Above a mountain, in the Hangeng province, black mist appeared but disappeared the next second. The mist appeared above the clouds and looked down at the shadow domain beneath it with red lustful eyes, "Young master, not now, we have to find your bride before it is too late," Lanhua called to him.
Reqing's calmed down and looked at the Fae on his shoulder, his eyes turned from red to black, raising a brow at her he asked, "What's the rush Lanhua? You said we have enough time and I'm not really looking forward to marrying a man."
Lanhua sighed, "Young master… you'll see when we get there, please let's find him but change your clothes before then."
Reqing growled but did as he was told, the two of them flew above the clouds as Reqing scattered his spirits to find this bride of his. But suddenly he felt a pull and stopped in midair. Looking down he saw a young boy sitting under a tree playing the zither.
Lanhua came out and looked at the boy, after an evaluation she turned to look at Reqing and smiled helplessly, "Young master, we found him so easily." Reqing looked back at the boy and nod his head, "Yes, I was wondering why I felt that strong presence and it seems to be because of that."
Lanhua lowered her head, "I'm sorry young master." Reqing frowned, cupping Lanhua he placed her on his shoulder and said as he lowered himself down, "It's not your fault but I didn't expect it to be like this, I feel bad now for waiting."
Reqing came to the foot of the hill the boy was on and walked up, the boy who played the zither immediately stopped when he felt someone approach him and looked over at him. His eyes widened and he grew excited that didn't go past Reqing's watchful eyes. Reqing smirked when he saw how the boy blushed and became nervous.
"W-who a-are y-young, this is the Eum-Ag Sect, you can't trespass here," the boy said as he got up and protected himself with a defence array. Reqing stopped as he came before the boy and smiled, "I'm sorry for trespassing, I just couldn't help myself after hearing that song you were playing."
The boy blushed a darker shade and said, "You can't be here, the guards will be here soon." Reqing looked at him surprised and looked around, even with his enhanced vision he couldn't see anyone coming this way. Tilting his head to the side Reqing smiled, "It's okay, when they arrive I'll inform them that I was entranced by your music and couldn't help but come over."
The boy looked at him with widened eyes that quickly dimmed as he started coughing frantically. The boy sighed and blood spurted out on his hands, Reqing quickly walked up to him and grabbed his hand, with speed as fast as light he licked it and assessed the blood. The boy didn't notice that his hand was licked but tugged his hand back, "H-how c-can y-you j-just t-touch me?" He asked and turned around embarrassed.
Reqing looked at the boys back with fury. He was covered with a death aura but he seemed perfectly fine but this death aura was so strong that it was forcefully taking him masked with an illness, "How long have you been sick?" Reqing asked him calmly as he continued assessing the curse that this boy had.
The boy sniffed as he wiped away the blood from his hands, he turned around and looked up at the man, "W-why d-do you want to know?"
Reqing hummed and sat down against the tree and looked up at the boy, "Your skin is pale and your lips are losing its colour, are you receiving treatment for your illness?"
The boy frowned and shook his head, "No," he whispered. Reqing could see that the boy was tense so he cast a soothing charm with his sigh. The boy blinked his eyes once, then twice and suddenly sat down and rest his head on the man's shoulder saying, "You're handsome, why are you so handsome?"
Reqing raised a brow with a chuckle, "Thank you, but I think I'm average looking." The boy sat up straight and shook his head, "Absolutely not, you are the most handsome, more than the Kang brothers and they are really handsome."
Reqing frowned, looking at the boy he asked, "Do you like handsome men?" The boy nod his head and beamed but then grew sad, "I love handsome men and I want to marry one but my father is instant on me marrying the young lady from the Jin sect, I have nothing against her but I just don't want to be involved romantically with a woman."
A mental message was sent to Reqing, "Why'd you cast an honesty charm as well?" Reqing shook his head answering her, "I didn't, he seems to like telling the truth." Lanhua looked at the boy and smiled but didn't ask any further questions.
Reqing on the other hand, took the boys and in his and rubbed his thumb over his lifeline. The boy looked at him and blushed, he liked the calming feeling that came with the man's ice-cold hands against his skin. The boy suddenly frowned and looked into Reqing's eyes, confused he asked, "Why are you so cold?"
Reqing smiled as he pulled the boy closer to him who relaxed in his hug, "My father is actually a demonic cultivator where my mother is a Phoenix. My body temperature drops and rises as it pleases. Most of the time when I am calm my temperature is dropped and when I get angry it rises and I get as hot as the sun that gazes down at us."
"Oh," the boy mumbled and pull out of his hug, looking at Reqing he asked, "Would you mind telling me your name?" Reqing shook his head, "I don't mind. My name is Kong Reqing, what is yours?" The boy looked at him oddly for a moment then answered, "My name is Yoo Seungho, I'm the third young master of this sect."
Reqing nods his head as he continued rubbing his thumb over Seungho's lifeline, sucking the curse from him. Unknowingly Yoo Seungho was feeling better without knowing it. The colour was returning to his skin and his lips; seeing these changes made Reqing feel at ease.
Smiling at him Seungho asked, "Reqing, would you like me to play you a piece?" Reqing nods his head, "Yes, if you don't mind." Yoo Seungho chuckled, "I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't want to," he said and took his hand away picking up the zither, strumming the strings he started singing as Reqing rubbed his hands in circles on his back.
"Dark the stars and dark the moon.
Hush the night and the morning loon.
Tell the horses and beat your drum.
Gone their master, gone their son.
Dark the oceans, dark the sky.
Hush the whales and the ocean tide.
Tell the salt marsh and beat your drum.
Gone their master, gone their son.
Dark to light and light to dark
Three black carriages, three white carts.
What brings us together is what pulls us apart.
Gone our brother, gone our home.
Hush the whales and the ocean tide.
Tell the salt marsh and beat your drum.
Gone their master, gone their son."
Placing his hands on the strings to stop them from moving he turned to look at Reqing and smiled. "Oraboni, father is calling you," his sister suddenly called. Yoo Seungho looked at his sister and smiled, "Ming-Ah don't be rude, greet my friend first before you speak to me," he said but his sister looked at him strangely.
"Oraboni, who are you talking about?" Seungho looked at Reqing with an embarrassed smile, "My friend Re…"
"She can't see me," Reqing stated interrupting Seungho mid-speech. Seungho looked at him confused and asked, "Why?"
"Well… for the same reason why no one came even though I trespassed," he answered. Seungho nod his head but was still confused, there were two answers, one being that he was stronger than the elders or he had something on him that kept him hidden, he looked at his sister and said, "Never mind, I'll be there soon."
Ming-Ah looked at her brothers' side at Reqing who she couldn't see and said, "Oh okay but you need to hurry up, The Jin sect is here."
"Why?" Seungho felt his blood run dry. His sister shook her head, "You know very well why, it's to finalize the wedding between you and Rim Jae," she answered him.
Seungho sulked and nod his head, "Okay, just leave me for now." His sister sighed, "Oraboni, why don't you just get it over and done with, marry her and be done with it, its just a marriage alliance, you don't have to sleep with her or anything, both of you are still young."
Seungho looked at his sister and forced a smile, "Don't worry about it, give me a moment alone." Ming-Ah nod her head and skipped away. Seungho looked at Reqing with tears in his eyes, "I think it's time for you to leave now."
Reqing pressed his lips and nod his head, standing up he asked, "Will it be fine with you if we meet up again tomorrow? Here, I'll wait for you here."
Seungho nods his head, "I don't mind." Reqing smiled down at him and cupped his face, stepping closer he kissed Seungho's forehead placing a seal on his forehead to protect him from manifesting the curse again. Just as Seungho felt tears run down his cheeks he opened his eyes and Reqing was gone. Looking around he felt fuzzy, "Was it my imagination?" he asked himself. Shaking his head, he went down the hill and to his family home.
Reqing appeared in Deadman's Wonderland and started kicking skulls around out of his way, Lanhua flew out and stopped in front of him, looking at Reqing she asked, "What's on your mind young master?"
Reqing looked at her and sighed, "Originally I didn't care for him but now I am curious not to mention that he is interesting and very honest, do you think we'll pair well together?"
Lanhua shrugged, "I don't know, only time will be able to tell that young master." She looked around and asked, "Are we going to set up the dark summoning?" Reqing shook his head, "I want to spend time with him first to get to know him before I suck up all the energy here. You know as well as me that I'll go into a deep sleep that I don't know how long it will last because it is just too potent, but for now, let's set up the array to suck up everything in this area."
Lanhua nods her head and grew, "Okay, I'll work on the soul array in the meantime." Reqing nod his head and started drawing the array in his blood. Time slowly passed and the weather went from a bright and sunny day to a gloomy day as the rain suddenly poured on the two of them.
Just as Reqing finished the array, he heard a whisper, "Someone, save me." His head shot up to look who it was when the person dropped into the middle of his array. The bones in his body broke and blood splattered all over.
The two of them made eye contact and the moment it registered to Reqing who it was he yelled at the top of his lungs in pain. His heart squeezed as the realization of his bride's death hit him hard. His cultivation went berserk.
The moment his yell entered her ears, Lanhua activated the soul gathering array and placed a hair strand she plucked from Seungho into it, she flew off to Reqing, "Young master calm down," she said and looked at the body before him.
Reqing grabbed Lanhua by the throat, "You knew and you didn't tell me!!" Lanhua struggled out from the grip, "Young master, we have to save him or it will be too late!" She said but it was already too late.
Reqing's body went numb letting her go and the resentful energy flew towards Seungho and wrapped him up. A hum vibrated out of Reqing's mouth and the contract formed, Reqing spoke in many voices that sounded almost demonic as his eyes turned red, >Look at me< he called Seungho. Seungho who was in front of him barely alive turned his eyes to him frightened, "R-reqing?" he asked confused.
Getting up, Reqing walked over and stood above him and looked down, >Look at us< he said. Seungho looked into his eyes and he could see what was happening to them, his body was broken and the one who was keeping his broken body together was the resentful energy flowing out of Reqing while the resentful energy in Deadman's Wonderland was ripping him apart and it was very painful.
>Why is he here< Reqing asked looking down at him but he couldn't hear the response the person beside him gave.
>Why are we here< he heard again and saw the woman shake her head while her lips moved.
>Such a young youth… sent to his death< Reqing said then sighed, he held onto Seungho's face and said >Listen to me… Listen to you… Listen to us<
Reqing looked around and said >We all are< and spirits appeared behind him. He looked down at Seungho >We are one< The spirits from behind him looked at Seungho with a smile and said, >I am you… You are us<
The tears from Seungho's eyes fell down and were wiped away by Reqing as the spirits continued, >Death, Resentment… We have it all.<
>Love, Hate… Death to them all. Let us make a pact< the said to him multiple times and when he nods his head a child's giggle was heard, >Let us be a family. Let us be one. Let us live. Let us be free. Let us strive to be the one… And you… will be free.<
The girls giggle echoed around him continuously and he was let go of by Reqing who stood to the side and pulled his soul out of his body that was a pain to the point where he started crying blood from his eyes. He looked at his soul before him conflicted and ignored Lanhua's plea's for him to stop. His soul was split in two, one that was colour in light while the other was wrapped in black mist, he looked over at his bride on the ground laying limply in the area where his blood array was before.
Seungho was lying naked in the centre of the area with his skin anew. Reqing stood up and held his hand out as he summoned the array of souls Lanhua set up. When it came to him, he saw that it only had one soul inside him and that it belonged to Seungho, he looked over at Lanhua whose head hung low in guilt.
Holding Seungho's soul in his hand, he saw that it showed that it had already given up on living and its light was dimming. Reqing split the soul in half and fused it with both his souls. He infused his pure soul with the pureness from Seungho's and the desire to not live within the second half.
Bringing the black mist soul towards himself, he opened his mouth and engulfed it. Returning to its place, Reqing started trembling, he could feel that something wasn't right and became dizzy. Forcing himself to stay conscious, he moved the pure soul into Seungho's body and waited but Seungho wasn't breathing.
Exhaustion took over his body and he slowly lowered himself over Seungho and blanked out, his lips slammed against Seungho's. As he breathed in air and exhaled, the air entered into Seungho's mouth and seconds later Seungho was breathing. Lanhua who stood to the side, pulled out one of Reqing's robes and walked over to them, she knelt down and assessed both of their complexions, feeding them both a set of ten pills, she spoke, "Are you alive?" she asked Seungho who slowly opened his eyes.
He turned his head to her and got up. He looked around dazed at the gloomy space that was slowly returning to normal, confused he asked, "What's happening?" Lanhua gazed around as she said, "This place was covered in a glass-like protection array that protected the lives of the earth and creatures, it's returning back to normal now that all the resentful energy is in your body."
"In my body?" Seungho asked looking down at his body. He blushed seeing that he was naked then looked at Reqing who was unconscious beside him, his eyes widened and he quickly grabbed Reqing's shoulders, "What happened to him?"
"He brought you back to life and is suffering the consequences of it," she answered. Handing him the robe she wrapped Reqing in spiritual power and opened a door to a place with a red sky. Seungho looks inside the door and saw that it looked weird, he looked at Lanhua and asked, "Who are you?"
Lanhua smiled, "I'm young master Reqing's nurse, Fae Lanhua." Seungho nods his head, he looked at Reqing and a faint recollection of Reqing showed up in his mind. He walked up to Reqing and cried, he could feel it in his heart that he loved this person but he didn't know why."
He turned to look at Lanhua and asked, "Who am I?" Lanhua raised a questioning brow after a moment she said, "Lee Jihoon." Seungho nod his head and followed behind Reqing into an unknown place. The door closed and Lanhua's appearance changed.
Looking at the cultivators who were making their way here she sighed, rolling up her sleeves she said, "Time for me to act a fool."