The first thing that Zhi Yan could remember was the taste. A watery, muddy taste overwhelmed her senses as water flooded into her airways. Panic set in immediately, and she waved her hands in a hasty formation. Nothing happened. She tried again, but once more, she was met only with a burning sensation in her lungs. Something was pressing down on her chest, something extremely heavy. She didn't dare open her eyes, flailing her arms and legs in the water toward what she presumed to be the surface. Her hands groped in the darkness until, by some miracle, one hand broke through the water and grabbed onto a rock that jutted out just enough to serve as a ledge.

A primal gasp for air escaped her as she barely broke the water's surface. Eyes wide and panting, Zhi Yan blinked away the remnants of water and peered around in the darkness. The lack of light was more annoying than frightening; her main concern was the weight on her chest threatening to drown her. Desperately, her right hand fumbled around, feeling several thick metal chains coiled around her body, locking a large and heavy metal plate to her chest. No qi? Why the hell do I have no qi?

Her fingers were already starting to lose their grasp on the wet rock. Think. It hadn't taken long to reach the surface, so she estimated that the bottom was no more than two feet beneath her feet. Her heart pounded as she took in greedy gulps of air, trying to prevent the panic from clouding her mind. She felt along the chains again. They were wrapped tightly around her in a crisscross manner. But crisscrossing means one continuous chain.

The pain in her hand spread to her arm, a searing, red-hot pain that begged for her to let go. It was getting harder to think. Taking another deep breath, she let go of the rock, letting herself sink beneath the water again. As soon as she let go, her arms flew to her sides, digging at the metal for some looser link. She had been able to kick earlier, with the lowest loop of metal sitting right above her knee, meaning there was some room there. Tucking her knees back, Zhi Yan pulled. It didn't budge, merely digging into her skin. Again she pulled. No luck. Again and again, she tried, her movements turning frantic. The chain didn't move at all. Her lungs screamed for air, but she just couldn't get the loop over her knees. Kicking off from the bottom, she shot toward the surface. As soon as her head popped through the surface, her hands waved around desperately for the ledge until she found it and swung both arms around it as her chest heaved up and down. 

Zhi Yan shook her head, forcing herself to calm down as much as she could. She needed to be more relaxed this time so the chains wouldn't be as taut on her body. I need more air this time. She could feel the fatigue and sluggishness trying to take over but again she forced those feelings away. Then, with the last of the strength in her arms, she pushed herself up, taking in as much air as she could before sinking back under.

This time, she tucked her knees less and started to wiggle the chain closer to where her kneecaps sat. Bit by bit, the chain moved closer to the joint. She felt something hit her back—she had hit the bottom and was running out of time. But the chain refused to cross over the top of the joint. Time seemed to slow down. Ignoring the pain in nearly every part of her body, she grabbed the chain and pulled. The metal dug into her skin, her nails dragging as she tried to free her legs. It felt like her skin was on fire, threatening to tear, before the chain abruptly went slack in her hand. The loop finally slipped over her knees, sliding past her ankles as the upper coils of metal followed suit.

Like a madwoman, Zhi Yan pushed down on the chains, trying to free herself. Finally, she felt the weight on her chest slide downward before getting caught at her hips. Her fingers tore at the clothing on her as her legs began to kick slower and slower. She could feel herself sinking back down.

"I'm going to die, aren't I?"

In her frenzy, her hands caught onto a tear in the fabric, and she ripped without knowing what else to do. Suddenly, the clothes around her loosened, sending the metal plate plummeting to the depths of the water. The startling loss of weight was all Zhi Yan needed to propel herself to the surface. For the third time, she burst through the surface, gasping for air. Once she had a hold of the ledge, she took lungfuls of oxygen, her chest no longer constrained. After she had recovered some strength, she moved along the wall. Her fingers cautiously felt along the wet and grimy wall, revealing that she was in a well of sorts. She didn't know how high it was, but the well couldn't have been more than three feet wide, as her outstretched arms easily grazed the other side. From the lack of light, it seemed the well was also covered. What an experience the gods have blessed me with.

Lugging her left arm over the ledge, she leaned back before swinging her legs up until both feet rested flat against the opposing wall. This is going to hurt. And hurt it did. Every time she pushed her upper body up, the rough stone walls scraped harshly against her naked back. Every muscle and bone in her body begged for her to stop, but she merely closed her eyes and clenched her jaw. Curse this weak body. After what seemed like an eternity, her head rammed into something hard above. Taking a deep breath, she inched closer, more cautiously this time, until much of the wooden covering was right over her back. Then she pushed the wooden covering aside.

Bright moonlight flooded her vision as the heavy covering slid to the side. The cool night air hit her nose as she shakily hoisted herself over the side of the well and onto the grass. Sitting down, Zhi Yan took in her surroundings. She seemed to be in a courtyard of sorts. Why she was in a well was beyond her. It was very clear she was not in her original body anymore. Speaking of which... She looked down and watched as rivulets of blood traveled down her limbs past bumps of old scars. As she tried to remember, an excruciating sensation erupted in her mind, making her stumble to her feet, heaving. Of course, nothing came out, and she was left panting on the ground in agony. I just need a break. Closing her eyes once more, she promised herself she would be gone before sunrise. Clearly, I am not welcome here.

******

When she opened her eyes again, Zhi Yan saw the first rays of orange peeking over the horizon.

She shifted her body from side to side before awkwardly pushing herself up. Her body still hurt quite a lot, but the rest had helped. As she turned, her knee rammed straight into the slightly parted covering on the well. Zhi Yan sighed before using her hip to inch the covering back in place. The plate emitted a loud grating noise that she didn't remember from the previous night, causing her to wrinkle her brows in distaste.

A shrill shriek and a shatter interrupted her thoughts. She paused, looking up to see a small servant girl, eyes wide with fear across the courtyard.

Confused, Zhi Yan lifted her hand as if to silence the girl, only to realize that she was in fact completely stripped of all clothing. Oh, I think that is an appropriate response. Clearing her throat, she asked in the most dignified voice she could muster, "Fetch me some ro—"

"G-GHOST! ZHI YAN'S GHOST IS HERE!" Then the girl's eyes rolled back into her head and she fell to the ground.

Eh? Ghost?