Meet Me Halfway

Arc 5 - Melancholy

'Scold me all you want,
but don't ignore me.

I want to scream,
to rant ... but I can't.
You don't know me,
so I have to be silent.

Your appearance always soothing,
Chasing away all my longing,

You're my beacon,
when I'm in the dark.
You're my strength,
when I'm feeling weak.

You're the owner,
of this beating heart.
Let us be together,
till death do us apart.

Lan WangJi frowned to hear the soft and melancholy voice recites the poem. It's so beautiful but heart wrenchingly sad. Walking closer to the source of the voice he startled once he able to recognise the person.

It's Wei WuXian. Done with recital the poem, he starts to play the bamboo flute. Surprisingly, the song he played not melancholy but light hearted, vanishing all the sad atmosphere previously caused by the sad poetry.

'Why would you be so sad, Wei WuXian?'

~¿~¿~

It's weekend night and usually junior disciples will be excited to plan their outing for the next day. As Lan QiRen answered the knock on his door, he never expect to see the person standing in front of him.

"Master Lan QiRen," Wei WuXian of all people was standing on the other side of the door and bows. Lan QiRen snapped himself from the stupor after a toad croaked too loud.

He clears his throat to compose himself, "Young Master Wei," he called neutrally.

"Do you mind to listen to my trouble?" Requested the usually boisterous youngster. Lan QiRen blinks uncomprehending of the simple request. It brought an image of ... a poisoned apple offered by a weak old lady.

"What kind of trouble?" Lan QiRen dared himself to ask as he observed the youngster suspiciously.

"A heart trouble ... " Murmured Wei WuXian in the quiet night which only crickets and toads can be heard occasionally as background sounds.

"I wouldn't know how to help," started Lan QiRen while he thought about which deity is trying to test his patience. He subtly sensing the surrounding area of other mischievous youngsters. He sensed none other than the only youngster in front of him.

"I just need someone to listen ... I don't think it's healthy to keep it in," added Wei WuXian hastily, weariness clear on his visage. Looking at the forlorn youngster, Lan QiRen sighed.

"Make yourself comfortable ... I'll prepare some tea." Opening the door wider, he invited Wei WuXian into his quarter.

"You may as well start spilling out ... Your heart content," offered Lan QiRen while he's preparing to steep his tea leaves.

"There's a person that had attracted my attention. After a while, I realized that I was starting to think of the person as something more." Wei WuXian didn't seems going to finish his business fast, so Lan QiRen choose to practice Chinese tea art instead.

"But here lies a problem. This person ... I've met this person in my dreams. Dreams that to me as real as my beating heart. In those dreams ... I've seen and learned many things." Involuntarily, Lan QiRen snapped up to look at the youngster sitting opposite of him. The youngster is more interested with the intricate design on the table cloth, still his facial expressions is content.

"I've already memorized Gusu Lan Sect rules before I even depart for Cloud Recesses. I've missed the waterfall in Cloud Recesses long before I know I'll come here for these lessons." Lan QiRen had already forgotten about his tea set and staring at Wei WuXian incredulously.

"I'm good in making arrays for protection. May I add my arrays to the Cloud Recesses? I don't want to feel regret in the future that I didn't try to protect this place ... Or to see the silenced outrage on Lan WangJi as he was forced to leave a destroyed Cloud Recesses."

Deflated, Wei WuXian's fingers are fingering the mat texture. "I don't know what I can do to protect the Jiang family. I want to spare them from the knowledge that Lotus Pier might be attack and many will be killed." lamented Wei WuXian.

'That was already too late, they've found your journal after all,' thought Lan QiRen.

"When does those dreams started? Why you didn't tell anyone so they could help you? Maybe there's a way to stop it?" Lan QiRen tried to voice it out casually so as not to alarm the distressed youngster.

"I think after my 16th birthday, it's far in between that I've forgotten about the first few times. Spring season was when those dreams become frequent that I've started to make a record of it."

"I didn't tell anyone about it because those dreams mostly personal perspective. However, lately those dreams started to become gloomy and dangerous."

'Dangerous?'

"What do you mean ... dangerous?"

"In a dream... before Lotus Pier was attacked, Madam Yu was forced to punish me. She used Zidian on me and the effect was ... real,"

"Dreams always seems real ..."

"I can show you, if you want ...?" Wei WuXian stands up to undress and when Lan QiRen didn't refute, he turned around to show his back littered with few days old lashes.

"You got those on your body after the dream?" asked Lan QiRen stricken. He fully aware that Zidian, as a spiritual tool not only leave mark on physical but also on spirit or soul that inhibit the physical body.

"Luckily Madam Yu didn't use her full power ... It's merely a show for that voluptuous woman, after all." Shrugged Wei WuXian, fixing on his clothes once again.

"I don't think you should take this dreams lightly," said Lan QiRen after they lapsed into a few minutes of silent. Wei WuXian sighed heavily for a second before he looked up determined.

"It could be happening soon?"

"Is there any dreams you've seen that had happened in real life?" asked Lan QiRen cautiously.

"There were several, those dreams are not in order. It's timeline scattered around,"

"I'll call for a meeting. At least Clan Leaders should be made aware of your dreams." Suggested Lan QiRen.

"I'll try to help whenever I can,"

"Thank you for coming to me,"

"No, Master Lan ... Wei WuXian is the one that was very thankful,"

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Published (987)
27 July2020

A/n - Please leave comment and if it's alright, leave your vote too.

Re-edited ()
19 October 2021