Into The Sea

“Ah Yue!”

Lan Wu called out anxiously, gently patting her face. “Wake up!”

“Mmm…”

The woman’s face was no longer calm. She tilted her head slightly, as if trapped in some kind of pain, her brows furrowed and her breathing growing increasingly erratic.

Lan Wu gritted her teeth and abruptly turned to look around, shouting angrily, “Nightmare beast, show yourself!”

As soon as she spoke, a misty fog emerged from a dark corner not far away.

A voice came from the fog. “Kill her.”

Lan Wu was stunned. “What?”

“She can’t resist right now. Kill her, and you’ll be free.” The voice paused, as if it had thought of something else. “Oh, right, you’re a contracted beast, so you can’t hurt your master. It’s okay, I’ll help you.”

As it spoke, the black mist slowly floated towards her.

With a whoosh, the candlelight flickered on the sword’s blade. Lan Wu placed Ji Lingyue behind her with one hand and held the sword with the other, her voice cold. “Don’t touch her!”

The black mist stopped, sounding confused. “I’m trying to help you.”

“By dragging me into the dream too?”

“That was an accident,” it explained. “I was only targeting her. Otherwise, how would you have woken up so quickly?”

“So, I should thank you?” Lan Wu let out a bitter laugh, pointing her sword at the mist. “Enough. I don’t want to waste time talking to you. If you don’t undo the dream, I’ll make you regret it!”

The Nightmare Beast floated silently, seemingly pondering. After a while, it murmured, puzzled. “How can there be a demon like you, willingly enslaved to a human…”

Lan Wu couldn’t take it anymore. She pushed off the ground and appeared in front of it, her sword piercing the densest part of the mist.

It was startled and quickly retreated, surprised. “You and I are both demons. How can you hurt me for a human?!”

“You’re not doing anything good. Why can’t I hurt you?” Lan Wu said angrily. “Undo the dream now!”

“It’s too late,” the nightmare beast’s voice was muffled in the mist, faint and hazy. “She’s already fallen into a deep nightmare. No one can save her but herself.”

Lan Wu’s face darkened. She clenched her sword and asked, word by word, “Then what if I kill you?”

The Nightmare Beast hesitated, but before it could react, hundreds of silver threads shot into the air, weaving together like serpents and darting toward it.

When the luminescent blue spiritual energy pierced the black mist, it unexpectedly felt a burning sensation that was different from usual. The demon, which had been retreating slowly, couldn’t help but cry out in alarm. It quickly gathered its mist, shrinking into the dark corner. “You’re a demon, how can you use spiritual energy?”

“None of your business!” Lan Wu clenched her left hand, and the silver threads intertwined into a net, glowing with a sharp light as it descended into the darkness, closing in on the Nightmare Beast.

The Nightmare Beast was unpredictable, but in reality, its main body was only the size of a fist. The mist was just a disguise to protect itself.

Lan Wu knew this very well. She stared intently at the black mist that she had shredded. As expected, when the sharp weapons that had surrounded it from all directions were about to converge, an inconspicuous black ball emerged, silently trying to slip through the gaps.

Lan Wu frowned and twirled her sword.

A gust of wind, seemingly from nowhere, rattled the windows. The woman’s silver hair was scattered in the air. She moved, her sword drawn, and her eyes were even more piercing in the blue light.

A thousand sword intents merged into one, and then a water dragon materialized from the sword tip, roaring as it charged at the Nightmare Beast. Unable to dodge in time, the beast was struck head-on by the water dragon, immediately letting out a piercing wail. The pursuing sword followed, piercing into its body, nearly skewering it through.

The once vast and ethereal mist rapidly shrank, but at the last moment crashed through the window, throwing a choking cloud of gas in Lan Wu’s face as she moved to pursue, then fled into the dark night without looking back.

At the same time, a loud thumping sound came from outside the door. Someone shouted, “Who’s in there!”

Lan Wu was startled. She didn’t have time to think. She turned and grabbed Ji Lingyue, flying out before the guards could rush in.

She had lost the Nightmare Beast and could only return to their room. She was lost and didn’t know what to do. But then, the person in her arms suddenly moaned. Lan Wu was overjoyed. She looked down and saw Ji Lingyue’s eyelashes fluttering. She finally opened her eyes a crack.

Those eyes were no longer clear. Instead, they were bloodshot and terrifying.

Lan Wu froze, staring at her blankly. Ji Lingyue’s expression suddenly changed. She flipped over and pounced on Lan Wu like a leopard, grabbing her neck and throwing her to the ground.

“Ugh!” She gasped in pain, narrowing her eyes. She instinctively called out, “Ah Yue…”

Ji Lingyue knelt on her waist. When she heard her voice, her gaze flickered, but she squeezed her neck even harder.

Lan Wu was shocked. She realized that Ji Lingyue was serious. She quickly struggled, but the more she struggled, the harder Ji Lingyue squeezed. She glared at Lan Wu, her once delicate face now twisted and menacing. Her hands tightened, as if she wouldn’t stop until she killed her.

Bound by the contract, Lan Wu couldn’t fight back. Soon, her face turned red. She trembled and grabbed Ji Lingyue’s wrists, saying with difficulty, “Ah Yue, wake up… wake up…”

“Ah Yue…”

“Ah Yue…”

Her breathing became more and more difficult. Her vision darkened. Lan Wu’s throat made a gurgling sound, her legs twitching weakly before falling limp. Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes, instantly transforming into flawless pearls that clattered to the ground.

Ji Lingyue’s eyes trembled as the rolling pearls caught her gaze. Her body suddenly froze, and her eyelashes fluttered erratically. She looked down at Lan Wu. In a moment, her eyes widened, as if she had been burned. She released her grip and staggered backward in panic.

Lan Wu gasped desperately for air, instinctively curling into herself. She clutched her chest, wracked by violent coughing fits. One after another, pearls kept falling from her eyes, each landing with a sharp, echoing clatter against the cold floor.

A long time passed before Ji Lingyue, now backed against the window, dared to take a step forward. But after taking only two steps, she saw the horrifying deep finger marks on Lan Wu’s neck. Her feet were rooted to the spot, and her red eyes instantly filled with tears.

When Lan Wu turned to look at her, still in shock, she blinked in panic, avoiding her gaze. She said in a trembling voice, “I… I didn’t mean to…”

She choked on her words, unable to go on. A sharp gasp escaped her, followed by a soft, broken sob.

Under Lan Wu’s silent gaze, Ji Lingyue slowly knelt down. She curled into herself, wrapped her arms around her head, and broke into sobs.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”