The dream last night of the burning village... Whenever Zhen Xue tried to recall what happened, the fragments scattered into the freezing wind. Just now, he had a strong sense of familiarity, like there was something important he should remember from the ash and smoke, but the moment he considered the meaning a firm voice dragged him back to the reality of his twenty-three-year-old self.

“You’re going to get yourself killed one of these times,” Aelius reprimanded, looking over Zhen Xue’s disheveled appearance. They’d just finished outrunning another rampant spirit through the streets of London—the place Zhen Xue moved to after completing his college education in China. That was around the time he met Aelius, an ambitious twenty-six-year-old officer who worked undercover to hunt down spirits. During one of Zhen Xue’s leads with a spirit, he found himself trapped in a basement because of one. If not for Aelius, Zhen Xue could’ve died there, but ever since that rescue, this ‘old man’ acted like he could boss him around.

Not in the mood to be lectured, Zhen Xue ignored Aelius, resting against the wall of the alleyway to clear his head. Only high-level spirits could take an appearance. This one hadn’t been an exception. It was almost like they kept getting stronger, but that only encouraged him to continue his search. He had to be getting closer to a breakthrough after all this time. 

His clenched fist slammed against the wall, relieving a small amount of his stress. He couldn’t keep the memories from flooding into mind, pulling him under a current of oppression. The wind picked up as he tried to resist the regret that threatened to consume him. 

In the quiet, he often recalled the stench of smoke. How the flames crackled in the night sky before burning his family alive, a scene that followed with a crisp image of a man with silver hair, carrying a dark blade. The individual simply vanished as though never there. 

That was his first experience with the supernatural, and he ensured it wasn’t his last. Shortly after, he hunted down every spirit he could find to look for the silver-haired man. No matter the danger Zhen Xue faced, he won’t stop. Not until he avenged his family and knows why they had died.

Aelius folded his arms, seeing that his countless attempts to dissuade him weren’t going anywhere. “Are you really going to make me haul you to jail for the night so you’ll learn your lesson?” Aelius demanded.

Two can play that game. Zhen Xue tossed his threat right back at him, throwing him a grin. “Given you have no legit reason to be following me around, and know about spirits too,” he added smoothly. “I’d say you should join me. It’d be a spectacular evening of paperwork and the chief of justice trying to figure out why one of his officers locked themselves away, don’t you agree?”

Aelius looked physically unwell at the suggestion.

Zhen Xue smiled at him placidly, removing himself from the wall. “Splendid,” he continued with a chipper voice, feeling much lighter than he did a moment ago. “I’m glad you think so, too.”

“Zhen Xue,” Aelius said, inhaling sharply with anxiety apparent in his shoulders. He sighed, changing his mind, shoulders dropping again. “Keep yourself safe. If you’re gone, who will enjoy my cooking?”

He blinked, taken aback by his earnest concern. “That alone would be a crime,” Zhen Xue agreed with a more genuine smile. He patted Aelius’s shoulder in farewell, venturing back out into the night.

His urge to find the truth behind his family’s death, along with the fact that someone murdered them, clawed at him like lava churning through his veins. Aelius meant well, trying to lessen the burden for him, but that didn’t remove the damage inflicted, nor how he could barely sleep at night without crying himself to sleep.

With little thought, he crossed a couple of streets, minding the traffic lights as he passes under them. He entered through an ivory colored door leading to one of the popular pub, Tabby’s Witch Experiment. Soon, and rather unexpectedly, he stood in front of a booth with his friends seated, greeting him with false smiles. Calling them friends made him reflexively want to go back outside and get run over by traffic.

His gaze washed over Jie Bai and Xiao Yu, his college mates that moved with him to London, and landed on another college mate, Li Wei.

Upon recognizing him, his heart jumped into his throat. 

Silently cursing at himself for standing there stupidly, he took a seat with his feet pointed towards the door—an old habit to bring relief when his anxiety acts up. His body was already sweating, engulfed by his oversize jacket. For once, he was grateful to be ignored, though to his horror, he realized Li Wei was still watching him closely.

He felt too awkward to attempt a smile, worrying listlessly that if this man found out he wrote about him, he would consider it disgusting and never speak to him again. A ridiculous fear perhaps, but he was ready to abandon the entire project if Li Wei indeed found out his little secret and actually hated him for it.

In contrast, however, Li Wei only smiled softly in a way of greeting. Under the amber light, Zhen Xue thought he looked ethereal, breathtaking, exotic. Li Wei’s fur coat shifted as he leans forward enough so that only he could hear him. “There’s actually two ways to leave this building,” he whispered with a smile, as though sharing a secret.

Zhen Xue, dumbfounded, caught himself staring for too long, but Li Wei looked so ravishing and delectable, down to the shine of his golden locks, that any other thought faded away and became meaningless. The idea of pulling out his notebook and writing about him in more detail became overwhelming, making his hands itch at his sides. Xiao Yu and Jie Bai were conversing on their own, so Zhen Xue returned to Li Wei, taking the bait with a vague smile. “Just two?” he asked leisurely. “I thought there were three.”

Li Wei grew nervous at the prospect, his brows twitching as he studied the room further. “You can’t possibly mean through the window.”

Li Wei’s reaction was so enthralling, he almost didn’t want to reveal the answer. He tapped his foot against the floorboards, drawing Li Wei’s attention to the floor which hid the basement few knew about.

Li Wei’s eyebrow raised, growing suspicious. “In a place like this?”

He nodded with some satisfaction that he knew something that Li Wei didn’t, solely for the fact he could be prideful when he wanted. “Tabby’s Witch Experiment has another business underground, one less known to the public for... Let’s just say, less ethical practices.”

Li Wei’s eyes widened, feigning shock, playing along to his utter delight. He leaned across the table, whispering lower than before. “You don’t mean...”

“Indeed,” he confirmed, playing along with their theatrics. This pub sold the ‘magical mushroom’ or rather, a hallucinogenic drug. Overall harmless, but according to Aelius had been a headache to deal with as of late. Apparently, there was an altered version that could lead users into spouts of maniac behavior or something like that, but the actual circumstances are more humorous with folks bursting into Christmas carols or confessing their love for strangers—an excellent subject for gossip, which Li Wei clearly loved to do with how he drank in every word Zhen Xue explained of the victims.

“Unbelievable,” Li Wei said, scoffing with a wave of dramatics. “And right in the middle of town?! How has no one shut them down?”

“I know, right?” Zhen Xue grinned. “They already get a lot of business from the bar, but I guess that’s corporate greed for you. Once they’ve had a taste of cash flow, they can’t get enough.” His words rolled off his tongue as he became more comfortable with Li Wei, whom was staring with deep interest and an unreadable smile—a sight that postponed the realization his feet were no longer pointed towards the door.

“Thanks for coming tonight,” Li Wei smiled, as though confirming what he said. “Without you, I fear my evening would’ve been most uneventful.”

Zhen Xue laughed at his compliment, feeling a bitter pang in his chest at the reality that Li Wei found him interesting simply couldn’t be true. “You must have lived a dull life.”

“On the contrary,” Li Wei countered with a soft smile. “You are the most fascinating person I have ever encountered,” he went on, appearing to mean every word. “Shall we get out of here?”

Zhen Xue’s thoughts vanish as he lifted his gaze from the table, questioning if he had misheard him, but what drew his attention the most was how quiet the table seemed. His friends appeared to stop talking long ago. He found Jie Bai watching them with vague interest, sipping on his yellow drink. For their conversation to reach such an awkward end, couldn’t have been worse.

Zhen Xue spotted Xiao Yu squinting at his phone, not giving a damn about anything other than himself. He was certain Xiao Yu was checking his follower count again, oblivious to the fact he was doing him a favor by not being loud for once.

The server appeared at Li Wei’s side, handing over a drink. The contents were clear and bubbling like mineral water, with a lemon hanging from the top rim of the glass.

Li Wei passed it to him without a second thought, giving a reassuring nod at the glass when the server left. “It’s not alcohol,” he explained. “Don’t worry.”

A puddle of warmth filled his chest, conflicting with his confusion. For the second time tonight, Li Wei left him unable to comprehend his motives.