Nie Huaisang was still working in Lan Wangji's office, trying to decipher the last of the encrypted files when his system alerted him that the files were completely decrypted. He hurriedly opened the files and speed read through it all, when his face paled and he ran out of the office to find Lan Wangji. He had to let him know as soon as possible about the Jins and the Wens plan, and he hoped that he was not too late.

"Wei Ying!" Lan Wangji tried to reach Wei Wuxian but there was some kind of an invisible barrier that separated them. Wei Wuxian was surprised with the sudden turn of events, but the barrier seemed to push Lan Wangji out of the vault into the library. The stone in Wei Wuxian's hand though, glowed brighter and brighter, just in time with Nie Huaisang's arrival.

"Boss! I just read the last of the files and it said that the Jins and the Wens are planning to kill you by using Wei Wuxian, and they have planted a bomb in his body, which they planned to…" His words stopped when he saw how Lan Wangji growled menacingly at the entrance of the vault and he turned his head to see that a barrier had been erected and Wei Wuxian was inside, glowing.

Nie Huaisang gasped as he grasped the situation quickly. The glowing orb should be the bomb trigger and somehow the vault locked him in with an unknown intention. He looked at Lan Wangji, whose hair turned to white while he prepared to attack the barrier and he became scared. He knew that Lan Wangji was poisoned and if he used his power, the poison would attack his heart and kill him. But judging from this situation, he bet that Lan Wangji did not care about it all. He was panicking and took out his phone to call his brother, when he realized that there was another presence in the room.

"Papa." The other person, Xiao Hei, was in his fifteen years old appearance and he moved stealthily. "Stop it papa, please." He touched Lan Wangji's hand, and Lan Wangji seemed to regain his consciousness when he saw his son.

"Xiao Hei, I need to save Wei Ying… he…" 

Lan Wangji was always a cold figure who was unflappable and he always looked strong and calm and collected. And yet, he was looking like his heart was torn out of his body right now.

"Papa, it's okay, will you trust me?" 

Somehow, Xiao Hei sounded very calm and different from his usual cheery self. He emanated a black fire from all over his body that calmed Lan Wangji down and turned his hair back to black.

"Xiao Hei… why are you here? Do you know how to save Wei Ying? We need to move fast before the bomb is triggered, but that goddamn barrier won't even budge!" Lan Wangji almost screamed from his frustration and this time, the others also came. 

Xiao Bai, Xue Yang, Wen Qing, and Xiao Xingchen all came into the room to see what happened. When they saw the open vault and the glowing Wei Wuxian inside, they all gasped collectively.

"Papa," Xiao Hei squeezed Lan Wangji's hand, "don't be sad, this process is necessary. We, phoenixes, rise from the ashes, remember?" Xiao Hei's eyes glowed and he spoke in a very calm manner. "Papa, I was merely a sliver of Wei-gege's soul. We need to merge to be able to be reborn as a whole person, otherwise we don't have much time to live."

Lan Wangji suddenly knew that this was inevitable. He had a feeling, ever since he met Xiao Hei, that he was not a whole being, but a sliver of Wei Wuxian's soul? Was that why the artifact could not read them accurately? Because they each were only half a person?

"Xiao Hei…" Lan Wangji suddenly choked on his tears. He loved this boy so much, and suddenly he said that he had to go because he was an incomplete being. How was he supposed to feel? But Xiao Hei pulled him into his arms and hugged him tight. 

"We will meet again, soon. Although I won't be in this shape, I want to tell you that I love you so much, papa. You are the only one in this world who matters the most to me. And to Wei-gege too." Xiao Hei kissed Lan Wangji's cheek and he let go of him to walk inside the vault. "And please forgive me because you have to gather all the artifacts here again soon." He smiled and entered the vault right when the bomb exploded and shut the vault's door closed.