✧𝔻𝔼𝕍𝕆𝕋𝕀𝕆ℕ~ 𝒶𝓃𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓉 𝒸𝑜𝓁𝓁𝑒𝒸𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃~✧

✧Lan Zhan- Blinded (part 2) ✧

A/N- It has been a hot minute since part one. Basically all you need to know is that Lan Zhan is blind now from a mistake and you (his sister) and Xichen are reteaching him everything he needs to know (like how to play the guqin with his disability). Hope you enjoy!

Also look at how cute little Zhan looks in that picture! He is baby-

IT HAD BEEN two months since Lan Zhan became blind from the torture he had received during the Wen Indoctrinations. You and Xichen, with the help of Lan Quiren and the elders, had retaught your brother all of what he needed to learn, even flying. As long as Lan Zhan maintained a strong grip on Bichen, riding the sword was no problem for him.

However, not everything was a bed of roses for your younger brother. After the Wen Indoctrinations Lan Zhan had developed PTSD, and now whenever he heard loud noises or felt anything touch him near his eyes, he got terrified and had terrible flashbacks. After asking many fellow prisoners who were tortured alongside your brother, you came to the conclusion that your brother's fear of loud noises had come from many factors.

The first factor was how loudly Wen Chao and his follower Wen Zhuliu opened and closed cell doors. When they entered, they would throw the rusty metal door open and it would swing open widely, slamming into the door of the other cell next to it and leaning against said other door.

For the prisoner in the other cell, that was a sign that Wen Chao wasn't happy, and that they should be silent and lean their heads down low for fear that they would be punished for making any noise. For the prisoner in the open cell, it was a sign that torture was coming. Said torture could not be escaped either, as the Wen clan tied their prisoners' arms down to the floor of the cell, so they couldn't stand up without harming their arms. So they just had to take whatever brutal torture Chao and Zhuliu had planned for them.

The second part was because of how loudly the two men would yell if another prisoner shouted supporting words to the prisoner being tortured, or if another prisoner cursed the two men out. Occasionally, if a brave prisoner was being tortured, they would spit in the mens' faces and curse at them, and that was when the men screamed the shrillest and loudest. Lan Zhan hadn't reacted in the face of any torture. His fellow prisoners said it was as if he was already dead and that the two Wens were beating and torturing a corpse. Your brother's strength and tenacity in the face of brutal punishment infuriated the Wens, making them yell louder at him.

From these two things, Lan Zhan had developed a fear of loud noises. If he heard lots bangs or screams, he would feel as if he was back in the Wen cell, writhing in pain and suffering in silence. Except he didn't stay silent this time. Every time he remembered the things the Wens did to him, he screamed and had a fit, scratching at his eyes and howling like a damaged animal.

Because of how embarrassing and debilitating these fits were, you and Xichen tried to keep your brother away from all loud noises, even going as far as making people not knock on the door, but let Lan Zhan know in advance that they were coming so he wouldn't get scared by the knock. Thankfully, everyone was understanding and pitied your brother, so they gladly did what you asked them to do, which you were glad of.

But then the time for lectures came, and many disciples from all over China came to Cloud Recesses to study and listen to the elders lecture about the various values a cultivator must have. Lectures were never a problem in the past for Lan Zhan, in fact he enjoyed them because of his love for studying. But now that he was blind, he couldn't write notes, and the hustle and bustle of other cultivators might scare him or overwhelm his delicate senses. Both you and Xichen agreed that his not coming to the lectures would be the best solution, but both Lan Zhan and Quiren objected to that decision.

Lan Zhan loved studying, and he wanted to hear the lectures of various elders. He didn't care too much for crowds, but he would do anything just to hear the sonorous- albeit monotone- voices of the elders lecturing on various topics. He also pointed out that Xichen could write his notes for him and read them to him if he so desired.

Quiren, on the other hand, was just against any Lan clan disciple not learning. He didn't care if you were blind, deaf, dumb, or in between. Learning and studying successfully was a virtue, one that he wished to cultivate in all the cultivators of the Lan clan. He kindly said that Lan Zhan, due to his blindness, didn't have to write notes, and he also promised that he would chide any student who got too loud, while he himself would also try to modulate his volume.

After hearing both Quiren and Lan Zhan's side of the story, you and Xichen reluctantly agreed to let your brother go to the lectures. Lan Zhan waited excitedly for the other clans to arrive, jumping up and down when he heard news of the first clan arriving. On the first day of the lectures, however, he was more anxious, and it was clear why when you noticed a group of people in red and black clothing walking around in the gardens scattered around the Jingshi.

The Wen clan had come for the lectures.

As you thought about it more, you realized that it had been foolish of you not to know that they would come. The lectures at Cloud Recesses invited all the clans, after all. You had just not expected them to accept the invitation. After all, ever since they sent the Second Young Master of the Lan clan back bloody, blinded, and traumatized, most Lan clan cultivators assumed that the Wen clan hated their clan, that they would accept nothing from them, even gestures of goodwill. Obviously, that was a false assumption, and now your brother was going to suffer from it.

As you watched the Wen disciples wander around in the garden, smelling and touching various plants, you heard soft footsteps behind you. The footsteps were stopping then starting again, as if they were unsure where they were going. From that odd walking pattern, you knew it was Lan Zhan, stopping his walking for a moment to feel around and make sure he wasn't about to bump into anything. You smiled even though he couldn't see it, and turned around to face him.

Your brother hadn't changed due to his blindness. He was still the same handsome and shy younger brother you knew and loved, except that his gray eyes were now sightless. As he got closer to you, he stretched out his arms to embrace you, and felt for your shoulders to know you were in front of him. You stepped forward, and his hands caught your shoulders, grasping onto them tightly as he practically flung himself into your arms.

Now that you were cocooning him in your arms like a metamorphosing butterfly, you could hear his rapid heartbeat and his erratic breathing. You hadn't been focusing that much on his breathing earlier, but now you could hear that he was almost hyperventilating and he was shaking. Your heart dropped to your feet when you heard and felt this. Had something bad already happened with the Wens? But they had just arrived...

Sighing in exhaustion and disappointment with yourself for thinking everything would be okay, you began stroking your brother's hair, amazed at how soft it always was, and whispered, "What's wrong, didi?"

After taking a few shaky breaths, Lan Zhan launched a long and fragmented rant, stammering and switching subjects frequently. This fragmented rant showed that he was really anxious and going through mental issues. He didn't even know what to focus on when he spoke.

"Jiejie- Wen clan- t-they- Chao- h-hurts- flowers- said they wouldn't come- hurts so much- jiejie!"

You held your brother in your arms, helpless to comfort him. You had made this happen in a sense, by not realizing that the Wen clan would come to the lectures. You hated yourself for this, for how much you hurt your brother. God, how much you hated yourself!

After a few minutes of crying, Lan Zhan looked up at you and stammered, "Jie-jiejie!"

"Didi..." you said breathily, trying your best not to cry.

"I-I'll be al-alright. To-tomorrow... alright..."

His breathing had calmed down, and he seemed confident in what he said. So, although you doubted in the veracity of his statement, you smiled at him again and said, "I'm sure you will be, didi. I'm sure you will be."

A/N- Part three coming soon! I hope you liked this part, I haven't written The Untamed/MDZS oneshots in a long time. It feels good to be back!