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asnowfern · 2 years ago

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The Writing's On The Wall - Chapter 1

Summary: She's a demon, he's a hunter. Their fates intertwined after a chance encounter. Can Nesta and Cassian overcome all odds to be together? Ancient Chinese wuxia AU setting/Inspired by the Legend of the White Snake.

A/N: Written for Day Four of @nestaarcheronweek 2023: Lover I am unbelievably nervous and excited for this fic. Wuxia/Xianxia shows were such a big part of my childhood, I really want to do it justice. That being said, I did change a lot of details as this is first and foremost, an ACOTAR fic. Please do not come after me saying that this is not traditional wuxia or wildly differs from the Legend of White Snake. It was intentional.

Now that's out of the way, enjoy! Read on AO3

Chapter One: 有缘 (it’s fate)

The trees swayed in the cool breeze, rustling its leaves. The lake glistened in the background as the fresh scent of rain permeated the air. The night turned still as Nesta approached her targeted building. The temple stood tall against the serene backdrop of the trees and hills of Hangzhou province. The temple was large and opulent.

Nesta adjusted her black scarf to cover her face and made her way to the temple swiftly, smoothly leaping from one rooftop to the next. True to her form, her movements were fluid and silent.

Coming here was a risk. Tomas Mandray was a famed hunter and collector. Despite his identification as a monk, the man was ruthless to any demons and spirits, regardless of any actual malicious inclinations. Nesta's thoughts flashed back to Gwyn's pained face and attacked form. Sweet Gwyn who never hurt anyone, just like Clare never did. They may be the demons but it was without a shadow of doubt to Nesta that humans were the monsters. She felt the familiar cold rage burnt through her veins, hardening her resolve.

Nesta had spent most of the day surveying the building. She knew the monk spent most of his day in a room at the corner of the left wing, likely his study. That would be her best bet for the orb. She crouched low on the rooftop and reached out her senses to identify any heat sources within the room. On the next beat, she was in the room.

The room was dizzying with qi relics. Nesta cursed inwardly and focused her senses once more, identifying the highest concentration of qi in the room. Hidden and tucked away behind a landscape portrait was her prize - the orb containing two hundred years of qi, stolen from the hermit of xihu , the West Lake. Nesta grabbed it and instantly felt the zap course through her arm.

Shit.

She bolted but had barely made it to the courtyard when she heard the arrogant taunt that chilled her to the core, "You dare steal from me, demon?"

Nesta whirled around, her sword unsheathed in her hand as she faced Mandray. The monk gave her a cold appraising look, his sharp features, while blessed with an attractive aristocratic quality, sported a cruel smirk.

"Return what you stole and I might just let you leave here alive." he crooned.

Nesta nearly scoffed, "Do you take me for a fool?"

"Well, I didn’t say that you were leaving here unscathed," he said dismissively.

With that, he struck with his staff. Nesta parried the attack with her sword, gritting her teeth at the harsh impact of the blow. She crouched slightly to tilt her sword away and twisted her body to give the next swing of her sword a greater momentum. A move which was quickly blocked by the man.

He gave her no time to consider her next attack and launched a series of quick strikes, leaving Nesta no option but to move into the defensive, blocking every jab and swing of his staff. Then she spotted an opening and took it, imbuing her blade with added qi, she lowered her stance and slashed the man's side.

Mandray hissed in pain and his face twisted into rage. He clutched his injured side and lept back a few steps. Nesta turned to flee the compound but was instantly immobilised with a blinding pain. She bit back a cry as she let her sword fall into the ground, leaning her weight into the weapon to avoid falling over. A low rumble of chants reached her ears as she took in the hexagonal golden light caging her in.

Nesta heaved a breath and looked up to glare at her opponent, spitting out a taunt, “Couldn’t handle me by yourself?”

“You knowingly snuck into a temple to steal from us. We have every right to defend ourselves.” Mandray shot back, his hand still clutched tightly against his injured side. “Give up, demon.”

Nesta did not reply, her eyes swept around the golden barrier to search for any vulnerable point. Her jaw tightened as the chants grew louder and the pain intensified, setting her nerves alight.

“Give up, demon.” he repeated, “There is no getting out of the structure. You are just prolonging your suffering. Return the relic and I will deliver you a swift and painless death.”

Her mind zeroed in on his words. Structure. If the trap was a structure, it had to have foundations. She just had to find it and break it. Find it find it find it.

Her senses surged out, ignoring the man’s taunts and the chants. The edges of her mouth turned up into the barest of a smirk when she located it. She dug into her core and fortified her body, lighting her body in silver flames. With the next exhale, she shot a ball of flames into the ground to her right. She seized the opportunity the moment the barrier wavered, expanding the flames surrounding her outward, shattering the barrier.

Mandray’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Throwing him one last look of derision, Nesta gathered her dwindling qi and transformed into her snake form, vanishing from the courtyard and into the night.

Nesta transformed back the moment she escaped deep into the neighbouring forest. She collapsed against the tree, yanking down the black scarf covering her face and breathed deeply. Before she fully realised it, darkness swallowed her consciousness.

The memories spun mercilessly.

“Nesta, Nesta! Look at what Chen gave me!” Clare cried out excitedly, shoving a delicate hair pin in Nesta’s face.

“I think I might actually be falling in love,” Clare confessed softly, “Isn't it just silly to think? A demon and human could be in love?"

“He proposed, Nesta!” she swooned, her delicate face glowing in happiness, “Can you believe it? I’m getting married.”

“Run, Nesta.” she begged, her voice weak from her injuries.

Nesta tightened her grip around her childhood friend’s body, panting from the effort of running with the extra weight, “I’m not leaving you behind.”

She fell to the ground when an arrow struck her in the back, dropping Clare on the ground. Nesta grit her teeth as she moved to cradle her friend once more.

“Stop, Nesta.” Clare quietly commanded as a dusting of pink light surrounded her body, “It’s too late for me but it’s not for you. You have to run.”

Nesta shook her head vigorously and said fiercely, “Don’t you dare give up on me.”

Clare smiled sadly as the dusting glowed brighter and her body faded, “You must live for the both of us, Nesta.”

Nesta’s eyes snapped open, her chest heaving from the dream. Her eyes started to fall shut when the crackling of a fire caught her attention. She shot her body up and took in her surroundings. She was no longer in the forest but an abandoned hut. Her attention narrowed on the man tending to the fire. Her hand slowly moved towards her side towards her sword which was no longer attached to her waist.

“Looking for this?” The male asked, waving a sheathed sword. Her sword, she realised belatedly.

“Return it to me.” she demanded, her voice scratchy from disuse.

The stranger gave her an infuriating smile, “So you can attack me? I don’t think so. Besides, you are in no shape to fight me.”

Nesta narrowed her gaze, properly taking in the man before her. He was relatively young and sported a muscular physique. His ruggedly handsome face had a thin scar cutting across his right eyebrow. His dark complexion and shorter hair length revealed his western mountain origin. Reflections of the fire swayed lazily in his hazel eyes.

Warrior. No, hunter. Her mind cautioned as she registered the numerous weapons on him.

“Relax, I mean you no harm.” he quickly assured her, cautiously handing over her sword, “Your qi levels are dangerously low and you are suffering from internal injuries. Don’t fight me.”

“You know what I am then,” she surmised, her eyes darting around to locate the exit.

“A demon,” he agreed.

“So why haven’t you killed me?” she demanded, continuing when he raised a questioning brow, “You’re a hunter. Isn’t that what you do?”

“I hunt malicious demons.” he answered easily as the infuriating smile returned. “You don’t seem very malicious to me.”

Nesta threw him a scornful glare and sneered, “Spare me the act. You humans don’t care.”

“I know,” he cut in, “that you’re in possession of a powerful orb. Probably stolen from Tomas Mandray, who had been bragging about it for weeks. Yet, you made no effort to absorb it, even in your injured state. In other words, you did not steal it from one of the most powerful hunters in jianghu for selfish gain. Like I said, not malicious.”

The image of Clare fading into pink dust flashed behind her eyes. She gripped her sword tightly, “I applaud your efforts in not killing me then. I’ll be taking my leave.”

She stood up, swaying slightly. The man reached forward to support her but stopped himself at her hard glare.

“You’re in no position to travel.” he implored quietly, “There is a healing quarry lake about an hour away. We can leave at dawn. Just rest, please. I will not harm you.”

"I'm fine." Nesta insisted, soldiering forward through the haze of weightlessness. She was halfway out of the building when it occurred to her that he seemed to be coming with.

She whipped around to ask, "Why are you following me?"

"You are in no shape to travel or defend yourself if anyone attacks. If you're not resting, I'm coming with you." he shot back, evidently annoyed by her stubbornness.

"Nobody is asking you to." she argued.

"You don't have to," he answered. Even in the moonlight, his eyes shone with honesty.

Nesta bit back a retort. There was no getting rid of the guy. She replied with a resigned sigh, "I don't have time to rest all night. Now, where is that quarry?"

Nesta almost punched him for the shit eating grin he flashed her.

"My name is Cassian, by the way." he introduced himself a couple of minutes into their journey.

He kept a step ahead of her. Close enough, she realised, to defend her when needed but stayed in her line of sight so that she knew that he would not sneak an attack on her. An effort that she appreciated.

"Nesta" she begrudgingly returned.

They walked in silence. Cassian would constantly check the stars and point them in a specific direction. Nesta felt her strength waning with every step, her skin misted with sweat from the effort of walking.

The next time Cassian paused to navigate them, he passed her a canteen and said, "Let's take a short rest."

Nesta took the canteen and drank from it, catching the sigh of relief before it could escape her throat. She let her eyes fall shut for a few moments as she drank the water.

"Let's go" she snapped the moment she opened her eyes and slapped the canteen against his chest, stalking forward. If Cassian made a quip (which she was almost certain he did), it went unheard and ignored.

The sky was still dark when they reached the quarry. The water glistened against the backdrop of the rough surface of the quarry, reflecting the moon on its surface. Nesta knelt slightly to dip her hand under the water, sighing at the instant ease which flowed into her. She stood up, surprised to see Cassian making camp at the site.

"What are you doing?" she blurted out.

"Settling in. There's still a while to go until sunrise." he answered easily, as if it explained everything. "I'm not leaving you defenceless in your meditative state."

"Why?" she asked, finally giving into curiousity, "I'm a demon. Probably the last creature, a human, much less a hunter, would protect."

"I'd do it for anyone," he replied quietly, his expression was serious but sincere, "I'll never hurt you Nesta. You're safe with me."

Nesta found herself wanting to believe him. There was something in his eyes, something that made her think as she walked into the water that there was more to this, something that she was missing. She held onto the thought as the ground vanished beneath her, surmerging her fully. Nesta transformed, the process dragged in her injured state. Her limbs gradually combined and extended into its long length, curling as she settled at the bottom.

Nesta felt his gaze on her, its heat reaching her through the water. She ignored it, focusing her attention on absorbing the restorative energy of her surroundings. She meditated until the sun was high in the sky and her strength returned.

She redirected the flow of qi in her body, gathering them from the far lengths of her long body back to her core, transforming back into her humanoid form. As the top of her head breaches the surface, she pooled the energy around her hands, ready at any given notice to throw out her silver flames.

Their eyes clashed, molten silver against burning hazel. Nesta held her breath. Would seeing her in her other form reveal the hunter as nothing more than the killer that he certainly is?

Maintaining the fiery energy around her hands, she drew upon enough qi to apply the glamour, ivory scales giving way to alabaster skin. A large warm hand covered her cheek at the point where scales met skin.

"Don't," he said roughly, "You don't have to cover it up with me."

Cassian's stare turned hungry, "It's beautiful."

Her brain screamed at her to remove his hand, to slap it away angrily, but Nesta could only stare into his eyes, transfixed with the flakes of gold dancing around his pupils and fixate on the warmth radiating from his hand to her face. Her heart pounded in her ears as she felt the heat spreading across her cheeks.

From a distance, a hawk screeched. The moment snapped like a taut rope and Nesta almost flinched from the impact, the blazing qi fizzled out pathetically in her hands. She stepped back immediately.

"I've recovered enough to return," she informed curtly. Her expression softened slightly for a moment, "Thank you for helping me."

Cassian smiled, slow and devastating. Nesta felt her heart stutter as he replied, "Come to the house at the southern tip of the West Lake. You will always have a friend there."

Nesta nodded and took off, Clare's voice haunting her journey back.

Isn't it just silly to think? A demon and human could be in love.

It was not silly. It was a tragedy waiting to happen.

Translation Notes: xihu/西湖 - The West Lake located in Hangzhou, China. qi/气 - Vital energy that flows through all bodies. jianghu/江湖 - The setting often used in wuxia stories. Think "The Valley" in Kungfu Panda.

A/N: I'm still relatively new to this and this would be my first multi-chapter fic that I don't have pre-written so do let me know if you would want to be added into a taglist!

#nessian #nesta x cassian #NestaWeek2023 #Legend of White Snake AU #xianxia AU #acotar fic #nessian fic #acotar

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