Moth and Moon

Incense

Xie Lian woke up and found himself staring up at the red canopy draped above him. He sat up and looked at his surroundings, finding himself in a lavishly decorated room. The hazy smell of incense drifted through the air, and through a crack in the embroidered bed curtains, Xie Lian could see a low table where red candles sat. Their flickering flames left the room dimly-lit. This all seemed too familiar, but Xie Lian’s mind was foggy and not thinking properly, and he couldn't quite place it.

With an uneasy feeling, Xie Lian became aware of a sharp, aching pain where his wings used to be. That was odd; the stumps of his wings hadn’t hurt in many, many years. In fact, he was so used to pain in general that he barely felt it anymore. But this… it was enough to make his toes curl and his back muscles tighten. Furthermore, the iron shackle around his neck felt like it was choking him, burning him, like his skin would bubble up with blisters. It hadn’t felt like that since it had first been locked there, never to come off again.

Disoriented, Xie Lian wondered how he had gotten here. Where was he? Automatically, Xie Lian moved to tuck his hair behind his ear, and to his confusion his fingers met a red veil instead. He rubbed the silky fabric for a moment in puzzlement, then reached beneath it to rub his temples and soothe his throbbing headache. His fingers brushed against his hair, and he froze. His long hair, which ordinarily would be pooling around him on the sheets, was clipped close to his head. He ran a hand over his scalp, feeling nothing there but freshly cut, velvety stubble.

Panic and clarity pierced Xie Lian’s heart. He knew where he was! He didn’t have time to wonder how he had gotten there, just crawled desperately towards the edge of the bed. Suddenly, long white fingers curled around the bed curtain. Fear shot through Xie Lian like ice, and he couldn’t move.

The curtain parted, and there stood Bai Wuxiang, the eyes hiding behind his half-crying, half-smiling mask boring into Xie Lian. Instead of the white mourning robes he usually wore, Bai Wuxiang was wearing red robes detailed with gold thread woven into intricate auspicious patterns. Wedding robes. Exactly like the ones, Xie Lian realized, that he himself was wearing.

No.

No.

Xie Lian knew what was about to happen, and he was not going to let it happen again. Thinking quickly, he ripped the curtains down and flung them over Bai Wuxiang. He shoved past him and dashed madly out of the room, almost tripping on his own feet as he fled. He sprinted as fast as he could, away from that room and the man inside of it, golden tassels and swathes of red fabric flying out behind him.

The long hallways had rooms on either side of them, but the manor was completely deserted. There was no sign of any servants or guests, and the only sounds that Xie Lian could hear were his measured breaths as he tried to stay collected, the blood rushing in his ears, and his frantic footsteps against the wood flooring.

Xie Lian turned several corners, and his panic rose every time he saw another identical hallway stretched out before him, no end in sight. He slowed his pace a bit, and looked over his shoulder. The White No-Face wasn’t chasing after him, to his relief. Xie Lian still felt uneasy, however. It wasn't like Bai Wuxiang to just give up. Xie Lian opened one of the doors and entered the room backwards, peering down the hallway to make sure that nobody was coming. He slid the door shut and breathed out slowly, with his hands resting on the doorframe.

With a horror that crept over him, he realized that he could smell that same incense as before. He heard a cold, amused laugh from behind him, and whirled around. Bai Wuxiang was sitting on the bridal bed, staring at him. He beckoned to Xie Lian, and his long white nails clicked.

“Stop acting like a child and come here,” he said.

Xie Lian shook his head. “Never.” He tore the door open and ran out of the room, but no matter how far he went, Bai Wuxiang’s voice echoed through the hallways, so loud that almost rattled the endless panel doors. Xie Lian felt like a prey animal being relentlessly pursued by a carnivore.