When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 368: Unbreakable Bond (4)

Chapter 368: Unbreakable Bond (4)

Ying thought she had tasted the full extent of the Cycle’s cruelty, but as it turned out she was sorely mistaken.

Upon returning to the real world, she learned that death in the Cycle equaled death in real life, with at most an hour buffer. She learned how it felt to mourn twice, to go through the same excruciating torment all over again, to watch her brother’s life fade away right in front of her without her being able to do anything.

She ran home with all of her might, disregarding the strange looks and alarmed calls from the passersby and neighbors. She ignored the pain and weaknesses all over her body as she raced up the stairs, almost stumbling on her feet, slammed the door to her brother’s room open and—

There he was, sitting on his bed like always. Still alive and breathing.

But Ying knew better than to believe in his survival, because she could see it as clear as daylight— the shroud of darkness over his complexion, the ghastly, almost bluish pallor of his face...

"J–Jie..." He looked over at her upon hearing the commotion, his eyes similarly wide in disbelief. But unlike her brother’s eyes that twinkled in joy at the chance to say a proper goodbye, Ying collapsed once again. She hugged him in her arms and screamed hysterically, "No... NO! I WON’T ACCEPT THIS! I WON’T!"

"Jie..." Tears welled up in his eyes as he tried his hardest to lift his arm, to pat her back and soothe her. The sight of his twin breaking down was tearing him apart as well, but he still managed to muster a smile. Because that was what he had been doing his whole life— hiding his pain behind a mask, so that people wouldn’t worry about him more than necessary. "Jie, don’t cry... please..."

"Don’t go!" Ying grasped onto him with the desperation of a dying man clutching onto a lifeline, wishing she could tuck her brother in the space between her ribcage where he would be safe and secure. "Please... please, I beg you! Don’t leave me!"

When their parents came running upon hearing her agonizing screams – a sound they had never thought she was capable of producing – they found their daughter weeping while holding their son, her expression one of extreme grief and sorrow.

"What’s wrong?!" They asked, flustered.

"Save him! Please save him!!" Ying begged them desperately, earning her a look of confusion because their son did not look any different than usual. However, Ying was adamant on sending him to the hospital, unwilling to let the slightest chance to save her brother slip away from her fingers, and their parents could only comply.

However, her efforts turned out to be futile.

He breathed his last during the rush to the hospital, their fingers intertwined tightly with each other. The last words he whispered to her were, "Don’t be sad, Jie. I will always be with you."

The medical report indicated that her brother’s heart had suddenly malfunctioned. It was not strange, given how he had been born with a weak heart. As for how Ying could know it in advance? Everyone reasoned that it was because they were twins, and there was an invisible bond between them that not even science could fully explain. Perhaps that was what had driven Ying to seek help, but alas.

The same day, Ying was also hospitalized for a high fever that did not abate for a week. Again, they reasoned that it was because she had just lost her twin, which led her to collapse physically and emotionally.

They were wrong— all wrong.

Nobody except her knew that her brother did not die of heart failure, but he had succumbed to his high fever and extreme dehydration after fighting for five whole days.

Nobody knew that her high fever was not a mere reaction to grief, but it was caused by the physical changes she underwent, which transformed her from an ordinary human into an ’Intermediate player’.

Nobody, not even her parents, could understand the full extent of her despair for having lost her brother twice right before her eyes. The helplessness of struggling against fate, the overwhelming sorrow, hatred and fear— no one could understand it but her.

She changed drastically after that. Gone was the easy-going and carefree girl who always grinned from ear to ear. In her place emerged a cold, hardened version of herself.

It was hard to muster a smile on her face, because the sight would always remind her of her brother’s lingering smile during his last moments. That beautiful smile should only belong to him, and thus it was gone along with his passing.

His absence left an oppressive void in her chest, akin to losing the center of one’s universe, or the sole compass in a vast journey. The loss affected her so much that whenever she encountered players who bore even a faint resemblance to her brother – be it the way they smiled, the shape of their nose, or the twinkles in their silver eyes – she would find herself being kind and generous to them to the point of foolishness.

Even if she ended up being taken advantage of more often than not, she did not care.

Maybe... maybe this was her way to atone. Maybe this was her way to apologize to her brother, for being so weak, helpless and pathetic.

In a way, her brother was right when he said that he would always be with her. This might be the real bond between them— an unbreakable bond that transcended even the boundaries of life and death.

.

.

I know you would definitely win. After all, no one is more powerful than you.

Jie, you silly buffon...

Don’t blame yourself anymore.

.

.

"Ah—!" Gu Luoxin let out an alarmed cry when the ground shook violently beneath him. "W–What’s going on?!"

Shen Nianzu, Noir and Qiuqiu paused as well from where they were fighting against a new wave of the nightmare creatures. A bizarre phenomenon was currently happening around them. The hill of corpses they had left behind, hundreds of the nightmare creatures they had killed... they suddenly showed signs of moving!

Sensing something, Shen Nianzu whipped his head toward the massive bud behind him, and his breath hitched when he caught sight of Ying’s familiar figure emerging from it.

"Ying!" He cried out, relief flooding his heart.

"T–Thank goodness!" A huge relieved smile broke on Gu Luoxin’s face. "You really scared me!"

"Wuwuwu..." Qiuqiu shed off happy tears. "I’m so glad to see you again!"

Noir scoffed, "Took you long enough."

Ying unhesitatingly cut off the stem that grew out of her back with her dagger, her expression remained resolute despite the blood and injuries all over her body.

With a commanding wave of her hand, all the corpses rose to her call, and much to everyone’s surprise, they began to fight against the nightmare creatures with the same— if not even more intense ferocity!

Skill Card: Twin’s Last Blessing

Skill Type: Necromancy

Skill Level: Queen

Skill Description: An ethereal gift from her fallen twin. A legacy she will guard until the end of the time and beyond, bringing her unparalleled power from the netherworld.

This was the last remnant of her brother’s presence within her— a strand of hope carved out amid neverending despair, a chance to defy the cruel fate that had befallen them.

In a battlefield where countless had fallen, she would never lose.

"Sorry for making you wait," she said, her eyes clear and bright with determination. "Let’s get out of here."

.

.

A/N: this little arc is dedicated to Ying. Thank you so much for giving us such amazing character portraits <3<3<3 hope you like your tragic backstory and sorry you won’t die by xinxin’s kingkong *cover face*