Interstellar Fates | Dan Heng x Reader

021

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⚘❧ⅈℕ𝐓ℯℛ𝐒𝓉𝒞ℓℓ𝐀𝓇

𝓕𝕒𝓉ℰ𝒮~021❧⚘

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"Destiny's slave...?" You muttered to yourself as you and Dan Heng sought out the general of the Luofu. Dan Heng nodded, his eyes glued to the path ahead with an occasional glance at his companion beside him.

"It's what the Stellaron Hunters call their first in command, Elio. Everything operates on these scripts that he makes depending on what he has been told by the universe itself." He answered the curiosity in your tone before shaking his head, "The Stellaron Hunters are persistent, but they aren't stupid. Even if they didn't have Elio piloting, Kafka is more than capable of orchestrating every little minute detail." Dan Heng explained with an anguished look on his face.

"Perish the thought, though. The only thing I'm good at is taking orders, of course."

The smooth and sultry voice with a slight twang to it caught them both off guard. Dan Heng was quick to whip around with Cloud Piercer at the ready, but flinched when he saw she wasn't alone. You hid behind his back, not out of fear, but because he had warned you that the Stellaron Hunters' unpredictable nature is what made them so dangerous.

"Well, where's my precious children, hm? I'll bet they're mad at me for leaving the Divination Commission so soon." Kafka pouted with a slight smirk.

"Why you continue to manipulate their emotions is a question for another time. For now, why are you following us?" Dan Heng gritted his teeth and continued to hold his stance, wanting nothing more than to protect you at all costs.

"I just love a good... reunion~" She hummed before gesturing for someone to step forward with her typical gravitas.

From the shadows stepped a tall figure who made both Dan Heng and your blood run cold. His malice could be felt and his bloodlust was akin to an electric field. The arm around them felt thinner, making it harder to breathe. Who could hold such a presence?

"I wonder who has committed more sins– you or I, Imbibitor Lunae?" His voice was deep, bellowing with an eerie tone.

But what unnerved Dan Heng the most? The title he referred to him as.

"Th-That isn't me. My name is Dan Heng, and I am a member of the Astral Express." He countered, but his guard was shaking. The intimidation was working and doubts started to cloud his judgement. Would he really be able to protect both himself and you from this unfamiliar threat.

"I don't care for what you have to say. I'm not here for you," The man continued to skulk towards them as he jutted his arm out to his side and manifested a blade of crimson and ebony with golden accents and eccentric markings, "I'm here to atone for your sin!"

Before Dan Heng could react, the man had already overtaken him in a matter of seconds. He was able to push you to the side in time, but was grazed in the process. There was no time to fight, they had pressing matters to attend to. Matters that... he was failing to remember once he glimpsed his attacker's face. It was only for a moment, but a moment too long; Dan Heng was paralyzed in fear.

His eyes blurred uncontrollably. His body was growing numb. Thoughts and memories intruded his mind, but they weren't his own. He could never bring himself to commit such atrocities that were all mapped out vividly in his head. His heart was racing and the air left his lungs all at once. Was it trauma? No, he had never experienced such an ordeal before. What was it? What had invaded his body so violently? Who had taken over him?

"Blade, we can't stick around for long. Are we taking this poor girl?" Kafka caught up to him, her arms casually crossed underneath her chest.

Blade hovered over you while you were trembling on your knees with your head down in fear. It was hard to tell what thoughts were running through his head, but his eyes showed nothing but animosity towards you. He put the sword away and glanced back at Dan Heng, who was similarly on his knees just feet away. The only difference was that Blade didn't need to know what was going on through his head. The second their eyes connected, he knew Dan Heng wouldn't be able to handle the onslaught of memories. For it would give him even darker stains on Dan Feng's life.

"It isn't her time to die yet. The other two must also atone for their sins. We share this burden alone. But mark my words," Blade knelt down to you and got close to your ear, "I shall kill you without a second thought. You do not deserve the life you lead. Your existence is a fraud." He whispered, his words sharp and piercing the deepest depths of your soul.

His words weren't meant as a threat. Quite the opposite in fact, his plan was to bring upon her the sweet release of death. He could not be awarded the same luxury, and she had such stolen from her. It was only right that the other half of Dan Feng's experimentations be the one to mete out said reprieve.

You were exasperated from just his words alone, but you gripped at your thighs and bit down harshly on your bottom lip.

"I'm deathly afraid of you," you admitted coolly, "but that doesn't mean I won't try to protect myself and Dan Heng from the likes of you!" Your hands instinctively jutted outwards and you aggressively shoved Blade away from your person before scrambling to your feet and rushing over to Dan Heng.

You picked up his Cloud Piercer and stood your ground before both Blade and Kafka, your breathing haggard and your stance uneasy.

"You don't know me. You know what was done to me, and yet you still believe I deserve a fate worse than death? I won't let you kill me. I won't let you stop me from trying to live my life." You proclaimed boldly, not a stutter in your voice. Call it adrenaline or confidence, you were prepared to defend yourself and your right to live.

That's right...

It doesn't matter what my inherent past is.

I decide my own future.

I can break the cycle of destiny.

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There were things I wish I never knew...

"The secret to making the Vidyadharas the dominant species– lie in her, of course."

There were things I wish I could undo...

"Yingxing, it was never meant to be you."

But those were not my actions, and they were not my responsibility.

So why do I bear the guilt?

"Y/n, I love you"

Was that true, or did I force myself to regurgitate what had already been set in stone?

I don't know anything about Y/n, just the transgressions Dan Feng committed in her past life. Did I have any right to Y/n's heart?

I did.

She was the one I had been searching for. I may not know her but her soul is connected to mine. Even if she grew to resent me for what he did to her, I would make her love me. I am her future, and this is the only way to atone for his crimes.

Y/n is mine.

"Yingxing..."

The name left the back of my throat as if it were a guttural demand. I rose to my feet with a newfound resolve awakening inside of me. I felt the power of the Vidyadhara course through me, along with a fit of rage.

"I won't let you lay a finger on Y/n."

His features grew dark and he was quick to manifest the blade once more, ready for their long awaited fight. Y/n stepped to the side, per my unspoken request, and her eyes wandered over my body curiously. I ignored her gaze to save face while glaring at Blade, my grip on Cloud Piercer crushing.

"Because she belongs to me."