When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 313: Echo of the Past (2)

Chapter 313: Echo of the Past (2)

Nian released a sigh of relief as the cool water cascaded down his body, clearing the haze in his mind. Still naked and dripping wet, he stepped out of the shower area to grab a towel on the shelf. To do that, he had to pass by the sink. His gaze briefly flicked across the foggy mirror before he reached out a hand to grab the towel, but then a sudden realization struck him, causing him to freeze in his tracks.

Wait a minute, he had not turned on the hot water, had he? So how could the mirror turn foggy?

He gave a double-check and confirmed that the mirror was indeed misted over, obscuring his reflection within.

Nian’s brows furrowed in doubt, but he quickly shook his head. Why was he dwelling on such a trivial matter? There were a lot of reasons why the mirror could fog up, and all he had to do was wipe it clean – problem solved. It must be because of the weird dream he had in the classroom this morning that made him feel out of sorts today. Draping a towel over himself, he scoffed at how ridiculous he was and extended a hand to clear the fog from the mirror.

The distance between his face and the mirror gradually shortened, and the moment his hand made a stroke across the misted surface, he suddenly caught sight of a bizarre creature perching on his right shoulder. "Ah—!" He cried out in shock and leapt backward, clutching his furiously pounding heart. His pupils constricted sharply as he stared at the mirror in horror.

W–What was that?!

Even though it was only for a split second, he saw it clearly. The creature was roughly the size of a palm as it clung to his wet hair. He could not make out the details of its face because all of his attention was drawn to the creature’s lower body which resembled a fish. Nian’s breath hitched on his throat as he fumbled to pat his right shoulder, but he could touch nothing but empty air. He mustered the courage to step in front of the mirror again, and this time the layer of fog had completely dissipated, displaying a clear reflection of his pale complexion and stricken eyes. There was nothing on the mirror either.

"What the hell..." he murmured in disbelief. Had he experienced some sort of hallucination?

"Nian?"

A knock landed on the door, startling him so much that he almost jumped out of his skin. "Are you okay? You didn’t slip inside, did you?!" It was his friend who had returned to bring him lunch.

Snapping out of his reverie, Nian quickly replied, "I’m fine!" He haphazardly dried himself, put on the clothes and stumbled out of the bathroom, still in a daze.

"Are you feeling sick?" His friend inquired in concern upon noticing his ashen complexion. "Why do you look even worse now? And you didn’t even dry your hair properly!"

Nian forced a strained smile on his face, "Just a little dizzy, nothing serious."

"Nothing serious? Then why would you take a cold shower?!"

After repeatedly reassuring his friend that no, he did not need to go to the hospital for a check-up and yes, he would take medicine after eating, the man finally relented, "Oh well, just call me if you need something. Shoot, my class is starting soon! See you later!" He hurried to the doorway and put on his shoes. But before he could dart out of the door, Nian suddenly called out,

"Wait!"

His friend stopped and asked, "What is it?"

However, Nian’s mind was blank. He did not know why he called out to the other person either. Did he want to ask something? Yes, that’s right... there was something he had to confirm. His lips moved as though controlled by an invisible force, and he heard himself asking, "The hospital... where is it?"

His friend showed an expression that was both amused and concerned. "Are you sure nothing is wrong with you? The hospital is right behind our university building – Honglei Hospital. It was inaugurated a month ago. We even went together for a free blood sugar check. Remember?"

As soon as Nian heard the two words ’Honglei’, it was as if an explosion had gone off in his mind, and something seemed to be on the verge of breaking free inside his head. However, in that critical moment, a higher force bore down on him, rendering his mind blank. "Ah..." he blinked in realization, the previous thought forgotten. "Come to think of it, that’s true. Sorry, I don’t know what has gotten into me today." He rubbed his forehead and let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

The man clicked his tongue, "Eat your lunch, take medicine and get some sleep. If the professors call for attendance later, I will inform them that you’re sick."

Nian nodded in gratitude, "Thank you."

His friend waved him goodbye and left, leaving him alone in the quiet room. From the half-opened window, he could hear the faint sounds of chatter below, the cheers of people playing basketball on the sports field, and the soft humming from a random person in the neighboring room.

Nian let out a sigh and turned away. Alas, instead of drying his hair or eating his lunch like he had promised, he pulled out a chair, sat down and opened a notebook on the table. He flipped to a blank page, grabbed a pen and began to write down everything he had experienced today.

The different colored eyes in his dream, the inexplicable discomfort he was feeling all day, and also... the creature he saw in the mirror. With furrowed brows, Nian dug into his memory and tried to sketch what the creature looked like. He swore he had only glimpsed it for a split second, but as his pen moved across the paper, he could tell that the tail was almost translucent, with two delicate flukes on either side of its hips. Also, it had long silver hair just like...

Just like who?

Nian pressed the tip of his pen on the paper, spreading the ink from the center. His mind began to wander again. His hand moved carelessly, and when he looked down, he noticed that he was in the middle of writing a character.

"What is this? Jian[1]?" He mused aloud. "Why would I write a sword?"

He stared at the half-written character for a moment, and an indescribable emotion surged in his chest. Just as he was on the verge of comprehending what he was feeling, a sharp pain pierced his brain, dispersing his thoughts in an instant. He grimaced and clutched his throbbing head, "Hiss— it seems like I’m really sick."

Setting the pen and notebook aside, he grabbed the lunch his friend had bought, polished it off before downing a cold medicine. By then, his hair was already half-dried. He hesitated to go into the bathroom, fearing that he would see something bizarre again, and in the end, he gave up on retrieving the dryer to blow his hair. "Forget it, let’s just dry it with a towel."

He applied a little aromatic oil, massaged his scalp and patted the wet ends with the towel. After that, he climbed onto the top left bunk and lay down on the cramped space, sighing. He willed himself to ignore the discomfort it brought and close his eyes. Soon, the effect of the medicine kicked in and he drifted off to sleep.

***

His harsh breathing echoed in his ears, and his heart felt like it was pounding on his throat. He ran through endless corridors, taking a different turn each time, yet he could see nary a person in the vicinity. His throat protested in pain as he screamed out a name with his hoarse voice. The muscles on his calves spasmed from the excessive running without a break. Even then, he forced himself to move.

Move... he had to keep running! He couldn’t stop now. If he stopped, then everything would—

Who? Whose name is it that I’m calling so desperately?

A tang of saltiness entered his mouth and only then did he realize that he was crying, his face soaked with tears.

Why am I crying?

Where am I?

As though detecting something, the him inside the dream abruptly halted on his tracks before continuing down another turn. His heart soared and leaped within his ribcage, though this time it was no longer out of anxiety and fear. A surge of hope and anticipation coursed through him, giving him a boost of energy he needed to keep going.

Just a little more... just a little more and he would be able to find—

Inside the dream, he arrived before a black colored door, and he seemed to see the word ’forbidden’ inked on the nameplate. Alas, too caught up in his turbulent emotions, he paid it no heed and slammed the door open.

Nothing but boundless void lay on the other side. It was dark, so dark that it seemed capable of stripping someone of their senses. It was a compressed darkness so horrifying and intense that not even the most dazzling light could pierce into.

But then, a pair of enormous different colored eyes snapped open, looking down at him. His knees buckled under the terrifying pressure. It was like facing a superior being whose strength far surpassed him, an otherworldly creature which was not supposed to exist in the world, or even... a dormant God who had just roused from its long slumber. Nonetheless, he kept his head high and stared into those terrifying eyes which were filled with nothing but coldness.

Slowly, a relieved smile spread across his face.

Found you.

.

.

The blaring siren jolted Nian from his sleep and he opened his eyes, noticing that night had fallen. Around him, his three roommates were also roused awake with groans of irritation, complaining, "What the hell is it now?!"

"We’re seniors, for God’s sake! Can’t you let us sleep peacefully?!"

Nian propped himself up by the elbow and saw that his three roommates were being grouchy and bleary-eyed at the sudden wake up call.

"Is it another drill again?" His friend grumbled with annoyance. "Didn’t we go through this just last month?"

Despite their relentless complaints, they still forced themselves to move and put on appropriate clothes to head outside. It was then that the speaker crackled to life, and a flustered voice announced,

"Attention, students of Honglei. Please make your way to the university grounds at once and await further instructions. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill!"

A flash of crimson spilled in through the gaps of the curtain, prompting his friend to yank it aside as he slipped a shirt on his body. In an instant, the scenery outside caused his jaws to drop in shock. "Fuck! W–What is going on?!"

Through the window, Nian could see the sky in the distance which was streaked with an eerie crimson hue. Sinister clouds swirled ominously, and strange crimson beams began to descend like rain. At first, there was only one, then two, and three...

Whenever the crimson beam landed, an enormous creature would rise from the earth, bearing a ferocious snarl. Mice, worms, cockroaches, cats, dogs, and rabbits— it was like seeing a scene straight out of a doomsday sci-fi movie. The ground shook violently as the gigantic creatures tore and clashed with each other, and Nian could feel the shockwaves traveling to his current position even though the distance between them was still half a city away.

His widened eyes took in the sight of the apocalypse before him, and an unsettling thought rooted in his mind.

I have seen this somewhere. No, I... have gone through this before...

.

.

[1] Jian (剑) meaning sword, has similar strokes to the ’Jin’ of Jin Jiuchi’s surname (金). SN has only written it halfway, and the first word that comes to mind is Jian. Sksksks he’s so close!!