Xie Lian and I entered the temple, following the shadow. A silver butterfly flew ahead. This building is not new, let alone recent. It reeks of death in every direction. even the structures, vital arches that keep it together. The scent could attract the ghost king Qi Rong. I heard stories of him. He is very similar to a certain pain in the ass I used to know. Anyway, I remained outside the inner building while Xie Lian went inside.
I looked around the gates of the temple, and kept catching sight of the little boy figure I had seen before. He kept appearing and disappearing. The boy seems skittish, but he wasn't trying to hide. He was almost leading me around the temple. I kept following the shadow boys' trail. He looked scared of facing me. For whatever reason, he didn't want me to see his face.
Every step felt like it was taking me miles away from Brother. Before I could think of heading back, I heard a whimper. A small child's whimper. The sound was muffled, like something was covering his mouth. There was a small silhouette huddled in the corner of the wall. I couldn't see it well, and held out my hand to create a light. Clenching my hand tightly, light peeked out from the crevices of my closed fist. Opening my hand wide, a blue light erupted, forming a blue lotus in my palm that gave off light.
My eyes widened in horror. The little boy was crouched down, trying to hide his face. His mouth was stitched shut, scars on his cheeks, and his ears were completely gone. The lotus light in my palm rose above us, and cast a gentle light above us both. I slowly walked over to the boy and kneeled before him. He was trembling. Gently, I cradled his face in my hands. He flinched. The light showed he was missing his left hand. His ribs were showing, and his belly was sunken in. his ratty pants were loose on his bony waist, and from his ankles up his legs were covered in many scars.
This boy has been a ghost for a few years. Two years at most. The boy looked like he was preparing to be struck for no reason. With one hand, I brushed his hair from his forehead and leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on the child's forehead. Pulling away, I looked at the boy, and he looked up at me. He was confused and didn't know how to react.
"Let's get you patched up after this," I said to him, rubbing my thumbs over his cheeks, giving him a gentle smile. A light sparkled in his pupilless eyes. His dark hair was tangled in every three locks. Then, he jumped into my arms and hugged me tightly. Knocking me back, I was sitting with him, clinging to me like I was going to disapear in he let go. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him as I sat on the cold stone ground. I could hear him sniffling against my shoulder, his crying muffled behind his stitched mouth.
I got up, still holding the boy in my arms. I felt his arms squeeze around my shoulders. The sound of what could be thumped steps came from the temple and grew louder with each step. The boy began to shiver in fear, even with me holding him. With a sharp leap, I sprang over the wall, escaping with the boy in my arms. I landed with a harsh thud as my robes swayed around my waist. That was when I realized my brother was still inside.
"Xie Lian." I shrieked, looking back to the temple. Black smoke came bursting out of the temple. Xie Lian wasn't far behind it. I let out a heavy sigh in relief, a tense muscle in my chest released as I saw he was okay. I looked at the boy, and I remembered the stitching over his mouth. Raising my hand, I wiped away the scar, the remains blowing off in the wind. The stitched scar faded away into nothing, allowing the boy to open his mouth. He coughed, dry and dusty. Rustling came from the forest. I pulled my fox mask over my face, only showing my eyes.