Zero went back across the river, ending up at the other side. He glanced back tentatively. Was this the right decision?
It probably was, given that the forest was basically a messed up labyrinth and was literally feeding on his every emotion, threatening mutation. He could not risk that. He looked in the direction of the fisherman's village. But could he risk being found?
It did not matter if he knew what the Lilies of the Dark were. He had been seen with them so the Phantoms would probably take an interest in him. There was also the case of the three people he had killed. And it only got worse; the death of Prince Qinshan was on his head.
There was no room for mistakes. He fell on his knees, gasping for air. A blood clot slid down his throat and splashed on the snow silently. The boy heaved for air as the toil of using such a powerful technique caught up to him. The wound from Pu'er's slap was mending itself in his mouth.
Plan. He needed a plan.
He felt thirsty.
According to Yi's informants, the entire routes surrounding the proximity of River's End were swarming with imperial soldiers. The fisherman's village was an absolute no and Feifei was a ghost town. Ah, one more worry.
Someone from the massacred city could easily remember him. He had shaved his hair somewhere along the line, although he could not remember where. But his face had not changed one bit.
He heaved again, growing more thirsty.
"What should I do?" Zero said out loud, eyes clenching in pain and confusion. He did not want to hurt another soul. He wanted to live but not in the shadow of some otherworldly power. How was he supposed to find these Lilies if he could not even move without being noticed?
And what was the guarantee that they could even free him from hell?
Zero gritted his teeth in anger. He hated this. He hated everything. His eyes reddened with tears and the veins on his head popped as he tried to control himself.
Hehehe. Little boy...
This was not the monotone, unfeeling sound of The Voice. This was something even more familiar. His own voice. The Echo.
"What do you want? More victims?" Zero hissed out, fed up.
Oh no...I only act on your thoughts. Not the other way around, hehe.
Zero's eyes twitched but he said no more.
I have access to the memories of the dead that you cannot remember.
That was of no help, he thought. The Echo continued, ignoring his pessimism.
Two weeks east from here, is a black market route used to transport illegal goods, slaves and whispers. Move that way. Just maybe you'd find what you seek.
After this statement, there was silence.
Zero waited to hear more. To hear a sinister, mocking laugh to prove it was a joke. Did the scroll even understand what his motives were? Wasn't it powerful enough to detect that he wanted out?
He subconsciously raised a hand to his chest, feeling the warm eye pulse. It could tell...it knew what he wanted and yet, it was willing to direct him? The hand fell back down to his lap. Or maybe it didn't think it was possible to be rid of. Zero shook his head sullenly. He would still try.
It hurt to stand, but he did. He had to get to the black market route before the two weeks was up. The moon had already stared peeking through the clouds. He did not want to wait to see her full face.
Moving forward, he found himself growing extremely thirsty.
' What is this feeling?'
Weak, he fell to the ground again. He was finding it hard to breathe and his throat was dry. He turned to look at the frozen river he had passed. He could plough the ice, take a sip.
He shakily exhaled and drew himself towards the river. Why did he feel so uneasy?
On the shiny surface of the clear solid, he could see his darkened silhouette against the night sky and the half moon's fragile light. The only thing that stood out, were his eyes.
He coughed and blood splattered onto the ice. It sizzled, as would flesh to fire. This was wrong. He hacked up another blood clot. The bleeding was not stopping and the river continued to sizzle.
Zero's mind was hazy. The Soul Sight had taken much more than he thought it would. He felt a turmoil of emotions, feeling strangely aggrieved. There was an emotion of defeat somewhere within too.
' What is this...'
Zero couldn't know that he was experiencing the exact emotions of the mutated Pu'er back in the Twisted Canopies.
The river made a strange, hollow noise. It sounded like the groan of a man in pain. Before Zero could realize what was happening, he had been blown back by a twisted icicle that suddenly shot up from the water body.
"Argh!!"
He fell a few feet away on his back, wheezing. The river was churning as though enraged.
"Wh-what did you do, boy?" Asked a familiar voice. Zero weakly rose to meet her dark eyes.
Her cloak had been dyed red, there were scorch marks all over the once pristine fabric. Her short hair had been singed off at small patches. Half her face was covered in blisters. She was hunched over, eyes ever so sharp.
Daiyu.
"I wanted to take a drink, but..."
Zero turned back. The river had completely freed itself from its ice cage, waves crashing around carelessly.
"Take a drink? From the Brown river? You are either nuts in the head boy, or just plain naive. Which?"
He didn't get a chance to answer, she huffed and looked about.
"Where are the rest? Pu'er? Chang? " Her voice was raspy and her shoulders fell a little lower. She was in pain.
"The forest. Senior Pu'er and Senior Chang both mutated. The rest fled. They may not be safe...Senior Pu'er had prepared an ambush—"
"I know. The blasted traitor. He got what he deserved. Ha!" The woman's eyes were fixed to the forest across the river and a maniac smile sat on her bleeding face. Slowly her gaze moved to the strange boy.
He either playing naive or actually stupid.
The Twisted Canopies, as gloomy as it seemed, had never recorded cases of instant mutation. One would have to live and breathe within for at least a month, before showing signs of mutation. And even the victims could be salvaged.
But this...
Why had the forest suddenly acted up? Was the situation in Hell finally affecting the mortal plane on a larger scale?
Daiyu stared even harder at the boy and then the river thrashing behind.
Or was the presence of such a harmless looking boy a trigger to these events...
She had to get back to the base.
Zero looked at Daiyu as she stared at him in silence. He did not need to move in the direction of the Black market route any longer. The woman would be heading in the direction of Lilies of the Dark anyway and he could tag along.
But the Echo had not said anything about finding the Lilies.
It was about finding what he sought.
"The Phantoms are everywhere. We have to take the illegal roads." Daiyu said as she tossed him something, finally snapping out from her contemplations.
It did not matter who this boy was or what powers he hid. He had a strong affinity to yin. That was all that mattered to her and her superiors.
Zero caught what she had thrown. It was a small black cloak wet with blood in few spots. He put it on swiftly, not questioning her. He would bring up the matter of the Black road soon.
Daiyu reached over, grunting and pulled the hood over his head.
"We'll be going through the Black market. Best not be of any interest to those mad fellows, no?" And then she turned away and walked parallel to the river, heading east.
Zero stood there for a moment, silent.
Coincidence? He looked up to the gathering clouds. The moon had long since hidden away.
You have no fate...just a game. Rules can be bent.
Zero couldn't understand why he was suddenly having these thoughts. They sounded oddly familiar...
It was clear, though. The Black market road, the Lilies and whatever lay ahead would kickstart something that had been brewing in the air. It would start a fire.
Zero sighed painfully, invisible shackles clanging. He followed in the footsteps of the hunched figure in stained white, blinking his eyes against the cool wind.
He should have stayed dead.