At night, I couldn't fall asleep no matter what. The black liquid I swallowed clung to my teeth as soon as it entered my mouth. It felt uncomfortable, but had no particular taste.
Clutching the blanket, I waited. It was already 11 o'clock, but nothing happened. I had asked the ghost about the old couple, but he didn't say a word.
I tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
"Ethan Zhang..." Suddenly, I jolted awake. Someone was calling my name.
I strained my ears, listening all around. The ghostly voice called again, as if from a great distance, beckoning me.
The tinkling of a bell sounded once more. My mind grew hazy, and the voice calling my name drifted near and far, relentlessly pricking at my nerves.
As if possessed, I got up and wandered to the door in a daze, then stepped outside.
I grinned foolishly and broke into a cheerful stride, running ahead. The bell rang in bursts, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, its rhythm lively. I couldn't help but hum along.
My whole body felt comfortable, and my heart was filled with joy.
I don't know how long I ran before I arrived at a lively street, packed with people. Drums and bells thundered in an exhilarating rhythm.
"Ethan, having fun?" Someone appeared behind me—Lily Wu.
Smiling, I turned my head. Suddenly, I snapped back to reality—there was no bustling street, just cold moonlight and a desolate wasteland with a few dilapidated houses.
Half of Lily Wu's face was a bloody mess. One of her eyes was just a gaping wound. Her skeletal hand clutched me as I gasped for breath, staring at her in horror.
"Enough talk. Take him over there."
Lily Wu's other hand was gripping Nathan Li's head. Nathan smirked wickedly at me.
Lily Wu dragged me along like a chicken, hauling me across the barren ground toward the ruined houses.
"What are you going to do to me?"
"Ethan, you'll find out soon enough. The reason we ended up like this is all your fault. Hahaha..."
Nathan Li burst into laughter, and a surge of anger rose within me.
"If it weren't for you betraying me, I wouldn't have..."
Suddenly, Lily Wu grabbed my neck and shoved her face close, looking ready to kill me.
"You were weak. You have no one to blame but yourself."
With a loud crack, a whip struck Lily Wu's hand, and she let go of me in fear.
I landed hard on the ground and turned to see a person in a bamboo hat and black robes, their face hidden by a veil.
It seemed to be the same person who appeared after I was forced to jump from the building that night.
Next, the whip in his hand wrapped around my neck and dragged me over. His hands gripped my head like iron clamps.
Behind me, I heard Lily Wu and Nathan Li laughing.
Then, without warning, he pulled out two thin spikes. He grabbed my hand and drove one spike through it. I screamed in agony, but he ignored me and pinned my other hand to the ground with the second spike.
"It hurts... it hurts so much..." Tears streamed down my face as Lily Wu crouched beside me.
"How does it feel, Ethan? There's worse to come."
"You..." I glared at her in fury.
The Hooded Ritualist squatted in front of me, fingers interlaced, muttering something under his breath. The sound pricked my ears like a death curse, setting me on edge.
"Help me! Help me!" I screamed, my head feeling like it was about to explode.
"Please, let me go, let me go, just let me go..."
Both my hands were pinned to the ground, my body completely drained of strength. I was on the verge of collapse, my head buzzing.
"Ha! Ethan, seeing you like this makes us so happy. It's always been this way, ever since we were kids. Lily must've been blind to end up with a loser like you."
Nathan Li's severed head lay beside me, grinning as he savored every moment of my torment.
"You... you..." I banged my forehead against the ground, blood streaming down. Something inside my head was about to burst. I squeezed my eyes shut, struggling to hold on.
The Hooded Ritualist seemed to finish his incantation. I felt a little lighter. As I opened my eyes, I stared dumbly—my soul had left my body. My body lay on the ground.
I spun around, ready to run. But as soon as I turned, I saw a version of my own soul standing before me, grabbing my arm. Behind my soul, something was set up.
Looking closely, three sharp spears were crossed and stuck in the ground. Each spear was topped with a skull. Faintly, I saw a cloud of black mist above it, from which a biting cold wind blew.
"Ooooh..." Low, mournful cries echoed from the black mist. I tried to break free from my soul, but it held me tight. In the mist, tortured ghosts clawed and bit at each other, the scene unbearably gruesome.
This must be the Soul-Binding Altar the ghost mentioned.
"Help me, help me..." My body grew colder and colder as my soul dragged me toward the Soul-Binding Altar.
"All things arise, crimson-topped in the forest. The ghostly path awakens, the shadowed gate opens. Hell's threshold—open..."
With a sudden leap, the Hooded Ritualist landed behind the Soul-Binding Altar, raising his hands. Instantly, the sky darkened and the cries of ghosts filled the air.
Around the Soul-Binding Altar, tiny green lights flickered to life one by one. The ghosts in the black mist began to gnaw at each other in a frenzy.
At that moment, the clank of chains rang out. A chain shot from the black mist, binding me and my soul together, fusing us into one.
In an instant, I felt something being stripped away from every part of my body.
"That's it. It'll take two hours. You two, keep watch."
As the Hooded Ritualist spoke, he flicked his robe and vanished into thin air.
I checked my mouth, but there was nothing solid. That black liquid must be inside my body now—how was I supposed to spit it out?
Lily Wu giggled and walked over to me.
"Ethan, soon you won't be yourself anymore. Your body is just a shell—let us help you out."
As soon as Lily Wu finished speaking, I knew what they were planning.
"No, don't—don't..."
Nathan Li's head rolled onto my body and began biting into it. Blood gushed from the wound.
"What are you doing? What do you want?" I screamed as Lily Wu twisted her waist and walked over.
Lily Wu grabbed my body's arm and twisted it, turning it over and over until my entire arm was wrenched multiple times.
Watching my body being ravaged by two ghosts like this, even if I returned, I'd be ruined.
"Please, don't do this, don't do this..." I cried helplessly as the two of them tore and bit my body until it was a bloody mess.
"Turn him over, darling." Lily Wu said, flipping my body and placing Nathan Li's head on my chest.
"Ethan, I want to see what color your heart is. Maybe it's black!"
Nathan Li bit down hard and I screamed. My limbs were broken—maybe if I went back, I'd still have a chance. But if my organs were destroyed, I'd be finished for sure.
Inside, I cursed that ghost—he was toying with me.
Suddenly, with a loud crack, Lily Wu was sent flying. There was another dull thud—Nathan Li, who was biting me, was kicked away. It was that ghost. He squatted beside my body, shaking his head.
"Did I get it wrong? That's impossible."
As he spoke, the ghost suddenly soared into the air, leaving my body. A burst of fire flared up, and three identical Hooded Ritualists appeared around my body.
The three of them squatted, palms pressed together, and began chanting.
Suddenly, golden chains shot from their hands straight into the sky, instantly binding the ghost's body.
With a jingle, one of them thrust a staff into the ground and stood atop it. The other two rushed around, wrapping the three chains around the staff.
The ghost in the air struggled desperately.
"Flying Star, Dipper Gate, Sky Play—Triple Convergence."
One of them shouted. Blue, red, and white beams of light rose up, surrounding the ghost as he was pulled to the ground. Instantly, his body began to melt, black smoke pouring out.
The last one, after a long preparation, produced a jar sealed with a talisman.
"Ravenous, Frost, Infernal—heed my command."
As the talisman was removed, green, blue, and red beams of light shot from the jar, filling the air with a chilling, sinister energy.
Three ghosts emerged: the Ravenous Spirit, in ragged clothes and skeletal form, all sharp teeth and insatiable hunger.
The Frost Wraith wore a blue robe and had snow-white hair. As she approached the ghost, frost formed in the air around her.
The Infernal Shade was wrapped in pale green flames. All three ghosts closed in on the graveyard ghost, gnawing and tearing at him.
"Brother, looks like you're finished. What now? Shouldn't you lend a hand?"
Even in such a crisis, the ghost smiled and looked over.
The sound of my heart pounding echoed clearly in my mind. My ruined body roared with noise, as if something was about to burst free.
Thump, thump, thump—the heartbeat grew louder and louder, coming from my tattered, rag-like body.