My consciousness slowly began to return. When I opened my eyes, the sky was still dark. The bridge was badly damaged in many places, and Victor Duan stood right in front of me. I could sense him, but all around me was a white emptiness—nothing else. In front of me, there seemed to be a small door through which I could see what was happening outside.
With a bang, I seemed to crash into something, pain shooting through my whole body. There was a transparent wall in front of me, like glass. I reached out and touched it—it felt just like glass. Victor Duan was just outside that small door, smiling as he looked at me.
"What's going on?"
I stared around in shock. It wasn't completely white—every direction seemed to be covered in mirrors, reflecting countless versions of myself.
"You're in the world of mirrors, Ethan Zhang. Heh, I've locked you in here for a while. If you got out and kept causing trouble, I wouldn't be able to stand it. When that guy finishes his business, I'll let you out again. For now, the only way to sever your attachments is for you to stay here and watch. Once you're in, don't even think about leaving."
Suddenly, I remembered—just before I lost consciousness, I saw Rachel Lan and my parents. I leaned closer and looked ahead. There they were, not far from me, trapped in mirrors just like I was.
I tried using Deathbane Aura to break the mirrors, but it was useless. Then I swung my fist and smashed at it with all my strength. There was only a dull thud, and a force bounced me right back.
"What are you trying to do?"
I shouted, and Victor Duan turned his head, raising one hand.
"Nothing much—just breaking a mirror. Watch closely. Your attachments come from these things, right? Parents, loved ones. What would happen if those things were shattered? I really want to see. After all, you were chosen as the core of Horror Stories. Thanks to you, those slow-growing ones have become so lively. Ethan Zhang, just watch..."
As he spoke, I saw Victor Duan slowly raise his hand, about to smash the mirror trapping Rachel Lan. I screamed, eyes wide in terror.
"Stop! Stop! Wait—"
But Victor Duan showed no sign of stopping. I suddenly remembered what Yin Choujian had told me—to stall Victor Duan for a while.
"Wait, you can break it, but at least let me die knowing why. Are you really going to let me die without answers?"
I shouted again, but Victor Duan was unmoved by my words. With a bang, I saw cracks appear in the mirror holding Rachel Lan.
"Sigh, this is harder than I thought. If I'd known, I wouldn't have locked them in. It really does hurt, but there's no other way." With that, Victor Duan raised his hand again.
My heart felt like it was about to leap out of my chest. Goosebumps erupted all over me, and my hair stood on end. It was terror—pure, overwhelming terror. There had to be a way out. There had to be.
"By the way, that guy has been hiding things from you, doing all sorts of things behind your back. You really don't know?"
A sudden idea struck me—at this critical moment, I thought of my cousin. Sowing discord was my only option. After all, even though Victor Duan said he was working with Horror Stories, there must be other reasons. The best way to make him suspicious was to fabricate a lie.
Sure enough, Victor Duan stopped and turned to look at me.
"What did you say?"
"I'm talking about that book, Horror Stories. I saw it when I went inside. It did a lot behind your back, you know? You had no idea, did you?"
He took the bait. Victor Duan was completely hooked, looking at me with a puzzled expression.
"What exactly? Tell me."
In a flash, Victor Duan was standing right in front of me. I smiled.
"I can tell you, but you have to tell me what you know, as a trade."
Victor Duan looked frustrated, then returned to Rachel Lan, raising his hand.
"If you don't talk, I won't be polite, Ethan Zhang. I'll smash this girl right now. If I do, you know what that means? She'll never get out. She'll be dead, for good."
My heart raced with anxiety. I racked my brain for a lie convincing enough to fool Victor Duan.
"Go ahead, do what you want. If you smash her, it doesn't matter to me. Heh. But you don't know what that thing did. When you get burned, you'll understand."
I pretended to be calm, staring at Victor Duan, but inside, I was frantic.
"Fine. I'll tell you a little. But if I do, you have to share something too."
I nodded. Victor Duan sighed.
"The real creator of Horror Stories was my old boss, now known as the ghost lieutenant Mona Ouyang. Back then, out of boredom, besides playing with dreams, she was searching for something. So she used her power to bring stories from the real world into the book. At first, she thought it was novel, but after a while, Horror Stories was just a way to kill time in her dream world."
My heart skipped a beat. Mona Ouyang was the creator?
"As I said, after a while, she abandoned the book. Coincidentally, she asked me to get rid of it, but I used a mirror to temporarily keep Horror Stories in my mirror world, without her knowing. She said to destroy such boring things completely, but I disobeyed her order."
Victor Duan sighed as he spoke.
"And then? What were you all after?"
Victor Duan gave a self-mocking smile. "After the battle of the seven Ghost Sovereigns ended, the ghost path finally wasn't as dangerous as before. It was chaotic, but I took out Horror Stories and used my ghost essence to copy stories into the book, one by one. But I never found someone who could really write it. I could try, but my stories were full of holes. So, years ago, we searched for a long time and finally found the right person—Simon Wang."
After the great battle between the seven Ghost Sovereigns finally ended, the world of ghosts no longer had to live in constant fear as before. Although things were still chaotic, at that time, I took out the Horror Stories book and began using my own ghost soul to copy each story into its pages. But we could never find the right person to truly write the book. I could do it myself, but the stories I created were full of flaws. So, years ago, we searched for a long time until we finally found someone suitable—Simon Wang, as you know.
After Victor Duan finished speaking, he came up to me and looked at me.
"Alright, tell me. What did you see after you went inside?"
"One more thing—why go to all this trouble? What's your real goal?"
"Red Hair?" I muttered. Victor Duan nodded.
"Of course, we can't do what that lord does—wherever he goes, all the malice just flocks to him. So we use Horror Stories as a medium, letting people enter the book and experience its tales. The negative emotions they generate, we can use. Heh, that's it. Now it's your turn."
"Wait, let me think. My memories are a mess. But I did see something in there."
"Damn it, Ethan Zhang, are you lying to me?" Victor Duan snarled.
"No, I'm not lying. My memory's just muddled. Give me ten minutes to think it through—I'll remember."
Victor Duan walked over to Rachel Lan.
"You'd better hurry, Ethan Zhang. Don't waste time." I smiled, sat down, clutching my head, thinking: just hold out a little longer. John Chou said he could get in after half an hour.
But now, Victor Duan looked impatient, glaring at me viciously.
"Looks like you need a little motivation, Ethan Zhang."
I sprang to my feet. With a crack, I saw the mirror holding Rachel Lan shatter—a large piece broke off, and her figure inside grew more and more blurred.
"What are you doing?"
"Have you remembered yet, Ethan Zhang? I want answers now—hurry up."
What should I do? What should I do? My face was pale; I couldn't think of anything that would convince Victor Duan.
"Ethan..." Rachel Lan's voice sounded from across the mirror. I stared blankly at her; her eyes were filled with resolve.
"Don't worry about me anymore. Just find a way out of here. I'm glad you came looking for me..." Rachel said, tears streaming down her cheeks.
I stared at her, eyes wide, and shouted.
"What are you saying, Rachel?"
"What are you saying, Rachel?"
"That's enough, Ethan. I don't want to be your burden anymore. Please, don't let my situation drag you into danger again. I keep thinking, one day, you'll die because of me..."
"You're not a burden, not at all. Listen, I used to admire you—your honesty, your way of always moving forward no matter what. I was envious, truly. But now, it's my turn. You've saved me so many times, and no matter what, I'll save you. No matter what happens, remember that..."
"Ethan Zhang, looks like you're stalling, trying to buy time. Heh, you think I don't know? I'm not that stupid. Just now, I sensed John Chou's Bloodbane Aura—faint, but if a ghost has ever seen it, they won't forget it for life!"
I need power. I need power. I kept screaming inside my mind.
"As you wish, Ethan Zhang. But the price... will be steep."
—