Feng Huan is taken aback, sweat starts to form on his forehead, the cold wind ventilating the room doesn't seem to be enough to cool down his body. He sits there, not knowing what to do as he continues listening to Stephanie's voice.
'Does she know more?' The mere thought terrifies Feng Huan, he feels as if there might be more to Stephanie than meets the eye. After all, when they met each other for the first time, she seemed to directly seek him.
It was then that he realised how lucky he was that she let him know what she knew before telling others.This is a secret that may destroy his plan for an easy life in this world. He doesn't know whether to feel fear or hope, his heart and mind are racing.
Stephanie watches the expression on his face, her hands clasped together. The corners of her mouth turn upwards, her eyes smiling as well. Feng Huan's brow furrows.Is that a smirk? Or maybe she's laughing in her head?
He has heard about the ability of the Cultists to read minds, that it was something passed down to them through family members. Was she reading his thoughts?
Her lips quiver as she tries to restrain her laughter.
Suddenly her hands start moving towards him. With each movement they become quicker and quicker, until she reaches out and grabs him by his collar. Without warning she pulls him towards her, their faces now just inches apart.
He looks around frantically, but there's nothing to see except for her face as she looms above him. He tries to pull away from her hold, but he can't move. He looks into her eyes, which are wide open, the now clearly red irises staring at him, her pupils darting as if she is searching for something. He struggles to get out of her grasp, his feet kicking against the ground, but he can't budge.
He feels powerless, his lungs burning with air, his eyes beginning to water. A tear rolls down his cheek, the pressure of the grip on his collar preventing him from breathing properly. His vision begins going blurry as his legs shake.
Stephanie looks at him, her face turning pale as she sees his tears.
"Please…" he croaks out. He doesn't want to die.
Before he knows what's happening, she lets go, letting Feng Huan fall to the floor.
Stephanie bites her lip to mask her heavy breathing. Feng Huan is still delirious and on the floor, his vision is blurry and he's convinced…
Stephanie looks down at her hand, the veins are bulging and her skin is turning black, the dim lights of the room preventing anyone from seeing it.
She gets a woollen glove from her cupboard, her movements deliberate and slow, in order not to snap Feng Huan's attention as she puts the white woollen glove on.
The feeling of the glove sends shivers up her arms as she walks over to him, her movements measured and slow. She takes one step after another, until she stands right next to him, her gaze fixed on his face.
His chest rises and falls, his breaths coming in short puffs. His eyes are still unfocused and unseeing.
A smile tugs at the corner of her mouth, she raises her arm in a languid pace, bringing it closer to his face.
Her fingers trace his cheek, her gentle touch feather light.
He doesn't stir, and without warning, Steph brings the tip of her finger across his nose, tracing its contour.
"What are you doing?" Feng Huan sputters, coming to his senses. Stephanie turns around so fast, her hair flies behind her.
Her lips curve into a small smile, and her fingers begin moving again as she answers.
"I'm trying to help."
Feng Huan feels shivers in his spine. Another powerful being is toying with his face! He wonders what kind of help she will entail. He closes his eyes, he must remain calm.
The cold hand is back, but this time it's on his neck. His breath hitches when he feels the freezing gloved fingers touching his skin. The temperature has decreased and It is not comfortable, but he cannot complain. As long as he survives this ordeal, then he'll survive anything.
Stephanie smiles, and she looks even more beautiful than when she was talking to him just a moment ago. Her eyes sparkle, and she giggles, her body leaning closer towards him.
"Now do you want to accept my help?"
Feng Huan nods, his head bobbing like a chicken. In front of this being that can overpower him, and with an age as ambiguous as it is, he feels as if he cannot refuse. Who knows what this primordial monster can do to him.
The cold hand is removed from his neck, and the heat is returned once again.
"Then you should be a good little boy," the voice whispers in his ear, a slight tinge of amusement evident in her tone.
"Remember, don't tell anyone. Especially those who are close to you."
Feng Huan nods again, this time in understanding.
Stephanie gives him another pat on the shoulder, and steps back.
She curtsies, a small smile playing on her lips.
She walks back to the far side of the room and she lays on her bed, closing her eyes to sleep.
Feng Huan stumbles and rests on the door, his breathing is hard as he puts a hand on his chest. He closes his eyes, taking deep breaths, trying to control himself. He opens his eyes and looks over at her.
Stephanie is laying there asleep, her head facing towards him. Her breathing is peaceful, her hair fanned out over the pillow.
"If you ever tell anybody, I will never forgive you."
Hearing the voice in his head he quickly leaves the room. Stumbling out of the small side room he now finds himself in the library hall. "What's wrong with me, hm? Why am I behaving in this way?" he mutters under his breath.
He shakes his head as the memories of the conversation replay in his head. Wasn't it his secret she has to keep? Oh well, he owes her now. That's why he agreed to come here. Sooner or later, he'll figure it out.
Rong walks up to him, holding the duck in her hands. The duck looks at him almost in a dismissive way, as if it thinks he's some idiot. 'Pitifully weak. You let yourself be intimidated by that weak woman? I can't believe I waddled around for this' it says in a squeaky voice.
The webbed Demon King closes its eyes and nestles on Rong's bosom. Rong places a hand on the bird's head and gives it a gentle pat as she makes her way to Feng Huan. Her smile seems to give everything a melancholic undertone, its permanence on her face an eerie sign of what's happening to this place.
She kneels beside him and offers her basket, her voice laced with concern.
"Hmm." she mumbles, and starts feeding him the food.
The food seems to be pastries, different from the usual yams he has eaten in this place. These pastries are soft and sweet, giving a pleasant taste to the mouth. They're filled with flavour and texture, yet he can't seem to enjoy them properly.
After being hand fed in silence for a couple of moments Feng Huan gathers his thoughts and he gets on his feet. Rong follows Feng Huan as he walks towards the doors of the library.
Swinging it open he walks out into the night. It's dark out; no doubt it has been hours since he went inside the main building. He can make out the outline of the mountains surrounding it, the faint sounds of crickets coming from beyond the valley.
He continues walking for a bit, the moonlight shining bright on the grass below. The night breeze brushes past his skin causing goosebumps to appear on his skin.
It's quiet. There were not many people around, and they all seemed to be sleeping.
The few who were awake didn't seem to notice Feng Huan.
As he walks further out into the night his footsteps echo throughout the silent village.
…
Going to an empty field, Feng Huan leaves Rong sitting on a log as he picks up a bow near this edge of the small forest to the southwest of this small town. He bends the string, tightening its strength slightly, before pulling the string back a couple of times until he's satisfied with it. The sound echoes loudly through the darkness as the strings vibrate through his hand.
"Having fun with my bow?" A brown woman leans on a tree. Her hair is tied into a ponytail, strands escaping and framing her face. She has sharp, penetrating eyes and her lips are pulled into a smirk. She wears a white shirt and some pants, her boots are leathery and rough.
"You are quite talented", she smirks, "I had no idea you were such a quick learner".
"How did you find me?" With each step she takes, the wind blows, her long hair fluttering as she moves.
"That's none of your business", she says, her voice laced with poison. She stops a metre from him, staring straight at him. Her serious eyes look straight at him, her sharp chin pointed up as she looks at his face.
"Let's get one thing clear though. If you think you can play games with me-"
Feng Huan is stopped mid sentence as she grabs the bow in his hands. She pulls it away, twisting it around her own hand.
"If you think you can use my bow…", she pulls the string back to her full capacity, making a loud snapping noise, "...you'll have to train. But not only that. You need a target", she releases it, letting the arrow fly forward towards a target on the other side of the clearing.
"Boom, pew pew."
Feng Huan follows the arrow with his sight as it penetrates a vermin. The vermin lets out a shrill shriek before collapsing on the ground. Its blood flows profusely down on the grass beneath it.
She lets out a quick breath, the edges of her lips turning up, but only for a moment before she skips towards her kill.
"Good boy," she says softly, her gaze fixed on the creature. It's still alive, its eyes wide with shock.
She lifts a foot and kicks the body, stomping on it. The vermin lets out a soundless squeal, the blood pooling underneath it. She lets out a laugh at this action, as the blood splatters on her boots. She watches its struggles as they slowly fade into nothingness.
She walks around the animal, examining it from all angles. She bends down next to it, and reaches into the wound, pulling out the arrow. A satisfied smile appears on her lips, as she runs her finger through the bloody shaft.
She walks back over to Feng Huan. "Do you want to go over to my place for dinner?"
Feng Huan looks at the bloody animal that she's holding. His heart drops, and his expression turns grim.
"No thanks."
He averts his eyes from her, and starts walking towards the road.
"So polite, too bad you're just going to reject my offer? You're a coward after all. Don't you want to know more about this place?"
Feng Huan doesn't reply, but he stops in his tracks.
"Fine, I would like to know more." He pauses before asking. "Where are we going?"
"Back to my home" she replies with a grin. "Where else would we be but heading back towards McCready? You are a fool, if you don't know where we are."
Going back to the path he has taken, he goes back to the log where he left Rong sitting with the duck. "We are going back to her house. Let's see if we can catch any dinner."
Rong hops off from her perch on the log, following him closely behind.
They both walk side by side in silence back to the woman with the bow. Feng Huan can feel her eyes on him as he walks. As they reach the woman's house, Feng Huan looks up to her, giving her a small smile.
"Thank you" he whispers, bowing lightly. He glances back to her as he continues towards the cottage.
"You're glad I'm feeling hospitable today." she scoffs as she makes her way to the small kitchen. It's rustic and old, and is fitting for only one person at a time. There is a large fireplace and a small table right in front of it. The table is covered in pots and pans.
The walls are made of wood and are lined with wooden shelves. It's decorated rather nicely despite the plain furnishings. The furniture was mostly carved wood with some decorative pieces thrown in along the way. The place is so simple and elegant it feels homely.
"Sit anywhere you like, there will soon be something to eat." She frowns, opening a cupboard which contains two bowls and plates and chopsticks. Her face never deviates from the gravity on her shoulders.
Feng Huan obliges, he sits on the short table surrounded by stools. He places Rong on a stool and he sits on another one. The small stool looked more like a tree stump.He waits patiently as she puts the cooked meat and vegetables onto the small plates.
She sets two glasses of juice next to it before setting the table.
Feng Huan sits silently as she serves the meal. Once the meal is served, she sits across from him. After a while Feng Huan breaks the silence.
"I'm sorry for what happened earlier," he says as he picks up the piece of fried... something off his plate.
A look of surprise flashes across her features, but then disappears without a trace.
"Why are you sorry?" She asks, raising a brow.
Feng Huan shakes his head, he lowers his eyes, staring at the table in front of him, his eyes wandering over the wooden surface.
She tilts her head sideways and stares at him, waiting for him to answer.
"This was all my fault anyway," he states. Feng Huan is now going to assume these people know something.
"Yes, it might be." She continues eating, ignoring him.The food is bland, and flavourless. It's almost bland in comparison to the food back in his world. After they finish their dinner, she gets up, picking up the dishes and placing them on the counter next to them.
"Don't stay here for too long, tomorrow morning I've got people you would want to meet." she says, "And don't waste any food. Eat all that." She pushes herself up and turns to exit the living room. "I'll leave you to rest," she adds as she closes the door behind her.
…
As the sun begins to rise and begin to set in the distance, Feng Huan wakes up and looks at the duck beside him. It is sleeping. He sees Rong sleeping with her face pressing on the tabletop.
Looking closely at the duck he notices that it looks old and weathered. The feathers have become loose and frayed, and its legs look a bit worn out from carrying it. His stomach growls and the hunger pains return.
He wants to go eat something, but the duck would die if he ate it. (lol)
'I suppose she is not going to let me starve.'
He gets up, stretching.
After washing himself, and getting dressed, Feng Huan exits the cottage.
The sky above him is still dark but the light of dawn shines through. The windy breeze is exceptionally cold today, making the emerald green tallgrass sway back and forth all throughout the valley.
"Having fun not managing this place?" she says with an emphasis on 'not'. The woman who lives in this cottage creeps up from behind him. She takes his arm, wrapping it around her waist, causing him to jump slightly in shock. She rests her head on his shoulder.
"It seems you're having fun being a burden."
He looks down at her. Her hair is loose around her shoulders, strands of stray hairs framing her face.
"Let's go to the markets." she says, slinking away.
"That's nice." He grumbles, looking ahead. The market isn't that far away, perhaps five minutes at most. They start walking side by side until they reach the centre of the town.
As they walk Feng Huan notices that the place seems more livelier than before. There are open shops and packed streets.
People are rushing about the streets, some pushing carts with produce and some carrying heavy items. There's many vendors hawking their wares and goods.
"I thought only a few people lived in these parts. How come I see a lot more now?" he asks.
"90 people sleep in this valley." the woman replies, not stopping to even look at him.
She takes a sharp left turn and enters a pub. He follows her inside, taking notice of how crowded it is inside. People are standing together in groups, drinking and chatting excitedly. There are quite a number of couples walking around, holding hands or hugging each other in an attempt to warm themselves up.
The woman walks to a table with two familiar people sitting on it. A man in black, and a woman in red.
"Danica." the man simply says, while the woman lets out a sly smile.
"Hello." Danica gives a slight nod in the man's direction, and he nods back. Danica ushers Feng Huan to sit with them.
They order a round of drinks and food before starting up the conversation.
"Who did you find?" the woman with the red dress asks.
"This big man." Danica says, striking Feng Huan's ribs with her elbows. His eyes widened.
"Do you know who I am?" he asks.