Back in his tree, Zhu Yan watched Zhuo Yichen sleep, with his beautiful face slightly turned towards him, making him wonder if Yichen would really be waiting for him to come and join him, as he left the door wide open and the soft curtains half closed, leaving a nice view of his bed with nothing blocking it. He was sure he hadn't expected to fall asleep so soon, underestimating both the scent of the flowers he chose to help him relax and the comfort he had been deprived of for a while.
The great demon smiled, because the young man sleeping peacefully in his bed was too bold. He dared to become a temptation without regard for his own safety, because even if he wasn't a mindless and uncontrollable wild beast, he was still a demon with natural urges, and with a man he had already set his sights on so openly unguarded... well, let's just say he was taking a risk. Zhu Yan sighed.
"Xiao Zhuo, you're too trusting, and your older brother is overprotective of you. His warning came just in time, because your carelessness makes me want to kiss those soft, plum-colored lips... You're a sight to behold, so what can a young demon do in the face of such a heavenly gift?" He said to himself as he watched the young man for a while, letting the night breeze calm his inner burning. He thought the torture was too much and was about to go to bed in his room when he noticed Yichen starting to stir in his bed, moaning something that even he, with his supernatural hearing, couldn't distinguish.
"So he did had a nightmare..." Zhu Yan easily jumped down from his tree to land on Yichen's balcony and silently walked over to the enormous bed, noticing the beads of sweat that were beginning to accumulate on his forehead. He gently wiped them off his soft skin with his long sleeve and sat by the edge of the bed, trying to figure out whether his nightmares were caused by external or internal influences.
It was a fact that no demon less powerful than him would be able to cross the barrier he had set up on that hill, which was equivalent to no demon coming close for several miles all around, for no demon in the human world was a match for him. And even if Li Lun had left some of his spaying leaves behind, presumably to keep an eye on him, he wasn't physically there either, or at least not yet.
Still, as he watched Yichen mutter in his sleep, there was nothing in that room to give him a nightmare. That only meant that what was happening to him wasn't external. So he placed his hand on Yichen's chest to have an insight of his internal energy and core health, once again sensing a disruption in the flow of his Qi, noticing that the seal at his core, formed on its own since birth to prevent the death of the baby with a power too great for him, was beginning to crack.
"Xiao Zhuo... Xiao Zhuo, wake up." He called out as he reached over Xiao Zhuo's shoulder to shake him slightly, but upon hearing the young man mutter his name laoud and clear into his hearing, everything fell apart. Then Yichen screamed in pain, gasping at the sheer intensity of it and thrashing about as if possessed, forcing Zhu Yan to hold him down so he wouldn't hurt himself.
"Yichen! Zhuo Yichen! Wake up!"Zhu Yan screamed as he restrained him. He had already set up a soundproof barrier in the room, as nightmares usually involve screaming, but Yichen's convulsive pain was far worse than he expected based on Yixuan's description. What Yichen was feeling wasn't ordinary pain caused by injuries or illnesses, but the gut-wrenching pain of feeling as if his soul was being torn from his body along with his essence, and for the first time in his long life, Zhu Yan panicked.
His dilated eyes turned a deep red, with two crimson tattoos peeking out on either side of his cheeks, his long, half-tied hair turned pure white, and a puff of dark red smoke became like a second skin. This shouldn't be happening, because Zhu Yan had learned self-discipline from both, his father and Bing Yi and had mastered it over the centuries to near perfection, but seeing and hearing Yichen screaming as if he was being killed right in front of him, trying to tear himself apart with his bare hands was something he wasn't prepared to handle, no matter how many centuries of control he had behind him.
"Zhuo Yichen!! Xiao Zhuo!!" He tried to send a wave of healing energy through his meridians, but as Yichen kept fighting against him in his torment, both internally and externally, it proved useless as long as Yichen was not himself. So he let go of the young man and moved to place himself over Yichen's lap, pulling him towards him in a hug, for Yichen to feel his warmth as he began to freeze, as well as his reassuring words and energy.
"Yichen... Yichen, I'm here. Zhu Yan is here to protect you, come back... Xioa Zhuo, please..." Zhu Yan felt hot tears running down his cheeks and buried his face in Yichen's neck, trying to contain the sudden despair that assaulted his senses, while he hugged him tightly, trying to soothe his pain so he would stop screaming and trembling until, a minute later, he did. His body felt weak in his arms, but it was soon replaced by Yichen holding him back, though Zhu Yan was stunned to feel the shift of energy inside Yichen's core, to one he had known and missed for a long time.
"Bing Yi..." The name escaped his lips before he opened his eyes to see bright blue ice tattoos on Yichen's neck and the previously silky and lustrous black hair, turned curly and grayish blue, not to mention that when he let go of Bing Yi, he stared at the god with bright blue eyes and two small horns on either side of his forehead.
"Zhu Yan, my child, long time no see..." Bing Yi greeted him with a gentle smile devoid of the pain that had hurt Yichen earlier, though there were still traces of sweat between his small dragon horns.
"Bing Yi... It's been so long since I heard from you that I doubted you were still alive... How... what happened to you? Where have you been all this time?" Zhu Yan managed to ask as he took in Bing Yi's ethereal appearance, suddenly aware that he was straddling him and was about to move away when Bing Yi held him in place.
"Never mind that, I have very little time to possess this body, because no human can bear my soul for long and he is your fated one, so I don't want to hurt him more than is necessary."
"Fated one?"
"Ah, Zhu Yan, my child, it was no coincidence that your father and I fell in love and traveled the world together. Ying Long and I were destined as well and our blood will always seek each other out no matter how many times we reborn. If you had used your Truth Eye on us, you would have seen the red thread of fate tied to our fingers, just as you can see it in your hand, connecting with that of this young man, my descendant if you look at yourself."
"Is that so? I... I got the feeling that he was special from the first time I laid my eyes on him, but that's something I'll have to find out later. Your time is limited, tell me what you need. Where are you, are you hurt?" he asked as Bing Yi looked paler than his usual fair skin, though that body was not his original one and Yichen was already feeling the strain of his possession.
"My battle against that demon was fierce, but I managed to seal him inside my domain. However, I suffered serious injuries and have yet to recover, as my power was used to keep him sealed. However, I grow weaker and weaker with each century I keep him trapped. To be honest, I don't know how much longer I can keep the seal before my core breaks." Those words hurt Zhu Yan worse than a stab wound directly to his heart.
"No! Bing Yi... you can't die. I will find you and heal you. We're are you?"
"Listen to me child, even before you were born into this world, Ying Long knew of your coming, he searched for you for centuries, because he knew that one day you would carry the fate of the world on your little shoulders, together with this boy who inherited my blood. There is no need to worry about me, do you still have with you Ying Long star domain?"
"Of course, it's been my only company all this time." He said as he took from inside his robes the bronze chain around his neck that containing an oval crystal gem that reflected the stars on its smooth surface. Then, Bing Yi gently held the precious gem in his hand and reverently kissed its surface.
"Ying Long... it's been so long since I held you this close and I miss you so much... my love." He whispered as tears streamed down his face and the crystal throbbed gently in his hand in response to his pain, as if it were its own.
"A small part of his soul patiently awaits your reunion. My father saw it, and it was one of the reasons he decided to sacrifice himself for the world you were meant to protect." Bing Yi smiled at the talisman still in his hand.
"He was always too noble and kind-hearted to allow the gods to exterminate the demons. You must find the stone Cheng Huang stole from Nuwa, and complete his work of permanently sealing the demons away to their world. Should Cheng Huang escape my seal, both worlds will perish beneath his fury. Ying Long's visions were always accurate, but the one thing he could not see was the Nuwa Stone... yet he saw you with it in your hands, he saw you restoring balance, he saw you sharing your life with this young man, which is why I have sought to find you through him."
"So his nightmare since he was a kid..."
"Unfortunately, it was I who cause them trying to contact you, for I knew you would be near him at some point. Your destinies are strong, and your deeds will be legendary in both worlds... Bring Li Lun back, let him experience time with this young man's older brother, let him experience the good side of humanity, their struggles, their inner strength, their love, and he will be willing to help you in your quest. Awaken their power, war is coming, so prepare yourself... be strong and protect each other. Do not repeat our tragic history..."
"Your story was never meant to be tragic, Bing Yi. We will find you and save you, while we repair what's broken and take care of the work you couldn't finish. Wait a little longer, Father... let your children build you the happy ending you've always deserved." At those words, Bing Yi smiled.
"You were always the optimist... and this is the first time you have called me father, even when I'm not... you were always our blessing, Zhu Yan, our pride and joy... Take care, son, and if we never meet again, know that we love you very much and appreciate the sacrifices you made to help us in our duties and the rest of the demons despite their objections..." He whispered as he tenderly kissed Zhu Yan's forehead. Then his body relaxed again, and Zhu Yan hugged Yichen's weakened body with a sob. Since he was unconscious this time, he was able to effectively soothe his pain and stabilize his energy, which finally relaxed him as he gently let him lie down on his bed and hugged him tightly.
As he hugged Yichen like a precious treasure, allowing himself to silently grieve for everything he had held onto for centuries, he remembered Bing Yi's words about him and Yichen being bound by the threads of fate, and used his Truth Eye on both of them. He smiled at the sight of the red thread, covered in a golden sheen, tied to Yichen's heart finger and extended all the way to his own hand, which rested on the young man waist.
Zhu Yan couldn't feel it tied to his finger, but it was certainly there nevertheless, and it was proof that their union was, indeed, predestined by the will of the gods. So, now that he had definitive proof that he could even show Yixuan, he had the man made for him right where he belonged, in his warm arms, and Zhu Yan didn't plan on letting him go anytime soon.
AN: Ah, such a bitter sweet reunion for Zhu Yan, there will be a bit of fluff and a lot of bickering in the next one. 😂 Yep, Li Lun will be back soon too, so prepare yourself Yixuan, because he may give you some troubles. 🤭 Thanks for reading, I hope you like it and see you soon, take care.