WangXian Forever 7

Chapter 45 Lost

Lan Zhan felt strange. This whole cave had felt weird to him, imperceptibly at the beginning, but the further in they came, the more uncomfortable he felt. He tried to stick closer to Wei Ying, but the darkness was all encompassing, as if it was accommodating their bodies, only to gather in strength behind them.

The soft bluish glow of Bichen was swallowed up by the darkness, providing no extra light.

And then he stopped.

There was deathly silence.

No longer could he hear the soft hush of long wings sweeping away the air.

There was nothing.

"Wei Ying!" He shouted out, fear alive in his heart.

He checked his ring, a present from his husband, a gift that could tell if Wei Ying was in trouble, and that at least made him feel better, for it was dull.

Where had Wei Ying disappeared to?

"Wei Ying?" He called out again.

Nothing but the sound of his own voice echoed back to him.

Lan Zhan refused to panic. He had to stay calm. Wei Ying was strong, stronger than himself these days, and he had a sharp head on his shoulders...

Lan Zhan summoned WangJi. The blue waves of spiritual energy blasted the deepening blackness away...but there was nothing on the other side. Just this endless cave.

Was it enchanted? There was definitely something wrong with this place...and maybe Hongse could help.

He wondered where Dunshi had got to, too. Lan Zhan had been so focused on Wei  Ying, he had lost the sound of those thudding footsteps. Had Dunshi followed Wei Ying wherever he had gone?

That was a comforting thought.

Lan Zhan turned around, even though his soul was crying out for him to go back, that Wei Ying was somewhere there, behind him, and what was he doing?

But he also knew that wise actions followed wise council, and he had their children to think about.

Wei Ying would never forgive him for not looking after them.

So Lan Zhan flew back to the mouth of the cave.

Hongse had started up a huge campfire. She stood up when she saw him, raising a brow and looking back pointedly to the blackness behind him. He called for her to come closer, not wishing to upset the children.

"Where are the other two?" She asked, her blue eyes intense.

Lan Zhan explained what had happened.

"Let's wait until the sun is at its strongest. It's just beginning to rise right now. Then, we'll go back in, you and I." She put her hand on his arm. "Please, don't worry. We will find him."

Lan Zhan nodded, relieved when she took her hand away. He went to sit with his children.

"WinganLaZhan?" Rumi asked him as soon as he saw him.

Lan Zhan didn't want to scare either of them, and would be irresponsible of him to frighten them without any evidence.

"He's in there." He replied truthfully.

Li XiWang looked back at the darkness, and then looked at him again. Lan Zhan waited until Rumi was distracted before shaking his head at her. Silently, she reached for his hands.

***********

Wei Ying willed himself not to panic. Lan Zhan was right behind him...wasn't he? But all around him, this darkness seemed to multiply...what exactly was it? There was something familiar and not quite right about it.

He flew faster into the darkness, reaching out with his senses to make sure he didn't slam head first into a stone wall. And then, he felt cold wind on his face.

He burst out of the cave, guessing this was the other side...but here, night had fallen. Up above, stars in their wondrous formations dazzled and sparkled, yet Wei Ying could not say if they were familiar. He needed Lan Zhan here, right now.

All around him, the land was silent, not even the hush of a midnight wind. No animals, no birds, not even the hoot of a hungry owl...it was too silent.

Wei Ying flew closer to the ground, and seeing the dewdrops on the grasses below, he landed.

All of a sudden, little sparkling lights rose up from the ground, hundreds and thousands of them, little chirping things, swarming all around him, tickling his face. Wei Ying couldn't help but smile, sharing their delight. He held out his hand and felt them bounce with joy.

"Who are you?" He asked, his voice full of awe.

"Why, we are the baby stars..." they chorused...all in one voice.

"Baby stars?" He asked.

They hummed a yes.

"Then what are those?" He pointed upwards.

"Those are grown up stars...with sponsibilities...." they struggled with the word.

"Responsibilities?" He asked, smiling because their joy was contagious.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" They cried, leaping all around him.

"But why is it so dark here? When I left the other side of the cave, the sun was just about to rise." He said, looking back to where he thought the cave mouth was.

"Here it is always dark...how are we to shine otherwise?" They said, their voices full of innocence.

"Always dark...?"

"Yes, always dark...and we have never seen a star as you! When are you going up to your Palace in the sky?"

"My...Palace in the sky?"

They cheered and swarmed around him again.

"Yes, your Palace in the sky!" And then hundreds of them grabbed his arms on both sides and pulled him into the air.

Onwards and upwards and far, far away, they flew higher and higher, until when Wei Ying looked down, the mouth of the cave had disappeared.

And right in front of him here, thousands of little houses shone brightly because of their sparkling inhabitants.

"What do you do?" He asked, shouting it out. "Why are you here?"

"We live here." The high pitched voices answered.

"But how do I get back?" He asked, really worried now.

"Don't be silly," they told him. "Once you come here, there's no going back."