"If the world ever discovers his true name..."

"They won't." Xichen closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and went on calmly, still stroking the child with one hand as he sat beside the bed, protective, gentle... desperate. "Uncle, they can't. As far as the world outside knows, A-Yuan is just another orphan taken in by our clan, and will in time be adopted by our family."

"By your brother."

"That... will happen, yes. Between us we should be able to blur the timing, hide the details -"

"It is against the rules to lie."

"But not to... equivocate."

"Xichen!"

"Uncle, if we wish to save Wangji," and he choked a little on the words, the idea of losing his little brother to this, "we must save the child."

"His name -"

" - is A-Yuan." The Sect Leader stood, one hand light on the boy's thin shoulder. "Nothing else. And I and my brother will give him ours, with or without your consent, but I ask that it is with.

"For Wangji's sake, he will be Lan Yuan." His voice broke. "What, after all, is in a name at his age?"

Uncle was silent, and Xichen was the one to answer his own question.

"...Everything."