Hourglass

XVII

"why do keep hurting us?"

"Because I had to!" Lan Wangji screamed, his eyes filled with tears as he stared at the two most important person of his life.

"You had to? Or because you had no other excuse to reason?" Jiang Yuan answered back.

Lan Wangji remained silent, he contemplated whether to tell them the fact that all those thirteen years he had been building his core. That he been actually in thirteen years powerless that he can't even fight for them.

He stared at his son whose shoulders are trembling.

Everyone find fault at him, he never cares. But for this son to hate him? He can't have it.

"Because I am powerless that I had to."

This was the safest answer he could think of. He cannot tell his son. He cannot have him love him because of his sacrifice.

"We may never speak about this again. But I hope you'll never hold it against me that we did. I have been a terrible father if, one day, you'd want to speak to me and felt that the door was shut or not sufficiently open. I am willing to tell you everything..."

Not this. Not now that they're all breaking apart.

Jiang Yuan felt the light touch of his father to chis cheek. He felt the energy cursing through his veins. Like a water that calmed him down. Jiang Yuan stared at his father, he could see the regret, the pain and the longing. He had long known the fact of this person's sadness. he can't hate him. He knew it.

But seeing his mother's tears, what little restraint he had broke.

"If your happiness cannot be with me... So be it..." Lan Wangji said, "for I have long not been able to make the two of you smile..."

It was his treasure.

"A-Yuan...."

Lan Wangji then took A-Yuan's right arm. He untied the white ribbon from Yuan's hand but his child—His child pushed him away.

"THIS IS MINE!" And protectively hugged the arm where the white ribbon was.

Everyone was shocked by his outburst. All manners and decorum seemed to flew out of the window with the single stance of taking his treasured ribbon off. Lan Wangji froze momentarily. Everyone, as in everyone pitied the child who take solace with the ribbons tied on both his wrists. This was it.

This was the truth behind those merry smiles and jolly laughter.

It was a broken child.

A child cannot be faulted with the mistakes of his parents. Never, there had been a child unaffected by his family.

To see him broke in front of everyone. In front of his parents.

The ribbons which kept him companied for years marked the tears of his existence.

To seek solace in a lonely bed covered by robe scented with lotus and spice.

To seek comfort in front of a cenotaph accompanied with white ribbon.

To cry himself in an abyss he was born with loneliness.

'do not take his right to be loved...' Jiang Fengmian's words echoed right in Wei Wuxian's head.

He made a step, his arms spreads out to reach for his child.

Lan Wangji also stepped forward, un-minding the scornful glares directed at him.

However.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Jiang Yuan screamed slapping his parents hands away. He reached for his sword and flew away.