In the name of love || ONC2023

Chapter 3: Wei WuXian

Wei WuXian's POV

Location: Earth. 96th Dimension

"That's it!?" I couldn't believe what I had just heard. According to Dimples, all I needed to do was step into another…dimension and spend a couple of weeks there.

Was that really what he had said? A little too easy, wasn't it?

After all, how difficult could it be to spend two weeks in an unknown world when the prize was Ah-Wang's life! There must be a catch. There always was in such cases. I had seen enough K-Dramas to know that. "So what's the catch? What do you get out of it?"

"Absolutely nothing." He feigned shock. He was obviously putting on a show, "I am doing this out of the goodness of my heart."

I tilted my head towards the two-foot-high heaps of ash. "I find that hard to believe."

"Fine. You caught me. I am doing this out of the goodness of my blackened heart." He corrects; his eyes twinkle like they have caged stars in them. 

Maybe this is a dream, or he is fucking with me to steal my soul.

His mouth fell open as if I had done him some great injustice. Then pointing at the said piles of ash, he demanded, "Have I not made myself real enough for you?"

"Can you read my mind!?" 

"Obviously. If I can kill with a snap of my fingers, what makes you think I am anything but ordinary?" 

I was about to offer him a stupidass reason, because why not when he stopped me with a finger on my lips! 

"And, no. I am not interested in your soul either." He added as an afterthought. 

I nodded, accepting his arguments for now. Then, "Fine. Let's say I go there; what then?"

The whatever-the-fuck-he-was smiled approvingly; he stepped away and glanced at the mortified faces, "Thank you for your cooperation." He side-eyed the heap of ashes, "-and for your sacrifice. It wouldn't have been possible for me to convince my subject of my authenticity without it," he paused and pressed on, "Remember, this," he waved his hands haphazardly, "-all this, it never happened. If any of you tries anything-" His eyes dropped to the unfortunate piles in the left corner of the elevator, "-well, I will find you, and I will snap my fingers, clear?" He explained sweetly, like an angel offering mortals nine lives before he pushed the emergency button again.

As the elevator started climbing again, the extraordinary asshole who had murdered two innocent people caught my eyes, "Go to your lover and think about what I am offering you. I will find you tomorrow." 

The elevator dinged to a stop and emptied in seconds, leaving us alone, staring at each other. "Wei WuXian, if there is anything on your mind-"

"Are you for real?" I interrupted, and he nodded self-importantly. "As real as the first rays of the sun."

His reply made me clench my fists. "You said that on purpose!" 

"Of course I did." He shrugged. "And, Wei WuXian, send him off. If you take me up on my offer and fail, you will never see him again, and if you succeed, you will be the happiest man alive." With those words, he left me. 

I stood in silence with the elevator held open as if by magic. I stared at the number eighteen, written in black paint, bold and solid. I couldn't unsee it even if I wanted to. With an aching heart, I stepped out of the elevator and absentmindedly walked to the ward where I had left Ah-Wang sleeping yesterday. 

He was there still, looking as perfect as ever. No, I didn't see the bandage on his forehead, nor the one wrapped around his chest. My Wang was perfection personified. Always perfect.