You are chasing a phantom

Sial stood in the darkness, the cold mountain air biting into his flesh. The silence of the night was broken only by the sound of their footsteps Suddenly, he saw a figure appear in the distance. As the figure approached, Sial's gaze glinted. 

Zetian approached Sial, the moonlight casting an eerie shadow over his face. He looked at Sial with a blank expression.

"Stop searching for your family Sial," Zetian said simply.

Sial's eyes widened in surprise. How did he know? Who is he? 

He had never mentioned his search for his family to anyone. Not a single soul knew. How could Zetian know about it?

Sial gazed at him intently, a dangerous vibe emanating from him "What do you mean? Who are you?"

The Ze family were in Lianhua town, but they should not have any knowledge of that as then it was only Grandma Ze who resided in their and she had been terribly ill. 

Zetian chuckled softly as if amused by Sial's attempt to hide his emotions. "Don't bother hiding it," he said, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. "Who am I? I should be asking you. I know you've been searching for your family. And I know you won't stop until you find them."

Sial felt a chill run down his spine. There was something in Zetian's tone that sent a shiver of unease through him. But he refused to let it show.

"So?" Sial said, crossing his arms in a defiant gesture. "What of it? you're not willing to say who you are? fine! "

Zetian's smile widened as if he found Sial's bravado amusing. "I'm just trying to save you from heartache," he said, taking a few steps forward. "You're wasting your time searching for your family. It useless" 

Sial bristled at Zetian's words, anger and frustration welling up inside him. "You don't know anything about my family," he said through clenched teeth. "You have no idea what they mean to me."

Zetian shrugged, his nonchalant attitude only serving to irritate Sial further. "Maybe not," he said. "But I do know that you're chasing phantoms. Your family is gone," he repeated. "And the sooner you accept that, the better. In the future, you'll realise" 

Sial's jaw tightened as he tried to rein in his emotion. 

"How can you be so sure?" he asked, his voice taut. "How can you be so certain that my family is gone?"

Zetian took another step towards Sial, his eyes fixed on his face. "Because I know things that you don't," he said, his voice low and steady. "Things that you wouldn't believe if I told you."

Sial felt a flicker of curiosity despite himself. He wanted to know more. But he was reluctant to give Zetian the satisfaction of asking. "Like what?" he said, his jaw still clenched.

Zetian chuckled again as if he could read Sial's thoughts. "You're too prideful to ask me, aren't you?" he said, cocking his head to the side. "Fine. I'll tell you. But only if you promise to hear me out."

Sial frowned. "Fine," he said through gritted teeth. "I'll listen. But that's all I'm promising."

Zetian's smile widened into a full-fledged grin "Good," he said. "Now, listen carefully."

He paused, taking a moment to look around the desolate mountain. The only sound was the faint rustling of the wind. Then he spoke again.

"Your family never existed," he said, his voice low but intense. "You're not who you think you are."

Sial's heart skipped a beat as he heard Zetian's words. Impossible! He remembered the night he had found them all dead, their bodies cold and lifeless. It was a memory that haunted him to this day.

"You're wrong," he said, shaking his head. "They're dead. I saw them. I saw their bodies."

Zetian chuckled softly, a hint of pity in his voice.

"You see? This is why you need to stop searching for the truth. You're chasing a chimaera, a phantom."

Sial felt a pang of irritation at Zetian's condescending tone. He didn't like being told he was delusional.

"How can you say that?" he snapped. "I know what I saw. I know what I remember."

Even if he was just 10 then, he remembered! 

Zetian shrugged, "Memories can be deceiving," he said. "Especially when you're desperate to believe in something. You see what you want to see, remember what you want to remember."

Sial felt his hands clenching into fists. 

"And what about the bodies?" he said, his voice cold. "I saw them lying there. They were cold and lifeless. They were dead."

Zetian sighed as if he were talking to a stubborn child.

"Have you ever heard of illusions, Sial?" he said, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. "Sometimes what we see is not necessarily what is real. Sometimes our eyes can deceive us."

Sial felt a pang of irritation at Zetian's words.

"What do you mean, illusions?" he said, his voice harsh. "Are you saying I imagined finding my family's bodies? That I made up the whole thing in my head?"

Zetian nodded slowly, "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," he said, his voice matter-of-fact. "You were so desperate to find your family that you created an illusion in your mind. You saw what you wanted to see, and your subconscious mind made you believe in it. But it wasn't real."

Zetian stared straight at the shining moonlight, "The Shen family, do not continue your search on them. Not only is it useless, but I believe you do not want to break your relationship with her" 

Zetian turned and strode away with huge strides

"What are you saying?! Don't you dare harm her" Sial yelled, his voice low and dangerous

Zetian paused for a moment. Then he walked away after without even turning to face him. 

Sial felt a pang of anger as he watched Zetian walk away, disappearing into the darkness. He wanted to go after him, to force him to answer his questions, but he knew it was futile.

"Damn it!" he exploded, kicking at a nearby rock. "Damn it all!"

Sial took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. But the feeling of anger and frustration still bubbled inside him, and he couldn't shake it off.

"He knows something," he muttered to himself "He knows about me, about my family. But how? And what does Evelyn have to do with any of this?"

Sial frowned deeply, he then walked down the mountain. 

As Sial walked away. Zetian watched as Sial disappeared down the path. The night was silent, save for the occasional rustle of the wind through the trees.

He stepped out of the shadows, his expression still unreadable

"It's a shame, really brother," he said, almost to himself. "The truth is right there."

A small, chilling smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "We're more alike than either of us realize."