The Attack of the Nian Beast (II)

The Attack of the Nian Beast,

The wrath of the begotten,

The beating of the heart had been increased,

The rage of the forgotten.

***

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

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?"

Althea parted her lips slightly as she heard the growl, combined with someone grunting like it was nibbling down a huge amount of human and animal flesh on its largemouth. Althea saw the increasing amount of waters wavering around, making a curve, that was seldom to be observed on a Yangtze River. Althea ignored Qing Long's question as she went towards the fence and fell down on the ground as she saw something through her vision.

It was big, it was huge, full of thorns and scales on its back, while it was the color of raven black. She was out of her breath as she heard the ringing suddenly and remorse of whispers were erupting on her mind. She placed her hands on her ears as Qing Long felt the blustering of the wind around them. Qing Long placed his hands on her shoulders and whispered something.

Althea opened up her bloodshot eyes in a matter of minutes as she felt the beads of sweat trickling down on her forehead. Qing Long was right, he was the Last Healer. The Crown Prince ran over, not minding the ceremony of the Lunar New Year, but he looked up and saw that Althea was on the ground beside the lawn, her robes were now wet.

He took a step forward but he was surprised when someone drew a sword on the sheath. That was the guy earlier, the one whom his destined Queen introduced to be the one she knew. He felt his fists knuckling and he doesn't know what to do. He took a step forward once again, but he stopped when the man shouted.

"Appear now if you will!" Qing Long exclaimed as Althea was lost in her daze. Althea slowly stood up from the lawn and grabbed Qing Long's robes. She was experiencing nausea, and she doesn't know how she could eradicate it. She glanced at the way as she was still hearing that growling and Qing Long turned to her slowly.

"What is happening? I can't seem to understand a thing since I came here, what... what is this I can hear? What is this...," Althea stammered while Qing Long checked if the coast was still clear, and turned back to Althea again. She gripped his robes much longer and she was in a rage. She wanted to know what was happening, she was desperate now. She doesn't want to continue this kind of pretend play and she wanted to know what was Fang Ying Yue's life.

"I'd rather want to explain to you when this Lunar New Year ended, we can't chit and chat this day," Qing Long huffed as he anxiously turned to his periphery vision, asking himself if he should be alert or explain to Althea what was going on. Qing Long knuckled his fists and think of what to do in a hasty way. He grabbed Althea's shoulder and hurriedly turned him to her.

"I wanted to... explain everything when all of this is finished, but... I need to ask you a favor," Qing Long breathed as the wind gusted and the growling of the animal became noisier than usual. He sighed as he turned to it, and gritted his teeth.

Lei Jie was standing there, observing them, and tilted his head to one side. He nodded as he placed his hands on his chin and through his back. He stared at the person grabbing his destined Queen's shoulder and whispered to himself, "I need to get rid of that man..."

He glared and turned his heel around. He fumed all the way back to the corner of the street with furrowed eyebrows.

At the same time, Qing Long explained to Althea what she was going to do. Qing Long then said, "I need you to focus, you will see something dangerous, and I need you to help me."

Qing Long connected his gaze to Althea's azure eyes and they were both communicating with that intense stares. Althea couldn't seem to understand what she was going to do and asked, "What am I going to do?"

"I need you to close your eyes, and stand too far away from me," Qing Long answered in an instant that made Althea gripped his silky robes in a split second. The growling of the Nian beast, as Qing Long had predicted, was getting louder and louder, making it more evident that the Lunar New Year ceremony had begun.

"Why? Why do I have to stay too far away from you?" Althea asked anxiously, she swallowed as Qing Long brushed her hair out of her shoulders and looked at her straight in the eye.

"Just do what I said, I will explain to you when all of this is over," Qing Long sighed as he placed his warm palm over Althea's wrists and removed it. Qing Long was reminded once again of his past healers, but why does he felt that Julissa's soul had been igniting inside Althea's soul and Fang Ying Yue's body?

It was like three souls that had been granted the power to lift off his curse.

"You need to stay at the corner of the lawn, close your eyes, and I will shout to you when it will be the time to open it, alright?" Qing Long breathed the instructions as Althea clenched her jaw and obliged as soon as possible. She didn't have any choice, she wanted to know what was Fang Ying Yue's life, and why they can communicate with each other on their minds.

Qing Long swallowed as he gripped the Jian sword and grabbed a hold of Althea's hands while she was turning around.