spirits in life, if they were able to hold on in dormancy for so long after death? He had only ever heard of a spirit hanging on for 500 years at most. And that was the spirit of a Marshal. Perhaps they had something else binding them here? Something relating to the circumstances of their death, and why their shrine was abandoned?

Ack, now his head hurts. This was all so annoying.

And he still had to do that fitting thing with Jing Yuan! And check out the new books that had been piling up on his desk! 

At least that feeling dragging him towards the shrine was gone. He hated that feeling. It reminded him of-

Of…

What did it remind him of?

Whatever, this didn't matter right now. It happened all the time, anyway. He didn't have the luxury to worry or whine about trains of thought suddenly being thrown off the rails. Was it just his imagination, or did the spirits arguing in his head suddenly get angrier?

-

Yanqing had never seen anything like this even in his wildest dreams. Jing Yuan was chattering on about something, but Yanqing wasn't listening, instead opting to stare wide-eyed at the looming buildings around them. There weren't a lot of people, probably due to Jing Yuan taking them through a less-traveled path so he wouldn't get overwhelmed. The few that were there quickly looked away after staring for a moment, and he noticed shining glimpses of armor ducking behind buildings or concealed underneath clothing.

Tsk. Good to know Jing Yuan hasn't turned soft after 800-something years. Dan Feng remarked. Baiheng scolded him in the corner of his mind.

Yanqing turned this new piece of information over in his head, clutching Jing Yuan's hand tight as they walked and he took in the surroundings. Sure, he had seen Xianzhou architecture at Jing Yuan's house, but… this was a real life city! A real life Xianzhou ship!

Everything felt like a dream… but he would not slip today! Zephyrus can nag all he wants, Yanqing was staying fully present for every bit of this!

They soon entered a building which he assumed was a tailor's ship. Then he was whisked around, put on a pedestal and measured practically everywhere. He… strangely was not afraid. Perhaps it was because of the four voices chattering away in the back of his head. Or Jing Yuan's protective presence in the corner of the room.

He decided it didn't really matter.

After they had finished taking his measurements, which he found unnecessary, (Why did they even need so many measurements? He had survived with just a piece of big cloth before!) he was taken to another room, in which there were so many different fabric rolls… 

It took him a reassuring glance from Jing Yuan to get him to finally go touch them. It freaked him out, honestly… There were so many different textures… It was overwhelming…

At least there wasn't anyone else in here. Just Jing Yuan, and he was typing something on the weird holo-pad he carried around. He had a feeling Jing Yuan wasn't actually doing any work, but he didn't really mind, too distracted with the fabric.

Ooh! Go for that one over there, the blue one, it's so soft, you'll love it! Baiheng insisted, and he went over. She was right. It was very soft. Reminded him of a flower petal. 

Ahh, I would have all my clothes made out of that before… You should choose that one! It's so nice! Baiheng said excitedly. Yingxing tried to quiet her to no avail.

Yanqing wanted to look at more fabrics, but he filed that one away for future reference.

That one was scratchy- reminded him of his own clothes. He didn't like that one. It was only Yingxing and Baiheng bickering that prevented him from panicking and having Zephyrus take over again.

That one had a weird feel to it, it caught on his fingers and made them feel weird. He didn't like that one either.

Too soft, too scratchy, too hard, too clingy… The fabric Baiheng recommended was getting more and more tempting. 

Around 10 minutes passed, and Yanqing decided all other fabrics were inferior to Baiheng's. He memorized the word underneath it, before walking over to Jing Yuan and tugging on his sleeve.

He pulled Jing Yuan over to the soft fabric, pointing at it, and-

"This one." Yanqing was almost as shocked as Jing Yuan when his scratchy voice, rough from disuse, made itself known. He hadn't even meant to say anything!

He was cut off from his wide-eyed panic when Jing Yuan… smiled. Sure, he had smiled before, but this one made him feel strangely warm. Happy, like he had done something good. 

He would always smile whenever we had done something good. Jing Yuan's smile doesn't feel like His, though. Zephyrus mused. Yanqing elected to ignore him in favor of clinging to the lingering warmth. He barely even noticed Jing Yuan call the seamstress over.

He was led outside, back to the room where he was measured, and Jing Yuan gave him a magazine. It was filled with several different patterns and colors. It overwhelmed him at first, but the other three were glad to guide him through it, Jing Yuan even offering opinions of his own at times.

In the end, he settled on a bird pattern, and several different shades of blue. He didn't know how to describe it, but he really liked the color blue. They never got to see it often before. It reminded him of the sky. He had always wanted to see the sky… to fly away among the clouds like a bird.

He hadn't ever seen a bird either, now that he thought about it.

You haven't- Baiheng started, before being abruptly cut off by Yingxing, who hissed something at her that he couldn't quite make out. There are usually a bunch of finches in Jing Yuan's garden. Not around this time of year, though. In a few months they'll be everywhere. Dan Feng informed them. He faintly heard Zephyrus scoff in disdain. Zephyrus hadn't been very talkative recently. Yanqing pondered this as Jing Yuan settled whatever the price was with the seamstress. He didn't care to listen to what they were saying- someone else probably was, anyway, so it didn't really matter. If it was important, he'd find out somehow.

They left the seamstress, walking back along the back roads they had taken before. This time, the hidden guards were less noticeable, and he only caught the glimpse of silver through the bushes a few times.

Though, he did see something purple and black duck into an alleyway, and disappear over the rooftop. He spared a few moments to wonder what it was, but decided to just assume it was one of the guards Jing Yuan had assigned that was particularly sloppy with their hiding skills.

That didn't look like any Cloud Knights I've seen. Baiheng mused.

You're going to scare him! Dan Feng scolded. It's been a long time, things have probably changed. Maybe they were part of a new squad.

Yanqing chose to believe Dan Feng, as he didn't really have the emotional capacity to worry about things like that right now, anyway. Zephyrus took care of that for him. He was exhausted, and as they returned to the house, he almost instantly settled into sleep.  Unfortunately for Yanqing, he had grown used to the feeling of eyes, and therefore did not notice the new pair gazing through his curtains.

guh interactions appreciated as always <3

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crossposted on ao3 as per usual

Yanqing felt like he was going crazy. Listen- it had to be his imagination. A trick of the light, or the wind, or Zephyrus getting to him and making him all paranoid. He was probably just stressed from everything that had been going on.

He still couldn't shake the feeling of eyes. No matter where he turned or where he hid, there were always those goddamn eyes! Everywhere! They were everywhere! Yanqing groaned in frustration, flopping back onto the bed from where he had been pacing.

I think you're getting too frustrated over this. There's nothing we can do, so why bother wasting energy on hallucinations?

"That's easy for you to say!" Yanqing shivered, cutting himself off as his spine prickled, goosebumps visible on his arms. "I hate this."

You only started getting all paranoid after you started visiting that shrine. Maybe the leftover energy there is affecting you.

"I- ugh. I guess that makes sense. It doesn't feel like just another qi sickness, though! I know what that feels like, and this isn't it."

I think you're so used to qi sickness, you don't even notice the other symptoms and only feel the paranoia.

Yanqing didn't bother responding. He wouldn't be able to convince Zephyrus, anyway.

…

He wanted to go see the shrine.

Okay, okay, it sounded like a bad idea when he thought it like that, but… Ugh. Maybe Zephyrus was right. Maybe he shouldn't go.

He thought back to the wind, to the ̶w̶h̶i̶s̶p̶e̶r̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ leaves… It was terrifying. It was calling for him. He wanted to go back. To feel that presence, to hear those bells, to bring something new. He wanted to go-

Yanqing!

He jolted, sitting up straight and staring wide-eyed at the mirror, where Zephyrus stood with an unamused expression.

I've been talking to you for like 10 minutes now. Are you thinking about going back to that shrine? You're acting like the protagonist in a horror novel. Running back to the strange abandoned shrine where strange things happen that make you paranoid? Do you not see the problem in being drawn to it?

"I just- I-" Yanqing fumbled with his words.

You're being silly. We never would've even entertained this idea back there, and never even have gone back after the first time you saw it! It's only been how long, and you've already started running around like you're invincible. We don't know if we're going to be safe here or not.

Yanqing was silent for a moment, formulating his thoughts under Zephyrus' cold stare.

"...If Jing Yuan was going to hurt us, wouldn't he have done something already? I mean, there's probably very few people that know we're here. He's had a lot of time to show his true colors." …

"I don't think he wants to hurt us. Maybe we can relax a little bit, let your guard down-" Stop! You don't- we don't know that. Maybe he's safe, but better safe than sorry. If you get attached, you're going to get hurt! You've done this a thousand times before, and it's never been true! They've always wanted to hurt us!

"Those times- you know it wasn't my fault those times! You know what they were doing! Besides, it wasn't all of them. There was-" She might've been a fluke. You know as well as I do. Every single time you think it's just like one of your stupid fairytales, and every single time I have to pick up the pieces. 

"It's different this time! We're out of that place! This is different, this is the Luofu, they worship completely separate Aeons!" If a person is cruel, whichever Aeon they worship doesn't matter! You're being stupid, Ic-

"THAT'S NOT MY NAME!"

…

Yanqing didn't know when he had stood up, or why he had shouted at Zephyrus, who was standing stone-faced behind the glass. 

He was so tired of being afraid. Yanqing turned off the lights in the room and got in bed without another word. When he looked at the mirror again, Zephyrus was gone, and blessedly silent.

The footsteps leaving the door went unnoticed by both of them.

-

Jing Yuan seemed off today. Zephyrus was still quiet from their fight last night, so Yanqing couldn't ask him if he also noticed it. Jing Yuan kept throwing glances his way, like he was a stray cat who would flee at the slightest movement. Which was weird, because he stopped looking at him like that ages ago. What happened to change it?

After Jing Yuan left for work, Yanqing pushed that out of his mind. It didn't matter right now, and he had bigger things to worry about. Like the way the shadows were moving on the walls. If Zephyrus was here, he'd say something about him being paranoid, but he knew he wasn't paranoid!

He entered their room, sitting down at their desk and mentally preparing himself to try and fix his handwriting-

Where was the paper? He patted down the desk, searched everywhere within their room, but the paper & pencil had completely disappeared. He racked his memory for where he possibly could've left it- downstairs? Perhaps at the kitchen table, or the little table in the living room, where-

The shrine. 

He had left it at the shrine when he went to go offer incense.

He really did want to go back. It was very pretty there, anyway, overgrown like that with all the moss and the leaves and the vines and the flowers covering the shrine the wildflowers in all their pretty colors covered in all the moss and the green the slippery stones the daisies just like the white lilies just like his m-

…

Surely… surely nobody would notice if he took a few more sticks of incense down. Just a few. He needed to get the paper anyway, and it was rude to not bring an offering if he was already going over. 

It was fine. Just a quick visit and nothing more. Then he could go check out the bookshelves lining the hallway that he didn't have a chance to look at earlier. He hadn't been able to read a new book in ages.

Making up his mind, he opened the door and went downstairs, ignoring or avoiding every reflective surface he came across. Which was harder than you'd think, considering pictures and polished surfaces count too.

He picked out a different type of incense this time. Patchouli. He didn't know what that smelt like when burning, but it smelt good on the stick, and the name sounded pretty, so it was good enough. Pocketing the lighter and clutching the three sticks of incense in their hand, he returned to the path. It was strangely comforting, like he was returning home after a long absence. Maybe the thought of that should've made him uneasy, but he had always been the optimist.

The shrine sat there like it always had. He wondered, in the back of his mind, just how long it had been there. How many years, on this unchanging ship with these unchanging people?

He approached the altar to light the incense, hand reaching out for the forgotten paper as soon as the white was visible against the stones. He went to pocket the paper, quickly checking it for dirt stains-

He barely registered the paper fluttering to the ground and rejoining the pen. That- That had to have been Zephyrus playing a trick. Maybe he had possessed him when he wasn't paying attention? Or it could be Jing Yuan, trying to trick him into being paranoid so he can swoop in and save the day?

This- this couldn't be real- he had to be dreaming or- or something-

there was something tugging at the back of his mind- Zephyrus?- he can't breathe- no no no Zephyrus can't take over right now he's angry and upset- he wouldn't take over when he's that upset- what if it was the voices? he can't breathe- the things watching him- the things that wrote on the paper

he could feel himself being pulled backwards he can't breathe the void was so tempting-

nothing.

-

He couldn't leave ██████ alone for even a second. Aeons, of course this would happen. Zephyrus was going to give him such an earful when he calmed down from that panic attack.

In lieu of scolding ██████ he would just have to do some things he didn't have the chance to do earlier, when ██████ was too annoying to hand over control.

At this point, it was almost second nature to hide a food stash. There was so much food that he could take from the cabinets and hide in his little stashes, it was almost like a dream. Of course, he didn't just hide stashes in their room. There was another near the shrine ██████ loved so much. 

He was careful about it. Only a few pieces of food from each group, and he took from the back so it wouldn't be visible. The canned food was a different story. He took a lot of those, and he hid those in the spots near the shrine, hidden within the roots of abandoned trees.

When he was done, it was like nothing had ever happened! Jing Yuan would never notice, and hopefully ██████ would be none the wiser. It'd be hard to hide this important of a memory, but he'd hidden worse, so it would be fine. 

All that was left now was to wait for ██████ to wake up.

-

Nothing. It wasn't dark, because there was no light that would've made it dark. There was just nothing. It was peaceful. This was always the best part about letting Zephyrus take control-

Zephyrus took control!?

Well… that made sense, he guessed. Usually Zephyrus takes over when he has a panic attack. But this void didn't feel like the one he went to in the deep recesses of their shared mind. It felt different. Like instead of a nothingness created from him and Zephyrus' consciousnesses, it was created by a different set of consciousnesses.

He could barely bring himself to care, though. It was so quiet, so comforting. The endless loneliness. He could already feel himself drifting…

"Do you think he's awake yet?"

"Quiet, you idiot, you're going to scare him!-" Yanqing screamed at the top of his lungs, lashing out and getting as far away from the new presences as possible.

"Shit-" "Hey kid, it's okay, we aren't gonna hurt you!" One of the voices exclaimed, raising their hands in surrender.

Yanqing kept a safe distance, quickly scanning these people- three of them? A purple-haired foxian, seemingly female, white-haired… um… person, seemingly male, and a black-haired vidyadhara, also male. He did not trust these people. "Who the hell are you people?!" He insisted, trying to seem more intimidating than he probably was. Zephyrus was way better at that.

"We're, um." The vidyadhara began, before being cut off by the foxian.

"We're really sorry for scaring you! We were the spirits in the shrine you've been visiting. The gifts you've brought have helped us regain consciousness instead of just sleeping, and we wanted to talk to you for real, but, um, we ended up scaring you instead. Sorry…" "For the record, it was her idea." The white-haired person input.

Okay. He could work with this. They weren't spirit-sent assassins from back there. Just normal spirits. That he accidentally awoke. Ah, what did he get himself into… "And can I ask the name of the spirits I've accidentally awoken?" He inquired, putting as much wariness and disdain into his tone as he could. It didn't seem to be working. The foxian smiled at him. "My name is Baiheng."

interactions appreciated <3

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mama mia! here we go again crossposted on ao3 <3

Yanqing couldn't shake the feeling they were being watched.

Of course, this wasn't a new sensation by any means, but… Usually they were pretty good at telling when Jing Yuan was spying on them!

Perhaps he placed cameras around the house. Then he could keep an eye on us when he leaves for work.

"That makes sense… but it still feels weird. Especially with all those strange things that've been happening!" You're being too paranoid. A few cups or books falling isn't the end of the world. Next, you're going to be wailing about ghosts in the middle of the night.

"Still… These things only started happening after we went to that altar in the back of the garden. And you heard the bell as we left."

This is completely ridiculous. It's not like this house is separated from the rest of the Luofu. Bells exist in other places than your overactive imagination.

"I want to at least try to go back there."

And leave more weeds? We have better things to be doing than chasing ghosts!

"Hey, the flowers were pretty, even if they were weeds. Besides… maybe if we leave something better than just the flowers, whatever's watching us will go away!"

You have been far too absorbed in those heliobi stories Jing Yuan gave you. 

"Do you have any better ideas?" Actually, I-

"Too late!" Yanqing hopped off their bed, opening the door and making his way to the kitchen. The nerves boiling in his gut only got worse as he approached the tiled floor, careful to keep his footsteps quiet, even if Jing Yuan was at work.

So now you have a death wish, too? Stealing food? Aeons, two weeks of relative safety and you've already lost all our survival skills.

Yanqing feels a silent tug at the back of their head, like someone's pulling on a string connected to his brain. He resolutely wrestles the string back, set on his mission. He tunes out Zephyrus' belligerent yelling in the back of their head, half his mind keeping control in his hands.

He contemplated the tall counters for a moment, before giving up and climbing his way onto them by grasping at the edge of the granite and pulling himself up, wrenching himself atop the countertop before standing on his toes to reach the door of the cabinet.

Come on- just a little more- he was so close!

There! Yes!

He had successfully got three packaged red bean buns in his hands, and was very very careful with them as he jumped back down onto the floor. After obscuring all his tracks, of course!

You're being so stupid right now! Think of what could happen if we get caught! Is that altar really wort-

Whatever Zephyrus was on about didn't matter, because Yanqing was already out the door and retracing his steps to the altar! 

Ah… it was a little bit hard when all the trees looked the same. But he's gonna get it eventually! Even if they didn't have shoes and the roots jutting out of the ground hurt a little bit.

It was only a little bit! He was fine. Just fine.

Well… it doesn't even matter if he yelped when he stepped on a sharp rock, because nobody was around to hear it but Zephyrus, and Zephyrus' opinion didn't count.

Finally, he eventually made it to the altar, with only a little bit of tears and suspiciously red rocks he refused to look at. He very carefully unwrapped the red bean buns, and placed them in the same spot the flowers had been- 

Wait. Had? The flowers were gone! Did the wind blow them away? Or a squirrel, or bird, or something? He was gonna get whichever animal did this! Ah… it didn't matter, now that the buns were there.

He turned around to leave again, and was nearly shocked out of his skin by a louder bell. He whipped around, eyes wide and searching for whatever made that sound right in his ear, only to be greeted with nothing but dappled sunlight. Again!

This was infuriating! He would've stomped his foot in anger, but it hurt too much to do that, so he resolved to trudge back to the house and figure out what to do about his steadily aching feet.

-

Maybe that was a bad idea.

Of course it was a bad idea! I told you not to go there! What are we supposed to do now? Jing Yuan is definitely going to find out!

"Shut up, Zephyrus, I can barely think with you yelling in my ear-"

It's not my fault we're in this situation!

Yanqing was currently rifling through various drawers and cabinets in the house, looking for some sort of wrap he could put on their feet till they healed. He didn't mean to injure them, and he would leave them alone if it was just on the bottoms of their feet, but… apparently low-hanging brambles were far more of a nuisance than Yanqing realized, leading to their feet and ankles getting all cut up! How were they supposed to hide this from Jing Yuan? You're such an idiot. Stealing food, going out without permission, and now you've gotten all cut up. It's barely even been two weeks.

"It'll be fine. I can take care of thi-"

Yanqing was very rudely cut off by a loud clattering in the bathroom. Instinct had him halfway to the closet before he realized Jing Yuan couldn't possibly have entered the house and went all the way up to the bathroom without them noticing, so…

He very, very cautiously and quietly crept up to the bathroom door, pushing the open door slightly further inwards so they could get a look at whatever happened. 

It seemed nothing really bad had fallen, except… there were bandages on the ground. Looking up, the medicinal cabinet was open, and a few other bottles scattered around the floor indicated they had fallen out. The bandage pack was open, gauze slightly spilling out.

Well. It was already open, and surely Jing Yuan wouldn't notice the gauze if they put socks on!

…Maybe he should've worn socks while going out. 

Whatever! It didn't matter anymore, so Yanqing was going to make the most of their sudden stroke of luck.

As he sat down to begin clumsily wrapping their cuts, he tried desperately to ignore the pairs of eyes burning deep into the back of his neck.

-

Dinner was relatively silent, considering how Jing Yuan usually tried to fill the silence with everything he could think of. Perhaps he had given up-

"So, Yanqing. What have you been up to while I was gone?"

Perhaps he spoke too soon. Jing Yuan always tried to get him to talk, but…

…

In lieu of a verbal answer, Yanqing made a gesture towards the garden.

"Ah, the garden? It's good you're getting fresh air. I hope you haven't been too bored cooped up in here." He stated apologetically. "I did not want to leave you so soon, but it seems the paperwork never ceases."

Yanqing nodded in response. Jing Yuan brightened.

"I was considering… Perhaps, we could take you to the seamstress to get measured, and some new clothing. Surely those robes are annoying to trip on."

Yanqing paused, thinking this over. Sure, he tripped over the somewhat oversized clothes at times, but… they would be good for another few years, so he could grow into them in case of anything, and the low hem of the pants were good for hiding the gauze…

You should agree. The more clothing we have the better. You never know when we might need it.

He really really didn't want to get poked and prodded at by any more people, but…

He nodded. Jing Yuan seemed happy at his acceptance. Good. That was good

"We should be able to go there in a few days." He informed them. "In the meantime, why don't we decide on some patterns or colors?" They spent the next hour or so nodding or shaking their head to whatever Jing Yuan offered them. In the end, a light blue color scheme was decided upon, with a bird and vine pattern. 

You should've gone with something darker so it's easier to hide. You can see light blue clothing from miles away! Are you trying to stand out?

"I thought you wanted more clothing." Yanqing informed the mirror in their room. Wow, it was way easier to talk to Zephyrus when he had a face to look at, instead of just staring at the wall, or something.

Not clothing that makes you look like a horse in a hospital! Honestly, this is only a bit better than wearing a dress made of lightbulbs!

"I don't care! I want to wear something nice for once, something in colors I like. Jing Yuan said we were safe here!"

That's what He said too, and that was a lie. People always lie. How can you trust him after so little time has passed? I thought you had gotten past your naiveté!

"It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Jing Yuan has probably already given this information to the seamstress, so you can't do anything about it now."

The face in the mirror twisted with anger, before the person on the other side faded away, retreating inside their shared mind.

Fine then. But don't come crying to me.

-

Yanqing's hands were shaking. It was incredibly annoying, given what task was at hand. This shouldn't be that hard! They already knew how to write! Well, they couldn't write a lot, and their handwriting was still barely legible, but they did!

He groaned, accursed pencil clutched in their hand as he leaned back in their chair. He cracked an eye open to see what had been accomplished- which was, barely nothing. The paper only read 'Hello, my name is Yanqing' in what could be likened to chicken scratch.

Maybe it would be good to get some fresh air, he decided, hopping out of the chair with the paper clutched in their hands. Jing Yuan had bought them shoes, which was good as it meant he didn't have to traipse around hiding the gauze.

As he passed the shrine near the glass door to the garden, a thought overcame him. Usually shrines like these, in houses, were either lucky shrines or shrines to the dead. A quick analysis revealed this to be the former.

There was a lot of incense in the box at the bottom, presumably obtained over years of gifts. There was also a lighter atop the stack. Surely it wouldn't be too bad if he took a few sticks of incense, and brought them to the shrine in the garden? There was already so much incense, and it doesn't look like any have been lit in this shrine for a while.

Jing Yuan wasn't supposed to come home for another few hours, so… 

He stood in silence for a few seconds, waiting for Zephyrus to chime in with a long lecture meant to discourage him. There was nothing. Perhaps Zephyrus was still upset from the clothes yesterday?

Whatever. He was going to do it, anyway! That'll show Zephyrus.

Picking up the lighter and tucking it into one of the loops on their waistband, he also picked out 3 sticks of incense. He didn't know what they smelt like, but the box read 'Environment Friendly!' so he picked that one. He didn't want to mess up anything in the garden.

He ducked through the brambles, easily avoiding the sharper thorns and lower branches. Weird- he had only walked this path twice, but it feels like he knows every part of it by memory.

That didn't matter, he decided as he approached the shrine. The lighter sparked, and it took a bit of fiddling before the incense was lit and placed safely in the incense holder. It was only after he stepped back, lighter in hand, that he realized the red bean buns were gone.

Good, he decided, because that meant an animal might've taken them and had a nice meal.

As he turned to leave, he heard the bell sound again. This time it sounded right behind him, and he felt a strangely warm wind blow against him, pressure appearing on his shoulders that almost felt like.. a hand. Like an embrace.

He whipped around, taking a step back on instinct. Just like before, a sense of dejá vu overcame him. Nothing there except the incense, smoke softly rising through the dappled green leaves to greet the sunlight above.

A sense of unease settled in his gut, and he left faster than he had the other few times.

There were whispers in the leaves, like soft voices. It was just his imagination. It was just his imagination.

It was just his imagination.

all interaction greatly appreciated!

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SWMTBB [ 2 ]

chapter 2! crossposted on ao3 as well :]

They were unsure on whether this was a good idea or not. Zephyrus seemed to think this was a terrible idea, and that Jing Yuan was not thinking in their best interest. Yanqing thought otherwise, which is why he accepted the name that was given. Zephyrus still did not approve. Why are you trusting him? That name is just another symbol of the control he wishes to exert over you. Over us. Do you truly believe a General of the Hunt has the time for a lowly sacrifice like us?

"Why would he go through all the effort of visiting us every day if he didn't have the time?" That's what He always did too.

"...He wouldn't do something like that. Jing Yuan isn't like Him. Just look around, this room has to be better than whatever room we had back then!" You would rather have a gilded birdcage than a painful freedom?

"It wasn't… that wasn't freedom." At least it was predictable. I knew what was going to happen, and now we don't know anything! We don't know Jing Yuan's tells, or where we are, or even the layout of this house! How can I keep you safe like this?"I can keep myself safe! It's different now that we're here on the… the Lou- the Luofu!"

You know th- There's someone coming.

"Yanqing? May I come in?" Jing Yuan. Why was he asking? Wasn't he the owner of this house? 

In lieu of a response, Yanqing hopped off the bed, careful not to let their steps make any sound on the carpeted floors. Thank the stars they were carpeted, it's so much harder to muffle steps on a hard floor… Jing Yuan seemed surprised when Yanqing opened the door. 

"Ah. Um. Dinner's ready, if you want to come down."

He spoke gently, like they were a startled cat who could flee at any moment. Perhaps that was how Jing Yuan viewed them.

Wordless, they stood up and followed Jing Yuan down to the dining room. The halls still held cold dust in the tiled floor, carefully covered up with hastily-bought tapestries and rugs. He got the feeling this house was not often referred to as a home. Weren't you just saying this was better then back there?

At least here, Jing Yuan made an effort to hide the darkness ingrained in the walls. We both know there was no such mercy back there. They sat down at a chair that was far too big for them, causing them to have to tuck their legs under themself so that they could eat normally. Jing Yuan seemed to have just realized the size of the chairs, and was probably internally berating himself.

The meal passed with barely a drop of silence, Jing Yuan making up for their muteness by going on about everything and anything he could think of. Yanqing did not bother to commit most of it to memory, but Zephyrus was different, filing every drop of information away.

"If you wanted, Yanqing, you could go out to the garden after eating. It would be good for you to get some fresh air, and you would not need to be supervised. It is very safe around here." Jing Yuan informed them.

Now this was interesting. Of course, they had heard of gardens before in the rare books they were snuck by-

We should go out and see if there are any good hiding spots.

His mind wandered to everything he had imagined from those pages, the words coming to life in his head as a rare respite. He made his decision to go out there after the meal.

-

After they had both eaten, Jing Yuan led them out to the garden. He explained to them the basic layout of the garden, but Yanqing was not listening.

It was… beautiful. He didn't have any other gardens in mind to compare it to, but… It felt like the trees stretched so far into the heavens they carried the very clouds on their branches. The minute they were dismissed, he found himself running into the grass as fast as their admittedly weak legs could take him.

Jing Yuan laughed behind them, but he did not find it in himself to care when the grass was so soft beneath him. As he ran, the twigs of the bushes whipped at their arms. The robes Jing Yuan gave him were far too thick for him to feel any pain, however.

It was everything he had been imagining practically their entire life.

The world was spinning when he finally lost balance and fell onto the grass. Joy bubbled up in their throat, and he found himself… laughing. When was the last time he had actually laughed?

You're getting way too comfortable here!

That doesn't matter! We're in a garden, and we just had an actual meal without having to even do anything for it, and the sky is so pretty, how can you still be going on about safety and danger?

We don't know when it could be taken away, is what I'm trying to s-

I don't care! I don't care, Zephyrus. If it's going to be taken away, we might as well enjoy it while we can.

…Fine. But don't come crying to me when it comes crashing down.

Yanqing wasn't listening anymore.

-

It had been at least two hours since they had been released into the garden. Yanqing was sure this was the best day of their entire life, which wasn't very hard to accomplish considering they had a shortage of days.

He had collected a small bouquet of flowers. He didn't pick any that looked purposefully grown, but he picked the little weeds like dandelions and buttercups. Hopefully he was allowed to do that, but they were everywhere in the garden, so maybe nobody would notice.

He had explored pretty deep into the foliage by now, and he could barely see the sky past the overarching branches and leaves above them. They hadn't seen the ending walls of the garden yet, so it should be okay, and Jing Yuan could probably easily find them if they were needed back.

His thoughts were cut off by the feeling of a cold, moss-covered stone beneath their feet. Dragging his attention away from the overhead greenery, he noticed a half-obscured stone pathway leading through the bushes.

Pushing through the brambles and leaves, there was… an altar? Situated in the middle of a clearing, there was a small altar. A small one, but an altar. Judging by the overgrown brambles and moss covering most of it, nobody had been here in a while. The incense dish had the ashes blown away a long time ago, replaced by pollen dust and dappled sunlight. The photos and carvings had long been eroded, leaving him to guess at who was grieved here.

Multiple people, probably. This type of altar is used for groups of people instead of just one.

Yanqing decided to place his small bouquet of flowers on the altar. He couldn't bring them back to their room, and it felt wrong to just leave them on the grass… so this was the best place. It felt right to do so, anyway. 

As they turned to leave the clearing, there was a small bell sound behind them. Turning around again, there was nothing there. Nothing but the rustle of wind in the leaves and soft sunlight dancing on the meagre offering of flowers.

Again, they turned to leave. This time there was no bell, and they made their way back towards the house.

Unbeknownst to Yanqing, there was more than just one pair of eyes watching now.

all interactions highly appreciated! crossposted on ao3 <3

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