Chapter 19: Beneath the Crumbling Walls

                                    

                                          
Tian Kuo stood before Ruo Xuan, his eyes steady and unwavering, determined to breach the fortress of bitterness and mistrust that separated them. He had come so close the night before, hearing Ruo Xuan's drunken ramblings about regret, about the past, about words that neither of them could take back. But even in that brief moment of vulnerability, Ruo Xuan had retreated—his defenses instinctively raising the moment sobriety returned.
Tian Kuo wasn't going to give up, not when he had finally heard a sliver of the truth buried beneath Ruo Xuan's harsh exterior.
"I won't let this stay between us," Tian Kuo began, his voice firm. "Not anymore. You said things last night that I know you didn't want to admit, but they're the truth."
Ruo Xuan sat in one of the chairs near the window, the soft light filtering in through the curtains. His blind eyes were focused on nothing in particular, and yet, Tian Kuo could feel the weight of his resistance, like a palpable wall. Ruo Xuan's hands rested calmly in his lap, but his entire posture was tense, as if he was waiting for the inevitable storm that Tian Kuo would bring.
"Whatever I said last night doesn't matter," Ruo Xuan replied, his voice as cold as ever. "It was nothing more than the ramblings of a man too deep in his drink."
Tian Kuo stepped closer, his frustration rising. "We both know it was more than that. You meant every word. You regret pushing me away, just as much as I regret letting you go."
A slight crack appeared in Ruo Xuan's facade, a twitch in his expression, but it was gone in an instant. "You're reading too much into it," he said coolly. "We were different people back then. And last night... it changes nothing."
Tian Kuo's patience was wearing thin, but he kept his tone steady. "It changes everything, Ruo Xuan. You can't keep pretending forever. You said you wished the war never happened, that you wished things were different between us. That doesn't just go away because you decided to put your walls back up."
Ruo Xuan clenched his fists, feeling the familiar surge of frustration building within him. "The past is done. There's no point dwelling on what could've been. I have responsibilities now—to my clan, to my disciples. I can't afford to get caught up in... whatever this is."
Tian Kuo shook his head. "This isn't just about the past. It's about right now. You're still hurting, and I—" he paused, his voice softening. "I'm still here for you. I always have been."
For a moment, silence fell between them. The weight of Tian Kuo's words hung in the air, thick and heavy. Ruo Xuan's hands slowly relaxed, the tension in his body dissipating—just slightly.
"I'm not your responsibility, Tian Kuo," Ruo Xuan said quietly. "I never was."
"But you are," Tian Kuo replied, his voice low. "You always have been."
Another crack appeared, deeper this time, in the barrier Ruo Xuan had carefully crafted over the years. He could feel it splintering under the force of Tian Kuo's determination, his unwavering presence. And yet, Ruo Xuan clung to what little control he had left.
"I don't need your pity," Ruo Xuan said, his tone hardening once more. "And I don't need your help."
Tian Kuo let out a breath, knowing that while the barrier had cracked, it wouldn't crumble completely—not yet. Ruo Xuan was still too proud, too stubborn, too used to relying on his own strength to allow anyone, even Tian Kuo, to break through.
"I'm not offering pity," Tian Kuo replied, his tone calm but resolute. "I'm offering my loyalty, like I always have."
The silence that followed was thick with tension. Ruo Xuan, as always, refused to fully let him in. He wouldn't admit it, but Tian Kuo could feel the slight shift, the small opening that hadn't been there before. A part of him had reached Ruo Xuan, even if only for a fleeting moment.