So...it is revenge that you want?” Wei Wuxian inquired lazily, laying on his side idly in the shed, picking at his long and pointed, feminine looking nails, must be apart of his change. He only gave Mo Xuanyu a side glance.

 

    Mo Xuanyu sat with his head tilted down. Wei Wuxian could hear the hard thumping of his heart, like a bird being strangled inside a cage. 

 

“All my life… my cousin and my aunt… they never treated me like a person, a human being. And after being kicked out of the Lanling Jin Sect and looked down on as a bastard… I - I kind of started losing it...” Mo Xuanyu muttered, trailing off. He had told Wei Wuxian everything and Wei Wuxian had to give it to the boy, he had suffered quite a bit - from the ridicule of others and the abuse from his own flesh and blood, losing his mother, who had been the only one who cared and she passed away from an illness. The boy was honest and heartbreaking to know, being so gentle soul. He was hanging on by a thread. He even told Wei Wuxian about Jin Guangyao and Nie Huaisang… but it had taken a lot of effort on his part to coax it out of Mo Xuanyu’s shell. 

 

  Even though he was back, Wei Wuxian wasn't really apart of the cultivation world anymore. He certainly wasn’t into the political side either. He could care less about Jin Guangyao and others that helped push him into a corner before helping to push him to his death. But unfortunately, he can’t stay out of it completely because of Wen Ning.

 

The same Wen Ning he had presumed to have been burned to ash along with his sister, and who Mo Xuanyu saw. He would know if the boy was lying by the sound of his heart. 

 

“Hm. Fine. I’ll help you but first… I need to go somewhere and take care of something  and I will be back. Wait for me here. Don’t go anywhere.” Wei Wuxian spoke firmly, looking down at Mo Xuanyu with a serious expression. 

 

“What? Where are you going?” Mo Xuanyu hurried to his feet, eyes frantic. 

 

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be back.” He softened a tad bit, looking at Mo Xuanyu and ruffling the hair on the boys head. 

 

“I meant it, Xuanyu, stay here.” And with that, Wei Wuxian was gone, leaving Mo Xuanyu to stare after him in shock. 

 

                                                         ~*~*~*~*~

 

  Wei Wuxian breathed with relief, far away as he could be from the sound of blood rushing through veins and hearts throbbing with life. He knew his eyes were crimson with need, with hunger. He couldn’t be gone long, he had to hunt for prey first before he could go back. It was too dangerous. He fed not too long ago on human blood, of that girl - just the other day and yet the hunger was back in full force. Wei Wuxian grimaced, closing his eyes as he stood in the woods and inhaled, scenting out his prey. 

 

 A fresh scent lured him, guiding him with inhuman speed to its location in a matter of seconds. Without stopping to see what prey he caught, he lunged, grabbing it, tearing into fur to reach the meat of the creatures flesh, his arms crushing it with brutal strength, immobilizing it as he gorged on what little supply of blood the creature possessed. Its rapid heart pulsing with terror and pain as it whimpered and whined before everything was silent. 

 

Wei Wuxian blinked in a daze, dropping the small creatures corpse with a loud thump after he pulled away. 

 

His throat still burned, raw and starving. He looked down at the small dead creature matted with blood and barely recognizable. It was a only small defenseless rabbit and looked like it had been mangled by some wild rabid being. Wei Wuxian groaned, feeling pity and sorrow for the creature. He just allowed his instincts to guide him and take over when he hadn’t scented any humans nearby. 

 

He made quick work of burying the poor animal before heading to a stream of water. He paused at his reflection, shame and disgust coiled in his gut along with the blood from the rabbit he killed and the girl just the day before. He felt simmering self-hatred at what he had turned into. He never asked for this, any of it. 

 

Crimson eyes stared back at him menacingly, black robes dirty and tattered; swirling around him like shadows, an all too pale complexion and his long untamed raven black hair, unruly as every as a cascading dark wave down his back, plus the horrific sight of the front of his black robes, wet and soiled with blood that didn’t belong to him. That was the good thing about wearing black, blood didn’t stand out. But he smelt it, and felt it against his skin, could see it all on his lips and his chin. That made it horrific and thinking about the girls blood on him… he shivered and hurriedly washed the blood off his face, he would also need to snatch a new set of black robes somewhere. 

 

                    ~*~*~*~*~

 

  Hm? What’s this? 

 

Anger boiled inside Wei Wuxian. He narrowed his eyes and stalked up to meet Mo Xuanyu’s cousin and his cousins servant, who both hovered over a cowering Mo Xuanyu. Jeez, where was the boys backbone he had seen earlier?

 

The were spewing a bunch of nasty names, and kicking Mo Xuanyu. An animalistic growl rose from Wei Wuxians chest as he snarled at the two spoiled brats beating on Mo Xuanyu. In an instant, he had both in each hand, fists holding onto the front of their robes. These ridiculous and cruel children...he tossed them away from him, onto the ground, holding back his strength so he didn’t hurt them… at least not much. 

 

“Just what do you think you are doing?” He snapped.

 

The bigger brat, scowled and pointed at him. “How dare you?! Do you know who I am?”

“No, I don’t, please enlighten me.” Wei Wuxian spoke sarcastically, helping Mo Xuanyu up.

 

“You -” the brat Mo ZiYuan marched over, red in the face from anger, and went to take a swing at him, how arrogant this child was.

 

With quick lightening speed, he grabbed Mo ZiYuan’s arm and yanked him towards him. “You - let go of me!” The brat yelled angrily, Wei Wuxian smirked.

 

“Hm, how about no? What are you gonna do if I don’t?” Wei Wuxian sneered, holding the boy tightly by the arm. The boy must be around 16 and to act in such a way, and treating Mo Xuanyu the way he did, this boy and his mother seemed to be real pieces of work. His grip tightened as his eyes flashed red in rage and hunger, he heard a loud crack.

 

Oops. Guess he didn’t control his strength well enough and he broke the idiots arm. Mo ZiYuan cried and screamed. “You broke my arm!”

 

“Sorry,” he apologized, though he didn’t actually feel sorry at all. He was crazy furious though, the heat of his anger fed the bubbling hunger growing inside him again. 

 

“Stay away from me, you freak! You and that cut-sleeve can go die! Disgusting freaks!” The Mo ZiYuan brat ranted and raved, “worthless disgusting bastard! No one wants you!” He screamed at Mo Xuanyu, who had been quiet with downcast eyes. Wei Wuxians felt worry flicker through him at Mo Xuanyu’s expressionless face.

 

Mo Xuanyu’s cousin just kept yapping, cradling his arm and whining, and still trying to throw insults. Wei Wuxians mouth twitch. He was immensely annoyed and had the insane thought to just kill the brat and be done with it. His human self wouldn’t have, with higher morals and standards, and he always tried to help others or cheer them up, and yet again - look at how all that ended? 

    He had been forced to cultivate the demonic path, without his golden core, to protect and save those closest to him and he even failed at that. He wasn’t the same as he used to be, no longer human, and yeah - he still cared, his emotions seemed heightened and more intense, sharper with his new self. He was so angry, he truly just imagined himself snapping the brats neck and draining him dry. Mo Xuanyu wanted revenge right? He could start here. Wei Wuxian sighed as the hunger ate away at his insides, gnawing deep into his bones, and crawling through his lips, making his throat burn like a raging fire. He was so, so close to snapping. For all the times he was called a demon, being cursed by others as one when he was only using the path available to him - to die and wake up as one years later, and to have to feast on blood to survive? Wasn’t that almost ironic, if not so?

 

He found his hand squeezing Mo ZiYuans neck, and let his hand drop, and allowing the boy to gasp for air. 

 

He instinctively reached for the boy, pulling him close to whisper into his ear quietly, before staring into the boys eyes, and hypnotizing him; he then shoved the boy on his merry way, making sure to repeat the process to his servant for booting him away too. He turned to Mo Xuayu and sighed, “what am I going to do with you?”

 

Wei Wuxian didn’t dwell on the fact that he had just hypnotized the other two boys into forget about him and what happened here. And while, convenient, it wasn’t how Wei Wuxian like to do things, far too simple and easy as a newfound ability. He wouldn’t be using it again, not to mention he hasn't even tapped into the power coiling inside him, dark and waiting, like the resentful energy he used to use, only more tame and controllable, but Wei Wuxian wasn’t sure if he wanted to delve into that, especially when he was already quite powerful enough, a danger to unsuspecting humans that didn’t know anything about how to cultivate or monsters, because cultivators were always there to help them at a moments notice. However, if he could use the powers he hasn’t tapped into, he was certain it was similar to being a cultivator, just like years before when he had been alive and cultivating the demonic path, no one would suspect a thing - unless he incidentally ran into familiar faces that knew him and knew he had died.  

 

He hoped he didn’t end up running into any familiar faces.

 

He sighed and dragged Mo Xuanyu to get the boy cleaned up.

 

“I saw all that.” Mo Xuanyu murmured, glancing at him.

 

“Oh. Did you? What, are you afraid of me now?” Wei Wuxina grinned sharply, showing sharp teeth, it wasn’t a nice grin. 

 

“No.” The reply was quiet but firm and it made Wei Wuxian pause, he turned his full gaze onto Mo Xuanyu. The boy met his gaze head on.

 

“You should be afraid of me, Xuanyu. You shouldn’t even be anywhere near me, and you don’t have a clue.” Wei Wuxian said, never looking away as he spoke. “I did die, and have been dead for years, until very recently. I am not some fierce corpse or ghost, in fact, it’s far worse. The me you see before you, is certainly not human. We all reap what we sow eventually, even if you had good intentions,” Wei Wuxian laughed bitterly, “and it was all for naught.” He finished dramatically, he could hear the sorrow and pain in his own force even as he tried and failed to lighten it, but he wasn’t the upbeat and fun-loving Wei Wuxian he used to be either, using laughter and smiles to deflect everything. He was but a hollow shell of his former self, mortal self, scraped and shredded to nothing and becoming something he never thought he could become, something he never, ever wanted to become in the first place. 

 

And yet here he was, an undead husk of a wretched existence, and his smiles and laughter were full of knives and shadows. 

 

Pathetic . 

 

He had turned away from Mo Xuanyu, though he could feel the boy staring at him intently. Why did he open his stupid mouth and say anything?

 

Wei Wuxian wished he could walk back out into the sun and just be burned to ash. He felt so weary and exhausted, and apparently a bit suicidal, even though he failed many times to end his existence already. 

 

Death was so much easier, being dead...he would prefer that over living like this, with the insane need for the hungering of blood from the veins of humans, picturing himself with such horrid savageness as he would tear into his victims and sucking them dry, the mere thought of doing those things made him hungrier, more excited . And as a newly predator, he shamefully and subconsciously revelled in the fear, and if his heart were still beating - it would surely be racing with the same excitement. And on a more conscious note, all of that made Wei Wuxian disgusted with himself, despising himself more. 

 

He couldn’t stand it. He just couldn’t. Wei Wuxian felt his body shake, quivering, his emotions all heightened and driving him insane.

 

“Master Wei?” A voice called behind him, tentatively, a soft and gently hand coming to touch his arm.

 

Wei Wuxian whirled around in the small shed, snarling and baring his teeth. “Don’t touch me!” He shoved the boy away, hard, but for his own good. Shit . He felt out of control.

 

He backed up as far as he could, away from Mo Xuanyu, swallowing thickly, and held his breath and not daring to inhale. “Are - are you alright? I - I didn’t mean to push you so hard - just - just don’t come any closer? Okay? Please, just stay away from me for now. I’m still not able to control myself.” Wei Wuxian muttered, squeezing his eyes closed and standing still.

 

Mo Xuanyu got back on his feet, but stayed where he was, eyes wide with surprise. “Yeah, I’m okay but you… Your eyes…” he trailed off not knowing what to say. 

 

Wei Wuxian felt his lips quirk up slightly, before falling back down again. “Yeah, what about my eyes? Too scary for you?”

 

Mo Xuanyu shook his head. “No. It's just… different that's all.”

 

Mmhm. Right.

 

Wei Wuxian sighed. “Tomorrow, we will head to your Aunt’s, and get some food into your system after we’re done there.”

 

Mo Xuanyu just nodded.

 

Wei Wuxian kept his distance for the night, watching over Mo Xuanyu as he slept. 

 

Wei Wuxian felt odd at one point, only inching closer to drape his outer robe over the boy for some reason and helping him to sleep more comfortably, and sat a little closer and closing his eyes, resting them even though there was no need for him to do so.

 

He stayed like that all throughout the night, silently watching over the boy beside him, and whether he did it to comfort the boy or himself, he didn’t know.