Interstellar Fates | Dan Heng x Reader

017

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⚘❧ⅈℕ𝐓ℯℛ𝐒𝓉𝒞ℓℓ𝐀𝓇

𝓕𝕒𝓉ℰ𝒮~017❧⚘

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How was any of this possible?

Your life didn't feel like your own. You couldn't comprehend how you could possibly go from strangers to lovers in a matter of weeks. It felt as though your relationship had been predetermined by destiny, one that you couldn't perceive. One that hardly seemed plausible. So when Dan Heng professed his love for you again, but in a way that made time stop, a way that felt so sure and secure, a way that made you feel the same way...

You knew better than to ignore the thundering beating of your heart.

"I figured out what you were so worried about, even if you were trying to hide it. You don't believe the tangibility of our relationship, or could be relationship because we're practically strangers." He held you at arms length and gazed into your eyes with a hint of sadness in the storm of emotions brewing in his eyes.

You bit your lip and turned away from him, the storm threatening to consume you if you looked for too long. A breeze swept through and combed through your hair, caressing your neck and head with a similar chill sensation. It quelled something that was putting you on edge, but your emotions were too much of a mixed bag to decipher just what had calmed down. His words were close to the truth, a little too close for your comfort because you hadn't been able to voice exactly what had been bothering you in a way that could be articulated into the words that came out of his mouth. He couldn't possibly understand what you were feeling because unlike you, he still had a purpose.

"How is it that you know this much, or anything for that matter...?" You pressed your clasped hands close to your chest and hunched over slightly, an ache in your heart making you suddenly tremble in pain. Dan Heng hesitated to touch you again, but decided to gently stroke your back with a soft sigh.

"You mentioned the name Dan Feng, and when I observed your reactions to Jing Yuan's name, as well as the memory you regaled me with, I pieced together who we are... or at least who we were meant to be." He explained and continued to run soft circles along your backside, "Lovers, Y/n. You aren't the short-life species you believe yourself to be, and combining that interpretation of your identity with who I myself am... It only makes sense that we are destined to be lovers."

Lovers...

Dan Heng and I were... lovers?

His words still weren't connecting all the dots they should have, and it was because he failed to mention his role in this daunting facade. It was also due to the reasoning behind it all. Destiny. How could anyone sum up your lack of identity to destiny? It didn't seem fair to you in the slightest, and as upset as it was slowly making you, you knew you didn't have time to dwell on the faults.

"Then what about Jing Yuan? H-He's helped me and been with me throughout everything for as long as I can remember. You can't tell me none of that was real!" You managed to sit up despite the increasingly sickly ache that was starting to overwhelm your body. You grabbed at his jacket and tugged harshly, "W-Was it all a l-lie...?" You whimpered, your bottom lip quivering uncontrollably at the thought of your experiences with Jing Yuan, your very first love, being nothing but a cruel joke.

And when he hesitated to give you an answer, your stomach dropped entirely and you could no longer feel the rhythm of your heart banging against your ribcage.

"I just... I don't have an answer for you. I don't know the extent of Jing Yuan's motives for you, but I do know where to look..." Dan Heng grabbed ahold of your wrists before you could do something drastic, which of course the thought definitely crossed your mind. You didn't want to hear him anymore, for all you knew, he didn't know anything. He could have been lying about it all.

Despite the tingling sensation in the back of your head that he was not.

"What is your earliest memory, Y/n?"

The question sounded similar as you repeated it over and over in your head while searching for the answer. It felt as though someone had asked you this very question, but under a completely different pretense. It was a strange sense of familiarity that you couldn't shake, and you felt it reverberate through every corner of your brain the longer you searched for an answer. You tried to recall something, anything other than what your brain was screaming at you, but the deeper you tried to dig the louder the static grew, the thicker the fog became. So when you opened your mouth and told him, his expression told you everything you needed to know: that was the right answer.

"The staircase."

For some reason, it never seemed to exist in the same plan of existence as everything else. Was it due to the influence of the Vidyadhra? The flow of mara? Could mara even possess the power to extend the longevity of the inanimate? The lingering effects of The Reignbow Arbiter? Or potentially all at once? It was a question that was always worth investigating but never pursued to such lengths. How could a staircase be an agent of destiny that strong? It sounded terribly preposterous.

"This staircase." Jing Yuan hummed to himself as he ascended the flights of stairs, brushing his hand against the railing with a flourish.

The school had long since been closed down temporarily due to the resurgence of abominations everywhere and defected aurumatons scattered about. There was still a crisis afloat of course, but it didn't change the fact that he needed to reclaim Y/n before–

"Jing Yuan."

The chilling voice forced him to halt in his tracks and he tilted his head back at an angle to catch a glimpse of his announcer. His lips curled into a slight grin and he hummed once more, not daring to move another inch.

"Jingliu."

The woman didn't move another inch either. She stood at the head of the staircase and didn't bother to entertain any small talk that he was trying to goad her into. "Where is Y/n?" She had her sword in hand at the ready, and though he was her former student, comrade, and not one of her targets, she would strike him down at a moment's notice if need be. He was still a threat to an innocent girl, and she took it upon herself to be the one to pass judgment on him and his actions due to her negligence.

"I'm afraid that knowledge is beyond me as well. However, I find it rather odd that we have all gathered from the crevices at this very time," He chuckled humorlessly and crossed his arms, "when Y/n has been returned against our wishes. So tell me, Jingliu, would it not be better that she is returned to either of us and not Yingxing? His hatred for her may be misguided, but it is still a large portion of what fuels his resentment. His bloodlust." He then turned and faced the opposite wall while leaning on the stairwell and shook his head in mock dismay.

"He'd kill my beautiful Y/n, just to liberate her of Dan Feng's sins."

author's note~

argenti comes out this week !! happy pulling, and thank you so much for reading, even the silent enjoyers! i love you all so much!

~ madi <3