A Means to an End (WangXian)

Eyes that Once Sparkled

"Wei Ying."

"Get lost."

"Please, Wei Ying."

"I said get lost!"

--------------------------------

Wei Wuxian bolted upright and shouted in pain.

"Finally! I thought you were never going to wake up."

Wei Wuxian looked around the room, dazed, and his head was pounding. He was in a pristine white room with hints of blue peeking out. Two beds sat opposite of each other and a table sat in the middle of the room. His brother stood before him, fully dressed in his purple attire.

"Jiang Cheng?" Wei Wuxian called in a weak voice.

His eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah? Who else would it be?" he asked. "What's with you? You screamed in your sleep, and now you look like you've seen a ghost." He crossed his arms.

He couldn't believe it. His brother stood before him. The same scowl on his features, but it was schooled and not nearly as violent as he last remembered. His brother actually looked worried for once.

"H-How did I get here?"

"Uh, you went to bed there?" he deadpanned. "Wait a minute. Don't tell me you snuck out again!" he yelled in fury.

Wei Wuxian was so confused. The room looked familiar, but he couldn't quite set his mind on it. It reminded him of a funeral. The white room clashed with his black robes so strongly. His headache only got worse as he tried to think. "W-Where are we?" he stuttered.

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, you got drunk last night or something. How'd you get back in the Cloud Recesses without anyone noticing?"

His eyes widened.

Cloud Recesses?! But how-

The room made sense now. Who else would decorate rooms with so much white? "Hurry up and get dressed. We're going to be late to the lectures. You don't need to give Lan Qiren another reason to punish you."

Still dazed, Wei Wuxian got out of bed and glanced at himself in the mirror at the corner of the shared bedroom.

I don't look dead anymore. At least, not as much as I did.

His hair was a little bit of a mess, but the rest of him looked more or less healthy. He didn't look like the starved individual that lived in the burial mounds, nor did he sense any resentful energy trying to darken his heart and mind. The scars that he previously had were gone. He looked....normal.

As Wei Wuxian continued to look at himself, although there were no dark circles under his eyes, he could still make out the lack of a childish charm in his features. His silver eyes, were dull.

Then, he noticed something that pinned him in place and made his heart skip a beat.

No, he felt it. The gentle and warming thrum of his golden core, the one he gave away so long ago. It was back and glowing brightly, but he didn't know how.

Tears reached his eyes and he placed his hand on his chest just feeling his golden core breathing with life and strength. Just like he remembered it.

"Wei Wuxian!"

Wei Wuxian flinched and made a quiet yelp sound. He turned to look at Jiang Cheng's angry face.

"Seriously! What is with you? We need to go!"

At the command, Wei Wuxian quickly got changed and the two headed out for their lectures.

Wei Wuxian was hit with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. Everything looks exactly like it had when he first came here. The tall mountains, green trees, and the faint scent of spring water in the air. All the buildings were white and left in pristine condition. He noticed the white-clad members walking about the grounds. It was as tranquil as ever and Wei Wuxian couldn't help but breathe in a fresh breath of the pure energy in the air. It was so much different than the Yin energy he had grown so used to.