Day 8,598

Plain canvases can be painted and drawn with various patterns and colours of different originality. Its outcome depended on the artist whose skills ranked the best from the empire. One cannot simply judge the strokes or even the story formed among them. All beauty comes with a price, and these prices are sometimes paid by those who do not deserve it. An act of revenge flipped to the downside.

High-pitched screams echoed in the late-night gardens, triggering the owls to flee from their chosen spot. It was followed by loud thuds and continuous rustles. The night shift maidens refused to take closer steps to the chamber, setting their tray aside as they watched the figure inside scream. Fragile items crashed against the door as books fell out of the cupboards. Those witnessing dared not move except for the calm spirits who rested above the rooftops. When a sharp scream erupted, Scholar Tang and his close friends were the first to swoop down.

All candles in the garden lanterns faded as a gush of wind rushed across the grounds. Scholar Tang knew that spirits were categorized into different dimensions, and if they were from opposite sides, then it would cause energy erosion. These sacred royal lands will be tainted as time passes. As the chamber doors burst open, Haoran was stumbling neither backwards nor forward. He tripped himself on the steps, fingers covered in blood since his fingernails were cracked from excessive scratching. Scholar Tang urged his companions to follow as landed right next to the prince, whispering soft healing mantras to calm him down.

"Haoran. It's not real. He is not real. He's an illusion. He cannot hurt you," Scholar Tang expressed, watching the other spirit hiss with mouth wide open and worms crawling out of it. "Haoran! Snap out of it!"

"I did not hurt anyone! I did not take anyone's life away! It's all a lie!" Haoran shrieked, pressing onto the ground next to him while his eyes fixated on the vengeful spirit whose eyes fell out of their sockets. "No! I did not!"

Haoran clawed his already broken fingernails across the bricks causing it to crack and bleed more. When he heard the healing sutras, it ached his mind even more. If only the universe allowed his favourite Scholar to be alive again, he would have buried his face against Scholar Tang's attire to shield himself from the nasty sight. Deep down, he was aware that ever since he was a child, he could only witness the beauty of the spiritual world. It was a gift, considered it a royal gift from the Gods as he could learn from the past about his father's empire deeply. All the truths and the lies written in history books.

Yet, this gift did not last. He wondered what he did wrong. What Gods have he offended that out of a sudden, this gift became a curse. A curse so severe, Haoran wasn't sure if he was ever going to recover from it. The spirits who passed his sight turned distorted, and eerie and emerged from the darkest side of the spiritual world. Everything seemed to have taken a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn. Everything he saw made no sense to him. Nothing did. It started with a simple one-legged crawling spirit from the well, followed by a splitted head spirit that emerged from the graveyards during his yearly offerings. Ever since then, it kept coming, chasing after his every step and it never ended. Haoran prayed for days for it to stop, but it never did.

Blood poured out of his eyes and nostrils as Haoran hauled himself up from the ground. Screeching cackles surrounded him, making him ignore the sound of Uncle Tang yelling out for his name by his side. He cried out for his mother, his only safe space in the world, but even then all his senses betrayed him, leading him in all the wrong directions. Black and grey spirits floated by his sides calling him a liar, a killer and a murderer's child. Haoran did not know what they were referring to, but spirits, they were good in manipulation especially vengeful ones. Swallowing the thick lump forming in his throat, he wiped the blood away from his face and followed the voice of Uncle Tang who directed him to his desired destination. It would be a lie if he said nothing hurts.

His head throbbed terribly each time he tried lifting it. Every step Haoran took was like stepping on pointed needles. When his palms felt the emblem on the door, he barged into the healing halls without warning and announced his presence like a bird with broken wings. The sound of chairs being pushed away assured him that there was indeed someone around. Someone whose sight and hearing were not betrayed. Only when he heard the stern sound of his elder sibling barking orders at her juniors did the healing sutras from Scholar Tang's voice leave his ears. When he felt a pair of arms around his body, Haoran leaned his head against them seeking comfort and followed every step the other took.

"Haoran, goodness," Hua Xin whispered, wiping away the blood from his eyes and nose as she sat him down on the bed, holding him close to her. "It's alright. I'm here."

"My lady," the maiden called out, setting a bucket of water at the side of the bed. "Do you want me to fetch Lady Yueyin?"

"Yes, please, and alert the emperor about this. I heard he would be in his private studies," ordered Hua Xin as she gently patted his chest to assure him everything would be alright.

Haoran felt grateful to have sisters of different expertise. Even though they were from different mothers, they had always treated him like a gem since he was a child. He knew the power he held over his sisters, yet he hated the idea of disrupting their peace or even bothering them with the slightest misery he had. Blinking his eyes, Haoran felt the sight returning back to him. The ringing sensation against his ears and the ruckus from his mind dispersed like dandelions searching for a new spot with the help of the winds. He grabbed the cloth from his sister, wiping away the blood on his own. As his sight slowly returned, Haoran recognized the Royal Healing Halls. A sigh of relief escaped his sister's lips when their eyes met. Scanning through the halls, he spotted Scholar Tang chasing the rest of his friends out of the healing halls to allow them some privacy. When he felt a stinging sensation by his fingers, Haoran hissed, meeting Hua Xin's worried eyes.

"Everything's alright. I will tend to your injuries," Hua Xin said, dabbing the medicine on his cracked nails, blowing on them gently. "These might take some days to heal. I will bind them today and change the bandages tomorrow."

"Thank you," Haoran answered as he stayed still, allowing his sister to heal the cracks on his nails. "Da jie, I did nothing wrong. Why are they suddenly coming at me? I don't understand. I even made sure that all the prayers were done accordingly for the deceased. Why are all the evil spirits suddenly appearing?"

"Sadly, I don't have the answer to your question," Hua Xin sighed, gently bandaging one of Haoran's fingers and brushing her hair to the side. "That is beyond my expertise. It's been weeks since you have been like this, Haoran. This is not the sight I want to witness every night. I too wish for all your questions to be answered and your worries to disappear."

Haoran nodded at her words. Well, his sister is a healer, and she was doing all she could to tend to his wounds. He still could not understand what could have gone wrong. He was unable to wrap the whole correlation in his mind. He ate what the royal cooks served, and even avoided conflicts in the royal courts despite the ruckus that exploded for a couple of days. Even then, he was certain they cleared each other's misunderstanding after the court session. Setting his back against the bedrest, he watched his sisters thanking the healers who brought her medicine and were dismissed from the healing halls. Haoran could not point his fingers at anyone in the court and royal palace since his father was the emperor. No one in their right mind living among the royal grounds would hurt him. There was no one he could blame on. Recalling his nights, Haoran wondered if the best healers of the Pang Empire could heal him or should he listen to his mother and seek for the shaman. Haoran snickered.

It did not take long for his mother to reach the healing halls. Her wet hair was let loose fully, signalling that she was resting in her chambers peacefully. If Haoran could, he wanted to apologize to his mother for being such a troublemaker for the past weeks. Being a prince, Haoran was aware that the ministries were already making a huge fuss about the issues occurring in the villages. Some local ministries had begun to complain about the villagers' bravery in causing an uprising. It sounded like someone new had taken over the reign to lead the villagers. His father too did not have sufficient time to rest. When he saw two familiar figures behind his mother, Haoran immediately stood up with Hua Xin's help, ready to greet their presence.

"Don't stand on ceremony, Haoran!" the ladies exclaimed upon seeing Haoran's condition as they waved their hands to prevent the youngest from standing.

Nothing beats the comfort coming from his mother. Haoran smiled when he felt his mother's soft palms cupping his cheeks gently. The scent of her peach lotion filled his senses, allowing him to forget about the night he had gone through. As he was pulled into a tight hug while they sat, Haoran saw the worries clouding her eyes as she studied every inch of his face. She murmured on her own before proceeding in pulling him into a tight hug. Setting his head against his mother's chest, Haoran heard slithering whisperes in his ears as if a dark power had loomed closer to his soul, biting every inch of it. Only when he felt his mother's fingers brushing his cheeks did he smile, all worries vanishing into thin air. He was glad he still managed to suppress his chuckles when he saw Hua Xin rolling her eyes, trying to calm her mother and aunt down by assuring them that Haoran was fine.

"Haoran ah~" Yueyin spoke, alerting Haoran from his thoughts when she planted a soft kiss on his forehead. "I know you are a grown child and have your own decisions in life, but now, I want you to be honest with me, my moon. Where did you go for the past few weeks? What kind of people are there?"

The prince hummed, thinking about the warm hospitality he received from Ailun and his family. He smiled, looking directly into his mother's eyes and grabbed onto her palms tightly.

"I went to the village behind the hills, but you don't have to worry. They are nice people, mother. I am certain about it," Haoran assured, propping himself close to his mother. "They have been welcoming."

Haoran left out the details about the spirits warning him. He did not think of it as much of a threat since he learnt that no matter how good or bad a spirit is, they each have their own amount of vengeance. There was scepticism in Yueyin's brown eyes as they darted back and forth from Haoran's cheeks to the wounds on his fingers. She spoke nothing, and Haoran saw the danger lurking behind his mother's stern gaze. The silence was too much to his liking, but he leaned close to his mother, sinking himself into his mother's calming scent.

Haoran heard the sounds of his sisters and aunts chatting and drifted away when his mother wrapped both her arms tightly around him. He knew she was worried and saw something that he possibly would not understand. Her hugs became tighter at each passing moment. Just as he wanted to strike a conversation with her, the announcement before the door brought everyone to attention.

"The Emperor is here!"

When his mother stood up, Haoran followed with her help to steady his swaying steps. As the door burst open to welcome his father into the Royal Healing Halls, Haoran bowed in respect alongside the rest of the family members. Meeting his father's lurking eyes, he knew how much his father doted on him more than other children. There were days he claimed to love everyone equally, but Haoran and his elder sisters all knew that the Emperor of the Pang Empire doted on his youngest son the most. Haoran is and always will be his father's greatest hope in inheriting the Pang Empire. He sighed, not wanting to think about any royal agenda at the moment. When he felt his father's palms against his shoulders and they were all given the sign to be at ease, Haoran met his father's eyes. The Emperor caressed his injured fingers lightly before turning away.

"A royal shaman will be at the Cui Palace tomorrow. They are allowed to perform a ritual in your chamber to void off all bad omens that are lingering around. We will hold a special prayer to prevent any more evil nonsense from riding into the palace," the emperor announced turning to meet Haoran's eyes. "Your safety matters a lot, and other than me, your mother, aunts and sisters are all worried about you. I cannot bear seeing you asleep in gardens with your face and fingers covered in blood. It is not normal to have blood staining your skin, plus the healers said you are in good health. I do not have the guts to watch my only son lurking in the middle of the night, unruly, screaming, and trashing around in his own blood. It is unsettling. Something is lurking around you and I hope it is not taking you away from us."

"Listen to your father," Yueyin spoke, caressing her son's back and Haoran heard his aunts convincing him to follow. "We will proceed with the ritual. It will remove all the bad omens that are already here and are about to come."

Haoran nodded at his mother's words and he was grateful to have all their care, including his father's love all the time. His mother held him close, sighing in relief at his agreement to tomorrow's ritual. Haoran did not want to worry anyone else. If the ritual could help, he would abide to it. His family had too much to bear at the moment. Ever since he began seeing spirits with horrifying features and waking up with multiple scratches and bumps, Haoran knew immediately his life would take a different turn. One thing Haoran was certain was that if the shaman provided him with an answer, he would hunt them down. Fully. Without mercy.

== xxx ==

The Hall of Flowers was extremely silent that night. Thoughts fluttered across the halls, dangling itself on a thin thread. The dancers were sent away after their first dance, not because the ladies did not appreciate the delicate and well-crafted performance, but because there was too much to think about. Yueyin was drowned in her thoughts as she laid back on the couch, arms massaging her head as she sighed, holding back the worries that threatened her every limb. She wanted to rush to her son's chamber, to cradle him like a child when he was younger, and to wash away his every worry. However, the healers were persistent in letting the young prince rest for the night alone after his so-called adventurous night. Her pot of peach tea was left aside till it was too cold to savour.

"Yueyin," Jinran called out, snapping her youngest sister from her deep thoughts while she urged her maid to pour her a cup of tea. "Haoran is in good hands now. I have personally taken over earlier to monitor him. Haoran might be a little unstable, but I assure you, he will heal. And Yueyin, I think it is best to keep the prince in the castle for a few more months before continuing his adventures. Don't you think so?"

"I agree with Jinran. We should confine him in the castle grounds until the answer is clear. His condition is severe," chirped Xueyi annoyingly when she tried to adjust one of the fallen straps of her clothing. "Yi Qing told me Haoran was raking his nails against the cold palace. He was muttering things like the dead are awake, souls freeing themselves from prisons, and baby spirits spewing out of bottles with sealed talismans. His eyes were bleeding and there were invisible markings on his foreheads which disappeared when he woke up."

Jinran straightened her back, looking at Xueyin with a determined look. And, by their concerns, Yueyin knew they witnessed more than she did. Their children share the same palace with different quarters, so the chances of the siblings meeting each other are more than them running into each other by chance. Hence, they must have seen more than she or her elder two sisters did.

"Not just her. Hua Yang tried waking him two nights ago when she found him knocking onto the pillar with his head and he attempted to scratch her in the process," added Jinran.

Deep down, Yueyin had a speculation. She was unsure if it was even possible, but as she patched those hints, it led to only one conclusion. She hoped it was not the ending she had imagined. Her breath slowly became uneven as her thoughts dug deeper and as the honourable ladies discussed Haoran's condition even more, Yueyin fought the urge to ride out of the place and visit the place Haoran set foot in. Shutting her eyes, she tapped her chest gently trying to clear all her muddy thoughts away, breathing in and out to assure herself that her only child and the empire's prince will be safe from all misfortunes.

"Yueyin?" Xueyi called out and tried again when there was no response. "Yueyin?"

"Ah yes, Xueyi jie," Yueyin answered the second she felt cold palms against her shoulders and it was then, that all the conversations came across her mind. "Jinran jie, please forgive Haoran for his attacks. I am sure he did not mean it. I hope Yi Qing is not severely injured."

The two ladies scoffed at the apologies, slumping themselves into the empty spaces next to Yueyin. The eldest, Xueyin on the left and the second eldest, Jinran on her right. They enveloped her with warm hugs, caressing her hair gently, hoping that it could help loosen her worries. Yueyin knew that deep down, they genuinely cared for her and Haoran. Even though the three of them are the emperor's wives, they knew by heart at the earlier stage that competition would not bring them far. Since they each have a different talent, they could thrive in the kingdom differently. There is no need for unnecessary unhealthy competition. It had been a norm for emperors of different empires to pursue multiple wives, so the three of them swore a pact to keep supporting each other not just among themselves but also between their children. They wanted to prevent all unhealthy competition and this pledge they made was one thing that kept peace among them and the kids.

"Yin mei, you don't have to apologise to me or my YiQing. She's unharmed without any scratches. She might be a little startled, but it's time she learnt how to live a life that doesn't revolve just around her. Fear is a part of our life," addressed Xueyin, clutching tight on Yueyin's palms to provide her with more assurance. "Everything will be alright. We will all be here for you. Get a good rest tonight and don't worry too much, alright?"

"Our Yueyin is a general at heart, so nothing a little ritual will shake her grounds, and I don't think that she is worried about the ritual," Jinran spoke gently, poking Yueyin's nose. "Something about what happened to Haoran seemed familiar to you, didn't it, Yueyin? You've seen it before, somewhere?"

As Xueyin and Jinran exchanged glances, they could hear the sound of croaking frogs coming from the gardens. Even the sound of chiming bells was heard. Yueyin nodded her head gently, fingers tracing pictures as her eyes stared at the empty space while she bit the insides of her cheeks.

"I might have a clue about it, but I do not want to spill what's uncertain and cause panic. Once the royal shaman has given us a result, then," she paused, drawing in her breath. "I will make my own conclusion."

Somewhere among the hills, between the caves covered with metallic scent, dark blue potion brewed in a large cauldron. Shrieks of laughter exploded behind the door, against the walls, causing a huge echo.

Finally, it screeched. It's your turn to be helpless. You out of all people deserve it!

Note:

Da jie : Elder sister

Jie : Sister - referring to someone elder

Mei : Sister - referring to someone younger 

Word Count: 3,544 words (excluding notes) 

Cumulative Word Count: 12,906 words