Chapter
XV
Conviction
***
When Wu Xie wasn't with his friends, or in school, he was volunteering at the hospital his grandmother had worked for. With schoolwork, his hours were few, but Wu Xie always made time.
The pediatric ward was obviously Wu Xie's favorite, and they loved him there as well, but sometimes, Wu Xie would wander upstairs and sit with the elderly patients whose families couldn't be with them or who didn't have a family. Wu Xie would hold their hands, help them eat, and listen to their stories. Zhang Qi Ling wondered if Wu Xie was only there because he knew that when someone died, a God of Death was certain to be there. Zhang Qi Ling had to wait Wu Xie out several times before collecting a soul, unwilling to show himself in front of him.
But when he collected the souls, he knew Wu Xie's kindness had nothing to do with some selfish need to see Zhang Qi Ling (His pleasure in the man Wu Xie had become warred viciously with his own selfish disappointment). The souls Wu Xie sat with were peaceful and content. Unafraid, because Wu Xie always told them that he knew Heaven was real, and beautiful, and longing, Zhang Qi Ling found himself waiting outside, unable to watch Wu Xie, even from the shadows, but just as equally unable to walk away.
***
Zhang Qi Ling hadn't been called back to the Shrine since he had chosen not to force Wu Xie to accept their unexplained connection. He wondered about the abrupt silence. The last time a case had made it to the desk of the Ultimate, at least to Zhang Qi Ling's knowledge, the judgment had been swift and exacting, and a war ended as a result.
Heavenly silence aside, even though a year had passed, Zhang Qi Ling's resolve remained the same. No matter how Zhang Qi Ling tried to convince himself, through Wu Xie's actions, that the young man missed him and still needed him, Wu Xie never Called for him... and not once had he said Zhang Qi Ling's name.
As a result, Zhang Qi Ling had resigned himself to continue on as Wu Xie's 'false' God of Guardian, watching the young man smile and struggle and, most importantly, live. And when the time came to collect Wu Xie and deliver him to the Paradise in Heaven, Zhang Qi Ling would make sure that it was in his arms.
And so, for over a year, Zhang Qi Ling carried on with his deep-seeded conviction to stay out of Wu Xie's life. Well, at least, where the man could see him. And, Zhang Qi Ling knew conviction was a fine thing. Standing by what he believed, not because it's easy but because, in his heart, he honestly believed that it was true. The kicker is, sometimes, that conviction can be shattered by the smallest change of circumstance and everything he held to be true blown away like dust on the wind.
In this case, that change of circumstance came in the form of Wu Xie's friend, Ah Ning, and three little words that made Zhang Qi Ling, for the first time in his life, consider collecting a soul without permission. Consequences be damned.
***
To be continued...
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FanfictionZhang Qi Ling was the God of Death who was tasks to collect souls and guide them to the afterlife. He was able to kill a mortal with a simple touch. However, for some unfathomable reason he wasn't able to collect Wu Xie's soul. Wu Xie was a mere mo...
