“Does It Hurt?” / Bai Wuxiang Crushes Hua Cheng's...

“Does it hurt?” / Bai Wuxiang crushes Hua Cheng’s ashes / @kotaboda

*

It happened too fast for his mind to process it before it was too late. First, there was a hand on the back of his neck, delicate but powerful fingers holding him in place and Xie Lian was forced to breathe unevenly against that chilling white mask. Then, enraged, Hua Cheng stepped in to shove Bai Wuxiang with enough strength to send him flying–and he went with it, almost as if he was expecting, as if he was waiting for that reaction.

Bai Wuxiang’s fingers caught on something, and Xie Lian gasped when sharp metal cut at his throat enough to draw blood, but no deeper than a simple surface wound. A low but resounding snap echoed in his ears. Hua Cheng stood by his side with an arm around his shoulder, whispering something to him, but Xie Lian couldn’t hear him as he felt around his throat and found nothing besides bloodied skin.

Eyes wide and unblinking, Xie Lian looked up, at the same time Bai Wuxiang raised his hand to dangle a silver chain from his fingers. The ring at the end caught the light and shone like the most beautiful diamond. Xie Lian stopped breathing altogether.

“Who said you could put your dirty paws on that?” Hua Cheng asked levelly, his tone dark and cold. However, he was just as frozen as Xie Lian, and his finger dug at Xie Lian’s skin hard enough to bruise.

“Such bravado to the very end,” Bai Wuxiang cooed. “There’s no need to pretend, I know you’re scared. The one to finally rip you away from His Highness… It’ll be me.”

Hua Cheng’s teeth knocked together hard enough for Xie Lian to hear. His grip loosened, finger by finger it left Xie Lian’s shoulder, and a new wave of panic overtook Xie Lian. He desperately gripped Hua Cheng’s arm as he stepped forward.

“San Lang, don’t go,” he pleaded. “I’ll allow everything else, but you can’t go.”

Hua Cheng looked back at him, and Xie Lian was struck by the grief in his single eye. “You Highness–”

“That’s not your decision to make anymore,” Bai Wuxian completed, before Hua Cheng had the chance to speak. The beautiful ring was raised to eye level, like Bai Wuxiang was seeing the both of them through that hoop. A chuckle could be heard from behind the mask. “It’s time for a farewell, Your Highness.”

Like it was nothing more than paper, the ring was crushed in the palm of his hand, broken into such fines pieces it was merely dust in the air. Hua Cheng collapsed, and Xie Lian knelt along with him, clung the cool body to his own.

“No, no, no, no, San Lang,” he whispered, or maybe he shouted. “You can’t– You can’t–”

Tears stained the front of his robes, a voice croaked incoherently, then, he was holding nothing at all. As the weight of Hua Cheng’s weight disappeared, Xie Lian fell forward on the palm of his hands, his eyes so wide as he stared at the empty earth.

“How heartbreaking,” Bai Wuxiang whispered. He approached without hurry, and when arms enveloped him, Xie Lian was unable to do anything, was unable to move or think. “Does it hurt? Of course it does. There’s no need to cry, Your Highness.”

His sobs were so forceful he thought he would throw up. Xie Lian gagged and wheezed, lungs entirely too small, head entirely too full.

Hua Cheng was gone.

“For all eternity, you’ll always have me,” Bai Wuxiang said gently against the top of his head.

His San Lang was gone.

Xie Lian screamed until he couldn’t anymore.