WangXian Forever Book 9: The Flower Demon

Chapter 3 Dreams

Wei Ying must have been tireder than he thought, because he fell asleep straight away.

But something was wrong.

He felt weighed down, and as much as he struggled, he couldn’t get past the feeling that he was trapped. His limbs felt heavier than normal, and while there was nothing on his chest, he felt as if he couldn’t breathe properly. Each breath was a painful chore...

The last time he felt this way...it had been a long time ago.

In a darker place, full of resentment energy.

It swirled around him, poisonous and toxic, paralysing him from movement and strangling his thoughts. His breath stuttered painfully in his lungs while his heart pounded, blood roaring in his ears and all throughout, he felt terribly alone.

That was the worst part.

His eyes opened, expecting to see ash and soot, all the dark, creepy crawlies of the night, out to get him.

But instead, he was blinded by colour.

All around him, flowers of every shape and colour fell from the skies and Wei Ying was lost to the wonder of this miracle, his breathing problem forgotten replaced by simple awe.

Reds, pinks, yellows, a myriad of blues and purples drifted like the soft falling of the first snows in Gusu, and meanwhile their sweet, seductive scent enveloped him in a spell.

Wei Ying struggled against his imaginary bindings, but he could not move and the more he struggled, the more claustrophobic he felt. Each breath felt like a million knives in his throat, tiny barbs hurting his insides, prickling and stifling his energy.

He had no power to do anything so he gave in, letting his body relax.

And then...he felt the presence of someone else.

*********

Lan Zhan had fallen asleep as normal, holding Wei Ying close to his chest. Even in slumber, he could feel the distraught thoughts of his beloved as Wei Ying struggled...and as if emerging from quicksand, Lan Zhan fought against sleep, trying with all his might to wake up, because something was definitely wrong.

But when Wei Ying screamed out his name, that's when Lan Zhan’s eyes shot open, terror making him shiver with cold.

He grabbed onto Wei Ying’s body, somehow he had drifted out of his arms and was flailing about; Lan Zhan had to gather him close again and stroking his back, he chanted his name.

Wei Ying was shocked.

His normal nightmares were just so...all mostly to do with the Burial Mounds and his struggle within those painful three months of trying to survive...but this?

This nightmare was so different...

Not only did it feel real, but the nature of it...? He shivered, feeling so, so cold.

Grateful for Lan Zhan’s arms around him, Wei Ying began to calm himself and he heard Lan Zhan humming their song in his ear. It registered in increments as his heart rate slowed, his panic receding gradually.

"Bad dream?" Lan Zhan whispered, a while later.

Wei Ying nodded.

His eyes were wet and gritty.

Lan Zhan reached over him to grab a cup of water. He held it to Wei Ying’s lips, making him take slow, small sips. Only when Wei Ying gave him a small smile, did Lan Zhan drink the rest of it and put the cup down.

"Do you want to talk about?" His deep voice stirred something in Wei Ying.

"Yes...I think so?" He sounded uncertain.

"Mn." Lan Zhan waited patiently.

He could offer unconditional support, and love while Wei Ying gathered his thoughts and processed what had happened. He knew it was a bad dream, but what it was about was anyone's guess...until Wei Ying actually said.

His long fingers carded through thick, silky hair, the ebony strands luxurious and warm. Lan Zhan loved Wei Ying’s hair.

It felt so good in his hands, so alive and real.

Lan Zhan loved all Wei Ying...but his hair was really something special. He couldn't remember a time when his fingers itched to dwell there, buried among the thickest locks.

Wei Ying needed this, the tangible proof that Lan Zhan was there, right there in his arms.

That horrible dream had awoken a deep-seated fear that grew like a cancer in his heart, causing more pain than the slash of a sword. He shook, remembering the void, the empty space where once his beloved husband stood.

"It is alright...I am here." Lan Zhan reassured him, as if somehow knowing what was troubling him.

Wei Ying clung to him like a barnacle, his fingers clenched tightly in Lan Zhan’s robes, willing the tears to go away.

What was he, a child? To be so scared by just a dream?

He gave himself a mental shaking, wanting to be so much stronger.

"Was it the Burial Mounds?" Lan Zhan asked, tentatively giving in to his own curiosity.

He felt Wei Ying shaking his head.

"At first...that's what I thought." Wei Ying whispered. "Because I couldn't breathe and the same choking air was clogging my lungs...I was fighting to breathe."

"Mn?" No matter how many times Lan Zhan heard about that horrible place, his worry and anxiety never failed to peak at what Wei Ying had suffered through. And yet his marvel never ceased either, that Wei Ying had survived.

"But...but then I opened my eyes and I was somewhere else. You weren't there." Wei Ying hadn't meant to sound accusatory, but it came out like that.

"I am sorry." Lan Zhan replied, nevertheless.

"No...no...how can I blame you for that?" Wei Ying told him quickly. "I...I just meant that I was all alone, and then I was surrounded by flowers. They were falling from the sky and you'd think that was a good thing, right? But no...there was something terrible about them." Wei Ying dragged in a deep breath, willing himself to calm down.

His own distress was adding to Lan Zhan’s state of mind and making him feel agitated. Wei Ying concentrated on breathing slowly, elongating each breath until it matched that of his husband.

"I can't explain it properly...but I felt as if someone was watching me. I am not easily scared..." Wei Ying was saying.

But...Lan Zhan heard the word he hadn’t said out loud.

"Try." He coaxed.

Only if Wei Ying could give him an idea of what it was, could they overcome it together.

"I got the feeling that whoever it was...they were amused. And...and it was like they were testing me." Wei Ying added.

"Testing you?" Lan Zhan’s brow furrowed. "How?"

"Well...for one thing, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't move...and there was that terrible smell...like the perfume of flowers but so much more concentrated, so strong that it was cloying. And then...all the flowers were dripping."

"Dripping? With what?" Lan Zhan held him tighter, a sixth sense telling him he wasn't going to like what Wei Ying said next.

"Dripping with blood."