Fangs OF Fortune: The Convergence

"Wow! Where did this mansion come from? I'm sure it wasn't here the last time I saw this tree from a tower." Cao Wei asked once they teleported next to the colossal tree where Zhu Yan used to sit most of the time.

"It seems like great demons can also create domains this way." Yixuan said as he admired Zhu Yan's enormous mansion from the outside.

"So that's a domain? Like a damn dimension of its own?" Mei Lin asked, stunned by the great demon's magnificent work. She was glad that he at least had such extravagant taste.

"Yes. As I see it with my divine vision, this is a form of domain. One that only those he wants or invites can enter. There's also a powerful barrier around this whole hill." Yixuan said, looking at the others with golden eyes, and Mei Lin blushed at the beautiful sigh.

"Now I like this Zhu Yan even more. Ah, finally something comfortable to lie down on without worrying about demon attacks at any hour of the night." Cao Wei smiled broadly as he appreciated Zhu Yan's work, so unlike Yichen, Zhu Yan had to admit it as he went out to greet Zhuo Yixuan's unit.

"I'm glad you like what I've created for all of you. Welcome to your new home for as long as you wish." Zhu Yan greeted them, and Yixuan's team bowed courteously, while Yixuan acknowledged his words of welcome and offer his thanks on behalf of his unit in return. Once the cortesy was done, everyone followed him inside, to be even more amazed by the endless luxury of the place, which seemed like a palace.

He showed them the same things he did to Yichen's unit and was pleased with the compliments he received as he showed them around and escorted them to their own rooms, leaving Yixuan for last even as his room was the first they passed through and when the rest of the unit settled in for the rest of the night, he showed Yixuan to his own room, which had a golden dragon on the door.

"This one is yours, as you may have suspected when you walked past it upon arrival. Yichen's room is the last one on the second floor with a blue dragon on the door. There's no missing it, although I know you have your own way of sensing your little brother's energy."

"Of course. So what do you want to know? Because I'm sure you're leaving me for last for a reason, right?" Yixuan asked in his usual soft voice that reminded Zhu Yan of Bing Yi.

"You're quite perceptive, but I have a feeling that's your gift. Bing Yi was like that too, and your resemblance to his personality is surprisingly so close that it's frightening."

"Really? Will you tell us more about him?" Yixuan asked as he looked at the great demon.

"If you want, but first there's something I need to ask you."

"Is it about Yichen?"

"Yes."

"Did you really like him then?"

"I won't deny it."

"You can't deny it, even if you want to, Zhu Yan. It's so obvious."

"Not to your brother."

"Oh, he knows. It's just that he's too young and timid to dwell on it too much. What worries you about him?"

"Oh... you sense it too? I'm quite impressed. You honor the blood of your ancestors, and if Bing Yi were alive, he would be very proud to discover that the Zhuo family, with whom he chose to share his blood, has not only remained honorable throughout the generations, but has also passed on its divinity along with his kidness."

"I'm honored by your words."

"They are true, but now let me ask you about Xiao Zhuo's nightmares. I sensed a disturbance in his Qi energy and divine core, and he just confirmed that he's had them for a while now..."

"Oh... You've already smitten my little brother to that extent? Should I be worried?" Yixuan asked half-jokingly, half-seriously.

"I'll never do anything your brother doesn't consent to, other than teasing him, I assure you. I can even swear an oath if you want, a blood oath, which is how a demon can be bound to the heavens."

"I trust my instincts, and so far they tell me you're sincere, but keep in mind how Yichen feels. He's inexperienced, young, and impulsive."

"I know... there's no need to worry, I don't really plan on charming your little brother with a hidden agenda in mind. Whatever grows between us will happen naturally. In the end, he might not even like me that way anyway..." At that, Yixuan was tempted to laugh. Who was he kidding? Yichen was already wooed enough to tell him his deepest secret, which was his nightmares, which he usually disliked talking about, even to him, his beloved older brother.

"My brother is old enough to make his own decisions, so you won't have any problems from me unless you intentionally hurt him, which I will never tolerate or let go. I love him more than myself. So, remember that the only reason I let you get close to him is because that has been his will so far, but the moment he seriously disagrees, back off." Yixuan said, his eyes shining with a deep golden glow and his aura growing fierce. Zhu Yan could feel Bing Yi's power pulsing around him, almost taking the form of a golden dragon coiling around him to protect him.

This older brother had taken his warning to heart, and even Zhu Yan, essentially a divine beast on the cusp of becoming a god, had to admit that his aura ran down his spine with a chill he recognized whenever Bing Yi got angry at something he said or did as a child. They were so similar that if he had inherited Bing Yi's physical appearance like Yichen, he would be a perfect copy of the dragon god his father loved so much.

"You really are like Bing Yi... you're so scary when you're angry..." Zhu Yan confessed, unconsciously crossing his arms to warm himself.

"I'm not angry. I just want to show you that my brother is very precious to me."

"Of course he is, and Bing Yi was precious to me as well, so I will never harm his descendant, who carried on his legacy with such devotion. That would be disrespectful to both him and my own father, whom I respect even more than the ice dragon."

"Then, if your paths cross according to fate and the will of the heavens, I won't object."

"I'm glad, otherwise, I believe you have enough Bing Yi's spiritual power to do me serious harm." At this, Yixuan was surprised to hear such a thing from Zhu Yan, when it was already abundantly clear that all the living demon hunters of that era were no match for him and he was no the exception.

"What's that supposed to mean? No human is a match for you right now."

"Your divine power is no joke, Zhuo Yixuan, and neither is Yichen's. The only things holding you both back are, first, that you still bear the seal of Bing Yi, as your human bodies cannot fully wield the true power of a god, and second, that Bing Yi's divinity has been divided... although perhaps there is a reason for that..."

"Can you find out why?"

"Not for now, but I can tell you that both of you can combine abilities once they awaken, and it will be quite terrifying to see the result. Bing Yi was the most powerful divine beast in his time, a king when compared to humans."

"I see... so, about Yichen's nightmares, he's had them since he was young. They aren't very frequent, but they aren't very occasional either. He always wakes up drenched in sweat and in pain, but it goes away after a few minutes."

"Pain? How strange, no nightmare can cause physical pain."

"We thought so too, and we feared that he was being stalked by some kind of demon that caused him both the nightmares and pain, but every time I look at him with my golden eyes, which see through illusions, I never see or feel a demon nearby."

"Your golden eyes are close to my Truth Eye, which some great demons possess, not to mention gods, but you're still human and unable to fully use their potential, so there are high-level demons who can escape it."

"So, can you use yours to see if anything's wrong near my Didi?"

"Are you asking me to stalk him in his sleep? Ah, what a bold brother you are Zhuo Yixuan." Zhu Yan said touching his heart, feigning scandal, and Yixuan laughed.

"Come on, we both know you are going to do it anyway. I've noticed that Yichen's room, on the second floor, the farthest of all, just happens to be the closet to your favorite tree. With those eyes of yours, capable of seeing great distances, a shoji door is nothing, not to mention Yichen often leaves the door open to feel the night breeze. What a perfect place, right?" This time, Zhu Yan smiled.

"I like you, Big Brother, you are so sharp."

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Just take care of Yichen. He's the apple of my eye, and if you can help him get rid of those nightmares that are tormenting him, I'll be eternally grateful to you." Yixuan said, bowing slightly to the great demons.

"I'll find the cause, I promise, though it might give your dear brother the wrong impression of this innocent demon." Yixuan smiled.

"My little brother is innocent and pure, but you, on the other hand, are far from both of them. Be gentle and don't tease him too much. He gets flustered very easily, as you know."

"I take his purity to my heart."

"Shall I make you swear that with blood?"

"It's so late, so why talk about blood when there's a very soft bed waiting for you? Rest well, Zhuo Yixuan, your brother is in good hands... well, claws..." Yixuan snickered.

"Then good night, Zhu Yan. If you need my help to handle him after a nightmare, you know where to find me."

"Do you think he'll have one tonight?"

"Yes, I'm sure, I even have a feeling about it... I have dreams too, but his are always worse."

"Interesting. Can you tell me about your dreams?"

"They're faint, as if something was trying to reach me from behind a veil of darkness in a very cold place. A vague figure I can't see clearly or hear its words, as if they're being carried away by the cold wind. There's no pain, just a sense of danger, but no knowledge of what."

"You two brothers are united by your blood and inherited divinity in a special way. Although your ways of experiencing things are different, your connection with one another is remarkable. If it weren't for the obvious differences, I'd think you were twins."

"My father also said the same thing. Please ease his pain, it's quite intense, at least for the first ten minutes and sometimes it lasts much longer..." Yixuan said as he opened the door to his room and looked inside, sighing.

"You really like to make it as ostentatious as possible. We're not royalty..."

"What a coincidence, your brother said the exact same thing." Zhu Yan said with a gentle smile before walking away toward the front door under Yixuan's watchful eye, because, of course, he knew he would sit by Yichen's bedroom door, whether it was open or not.

Back in his room, Yichen had to admit that the bed, despite its size, was quite soft, very cozy, and inviting. The sweet scent of flowers was even better than any incense or relaxing tea. So, shortly after lying down, he fell asleep, even though he had only lain down to wait for his brother's return, but his body betrayed him, or perhaps it was Zhu Yan's trick, and he fell asleep anyway.

His mind also drifted off into a peaceful sleep as he strolled through a beautiful field of wildflowers gently swaying in the pleasant breeze. The clouds were tinged with gold, and he could hear the soft murmur of running water from a nearby river. In the distance, he could see tall mountains with their snow-capped peaks. Butterflies flew around the beautiful flowers and some bunnies hopping here and there, while some curious foxes showed their orange-white faces behind the tall trees.

It was such a peaceful place that he couldn't resist the temptation to lie down and contemplate the sky and its golden clouds swaying slowly in the wind. After a few minutes admiring the beauty of the place, he closed his eyes, letting himself be carried away by the relaxing atmosphere and preventing his mind from obsessing over dangerous, handsome demons who made his heart race and eager to see him again.

Wait a minute... Handsome demons? What was wrong with him? Why would he be thinking about demons in such a peaceful world? There were no demons there, he couldn't sense any around him, and the place seemed too pure to give birth to demons who cultivated tainted energy from human darkness, let alone one named Zhu Yan, with captivating dark eyes tinged with red like distant stars in an endless galaxy, who was able to touch him so gently even as he could tear at his flesh with his dark claws.

"Zhuo Yichen, what the hell are you thinking? Did that great demon cast a spell on you without you realizing it?" Damn wicked demon, he should never trust one, no matter how trustworthy they seemed. Yichen scolded himself as he opened his eyes, feeling everything around him freeze the moment he uttered that name. 

To his immense shock, he was no longer in that beautiful and peaceful field of flowers. Instead, a wave of purple energy impacted everything, transforming the beauty into a polluted forest, much like the Forest of Convergence. That same energy now gave rise to demons that emerged from plants and trees and from previous harmless animals to ferocious beasts that bore no resemblance to their original forms. Yichen felt caught between the past and the present, between how things were before the rift and how they were now. As he reflected on it, the landscape around him changed once again into something even more oppressive.

Now he was trapped in an ice cave filled with glittering crystals that possessed a power he had never felt before, something too powerful to even belong to Zhu Yan, the strongest living being in the entire world. Moreover, right in the center, hovering above the snowy ground was an enormous golden sphere that pulsed with insane, divine power. The sphere was almost perfectly smooth, save for a few cracks on the surface that coincidentally crack a little more as he stare at it and then pain hit him like a scorching flame eating him from the inside out.

He fell back onto the snow as his body writhed in pain between heat and cold, between an overwhelming power that threatened to shatter his core but simultaneously held him in place. Yichen screamed, his voice echoed through the cave as if it suffered along with him, and when the surface of the sphere cracked again, Yichen felt his pain intensify.

"Zhuo Yichen!! Xiao Zhuo!!" The voice of the demon he just cursed yelled at him with urgency, but he could not do anything but to scream his pain out, over and over until he felt a wave of healing energy around his core, something that he though should be familiar but he could not place it from whom. Then, he felt the strong presence of something that called to his blood coming from inside the sphere and his world became a freezing cold black void.

AN: Oh no, Yichen! Well, you will wake up soon enough. What you think of Zhu Yan and Yixuan conversation? Was it too much? Thanks for reading and take care, until next time.