[MDZS] My Dark Angel

Depression

No one thought the coldest jade of Lan could ever feel any emotion. They were wrong. What he was feeling at that moment was a deep sadness. He couldn't read, so he sat outside, listening to the sounds and feeling the sun's warmth. However, it only saddened his heart more. Even though he could still use his other senses, the darkness he saw felt more like a prison. While his body was free, his heart and mind were trapped within. It did not help any when the healer suggested he learned to walk while blind. He knew his way around, so it wasn't the fact he didn't want to try. His heart just wasn't in it. Wei Ying tried for some time to help him, but the boy gave up in the end, leaving him be. He didn't realize how much he was hurting his family. Even his own son, he didn't want to be around. He didn't want his child to see him like that.

One day, Wei Ying walked up to him from behind. He startled when his husband touched him. "It's only me, Lan Zhan." He felt him sit down beside him. "It's time to go." It was all Wei Ying said. He stood up with some difficulty and walked away.

Lan Zhan felt alone. He really wanted to see again, but how could the others know if he would be able to or not? How would they know whether or not the mark could be removed? He decided it was all or nothing, so he stood up. He was a bit unsteady. He would have fallen if not for a pair of gentle yet firm hands grasping at his arm.

Lan Zhan: "Wei Ying?" The other wished his husband could see his smile.

Wei Ying: "Come on, you fuddy-duddy. Let's go cure you." Although Lan Zhan was reassured dozens of times before, he was still a bit hesitant. He didn't know if it would truly work, and he was anxious that it wouldn't. He was afraid of being blind his entire life. He really didn't want that to happen. Yet he couldn't keep the doubt from circling through his mind. "Make certain to lift your feet here," he heard Wei Ying say as they approached the doorway. Despite having known exactly what the threshold looked like and having heard the instructions, he still tripped after lifting his second foot inside.

Qiren sighed. Xichen gave a sympathetic smile. Wei Ying held onto Lan Zhan, helping him find the cushion in the middle of the room.

Qiren: "Let us begin, shall we?" He motioned for the elders. "As you all know," he began after they had gathered, "my dear nephew here, Lan Wangji, has had a curse bestowed upon him after an attempt at rescuing his husband, Wei Wuxian." The elders grimaced a bit when seeing Wei Ying's huge belly. With Xichen's "encouraging smile," they turned their attention to the mark on Lan Zhan's neck.

The elders grumbled amongst themselves for some time. It seemed as though they were discussing the situation at hand. However, Lan Zhan's hearing was much better than when he could see, and he clearly heard one of them speaking badly about his husband. He nearly lost his composure, until one of them piped up.

Elder 1: "There is the possibility of it being removed. However, we do not feel it is worth the risk to simply have his cultivation restored."

Elder 2: "I must agree to that point." He nodded. The rest grumbled their replies of agreement. Lan Zhan knew they were being biased toward him because of Wei Ying.

Xichen cleared his throat. "It would seem you are all being very biased in your decision. Am I wrong?" The elders all shut their mouths, not wishing to speak another word, lest they bring more trouble upon themselves. "That's right. Now, you figure out how to restore my brother's cultivation, or I will banish you all from my clan." He said it with a harsh smile on his face. Every elder froze in his place. All they could do was nod. No one dared to mess with the clan head.

Elder 3: "*Ahem* We will do more research on this particular curse before taking any more action. This curse is a difficult one as there are near to no ancient texts on it. We need the full story from Lan Wangji first before we decide what to do."