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They called them differently, when living for centuries, they constantly passed each other, unable to catch up. With the passing of time they no longer remembered which was chasing and which was running away, whether there was some kind of a past between them, dictating such an arrangement, or fate. Although in their case it sounded like a not very funny joke. They chased each other through the celestial firmament, not often looking down on earth, though they both had their human forms in which they could meet, fill the void that each of them carried in the place where the heart should be.
So far, however, they had not been able to break the vicious circle of running away and chasing, rising and setting. Nevertheless, each looked out for the moment when, before one went over the horizon, the other began to rise. In that brief moment, they were able to see each other's faces, remember them, and thus have a clue as to who they should be looking for. In those moments as they stared at each other, one reflecting the glow of the other, enchanted by each other, everything seemed simple to them.
The Sun and the Moon. Day and Night. Light and Darkness. Two entities that existed together, in parallel, complementing each other while being their opposite. It was no different in their human forms that they were tasked with finding. Each time one of them died, they were reborn in different places, remembering who they were and who they were looking for. However, they did not know where they should direct their steps, so again they wasted years looking for each other. In the event that they didn't make it to the death of one of them, the bond that connected them, the memories - began to fade. In their hearts, the emptiness seemed to grow even larger, but they no longer knew who they actually missed, treating their shared sunrises and sunsets as something beautiful, but meaning no more than it did for ordinary people.
Lan Xichen sat on the cliff, looking in the opposite direction of his setting sun. He had been searching for his partner for so long, knowing that he had one last chance so they could meet before Jiang Wanyin could forget him. It had almost happened once before, but miraculously they had managed to find each other. It was then that he began to believe in miracles, as the common people used to say.
He sighed, lifting himself up to look towards the moon. For him, there was more to it when he spotted the face of his other half there. The more details he could see, the closer they were to each other. It had already been Jiang Wanyin who had found him once, helping him regain his memories, now it was his turn. He stared at the face that appeared as soon as the moon appeared in the sky. He saw a crooked smile that didn't appear often, gray clouded eyes that glittered like night stars, dark hair that was pinned back with braids at the sides. A face that might appear to be one of many in the crowd, but just as every cloud has a silver lining that is invisible to ordinary people, so Jiang Wanyin was surrounded by an aura that Lan Xichen could sense.
The man smiled to himself, slowly heading towards the city as the sun completely hid behind the horizon. He already knew they were in the same town. Now he had to find a way to contact him to find him. Thinking about it, he admired the surroundings as the lights of the lanterns slowly came on and the city, though it should have been dormant, began to bustle with life. It was something that had always fascinated Lan Huan. It was as if the city had two natures - living fast during the day and raging until it fell at night. Perhaps that was the reason why they had both come to this place, where each of them could feel like a fish in water, moving during their time among people similar to them. The only thing left to complete happiness and peace was for them to find themselves in the crowd.
Although Lan Huan had tried to go out at night many times, he never knew where he should look. He wondered dimly if Jiang Wanyin was also trying to find him during the day, not quite knowing who he was looking for. Earlier, when he looked towards the rising moon at sunset, he was able to sense that his beloved was also trying to find him. However, since his last rebirth, he had not felt such a strong bond between them. Thus, he was under no illusion that Jiang Cheng was looking around for him among strangers during the day.
What he didn't know was that the other man spent his nights watching everyone from a vantage point in the city, marking on a map the places he had visited during the day. Jiang Cheng couldn't shake the feeling that this was the city where what he had been looking for so long was. Hope... Love... A feeling that would fill the emptiness he felt every time he saw couples around him. He had a feeling that somewhere, in that crowd, there had to be the one he was looking for. Usually, though, he turned away when the sun came up and went back to the apartment he occupied to gather some strength before the evening.
From the vantage point he occupied during the night, Lan Xichen observed the city during the day. There were several of the city's binoculars, which, with the insertion of a coin, allowed one to observe certain objects up close. However, one of them had not been open for a long time. Everyone avoided it, no one tried to fix it, it seemed strangely lonely as the crowds gathered at the others, avoiding it by bow. It was by his side, however, that Lan Huan loved to spend time. He had the impression that he was exactly like him - alone in the middle of the crowd, waiting for the moment when he would be able to stand in front of his beloved again.
The man took out a notebook from his pocket, only to pull out a piece of paper after a while. He wondered for a moment if there was any chance that Jiang Wanyin would ever look here, that he would also come to this defunct binoculars and see the note. Nevertheless, he decided to leave a message, signing it with a small drawing of the sun. When you believe in miracles... He folded the card and slipped it into the place where a coin should be dropped. He hadn't actually assumed it would bring him anything, but he no longer knew how he was supposed to find the one who embodied the moon, the king of the night sky. Heading to his apartment, he was unaware that he had managed to elude Jiang Cheng, that if he had stayed a moment longer at the vantage point, they would have been able to see each other, to talk, to recover memories.
Jiang Wanyin felt as if something had changed as soon as the elevator doors leading to the very top of the viewpoint opened. He had a strange feeling that he should turn back, that he had just missed something as he entered the building. He only clenched his teeth, deciding that he shouldn't focus on such feelings from romantic comedies. Similar things did not happen in real life.
The man walked over to the railing, right next to the inoperable binoculars, to take out the map again and circle the place he had been in the evening. Once again he didn't find the one he was looking for, though he could have guessed it. In truth, he was slowly beginning to suspect that he should let it go. He couldn't remember why he actually wanted to find someone, not to mention that he was convinced that he should, that once they met he would know it was the one, though he didn't know how he would know it by. There was a strange conviction in him that he should reach for the sun, wait for it to rise and then meet him. But he could never last until sunrise, and by sunset he was usually busy searching. Besides, how would looking to the sky help him find a man.
Jiang Wanyin snorted under his breath, reaching for a cigarette, which he lit slowly, looking up at the moon. Ever since he could remember, it had calmed him, made him know where he belonged, taught him to like his name. It was no different now, though he felt something, like an itch under his skin, a conviction that time was running out, that he should be somewhere else, doing something, reaching for something.
He shook his head, bouncing off the railing, intending to walk away from that spot before getting mad at something that had no logical explanation, when he noticed a piece of paper sticking out of his binoculars. He reached for it automatically, without thinking about what he was doing. He read the words, feeling his heart begin to beat much faster than it should. Miracles... The sun... He almost laughed, but his excitement prevented him from doing so. He reached into his pocket frantically searching for a pen to write back the message with some disbelief. He knew what to write, as if it was a motto he and his partner had been repeating for a long time. When you believe in miracles... nothing in this world can bring you down.
He didn't know why he was doing it, but for the first time in a long time he felt like he was closer to the one he was looking for. He folded the paper again, putting it in the same place. He did not know what he should do next, but he had a strange feeling that he should wait. Exactly in this place, do not go far, be constantly nearby to see, when the sender of the message comes here. As long as he comes...
"I believe in miracles, no one can stop us now," he said into space, finishing his cigarette. For the moment, even the stars seemed to smile at the sight of him, at what could happen as the morning dawned.
He waited all night, not feeling much fatigue. He always had more strength at night, could do more, so waiting, though annoying, wasn't a problem. The stress, the strange uncertainty appeared only when the moon approached the horizon and on the other side the sky began to brighten. He didn't know if they would be given the chance to meet, and yet, for the first time, he intended to look towards the sun, to reach out towards it.
Slowly the fireball began to swing out, and Jiang Cheng held his breath, noticing the man's face in it, his gentle smile, his long loose hair braided into a loose braid. The man's face, the sight of which brought goosebumps to his arms, a shiver of anticipation at his arrival. He couldn't remember his name, but he was sure that would change as soon as they saw each other.
"I see the smile on your face and the stars in your eyes, Wanyin" a warm voice reached him as the man suddenly stood between him and the rising sun. In an instant, memories began to flow through Jiang Cheng's head, clarifying many of his premonitions, putting everything in its place.
"Should I say you're my happiest day ?" he replied, looking up at Lan Xichen with a wry smile on his face, but he didn't back down when the other man came to him. He didn't back down when Lan Huan leaned in to finally kiss him.
Sun and Moon, living in constant pursuit of each other, able in human forms to be together, because when you believe in miracles, nothing in this world can break you down.