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Water poured down his face as he laid still on the ground, the sound of quick footsteps and water hitting the ground enveloping him.
There was not even one person who spared him a glance. None of them cared.
He understood.
Finally did he move. His muscles sore from having laid on the cold, hard gravel a full day and the pain in his abdomen from where the sword had struck; he ignored it all. It didn't matter anyway.
He reached for the sword as he became aware of the sound of someone walking towards him. It was White No-Face.
Though it had a mask on so you couldn't see it's expression, Xie Lian felt like it was sending a taunting smile at him. White No-Face didn't say anything, but only two words resided in his mind. Do it.
He clenched his fist tighter around the hilt of the sword and hardened his heart at last. Xie Lian lifted the sword and looked at it. The sword emitted a dangerous, dark aura.
Thunder roared in the sky and shrill shrieks abruptly tormented his ears. Lightning struck the blade with a blinding light. That was it. The curse was released. It all overwhelmed Xie Lian in the few seconds but he kept standing, letting it all tear away at his soul.
Countless spirits of the dead came from the dark clouds, falling upon the city. Their horrifying faces twisting and screaming incoherently.
Xie Lian watched how the faces of the Yong'an people —and traitorous remains of Xianle— filled with terrifying horror, fear and dread. Only he felt completely numb.
Amidst the chaos walked two figures, one donned in funeral garbs, the other ran down cultivater robes. The formed wore a sinister half-laughing half-crying mask. The face of the other bore a lifeless expression, but no one paid attention to it at all, too caught up in their panic. They walked through the gates of the city, on to the deserted battlefield.
They had walked quite a distance, the screams and chaos still roaring faintly into their ears. Xie Lian sudden came to a halt. Spinning on his heel, he now stood and faced the city. White No-Face stopped in his tracks too, coming to stand next to Xie Lian again.
Xie Lian kept his gaze forward. Hearing the shrill cries reach his ears even here, a certain feeling of joy came to him. Soon, word would spread about the cure and even more panic would erupt. It brought a content feeling to him, which scared him. Does he really think like that?
But, did it actually matter? The people of his kingdom blamed him and no one was left that cared about him.
He moved his gaze to White No-face who was standing next to him. Though it wore a mask, Xie Lian was sure it was staring at him. Hatred grew rapidly in his heart. White No-Face was the reason he was standing here in the first place. If that damn creature hadn't shown up, his kingdom would still be fine. His mother, father, Feng Xin and Mu Qing would still be by his side, instead of this one. This creature, why did it know everything about him?
In a flare of anger, he wanted to tear off that stupid mask. He grabbed for it and, surprisingly, he actually knocked off the mask. He suspected White No-Face hadn't intended to evade his move in the first place. It slid off and made a splash sound as it landed in the puddle filled mud.
To his horror, this creature had an actual face. He didn't know what he had expected, maybe if White No-Face wasn't human, it would've made things more bearable. But instead, it bore a handsome face of a man that stared back at him with a gentle smile. Xie Lian felt like the face looked familiar, but his brain never made the connection.
Now completely facing eachother, the creature with a face lifted his right hand to gently pet Xie Lian's head. Though Xie Lian knew it was a ghost, warmth still seemed to spread from where his hand stroked his hair. Something about it made him calm, basking in the gesture and to his fright, the corners of his mouth pulled up in a smile.
Between hate and love, only a thin line is drawn. They seem opposites, but Xie Lian sudden realized that they weren't that different. He looked at this creature and saw hatred. But as it continued to pet his hair, some inexplicable feeling creeped up in him. He should hate this thing in front of him and he does.
Another unexplainable desire rose up in him and he moved his hands to cup that creature's face. He pushed himself on his tiptoes and pulled it's face to his. Their teeth slightly clinked together, he didn't care however. He had never kissed anyone so he didn't know how to, but that creature knew—ofcourse—and took the lead. It's left arm hooked around Xie Lian's waist and it lowered it's right hand to hold his chin.
It's lips were soft and he could feel it faintly smiling. Their lips were merely moving together and Xie Lian wanted more. He moved his hands away from it's face to hook his arms around its neck, deeping their kiss. He felt a wet tongue prying his lips open and he let it. Obediently opening his mouth, he gave the creature acces to roam its tongue inside his mouth. It felt intoxicating and to Xie Lian, everything began to fall into place.
Suddenly, the creature broke of their kiss and Xie Lian chased after him with a pathetic whine. The arm around his waist pulled him impossibly closer, so that his body was pushed against the other and their faces only inches away. The hand on his chin pushed his head to the side to look at the city. He could still hear the cries of fear and pain. However, Xie Lian's heart had already turned into stone. The chaos rang in his ears as a sweet lullaby and a sense of pride flashed in his mind.
He moved his gaze back to White No-Face. He took in this face staring back at him with something that seemed like pride and adoration. Xie Lian basked in it, feeling like he finally understood the lessons it had wanted to teach him. The creature moved to seal their lips back together.
Xie Lian couldn't get enough of it, the pace they were kissing in too slow for his liking. It's lips moved so perfectly with his, and it's tongue quickly trailed back to where it had left off earlier. Though the rain still drenched him, he didn't feel cold. He kissed this White No-Face creature so urgently as if it was the only thing that mattered anymore. The hot movement of their lips and tongues against eachother sparked desires in him he never knew existed.
Now, this creature knew that Xie lian was all his.
And if somewhere in the distance, a nameless heart broke, Xie Lian wouldn't have known.