The hallways and other rooms were quiet and eerily dark. Only the moon hiding behind the clouds outside the window allowed him to see his surroundings. He looked around, biting back the coldness sinking beneath his clothes.
Zhen Xue cursed under his breath. It was cold.
The ghost must be hunting. Spurred on by this knowledge, his sense of urgency to find Li Wei increased.
Ah, wait... Li Wei could take care of himself, his inner voice reasoned.
He should go back to bed, but even so... Even though Li Wei was capable, Zhen Xue couldn’t help feeling protective of him, so he pushed onward.
He really should’ve asked Li Wei for a candle earlier. This place was too dark and empty, just like that time long ago...
No, he couldn’t think about that right now.
Li Wei might be in danger.
He softly knocked on a few doors, but no one answered.
Rented rooms where no one answered?
Something was definitely wrong.
His lips pursed, not wanting to enter without permission, but his concern outweighed such risks. Just as he was about to push open the room he was standing before, a woman’s scream erupted from a few doors down.
A chill like no other ran down his spine, hurrying to the door. He always felt ghost mysteries were fun, but it was no longer a game when someone got hurt.
He tried the doorknob, finding it locked.
His hands clenched, slamming against the surface. “Hey! Is everything okay in there?!”
No response.
Dammit.
He took a few steps backward and shoved his foot at the door a few times.
It burst open, revealing a pitch black room. Nothing was present, not even a bed.
The air inside felt stifled, unnatural. He shivered and could make out his breath, signs of a ghost being inside. “Ugh,” a wave of nausea overcame him at the pain in chest. He’d pushed himself too hard today.
Feeling light-headed, he held onto the door frame to support himself.
Not good.
At this phase of his tiredness, there was not enough time to get back to his bed. He looked around the darkness, his heart racing with anxiety that he might pass out on the floor.
Li Wei might still be inside.
No, Li Wei definitely would have said something by now. The only thing in this room was likely the ghost.
A hand in the shape of a shadow grabbed onto his ankle. He gasped, trying to shake it off. The thing recoiled back into the room as though burned, cursing in a language he didn’t understand.
Dammit. He couldn’t move. It must be controlling the shadows to keep him trapped.
The darkness stirred again as the ghost spoke, a voice of a woman. “What exactly are you?” she asked with fascination. “Your soul is neither human nor a ghost. No wonder you are falling apart.”
“Wow, I never would’ve guessed,” he remarked dryly. “Maybe I’ll sleep better tonight.”
“There’s no cure for soul sickness.”
Although he didn’t know there was a name for his condition, the outcome was obvious. “Thanks, but I know,” he stated. He could barely keep his eyes open, somehow finding a way to stay on his feet. He needed to end this quickly. “What have you done with the widows?” he asked, getting to the point.
“I gave them what they wanted.”
His gaze hardened inexplicably. “And what’s that?”
“The same thing your own heart desires,” she said through a smile. “To see the departed.”
His heart stopped in his chest.
“Tianshi and Zhi... Wasn’t that their names?”
Zhen Xue inhaled so sharply his lungs ached. Never did he imagine to hear their names from anyone in this world. It deeply unsettled him, like their legacy was being tainted by this filthy creature. Chills went down his spine as Calisaya moved into the moonlight.
Familiar silver hair spilled around her dark cloak, blue eyes sizing him up like prey.
Silence filled his mind. Everything he knew shattered at this moment.
She stepped forward with an unhurried pace, unsheathing her sword. Then raised the tip to his neck, lifting his chin. “You're such a hypocrite, hunting me down to fix your mess. I’ll never return to being your pretty little puppet.”
Zhen Xue was visibly shaking from horror. “Calisaya...” he breathed. “What went wrong? Why are you like this?”
He could barely hear his own voice, mind spinning as several revelations took place. She was the ghost taking the souls away. Everything from the start... from her missing appearance at the banquet until now, suddenly made so much sense. Calisaya died. Not only that, but she was aware of the plot and that he was the author.
A sharp ringing sound went through his mind. His gaze snapped to her in an instant. “So, you read my mind? Get the hell out of my head.”
“So many memories, so many emotions...” she crooned. “I’m envious that you don’t remember the past.” She paused long enough to lower the blade to her side. “Don’t you want to see Tianshi and Zhi again? I can help you with that.”
Zhen Xue flinched at his own desire to accept her offer.
Dangerous. She was so very dangerous and he was already at his limit.
He tried to push away his grief, but everything came flooding back to him at full force. “You’ve seen my memories,” he said as the pressure in his head built. “You know that’s not possible.”
“Wrong...” her voice rang merrily. “But I’ll only tell you for a price.”
He couldn’t resist her. He wanted to see them more then anything.
“What will you sacrifice for the truth? Would you give up Li Wei?”
His blood ran cold.
“Or maybe your precious Ming Yi?” she continued with a smile.
She was lying to him, just like she lied to the widows, who no doubt asked to see their husbands. With bitterness, he realized the widows must be long dead by now. They gave their souls for a false promise. “You know who I am, yet you play such games? I could write you out of existence.”
“Lies. You don’t have such power.”
He smiled coldly, selling the bluff with complete confidence. “Try me.”
Calisaya paused, clicking her tongue in annoyance. “A threat? You can barely stand.”
“No, what I can’t stand is my siblings’ names coming out of your filthy mouth.” An anger continued to curl in his gut as he said, “You killed the servants, didn’t you?”
She laughed. “You already know the answer to that,” her voice returned to a pleasant tone filled with amusement. “And before you stand there and judge me like a pathetic fallen god, you should know very well that I’m this way because of you.”
Zhen Xue’s confidence faltered ever so slightly.
“How should I continue on without trying to find a way back, Zhen Xue?” she asked with a tired expression that often mirrored his own. “Life is meaningless for my kind. We can’t sleep or eat. We’re forced to watch everyone live their life, including you. Not even the Underworld god acknowledges us anymore. We can never rest in peace.”
He hated himself for feeling bad for her, but he knew that feeling all too well. For most of his life, he watched everyone else live their life, always feeling left behind. And when Tianshi and Zhi died, knowing the world kept moving without them was like adding salt to the wound.
Calisaya ruined so many lives, but as an author who toyed with their lives, how was he any better? For the first time since entering this world, Zhen Xue faced an impossible problem... One that he’d been so lost on his agenda to admit.
He swallowed his pride that he’d been too bold to realize until now.
Her hatred was justified. In fact, if not for wanting his siblings to rest in peace, he might let Calisaya claim her justice, and restart or whatever she was talking about, but he couldn’t leave behind this life yet.
He would not die here today.
“It wasn’t my intention to kill you,” Calisaya admitted with a sigh. “I tried to be patient, thinking you would grow bored. I pitied you for not knowing everything, how you were blindly digging your own grave, but that was my mistake.”
She was quiet for a moment as Zhen Xue tried to pull himself free from the shadows' grip. The shadows tightened their hold in response.
“You’ve evaded death for too long.”
Her gaze met him with a resolution that ran so deep, Zhen Xue felt his bones quake.
“Now it’s my turn. I’m going to have the happy ending that I deserve.”
The blade reached his throat again, hovering there.
“Do you know how many times I’ve had to restart?” she asked in a tired, broken voice. “My loved ones would always forget, but I didn’t. Every time you decided you had enough, my life got uprooted on the spot.”
It was like he’d received a blow to the chest.
The painful throb in his head grew louder as he tried to consider what she meant.
The darkness moved closer, wrapping around his arms. The ones on his legs tightened, holding him even more securely in place. They pulled him in greedily with invisible hunger.
Unable to escape, a tightness swelled in his chest.
He struggled to pull away, his heartbeat leaping into his throat.
He might actually die here.
And just when he thought slipped into his mind, delicate hands snatched his waist.
He saw golden hair flicker into his vision before recognizing Li Wei. The sudden force freed him from the shadows and sent him falling backward.
Li Wei easily caught him looking down at him with concern etched on his face. Effortlessly, he spun them around, evading countless strikes of Calisaya’s sword that hurtled their way. In a matter of moments, he unfolded his fan with a flick of his wrist, slicing at the shadows and countering her blows.
The fan held, the silver edges glistening under the moonlight.
Li Wei staggered under Calisaya’s heavy swing.
Zhen Xue’s heart faltered at the sight, wishing he could help. However, soon enough, the tables turned again, Li Wei landing a blow to her abdomen.
The shadows recoiled, surrounding Calisaya like a shield. She stared them down with endless fervor, and then, as if arriving at a decision, she allowed the shadows to carry her away, disappearing into the room they came from.
Perhaps from Zhen Xue’s immense relief that Li Wei was safe, he could no longer resist the pull of sleep. His body sank further against Li Wei’s form, eyelids fluttering shut as he wondered what cruel dreams would await him this time.
Between his fading consciousness, he heard Li Wei’s voice from above. “My beautiful animae dimidium meae,” Li Wei said with a sigh. His free hand, holding the fan aloft, gently brushed his cheek. “What will I do with you...”
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