: / / 𝙵𝙸𝙻𝙴 : 刃

the man before him seeks what most wish to cleanse, yet ultimately walk out with temporary solutions rather than agreeing upon a long term benefactor that would surely help the most common symptom : pain. baizhu finishes an specialty tea, setting the porcelain cup aside before approaching the individual who managed to slip past his spirit assistant, qiqi. " i see have a seat, we must speak in private."

　　𝚂 𝙴 𝙰 𝚁 𝙲 𝙷 𝙸 𝙽 𝙶 。。。　　　　　having never sought medication prior , it is only with the peace this world has brought blade that he feels any desire to treat an otherwise permanent affliction . never occurred to him that he could try to make it easier . but this beast that lives within has been quiet ; more quiet than it had in decades . it was not liyue alone that has soothed him , but the uncanniness of the harbor reminds him of the spring of his life . ███ walks , in these moments .

　　　❝             i am prepared to pay .   ❞ spoken with an inkling of pride . he had taken up on the work posted to acquire a decent sum of mora , it's weight growing with each day , rewarded to him with only a slight look of concern for how voraciously he completed every hunt or bounty across the board . the blade glances at the seats . he chooses to stand astride the chair for now . ❝   . . . the pain remains without cause .   ❞

the blade is tired . he trudges , slogs , behind ais . the moment a reasonable surface is seen , he all but collapses into it , turning into a blanket of muscle upon its face , weighed down only by his own bones . blade is the only thing left clasped with any resistance in his body , sword held tight by his side . @daohuai

the mission was, all in all, exhausting by this point in time. having to put in the extra work the other team could not fulfill was always left to those who preferred to work alone for efficiency. but this time around it wasn't likely such a thing would be granted. the man behind him, trudging along was already an indicator of it. ais is casual in the way he rolls his shoulders, releasing the stress of physical labor as he walks. but there's a thud and a short, sharp piercing clash of metal against the ground that has the demon looking over.

" for the love of . . . " blade has promptly collapsed upon the seating furniture and part of ais wonders if the other was a mere joke in the way he carry himself in these mundane moments. " the mission wasn't that bad, don't be so dramatic. " downplaying the severity of it was common within the list of ais' tendencies, " and close your eyes this time, or just face your head the other way. freaked the hell out of me last time. "

　　𝚂 𝙴 𝙰 𝚁 𝙲 𝙷 𝙸 𝙽 𝙶 。。。　　　　　sleep came rare & it came fast . on the few occasions he was afforded it , he succumbed to it entirely . so often was he forced to endure this ceaseless pain with no reprieve , rest only ever waiting until the churning of his own body was balmed by the hormones surging to numb him , but even then could he hear , feel , his sinews cling & sew themselves together . sleep was the only escape . as body faced exhaustion , finally pulling him toward collapse , relief danced just on the horizon .

he lashed . arm lazily tracing a semicircle with the end of his shard - sword , drawing a line to keep ais at bay though , truthfully , it was half - hearted . he did not mistrust the other to hurt him . but instinct gave way to more primal fears . what if ? eyes have already begun to roll back when his cheek turns with great difficulty to face the demon .

𝙸𝙵   𝙾𝙽𝙴   𝚆𝙾𝚄𝙻𝙳   𝙰𝚂𝙺   𝚆𝙴𝙻𝚃   exactly   when   he   had   decided   it   would   be   in   his   best   interests   to   begin   fraternizing   with   one   of   the   most   wanted   men   in   the   galaxy,   he   wouldn't   be   able   to   answer.   there   had   been   no   clear   cut   moment   in   which   blade   had   wormed   his   way   into   the   1st   herrscher's   affections   -   but   he   had,   and   it   shows   in   the   way   he   smiles   the   moment   his   device   dings   again,   pushing   his   glasses   up   upon   his   delicate   nose   to   begin   his   slow   response.   

<   :   //   TO:   UNKNOWN                               FROM:   WELT   >   :   do   you   want   to   see   more?   or   other   phenomena   from   my   home,   maybe.   we   have   this   thing   called   cyclones   -   i   think   you   would   find   them   interesting.   

a   tangible   pause.   he   debates   ending   his   sequence   there   but...   before   welt   can   stop   his   fingers,   the   next   text   sends.   

<   :   //   TO:   UNKNOWN                               FROM:   WELT   >   :   i   miss   you.   

　　𝚂 𝙴 𝙰 𝚁 𝙲 𝙷 𝙸 𝙽 𝙶 。。。　　　　　he misses him . the words the blade has sought disappear as quickly as morning mist under bright skies , dew on the breeze , as thick & humid on in his senses as these unknown affections . they choke him , fatten his tongue & stiffen these fingers so that he could not even write them . perhaps it was guilt . was he capable of it ? these thoughts were so distant from him ; life & its gifts were not something he could allow himself purchase . but this reminded him of those calmer times . ones left behind to the grave .

the words are quickly lost . it takes some time for him to recover a replacement , something to say instead .

[ 𝚄 𝙽 𝙺 𝙽 𝙾 𝚆 𝙽 ➝ 𝙼 𝚁 . 𝚈 𝙰 𝙽 𝙶 ] (img: the horizon of a planet , bathed in the light of a setting sun )

[ 𝚄 𝙽 𝙺 𝙽 𝙾 𝚆 𝙽 ➝ 𝙼 𝚁 . 𝚈 𝙰 𝙽 𝙶 ] You would enjoy this .

@daohuai

𝙷𝙸𝚂   𝙿𝙷𝙾𝙽𝙴   𝙳𝙸𝙽𝙶𝙸𝙽𝙶   (𝙻𝙾𝚄𝙳𝙻𝚈)   𝙸𝚂   enough   to   strike   him   from   his   dozing,   the   chime   briefly   earning   his   ire   as   he   goes   to   check   the   device   with   a   squint   of   exhausted   eyes.   of   course,   however,   he   finds   the   senders   identity   immediately   soothes   any   annoyance   at   a   disturbed   rest,   &   smiles   while   he   (   very   slowly   )   types   out   a   reply.   

<   :   //   TO:   UNKNOWN                  FROM:   WELT   >   :      It   is   very   beautiful.   I   wish   I   could   see   it   in   person,   but   thank   you   for   showing   me.   

　　𝚂 𝙴 𝙰 𝚁 𝙲 𝙷 𝙸 𝙽 𝙶 。。。　　　　　he is glad , in some way , that the express' patron recognizes the sender . it was not wholly for secrecy , but rather a comfort that he did not use any device which wholly gave himself away . what trouble would it cause if anyone could find his contact & message him . already uncomfortable with the thing in the best of cases , prone to shattering them in the worst . it was too small , he had told silver - wolf . she had responded with offering him two small hands which he was told should be used to handle it . . . it was a prank he did not enjoy .

𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘   𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐍   𝐄𝐗𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐒   𝐍𝐎𝐖   𝐈𝐍   𝐓𝐇𝐄   long   fettered   existence   he'd   met   out   at   ren's   side   -   only   memories   and   broken   thoughts,   awash   in   the   candor   of   friendships   gone   wrong   and   the   world   split   in   half   at   their   wake.   it   was   agonizing,   to   be   apart   from   the   other   portion   of   your   soul,   and   even   more   so   -   when   the   other   portion   insisted   he   no   longer   existed,   that   death   had   been   too   kind   a   sentiment   and   hell   had   spat   him   back   out.   yet   jing   yuan   had   not   been   lying.   he   was   a   selfish   creature...   covetous,   in   nature.   he   would   take   this   iteration   of   ren,   if   it   meant   having   even   the   smallest   piece   of   him   still.   for   though   the   weapon   could   not   see   it,   jing   yuan   could   -   he   saw   deep   past   the   buried   reticence   to   the   flicker   of   love   beneath,   to   the   man   that   had   once   been.   besides...   he   had   lived   too   long,   through   too   much   to   give   up   now.   

rare   for   anyone   to   find   such   a   soulmate   in   their   lifetime,   and   rarer   still   for   xianzhou   immortals.   jing   yuan   was   lucky,   but   he   was   also   cursed   to   love.   

does   ren   hate   him   now?   does   this...   variation   of   him   loathe   the   things   jing   yuan   does?   does   he   hate   being   pressed   into   the   mattress,   kissed   with   roughened   adoration,   or   fucked   until   neither   of   them   could   breathe?   jing   yuan   does   not   know.   perhaps   he   does   not   care.   it   shows   in   the   way   his   nails   vice   lightly   across   the   other's   abdomen,   the   free   hand   that   had   been   on   his   throat   slipping   along   his   bare   clavicle   instead.   beautiful.   still   so   beautiful   -   despite   all   the   scars,   the   broken   body   and   mind.   jing   yuan   would   love   him   until   he   is   nothing   but   a   pile   of   ashes,   or   they   are   both   a   memory   written   in   the   dark   between   the   stars.   

blood   blooms   beneath   teeth   and   his   groan   follows   blade's   own,   accentuated   by   the   voracious   suck   that   follows   suit.   he   tastes   the   iron   -   sweet   and   crimson   on   the   roughness   of   his   tongue,   and   it's   jing   yuan   that   pushes   the   stellaron   hunter   onto   his   back,   situating   himself   between   long   legs   to   bite   harder,   deeper   to   ravage   and   sin   so   that   by   the   time   he   pulls   away,   blood   has   blossomed   about   the   mark   and   stains   his   pretty   lips   in   red   ichor.   down,   he   looks   at   the   man   beneath   him   -   and   something   is   wild   in   the   general's   gaze   -   as   he   takes   in   the   vicious   mark   in   such   a   blatant   locale   -   takes   in   the   pallor   of   his   skin,   the   brightness   of   his   gaze.   

not   for   the   first   time,   jing   yuan   is   reminded   of   how   much   he   still   loves   him.   

　　𝚂 𝙴 𝙰 𝚁 𝙲 𝙷 𝙸 𝙽 𝙶 。。。　　　　　it was something that danced on the edge of a knife , that which they had stolen in these brief moments together . rendezvous sneaking him past the watchful eye of the knights , stealing him away even as his face still decorated the mirror - faced screens of the luofu , scarlet warning all citizens of what danger he posed . hanging off one edge , the physical nature of it was somewhat of an escape , a bodily experience which seemed to balm the pleasure - less pain he endured at near - constancy . but it was also torturous , he knew . for whatever grief he no doubt soothed in the general , what agony was it to see the face of your deceased lover , come back to life , with such cold metal snake warming itself around beating heart . to covet this parasite wearing his skin .

every word jing yuan uttered , all for the departed soul . there were none left for this ' blade . '

　　　he braces himself . the searing pain of flesh splitting open , bruising under the force of the general's bite , only serves to further elucidate this fact . that this is a body alone that jing yuan could love . the monster inside , something he could only ever hate . & how could he ? he was little more than his beloved zheren's punishment , a reminder of his crimes . a reminder of his betrayal .

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　don't you know this is me ?

　　　he presses inside in a manner which is not new to him , but as penetrating as their most intimate moments . keeps his teeth within him like a wild beast , constraining him beneath him like prey . neck stiff & body going willingly still , obedient to the act , allowing the leonine general to mark him as he sees fit . this red , red blood will stain him in return , clinging in coagulate against his pale hair , leaving behind fat wine - dyed pools in his sheets , thickly making its way down into his stomach & corroding him from the inside out . how unfair that he enjoys it with such greed . bitterness grows on his tongue , the look of relish upon his lover's face igniting him . fevered by his own agitation , the blade reaches for him , the harsh embrace of arms about his neck solidly lifting himself up to him as he crushes his mouth to his .

　　　❝             stop talking .   ❞

[ 𝙱 𝙻 𝙰 𝙳 𝙴 ➝ 𝙲 𝙰 𝙴 𝙻 𝚄 𝚂 ] Come to me .