daozhangs | ic inbox, ryslig.

[ Runyu wakes to the faint scent of ashes and dust, something unseen shifting away from him, and dead grey trees all around him. His laptop, something he reached for before, lays half-hidden under a grey tree trunk. However, Runyu does not see it. In fact, when he wakes, Runyu nurses a headache, leaning against a tree seemingly disintegrating with dust falling on him. His mind swirls with images and fragments of emotions he’s long denied himself before failing at the trial at the cabin in the snow. And yet, here he is, his clothing intact and even wearing the hairpin of his office. Although he does not understand how, Runyu can’t help but accept that he must have returned to his world after this failure.

He still feels little to no power in his limbs, but that fact is brushed aside as it is possible that he has returned to his realm via the demon realm’s wilderness where powers are reduced to that of a human’s but for their immortality. Coming here of one’s own free will is sentencing one to an eternity of nothingness.

If he had had access to this place when he had ascended the heavenly throne to right the wrongs of the previous rulers, it is possible that he would have used it as the empress’ final resting place. If he had had less fear of her escaping if she weren’t suffering where he could observe it.

But being in the wilderness does not deter Runyu now. If wandering this place for years before leaving is his fate for failing his trial at redemption, he will brave it without complaint. It is not an eternity if he is still wears the crown and he is armed with his blade. Not the blade of the heavens but the same one before his ascension.

Hours fade as he moves through the place. For a while, hunger itself is kept at bay due to the turmoil in his mind and his belief in having returned home for another march of atonement.

However, his wanderings through the broken forest return him to his place of revival and this time, he spies the laptop. His eyes narrow, recalling that the Fog returns monsters to life and realizing that the new scales on his body have been pulling at his clothes.

Sighing, he retrieves it and opens it.

Somehow, it can connect.

Runyu doesn’t question it. If he is alive and still in Ryslig, he has questions that must be communicated. ]

My friend, how are you faring?

( it's hardly rational to be anxious just yet. quite honestly, xingchen can't afford to be anxious just yet. he has spent the entirety of the time since his own revival feeling very much like he treads a light path across thin ice, careful not to allow his thoughts or feelings to grow too heavy or sharp lest he fall through and drown.

perhaps they weren't fortunate enough to revive with their laptops close at hand. he revived where he'd died - but perhaps that isn't the rule of things. perhaps it was an exception. a happenstance, or a deliberate choice by the fog god herself to highlight precisely how far xingchen's efforts to thwart her workings actually got him.

(not nearly so far as he'd thought, and not even quite in the proper direction. he's choosing not to have realized that at the moment. such a thing is both too sharp and too heavy.)

all in all, he has made the carefully reasonable decision not to concern himself with either runyu's whereabouts or jiang wanyin's until well after dark. until a point at which even a long journey home should have reasonably reached its destination.

all of which means that runyu's message comes (quite mercifully) before he's allowed to worry - which does nothing to lessen the utter relief it brings him to hear the name of the sender read aloud, let alone the short message which follows. a relief which bubbles forth as - )

You're alive

( it's sent before his rational mind catches up well enough to replace it instead with something more useful, and he presses his lips together a moment. but then comes a follow-up: )

Words can't express my relief. Are you alright? ( because 'relieved' is answer enough to 'how are you faring?' by xingchen's standards, and at the very least it's entirely honest. )

[ Runyu's closes his eyes, expressing his own relief, and though his face remains calm, serene, a sigh escapes him. It is fortunate that Xingchen did not suffer overlong because of his weakness and arrogance against the enemy and that fate has given him the opportunity to atone for pushing him into that kind of suffering. The cold is the cruelest tool of pain he knows, coming after all the rest and lingering after. Echoing back fears and doubts tenfold, beating failure deeper into the creases of his hands and crevices of his soul. Beckoning someone he calls a friend through the blizzard to suffer through the hell caused by betrayal is a dark feat indeed. Even for him.

He almost doesn't respond, but duty compels him. His memory is not complete because of the possession.

However, writing the reply to someone he has called friend gives him more comfort than he deserves. ]

I am lost but well.

Has the disaster ended?

Edited 2021-01-22 07:46 (UTC)

( for all that it's worth, 'betrayal' is the farthest term from xingchen's mind. runyu wasn't himself. he can't possibly be held accountable for that which he did under the control of some soulless parasitic creature. if anything, xingchen is responsible for not arriving to help prevent such a thing from happening. )

It has, three days ago. I know not how.

I can find you, if you need.

[ Runyu's reply doesn't come immediately as Runyu considers the situation before him. Of his failure at the lodge and the similarity of this forest to another in his realm and its possible meaning, hesitating in asking for assistance if he is to discover his own path.

But there is a detail that takes priority. ]

Are you well? I don't recall the blizzard's end or your arrival.

( the redirection is sudden, though it should have been expected. he would've asked after the same, were their positions reversed.

xingchen doesn't intend to lie to him. he supposes his remaining options are to slip through the matter quickly but tactfully (and risk it coming up again once they've reunited in person) or to yank the arrow from the wound and let it get its bleeding out of the way before runyu arrives to see it. )

The blizzard ended just after the disaster did.

I was unable to reach the lodge.

[ Runyu falls silent. There are several possible meanings behind that answer, meanings Runyu is loathe to probe for. Even if it is his duty to learn what his pride caused, he hesitates in bringing his friend's pain to light. There is also limited means to discern how deep the pain runs from the consequences if Xingchen disguises it with courtesy through this device.

Despite the turmoil inside, his response remains short. ]

I apologize for leading you to such a dangerous task.

No need. You weren't yourself.

( because xingchen hadn't come. )

If I had taken the enemy more seriously, it may not have happened. My apology stands as I stopped asking after your health and could have brought you to harm.

It was simpler that you didn't. I wouldn't have turned back.

[ Runyu does not respond to this for some time, choosing to put up his laptop and travel some more, looking for something to direct him in one steady direction. However, moving on is more of an excuse than his true purpose. He has not received any further guidance on this location from Xingchen after all. But his friend's last reply heavily implies that he perished in the blizzard. Alone. Because of Runyu's carelessness and his arrogance in believing he could stand as confidently against those enemies here as he has done in his realm, before his descent tainted his path.

In the back of his mind, in the part that remains calm and aloof in spite of the emotions Runyu has allowed to take hold of himself again, Runyu reasons that he cannot accept all of the blame for this. That Xingchen had admitted to being unwilling to cease his endeavor. But for Runyu, that is not enough.

Because again, his actions has doomed another friend.

And this time, he has another chance.

And he's uncertain whether that is a chance he deserves or has been set before him as another punishment. ]

I am sorry nonetheless.

Runyu, please don't do this.

It's difficult enough to reconcile with having allowed them to kill you. I cannot watch you blame yourself for all of it as well. I just can't. It wasn't your doing. You did nothing but fight until you were overcome.

I was supposed to be there.

[ Runyu releases a small sigh at his friend's desperate cry. Last time, he hadn't listened to his friend's cry, until it was too late. He couldn't forgive or forget his mistakes. And he only committed more. But Xingchen's pain is more than he can stand. A pressure builds against his temples, and he leans against another tree, torn between accepting the weakness or ending the relationship before it can affect him further.

Although, if he were honest with himself, it really isn't a choice. This risk matters more than anything else. He could ask forgiveness later. ]

You tried. That should be enough.

[ There is a pause before more words follow. ]

For both of us.

[ He remains against the tree, staring at nothing in particular, blood rushing through his ears. ]

( he tried. xingchen lets out a miserable cough-breath, ignoring the dampness he feels along the line of his closed eyelids. of course he tried. )

It isn't

( he's terribly glad that his words convey as text. it means that for the moment, he doesn't have to take care to regulate his tone. )

It isn't enough.

I should have been there.

Edited 2021-01-24 01:45 (UTC)

[ This time the response follows almost immediately after Xingchen's message, though there is a moment of hesitation in Runyu before sending it. He does not want to add salt to his friend's anguish, but he does not know how to help him without using the truth. ]

Your attempt to reach us resulted in your death. It is enough.

( ah. he knows about the death. xingchen's mind reels for some means by which to deny it, but dishonesty doesn't suit him even in such circumstances. )

It can't be.

( it comes too quickly, just as quickly as the last. )

Do you ever think back and wonder when it was that you stopped being who you once were?

I once could've trusted myself to protect those I care about.

( but in the heavy pause which follows comes a sharp sort of regret. he shouldn't have said that. shouldn't have burdened runyu with this on top of allowing him to be killed. )

Forgive me. This isn't your burden to bear. Please don't worry for me.

You are not alone in asking that question. Or both questions. Although perhaps it was never my place to protect anyone without repercussions.

[ There is another pause. ]

I am in a dead forest. I have not been here before.

( even after he's offered an out, xingchen turns the first segment over in his mind. he should say something, he knows as much - something kind and reassuring. but what comes out instead is, )

Perhaps we have more in common than ever I've realized.

( 'perhaps it was never my place to protect anyone without repercussions.' runyu may as well have stolen the words from the core of the pressure squeezing at xingchen's chest, from the lurching knot in his stomach. but not just there - it's a truth that has echoed through him since he first arrived here, his proper death stolen away from him.

and yet he tried regardless, because he is a fool. and because the alternative is to simply give up, here in a place in which ending things isn't even a viable option as it had been in his own realm. and because he doesn't know if he can ever be a person who gives anything short of his all to try to preserve that which is precious to him, even knowing that doing so dooms that very thing. )

I think I know of the place. If you're able, try to make your way southeast.

I'll be there when I can.

( even as a cold lick of desperate helplessness flickers through him, bubbling up as a cough-laugh that isn't even properly funny, because he truly is a fool, isn't he? wasn't he just considering the harm his offered help tends to do? and yet here he goes, pulling together a bag of clothing and food and clean bottled water. a passing thought toward the tea he's just brewed has him pouring that carefully into a thermos, which he seals up tightly and slips into the backpack as well.

then he returns to the laptop one final time, in case runyu has responded. )

Thank you for the directions. I was going in the wrong direction.

[ Runyu does indeed pause and try to orientate himself once more before setting off in a different direction, although figuring that out in a forest where everything seems to move around him is troublesome. He doesn't travel far, however, before stopping and pulling out his laptop once more, his mind still on the words he let free a few minutes ago and his friend's response. There is still much he could say, but how much of it will be helpful and how much would further harm his friend? ]

We are housemates and friends. I don’t think it’s too much to presume to worry about you. And if we do share this much in common, I do wish to say that you did enough in this situation. All that you could, in fact. The blizzard was a danger to you and you still ventured forth for your companions and the good of all. What more should be expected from you?

[ Runyu frowns at the laptop, not satisfied with that response but feeling limited in reaching out more when he cannot see his friend's state. Hopefully, it will aid more than harm until they meet again. ]

Edited 2021-01-28 00:40 (UTC)

( xingchen had quite nearly failed to bring his laptop along. only once he reached the door did he pause, reconsider, shift back long enough to utilize actual hands to put his laptop in his bag as well. because what if something goes awry and runyu encounters trouble? what if he finds himself more lost than he began? the ability to let xingchen know as much seems only practical.

what comes instead is neither such thing. instead, it's one more attempt to absolve him. what more should be expected from him?

success.

and he nearly says as much, but he doesn't quite have it in him to fight back against this. he has already declared that this isn't runyu's burden to bear, and he won't make it so simply because they disagree. in fact, no answer comes at all until he's stepped in past the dead forest's treeline, if only to find a private place to shift back and put on the clothes he's brought along with him. once he does, )

I've arrived.

You passed by where I stand not long ago - the scent is perhaps a half-hour old. If you wait for me where you are, I should be able to find you.

( it doesn't surprise him, that runyu may have passed by without realizing quite how close he lingered to the edge of the woods. were xingchen relying on sight to navigate, he himself would almost certainly have done the same. this forest is.... odd, in a way that he can't quite put a finger on. different from how one expects a forest to be, beyond simply the presence of death. )

Edited 2021-01-28 01:34 (UTC)

[ Runyu hears the soft beep of a message coming in and retrieves his laptop. Xingchen’s response is short and focuses on the immediate situation, not on the reassurances Runyu left behind on the laptop last. Runyu frowns momentarily before he sets aside his criticism. Perhaps his words are too much when said in a vacuum of space, but in spite of his friend not mentioning them, Runyu doesn’t regret saying them. Smiling again, Runyu closes the laptop and returns it to its case, willing to wait before pushing further on the matter.

It’s something he’s more than accustomed to.

Before closing the computer, he leaves a short message in case Xingchen is looking for one. ]

I will stay here then. It’s easier than walking in another circle here. Please take to not get lost.

( the message is appreciated, if only to know that his own was received. he offers no response of his own, reserving his focus for pinpointing the ambient 'runyu' scent down to a proper path, a direction in which he headed. it doesn't take long, even with what remains of the snow (snow doesn't retain scent quite the same way that most other things do), and he's off through the forest to find where the man has settled.

about twenty-five minutes after his latest message, runyu can likely spot him making his steady way through the trees, the white of his robes in stark contrast with the earthy forest tones around him. he remains in his night form, of course - they've revived with the fog, and he's stuck in this form for a good few days more - but he hasn't bothered to disguise as much by drawing his hood up to cover his ears. perhaps if he were in bavan, but it hardly matters out here in the woods. )

Runyu, ( he greets once he's within speaking distance, shrugging the bag from his shoulder to draw out the thermos of hot tea and offer it out. though the temperature isn't nearly so cold as it was during the inclement weather, he recalls runyu mentioning being unused to winter, so it seems most pressing. ) I've brought food as well, if you hunger.

Thank you.

[ Runyu smiles at the care Xingchen has taken in coming here and folds his arms before him, bowing in gratitude before moving to take the thermos. His hands cradle the warm container. Truthfully, the cold has always been there in the back of his mind before this, but if he has been shivering, Runyu has not noticed. The chill of his sins and the frost of the environment are the same. Of comparable pressure against his lungs and and similar bite to his mind when in the oblivion of torment he’s believed himself sent to until realizing his actual place of revival. The icy fog and ominous guilt still have a grip on him in spite of his attempt to circumvent them for his friend’s sake, too.

Sighing, Runyu unscrews the top to take a long full drink of the tea given. He close his eyes, absorbing the heat there and the care it symbolizes. The hope of another chance. Further grounding himself.

He doesn’t speak again until after, examining his friend for any outward signs of distress, if Xingchen displays anything. Beyond courtesy.

In the end, he focuses on the indirect question put to himself.]

I’ll have some food, too, although my hunger is still slight.

[ It often takes some time for hunger to reach him when in deep thought or reflection, even more so when the regret in him is so fresh. ]

( were xingchen able to see the bow, he'd most certainly deny any need for it - but the 'thank you', he can accept. he does so with a quiet, ) Of course, ( because how could he not have? he knows the fatigue of revival, very much still feeling that same fatigue himself - and he knows that runyu still doesn't fare well in the cold. to come fetch him without bringing some manner of warmth would be nearly so unacceptable as failing to come in the first place.

as for outward signs of distress, xingchen is fairly diligent in masking his own, but by necessity his efforts focus more on the distress which churns in his stomach and tightens his chest - so while his emotional affect seems fairly steady, a hint of fatigue blankets his movements in a way that one can't quite put a finger on. his hair isn't tied back quite so neatly as runyu has likely come to expect. his tails, the four which accompany his night form, are conspicuously still - as new as they are to him still, xingchen hasn't had nearly the practice in making such a thing seem natural as he has with his general demeanor.

and if runyu's fingers happen to brush his in the passing of tea or of food, he'll find that they're much too cold. colder than the rest of xingchen seems. a fading echo, perhaps, of xingchen's own death.

'i'll have some food, too, although my hunger is slight.' that's entirely alright - xingchen expected it to be. his own hunger is nonexistent, looping around to something closer to nausea, but runyu (as far as he's aware) still relies on proper food for the time being. so he acknowledges the request with a hum, reaching back into the bag to draw out a few small items. a sleeve of 'garden herb' flavored crackers, a bag with three soft cookies, and a bagged 'sandwich' consisting entirely of bread and the jam which they've found they both like. ) Meagre offerings, I know, ( he says, offering them out for runyu to choose from regardless, ) I admit that I was in somewhat of a hurry to leave.

[ Runyu’s fingers don’t brush against Xingchen’s fingers when he passes the thermos of tea, but when he Runyu takes the crackers, it’s different. Runyu freezes momentarily at the chill in his friend’s fingers and his lips thin in inner condemnation at the reminder of the ending he experienced. Resisting the urge to cover them and attempt to warm them, Runyu steps back with the sleeve in hand and places a hand over his mouth. ]

There’s… no need to apologize for that.

[ He murmurs, trying to keep his discomfort hidden with a display of courtesy. Coward, his brain tells him, retreating again when his mistake stands before him. He closes his eyes and opens the sleeve, biting into a cracker. After a few moments, he extends the thermos. ]

My friend, you also should take a drink.

Share the faint warmth.

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, XIAO.XINGCHEN. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 018.07.154.55 * XIAO.XINGCHEN has joined 018.07.154.55 <XIAO.XINGCHEN> You have reached Xiao Xingchen. <XIAO.XINGCHEN>** I am often away from my laptop, but I will do my best to answer as soon as I'm able.

January 17, evening

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