Wen Reian

2004 years after The Long Night

Wúmeng

The noise of the dining hall was just loud enough that Reian had to strain to hear Master Hao speaking to them from across the table...

"We will be leaving in two days time-"

"Home?!" Xie De squealed.

Their Master nodded.

Over the music being played and the thunder of laughter, plates and drinks clinking together, plus Xie De's incessant chatter, Reian felt a tugging at his heart. Something, somewhere in here was wrong.

Eyes scanning over Jin Yu, who was eating patiently with Xie De rambling in his ear, Wen Rei looked through the whole of the dining hall, before he finally settled upon the dark shape in the corner.

Fingers tightening at the veritable storm-cloud that seemed to emanate from Xie Yi-jun, Reian noticed that the seats on either side of him weren't filled, likely because the man himself seemed just moments away from bursting into a ball of flames.

Eyes downcast and covered in sleepless shadows, Yi-jun looked weaker than Reian had ever seen. Even at the moment they'd met...

It was impossible to say if this energy was his suppressed aura seeping through, or just an effect of keeping it all inside. Either way, Wen Reian sensed that the King was at his breaking point.

Distracted by something Jin Yu was saying, Reian realised several minutes later that Yi-jun had snuck off while he wasn't looking. Fear filled his heart, along with an overwhelming sense that the man should not be left alone right now...

Something bad could happen-

"Master Hao?" Reian said rather loudly.

Several eyes turned to stare at him.

He bit his lip, "May I be excused? I'm a little tired..."

Not technically lying because the truth is, I am tired. Tired of Xie Yi-jun hiding all his pain-

Bowing gratefully when the man nodded, Wen Rei didn't even wait to say goodbye to Xie De and Jin Yu, he got up and practically ran out the door.

Stumbling blindly through the dark until his eyes adjusted, the boy's heart skipped a beat when he saw Xie Yi-jun's shadowy figure swaying down the street. Catching up to him was no problem, but then Reian was tasked with the seemingly impossible challenge of convincing this proud King to accept his help.

If I can help him-

"Xie Yi-jun!"

Reian stopped himself before he reached out and grabbed the man's shoulder, but as the King was turning to face him, he tripped, swaying and nearly falling over. Reian steadied him, fears now being realised when he caught sight of the exhausted and desperate look on the man's face. Yi-jun appeared to be one step away from passing out right here in the road. There was no way Reian was letting him wander off alone like this...

Placing one of the King's arms around his shoulder, Reian went to support him but the King stiffened.

"It's alright," he whispered. "Let me help you."

It was more than clear that Yi-jun wanted none of his help, but he was also too clever not to know he needed it now.

Nodding weakly, the man stopped resisting and together the two of them shuffled slowly down the road. Yi-jun's room was at the edge of town, a choice he'd made by himself.

As Reian carefully opened the door and helped the King inside, he immediately saw the pile of burnt up matches lying on the bedside table...

"Here, sit down."

Reian led Yi-jun to the bed and eased him onto it, feeling the struggle in the man's very breath as he used all his strength to move. Heart tightening at the sight, and also Xie Yi-jun's pale face, Reian took the pitcher by the matchsticks and poured a cup of water, handing it to the King.

Yi-jun eyed it, then reached out a shaky hand. Reian actually had to adjust his grip on the cup several times before the man could raise it to his lips.

I can't stand seeing him like this...

"No, drink. Please-"

Reian tried to hand it back to him as Yi-jun immediately took one small sip and put the cup back. Their hands touched, and Reian felt his breathing halt. Senses momentarily heightened as he felt the warmth of Yi-jun's pulse through his skin.

Then Reian noticed the marks on the King's wrist. His sleeve had fallen down just enough when he reached out for the boy to clearly see the dozen or so, tiny holes, some yellowing and some bright red. All of them caused by burning.

Tears blurring his vision as Yi-jun clumsily pulled his sleeve down, Wen Reian forced his voice to be strong as he mumbled;

"Do you need any medicine?"

The young King pursed his lips, eyes glassy. Reian would have said he was on the verge of tears, but it seemed Yi-jun had nothing left to cry about. Answering with a small shake of his head, the man sighed deeply.

"No..."

There were so many hidden things inside that word, and Reian could hear them all; please don't leave me, I'm so afraid, so alone. I want to be saved, but what's the point? No one could rescue me here, drowning... a thousand feet from the sun-

Reian realised he had reached out and placed a hand on Yi-jun's shoulder. He could feel that much of the man's pain was coming from the fact that his aura was sealed deep inside his body. It would be a mess to sort through it all, but it needed to be done.

He thought back to how the Jin Songcai in his dreams had told him to heal people... to heal Yi-jun. Reian wanted nothing more.

"Should I leave?" He said quietly , wishing the young King would say no, stay.

But Xie Yi-jun nodded. Wen Reian's heart ached, but there was nothing he could do to persuade him. He couldn't help someone that didn't want to be healed.

"Okay,"

He went to pull away, but the moment Reian lifted his hand, he heard Yi-jun inhale sharply. Their eyes met as the King raised his head. Reian could see the struggle within his eyes. Xie Yi-jun was afraid that even if he asked for help, there would be nothing Reian could do.

Bravely though, he finally whispered; "Will you... try?"

Knowing what he meant, the boy nodded.

Silence filled the room between them, save their hearts beating loudly and Reian carefully went to sit beside the King on the bed, putting a hand over the man's chest.

Closing his eyes, he tried to feel for wherever his aura had been hidden, but it was like a fortress inside his heart. A mess of thorny vines and cold shadows. Reian nearly got lost-

"Reian..." Yi-jun's voice came to him and he opened his eyes.

The young King was frowning, eyebrows drawn together and the hint of a grimace on thin lips.

"Don't bother with that. Just... heal me enough to make it to tomorrow."

Wen Reian couldn't do that. He knew that any temporary fix would only harm Yi-jun more. Like putting a bandage over a lethal wound and not actually treating it.

"If you can let just... some of your aura through, I can try to do more-"

Reian felt the racing of Yi-jun's heart inside his ribcage, fear tightening his fists.

"I can't," he breathed. "It hurts too much."

"But after you do, it will hurt less... it will get easier."

Yi-jun seemed more than a little afraid, but he took a moment to think, steadying his breathing, centering his mind. Reian silently admired his courage in such a painful moment.

When Xie Yi-jun nodded for him to go ahead, the boy closed his eyes once more.

Here... right here. There was a little sliver of something alive, something glowing within the mess of all those vines and darkness. Reian didn't try to coax it outside Yi-jun's body, but sat with it instead, noticing the glimmer of something there and keeping it safe inside the King's heart.

It's okay, he thought. It's enough for right now to just exist.

Silently he thanked the little shimmer, the light, for appearing. For being brave and showing itself. He could tell Yi-jun was trying to concentrate, but upon noticing his heart was beginning to open slowly, the King's breath caught. Reian quickly placed his other hand upon the man's lower back. It was a pressure point that enabled one to feel more stable.

As Reian gradually got to know the light deep inside the King's heart, he felt it almost begin to warm him, like sunlight on a nice day. He knew Yi-jun had already made huge progress even getting this far, but it was like once he started, Reian couldn't stop. He knew he had to help him...

The pain and despair that surrounded Yi-jun's soul was thick and murky, weighing down his entire body like heavy tar. Reian did what he could to stabilize the glimmer at the center of this pain, but Yi-jun had to help him too.

The boy tried easing his own aura against the light, slowly getting it to trust him, but when he tried helping it grow, it shrunk, hiding away. Xie Yi-jun was resisting, probably without meaning to, but there was little Reian could do from this point unless the man let go some more. He didn't want to speak and interrupt Yi-jun's concentration, but he had no choice...

"You're doing good," he whispered.

"You're safe, I'm here. It's okay to trust. Whatever happens, you are not alone."

He could feel Yi-jun's heart beating steadily, his breathing even, but the tension in the room was clear. A few minutes later, with a surge of pride and relief, Reian realised that a large portion of the dark surrounding Yi-jun's aura had been pushed away. Of the man's own will!

The light inside him grew bigger steadily, simply because it no longer had to be confined to such a small space. Xie Yi-jun was sweating, shaking. With his aura returning to its rightful place, no longer being suppressed, that meant memories and pain would be surfacing that he'd try to bury. It would feel overwhelming.

Reian tried to counter this by converting his aura into an anchor. He felt it in his body, immediately redirecting into his hands, and into Yi-jun.

It was exhausting, it was different. And yet Reian couldn't be more certain that this was what he was meant to do. It feels right...

The connection between him and Yi-jun was as strong and as sudden as the night they'd met. Wen Rei could feel his own aura, the light inside him, flowing into the King and strengthening him for the battle ahead-

"Agh!"

Reian realised with a moment of brief panic that the darkness inside Yi-jun's heart had almost completely fallen away. Because of this, his aura was coming full force back into his body. Reian felt the light, the unique color and shape of it, pushing roughly at the King from within...

Keeping a portion of his energy focused on Yi-jun's core, Reian extended some of his own aura outside. Surrounding Yi-jun, a perimeter of light. Coating his skin like a shield. It should help make his aura's return feel less intense.

Several moments later, Reian gently coaxing the light inside the King back to where it belonged, he was struck with the realization that he had no idea how to do any of this outside of instinct...

Reian's soul was confident. Stable, knowing that he could be there in this way for another person and still be okay. Not only that, but the feeling, the sight of Yi-jun's soul... Reian swore he'd seen beautiful things, but this was beyond words. And it was one thing to see someone's aura and notice it's beauty, but a good portion of Reian's consciousness was inside Xie Yi-jun, it felt every nuance, every atom of what the King was made of.

It was humbling, to say the least. Reian was grateful to have this chance to see the young King in his true, unfiltered form. All his bravery and pain and resilience...

Realizing that Yi-jun's aura had settled evenly where it belonged, that the darkness, that cage had all been destroyed, Wen Rei slowly relaxed a bit of his energy.

Yi-jun shook slightly, adjusting. It would be a long night and he probably wouldn't get much sleep, but this was the best thing for him in the long run.

Gradually, over the next hour, Reian returned his own aura. He could feel when was the right time to remove it, and occasionally when Yi-jun got dizzy or weak, Reian would add too...

Eventually, he only had the smallest bit of his aura around the King, covering the outside of him like a soothing blanket. It eased the shivers that racked him as he drifted in and out of a fitful sleep.

Sweat beaded on the King's brow and upper lip, his face pale but no longer ashen grey. He already looked better-

And Reian didn't mind being here this long. Yi-jun had done exceptionally well, and knowing that he could begin to properly heal and process his pain was more than worth it to the boy.

Memories and unfiltered emotions clearly swirled through Yi-jun's body and mind. Reian could feel the man's aura change subtly, sometimes violently when a certain feeling arose. And Reian felt it. With every wave of emotion that crossed the young King, the boy was struck with the tide of his contracting soul. It brushed, hit against him, leaving his head spinning with thoughts and feelings not his own.

Reian felt a deep, soul-crushing loneliness... otherness. Being a man out of his time. A man with no Kingdom, home, family or friend. He felt Xie Yi-jun's confusion, his fear, even his willingness to give up. Let everything come to an end. That emotion, that hollowness was the worst. Reian felt tears spring to his eyes, unbidden as the man he now held firmly, shook and wept in his arms.

Reian was holding Yi-jun's shoulder, one hand still upon his chest. He could have taken them off an hour ago, but something about having physical contact with him now seemed so important. He didn't want Yi-jun to wake up, afraid if he felt Reian pull away or leave him.

So he stayed like that. Being hit by every unprocessed emotion that Yi-jun was only beginning to work through. On some, he lingered, on others the pain was too fresh, he seemed to cower and turn away. But he didn't suppress it. Reian felt no judgement or pity for the King. In fact, his admiration for the man's strength only grew as each moment passed.

Perhaps the bravest thing I will ever see anyone do. Not only overcoming darkness and choosing to feel your pain, but the fact that Xie Yi-jun is doing such a thing after accepting me, a stranger's help...

Now, in the silence save the King's shallow breaths, Wen Reian was at peace. Even as Yi-jun's pain came to him in waves, he simply watched the man's eyelids flutter, his lips parting every so often. Wen Rei saw someone in their weakest moment, being braver than he'd been in his whole life. That, coupled with the brilliance of the King's soul, lighting up the darkest corners of the room, Reian's heart whispered that he'd never witnessed something so magnificent.

More moments turned into more hours. Xie Yi-jun fell asleep several times and woke up from nightmares that Reian would soothe him from, extending his aura if needed and squeezing the man's shoulder comfortingly.

Past three, Reian finally felt his eyelids start to droop. His grip on Yi-jun weakening as exhaustion finally overtook. He felt he could drift off between this breath and the next, but he knew if he did Yi-jun would be left without support in this crucial time.

Fighting to stay awake, he began tightening and untightening his fingers, just to keep his mind active. It was several minutes later with a guilty sigh, that the boy realised he had leaned his head upon Yi-jun's shoulder, a strand of the King's dark hair twined around his fingers...

Staring as he twirled it lazily, Wen Rei recalled Xie De teasing him for doing the same thing on himself when he was young-

"It helps me fall asleep..." he'd glared at his older brother.

Xie De just rolled his eyes and threw a pillow at him, "Fine! But don't think you're coming anywhere near my hair!"

Breathing in deeply and sighing, Reian was about to finally release Xie Yi-jun when he felt the man stir. Assuming he was just drifting in and out of dreams, Reian didn't think anything of it when the young King humphed loudly and began mumbling...

"There you are-"

Yawning, Reian pulled away, then he heard the man groan as if in pain. He replaced the hand on Yi-jun's shoulder carefully so as not to wake him and yawned again... when Reian opened his eyes blearily, he was startled to find dark brown ones staring back.

Yi-jun looked exhausted. Glass-like eyes and a frown on his face like he didn't know where he was. Reian wasn't sure if the King was awake or dreaming, but then Yi-jun sighed again.

"I've been looking for you everywhere-"

"...!"

Reian's heart froze as Yi-jun suddenly leaned in. Their lips pressed together for no more than two seconds, though it felt like an eternity to Reian who sat absolutely motionless, eyes wide, trying to process what he should do with the handful of remaining brain cells he had functioning.

He didn't have the common sense or quick reflexes to push the man away. Reian simply couldn't think when Yi-jun pulled back, and then the heat rising on the stunned boy's face only worsened as the young King closed his eyes and stuck his lower lip out.

Yi-jun pouted, whispering; "Jin-cai..."

Reian wanted to hide his face in his hands. No... I am not Jin Songcai!

But he really couldn't hold this against the King, who probably wasn't even awake.

When Reian could finally breathe again, he detached himself completely from Xie Yi-jun, taking the time to gently lay him down. The man slept fitfully, trying to grip and hold onto Reian's sleeves when he went to leave.

Swallowing, a sense of intrusion came over the boy. He shouldn't be this close to the King. He should have left as soon as he'd healed him and hoped the man got to sleep.

Pausing at the doorway when he heard Yi-jun sigh, Reian blinked and placed a hand on his lips-

That... didn't happen. I am not Jin Songcai, I was only trying to help the King... Xie Yi-jun didn't mean to do that.

He didn't mean to steal my first kiss.