Solstice Souls

Nightmarish Hunt

Wei Ying POV

Wei Wuxian had not been on a night hunt in nearly a month. Which was probably why his nerves and emotions were spiralling out of control lately. Hunts were a way for him to release his dark energy so it did not accumulate to a dangerous level and wreak havoc on his mind. He was able to control it when his emotions were in check and there were opportunities to expel some of it.

But, with all the travelling and dancing he had done the past few weeks, he had been unable to find time or suitable isolated hunting grounds. Unlike other cultivators who meditated and trained to make their cores stronger, Wei Ying often had to make himself weaker in order to stay in control of the resentful energy.

If people discovered that he practiced the demonic arts, his clan would be wiped from the earth. Wei Ying thought it was ridiculous how the cultivational world looked down on those who did not follow the same path that history laid out before them. How anyone who was different from them was shunned and scorned.

Hated.

Feared.

Killed.

That is how we have always done it.

The eight most dangerous words in any language, Wei Ying thought to himself.

He walked beside Lan Wangji as they entered the line of trees leading to the area where the creatures had been seen. He tried not to look at the man in the white robes that illuminated brightly against the moonlight. But it was just so damn hard not to stare at the man.

Wei Ying wanted just one more look at his heart's desire before they separated. He could not risk the jade finding out about his dark secret. Or else not only would Hanguang-jun kill him but the other Lan members present would most likely murder his parents before they could draw their swords from their sheaths. He noticed the cold glare of his enemy from out of the corner of his eye and decided now was a good time to disappear.

"Hey. I'm going to go relieve some extra weight before we find these things. I don't want to be distracted or uncomfortable. I might mess up and wind up dead. And we don't want that, do we?" he said, optimistically hopeful that Lan Wangji would at least give him a nod.

But, the Lan remained stone-faced as he continued walking, unwilling to wait for the man in black and red. Wei Ying watched dejectedly as the white robes vanished into the forest. He could not even force his pout into a smile before wandering off in another direction. His heart was so heavy it physically weighed him down, his steps became slow and unenthusiastic.

Yet his mind kept telling him it was for the better. Unfortunately, his heart was louder than his thoughts.

After an hour of searching for clues as to these creatures' whereabouts and finding nothing, Wei Ying began to wonder if Madam Yu had sent them on a wild goose chase. It certainly would not surprise him if she had somehow rigged the hunt so that Lan Wangji would find all three beasts, slay them, and return victorious without him even catching a whiff of the prey.

So he focused all his senses. He needed to win this hunt.

Almost another hour had passed and Wei Ying was getting restless. His growing fear that something was terribly wrong gnawed away at the confidence he exuded at the start of the hunt. With his next step, that fear appeared in front of him and he froze mid-stride.

Dammit!

What was that doing here?

He had only heard stories about this beast and its three fiendish friends. Every child grew up listening to their parents warn them of the Four Evils and how, if they weren't good boys or girls, the creatures would find them and devour them. Hell! Even Wei Wuxian hid under his covers as a frightened little boy after listening to his father explain in colorful detail about each monster's horrific appearance.