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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Five
Lin Sui stood by the side of Nanchang Road, the night fog wrapping around the old house like a veil, the dim streetlights casting a solitary shadow at her feet. The butterfly mark on her wrist no longer bled, but it felt deeply etched into her bone, a faint ache pulsing beneath the surface. She turned to look back; the bathroom window of the old house had darkened, that shadow vanished, yet the sound of footsteps still echoed in her ears—deep and slow, as if pursuing her through the mist. Taking a deep breath, she tightened her grip on her backpack, which contained Shen Jingqiu's notebook and a boat ticket. She knew there was no escaping this. She had activated the curse, releasing Shen Jingqiu's soul, but at what cost? A chill ran down her spine, as if unseen eyes were watching her from the shadows.
She hurried away and returned to the archive room. The notebook lay open on the desk, the ink of the farewell letter smudged like tears. She stared at the line "I will leave, not walk away, but disappear," her heart pounding like a drum. Shen Jingqiu was trapped in a time loop; Blue Butterfly was the lock, and she was the key. Gritting her teeth, she decided to burn the boat ticket; perhaps that would break the cycle. She ignited a lighter, and the flame licked at the ticket's surface, the acrid smell of burning filling the air. As it turned to ash, she sighed in relief, but then felt a flicker from the butterfly mark on her wrist, as if mocking her naivety.
Leaning back against her chair, Lin Sui stared at the ashes on the table. Burning the ticket had done nothing; she still felt a chill creeping in, like wings brushing against her neck. Flipping open the notebook, she read Shen Jingqiu's words: "Blue Butterfly is both lock and eye; they watch me until forever." A frown creased her brow. Shen Jingqiu's soul was trapped in the old house, yet after activating the curse, those "eyes" had turned toward her. A wave of dizziness washed over her as images of Shen Jingqiu flashed through her mind—April 25, 1947; she stood at Xiafei Road residence while Blue Butterflies swarmed outside. She hadn't boarded the ship because time had stopped; she was trapped within walls, and the knocking was her cry for help.
She rose and rummaged through old files in the archive room. She needed to find traces of Shen Jingqiu to prove she wasn't losing her mind. Flipping to records from 1947, she found Shen Jingqiu's name and address listed as Xiafei Road, but next to it was an additional note: "Missing since April 2; suspected illegal transaction." Stunned, she flipped to a sealed list from the central bank—after Shen Jingqiu's account was frozen, twenty gold bars went missing. A chill gripped her; those gold bars hadn't been taken away—Shen Jingqiu hadn't escaped either.
Continuing to search, she found a police report from 1947. Neighbors reported that on the night of Shen Jingqiu's disappearance, low humming emanated from her room, like wings flapping; by morning, a Blue Butterfly wing was found on the windowsill. Lin Sui stared at the report with trembling fingers. Suddenly it dawned on her: Shen Jingqiu's soul was trapped in that old house while her own investigation perpetuated the curse. Gritting her teeth, she flipped to the last page and gasped at what she saw: "2015, Lin Sui, archivist; investigation at Nanchang Road." She froze—her name appeared in records from 1947?
A sharp pain shot through her as the butterfly mark glowed like fire. She jerked her head up; lights in the archive flickered like those in the old house. Standing up, she found herself plunged into darkness as whispers filled the air: "You cannot escape..." With a scream, she dashed for the door but froze—beyond it lay not a corridor but rather the old house’s bathroom; butterfly shadows danced vividly on its walls. She stumbled back and fell over a chair, scattering files everywhere. Gasping for breath, realization struck—time loop hadn’t broken; she had been pulled into it.
The truth pierced through her heart like a knife. Shen Jingqiu signed a contract for gold bars but paid with her soul. Blue Butterfly was an emblem of that curse, binding her to April 25th of 1947. Lin Sui’s inquiry had unlocked that lock; thus, extending the curse into 2015. She wasn’t a key but rather a new prisoner. Despair washed over her as knocking echoed again from within walls—as if welcoming her.
Lin Sui sat on the floor with rapid breaths. The darkness of the archive pressed down upon her like a weight; knocking sounded like nails being driven into her skull. Closing her eyes brought forth Shen Jingqiu’s shadow—a pale face with an eerie smile seemed to say: "It’s your turn now." Memories flooded back of that night when her mother disappeared—the blue butterfly outside—the cold touch felt prophetic. She had always sensed there was something she needed to reclaim; now all she felt was like a sacrifice.
Opening her eyes revealed that butterfly mark glowing fiercely on her wrist. Anger surged within her—why was it her? All she wanted was truth yet found herself dragged into this abyss. Remembering Shen Jingqiu’s despair when signing that contract—she too thought escape was possible—but at what cost? Lin Sui clenched her teeth; she refused to accept fate. She had to break this curse even if it meant sacrificing herself. Taking a deep breath as knocking intensified—urging action—she felt as though standing before a mirror reflecting back weakness and obsession.
Suddenly she laughed—a mad laugh echoing through silence. It dawned upon her that it wasn’t Shen Jingqiu who couldn’t escape but rather human nature itself. Shen Jingqiu sold her soul for gold bars while Lin Sui ventured into darkness for truth—they were both prisoners driven by desire. Glancing down at her wrist revealed that butterfly mark pulsating like a living thing at its edges trembling slightly. A wave of relief washed over her—perhaps this was how it would end.
Lin Sui stood up and gazed at butterfly shadows on the wall. The knocking ceased replaced by low humming akin to wings flapping gently against air currents. Approaching closer with fingers grazing against cold wall felt like touching bone itself—a sharp pain shot through as blood seeped from that butterfly mark again. Gritting her teeth softly murmured: “Shen Jingqiu, I’m not afraid of you.” The blue light within walls flickered briefly as if responding to her words. Closing eyes brought forth a sigh from darkness—a voice reminiscent of Shen Jingqiu whispered: “You will understand…”
She opened her eyes, the lights in the archive room flickered on, and the shadows of butterflies on the wall vanished. She let out a sigh of relief, but just then, a blue butterfly flew by the window, its wings cold as if pressed against glass. She froze, a chill creeping down her neck. Slowly, she turned her head, and on the desk, the files lay open; among the records from 1947, her photo stood out, her gaze hollow like that of a corpse. She let out a scream and dashed out of the archive room, faint whispers trailing behind her: "You can't escape..."
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