The Golden Shackle

Til' Death Do Us Part

Lan Wangji woke up to the dark, an event that was not unusual since he usually rose at five in the morning, except this time something was strange. A strong blue light was emanating over him, illuminating the room, and making his senses fire with energy. He coughed and tried to sit up when he felt someone gently touch his shoulder and hold him down.

"Don't move, Wangji."

His brother. He felt calm sweep over him until he looked to his right and he saw Wei Wuxian laying beside him, they were close, too close, his face deathly pale.

"Is... is he dead?" He whispered. When no one answered he looked to his brother. "Xichen?"

"No," he answered hesitantly.

"He will be if you don't stop moving," his uncle warned.

Lan Wangji looked down towards his feet and saw his uncle transferring spiritual energy to him and Wei Wuxian. "What happened?"

Becoming agitated when no one answered he started to ask again when he felt pain jolt through his chest and at the same moment Wei Wuxian coughed blood.

"Uncle," he heard his brother say through his pain. "It's hurting him, he can feel it."

"I know."

"But uncle–"

"I know, Xichen. It can't be helped," he said as he sent a stronger wave towards them both. Lan Wangji groaned and tried to hold it in, to not show any sign of weakness.

His fingers twitched and he felt a hand in his, he looked down and saw his forehead ribbon tied between him and Wei Wuxian. Starting to panic he looked to his brother. "Xichen...what?"

"Just be still, for now, I promise I'll explain everything later," his brother said, smiling down at him.

He started to protest when he felt a pull from within him resulting in blinding pain from his very core and he coughed blood. Another wave hit him and he passed out from the agony.

Lan Xichen looked toward the man who raised him in panic. "Uncle?"

"I know, Xichen, I know," he said and sent a wave of energy so bright it caused them both to shield their eyes and look away.

———

The next time Wangji woke he was in his own rooms in his own bed, this time alone. He opened his eyes to a splitting headache. He started to rise when he felt hands upon his back, helping him.

"Go slowly," his brother said. "You'll be weak for a few days at least."

"Brother, what happened?"

"It's a bit difficult to explain," he answered and looked towards the other room.

He followed his brother's eyes and saw another bed across the room from his own, in it laid Wei Wuxian, his brother and sister sitting by his side with worried looks upon their brows.

"He survived," he whispered, more a statement than a question.

"Of course he did. Had he not you'd be dead."

Lan Wangji's eyes whipped to his brother's, a slight smile playing on Xichen's lips, though it didn't quite reach his own eyes.

"Can you not feel it?"

He searched himself and felt a strange almost hectic energy within him, a power not his own. "What... what is this?"

"It's him," his brother said simply, looking to the still unconscious Wei Wuxian.

Lan Wangji went pale, realization dawning on him. "That's not possible."

His brother gave him a look and placed a book on the bed beside him. "It is, it's just not done, not in polite society anyway."

Wangji placed the heel of his hand at his temple and pressed hard. His brother grabbed his other hand and brought it towards him and started to transfer spiritual energy to curb the pain.

He closed his eyes feeling the comforting energy of his brother and tried to recall what happened. His uncle had sent him to find Wei Wuxian and drag him to the library for punishment, again, and they had quarreled. He had used his sword and Wei Wuxian had activated a talisman. Books flew in every direction and the next thing he knew he was being thrown to the ground, excruciating pain emanating from his core. Wei Wuxian screamed beside him. The horrifying sound still rang in his ears.

A book of bonding spells sat next to him, ancient and now forbidden. Originally used to share power and core-bond those in marriage it was deemed barbaric as it had caused high fatalities and also bound one's life to another completely, the wife essentially dying with her husband. Uncivilized, he thought.

"You must have activated the books magic somehow, an errant talisman perhaps, we're unsure," said Xichen, "Only Wei Wuxian could take a harmless book of marriage bonding spells and almost kill you both with it," he said trying to smile.

"Can it be undone?" He asked, desperate but knowing if it was at all possible his uncle would have undone the bond already.

"I think you already know the answer."

Wangji's shoulders slumped and he suddenly felt weak. He looked to Wei Wuxian and frowned.

"Why is he still unconscious?"

His brother cleared his throat. "When the bonding spell took hold you both fought it. A tug of war of sorts. In the process you took too much of his spiritual energy, Wangji, you almost killed him. Within you now still resides almost half of his power. It will take him months to recover."

Wangji felt ill. He disliked Wei Wuxian, but to steal someone else power, to rob them of something of their own, their very essence. It disgusted him.

"It's not your fault, Wangji."

"Can I not return it to him?"

"Uncle transferred what he could back to Wei Wuxian, but it was all his body could handle right now, he's lucky his core wasn't completely destroyed."

He looked over to the sleeping man, his usually happy exterior a sickly grey. His sister cried silently while his brother stared at him, hatred pouring from his eyes.

"He's stable for now and that's what is important. As his body heals you'll be able to transfer power to him, help him heal. Don't worry, he'll be fine after some time."

"And... and what about..."

"You'll be able to separate from him, in time," his brother said calmly, "Though you'll always be bound you need not live with one another if you do not wish it."

"He's reckless, what if he's injured or dies?"

"You'll die with him," his brother said bluntly.

Wangji nodded. Knowing the full consequences was horrifying, but better than the unknown.

"Try to rest, when he awakens uncle will come to you both and explain how things will progress. His adoptive father will arrive in the morning. Everything will work out, Wangji, you'll see."

He nodded and rolled onto his side, turning his back to the other's not wanting to see their grief. Not wanting to see what he had help cause. Fighting was forbidden in the Cloud Recesses, and yet he so easily fought with Wei Wuxian.

He felt the foreign energy within him swirl with his own. It was erratic and almost hyper, a direct opposite to his own calm flow. He closed his eyes and tried to rest, not wanting to think about anything else, not wanting to accept the fact he was now bound to another for the rest of his life and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.