I am Here

Chapter 19 Justice

Lan Qiren sinks to the ground while clutching his heart as if he could stop the bleeding. On his face is shock and disbelief. His own nephew just ... He can't think any further.

Lan Xichen looks down on his Uncle and says very softly but with great sincerity "Uncle your reign of prejudice and hate ends now. I will not have you destroy anymore lives with your self-righteous and misaligned thoughts. You bring more shame to Cloud Recess than Wangji ever will."

Lan Xichen looks at his brother "Wangji, I will not have the stain of Uncle's blood on your hands, I will take full responsibility and blame." Then he turns to Wei Ying. "I will not have you believe you have destroyed our family or feel shame or guilt over any of this. We were broken way before you ever came into our lives. I don't want to lose my brother and I don't want you to feel unsafe and leave Cloud Recess. You and my brother share a rare and special love, you both deserve to live your best life together with your son."

They hear a harsh and gurgling laugh, "You all are pathetic". He looks at Lan Zhan straight into his eyes, "You could have been great except for him, now you are worthless, just like my cousin." He spat his blood on the ground as his last act of displeasure and arrogance.

Lan Zhan turns his body around so that Wei Ying and A-Yuan cannot see his Uncle anymore. He begins to hum so that they cannot hear him either. He wants nothing more than to take his family back to the jingshi away from all this but something is keeping him here. He can't understand it.

As Lan Qiren lays dying his eyes begin to close and his heart is close to stopping. Suddenly a white light shines brightly inside his eyes.

"Hello cousin, did you miss me?" Lan Qiren tries to blink his eyes but his body no longer responds to him.

"Dear, dear cousin, I know you never expected to see me again. You haven't changed and you were willing to hurt your nephew and his family for what? Because they didn't abide by the rules? Because they didn't conform to your liking?. The heavens have decided to grant me a favor."

The light becomes brighter and now three men stand before him. Lan Chen smiles "I'm sure you remember Xue he bing, he suffered and died because of you. This is Wang Zi, my lover also. He saved me from a life of pain and loneliness after I left Cloud Recess. We're here to collect you and take you to your new home."

"I will never forgive you for causing the death of Xue he bing and for making me leave my home and all that I loved" says Lan Chen.

Xue he bing steps forward and speaks, "I had never felt hatred in my heart before you and your friends made me feel less than a human and not worthy to love. My pain and despair was so great I took my own life." He looked at Lan Chen and stroked his cheek, "I didn't want to leave you but ... Lan Chen puts a finger to his lips. "Shhh, we are together now, love."

Finally Wang Zi steps forward before Lan QIren, "And I will never forgive you for the broken man I found, whose only thought was to die and I never understood why. Thankfully he accepted my love and began to heal." Wang Zi and Lan Chen smile at each other and clasp hands.

"So dear cousin we are here to escort your soul to hell, where it will remain for all eternity." smiles Lan Chen.

Lan Qiren dies with a frightened look on his face. Before the three men leave they show themselves to Lan Xichen, Lan Zhan and Wei Ying, they all bow to each other. Lan Chen reaches his hand out to Lan Zhan for his sword and he looks at it one more time and hands it back to Lan Zhan.

"I would be honored if your son carries my sword when he is of age", says Lan Chen. Both Wei Ying and Lan Zhan bow low as a sign of respect. Wei Ying clears his throat and says "It will be our honor and thank you for your gifts to us, we will treasure them always. He then looks at both Lan Chen and Wang Zi "Thank you so much for sharing your gift of love with us." With that Lan Chen and Wang ZI laugh and smile, they know which book Wei Ying is speaking of.

Finally with a last bow, Lan Chen wraps his arms around both his lovers and they vanish from sight. Everyone is quiet, trying to absorb what just happened here. Then a tiny voice asks "Baba? Father? Are we safe now?"

Lan Zhan takes A-Yuan away from Wei Ying and hugs him tightly, then wraps his other arm around Wei Ying's waist. "Yes, A-Yuan. Thanks to my brother we are all safe." Wei Ying extends an arm to Lan XIchen to include him in the family hug.

They all look at each other and know that love is stronger than hate and together they are stronger still.