In the darkness of the corridor, muted footsteps can be heard.
A youth dressed in thin pajamas walks in the cold, quiet hallway, his eyes listless. Though the chill from the night frost and dew invades his skin, it’s not enough to stop the youth in his tracks. He pa.s.ses through the silent gloom of the hallway, the utterly ruined stairs, and enters into a deserted grand hall. But, the youth doesn’t slow in his pace; the ground in front of him, neat and flat only a moment prior, suddenly cracks open, exposing a bottomless abyss.
A blue-green firelight appears, casting aside the darkness, illuminating a mysterious path.
For any normal person, the scene would have elicited a reaction, but the youth is almost mechanical in his indifference to the supernatural happening before his eyes. His footsteps do not cease; he walks directly into the subterranean pa.s.sageway. Behind him, the cracked ground snaps shut, like a demon swallowing its sacrifice, smothering the youth’s silhouette.
Droplets of cool dew fall upon the youth’s face, giving him involuntary pause. Suddenly, the listless eyes recover their spirit.
“This place is …”
The youth widens his eyes in amazement and disbelief, looking at the scenery before him.
In the vast underground temple, the jump and flicker of viridian flames serve as the only sources of light. Intricate patterns are traced from the walls into the ground, stone statues encircling the surroundings, giving the s.p.a.ce an air of peculiarity and mystique.
“What happened to me, exactly?”
The youth shakes his head in an effort to comprehend the sight before his eyes, but he quickly discovers that his body is entirely immobile.
Like being captured by an invisible force, he cannot move even a single finger; though his senses are all clear and present still, his body itself is like a frozen statue, completely unresponsive.
“This, this is …!”
Faced with a situation beyond his wildest imaginations, the youth seems fearful and disquieted. He emphatically grits his teeth, instinctively wishing to break free of his bonds – a bootless endeavor. Nevertheless, the youth doesn’t give up, focusing his mental energies in an effort to regain control of his own body. Because of this, the youth is oblivious to the slowly lengthening shadows under the firelight; like a penumbral cobra, it creeps slowly, silently, to the youth’s side, wrapping itself tightly around his body.
The youth’s body is immersed in a bone-chilling cold, its frigidity instilling itself into his marrow. The intense pain destroys any of the youth’s inhibitions, and he opens his mouth in an attempt to scream. But almost instantly, the coiled shadows flare up, consuming the youth’s entire figure within. In the darkness of the abyss, both he and his unformed scream are wholly crushed.
The shadows dissipate.
The youth stands quietly in place as before, but the terror and unease have completely disappeared from his visage. Similarly, his dark eyes exude a previously unseen leisure and placidity. If one were to subject him to closer scrutiny, other differences would be found: compared to the lanky youth prior, the him at present is clearly a bit more well-built, and the mane of dark-brown hair has deepened to a midnight black. His thin face no longer discloses its possessor’s weakness, but rather self-a.s.surance and pride.
The new body isn’t bad.
You Lian rehea.r.s.es his fingers, looking with satisfaction towards the last speck of anima in his hand – the previous master of this body, now under his control, was merely a feeble soul-flame. Even though he struggles and wails in an attempt to regain control, it is, tragically, not something which can be tolerated
“Then, this is the end. I appreciate your a.s.sistance.”
With a delicate smile, he closes his fingers, ending the fragile soul’s final acts of defiance.
Walking out from the hidden pa.s.sage, You Lian looks on at the dilapidated castle before him with some perplexity. The same process he used to obtain this body incorporated the youth’s memories into his as well, and he was naturally aware of its origins – the youth was the descendant of an aristocratic family that had fallen into obscurity, in fact the last surviving member of the line. Three months ago, the youth’s parents had been deceived by some more prominent n.o.blemen, exchanging their sole a.s.set – a lush estate – for this particular fiefdom. After discovering the deceit, they had tried to find the n.o.bleman in order to reason with him, but were jailed for their efforts. Both died from rapidly-contracted diseases, their conditions exacerbated by their frustration and anger. Faced with this reality, the powerless youth was forced to relocate away from home with a heavy heart, in the wake of “farewells” from the same n.o.blemen; resolved to begin a new life in these desolate borderlands.
Of course, all of this was meaningless to You Lian. Even though he is able to experience the youth’s reluctance and hatred, he finds it lacking in relevance. Clearly, the youth hadn’t known that the castle was You Lian’s possession from long ago, and at the same time a crucial part of his revival.
He, then, had become a catalyst for You Lian’s return to this world.
Through the youth’s recollections, You Lian is also able to gain a detailed understanding of the current situation.
This castle was one of the holdings You Lian owned in the past. After his death, it changed hands between several owners. The first was a commander of a frontier regiment, who lived only three months before he succ.u.mbed to a sudden illness. Afterwards, the commander’s family members left the castle, and sold it to a nearby merchant. Even though, strictly speaking, merchants weren’t allowed to purchase military structures like castles, the remoteness of this place meant that those finer details were generally disregarded, and the decision was thus made. The merchant, however, didn’t manage to stick around much longer than commander – he stayed only half a year until he died just as abruptly as the last occupant, within his study. This time, even healers were unable to divine the reason he had died. The merchant’s family reached the same conclusion as the commander’s, and left the castle forthwith, putting it up for auction once again.
This time, not many people were willing to make the investment; after all, two owners had died one after another, and the castle seemed rather ominous. But as it is said, there are always daredevils that disregard their own safety in pursuit of gain, and a count who had just moved in from another place bought the castle in an effort to craft it into his base. As expected, the count, too, left the world after only four months, a stray brick from the ceiling having struck him in the head.
By now, it was obvious to everyone that the castle was under some kind of evil influence. After this, no one else dared to have any further designs about it. The ownership of the castle returned into the hands of the aristocracy, and though no member of high society would live here themselves, there was a better use for this place given the rumors; the next two owners were both tricked into coming here before dying of arbitrary causes – with such an easy and clean method of taking out potential enemies at their disposal, why wouldn’t they use it?
The original owner of You Lian’s current body was taken advantage of the same way. The n.o.blemen involved did not wish to have accusations of murder pointed in their direction, so they left the brat alive, and moreover very “generously” awarded this fiefdom to him as a consolation prize – for the unaware, it would have been seen as a humanitarian move.
The actual cause of these people’s deaths is knowledge only he is privy to.
Ascending the stairs, You Lian turns his head to survey the deathly quiet hall before reaching out his right hand, sharply snapping a finger.
Pa!
Green flames spontaneously ignite, brightening the s.p.a.ce before him. Countless shadows appear on the walls, drifting and mingling together; their silent roars are inaudible, incomprehensible to the normal observer as they fan out around You Lian’s body. These were the most enigmatic of the castle’s protectors – wandering souls. They roam within the castle, protecting the premises, ruthlessly erasing all invaders; such is their directive until the return of their master. Though the scent and flesh of the living were close at hand, these maddened souls refrained from more drastic action; the soul-scent they sensed from the body was robust and fearsome
“I’ve returned, tidy this place up.”
Staring at the wandering souls in front of him, You Lian gives a command before stretching idly
As expected, having a body again is the best ... well, now, it’s a good time to get some sleep.
[0] There"s not much to say this chapter, but I haven"t forgotten about the awkward name thing yet. His name is Julian and will be Julian next chapter! How do you even do a seamless transition like that … it"s fine in Chinese, but it"s not fine when I"m translating it.