Wei Ying wakes up slowly, stretching his smaller body in confusion while yawning so widely that tears come to his eyes. Lan Zhan brushes them away fondly, not even blinking because doing so would make him miss precious seconds of being able to see him.

This is Wei Ying.

Alive and well, and apparently happy, because his sunny smile lights up his whole face, his brilliant silver eyes curiously watching Lan Zhan back with the same intensity. He sits up, and stretches again with his tiny fists in the air, and then he looks around.

"Mama? Baba?" He inquires, not necessarily worried about them.

"They will be back soon," Lan Zhan says. He's not overly fond of his own voice in his younger body, but he loves the way Wei Ying speaks.

Wei Ying has a tooth missing on his bottom row. It's too cute for words, and Lan Zhan has to open his arms. Wei Ying shuffles towards him on his knees and propels himself with a little too much force, and down they go in a tangle of limbs, hugging each other tightly. Lan Zhan's smaller hands stroke his hair gently, his heart overflowing with love for this sweet soul.

"Wan Zhan," Wei Ying whispers contentedly, and inadvertently makes Lan Zhan freeze.

The array. He thinks back to the characters and the strokes he added to retain his own memory, too distraught after killing and injuring members of his own clan to think properly. He's sure he retained his own memory, but what exactly does Wei Ying remember? He hopes nothing too painful but they must talk before the adults get back because he might not get this chance again.

"Wei Ying-"

"YingYing," Wei Ying pouts.

Lan Zhan can feel his heart bursting into fireworks again and again.

"YingYing, how do you feel?"

"Hungwy."

"Then you must eat first." Lan Zhan guides him up and together they ease off the bed. Lan Zhan is tall enough to jump off, but Wei Ying doesn't.

"Mama says I must do it dis way," he says, turning onto his stomach and wiggling off the bed slowly until his cute little feet touch the ground. They go to the little table and Lan Zhan uncovers the meal.

Wei Ying looks around, frowning. "Where's your breakfast?"

Lan Zhan points to his tummy. "I already ate."

"Wivout YingYing?" Wei Ying crosses his arms stubbornly over his little chest and pouts, making no attempt to eat. His stomach rumbles loudly and yet he doesn't move an inch.

"I ate at home," Lan Zhan replies, stirring the congee in the bowl and offering up a spoon full of it.

"When?" Wei Ying presses his lips into a thin line, refusing to open his mouth yet.

"Chen shi."

Wei Ying turns to the window, squinting at the light so he might be able to tell what time it is.

"It is Wu shi now. Eat, YingYing," Lan Zhan presses the spoon against Wei Ying's lips again.

"But that means-"

Lan Zhan takes his chance and stuffs his mouth with the spoon, quickly dumping it in and retreating, refilling the spoon even as Wei Ying glares at him. He chews slowly on purpose, never looking away once, and Lan Zhan should have known that he's no ordinary boy, his fast mind already presenting him with several solutions to his problem.

Quick as a flash, Wei Ying's hand shoots out, taking the second spoonful and feeding it to Lan Zhan, giggling at his face and the outrage of the indignity of being fed when he's old enough not to require assistance.

"One for you, one for me," Wei Ying snickers, easily accepting the third spoonful. "It's your lunchtime and my breakfast time, so we match," he adds, smiling wider when Lan Zhan obediently opens his mouth. He discovers that he will do anything for that smile.

They feed each other a spoon at a time, refilling the bowl from the secondary vessel. Lan Zhan has already poured out tea for them both, and by the end of their meal, it's cool enough to drink.

"What do you remember, YingYing?" Lan Zhan asks him, after properly wiping his mouth for him.

"Wemember? About what?" Wei Ying taps his nose thoughtfully, and the gesture is so him, Lan Zhan has to blink back tears.

"Did you have any dreams?" Lan Zhan knows he has to be careful now. If Wei Ying doesn't remember anything, then that's that, maybe it is even better. He can start afresh, a clean slate to live his life happily.

"Bad dweams," Wei Ying confirms, as he stares back innocently, saying his thoughts out loud.

But those two words make Lan Zhan's blood freeze in his veins and he suppresses a shiver. "Do you want to talk about them?"

Wei Ying's smile disappears and he shakes his head forlornly.

"But you know who I am?"

The smile returns immediately, brighter than sunlight skittering over green meadows. "Ahuh, ahuh. Wan Zhan, Wan Zhan, Wan Zhan!" He gushes in quick succession.

So perhaps the array messed with his mind, Lan Zhan is unsure. But then one character stands out. It's the one that represents keeping things as they are. In his hurry to activate that array, Lan Zhan added one extra stroke, changing the meaning very slightly.

Had it done what he originally wanted, they both would have remembered that past life exactly as it happened. But that one extra stroke kept their mental state exactly as it was when the array began to work, meaning that while Lan Zhan had all of his faculties working, Wei Ying had been pretty much out of it.

Hit by the death of his beloved sister on top of losing the Wen Siblings and the entire group of Wen Remnants, plus Jin ZiXuan and Jin ZiXun, his mind had imploded with grief.

Perhaps it is an unintentional kindness that has happened by itself, a gift from the Universe to make Wei Ying forget all of those atrocious events leading up to them being in that cave at the end. If that's the case, and Wei Ying can't remember what happened to him, then of course, Lan Zhan isn't going to remind him.

But the size of his body is a hindrance because he can't physically do the things he wants to, and Lan Zhan only has about ten years to go before Wen Ruohan plays his hand and kick-starts the war by lusting after the Yin Iron. In between then and now, Lan Zhan has to find a way to kill him off. But remembering him, reminds Lan Zhan of another sinister person, one whose existence was a bane on Cultivators as a whole: Wen Zhuliu.

The murderous rage that flows through him now is a tumultuous storm of hatred for whatever he did to Wei Ying. Wen Chao's dog.

"Wan Zhan?" Wei Ying climbs into his lap to hold his face, concern in his voice and actions.

Lan Zhan calms himself down first before opening his eyes so as not to worry Wei Ying. There's no sense in telling Wei Ying anything of their past lives, not if Lan Zhan is determined to change events so that the men who robbed his Soulmate of his fabulous, fiery golden core will never get close enough to him to do that kind of damage.

If Wei Ying doesn't remember, then that's good, Lan Zhan tells himself, and after making that decision, opens his eyes.

"How do you remember me?" Lan Zhan asks him, putting his hands on Wei Ying's little shoulders.

"Best fwends. Wan Zhan and YingYing." Wei Ying hugs him again, apparently satisfied that Lan Zhan is alright.

It's a start, Lan Zhan thinks. In these bodies as young children, it would be better to be classed as best friends than anything more. He knows exactly how he feels about Wei Ying, he knows it exceeds the boundaries of all the different types of love there is, but he can still love Wei Ying quietly, in private, and wait for him to catch up. Even if it never happens, Lan Zhan is sure he won't mind. The whole reason they are here in this time and place is so that Wei Ying's future becomes secure, so there is no room for romance until he can erase all that threatens them.

With that in mind, Lan Zhan wonders what has become of his Uncle Qiren and Wei Ying's parents. Did they succeed in the night hunt? Is everyone safe?

As if summoning them, there's a knock on the door and Lan Huan calls out.

"Didi, open the door."

Wei Ying reluctantly climbs off him and Lan Zhan goes to turn the key in the lock, hoping that everyone is still alright. Even if his brother has come to collect them, that doesn't mean something bad has happened, right? It's best not to make assumptions. But his fingers shake as the door opens, and Lan Huan enters, followed by his uncle and two more Lan Clan members.

Lan Zhan is swept into a warm hug by his brother, and then so relieved is he that his uncle is alive, suffering from a few cuts on his face, that Lan Zhan hugs his legs until Uncle Qiren is forced to crouch down and hug him properly.

"I am sorry to have worried you," he says gently, whispering it so no one else hears him.

"Mn." Lan Zhan does not trust himself to speak. His opinion of this man has changed drastically since he took measures to do something about Wei Ying's parents. But, where are they? He pointedly looks towards the empty doorway and then back at his uncle.

"Where's Mama? Baba?" Wei Ying shrinks back from the unfamiliar strangers, and Lan Zhan is by his side in a second.

He grabs Wei Ying's hand hidden in his long sleeves, ignoring his brother's knowing gaze as it sweeps over them.

"There was a hunt, and while the creatures are now dead, one of them hurt your mother. She is alive, but she's slipped into a coma. I thought it best if we sent her and your Baba onwards to Cloud Recesses so the healers can help her as soon as possible. We have come to collect you." Uncle Qiren comes towards them, and Wei Ying hides his face in Lan Zhan's shoulder.

"I want my Mama," he says in a tremulous voice.

"Mn. Let's go to her," Lan Zhan replies. "Uncle will take us to them." He rubs Wei Ying's back gently, ignoring the looks exchanged between his brother and his Uncle.

He will give Wei Ying whatever he needs no matter what others think, and that's all there is to it.