The Demonic Clan of Yiling (MDZS Fanfic)

The Aftermath (Pt.1)

"So that's what happened..." Zizhen breathed once A-Yuan had finished talking.

They had arrived at an Inn a few minutes prior. Lan Zhan and Wei Ying had rushed A-Yuan into a room while Jin Zixuan and Jiang Cheng explained to the Inn keeper and bought some rooms.

It wasn't long after the boy had been set on the bed and given mild medication, when his friends burst into the room. They all refused to leave too when Wei Ying told them to go to bed and eventually A-Yuan's father gave in to their demands and gave them strict instructions to keep him awake until his scars clear up.

The three of them nodded and watched him leave before turning straight to A-Yuan and asking what happened exactly. And that was when A-Yuan told them his biggest secret. The one he never wanted them to find out...

"Why didn't you tell us? We're supposed to be friends!" Jin Ling exclaimed and A-Yuan looked down at his hands in guilt.

"I didn't think it was important..." He mumbled but Jin Ling stood up in anger.

"Bullshit! You could've died!" He yelled and A-Yuan felt his own emotions getting the best of him.

"I know that! I've always known that! But what's the point in making friends if you're just going to end up dying!? Why would you spend the little time you have with them, worrying about what's going to happen!?" A-Yuan sucked in deep breaths as his head spun and chest began aching. He really shouldn't have shouted like that...

"Sizhui-" Zizhen started but A-Yuan stopped him.

"I know okay! I know it was stupid and selfish! But I just-I spent half of my life avoiding people or pushing them away, so they wouldn't get hurt, and then I met you guys... And no matter how much I told myself I was pointless, I just couldn't ignore you... I wanted to know you guys. I wanted to be your friend and I didn't want you to treat me the same way my clan does... I was stupid. I'm sorry..." A-Yuan wiped his eyes on his sleeved and avoided eye contact with the others.

They were silent for awhile. Neither one of them knowing what to say. They all felt guilty for not communicating with each other properly. Eventually Jingyi ended up breaking the silence, reaching out to rest a hand on A-Yuan's shoulder.

"I get not being ready to share things from your past." He said softly. "You said it yourself! We don't need to know everything about you to know that you're a good person. But if it's life threatening then I think we should tell each other. We're friends, we're going to worry and we're going to keep an eye on each other. Sometimes we may be overbearing, but I would rather you snap at me for being annoying, than watching you be seemingly fine one minute and drop dead the next." He explained and A-Yuan nodded. Jingyi let out a smile and turned to the other two.

"Either of you got any secrets we should know or you want to share?" He asked. Jin Ling and Zizhen looked at each other and shook their heads.

"No." Jin Ling answered.

"Not right now." Zizhen said.

There was silence again and this time Zizhen broke it.

"Do you think it will happen again?" He asked A-Yuan. The younger boy looked down at his hands that still had black fading from them and sighed.

"It's likely that it will. Qing-niang has been trying all kinds of things to secure the pieces and we thought it might be working, but as you saw it didn't."

"Can't your father just crush it like Wen Zhuliu's?" Jin Ling asked and A-Yuan let out a cracked chuckle. 

"From what Qing-niang says, that will defiantly kill me. My body has been under too much stress over the years. The sudden loss of my golden core completely, will send my body into shock like it did today. Only, it won't be able to recover enough energy to recover." A-Yuan explained and the other's sighed.

"Does it hurt?" Jingyi asked gesturing to A-Yuan's scars and black veins. "Did it hurt all those other times we fought together too?"

"Sometimes they hurt... I'm used to it now though so I just deal with it. Honestly they're just really dramatic, my scars flare up way before I'm in any real trouble, but of course that still makes Baba panic." 

"Sizhui..." Zizhen breathed hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"Will this kill you before we're adults?" He asked and the atmosphere of the room suddenly went dark. A-Yuan felt a smile curl on his face even though he didn't feel happy. Again he couldn't bring himself to meet his friends eyes as he answered.

"Yeah... Qing-niang thinks I have three years at most, based on the condition of my body, but after today... It's probably even less... It sucks doesn't it?" He tears streamed down his face as he said the last part and Jingyi quickly wrapped him in a hug.

"Yeah, it does." His voice cracked as he buried his head into A-Yuan's shoulder.

Jin Ling stood up off the bed and placed a hand over his mouth as tears began to also well up in his eyes. He had known Sizhui was hiding something. He was even angry at the older boy for not telling them, but now he felt terrible. How could he think that!? How could he be so selfish!?

His hands shook and he clenched them into fists. To think that someone so happy go lucky, someone so powerful, someone you were close to... would be gone, just like that... How could this happen!? It wasn't fair! Why did this keep happening to good people!? 

Jin Ling had to leave the room so that his crying didn't make the others worry. Sizhui needed rest. He didn't need to think about Jin Ling's feelings he had enough going on. And the other two needed to be with him. Jin Ling just needed a few minutes to recollect himself...

"You did what!?"

"Jiang Cheng calm down! I'm sure Wei Ying has his reasons!"

"What possible reason is good enough for giving up your fucking golden core!? Who the fuck did you give it to!? It sure as hell wasn't your son!"

"You! I gave it to you, you oversized grape!" 

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Can you tell I like writing angst?

It feels weird having a short chapter title again.