Supernatural Academy 3

Kapitel 11

As if sensing this tenderness, Dr. Wei said, "Xiao Ye, you've always been here, haven't you? Then come out and let me see you, or come back to life and talk to me. Stop lying here like this, half-dead. How long are you going to torture me?"

Why is this happening? Why is this happening?

Why are there three of me?

A living dead lying down. A ghost returning from the realm of ghosts. And a transparent phantom.

No wonder I don't remember anything about this person; I left my feelings here. I loved him so much that not only did I come back to him as a ghost, but the soul that carried all my emotions was forcibly separated from me and remained, never leaving him.

Soul and spirit, soul and spirit. The soul is the soul, the spirit is the spirit. Three souls and six spirits, three souls and seven spirits. The soul has three parts: the celestial soul, the terrestrial soul, and the life soul. The spirit has seven parts: the first is the heavenly spirit, the second is the spiritual spirit, the third is the vital energy, the fourth is the strength, the fifth is the central spirit, the sixth is the essence, and the seventh is the hero. Of the three souls, the celestial and terrestrial souls are always outside, only the life soul resides alone within the body. The three souls are jealous of each other, the seven spirits compete and strive.

Legend has it that Lao Tzu transformed into the Three Pure Ones from a single breath: "Ariseing from nothingness, manifesting traces in response to influences, born from the wondrous One, from the wondrous One, dividing into the Three Origins, and from the Three Origins, giving rise to the Three Qi..." He alone manifested three Pure Spirits, possessing three Dharma bodies. The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. Nameless, it is the origin of Heaven and Earth; named, it is the mother of all things. Therefore, one should always be without desire to observe its mystery; one should always have desire to observe its manifestations. These two arise from the same source but have different names; they are both called profound. Profound and yet more profound, the gateway to all mysteries.

The mysterious and profound are not only the Supreme Lord Laozi and Li Er, but also me, an auspicious omen that appears only once every few centuries. Even if I were just a cabbage, I would be the jade cabbage in the Forbidden City, worth a million taels of silver.

Lao Tzu transformed into the Three Pure Ones with one breath, that was to protect the Dharma and preach the Tao. I, Lao Tzu, also transformed into the Three Pure Ones with one breath: Soul, Spirit, and Body. That was for the sake of worldly infatuation.

What is love in this world that makes people willing to die for it? This familiar, even clichéd, line of poetry fills me with unbearable sorrow.

Fresh Dead

"Cricket...cricket..." A cricket suddenly chirped from Dr. Wei's body. He reached out to stop it, wiped his eyes with the sheet, and whispered in the ear of the person on the bed, "I'll be right back." He then kissed her ear before getting up to leave. The faint shadow followed him, wrapped her arms around his neck, reluctant to let go, clinging to him until they reached the door, where she finally released him.

I vaguely remember that the device making the cricket-like chirping sound was a pager. Over a decade ago, everyone wore one on their belt. Later, cell phones became popular, and doctors were practically the only ones still using this outdated gadget. Pagers have low radiation and minimal electromagnetic interference, which is good for both doctors and patients. Plus, you don't need to make a call; you can just go wherever the pager calls. The fact that Dr. Wei was called away by a pager means there must be a problem with one of his patients.

Shadow released Dr. Wei, turned to look at me, and smiled.

Even the strangest events couldn't frighten me anymore. I smiled and stepped forward, wanting to merge with her, then our souls would enter the dream together, awakening the sleeping master. But my hand passed right through my shadow; I couldn't become one with her. I looked back at her in frustration; she gave a helpless, bitter smile. I asked, "You've always been here?"

She nodded.

I asked, "Can't you speak?" Aside from her expressions, nodding and shaking her head, she didn't say a word.

She nodded.

Yes, I got to say all the talking. I talked so much because I stole the other two's turn. I laughed loudly, while she looked sorrowful. Then we went to see our mistress together; tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks to her ears.

Look, how wonderful, the three of us each playing our part. I have the voice, she has the heart, and the one lying still, she has the tears. I know how hard my journey has been. Countless times I've cried my heart out, cried until my liver broke, cried until I was hoarse, cried until my eyes almost popped out of their sockets, yet not a single tear could moisten them. But this time, I clearly felt the gentle warmth of tears soothing my dry eyes.

I experienced both "crying and laughing" and "laughing and crying" in that instant. I lay down next to her, trying to slip inside her, but I couldn't. I had regained the ability to touch, but when I leaned closer, I could only press against her body, my own. I placed my hand on her abdomen, trying to feel for fetal movement. Since learning I was pregnant, I hadn't felt any movement. Her breasts were soft and full from the pregnancy, her belly was bulging, but there was no fetal movement. And just now, Dr. Wei said the baby was developing very well. Good, then I'll feel it. There was a faint heartbeat under my palm; it really was good.

Shadow's face was contorted with rage. I beckoned to her, and she came over and lay down on the other side, placing her other hand on her stomach. The two of us smiled at each other across our owner, while the owner in the middle shed more and more tears. The three of us were finally together, yet we couldn't truly connect.

I asked the shadow, "What should we do? Who should we go to?"

She shook her head, at a loss.

I reached out to wipe away my mistress's tears, but the tears kept returning. She knew her soul and spirit had returned, but her consciousness was hampered by her body. I think I know why she lies here—it's our heart. I've had a congenital heart condition since childhood, preventing me from doing strenuous exercise. Pregnancy increased the burden on my heart, causing it to work beyond its limits until it finally stopped working. A heart strike means certain death, but I refused to die. For love, I lived on in an unconventional way, my soul leaving my body, my emotions separating from my spirit, layer upon layer, striving to minimize the burden on my heart, using all the energy of my body to support the growth of a child. A mother's love is the greatest.

This sudden realization sent my emotions into a frenzy, which in turn triggered a spasm in my heart. This spasm caused my heart to beat erratically and become irregular, and a monitor by the bedside began to beep. Soon after the beep, Dr. Wei rushed in, immediately checking the electrocardiogram and seeing an abnormally high reading. Startled, he dropped the chart and turned to look at her face. He saw tear-streaked skin and wet hair around her ears. He rushed forward, hugged her, and cried out, "Xiao Ye, Xiao Ye, you're back? Did I finally bring your soul back? Xiao Ye, speak to me, Xiao Ye, wake up!"

Xiaoye wouldn't wake up. I was powerless. I cried to my shadow, "What should we do? How can we go back?" There was another sentence I didn't say: How can we guarantee that we can go back and not die again? I'm not afraid of death; I just came from the other side, I'm really not afraid. But I'm afraid that if I die, my child will die with me. I've made so much effort and so many sacrifices for this child, and to die like this, I'll be filled with resentment.

My shadow gently stroked me, then put a finger to its lips, signaling me to be quiet. I quickly shut my mouth. My agitation wouldn't benefit anyone; things were already as they were, so I needed to find a solution.

Dr. Wei called out a few times, put Xiaoye down, took out a cell phone from his pocket, turned it on, and made a call. While waiting for the call to connect, he looked at Xiaoye's face. Xiaoye's face and heart returned to calm, and the electrocardiogram showed a beautiful, regular undulating wave line.

As soon as the call connected, Dr. Wei said quickly, "Dad, Mom, Xiaoye just showed signs of waking up. The electrocardiogram showed abnormal fluctuations, and she even cried." The person on the other end of the line seemed to be talking non-stop, and Dr. Wei kept nodding in agreement. After listening for a while, he said, "I will stay by her side."

After hanging up the phone, Dr. Wei sat down beside Xiaoye, burying his head in the crook of her neck, one hand resting on her chest, his palm against her soft breast. Was he counting her heartbeats or something else? My face burned with embarrassment; I thought to myself, "Who are you? What are you doing?"

I asked the shadow, "Do you love him very much?"

Shadow smiled shyly, nodded, pointed at me and then at her, then interlocked her two index fingers, making a chain. I knew what she meant; she was saying that all three of us loved him.

I pouted and said, "What's so great about him? I can't see it. I must have been young and naive back then, and he fooled me. Look at us, with our looks, if someone liked us, we'd be overjoyed. In a moment of madness, we did something stupid. Now we're half-dead, half-alive, half-alive. Not quite dead, not quite alive, suffering terribly, aren't we? Besides, he's a grown man, can't he use his brain? Don't he know there's such a thing as a condom?" I vented all my resentment on him, glaring at him hatefully. "Are you an idiot? Knowing she has a heart condition, you still dared to make love to her. What if something happened? You didn't even know how to protect this young girl. Look at how you've left her in this half-dead state, forcing me to travel all over the country to come back and save her. Otherwise, I'd be over there as the super boss, living a life of luxury."

I kept grumbling to myself, but dared not say it aloud. My shadow was looking at him so affectionately that it almost wanted to go over and give him a bear hug. I yelled, "Hey, I'm still here. Watch your behavior. It's not just you anymore. You have to consider my feelings too. You're so obsessed with him, but I don't know anything about it."

My shadow pressed her entire shadow against his back, tilted her head and grinned at me, both smug and boastful. I was so angry I wanted to punch her, but then I remembered she was me, so I gave up. I gritted my teeth at her, thinking, what's wrong with her? Is she crazy? I couldn't be bothered to look at her silly face, so I threatened her, "Her parents are coming soon, behave yourself."

She smiled at me, her eyes full of mischief and a hint of smug satisfaction. I knew her like that all too well; wasn't I always like that? I couldn't hide my feelings, I had to bring them up for jokes, making fun of this person and that person—I'd never change, not even as a ghost.

We had just started talking about their parents when they arrived. Two people rushed in like a fire engine, shoving Dr. Wei, who was lying next to my master, aside and rushing over to him, crying out in pain. The woman cried, "My dear daughter, you're awake! Why didn't you wake up when your mother was here?" The man said, "My darling, you're awake? Your father has been waiting for this day every day."

The two of them started sobbing uncontrollably. After listening for a couple of sentences, I realized they were my parents, not someone else's. No wonder my shadow had that expression; she was so smug about teasing me. She let go of Dr. Wei, went over to hug my parents, kissed them, and looked at me, gesturing for me to come over and act cute in front of them like she did. I shook my head and said, "I don't want to scare them. They'll feel it if I touch them."

Shadow tilted its head, its eyes filled with confusion, as if to say, "Wouldn't it be bad for them?" I said, "No, it's not good. I don't know how I'll get back yet, so why provoke them? What good would it do to scare them?" Shadow, still angry, ignored me and hugged its mother as if it were about to cry.

I'm crying too. I don't even remember my parents, how unfilial of me. For a man, I've turned myself into a living dead, without considering my parents' feelings at all. They raised me for nothing, and I finally grew up into a person, only to become a living dead again.

My dad looks to be in his fifties, and my mom is a bit younger. They're both well-maintained, look good together, and are always dressed smartly. Seeing them like this, I felt sorry for them. Such a wonderful couple, how could they have raised such a troublesome daughter like me?

Dad called out to his baby a few times, but the baby didn't respond. He turned to Dr. Wei and asked, "Why did you say she's awake? When did she wake up? Is she asleep now or has she passed out again?"

Mom wiped away her tears and asked, "You said on the phone that Xiaoye cried. How did she cry?"

Dr. Wei stood respectfully to one side like a prisoner, answering the questions honestly: "Xiaoye's electrocardiogram shows abnormal fluctuations." He pulled over the electrocardiogram sheet and pointed out a section that was jumping very sharply to his parents, "And look at the corners of her eyes and her hair, they are wet."

Mom pressed her face against her baby's face and said, "Is it wet or cool? Look, your hair is wet too. Why is Xiaoye crying? Did you do something again?" Mom questioned him like she was interrogating a thief, and she didn't seem very satisfied with this son-in-law at all.

Dr. Wei frowned and said, "No, I wasn't there at the time."

Mom immediately flew into a rage, asking, "Why weren't you here? Everything was fine when I left this afternoon, how did it turn out like this by evening? What were you doing? Wei Yiqing, you murderer, you've left my daughter half-dead! Xiaoye is only twenty-two years old, and you've done such a cruel thing to her. What are your intentions?"

Hearing this, I burst out laughing. My mom is really something. What does two young people having fun have to do with poisoning? It's just that safety precautions weren't taken properly, it wasn't intentional.

I've figured it out. I don't think it's anyone's fault. Just think of it as winning the lottery; 98% of people don't win, and I just happened to be one of the remaining 2%. This Wei Yiqing—oh right, so his name is Wei Yiqing. No wonder I wrote the phrase "a pillow of gentle breeze"—I guess I'm so good at writing that I even incorporated his name. Doesn't that, from one perspective, prove that we—oops, they—are mutually attracted? Then there's no question of harming each other. I was really wrong to have cursed him in my heart earlier—

"Hey, what was I going to say?" I looked up and asked my shadow, only to find it looking ashamed and awkwardly avoiding my gaze. Knowing myself perfectly well, a chill ran through me. I asked, "Did you do this? Did you do it on purpose?"

She glanced at me from under her eyelids, without saying a word. I was so angry that I rushed over and grabbed her by the neck, wanting to strangle her to death. This little idiot, this big flirt, so blinded by a man, doing something like this, risking her own life, and causing her parents heartache. What future is there in raising a daughter? If my master is carrying a girl, I'd rather strangle her with the umbilical cord right now.

I was furious and chased after her, yelling at her. She tried to dodge me, but I cornered her. What good did it do? I couldn't stop her, I couldn't hit her. I had nowhere to vent my anger, and in doing so, I knocked the jasmine plant off the bedside table.

The parents and their son were startled awake by the crisp sound of the pot breaking and looked down at the ground.

Mom screamed, "Why did the basin fall down?"

Dad, being more rational, calmly said, "Could it be that it wasn't put away properly?"

Only Wei Xiaozi said with a deep affection, "Xiao Ye, is that you?"

"You dead man!" I cursed angrily.

Damn it, isn't that my dead head?

Reason and Emotion

Should I stage some supernatural events? Countless thoughts raced through my mind: how will this mess be resolved?

As I was pondering this, my mother suddenly broke down, crying uncontrollably until she fainted. My father and Wei Xiaozi quickly helped her up. My father unbuttoned one of her buttons, and Wei Xiaozi ran to the bathroom, got a glass of cold water, dipped his finger in it, and flicked it onto my mother's face. The shock woke her up, and she started crying again, saying, "Xiao Ye, make a sound, let Mom know you're still alive."

I kicked my philandering, heartless shadow, and she jumped away with a whoosh.

Sometimes people act foolishly, saying they wish they could kick themselves. That doesn't make sense; how can you kick yourself? Left foot to right foot? Or right foot to left foot? An even more exaggerated statement is that they wish they could kick their own butt. That's even more illogical—kicking your own butt? Is that doing aerobics? But now I know I really can kick myself, and I'll even chase after myself to kick myself.

The lecherous shadow glared at me, as if blaming me for standing by and watching her die. Wasn't this the opposite of what was going on? She acted absurdly, yet I was expected to save the day? Why should I? I wanted to ignore her, but everyone in this room was my family. If I didn't help them, who would?

The lecherous shadow, feigning pitifulness, ran over and hugged me, begging me for help. I waved her away, but she shamelessly clung to me. I was furious at her audacity and slapped myself across the backside. How unfair! I was fighting with myself, and I hit myself instead. The worst part was, for some reason, not only did I hear that "slap," but the other three seemed to hear it too.

Mom and Dad cried out, their faces turning pale. The boy's eyes darted around, and he called out repeatedly, "Xiao Ye, Xiao Ye, come out! I know it's you. I knew you saw the river lantern I just released, and that you came back to find me. Xiao Ye, you wrote those two sentences, you can't forget them."

His shouts were a bit outrageous, and his father frowned and scolded him, "What nonsense are you talking about? You're an educated person, how can you believe in these superstitious things? You actually released a river lantern? Humph, you've completely disgraced us. What will your colleagues at the hospital think of you if word gets out? Do you still want to join the Party?"

My mom stopped my dad, saying, "Don't worry about it, as long as it works. How could you even think of joining the Party now! What's so important about joining the Party? Is it more important than our daughter waking up? If releasing river lanterns worked, I'd release a hundred every day." She then turned to my son and kept asking, "The river lantern you just released? And then? Xiaoye's ECG went wrong? She started crying? And what about that flowerpot, that sound... was it all Xiaoye?"

Kui nodded very firmly and said, "It must be her, it must be her. Who else but her knows what those two sentences mean? She wrote them and gave them to me. I tied the two sentences together with a lantern and put them in the river. Isn't it already the seventh month of the lunar calendar? She must have come back and seen them."

My dad, hearing his increasingly absurd talk, snapped, "Stop talking! I never believe in this nonsense. Foolish men and women, feudal superstition, releasing river lanterns every year pollutes the environment. I thought you were a smart person, but I never expected you to be such a fool. I'm a staunch atheist, and you, at such a young age, have fallen for this stuff. Xiao Ye has really been blind to have gotten herself into this mess because of you."

Before the boy could speak, Mom spat at Dad, saying, "Get out of here, I don't want to hear it. Who wants to listen to your grand theories right now? Aren't you afraid that Xiaoye will be heartbroken if she hears you saying such things? Atheist! Does being an atheist make you scientific? Don't you understand the principle of conservation of matter? Xiaoye is like this now, something is missing. Where did that missing thing go? It must have gone somewhere, right? Once it goes there, it can't come back? If it comes back and doesn't know the way, what's wrong with A-Yi writing a word and lighting a lamp to guide her back? A-Yi, why didn't you call me earlier? I would have gone with you, and Xiaoye wouldn't forget her mother."

The boy hugged his mother and gently comforted her, saying, "Okay, okay, we'll go again tonight. We'll go every day for the next month, calling for her every day. We'll definitely be able to get her back."

At first, I found Mom's sophistry about the conservation of matter laughable, thinking she was just like me, making a fuss over nothing and never letting things go. Then I heard Wei Xiaozi say he wanted to release river lanterns every day, and I thought, "Don't embarrass yourself. We'll be living here eventually, and you'll just give people something to talk about. Are you happy about that?" The more I looked at him, the more useless I felt, not understanding what was so good about him. Meanwhile, my shadow, clinging to Mom and Wei Xiaozi, was crying uncontrollably, wrinkled like a freshly pulled pickled vegetable from a jar.

I am a vibrant, crisp, and exquisite jade cabbage, while she is a wrinkled, grayish-brown, tasteless, and unappealing salted cabbage. It's clear that one shouldn't let emotions cloud their judgment; once emotions are involved, one loses face. I despise the shadow of myself cloaked in emotion. If I hadn't gotten involved with her, I would still be alive, reading books, surfing the internet, playing cards online, teasing young men—how happy I would be! A person without desires, carefree and unrestrained. Even if I only had half a heart, I could use it carefully and it wouldn't be a big problem. I could be filial to my parents, a good daughter, and my family would be happy. But for a man with a slightly less-than-ideal appearance, I willingly degraded myself, causing suffering to everyone. Love—how many people use your name to hurt others, acting recklessly, letting their emotions and desires spiral out of control, revealing their ugly sides?

This family is driving me crazy, and I can't seem to recover. It feels like a cat is scratching at my heart. It's all my fault for not managing my emotions properly. Right now, the three of us are a bunch of idiots and fools, and I have to rely on my rational thinking.

We need to reassure Mom and Dad, give them some comfort, and make them worry less and argue less. We also need to appease the little guy, so he won't cause any more trouble. If he really goes to release river lanterns every day, he won't feel ashamed, but I will.

Mom and Wei were together, so I went over and hugged Dad first. Dad froze for a moment; now it was his turn to be stunned. I tiptoed and kissed his cheek, then rested my head against his chest. Dad's chest was broad and thick, warm like a furnace. I could hear Dad's heart beating heavily and fast, booming and pounding. If he were on an electrocardiogram machine, it would definitely exceed 120 beats per minute; the wave-like rhythm would be like a Shenzhou-5 rocket.

Tears welled up in Dad's eyes as he asked, "Is it Xiaoye?" I patted his chest in response. Dad didn't dare move, standing there with his arms slightly outstretched, still asking, "Is it Xiaoye?" I patted him twice more.

Mom was about to lose her mind when she heard this. She threw off the boy's arm, grabbed Dad's shoulder, and asked, "What are you yelling about? What are you yelling about?"

I hugged Mom tightly, pressing my face against hers. Her embrace was soft and warm, enveloping me. My throat tightened, and I dared not cry out. Mom felt me too, and she sobbed uncontrollably, unable to utter a word. I wiped away her tears and kissed her tear-streaked face. Mom trembled with joy, saying, "I felt it, I felt it. Xiaoye is wiping my tears. My sweetheart, have you suffered?"

A mother is a mother. Even though she suffered so much and worried for so long, her first question was whether her daughter had suffered. A mother's love is the greatest, a mother's love is the deepest. My fingers were wet with my mother's tears, and I made up my mind.

I let go of them, walked to the window, and wrote on the glass with my finger. What should I write? I wasn't sure. I had no memories of them together; all my emotions had been stolen by the lecherous shadow. How callous I was; the only thing I remembered in my dream was a piece of calligraphy related to that boy, and nothing about my parents. I was both angry and resentful, feeling deeply sorry for my parents. After thinking for a moment, I drew a smiley face.

Unaware of what was happening, Mom and Dad were still immersed in the happiness of embracing their ghostly daughter, hugging each other, tears streaming down their faces. It was Wei Xiaozi who first pointed to the window and said, "Look there, Xiaoye is writing." Mom and Dad rushed forward to look, and seeing the smiling face on the glass, they couldn't believe it. They looked at each other, then at Wei Xiaozi, as if to say: "You didn't draw this beforehand, did you? Anyone could draw a smiling face like that!"

Let me think for a moment, then continue writing: I miss you all. I wrote slowly, stroke by stroke, trying to make sure they could see it clearly. By the time I finished writing the word "you," my fingers were dry. That's enough; the message has been conveyed, no more needs to be said.

As the characters took shape, Mom and Dad finally believed that their beloved daughter had returned. They hugged each other, crying, laughing, and shouting, asking, "My darling, is it really you? Why aren't you awake yet?"

My shadow was entangled with Wei Xiaozi. At first, she was happy that I had finally made a move, but then she saw that I was ignoring her darling, and she became unhappy. She pouted and looked at me, kissing Wei Xiaozi's face again and again. I couldn't stand her infatuated look, and said sternly, "Mom and Dad are here, behave yourself. Are you looking for a beating?"

She stuck her tongue out at me, and I was so angry I wanted to slap myself. Hitting her would be hitting me, so getting angry at myself was pointless. That kid also looked jealous, stretching out his arm and asking dreamily, "Xiao Ye, Xiao Ye, why won't you let me feel you?"

I remembered all the river lanterns he released; he was the one who found me, he was the one who led me to find myself, my other two, and my parents. Although I didn't have any feelings for him, out of respect for his devotion, my heart softened, and I went up and gave him a perfunctory hug. His arms were strong and powerful, his chest warm and broad. Such a thin man, yet with such a broad chest, made me unable to resist leaning in. A wave of heat washed over me, like a crashing wave, leaving me dizzy and stunned. That heat was completely different from my father's warmth and my mother's gentleness; it was a suffocating temperature that I craved, that intoxicated me. Once I leaned in, I didn't want to let go.

The shadow was face to face with me, pressed tightly together, looking at me with a sorrowful and desolate gaze, as if asking: Do you understand?

I understand. I only feel heartbroken. The love between a man and a woman can surpass the love children have for their parents. I've separated emotion and reason so clearly, dividing them into two parts, the soul is the soul, and the spirit is the spirit; reason follows the soul, and emotion belongs to the spirit. Even so, emotion still surpasses reason.

We receive this body from our father's sperm and mother's blood. Once this body is formed, we desperately seek its other half, abandoning parental love and kinship. The one willing to live and die with is simply our later partner. Despite the clear order of arrival and death, the years of birth, nurturing, and raising, it all pales in comparison to a single glance from a stranger. And that person, clearly a different surname, clearly without blood ties, why does he possess such a powerful attraction?

What exactly is love?

I pondered the meaning of life in the realm of ghosts, the question of survival or death by the Bridge of Helplessness, and now I'm starting to contemplate the meaning of love. I'm becoming a philosopher.

I leaned limply against Wei Xiaozi's chest as he frantically groped me, whispering, "Xiao Ye, Xiao Ye, come back, come back to me." His touch made me lose my senses, and I looked up to kiss his trembling lips. His lips trembled like poplar leaves in the wind, bringing me back to my senses.

I must be crazy to do something like this, with my parents right in front of me. Didn't I despise Shadow a million times over? How could I do the same thing?

Little magpie, with a long tail, forgets its mother once it has a wife.

Humans are truly strange creatures. My mind was a complete mess. I let go of the boy and slowly walked towards the door. I turned the doorknob, pushed it open a foot wide, went out, and then closed the door, shutting out the shouts from inside.

The door opened and closed by itself when no one was there; they could see it clearly, and they would believe that I had come and gone.

What should I do next? I need to seek help from someone with extraordinary magical powers.