It's just a nightmare

You are unstoppable...

'_huh? Nothing? How could nothing be found? Am I distracted?... Probably not.'_ brows creased in confusion, Red glowing pupils sweeping over the vast kaleidoscope of the Wuzhen environment. Long Haoyu looked mighty as he scanned around. Yet, he couldn't discover any obscene movement. It was somewhat strange not to spot anything, because his horizon ability was a hundred percent trustable.

Finally, he gave up the search.

Long lashes closed, while the sparkles around him dissipated.

With a_ PUFF! _ He vanished and appeared back to where he previously was. A slight chilly breeze blowing as if welcoming his regal arrival, while red mists with sparkles dissipated.

His figure towered and a black cape waved gently behind him. An outsider would definitely tell that he was a serious, handsome and a quite scary man. However, he still looked sexy.

A black staff struck the floor twice and the young man asides him fell on his knees. "Yes senior master." He said in response and respect.

Red pupils blinked, "Inform the others to quit scouting and return back. Nothing strange has been spotted... " Doubts lingered in his voice as Long Haoyu said the last statement. However, horizon was a trustworthy ability except if his emotions were triggered. Was it?... Definitely not.

"Yes senior master!" The man saluted, then stood up and bowed before vanishing into thin air.

'Such majesty and respect... ' princess Fei Fei thought, her pupils shifting towards the figure beside her. She was really impressed and wanted say something but long Haoyu who easily predicted it, interrupted her.

Eyes staring into nothingness, he said. "You should go to bed princess, because it is already getting very late. Or would you like to be mauled by demons?"

His voice was deep, and just this words made shivers run down princess Fei Fei's spine. If there was one red flag long Haoyu had, it was definitely being really scary. And princess Fei Fei couldn't help but wonder what made him like that.

"Long Haoyu??..."

She called for a moment, with two steps taken backwards, while her glassy shoe clinked sweetly. Then she frowned at him and said, "Why do you have to be this scary? besides, I can't sleep, the room is hot. And now that you have mentioned demons, I'm afraid that I'll be attacked by one."

Her words hung into the air as silence took over for a few seconds. Gentle currents carressed both of their skin while swaying their hairs and Long Haoyu's cape, unintentionally. A  ginkgo tree rustling at the flow Also.

Long Haoyu seemed calm, but within him was a troubling feeling that something really didn't feel right. And princess Fei Fei was quite a pester he couldn't just avoid.

"I came with lots of men, you should plead with one to accompany you..."

Princess Fei Fei heard, almost to a whisper before the figure of long Haoyu vanished.

"But?..." she said tentatively, however, his mirage had vanished afterwards. Abandoning her all alone with her words hung within her throat.

...?

Standing alone in the chilling atmosphere and the dreariness of the night, princess Fei Fei sighed pitifully before pressing her lips together, suppressing a hurtful feeling within her

Then she hugged herself for a bit of warmth. "Why does he really have to be this cold?..." She asked herself before snorting, then Watching floating clouds dim the Moon's ray whenever they passed.

Looking at the cloud seemed to console princess Fei Fei as a smile slowly formed on her lips. However, in an instant, a spine chilling shiver ran through her when she heard a loud howl echo, far away.

She yelped and quickly covered the metres within their courtyard, and ran straight into her room. Though it was Long Haoyu's fault for scaring her first, but she didn't want to die!

=========================

"Ahhh!!!!"

Xiao Yuer knocked over another man who sneakily wanted to raid his own pagoda, sending him down to his grave. The atmosphere was a mixture of rage, malevolence and wails. A large amount of pagodas, mercilessly struck down.

Few more moments passed and Xiao Yuer realized that he was among the few who still survived. However, no assurance of living was made pertaining the remaining pagodas that towered far apart from each other.

The waters rose quickly while the spiders still maintained their aggressiveness towards getting a meal. Their ravenous urge for flesh increasing as minutes ticked by. The rain pummeled above them hardly, creating a dizzying sound to their ears.

FLASH!

Another lightening swiftly broke the sky, directing right at Xiao yuer's, which it struck brutally.

Silver eyes widened in shock as Xiao Yuer was caught off guard . However, he briskly wrapped his finger around the tendrils but winced at the stinging pain his palm felt. Having grabbed a number of tendrils and swung with them, Xiao yuer's delicate palms got scarred. Crimson colours leaking out from cut marks etched on them, but he didn't care much.

The effect at which the lightening had struck Xiao yuer's pagoda was more than enough to send it crashing after a few cracks.

Xiao Yuer stood. His silver pupils as sharp as the tip of a dagger. Searching for the next pagoda he could take over. However, with time, it all proved hopeless. The remaining pagodas towered far away to reach, but Xiao Yuer persisted on taking the risk.

A rumbling sound clouded the raging tempest with it's own resonance, and Xiao yuer's pagoda embraced a tremor. And after the pagoda was designed with more cracks, it immediately shattered into pieces. Broken shards of its once existence heading straight into the water.

Xiao Yuer was quick to hold on to the tendril, but he couldn't overwrite his fate of death. Bruised fingers seeped blood while he tightly gripped on the tendril. Muscles and tendons twitched irksomely as he took a swing in the air, his silver eyes tracking a nearby pagoda to raid.

Just when he had finally spotted one to take a leap on, another flash of lightening aimed right at his tendril, before cutting it clean.

It happened so quick that Xiao Yuer took few seconds to understand what had just happened. And when he did, he recognized himself pummeling straight into the water!

Had he miscalculated? It usually took eleven seconds before the tendrils were severed, however, it hadn't even reach the seventh second and his tendril got cut...

Hopeless, Xiao Yuer sighed boredly, then glanced down at the beasts waiting to feed on him. He caught sight of the useless tendril he held, and annoyingly threw it away.

This was it.

The final end he was expecting.

He allowed the wind to violently sway his outfit and hair while he balanced himself for the fall. Enjoying the last chills it brought before he would pass out.

Don't get lost...

Don't believe...

It's just a nightmare...

Xiao Yuer heard amidst his solitude, that there seemed to be a halt in mid air. It was a soothing mellow in the sense of a whisper. The voice resonated lusciously, but faintly. Like it was said within his head.

It's just a nightmare...

Don't believe in anything...

Wake up...

The voice whispered again. An omnious bright colour flickering Xiao yuer's pupils before it disappeared.

Silver eyes widened... "Nightmares... It's a nightmare..." Xiao Yuer slowly mummured while his falling body inched closer to the hordes of spiders which climbed onto themselves to feed on him.

"None of this are real... It's a nightmare... They are all nightmares... " Close enough to a spider which leaped towards him with open sharp mandibles, He repeated with an increased tone." None of this are real!!! They are all nightmares!!! "

FLICK!

BOOM!

A bright light from the heavens enveloped the whole environment in a jiffy. Blinding Xiao Yuer for a minute before he gasped.

Then, his silver pupils shot open.

The sky was early with birds chirping on trees, while some fluttered around in the air, creating a symphony of tweeters. Strangely, the commotion that resided previously, was... gone...

From where Xiao Yuer was he could hear the sounds of unlocking doors, followed by greetings and chatters of different voices.

"Good day, brother Lan Feng. How was your night?" Xiao Yuer paused and listened attentively to where the conversation might head to, Incase there was something he needed to know.

"It was not fine. brother Zhan Jun. I had to sleep on the floor because of Tian Tian. She rolls around, and snores loudly, that I could barely close my eyes. " Another voice complained. " At times, I wonder if she is a lady. Or a man with beauty and nice curves. "

Xiao Yuer heard a chuckle which probably came from the other person named Lan Feng.

'__is it that bad, if a lady snores? She is a human, and is liable for anything.__' He thought, before hearing the chuckling voice reply.

"You should wrap her up, and stuff cotton into her nostrils. Then feed her a few Da Zao and all would be well. "

_Lies_ Xiao Yuer snorted.

__'A brief session of acupuncture then laying her by her side would help. _ He corrected inwardly before shifting his sight to the laying boy before him. Not caring about the unfortunate man who had been lied to and deceived, and might mistakenly kill his wife or whomever the lady was, if he carried out that instruction.

Now that Xiao Yuer was back, his lips released a cloud of relief but not until he caught sight of something.

His palms...

They had healed bruised marks, replica to the one he sustained in the nightmare. Meaning that if he had died in the nightmare, he could've died in real life!

The thought of this sent shivers down Xiao yuer's spine, while goosebumps appeared on his skin before wiping off...

It only took a few minutes and Xiao Yuer was able to discern it all.

Truly! Truly! It wasn't a Xiangmo! It was a nightmare being Xiao Yuer couldn't understand! 

Seems like the beast ejected nightmares into whomever it attacked, and was likely to feed on the person's fear.

'Words of grief and shedding tears...?'_ Xiao Yuer recollected.

Some people were mercilessly tortured by their nightmares that they could only plead and shed tears. And their pleadings which sounded like murmurs would, however, serve as a power growth towards the monster.

Fears and tears made it stronger!

And if they ever gave up during the tortures, they were liable to die in reality!

Xiao yuer watched the pale little boy before him, and creased his brow... Who knew what hell the poor boy was passing through?

Besides, though he wasn't attacked by the so called being, why was did he pass through the hell those attacked passed through?

That strange, sweet scent?...

Xiao Yuer reluctantly leaned closer to the boy, afraid that the strange sweet scent which previously passed him out still remained. After, a few sniff and confirming it's absence, he hurled the little child and made his way back to the only home he was aware of.

=========================

"Ugh! Sorry mister... Pardon me... Pardon my clumsiness. " An aged man with sunken green eyes and wrinkles which signified how old he'd lived, quickly apologized just as he had bumped into Xiao Yuer.

Xiao Yuer was already a step further to their courtyard when he bumped into the old man. It was notable enough that the man was older than him.

"No! Pardon me elder..." Xiao Yuer apologised. Gently bowing, "I should have made way for you immediately I noticed you."

Xiao Yuer heard the man exhale before he felt a pat on his back."No problem Little brother cai'er, it is well. "

Xiao Yuer froze for a second.

Before he could look up to the man he heard, "The Lin boys came raging everywhere in search of you three days ago. What happened?"

=========================

Word of the Day...

1) Da Zao: A Chinese sleeping medicine/herb.

(⁠ノ⁠^⁠_⁠^⁠)⁠ノ〜⁠(⁠꒪⁠꒳⁠꒪⁠)⁠〜