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[[Hua Yao's P.o.v]]: 3 YEARS LATER...
Sighing, I poked at the dirt with a stick. Three years. It's been three whole years since I came back to the bandits' hideout. Everyone thinks I should be happy to be "home," but... it doesn't feel like home. Not without the crimson curtains, the silver butterflies, or the smell of peonies in the garden.
I miss Paradise Manor so much it aches. I miss Mr. Yin Yu's patient lessons and his surprised smiles. And I miss Gege. My real Gege, Hua Cheng.
I haven't seen him in so long. Sometimes, I hear whispers in the market about the Ghost Realm. They call me the "Innocent Flower," all because of Gege and that scary fight in the garden. It feels weird to be famous for something I didn't really do. Gege was the one who saved me. He's always saving me.
I visit Lang Yin a lot. He says Miss Ying is too loud and only wants to talk to me.
I don't mind, he's nice.
And... yesterday, he said he loves me and wants me to be his bride. My face gets all hot thinking about it! I didn't really know what it meant before, but I think I do now. So I said yes. He was so nervous, and he hugged me and... kissed my cheek.
It was only yesterday, so it's still a big, fuzzy, happy-scary feeling! >//0//
Anyway, I just turned seven. Soon I'll be eight! And soon, I'm going to leave this place. I'm going to travel to another village to help people as a physician. I have to be brave.
I stood up, brushing the dirt off my worn pants. It was time to go pick berries for dinner. As I walked towards the forest's edge, I looked up at the moon, the same moon that would be shining over Paradise Manor.
"I wish I could see you, Gege," I whispered to the silent night. "Just for a minute. I promise I won't cause any trouble."
But I know I can't. A pinky promise is a pinky promise. So I squared my shoulders, just like I did that night he left me here, and I kept walking. I had berries to find.
*Scene changes*
Near the dark forest, on my way back to the bandit's house with my basket of berries, I stopped dead in my tracks. A group of people was heading straight into the deepest, darkest part of the woods—Taoists in solemn robes, priests chanting softly, and bridesmaids in vibrant red.
It was a wedding procession, but so late, and headed there?
"Wow~," I whispered, unable to look away.
One of the bridesmaids spotted me lingering at the tree line. "Little girl! What are you doing out here so late?" she called out, her voice kind but worried.
I put on my best smile. "It's my birthday! I was just picking berries for my... friends." I quickly held out my basket. "Would you like some? For your journey?" I needed to change the subject away from where I lived.
Everyone seemed to soften at the offer.
I gave a handful of blueberries to each of the priests and finally to the bride-to-be herself. She was so beautiful, and when she thanked me, her voice was like an angel's. She smiled gently and took off her white pearl earrings.
"Here, little one," she said, carefully pinning them deep within my hair, hidden from sight. "Keep these safe for me, will you?" "I promise! Thank you, miss!" I beamed. She giggled at my enthusiasm, but then her smile faltered, her head tilting as if hearing a strange sound.
It stopped as quickly as it started, but then the air itself grew cold. A sudden, unnatural wind whipped through the trees.
"RUN!" someone screamed.
Terror seized me. I didn't think; I just scrambled underneath the nearest carriage, squeezing my eyes shut as horrible, piercing screams filled the night—the bride's voice the most agonizing of all.
When the screaming finally stopped, an eerie silence fell. I waited, my heart pounding in my ears. After what felt like forever, I slowly crawled out. My legs felt like jelly as I crept towards the now-silent red wedding carriage.
"Are you... okay?" I whispered, my voice trembling.
I pulled the carriage door open. It was empty. Completely empty.
My body went cold. My hands shook so badly I could barely see straight. I felt dizzy, scared, and so, so confused.
'H-how can she be gone? No, it couldn't be one of the Calamities, right?... It has to be someone else!'
I stood frozen, too terrified to move, as I watched figures in red—the priests and bridesmaids—being torn apart by a ghostly presence. It was the bride, but she wasn't the same. She was a monster now. I covered my ears, but the screams went on and on.
Four hours passed before the silence returned. I heard footsteps, slow and deliberate, pacing through the graveyard of the dead. A soft, haunting hum echoed around me. The footsteps began to fade, and I let out a shaky sigh of relief.
Suddenly, a cold, strong hand wrapped around my ankle and yanked me from my hiding spot.
"Hmm~~What is ttthhhiiiisss~~~"
A voice giggled, a surreal, hissing sound.
The woman—the ghost bride—was beautiful and terrifying. Her face was pale and alluring, her black hair flowed like a dark river, and her sharp, weapon-like nails glinted. She wore the tattered remains of her red bridal robes.
She seized my neck and, with impossible strength, hurled me through the air. I crashed through two trees, the impact knocking the air from my lungs. I coughed, tasting blood, my clothes torn. I tried to stand, to hide my fear, but my body screamed in protest.
"Ha~, what is a little girl doing here?!" she shrieked, her voice twisting. "You aren't Pei's descendant, are you, BRAT?!?~"
I finally managed to stand, my legs wobbling. "Pei?" I asked, my voice small and confused. "Who is Pei, miss?"
The question seemed to enrage her. Her head snapped towards me, and she let out an unearthly screech before charging. I turned and ran, my heart hammering against my ribs. She was so fast, always right behind me.
She tackled me to the ground, her sharp nail scratching my nose, making it bleed. She grabbed my collar, slapped me hard across the face, and lifted me into the sky, "Tch, you DON'T UNDERSTAND THE PAIN OF MY HEART!?!" She wailed.
'I cannot die. I need to see him again. He can't be alone anymore!'
"GET AWAY FROM ME!!!!" I screamed, kicking and trying to pry her fingers from my neck. But she was too strong. She slammed me back to the ground, her hands tightening around my throat. My vision started to spot with black dots.
Then, out of nowhere, she was violently thrown off of me, crashing through three trees before vanishing into the darkness.
I lay on my back, gasping for air, staring up at the full moon and the stars. Then I saw them—familiar, transparent, colorful butterflies. They fluttered around me, their wings tickling my skin, and began to form a shimmering, protective shield around my trembling body.
'My powers...' My thoughts still stare in awe at the transparent colorful butterflies that frighten her off, as I feel happy, angry, sad, all the emotions have swirled around me.
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I didn't wait to see if she would come back. As soon as I could stand, I ran. I ran all the way back to Mount Yujun, to the bandits' hideout. It was still empty; they hadn't come back from their... work.
My hands were still shaking as I placed the basket of now-crushed berries on the counter. The image of the empty carriage and the ghost bride's face was burned into my mind. I needed to do something, anything, to feel normal again.
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, I decided to cook dinner. Maybe if I focused on slicing vegetables and stirring a pot, I could forget, just for a little while, the deaths I had just witnessed... Sadly, I don't think it's working.
The Xiao Pengtou and the rest of his bandits returned, their smiles easing my anxiety a bit as they greeted me.
"Hey, Yaó-Yaó, you good?" one of them asked.
Noticing my pale face and trembling body, the others quieted. I rushed to my seat, wiping tears on my sleeves, and began eating. But as I started my dinner, flashbacks of the Ghost-bride's massacre, the protectors, and my near-death experience overwhelmed me.
It made me lose my appetite and pushed my plate away.
'I need to get it out of me!' I took a deep breath with a shout: "I JUST WITNESS A BRIDE TAKEN BY THE GHOST GROOM!?!"
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Silence for only a few moments until,
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"HUH?!?"
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To be Continued...