Interstellar Fates | Dan Heng x Reader

013

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⚘❧ⅈℕ𝐓ℯℛ𝐒𝓉𝒞ℓℓ𝐀𝓇

𝓕𝕒𝓉ℰ𝒮~013❧⚘

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"So Miss Sushang, could you tell me how being a Cloud Knight has faired you?" Luocha walked alongside the girl and kept his gaze ahead on the winding path. He had one hand securing one of the straps of the coffin on his back and his other hand hovering near his saber, just in case they were ambushed.

"Honestly, it's exhausting. I..." Sushang hesitated and bit the inside of her cheek anxiously before exhaling deeply, "I get this feeling that I'm never going to be good enough. That I.. I won't be able to live up to Ma's expectations. The Art of Taixu, I feel like I haven't mastered it nearly as much as I should. Aeons, I feel so many things, you don't understand–" She cut herself off and smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand, "Stupid... I shouldn't have said all of that..."

Luocha looked over at her curiously and his lips curled into a coy expression, "And why not? I did ask, which entails that I wish to know the details of your condition as well. Has no one ever asked how you were feeling throughout this entire process?" His gaze never left her figure and his curiosity only increased. Of course, he had found the girl to be a rowdy but dutiful Cloud Knight, but he knew better than to take her words at face value. It was by nature that people were so much more than what they appeared to be.

Her body tensed and she wrapped herself in her arms as if suddenly feeling the weight of her insecurities. "N-No, actually... Besides Y/n, but even then... I never want to alarm her with my silly problems. She's the real victim here, after all! Having to leave home suddenly, and leave everyone behind too... Her wellbeing is my priority above all else." Sushang laughed nervously and gave a slight shake of her head, "She's the best thing that's ever happened to me after all." Her gaze met his briefly before she looked towards the ground and he closed his eyes with a quiet sigh.

"Sushang, why do you feel the need to hide from yourself? There is no shame in being honest about your deteriorating emotional state. If anything," Luocha stopped walking, which caught her attention, and offered her a hand, "It would make you all the more honorable." He watched her curious but hesitant gaze shift from his own narrowed gaze to his outstretched hand. He hummed, slightly amused by her hesitation before speaking again, "It's quite alright to act selfishly." He added on and watched the fire he lit within her burn into something more.

Luocha was calculated and sly. His actions and behaviors were intentional and patterned. But this time was different. He was flying by the seam of his pants and talking loose. He hadn't predicted any Cloud Knight being a player in his game, but despite the length of time they had traveled together, he realized that some circumstances called for him to break the facade. He stood to gain nothing by offering her words from within, but just this once... did he really need to gain anything? It's pity, and nothing more. He thought to himself, but when he continued to gaze at her, there was something more that compelled him to act the way he did towards her.

"Why are you telling me these things?" Sushang asked innocently, her voice quivering softly and a light blush spreading across her cheeks. She was still hesitant to take his hand, for better or for worse, but the temptation was there. He was offering words and she dared to heed them. If she hadn't known better, she wouldn't have realized how dangerous he was.

"Ah, well..." He chuckled softly, his shimmering green eyes offering a teasing glance that left the girl even more confused, "In all honesty, Sushang, it just appears to me that you have been suffering in silence for too long... And I understand what it means to suffer in that manner." He explained softly and watched as his words hooked her in completely. It wasn't his intention to do any harm, but he couldn't deny that he had a charming edge to his words.

"I..." She reached out and their fingers brushed one another, but her head snapped back and her eyes grew wide with fear, "Wh-Where's Y/n?! And Dan Heng too?!" She turned away completely from Luocha and started to backtrack slightly. Luocha hadn't noticed that they were gone either, but his attention had been captivated by Sushang so it came as no surprise that he hadn't noticed the disappearance of their other travel partners. He followed Sushang's aimless wandering, but the truth of the matter was that they were safe as long as they were together. But Luocha didn't have the power to come between Sushang and her best friend. So he went along with her fruitless search.

"We will find them, Sushang."

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"I'm not a Vidyadhara." You spat as if the concept was venomous. Dan Heng shook his head and tapped your forehead gently, "No, really think about it, Y/n." You refused because the idea went against everything you had ever known. Jing Yuan told you all about how problematic the Vidyadhara High Elders had been in the last few years. You held no hate for them, but the notion that you were of that race meant your entire life had been a lie. Your parents had sworn that you had inherited the short-life lifespan of your father, but the more you thought about it, the more you couldn't remember said conversation taking place.

"Y/n, go back in your memories. Before you boarded the Express. What do you recall?" He asked and stood patiently, waiting for your answer. You thought long and hard, but all you saw was blank. There was absolutely nothing that you could recall in your memories. You had to try and piece the timeline of your known existence together, but all you found were memories of school. School. Your eyes widened and you looked at Dan Heng as if a realization had just been made. You weren't sure yet, but a nagging feeling in the back of your head was compelling you to believe that you really weren't who you thought you were.

Then the memories started flooding back. Bits and pieces of your most recurring dreams. Bits and pieces of the most active times at Xianzhou High. It wasn't all coming back to you, but there was more than enough to raise too many questions about who you were.

It was so lively... As if I had never been there before, but of course that was probably true. I was only a freshman. Sushang wasn't there... Wait, did I know a Sushang? No, this school seemed different from the one I was familiar with, but it was still Xianzhou High. For some reason, I was just completely out of it. I couldn't explain the burnout I was feeling, but it was as if my body and mind had undergone a hard reset. I vaguely remember the details of that day. No, I don't remember the details of that day at all. Except...

"The stairs..." You muttered under your breath before looking up at Dan Heng, your lips slowly parting, "Th-The stairs from my dream...!" Dan Heng grabbed your shoulders gently and his hold on you seemed to confirm your gut feeling. "Xianzhou High, th-there was a staircase where I saw someone... I saw you..." Your voice almost gave out and you took a shaky breath. He's the one in my dreams. This entire time...

"Y/n, I have no recollection of ever being there, but I know for certain that we met for the very first time there. We have to go back." He nodded and dropped your shoulder, only to grab your hand in his, "Who else knows about your dream?" He asked and you looked away with a small frown forming on your lips, "W-Well... Sushang and Yanqing know, of course, but..."

"But...?"

"We need to see Jing Yuan."