"You bastard!" the words were scream, as the person has said it punch another. "You mother fucker! Where are they?!"
Another blown was receive from the other. The man is tied up in chains with his arms, blood dripping out of his face. He barely have any clothing left to cover his damage torso.
"ANSWER ME!" as those words utter from the other, his words shaken the whole damn place. With the ground level, causes an earthquake. The ones above the dungeon cell shook hard.
People outside are panicking like crazy, driving them to insanity. It's been weeks since this had ever happened.
Weeks after the disappearance of two missing figures, who are also to be wed soon.
Outsiders had hope for those two to be found, wanting to end the fitting rage of a father who wanted his son to be found soon.
Sounds of crackles spat from the prisoner's mouth, "Xue Yu Tan Hua, really does care for his son..." he said. "Yet, someone like you could live longer, and have many children. Why must you care for one?"
Those words enrage the supreme. Then again, another punch is land at the face.
"YOU DARE!"
"Hahaha..." passing out.
The ghost clench his fist, the prisoner, whose also the first master of the Wen sect, passed out yet again. No clues were given.
Hua Cheng click his tongue in annoyance, then storm out the cell of the scum.
Its been weeks since this sort of torture begun. After he got back for the 3rd time, he also felt something is wrong when he saw his wife for the first time in a year of disappearance.
The god was tired and depressed. After all, not even lower ghosts could find their son. Even those from Ghost City.
Stomping his foot, a maiden with tired and pale complexion greet him along the way.
"A-die..." she softly spoke.
Hua Cheng recognize who she was, soften his look as he sigh.
"Did he finally confess..?" she asks, gripping her arm.
The supreme slowly shook his head. "That bastard didn't..."
The maiden walk closer to the older, lean in, as she hugs him close. "A-die..." cried in his chest. "Just where did my didi went..?" tears strained her face in s soggy mess.
Hua Cheng pulled his daughter closer towards him, "I promised to you and your mother to find A-Ying, A-Yue..."
Its hurts seeing his family breakdown from this. Whether his sons is either dead or alive, finding his whereabouts is all that matters.
Both father and daughter march out of the dungeon. The ray of the sun shines through them, in the end, they couldn't care less about that.
"San Lang, A-Yue..." a gentle voice perks their eyes, and their eyes glance to that.
"Jiejie..."
"A-niang..."
The mother had appear before them, tired, eyes are puff with redness, yet her gentle smile still ravels her pale complexion.
Xie Lian drew closer to them, "It has been two months already..." he softly utter, "A-Ying is nowhere to be found..." a tear flow, "... So is A-Zhan..."
Hua Cheng pulls his wife closer, embracing his beloved with their daughter. "We'll find him, Dianxia." kissing the forehead of his wife.
"W-what if, he and A-Zhan..-"
Before she could finish, "Jiejie, trust them... Okay?" reassuring the other, plastering a soft smile.
Xie Lian muffle a sniff, "Oh San Lang..!"
.
.
Somewhere out there, two figures are trap within the walls of the unknown.
Its been weeks they're stuck like this. No food, little water, and no help. However, both of them hope for a break through.
"Lan Zhan..."
"I know..."
Hua Wuxian's once fair complexion, now turned pale. His lips mark with cracks, and his eyes started to form bigger bags. He's becoming thinner and bones are showing.
Looking at him, Lan Wangji felt helpless as his heart beat a pang in the hole. He couldn't even provide for himself, let alone for his beloved in this trapped area.
"I'm sorry..." the jade manage to utter the words, that are much painful to differ.
Hua Wuxian shush him, embracing the other. His eyes started to sprinkle his pale face. "No, no... You shouldn't say that..." he tells.
Lan Wangji was already frail and weak. He knows, his beloved knows, both of them does. Yet, always there to reassure one another.
Both soulmates are in pain on this hell hole. Just them, in this space. Filled with silence, and their sad love.
For the last time, at least, they hold one another like this. Till their dying breath, and their next life. Hopefully, they're together and forever.
.
.
"Hua Chengzu..!" a certain ghost appears.
Hua Cheng immediately turns his head at Yin Yu, he shoots a glare, and the other reports what he had.
Yin Yu bows in anticipation, "There's an information came from a local ghost near Yiling. It's about them." he stated.
The moment Hua Cheng hears this, he scramble from his desk. "Tell me the details." he ordered.
Since then, Hua Cheng ordered all ghost to gather more information. After hearing this Xie Lian, begs to her husband to bring her along.
Banyue does the same as her mother, but Banyue's husband, Pei Xu was reluctant to do that. After all, Banyue is carrying their bundle. And Pei Xu couldn't afford his wife to stress too much, and decided to do it in her stead. It's also his brother in law.
Thus, they proceed to form a search party upon finding them. It has already been 3 months, they finally found where they are.
But its already too late for them...
What they found is two skeletons embracing one another, there's still flesh rotting out. The clothes are heavily tattered and showing the bones beneath those holes.
Yet, between those two. There's a ripped pieces of cloth in from both of the two, inside was a child. Whose face awfully resembles the two.
Hua Cheng took the baby in his arms, inspecting how did this child got here? As it turned out, he ordered the ghosts to bring back the two skeleton. Not at Ghost City, but at Cloud Recesses.
.
Since the arrival of the supreme, along with Yin Yu and several ghosts.
Cloud Recesses had been their temporary home in the meantime. The Lans are also searching for their second young master.
Lan Xichen, Lan Qiren, and Qingheng Jun gather to greet the others, and to learned what happened to the two.
"San Lang..!" Xie Lian rushes to her husband, her eyes then lowered at the child in his arms. "A baby?" she asks.
"..." Hua Cheng remained silent at this point.
Soon Banyue with a small round belly, and Pei Xu came. Only to find the atmosphere dark.
With a heavy heart, Hua Cheng painfully announce the news. "Both of them are death..."
Their hearts set to sink.
"No..." Xie Lian mutter as she couldn't believe what she had heard. Banyue on the other hand, collapsed from the shock. Luckily, Pei Xu catches her.
Lan Qiren froze at the spot. Lan Xichen breaks down, his once beaming aura became heavy. And Qingheng Jun is on his knees. The Lan disciples are stunned including the Lan elders.
Both Hua Wuxian and Lan Wangji are dead! Their bodies are neatly wrapped in fabric.
And a child somehow is in between them. Yet how?
.
The baby was later on confirmed to be their child. A boy.
His eyes resembles Hua Wuxian's glittering silver hues, with lips as glossy as the pinkish part of the skin. He had Lan Wangji's long nose and sharp brows.
Yet how? Three months ago, nothing suspicious about those two had happened. Unless...
No, it's impossible.
Both Xie Lian and Hua Cheng check anything within the baby. And they did with one...
Its confirmed that this is their baby.
Futhermore, a possible theory about the kid, from a part of the parents' souls joint into one. Creating a new life. This truly achieved the impossible.
But how?
How in the world did they do it in such situation they were in?
It would make sense if they had the necessary arrangements. Yet, in that place? Absolutely, a no go!
Still, this kind of logic made everyone's braincells go nuts! Whether it's losing your rationality or making you gone mad.
.
As the second night fall set after they discovered the babe. The child is softly asleep, and comfortable enough without the presence of his parents. He, is now alone inside his late father's room.
As the child is somehow looking for the presence of anyone's warmth, especially Hua Wuxian and Lan Wangji. His soft cries began to sob, and so on the louder it gets.
Two tiny light balls emerge, and became visible from the eye. Both turn into humans from souls.
"Little radish, please don't cry." one of them whispers softly. "A-niang will be sad, yknow?" caressing the babe's cheek with a toothy grin.
Soon enough, the child stop crying in their presence.
The other soul smiles warmly, "It is a pity we have to leave." he said in dismay.
"I know. I'm glad he's in good hands."
"Have you thought of a name?" the other asks, occasionally stroke the child's hair.
The other soul nods, "I do actually. 'Yuan'."
The other said nothing, but his soft eyes says it all. "It is beautiful, Wei Ying."
"Hahaha. I wish A-Yuan to live happily, even in our absence, Lan Zhan." Hua Wuxian said as a tear drop from his cheek.
Lan Wangji sighs, wiping the tear on his beloved, "Mn. A-Yuan will grow as a fine young man." affectionately kissing his forehead.
As time went by, their souls starting to disappear. They're getting invisible and harder to be seen.
"Wei Ying, it is time."
"I know. I don't want to leave our boy, Lan Zhan."
"We will meet him again, love."
"Mn."
Their souls dissipating, nonetheless both of them held their hands together. Glancing at their son and bid him a bitter yet heartbreaking farewell.
Such bittersweet ending for them as a family. Leaving their youngling at the tender young age.
Hopefully, they met in the next life. Together as one.
.
.
Morning rise, and everything is still gloomy as it is in these weeks. Especially, 2 days ago. What did happened made everyone depress. Much worse, its the middle of the war, or, the "Sun-shooting Campaign".
Since the news of the couple died with a child that was found in between their corpses. Many rumors circulating, and none of them are important anyway.
Inside the residence of Jingshi, the child is quiet, and didn't cry at all when he woke up.
Xie Lian enters her supposed to be son in law's room with a very much concerned at the child, when the nannies express their concerns to the babe.
Xie Lian dismiss the nannies, and took the baby in her arms. "Little one, did you slept well?" she asks him with much joy. Seeing the child resembles so much of her own son, really made her thought she's really that old.
The child put a smile on display, looking please to be visited by his grandmother.
"Aw, how cute!" Xie Lian's complexity got a bit better when seeing the child happily glee on her. Just thinking about her sons and his beloved's death truly breaks her heart, and now, they left behind such a fragile baby of their own. "Worry not, me, your grandfathers, auntie, and uncles will protect you!"
Xie Lian hold the child on her chest, gently hugging the babe, and afraid that she'll lose a family ever again. Not wanting to repeat the same tragedy thrice.
On the corner of her eye, a note is place over there at the table. It's not that small or long, just big enough that could fit Xie Lian's palm.
Xie Lian still had the child on her arms, with her other free hand, she took the piece of paper into her sight and read it.
Lan Yuan, Sizhui.
It what was wrote in that small piece.
Xie Lian is dumbfounded by what it meant. When she thought of something relate to this, she subconsciously look at the babe, and froze upon realization.
"Lan Yuan..?" she said horrified. Xie Lian let go of the note and clutch the baby tight. "Yuan..."
The child tilts his head at his grandmother, nonetheless after hearing what his grandmother just call him he put on his brightest smile ever. Laughing that his grandmother finally call him with that name.
"A-Yuan..?" Xie Lian whispers.
Lan Yuan is laughing to his heart's content. He's so carefree. So much joy he emits from it.
Xie Lian could hardly process this. But she swores, she'll protect this child at all cost. Her very precious grandson. The momentum of her late son and son in law. The new light of her lost hope.
"Mn. Waipo will protect you, little one!"
End