"He's getting away!" Bei Tan cried scrambling to his feet as the figure slid swiftly around the corner.
Along with his cry came the uncoordinated stomping of footsteps and roaring of sirens as policemen rushed to follow the person who had just disappeared from the scene, leaving Bei Tan alone and a standing mess. As he struggled to catch his breath, dabbing his fingers lightly on the bruise cross his face, his mind recalled the events that had occurred in precise detail.
Just moments earlier he had been scouting the suspect to a major series of criminal acts, witnessed definite evidence, informed his co-workers, accidentally revealed himself, and got into a brawl with the suspect. Although Bei Tan had been defeated, it seemed like the criminal wasn't going to escape this time, especially not with a handful of trained officers chasing him.
"Unless he has an accomplice," Bei Tan thought to himself and briefly the streets were ghost-silent, except for the distant murmur of cars. Despite the situation, the silence brought him peace and his streaming thoughts came to a halt.
Bei Tan enjoyed this.
"What are you thinking about?" A chilling voice shook his spine, and before he could turn around to see whom it was, pain shot through his back. Bei Tan collapsed onto his knees, hands shaking and legs like lead. Blood seeped through his shirt and collectively formed a crimson puddle on the ground.
He shrilled helplessly. The scenery before him swerved into a blurry mess and he could not hold his eyes open for much longer. Before all turned to dark he felt a breath across his ear.
"This is the end…" There was a mumbled bye from the voice as everything turned from blood red to pure black.
Bei Tan was dead.
He felt his soul becoming light and was embraced by a welcoming warmth. Even the sudden ringing of gunshots did not cause a disturbance in the abnormal tranquility within his mind. His eyes remained closed as his spirit surged into the night sky, and shortly the world around him ceased to exist.
Unexpectedly, Bei Tan felt a hand press against his own and swiftly opened his eyes.
Was he alive again? The unfamiliarity of the dark brown roof and smell of lavender made him blink repeatedly before coming to his senses. Thoughts shot through his mind, questioning the current situation. Unless he survived the penetration of the knife, what he was experiencing was defying his beliefs surrounding the afterlife.
He sat up. A young man sat next to him, his hand lovingly caressing Bei Tan's, and his eyes seemed to widen at the sight of his awakening. Instantly he jumped up and whispered a soft sorry before scrambling out the room.
Instinctively, Bei Tan shook his hand in disgust as he scanned the room around, hoping to get a grasp of what was going on. However, the patterns on the wall, silk of the sheets and windowless room simply made him fall into a daze and everything less coherent. Where was he? A hotel? Hospital? Someone else's' house?
"What is going on?" Bei Tan spoke. Unlike his voice, the sounds that came out his mouth were soft and rather high-pitched. This perked Bei Tan to turn and view a large mirror he had spotted in his peripheral vision. The wooden red framing of the mirror was lined with specks of gold, and the crystal-like mirror's reflection shattered any logical conclusions within Bei Tan's mind.
Sitting hunched over in the bed was a girl. Her skin was milky white, hair a hazelnut brown and her most apparent feature, her eyes were like shots of sapphire – pure blue and sharp. She was uniquely beautiful and, curiously, Bei Tan stood up to assess it.
The girl reflected mimicked his actions, and as she stood up along tight red gown fell to the ground, which against the white of her skin looked so much more elegant and sophisticated. The girl silently approached him just as he had to the mirror, eyes widening in shock.
Suddenly, everything seemed to converge in Bei Tan's head.
He was this girl.
This girl was him.
He had been reborn.
Bei Tan laughed to himself awkwardly, before searching the room. Within the last minute, he swore his mood had swung at least four times. Bei Tan needed to calm down and needed to do so quickly so rational decisions could be made.
Just as he slid open the cupboard beneath the mirror, someone called out from outside the gridded wooden door.
"Lady Ina, are you awake?"
Bei Tan paused, staring directly at the sheathed blade that had been hidden within the cupboard.