6. The First Meeting

By the time Mao Yin finished up and made it home, he was an absolute wreck. He threw up more and more of the putrid black substance until his face began to turn purple from asphyxiation. He was folded over in pain, clutching his stomach as his bloodshot eyes began to trickle blood down his pallid cheeks.

Eventually, the vomiting stopped and he lay there twitching slightly, with his body burning and sweat running off his body in rivulets. His small body was in such agony that he found himself wishing that he had perished with the others so he wouldn't have to suffer through this sudden illness.

What felt like hours later, he finally settled down enough and due to exhaustion, he immediately fell into a deep slumber.

In his dreams, he sat in a dark space all alone. He could not see anything, hear anything, feel anything, or smell anything. He was aware of the ground beneath him, but he was unable to sense it. It was similar to being thrown into an isolation tank however, he wasn't able to stay calm in such surroundings. It only served to reminded him of how alone he really was.

The darkness and loneliness was absolutely suffocating to him and he felt tears begin to form at the corners of his eyes.

"Why do you cry, child?" A voice suddenly spoke.

Mao Yin jolted and looked around anxiously.

"W-who's there?" His voice was shaky.

There was no response for a while.

Again: "Why do you cry?"

The voice speaking to Mao Yin sounded extremely ancient like something originating from the depths of hell. But more than that... he unconsciously touched his throat. The voice sounded so dry that it made him thirsty just by listening to it. He cleared his throat and wiped his tears before responding. "I'm not crying anymore."

There was a gust of wind as the voice approached and spoke right by his ear. "You feel... sadness? Loneliness? Hmm... it seems that you are all alone in this world."

Mao Yin, who had just managed to stop crying, broke out once more into pitiful little sobs.

"Poor, poor child." An invisible hand gently caressed one of his tearstained cheeks. "The world is cruel to let a good child such as yourself to go through such hardship. Tell me; what is it that your heart desires?"

Mao Yin had not been expecting such a question and was taken aback for a moment. "What my heart desires?" He thought about it. "I want to live peacefully together with my parents again."

The voice chuckled softly; however, its voice was so dry, that it sounded more like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together. "My dear child, you know very well that it's no longer possible to do that. But be that as it may, I can show you a method that allows you to see and speak with their spirits whenever you please as if they were really beside you. However, for me to teach you this method, a trade is required."

Initially, upon hearing the voice's words, Mao Yin was overcome with joy but once he heard the rest of his words, he habitually became cautious. "What kind of trade?"

The voice laughed again. "My child, there's no loss to you, I assure you. I simply require a new home and occasionally something to eat. I will live with you in your heart and speak with you whenever you please. Just think of it as gaining a close friend. I will never do anything that can harm you either and instead I can protect you."

The offer sounded almost too good to be true for Mao Yin to believe. He wanted so badly to agree, but he knew better than to jump to an agreement on things without thoroughly thinking on it.

"C-can I think on it?"

The owner of the voice heard the slight hesitation in Mao Yin's voice but could sense that he was convinced for the most part. "Think, ah! Think away! But keep in mind, time is precious. You have three days to make your final decision. Use it wisely."

The voice faded and Mao Yin began to rouse from sleep. He felt exceptionally good! All his wounds had completely healed and he felt as light as a bird. But he smelled so terrible that it made him gag! His body was sticky from sweat and blood. Traces of black vomit could be found on his clothes as well. He didn't even want to see how he looked at that moment.

He decided to quickly wash up and go speak to the village chief about the matter in the forest. However, before he could do anything further, he heard a commotion at the door as someone began to bang on the door heavily.