The Red String

The Spaces Between Us

The stench of magic comes closer but before she can react, Fu Meng reaches under her suit coat and pulls out a pistol etched with runes. She whirls, her arm hooking around Qian Qiao's neck and embraces her as a shot rings out true. The hole in the approaching woman's face curls with smoke before the body crumples lifeless and Qian Qiao smiles a little. "Thank you, my love."

Cool lips touch her cheek and they both back up a little as two men grapple past them. "Anytime."

It is chaos. Zhou Zishu skewers a woman with eyes that swirl with malice while Wen Kexing rips a male's throat out. There are scorch marks on Wen Kexing's jacket from a too close call, but he is ignoring it in favor of drowning the Valley in blood.

There would be rivers of it in the dirt floor once he was finished.

Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing are tired, the exhaustion of the day finally setting in. The only thing driving them is desperation for their new family. They just found each other, it is far too early to lose anybody now.

Chengling has advanced closer to the orb still flickering in the middle of the fight, and his hands are consumed by the sunshot light. He has gotten stronger over the last months, or maybe it is sheer determination, but witches burn to ashes and soon there are none left.

It is so sudden, Zhou Zishu looks around, his chest heaving and bloody features twisted in violence. But there is truly no one left and Wen Kexing grabs his hand and pulls him forward. His mind works slowly, trying to catch up with the fact that they did it. It seemed too easy, there should be more. It seemed all his sorrow so long ago was so easily put in the past.

He avoids a body strewn in his path, steps up next to the shield, and glances at a worried Chengling. "What do we do, knock on it?"

And Zhou Zishu can't stop the laugh that bubbles up to his lips. It's contagious and the hesitant smiles turn into full grins that blossom on split lips and bruised eyes. The members of Four Seasons Manor slowly back away to give them this, and Wen Kexing watches them go with narrowed eyes. Zhou Zishu squeezes his hand and Wen Kexing looks back at his questioning expression.

"Don't they want to be here? They fought for him." Wen Kexing's voice is rough from fighting and screaming out his rage, but his eyes are so very soft when he looks at Zhou Zishu.

"They fought for us." He tugs Wen Kexing and together they step closer. "This...this is for us." He nods toward the magic and puts an arm around Chengling on his other side. His heart, it feels full and hopeful. Like he will break down in tears at any moment and soar to the highest of heights. "Call to her, Lao Wen. She'll hear you."

Wen Kexing swallows and his eyes close as he opens up the creator bond between them. He rarely touched it because she wasn't his to control. She had only ever had his best interests at heart, only ever sought to save him from everyone in the world including himself, and so he left this thing forced between them alone.

Now he opened it up wide, grasped the edges and eased it apart until he could hear her thoughts. They were so loud that he gasped.

"Dage, we're going to be okay."

"Dage, I'm going to marry you this time."

"Ge, I'll make it back to you."

He could feel Zhou Zishu hold him steady and he leaned into him. His mind worked and he tried to think past the thoughts circling in his head. He couldn't remember if Gu Xiang ever had an older brother no matter how hard he tried, but that thought was like a chant across the bond. It broached at something unready in him, and he brought his fingers up to his cheek. A fresh tear trailed over the dried blood there.