Half of My Heart

When Reality Strikes.

In the real world, Chu had sent for a healer when Wei's condition wasn't improving and she was going to enter his mind to talk to him, hoping that he would listen and break the Reverse Confusion world that he had created for himself. It was a way for him to escape, but she had agreed with Chu when he suggested that Lord Shen had been manipulated into this situation. So she made herself comfortable in his bedroom in the mansion and concentrated, knowing that he might only listen to Yunlan.

Wei had tried to lift himself up from the floor when he watched a stranger walking towards him and he felt fear because he didn't know who this was, but when he was close enough, it was Yunlan who sat down beside him.

"Is the floor comfortable down there?" he asked and watched Wei stare back at him.

"No, I can't get up, I've tried."

"Then fight Shen Wei! Try again and I'll talk to you when you can sit up."

Yunlan watched as Wei tried to get up from the floor several times and fell back down when his arms would not support him. Eventually he realised that if he tried a different way, maybe he could do it and he rolled onto his front and managed to get up onto his elbows before he straightened one arm and then the other, and he sat up.

"Now, what would you like to talk about?" Yunlan asked and waited for Wei's response which might point them in the right direction to solve this problem.

"Who are you, you don't look like one of the sleeping men?" Wei asked.

"No, you're right about that, I'm not, and I'm also not going to tell you who I am until you ask the correct question. Shen Wei."

Wei wasn't angry but he was becoming irritated, he didn't feel like playing mind games with this stranger

"How do I know what question to ask and what is right when I don't know who you are?" he asked.

Yunlan smiled when he saw Wei's mood changing, it was a good sign, but he would need to be careful.

"Do you have to know someone before you ask the correct question, or does your heart guide you?" and he kept smiling.

Wei sat quietly for a moment still staring and considered his answer.

"No, I would let my heart guide me, appearances can be deceptive," he replied and looked down at his hands, "You can influence people's emotions very easily, is that part of your job when you're not sitting here looking for answers?"

"Good question Shen Wei, and no it's not part of my job in the outside world, this is only temporary. Call me Yunlan."

"So you're not a therapist, but you are clever. You managed to stop my irritation before it turned to anger. Not many people have that skill. I don't think I could do that, I feel as if I've had to face or deal with something difficult recently."

"Maybe you have Shen Wei. What was different about it this time?"

Wei sighed as he tried to think and looked around at his bare room in this neutral colour, it wasn't a place that felt like home and he suddenly realised that he wasn't cold anymore and there were no green flames.

"When did the flames die down, I never saw it happen and I'm not cold anymore?" He asked and avoided the other question which Yunlan had noticed.

"They disappeared when I came here. What do you like about this room?"

"I'm not sure that I do like it, but it's plain, not complicated. Neutral grey is a placid colour and it's very quiet. Now are you going to tell me why I like being here from my description, even though I've said that I don't?"