“What happened to your hair?” Aelius asked again. We stood before a pair of joining double doors that were closed before us. A cobweb hung above our heads on an awning that supported a barely lit lantern.

I guess after receiving ‘I don’t know,’ for the umteenth time, Aelius wouldn’t settle for the response. “If I told you I’m changing my identity to become your great grandfather, would you believe me then?”

He stared at me without amusement before proceeding to study the manor. “Are you sure this is the place?”

“There are only four manors this size in Cassanova,” I explained dryly. “Of course, I’m certain.”

Beyond the gates ahead were the exquisitely carved remnants of the Autumn Court, where they remained untouched for decades. Today, this vacant household would receive uninvited guests. We pushed through the creaking metal doors. Dust rose into the air upon stepping over the threshold. The once magnificent tree in the center of the stepping stones had bent into horrible angles, leaving one with an ominous feeling.

“Let’s go ghost hunting, you had said while barging through my front door. It will be fun, you said,” Aelius continued to bicker, following my lead into the enormous courtyard. The vegetation was unkempt with tall grass, weeds, and vines protruding from places they shouldn’t, suffocating any form of plant growth.

“Oh Aelius, you’re so dramatic,” I said, rolling my eyes at him.

He pushed some weeds out of our path, grumbling unhappily in response.

My lips twitched upward. “Isn’t the Unruly familiar with dealing with spirits? Where has all that swagger gone? I must need binoculars because I don’t see it.”

“We have, Zhen Xue,” he countered flatly as we went around the center tree towards the house. “But I’m not a priest,” he pointed out. “I can only repair wounds.”

I wrapped my arm around his broad shoulders, dragging him along. “Would I be this calm if we were in danger? This ghost is only after orphans and suffering children.”

“Both of which we once were,” he countered. “We are the perfect five-course meal, whether I put a label on our foreheads that says free appetizers! Come and get some, no extra charge!”

He’s not wrong, but that’s exactly what we needed to happen. Dared if I tried to explain my plan to Aelius, he never would’ve come along. I would’ve had better luck pulling a mule over that threshold than a grown man of his size.

His gaze turned frigid, grumbling under his breath. “You think I don’t know what you’re planning?! That’s precisely why I’m bothered! Goddammit, Zhen Xue.”

“Are you leaving, then?”

He huffed at the suggestion, pushing me aside to walk ahead onto the porch. “Move aside. We don’t have all night.”

The wooden tables and chairs set about were rotting from age. I could imagine people laughing and dancing about to a soft melody, lanterns hanging above the awning and nearby trees. Auburn leaves, golden hues from the sun, and crimson attire that would fill the atmosphere. To see such flattering things turned to dust was almost too sad to observe. As the wind grew stronger, it forcefully blew against us while we rushed inside to find the interior similarly decayed.

I flicked a match, lighting the candles I pulled out from my satchel. Handing one to Aelius, I noticed the fire cast shadows across his features and the surrounding floor. “Did you bring what I asked?”

“Toadstool and liverwurst?”

“Yes.”

“No,” he said flatly, losing his vigor. “Who has that lying around?”

I sighed, moving past him and into the lobby. The staircase leading to the second floor appeared so uninviting that I involuntarily shivered. Upon feeling his stare, I turned around to Aelius, who appeared even more annoyed than earlier. “Are you always this moody??”

He broke into a smile that seemed tired. “No, this is just a special occasion. I can’t contain my enthusiasm, Zhen Xue. Truly, you can see the future as you say.”

I looked up the staircase and thought to myself that it would be nice if Aelius were more pleasant while awake. “So, how are we going to do this? Should we split up?”

He debated my question, folding his arms to consider. “We would cover more ground that way.”

“Good,” I stated. “You can search up there.”

His expression turned smug at my attempt to pass him the dirtier job. “That means you’ll have to search the basement.”

I’m pretty sure if I tried to hide my irritation, Aelius would’ve still noticed.

He shook his head, laughing while mounting the staircase. “Shout if something goes wrong. Oh, and if you’re injured, crawl somewhere to hide,” he added in an afterthought. “I can’t revive the dead, Zhen Xue.”

The floorboards creaked under his footsteps, and eventually, his candle and person were too far away to view. I mustered up enough determination and walked into the lounge, candle in hand.

With each step, I heard the crunch of broken glass under my shoes while the moonlight filtered through the windows, guiding my way. There was a potent stench in the air that could cure someone’s ailment if inhaled long enough. I took my chances and pressed onward carefully, passing through the room into another hallway.

The smell got so dreadful that I couldn’t resist holding my nose. A door slammed behind me, breaking my train of thought. Soon enough, another door slammed shut, sealing all the rooms in the hallway from access.

I hurried down an adjoining hallway, not bothering to stay quiet. My breath grew more desperate, coming out in shallow gasps. More doors continued to snap shut as I walked past them.

The candle in my hand flickered about from the force of the doors closing, threatening to go out. I quickly shielded the flame with my free hand, but my effort wasn’t enough and the spark vanished.

Alone in the dark, my stomach twisted into knots, recalling the time I spent locked away. I closed my eyes, replacing those horrible images with something that brought me comfort. There’s a memory I have of sitting beside Li Wei while he ran his delicate fingers through my hair, his smile barely visible but filled with warmth. Finding I could breathe again, I reached into my satchel for another match.

The flame flickered to life before my eyes, but before I could light the wick, another onset of wind blew out the flame.

I threw the candle away, losing both interest and patience. With a loud clatter, it landed on the floor several feet away, and then, much to my dismay, immediately lit up on its own.

“Zhen Xue!” Aelius shouted, his voice distant.

I ran back the way I came, heart hammering in my chest as the candlelight was becoming significantly warmer on the back of my head.

A hand reached out and grabbed my shoulder, yanking me backwards. I’ve only seen paintings of Lady Rosalynn, but I never expected to see her in the flesh.

While holding the candle with one hand, she used the other to lunge for my neck. Her fingernails scraped against my skin as I barely missed them, eyes glassy white, like two giant pearls peering from her eye sockets. Her skin was fair and smooth but dried up from age and her disheveled hair seemed to twitch as though teeming with life.

“Nice to meet you, too,” I said with a quick smile. I pulled away from her, running towards the living room.

Aelius appeared at the entrance just as I reached the threshold.

“Tell me,” I said, holding his shoulder to catch my breath. “Is that not the deceased Lady Rosalynn following us?”

He grabbed my arm, pulling me along after him. “We won’t talk about it.”

Candles ignited around the lobby without being touched, along with the towering chandelier above our heads. A gust of wind swept forward, threatening to knock us over.

Aelius let me go, tumbling into the wall.

I reached out to help him, but sensed another wave of wind hurtling in my direction. My clothes swirled with my movement as I spun around, missing the attack by several degrees.

The candles flickered, suddenly going out to reveal a gloomy atmosphere. I shared a worried glance with Aelius, who was still recovering on the floor where he fell.

Lady Rosalynn appeared, having finally caught up to us.

Next to her, Gwen followed, watching us both coldly. She wore long clothes, her belly swollen with an unborn child. Her features were young and smooth, with her curls tied into a messy bun.

Lady Rosalynn charged at us, not wasting another second.

“Wait, wait, wait!” I held up my hands to stop her.

To my surprise and relief, she actually listened. Taking the opportunity, I looked evenly at Gwen. “We just want to be taken to the underworld like you’ve been taking the children.”

“And why should I do that?” she responded, dark gaze perceptively watching my every movement.

“Twenty-three years ago,” I said, taking a step forward. “You met a boy on the streets, correct?”

She blinked at me in confusion, losing her cold nature.

“My mother had long since passed away and my father wouldn’t be in the picture for a while,” I paused and stared at her. “You resurfaced during that time, taking away orphans and children with missing a parent. I wonder why you didn’t take me away, too?”

She stepped closer, studying my appearance and confident gaze. “There are a few things predetermined in this world. One of them is how a child will always long for their parents. If I had a son, I wish he would grow up to be like you. Someone who dares to travel where no man goes. For that reason, I’ll grant your wish, young prince of the stars.”

Aelius rejoined my side, sharing a glance with me. He turned back to Gwen, placing a hand on his chest. “Me too,” he said. “I want to see my parents, too.”

Gwen studied the two of us for a moment, understanding flickering behind her glass eyes. “Very well,” she conceded. “I’ll send you both.”

With a flick of her wrist, the floor tilted beneath my feet, rotating the room clockwise.

Aelius grabbed my arm, losing balance with me as we both tumbled towards the ground. He collapsed on top of my legs, losing his grip. The room continued to rotate, ceaselessly throwing off my sense of direction.

Gwen stood above us, her pearl eyes glowing as she watched the darkness swallow us whole. I could almost hear the faint sound of her laughter through the endless abyss.

The sound morphed into the cackling of a pack of crows. Their wings flapped vigorously, sharp beaks relentlessly poking at my skin. I shooed them away, finding that I’m lying on a bed of grass in a forest, Aelius no longer in sight.

The sky was a deep pool of red, like someone had made the clouds bleed evening hues. Amethysts the size of delicious apples hung from tree branches like forbidden fruit. There was a bubbling sap that clung to their exterior, holding them in place. Small amounts of daylight shimmered through the crystals, reflecting shades of pink and crimson across the landscape.

The fireworks I made for Aelius and myself weighed heavier in my satchel, as if a reminder I could summon for him, but I didn’t want to resort to using our only source of communication, not when we haven’t found the children yet.

A mortal can only stay in the underworld for seven days before their body will break down. This is the main reason I brought Aelius, so we should be fine, or so I thought.

By the fifth day of travel, I knew I was already reaching my upper limits of exhaustion. To make matters worse, several walking corpses appeared from the thicket with intentions to feast. With an awkward posture and a fixated gaze, they approached me. Their mouths drooling saliva, bodies carrying a foul stench in their clothes.

More walking corpses jumped into pursuit, not sparing a moment of recollection. They probably joined their brethren smiling greedily and thought to themselves, “This weak human! What does he know?”

Well, they’d be right. I’m not confident I can handle them in this weakened state, but I’ll be damned if I give up after coming this far.

I shoved the closest one, sending him staggering backward. His jaw set in anger as he recomposed himself, but I quickly launched another attack, kicking him in the chest.

The momentum sent him flying to the ground where another one took his place. I spun around gracefully, projecting my fist into their gut. They hunched over, face twisting in confusion that they were hit. Much like before, other walking corpses appeared, staggering towards me at a much faster pace.

I took a step backwards, feeling the slice of wind as their hand reached for my neck, when suddenly a presence brushed against my left shoulder.

There was the smell of the sea, followed by Ming Yi taking my empty water carton, only to hold it out for me to retrieve. “Drink some. You look dehydrated.”

With a firm grasp on Ming Yi’s hand, I pulled him through the woods, pushing past the walking corpses and prioritizing his safety. I ignored the scratches on my arms and pushed onward, running even faster.

My foot suddenly dipped into the earth, sending my person falling forward. I braced myself, spinning around mid-dive, and used my remaining strength to push Ming Yi back to the surface.