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After a long day of receiving presents and gifts from the inhabitants of the ghost city, and attending to the prayers of the community, Xie Lian found himself feeling uneasy as night fell. Unable to pinpoint the cause of his unease, he wondered if he was falling ill, but then questioned whether gods could even get sick. Regardless, he hoped that a restful night's sleep would alleviate his discomfort. After bidding his husband good night and dimming the lamps with their red shades, he drifted off to sleep.
However, he soon felt as if he had been abruptly roused from slumber, only to find himself in a deserted dancehall permeated by the haunting strains of an enigmatic yet strangely innocent melody, likely emanating from a grand piano.
As the music came to an abrupt stop, it seemed like his once-stable surroundings were liquefying before his eyes. The notes of the piano, previously so harmonious, now sounded dissonant and detached, as though tainted with sorrow. The scene around him transformed into a harrowing vision as if being pulled into an infernal vortex. The once pristine white tiles of the floor and the surrounding casings now seemed to be drenched in swirling shades of red. Each melancholic note felt like a toxic sting to his heart, intensifying with every keystroke from the mysterious pianist who had materialized in the now-illuminated dance hall.
A white figure with black hair that much matched his own. But the white robes the person draped in were funeral garbs. How could he not know who this was? The one who burned down Xianle ruined his life and set fire to heaven. Bringing ruin and destruction to everyone he met.
Yet when he turned his face it was not covered by that half-crying/ half-smiling mask. But it was a face of himself, the notes of the piano were nightmarish. Like poison mixing in his bloodstream. His surroundings changed once again, the dancehall turning into a bloodied shrine. And a being on the altar, a sword in a mess of wounds and blood-soaked robes.
A horrifying sight that left Xie Lian feeling the pace of his heart quicken, and the rims of his eyes stinging, whether it was a dream or not it felt hauntingly real, and his body was shaking and hurt like it was being clawed open by a wild animal, as he crouched to the dirty floor of the shrine, he wanted to scream but he couldn't make any noise.
Xie Lian's body jerked up, sweat beading his forehead. He was back to the comforting sight of the room. Yet he couldn't put himself at ease, the red robes that Hua Cheng gave him that he slept in poked at his skin, he could feel everything touching him, the robe fur, the blankets atop of him, the cold skin that touched his arm. It began to make him feel overwhelmed. He held his head in his hands, steadying his breath.
"Gege?" Hua Cheng said, sitting up with Xie Lian and placing a hand on his shoulder. Only to be shaken off. "Are you ok?"
"I- uhm...it was just a nightmare." Xie Lian replied, raising his head to give Hua Cheng a shaken smile.
Hua Cheng looked empathetic, as he removed the covers from them both. He got from the bed and went to the doorway after turning on the lights from the lamps.
"I will go brew some tea, let's talk about what happened in your dream while drinking some lavender tea alright, Gege?" Hua Cheng said, calmly.
Xie Lian got up quickly, following Hua Cheng, he didn't want to be alone for the rest of the night.