Sitting up, I blinked and shook my head, trying to clear my mind of the fugue. As I did so, my vision slowly recovered and I caught sight of Jiang Shi holding Shu Hong Qiu by the throat. The latter was struggling but unable to break loose, despite the former being grievously wounded by my attack earlier.
"Oh? You're finally awake?" Jiang Shi grinned. "When you went down, your girlfriend threw herself at me to try and protect you. How foolish. No matter what, you both will die. The only question is in which order."
"Don't do it," I said hoarsely, picking up the peach wood sword and crawling to my feet. My head felt like it was splitting. That headbutt from earlier might have cracked my skull open. I could feel blood trickling down on my face. Several red spots had splattered across the cracked lenses of my glasses.
Jiang Shi simply laughed and tightened her grip. Shu Hong Qiu choked and slowly went limp. I gritted my teeth and tried again.
"Stop…Yun Shan."
Something flickered in Jiang Shi's eyes, and she momentarily let go of Shu Hong Qiu to stare at me. Shu Hong Qiu slid out of her grasp and collapsed at her assailant's feet, coughing once before slipping into unconsciousness.
"What did you…?"
"It's over, Yun Shan," I repeated wearily. "It's time to end your hunt."
For a moment, the spell was broken.
Jiang Shi was no longer the pale vampire with long, black hair, dressed in jeans and a half shirt. Her skin had darkened, her hair had shrunk back to that boyish cut, and her clothes had transformed back to the familiar basketball team jersey with the words Chong Hua High and her number, 4. The only feature that remained unchanged was her height.
Yun Shan turned to look at me with a sad expression.
"How did you know?"
How did I know, indeed? All the clues were tumbling into my mind at once, but I realized that I only recognized the hints on hindsight, rather than an epiphany upon putting them together. Indeed, it had never occurred to me, until the dream, to collate all these clues and piece them together to build a picture.
That the vampire…the assassin that the Shu family's rivals sent from the underworld was possessing a student in our school.
But still, the clues were there, as clear as daylight. Yun Shan somehow knowing about Lian Hua being in danger and my saving her even though the former had erased her memories regarding them through Shu Hong Qiu's medicine. The mysterious disappearances and deaths of Shen Ai Qing and her friends on Valentine's Day, right after they mocked and bullied Lian Hua. The murder of Gao Fu Shuai shortly after that when he cruelly dismissed Lian Hua in his pursuit of other girls – Shu Hong Qiu, in particular. The injury that Yun Shan sustained, supposedly during training, on the day right after I had wounded Jiang Shi with a desperate counterattack. She was limping, but Lian Hua and I had believed her when she claimed she received it during training.
And then the basketball training sessions. I thought it odd that Yun Shan always told me to look after Lian Hua whenever she stayed back late after school in the art club room, as if she couldn't do it herself. She had claimed that she left with her fellow basketball team members after training, but those very same team members said that Yun Shan was always the last to leave and lock up the gymnasium. If that was the case, then why didn't she go to the art club room and look after Lian Hua herself?
That very first day when I encountered the ghost…Lian Hua was in the art club room all alone, as was she in subsequent days. Though Yun Shan left the gymnasium last after basketball training, I had never seen her appear to escort Lian Hua home safely during evening.
Why?
The answer was simple. She couldn't.
Withdrawing her hand, which was now bereft of those cruel, long nails, Yun Shan continued to stare at me, that sad smile still on her face. She remained silent for a moment, waiting for everything to click in my mind. Sighing, she shook her head.
"I guess it doesn't matter how you knew, does it? You were always an intelligent person. Top five in math, history and literature. But don't forget to study for physics, chemistry and geography. Then again, given how hardworking you are, I don't really need to remind you."
She glanced out of the windows, her eyes glazing a little.
"Can you…take care of Lian Hua for me?"
"What are you talking about? Take care of Lian Hua yourself. Someone like me is way out. Put that idea on a shelf."
Yun Shan laughed softly. "Even now, you can't resist throwing a rhyme or two in, can you?"
I shrugged. That was part of who I was. My rhymes defined me, were part of my unique identity. Or so I hoped…for I didn't know what else defined me. Therefore, I desperately clung to something that no one else would do, praying that this lame characteristic would at least set me apart from the rest.
However, being unique wasn't enough for me to make friends. I had believed that, by standing out, and being funny, I could increase my popularity. People would find my quips memorable and gravitate toward me. But my sense of humor backfired and only caused me to be ostracized further.
And now I was about to lose one of the few friends I had. All because of my lack of strength.
I knew it. Yun Shan knew it. But I refused to believe it.
"Please, Ming Cong. You're the only one I trust to take care of Lian Hua. You've gone along with my selfishness so far. I'm sorry for asking so much of you, but…you know how she is. Without anyone to look out for her, she'll be taken advantage of very easily. You saw what happened with Gao Fu Shuai."
"Is that why you killed him? Just because of a whim?"
"That's harsh." Yun Shan hung her head. "But you're right. I was the one who killed him. That's why…Ming Cong, I hate to make this request of you, but…you're the only one who can do it."
She was strolling toward me now, her movements jerky. Limping because of the hole I had ripped open in her chest, rupturing her lung. Her breathing was shaky, heavy. She was clearly in pain, pale and trembling, but somehow she maintained her smile and composure.
One step at a time. Then she was standing in front of me. Taking my peach wood sword in both her hands, she pressed the blade against her chest – where her heart lay. This time, I couldn't miss.
"You know what to do now, don't you?" Yun Shan whispered. "Finish me off."
"I…I can't. You know I…"
"Hurry." Yun Shan grimaced, both from agony and the effort of keeping something – somebody – in check. "Jiang Shi will return and seize back control any moment now. She killed Gao Fu Shuai. She killed Shen Ai Qing and her friends. She killed Han Zhi Hui. And she almost killed Shu Hong Qiu. I don't want to see any more people hurt."
She stared at me intently.
"Shu Hong Qiu is important to you, isn't she? I can see it. She's your precious person. She is to you what Lian Hua is to me. You've to protect her, no matter the cost…even if you've to eliminate someone else."
"No…"
"If our positions are reversed, I would have done the same," Yun Shan gasped. "No matter who it is, as long as they threaten Lian Hua's safety, I'll eliminate them without any hesitation."
I didn't say anything. I couldn't. My friend shook her head sadly.
"You…truly are kind, Ming Cong. Despite what they say about you, I've always known you're a good person. Only a truly kind person would lack the ruthlessness to do what has to be done." Her voice hardened. "But you have to do it, nonetheless."
"I can't."
"You must…I don't want to end up hurting Lian Hua." Yun Shan heaved, her breaths coming out in short gasps from the exertion. "You've helped me a lot, staved off any danger to her by accompanying her. Thanks to you, I was able to refrain from hurting her, but…you can't keep that up forever. Once she goes back to staying in that art club room by herself again…she…I…won't be able to control myself forever. I need you to finish me off become I become a threat to her…"
"I can't," I repeated weakly. "You're not a threat. You're a friend…I just can't…"
"By all rights, I'm dead," Yun Shan interrupted fiercely. "I should have died that day with my parents in that accident. The only reason why I'm alive now is because of Jiang Shi. But her life and mine are intricately tied. One cannot live without the other. Conversely, if I die, so does she."
"There has to be another way! Just give me one more day!"
"No. There is no other way. Don't you get it? They're using me. This body…it's a curse. It's not that I don't want to live. I wish to spend more time with Lian Hua and the basketball team and you and the rest…even if it's just a bit longer. But…every second more brings greater danger. I managed to restrict Jiang Shi to the people I've a grudge against…but what happens if she ends up targeting my fellow basketball team members? Lian Hua?"
I could see the crimson flare in those honey brown pupils of hers. Deep inside, Jiang Shi was slowly wresting control from Yun Shan. The latter refused to relinquish her body to whatever demonic entity dwelled within, but despite her valiant efforts, she was inevitably losing that battle.
Taking a deep breath, I began to push the blade into her chest.
"Thank you," Yun Shan said with utmost sincerity. She nodded encouragingly, and then paused. "Oh, and one last favor. I know I've asked too much of you, but even so…this is my final request."
"What is it?"
"That drawing that Lian Hua gave me – the one she drew for the art contest last month. Please give it to her. And tell her…I'm sorry. That I want her to continue drawing. No matter where I'm watching her from, I'll always be her fan."
I closed my eyes. For the first time, my peach wood sword felt heavy in my hand, a burden that weighed down not just on my wrist, but also on my shoulders.
Yun Shan's bright, friendly smile. Her passion as she played basketball. Her mischief as she watched other girls alongside me. Her love when she stared at Lian Hua both from afar and nearby. Her confidence and lack of hesitation when she approached me despite my reputation as a creepy stalker. Her persistent attempts to introduce me to more friends, such as Lian Hua.
Lian Hua's timid but relieved smile whenever she saw Yun Shan. The friendship she shared with her. The security she felt when being around her best friend.
I was taking all of that away from her.
Opening my eyes again, I saw Yun Shan's smile.
"No regrets," she whispered.
Even until the end, she maintained that courageous, princely smile. Shouldering the sacrifice so that no one else would get hurt. Accepting the penance for the sins she– no, the demon possessing her had committed. Even so, she smiled because she wanted to assure me that she was fine. That I was doing what she wanted me to do.
That none of this was my fault.
I'm sorry, Yun Shan.
My vision blurred by tears, I shoved the peach wood sword in with all of my strength. And I kept pushing the blade deeper even as blood splattered my face.
The blood felt warm, just like Yun Shan's personality. For a few moments, I stood there numbly, feeling the warmth begin to leech away, replaced by a deathly coldness.
Letting go of the sword, I dropped to my knees and howled in grief and despair.