Interstellar Fates | Dan Heng x Reader

011

**HEAVY SPOILERS ~ if you have not done Bailu/Dan Heng and Jingliu's companion quest, I highly advise you tread lightly or go do them to understand the context better AND not have it spoiled for you! **

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⚘❧ⅈℕ𝐓ℯℛ𝐒𝓉𝒞ℓℓ𝐀𝓇

𝓕𝕒𝓉ℰ𝒮~011❧⚘

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"Yanqing!!" You ran faster than any wind could take you and nearly tackled the male in a tight embrace. You were so quick to hug him that it was almost as if your conflicts of the past had completely subsided, and that would have been the case had he not brought it up and sullied the moment. "So... I take it all is forgiven?" He gave your body a squeeze and gently nuzzled your shoulder with his pointed nose. You laughed and shook her head, not even bothering to give him a proper response. "You are so ridiculous! How could I stay mad at one of my best friends?" Your voice was shaking from both excitement and the threat of tears, and you just couldn't find it in yourself to tear away from him. "Yay! Reunion!" Sushang cheered from behind us and jumped up and down excitedly.

"Unfortunately, our meeting will have to be brief. I'm on the trail of one of the escapees. You can take my Starskiff back to Central Starskiff Haven if need be. I promise we'll see each other again very soon, Y/n." Yanqing smiled sadly as he gently patted your shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. The look of disdain was to be expected on your face, but you sighed and shook your head once again. "I understand, but... just be careful. The Stellaron Hunters are dangerous and very good at evading unwanted attention." You explained all that you knew about the targets in general, however, you couldn't really speak on the one being personally pursued by Yanqing himself. He was the only one that you hadn't heard much about.

The two of you exchanged smiles and his attention then turned to Sushang, who was gleaming with a thumbs-up. "I expected nothing less from you. I admire your drive as a knight, Su." He commended her and she let out a laugh, "I'd do anything to keep everyone safe!" They both laughed and you watched with a sad smile on your face. Time had changed so much for you and them. When they first met, they were constantly butting heads and fighting about silly and petty things. The only thing they could bond over was just how childish they both were, but even that would turn into a contest of its own. Now, they seemed as thick as thieves even with their different statuses. It touched your heart to know that they had finally achieved what you had been wishing for after all this time.

It just sucked that it was in your absence.

"Hm... You look oddly familiar..." Yanqing was currently looking Dan Heng up and down and he looked away with a stoic expression that had a hint of nervousness to it. His gaze then fell onto Luocha and he raised a suspicious eyebrow, "And you are meant to be...?" Luocha grinned to himself discreetly and gave a slight nod, "A traveling merchant of course." Yanqing looked at the guy as if he were crazy before dismissing them both with a wave, "I don't have time to interrogate either of you. Just stay with the civilians once you get back." He instructed before taking off towards the depths of Cloudford.

You gazed over at Dan Heng with a frown and approached him, "What was that about? You actually looked... guilty. You're a Trailblazer, Yanqing was simply just wary because it's dangerous right now." You placed a hand on his arm and he looked down at you with eyes that had so much to say and a lot of sadness embedded within them. He shook his head and started heading towards the starskiff, "No, I... I'll explain at a better time..." He muttered under his breath before boarding the skiff behind Luocha and Sushang.

I thought we were finally getting somewhere... but clearly not. You thought to yourself as you hardened your expression and reluctantly followed behind him. Dan Heng outstretched his hand for you to take, but you ignored him promptly and stepped aboard the skiff on your own terms and took your place near its bow. This is going to be an excruciating trip. You sighed and gazed off into the distance, heart heavy and mind scrambled. At least there were some that wanted you back. But they paled in comparison to him. You hadn't even realized that your eyes had begun to flutter.

"...Quintet. I have to leave her for it. For my sins. I promised her I wouldn't put her in harm's way and I did just that. Jing Yuan, you have to understand." The echoey voice of someone so familiar and yet unrecognizable rang in the voice. "What do you honestly think you can do to atone for your sins, Dan Feng? I told you time and time again to leave. You and Yingxing drove Baiheng to destruction, and you can't live with the idea of you doing the same to Y/n." Jing Yuan's voice was loud and angry. It was nothing like you had ever heard.

"You may be right, but that doesn't mean I would ever purposefully place her in harm's way! I loved Y/n, I always have, and I always will! You..." The mysterious voice who was starting to match Jing Yuan's anger suddenly grew quiet. The silence between them was deafening, "You genuinely think your feelings would reach her if I left? She's a Vidyadhara, just like I. We are lovers now, and even in the next life... We will find our way to one another. I stake my life on it, Jing Yuan. I will return after reincarnation and take what is rightfully mine. I will destroy your facade as well, and your sins will be the ones to resurface."

"Traitor."

"Y/n? Wake up," Sushang's voice roused you from the sleep you hadn't even realized you had succumbed to. Your eyes shot open and you inhaled a sharp breath before meeting her gaze. She looked concerned and when she reached out to touch your arm, you reflexively flinched away and shifted uneasily. What was that? What's going on? Your thoughts swarmed with questions that you clearly couldn't answer yourself. Those dreams couldn't have been yours. Jing Yuan was no traitor and this Dan Feng...

You didn't know a Dan Feng.

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"What are the chances we find what we're looking for without much of a hassle?" March 7th sighed and leaned against the railing of the overlook on which the Palace of Astrum resided. "We wouldn't be Trailblazers if we did, March." Stelle hummed and came up beside her with a small smile. "I wonder if Dan Heng is okay. Oh! And Y/n too, of course." March returned the smile and the two girls looked back to see Welt and Caelus approaching, following closely behind Tingyun. "We need to go through Exalting Sanctum, however... Cloud Knights have reported some mara-struck sightings along the way. We must tread carefully." She explained as the five of them grouped up briefly.

"Got it. We're professional Legion crushers, so what's a few mara-stricken enemies?" Caelus grinned and Tingyun offered a cheeky smile. "It's more than just them. The whole reason we have enlisted your aid is due to the overwhelming number of Plagues Author's followers. They lurk even in plain sight, especially in Exalting Sanctum." She explained the last part quietly after briefly checking their surroundings. "So, be discreet with what you do and try not to take any unnecessary precautions. We cannot raise any alarms, especially in the enemy." Welt nodded and looked between the three younger Trailblazers with a raised eyebrow, "Understood?" They nodded and gave their individual input before setting off behind Tingyun and Welt.

"What can you tell us about the Disciples?" Welt asked softly as the group ventured through unguarded alleys and nooks of the Xianzhou. "Hm, well... They are no unusual threat. For as long as Long has presided over us, Yaoshi has inspired those with a taste of longevity. The very notion that those struck by mara are the prime beings of life-long species... That we should embrace the unwavering desire to live. That the path of the Abundance is the one we should tread." Tingyun explained, and for some reason, her voice had a chill to it. There was a sinister hint of satisfaction that was hard to ignore, but no one in the party seemed to address it.

"I... see." Welt hesitated before offering a small nod, "Well, it's great to have someone so well-versed in the current happenings of the Xianzhou. I look forward to our collaborative efforts."

author's note ~ sorry for the lack of updates ! I've been swamped with school and my actual light novel, but I promise I'll be focusing on giving you guys updates as consistently as possible !! thank you for reading this, I hope you still like it !! love always

~ madi