Smelling that all-so familiar scent of fresh grass, Li Yinyi felt stumped. All the things she normally paid no heed to, like the warm breeze, the silent chirping of birds, and the early morning dew had overwhelmed her today, leaving no room for her to feel surprised. There was something else too—the spiritual energy in this place was incredibly pure. She really had entered another world. Though the boy said it was only an illusory space, she found it hard to believe she hadn't simply been teleported.
The girl was reminded of her father, who had told her about how he had once seen an ancient domain—it was hard for her not to think of it, seeing it was his favorite story to tell, every time he wanted to brag. Li Yinyi's—and her mother's— ears had already turned numb due to it.
"What Papa described seems very similar to this," Li Yinyi marveled, and she let out another gasp, "No, but Papa said he could only look inside, but did not carry the necessary strength to enter, it was one of his greatest regrets. That is why Mom always told me it was probably only a drunken dream of his. They'd start to bicker soon after. Who knew one day I could fulfill his wish in his stead."
She sighed and looked at the blue sky.
It took a while, but soon, Li Yinyi broke out her daze and began to walk around. The weather in this place was starkly different from the storm she witnessed just a moment ago. Here, the summer sun shone brightly, piercing even through the clouds, and made the already colorful flowers turn more vibrant. A cozy squall constantly blew through the field, strong enough to rustle Li Yinyi's hair, but not enough to be annoying.
She glanced around and at the edge of the field, she saw an overgrown path, hidden well behind the overgrown summer grass. It wound up a small hill, then curved out of sight.
Without hesitation, she decided to walk the path and see where it led.
Though the path was not long, the uneven ground and narrow edges made for a grueling walk. After pushing herself up the hill, an old, rusty house appeared in her eye.
The house provided a striking contrast to the peaceful scenery around it.
The pathway may have brought her here, but it did not connect with the gate. Instead, it cracked and broke off, until covered by old dirt and long strands of weed, halfway through. The walls, made of dark wood, gleamed black of decay, and the original paint chirped off, creating numerous lines that seemed like veins.
Li Yinyi looked at the eerie place in front of her and wondered if she should enter. She may have been naive, but she wasn't stupid—she still know what fear meant, and that thing in front of her was fearful to her. But then, curiosity got the better of hers. Since she was already here, it would be a shame to not explore everything this illusory space had to offer.
"It—It's not real anyways," she reminded herself and went to open door.
She turned the knob, just for it to break off. Only through using some strength, did the door begrudgingly open. It creaked and released a musty smell, winding up her nose. The inside was silent and dark, all the light and noise came sorely from outside. The room was sparsely decorated, mostly with wooden furniture, old ones, and almost all broken from time.
"Hello, is anyone here," Li Yinyi shouted. There was no answer.
Realizing the house was unoccupied, she felt emboldened, and her adventurous spirit soon overtook her. Before she knew it, she was already through the door. A slight shiver ran through her spine, as she felt she hadn't entered a house, but the mouth of a ghoulish beast. She chalked that feeling up to excitement and began exploring.
She went through the first room where she saw a large bookcase, nothing else. She took a book, but saw it was in a language she did not understand, and placed it back, disappointed. That room had been the most interesting one. She moved on to several others, but realized that there was nothing special about them, except for their historical value. Maybe not even that.
"Is that all there is," Li Yinyi complained. If so, she prepared to move out again, to see what else there was of this world.
She arrived at the last room. The door seemed to be stuck on something, as it was fairly hard for her to open. It was not until she had expended all her strength, did she decide to kick it open. It was an inelegant move, but the time called for it.
The door sprang open, crashing on the floor and immediately a cloud of dust rose up, making Li Yinyi cough. She waited until it subsided and then walked inside. What she saw, stunned her. The room was small, with no windows. Furniture didn't exist either. There was only a big painting. On it, she saw three people, a woman, a man, and a young girl, presumably a family. The child held onto a big doll and sulked, while the father seemed to be annoyed. The mother simply smiled.
"So beautiful..." Li Yinyi muttered.
At that moment, she suddenly heard the door creaking behind her. Li Yinyi swiftly turned around and abrupt fear overcame her—there stood a woman, clad in a black hood and wearing an odd mask. The woman had a curvaceous figure that could not be hidden by the thin robe. She remained still like a statue, and the only thing Li Yinyi could see was her scarlet-red eye, staring at her. Seeing her gaze, Li Yinyi shivered uncontrollably. That woman in front of her was incredibly dangerous! It was that small instinct of her that told her so, and she felt the most extreme terror engulfing her body.
"I, uh—"
The woman silently lifted her hand, revealing a slender finger. She pointed at Li Yinyi, and a small flame appeared, dancing at the tip.
The flame twisted, and the room became a lot hotter. It collected the air around it, and turned brighter, condensing more and more. In the end, the flame resembled a shiny jewel comparable to the stars in the sky, but she couldn't be sure, since it was too blinding for her to see.
The woman casually flicked her finger, the flame was viscous like a drop of water, and a booming explosion rang in Li Yinyi's ear; The next few moments were hazy for her. She only knew that everything turned black afterward.
"..." Shou, on the other hand, had witnessed everything through the screen Si had provided. His eye twitched incessantly, and he was quiet for a long time. "She really died!"
He saw the room Li Yinyi in had disintegrated, leaving only the charred floor. The walls didn't even catch on fire, they had disappeared simply from sight, as if the flame was hot enough to burn even fire. Li Yinyi—She was also no more. The only thing left of her was a piece of cloth, which had miraculously survived.
"Damn, I knew it, it was indeed the house of that merciless witch! Seeing that blast really brings back memories. What went through your mind to choose a memory like this?"
"Relax," Si said, "it's all going to be fine."
"How? What costumer would pay to die?"
"Watch."
"What is there to watch," Shou complained, but he obliged.
The witch seeing her deed, simply walked away, without any care. However, contrary to her expectations, the air began to shake. She turned around, and her only uncovered eye widened.
The piece of cloth shook in the wind, and things seemed to start gathering around it. A pink blob appeared, turning bigger by the minute. The witch saw a white dress form in front of her, and out the pink blob, the girl she had blasted off revived, fitting perfectly in it.
"That was awesome!" Li Yinyi shouted, her eyes glimmering with excitement.
Si laughed at the scene. "Since it's about finding you a way to die, I made sure to give them the same ability. Well, it isn't exactly the same, but close enough."
Shou was at a lost for words. But that did make sense!