HuaLian: Book Of AUs

2. Soulmate! AU

Xie Lian was seven years old when the soulmate mark first appeared. It was a faint thing, located at the side of his neck, a beautiful one even- a butterfly resting on a flower. He wondered why it had taken so long to appear, most people got their soul marks when they were two to three years old. Was his soulmate younger than him? Nonetheless, he was happy, he wondered if his soulmate was too.

It is said that some soulmates could feel each other's pain, it is a blunt nauseatic feeling that Xie Lian had grown all too accustomed to. Most nights he would feel numb at his limbs, it wasn't painful but disarming instead. At times his head would feel heavy from thinking of the pain and grief his soulmate was going through. Just how much was his soulmate suffering?

He hoped that the happy and warm feelings he experienced would be felt by his soulmate. He clutched at his soul-mark and desperately wished for the wellbeing of his future lover, or friends.

Years seemed to fly by without him ever meeting his special person. Maybe later? He had such a long time awaiting him, surely they would meet. He wondered if their meeting would be special and magical. He smiled to himself.

When he was seventeen, he was most revered by the people as the Crown Prince of Xian Le, strongest and most charming of all. On the day of the Shangyuan, his body had moved by itself to catch the falling figure. The young boy seemed so small and frail that it made his heart wrench. The small child looked up at him, wrapped protectively in his arms when Xie Lian felt warm and happy, a fleeting feeling really. His soul mate was happy! He might not have been able to save his special person, but at least he saved this adorable child. He smiled when the child clutched at him and he spoke words of reassurance.

 Later that day he was overcome with pain all over his body, it somehow felt sharper than what he had felt all these years. He did not have much time to dwell on it as he was thrown into a frenzied search to rescue the child who had been abused by his own stupid cousin. 

That night when he retired to his chambers, he looked into the mirror and saw a glowing light emitting from his soul mark.

He ascended soon and descended again. His Kingdom, the people he wanted to save, all had been thrown into chaos and disarray. During the war, the only reassurance he got was from the glowing mark on his neck, a sign that his soulmate was alive. In the Land of Tender, he could have sworn that the mark burned, but then again, he was too far gone.

Every death, every wound, every cry of grief, every reminder that he was helpless against this curse that plagues his kingdom and the only thing preventing him from breaking apart completely was his desire to save the common people and most importantly, the reminder that his soulmate was still alive gave him hope. Soon, that hope withered away. One day he woke up and found the mark had faded away. He screamed.

He would cast fleeting glances at his reflection when he passed by a puddle or a broken glass, yet the mark remained absent. He had failed to protect the one person he should have.

When he was being stabbed by a hundred swords he wondered if his soulmate would have felt the same pain too. For once he was happy that his soulmate was no more. His mind was jumbled and his body too exhausted and hurt to register the heart-wrenching cried of the newly formed ghost.

Xie Lian almost became the white-clothed calamity, almost became evil, not that he wasn't earlier. He still blamed himself for his soulmate's death. He fought Bai Wuxiang in vain. When the masked soldier named Wuming absorbed the curses, his mask cracked and Xie Lian was able to look at him for the fraction of a second. He felt he saw a soul mark on the ghost's right eye- a butterfly resting on a flower. He made a mistake, he told himself. He was hallucinating. He pushed the memories of this vision deep inside his heart. It was a mistake he told himself, it was all a mistake. The cursed shackles stood where the mark had once been.

He had wandered for eight hundred years when suddenly he ascended again. The Bell chimed and fell when he rose to the heavens. He earned himself a great debt. When the ghost in red guided him through the forest, he felt a weird sensation on his neck. He didn't dare check. Then he met San Lang on the ox cart. With him, happiness came easily, bringing with it peals of laughter and happiness. He felt full again.

He asked San Lang, or the most notorious Supreme Ghost King- Hua Cheng, to show his true form. Hua Cheng was reluctant and Xie Lian immediately reassured him that it was fine. But the Ghost King relented. Xie Lian rubbed his finger over the eyepatch, completely enchanted by the ethereal beauty of the man before him. With his permission, he untied the knot and the eyepatch slipped off. Xie Lian gasped. Hot tears rolled down his cheek. On his eye was a soul mark- a butterfly resting on a flower. Xie Lian pulled Hua Cheng close, clutching at the red fabric. Hua Cheng hugged him tighter, a small sob escaping his lips. They held each other's faces, adoring the beauty of the other. A string of apologies left his mouth but it seemed Xie Lian wasn't the only one who blamed himself.

Later, Hua Cheng would hold Xie Lian's hair aside as they knelt beside a river, admiring the soul mark which peeked out from under the cursed shackles.

Every kiss felt like a luxury, every touch fed the fire within Xie Lian. He remembered the way his soul mark burned while trapped in the coffin. He learned to feel desire. He tied a red knot around his ring finger and wore a silver necklace with the ashes of his soul mate, his beloved.

During the fight with Jun Wu, Hua Cheng fed him with all his spiritual power and the shackles shattered to reveal the soul mark underneath. He returned victorious only to have his beloved explode into a million butterfly in his arms, a promise of coming back was whispered to him. He believed it, he believed him. San Lang, Hua Cheng, Wuming, Hong er... he had always been there. As the nameless young soldier in the Lan of Tender, as he ghost fire which fought relentlessly to stay with his beloved, as the masked soldier who followed his every command....his soulmate had always been there. 

This time the mark remained, bold and bright, as well as the red string on his finger. 

As he made his way down the hill he felt his Soul Mark glow, and he rushed down, slipping on rocks and mud but ultimately he found himself in his beloved's arms. His soulmate held him close and kissed him with passion. His soul mate returned to him and with that returned the hope that had withered away.

On a lonely hill, two soulmates, having fought time and fate, stood embracing each other amidst the red maple trees. The silver butterflies danced around the fluttering white flowers.

A/N- that's it. This is what I needed for my heart. I don't know what to write. If you liked it, please comment, vote and share. Thank you.

<3