Standing on lush green gra.s.s that is pulsating with magic, Jin is awestruck by what he"s seeing around them. He inhales the wild minty scent mingled with the fragments of flowers in the air. Tall trees are shooting up. Long and thick branches with bold evergreen green foliages are spreading out under the ceiling. Snakelike vines wreathe around the trunks. As if caressed by the first rays of sunlight, colourful wildflowers unfold with fervour. Splendid. He gasps. Throbbing with life and vivacity, this is earth magic.
Cold sweat trickles down on her forehead. Huang Qiuyan presses her hand on her chest, unable to open her eyes. The aberrant bundle of energy shatters into pieces, dissolving into the enchanted magic insider her. An intense whirlpool of energy rises from the fusion, ready to burst apart.
Her heart is slowing down. Xiao Chun Dan is shrieking madly in her head. She can"t speak. In her mind, something wraps around her, pulling her back into the mist. Paralyzed, she can"t stop it from taking her into obscurity.
Jin widens his eyes when he sees her body convulsing. He presses his palm against her forehead. Her skin is icy cold.
"s.h.i.+t." He lets out a curse. Her magic is growing at a tremendous rate. Not wasting another moment, he lifts her in his arms. First of all, he needs to get her out of this place. He"s surrounded by wild bushes and trees that are nearly enveloping all the s.p.a.ce except for the small region around Huang Qiuyan. The way to the door is blocked. This is bad.
At the same time, Fu Sheng and others are pa.s.sing through the forest, being chased by a dozen of vampires zombies. They have no time to stop and deal with each one of them. Suddenly, he feels a sharp pang in his chest. He stops and whispers, "Huang Qiuyan."
Halting a little ahead of him, Sung Se-Yong shouts, "What happened?"
Sung NMi and others also stop. The crowd of vampire-zombie is nearing. Fu Sheng taps into the bond to check on Huang Qiuyan. His consciousness reaches out to her through the bond, but he meets a high wall around her. It"s the same wall that she created around herself when her magic grew. Though breaking it and entering her mind is easy for him, it will cause inconceivable damage.
He realizes that the mind wall is infused with magic. Her consciousness is isolated from her. He can"t sense any darkness around her. He can"t sense any emotion either. Then, he"s far from her.
Fu Sheng wants to turn back and find her.
"Fu Sheng." Sung NMi yells at him with anxiety in her tone, "They are almost here. We can"t waste time here."
A sense of foreboding surges through him. She"s a low-level convert at the moment. As long as she doesn"t get out of the castle, she should be fine. Nothing can harm her inside the castle. She must be alright. She has to be. His people will protect her.
Throwing aside the uneasy thoughts, he whisks through the forest toward one of the gates to another world. He has to finish this soon and come back to his family.
Inside the castle, Jin bends down on his right knee, s.h.i.+elding Huang Qiuyan with his body. He raises his arm, redirecting the essence of darkness from his heart. The turbulent dark energy traverses through, warming up his channels, filling his surroundings. As the dark energy reaches his fingertips, he puts his index finger and thumb together. When he rubs his thumb over his index finger in a circular motion, he feels small vibrations originating from the point of contact between his thumb and finger. He instils more dark energy, causing the small vibrations to expand into enormous spherical waves that propagate towards the door, searing through everything in its way.
He relaxes his shoulders when he sees a small path is forming to the door. Just then, Huang Qiuyan"s index finger moves once.
Jin looks up when he hears the sound of rustling. The wild vines flit in all directions. The trees come alive and s.h.i.+ft toward the door. The gra.s.s regrows tall and proud. The path is blocked again. Their intent is clear to him.
He glances at Huang Qiuyan. Her breathing is even. She seems to be asleep. He knows that nothing is as it seems. The peace on her face is an illusion. Her magic is evolving inside her, becoming something else.
He scoops her up in his arm. His eyes flare flamboyant violet as he summons the dark essence again. Helical waves emerge out of his fingers as he sprints toward the door. The door seems further than it is. Tree branches swing in his direction. He bends his waist to dodge the one aiming his head. He steps to the right, evading the vines as he gets closer, letting out a groan. He jumps over the honey locust tree limb before he gets to the door.
"Phew!" The worst is over. He looks back. He blinks his eyes when he sees that the mini-forest didn"t disappear. It should have vanished the moment they came out. He looks down at Huang Qiuyan in his arms. She"s staring at him with lush green eyes.
"You are…"
Her red lips curve into a smile. She raises her head and bites into his neck. He hears a wet gurgling sound. Jin"s mind falls into a haze. His body is rendered immovable. His vision is darkening. He can"t seem to stop her.
She pauses and slips out of his weakening arms. Pinning him against the wall, she looks at him with mirth in her eyes.
"Who are you?" He asks her with a feeble voice, though he knows the answer. If one doesn"t control the darkness, it controls the one. Without a doubt, something went wrong during magic-sensing.
She laughs as she twists his arm. Hearing the sound of popping sound, she cackles in delight. Jin grits his teeth and whacks her shoulder hard with his palm. In the next instant, she crashes against the wall and drops to the floor with a loud thud. Panting for air, he touches the wound on his neck. The wound is gone, leaving behind only a trail of blood. He looks in her direction. Is she okay?
The sound of bell-like laughter rings through the corridor. She raises her hand and tosses her hair back. Her green eyes are s.h.i.+ning bright. She winces in pain as she gets up on her feet. "This body is quite weak."
"Stop." He points his palm toward her, ready to fight her. His current magic level is only four. She should be at a beginner level. Nevertheless, a convert -- who has lost her control over her darkness -- is dangerous. Huang Qiuyan also has magic. She"s too dangerous right now. But, he doesn"t want to hurt her.
Smiling, she takes a step toward him. With anxiety in her eyes, she speaks with an urgent voice, "Jin, I am Huang Qiuyan. Why are you afraid of me? We are friends, aren"t we?"
Did she get back her control? He releases his breath and eases his body. "Lady Huang, you scared me."
All of a sudden, a force slams him against the wall. Snakelike vines coil around his arms and legs. The aberrant earth magic is coursing through the vines like blood. He stares at her with wide eyes when Huang Qiuyan walks toward him. Before he can summon the dark energy, she thrusts her hand in his chest and curls her fingers around his heart. Ignoring his screams, she leans closer to his throat and bites into the flesh as she clasps his heart without mercy.