Please. Let luck be with him this time.

Somewhere in a distant mountaintop. In the midst of a great battle. Amongst the swords and arrows that strummed through the air. Between rows and rows of archers, all dressed in gold-covered robes. Through the roar of the advancing mob, their bellows heard from miles away. Surrounded by ghosts of long ago- all listening to the haunting sound of music drifting through the slight summer breeze.

A woman pushed her way through the crowd- her feet carrying her through the night. Her voice resonated in the barren lands of Yiling- the desperate cries of a forbidden name falling from her lips. She was dressed in plain clothes, a mourning veil the only adornment to her long silky locks.

There was nothing on her that hinted to her identity- nothing about her that proved her high rank. No longer did she wear the long, elegant dresses- pooling by her feet. No longer was gold and silver stitched into her robes- a large white peony splayed across the sides of her gown. No longer were jade clasps fastened to her hair- violet lotuses dangling from her ears.

Only a single bell hung from her waist- the mark of the Jiang Sect a clear indicator of her status.

She shoved her way through the crowd- twisting and turning as she dodged blow after blow in a desperate attempt to reach her brother. Her voice rose higher- joining the thousands of other chants echoing in the air- calling for the Yiling Patriarch.

Except this time- she was heard.

As somewhere amidst the chaos, a flare of light shot up towards the sky- the glaring blue of Bichen's blade, illuminating her way.

And following that light- was a young man dressed in all black from head to toe. His eyes puffy and red, face instinctively brightening up at the sight of her. Clutched in his right hand he held a flute- black with a red tassel at the end. Clutched in his left- there was a seal, dark and grim with a distinct resentful air to it.

His mouth was parted in horror- fingers pointing frantically at the shadows racing towards her, the hacking sabers that followed close behind.

He brought his flute up to his lips- fully intent on stopping the demons from touching her.

But try as he might- the ghosts kept coming, Wei Wuxian's arrogance getting the best of him- his vanity allowing such a golden opportunity for entities far greater than he could hope to control.

These beings that have long since awaited such windows of escape- would never willingly resign themselves to a mortal master- a man so immersed in his delusions.

They tore through the barren wastelands- the soul of a woman in soiled grey robes calling to them- their shadows drawn to her flame.

The Nie Sect sabers were no match for such vengeance- for the sheer resent that rushed towards them. And even Baxia was tossed aside, as wave after wave of pure darkness engulfed the glowing Jiang Yanli- mutating whatever was left of her fragile spirit.

And for a moment- there was silence.

As every eye was drawn to the woman lying dead on the dirty fields of Yiling- her body going cold and limp in her brother's arms. The way her hand twitched feebly, lips moving soundlessly as she held her little brother close, wordlessly telling the young omega not to fear.

The way her gaze turned sharp and pleading, her brows furrowed and face twisted in despair as she turned slightly- finally finding the boy she had been trying to reach all along.

The way that even in death- Jiang Yanli's voice carried the same gentle lilt to it, the same soft edges of her father before her.

"A-Xian," she whispered, blood trickling from her lip as she drew in what little breath she had left in that worn and battered body of hers. "A-Xian, stop this nonsense," she murmured, raising trembling fingers at the seal Wei Wuxian had clutched tightly in his hand.

"A-Xian you've been running so fast," she rasped- her voice slurring around the edges. "I couldn't even keep up."

"I tried, A-Xian," she whimpered, beads of cold sweat breaking against her brow. "But you just- you ran so fast... And I-"

"I couldn't... couldn't... keep..."

Jiang Yanli cut off, her body finally reaching its limit.

Her eyes fluttered shut- her head sagging down towards the ground. Her hand went slack against Jiang Cheng's chest- her body falling limp against the cold Earth. She gave one final, stuttering breath- her lungs giving out at last.

And for a moment.

No one moved.

No one dared move.

Because that woman.

That woman was by no means just an ordinary woman.

No.

No indeed.

She was the young mistress of the Jiang Sect- the daughter of the Violet Spider herself. She was the future madam of Lanling Jin- the beloved wife of Jin Zixuan. She was the force behind the next in line for the throne of Jin's- the mother of the young Jin Rulan. She was the sister of Lan Xichen's dearest mate- the eldest of the Jiang siblings.

Her death- meant whatever ties Lanling had left with Gusu and Yunmeng, had officially been cut. The only thing keeping the delicate peace being the infant son of Jiang Yanli- her precious Jin Ling.

Her death meant that the Jin's were to be handed over to the crafty Jin Guangyao, Jiang Yanli no longer there to take his place as regent.

Her death- meant a political shift in power, as Lanling was to be brought down several pegs now that they were on shaky ground with the Jiang's and Lan's.

Her death- her death was a momentous occasion.

So no one, no one at all dared speak a word, in fear of offending not one, but two major sects.

And then-

Yu Ziyuan screamed.

Loud and harsh- an ear-splitting shriek.

All she could see was the blood- the blood that seemed to coat the ground in a never-ending pool of red. The crimson that stained her daughter's lips- the drops that looked like sweet red wine.

It was almost too easy to pretend like this was all some elaborate joke. All too easy to fall into the delusion of motherhood- the primal urge to grab her child and shake the sense into her until she finally blinked open those golden eyes- armed with a soft smile and ready to peel away all of Yu Ziyuan's defenses.

Any moment now- she was ready for the whooping hollars of Wei Wuxian, the twinkling amusement in her A-Li's gaze as she patiently explained their prank.

She waited for Jiang Cheng's giddy laugh- the breathless flush of his cheeks as he high-fived his brother on a job well done. She waited for Jiang Fengmian's indulgent smile- the way his face would soften as he took her hand in his and calmed her fiery temper. She waited for her Yanli to break her facade- to sit up and burst into giggles as she took in her mother's crazed shouts. She waited for her son to straighten- to wipe away the tears flowing down from his cheeks. She waited for Lan Xichen to look away- to stop staring at her A-Cheng in a mix of sympathy and horror. She waited for her dear friend Jin Minghao- the notorious Madam Jin to rouse herself enough to grin at her- a rare look of impish delight on her sworn sister's face.

Yu Ziyuan waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited some more

But for some odd reason- whatever she was looking for, never seemed to appear.

There were no bright laughs and joyous shouts. There was no happy smile or beaming grins.

There was no Wei Wuxian there to apologize profusely, hiding that self-satisfied smirk of his behind the sleeve of his robe.

There was no A-Cheng there to mediate between them, none of those exasperated glares he would often shoot his brother whenever he had said something particularly stupid.

There was no A-Li there to placate them- no signs of the signature amusement that would glint in her golden eyes.

There was just... nothing.

Nothing but Fengmian's desperate howl's- a near mirror of her own.

Yu Ziyuan felt like she was drowning- black dots clouding her sight as her vision blinked in and out of focus.

She remembered nothing of the next few minutes- remembered none of the choking wails of grief that filled the air. She remembered none of the fierce cries of justice- the way Jiang Cheng's face twisted in hate. She remembered none of the broken screams- never saw the wild, crazed look in Wei Wuxian's silver eyes.

She didn't remember the way he bellowed out in pain- the way his hands trembled in horror as he brought them close to his chest, frantically wiping away the imaginary blood that stained them. She didn't remember when he brought the amulet together, smashing it down on the ground in a final act of desperation.

She didn't remember when he died. When he threw himself off the cliff in a last-ditch attempt at atonement.

Yu Ziyuan only remembered being carefully handled- her mate's scent temporarily cutting through the hazy fog she was in. She only knew that she was safe- only understood enough to realize that she was in her husband's arms, carefully cradled against the racking sobs that spilled from his lips. She only heard the trembling notes of his deep timber- the baritone voice that ordered for Jiang Yanli's body to be carried back to Yunmeng.

She was only aware of the fact that her daughter was now dead- her brave and beautiful A-Li lying dead and cold on the floor.

And Yu Ziyuan-

Yu Ziyuan broke.

Crying silently in her alpha's arms, she heaved rasping sobs until there was nothing left inside her. Nothing but a blank void of nothingness that ate at her from the inside.

"Shhhh," she heard Jiang Fengmian whisper- furiously trying to stomp out the shaky quiver in his voice. "Shh it's ok Ziyuan," he murmured- offering what little comfort he could give. "We're going back to Lotus Pier now. And we're-"

His voice cracked.

"We're going to host a funeral for her."

"We-"Jiang Fengmian choked out a strangled sob. "We're going to give our little girl a proper goodbye."

"I-"

"Alright," Yu Ziyuan agreed, mindlessly nodding her head along. Her eyes remained blank and unfocused- staring out into space with a dazed look on her face.

It was only hours later- sitting in the comfort of her own room, with her flowing cape gone and only sleeping robes covering her shivering frame. The chill running up her spill having nothing to do with the temperature of her quarters-

That Yu Ziyuan finally let the words sink in.

They were having a funeral.

They were having a funeral for her daughter.

Her A-Li. Her A-Li was dead. She was dead and she was never coming back.

She was-

Yu Ziyuan burst into tears- her body folding over itself as she hunched over, dissolving into silent cries. She squeezed her eyes shut- shaking her head in denial as the scene from earlier played itself over and over in her head- refusing her a moment's peace.

She kept seeing the blood that coated Jiang Yanli's angelic features- the river of red that pooled beneath her dress. She kept seeing the glassy and unfocused eyes- staring lifelessly out into the horizon. She kept seeing the limp sag of Yanli's body- the way it dangled unnaturally from her head disciple's arms. She kept seeing the pale, pale skin- how it was far too ghastly and white for it to be normal.

She kept seeing the dagger.

The dagger that a Nie Sect disciple had thrown out in desperation- trying to free the Young Mistress Jiang from the phantom's grip.

But a good deed that had gone misplaced- the knife passing right through the ghouls and embedding itself into Jiang Yanli's already lifeless body.

A dagger...

A blade that looked eerily similar to the sword that stood on her nightstand- the brilliant white sheath almost looking like it was mocking her in some way.

And Yu Ziyuan-

Yu Ziyuan felt her feet moving instinctively- drawn to the sword like a moth to the flame.

Gripping the cool metal in her hand, she felt the strange urge to bring it down upon herself- to recreate the scene from earlier.

The same events that took her daughter away from her.

Because A-Li.

A-Li was dead.

A-Li was dead.

A-Li-

A-Li was dead.

And Yu Ziyuan has always promised herself never to outlive her children. 

*AUTHORS NOTE: guys the summary has been updated! go check out the new one :) also wow. look at me being vague as hell :/ next chpter is jc's death!*