Solstice Souls

Bedtime Story

WEI YING POV

Wei Ying stared out of the carriage as the horses pulled them closer to Gusu. The warm summer breeze gently caressed his sun-kissed skin and ruffled the loose strands of his raven colored hair framing his face. He had never been to the home of the Lan Clan. Even though he had travelled far and wide with his dance troupe, this was one place he never thought he would find himself.

For centuries, the Wei and Lan clans have been at war. No one could remember why exactly. No one even seemed to care anymore. It was like a bad habit no one was willing to break.  Some stories held whispers of a murder, others political deception. Wei Ying's favorite, however, was one about love.

The story was about a man and a woman who traveled the world together. Both strong cultivators in their own right, they roamed the earth, protecting the weak and standing up for the innocent. They became a legend among townsfolk. Poems were written about their bravery and songs were composed of their undying love for each other.

Soulmates, they called them. Two souls fated to love each other in every lifetime. A love that would conquer death and bring the two lovers back into each other's warm embrace. Wei Ying envied them. He longed to find such love. Someone who would accept him for who he was. A wife that would fight by his side and share her bed with him without judgement.

But, how did one find that kind of love? Did he have to search for it or would it simply appear? And how would he know his soulmate once he found her? Would he experience love at first sight? No. That was silly. Wasn't it?

Anyway, back to the story.

The Lan and Wei clans, the two most powerful clans in the cultivational world, were becoming increasingly jealous of the couple. People began seeking out the couple's help instead of their home clansman to protect them. The two were even paid for their assistance which took money and goods away from the clan leaders. Anger, bitterness, and jealousy began eating away at the leaders and their people began to suffer from it.

The final straw was one cold winter night when the couple defeated a mythical beast that neither the Lan nor Wei clan could vanquish. Their power as the ruling clans came into question and both clans knew what they needed to do.

After that night, stories about the couple faded away. There were no more stories to tell. The two had simply vanished. Rumors swirled through the towns that the two were killed by the beast. Another one claimed the two had been murdered because of a jealous lover. But soon the rumors faded away like an early morning mist.

However, one person knew the truth and she swore vengeance on the people who stole her daughter's life away from her. She sacrificed her soul for a demon's curse. A curse that sent the Wei and Lan clans spiralling into an endless war.

One life taken was not enough to avenge her beloved daughter's death. A mother's love ran deep. Her vengeance ran deeper.

The decades passed by and the fighting raged out of control. With each passing generation, the reason for their war became buried under misunderstandings, rumors, and lies.

Wei Ying's mother used to tell him the story about their cursed clans as a bedtime story. One would have thought it was a horrible way to put a child to sleep. But, the sad story did not end there. The two clans were left with a prophecy. A prophecy of hope for their people.

When he was a little boy, Wei Ying's mother would always sing him the prophecy as a lullaby every evening before kissing him goodnight. She said it was the most important part of the story and that he should remember it even when he grew up. He would nod and snuggle under the covers, drifting off to sleep listening to her soothing voice.