Dusk And Dawn ✔️

Part 5 :- In 'Sickness' and In 'Health'

Past 

"What?" Xi Xi and Shen ask together.

"We don't have much time. The night creatures probably know of Xian's existence now. We need to relocate our people before nightfall." Cong pauses, trying to find the right words, "Shen, you know our history. The Zhu line and the Bai line are supposed to exist together. That is why both the tribes have been living together for centuries. And even after we lost the ability to perform magic, we continued to exist together. That is because the Bai bloodline is special; the night creatures can not control them. I spoke to YiJun, and from what he has told me, it's clear that Xian performed the Blood Protection spell on them. Not only that. He drew energy from the binding spell we put on him and poured it into the locket YiJun wears around his neck. Xian couldn't bear the thought of losing YiJun, so he took a piece of his and YiJun's soul and tried to seal it in the locket. He wanted to make sure that if anything ever happened to him, YiJun will not perish. He had known about YiJun's wolf, probably the night creatures too. I think he had guessed how the night creatures used the wolves to do their bidding. It's all in the books; the books I gave him to read." There is deep regret in Cong's voice

He sighs deeply, "He did not want YiJun to suffer at their hands. He did not want anyone to take advantage of YiJun. So he made sure YiJun is protected. This locket has Xian's blood sealed in it. No one can open it. So when the princess tried to persuade YiJun, he did not get affected."

Xi Xi realizes something, "Wait. You said that Xian tried to bind their souls to the locket, did he not succeed?"

"No, he partly succeeded. The blood protection works as it should but their souls..."

Xi Xi panics, "What happened!?"

Cong hold his wife's hand, "Instead of binding it to the locket, he bound it to himself. Connecting them."

"What!?" Xi Xi exclaimed.

"I don't think he realized it. Not till his very last breath." Cong says, giving Xi Xi's hand a light squeeze.

Xi Xi's eyes widen, "Are you telling me that Xian's soul is still in this body? That my Son is not dead!?"

Cong shakes his head, "Xian is not dead, but he is not truly alive either. Xi Xi, they were soul bound. Only a fraction of his soul remains. He will be born again. When and where, we don't know. In every birth, his soul will remain incomplete. His heart will only rest till he finds Jun. I am sure there are other things Xian did too; other spells he performed, but YiJun won't tell me. YiJun should have died when the princess bit him. But he did not. Because his soul was tied to Xian's, anchoring him. Thus, he changed. He evolved to something between a wolf and a night creature. He became stronger than both. Unfortunately, because his soul was forced to remain here, his ability to be reborn was taken away. If YiJun dies in this body, he will never be born again. If that happens, part of Xian's soul, tied to YiJun, will be lost forever. He will be born again and again, just to live in misery. He will never be happy."

There is silence for a few seconds, for the things Cong had said were hard to swallow.

Xi Xi is the first one to speak, "This part, the part of the soul that Xian still has, doesn't it mean he can sense us?"

Cong doesn't answer immediately. He contemplates how to frame his next words. He knows it's going to be painful for Xi Xi, "Sweetheart, he bound himself to his Jun. He can always only feel Jun."

Xi Xi's breath hitches, "He can't feel his blood, his mother, but he would be able to feel YiJun?"

"Yes, I think that is the reason YiJun has not been able to accept that Xian is gone. Because the truth is, Xian's soul is still waiting. I guess that is why Xian told YiJun that he would return."