The resentment filled air felt thick. It stung Wei Wuxian's throat and made his lungs ache painfully with each inhale. Dragging his broken body forward through that air was like trying to walk in waist deep mud. The Burial Mounds were so dark that he couldn't distinguish clearly between night and day. Instead his world was divided into more dangerous times and less dangerous times. However, even these didn't seem to have regular intervals between them. So Wei Wuxian truly was at a loss to how much time had passed since he was thrown into this nightmare.

Wei Wuxian's strength faltered. His legs gave out from under him when he was just a short distance from the cave entrance. The entrance was so close that it felt like a taunt. He actually wondered if it was there at all, or if it was some image conjured by the resentful energy to torment him. The resentful energy had long since ripped its way through his body. Pain poured through him like it had replaced his blood. Biting and cutting him from the inside in circuits of blinding agony. The resentment was bitterly cold. Wei Wuxian's body felt frozen and stiff. Every joint felt like it was encased in ice. Even bending his fingers felt like he had to try and break something to complete the task. He wanted to give up. Death could not be more painful than this. Surely nothing could be more painful than this.

'Wei Ying.' Wei Wuxian tried to find the owner of that familiar voice. He scanned the desolate area desperately.

"Lan Zhan?" Wei Wuxian's voice was rough and cracked. Would Lan Wangji even recognise that voice if he heard it?

'Wei Ying.' Wei Wuxian wasn't sure if what he was hearing was real or not. It didn't make sense. Lan Wangji could not be here, but that was his voice. Wei Wuxian dug his fingers into the coarse earth and dragged his body toward the cave. Wei Wuxian closed his eyes against the horrible pain assaulting his senses, but he continued pulling himself forward. Suddenly he couldn't dig his fingers into the earth anymore. He tried harder. Trying to get to the voice. Trying to get to Lan Wangji. It didn't matter that it didn't make sense. He didn't care that it didn't make sense. He just had to move. He put everything he had into trying to get his grip into the ground so he could move forward.

'Wei Ying.' Wei Wuxian cracked open his eyes.

"Lan Zhan." Wei Wuxian's voice came out as a plea. His vision was blurred with tears. Eyes refusing to focus. He finally managed to at least focus on his hand. He saw a smear of red on his dirt caked fingers. Finally he recognised what was under his hand. It was stone. He hadn't realized there was stone under his hands now. He pulled himself forward on his elbows until he was fully inside the cave. The small relief of finally finding something resembling shelter was quickly washed away as the resentful energy in his body surged with excitement. It felt like he was being ripped apart from the inside. He was so cold that it burned. His vision was filled with black spots. The pain became too much for him to hold in and he screamed.

Wei Wuxian's eyes flew open in panic.

'Where am I? What's happening? Who is here?' His eyes darted around as the fog of sleep still stubbornly clouded his ability to think. He was seeing his surroundings, but his brain was refusing to process it properly. He couldn't get from what he was seeing to the point of recognizing what the things he was seeing were. Slowly he forced himself to calm his breaths. He needed to be calm to react to what was happening. If there was anything dangerous he needed to be calm. As he inhaled a soothing fragrance filled his nose. With each breath this scent flooded and began to chase back the tension and panic in his body.

'Lan Zhan.' Wei Wuxian's mind began to clear. This was in Cloud Recesses. This was the Jingshi. Lan Wangji's residence. 'Lan Zhan.' Just thinking his name helped soothe Wei Wuxian. 'This is Lan Zhan's residence. I'm safe. I'm not in Burial Mounds. I'm safe.'

"Lan Zhan?" Wei Wuxian called. He tried to not sound too anxious. He didn't see Lan Wangji nearby, but he could have needed to step out for something. Wei Wuxian didn't like it when that happened, but Lan Wangji had never left for very long. He just needed to stay calm for a little while, and he would come back.

"Wei-gongzi? Are you awake?" Wei Wuxian immediately recognised Wen Qionglin's voice. Wei Wuxian hastily straightened his somewhat disheveled robes and walked out toward the porch. Lan Wangji didn't like people entering so Wei Wuxian knew Wen Qionglin was not about to come in. Much like he expected he found Wen Qionglin hovering near the doorway. Wei Wuxian smiled to ease the obvious anxiety on Wen Qionglin's face.

'Didi. It's so good to see you alive. I don't want you to have to suffer with the resentful energy like you did. I'll protect you better this time. I'll find you sooner. Before they can take you to the labor camp. Before they can kill you.' Wei Wuxian vowed silently.

"Wei-gongzi?" Wei Wuxian was pulled from his thoughts by Wen Qionglin's anxious voice. Wei Wuxian forced another smile.

"Where's Lan Zhan?" Wei Wuxian asked. He tried to sound excited and not anxious. The Wen Qionglin who knew him well would have been able to tell, but this was the Wen Qionglin of the past. He was still sweet and caring, but he was not so familiar with Wei Wuxian anymore. It made Wei Wuxian feel lonely. His didi was alive, but no longer knew him the same way. Wen Qing hadn't told Wen Qionglin about what was going on yet. Wen Qionglin of course knew something was up, something they were not telling him, but he trusted Wen Qing.

"Lan-er-gongzi left to attend the meeting with Sect Leader Jiang. He didn't want to wake you. He will come right back once it is over." Wen Qionglin reassured. Wei Wuxian's eyes widened briefly but he quickly nodded and made his way to the table in the courtyard. He didn't want Wen Qionglin to see the mixture of emotions in his eyes. It would only worry him. It wasn't a very convincing mask, but it was the best one he had right now. He wasn't sure if Wen Qionglin hadn't learned how to read him yet, or if he was just too polite to call him out. Either way at least he wouldn't have to discuss how he was feeling about this impending visit.

Wen Qionglin sat across from him at the table with the Weiqi pieces in his arms.

"W-Would Wei-gongzi like to play?" Wen Qionglin stuttered slightly as he spoke. Wei Wuxian felt a genuine smile warm his face. His didi was offering to play a game with him. Maybe because he wanted to. Maybe because he wanted to distract Wei Wuxian from the chaotic mess that was his own thoughts. Either option was sweet and endearing. Wei Wuxian nodded vigorously. Wen Qionglin smiled excitedly and Wei Wuxian felt a kind of joy that he had not experienced in a long time. The last time he felt it had been before the fall of Lotus Pier. When he was young and playing with Jiang Wanyin. Granted, Jiang Wanyin hated losing and didn't like when Wei Wuxian acted like he was smarter than him.

Wei Wuxian watched as Wen Qionglin excitedly got things set up. His didi had an eager expression on his face as he waited for Wei Wuxian to start. Wei Wuxian had played this game many times with Wen Qionglin already. Usually after classes, since Wen Qionglin was still attending the lectures. At first Wei Wuxian would allow Wen Qionglin to win about half of the time. That is until Wen Qionglin realized what he was doing. Wen Qionglin had asked him not to go easy on him.

'Please don't hold back Wei-gongzi. I want to learn. How can I do that if you let me win?' It was the first time Wen Qionglin had spoken to him without stuttering. Wei Wuxian had still tried to argue at first. He remembered saying something to the effect of: I want to have fun. It won't be as much fun if you're getting frustrated.

'Wei-gongzi can teach me as we play. When I lose you can explain where my mistakes were. I can learn and we can have fun. It's okay if I don't win.' Hearing Wen Qionglin say that had made Wei Wuxian happy. Not only did he get to play with his didi. After each game they would stop and discuss it. He got to teach his didi the strategy he had used in each game. Wen Qionglin had not won a game since then, but he didn't seem to mind. If anything he became even more eager to play.

It reminded Wei Wuxian of what it had felt like to train the younger disciples. It had that same sense of satisfaction. When he noticed Wen Qionglin improving or trying something new, it made Wei Wuxian so happy. It filled him with pride to see it, just like he had felt pride when the younger disciples started to improve. With Wen Qionglin it was the same feeling, but more. It made Wei Wuxian feel like a real ge. It made him feel like he had a real family. No strings attached. No politics to navigate. No constant reminder that he was the outsider.

"Wei Wuxian." That voice immediately squashed the warm happy feelings in Wei Wuxian's stomach. He looked up from the game to see a woman in purple robes standing at the entrance to the courtyard.

'This is all your fault! I said you would bring nothing but trouble! I always said you would bring disaster onto our sect! Look at what has befallen us because of you!' On a bloody night made bright by the fires consuming the only home Wei Wuxian could remember. Those words struck him harder than the whipping he received from Zidian.

'Protect Jiang Cheng with your life! Do you understand me?! Protect him even with your death?!' The last words Madam Yu said to him before she died in the massacre.