When the man opens his eyes and takes in his surroundings, he is dumbstruck, briefly becoming still.
Rather than a warm bed and cozy room, he was before a set of cold, dark ruins..
What happened?
The man looks around with a mixture of curiosity and unease. He remembers very clearly that he was supposed to be sleeping at home, so how come he’d found himself in this mysterious, godforsaken place when he opened his eyes? Where was this, anyway? How did he manage to arrive here? With these questions on his mind, the man walks forward slowly, cautiously leaning on the walls in order to find an exit. But, regardless of whither he walked, he saw only a chilling darkness and a stifled world.
Is this some kind of nightmare?
He forcefully slaps his cheek; the resulting acute pain clears the man’s remaining doubts and transforms it into fear and anxiety. This isn’t a dream, nor a hallucination, so what is it really? What sequence of events placed him here? Even though his heart is filled with uncertainties, the man chooses to continue on. He reaches out, pressing his hands against the cold surface of the wall, and walks onwards by following the corridor.
The man doesn’t notice that only a short distance behind him, an impenetrably pitch-black darkness roils and undulates, gathering like snakes hiding in the shadows, waiting to pounce.
A glacial, light-blue flame shines forth.
“Uwah!”
Faced with an inexplicable spectacle, the man couldn’t help but jump. He flattens himself against the wall, his eyes darting in every direction. Simultaneously, a voice filled with charm and warmth can be heard by his ear.
“Welcome to my domain, o esteemed guest.”
“Eh?”
Upon hearing this, the man pauses, reflexively turning his head. To his surprise, he sees a person standing only a short distance away from him, dressed in an outfit both outlandish and magnificent. The person watches him with a soft smile, his dark, voluminous hair and eyes granted an air of mystique under the firelight. Even though he didn’t know how the person had appeared, he sighs internally in relief at the sight of another human being.
“Who are you? What is this …”
“I am You Lian; feel free to call me by that name.” [1]
You Lian slightly inclines his body in a small bow, then raises his head to look at the man before him.
“Then, can you tell me your name? Dear guest?”
“My name is Lin Feng …”
Plied by You Lian’s inquiry, the man gradually calms down. However, as he moves his gaze onto You Lian’s body, his expression nevertheless reveals a hint of confusion and puzzlement. “Please, what is this place exactly, and who are you? Why did I appear here?” He spits out a string of questions almost immediately as he relaxes. Though he realizes quickly that doing so is rather rude, You Lian doesn’t seem to mind, offering a shrug and an inviting gesture in response.
“Isn’t holding a conversation while standing rather tiring? How about we continue our conversation with a repast? As the first guest in fifty years to grace my demesne, you are deserving of a warm welcome.”
“… Thank you.”
The man nods, after a moment of hesitation, and follows You Lian into the room behind him.
The sound of music fills the air, exquisite in its magnificence. The sight of pure-white napkins and piping hot food enter the man’s view, releasing the dregs of tension remaining in his heart.
“Please, take a seat.”
You Lian extends the invitation with a smile, raising the glass in his hand and shrugging only after seeing the man nervously seat himself.
“I understand you have many questions, all of which I would be happy to answer … then, to start off with, would you like to know about?”
“What is this place, exactly?”
The man asks, almost immediately.
“I was sleeping at home before; how did I get here?”
“This is my personal space.”
You Lian sips from the wine in his glass agreeably, before directing his gaze at the man once again.
“As for why you got here, that … I wouldn’t know. Perhaps it is because the dimensional walls are comparatively thinner? Making it easier for otherworldly travelers to be attracted here.”
“Other … world?”
Upon hearing that word, the man opens his eyes in shock.
“Are you saying that this place isn’t Earth? Heavens, how unlucky, how did I …”
Watching the man place his head in his hands and sigh in distress, You Lian makes no sign of a response, maintaining only a warm smile until the man raises his head towards him again, having accepted that fact.
“Then, what kind of person are you? You said you created a space yourself … are you a wizard, by chance?”
“My apologies, I am not a wizard.”
You Lian raises the glass in his hand again; the man pauses in comprehension, then hastily raises the glass by his hand to return the toast.
“Actually, I think I can understand how you feel, Mr. Lin Feng.”
You Lian leans on the back of his chair a little, his expression softening.
“I haven’t seen a compatriot from Earth for a long time. Truthfully, I’m very glad at your arrival.”
“Eh?”
The man gives a blank stare as he hears those words, and examines You Lian more carefully. To his great surprise, the latter has the same dark hair and eyes, the same yellow skin. Moreover, he finally notices that the other man has been speaking in his mother tongue all this time.
“Could it be that you’re also …”
“That’s right.”
You Lian nods, lifting up a wine bottle beside him.
“Like you, I came to this world in an odd manner a long time ago. But regrettably, I haven’t found a way to leave this place.”
“Then you’re saying … I can only continue living in this world?”
The man’s expression darkens. He lets out a low sigh, then wraps his hands around his head again.
“It’s like that in theory, yes.”
You Lian puts down the wine bottle. A strange light flashes within his pitch-black eyes, but the man doesn’t notice it, too occupied with the forlorn lamentation of his own fate. After clearing away his muddled thoughts, the man raises his head again.
“Then you’re saying, none of this is a dream? I’m really in another world? What shall become of me? What should I do?”
“You don’t have to do anything.”
You Lian’s voice is low and temperate, imbued with a kind of heartwarming charisma.
“I will help you leave this place.”
“But, I remember you saying that you weren’t a wizard. Shouldn’t only wizards be able to do something like that? Like dimensional magic, or transmutation …”
“I really can do something like that. Neither am I a wizard.”
You Lian smiles gently, proudly, when he hears the man’s words; and moves his shoulders a little.
“I am a knight; a knight of demise.”
“Knight … of demise …?”
The man couldn’t help but repeat the phrase. It seemed to possess a bizarre magic; when You Lian uttered the title, the mild and comfortable air in the room had suddenly thickened, giving off a dry and sweltering sensation. The man grasps his glass tightly, unconsciously taking a mouthful of the wine inside; a sliver of coolness enters his body, dispelling the uncomfortable heat. He affixes his gaze closely to You Lian, but cannot clearly perceive the other man’s precise location – his very existence itself is like a falsehood, an indescribable illusion.
“That’s right.”
You Lian gracefully sets down the glass in his cup, and cleans his hands with a napkin.
“After I came to this world, I became one of the strongest knights on the continent. However … there were a few slight complications. Some people didn’t like the rules of my game, so they banded together in an attempt to destroy me; an effort that took place over many years. Even though I was victorious in the end, I had to pay a … modest price.”
Saying so, You Lian points to his own body.
“Though I wiped out those troublemakers out completely, I lost my corporeal form as a result, and can only appear, now, as a soul in my personal realm. I must say, it has been a thoroughly unenjoyable experience.”
“Oh …”
Swallowing a piece of medium-rare beef, the man moves his head dazedly. He feels that he doesn’t quite know what the other man is talking about; even though it seemed very important, his brain couldn’t comprehend the meaning within the words. The heated sensation appears again, forcing the man to raise his glass.
“But, honestly, it looks like fate is still on my side.”
You Lian clasps his hands together, fingers interlaced; he smiles pleasantly towards the man, leaning on the back of his chair.
“I’d thought that I would have to stay here for another long while. Receiving a sacrifice so quickly was something … unexpected.”
“Eh?”
The man raises his head; his brain had already become sluggish before that moment, but he instinctively feels that he’d heard an exceedingly dangerous word. You Lian’s pleasant smile and intent gaze are unchanged; the only difference is a glint of wintry joy in his eyes.
“Mr. Lin Feng. You’re willing to help me in escaping my current predicament, are you not?”
“… Eh? Of … of course.”
The man is momentarily surprised, uttering an unthinking reply.
“Very good. Thank you very much for your assistance.”
You Lian’s smile grows ever brighter. The well-lit dining room suddenly dims, the vivid music having stopped at some point prior, and even the sumptuously decorated banquet table disappears; the world is ruled once again by the roiling darkness. The man sits stupidly on his chair, his hands and feet already completely bound by black chains. His partly-muddled brain is only reawakened when the cold and darkness settles in once again, pervading itself into the man’s flesh.
“Wh, what do you want to do, exactly?! You …”
The man’s interrogation is unanswered. The black mist, like a venomous serpent, coils him within itself; simultaneously, You Lian straightens himself as he stands up, and walks directly in front of the man’s face. He reaches out both hands; an anguished shriek from the man’s mouth, and the black mist around him begins to writhe slowly, contracting like a snake’s digestive throes. Following this, a faint, desperately struggling soul-spark appears in the palms of You Lian’s hands.
“This is part of the deal. My condolences, friend.” [2]
With the remnants of a frigid smile, You Lian closes his hands. In so doing, the soul-spark in his hands shatters into pieces, the dust-motes scattering into the nothingness of the void.
The pitch-black space begins to shake and crumble. Increasingly violent tides rise out of the roiling darkness, releasing deathly energy unparalleled in its intensity. Finally, the illusory dimension completely collapses; with its ending, an existence feared by man returns to the world anew.
[1] This is actually a predominantly fantastical story, with Western-style names. Since Western names are represented with Chinese characters, there is no abrupt transition; however, since the main character's nationality has plot relevance in a few sparse places (and notably this particular prologue), it may feel a little weird at the outset.
[2] The word "friend" here is supposed to be a little more personal than "compatriot" but carry the same sort of "common origin" meaning. For the sake of avoiding repetition (since I feel the texture of this word is a bit different from the "compatriot" I used earlier), I've chosen "friend", which is not the closest meaning-wise but carries the same lighthearted apologeticism that I wanted for the sentence.