— chap i : side v, solo
lan xiayi feels bare. exposed. after shielding himself from the explosion with his arm, his sleeve had partially burnt off, leaving his arm unprotected. for some time, he had declined the healer’s help, not wanting to draw more unnecessary attention to his injury. he had tried, in light of things, to chase said healer off in wei yukai’s direction, insisting that the other would need it more, but she would not budge -- so in the end, he allowed her to work on the patches of red that scorched his skin.
when it comes to pain, he is not as resistant as he wishes to be; he flinches at her touch, his fingers twitching as he tries to hold his ground. a noise escapes him -- one akin to that a trapped animal -- but no one pays heed, to his relief. he’s far too focused on the burns that he barely registers the brilliant clash of something that glints against the rising jade. it’s instinct now to protect himself in case of another explosion, but this time, there’s no fire, no sound.
he raises his head slowly, his eyes falling upon the other disciples. the earth trembles beneath them, and he thinks surely -- surely, this can’t be it.
( but maybe it’s time to join him. )
no.
he grabs the healer next to him, dragging her down with him so they can steady themselves, in the off chance that the tremors grow worse. fortunately, that does not happen -- it stops suddenly, and he’s left wondering why his heart is beating so quickly, so abruptly.