Light Against Shadows

Chapter 29

Yunlan didn't sleep much but he got up early nonetheless. He couldn't help it. At home, he always slept in until the alarm clock forced him to wake up, but he wasn't home now.

He got up careful not to wake up the vision beside him, and went into the kitchen to make some breakfast.

He didn't know where things were or what ingredients were available, so he had to check everywhere. Uneasiness tickled at his brain at the uncomfortable feeling. Imagine being in a hotel, he told himself. He made hot tea and toasted bread.

A smile made its way to his face when he found the tea. There were indeed many different qualities, he didn't bother to count them but he guessed there had to be ten of them.

He heard the bathroom door closing, Wei was probably taking a shower now.
He waited, his mind overflowing with what had happened the night before.

Knowing that he had carried around Wei's blood all day was an eerie thought, but it was also what probably saved his life. He couldn't deny that something had happened, something with no reasonable explanation but he had witnessed it with his own eyes.

He checked the hour on his phone and saw that Chu had sent him a message. The guy had eventually calmed down, collapsed would be a better word, and he had been taken into a hospital.

Used up all the energy trying to kill me, he thought, then he smiled. He was beginning to think like Wei now.

When he heard the door again, he raised his eyes. Wei was slowly walking towards him with something in his hands. The new pendant.

"Wei, I can't..."

"Please. You promised. It's not over yet."

They looked into each other's eyes. Wei appeared shy but also determined. Yunlan walked closer.

"I know. I kept my word, and you saved my life."

Wei looked lovingly at him. "Thank you."

Yunlan laughed awkwardly. "Why are you thanking me?"

"You believed me, you kept your promise. You came back to me. Thank you."

An unknown feeling hit Yunlan hard.
This precious, mysterious man, who was now talking as if Yunlan had gifted him the world, what would Yunlan do if it didn't work out? If his distant behaviour got in the way again? I'm alive because of him, was all Yunlan could think of, and he kissed him desperately, wishing with every cell in his body not to ruin this chance. He didn't want to lose him.

When they parted, Wei rested a couple of seconds with their foreheads touching, then Yunlan took his hand and Wei followed him to the table where they ate breakfast together.

"Before you go, tell me what happened yesterday. Please."

Yunlan raised an eyebrow in surprise. They hadn't talked about it yet, but he had kinda expected Wei to know everything already. He smirked.
"Didn't you ask your friends?"

Wei smiled. "They are not spies, Yunlan, I didn't ask for details. I only know that Takeo succeeded, but now I want to know everything. Who attacked you? Was it a Shadow?"

Yunlan pondered on his answer, trying to find the right words.
"We tracked the last guy who disappeared, but when I stopped him he attacked me. I... I hesitated and he became determined to strangle me. I thought I was going to die, then I thought of you and my promise. I kept my word to you. Next thing I know, the guy was unable to move. Much like Li Fan's assailants, he was down but unable to get up. Then Chu and Hong came to check on me and when I didn't see you at the station I came straight here."

Wei replayed his words inside his mind. He had to make sure he got it right.
"He could have walked away but he didn't, he stayed and tried to kill you?"

"Yeah."

Wei covered his face with his hands. It was actually happening. One Shadow had already realised that it could do harm, and who knows where it was now. They had three people in the hospital, but the Shadows had already left them, and were once again out there looking for someone. There would soon be another victim, another person missing. He had to do something. The people, and Yunlan, would never be safe until the Shadows were stopped.

He kept these thoughts to himself, simply because they were of no use. They finished eating in silence. After breakfast, Yunlan went home. Wei watched the door for a second more, then sighed and prepared to go to work.

He walked absent-mindedly, too invested in the recent events, trying to come up with a better plan but he found no answer yet.

He reached the company and took a deep breath, trying to push his worries aside. No matter how much he insisted, he did not let Jay do the work this time. He tried hard to focus and do a good job, so that no other thought could occupy his mind.

It took a lot of effort. Every time he let his guard down even for the fraction of a second, the image of a Shadow trying to strangle Yunlan appeared before his eyes.

He forced himself to concentrate on the job at hand, fixing his eyes on the screen, devoting every bit of his energy trying not to think of murdering Shadows.

He knew Yunlan was alright, he had to be, and he would find a way to deal with the whole situation.

"What?"

Jay had screamed again, Wei had made a mistake, once again. He cursed and corrected it. He paused a moment, to get his breath back; he had become anxious and unable to concentrate following those thoughts in his head. He closed his eyes for a while, trying to regain his calm composure, but it was difficult. Yunlan might very well be safe now, but he couldn't stop the Shadows.

Yunlan and all the other police officers might be able to find the missing people, but others would be possessed in their place, abducted against their will. Those in the hospital were exhausted bodies that were of no more use to the Shadows and had therefore been abandoned, released, but the real culprits were still out there looking for more victims.

Wei knew he was the only one who could do something, and it consumed him inside the fact that he had absolutely no idea of how to do that.

After work he went home feeling exhausted, his mind still full of worries that caused him a painful headache. He didn't even eat. As soon as he changed and sat on the couch to close his eyes and calm down his restless thoughts, he fell asleep dreaming of Yunlan, hoping he'd be safe.

He dreamed of countless enemies surrounding Yunlan, leaving him no escape despite his every attempt at fighting back, until Wei appeared out of nowhere to defeat them all in one astounding move, leaving a now forever-safe Yunlan to look at him awestruck, with adoring eyes fixed on him.

"You're safe now," dream-Wei said.

"I believe you," dream-Yunlan replied.
"As long as you're with me, I'll be safe."

Dream-Wei put his hands on dream-Yunlan's face. "I will always be with you."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

The hug that followed meant everything. A warm feeling enveloped him and Wei slept soundly all through the night, LiLing's figure wrapped purposefully around him.