"Ah that condescending, reprimanding tone, still the same I see. It's been seven years since we last met hasn't it? You've certainly grown into an attractive young man. Of course, this must sound peculiar to you, for while I had seen you back then, you did not ever meet me in private yourself, a shame indeed, how much fun we could have had. But it's fine, I like my boys shorter anyway." The Gatekeeper said. One long strand of hair curled down towards the blood on the ground, swirling its tips in the puddle.
"Though I will admit, most would find this kind of dedication attractive. Tell me, are you married now, Zhang Haochen?"
"I am not." Haochen said, not looking away from the smiling child who was looking down at him with an unnerving expression. The gatekeeper tilted his head and stuck out a scarlet tongue, pressing it against his long canine. He drummed his fingers against the ceiling. "Then you have no children I presume? Damnation, damnation. That would have been delicious."
"I do not." Haochen said.
"Oh, come now, do you have to be so curt?" The gatekeeper asked. Two thick strands of his hair trailed to the ground in front of Haochen, and he pushed himself off the roof, lowering himself to hover in front of him. His smile grew.
"Afterall, you want something, don't you?" He said, suddenly wrapping himself around Haochen's back.
"You must be desperately yearning something if *you*, of all people, are offering me that. " He said, glancing towards the floating blue orb of Haochen's shoulder, desire burning in his eyes.
"I want you to return someone from the Underworld." Haochen said.
The Gatekeeper looked away from the orb and at Haochen's face. He floated off the young man's back and used his long hair to carry him to suspend in front of him, so he could stare straight into his eyes. "From the Underworld?" He asked, tilting his head as his red eyes suddenly became quite intrigued. "And just who would you want me to return? A lover? A child?" As he spoke, something flashed in his eyes and he seemed to recall something. He spoke again. "Your beloved family member? You must already that know I can't return the dead." He said.
"Li Jun." Haochen said, his voice even.
The Gatekeepers eyes widened. His eyes changed instantly, from mischievous to astonished, and surprisingly hopeful. "Calibri?" He asked.
Zhang Haochen nodded. The Gatekeeper blinked and let his feet touch the ground, putting some distance between himself and Zhang Haochen. He looked very serious.
"Are you sure we're talking about the same man?" He asked, confusion written all over his small features.
"We are." Zhang Haochen said, taking a deep breath. "He goes by many names. To you he is Young Master Calibri, and to me he is Li Jun, my friend."
The Gatekeeper raised both his brows then looked down at the bloody array, as if only realizing the sort of items that lay in it. He blinked at it all. "…I see, sapphires and diamonds, ha. Yes, he is quite fond of ...pretty things." He exhaled and brought a hand up to rub his temple. Then he looked back up at Haochen. "But why? It was you who…"
Zhang Haochen blinked at him calmly, but if you looked carefully enough, you would have seen the flash of self-hatred and pain in his eyes. "How do I bring him back?"
"What do you intend to do with him?" The Gatekeeper asked, a weary look overtaking his features.
"Do you care?" Zhang Haochen asked. The Gatekeeper narrowed his eyes and scoffed.
"I do, actually."
You see, not only was Young Master Calibri the only individual that he'd ever become fond of in the millennia that he'd guarded and ruled the underworld, but he was also the only living being to survive the underworld for so long. Seven years in the mortal realm was the equivalent of seven thousand in the Underworld. Additionally, he was the only one who knew how to pacify both those living and dead in the underworld, 'The Dead Man's Councilor' was what the beings down there called him. Can you imagine? He could accomplish all that with only the dark half of his soul.
"He is indeed worth caring about. Of course, you already know how rare he is, *Grandmaster*, seeing that you all hurried to get rid of him and jumped on the first chance you got." The Gatekeeper said, gone was the coquettish voice. His words now dripped with malice.
Zhang Haochen stared at him for a moment before speaking again, his expression was unreadable. "Has he been well?"
The Gatekeeper frowned. "How could he be well? Your disgusting sect ripped his soul into pieces and distributed it. His soul once had thirty-two pieces, did you expect him to be happy, suddenly living without a future, clinging onto the 16 pieces that remained, down there?"
Zhang Haochen's expression twisted and he momentarily looked pained. With a look of resolve, he inhaled deeply. "I am willing to do anything you ask of me to have him returned. " The Gatekeeper tilted his head, closely studying Haochen's features.
In all honesty, he did not like Zhang Haochen. Not one bit. He knew all about what had happened seven years prior. Initially, he didn't care that Calibri had been sent to the Underworld. He was merely another betrayed soul that he'd taken into his realm. But over time, it became apparent that Calibri was more important to him than he imagined. It was not lust, but rather, *affection*, a strange sort of unconditional fondness that he couldn't placate or name. He wanted to protect him and save him, from all the pain that existed in the world.
However, what irked him was the annoyingly resigned acceptance that Calibri had about having his life being stolen from him, all in the name of 'Owing Zhang Haochen.'
No. He would never like Zhang Haochen, but it wasn't as if he could openly hurt him either without upsetting that little truth-blurter offering therapy sessions in the Underworld.
The Gatekeeper tilted his head. Even so, he could still torture him for a bit. After a moment, the corners of his lips upturned.
"My goodness, it's certainly true that dedication is quite attractive. Are you a virgin?" The Gatekeeper asked.
Haochen pursed his lips. "I am."
"What? Aren't you and Young Master Calibri the same age? Shouldn't you be around twenty-seven by now? Are you saving yourself for someone?"
"Perhaps." Zhang Haochen said. His responses guarded. He could tell the Gatekeeper was up to no good.
"Perhaps? Hmmm, perhaps… Then *perhaps* if you give me your virginity, I'll consider. After all, it seems important to you." The Gatekeeper snickered. There was no way the righteous and upright Zhang Haochen would agree to sexual relations with the King of the Underworld who pranced around in the body of a seven-year-old. It would still be considered pedophilia!
Haochen stared at him for a moment, his dark brows furrowing as he stared at the seven-year-old body before him. It was obvious to him that the Gatekeeper was in a position to bargain, while he was most definitely not. So, he began to disrobe. The Gatekeeper's eyes widened, not expecting the reaction. "Stop! Stop! What are you doing?!"
Haochen paused.
"Calibri would attack me if I ever tou-" The Gatekeeper sighed, then looked at Haochen with a serious expression. It seemed Zhang Haochen was serious about wanting Calibri to return.
"I'm sure you know that I grant in return for what I receive. Even I am bound by this. While I can ask for much, I can't do anything unless a deal is made in the first place. For this reason, I could never send Calibri back, no matter how hard I've tried. I've spent years trying. There have been some who've done what you've done, but their soul sacrifices were not powerful enough for me to do anything." The Gatekeeper said solemnly. He had really tried everything he could to save Calibri after realizing how much he adored the young man, but it was all in vain because the universe had laws of balance and exchange. Even he, in all his power, could not break them.
His red eyes held Haochen's periwinkle ones for a moment.
"Seven years ago, I returned the sixteen parts of your brother's soul so that he could ascend in peace, and your sect gave me the sixteen dark parts of Calibri's soul. For me to return the sixteen dark parts of Calibri's soul, I request that you collect all sixteen of the light parts and return them to him. Additionally, I require sixteen parts of the soul to replace that which I return from the Underworld, and I require them to be from all those involved in splitting his soul in the first place. That will include this piece of yours."
The Gatekeeper grinned. He was bitter and he knew it, but Haochen deserved the torture that would follow in the years of having an incomplete soul.
Haochen had never been a person of excessive words. He was observant and tactical, and at that moment he could read the Gatekeeper's thoughts perfectly.
But the truth was that he himself *agreed* with him, wholeheartedly. So he nodded, not flinching or missing a step.
"You realize you will never be the same after I eat this? You will hear and see things much differently."
Haochen nodded again. He wasn't sure what the Gatekeeper meant, but he really didn't care at all.
The Gatekeeper tsked at the suddenly eager expression on Zhang Haochen's face. "I'm sure you understand by now that I am quite how you mortals say, *conniving*, or evil if you will. I could definitely ask for more." The Gatekeeper said a matter-of-factly, his long hair swirling about as if it had a mind of its own.
"But after I eat this part of your soul, your spirit will no longer be balanced, and while that will upset Calibri, I want you to partake in the punishment for his suffering. I want you to suffer. Seeing you suffer will be satisfying for me after all you've done. Still, if I take beyond that, I fear he will never forgive me. My affections run deep, and for that, you're very lucky. If it had been anyone else other than Calibri, I might have told you to give me both your body *and* your entire soul upon your death." He said, bending down to dip his finger into the blood and take a lick.
He shivered at the rich taste then looked back at Haochen who was watching him carefully, with the blue orb still hovering at his fingers. "However, I've always wanted to return Calibri to this realm." He stood up. "A soul that beautiful even when only left with darkness deserves better than the Underworld. And while I am sick and unarguably demented, I will admit that you and I have the same goal."
Haochen listened quietly. "How long before he can stand on this plane again?"
"I can pull Calibri out here right now if I eat that bit of your soul, but before I do, you should understand that he's *different* from the person he was before. Of course, as you return the parts of his soul, he should return to his previous self." The Gatekeeper said.
Zhang Haochen nodded slowly. "Then I will retrieve every part of his soul and give you all the pieces of soul that I've promised."
The Gatekeeper sighed. "What a man." It was unclear if he was teasing him or being sarcastic, but his red eyes were sadistic as he grinned again.
"Then let's begin with yours."