Abide With Me

Epilogue

Dawn.

Sunrise rudely woke Jiang Cheng up by making the world beyond his eyelids unbearably bright. When his inarticulate moan was answered with a formal 'Good Morning, Wanyin,' instead of the comfort of those strong Lan arms, Jiang Cheng simply knew that it was not going to be a good day! He shot upright and rubbed the sleep out of his face.

The Ratnapura hillside was buzzing with activity. Mine adits were being cleared of fallen rocks and soil. The campfires were smoking away merrily and appetizing smells pervaded the air.

The Lan Disciples, a glum bunch, sat huddled in a ring, quietly whispering. Nie Huaisang cleared his throat loudly and approached Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen's tent. Lan Xichen stepped out saying,

" Zhaoshang Hao, A'Sang!"

Jiang Cheng splashed his face, drank water, straightened his robes and stepped out.

"Nie Xiong," he acknowledged the Chief Cultivator, who was looking frankly harried.

"What happened, A'Sang?"

"First Hanguang Jun, and now, we can't locate Wei Ying!"

A look of worry, nay, fear appeared on Jiang Cheng's face and quickly transmuted to irritation, then anger.

"Why can't A'Xian be rational, for once?"

Lan Xichen clasped Jiang Cheng's hand and his thumb began caressing his clenched knuckles.

"Now, Wanyin, is it fair to expect him to be rational after Didi went missing?"

"No, indeed not!" Jiang Cheng acknowledged with a sigh and Nie Huaisang raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"What? yelled Jiang Cheng, turning red, "Can't I sympathize with my brother?"

Lan Xichen smiled and said, "You can, just as soon as you have found him!"

"Me? Why...?" Jiang Cheng's puzzled frown resolved as Lan Xichen said, "As you just said, Wanyin, he is after all your brother!"

Understanding lit Jiang Cheng's into amethysts and he breathed deep, closed his eyes and placed his hands on his core.

A few minutes later Jiang Cheng, Lan Xichen and Nie Huaisang jumped into a small boat and set out to sea. After floating with the current for about six Li, Lan Xichen gave the oars a few strong pulls and the trio pulled upon the shore of a tiny islet - it was barely a sand bar, and was barren except for a single white Ghost tree. Closer observation showed a black Shadow slumped under the tree and Lan Xichen breathed, "A'Ying!"

Slowly the shadow took the form of a man who sat hunched, broken and defeated by the bludgeoning of Fate. Two empty jars of Emperor's Smile and the tracks of tears on his dusty face told the tale of his distraught night, as he slept on, unaware of his visitors.

*****

His tears a cataract,
His sighs a gale
Barricaded emotions within,
Sequestered wounds unseen
His mien listless, pale
On his broken heart, a tale.

Language of the soul
Spoken through a heart
Separation tore a hole
Soulmates sundered apart.

Tears swilled, tears spilled
Tears washed away the miasma
Never before and never since
Floodgates opened at chiasma*.

The memories were piranhas
His heart was fodder
Everywhere all around him
Only mayhem, death, disorder.

"Off that cliff, I fell,
That marked the end
My life's final journey
Till now I don't comprehend
How and why I returned,
In Mo Xuanyu's body!