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墨書 Inktalez
I withdrew my hand from her face and whispered, "Why do you call me Father?" This was the question I was most eager to understand.
"Because of that novel."
"Which one?"
"The one you never finished, the horror story about us sisters being murdered, 'Shattered Face.' You created us."
"I don't understand."
"After we were killed, our intense Grudge found countless ways to vent. Coincidentally, you wrote 'Shattered Face,' and our Grudge found a place to reside, becoming the host we inhabit. The longer it lasts, the deeper the Grudge grows, until it finally takes on a tangible form."
"Book Demon?"
"There are mountain spirits, water spirits, flower fairies, tree ghosts—why can't there be a Book Demon?"
"You remind me of an ancient saying: 'There is beauty within the pages of a book.'"
"Yes, Yan Ruyu is also a Book Demon. It's just that her ending is much better than ours." At this point, a hint of sorrow flickered in Zi Yi's eyes.
"How did you die?" I suddenly asked without thinking.
Zi Yi froze for a moment, shaking her head in confusion. "I don't know. When we became aware, we were living in that novel; we have no memory of what happened before. We only learned about our origins from your story. Perhaps we aren't even the souls of those sisters; we might just be the malevolent spirits formed from their Grudge."
"Do you remember the plot? What happened last night, doesn't it feel familiar to you?"
I have always had a poor memory, so I tend to record my experiences in writing. To be honest, I couldn't recall the plot of "Shattered Face" at all.
I shook my head.
"Bang..." It was half past twelve.
Zi Yi's speech suddenly quickened. "Father, in that unfinished novel of yours, you portrayed me and my sister as two people with extreme personalities, each possessing qualities the other lacks. My sister is dark and malicious, while I am kind and innocent. This is a common phenomenon among twins. However, you stopped writing when we finally found the murderer thirteen years later—my sister wanted to kill him, but I wanted to spare him for the sake of reincarnation. We are derived from the novel; everything we do follows its plot. Because the novel remains unfinished, we have been trapped in the first half of the story for years without the chance to reincarnate. Finally, the thirteen-year deadline in the novel has arrived. My sister's intense Grudge has caused her to see you as that murderer, transferring all her hatred onto you. I have become your protector. If my sister kills you, we will be forever locked in this unfinished novel. She was supposed to kill you yesterday, but by chance, we switched bodies. Today she placed a Blood Curse on you; if you can finish the novel and design a perfect ending, both my sister and I will be able to reincarnate—whatever we are reborn as will be better than this. If you don't finish it, you'll end up like us—a Wraith. Only you can help us! It's past twelve now, Father; you have two days left. In the novel, it ends on April 8th. This is your final deadline as well as ours."
At this point, Zi Yi's voice underwent a strange change; the right side of her face began to twitch while her long hair on the left side floated back as if blown by an unseen wind, revealing half of her Shattered Face. It looked as though several worms were writhing beneath her skin, crawling over her muscles as her features gradually twisted into a grotesque visage—the same terrifying face I had seen pressed against the car window last night.
Zi Yi urged urgently, "My sister and I share the same Spirit; we were supposed to switch every hour. As the deadline approaches, my sister's Grudge and spiritual power are growing stronger—I can barely keep her suppressed now. I can only appear at noon and midnight each day. Father, you must hurry! When my sister appears, no matter what she does to you, just say that it's not time yet, and she will disappear. Also..."
Zi Yi's voice gradually faded into a whisper as the person sitting across from me transformed into Zi Shan—an empty garment with no body inside it, only a face covered in shredded flesh with indistinguishable features resting on its shoulders, extending two hands slowly toward me. It felt as if I had been placed under some strange spell; I couldn't move at all.
In a daze, I seemed to hear her say to me, "Since you created us, why not see it through to the end? Thirteen years have passed; do you know how hard we've had it? Every day we repeat this endless cycle without resolution—day after day, year after year—do you know how painful that is? Come share this pain with us, Father!"
Suddenly, eerie blue light erupted from her pale fingers as they reached toward my throat with an unsettling chill.
Instinctively, I screamed, "It's not time yet!"
The hands stopped just ten centimeters away from me. In the eye sockets of that Shattered Face, I faintly saw two round protrusions rotating as if they were glaring at me with malice. Suddenly, that body—only arms, shoulders, neck, and head—shot through the sofa and glass before vanishing into the endless night outside the Coffee Shop.
My heart raced wildly as I lay limp on the sofa, a cold voice echoed in my ears: "Father, in two days, you will be able to accompany your daughter forever. I miss you so much."
I couldn't muster the strength to stand up. Ignoring the bewildered servant, I returned home in a daze. After taking a cold shower, I quickly opened my computer and began searching for information about Book Demon on various search engines.
The more I read, the more terrified I became.
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