Solstice Souls: Solstice Sons (Book 3)

In the Blink of an Eye

Lan Zhan's POV

Sunlight hits something silver, there's a sudden flash, and instinct makes Lan Zhan stand up and pull on the hand that his Wei Ying had extended towards him, yanking his beloved to one side on the right of him.

But that left his own shoulder exposed, and the sharp dagger cut cleanly through his wedding robes, piercing his shoulder muscle.

His left hand had caught Wei Ying around his waist so he did not fall, but because of his injury, he could not maintain his hold.

It hurts.

Everything is like a dream, a bad one, and Lan Zhan is reminded of those nightmares that had plagued his sleep in the months leading up to today. Had that been some kind of premonition?

He can hear screaming, and there is pain, but it is like a two headed snake, attacking him in his body and his mind.

He can see the Wei Sect Elite Guards surrounding the man he was supposed to call his father, there are shouts from every direction bombarding his senses and his arm feels numb, pain radiating from the top of his shoulder.

"LOOK WHAT YOU DID!! THAT'S WANGJI!!"

"WANGJI!!!"

Uncle Qiren is yelling at his brother, and he's yelling back, and Lan Zhan cannot bear to look at him anymore. It is easier to focus on his arm which feels so cold, and as his gaze floats over the increasing pool of blood by his feet, he can see the reason for the temperature drop.

Black, whispering tendrils of resentment energy are wrapping around his wound, dislodging the dagger from his skin, clattering to the ground; his arm is freezing, he can barely feel the torn skin anymore, but this blissful numbness is only temporary, he knows it.

Curiously, he can sense that this resentment energy won't hurt him, it is merely peeling back the folds of his robes to expose the wound, a two inch gash that is still bleeding profusely.

The shouting is louder now, and yet all Lan Zhan can focus on is the dark swirls of power curling around his injury.

It is Wei Ying.

His control over the resentment energy coiling around Lan Zhan's arm is phenomenal, beads of sweat decorating his temples as fury turns his gorgeous silver eyes into ruby red gems of vengeance...but he's not doing anything about it?

The resentment energy is a powerful force, ready to wreak havoc at a moment's notice, but it is held back by this lone commander, wielding it with supreme control.

Lan Zhan senses that he's waiting for something, or someone. It becomes clear when Baoshan Sanren enters the periphery of his vision and nods her approval towards Wei Ying. At the same time, she pours a silver liquid into his wound and Lan Zhan shivers.

The wound closes, and the black smoke caresses the pink sliver of a scar just like a kiss, before returning to its master.

It's all over in a matter of seconds, but the hazy feeling surrounding Lan Zhan remains while the noise of two adult men arguing drowns out everything else.

"I GO INTO SECLUSION AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS? WHEN DID THE LAN CLAN TURN A BLIND EYE TO THEIR ENEMIES?"

"YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN! VIOLENCE SOLVES NOTHING!"

"Uncle! Father!" XiChen tries to intervene, but nobody is listening to his calm voice, hiding his distress.

Lan Zhan wishes it would stop, that if he could turn back time, he would lock the grand doors of the Hall closed behind himself so that Qingheng-Jun could not enter.