What if dying in the Burial Mounds wasn't the end? What if fate pulls on the strings of reality and gives Wei Wuxian infinite chances at life? If this was truly the case, how would Wei Wuxian spend those lives?
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Contrary to the beliefs of many, Wei Wuxian was not entirely oblivious to the art of avoiding trouble. Having just escaped from the Cloud Recesses, he found himself at a loss, uncertain of what to do with himself. If the sweet taste of death had been stripped away, leaving him broken and adrift, what purpose remained for a man like him?
He walked aimlessly through a random town, having managed to put a considerable distance between himself and the Gusu Lan Sect. The path he was currently upon was strewn with debris, the ground a mixture of gravel and dirt. The children he passed were dirty and rowdy, reflecting the general disarray of the place. Unfortunately, the adults weren't much better. Wei Wuxian wrinkled his nose at the sight, as he made his way past dingy shops where drunkards could be seen assaulting anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path.
The town seemed to be a place forgotten by progress and prosperity. Poverty and lawlessness were law, painting a bleak picture of the conditions there. Wei Wuxian felt a deep sense of melancholy as he observed the broken lives and shattered dreams that surrounded him. The people here were caught in a never-ending cycle of struggle, their spirits crushed under the weight of their circumstances.
Eventually, Wei Wuxian managed to smuggle himself into a run-down inn, hoping to find some semblance of refuge. The act of deception was not one he particularly enjoyed, but he seemed to have no other choice, desperation getting the better of him. The innkeeper, an elderly man with weary eyes, gave him a curt nod before handing over a key to a small, dimly lit room on the upper floor.
Once he entered his room, Wei Wuxian closed the creaky wooden door behind him, shutting out the outside world and the chaos that resided within it. He allowed his heavy head to rest upon the scratchy covers of the makeshift bed, closing his eyes in an attempt to find respite. However, it proved to be an immediate mistake. Nightmarish memories flooded his mind, forcing his eyes open once more.
Defeated, he rolled onto his back, feeling utterly useless. This was the most meaningless he had ever felt in his entire existence. Even after the Sunshot Campaign had ended, Wei Wuxian had found purpose in protecting the remaining Wen Remnants. Furthermore, even after their passing, his motivation was still existent, despite being reduced to revenge. But now, with no one left to fight for, he was adrift in a sea of purposelessness. Bitter thoughts swirled in his mind, and tears began to trickle down his face.
Wei Wuxian began laughing at his own patheticness. "Look at the great Yilling Louzu," he thought bitterly, "unable to piece his own life together, unable to find meaning in living." The weight of his own failures pressed down on him, threatening to suffocate any flicker of hope that remained within his weary heart.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Wei Wuxian clutched at his disheveled hair, resorting to the only solace he knew in moments like these—allowing his mind to wander. For someone so young, he possessed an extraordinary mind, always dancing from one idea to another, pushing the boundaries of possibility. People, however, often dismissed this quality as a weakness. They told him to bring his head down from the clouds and focus on certainties rather than "what ifs."
Yet, he had never paid heed to such advice. After all, it was his unbridled imagination that had given birth to inventions like the Spirit-Attraction Flag and the Compass of Evil. As he let his thoughts drift freely, he couldn't help but ponder the past lives he might have lived. His mind wandered back to the time he had set fire to a forest, hoping to consume himself within its flames. Although he hadn't survived long enough to witness the true extent of the damage caused, the mere possibility that he might have been responsible for a devastating forest fire in another universe left Wei Wuxian feeling uneasy.
As he delved deeper into this rabbit hole of thoughts, his imagination ran wild. He reminisced about the time he had intervened in Lan Wangji's punishment, diverting the course of events. In the universe he currently inhabited, the whipping had proceeded as intended. Yet, he couldn't help but wonder what had happened after his interference with the whipping and ultimate demise. Did Lan Wangji still face the consequences? Did the Lan Sect attempt to unravel his identity? Had he altered the timeline in any significant way?
Then again, perhaps he was mistaken. Maybe each individual universe ceased to exist once he departed from it. Wei Wuxian shuddered at the thought, his mind grappling with the idea of simply vanishing into nothingness as if he had never existed in the first place. The mere contemplation sent goosebumps cascading across his skin, a cold shiver running down his spine.
Slowly, Wei Wuxian succumbed to an uneasy sleep, haunted by the labyrinthine corridors of his own thoughts, forever seeking answers to questions that seemed destined to remain unanswered. The room was filled with a suffocating silence, broken only by his restless murmurs and the faint echoes of distant footsteps from the town outside. In the depths of his dreams, fragments of memories and possibilities intertwined, blurring the lines between reality and imagination. And as the night wore on, Wei Wuxian drifted further into the enigmatic realm of his subconscious, desperately hoping to find solace and purpose amidst the chaos that surrounded him.
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I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I know my update schedule is in shambles but I hope you can be patient with me. Hope it was worth the wait.
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