pozo profundo

Capítulo 49

“I am not Yuewa,” the woman shook her head and said, “I am Yueji, and Yuewa is my twin sister.”

Twin sisters? All ghosts? Good heavens, I'm about to faint! I frowned, unsure whether to believe this woman in front of me. Maybe she really is Yuewa!

"Don't you believe me?" Tsukihime asked me quite frankly.

"Ah!" I nodded dumbly. It was definitely true; the two of them looked so alike!

"You're really honest!" Yue Ji chuckled softly, her body trembling slightly, causing her white dress to flutter gently.

"Hehe!" I chuckled awkwardly, then hid my hands behind my back and touched the ring on my left hand.

“Our Moonshadow Clan has a clan rule,” Moon Princess sighed, her expression somber, “The second twin is considered unlucky and must be abandoned!”

"What?" I frowned. What a strange rule. If that's the case, then I'm also the second twin. Does that mean I'm also considered unlucky?

"Isn't it strange? But the people of our tribe firmly believe in this rule. So, my sister Yuewa was considered an ominous person from birth and was given to a family in a neighboring village to be adopted."

"Oh? Then...what happened next?" Let's see what tricks she has up her sleeve for now. I'm eager to see!

"My sister didn't learn about her true parentage until she came of age. By the time she found her way here, I had already become the princess of the Moonshadow Clan. Perhaps it was disbelief in the clan's rules, or perhaps out of guilt towards my sister, but I disregarded everyone's objections and kept her. But I never expected..." Moon Princess crossed her arms, her whole body trembling slightly, and said, "She colluded with outsiders to steal our Moonshadow Clan's treasure!"

"She said she was waiting for someone. Who was she waiting for?" I interjected.

"Waiting for a man, a foreign man who wants to use her to find the treasure! The women of our Moonshadow Clan are always so easily hurt. The Goddess of Senluo was like that, and so is she! Unfortunately, she'll never get to wait for him." Moon Princess turned her head away, her tone filled with obvious hatred and…jealousy! Yes, jealousy, this was jealousy from the depths of her soul, jealousy of her younger sister!

"Is...is that so?" I looked around. It was a narrow cave, but the entrance was blocked by Tsukihime. The cold wind blowing from the entrance made me clench my teeth and tremble.

"Don't you believe me?" Yue Ji smiled sadly at me, slowly approaching me. The stench of a rotting corpse immediately filled my nose.

Is it an evil spirit? I held my breath. My right hand twitched, and the discomfort in my left eye returned. There was no time to struggle; my body was completely immobile.

"Please, please help me, okay?" Yueji's pitiful voice evoked sympathy, but the moment her face was seen, any sympathy vanished. Her face was a withered, dark brown, with bulging eyes, and the lower half of her nose was completely skeletal—it was practically just half a face. Her scalp was sparse, filled with yellow pus and dark red blood clots. The hand that slowly reached out to me was completely withered, like a zombie, and on its blackened fingers, unknown yellowish-white worms wriggled and crawled within her nails.

"Just one more, just one more." A sharp, piercing voice came from the body that had just been so beautiful, as the black jawbone opened and closed. It made people wonder if even the most beautiful appearance would eventually decay and deteriorate. Everything in this world is the same, fair, and heaven does not favor any species.

"Give it to me, give me your eyeballs!" The withered hand suddenly grabbed at her own chest. As the black nails pierced through, a thick, reddish-yellow liquid flowed from under her white dress. With a forceful pull, the skin and flesh were torn apart like tofu skin, and a piece of dark brown, shrunken flesh was already hanging between her fingers.

Ugh! My stomach clenched and churned violently, and the liquid in my stomach rushed up my throat. I felt a sour, bitter, pasty substance rush into my mouth.

Inside her body, there were no internal organs at all, but instead... countless constantly rotating eyeballs, layered upon layered, like bunches of grapes, parasitizing her abdominal cavity. There were also faintly wriggling, transparent maggots crawling between the eyeballs, bringing drops of yellow pus. When those countless cold pupils stared at me, I felt my legs go weak, and I vomited up everything in my stomach, even green bile.

Trembling, I grabbed the ground for support. The icy coldness from the surface suddenly cleared my head. Now was not the time to vomit; I had to find a way to escape! I stood up unsteadily. Tsukihime's terrifying body was walking towards me. Without thinking, I clasped my hands together and then spun them around. My right hand formed a lotus-like hand seal, and blue light particles appeared in my palm.

"Soul Refining Technique!" Tsukihime took a step back in fear.

Great, it seems she's afraid of this! Trying my best to recall the gestures and the path of the airflow within my body, I directed a small amount of heat from my dantian to my brow and pineal gland.

There was a strange feeling between my eyebrows, as if someone was pointing at that spot with their finger. The increasing heat caused a bursting pain in my body, while the blue light particles increased in number.

"Break!" I roared, and the blue light particles gathered in my palm began to pulsate as if they were alive, rushing towards Tsukihime.

"Ah!" A scream rang out as the blue light particles surrounding Tsukihime's body invaded her body and began to drill into her eyes one by one.

Pop! Pop! The sounds were like balloons bursting as blood-red eyeballs burst open, splashing red blood into every corner of the cave.

Now! I immediately sprinted towards the cave entrance, the mournful and desperate screams of Yue Ji still echoing behind me, reverberating in the empty mountainside for a long time.

Huff, huff, my breath seemed to echo right next to my ears. No one in the world could hear their own breathing and heartbeat more clearly than I could. The firelight inside the mountain was faint, and every stalactite and protruding rock looked like a demon's face, mocking me triumphantly in the dim light.

My rapid running splashed up puddles on the ground. As the icy water droplets landed on my hands and face, I suddenly thought of Yin Xue. She always loved to walk through the puddles after the rain, letting the water droplets splash onto my face, and then she would let out the most beautiful laugh in the world. But now? All that splashed out were probably my tears.

The second twin is an omen of misfortune! Yueji's voice echoed in my ears like a ghost. Am I an omen of misfortune? Were my parents' early deaths and Yin Xue's suicide all because of me? If so, then why were twins born in the first place? Why was this extra one even born into this world?

"It's all unnecessary!" I smiled sadly, stopped in my tracks. What's the point of running away? What's the use of escaping alone? Haha, it's better to die here!

I was panting heavily, my throat burning with pain, and my chest tight. I weakly found a place to sit down, hugged my legs, and buried my face in them, but my eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

For a long time, I almost thought time had stopped, when a soft sigh came from behind a rock in front of me. Without running away or dodging, I stared straight at the Moon Maiden, or perhaps the Moon Goddess, in her flowing white robes, who appeared before me.

Looking at her unreal, beautiful face, I suddenly burst out laughing.

I think my brain is about to break down.

Suddenly, a strange sense of self-loathing welled up inside me, and I jumped up, yelling at her, "You want my left eye? You want it? Answer me!"

She just looked at me with a sad and mournful gaze, without saying a word. Was she mocking me?

"Damn it, fine, take it!" I don't know where the courage came from, but I resolutely reached for my left eye. A flash of white light, and she was already in front of me, grabbing my wrist.

"What are you doing? Trying to do it yourself?" I looked at her coldly, without fear, only wanting to end this nightmare as soon as possible.

"What did she do to you? My sister, Yuewa?" She suddenly looked at me with pity and said, "I am the real Yueji."

What? I slowly lowered my hand. What on earth is going on? Who is Yuewa and who is Yueji? Or is there no Yuewa and Yueji at all? Or is she both Yuewa and Yueji?

"That was all Moon Maiden just now; it was her who caused your illusion. I am the real Moon Princess, the last princess of the Moon Shadow Clan." Moon Princess stared into my eyes, as if trying to see through my soul.

Who is Yue Ji? Who is Yue Wa? Who is good? Who is bad? I stared blankly at her. If she is Yue Ji, how does she know what just happened? If she is Yue Wa, why did she lie to me like this? She could have just killed me!

"Whom do you... believe?" Tsukihime asked me.

Yes, who should I trust? Who should I trust? Is it Moon Princess, the last princess of the Moon Shadow Clan, or Moon Child, who was abandoned at birth and burdened with misfortune? Or perhaps, I should trust no one at all, because there is no one in this world I can trust except myself!

Suddenly, Yin Xue's words came to mind: "Lin Xiao, I believe in you. I know you would never let me fall, right?"

At that time, I was supporting Yin Xue, who had her eyes closed, as we walked along the roadside railing. She trusted me unconditionally and never opened her eyes.

At that time, she also helped me walk on the handrail by the roadside with my eyes closed. I trusted her unconditionally and never opened my eyes.

After that time, who can I trust?

If you were me, who would you believe?

Volume Two: The Devil's Left Eye, Chapter Twenty-Three: Only One Can Survive

Volume Two: The Devil's Left Eye, Chapter Twenty-Three: Only One Can Survive

The dark, sealed room was devoid of any bright light; darkness reigned supreme, enveloping everyone's hearts. Only the sound of breathing remained, so real.

"Hey, what should we do?" Li Yang touched the walls around him, but there were no mechanisms to get out.

"Don't call me 'Hey,' don't I have a name?" Li Hai stood behind Li Yang, drew his Antarctic Star Sword, and with a flash of cold light, it slashed through the lonely darkness like lightning.

Li Yang didn't answer, but gave Li Hai a disapproving look, sighed, leaned against the wall, and said, "I wonder how they are doing."

“Fang Lei should be with A Bao, there shouldn’t be any problem,” Li Hai replied. “What worries me is Lin Xiao and that Bai Yun. I always feel that Bai Yun is strange.”

"Baiyun is strange?" Li Yang glanced at Li Hai and said, "You're the strange one! I think the really strange one is that old man who's been following us all along."

"This is just my feeling." Li Hai, holding his sword, walked to the center of the secret chamber and said, "Come to my side, I'm going to try to see if I can get out."

"Don't do anything reckless!" Li Yang said with some concern, but his body still obediently walked to Li Hai's side.

Li Hai gave him a look that said, "You underestimate me," and curled his lip. He brandished the Antarctic Star Sword, creating a burst of white light that shimmered in the dark air, forming strange runes that imprinted themselves onto the walls of the secret chamber. Like a slide projected onto a black screen, the white runes seemed to writhe and twist on the black surface, as if trying to seep into the walls.

"The universe is bright and clear, heaven and earth are pure and tranquil, all evils recede, disperse!" Li Hai suddenly roared, throwing yellow talismans at the four walls. With a snap, the talismans immediately stuck to the walls, the white characters of the talismans instantly shone with white light, and the black walls cracked open like a tortoise shell.

"Alright, alright!" Li Yang patted Li Hai's shoulder excitedly, almost jumping for joy.

"Don't rush!" Li Hai frowned. Getting out was much simpler than he had imagined, but the resentment filling this secret room caused the Antarctic Star Sword in his hand to tremble incessantly as soon as it was drawn. This was clearly a place of extreme resentment, and it was definitely not a problem that he could solve with a simple Cleansing Spell. Taking a step back with some worry, Li Hai reached out and pulled Li Yang behind him.

The black walls gradually cracked into pieces, crumbling and falling away in mottled patterns.

"What is this?" Li Yang looked at the glass-like surroundings that were gradually appearing in front of him. It seemed as if he could see through it to see what was inside, but it was very blurry, just a dark, indistinct mass.

"I don't know either." Li Hai gripped his sword tightly. This situation was something he had never encountered before. Theoretically, the exit should be behind the black wall.

"Damn it!" Li Yang pounced over and touched the walls of the entire secret room. The walls had turned into smooth glass surfaces. Touching them, he felt a chilling coldness that shot straight into his body from between his fingers, making his heart shiver.

"Don't touch me like that." Li Hai slapped away Li Yang's right hand, which he had reached out again. This younger brother was always very curious about everything, and he hadn't changed at all since he was a child.

The two took a step back, staring blankly at the unknown thing before them. A sense of fear crept into their hearts simultaneously. Although there was nothing to be afraid of, the unknown is one of humanity's greatest fears.

A soft thud sounded behind them, like something gently tapping on a glass surface.

Turning around, behind them, a blood-red eye was reflected in the black glass, coldly and silently watching them from behind the glass. Then, a second one appeared.

I felt like a caged wild beast, only to be observed by two blood-red eyes. These two eyes were quite far apart, so they probably didn't belong to the same person.

Clenching his fists, Li Yang felt a bit suffocated.

A pale, withered little hand suddenly appeared next to the bloodshot eyes, like a mischievous child making a handprint on glass. Then, a second one.

A blood-red eye, a pale little hand—two pairs, identical. Gradually, the outlines of two children's faces slowly appeared behind the black glass, but the dark shadows were too numerous to make them clear.

Swallowing hard, Li Yang subconsciously touched the gun at his waist.

Gradually, it became clear: two boys' faces, two identical boys' faces, so familiar yet so strange. The dark circles and hollow eye sockets held no human presence; only the blood-red left eyeball spoke of hatred and sorrow. The sunken cheeks were as wretched and haggard as a hungry ghost.

Li Yang shook his head vigorously. Weren't those two faces exactly like his and Li Hai's childhood images? Thinking of this, cold sweat immediately soaked his clothes. Instinctively, Li Yang gripped Li Hai's arm, as if he had returned to his childhood, when whenever he felt afraid, the first person he thought of was his older brother.

Heavy sighs came from behind the black glass, as if countless childhood versions of themselves had pressed themselves against it, revealing identical, pale, and withered little hands. Each hand was desperately digging, grabbing, and clawing at the glass surface, the fingernails scraping against it with a sharp sound that sent chills down one's spine.

With a cracking sound like something shattering, one of the two boys behind the black glass suddenly broke apart like a ceramic sculpture. Exceptionally bright red blood slowly seeped from the black crack, flowing down his pale face, hands, and body, like a bath in blood. His body scattered like fragments, only his blood-red eyeballs mingling with the crimson blood, rolling out from inside the glass. The viscous blood, as if alive, slowly crawled towards Li Hai and Li Yang, the blood-red eyeballs floating in it.

Looking up again, another boy was wearing a cruel smile, a devilish smile.

"Damn it!" The usually refined Li Hai suddenly cursed, slashing his sword at the pool of blood. The sword energy created a small vortex in the air, carrying the blood up like the claws of a demon, reaching out towards them.

"Get out of the way!" Li Hai shoved Li Yang aside and stepped forward to meet Blood Claw.

"Brother!" Li Yang shouted, this was the first time in days that he had called Li Hai "brother".

In an instant, the white light from the Antarctic Star Sword and the blue light from the talisman intertwined with the blood claws. Li Hai's figure was already submerged in these lights, and only a figure struggling to wield the sword could be vaguely seen.

Taking a step back, Li Yang gasped for breath. For the first time, he realized that even he had moments when his heroic talents were wasted. The cramped room didn't allow him to move much; his feet had already touched the wall.

Looking back, Li Yang gasped. The boy whose glass hadn't shattered had appeared behind him at some point, his cold eyes visible through the black glass.

Staring intently into Li Yang's eyes, the boy softly uttered a sentence: "Only one can survive."

*********

He stood alone in the small, secret room, with no one else around. The traps he had just set had completely separated him from the group. That was for the best; it prevented them from discovering his secret.

He touched the cold mask on his face, feeling a wave of emptiness and weakness wash over him. But the thought of her brought him a sense of peace; after all, she was his only remaining source of courage to live. Yet, the thought of having to pretend he didn't know her, of watching her laugh and talk with other men, fueled his anger. Especially that damned Lin Xiao—and she seemed so infatuated with him!

Damn it! He slammed his fist against the wall in frustration, wishing he could get rid of Lin Xiao right now. He sighed, realizing now was not the time to think about such things; he should find a way out quickly. He wondered how she was doing. Just a moment ago, when the mechanism closed, he thought he saw her with that Lin Xiao!

The surrounding walls suddenly took on a strange, indistinct visual effect, as if they would vanish in the blink of an eye. He squinted for a moment, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw red bricks emerging from the walls, just like in that building, where all he could see were dark red bricks.

What happened? He clenched his fists guiltily. He didn't want to recall anything that happened in that building again—that cold, rainy day three years ago, the air as chilling as it was now. He remembered the axe being swung frantically in the damp air and the warm blood splattering on his face.

A fine layer of dew gradually rose to the surface of the dark red brick wall, like the musty smell emanating from the damp air of the plum rain season, accompanied by a strong, pungent stench of blood. Touching the wall, I felt a thick, sticky liquid clinging to my fingers.