Kaolin's eyes fluttered open at last; his breath was shallow and slow, the pang of ache behind his eyes a dull throb and his vision a blurry mess.
He did not know how long he had lain there, in this position. Every harrowing memory bled into the next, dissolving in a haze of darkness somewhere far out of reach in his mind, until all that remained was the weight of his own heavy breath and the pounding in his skull. Even the faintest movement sent shivers of agony crawling through the very marrow of his bones.
His chest rose and fell in a quiet inhale as the familiar scent of aged wood surrounded him in a warm embrace, one he recognised at once, steadied by the distant hum of protective formations faintly glowing along the Yinlin sanctuary's walls, spilling gently across the chamber like moonlight and illuminating his whereabouts so that there was no room for doubt.
His blurry vision cleared just enough to make out the figure slumped across the bedside with his arms folded, head resting on them, and his brows arched low as recognition passed through. Wei Lan was asleep, breathing in a steady rhythm, one hand on the edge of the bed as if he hadn't moved in days.
At that moment, a distant memory of his first encounter with a boy whose ambitions were far beyond his years crossed his mind, and a brief, almost reluctant smile played on his lips before fading as Guo Lan shot up from his chair in the corner, exclaiming:
"Master Kaolin!"
The sound jerked Wei Lan from his sleep, and his head shot up, eyes heavy with fatigue as they locked onto Kaolin's, whose gentle eyes gave way to something colder as he noticed a faint glow on Wei Lan's forehead, one that pulsed with a cursed energy he knew all too well.
He had always known Wei Lan was impulsive and headstrong, that he took his own decisions despite Kaolin's countless warnings, but it wasn't until now that he truly grasped the depth of this uncontrolled recklessness. Had he been too lenient, after all?
Yet, it wasn't anger that he felt growing in the pit of his stomach this second, only a bitter sense of failure in not tightening the reins of authority enough to prevent Wei Lan from daring such a thing in the first place, risking his own life for his without thinking twice like the fool he was.
Wei Lan averted his gaze as he noticed the shift in Kaolin's eyes.
"You can curse me however you want, but Kaolin, I don't regret anything. Not even a single second."
Guo Lan stepped forwards then, apologetic. "Please, Master, don't be angry at him! I was the one who told him about the curse! If anyone should be punished, it should be me—"
Kaolin interrupted. "Even if I were to do that, it wouldn't change a thing, would it? What's done is done, there's no turning back." His gaze then settled on Wei Lan, who finally lifted his head to meet his eyes. "What I don't understand," he said, "is why. Why do you keep going against me, doing things I never asked of you?" He then paused, albeit only for a few seconds, trying to choose his words with care. "Tell me, how are you going to avenge your people, risking your life like this every time? Or were those words you told me when we first met nothing more than the desperate plea of a dying boy?"
"Just because," Wei Lan replied without fully meeting his eyes this time either, repeating in a hushed tone barely above a whisper. "Just because…"
He couldn't bring himself to say it, couldn't admit that Kaolin was more than just a master to him – more than a comrade, even. He was the closest thing to family Wei Lan had left, and losing him would be a fate far graver than any unfinished vengeance.
"Just… because?" Kaolin repeated quietly to himself, a subtle smirk brushing his lips before his voice dropped to a flat tone, one that felt cold and detached, like his mind was burdened by thoughts so bleak that it pained him just to think about them. "I guess this means there's no more debt between us," he said at last. "So, when the time comes, don't hold anger against me."
Wei Lan arched his brows. "What's that supposed to mean?" he said, adding in haste as Kaolin suddenly rose and started for the battered door. "Hey! Where you going? Kaolin—what do you mean by 'when the time comes'? Huh?"
But Kaolin was already gone with the whistling wind as Wei Lan exited the sanctuary, his questions falling on deaf ears, as he watched Kaolin soar upwards without looking back even once, slipping away from the sanctuary hidden deep within the Yinlin woods, where the welkin merged with the darkness of night.
Scattered clouds drifted by like restless spirits around Kaolin, their slow passage barely easing the weight that pressed upon his heart, growing heavier by the second. Perhaps this was for the best, that they settled their debt sooner rather than later, though part of him wished Wei Lan would carve his own path rather than bind his fate to his at every chance he got.
Right then, as he was deep into his thoughts, a blast of fire split the clouds behind him. He spun, his instincts on high alert, as another streak of red seared past his shoulder. He recognised it instantly, that demonic energy that had left its mark on him back in Wujing Yuan. But this time, it hadn't aimed to strike him down or even injure him; it missed him on purpose.
"What brings you here… Devil?"
Through the swirling mist, Baihu Mo emerged and walked forwards without hurry, his robes fluttering in the chilling night air, eyes aglow with something that told Kaolin that the white tiger devil knew more than he let on, and whatever it was, it caused him to grin wider and wider with each step.
Then, slowly, the devil raised his hand and, in a whirlwind of demonic energy, summoned the Jade of Tear in his palm. Kaolin didn't react, only watched as it happened, although his brow arched slightly upon seeing the Divine Artefact materialise from thin air.
But instead of explaining what was going on and enlightening him about this strange situation they were in, Baihu Mo let the silence stretch on far too long, his grin widening, before he finally spoke up.
"I've heard you set the Demon God free," he said, each word spilling from his lips like venom, "to retrieve this thing…"
Kaolin's gaze briefly shifted from the devil to the artefact, before he once again met Baihu Mo's cunning eyes. "And what is it that your Lord wants from me, that you've come here with no regard for your own life?"
Baihu Mo tilted his head, smirking. "Wants from you? Well, nothing!"
He exclaimed, stepping closer at once, his fingers tracing the jagged surface of the artefact in his hand, threatening to destroy it beneath the calmness of his voice. "Only that you bring this to Huan-Yue and nothing else…"
Although the devil did not give it away, Kaolin sensed the unease lurking beneath that cunning smile from miles away – that flicker of doubt growing deeper with every second he remained hushed and refused to reply.
"You fear I'll change my mind," he said at last, his voice steady as he carefully gauged the devil's reaction, "that I will forge the Divine Bone for myself, don't you?"
The devil's smile faded. "And will you?"
"…No."
The devil's grin returned at once, this one shaped by disbelief upon hearing those words, like he had just heard something so absurd that it took him a moment to realise Kaolin was dead serious. Looking away briefly with a crooked smirk on his face, he then hurled the Jade of Tear towards Kaolin, then vanished into a swirling cloud of demonic vapour.
Kaolin caught the artefact with barely a glance, his mind filled to the brim with all sorts of thoughts trying to seize control of his body and soul. But he refused to let any of those fleeting emotions take hold; instead, he lifted his hand and observed the Jade of Tear, his eyes narrowing, as he suppressed every thought but that of paying the debt he owed to Yue'er – at the cost of everything, even his own wretched existence.