where are you wei?

I wish I was there when you sacrificed yourself. I wouldn't have stopped you, I would have sacrificed myself, with you.

How can one describe the turmoil they're facing? Can one even explain? Are there words to ever express one's feeling? The despair laden heart was too much to bear when I saw Lotus Pier burning in front of me! All I could think was of my Wei in there, screaming, crying, loosing his will to live.

No.

Wei.

Taking a step towards Lotus Pier, no solace is to be found, when my brother warns me "No Wangji, you cannot go there".

But why?

He'll be waiting for me!

He knows I would be coming for him! Won't he?

"Everything would be lost if you're caught. Knowing Young Master Wei and Young Master Jiang Cheng, they would have escaped"

"Casualties?"

I hear a sigh and I turn to look at my brother's solemn eyes "The news is Sect Leader Jiang Fengmian and Lady Yu have been brutally murdered by Wen Chao and his servants" my grip on the Bichen's hilt tightens.

I hear a sigh and I turn to look at my brother's solemn eyes "The news is Sect Leader Jiang Fengmian and Lady Yu have been brutally murdered by Wen Chao and his servants" my grip on the Bichen's hilt tightens.

"Let's go back to Cloud Recess" he is about to leave when his steps halt and he turns to look at me "Wangji?"

"I can't go back. Not yet"

"Wangji!"

"I will search heaven and earth for him, I will"

"What if you never find him?" Brother whispers.

I turn back to look at the blaze in front of me "Then I swear to avenge him no matter what and once I accomplish that, then there is no further discussion as to what my next step would be"

"Wangji!" My brother warns.

"Go back" without looking at him, I mount Bichen and fly away to with just one prayer, be safe. I'm here.

Unable to locate them even after a month of searching, I walk to a nearby lake and reminisce the time when Wei and I were in Biling Lake.

Where are you Wei?

Are you well?

Why haven't you called for me yet? Didn't you think I would have helped you?

Are you... Are you... even...

Unable to form a coherent sentence, I close my eyes and soothe the bile within me.

No.

No.

Nothing can happen to you!

Just when I thought everything was a lost cause, I receive a message from brother through a messenger butterfly.

'Come back to Gusu immediately'

Something must be urgent for

brother to call for me appearance.

As I walk in, I see a familiar figure sitting in front of my brother. My pace hastens by fraction when I see him but my eyes seek another soul.

No. He isn't here. I can't fee him.

"Where is Wei Ying?" I forgo all the salutations and quickly get to the point.

"Second Master Lan, I have been informed that you have been looking for us..." I don't have the patience for him to complete his sentence, I ask again "Where is Wei Ying?" The annoyance in my tone is quiet apparent as a frown mares his forehead, but then he sighs and shakes his head "I don't know"

"What?" I ask baffled.

"Wangji!" My brother's warning is for my ears and I school my thinking and expression.

"It all started when we fled from Lotus Pier. We were being hunt down and my sister was not well. I was" Jiang Cheng pauses, frowns and then continues as if coming to a conclusion after certain contemplation "I was not well, both my sister and I were staying with our grandmother. Wei Wuxian was not comfortable staying there, said he'll be back for us soon and the next thing I know, people say" he pauses looking at me "he was taken hostage by the Wen Clan and after that he disappeared".

This story makes no sense. Jiang Cheng is definitely hiding something. My Wei is not like this. He won't ever leave his family in lurch.

This just cannot be.

"Sect Leader Lan" he addresses my brother "Yunmeng needs your help. We shall seek the alliance of all the sects and bring an end to those Wen Sect Clan. Will Lan Sect be helping us?"

"Definitely" brother smiles and turns towards me "Wangji?"

"I will help" is all I say and turn to leave when Jiang Cheng makes a plea "Hanguang-Jun, I know you never liked my brother, but please help me in finding him".

I nod and leave.

"Second Master Lan, to what do I owe this pleasure? We meet again' the kind spirit bows in front of me.

Playing the Inquiry, I have yet again summoned the kind spirt. Never did I imagine I would be playing this piece so soon.

"Your heart is troubled Second Master Lan, is it to enquire about him again?"

"Hm"

"Very well then" I watch as she closes her eyes and they aura around her intensifies. Seconds later her eyes open, yet her serene face looks quiet troubled "Second Master Lan, I am unable to connect with his spirit".

My fingers against the Zither falters and I ask "What does that mean... Is he...?" Unable to complete the question, darkness starts to surround me.

"No, his spirit is trapped. He's alive" she pauses "yet is consumed by darkness" a moment later she prophesies "Second Master Lan, this time, it would be difficult to find him if you loose him" with that she disappears.

They say one cannot profess emotions for another when you haven't spent any such amount of time with them. How false. When you spend a decade or more, where every breath you take, every memory you make, it's for him and him alone, the heart had long back chosen it's mate, it is the mind that is catching up.

Promising the souls that belong to Wei who left them in my care, I promise, I will get him back, even if I have to wage a war, shed blood or even loose my life. He'll be back.

My Wei will be back.

For the next three months, all the Sects had formed an alliance against the Wen Sect and their doom had been pre destined.

Walking by Jiang Cheng, my Bichen saw blood and gore with a hope to find the only soul that mattered to me.

Wei.

Walking up the steps that I once limped on, reminiscing the pain Wei had been through on this soil, hatred consumes me and in moment the once unturned soil was now covered in filth.

"Spare us" a servant cried.

3

"Seize the weaponry from their armoury!" Jiang Cheng ordered and soon a familiar sword was brought forward.

Picking it up, I read the inscriptions "Suibian" a flash of a prophecy once ordained in my past comes to me. "Bichen will find its partner soon".

Bichen & Suibian. Forever partners. In war and tranquility.

Taking it with me, I treasure it until its owner seeks it again.

Little did I know, the owner would never use Suibian again.

Bichen & Suibian would never be part of a dual again.

I would never have my Wei in his lifetime. Again.

"Hanguang-Jun" Jiang Cheng whispers "Wen Chao is in this out house" he points out to an old building. "Do you think 'that' person would be here? The one who has helped us in eliminating the Wen Sect?" He does not wait for me to answer "Who cares. Till he is helping us, we're on the same side" he grins and I frown.

There is an extremely dark resentful energy coming out of that house now. So dark, it's quiet suffocating.

Suddenly we hear the same tune. Flute. We both turn to look at eachother, nodding we agree we shall first wait and watch and then attack.

Jumping onto the roof, we peep through a window and the silhouette inside the house, comes to the limelight and my heart stops.

It's him.

It's Wei.

My Wei.

But... He's changed.

He just resembles my Wei.

There is something eerie about him.

What he does next, I realise what is happening.

Everything that is wrong, everything that is considered wrong, Wei is becoming a part of the Diabolical realm and I am unable to stop him.

Where are you Wei?

Ah well, this has been quiet a long chapter. To write Lan Zhan's feelings has truly been quiet a challenge.

Hope you all enjoyed your New Year!!!

We know what's going to happen next but thinking about poor Lan Zhan, makes me want to hug him.

with