The Attack of the Nian Beast (I)

There was a mode of communication,

The one on the mind that I can never explain,

It was as if I was meant to go back,

In the time where I knew I wouldn't track.

***

THE YEAR 1904, a century away from the present time.

"No, my destined Queen, I will not let you down! You could be in danger!" Lei Jie yelled back as he rushed to get Althea on the hall immediately. He sighed as he glanced at the feast and he saw that the Emperor and the Empress were bowing down their heads because of the people that were coming in.

They didn't notice that Lei Jie was carrying his soon-to-be wife, without even knowing that something might happen that was dangerous. She swallowed as she heard Qing Long's voice saying, "Something will happen. At least, not now, but later."

Althea widened her eyes as she doesn't know what to think about what she heard from Qing Long. She swallowed as she glanced at the street that the Prince was stepping on and she was worried about Qing Long. She flailed around, making the Prince stop from his tracks, and Althea quickly slapped the lower part of Lei Jie's back. He screeched in pain as Althea's heavy hands slammed onto his robes, and the sensation spread like wildfire in his skin underneath the garments.

Althea felt that her wooden slippers found their place on the ground once again as her heart was beating louder than usual. She grabbed that chance to kick Lei Jie on his balls by swinging her knees on the air and punching it right at that spot. Lei Jie held onto his groin a little later, clasped both of his hands on his robes. The people around the area were sniggering at their quarrels as lovers while Althea ran away as fast as she could.

She whispered in her mind, but she can't concentrate.

She ran up the steps away from the side of the hall. The people were starting to pile up on the area as the Emperor and the Empress of the Qing Empire were readying themselves on their seats. Whereas, Althea was trying to decode what Qing Long had said to her on her mind. It was just a matter of a day after she went there, but circumstances already circled around that she didn't know if she could deal it with.

She ran on the lawn of the street, with everyone bowing their heads down as she sprinted with her robes, the time ticking before Lunar New Year. The destined Queen must have been gone on an errand before the ceremony took place on the square. Althea ran as fast as she could, begging her pessimistic mind to give way with her positive thoughts, and sighed.

She ran past the cabin, stopping as she was halted by a horde of chickens with the ropes on their necks, following someone ahead. Althea breathed and put her hands on her knees. She sprinted up the corner, where the area had been deserted. All of the villagers were now on the square, celebrating the Lunar New Year, but Althea knew that it would be dangerous.

Althea saw the entrance towards the side of the Yangtze River, but she was just as surprised when she saw Qing Long's back by the corner of the surrogating waters. She huffed some air as she felt her hair flowing over her shoulders and closed her eyes.

Qing Long was standing on the corner of the lawn, with the Jian sword behind him, the waters were now starting to differ from its current. He swallowed as he saw that something on the side of the river was now rising. He drew the Jian sword out of his sheath as he swallowed.

Althea furrowed her eyebrows as she tilted her head to one side and she could not seem to whisper words on her subconscious. It felt like it was not connecting through the channel that they had both initiated. Althea opened her eyes and was confused about it.

She huffed some air as she walked a few steps on the lawn and stopped. She widened her eyes as Qing Long's ears hear something different on his back that made him swiped and turned around. He wielded the sharp surface of the sword in his front and Althea took a step back. He was wearing a stern and doubtful face as Althea swallowed constantly.

The tip of the sword was very close to her eyes, nearly swiping it, and Althea thought she could be dead. She sighed as Qing Long's eyes softened a bit and he placed the sword on the side. He swallowed as he was the one who initiated the conversation.

"I thought you're prepping up to show your face at the ceremony, there's nothing I could do to help you out of it," Qing Long rebutted as he turned but Althea found her voice once again.

"Tell me, why can I hear your voice?" Althea was befuddled about it, and she never thought that she could continue their conversation once again. She swallowed as she looked at the other side and continued, "It was just a day that I had been here, but several mysterious scenarios were replaying on my mind, is that... is that even true?"

Qing Long stopped from observing the waters as he knew that he should explain it today than later. Qing Long turned his heel around while raising his eyebrows. The sound of silence was defeating between them. Althea and Qing Long connected their gazes at each other.

Qing Long heard a noise underneath the waters that made him astonished. Althea also heard it, but she doesn't know if she was the only one who could hear it. She looked alarmingly through Qing Long and she bit her lip. She stammered, "W-what is it?"

Qing Long turned sharply to Althea and realized that she could hear it too. He grasped Althea on her arms and force her to look straight to his pupils. He asked, "You can hear it too?"