Asura

Capítulo 4

"Grandpa dislikes unclean people the most, and you still went to their doorstep!" I started to feel sorry for my uncle.

“Your grandfather doted on your aunt; he wanted her to be happy more than anyone else…” Your uncle smiled. “Although he never officially agreed to the marriage, he wrote a few words on a lantern, saying it was a seal… so your aunt wouldn’t know…”

"seal?"

"It consists of four words—'Returning the Pearl to Its Rightful Owner'."

Although I knew it was rude, I couldn't help but laugh out loud—that's just like Grandpa!

Icefin frowned and scolded me, "Firewing, don't interrupt. Uncle, what did you promise Qianqian?"

My uncle hesitated, then slowly covered his face with his hand: "I promised her... as long as I'm willing, we can be together anytime, happily... together..."

"What?! Isn't this a 'contract'?!" I blurted out. "Uncle, can't you see that Qianqian has fallen for you? You're the one who gave her hope, turned her wish into an obsession, and kept her in this world!"

Icefin explained to her uncle, "The 'contract' you made with Qianqian unintentionally turned her into a spirit and attached her to the lantern. Grandpa had already sealed her away, but Aunt burned the lantern, breaking the seal and freeing Qianqian. In the end, your conversation made the 'contract' take effect—Aunt asked you to live with Qianqian, and you didn't refuse!"

"How could that be! Besides, those were just words spoken in anger!" Uncle clutched his head in anguish. "So much time has passed, I still can't figure out if I liked her back then! Maybe it was just a brother's concern for his sister, maybe it was just a childhood crush, doesn't Qianqian understand?!"

"Whether it's concern or longing, for my uncle it's just a different kind of memory." Icefin smiled somewhat lonely. "...But for Qianqian, it was a once-in-a-lifetime, one and only love..."

Silence hung over the eaves, and the evening breeze carried my uncle's petulant whisper: "Why don't you go with Qianqian! She's so gentle anyway!"

"Haven't you learned your lesson yet! Be careful not to say something that might bring bad luck..." I really couldn't stand my aunt and uncle's childish temper.

Icefin then retorted to her uncle, "Uncle, didn't you come here to avoid Qianqian?"

My uncle laughed awkwardly: "Well... after all, your grandfather used to live here..."

"Grandpa's been gone for ten years. The younger ones are alright, but this house probably can't hold back the bigger ones." Icefin's words were far too blunt. I retorted, "Not necessarily! Qianqian couldn't even get into her uncle's house!"

“That’s what I don’t understand…” Icefin pondered, “Speaking of which, those new houses should be even less capable of handling it…”

"After saying all that, it's all just speculation, isn't it? If it really is Qianqian, why would she go through all this trouble to create a 'seven-for-one' connection? So, maybe it's all just a coincidence!" I tried to change the atmosphere, but it wasn't very convincing, and nobody paid any attention to me.

"My little bird..." A child's voice, trembling with sobs, rang out. It turned out that Airi had been woken up. It's good that Airi was born after her grandfather's death, so she wasn't raised with her gender concealed like Icefin and me, nor was she given a strange nickname that symbolized a powerful mythical beast. It's alright that I'm called "Firewing." You know, my grandfather wanted to name my aunt's child "Storm Fang." It would be so pitiful for a little girl to have such a strange name.

The most crucial point is that Airi didn't inherit any of her grandfather's superfluous abilities. I once asked her if she had ever seen anything strange that others couldn't see, and she replied with a grin, "Everyone can see what I can see!"

So cute, unlike that one—I glanced at Icefin: "Luckily, I have a lovely little sister!"

“Yeah! Otherwise, it would be too unfortunate to have two unlovable girls at home!” Icefin immediately retorted without changing his expression. Suddenly, he widened his eyes in surprise, “When did it get so big?”

I then realized that the pale flames surrounding my uncle had expanded and spread throughout the entire corridor. At the end of the dimly lit eaves, a faint figure was slowly approaching us—"Who!" Icefin and I stood up at the same time.

"So you're here!" That cheerful and lively voice was familiar to me—it was Uncle Chonghua's voice.

Icefin made room for Uncle Chonghua. Despite his usually cold demeanor, Icefin deeply respected and loved his father.

"What are you and the children talking about? Why are you being so secretive?" the uncle asked his uncle-in-law.

My uncle forced a smile: "The lantern, the ghost story of the lantern..."

"That!" Uncle laughed. "Speaking of ghost stories about lanterns, I just remembered it. The day my father passed away, there were so many lanterns floating around on the other side of the river in front of our house, with people coming and going!"

Icefin and I exchanged a glance, our expressions changing. "Scared, aren't you!" Uncle laughed smugly. "Actually, Dad never allowed us to tell ghost stories before, saying it would attract strange things. I've never seen one!"

Indeed, you can't just tell ghost stories in this old house, because the things that have lived here for years will swarm around you. My uncle didn't tell any ghost stories, and neither Icefin nor I noticed—the house is unusually clean today, and none of them have appeared!

What force makes them want to avoid it at all costs?

Completely ignoring the unpleasant expressions on my face, Bingqi's face, and my uncle's face, my uncle said mysteriously, "I shouldn't have said these things. Today hasn't been going well. I saw a lantern flash by on my way home! Oh, by the way, the old lady at the alley entrance passed away this afternoon, and the gentleman next door was taken to the hospital! I can't talk to you anymore. I'll go discuss with Konghua who should go to the funeral and who should visit the sick! Come here, Airi, your little uncle will take you to your big uncle's place!" My uncle picked up Airi, who obediently opened her arms to him, and walked along the eaves, jokingly looking for my father.

“Lantern… Could it be that she has already found us! So fast…” My uncle’s voice trembled.

I suddenly had a bad feeling: "Qianqian can't get into her uncle's house, but she can lead other people away and get through this door. Maybe it's because only her uncle's house has things she's afraid of..."

Suddenly, Icefin's expression turned serious: "When did the corridor become so dark!"

That's right, the pale flames that had just surrounded my uncle had vanished without a trace. In the darkened corridor, countless invisible things stirred restlessly—they were back! And there were so many of them!

Could it be that pale flame that can drive away these things? Where does this flame come from?

"Let's go to the ancestral hall first, no matter what. The ancestral tablets are there! Grandpa's are there too!" Icefin made a decisive decision.

The end of the covered walkway seemed so close, but suddenly it appeared much farther away. Instinctively, we started running. But the end of the walkway gradually disappeared from our sight. This was a path we walked every day; when did it become so long? No matter how hard we ran, it seemed endless…

Uncle gradually stopped walking. He shook off Icefin's hand and said in a distressed voice, "How could it have turned out like this... Was it really Qianqian? Such a kind girl, how could she take so many lives..."

Icefin and I stared at our uncle in astonishment. He clutched his forehead, concealing his expression: "If... if only I hadn't agreed to her back then... But I can't deny it now, I've already dragged too many people down with me..."

"Don't stop!" I shouted. "It's dangerous here!"

Icefin grabbed his uncle again: "It's no use regretting it now! This will only give the undead an opportunity to take advantage!"

"Lin Jiachao, what are you doing there!" A strong shout came from the other end of the corridor. Before we could stop her, Auntie strode through the darkness. Although her voice was harsh, her eyes were red. Suddenly, she exclaimed, "Huh, where is this?"

Oh no, even my aunt got involved!

Uncle's face darkened. He flung away the ice fins once more, retreating step by step: "If she can't find me, won't Qianqian take someone else with her? She'll keep killing people... So..." Behind Uncle was an endless darkness...

My movements and Icefin's froze simultaneously—because in that deep darkness, a tiny light flickered and appeared...

A faint purple shadow was cast on the dim light—that was a gentian flower!

"Watch out!" Icefin and I shouted at the same time. Amidst my aunt's bewildered scream, my uncle seemed to be pulled in one direction and tilted violently. He frantically struggled against the empty darkness that was pulling him, desperately trying to stop himself: "What is it! What is pulling me!"

"There's nothing there!" Auntie's voice trembled with tears. "You're scaring me, Ah Chao! Don't think I'll be fooled by this!"

You can't blame Auntie for being willful—because she can't see! Icefin and I snapped out of our shock and rushed over to grab Uncle's left hand—his right hand was in someone else's hand: that person was wearing a clean hospital gown, had long braids, and was carrying an outdated pleated lantern painted with gentian flowers.

"Stop, Qianqian! You're dead! He can't be with you!" Icefin shouted, but the power of its concentrated will was exceptionally strong. Not only my uncle, but we were all almost dragged away by it. Unlike Grandpa, who could simultaneously recognize, attract, and resist these things, we had no ability other than "seeing" them!

In the chaos, I suddenly felt a lightness in my hand; Qianqian's strength had diminished considerably. Icefin and I turned to look at the person who had provided such powerful support—it was my aunt. She gripped my uncle's hand tightly, her expression unusually resolute: "I won't let you take him! I can't let you take him away!"

My aunt and uncle's bond was much deeper than ours with him. Although they always argued, only my aunt possessed the intense longing to withstand Qianqian's. At this moment, my aunt stared fearlessly into the darkness: "Where are you? Listen to me! This guy may be lazy, stupid, and a womanizer, completely lacking in any redeeming qualities, but I will never give him to anyone else, because he is my husband!"

—This dangerous tug-of-war achieved a brief balance.

I saw a lonely smile appear on Qianqian's face; her lips moved slightly, as if she were saying something. Was it a word of giving up?

"Don't let go!" Icefin noticed my lapse in grip. "She's saying: Then I'll take you all with me!"

An unimaginably powerful force surged through me, and I felt my hands suddenly lose their weight. The ground beneath my feet seemed to collapse, offering no support whatsoever. It turned out that my uncle's hand had slipped from mine. Through my uncertain vision, I saw my uncle and the other two being swallowed up bit by bit by a solidified darkness, while I, having suddenly lost my balance, uncontrollably fell backward...

I fell into... the pale flames...

A bright flame roared forth, instantly extinguishing the darkness on the eaves. In that instant, a chaotic clatter and cries of alarm erupted—Icefin, my aunt, and uncle had all fallen beside me. It seemed as if, in a split second, Qianqian's hand had lost its strength.

The pale flames were so intense I could barely open my eyes. I felt a short piece of clothing brush past my head—at such a height—it was a child's! Rubbing the back of my head, which ached from the fall, I looked up and saw a pair of heterochromatic eyes—Airi's eyes!

When did Airi's left eye turn into a dazzling silver pupil?

"Who killed my little bird?" Airi's cold voice was not one a child should have. As she spoke, the white flames became even more brilliant and fierce—it turned out that they were flames in Airi's eyes!

My aunt, who had been lost in thought, suddenly pointed ahead and uttered a mumbled sentence. I turned around—in the corridor surrounded by pale flames, a girl carrying a lantern was in a painful pose, covering herself. Her blue striped hospital gown, long braids, and face were all pale in the bright light…

"Qianqian!" my uncle cried out in alarm. Not only me and Bingqi, but now even my aunt and uncle can "see" us!

No, no! Rather than saying that her aunt and the others have different eyes, it's more accurate to say that Qianqian has gained a visible form—Aili's white flames made her nowhere to hide!

No wonder Airi said that what she can see, others can see too; it turns out she has the ability to make those things visible! It was Airi who prevented Qianqian from entering her uncle's house. Although she should have been called "Lanya," she still inherited a part of her grandfather's power!

"It's you again! I couldn't take Ah Chao away with you around before! Now that we've gathered so many people, I'm not afraid of you!" Qianqian, now in her true form, struggled to stand up straight. It turned out that her "Seven-on-Seven" scheme, taking innocent lives, was all to fight against Ai Li!

"Give me back my little bird!" Airi, completely unfazed by the undead's ferocity, cried out, and the white flames swelled a hundredfold. Icefin stood beside me, a rare look of surprise on its face: "Amazing ability... even more powerful than Grandpa..."

Like ice melting under the sun, Qianqian's body began to deform. Burn marks appeared on her blue striped clothes, and her slender ivory fingers gradually lost their shape like melting candle wax. Qianqian desperately struggled to stay upright, but her body softened and flowed like oil. Her lips, with their muscles peeling away, stubbornly called out her uncle's name—that was her only purpose in remaining in this world, the only proof that she had ever existed…

The voice was stubborn, yet utterly devoid of hatred or regret...

Watching Qianqian's body gradually contort, Aili's small face revealed a cruel smile that was unlike that of a child...

"Aili!" The uncle couldn't see the change in Aili's body, he just thought she was frightened like her mother, and he instinctively hugged his daughter.

But I know that the power of the white fire is too great; it's not something a six-year-old girl can control or manipulate!

"Wait! Airi!" I grabbed Airi's hand. "Listen to me, you're an ordinary girl! You're not the one with the right to punish her! So... please, don't do this... don't become an Airi we don't know..."

“My little bird…” After a brief moment of surprise, sadness welled up in Airi’s eyes, tears streaming down her face. “My favorite little bird…” Her left eye gradually dimmed, and with that pitiful expression, it finally returned to its normal color. The flames had receded…

White flames and darkness waxed and waned on the seemingly endless eaves, as Qianqian rebuilt herself from her nearly melted, semi-liquid state. The gentian lanterns swayed… slowly drawing closer…

"Let's go together, Achao. You were so good to me back then, now it's my turn to repay you. We can definitely be happy, I'll do everything I can to make you happy..." Qianqian said these words so sincerely, so innocently, as if the world only consisted of you and me...

Uncle reached out and hugged Aili tightly, while his aunt, trembling beside him, stared at Qianqian as if she were a stranger. A puzzled expression appeared on the ghost's pale face. Qianqian opened her expectant yet confused eyes wide, like a lost cat waiting to be taken in.

I knew Icefin had lowered his head. Having listened incessantly to the desperate cries of the various undead, he probably understood them better than I did. Therefore, he must have endured pain and struggle many times greater than mine…

We can all see it—the willful humans, the stubborn undead…

"I'm sorry, Qianqian..." The uncle's words were expected by everyone, but they were unexpected by the necromancer.

"Ah Chao..." A moment of fear flashed across Qianqian's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a stronger expectation, "Hurry! Let's go together!"

"I'm sorry, Qianqian, I can't. I can't leave them behind and go with you..."

The thought of being together, the desire for happiness, the person she loves... these are what allow Qianqian to exist, yet this very person is the one who will deny the very source of her existence...

"Ah Chao, let's go together!" At this moment, Qianqian's stubborn voice sounded so powerless, even pitiful.

The uncle hugged his family tightly, and they returned the same warm embrace—an embrace that a spirit without substance could never give. The uncle was calmer and more resolute than ever before. “I’m sorry, Qianqian, I’m not as strong as you… I couldn’t wait in the darkness for so many years like you, clinging to a sliver of hope… Call it selfishness, cowardice, breaking a promise, or any ridicule—I just can’t go with you, because the people I love most are by my side… I can’t leave them!”

Qianqian looked down at her uncle's family, who were slowly kneeling on the ground, her eyes filled with disbelief...

"I'm sorry, Qianqian, I'm a useless man. I can apologize, apologize again and again until you're satisfied, but absolutely not when it comes to walking with you! My happiness... is here..."

A lonely smile appeared on Qianqian's face, and with that gentle, breeze-like smile, her body instantly became transparent. I covered the cry that was about to escape my lips—I knew, Icefin knew, what becoming transparent meant for an undead.

I don't know which is more vulnerable, humans or the undead—a powerful undead can easily take a human, but the human heart can also easily destroy an undead: all it takes is to make them despair. Destroying the undead is that simple, that cruel…

Qianqian lowered her head, her long eyelashes casting shadows on her delicate face. When she looked up, a bright, clear smile, like the autumn sky, filled her entire expression. She made a big face at her uncle: "Silly A-Chao! I was just kidding! Look how scared you are!" Carrying her most treasured lantern painted with gentian flowers, Qianqian turned around lightly, leaving behind a string of cheerful laughter, "I was just kidding! What about taking you away, what about being together! I was just saying it!"

Was it just a casual remark? Do you really not care? Then why don't you dare turn back, why don't you dare look at the person you once loved so much again? Are you afraid your eyes will betray your secret, or are you afraid your emotions will overflow?

That lightness was clearly an act—Qianqian's hands were no longer able to lift the lantern, and the dim lantern swayed and fell to the ground.

As Qianqian's body grew thinner and more transparent towards the end of the corridor, it almost disappeared into the darkness—could this fading soul still see the path? Could it reach that other world? Even if it did reach the other side, perhaps only the cruelest punishment awaited it; after all, she carried the burden of so many innocent lives…

She was always alone; she would ultimately have to walk this final journey alone in solitude…

"Are you alright walking alone?" Icefin's voice came from beside me. He rushed to Qianqian's side, picked up the lantern from the ground, and said, "I'll see you off..."

"I'm going too!" I chased after him without thinking.

Qianqian nodded gratefully: "It's not far, and besides, I'm not alone..."

Looking up, I saw that the end of the corridor led to my front door. Over the ancient stream in front of the door, an arch of light had been erected, and on the unexpectedly distant other side, countless lanterns swayed and flowed endlessly...