Beyond the glass
Beyond the books
There's something that class
Cannot afford to hook

Darkness abounds
Silence whispers, prevail
They chase like hounds
Following fragments of twisted fairy tales

Where one had been,
There would soon be two
A perfect pairing, under false sin
One present, the only question, is who?

He stared into the mirror, haunted by the face that stared back at him. It hadn't been that long since he'd taken up the mantle of Yiling Laozu, yet Wangji couldn't help but notice his changes. The planes on his face were harsh. Brasher, somehow, as if someone had taken a chalk brush and swiped it across his face. The smile on his face had long since faded, but Lan Zhan could still spy a trace of it circling his red lips, that somehow managed to make his face look paler, especially in moonlight. His grey robes hung off him loosely, almost as if they were suddenly two sizes too big, though Wangji could have sworn they'd fitted him perfectly just a month ago. Still, he had to admit the colour suited him better than the royal purple of the Jiang Sect did. Somehow it always looked too garish on him, and Wangji hadn't failed to notice Wei Ying tugging on the robes, shifting uncomfortably in them, unlike how at ease he seemed in grey and crimson robes.

Now, the robe seemed more of an accessory than anything else, a way to cover up the vacancy in his eyes. For a moment, Wangji envisioned the trauma he'd gotten through clinging to him like crystals glittering in the moonlight, an echo of the vacant spots in his eyes, which seemed to roll past him, glossing past him.

Perhaps that was the most terrifying of all. Even if Lan Zhan didn't dare to admit it to himself, he was terrified. Not of Wei Ying, or what he'd become, but for him. The emptiness in his eyes, the wariness in his smile. He could feel the other boy receding, and he hated it. It was harder to put it into words than anything else, but he could see Wei Ying stow away the little parts of him, bit by bit. Wangji didn't miss the way he lowered his head immediately before he entered a room, before raising it slightly. The way his shoulder sagged. The way he plastered false smiles over his face like he owed the world a big debt. Like he wronged the world, even though Wangji knew all he'd ever done was to protect.

Never to destroy.

But the Sect Leaders refused to understand that, refused to acknowledge it. They'd put him on a pedestal once, to adore and admire. But once he went against their rules, went against whatever story they raised, they still put him on a pedestal.

This time to hurt him.

Even Xiong-Zhang. Wangji couldn't help but remember just a few days prior.

Slowly, Wangji lifted his fingers up to touch the glass, as if he'd somehow be able to reach the boy beyond the mirror. It was a foolish hope, he knew. But hope was audacity anyway. And Wei Ying gave him that, even if he was only a shell of the boy he remembered.

There wasn't any other way to put it, just like there was no other way to put the beating in his heart into words. He hadn't realised at first, as foolish as he had been, but he guessed some part of him always knew.

She'd told him, after all.

The one you see in the mirror will be the most genuine desire you hold.

No one else.

At first, he found it strange she'd used the words "no one else" instead of "nothing else", but it made sense now.

"Hold him close, young man." A wizened smile crossed her face, setting her dark, knowing eyes alight.

"There may be hope for you yet."

He wasn't sure what she'd meant at first, but now, seeing him- it felt like his heart was set aflame, before being burned in the dark. At first, it hurt, but somehow the pain kept him alive, and he knew he'd live for it. Wei Wuxian was the ember to his heart, his hearth, the same feeling his father had warned him about all those years ago.

Master Lan was a man of few words, not unlike his brother. But he spoke less, his eyes speaking volumes. He was not a good man, but he stayed noble, in his own twisted, demented definition.

Sometimes, Wangji wondered how he did it. How did you love someone and just discard them, the way he'd done to Ma? His mouth twisted bitterly thinking about it, nails digging into his skin. So as the words left his lips, he felt his father freeze.

The old man wore a mask on his face, one that was well cultivated, even by Lan standards. Those bastards that spoke behind his brother's back had always said he'd inherited it, and as much as Wangji hated them, he acquiesced at times. The corners of Master Lan's thin lips tightened, his eyes turning steely. Slowly, he turned around, bending down to meet Wangji's eyes. Anger flashed in them, but there was a small glimpse of something Wangji never thought he'd see in his father- guilt.

He let out a hopeless chuckle that sent shivers down Wangji's spine, but what he said was even more chilling. "You think I wanted this? You think I'd have gone through all that trouble, to get to your mother- to have her finally fall in love with me, and then just let us crumble away into ashes? " A wistful small danced across his face.

Once, many revered his looks, even ranking him as the most eligible bachelor. But now, his good looks had long since faded, wrinkles lining his brows, his grey hair thinning. His beard had grown white, too. The only whisper of what he'd been was left in his eyes. They glittered under the dark, in shades of gilt and bronze, not unlike Wangji's own. Something he'd grown to simultaneously love and hate. Loved because they were the last bit of heritage to the man he'd once hoped would be a father. Hated because he didn't want them to haunt his mother.

"Then why?"

The old man simply chuckled." I suppose no one has told you the story yet, have they?"

"They have."

"So you understand."

"No, I don't. How can you say you love someone and just discard them like that?"

Master Lan's face flashed with irritation. " I had no choice, Wangji. My hands were tied. It was either do this or kill your mother."

This time, it was Lan Zhan's turn to get angry. "Of course you had a choice, you always had a choice! You could have defected and left!"

Lan Ming's face hardened. "You don't know what you're saying."

"What do you mean?"

"I couldn't, because by then. She was already pregnant with you."

At that, Wangji fell silent, his hands falling to his sides, the gears in his mind beginning to wind.

If I left, there was no way I could ensure either of you a good life. If it'd been us alone, I definitely would have defected. But you two...I wouldn't. I couldn't. You don't have any idea how many nights I've stayed awake, hoping something went differently. How much I miss her. You might not agree with my choices, but do me at least this one favour."

"Know that I truly, truly loved her."

"And that none of this was your fault."

Lan Zhan felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him, a heavy weight tied around his chest. The fury between them dissipated, turning into a heavy, uncomfortable silence.

Finally, Lan Ming put a hand on his son's shoulder, and for some twisted, odd reason, Wangji found it reassuring. "Just promise me, son. That when you fall in love with someone, you won't be afraid to chase them. I can't tell you what it feels like, but you'll know it when you feel it. Only time will tell. And if you know they're the right one, follow them to the bitter end, because in the least, you won't regret years down the line, and stop to think 'what if?' "

Wangji held out his hand. Lan Ming's forlorn eyes sought his, and for once, they were both in synchrony. "I promise."

And that was that.

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A/N: 1416 words! Hey guys, I'm back! I promise I'm not dead, I've just been having some writer's block lately... Just a warning in advance, I might take longer to update the upcoming year, especially since I've to prepare for major exams next year...I'll still be writing, but I might not be writing as long as I do now... (P.s. there will be a part 2 to this and a previous oneshot, they're not completed just yet...) But enough on me, how have you guys been? Hopefully you guys are having a good day- *sending virtual hugs*
Until next time, and feel free to comment!