Perfect For Dinner

The deeper they entered the narrow hallway, the darker the surroundings and the colder it became. It was as if they were stepping into a whole different realm, one where the light could never reach. However, it was within this expanse of darkness that Jin Jiuchi's vision worked better and his silver eyes started to glow with an inhumane radiance.

They stopped in front of the heavy wooden door. Jin Jiuchi tilted his head to look at the jade doll who seemed to have no difficulty navigating in the dark like he did. "Nian'er, you can also see?" he asked, unable to keep the disappointment off his tone. He had been looking forward to holding Nian's delicate hand and leading him around like a fragile little prince. Alas.

Nian cast him a furtive glance. Though he had no idea what Jin Jiuchi was thinking about, he instinctively knew that it was nothing good.

In the narrow and pitch-black hallway, Jin Jiuchi's tall and broad figure loomed over him like a creature of shadows. And due to the lack of light, his pupils had expanded almost in a beastly way as if he was a predator staring at his prey right in the eye. If Nian had not known that this was a silly husky, or if he had been standing on the mouth of the hallway and saw nothing but a pair of glowing eyes floating in midair, he would have certainly freaked out. Fortunately, he had seen those eyes once and thus, he did not feel as surprised anymore.

Instead, the more he looked, the more it gave off an air of demonic beauty. Almost… hypnotizing.

By now, he was almost certain that Jin Jiuchi was not a human, albeit it looked like the man did not realize it himself. Of course, Nian had no intention of telling him – not for the time being. Whatever Jin Jiuchi was, Nian still had no idea where he came from or what his purpose was. And for that reason alone, it would be better not to beat the grass and alert the snake.

After all, who would know for certain that this one was not poisonous despite his harmless appearance?

Nian shook his head to shelve the thoughts for the time being. He said in response to Jin Jiuchi's question, "If you have gone through more Cycles, the Nightmare will slowly enhance your physique, and that includes your vision." When Jin Jiuchi made a curious noise in his throat, Nian added after some thought, "...Of course, it won't be as good as yours."

Happy to be praised, Jin Jiuchi said proudly, "Of course, I was born like this. It's natural!"

…Or was he? He could no longer remember.

Nian hummed and turned his gaze back to the front. "I will take the lead and you will guard the rear. We will watch each other's backs in case there's something inside, understand?"

Jin Jiuchi agreed readily, "Okay, Nian'er~"

"Let's go back alive," Nian murmured under his breath as he pushed the door open, shielding his mouth and nose with his sleeves when a cloud of dust welcomed him. "I refuse to die in this filthy place."

The kitchen looked no different than when they saw it in the morning, if not for the thicker dust and long spider cobwebs that hung over the ceiling. Almost as if a few more years had passed since someone stepped in again. Learning from his previous experience, Nian halted in the middle of the room and asked Jin Jiuchi, "Can you smell him?" His purple eyes vigilantly watched the surroundings, attuned even to the smallest change like the shift in the air. But so far, he could spot nothing suspicious.

"Hmm…" Jin Jiuchi sniffed the air only to scrunch his face in disgust when the foul odor assaulted his nose. "No, nothing at all. But do you know what this place smells like, Nian'er?"

"Hmm?"

"Rats. Lots of rats." As Jin Jiuchi spoke, he slowly turned his head to look at the dark space behind the door, his silver eyes gleaming almost in an excited light when he caught a dozen of ruby little eyes staring back at him. He ran his tongue over his sharp canines, "...Perfect for dinner."

"What?!" Nian whipped his head around in shock, but at the same time, those ruby eyes fell shut and he could see nothing but a swathe of darkness. He was utterly repulsed by what Jin Jiuchi had just said, "You want to eat rats for dinner?!"

"Why not? They're bite-sized, meaty and quite delicious," Jin Jiuchi shrugged. When he saw the jade doll's stricken look as if wishing for nothing but to bleach his brain and ears, he had to muffle in a chuckle. He reached out a hand and swiped the pad of his thumb gently over the jade doll's cheek, cooing softly, "Of course, it is not something that Nian'er should eat. I didn't have a choice either. I was so hungry and…" he trailed off and pursed his lips.

The time he spent in the asylum had already turned fuzzy in his mind, but he would always remember the hunger – that unpleasant feeling of never being full. It had been etched so deeply into his bones and soul to the point where he would turn agitated every time his stomach growled. But he shouldn't dirty Nian'er's cute and beautiful ears with something like this, right?

"...Forget it," was what he said in the end. With a cheerful tone, he asked, "Anyway! Does Nian'er wants to find Brother Zhi's body? Too bad I can't smell him here."

'What caused you to be so hungry that you had to resort to eating rats?' Nian wanted to ask, but then he held himself back in the end. Now was not the time to be distracted.

"Not his body," he shook his head. "It's reasonable that you can't detect him. Seeing how so many hours have already passed, most likely his body has been wiped out. I want to find the journal he had with him. It's an item from this Cycle so even if his body vanished, the journal should still be here."

Jin Jiuchi recalled the item Zhi had brought out of Old Guan's room and gave an 'oh'. Nian had told him last night it was another main clue, aside from the newspaper clipping he had right now. "But Nian'er, what if that nightmare creature has taken the journal with him?"

Nian's face turned grim. "Then that will be the worst case scenario. We have to confront that creature and snatch the journal from him."

It seemed like they had really jinxed themselves this time. Despite rummaging through every cabinet and shelf and almost turning the entire place upside down, they could not find the journal. By then, more than one hour had already passed.

Nian set his lips into thin lines, "Let's go back first."

Jin Jiuchi hummed in approval. As he trailed behind the jade doll, his gaze involuntarily drifted to where he had seen the rats, only to find nothing but empty space.

The two of them quickly returned to the room before curfew.

Nian went to wash his hands and face in the basin, still with a somber expression on his face. On the other hand, Jin Jiuchi was recalling the rats he had seen in the kitchen earlier. They were no ordinary rats, he was certain of it. They gave off the same feeling as the paper dolls and spider Madam Liu, albeit a little milder and weaker. What was it, he wondered? Another nightmare creature?

He was quick to give up on the analysis. He should have known that using his brain would lead him to nowhere! Turning to the jade doll, he was ready to share what he had seen when a faint knock resounded on the door.

Nian snapped his gaze up, sharp and alert. "Who is it?"

"It's me," Zhi said – or to be exact, the nightmare creature who was currently disguising himself as Zhi.