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墨書 Inktalez
“...Gates of Hell open.”
Gradually, I began to face my responsibilities. As Xiaoyan said, if I can't change it, then I should at least try. Every night, I went out with the prisoner to catch ghosts. With each one I caught, I felt much better physically; it seemed that my nighttime activities did not affect my daytime life at all, almost like it was just a dream.
Finally, I caught another one. The places the prisoner took me to these days were mostly inhabited by low-level ghosts like the Faceless Ghost, but I could feel the power within me growing stronger little by little.
Tonight, following the prisoner's instructions, I stepped into the night once more. Our destination was an abandoned factory, where it was said that cries could be heard. However, the prisoner assured me not to be afraid; it was just a little ghost that posed no threat to humans. I knew about that factory; it was on a shortcut I took on my way to school. Very few people walked there, but it certainly saved a lot of time. Once, when I was running late, I reluctantly chose that path and heard a non-human sound. To my surprise, I saw a female ghost sitting there crying while staring at passersby. At that moment, I mustered my courage and left as if nothing had happened, vowing never to take that shortcut again.
Suddenly, halfway through, I caught a whiff of something different—something powerful enough to scare me. To the south, there was an aura of a ghost whose power was absolutely different from the previous ones; it was too strong!
“Change course and head south,” came the prisoner's calm voice from the Necklace. To him, this was just a minor issue.
“But, prisoner. The other party is much stronger than me.” I whispered in a small voice of protest; I simply couldn't go.
“I will take action; do not be afraid.”
In the quiet night, I resolutely walked southward, the prisoner's words echoing in my mind. I didn't know why the usually isolated me believed every word he said so deeply.
What is this? The aura was coming from not far away and growing more distinct. This place was a high-end residential area. With a light leap, I noticed the windows were open? I entered the room and directly crossed through the spacious living room; it was just behind this door. After hesitating for a moment, I pushed through that door.
Damn! It was too late. The girl lay lifeless on the bed—was it her?!
One of the two girls I encountered on a rainy afternoon at school. One of them was Jinna, who had always disliked me since childhood; the other seemed to be her classmate and was curious about me, often stealing glances at me. At that time, I didn't pay them any mind, but it was this girl whose life force appeared very weak to me; I could see her heart inside her body—transparent and clean. It puzzled me how someone like her would associate with someone like Jinna, who acted like a queen bee. I didn’t say anything; especially with Jinna around, they would surely think I was crazy.
I had grown accustomed to being in the rain; it made me feel comfortable and relaxed. Many people looked at me strangely along the way, but I didn’t care—not at all. Just as I passed an intersection, an umbrella appeared over my head—it was her. She softly said not to catch a cold and offered me her umbrella before running off. Little did I know that tonight she would die just like that.
“She hasn’t run far; Xi Meng, hurry and chase.” The prisoner reminded me. Yes, it wasn’t too late—I would retrieve her soul!
Perhaps under stimulation, my abilities surged beyond their limits; this was the first person close to me who had died—I absolutely wouldn’t let that ghost get away easily. My speed surpassed every previous attempt as I ran fiercely; nothing in this space would obstruct my path.
“Don’t! Please let go of me! I beg you to let go!” Her cries echoed ahead.
I’m almost there! “Let her go!”
It was obvious that the Ghostly Figure was taken aback, and the girl immediately turned around to see me.
"Xi Meng, how did you get here? Hurry and leave, go call the police, he's a bad person!" It seemed she had no idea that she was already dead.
I didn't have time to explain to her; dawn would break soon. The Ghostly Figure turned around, draped in a black cloak, completely shrouded in dark fabric except for a pair of blood-red eyes that were terrifyingly bloodthirsty, making me shudder.
This was beyond my capabilities; I could not seal him. He emanated a Dark Aura that was different from the previous ghosts I had encountered, something I couldn't quite articulate.
"Step back, Xi Meng." The Prisoner finally revealed himself, but his expression was unusually grave.
"Did she send you?" The Prisoner ignored me, his beautiful eyes fixed on the ghost ahead.
"This is the King's plan; do not interfere." A chilling male voice came from the other side.
"I saved this person. Go back and tell her to stop immediately; otherwise, it will be irreversible." For some reason, the Prisoner's voice grew weaker, and his tone no longer carried the usual indifference; it was filled with sadness that made me want to cry. My heart trembled—who was he referring to?
The Ghostly Figure seemed to hesitate before ultimately turning away and releasing the girl.
"This is a dream; it's time to sleep, dear." The Prisoner smiled gently at her, and the girl closed her eyes and fell into his embrace. At that moment, I found myself feeling jealous, but I quickly sighed and brushed off that thought.
The girl's soul returned, and later we sealed that female ghost as well; she was another pitiful spirit who had lost her child there and waited day after day. The journey back was quiet, and I found it increasingly difficult to see the Prisoner clearly. He always kept pulling away from me, and I hated this feeling. Thinking of this made me stop in frustration.
"What's wrong, Xi Meng?" The Prisoner stopped and turned to look at me.
Well, what could I do? "It's nothing; let's go. It will be dawn soon."
Back home, I lay in bed with a head full of questions and reluctantly closed my eyes.
Suddenly, something light and cold pressed against my forehead. "Sleep now, Little Ximeng, dear Little One." It was the Prisoner's voice—rarely gentle, just like how he spoke to that girl earlier. Was that coldness his lips?
With a sense of satisfaction and joy, I fell into a deep sleep. Why was my heart beating so strangely?
In the morning, the weather was so bright. I smiled as I opened the window wide and took a deep breath of fresh air—it felt wonderful. My hand unconsciously brushed against my forehead as I smiled absentmindedly.
“Little Dream, why are you smiling foolishly so early in the morning?”
“Ah, Mom, when did you come in? I didn’t hear you.”
“Just when you were smiling foolishly.”
“Mom.” I was afraid she would ask something else, so I quickly pulled her downstairs with me.
“Hurry up and eat breakfast; we’re going to be late.”
As we walked along the road, I hesitated for a moment but still headed towards that small path. Sure enough, the crying had stopped, and I didn’t see any other figures. In fact, I was puzzled; ghosts can be good or bad. She was just a mother waiting for her child here and had never harmed anyone. My initial intention of getting rid of all ghosts began to waver. Now, here, it was only quiet me.
“Good morning, Xi Meng.” Who is it? I turned around. It was the girl from last night.
“Good morning.” I nodded.
“See, Xiao Che, she doesn’t even care about you.” It was that annoying Jinna again. I couldn’t be bothered to argue and turned back to continue walking.
“Nana, I feel like Xi Meng isn’t what you say she is; I have a pretty good impression of her. Yesterday, I even dreamed that she saved me. It seems my subconscious really likes her…” As I walked further away, I couldn’t hear what she said afterward.
Dreaming that I saved her? Huh, that must be a fantasy. However, I didn’t need her gratitude at all. Thinking of the fantasy made me smile happily. Thank you.
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