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墨書 Inktalez
I felt completely disoriented, my body weak and unable to muster any strength. Several voices echoed in my mind, creating a cacophony reminiscent of distant relatives chattering away, and I couldn't make out a single one.
The noise only made my head spin more; my eyelids felt heavy, and my unsteady steps threatened to give way beneath me as I stumbled forward, unaware of what I was doing.
“Be careful.”
A voice, like a ray of light piercing through the darkness, reached me. Suddenly, I heard another sound—a clear, ringing tone, bright and crisp like a stream flowing through the woods, awakening me with the fragrance of flowers and birdsong, clearing my mind.
I slowly opened my eyes. When I finally focused on the ground beneath me, I screamed in terror. Somehow, I had walked from the restroom door directly across to the other side and climbed up to the only window in the restroom. I was just a moment away from falling out.
This was the Sixth Floor; a fall from here would mean certain death or serious injury.
“Anxin, what’s wrong?” came Lin You's voice from outside. I quickly replied, “I’m fine! Don’t come in!”
Wu Fei'er had warned us to be cautious of any ghosts sensing our intentions, so the door was shut. They were outside, ready to rush in if I screamed.
“That scared me to death.”
Shaken, I climbed down from the window and patted my chest, taking deep breaths. Suddenly, I covered my mouth and gagged as a sour stench invaded my nostrils; for a moment, I forgot that I was in a restroom.
“One, two, three… this should be the one.”
As I approached the easternmost stall and prepared to open the door, I caught sight of a dark shadow flitting past from the direction of the entrance. When I turned back to look closely, there was nothing but the dim yellow light illuminating the space.
A chill ran down my spine as I reached up to touch my hairpin—it was glowing. This meant that something truly supernatural existed here.
I reached for the restroom door and opened it. Despite having witnessed death within these walls, it was still kept impeccably clean by the janitor.
Every school has its share of strange tales, some true and some not, and it's hard to tell which is which. Some people care about these stories, while others do not; it all comes down to differing perspectives on materialism.
I used to be merely curious about these ghostly matters, never daring to test the waters myself. However, ever since I encountered Jun Chong, it seems I can no longer escape this world. Somehow, my fate has become intertwined with it, and there's no way to simply walk away.
"There's nothing to be afraid of."
Indeed, there was nothing to fear. After everything I had experienced, I calmly opened the door and stepped inside. I squatted down, my skirt preventing me from removing my pants. I stayed there for a while, occasionally flushing the toilet before resuming my position.
I don't know how long I had been there; fatigue was starting to take over, and I felt like I could fall asleep at any moment. Suddenly, a cold breeze blew up from below, sending shivers down my spine.
Looking down, I saw a pitch-black hand reaching out from the toilet hole, its sharp nails gleaming like knives. Instinctively, I shifted to the side just in time to avoid a direct hit and pressed the flush button.
At that moment, I admit it was purely instinctive. To my surprise, the hand quickly retracted, and a shrill scream echoed in my ears.
"Can water hurt this much?"
I blinked and stood up. My legs were numb from squatting for so long, prickling with pain. I bent over to tap my legs and wondered aloud, "Is it going to show up again tonight?"
Just as I was about to leave, a chill ran down my spine, creeping up my neck like icy fingers. A tremendous force pressed down on me from behind. Caught off guard and unsteady on my feet, I collapsed onto the ground with a painful thud against my forehead.
"Who’s there?"
Struggling to get up, I realized the stall door was closed and that the surrounding area consisted of small partitions. My first instinct was that whatever attacked me was not human but a ghost.
My hand instinctively reached for the hairpin in my hair, but it seemed the entity was already aware of my intentions and pushed me back down again. At the same time, that hand from the toilet hole reached out once more.
This time, because it was closer, I could see clearly that it was a charred hand. Wu Fei'er had mentioned dreaming of Liya being burned—could this be Liya?
"Liya?"
The hand reaching towards my eyes paused slightly, as if responding to my call. I felt a surge of joy and said, "Liya, I am Anxin. I know you died, and it was painful. I'm here to help you, Liya. Can you hear me?"
There was no response from the other side; the pressure that had been on me suddenly vanished. I scrambled to my feet, my hair disheveled and a sense of caution creeping in. Quickly, I removed the Hairpin and hid it in my sleeve.
Listening intently, I heard nothing around me. After waiting for a while with still no sound, I decided to leave and plan to tell Molin tomorrow.
Suddenly, with a creak, the door opened on its own. A figure in a black robe stood before me, the tattered garment hanging loosely on their frame. Though they were merely an arm's length away, I couldn't make out their features; the hood seemed like a black hole, swirling with an invisible force that threatened to pull me in.
They blocked the doorway, cutting off my only escape route. I stepped back cautiously as they advanced toward me until I had nowhere left to retreat. A chilling laugh echoed beside my ear.
"Hehehe..."
It was the kind of laugh that felt too close for comfort.
Yet there was no one beside me, nor any sign of ghosts or monsters.
I stared intently at the figure before me, my heart racing. I wasn't like Molin, who had been trained since childhood; my past experiences had only strengthened my resilience. Now, however, fear began to creep back into my mind.
"Who... who are you?"
"Which one do you want?"
The voice was hoarse like an old hag's. A hand emerged from the wide sleeve, thin and bony like that of an old hag as well—one hand pale as death and the other waxen yellow.
Scars crisscrossed over her arms in chaotic patterns.
I stared for a moment when suddenly those scars twitched, then moved again as if countless insects were writhing beneath her skin. They all gathered together to form a small bulge.
The bulge grew larger, gradually breaking through the skin. The old hag's other hand, with its sharp nails, gently hooked at it, revealing whatever lay inside.
It was a piece of white paper.
If you didn't look closely.
Because that white paper was entirely made up of those insects gathered together. I was close enough to see the wriggling shapes of the insects, constantly squirming. From a distance, it would have looked like it was being stirred by the wind.
Suddenly, a wave of nausea washed over me, and my fear of clusters quickly spread. I turned my head away, covering my mouth as I dry heaved, expelling nothing but bile.
"Choose one."
The voice of the Old Hag came again. I turned to see her holding a yellow piece of paper in her other hand, each hand grasping a different sheet, presenting them before me.
From within the black robe that obscured her face came a chilling laugh, raspy and unpleasant like the sound of sawing wood.
"Choose one."
"I... I don't want to."
I gripped the Hairpin tightly, feeling its increasingly cold temperature. To prevent her from seeing the light emanating from the Hairpin, I held onto its head, preparing to strike.
"No, you must choose one. The white one lasts three days; the yellow one lasts seven."
Her wooden, hoarse voice held no warmth whatsoever. I bit my lip, clenched my fists, and suddenly widened my eyes at what was behind her. "Faye, how did you get here?"
I didn't expect the Old Hag to actually believe me; after all, she wasn't human.
But she did believe me. Her hand retracted slightly as she turned away. In that moment, I raised the Hairpin and lunged toward her shoulder.
"Ah—"
The piercing scream sliced through my eardrums like a knife, and the hurricane force of wind surged from the Black Robe, pushing me against the wall as if I were about to be crushed.
I lost track of time, but eventually, the pressure on me eased. My feet finally touched the ground, and I collapsed to my knees, my heart racing wildly.
"Anxin, how could you do this to me!"
The voice of the Old Hag suddenly transformed into a clear, youthful tone. I pressed my hand against my chest and looked out to see where the Old Hag had fallen. There was a head peering at me—Liya, her face half-burned and charred, was glaring at me fiercely.
"Liya?" I exclaimed in shock. If I had known it was her, I would never have acted so harshly. "Is it really you?"
"It is me."
Liya continued to glare at me before suddenly letting out a cold laugh. "I didn't expect you to possess such powerful abilities. But it doesn't matter; soon you will join me in hell!"
"Join you in hell?" I was confused. "What do you mean?"
"Hmph, didn't Wu Fei'er and the others tell you anything?"
At her words, I furrowed my brow tightly. From the look in Liya's eyes, I sensed a deep-seated hatred.
What was going on?
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