It's Not Over

The Call

A hush fell over the group, all eyes drifting over to Wei Wuxian's blank face. If they were looking for a reaction, they weren't going to get one from him. Not from something that he had heard so many times since he came back to life. This was nothing.

"What is this?" Wen Qing muttered, staring at the man with a worried face. "Dead?"

"I knew that menace -" Yu Ziyuan started to mutter, only to find her lips sealed and a very satisfied Lan Xichen leaning back in his seat.

"There is so much you don't know," Jiang Cheng muttered, glancing back to the man. "Do you think-"

"I have no idea," Wei Wuxian muttered, catching the anger that flickered across Jiang Cheng's face. "I really don't."

"Hear my plea to the fallen," Wei Wuxian's voice echoed through the room, a gentle lullaby from the screen. But there was only white. "Leave me to be with the broken ; One last time before I go."

The scene changed rapidly, leaving the clans gasping at the sight of Wei Wuxian staring down the many cultivators barreling towards him, rampaging towards him with swords in the air. The manical grin lingered on his face, but the music didn't relent, still crooning the same sad tune.

"Hold the last burning ember; Let us never surrender," Wei Wuxian continued, the song falling from his lips and seemingly unnoticed by the many attacking him. "May we rise unto the call; For the glory and the fall."

"I don't remember there being music," one of the cultivators muttered, drawing disbelieving eyes from Jiang Cheng.

"That's because there wasn't any music, you idiot!" Jiang Cheng snapped, turning back to the screen. "Just shut up and watch!"

"For the beat and the broken—" Blood spattered across the screen, gasps falling from worried lips when it revealed Wei Ying's horrified face. The bright sunny day contrasting to the hurt echoing through the field.

"For the lost and forsaken—" No one could turn their eyes away when the screen panned back to show Jin Zixuan falling to his knees, blood pooling around the wound Wen Ning's arm had created.

"Let us never surrender; May we rise unto the call."

"A-Li is waiting for you-" Jin Zixuan collapsed to the ground. Wei Wuxian's horrified screams blocking out the sound of the song once again.

Jin Zixuan gripped his wife's hand tightly, grimace coming across his face. He leaned forward, trying to catch the eyes of the shattered man staring at the screen. When he couldn't get his attention, mostly assuming that the man was going to avoid him, he sighed.

"It was an accident, Wei Wuxian," Zixuan finally stated, hearing the other clans mutter amongst themselves. "It was a high stress situation and things got out of hand. I have never blamed you for my death."

Wuxian hummed, never once actually responding to the man himself.

"For the beat and the broken—"

Wei Wuxian woke to an empty cave, a slight flicker of a memory showing in the corner but quickly disappearing. The room was silent, and he didn't move. He couldn't move as the picture zoomed on the needles carefully placed on his pressure points.

"For the lost and forsaken—"

Wen Ning and Wen Qing stood before Jin GuangShan, grim faced. Lips were moving, but no sound was heard, only the burning of fire as it ripped across the page.

"Let us never surrender; For the glory and the fall."

Wei Wuxian finally broke out of the hold, clambering to the exit and making his way to the men who tore apart his world, glowing red eyes telling more of the story than any of the others had seen. Behind his body, a glowing red battle raged behind him. Murdered bodies tore through the crowd, ripping apart their murderers with outraged screams before turning to the next person. Rage echoed on the cultivators face when they met them head on, swords slicing through decomposing bodies.

The screen fast forwarded, landing on Wei Wuxian battling his way through the crowd, eyes focused on Jiang Yanli while she clambered through the crowd.

Jiang Yanli's voice gently echoed the song, a smiled resting on her face when she finally caught sight of her brothers, "For the beat and the broken."

"What does childhood friendship matter when facing people like him?" The words echoed across the room, the screen flashing to Jiang Yanli being slashed from behind by the very monster Wei Wuxian had created.

"For the lost and forsaken," the words fell from bloody lips, unnoticed by the men that desperately attempt to help her. She just gently patted his face, shoving him out of the way when the cultivator watching them took his chance. "Let us never surrender; Now we rise unto the call."

They watched Wei Wuxian collapse, before a resolute look came across his face. The verse echoed back from his lips. "Chains that we are breaking; Fate that we are awaiting."

The scene skipped, sending them to Lan Zhan's wide eyes, and Jiang Cheng's sword coming down. Wei Wuxian's bloody smile as he fell back, the words still falling from his lips. "We will rise unto the call."

The screen went the black, the final words echoing.

"For the glory and the fall."

Wei Wuxian stared at the screen; face still as blank as he could make it after seeing Lan Zhan's devastated face once again. "Well, that was interesting."

"Baba," Lan Sizhui hedged, glancing up. "What was that?"

"That was the Yiling Laozo trying to con you in to believing his lies!" The Ouyang sect leader snarled, not catching the eyeroll his son aimed at him. "This is all propaganda-"

"Are you saying that my brother forged this for your sake?" Jiang Cheng snarled, leaning forward to catch sight of the man. "Because I was there, and everything looked accurate to me."

"Jiang Cheng," Wei Wuxian soothed, scooting to the edge of his own seat, resting his back on Lan Zhan's gentle hand. "It was a bit convoluted. It didn't really tell the story—"

"It told the emotions!" Zizhen called out, tears streaming down his face. "It told the story without having to tell the story. It went deeper."

Wei Ying rolled his eyes, having gotten used to the dramatic lover that Zizhen was while traveling with him. He glanced over to Lan Zhan, seeing the frown that was lingering on his face. The noise around them echoed. He was positive that Jiang Cheng was fighting someone from another clan, but he wasn't going to prevent it. He had other things to worry about. "Lan Zhan?"

He glanced over, giving Wei Wuxian a smile. "I am fine Wei Ying. Just remembering."

Wei Wuxian gave him the brightest smile he could muster, turning back to the argument that Jin Zixuan had managed to join, the calls for this to end echoing around them.

"He did not kill me!" Jiang Yanli finally snapped, eyes widening when her voice echoed through the room in a command normally only felt from Madam Yu. "I was killed by friendly fire while you all were trying to kill my brother for something that was my right as the widower. And then you argue with my husband when he tells you that it was an accident?"

She snorted, glaring at them. "I died trying to protect the man who ended up killing himself anyway to stop the wars and yet, you badmouth his name the minute you get the chance. This is the disgrace of the cultivation sects. This is what we have come to?" She waved her hand at them. "Then I feel bad for my son who is left to deal with your idiocy."

Nie Huisang leaned over, lightly tapping Wei Ying's shoulder. "I don't remember your sister being that fierce."

Neither did he, but evidently death had changed a couple people.