Душа покидает темную ночь

Глава 9

Is this the same one from yesterday? It feels exactly the same, but it looks quite different! I slowly approached it—no wonder it looked strange: the chubby roundness of the baby's hands and feet had faded, and this infant spirit... had actually grown up! It looked exactly like a five or six-year-old child!

I've never encountered anything like this before; I had no idea that infant spirits could grow up. Where does the life force it needs to grow come from?

"Is there something you need?" I mustered my courage and asked. "Is there anything I can do for you? If not, please leave."

The spirit slowly turned its head with an unnatural movement, raising its blank eyes. For a moment, I felt as if I had seen it somewhere before.

Thankfully, we can communicate! With growing tension, I continued searching for any familiar clues on the spirit's face. Although I spoke with great confidence, I had absolutely no idea I could convince it. Unlike Icefin, I couldn't hear the voices of things without a physical form in the mortal realm. "Just tell me what's on your mind!" As I shouted this, the spirit's pupils flickered, then turned to the upper right, its slightly upturned lips seeming to see through my boast, and it gave me a complete, disdainful sneer!

That expression... it's so familiar... I took a step back, only to bump into the chair in front of the desk. Grabbing the cold back of the chair, I swallowed the scream that almost escaped my lips—this spirit looks exactly like Icefin!

—That kind of thing doesn't actively seek out people unless they actively call upon it. Could it be that Icefin itself is the one calling upon the spirit of the infant?

At this moment, the undead summoned by Icefin, an undead that looks exactly like Icefin, could it be anyone else!

"Could it be that you are Icefin's..." The sound of the bamboo curtain tearing open interrupted my bewildered whisper. Without the support of light, the water figure vanished in an instant; however, today was different from yesterday. Although I could not see it, I could still sense its presence, cold and desolate.

"What are you doing in my room again?" Icefin's cold voice sounded behind me. I slowly turned around. His face was very pale in the sunset. A bunch of large and small demons were happily attached to his shoulder. They snaked around his slender arm and stretched out their dark tongues to lick the scarlet red spider lily he was holding tightly in his hand.

I strode over and slapped Icefin's shoulder hard. The lowly demons scrambled off him, some turning into dark, malevolent dust. "Why bother with such a futile effort?" Icefin straightened his wrinkled clothes, slowly approached the screen, and once again tossed the red spider lily onto the empty floor.

"It's you who's calling it!" I said through gritted teeth, enunciating each word clearly. "You want to summon...that person!"

At that moment, Icefin looked at me with a strange expression, then smiled helplessly: "You should know better than I do."

"I had no idea!" I yelled. "Who would understand keeping a ghost in your room! Even if you're unwilling to accept it and desperate to see your brother, you can't do something so dangerous!"

Icefin sat down at the desk, looking up at me with a smug, almost mocking smile. I bent down to pick up a spider lily from the floor. "Are you really sure that guy is your brother? Look at your face! It grows by eating your anger, and you're about to be eaten! It's definitely some terrifying creature pretending to be your brother!"

"It doesn't matter." Icefin lowered its thin eyelids, rested its chin on its hand wearily, and uttered a muffled whisper, "...Even if it's just appearance, he's still my brother..."

That same expression again, as if she'd burst into tears at any moment. Does it matter if it's just her appearance? Does it matter what happens to her? Willing to feed on the undead with her anger, Icefin's longing for her brother has become an obsession!

Suddenly, I felt the difficulty of controlling my emotions, and I threw the red flower in my hand at his face: "You bastard, I don't care what happens to you!" The fragile stem snapped, letting out a faint scream. Icefin's unmoved cold laugh was frozen in the afterglow. I had never realized this so clearly: no one could free Icefin unless my brother truly appeared before him and said to him in person, "I forgive you."

On the afternoon of the third day, under the clear sunlight, I wandered through the courtyard where red spider lilies bloomed wildly. These plants from the other shore, without branches or leaves, had abandoned everything, using all the gifts of creation to sculpt these overly delicate, overly exquisite, even tragically beautiful red flowers. Like tenacious fingers, they stretched towards the blue sky with the persistence and willfulness of a child crying for the moon, trying to touch something that might not even exist. Like these mad flowers, wasn't Ice Fin also calling for something unattainable...?

A fear that rarely arises is growing wildly in my heart—my overwhelming longing for my brother has caused even the usually calm Icefin to be captivated by this flower of the other shore! I dare not even think about what the consequences would be if I did not sever this longing.

As if driving away some ominous creature, I trampled over the red spider lilies in front of me and ran towards Icefin's room.

In the lingering heat of summer, Ice Fin had the door closed, and even the windows were draped with bamboo blinds. I flung the door open, but held my breath for a moment—visibility should have been very low in the old-fashioned room with the doors and windows tightly shut and no lights on, so why could I see so clearly—it's already…this big, that infant spirit!

I couldn't tear my gaze away from it: the infant spirit of the third day, already appearing to be around ten years old, soon to be the same age as Icefin and me. Surrounded by pale red flames, it leaned listlessly against the screen. Had it already stopped relying on the twilight's reflection? This body, soon to be a teenager, had shed its ethereal quality; even the strands of hair were so clear.

The door closed silently behind me...

"You're Icefin's brother?" I suppressed the fear in my voice. "It can't be real! That person is long gone, isn't he!"

The spirit leaned motionless against the screen, completely ignoring my presence. "You're trying to drain Icefin's life force by using the image he most longs for! How despicable!" I was less rebuking it and more bolstering my own courage. I knew perfectly well: unless Icefin severed his illusory longing himself, no one could drive away this dangerous undead; yet the one who could make Icefin realize this—his brother—was gone, and there was no one like him in any world!

But what if the undead before me is Icefin's brother? Perhaps his will to survive has already transformed him into an evil spirit, lurking deep within this garden, transforming into the flames of the red spider lily every July, waiting for his chance to replace his twin brother!

I was too careless! Those guys from the other world—you can't trust anyone!

Suddenly, an unusual twist appeared on the spirit's body, as if a strong current had billowed a sail, and its limbs gradually stretched out—it was growing again! At this moment, the infant spirit had reached the age of Icefin! The flames surrounding it suddenly intensified, burning like red lotuses, making its face appear like a smooth wax figure. At this moment, its presence had gradually transcended mere "seeing," almost reaching the level of "existence." I took a step back and looked around—Icefin's presence in this room was so faint, almost completely obscured by this undead spirit!

This imposter looks so much like Icefin! What will happen next?! Will it actually gain a physical form and replace Icefin?

No! We absolutely cannot let it continue to grow!

I instinctively stepped back, my back touching the cold, thick rosewood desk. Hiding my hands behind my back, I slowly groped across the surface—I remembered that Icefin's glass paperweight was always on my left...

In an instant, the flames of death surged forth, and beneath my feet suddenly transformed into an abyss. From that distant, boundless abyss, the fiery red spider lilies stretched out their neurotic fingers. Icefin's face swayed in the abyss, its pale features stained with blood as alluring as these flowers; its expression was as if it might burst into tears at any moment… Was it trying to deceive me with illusions, this evil spirit so similar to Icefin…?

Ignoring the void beneath my feet, I stared into the undead's translucent eyes, hiding my left hand behind my back as I slowly approached it, holding a heavy paperweight in my hand! Seemingly sensing my intention, the other's slender phoenix eyes, adorned with the color of spider lilies, held a look of disdain.

I know that courage and opportunity are fleeting things, and the slightest hesitation can make them vanish.

The glass reflected the crimson will-o'-the-wisps, emitting a cold light. I could clearly hear the scream of the red spider lily stem breaking. An unbearable pain spread through my chest—I was clearly throwing myself at the dead!

Suddenly, a burst of light exploded in my eyes, whipping up a fierce wind that swirled in my mind, as if something heavy had been blown away in an instant… The dull thud of the paperweight hitting the ground struck my fading consciousness. It turned out that the unobstructed sunlight streaming in through the doors and windows had dispelled the gloom of the will-o'-the-wisps. Coming back to my senses, I saw the bamboo-painted screen lying forlornly on the ground, broken as if struck by a heavy blow. Looking down at the glass ball rolling to one side, I was completely bewildered: Did I do this?… What did I just think? What did I just do?

"Don't move!" Icefin's sudden shout startled me. Just then, a hand swiftly swept across my shoulder. With a slight dizziness, I saw Icefin tear off a shapeless black shadow from behind me, with wisps of black energy still attached to my shoulder.

That's madness! I slapped my shoulder: all the demons that have suddenly appeared these past few days are clinging to Icefin. So they're afraid to come near me. No wonder I've become unable to control my emotions—I've been possessed by delusional madness without even realizing it!

Having left me as its host, the madness rapidly subsided. The ice fins spread their fingers, and the struggling, writhing shadow, once freed, swiftly darted out the window. We could do nothing to it; though we could see it, we had no other power over it.

"Madness... how could it possess me? You should be the one possessed..." I turned to look at the ice fin that had barged into the room, muttering to myself in confusion.

With an expression of utter exasperation, Icefin was swarming with wraiths clinging to his shoulders, unable to even straighten his back. "Enough is enough!" he roared, his anger causing the lowly wraiths to tumble off his shoulders. "See that—you're the one who attracted them all! Let me tell you: what infant spirits? I couldn't see them from the start! That was just an illusion you created, even attracting your madness. What the hell are you thinking?"

Did I create it? No wonder Icefin said I made his room a mess, that I should know more about infant spirits than he does, and that I was doing something futile. No wonder I felt pain when I attacked the spirit—because it was an illusion created by my thoughts!

"Me?" I felt a little guilty, but I still managed to retort, "Don't you ever overthink things? You get depressed every time it's your birthday! Even if I create something, it's because of you. You're the one who keeps thinking about people who are no longer here and harboring impossible fantasies!"

"Firewing..." Icefin's expression changed. "Please stop emphasizing it! I know better than anyone that my brother is gone!"

Does he know better than anyone else? But Icefin didn't know—his expression at that moment looked like he was about to cry at any moment…

“You have no idea!” I said, word by word. “If you did, why did you let me create illusions? Why did you offer red spider lilies to them knowing it would bring madness? Because you wanted to see them, because they were your brother’s illusions!”

“Want to see my brother… so what?” Icefin turned around, slowly bending down to pick up the glass paperweight from the ground. Her weak voice escaped between her movements. “I always think, thank goodness I have these eyes and ears. Even though my brother is gone, his appearance and his voice in the other world may not be so far away… But my brother has never appeared, not even once!”

"That's because he disappeared a long time ago! He doesn't hate anyone!" Why do I suddenly find this statement so unconvincing?

“But he once existed! No one in this family ever mentions my brother, as if they're deliberately ignoring him! I know it's because of me! I monopolized everything that should have been shared with him!” As if trying to dispel the overwhelming emotions, Icefin gripped the cold, smooth sphere in her hand. “Damn it, why can even Firewing create an illusion of my brother? I so desperately want to see… my brother!”

Yes... why me... I was comforting Icefin, but it was me who was possessed by madness, and it was me who created the illusion of longing!

Countless times I've gazed with near-fear at the intertwined shadows of the red spider lilies, for their unwavering persistence, like a fervent cry from the other world, constantly reminded me of the imminent death and separation. I always wondered, what would Icefin think if he saw them? Would he remember that person? Would he feel guilty? Would he be heartbroken? But why didn't I realize—that Icefin wasn't the only one in this family tormented by unresolved longing! He was even more clear-headed than us. By comforting Icefin, each of us escaped our own longing for that person, leaving all that heavy emotion to this boy, naively believing that the person who didn't exist in any other world was the root of his inner turmoil!

Why didn't I realize it before—the person who's afraid of red spider lilies is me! It's everyone in my family!

“He’s my brother too!” I quietly watched Icefin’s retreating figure. “How could I… have forgotten…”

"Firewing... Firewing, what's wrong?" Icefin cried out in surprise, and I felt something crawling across my cheek. Instinctively, I raised my hands, and icy water droplets slid through my fingers, falling to the floor—silk threads of water instantly filling the entire room...like weary eyes gently opening their long eyelashes, golden spider lilies bloomed silently in the deep, dark room...

Is it already dusk? In the fleeting glimpse of light, I saw Ice Fins staring motionlessly at the broken screen—the shimmering water wove together a familiar figure—a slender outline almost within reach, individual strands of hair clearly visible, and a lively expression that no thought could conjure…

The figure in the water seemed to have not only a physical form but also a soul, so similar to Icefin, yet so different from him.

“Brother…?” Icefin murmured incredulously, reaching out to the shimmering water statue, his fingertips tracing its ethereal face. The setting sun lingered on the edge of the eaves, and in the last dazzling glimmer of light, that person smiled…

As if a tangled mess had been untangled in an instant, the rippling water, tangled and intertwined, suddenly dispersed: the setting sun had already sunk below the horizon...

That person existed for only a moment...

After a long silence, Icefin's voice still lingered with strong emotions: "Although my birthday is still a few days away, Firewing, thank you for your gift..."

"I didn't do that." Not knowing what kind of expression I had, I shook my head. I don't have the ability to materialize my thoughts.

"Who could it be?" A smile spread across Icefin's lips as he cast his tender gaze upon the swaying red spider lilies in the courtyard under the pale purple sky of the July twilight.

These flowers, blooming at the end of summer, so willful, so beautiful—perhaps they are someone desperately trying to convey their longing—from their hometown on the other side of the river…

(The End of "The Twilight of the Red Spider Lily")

Seven Ghost Stories

My cousin Bingqi, who is a month younger than me, and I were in the same grade. The first three classes had our labor class scheduled for early March. Although it was called a labor class, for the students who were dizzy from all the classes, it was really no different from a field trip without leaving school. It was supposed to be a rare opportunity to relax, but Bingqi and I were assigned to the library group, and to make matters worse, we were assigned to clean the old archives.

That archive room, located at the far end of the second floor of the library, overgrown with ivy, is almost never open. Even in the hottest summer months, the indoor...

It was cool and damp, the air sticky and greasy against the skin; and the lighting was terrible, requiring lights to be on even during the day. In the dim, murky light, rows of dark, gleaming glass-doored wooden bookshelves cut into one's vision, filled with yellowed papers—they were probably older than even the oldest person in the school, Grandpa Zhang, who worked in the gatehouse. This place also had the infamous nickname "The Sighing Archives"—some had heard sighs emanating from the locked room. I hadn't heard any sighs myself, but I completely agreed with the nickname—because just thinking about cleaning there made Icefin and me exchange a glance and sigh.

However, the other four people in the group were very happy—because the old archive room with its doors and windows tightly closed was always very clean. There were hardly any cobwebs or even dust. They only needed to symbolically wipe the bookshelves and then play there until school was over.

"This atmosphere! It's perfect for doing 'that'!" Meng Hui from Class 2 shouted excitedly in a high-pitched voice, while Bingqi and I couldn't help but groan with our hands on our foreheads—the so-called "that" was just closing the door, drawing the curtains, and telling ghost stories.

However, Meng Hui's suggestion received enthusiastic support from the other three group members. They immediately gathered around the large desk under the window, where the pale yellow and light green of the newly sprouting willow leaves outside the window painted the window frame with a bright color through the vines that were budding.

"This isn't atmospheric!" Lianju, a female member of Class 3, abruptly pulled up the thick woolen curtains, plunging the room into darkness. Shen, a male member of Class 2, and Zhenli, a male member of Class 3, who hadn't had time to sit down, bumped into each other. Ignoring their complaints, Moe shouted loudly to me and Bingqi, who were still awkwardly standing to the side, "Come over here, you two! Are you really as timid as the rumors say?"

Indeed, Icefin and I have always had a reputation for being cowards—we never tell scary stories or share mysterious experiences with our classmates, we never attend evening self-study sessions, and we never participate in after-school courage challenges. But you can't blame us! If they saw a bunch of random things excitedly crowding around from all directions, they would definitely be just as cowardly as we are—we inherited that superfluous ability from our grandfather who passed away long ago; Icefin and I possess eyes that can see through the darkness.

“There’s nothing I can do.” I sighed. “Luckily, the room is quite clean, there’s nothing there…” My eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness. I saw Icefin, who understood the double meaning in my words, nod thoughtfully: “You can’t even see Firewing? Don’t you find that strange… It’s almost too clean here…”

I looked around. Logically, a place like a archive room should have at least a bunch of small items, even if there weren't one or two large ones. But this place felt unnaturally clean, as if it were soaking in an invisible preservative. Icefin and I sat down by the window. The dim light filtering through the crimson wool curtains made me feel slightly dizzy. I was still a little uneasy—was it really okay… to do this…?

"The Seven Ghost Stories! Let's talk about the Seven Ghost Stories!" Moe had already started shouting. Mari from Class 3 pushed up her glasses and said, "That's right, everyone says that every school has seven ghost stories."

"Huh? Isn't it just the kind of thing where piano music comes from an empty music room, and an extra step appears on the stairs in the middle of the night?" The athletic Ichishin's way of thinking is just as straightforward.

"No way! That's so unoriginal!" Moe shouted in an exaggerated tone of dissatisfaction. Almost simultaneously, Renju said slowly, "You should tell those kinds of ghost stories that only circulate in our school!"

"Maybe not..." I still couldn't stand the atmosphere, and everyone burst into laughter: "We knew you two cowardly siblings would be scared! It's more interesting when someone's scared!" Completely outmatched, I could only use the dim red light filtering through the curtains to survey the room again; there was still nothing around. It should be alright, right? I felt a little relieved...

"Let me go first!" Meng Hui said in that cute, coquettish tone, "I'm going to talk about last year's final exams! On the day of the English exam, our class was somehow missing a test paper!"

"Isn't there a backup copy?" Ichishin asked loudly.

"We even used the backup test paper, but somehow we're missing one!" Menghui said mysteriously. "The listening section is about to start, and the student who can't get the test paper—let's call him Student A—is almost crying! Luckily, the proctor from the next class said that one of their students went to the restroom and hasn't come back yet, so they let Student A take the answer sheet to their classroom and use the empty test paper first. Later, the patrolling teacher helped bring the test paper and went to the next classroom to find Student A to come back to our class, but..."

"But what is it?" Zhenli, who hadn't quite grasped the situation yet, couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"But just then, there was a sudden banging on the bathroom door! And someone was yelling for help!" Meng Hui's voice trailed off in a sweet, high-pitched tone. "It turned out that the student from the next class was locked inside! The door wasn't locked or latched, but somehow it just wouldn't open. It took several people to break it open! The teacher took the student back to the next classroom, and do you know what happened next..."

Moe kept him in suspense, while Bingqi sneered. I knew why he sneered, and I glared at him fiercely. Moe pushed Bingqi across the table, annoyed: "What are you laughing at! The teachers noticed that the student who came back from the restroom had an empty seat, and student A who just came in isn't here! Nobody saw him leave, and he didn't come back to our class! It's like he evaporated; he just vanished!"

"Hmph!" Yi Shen raised his voice in dissatisfaction, "Maybe the teachers and students in both of your classes are seeing things!"

"Impossible!" Icefin sneered again. "There were two answer sheets on that student's desk, one of which had multiple-choice questions for the listening comprehension section filled in!"

"Hey! How did you know!" Menghui shouted at Bingqi in a high-pitched voice as she leaned closer. I quickly tried to smooth things over: "We've heard about this before!" As I said this, I glared at Bingqi—although I saw that classmate A walk through the wall of our classroom against the corridor during that commotion, and then disappear into the air through the wall against the balcony, there was no need to say it here! Bingqi, you idiot!

At this moment, Renju, who was next to Moe, spoke up: "I also know about one such thing, it was about the old auditorium wisteria hall."

The Wisteria Pavilion is located in the northeast corner of the old school building. It used to be an auditorium, but now it's filled with clutter. The entire building is surrounded by a huge wisteria trellis, so it's almost never exposed to sunlight. Although it's beautiful when the flowers are in bloom, Icefin and I absolutely refuse to go near it.

"Speaking of the Wisteria Pavilion..." Lianju said slowly, "It's a very quiet place. One day, two girls from my class made plans to go there after school in the evening..."

"Why did you choose that time..." I muttered to myself. The moment when the setting sun reflects its light is also known as the hour of the twilight...

Lianju chuckled softly, "They were having a heart-to-heart talk... They talked for a while, then suddenly heard a rustling sound. Afraid that someone had overheard them, they looked around for the eavesdropper. By the light of the setting sun, they spotted someone standing near the main trunk of the wisteria..."

Moe was displeased: "You're the one who eavesdropped? Disgusting!"

Lianju gently shook her head: "I don't know if I can say it like this... The wisteria leaves covered the person's face. Because they saw that he was wearing an old-fashioned long gown and cloth shoes, the two girls thought he was from the drama club and asked who he was. They asked him several times but he didn't answer. The two girls gradually realized something was wrong... The wind was quite strong in the evening, but the hem of that person's clothes never swayed with the wind... And, he didn't make a sound..."

"The reason that person didn't answer is because they couldn't answer," Icefin sneered again.

I nudged Icefin with my elbow. That idiot, always talking too much. But of all the guys at school, the one I hate the most is this one under the wisteria tree, because…

Lianju's smile faded: "That's right... that person couldn't answer. The setting sun stretched his shadow long, falling at the feet of those two girls—his shadow had no head at all!"

For a moment, only the sound of gasping could be heard. Silence spread...