*/ㅤPATRIARCH.

“Bad news. He’s still alive.”

“Sometimes you puzzle me.“

“You’re meant to be… dying.“

“You stink worse than your food!”

“You don’t ever do as you’re told.“

“Really? Was that a compliment?“

“You ever heard of the word ‘sorry’?”

“Is this really as fast as you can walk?“

“You can’t blame me for my father’s sins.“

“That is when the worms are most active.“

“His heart his broken and his spirit is gone.“

“My magic is useless against them. I’ve tried.“

“In my grief, I let you infect me with your hate.“

“That one’s ancient. Probably wouldn’t hurt a fly.“

“You’re not going to die. Don’t be such a coward.”

“You know, you’re a brave man… between battles.”

“You don’t know how many times I’ve saved your life.“

“Hm. I would give up my own kingdom to be so loved.“

“Fine. If it means we get there quicker, I will carry you.“

“Does anything strike you as odd about these bodies?“

“All the things I’ve faced… I never worried about dying.“

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cry before, not like that.“

“Choose your next words carefully. They may be your last.“

“You’re very quiet. You didn’t say a word on the way home.“

“What the hell are you doing creeping around in the woods?“

“You can’t risk exposing yourself like this. It’s too dangerous.“

“What is wrong with you? Why can you never just let me be?“

“Trust me. If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s keeping secrets.“

“Well, don’t think too hard. I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.“

“Me? You seemed to be doing a pretty good job of that yourself.“

“I never once questioned their loyalty. I do wonder if I deserve it.“

“This man is a shadow of his former self. A shadow with ill intent.“

“Ha. If I ever become king, I’m gonna have you made court jester.“

“One day, you will understand just how much they’ve done for you.”

“I take it you didn’t come all this way just to smash my favorite pot.“

“That’s if you hadn’t been such an arrogant, pompous, dollop head.“

“Great. How long have I got? How long before this thing wakes up?“

“You’re consumed by bitterness. It spreads within you like a disease.”

“It’s not my life that’s pitiable. It’s yours. You’ve waste it… for nothing.“

“I always thought if things had been different, we’d’ve been good friends.”

“I do feel that dancing is best performed in youth and appreciated in age.“

“So, if you haven’t come all this way to kill me, why have you come here?”

“Yes, I sought revenge, but that does not mean it was the right thing to do.“

“Well, if you did want to hurt a fly, or even a human, what would YOU use?“

“All I know for sure is that I’ve lost both my parents to magic. It is… pure evil.“

“And when it came for me, I felt this emptiness. I couldn’t breathe. I’m scared.“

“I want you to bring me peace. You must right the wrong that was done to me.“

“You mean to tell me that you’ve been wandering around in the woods all night?“

“Questions, so many questions! For once in your life, will you just do as you’re told?”

“Mmm. The chicken is good. It’s a nice broth… What do you know about necromancy?”

“All right. It’s true. I came back ‘cause you’re the only friend I have and I couldn’t bear to lose you.“

“But this is your chance… your chance to escape your meaningless life, your worthless existence.”

“You’re wrong. Don’t think I don’t understand loyalty just because I’ve got no one left to be loyal to.“

“That’s the way these things work, I’m afraid. You get the glory when you’re not around to appreciate it.“

“I cared about these people. I… I don’t understand. What have I done wrong? Why do they hate me?“

“I appreciate that. In your very confused way you’re only trying to help, but, please… don’t do it again.“

“You’ve always shown mercy in battle. You’ve never sought to humiliate your enemy in this way. This isn’t like you.“

“Or we could just do it now — whatever it is that we’re doing — in the dark, when it’s incredibly scary and dangerous.“

Yiling Laozu and his Ghost General

WUXIAN  &  CHILDE.

THE ADEPTUS WUXIAN,  THE YILING LAOZU,  LORD OF SOULS,  LORD OF MALEVOLENCE,  LORD OF THE UNDEAD.

wuxian had,  a long time ago,  been an ally of rex lapis.  a human who had descended from celestia and became an adeptus through the trials of heaven and earth.  even before the archon war,  wuxian was known as an adeptus with a close connection to the soul of mortals.  the sound of his flute could charm any listener into stopping and listening,  from far and wide.

as the archon war began,  wuxian readily took to assisting his long time ally in defending the guili planes.  though they fell,  he still remained loyal and followed the newly budding liyue to the present day harbor,  where he dutifully remained on the front lines to establish this land.

however,  as the war went on,  and the evil gods who opposed his side were killed and sealed away,  this too marked the beginning of wuxian’s chapter in this story.  the remaining malevolent energy sparked an interest in the lord of souls,  and he took to studying it as the events of the war were fading behind him.  he believed it would be possible to use this power for the betterment of mortals and immortals alike.

with how this energy affected those such as the yaksha,  however,  wuxian’s idea was not readily accepted.  despite the refusal of others,  he would not easily stop his new idea.

the adeptus found himself a small island off the coast,  formed by the spears of stone that rex lapis hurled into the ground.  it was dubbed  “ yiling, ”   the  “ barbarian mound. ”

here wuxian would continue his ideas,  losing sleep as time would go on.  it was only when his old allies came knocking at his door did he realize this was the end.

he had learnt to resurrect corpses and manipulate them to his bidding with a simply play of his flute,  just as it had charmed them in life.  though the  “ yiling laozu, ”  the patriarch of yiling,  fought tooth and nail for his beliefs in using this power for betterment,  he was defeated,  and sealed just as the many immortals who he had helped to defeat in the war…

thousands of years later,  a young man named mo xuanyu would gather a collection of sigils of permission,  created himself over his life.  and with those sigils,  he released the sealed god and summoned him into his body,  begging him for his help in getting vengeance on the people who have wronged him.