Chapter setting: Original Universe 

SPOILERS of the original story 

Part (1/2)

The beasts and the ghosts were all in the main plaza in front of the Red Palace. An annoucement was about to be done, and all of them were asked to be there, so they travelled for all around their ghost kingdom to come and hear the news. The sound of the people speaking was filling the air while all of them were trying to cover themselves better: even if they were ghosts and beasts, they could feel everything in the ghost realm, and this night was cold and dark. The lamps were illuminating the area, but nothing could be done for the freezing feeling. 

“My dears!” 

Finally the Ghost King appeared in there, just in front of the principal gate of the Red Palace. He was stunning as usual, wearing a long, black, heavy coat in the top with some white animal hair in the coat’s collarbone. In his hair he had a gold crown, along with other jewels on it.

Everyone bowed when they saw him, only standing up when the Ghost King did a gesture that meant they could stop bowing.

“Today is a day for celebrate!” 

He had a big smile on his face, his eyes full with truly amusement. It was strange to see the Ghost King with a serious face, always grinning and laughing, but one would feel the blood freeze and the cold sweat on their backs seeing this smiles and hearing this laughs. They were terrifying. But this time he was, apparently, truly amused. 

“As you all maybe know, these days I have been… indisposed. It has been caused by a battle I have had with a, now, God. No one has to worry! I’m perfectly fine, as you can see. Your king is still here for all of you, my dears. But!” He grinned wider. “I have a little surprise for all of you.” After some long, tense seconds, he pointed with his hands to the main door of the palace. “I introduce you your prince!” The doors opened and a figure walked until reach the place next to the Ghost King. 

Lei XianLiang was pale and has the tiredness painted on his face, with a dead expression on it. His clothes were black and mainly red, with some gold decorations on it, and his lips were strongly red. In his hair there was also a crown, smaller than the Ghost King’s one. 

Even if he was looking at them, his gaze was lost.

“From now on, he will be our Prince! Isn’t this incredible?” The Ghost King laughed, embracing Lei XianLiang’s shoulders with one of his arms. “Everyone, show respect!”

The people, even if they were confused, bowed as soon as they could. No one wanted to offend the Ghost King, because it usually meant a very bad way to seek one’s end. 

“Great! Great.” The Ghost King clapped, laughing again. “Our little prince have had some difficult times in the Human Realm. So everyone has to be nice to him. Not just because if someone just sees him in a wrong way it would upset me, but also because he… Well, show them, my dear.”

During some seconds nothing happened, so the ghosts and beasts in there started to look to each other. Then a thick, red myst started to appear, becoming thicker every second that passed. 

And then, the screams. 

Ghosts fighting ghosts wasn’t a new thing. Everyone knew that the strongest is the one that survives, and this law it was also a truth in the Underworld. But these ghosts that appeared all of the sudden weren’t normal ghosts: they were fierce, furious, with his concious lost. 

The Ghost King laughed, looking then at Lei XianLiang, now covered on ink characters moving all around his skin.  

“Trully magnificent!” 

But then, Lei XianLiang started to scream, kneeling down while his own hands put pressure on his head, in pain. The ghosts he controlled became even more ferocious, chasing whatever they had in front of them.

Before the things scalated even more, the Ghost King knocked him down.

Every day Lei XianLiang will train for being able to control the ghosts and his just acquired abilities: he was stronger, he was more agile and he felt like he had a new body, even if it was the same as always. The training was hard and very painful, his memories getting mixed with the ghosts he controlled and being overwhelmed by the enormous resentful energy that usually made him lost all his control and ending fainting. Another calamity was helping him with it, but he still had a lot of work to do if he wanted to control properly the ghosts and fulfill their wish: to destroy the four kingdoms. 

“Ah-Ying!” 

The Ghost King was just enjoying watching some actors playing a comical theater in the great, enormous living room, while eating some fresh fruits. 

“Come here and watch this with me!”

Lei XianLiang came to his place, but he was irascible. Definitely he didn’t want to watch any play, so when he reached the spot were the Ghost King was just lying down and laughing, he just hit the fruit and sent it flying away. 

“You promised me to help me!! Why are you here as you just have nothing to do?! There is a lot of work!!”

The Ghost King looked at him not surprised at all, telling his servants and the actors to stop for a moment.

“Ah-Ying, do you want to have this conversation again?” He said calmly. “I told you: you need to control your toys before we can do anything.”

“Stop calling them that!!” He hit more of the bowls with food in there, furious.

“Ok, so we have a bad day today.” The Ghost King sighed, taking him down even if Lei XianLiang opposed resistance. The Ghost King was stronger and Lei XianLiang didn’t even know how to fight properly.

“Let me go!! I’m telling you, let me go!!”

“Shhh, calm down, my sweety. You are just having a bad day. You need to control the feelings of your people, not let them to control you. Breathe with me.”

“I don’t want to!! I DON’T WANT TO!! LET ME GO!!”

“Ah-Ying, listen to my voice and relax.” He pressed Lei XianLiang stronger against the ground. “Just relax.”

“Sometimes it is very nice to walk and see the commoners, isn’t it?” 

The Ghost King and Lei XianLiang were walking throught the streets of the city, having some sweets and just relaxing. The Ghost King was with his eternal smile on his face, but Lei XianLiang was with this serious face. No one knew what was worst, if the Ghost King’s cold smile or the murderous gaze of the Ghost Prince. 

“Do you want more sweets? We can get some more, I know you like them.” The Ghost King said, when he saw Lei XianLiang looking at one shop. “Do you want to go there?”

Lei XianLiang said nothing and walked into the shop: it was an art one. The person that owned the place was an artist, and he died for hunger back then. It wasn’t too much different now: he was hungry and didn’t get too much money, but he couldn’t die because of it now.

“Y-Your Majesty!! Your Highness!!” The artist bowed when he saw them going into the shop, nervous. 

“This shop is so dirty.” The Ghost King said. Even if his words were mean, he was still smiling. “There is dust everywhere!”

“I-I-I-I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I’ll clean as soon as possible. I-I-If I knew you were coming, I would have prepare something special and cleaned.”

“You always have to have something prepared in case we come. What if-“

“This paintings.” Lei XianLiang spoke then, looking at some of the paintings. “Are yours, right?”

“Yes! Your Highness, all the paintings in this shop are mine.”

“Do you know how to do paint big murals?” Lei XianLiang asked, now looking at the artist.

“I-I-I know, Your Highness!” 

“I want you in the palace tomorrow. I have a work for you.”

“I would have choose something different for this room.”

The Ghost King was fanning himself while looking at the new painting that was now in one for Lei XianLiang bedroom’s wall: big, precious orange trees in blosssom, with some of the petals flying away. 

“It is my room.” Lei XianLiang said, cold, looking at the painting too.

“Of course! Of course, Ah-Ying. And you can do whatever you want with it.” The Ghost King passed an arm to embrace Lei XianLiang’s shoulders, but he moved, refusing it. “So cold, Ah-Ying. We share soul and you treat me like this.”

“Leave me alone.”

“As you wish, my dear.”

The screams were horrible, deep and painful, and they could be heard in the entire palace. So it was obvious the Ghost King heard them. It wasn’t very difficult to guess who was the one screaming, also because these horrible sounds came along with a thick, dense, red myst.

The Ghost King walked to Lei XianLiang’s bedroom and went into it, sighing when he could see the youth making these painful sounds, horrified by something that was just in his head now. On his skin he could see the ink characters moving.

“Ah-Ying.” The Ghost King said, loud. “Ah-Ying, do you hear me?” He caressed one of the other’s cheeks with his hand. And it wasn’t a good idea.

All of the sudden, some fierce ghosts appeared in front of him and tried to attack him. A blast coming from the Ghost King’s palms finished them just in time before they could reach him. 

“Unacceptable!” One thing was the screams, another thing very different was an attack. Firmly, he slapped Lei XianLiang. “Wake up now!”

And he did wake up with a sudden gasp, still crying and with horror painted on his face. Slowly the myst started to disappear along with the characters on his skin. He was shaking, and looked at the Ghost King with fear in the eyes.

“You really need to control your things. Two of them attacked me just now.” The Ghost King said a bit annoyed, fanning himself then. “I don’t mind about the other things you do, but I won’t tolerate attacks against me. Do you hear me?” Lei XianLiang didn’t answer, still in shock. “Ah-Ying…? Ah-Ying, don’t ignore me! Agh, fine, we will speak tomorrow.”

The Ghost King felt how the other clutched at him desperately, hiding his face on this robes.

“Please, don’t leave.”

Lei XianLiang begged in such a tiny murmur that the other could barely hear him. The Ghost King sighed and then smiled, stroking his untied hair.

“I won’t.”

“Your Majesty!”

Lei XianLiang entered into the living room, where the Ghost King was listening a private concert, with a big smile.

“Ah-Ying, I told you not call me like this.” He said while the other bowed in front of him. “And not to do this.” He still smiled.

“I don’t dare to be disrespectful to you.” Lei XianLiang replied with an affectionate tone. “I brought you a present!”

Some servants went into the room with two big mirrors, putting them in front of the Ghost King. He looked at them with curiosity.

“Mirrors?” He asked, standing up then and looking at the mirrors. He realized then what was the matter with them.

“Not the usual ones. This mirror-“ Lei XianLiang pointed at one of them.”-shows you what the other mirror reflects. You could watch whatever you want with them!”

“Such a nice present… Oh, my Ah-Ying, always so sweet. Come here, come.” Lei XianLiang walked to him, feeling then the Ghost King hugging him. 

 “It’s nothing, Your Majesty. Where do you want them?”