I didn't use my powers; instead, I walked straight in. At the doorway, the black tendrils slowly parted, as if inviting me to enter. Although things weren't entirely clear, I remembered that when the Paper Crane Spirit flew in here, nothing happened at first. But then, sensing the evil aura, it unleashed its power, instantly shattering the malevolent energy into ashes.
The floor and walls were covered in these writhing black tendrils and currents. I could feel them, like blades softly grazing my skin—there was a prickling pain. I ignored it. Right now, my powers can't recover; if I use them too much, my body will only grow weaker.
Because time and space here are distorted, I quickly understood what I had seen before—myself from the past. There are many riverside towns here, each from a different era.
I walked slowly into a room on the third floor. It was empty. As I entered, a fierce gust of wind hit my face. I stared quietly at Nina Miao’s corpse, pinned to the wall by a web of black energy.
The corpse was ashen and dark, with black energy flowing inside it. I stared at everything before me. Then the black energy slowly transformed into a human face, gathering itself—two pale eyes and a mouth twisted in an evil grin.
"What exactly are you?"
The thing before me didn’t respond. Now, strands of black energy, sharp as blades, pressed against the Deathcurse on my body. I felt stabs of pain, but I still didn’t use my powers. I had to figure out what this thing truly was—using power blindly would only put me in greater danger.
"No matter what, you must stay calm. If you act like before, even a hundred lives wouldn’t be enough. Only survival brings hope."
Words once spoken to me by John Chou flashed through my mind. I remember being annoyed at the time—he always mocked me in secret, his tone so condescending. But thinking about it now, he was right. If I’d tried to fight head-on, I might have destroyed the black energy, but my powers would be depleted afterward.
Now I can imagine it—because time and space here are distorted, my body is incomplete; only my consciousness is present. It’s as if my body has been split into many pieces, so I can’t feel instinct. The source of my power, my soul, is also incomplete, so I can’t recover my strength. In other timelines, other versions of me must exist, with pieces of my body and my instincts scattered among them.
I stared quietly at the human face formed by black energy in front of me. It was still smiling at me. By now, I knew a lot about this place, but I still couldn't figure out how all this evil energy came to be here. I had to find the source.
Thinking back on what Serena Chen said, I realize now it was unsettling. She was lying to me—there’s no exit that you can break through with power. More accurately, she was testing me. Looking at everything that’s happened and my interactions with Serena Chen, she’s been probing me all along, sometimes subtly, sometimes directly.
I used to be too lazy to think about these things, but now it’s different. My mind is always working, especially in a crisis.
John Chou once said that he and I are the same type of person, whether I like it or not. I didn’t understand what he meant before, but now I do. I might not be able to control everything through strategy like he does, but I can at least see things clearly right in front of me.
Looking back, when I saw Hugh Go’s grave, there was also this black energy—and all the things the old man and the blind woman experienced in their youth, the reason the blind woman lost her sight, it was all because of this black energy. But I couldn’t sense any consciousness in it; it couldn’t communicate.
These things are similar to what’s found in the Forest of Wailing along the Underworld Path, but unlike those resentful energies, these haven’t developed self-awareness.
"You can't communicate?"
I asked, and the black energy around me began to try to entangle me. I kept my mind clear. It seemed to be testing me, though I wasn't sure. The twisted grin on the face before me vanished, replaced by a look of savage anger.
I felt the sting on my skin. I needed to know the nature of this black energy—brute force wouldn’t solve anything. For some reason, the black energy seemed to want something from me; it was definitely trying. I took a step forward, and the black energy gathered under my feet, blocking my way.
The once angry, savage face now looked timid. I carefully reached out, and as my fingertips touched the black energy, it curled around my feet like a ball of thread. Suddenly, it scattered quickly, as if in fear of me.
I took a few more steps forward. The human face began to retreat, pressing itself against the wall. I saw the black energy that had entered Nina Miao’s corpse frantically gathering, as if trying to hide. The long-dead, shriveled body started to swell up, like a balloon being inflated.
"Leave her body."
I shouted angrily. With a whoosh, the black energy instantly rushed out of the corpse and into the wall. I stepped forward again, and the black energy began to dissipate. The strands binding the corpse also started to evaporate. The human face was now pressed completely against the wall, looking utterly terrified. I walked right up to the wall.
With a thud, the corpse slid from the wall. The black energy had vanished without a trace—eerily so. From Nina Miao’s body, I found a Charm Pouch. It was completely different from the two I’d seen before. Now I had at least three Charm Pouches. I planned to find Serena Chen and ask her about them.
After leaving the inn, night was falling. The sky was pale, the air cold and damp—looked like it would snow again tonight. I hurried back to the hotel. Suddenly, in the corridor, I saw a streak of black energy. I chased after it. The black energy kept hiding, darting quickly along the floor, slipping into the room where we were staying.
When I opened the door, I saw a streak of black energy sink into May Shaw’s body as she sat dazed on the bed, then disappear.
"May, are you okay?"
I asked. May Shaw slowly turned her head, her face pale.
"When can we leave?"
"Soon."
I smiled as I said it, but May Shaw kept her head down, as if something heavy weighed on her heart.
"When exactly?"
Fear had completely enveloped May Shaw. When I saw her before, she wasn’t like this—just lonely, but still enduring. Now, in just a few days, she seemed like a different person. She was no longer just lonely—now she was afraid.
"Don’t be afraid, May. Things have reached this point—there’s nothing left but to accept it. What are you afraid of?"
I sat on the edge of the bed. May Shaw shook her head, curled up, trembling all over.
"I’ll end up like them, won’t I?"
I smiled and hugged May Shaw, helping her lie down on the bed.
"It’s okay. As long as you still want to see your family, friends, or someone you love outside, I’ll get you out of here."
I looked seriously at May Shaw. Her throat tightened, then she finally nodded. Some of the fear faded from her face, but it didn’t solve the problem. After a while, May Shaw fell asleep. I sat quietly by the window, watching the snow start to fall, and sighed.
I’d wanted to talk more with May Shaw, but she’s not like me—her experiences are completely different, and so is her ability to endure. I was beginning to understand what the black energy really was.
I didn’t see Serena Chen on the way back, so I’ll have to wait until tomorrow. After digging all day, I was exhausted and planned to rest a bit before sleeping. The wind outside was strong, making a wailing sound over the river. I smiled helplessly.
"I need someone to help me too, but most of the time, I have to rely on myself."
Just then, I felt a sharp sting, which made me instantly alert—confirming my suspicions.
The true nature of the black energy is fear. Maybe it’s the thing born from all the people who’ve come here over the years, finally succumbing to terror. I glanced at May Shaw—though she was asleep, her face was tense, as if trapped in a nightmare. I couldn’t see clearly, just shadows, but the black energy lingered near her.
Images of those three corpses flashed through my mind—all looked as they did at the moment of death, faces twisted in terror, completely crushed by fear. I stood up, and smiled—sure enough, the sting in my fingertip vanished.
"So that’s it."
Once you fall into fear, this force invades your body, eventually eroding your mind until you take your own life. Serena Chen already told me—most people who come here end up committing suicide, no matter the era.
Now I understand why the black energy fears me—when I approach, it disappears. At that moment, I was angry, wanting to destroy it, but I held back. As long as I feel no fear and hold onto hope, this terror can’t invade my body or erode my mind. I looked at May Shaw—her condition was worrying.
Maybe she kept thinking about escaping, which is why she noticed things other girls didn’t. But after I arrived, she had a brief glimpse of hope. But hope often means waiting endlessly.