Transcendence of The Lotus

THE WILTING LOTUS

𝖠𝖱𝖢 𝖮𝖭𝖤

" 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖶𝗂𝗅𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖫𝗈𝗍𝗎𝗌"

part five

ነየልርቿ ጌዪቿልጕ

It starts with a small, almost unnoticeable ache in his chest. Jiang Cheng could hardly remember when his chest started to ache (he had always felt empty and numb, ever since Wei Wuxian's death, so he had never thought that something was wrong with him).

And time passed by, that small ache slowly grew to be more noticeable, and cumbersome. His chest more heavy, stuff, full and block. The ache travelling to his shoulders, his hands, his feet and even to his head.

He brushed it off.

And then he started coughing.

His chest grew more heavy and stuffed each day, and everytime he coughed, te ache centered in his chest became sharp and hot.

On the day he met his once-dead brother, playing an awful tune with a pathetic flute, his chest ache and he just knew that it was him. Wei Wuxian had come back to life, and Jiang Cheng was right. He wasn't crazy. Wei Wuxian came back to life.

His coughs became more frequent, and more than often ended with him staring at his blood-coated palm.

He told no one, and merely wiped the blood left on his chin. He went ahead to another meeting as if it never happened.

The day Wen Ning told him the truth, at that Guanyin Temple, Jiang Cheng went back to Lotus Pier feeling like a fool.

He remembered everything (every death) that had happened. Going to Gusu as their guest disciples, Wei Wuxian getting kicked out, Wens killing every man and woman in a purle lotus uniform, his core being destroyed and being 'gifted' (tricked, a voice whispered, he ticked him and made a fool of him) by Wei Wuxian's own, Jin Ling's birth and Jie's death- Jiang Cheng killing Wei Wuxian... he remembered everything, and Jiang Cheng, for the first time, coughed and was confused why there was a flower petal in his hand.