Le retour de l'âme

Chapitre 24

Left with no other choice, I had to grit my teeth and keep going. The wind seemed to be getting stronger; I could hear the leaves rustling overhead, and the trees on either side were swaying incessantly, swaying in such an unusual way that it didn't seem like they were being blown by the wind, but rather like they were shaking on their own. The tree trunks were twisting and turning, like a group of tree spirits dancing a wild and frenzied dance.

I walked slowly along the cobblestone path in the middle, paying close attention and not daring to slack off in the slightest. My intuition told me that this was going to be a dangerous path.

I don't know how long I walked, but I felt my clothes were soaked with sweat. No, it should be winter now, why am I still wearing summer clothes! Before I could think about it, the twisting tree trunk on my left suddenly moved forward and backward, and a withered grass appeared in front of me.

Everything was blurry; I couldn't see clearly, as if my eyes were covered by a layer of mist. Through the haze, I saw the little wooden house on the withered grass.

The little cabin looked familiar; I felt like I'd seen it somewhere before. I wanted to go over and take a closer look, but a nameless fear kept me from approaching.

With a creak, the door to the cabin slowly opened, and my heart tightened. A hunched figure emerged from behind the door. "We're all going to die...we're all going to die."

It's him, Old Man Sun!

Suddenly everything disappeared. I rubbed my eyes, and there was still a forest before me. Was it all an illusion? Or was it just a hallucination?

I continued walking along the cobblestone path into the darkness.

The trees on both sides continued to twist and sway. I seemed to gradually get used to the environment and quickened my pace.

Just as I quickened my pace, the row of trees on my right suddenly split into two, revealing another hazy clearing before me. What would I see this time? A red brick house appeared, half-hidden. In front of the house was a circular pool, in which stood a stone sculpture of a young girl. Except for the dense weeds behind the house, the other three...

Three cobblestone paths extend from the main entrance of the brick house in different directions.

This place seems familiar; I feel like I've been there before, but then again, I don't. Yes, I remember now—this is the place where Nami Ikeda mentioned in her séance log where she found Meng Li's suicide note.

My heart began to race. Had I stumbled upon that mysterious place? It turned out to be on a deserted island; no wonder no one had ever discovered it before. I found myself walking towards the red brick house.

I had just taken my first step when suddenly a white figure leaped up from beneath my feet, bringing with it a chilling aura. Long, black hair obscured her face. This time, she was very, very close. I saw her wide-open eye hidden behind her hair, and a sinister smile creeping across her lips. A cold claw gripped my hand, and her head slowly moved closer to me.

The sudden shock gave me a strength I don't know I found, and I forcefully broke free from her grasp, wildly flailing my arms with my eyes closed. When I opened my eyes again, everything was back to normal, the eerie, swaying forest was still there. And now it was even darker all around.

I started running frantically along the cobblestone path until I finally reached its end. A tall flight of steps stood before me, paved with bluestone.

--The bluestone steps. Only then did I realize that I was completely engulfed by darkness, and the bluestone steps shimmered with a green glow, like will-o'-the-wisps beckoning me to go up.

What was that sound? Was it the swaying of the trees? No, I suddenly looked around. The strange forest had vanished without a trace, and all around me was an endless, bottomless darkness.

I recognized the sound—it was dripping water. It was so familiar, everything was so familiar. Yes, these were the steps in the "Clock Tower" secret passage. Where was I? This world was in complete chaos!

PART 6.

The sound of dripping water echoed continuously in the dark space. The bluestone steps flickered with a green glow. Just as I hesitated whether to step on the steps, just as I was desperately searching my memory for where I was, a familiar figure emerged from the steps.

A man's back was visible, holding a flashlight. The flashlight beam shone, but it couldn't illuminate the steps beneath his feet. The green-glowing bluestone steps seemed to possess a magical power, completely swallowing the flashlight's beam. He slowly climbed the steps, the flashlight swaying up, down, left, and right, his head bobbing incessantly, as if searching for something.

Who is this person? His back looks so familiar. Wait, ever since I entered this grove, I've kept seeing familiar things, from Old Man Sun to the red brick house, and now this back. I'm certain this is someone I know. Whether it's a hallucination or not, I have to follow him and see who he really is.

Soon, the figure disappeared into the darkness. I gritted my teeth and struggled to step onto the first step.

Just as my feet steadied themselves on the first stone step, a terrifying creaking sound suddenly came from behind me, growing ever closer.

I dared not look back; I could only feel the stairs in front of me swaying incessantly. I wanted to run, but I couldn't lift my legs; I couldn't even stand steadily. What was that sound? I will never forget that sound, nor will I ever forget the horrifying scene that accompanied it—three identical female corpses hanging upside down from the ceiling!

The stairs shook more and more violently, and with a "thud," I fell to my knees on the first step. At that moment, the "creaking" sound reached my ears, and a soft lock of long hair slipped into my collar.

That long strand of hair felt like a steel needle, piercing my neck. Instantly, a survival instinct gave me my balance on the swaying steps. I climbed upwards as fast as I could.

I kept calculating the time; I was almost there, almost at the exit. Would I be able to push that heavy stone aside? Unexpectedly, there was no heavy blue stone at the exit. When I climbed the last step of the blue stone staircase, the scene before me once again astonished me.

Hypnosis (5) in "Fourth Campus"

A high wall blocked my way, and a pitch-black iron gate stood before me. All around were bottomless cliffs, and below them lay a dark abyss. A strange green fluorescence flickered around the edge of the black iron gate, flashing rhythmically in sync with the blue stone steps beneath my feet.

"A forbidden area on campus!" I started to tremble, and cold sweat kept pouring down my forehead.

This chaotic world has left me feeling lost and helpless.

Looking back at the path I had come up, the cobblestone steps had been cut in half. There was no way back; to leave this chaotic world, I could only try to walk through that iron gate.

I slowly walked up and gently touched the dark iron gate with my hand. Just as my hand touched it, with a "clang," the heavy, dark iron lock and chain fell to the ground, and the iron gate opened slightly.

What lies behind the iron gate? Hope, or hell?

I instinctively pushed the iron gate, and with a loud creak, my heart began to race.

Will the series of bizarre deaths from two years ago be uncovered once this long-closed door is opened?

However, when the door opened, what appeared before me was not the forest in the forbidden area, but a corridor in the night.

The layout was very familiar, and I had a sense of déjà vu. I walked slowly forward, carefully looking around. The corridor was wide, with rows of windows on the right, through which soft moonlight shone. On the left were rooms with their doors tightly closed, each labeled with a number: 301, 302, 303…

Dormitory? It looks a lot like a university dormitory building.

How did I suddenly find myself back in the dormitory building? Where is that endless darkness? Behind the wall lies the interior of the dormitory building! Am I dreaming? Otherwise, how could I find myself in such a chaotic space? Thinking this, I involuntarily looked back again, and sure enough, the scenery behind me had changed. The iron gate I had entered through had vanished without a trace, and everything behind me had become part of the dormitory building—a staircase leading up and down the stairs.

Yes, this must be a dream, another terrifying dream. I desperately pinched my face, trying to wake up from this nightmare, but it was all in vain; I couldn't feel any pain. I couldn't wake up from this nightmare.

With a "click," the silence of the night was broken as a dormitory door opened, and a girl in pajamas stepped out.

The girl walked straight toward me, her face seemingly veiled in mist, blurry and indistinct, only a vague outline visible. Even as she stood right in front of me, I still couldn't make out her face.

The girl walked very fast and hurriedly, and in the blink of an eye she was in front of me, but she seemed not to see me and was still bumping into me.

"Hey." I reached out to pat her shoulder, but my hand didn't touch anything. She had already passed between my bodies and continued walking forward.

I stared in horror at my body. Completely unharmed, I felt nothing, yet I clearly saw her pass through me. Why was this happening? I suddenly remembered scenes from ghost movies. Was I already dead? Had I become a ghost?

I turned around in horror, but the girl continued walking towards the stairs in the corridor, seemingly oblivious to everything around her. However, she suddenly stopped at the top of the stairs, as if startled by something, and took a step back. Soon, I saw a dark figure at the top of the stairs, ascending the steps. The girl covered her mouth in terror and fell to the ground with a thud.

Slowly, I could see the dark figure clearly. It was long, black hair, and a woman dressed in white with her hair covering her face was walking towards the girl step by step, reaching out her devilish claws.

The girl looked terrified, her mouth wide open as if she wanted to scream, but the woman with long hair had her fingers firmly gripping her throat, and she couldn't make a sound. She was about to suffocate and die.

Without a second thought, I rushed forward and threw a punch at the woman in white, but my fist went right through her face; I didn't touch her at all. She suddenly turned her head, and an eye hidden behind long hair stared intently at me.

A sinister smile crept across his lips.

It was that familiar "face" again, that same expression I'd seen countless times. I was so terrified that I quickly backed away and slipped to the ground.

Suddenly, the girl kicked the woman in the stomach. The struggle for survival generated tremendous force, knocking the woman over and sending her tumbling down the stairs. The girl screamed wildly, waking the others in the dormitory.

One by one, the closed doors were opened, and soon the corridor was filled with people.

"Nami Ikeda!" someone shouted from the crowd. But the sound felt like a jolt of electricity through my body.

Nami Ikeda? Could it be…? I jumped up from the ground and rushed down the stairs. The terrifying woman in white was curled up on the ground, trembling. Her long hair had disappeared, but I still couldn't see her face clearly.

"So it was you who was creating the panic all along!" another voice rang out. I looked in the direction of the voice and saw a girl in the crowd holding a long wig, pointing at Ikeda Nami and yelling angrily. Unfortunately, even though there were so many people around me, I couldn't see any of them clearly. I could only make out their bodies, not their faces. Every girl's face was a blur, and they didn't seem to have noticed my presence.

The thought that she hadn't noticed me crossed my mind when the girl with the wig suddenly pointed at me: "So it was you! So you're the murderer!"

The moment I finished speaking, everyone surrounded me, pointing a finger at me and saying the same thing: "So it was you! You're the murderer!"

A sudden wave of panic washed over me; Ikeda Nami, who had been curled up on the ground, had vanished without a trace. The group of girls were slowly surrounding me, their circle gradually shrinking. I couldn't see their faces; each one was hidden by long hair, revealing only a terrifying eye, staring intently at me with a sinister smile.

Hypnosis (6) in "The Fourth Campus"

Without hesitation, I climbed over the stair railing, pushed through the crowd surrounding me, ran to the window, and jumped without a second thought. The instant I jumped out, the moonlight disappeared, and I was surrounded by a bottomless darkness. My body continued to fall, and fall, until I lost consciousness.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a grassy area, with a light rain falling in the night. I slowly stood up and soon saw the pavilion in front of me.

"Where am I now?" I was no longer surprised; I seemed to have adapted to the ever-changing nature of this chaotic space. Just then, I heard a sound behind me—the sound of stones grinding. I immediately lay down on the grass.

Through the bushes, I saw a figure slowly crawling out—white clothes, long hair covering her face—it was that persistent woman again! What would she do this time?

She dragged a large blue stone with great effort, seemingly trying to cover something, then took off her white clothes and let down her long hair. Immediately, a familiar face came into my view. This person was none other than myself.

"Yes, I saw another version of myself in the real world, a 'me' that wanted to kill me." The words Meng Li wrote in her suicide note echoed in my mind again. And now, I saw another "me"!

Part Four of the Fourth Campus

The Fourth Campus: Nangong Xiaoxue's Diary (1)

PART 1.

When I got back to school, it was already past 8 p.m., and the cafeteria had long since stopped serving dinner. I hadn't eaten anything since morning, and I felt terrible. I thought I'd just grab some fried rice outside, so I went to my usual restaurant near the school gate.

There are never many people inside at this time, and today it felt especially deserted. I randomly found a seat by the window and ordered Yangzhou fried rice. I remember celebrating here with Zhao Jun, Lin Duyu, and Xu Zhifei when I ran for student council and joined the club department a little over two months ago. We drank a lot, and they drank a lot too. But now… two months isn't a long time, but everything has changed so much. Lin Duyu is dead, and Zhao Jun suddenly went from being a friend to an enemy who framed me. I still don't understand why he did that. And Xu Zhifei, he's stopped associating with me. Since Lin Duyu's death, I've been enduring the torment of loneliness and isolation. Even Maeda Reiko, because she was implicated, refuses to see me.

Looking at the deserted restaurant, I sighed inwardly. At least there was still someone willing to talk to me, Meng Na.

Whether it was a coincidence or divine mercy, Mengna walked into the restaurant at that moment.

"Why haven't you eaten?" She sat down opposite me.

"Yeah, I haven't eaten all day. The police took me to the station to give a statement this morning." I shrugged. "Why are you only eating now?"

"I'm not feeling well today."

Are you sick?

She shook her head.

I lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and said, "This world changes so fast. I remember often coming here with friends to eat and drink, but now I come alone. No one wants to talk to me except you; everyone seems to be avoiding me."

Mengna didn't say anything, she just looked at me quietly.

"I'm a murder suspect now, why do you still consider me a friend?"

"I believe in you, and I understand how you feel right now—that unbearable loneliness and solitude, and that endless fear." Mengna looked out the window.

"We've known each other for so long, but we've never had a meal together. How about I treat you to something nice today?" Without waiting for her reply, I called the waiter over and ordered again.

"No need to spend so much, just get something simple," Mengna said.

"It's okay, no amount of money can buy friendship, besides..." Besides, you're the person I like, but I swallowed the rest of the sentence back down.

"Lin Yuan, I want to ask you again, please stop investigating. Haven't you noticed why these things only happen to you and those around you?"

I shook my head. "Things have come to this point, how can I stop? I'm like someone stuck in a swamp, unable to get out unless someone lends me a hand."

The moment she met my gaze, Meng Na lowered her head.

"Nobody trusts me anymore..." I said.

"Not everyone believes that Lin Duyu's death is related to you," she said.

I sighed helplessly. "I know, but one after another, people connected to me have run into trouble. From Lingmin to Lin Duyu, I could be next, maybe Hu Xiaoli, or even Maeda Reiko. I know very well that they're avoiding me not just because I was the only one with Lin Duyu on the day he died, but more importantly, because they think I'm a bad omen and that being with me will bring them misfortune."

Mengna looked up at me. "Things aren't as bad as you think. Maybe it's not what you think. People around you haven't distanced themselves from you."

I laughed and said, "Zhao Jun inexplicably accused me of being involved in Lin Duyu's death, his tone suggesting he already believed I was the murderer. Xu Zhifei and Hu Xiaoli also suspect me. This dormitory, which used to be my warm home, feels like an icebox to me. I don't go back until late every night. If my good friends are like this, why would anyone else approach me? I can tell they always look at me with strange eyes."

"Lin Yuan, actually, others haven't distanced themselves from you. Have you ever considered that it's you who's unwilling to get close to others? At least, that's how I see it. Ever since Lin Duyu died, you've always been alone."

"Maybe so..." I took a drag of my cigarette and leaned back in my chair. "But I can't stop now. My friend is dead, and the police took me in for questioning again today. If I don't find out the truth, I might be carrying this burden forever."

Mengna shook her head. "Don't think like that. They might just be going through a normal investigation process. You don't need to be so nervous; that will only make them suspicious."