Chapter Text
Embracing Niran like this was quite familiar, but he felt hands on his back. This– this was more unfamiliar. Niran never returned the hug. Not even the day he collapsed on the bridge.
Holding onto Niran was the only possible thing Pete could think of doing, he can SEE his body fading away slowly, Niran has a smile on his face showing he made peace with this decision.
Pete couldn't do that– couldn't let go of his special person. Who else was he supposed to spend his whole life with if not his soul mate? Who else other than the person who knew him through and through? Who else other than the person that saw through all his problems and even helped him recover? The sole person bound to him, sharing their mind, body, heart, and soul. Who else than the man he loved.
Pete at least has to try to make Niran come back to the real world.
“You're important to people–” Pete sobbed as more tears streamed down his face, “at least for me, you're very important to me!” He heard his voice crack, but he knew his attempts were all futile, he can feel every part of Niran's body slowly disappearing, how the warm hands that are on his back slowly turn cold, as the weight of his head slowly turning lighter, and how the heart beat in his chest slowly becoming more faint.
“I can't let you go like this.." he softly said at first "I can't let you go!” he wants to make it a promise– wants to make it an oath. But all this was useless as his arms that were around Niran now had no support.
“Thank you, Pete. I'm seriously thankful, but I think it's too late” Niran said. This was the only thing he has ever said to me seriously in this whole messed up spirit world.
“No..No I don't want to leave you here! Please you mean so much to people, especially to me don't you understand?!” Hugging Niran tighter was the only thing he could do, to show Niran how much he didn't want to let him go– to show how important to him.. none of it mattered. His body now mostly gone he gives me a final pat on the back and then
He's gone.
Gone.
He no longer can feel the way the golden string connected to them humming. It was silent in this weird white room. The humming of the golden string was something he quickly got used to. Now it's gone. Gone like Niran. Gone like all the experience they have had in the past months. Gone like the connection to Niran. Gone like his soul mate.
He no longer could hold his sobs,as more spilled from his eyes. He knew what this meant– Niran being gone didn't just mean his soul was free from the burden he was clinging onto but also meant his own soul will also be gone in a couple hours. Maybe one or two measly more hours until his unfulfilled life would also go wherever Niran's soul went.
His legs gave out first, not being able to support his body anymore and fell on the ground sobbing. Sobbing for Niran's soul, his life, but also for being a bad soulmate not understanding Niran's troubles.
He could wait. Wait for his soul to also endure the same fate Niran's body succumbed to.
Ah! Stupid! Stupid! All his head was full of Niran he forgot about others that were hoping for him to get Niran's soul back to his body. His sister, Ploy who possibly now lost her only family. His three brothers– Jack,Tua,and Tao who will never have a big brother to look out for them. Niran's own sister, Fai who trusted him to get her little soul back from the Life Spirit world. Niran's Hia, Jia Hao who planned all of this just for his efforts to go to waste. The Seer, Tong whose calculations are also now useless. The teenager that got dragged along, Yok the youngest of the group now has to deal with this.
Soft footsteps were heard from the white light, in the distance he saw Niran! Child Niran to be exact! He quickly got back on his legs, standing as if the strength for it was never there to begin with.
“Niran!"
“If I go back with you…I'll become Wu,right?" The child had said with such hopeful wonders it made a wet chuckle left my mouth, wiping the residual tears still wet in my cheeks as I walked closer to the child.
“Yes. You'll be the coolest Wu ever, do you know why?” Child Niran’s head tilted to the side with curiosity “because you'll have me as your partner.”
" Will you come back with me?” he extended his hand, winching a bit realising this was his and Niran's usual habit to shake their hands like this. Pete could see Niran hesitation but he shook his head and clasped onto his hand.
ʕ•᷅,•᷄ʔ੭₍^. .^₎⟆
A blinding white light flashed Pete's vision, then it started to spin. It lasted for a few minutes until it went dark.
Slowly gaining the will to open his eyes, Pete was laying in his bed…weird he was standing while doing the ritual. Pete then smelled something delicious…being cooked? What? No one in the WU gang knew how to cook...it smelled- nice, familiar… huh?!
Pete quickly pulled the blanket wrapped around his body and got on his feet. The world looked…closer???! He quickly ran to his mirror on the cupboard beside him–
“SHIA!!” Pete screamed, no way! He's back in his teenager body! Well– he thinks its around that age–
“Hia! Stop screaming and come out to eat!!" A nostalgic high pitched voice screamed out from the door as tiny hands were banging on the door.
‘No way...it can't be…’ Pete thought as he gently opened the door. It was! It was Ploy, his little sister! Oh how much he missed when his little sister was at home residing with him! He scoped her into a hug, " Nong! I'm so happy to see you again!” The last time he saw her was after the doctors told him she was stable enough to be discharged from the hospital!
“Hia! Eww get off me!! You haven't even showered yet!! We literally just had a family outing! Why are you so excited to see me?!” she squirmed into the hug but reluctantly hugged back.
"Can't I just miss my amazing little sister?” Pete said with a huge smile on his face.
"MA!! HIA IS BEING WEIRD!!” she screamed as she ran to the stairs.
Mom..? Wait– his parents…they're here..? He quickly scrambled to the stairs and– his parents! They were just like the mirror world! Albeit they looked younger.
“PA! MA!!" Pete leaped up in the air to embrace both his parents in a tight hug, "I miss you guys…”
“See! Hia is being weird!" Ply grumbled as she went to the table to sit down to eat dinner.
“Maybe it's just exhaustion after the trip we had today." His parents hugged him tighter “Dont you see Ploy? It just means Pete loves us so dearly!" Ma said with a huge smile on her face, “Maybe this trip made him realise his love for us haha." His Pa joked as they ended the embrace, Ploy gave out a fake gag at that remark.
Pete missed this, the jokes they would make, the love they gave both of them.
But it feels like he's missing someone…someone dear to him…
As he remembered a golden thread appeared on his wrist, as if it was reminding him of his soulmate that he lost just a few moments ago– his soulmate that he saw vanish right Infront of him…
Niran!
If the thread was here then that meant,Niran was here! Here in this timeline! Mayb– but maybe not…as Pete didn't know if Niran had retained his memory of the future, memories of all the hardships he faced, and all of the moment together with him….and the WU group.
“Hiaaaa, go sit down so we can have dinner, I waited so lonnggg I'm soo hungryyy!!” that snapped him out of his monologue,”It's fine you guys eat first I don't even feel that hungry yet.” Pete said with a huff, but as soon as he finished his words his stomach rumbled loudly "Are you sure you're not hungry Hia?” Ploy said with a huge grin of a face looking very smug.
A red flush appeared on Pete's face,"Yep! Not hungry at all!”
“Pete, go sit on the dinning table, I made both of your favourites today! Let's all spend time as a family yes?” Pete's mom had said with a calm voice, he quickly sat down on a table to not make him mother mad at him “Ok mom.." Pete's head had druped quite a bit.
ʕ•᷅,•᷄ʔ੭₍^. .^₎⟆
Dinner was great don't get him wrong, but it felt weird, he still recalled the lunch he had with his parents in the spirit world. But this felt more…nostalgic than anything. Pete remembered having this exact dinner, thought the conversations today was a bit different it still was like what he remembered.
His parents made him wash up,and get ready for the lights to be out. He didn't wanted to sleep, he wanted to find Niran! The golden thread now just toying at him showing it knows where Niran is but right now in this child body he can't do anything but wait until tomorrow morning to try to go out to find him.
It felt weird, to have this bedroom all alone. Usually by now he'd chatter about anything he found interesting to talk about to Niran. Niran would pretend to fall asleep thinking he was nonchalant, but Pete knew he was always listening and even gave him remarks about some things from time to time.
He was getting tired,the quiet humming of the golden thread lulled him into sleep,his eyes were heavy as his body bedbounded, a slight growl was heard in the back of his head but he was knocked out in an instant.