The Lord and Master of The Universe was concerned.

He had created his masterpiece in the hopes that human beings would learn to better themselves, become better at being human...and yet they seemed to be the only species hell-bent on going the wrong way.

He smiled at his own pun.

In front of him was a Wronged Soul.

This person had done many things with the right intentions, only for selfish people to vilify his deeds, and then out of desperation, he had killed himself. But the Lord and Master had seen a spark, somewhere deep within...and he wished for that spark to grow.

Wei Ying, title Wei WuXian, had retained his memories, unwilling to drink the Tea of  Oblivion. He had asked the Lord and Master if there was another job for him...and of course there was.

Soul Collecting.

It was a hard job, and required whoever was doing it to harden their hearts, and complete the task. It was a necessary part of the way the Universe worked...only recently, whomever the honour went to was giving up. The Lord and Master had many such servants only too willing to do his bidding, but he was interested in Wei Ying.

Wei Ying needed to heal...needed to find himself somewhere in amongst all that sorrow...and the solution had just presented itself.

The recently retired Angel of Death was heart broken because he had to collect the Soul of a woman leaving two young children behind. The Angel had watched as the Soul refused to leave, but there was nothing anyone could do about it.

When your time was up, it was up.

Her youngest child was still in mourning, and for one so young...it was heartbreaking.

This Universe could be unrelenting in its lessons, harsh and cold, yet Earth was the only place where second chances could be found. Perhaps redemption could be discovered in the most unusual of places after all.

"You are to collect the Soul of Lan WangJi, Lan Zhan of the Lan Clan. First, go and report." The Lord and Master smiled to himself as Wei Ying bowed and left.

********

Wei Ying didn't want to feel anything anymore.

It was best, under the circumstances, and given his new job. He had been doing it for around two hundred Earth years now, and steadily begun to hold a sort of ambivalence in his heart for everything that he saw.

Human beings were actually terrible people.

Too involved within their own personal gain and loss, it prevented them from cultivating compassion. Kindness was a stranger and this was the saddest thing. Wei Ying could do his job easily because of this.

He did not have to feel compassion for those not worthy of it, nor those who had forgotten it existed, and therefore, he was exceptional at his job.

In and out, Wei Ying had developed a reputation for getting the job done.

Now, on his way to Gusu, he found himself admiring the silently falling snow, the depth of the dark midnight sky and the hush of the wind as it kissed his face. All around lay the contrast of white frost and snow, against the deepening night.

He was wearing his cloak of Invisibility, the one that allowed him to pass unseen between potential candidates, ones he had orders to collect, or would be in the future.

Wei Ying was particularly good at multiple collections, having mastered the use of Chenqing, his black as Death flute. It sang encouragingly, its song one that helped Souls separate from their bodies. Wei Ying had thought about this when he had first encountered a war.

Collecting each Soul took time, even for numerous Angels of Death.

With Chenqing, Wei Ying had managed to do it in such a short time and all by himself. The Lord and Master had been quite pleased with his efforts and efficiency.

By reducing the time it took to collect thousands of Souls, there was less time for resentment to grow and made the transition from one state to the other much easier.

Wei Ying would have felt proud of his achievement...but he felt...nothing.

It was a job.

Nothing more and nothing less.

Tonight the moon was spectacular, shining with all her love upon this quiet place. Cloud Recesses was particularly beautiful, pristine and unearthly in its magnificence. He could hear the muted sounds of a waterfall in the distance, slower now than in the height of summer when icy peaks would have melted.

Wei Ying paused and closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

The cold air drifted into his lungs and made him feel alive.

Here was old magic, a thrumming in his veins, awakening something deep inside of himself. This place was no stranger to death...and yet it was so rich with life...with the need to appreciate the fleeting nature of living.

This place understood the balance inherent in all things, the two sides of a coin, the Yin and Yang of existence. How one force pulled while the other pushed.

Life and living could only be done to the max by acknowledgement of death, by realising that one existed only because of the other.

Wei Ying set his foot ahead, the snow already crunching under him. His ears picked up another sound, a gentle plip plop, the hush of something wet falling into snow.

At first, he thought it was a tap, left on but just a little, maybe by accident. He drifted towards the sound and was completely taken aback by what he saw.

A little boy, wearing a headband longer than his tiny body, wearing white robes, so clean and bright that he blended in with his white surroundings.

Wei Ying almost missed him.

The little one was kneeling in front of a small cottage, the doors closed off ominously.

Wei Ying sensed the stale presence of his companion, and realised that someone here had passed over. He went over to the child kneeling in that cold, wet snow.

Slowly, he lowered himself to sit beside him, and he had no worries because as long as he wore this cloak, the child could not see-

"Who are you?" The child turned, sniffing.

Wei Ying looked at his beautiful face, the tracks of his tears still wet upon his pale countenance, and was amazed. He had heard this boy crying.

Not him making a noise of his own volition...no...it was his silently falling tears upon the snow.

And this boy could clearly see him.

Wei Ying could not tell him the truth, not one so young. So he replied... differently.

"A friend."

It wasn't exactly a lie.

"What's your name?" The child looked interested now.

"Wei Ying." In his astonishment, Wei Ying gave his true name instead. "Yours?"

"Lan Zhan."

Oh no.

No...it could not be...

Wasn't that the name his Lord and Master had given to him? And it was with great relief that he recalled, his mission was to report back.

Only to report...not to collect.

At least, not yet anyway.

For the first time ever, Wei Ying did not want to collect this Soul.

It seemed wrong, somehow.

"Why are you sitting here, in the cold? Is it a punishment?" He guessed.

The boy refused to answer, and the interest in his eyes died a swift death. He turned back to face the cottage, his resolve renewed.

"Who are you waiting for?" Wei Ying asked him, feeling terribly sad for this child.

He couldn't have been more than six years old and was already having to face something so hard.

"Mother."

Oh.

Everything slid into place with that single word.

Maybe the child did not fully understand what had happened to his mother, someone whom he must have loved very much.

"There's no one inside, little one." Wei Ying whispered. "You will catch a fever if you stay here."

"I don't care. I want to see her." The child said, obstinately.

"She's not here."

His soft voice must have had an inflection because the interest awoke anew. Lan Zhan turned to face him, a shrewd look in his eyes, for one so young.

"Then, where is she?"

"I don't know." Wei Ying admitted.

But he hated to see that spark of wanting to know, die in his golden eyes.

Lan Zhan was a beautiful little boy, so serious. And he was cute. Wei Ying wanted to take him into his arms and protect him from the world...protect him from his Lord and Master.

Would that even be possible? Wei Ying had never heard of it, of anyone defying death...or if it came to it, his Lord and Master.

When your time was up, it was up.

"Maybe I can find out for you." Wei Ying found himself promising.

Why had he said that? Wasn't he just creating more problems for himself? How would he do something like that? He was already annoyed with himself. But as he looked into those golden eyes so full of pain, he did not regret it, not one bit.

"Tell me...what was she like?" He asked.

Lan Zhan had turned to him, excitement growing in his eyes, an amber fire coming to life.

Wei Ying was happy about that.

"Can you really find out? He asked, his voice full of hope.

"I can try." Wei Ying promised.

"Mother is kind." Lan Zhan said, a small smile threatening to bloom on his lips.

"In what way?"

Wei Ying missed talking about that. It was a missing trait in most people nowadays, forgotten about and discarded. And yet if he had to pick, it was his most favourite.

Kindness if genuine, didn't need a reason.

It was present in the grace of every flower that blossomed, every mother's kiss upon her children. It was alive in the ability of water to quench one's thirst, and when food satisfied hunger. In the warmth of a fire, and in the taste of milk, nourishing and vital.

Kindness was what had spurred his Lord and Master to create this Universe.

Out of pure love.

Love was the force behind the deed, the reason Kindness existed.

"What else?" He asked, not wanting to disturb the peace.

The little boy shrugged, unwilling to continue.

Voices behind them made Wei Ying stand up.

"Meet me here tomorrow and I will have answers for you." He promised the child.

Lan Zhan nodded, utterly serious. His big golden eyes watched as Wei Ying vanished.

His brother had brought their Uncle here.

It seemed wrong...that uncle should come here at all...

This place belonged to his mother, his brother, and himself.

And now, Wei Ying too.

Lan Zhan left quickly, not wanting Uncle to linger here, but he promised himself, he would return the next day.

Maybe he had a chance to see his mother again...and Wei Ying would help him.

*********

Wei Ying burst in through the doors of the Underworld, impatiently passing through wards like water. He had to find out where Lan Zhan's mother was and he didn't have long. Time passed by very differently in both places, and he wanted to hurry.

His Lord and Master was sitting at his table right now, getting ready for breakfast.

Too late, Wei Ying remembered he had to report.

"Come. Sit." L&M said, gesturing to the seat next to him.

Reluctantly, Wei Ying sat down.

He should have checked what time it was; now he would have to waste time being polite when he could have been getting answers.

L&M had rules, and one of them was, no talking at mealtimes.

Wei Ying could only watch as his plate was piled with food; he sighed and picked up his chopsticks.

The Lord and Master watched his angel with interest, surreptitiously of course.

Wei Ying looked agitated...which might be a good sign. Definitely an improvement over the apathy that had been eating away at his vitality like a cancer.

So, L&M waited patiently, chewing his food slowly and with determination, trying not to smile.

Wei Ying was the total opposite. He ate faster than a rabbit nibbling on a carrot, his plate empty and wiped clean; the L&M hated wastage, especially that of food.

"What's on your mind?" He asked Wei Ying, at last, after he had made the latter squirm with impatience.

"I have your report." Wei Ying took in a deep breath.

"Go on." L&M steepled his fingers and sat back.

"Lan Zhan...is just a baby. You can't..." He took a shuddering breath.

"I can't...what?" L&M was genuinely curious.

"He wants to know where his mother is." Wei Ying changed tactics.

"You spoke to him?" L&M was shocked.

"He saw me."

"Were you not wearing your cloak?" He asked sternly.

"I mean, he saw me even while I was wearing it. I don't think anyone else did, though."

"He saw you?" L&M was astounded. Perhaps this had been a mistake after all.

"So I promised him I would have answers for him later. So I need to know where she is right now." Wei Ying couldn't look at him.

The problem was, now that he had been compromised, the L&M had every right to demand Lan Zhan's Soul.

"I see." There was a long pause. "Do you think he would agree to a vow not to expose your existence?" L&M continued, finally.

Wei Ying looked up hopefully. "Yes." Truthfully, he did not know, but to admit that would also be a problem.

"Then you may continue. The child cannot understand death...not truly. Would you be able to explain it to him?"

"I can try...but..." Wei Ying thought about it.

"But what?"

"It seems unnecessarily harsh...to tell one who has not yet fully lived, about what could happen."

"I agree. It could force his young mind to go in another direction completely, and we do not wish to alter his fate. That by itself, is another crime altogether. As you well know, immortals do not meddle in the affairs of the human world." L&M contemplated what to do.

No...Wei Ying was thinking...but they could....

"Observe for now...we can see later on what to do." L&M stood up, clearly done with this conversation.

"But what do I tell him?" Wei Ying persisted, also standing up.

"At the moment, his mother's soul is in a transitory place, waiting for judgement. It is unlikely that her path lies upwards." L&M replied, after closing his eyes to check.

"Why? What did she do?" Wei Ying wanted to know.

He wasn't sure where this curiosity had come from, but he wanted to know everything there was to know about little Lan Zhan.

"She killed a Master."

"What for?" Wei Ying needed to know. He didn't want to believe that she could have taken such a serious action against a senior out of something small.

"Inappropriate behaviour." L&M replied. "They are checking her story, but it seems that she was confined in a place, and she did nothing to defend herself from that punishment. In effect, no one knew."

"Then that's great, right? She's already been punished, so it should be fine." Wei Ying smiled with relief.

L&M sighed to himself, both at his naivety and the fact that it would be himself who would have to tell him the truth.

"No. The truth must come out. And she hid it, for whatever reason. That, is also a crime worthy of punishment." He explained.

"So...what do I tell the kid? Surely they can't have told him why she was confined?" Wei Ying's brow furrowed with worry.

"I do not know. I think you should play it by ear. After all, something like this has never happened before, it is unprecedented. Therefore, I shall hold you responsible if anything detrimental to the way things are working now, happens. Am I clear?"

"Absolutely." Wei Ying bowed and left.

The Lord and Master allowed himself to smile now.

Perhaps his plan would work after all.

*********

Wei Ying wasn't an idiot.

He knew he would have to give some sort of a satisfactory answer to the little boy, and make sure he didn't go around blabbering about what he had seen. But Wei Ying didn't think the little kid had a loose tongue.

Those sorts of traits made themselves known quite early on, and Lan Zhan seemed too serious to indulge in gossip.

It was already night time in Gusu when he returned.

Lan Zhan was waiting for him in the snow outside the too silent cottage like yesterday.

Wei Ying watched him for a while, noting the sad hunch of a tired body, stubbornly waiting while snow fell all around him. Other children would have given up by now.

Other children would be tucked up in bed, listening to a bedtime story...not trying to find out where their dead mother was right now.

He sighed too, feeling the burden of what he had to do now. And yet, he didn't want not do it. It felt like a crime, a huge betrayal of trust to just slink away and not give the child any answers.

"Hello." He went and greeted him, tired of procrastinating.

Lan Zhan bowed, his golden eyes full of eager anticipation.

"Where is Mother?" He asked straight away.

"Her soul is waiting. In Transitory." Wei Ying told him the truth.

"What's that? Why is she there?" And then, more worryingly, "I want to go and see her."

"It's a place where Souls go to wait." He hoped that would settle it.

"Wait for what?"

Great. Now the kid was suspicious.

"You know about Karma, right?" He hedged instead.

How was he going to tell him the rest? Every kid wanted to believe in their parents, especially their mothers. How could Wei Ying tell him otherwise? Tell him his mother was a suspected murderer?

No...he would not, not when those trusting eyes flashed with pain.

"Mn." He was waiting.

This was getting uncomfortable. Wei Ying squirmed under his gaze, not knowing how to word it.

"We all do things...that we...might regret." He said, full of uncertainty. "And sometimes things are complicated. So she's waiting." He finished.

Lan Zhan stood up and held out his little chubby hand, his expression completely open and sincere.

Wei Ying took it, resisting the sudden urge to hug him.

"Let's go and ask her. Then there will be no confusion." Lan Zhan told him.

"What?" Wei Ying asked him, at a loss.

"We can go. We have to help her." He sounded so sure.

"I'm pretty sure we can't." He admitted.

"Why? And how are you sure? Has Wei Ying tried?"

Wei Ying felt suitably reprimanded. By a six year old, no less.

"I haven't tried..." Oh no...he shouldn't have said that.

Judging by the look on his little chubby face, Lan Zhan was excited.

It did not bode well.

Those incredibly warm, chubby fingers squeezed his, and Lan Zhan smiled at him for the first time.

Wei Ying smiled back, totally undone by this beautiful child.

"Ever since I saw you...I've wanted to do something." He admitted. But he was scared that Lan Zhan would say no.

"Mn?"

"Can I...would it be possible...May I hug you?"

Lan Zhan watched him silently, thinking it over.

Up until now, only his mother and his Xiongzhang had ever hugged him.

But Wei Ying was beautiful. And he came back like he promised.

And Lan Zhan liked him, enough to be able to trust him in the way all children do. So he nodded once.

Wei Ying smiled at him, face full of relief and took the child into his arms. Baby Lan Zhan was soft and squishy.

"So...can we go now?"

***********

A/N

This was a special request by @CynthiaBorrego

As usual, I have no idea where this is going, or how many parts! Let's all trust in the Universe....