WangXian Forever 6

Chapter 52 Swamped

Daden De Long + Daden Yaonu: Janka

In human form, they were more vulnerable, but both agreed that for now at least, it would be better to keep their identities a secret.

Soft moisture fell upon their closed eyelids and both Daden Yaonu and Daden De Long opened their eyes to the pleasant sensation. They smiled at each other, but their smiles vanished when they looked around.

It was marshland.

Wet swamps and dry patches surrounded them, and for a moment, they were not quite sure what to do. Murky waters flowed under their feet, and Daden De Long wrinkled his nose at the wet earthy smell emanating from the ground. He lifted a soaking foot out of the ground and ventured forth, keeping a tight hold on the hand of his consort.

Together, they climbed out of the watery pits and shielded their eyes to get their bearings. Mountains stood tall and dry, and Daden Yaonu agreed with her husband that they should aim for those. Not only would it give them height, but also give them a good vantage point to check where exactly they were and where they should aim for.

Daden Yaonu had a worry that she had yet expressed to anybody, not even her husband, but she was sure, as sure as snow was white, that Wei WuXian would have thought of it. The man was too clever for his own good, and she was slightly annoyed at him for not mentioning this very important fact, but at the same time, she wondered if there was another reason for his silence.

It was the very real possibility that none of these six shards would lead them to any of the four people they were so desperately trying to find. If the shards were to be thought as simple keys to enter the Nether world, then that was fine...however, if they made the mistake of believing that these keys would lead them directly to their objectives...perhaps that would lead them to folly.

Maybe Wei WuXian did not want to alarm anyone, or perhaps he had thrown caution to the winds and decided to trust fate...who knew how his mind worked? But when the path in front of them looked unclear, obscured by the fog of worry and uncertainty, they all needed something to hold onto, somewhere to place their faith that everything would be alright, that they would be able to leave this place safely and with their loved ones.

Daden Yaonu had never had to believe in the power of positive thought, the belief that if you simply hoped for good things to happen, they would. End of.

But perhaps, in this unknown place, that was exactly what they needed to believe in; themselves.

She could be sure of herself, and she could be sure of her husband too. That strength was what could get them out of here.

For now, she smacked her arm clearing away the midges that had decided her blood was worth risking death. The insects here were numerous and plentiful, all of them hungry pests. Flies and other buzzing insects hovered with stubborn accuracy, trying their best to thwart these tired travellers, until Daden De Long couldn't take it anymore. His eyes flashed with blue fire, turning those in the air in front of him to ash.

And as if they weren't already wet enough, a steady rain began to fall, drenching them both.

They were at the foot of the mountains now, and their only hope for shelter lay in a blackish hole that they could see from where they were standing, that must be a cave. They could wait there, at least until the rain stopped, taking a small rest.

Trudging through the marshlands was no fun at all, and Daden Yaonu never wanted to come back here again. The only thing that kept her resolve was the warmth in the strong hand clasping hers. Daden De Long was focused on putting one foot in front of the other, but he kept looking back to make sure she was alright, and burning the insects away from her face too, even if she hadn't asked him to.

Daden Yaonu knew...she could feel the desperation hidden deep within his eyes, mixed with the fear that this would be yet another fruitless search, ending in the misery of still not finding his brother. And yet, there was a flicker of hope.

That flicker was the single reason they were here now, to fan it into something real, to create a blaze of opportunity.

She knew, from what the other brothers had told her that Daden De Long was particularly attached to his baby brother. When they had lived together, they had been inseparable, his protective nature always looking after the younger one. How hard had all these years been for him?

He was not the most loquacious of men, preferring to suffer in silence. In that, he reminded her of Wei WuXian's Lan WangJi. Both were silent, but strong. And it was this strength which guided them now.

Up and up they climbed, through uneven rocks and crumbling stones, the harsh terrain proving difficult to navigate. Here, out in the open, there was no respite from the relentless rain, or unapologetic wind that battered them from all sides.

Finally, they made it, drenched to their cores, seeking much needed relief from outside. Daden De Long gathered brittle leaves and twigs blown in by the wind and blew a spark from his throat, igniting the pile into a burning fire. They sat and dried their clothes, huddled together.

Daden Yaonu decided to address her fear now.

"Do you think we will find your brother? Finally?"

"Truthfully?"

She nodded, reaching out to hold his hand. It trembled in hers, and she wondered if it was simply from the cold, or her question.

"I don't know. That's how I feel...but in here." He took their joined hands and placed them over his heart. "Something is telling me that this time, it will be different." He sighed. "I've waited so long...you would think I would lost all hope of ever finding him." His voice turned hard. "But I know my brother. He would never, ever stay away from me, not if he had a choice. And that alone makes me believe that he's being kept away on purpose. And when I find out who it is, who kept my brother away from me..." he clenched his fists, trying to control his temper. But a whisper of curling smoke left his nostrils.

They were silent, reflecting upon his words. And then...

"Did you hear that?"

They both turned to look back into the blackness greeting them, a void that was not as empty as it had previously seemed.