To heal a wound, you need to stop touching it . . .
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Xiao Zhan's POV
People say it's quiet before the storm, but is it the same after the storm?
I don't remember who I am nor where I am; I feel like an empty shell with no memory nor remembrances, or indications about who I am, just a wandering lost soul on a small planet.
Looking around me, I blinked a few times, adjusting my eyesight to the bright light dawning upon me from the sky, but when I looked up to the sky, I saw nothing but large branches of trees overlapping each other with no light shining through them.
Where did that vibrant light come from? I scratched my head, taking a deep breath as I fluttered one more time with my eyelashes.
One thing I knew was that I was standing in the middle of a forest, I don't remember how I ended up here, but neither do I remember who I am, so did it matter?
Sighing deeply, I got my feet to move on the ground, walking, the bright light remained without a source, the place got just filled with quietness and trees, nothing more, just that.
The deeper I wandered off, the heavier the atmosphere turned, and at the end of my eyesight, I saw something that seemed like a small wooden cabin.
I felt like I had an out of body experience, not for the first time though, my feet moved, my body followed, I watched from afar like a ghost, I knew what was happening, but had no hold of my own body like I was a puppet.
When I reached the cabin, I turned around to look back, only then noticing how dark the forest had become; the once so bright light had dimmed down to a creepy air climate.
My hand moved on its own, forwards, slowly knocking once, twice, thrice on the door before taking a step backwards.
Suddenly I got control over my body back again, but I couldn't leave-
No, I could, but I didn't want to, the forest became too grim, and something told me in my guts that I would be safe inside there, so once again, I was about to knock.
But before I got the chance to knock again, the door slowly creaked open; I glanced inside with one eye; the house looked old fashioned was the first thing that caught my eyes.
There was no exact thing I could point out that made the house look that way, but it was just the vibe, something I couldn't explain, yet it was on the tip of my tongue, and as I almost had it, someone spoke up.
"Wuxian."
I turned my head to the familiar voice calling out a just familiar name that made my heart skip a beat, and my breath kept stuck; I felt tingles all over my body like fire was burning inside my veins at hearing the silky voice calling out that name.
My eyes met his, deep brown ones, lighter than mine, yet he kept the same features in his face, his cheekbones slightly higher and his face more open, inviting.
He reminded me of the sun, a smiling ball of fire, emitting warmth, and as he sat there, in a chair at the corner of the room, for a second he looked old, I saw years of pain in his eyes flashing even though he was looking mid-twenty.
"Wuxian." Unconsciously I nodded as a smile started blooming on to his lips, yet it didn't reach his eyes; in there, I only saw flashes of pain and dimmed flames.
"Wuxian, you've grown up," he said, his voice hoarse as he looked at me; even though he was sitting and I was standing, I felt small, like a kid under his soft gaze that lingered on me.
"Sit down, Wuxian." I looked at him before slowly settling down on the ground, and it was surprisingly warm; even though it was plain wood, the room felt warm and cosy.
As I looked around in the quiet silence, I noticed how boring and plain the place was; it had no decorations except the chair and the table, yet, why did it make me feel so safe?
"Wuxian?" I turned my head back to the man sitting in the chair; he looked at me, his eyes softening as I hummed; why did he seem so familiar?
"Wuxian, do you think an android, like a robot, can ever be 100% human?" He smiled as he asked, his eyes unreadable somehow, so I took a deep breath, letting the question sink in.
Could a robot be ever human? I shook my head; he raised an eyebrow, "why so, Wuxian?" I wanted to shrug my shoulders to avoid the questions, but his gaze was piercing through me.
"I-I just feel like something made by a human can never be human."
"Even if it feels like humans do?" I took a moment before carefully nodding, "even if they feel like humans do, they're still like puppets; if they can think by themselves, there is always a holding string to the owner who made them. They're like puppets." I nodded, encouraging my own words.
His gaze darkened for a second before his smile returned; a shiver crept down my spine, "but isn't that the same with humans; it's not like we ever make decisions without thinking about others, aren't we also just puppets, depending on society? So what makes the difference, Wuxian?"
Something inside me wanted to defend that statement, "I-" but nothing came out, he was right; what made us different from androids if they felt the way we did?
"I-I don't know." I felt small and helpless as I looked at him; he said nothing.
"Wuxian, do you know who I am?" I inspected his face, the extinguished flames inside his eyes, the smile that tugged a bit down to make it look saddening, just the way he sat there, calling me Wuxian; I knew him without a doubt, but who he was?
That was another question that I couldn't answer.
As if he read it from my face, he gave out a faint humourless chuckle, "what if I would say I am going to harm you, would you believe me?" At an instant, I shook my head in reflex; before realizing it.
This time he laughed, the stars inside his eyes shining a bit, "Wuxian, Wuxian, Wuxian, you never seem to change, huh? Always follow your gut feeling." It wasn't a question, it was a statement as if he knew me, and I knew him, my heart told me, but my mind stayed blank.
"Wuxian, if I would ask you, who is the most important person in your life, just call out the name that comes up." Wang Yibo.
Wang Yibo?
Who was Wang Yibo?
"Wuxian?" I looked up, not noticing how I drifted off as I was unsure about telling the name that popped up, yet his gaze was encouraging, "W-Wang Yibo."
After those words left my lips, a smile formed on his, one that seemed to hold thousands of secrets; I know something you do not; that was the smile; I unintentionally groaned softly.
"Wuxian, you might not remember him for now, but once you wake up, you will." I raised an eyebrow, "when will I wake up?" He looked away from me, his face not showing any sign of emotions.
"I can't tell you, Wuxian, but can you keep me company until you leave?" Quietly nodding, my heart tightening at his words without knowing why, it just hurt.
"Wuxian, once you wake up, you know what the name means to you, but be careful, as not everyone who looks good is good, here you can trust me, but if you wake up, you can not even trust me."
Why, the question lay on my lip as he only placed a finger on his lip, motioning me not to ask it; perhaps I was too oblivious with my why question.
"What do you feel when I say, Wang Yibo." My heart tightens, my stomach boils with some feeling I can't explain, not like thousands of butterflies are flying around, it was different yet 'special', and I feel my mind dizzying, but in a good way.
I kept quiet, playing with my fingers as I know he was staring at me, "I don't know?" Once again, he gave out a low chuckle that I identified with some concerning 'real' happiness.
"Aiya, my Wuxian is growing up; is it that you don't know, or you aren't ready to admit?" I- He looked through me like I got made of glass.
"I don't mind it, Wuxian, I know you longer than today, but someday you need to admit to your heart before it's too late, and let me tell you this, love is love, whether it's between hybrids and human, or whatever gender." At this, my eyebrow rose again.
But before I got the chance to ask anything, he stood up, clapping in his hands, "oh gosh, what am I rude to my own di di; you don't remember me, so you don't even know my name, of course, I am Liu Haikuan, but Kuan ge is enough." That was too much information to progress, di di?
"Kuan ge?" He smiled at that, ruffling my hair as he passed me towards the door, opening it to reveal the forest again.
This time, something felt different as I walked behind him into the forest; it felt somewhat peaceful more than lost as if I had found my guidance, so I followed Kuan ge.
We walked deeper into the forest, sometimes I turned around to see if I could still spot the wooden cabin, the last time I glanced backwards, it was a small black dot, and now it was gone, yet I did not felt unsafe.
"Wuxian, just a warning beforehand, never go into the forest alone or at night, you'll get lost as the God of the wind; Aeolus, likes to play mind games using the wind as you can expect, and before you know you've lost and will never find your way back." A cold shiver ran down my spine at his casual way of talking about it.
"Where are we going?"
"We're walking towards the centre of the forest, the coldest and darkest part of this whole place, there admits it is a water well that shows the reflection of the moon, as the moon is the only guidance throughout this wood.
I looked up, trying to find the moon; however, all I saw were the trees overlapping each other, and being so focused, I almost tripped, earning a laugh from Kuan ge.
"Wuxian, you're too rushing; you need to take your time, take a deep breath, relax your tense shoulders, stand still and once again look up carefully through the branches of those trees; do you see it?"
I did what Kuan ge said, taking a deep breath; I closed my eyes for a moment before opening them, my shoulder less tense.
My eyes started searching carefully over the long branches that worked into each other like an embrace, and there, through them, I saw something shining.
In the beginning, it seemed small, but the more I focused, the more I saw of it, and I took a step forwards, one more, and one more, and it seemed to follow me, the moon.
And for a second, when I held my breath in, my feet moving, I heard the wind rustle next to my ear, whispering in a delicate melodious voice of a lady, "my child, you suffered so much."
But when I turned around, I only met Kuan ge, smiling, leaning against a tree, his eyes watching every one of my movements as I looked in front of me, my eyes meeting the water well he mentioned.
The wish well, it shone through the dark closed forest, my eyes immediately catching the bright full moon on the surface like it was smiling towards me, and it reminded me of one person, or to be exact, a name that popped up inside my mind.
Wang Yibo.
Word count: 2091 words