( ☾ // purged from hell ) ( viscet 2552 )

[✦ nemuri]

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name. ye xingfeng [ 夜星风 ]xxxx
gender. malexxxx
take me to the adopt.xxxx

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☾ personality
☾ relationship
☾ epilogue

☾ 1st stage
☾ 2nd stage
☾ 3rd stage

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[✦ nemuri]

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☾ • ☽ ☾ • ☽ ☾ • ☽

as it was befitting for demons, ye xingfeng exuded an air of cool charisma and hidden intents. he shoved
all his secrets and true thoughts under a mysterious and inviting facade in order to deceive mortals and
lead them down the path of sin, therefore swearing his eternal loyalty to satan and vowing to be his loyal
advocate. he was flirty when in the mood, shy when allowing others to feel a sense of superiority around
him, and enigmatic when peppered with questions about his role. above all, xingfeng is supposed to be a
sinner, a mere demon who sneaks into the hearts of mortals in order to tempt them into committing acts
that would be seen as unfavourable in the eyes of god.

however, this wasn't the path that xingfeng wanted to lead. he hadn't signed up to become satan's spawn;
the role had been pushed upon him, and he had been expected to assume the position. the concepts and
ideas of heaven spoke volumes to him, but because of his expectations, he was never allowed to act on
his own impulses. eventually, gradually, he started to care; demons weren't permitted to feel care
towards mortals, because it went against everything that hell and demons stood for. at first, the feelings
were small and he was able to hide it easily enough. however, the seed that had been planted into his
heart soon bloomed into a flower, and it became so difficult for xingfeng to pretend that everything is
still okay. the quality of his lies started to slacken, and satan, being ever so clever, managed to pick up
on xingfeng's disloyal behaviour. oh, how ironic was it that a demon had disobeyed the orders from his
ruling deity? wasn't it usually creatures of the light that strayed to the dark side? nonetheless, xingfeng
had discovered that the light was too brilliant for him to return to the shadows, and with a heavy and
angry heart, satan cursed at him, commanding him to never return to hell, ordering him to stay far away
from his other demons.

xingfeng complied, for what else could he have done? nothing, and everyone, including himself, knew it.
in his last act to parley favour with satan, he agreed to those terms, but if there was one thing that he
was known for as a demon, it was lying.

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art by unleashed squid !

[✦ nemuri]

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x
xixwhen a demon meets an angel from heaven, the normal result would usually end with the two beings
either completely ignoring each other, or taunting each other and threatening to fight. if xingfeng had
met anling anywhere other than in the mortal world, they definitely would've ended up hating each
other at first sight. after all, the two of them are so different, both in appearance, personality, and
occupations. demons sinned and paved the road for mortals to sin, whereas angels promote justice,
purity and chastity; everything that a demon wouldn't ever stand for.

xixhowever, because xingfeng and anling had met in the mortal world, they soon came to understand
that in order to survive, they needed to rely on one other. besides, none of them had their memories;
they simply had no reason to hate each other, and even as god and satan started feeding them their
memories slowly, their friendship remained mostly intact. after all, they had come so far by working
together, and it made no sense to suddenly call off that partnership from out of the blue. however,
because god and satan didn't approve, there were other ways that they could split the pair up. love
and care shared between and demon and angel is strictly forbidden, and as such, anling would have
sinned in the eyes of god, and xingfeng's actions would have been seen as blatant betrayal from the
viewpoint of satan.

xixgod and satan have their ways to deal with unruly, turncoat angels and demons. there are varying
degrees of punishment, but in xingfeng and anling's scenario, their mistake is seen as the highest level
of offense. even though both of them had been banished from their respective homes prior to meeting;
it is essential for the rulers of each realm to bring them back in order to begin their rehabilitation. not
every bit of the truth and memories were returned to xingfeng and anling, but they were given enough
to re-instill that sense of wariness around each other, as a demon and an angel again.

xixthe war between heaven and hell was simply the breaking point for both xingfeng and anling. they
had struggled so much only to betray each other's trust in the end, and now there's nothing for them to
look back to. such is the fate of a demon and an angel who had been friends and unrequited lovers.
after a simple mistake, they are nothing more than mere enemies and strangers, now. if it weren't
for the tattoos and their time together, xingfeng and anling would've sworn to kill each other on sight.

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[✦ nemuri]

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indent"ye xingfeng! i have told you time and time again to cease all feelings of care within your soul, and yet, you refuse to listen. you leave me with no choice but to purge you from hell; you are no longer a demon, and this is no longer your home. you are no longer a demon. get out of my sight, you filthy traitor." specks of spittle landed on black-eyed viscet, and xingfeng's eyes widened slightly at satan's proclamation. he stumbled over his paws, rushing to get away from the ruler's dark, ivory throne, but before he was able to exit the court, the large deity stood up and stretched out an arm to grasp his translucent horns that curled around his ears. lips sliding downwards in what seemed to be disappointment and distaste, satan stroked xingfeng's large horns softly, admiring the intricacy of the horns. "i gave you these horns as a reward for your service. did you really think that i would allow you to keep your precious horns, even after i have cast you away? fool."

indentwhen satan's grip tightened around the base of his horns, xingfeng let out a small whimper, tears threatening to spill from the corners of his eyes as his breath caught in his throat and made him choke in a rough manner. "w-wait... my wrongdoings were unintentional! i swear, i'll fix all my mistakes with one more chance. satan, please have mercy on your loyal followe - argh!" his voice broke off into an ugly screech as his body hung in the air, suspended, as satan held out xingfeng's severed horns with his other paw. the former demon's body crumpled to the ground after satan released his hold, and the only thing xingfeng could do was curl into a small ball in attempts to protect himself and his remaining dignity. the pain at the top of his head burned like hellfire; it would've felt so good to scream, but he wouldn't give satan the satisfaction of seeing him suffer like this.

indentas xingfeng did his best to choke back his tears, his paws slowly made their way to the top of his head, where his horns would've been if satan hadn't ripped them away. the stinging sensation persisted, and when he gingerly touched the tender area, the black furred viscet instantly felt sick to his stomach. blood continued to trickle down the side of his head, matting and dirtying the fur in the surrounding areas, as he bit down on his lip, resisting the urge to throw up on the spot. of course, when xingfeng lifted his head for a brief moment to gauge satan's reaction, his heart sank to the depths of an empty abyss as blank, soulless eyes stared back at him. as inhumane as satan was, the disappointment and anger that was conveyed through the deity's facial expressions could have not been more clear. "why are you still here? i thought i told you to leave."

indentthe black furred viscet teetered unsteadily on his feet, with his paw still held against his bleeding head. his eyes were as empty as satan's, and although xingfeng knew he couldn't possibly be more scared than he currently was, the way energy had gathered at the center of satan's palms had him trembling and quaking. what could possibly be worse than being banished from hell and barred from ever entering the realm again? however, he wasn't able to form a thought coherent enough before darkness consumed his body, and he felt his consciousness slowly slip away from him, similar to how his bright future had vanished without another trace.

indentcomparing his future to the brightness of the sun was truly ironic; xingfeng used to be the spawn of satan, and now he would be nothing. light and brightness shouldn't ever exist in his world, lest they change his vision and ruin his world. of course, wasn't that how he ended up being purged from hell? satan hated the light, and any demon who wandered too close to the sun automatically had no right to be called a demon. such thoughts and phrases ran through the black-eyed viscet's mind, even after his mind had gone numb, and felt that the tips of his paws and tail were beginning to freeze off. xingfeng didn't really mind, or at least, that was what his subconsciousness tried to tell him.

indentafter all, what could possibly be worse than being banished from your own home?

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indent"being caught in a heavy downpour with nowhere else to go is definitely worse," xingfeng muttered softly to himself, as he quickly ducked underneath the overhang of a series of little shops on the streets. the rain only worsened the condition of his matted fur, but when he raised his paw to touch the top of his head, the wound had appeared to have healed. actually... it was almost as if the horns were never there in the first place. the fact confused the dark furred viscet, and when he started to walk along the side of the streets, he shivered at the chill that made his bones shiver. "it's bad enough that i don't even know where i am... where the hell did satan drop me off, this time?"

indenthe hadn't even realized that he had mentioned the name of his old home and his former ruling deity when his words drew odd looks from the other passerbys. "of course," xingfeng reasoned to himself, as he felt a knot begin to grow in his heart, "viscets from all around would rather avoid talk about satan and hell. that's understandable, but it gives absolutely no indication where i am in the vast world." the thought was troubling and sent several butterflies hurtling through xingfeng's stomach, and not for the first time that day, he merely gritted his teeth and hoped that he wouldn't end up throwing up on the spot.

indenthowever, something still seemed off. xingfeng's vision was blurred, each step he took was akin to the precarious rocking of an unstable boat over open water. he didn't let himself drop to his knees in the middle of the sidewalk, however - that would've been too much embarrassment for one day - but he was well aware of the fact his awkward gait made him look like a drunkard, which was also not a good thing. the other pedestrians on his side of the sidewalk avoided the black furred viscet like the plague, and through his hazy thoughts, xingfeng could hear the not-so-quiet whispers that were murmured behind his back, and the snarky comments that others made when they passed by him. as much as he would've liked for the comments to not exist, it wasn't like he was able to march up to the other viscets and demand for them to stop. he was certainly in no place to give orders, and xingfeng was fairly certain that the other viscets wouldn't feel kindly about a stranger telling them what to do, anyways.

indentstraightening his back in a small attempt to retain the small amount of dignity he had left, xingfeng continued to march on, even though he wasn't quite sure he was supposed to go. the blurriness of his vision was growing worse, and when he felt that his legs were about give out, the black-eyed viscet stumbled into an empty alleyway, save for a few empty cardboard boxes that were littered along the sides of the cobblestone walls. he tripped over one of the many cardboard boxes ungracefully, before landing face first in another. at first, the dark furred viscet had half the mind to push himself into an upright position, but when he jerked his head upwards, he was suddenly greeted with an overbearing exhaustion that definitely hadn't been there before.

indent"do i... really have to collapse again?" xingfeng questioned himself quietly, before allowing his eyelids to settle over his bleary black eyes. the last thing he was was a flash of white fur, and the appearance of such a bright shade was startling and unsettling to the former demon. he had wanted to keep his eyes open, but due to his utter lack of control over his own body (but xingfeng merely blamed it on his exhaustion; there had to be a reason why his body wouldn't work the way he wanted it to, right?), his eyelids remained firmly shut. he hadn't managed to see who the other viscet was, but they appeared to be motionless; it gave xingfeng a sense of comfort that he wasn't the only one crazy enough to collapse in the alleyways, and with that, he allowed himself to drift out of consciousness again.

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indentthe first thought that had successfully made its way through xingfeng's head was that he had absolutely no idea where he was and who the white furred viscet next to him was. his head still throbbed with a persisting ache that didn't seem like it would go away anytime soon, and the other viscet that had sprawled across several cardboard boxes twitched and shifted slightly every now and then, and those were the only indicators that the other viscet was even alive. the pouring rain had turned into a slight drizzle when xingfeng had reopened his eyes, however, and although the dark-eyed viscet wanted to get a move on, something told him that he shouldn't leave the white furred viscet behind. it was just a small feeling that had blossomed inside of his chest, and the more he acknowledged it, the more he couldn't let himself abandon the other viscet.

indentwith a resigned sigh, the dark furred viscet shifted around to move into a more comfortable position. he had no way of telling how long he'd be waiting for the other viscet to wake up, but he only hoped that it would be soon. although the rain had mostly stopped, the weather seemed unpredictable. besides, it was also only a matter of time before day gave way to night, where the moon and stars would finally decide to show their faces after long hours of waiting. there were so many things that could go wrong once the sun set, and strangely, rather than being worried about only himself, he was slowly starting to become concerned at how long it took for the other viscet to regain consciousness.

indentat first, xingfeng wondered if he should nudge the other viscet in hopes of eliciting some sort of response from them. it would certainly be able to draw out a reaction from the white furred viscet quicker, but in the end, he decided against the idea, instead preferring to just wait it out. he nibbled at the bottom of his lip in agitation as he rubbed his paws together, casting a small glance towards the other viscet now and then to make sure that they were okay. "of all things that could've happened today... and i still don't where i am. how did i even get here...?" xingfeng shook his head in confusion, and as he raised a paw to pat his mane into place, his paw hovered over the top of his head. he didn't quite know what he was expecting when he forced patted at the area, letting loose a small sigh when he found nothing interesting on his head. the dark furred viscet knew he should be feeling relieved that nothing was out of the ordinary, but for whatever reason, longing and regret filled the chasm in his chest and threatened to bubble over and overflow. "seriously, what's going on?"

indentfortunately for xingfeng, the white furred viscet's eyelids soon fluttered open. now that the other viscet's eyes were open, the dark furred viscet could tell that the pale-eyed viscet was also a male. the next thing he noticed was how angelic the other viscet appeared to be, and his silver eyes glimmered with a sort of bleariness you'd expect from someone who had just woken up from a pleasant dream. however, the expression on the white furred viscet was confused, and as he knit his eyebrows together to form some sort of frown, xingfeng tilted his head and nibbled on the bottom of his lip. the fact that the stranger before him seemed to be so pretty was so unfair in the black furred viscet's opinion, but xingfeng couldn't actually do anything about it, lest he wanted to be (presumably) slapped in the face.

indentclearing his throat slightly, the black furred viscet shifted around slightly before offering the other viscet a small smile. "i see that you've finally woken up, sleeping beauty." he chuckled softly, before pushing himself into an upright position. immediately, xingfeng grimaced at the flash of pain that ran through his head, but he kept his composure and extended a paw towards the other viscet. although his paw wavered slightly and it was difficult for him to maintain any sort of position that wasn't sitting or lying down, the dark-eyed male gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay like that, at least until the other viscet gave him some sort of reaction.

indentto xingfeng's surprise, the white furred viscet grasped his paw and pulled himself up. for a moment, the black-eyed viscet was overwhelmed by how close they were in that small instant, but once the other male stepped away, he felt his heightened emotions ebb away and turn into mild disappointment. he didn't know why he felt such a strong attachment to the other viscet, and in xingfeng's honest opinion, he believed that the pale-eyed viscet was much too pretty for his own good. the other viscet glanced around uncertainly, and with an almost hesitant voice, decided to reply to xingfeng's comment.

indent"please do not call me that. i have a name, and it's chen anling. use it instead."

indentthe smooth timbre of anling's voice resounded through xingfeng's mind, and with widening eyes, the dark furred viscet grappled at his thoughts, replaying the white furred viscet's voice over and over in his thoughts. however, he didn't spend too much time delving into his head; anling had answered, and now xingfeng had to do the same. "chen anling, huh? that's a really pretty name; mine is ye xingfeng, but feel free to just call me xingfeng or whatever." dropping his voice into a soft drawl, his darker eyes glimmered in interest. he had let of anling's paw the moment the other male had stepped back, and rubbed his gray speckled paws together. the pale-eyed viscet had such delicate-looking paws, and for a moment, xingfeng almost couldn't believe that anling was also a male. however, anling's low voice and the displeased look within his eyes made it clear that he was one hundred percent male. xingfeng would be lying to himself if he said that he didn't want to get to know the other viscet better, and when he cleared his throat again, his smile only grew wider in anticipation. "anyways, what were you doing in the heap of cardboard boxes? one would think that you were a foreigner in this place, should they have caught you snoozing away like that. you really should take better care of yourself; certain unspeakable things might've happened if i hadn't been here, you know?"

indentof course, xingfeng hadn't actually been serious - he was rarely serious, for a matter of fact. the way the words had spilled out of his mouth seemed so familiar, and he quickly came to realize that with the correct words and phrases, he could subtly manipulate the tone and intentions of his words. as familiar as the procedure seemed to the black furred viscet, he wasn't sure why he would ever need to be able to do something like that. the small voice at the back of his mind acknowledged his actions as flirting, and when the realization came through his head, he jolted slightly in surprise. why was he flirting with another male viscet? aren't those types of actions typically frowned upon, no matter where you were?

indentif anling had noticed xingfeng's internal dilemma, he hadn't bothered to comment on it. while the black furred viscet was relieved to be spared from another opportunity at embarrassing himself in front of another viscet (and a cute one, at that!), the fact that anling didn't seem to be the least bit interested did do a considerably large chunk of damage to his pride and self-esteem. in any case, xingfeng was happy enough to have had the chance to talk to the pale-eyed male viscet. when he was going to backtrack a little and apologize for potentially making the other viscet feel uncomfortable, anling had cut him off by opening his mouth to speak. his frown had alleviated into a softer-looking smile, and xingfeng had to do a double-take to make sure that his eyes weren't lying to him.

indent"is that so? well, i extend to you my gratitude. honestly, i don't believe i am from this area. i have no memories about my past, and i only remember how i got here in the first place, in addition to my own identity." anling paused abruptly to scrunch his face back into an expression that looked similar to a frown, and when xingfeng thought that the other viscet was going to complain about something, anything really, the pale-eyed viscet looked at him straight into the eye. the black furred viscet felt himself freeze and tense up slightly for not the first time that day, and with anling's pale eyes searing into his mind, he could barely concentrate on what the male had said. did he do something wrong? xingfeng didn't think that he stepped out of line, and he had apologized for the flirting earlier. besides, anling didn't seem to mind, so what reason was there for him to be upset?

indent"- since i don't really remember anything, so i was wondering if you might be able to help me out. hey, are you even listening to me?" anling let out an annoyed sigh before shaking slightly and breaking the eye contact he shared with xingfeng, much to the latter viscet's disappointment. the black furred viscet was sure that he would've been able to lose himself within the pale-eyed viscet's glimmering orbs within a matter of seconds, but there wasn't much he could do if anling wasn't willing to look at him. the white furred viscet turned away, and started to walk away. with his back still turned, he began to speak once again. "sorry, never mind what i just said. it's... it's a foolish thought. please don't pay it any mind, and i'll get going now. good day to you, ye xingfeng."

indent"wait!" the word had slipped off the tip of xingfeng's tongue, and when anling turned back to face him in confusion, the black furred viscet pursed his lips together tightly, trying to find the right words to say. he knew it was unreasonable for him to ask the other viscet to stay, especially since they had just met, but why not give it a shot? besides, you could never know unless you try, and once again... the pale-eyed male just had that different aura to him. anling seemed to carry himself with dignity and pride, and when he spoke, his tone was polite, and nothing more. while xingfeng had half the mind to get to know the other male viscet, he also wanted to know what could make anling lighten and loosen up in casual circumstances. "i'm sorry for not paying attention; something had distracted me. i think you said something about helping each other out? i'm totally down for that, since i don't remember much about where i'm from, either. hey, don't you think this is kind of coincidental? rather... instead of a coincidence, this is almost like fate. i'd certainly be happy, if i was fated to meet such a pretty viscet as yourself."

indentupon hearing xingfeng's words, the skin beneath anling's snow-white fur started to glow softly in a blush, although the other viscet's expression still appeared to be rather confused and a little agitated. the black-eyed viscet had been surprised that the other male had been able to become this flustered; after all, it wasn't everyday that you'd meet a viscet as sophisticated as anling, and one would certainly expect for anling to stoic enough to fit the strong-silent type trope. the white furred viscet let out a small growl in frustration as he rubbed at the top of his mane, looking visibly flustered and uncomfortable. "y-you...! quit joking around, the fact that we've both lost our memories is a serious problem." he refused to say anything else after that, and as xingfeng had watched with a dumbfounded expression, a small but genuine smile slowly started to make its way onto his lips.

indent"now, that's a reaction i'll never get bored of seeing. anyways, i'll be serious now, so let's get going. we might as well start finding a place to stay during the night, don't you think? it's certainly a lot better than just staying in this dingy alleyway, in my opinion."

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[✦ nemuri]

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indentas the black furred viscet let out a loud sigh, he stretched his arms over the top of his head and dangled the small pouch in front of himself. the sound that the coins made when they clicked against each other made xingfeng smile softly, and when he shook the pouch even more, the jangling of the coins became even more pronounced. things were going smoothly - well, as smoothly as it could, for two amnesiac viscets who were as different as day and night. at first, adjusting to this new, sudden lifestyle was difficult, but as time passed, xingfeng continued to push his way through life alongside anling. "perhaps that's what made things so bearable," the black-eyed viscet mused to himself, before tucking away the small pouch in a relatively empty canvas bag, "having a companion during times like these really do make quite the difference."

indentturning around sharply on his heels, xingfeng began to make his way back to the temporary home he shared with anling. although they managed to find a place where they could stay, the two of them still had to find a way to sustain themselves. the black furred male didn't really know what the pale-eyed viscet did each day, but he usually brought something back, whether it'd be money or food. xingfeng hadn't really wanted to resort to theft, but he truly didn't know how else he was supposed to help. although the idea of robbing someone of their money and possessions had seemed wrong to him, the act of stealing someone else's things had come so naturally to him that it was unnerving. of course, xingfeng told himself that he wouldn't steal if he could help it; however, since he had to help out anling in some sort of manner, that was the only open option for him.

indentas xingfeng neared the small structure, he took the small amount of time to think about how far he had come with anling, and how they managed to (mostly) set aside their differences to work together and survive. under normal circumstances, the black furred viscet wouldn't have befriended someone as standoffish as the pale-eyed male, even if anling was exceptionally pretty. in any case, xingfeng was fairly sure that the other viscet wouldn't have paid much attention to him, either, if they weren't in similar situations. for a brief moment, he wondered what life would be like if both he and anling had all of their memories. he realized that it probably would've meant that they would have no use for each other, as there were other viscets that they could go to instead.

indentfor that one reason, xingfeng ended up walking into the shack with a frown on his face, rather than the smile he usually had in his expression. when he passed by anling, he received a confused (and perhaps worried) glance from the other viscet, but as quickly as the white furred male had turned to face him, he had returned his attention back to the food on the table. nothing was exchanged between the two, and the silence was awkward and stifling; it almost seemed like xingfeng would choke if he dared to breathe deeply. why wasn't anling saying anything? wasn't he going to do anything about the situation? it was almost as though the pale-eyed viscet was okay with how things currently were, and much to xingfeng's disappointment, he couldn't find any points that would prove his assumption otherwise.

indent"how were things today, anling? i see that there's food on the table again, so i'm guessing that things went well." xingfeng finally decided to say something after an uncomfortable silence, and after he had finished his sentence, he let out a small sigh of relief. he had managed to break the awkward silence, and the black furred viscet was hoping that anling would answer his query, to prevent that silence from returning. at first, the pale-eyed male seemed content with remaining silent, but when xingfeng lowered his head slightly in disappointment, something flashed within anling's eyes, and he readily opened his mouth to reply.

indent"... yeah, things went well today. i had enough money to buy some steamed buns, so i got two for both of us and kept the rest of the money in that pouch. what did you manage to do today, xingfeng?" anling questioned, as the dark-eyed male's expression softened into a small smile. the white furred viscet handed him a steamed bun, and with a small nod of his head in acknowledgement, xingfeng took it with both paws and took a tentative sniff at the bun. the smell reminded him of pork, and when he split the bun in half, he wasn't too surprised at the meat that awaited him. steam rose from the still-warm bun, and the black furred viscet took a small but appreciative bite. anling seemed to smile at xingfeng's reaction, and the pale-eyed male took a bun of his own and bit into it as well.

indent"me? well, as usual, i took on some odd jobs, and brought back some money. hey, these buns are surprisingly good, where did you get them?" in an attempt to ward away the attention from himself, xingfeng decided to ask about the buns that anling had brought back. the white furred viscet had always seemed to be the type to promote justice, and xingfeng was fairly certain that the other male would flip out if he told him that he was stealing things from other viscets. much to the dark-eyed viscet's relief, however, anling merely inclined his head, choosing to answer xingfeng's query than question him any more about what he did that day.

indent"i got them from down the street. i had always meant to buy some of their steamed buns earlier, but they were pricier than i had expected. nonetheless, everyone i spoke with suggested that i try out their buns, so here we are. normally, i wouldn't have spent so much money on food, but i guess we can afford to celebrate how far we've come together every now and then." the pale-eyed male's voice trailed off slightly near the end of his words, and he had averted his eyes, much to xingfeng's confusion. however, the black furred viscet didn't think too much about anling's odd action; there was probably a reason why the male was acting that way, and xingfeng was never really one to pry. however, when the white furred viscet stood up without finishing his second steamed bun, he raised an eyebrow in confusion. anling merely let out a light laugh, before proceeding to explain. "i don't really feel hungry today, so i'm going to save it for tomorrow morning. since there's nothing else for us to do, i'll go sleep earlier... i'll see you in the morning, xingfeng. good night."

indentxingfeng had wanted to reach out to anling, but something in the other viscet's eyes stopped him in his tracks almost immediately. it was clear that the white furred viscet wanted to be left alone, and while xingfeng couldn't figure out why anling was acting that way, the only thing he could do was respect the other viscet's wishes. nodding his head slightly in acknowledgement to the retreating viscet's back, the dark-eyed male let out a small sigh before taking another bite out of his steamed bun. "right, good night, anling. talk to you again in the morning."

indentafter anling had left, xingfeng was left to finish eating his steamed buns in silence and solitude. he didn't particularly mind how quiet it was; it was a lot nicer than the awkward silence from earlier, and despite everything, the black furred viscet enjoyed having small moments to himself. he had originally planned on finishing his food and then preparing for bed, but as he was left to silently pick at his food, xingfeng realized that he, too, had no appetite. there was no doubt that the pork steam buns were good, but the dark-eyed male just wasn't in the mood to really eat and concentrate on the flavours. once xingfeng finished eating his first steamed bun, he packed up the food and put it away, as he had no intentions of eating any more that night.

indentdeciding to head to bed earlier than usual, the black furred viscet shut off the lights and started to navigate the way to his room in the darkness. he managed to not bump into any walls on his way, and as he shuffled into his room, xingfeng made a beeline for his bed. he kicked off his covers and made himself comfortable on the straw-filled mattress, which wasn't the easiest of tasks, but the dark-eyed male managed to make it work. at first, he had been planning on remaining awake to think, but as he breathed in the cool, night air, xingfeng could feel his eyelids steadily grow heavier, until he couldn't keep them open any longer. he let out a soft, content sigh, as he slowly felt himself drift off to sleep once more.

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indentsleep didn't come easily to the dark furred viscet, however. while xingfeng knew that he was unconscious, his mind was busy at work as he took in his surroundings. the cobblestone path he was standing on was very dark, and the slippery moss grew on the stones, making it difficult for xingfeng to maintain his balance if he were to begin walking. flowers wilted on the side of the path, and the branches of several shrunken and shriveled up trees caressed the moon in all its glory. the black-eyed male was about to begin walking when he noticed that something about the moon seemed different from the one that he was used to seeing. this particular moon was dyed a shade of bloody crimson, and as he craned his head to look upwards, the bloody moon was the only source of light in the area. large, towering walls surrounded both sides of the path, creating an illusion of a chasm that had opened up, and that xingfeng had fallen inside.

indenthe wasn't sure of what to make with all this new information. in an attempt to calm himself down, xingfeng raised a paw to his head, but his entire body stiffed when the tips of paws met what appeared to be horns on top of his head, instead of his mane and fur. the keratin material was strong, and no matter what he did, he couldn't remove the horns. "why are the horns there? i'm not supposed to have them," xingfeng thought to himself, but as he lowered his arm, another viscet came bounding up to him. the newcomer also had horns, and while xingfeng wasn't sure what shape his horns were in, the other viscet's horns curled around his ears, resembling ram horns. the stranger had a bright smile on their face, but upon closer inspection, the black furred viscet realized that the smile wasn't genuine, and that he could feel an odd aura emanating off the other being. "this is all so weird. what's going on here?"

indent"hey hey, xingfeng! glad to see you around again," the other viscet remarked, and even when xingfeng presented them with a puzzled expression, their energy and enthusiasm didn't waver in the slightest. if anything, their smile grew wider, and while they didn't appear to have any hidden intentions, their smile appeared to morph into a smirk. this fact unnerved the black furred viscet, and if the stranger could pick on up on his discomfort, they didn't mention it. "hell's been terribly lonely without you here, and since i don't want to come to you, i just got you to come to me instead! don't you think it'll be nice for us to have a chance to chat and talk about how has been? of course, my life is dull, since all i get to do each day is convince some dumb viscets to make poor choices, but i still get a good kick at their stupidity. i do want to know how things are going with you, however."

indentstruggling to formulate the right words in his mind, xingfeng swallowed back a lump in his throat and bit down on his lower lip. why was the other viscet talking to him like they knew each other or something? the way they talked about viscets in general was appalling, almost as though they had no respect for the life of others. a small voice at the back of his head told him that of course the stranger wouldn't have any respect for life; they were a demon, and they were in hell, and there was no reason for them to go back on satan's word. xingfeng took a step back in bewilderment, but as he thought more about what the voice had said, it made sense; why else would have the other viscet made him so uncomfortable? however, that still didn't explain why they knew him so well. what else did the other viscet know that he didn't know?

indentwhen xingfeng didn't respond to his question, the viscet with the large, ram horns pouted childishly and took a step towards the black furred male again. "xingfeng, why aren't you talking to me? don't you remember who i am?" at that, the viscet's large eyes grew even wider at the realization, and as they attempted to stifle their giggles, xingfeng continued to look on in discomfort. he truly had no idea what was going on, and it was almost like the stranger was talking to themself. "right, right, my apologies~ xingfeng, i had totally forgotten that satan had wiped your memory clean! i was really missing your presence here in hell, so that's why i brought you back briefly. oops! looks like satan might've caught on to what's going on here; i need to return your mind back to your body. stay still, this will only take a minute."

indentxingfeng had assumed that it would take more than just a mere minute, but when the other viscet reached out a paw to cover his face (much to his displeasure, xingfeng wasn't fond of having his vision obscured), he could feel himself drifting off. the black-eyed viscet could hear an enraged screech in the distance, along with loud chuckles from the viscet who had approached him. before he was able to pick up on any more information what appeared to be "hell", however, xingfeng ended up blacking out. this time, he didn't end up waking in a strange place.

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indentwhen xingfeng made his way to the eating area in the morning, anling was already eating on his steamed bun from last night. although the food had cooled down, the white furred viscet was still eating away, as though the food was still warm and fresh. smiling wryly at the other viscet, xingfeng picked up his steamed bun and took a seat next to anling. "good morning, what are you gonna do today?" he took a large bite into his steamed bun, which was filled with red bean paste, before humming softly at the taste. the dark-eyed viscet typically enjoyed savoury food over any other kinds of food, but the red bean paste complimented the dough of the bun. xingfeng's eyes sparkled as he took another bite of his bun, and as anling shot a sideways glance towards him, the white furred male chuckled slightly at his reaction to the steamed buns.

indent"well, i don't have anything planned for today, so perhaps we can allow ourselves to take a small break, every now and then. it does look like you're enjoying the steamed buns i brought back yesterday, though," anling commented offhandedly, and his smile slowly grew wider as xingfeng finished scarring down the last of his steamed bun. he had been feeling rather peckish, as he didn't eat both of his buns for dinner. usually, the two viscets would go out and buy breakfast so that it would be warm when they started to eat, but as neither of them had actually finished their dinners, parts of their dinner would suffice as breakfast. xingfeng certainly didn't mind, and anling didn't appear to mind either. with that thought in mind, the dark furred viscet smiled back at the pale-eyed male.

indenthowever, his cheerful smile was replaced by a more serious expression, upon hearing how anling hadn't quite made any plans for the day so far. while xingfeng has lived with the white furred male for quite some time, there were still some things that they didn't know about each other, and the only way they'd be able to unearth secrets would be to spending more together. however, he did know enough about anling to pick up on how hot-headed the other viscet was, and even though the white furred viscet was able to respond to most situations in a calm and mature manner, there were times when his childishness and naivety would shine through. xingfeng wasn't too sure how anling usually dealt with making decisions, as they usually decided and agreed on them together.

indent"i haven't given it much thought, to be honest. however, i always thought that it's might be nice if we got matching tattoos, or something of the like. i know a tattoo shop that does a pretty good job at applying the designs to our bodies, and while it might not be up in your alley, i'm sure that you should be able to find a tattoo design that you like. however, we're definitely getting matching tattoos in one way or another; this is non-negotiable." letting out a small sigh as he inhaled sharply to fill his lungs with oxygen, anling looked on in amusement. the pale-eyed viscet never seemed like much of a tattoo or piercings type of viscet, and even if that wasn't the case, xingfeng's plan to force anling to get matching tattoos was definitely high up on his to-do list.

indentif anling was surprised at xingfeng's proclamation, he didn't let it show. instead, a wry smile crept its way onto his face, and as he crossed his arms in amusement, he nodded along to the black-eyed viscet's words. "matching tattoos, huh? now, that's a new idea. normally, i wouldn't want to alter my own body because i think everything is fine, but if it's to commemorate how far we've come, then i'll do it." the white furred male shifted around in his seat, before reaching for the pouch of money from across the table. xingfeng slid the pouch across the table towards anling, and the latter viscet let out a small sigh once the pouch was in his possession.

indent"that's great! in that case, i suppose we should get going as soon as possible. the day is still young, and after we've gotten our tattoos, perhaps we can go around the city together. we haven't really seen much of the city, despite living here for a while, because all we've been trying to do is survive," xingfeng pointed out, and the pale-eyed male tilted his head, thinking about xingfeng's statement. at this point, the black furred viscet believed that it was enough for anling to agree to get matching tattoos; even if the other viscet were to say no the second part of his plans, xingfeng would've still been happy. however, much to xingfeng's surprise and pleasure, anling nodded his head slowly and smiled again.

indent"sounds good to me. it'd be a little boring if we got tattoos and instantly headed back home, am i right? it would certainly be a shame if we weren't going to enjoy ourselves," the white furred male murmured softly, as he pushed his chair out from behind him and stood up. the tip of his tail twitched slightly in anticipation, and as xingfeng followed suit, his dark eyes glimmered in excitement. anling was the first to begin walking towards the exit of the building, and as the black furred viscet followed behind, the other male let out a small hum.

indentthe two viscets walked in relative silence, save for the shouts from the vendors calling out to pedestrians and the whinnying of horses that pulled carts filled with goods. while anling kept his gaze forward, xingfeng couldn't help but glance around his surroundings, taking in the many colours and shapes that were present in his vision. there were smells and sounds to be heard, as the black furred viscet's nose picked up on the delicate scent of mandarin oranges, and heard the sizzling of oil as one vendor sold roast duck and chicken. quietly promising himself an opportunity to take anling around and check out the different assortments of vendors, xingfeng quickened his pace slightly so that he was walking next to the white furred viscet. when anling presented him with a questioning look, he merely smiled and continued to walk.

indentafter a few minutes of walking and taking in all the busy sights and smells that the city had to offer, xingfeng and anling had finally arrived in front of the tattoo shop. the building didn't look as grand or spectacular as some of the other stores, and it seemed a little run down. before anling could open his mouth to comment on their destination, however, xingfeng stepped forward and swung open the door, before turning back to glance at the white furred viscet. xingfeng had a neutral expression on his face, but within his eyes, bubbles of elation shone through. "come on, let's go," he called out, before entering the shop. footsteps behind him indicated that anling had also stepped into the shop, and his smile only grew larger.

indentfrom then on, everything was like a blur to the dark-eyed viscet. he briefly recalled picking out a design with anling, and the prickling pain that stung his shoulder as the tattoo artist began to preform their craft. however, the pain for worth it, because in the end, when xingfeng glanced over to the white furred male's direction, his gaze fell to his shoulder, where the yin-yang symbol rested. the same one was on his shoulder as well, and when anling lifted his head to meet xingfeng's eyes, they smiled slightly. who would've ever thought that two strangers with no memories would soon become great friends? although the black furred viscet remained smiling, his heart dropped slightly at the thought. great friends. was that all there was to life? xingfeng enjoyed anling's company; he truly did, but he'd be lying to himself if he said that he was content with where their friendship currently was.

indentas it was, even if anling were to return his feelings by some stroke of luck, there was no way that the locals would ever approve. who would've ever thought that two male viscets would want to seek partnership within each other? no, that wouldn't do, and even as the realization set in, xingfeng continued to smile. would the white furred viscet be able to tell that it was forced, though? he didn't know what anling was thinking, and in times like these, it was probably better that he didn't know.

indentafter all, it would've been so much more painful if they realized that their feelings were mutual, but couldn't act upon them due to the expectations of society. sure, it was a sin in the eyes of god, but xingfeng found that he didn't actually care. he was prepared to condemn himself to a future of eternal suffering within hell if necessary, but for now, he was content with just seeing anling's smile.

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[✦ nemuri]

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indent"anling, where are you going?" xingfeng called out, poking his head out from the doorway as he watched the other viscet prepare to leave the building for what appeared to be the sixth time that week. he looked bored, but in truth, he had no idea what was about to happen. although the two viscets still did everything they could to support each other, something had changed. anling had suddenly become so secretive and unwilling to share, and whenever the black furred viscet tried to pry, anling would snap at him and mumble a small apology afterwards. at first, xingfeng didn't think that anything was wrong; after all, everyone had those days where everything seemed to be going in the wrong direction, but when the situation didn't alleviate, he started to grow worried. what could be so terrible that anling was unwilling to tell him? the dark-eyed male couldn't come up with anything, for the white furred male simply wasn't the kind of viscet to do such vile things.

indentwhen anling raised his head instinctively to the sound of xingfeng's voice, he flinched slightly at the look within his eyes. he immediately averted his gaze, awkwardly mumbling something about how he had something to do, and rushed out of the door. the black furred male had reached out to stop him, to grab his arm, to force him to explain, but anling had fled so quickly that he didn't even have a chance to take a single step before the other male disappeared. curling his lip downwards into a frown, xingfeng let out a soft growl and cursed softly. something was clearly wrong, and the fact that anling was share his thoughts was bothering the dark-eyed viscet.

indent"seriously, what's going on...? well, there's nothing that i can do right now, so i guess i'll go back to sleep for the time being," xingfeng murmured quietly to himself, his footsteps light as he made his way back to his room. even after he laid down on his mattress, he let out a breathy sigh, knowing full well that it wouldn't be so easy to get anling out of his mind. he concentrated on making his breathing become even, and when xingfeng shut his eyes, he only wished to have a peaceful rest.

indenthowever, things definitely wouldn't be that simple.

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indentwhen xingfeng entered the dream world, his eyes fell upon a viscet who looked faintly familiar, but he couldn't quite recall where he had seen them before. almost as though they could feel the dark furred viscet's gaze on their backs, the viscet turned around, and their previously bored expression instantly lit up into something more elated. now that the viscet was smiling broadly, xingfeng located the horns that curled around their ears, and remembered how they had supposedly brought him to hell a while ago. there were rare sightings of the other viscet within his dreams, but they had never actually come up to him before.

indentnow, the other viscet was standing cheerfully in front of xingfeng. they presented him with a small wave and a cheeky smile, before opening their mouth to display their rows of brilliant, white teeth and to speak. "hey there, xingfeng! long time no see, huh? well, i guess that's not entirely accurate, since i've seen you tons; it's just that we haven't talked in so long, and it was driving me insane! at this point, you should remember a little more about your past now, right? i've been trying to feed you little tidbits about who you were; it's not like i was parading around in the mortal realm for nothing." the other viscet's toothy grin only increased in size at the sight of xingfeng's visible discomfort, but as the black furred viscet tried to brush away his discomfort and prepared to open his mouth to speak, the other viscet's smile faded away slightly.

indent"why are you telling me everything? if everything you've said is true, then i can only assume that satan doesn't want me to ever return to hell," xingfeng muttered softly, turning his head so that he wouldn't be looking at the other viscet. the viscet with the ram horns, who xingfeng had assumed was a demon, let out a small huff and thumped their tail against the ground it what appeared to be annoyance. the dark-eyed male let his eyelids drop down in an attempt to avoid looking at the demon, but when xingfeng allowed his eyelids to rise once again, he stifled back a surprised screech at the sight of the viscet, who had walked right up to him. their eyes seemed to be sunken, and their entire demeanor indicated how tired they were, but with how the demon had been cheerfully talking, xingfeng would've never realized.

indentthe demon seemed to have realized that xingfeng had learned something, and their eyes narrowed until they were small slits of barely concealed frustration. "huh, well you know that i'm a demon. that's... just fine, i suppose. then again, i suppose i was never all that secretive about it. anyways, listen closely; you know that other viscet you're always hanging out with? an chenling or whatever the hell his name is? he's dangerous, and he will betray you. why else do you think he's always disappearing without a trace?" the viscet with the ram horns curled his lip downwards into a disgusted frown, and as xingfeng's eyes widened in disbelief and anger at the other viscet's accusation, the black furred viscet lashed his tail angrily.

indent"how dare you accuse anling of such an act, and without baseless information to boot? i will never accept this; you've proven how you are to me, and i do not wish to see you any more. leave me be," xingfeng hissed sharply, curling his lips back into a hostile snarl to reveal his glimmering teeth. the demon glanced disinterestedly towards the black furred male, and their expressionless features soon contorted into an ugly guffaw. xingfeng reared back, startled at the ram horned viscet's response, and narrowed his eyes into small slits. "what is wrong with you? send me back already, damn it!"

indent"honestly, who are you to tell me what to do, xingfeng? whatever, there's really no point in arguing with you; you'll definitely to your senses once you see for yourself." scoffing loudly in disgust, the viscet with the ram horns raised an eyebrow in distaste before reaching out to cover xingfeng's face with his larger paw. the black-eyed viscet inhaled sharply at the demon's sudden action, and although he knew that it was how that particular demon transported other viscets to places, the fact that he had to be rendered sightless, even for a brief moment, unnerved him. "you're so stupid, xingfeng. you definitely had more sense as a demon, and up until the moment you were banished, you were fine and normal. i guess going places that you weren't supposed to go really does things to a viscet, huh."

indentwh-what do you mea - mmmphf!" spluttering loudly as he let out a sound of discomfort, xingfeng immediately dropped to his knees, prompting the demon to follow suit. he wasn't sure why his body was quivering, but the black furred viscet was aware of how memories were surging through his mind, evoking emotions he thought he had hidden away and thoughts he didn't quite want to remember. xingfeng let out a gasp that sounded oddly reminiscent to a choked back sob, as his memories were returned to him. while not all of his memories had come back to their rightful place (xingfeng assumed that it must've had something to do with the demon's power; since satan was the one who took his memories away, it'd only make sense that the demon wouldn't have enough power and energy to give all of his memories back), he remembered enough about himself, and frankly, the only feeling that the dark-eyed viscet recognized through the clutter of emotions and confusion was pain.

indentthe former demon hadn't expected it to hurt at all, yet here he was, wheezing for breath and allowing tears of weakness to escape from his eyes. demons didn't cry, didn't care, didn't show signs of regret; when had he grown so soft? was it because he had spent so much time with anling that his hardened heart had slowly started to melt and bloom with vibrant colours, colours so strong that they rivaled the beauty of delicate garden blossoms? xingfeng was confused, and above all, he didn't know what he should do next. how could he face the white furred viscet now, after knowing just how terrible of a viscet (or more specifically, a demon) he had been? above all, he didn't know what the other demon had been trying to achieve, and when xingfeng raised his tear-streaked face, only four words had been expelled with his quiet, wavering voice. "let me go back."

indentthe evil demon let out a joyous laugh, clearly pleased at seeing xingfeng's pained, trouble expression. they smiled widely, cocking their head, as though they were thinking about what words to say in response. "oh, alright. you've been such a good demon today, so i'll spare you some pain. remember, if anling ever betrays you, feel free to hit me up again! i'll get you a one way ticket to hell for sure, my friend." with that, the demon flicked their tail before standing up to walk away, leaving xingfeng, who was still on the ground. however, in the next moment that the black furred viscet had closed their eyes, he started to lose consciousness. what was happening now? was the viscet with the large ram horns finally sending him back into the real world?

indent"at least i'm finally going to return to my own body," xingfeng thought to himself blearily, before allowing his consciousness to succumb to the dark depths of the memories that had been locked away. there were lots of memories to remember, and as far as the dark-eyed male could tell, there was no light at the end of the tunnel. he could only hope that anling would be able to forcefully wake him from his horrible dream.

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indent- ingfeng! xingfeng, wake up. what's wrong with you today?"

indentas his eyes flashed open in a sudden jolt, xingfeng bit back a small gasp at the sight of anling's face. the other viscet's eyebrows was lightly knitted together to form a frown, and for a small moment, he felt almost guilty that he made his friend worry. nonetheless, when anling saw that xingfeng was conscious, he let out a relieved sigh before sinking back into the chair that he had pulled up to the side of the black furred viscet's bed. "great, you're finally awake. i was starting to think that you were dead or something. anyways, i have something important to tell you, so don't freak out, okay?"

indentblinking in confusion, xingfeng glanced up to meet anling's unusually grave eyes. the other viscet's stormy silver eyes seemed troubled, and he seemed to have some difficulty in formulating his words. the black furred male remained quiet so that anling could think in silence, but that wasn't necessary, as the hesitation that had been building up within the white furred viscet was temporary. "sorry to spring this on you all of a sudden, but i'm going to leave this place."

indentanling's words had initially surprised and amused him, but the more xingfeng thought about it, he soon realized that the other viscet wasn't joking around. the white furred male's expression was as grim and serious as ever, and as the dark-eyed male's orbs widened in disbelief, he could recognize the familiar feeling that accompanied the emotion of disappointment. it was as though his stomach were doing somersaults, and when the sensation of what appeared to be butterfly wings tickled at the base of his throat, xingfeng choked. "wait, what? you know, anling, you shouldn't joke around so much. sooner or later, i'm going to get a heart attack thanks to you." he paused, shoulders shaking softly as he glanced imploringly in the other viscet's direction. anling had turned his head away, and that's when xingfeng had felt his heart begin to crack. "this... is a joke, right? why are you leaving?"

indenta long pause ensued, and as anling's silver eyes flitted around the room, xingfeng realized just how uncomfortable the other viscet was. did anling get bored of his company or something? he was sure that he hadn't done anything to anger him to that point. however, the white furred viscet let out a small, almost mournful sigh before speaking once more. "that... i can't say. there's something i need to see for my own eyes, and only one viscet can help me with that. don't get me wrong, i enjoyed our time together, but i think it's about time that we went on our own paths. we can only work together for so long, and while interdependence is a good thing, it's counterproductive if we're unable to live without the other. do you get where i'm coming from, xingfe -"

indent"why, anling?! why can't you tell me a single thing? i never know what you're up to, and now you're expecting me to let you leave just because you want to see something for yourself? i've... i've honestly never heard of such a preposterous thought!" jaws snapping and lips curling back into a furious snarl, xingfeng forced out a hiss through his teeth. at first glance, the black furred male might have appeared to just be angry and upset, but upon closer inspection, it was fairly obvious that tears were beginning to prick and pool around the corners of his dark, almost haunted eyes upon hearing anling's declaration. he hadn't felt this upset in what seemed to be forever, and because it was anling that was leaving him, the pain only amplified. "do you even care about me at all? we've come so far together, and now you're telling me that you want to throw everything behind?! what about our memories? the food we shared? our tattoos?"

indent"don't you dare use our tattoos against me. you don't understand how difficult this is to me! i want to stay, but i can't remain in the dark forever. i need to know more about who i am, and where i came from. you understand, don't you?! that it's painful, living but not even knowing who you truly are!" anling rubbed his paws together in frustration, while his silver eyes burned with a passion that was so beautiful yet upsetting at the same time. xingfeng remained silent for the sake of saving what little dignity he had left after his outburst, and when he closed his eyes in attempt to hold in his tears, a stray droplet of water rolled down his cheek. another drop soon followed the first, until the black furred viscet had no way of stopping his tears. he sat in silence, contemplating his decisions while making no move to brush away the tears from his face. anling apparently had the nerve to appear almost regretful at xingfeng's reaction, and while he would've been fine with not saying anything, the pity that shone through in the other viscet's eyes brought him back to reality.

indentwith a rasp, xingfeng raised a shaking paw and pointed towards the door. anling looked behind him in confusion, prompting more quakes and quivers from the black furred viscet's shoulders. "leave," he whispered softly, almost as though he was unsure of his decision. when the silver-eyed viscet continued to glance back at him in bewilderment, xingfeng finally let loose a scream and shoved anling away from him. "leave! you wanted to leave, right? then do it!"

indentevidently, that was the wrong thing to say, for anling's silvery eyes began to smolder with an anger that xingfeng couldn't even begin to describe. the white furred viscet had opened his mouth at first, preparing himself to shoot of more words, but then, he seemed to reconsider his options. the other viscet had pursed his lips into a thin line, and without another word or pitying glance, he turned around and left the house. anling had slammed the door upon leaving, which would have been uncharacteristic if he hadn't been upset, and that was when xingfeng finally let himself break down.

indentsoft whimpers and quiet sniffles soon turned into loud, choking sobs, and as tears flowed down xingfeng's face relentlessly, he cursed at himself. why had he said all those scathing things? he hadn't even meant to be that harsh, and the thought of hurting anling only created more cracks within his heart. while the former demon was accustomed to physical pain, experiencing emotional and mental pain was on a whole new different level. he assumed that it might've been because he would the one playing around with others' hearts as a demon, but now, anling had left and there was nothing xingfeng could do about it. if he had the ability to turn back time, xingfeng would've make sure to go through all of anling's possible reactions until he was able to convince the other viscet to stay with him.

indenthowever, xingfeng soon realized that it would only be a futile attempt; such a power didn't even exist, as neither god or satan (at least to his knowledge) had the ability to turn back time. besides, the strong determination that had burned within anling's silver eyes was too strong to fight against, as it was clear that the white furred viscet had wholly made up his mind, and couldn't be convinced to change his mind. such a reality was painful for the former demon to think about, and as he dove back within his covers, only one thought was on his mind.

indent"i'm going to find that demon. i'm going to become a demon again, because there's nothing else left for me here."

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indentwhen xingfeng finally regained consciousness again, he blinked in surprise at his surroundings. they were so much different than the living quarters that he was used to seeing, but in that moment, he remembered that he was in hell again, and that satan had taken him back as a demon under his wing. so much had happened within the last several days, and the black furred male felt like he was living some sort of dream; not quite awake, but not asleep, either. of course, he had tried to forget all about anling, but such a thing was impossible when xingfeng had created some of his best memories with the white furred viscet.

indentafter xingfeng had returned to hell, he was quickly filled in on the currently raging war between heaven and hell. the angels were convinced that the demons had overstepped their boundaries, whereas the demons believed that the angels weren't performing their jobs properly. nevertheless, that ended up sparking a physical fight between an angel a demon, and after a member from each side had fallen in battle, god and satan had decided to step up and end the feud between heaven and hell once and for all, at the cost of the disappearance of a realm. of course, xingfeng wasn't interested in such petty fights, but he had been forced to tag along on some fights, after being told that it would raise his reputation once more. the rumours and lies floating around hell were plentiful, and many of them were about the turncoat demon who had the gall to return to satan's side. in any case, the demon wasn't particularly bothered by that fact, and simply wanted to carry on with life as he had before meeting anling.

indentxingfeng hadn't on planned on participating in the war at all, but when a shadowy figure had made its way to xingfeng's room, the dark-eyed male could only listen in horror and disbelief at the spirit's words. the spirit had claimed to see an angel attacking anling in spite, and while the black furred viscet tried to convince himself that he didn't care about the other viscet anymore, it was much too difficult. anling had earned his place in his heart, and while xingfeng might've been able to request for satan to remove certain memories, but at the same time, he didn't want to completely forget about the one viscet who had helped him survive.

indenthe had taken off immediately, growling at any demons who dared to convince him otherwise. based on the description the spirit (who went by the name of yin; how was he able to traverse between all three realms? normally, that shouldn't be possible for spirits, especially spirits of viscets who had died), xingfeng soon came across a stocky angel decked with silver armor and fine adornments. the black furred male's first thought was how such items would've looked so nice on anling, but the next thing he knew, he was standing on top of the angel he had just slain.

indentxingfeng's breathing was still ragged from overexertion when he heard a familiar voice call out and gasp sharply. feeling the dread in his gut grow, he was never more aware of how bloody his paws were when he lifted his dull eyes to meet anling's anguished and furious orbs. what happened next seemed to be a blur, but xingfeng remembered exchanging blows with who he had thought was his friend, and when the black furred viscet lashed out at the yin - yang tattoo on the angel's shoulder, he flinched outwardly as well. when xingfeng finally realized what he had done, anling had disappeared. he didn't know if the white furred male had only retreated at god's orders, or if he couldn't bear to fight xingfeng any longer, but the dark-eyed viscet realized with a dull ache that things could never return to how they used to be.

indentthe tattoo used to be a sign of their friendship and how far they had come together; now, it was only a reminder of those painful memories that xingfeng wouldn't ever want to relive. who would've thought that they had come from opposing sides? their friendship was never to be in the first place; it was only by a random stroke of luck that they had met at all, and now, xingfeng had lost everything he had ever genuinely cared about.

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art by unleashed squid !

[✦ nemuri]

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indenteven after the war had ended in a stalemate between heaven and hell once more, xingfeng found that it was impossible to forget about how he had lived with anling. he wanted to return to the time when everything was lighthearted and happy, but that was never to be. the light that he had seen while in the mortal world was coming back to bite him, and as he had settled back into the dark, the light was proving to be much too bright for the demon to handle. it was piercing, it was painful, and above all, it reminded xingfeng of his tattoo, which in turn reminded him of anling.

indentof course, even though xingfeng would've preferred for time to stand still and never move again, the days continued to pass by and the black furred viscet found himself dully trudging through each event in life as though it didn't matter to him. in a sense, that was true, because few things things started to matter to the demon. unfortunately, anling wasn't one of the things; if anything, xingfeng had started to care more, and he absolutely hated himself for thinking that way. it was difficult to move on, and because of the influence the angel had on his life, he assumed that he may never be move on from the pain and sadness.

indentin the end, until the world and all the realms froze over and died, xingfeng would have to continue to live without a single purpose in life. his thoughts and memories overwhelmed both during the day and night, and in the beginning, the demon was prone to breaking down. however, after several years of condemning mortal spirits to a life of eternal sin by leading them on and coaxing them to break the rules, his heart soon became immune to the pain that his soul felt. the demon's heart had nearly been shattered to bits by anling's mere actions, and unless xingfeng completely blocked it off from the rest of the world, he would fall prey to what would be a repeat of the memories that he didn't want to remember.

indentthe tattoo was an eternal reminder of had happened and food for thought of what might have happened if neither xingfeng or anling had decided to seek out who they truly were on the inside. this was a constant, and with it, the black furred male promised himself a life of celibacy. there was no way he could replace anling like that, and because no one would ever be able to take the angel's place, xingfeng would simply remain alone forever.

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indent☾ all art by unleashed squid.
indent☾ coding by .kaede
indent☾ writing on this form is by myself, .kaede
indent☾ writing on my partner's form is by unleashed squid

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