Chapter 118: 118 – Fang’s Soul Magic
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"Fang!" Ren cried in shock. "Take it back! Take it back right now!"
When Fang showed no signs of moving, Ren's eyes glowed brighter until the golden orbs became luminous, and the golden magic all around them flashed brightly for a moment and then disappeared in an instant.
Fang's purple magic hovered in the air for a moment and then dissipated as well.
"You didn't let me complete it," Fang told Ren, his eyes accusing.
"Of course I didn't," Ren snapped. "Undo what you have done right now!" he ordered.
Fang smiled tiredly. "You know better than anyone that I can't," he murmured.
Ren's golden eyes glinted with anger – directed at Fang fully for probably the first time since they had met.
Fang winced, but didn't back away.
"What – what was that?" Wolf asked hesitantly. "What did Fang do just now?"
Pax crossed his arms, and his eyes gleamed. He had an idea, but he was not sure if he was right.
Fang smiled again. "I helped Ren modify his reflection magic," he said.
"How?" Pax asked sharply. From Ren's reaction, he could clearly see that it was not something Ren liked at all!
"I slipped my own magic into his," Fang said. "So, now, the consequences of triggering the reflection magic would affect both of us, and not just Ren."
Wolf brightened. "That's a good thing, right? If it's split between both of you, the damage will be halved, right?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes, that's right," Fang replied. "The damage would be halved. Ren will take half the damage, and I'll take the other half."
"Good, good," Wolf said happily. "Good thinking, Fang!"
"There's nothing good about it!" Ren hissed. "You little idiot – you've tied your own soul and your own magic to mine!"
"So?" Fang asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ren spluttered angrily, too incensed to be able to speak!
"I don't understand," Wolf said, eyeing the two of them warily. "Why are you angry, Ren? Isn't it a good thing that Fang managed to dilute the consequences of the reflection magic?" he asked.
Neither Ren nor Fang answered – the young couple continued to glare at each other angrily. Well, Ren was angry, and Fang was – for the lack of a better word – somewhat vengeful.
"He didn't just dilute it, did he?" Pax spoke up. "What exactly did you do, Fang? Does the reflection magic work both ways now?"
Fang shook his head ruefully. "No, Ren broke it off before I could manage that," he said. "I couldn't get beyond sharing the consequences…"
"You used soul magic!" Ren cried angrily. "Do you have any idea what's going to happen to you if I died?! Did you even think for a moment before linking your soul to mine like this?!"
Fang's eyes glowed with anger as well. "Did you think before you cast the reflection magic on me without even telling me about it?" he demanded. "How is it all right for you to link your soul to my welfare, but when it comes to me, I can't even help you shoulder the consequences of my own actions?! Why is it fine for you to tie up your soul and risk obliteration, but not fine for me to do anything at all?!"
"You will lose half your life span and half your magic if I died!" Ren hissed. "Did you even realise that?! And if I hadn't stopped you just now and you had managed to complete the stupid magic, you would have lost both your life and your magic if I died!"
Fang's eyes burned. "And what makes you think that I would be able to – that I would be willing to – live in this world if you had died?!" he shouted.
Ren froze. "What are you saying?!" he scolded. "You can't die just like that in vain!"
"It's my life!" Fang retorted. "I have the right to end it when I want, whether it is in vain or not – that's not for you to decide!"
Ren raised his hand to rub his temples, yanking off the needles that were in his arm. The machines beeped ominously, but no one even bothered to spare them a glance.
"Fang," he said gently. "My little darling, you have to be reasonable. You can't talk about ending your life just because I die. I know that you will be upset if that happens, but that's not a reason to give up and end your life, ok?"
Fang glared at Ren. "And what am I supposed to live for if you are not there anymore?" he demanded.
Ren sighed. "You are needed in this world," he said, knowing he sounded lame. After all, he couldn't tell Fang that he was the male lead of this book and the book's entire world would collapse without him. Ren would never, ever tell Fang – or anyone in this world – that in the original world where Ren came from, 'The Trials of Ren' was just a bad book that had done nothing except irritate Ren until he found himself transmigrated into it.
Fang laughed bitterly. "And I need you, Ren," he said softly.
Ren sighed. "Fang…"
Fang shook his head. "No, Ren," he said firmly. "You can't sweet talk your way out of it this time. You managed to stop me from making the reflection magic reciprocal, but my soul and my magic are already tied to yours, and there's nothing anyone can do about it."
Ren sighed heavily.
"I have nothing else to say," Fang said, before Ren could speak up.
"I don't see why it's so bad," Wolf said quietly. "Ren, you have already cast reflection magic on Fang a long time ago and there is nothing that can be done to nullify that. What Fang did right now is quite decent – it is good if the consequences of any harmful thing can be split between the two of you – that way, there won't be too much of a burden on you, Ren."
"And as for the soul bond – well, as long as both of you take good care of yourselves as well as each other, it'll all be fine! Don't talk about dying and ending your life and all these things so casually!" Wolf continued to speak.
"Wolf is right," Pax spoke up. "I don't see why this should be such a problem, Ren. I think Fang did quite well."
"Fang's magic is not as powerful as mine! He will be hurt more than me if we split it equally!" Ren cried.
"Then, you'll just have to make sure that Fang doesn't get hurt," Pax told Ren.
Ren glared at him. "Wasn't this exactly why I had cast the reflection magic in the first place?!" he snapped.
"All right, all right, don't fight now," Wolf said amiably. "I'll go over to your place now and look after your babies, and you two sit down and have a proper conversation and clear out the air, all right?"
"Yes," Pax said. "I'll go back to Sirocco as well – and as Wolf says, both of you clearly need to have a proper conversation. Both of you have issues, it seems, and it is best to clarify and figure things out as early as possible, instead of sitting on them and waiting for them to blow up in our faces."
The twin brothers didn't linger after they announced their intentions to leave – Wolf and Pax quickly bid farewell to Ren and Fang and went out.
Ren and Fang looked at each other silently for a long time, neither willing to speak.
Finally, it was Ren who gave in.
"Why did you want to go out and get yourself drunk?" he asked quietly.
Fang sighed. "I – I felt inadequate," he confessed, looking down.
Ren was startled. "Inadequate?! What in the world…?!" he cried. "Who dares call my Fang inadequate?!"
Fang smiled bitterly. "No one called me inadequate," he said. "I just feel like that."
"But – but why?" Ren asked. His golden eyes were wide open in shock and he looked adorably confused.
Fang felt a bit better when he dared to look up and catch a glimpse of Ren's confused expression. If Ren was so stunned and confused at Fang being called 'inadequate' – then – then maybe Fang was doing all right? Maybe it was fine for him to be the way he was right now? Maybe it was ok for him to take his time to grow up and catch up with Ren…?
Ren was very worried when he saw Fang in a daze. He quickly changed his position on the bed and moved closer to Fang. Then he caressed Fang's face with gentle fingers, and almost involuntarily, healed the bruise that was forming on the younger man's cheek.
"Why do you feel inadequate, Fang?" Ren asked in a gentle voice.
Fang couldn't keep his insecurities to himself anymore. It all came pouring out, along with tears from his wet purple eyes. He told Ren everything that had been worrying him recently and how he was worried that he would not be able to catch up to Ren.
Ren sighed.
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"Fang!" Ren cried in shock. "Take it back! Take it back right now!"
When Fang showed no signs of moving, Ren's eyes glowed brighter until the golden orbs became luminous, and the golden magic all around them flashed brightly for a moment and then disappeared in an instant.
Fang's purple magic hovered in the air for a moment and then dissipated as well.
"You didn't let me complete it," Fang told Ren, his eyes accusing.
"Of course I didn't," Ren snapped. "Undo what you have done right now!" he ordered.
Fang smiled tiredly. "You know better than anyone that I can't," he murmured.
Ren's golden eyes glinted with anger – directed at Fang fully for probably the first time since they had met.
Fang winced, but didn't back away.
"What – what was that?" Wolf asked hesitantly. "What did Fang do just now?"
Pax crossed his arms, and his eyes gleamed. He had an idea, but he was not sure if he was right.
Fang smiled again. "I helped Ren modify his reflection magic," he said.
"How?" Pax asked sharply. From Ren's reaction, he could clearly see that it was not something Ren liked at all!
"I slipped my own magic into his," Fang said. "So, now, the consequences of triggering the reflection magic would affect both of us, and not just Ren."
Wolf brightened. "That's a good thing, right? If it's split between both of you, the damage will be halved, right?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes, that's right," Fang replied. "The damage would be halved. Ren will take half the damage, and I'll take the other half."
"Good, good," Wolf said happily. "Good thinking, Fang!"
"There's nothing good about it!" Ren hissed. "You little idiot – you've tied your own soul and your own magic to mine!"
"So?" Fang asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ren spluttered angrily, too incensed to be able to speak!
"I don't understand," Wolf said, eyeing the two of them warily. "Why are you angry, Ren? Isn't it a good thing that Fang managed to dilute the consequences of the reflection magic?" he asked.
Neither Ren nor Fang answered – the young couple continued to glare at each other angrily. Well, Ren was angry, and Fang was – for the lack of a better word – somewhat vengeful.
"He didn't just dilute it, did he?" Pax spoke up. "What exactly did you do, Fang? Does the reflection magic work both ways now?"
Fang shook his head ruefully. "No, Ren broke it off before I could manage that," he said. "I couldn't get beyond sharing the consequences…"
"You used soul magic!" Ren cried angrily. "Do you have any idea what's going to happen to you if I died?! Did you even think for a moment before linking your soul to mine like this?!"
Fang's eyes glowed with anger as well. "Did you think before you cast the reflection magic on me without even telling me about it?" he demanded. "How is it all right for you to link your soul to my welfare, but when it comes to me, I can't even help you shoulder the consequences of my own actions?! Why is it fine for you to tie up your soul and risk obliteration, but not fine for me to do anything at all?!"
"You will lose half your life span and half your magic if I died!" Ren hissed. "Did you even realise that?! And if I hadn't stopped you just now and you had managed to complete the stupid magic, you would have lost both your life and your magic if I died!"
Fang's eyes burned. "And what makes you think that I would be able to – that I would be willing to – live in this world if you had died?!" he shouted.
Ren froze. "What are you saying?!" he scolded. "You can't die just like that in vain!"
"It's my life!" Fang retorted. "I have the right to end it when I want, whether it is in vain or not – that's not for you to decide!"
Ren raised his hand to rub his temples, yanking off the needles that were in his arm. The machines beeped ominously, but no one even bothered to spare them a glance.
"Fang," he said gently. "My little darling, you have to be reasonable. You can't talk about ending your life just because I die. I know that you will be upset if that happens, but that's not a reason to give up and end your life, ok?"
Fang glared at Ren. "And what am I supposed to live for if you are not there anymore?" he demanded.
Ren sighed. "You are needed in this world," he said, knowing he sounded lame. After all, he couldn't tell Fang that he was the male lead of this book and the book's entire world would collapse without him. Ren would never, ever tell Fang – or anyone in this world – that in the original world where Ren came from, 'The Trials of Ren' was just a bad book that had done nothing except irritate Ren until he found himself transmigrated into it.
Fang laughed bitterly. "And I need you, Ren," he said softly.
Ren sighed. "Fang…"
Fang shook his head. "No, Ren," he said firmly. "You can't sweet talk your way out of it this time. You managed to stop me from making the reflection magic reciprocal, but my soul and my magic are already tied to yours, and there's nothing anyone can do about it."
Ren sighed heavily.
"I have nothing else to say," Fang said, before Ren could speak up.
"I don't see why it's so bad," Wolf said quietly. "Ren, you have already cast reflection magic on Fang a long time ago and there is nothing that can be done to nullify that. What Fang did right now is quite decent – it is good if the consequences of any harmful thing can be split between the two of you – that way, there won't be too much of a burden on you, Ren."
"And as for the soul bond – well, as long as both of you take good care of yourselves as well as each other, it'll all be fine! Don't talk about dying and ending your life and all these things so casually!" Wolf continued to speak.
"Wolf is right," Pax spoke up. "I don't see why this should be such a problem, Ren. I think Fang did quite well."
"Fang's magic is not as powerful as mine! He will be hurt more than me if we split it equally!" Ren cried.
"Then, you'll just have to make sure that Fang doesn't get hurt," Pax told Ren.
Ren glared at him. "Wasn't this exactly why I had cast the reflection magic in the first place?!" he snapped.
"All right, all right, don't fight now," Wolf said amiably. "I'll go over to your place now and look after your babies, and you two sit down and have a proper conversation and clear out the air, all right?"
"Yes," Pax said. "I'll go back to Sirocco as well – and as Wolf says, both of you clearly need to have a proper conversation. Both of you have issues, it seems, and it is best to clarify and figure things out as early as possible, instead of sitting on them and waiting for them to blow up in our faces."
The twin brothers didn't linger after they announced their intentions to leave – Wolf and Pax quickly bid farewell to Ren and Fang and went out.
Ren and Fang looked at each other silently for a long time, neither willing to speak.
Finally, it was Ren who gave in.
"Why did you want to go out and get yourself drunk?" he asked quietly.
Fang sighed. "I – I felt inadequate," he confessed, looking down.
Ren was startled. "Inadequate?! What in the world…?!" he cried. "Who dares call my Fang inadequate?!"
Fang smiled bitterly. "No one called me inadequate," he said. "I just feel like that."
"But – but why?" Ren asked. His golden eyes were wide open in shock and he looked adorably confused.
Fang felt a bit better when he dared to look up and catch a glimpse of Ren's confused expression. If Ren was so stunned and confused at Fang being called 'inadequate' – then – then maybe Fang was doing all right? Maybe it was fine for him to be the way he was right now? Maybe it was ok for him to take his time to grow up and catch up with Ren…?
Ren was very worried when he saw Fang in a daze. He quickly changed his position on the bed and moved closer to Fang. Then he caressed Fang's face with gentle fingers, and almost involuntarily, healed the bruise that was forming on the younger man's cheek.
"Why do you feel inadequate, Fang?" Ren asked in a gentle voice.
Fang couldn't keep his insecurities to himself anymore. It all came pouring out, along with tears from his wet purple eyes. He told Ren everything that had been worrying him recently and how he was worried that he would not be able to catch up to Ren.
Ren sighed.
"Fang!" Ren cried in shock. "Take it back! Take it back right now!"When Fang showed no signs of moving, Ren's eyes glowed brighter until the golden orbs became luminous, and the golden magic all around them flashed brightly for a moment and then disappeared in an instant.Fang's purple magic hovered in the air for a moment and then dissipated as well."You didn't let me complete it," Fang told Ren, his eyes accusing."Of course I didn't," Ren snapped. "Undo what you have done right now!" he ordered.Fang smiled tiredly. "You know better than anyone that I can't," he murmured.Ren's golden eyes glinted with anger directed at Fang fully for probably the first time since they had met.Fang winced, but didn't back away."What what was that?" Wolf asked hesitantly. "What did Fang do just now?"Pax crossed his arms, and his eyes gleamed. He had an idea, but he was not sure if he was right.Fang smiled again. "I helped Ren modify his reflection magic," he said."How?" Pax asked sharply. From Ren's reaction, he could clearly see that it was not something Ren liked at all!"I slipped my own magic into his," Fang said. "So, now, the consequences of triggering the reflection magic would affect both of us, and not just Ren."Wolf brightened. "That's a good thing, right? If it's split between both of you, the damage will be halved, right?" he asked hopefully."Yes, that's right," Fang replied. "The damage would be halved. Ren will take half the damage, and I'll take the other half.""Good, good," Wolf said happily. "Good thinking, Fang!""There's nothing good about it!" Ren hissed. "You little idiot you've tied your own soul and your own magic to mine!""So?" Fang asked, raising an eyebrow.Ren spluttered angrily, too incensed to be able to speak!"I don't understand," Wolf said, eyeing the two of them warily. "Why are you angry, Ren? Isn't it a good thing that Fang managed to dilute the consequences of the reflection magic?" he asked.Neither Ren nor Fang answered the young couple continued to glare at each other angrily. Well, Ren was angry, and Fang was for the lack of a better word somewhat vengeful."He didn't just dilute it, did he?" Pax spoke up. "What exactly did you do, Fang? Does the reflection magic work both ways now?"Fang shook his head ruefully. "No, Ren broke it off before I could manage that," he said. "I couldn't get beyond sharing the consequences""You used soul magic!" Ren cried angrily. "Do you have any idea what's going to happen to you if I died?! Did you even think for a moment before linking your soul to mine like this?!"Fang's eyes glowed with anger as well. "Did you think before you cast the reflection magic on me without even telling me about it?" he demanded. "How is it all right for you to link your soul to my welfare, but when it comes to me, I can't even help you shoulder the consequences of my own actions?! Why is it fine for you to tie up your soul and risk obliteration, but not fine for me to do anything at all?!""You will lose half your life span and half your magic if I died!" Ren hissed. "Did you even realise that?! And if I hadn't stopped you just now and you had managed to complete the stupid magic, you would have lost both your life and your magic if I died!"Fang's eyes burned. "And what makes you think that I would be able to that I would be willing to live in this world if you had died?!" he shouted.Ren froze. "What are you saying?!" he scolded. "You can't die just like that in vain!""It's my life!" Fang retorted. "I have the right to end it when I want, whether it is in vain or not that's not for you to decide!"Ren raised his hand to rub his temples, yanking off the needles that were in his arm. The machines beeped ominously, but no one even bothered to spare them a glance."Fang," he said gently. "My little darling, you have to be reasonable. You can't talk about ending your life just because I die. I know that you will be upset if that happens, but that's not a reason to give up and end your life, ok?"Fang glared at Ren. "And what am I supposed to live for if you are not there anymore?" he demanded.Ren sighed. "You are needed in this world," he said, knowing he sounded lame. After all, he couldn't tell Fang that he was the male lead of this book and the book's entire world would collapse without him. Ren would never, ever tell Fang or anyone in this world that in the original world where Ren came from, 'The Trials of Ren' was just a bad book that had done nothing except irritate Ren until he found himself transmigrated into it.Fang laughed bitterly. "And I need you, Ren," he said softly.Ren sighed. "Fang"Fang shook his head. "No, Ren," he said firmly. "You can't sweet talk your way out of it this time. You managed to stop me from making the reflection magic reciprocal, but my soul and my magic are already tied to yours, and there's nothing anyone can do about it."Ren sighed heavily."I have nothing else to say," Fang said, before Ren could speak up."I don't see why it's so bad," Wolf said quietly. "Ren, you have already cast reflection magic on Fang a long time ago and there is nothing that can be done to nullify that. What Fang did right now is quite decent it is good if the consequences of any harmful thing can be split between the two of you that way, there won't be too much of a burden on you, Ren.""And as for the soul bond well, as long as both of you take good care of yourselves as well as each other, it'll all be fine! Don't talk about dying and ending your life and all these things so casually!" Wolf continued to speak."Wolf is right," Pax spoke up. "I don't see why this should be such a problem, Ren. I think Fang did quite well.""Fang's magic is not as powerful as mine! He will be hurt more than me if we split it equally!" Ren cried."Then, you'll just have to make sure that Fang doesn't get hurt," Pax told Ren.Ren glared at him. "Wasn't this exactly why I had cast the reflection magic in the first place?!" he snapped."All right, all right, don't fight now," Wolf said amiably. "I'll go over to your place now and look after your babies, and you two sit down and have a proper conversation and clear out the air, all right?""Yes," Pax said. "I'll go back to Sirocco as well and as Wolf says, both of you clearly need to have a proper conversation. Both of you have issues, it seems, and it is best to clarify and figure things out as early as possible, instead of sitting on them and waiting for them to blow up in our faces."The twin brothers didn't linger after they announced their intentions to leave Wolf and Pax quickly bid farewell to Ren and Fang and went out.Ren and Fang looked at each other silently for a long time, neither willing to speak.Finally, it was Ren who gave in."Why did you want to go out and get yourself drunk?" he asked quietly.Fang sighed. "I I felt inadequate," he confessed, looking down.Ren was startled. "Inadequate?! What in the world?!" he cried. "Who dares call my Fang inadequate?!"Fang smiled bitterly. "No one called me inadequate," he said. "I just feel like that.""But but why?" Ren asked. His golden eyes were wide open in shock and he looked adorably confused.Fang felt a bit better when he dared to look up and catch a glimpse of Ren's confused expression. If Ren was so stunned and confused at Fang being called 'inadequate' then then maybe Fang was doing all right? Maybe it was fine for him to be the way he was right now? Maybe it was ok for him to take his time to grow up and catch up with Ren?Ren was very worried when he saw Fang in a daze. He quickly changed his position on the bed and moved closer to Fang. Then he caressed Fang's face with gentle fingers, and almost involuntarily, healed the bruise that was forming on the younger man's cheek."Why do you feel inadequate, Fang?" Ren asked in a gentle voice.Fang couldn't keep his insecurities to himself anymore. It all came pouring out, along with tears from his wet purple eyes. He told Ren everything that had been worrying him recently and how he was worried that he would not be able to catch up to Ren.Ren sighed.
