RTYY 238 – A Mere Drop of Blood
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“VinWei1Literally vin (hard) + wei (crystal)!!” ZaiWin2Literally zai (blade) + win (chaos). was shouting before he could even see the world around him.

Not wanting to lose a single second, he quickly marched towards the improvised mattress placed on the ground.

“VinWei!!”

“What?” someone finally answered him in an impatient tone. “I’m not deaf, you know?”

“He’s not breathing! He’s not breathing!!” ZaiWin repeated, already tearing the boy’s tunic open, and quickly placed a hand over the dark mark on Snow’s chest, willing it to stop spreading.

“What?! What are you talking about? What happened?” VinWei asked all in one breath, but still rushed to his side.

“Purifying! Those purifying crystals! You still have some, right?” ZaiWin urgently asked and she simply nodded, rushing somewhere else, hopefully to fetch them.

ZaiWin closed his eyes, the agony quickly taking over his entire body making it hard to clear his mind. He was going to lose him! He was sure he was going to lose him! And he could hardly breathe at the mere thought. The darkness beneath his hand kept spreading, slowly rotting Snow’s body from the inside out.

“What happened?” another familiar voice asked but ZaiWin refused to open his eyes. He had to focus! Focus!!

“I don’t know!” VinWei answered, her voice no less panicky than his. “Snow isn’t breathing!”

“What?”

Even though he was trying his best to focus he could still hear the heavy footsteps against the stone floor. Gritting his teeth, ZaiWin tried harder. He had to stop it!

“What happen …” ZenTar3Literally zen (silent) + tar (wind). started asking but, at the sight of the dark lines marring Snow’s chest, his eyes widened in alarm. “Shit!!”

A hard hand grabbed ZaiWin’s wrist and pulled his hand back. ZaiWin quickly pulled his hand free and placed it over the boy’s chest again.

“Shit, shit, shit!!”

“What? What is it??” VinWei asked anxiously, but ZenTar ignored her, quickly kneeling down as well.

Grabbing ZaiWin’s head between his hands, he forcefully made him turn his way.

“Look at me! Stupid brat!!” he demanded, but ZaiWin frowned, trying to pull away from him. With an annoyed scowl, ZenTar slammed both hands hard against his cheeks, leaving red marks on his pale skin “I said, look at me!!”

Still frowning, ZaiWin finally opened his eyes, and ZenTar couldn’t help sighing in relief at the sight of that blue gaze. Only he knew how easily that idiot could get lost inside his own despair.

“You know how to do this,” he calmly declared. “You’ve done it before.”

ZaiWin’s gaze turned to Snow. In fact, he wanted to turn his head as well, but ZenTar wouldn’t allow it.

“It’s not working …”

“It’s going to work!” ZenTar quickly cut him off. “It’s going to work! Because your will stands above it all. That, inside that boy, is nothing but …”

“ … a drop of my blood,” ZaiWin completed. He knew those words by heart. He’d heard ZenTar repeat them to him more times than he could count.

ZenTar smiled and nodded approvingly.

“That’s right. Your blood. And it will obey your will. So stop thinking about stupid things. You are its master. Make it obey you!”

ZaiWin turned to Snow again, and this time ZenTar allowed him to do so, simply resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Taking a deep breath, ZaiWin closed his eyes again and focused. That’s right! His will was absolute! And he would not allow a mere drop of blood to disobey him!

Stop spreading! And return to me!, he formed the words inside his head and forced his energy to flow backwards, pulling inside that which was outside. And, true enough, the darkness stopped spreading, converging beneath his hand instead, slowly being absorbed into his body again.

The sound of a deep breath and the rising of the chest beneath his hand brought ZaiWin such utter, overwhelming relief that he couldn’t help feeling a bit faint.

“Good job! You did it!” ZenTar exclaimed, patting his shoulder encouragingly, and ZaiWin sighed, opening his eyes again. Still fearing what he might see, he slowly lifted his hand. But the dark vein-like lines had completely disappeared. All that was left was a simple bruise.

Feeling too tired, ZaiWim dropped his head on one arm. Sure, he’d been able to pull it back, but the damage would still remain. His eyes stung at that thought. At the thought of how he’d almost killed him. How he’d almost lost him.

“He’ll be fine,” ZenTar declared as if he’d been able to read his mind. “He’s a Tien’Elhar4Literally tien (Heaven) + el (supreme) + har (girl child). The Heavenly Beings also known as Celestials in the common language.. And we’ve seen how fast he can heal.”

Even if that was true, it still didn’t make things better. It still didn’t erase the fact that he’d hurt him. That he had almost killed him. Worse yet, that it all had happened because he’d lost control.

VinWei took a deep breath and the blue light of the crystal that she’d been holding against Snow’s forehead faded away.

“I think he’s stable now,” she declared and turned to the two men still kneeling next to the boy. “Anyone care to tell me what happened?”

ZaiWin shook his head. No. He didn’t want to have to talk about that. In fact, he didn’t want to have to talk at all.

“Even his bracelet shattered! Were you guys attacked by someone?”

No. No, they weren’t. Not someone, anyways. ZaiWin closed his hands into tight fists.

“Just leave him be, Vin,” ZenTar asked in an unusual gentle tone. “He’s obviously too tired. Just let him rest.”

“But …” she still tried, but ZenTar quickly stood up, offering her a helping hand.

“Come. Let’s just get them something to eat.”

VinWei pursed her lips, clearly wanting to add something more, and still resisted ZenTar’s gentle tug when he tried to lead her to the door.

ZaiWin hesitated, before lightly touching Snow’s forehead. His skin felt even colder than usual. Even though Snow was now asleep, he was still in pain. He could clearly feel it, tugging at the link they shared. And yet, there was nothing he could do to make it better. Worse yet. He had just lost his right to want to try and make it better. He had been the cause of it, after all. Protector ... Some protector he was, he thought, grinding his teeth, trying to control his growing anger.

And since when had he started to believe in that load of crap? Since when had he started to see himself as such an honorable, righteous person?

He still remembered the first time VinWei had told him that, as his Chosen One, it was his duty to protect Snow and keep him safe. Back then, even though he hadn’t told her so out loud, he had still been clearly able to distinguish between VinWei’s colorful fantasies and reality. He had still had enough discernment to know that he would never be anyone’s knight in shining armor. He was the Lun Calzai. The Demon General. And the foulest darkness on the face of the world flowed through his veins like blood.

It was all Snow’s fault, he concluded, looking at the sleeping boy’s pale face. Because even though Snow had seen him for the monster he was right from the start, his icy gaze had never shown any of the horror and disgust that such knowledge should have wrought. Snow had calmly accepted his perverted nature, the same way he accepted everyone else’s peculiarities. Even though Snow was well aware of what he was, he had still trusted him enough to allow him to get closer to him. He had still blindly followed him without hesitation. He had still willingly touched him and smiled at him. And ZaiWin had been blinded by that light to the point that he had actually started to believe that he was who he saw, reflected in that boy’s gaze, instead of the aberration he had been most of his life. To think that his own feelings would make him behave in such a blind, idiot way was not only embarrassing, it had almost caused him to lose that which he held most precious in his life. He really wished he could slice his own throat for being so stupid and for having hurt him like that.

Leaning forward, ZaiWin carefully gathered Snow’s unconscious body in his arms.

“What are you doing?” VinWei urgently asked.

Snow’s face contorted in pain as a result of being moved. ZaiWin didn’t have to see that to know what he was feeling, though. Every time Snow hurt a piercing needle was shot through his brain.

“I’m taking him with me.”

“But …” ZenTar squeezed VinWei’s hand to stop her from arguing and, in the next instant, both ZaiWin and the boy were gone.

ZaiWin crossed the small bedroom in slow steps and sat down on the bed, his back against the cold, hard wall. Still holding Snow in his arms, he made him rest his head against his chest, before pulling the blanket to cover him. It would be easier for him to breathe, if he allowed him to sleep in a sitting position. He could also keep him warmer like this. But, above all, he could easily feel the constant, rhythmic flow of Snow’s breathing against his neck.

Once he was allowed to rest, Snow’s pain subsided a bit, even though it was still there every time new air filled his lungs.

Caressing his soft hair, ZaiWin leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Holding him like this he was sure nothing would be able to take him from him, not even death.

Stuff like this really has the ability to bring ZaiWin to his knees. Probably too many dark memories from all he’s been through and lost when he was younger ? I know you guys want to punish him, but I kind of feel a bit sorry for him ?

 

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