𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐚 ⚣︎ mo dao zu shi x male reader

inner demons.

it was strange to him, as he could still remember the song his mother sang to him once when he was a baby, but he couldn't remember the song his adoptive father sang to him every night before he falls asleep.

he walked towards the water, wanting to return to his father's warm embrace. he wanted the peace, the comfort. he felt so cold and afraid. "fùqīn..." he muttered, looking at the glowing pool. the reflection he saw in the water was as clear as day, despite the darkness of the cave that surrounded him.

in the reflection, he could see... himself, sitting beside another man. the man was young and handsome as he looked similar to his older brother, lan xichen. lan y/n tried to reach a hand out to the water. "fùqīn..." he called again, as he recognized the man to be his biological father, qingheng-jun. he was sipping on a steaming cup of tea while the man sitting with him sang a song while strumming a melody with his guqin. the words he sang were muffled, as only an echo of his voice rung through lan y/n's head as he reached his hand out.

his father, qingheng-jun, gave him a warm smile after he put his cup of tea down. "y/n.." his father's voice echoed.

but before he could come any closer, he felt himself being pulled away. the song continued to echo in his head as his eyes remained glued to the reflection he saw, to his father's warm smile. but when he blinked, the vision was no longer there, and all he could see was wei wuxian's smile, and his older brother's worried expression before he hugged him and hid his face in his hair. "er-ge?"

the second time it happened to him, he didn't hear the voice of the man, but instead, he heard another voice. it sounded deep and guttural, almost animal-like, but for some reason, lan y/n wasn't afraid. "who dares disturb my sleep?" the voice growled menacingly. "who are you?" it asked again. "and why are you here?"

when lan y/n turned around, his golden eyes met the bloodthirsty gaze of a mighty tortoise. his entire body was frozen, and he could not bring himself to speak as the majestic beast stood before him. "there is no need to use your voice. your thoughts are what matters most to me." the voice was coming from the tortoise!

a deep growl erupted from the throat of the tortoise as it came closer to lan y/n. it sniffed him. "you have a familiar scent." its voice echoed in lan y/n's head. "is that right?" lan y/n asked as the tortoise backed away. it snorted.

"how strange, for a frail human body to possess two spirits. one of which is the spirit of a mighty beast." the tortoise's voice told him. "tell me human, who is the other spirit your body is housing?" it wasn't asking, it was demanding. its voice was laced with a threatening tone, but it didn't bother lan y/n too much.

"stand down child, i will handle this." his mind narrator spoke. "what do you mean?" lan y/n asked the spirit. "why don't you close your eyes, and i'll show you?" suspicious, lan y/n asked again, "this isn't some weird trick, is it?" he heard a deep chuckle inside his head. "oh come on now child, i've been with you since you were born." the voice cackled. "yes, unfortunately."

"enough bantering. close your eyes now."

he grumbled a little, but he obeyed. lan y/n could see nothing but darkness as he closed his eyes. then slowly, an image was visualized in front of him. it was the black tortoise from the cave, just there, in front of him, resting in a pool of glowing water that seemed to overflow, rushing down the unseen edges like a waterfall as lan y/n floated in front of him

"i'll ask you again; who are you?" the tortoise growled deeply as its eyes flashed red. then, lan y/n felt himself lose control over his own thoughts as if another being held control of him. he looked at the tortoise, his eyelids growing heavy. "what are you..." his entire body froze up just as another figure stepped into his field of vision.

it was... himself? no, it was the spirit inside him, who borrowed his appearance.

a giggle left the other figure's lips as they reached out a hand, bringing himself closer to the tortoise. "i'm just like you." the other him said with a smile. "we both bring death and ruin wherever we go." he drawled, his voice laced malice. "the only difference between us, is that i never rest." the tortoise recoiled its neck out of surprise at his words. lan y/n was forced to be a bystander as the two spirits conversed freely inside his head. he had no say in their conversation, as he could not speak nor move. he had no control of his physical body either.

"it's you." the tortoise says in shock as it bowed its head. the tortoise then morphed into a smaller, more humanoid figure, but the darkness surrounding him prevented lan y/n from seeing the form the tortoise had taken. but he could see the outline of its figure hovering above the glowing pool.

the other lan y/n reached out a hand, and the tortoise floated towards him. "the beast of the devil's path, qiong qi." he took the outstretched hand of the other lan y/n. "your eyes as dreadful to look at as it was hundreds of years ago. why have you returned? i thought you were defeated, skinned, and then turned into a drum." chuckling darkly, the other lan y/n, or rather, the qiong qi, floated downwards, his feet landing on the surface of the glowing water, creating a few ripples. the tortoise followed.

thanks to the light of the pool, lan y/n could finally see the form the tortoise took. he appeared to be a young teen, around his age, with long, spiky black hair that was tied up into a ponytail, and glowing red eyes. the same eyes he saw earlier.

the qiong qi took a few steps forward into the water, before turning his attention to the frozen lan y/n. with a wave of his hand, lan y/n moved towards him, and the other him held him by the waist. "i want my revenge, tulu xuanwu." the qiong qi slowly hissed as he traced lan y/n's scar with his finger. the smile on his face disappeared.

his face then morphed into something akin to a monster's as he turned his gaze back to the humanoid tortoise. "for me to get my revenge, i required a vessel." for a brief moment, fur appeared on the right half of his face, deep scars and gashes formed in his face, and his golden eyes turned red with rage. "i want those wen filth dead!" he roared, the water creating powerful currents with his voice. lan y/n felt the powerful surge, and for that moment, he could finally feel his fingers.

"after i gave them power, those ungrateful scum killed me! and worse, they used my skin as a drum that bears the mark of the sun..." he seethed. lan y/n, who finally regained control of his hand, grabbed the hand of the other him. when the angry spirit looked at him, he calmed down for a brief moment. "i've waited hundreds of years, tulu xuanwu... until finally, a vessel appeared into this world. a vessel that was strong enough to contain me..." a red aura sizzled around his figure.

"the qiong qi!" wings sprouted from his back, they looked bloodied and battered, with arrows sticking out of it. the tortoise of slaughter lowered its head to him as the qiong qi released his rage in the form of powerful currents in the pool of water. the qiong qi's body twitched, his form slowly returning to the image of lan y/n's. "the day will come when i can finally exact my revenge. i won't ever let those filthy sun-clads treat me as their dog!" lan y/n, or rather, the qiong qi, turned to look at the tortoise. "once i've regained my full power, will you join me in this endeavor, tulu xuanwu?"

"of course. i will follow you through hell and back."

( 𝖾𝖽𝗂𝗍𝖾𝖽 | ✓ )
( words: 2000+ )