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墨書 Inktalez
Hearing Li Zhisheng ask this, I couldn't help but fall into deep thought. "If it were still growing at the initial rate of that mark, it wouldn't be so bad. But now it's different; if this continues for another half a month, I fear I might be in danger."
I sighed and said to Li Zhisheng, "If nothing unexpected happens, I don't think it will take more than a month." He frowned, "Does that mean we have to play Supernatural Game again?"
"Do you have a better solution?" I glanced at Hu Fang, who was discussing something with the waiter nearby. After pondering for a moment, Li Zhisheng said, "By the way, do you remember what happened with that old man at Qinyang Hospital?" I nodded, and he continued, "Back then, you could see ghosts, right? Since there are so many wandering souls in this world, why not take a walk on the street and jot down what you see?"
I waved my hand at him. "I confirmed this on the way here; I can't see anything. I think it has something to do with the suppression of that mark. Perhaps only when it grows to a certain level or when the Void Spirit awakens again can I see anything. But given the current situation, I can't let it awaken again; otherwise, I might never see the sun again."
The waiter nearby had overheard me and kept casting strange glances my way. At that moment, Hu Fang finished ordering and said upon hearing us mention Supernatural Game, "What? Are we going to play Supernatural Game again?"
I forced a smile and replied, "Do you have any good games to recommend?" She played with her hair and thought for a moment before saying, "Well, there is one, but it's only for one person..."
Curious about this single-player game, I asked, "What game is it?" Meanwhile, Li Zhisheng remained silent, listening intently with a hint of worry.
Hu Fang continued, "This game is called Bloody Mary. I heard about it from a friend studying abroad. The story goes like this: In the mid-eighteenth century, there was a stunning Countess from Hungary. In her youth, she was incredibly beautiful; many even fought duels to win her heart. But as time passed, she began to age slowly. Unwilling to accept this fate, she sought ways to preserve her beauty and tried countless methods but found nothing that worked. One day, a guest arrived at her ancient castle—a dashing man in a splendid coat who appeared quite charming..."
Hu Fang picked up her glass of water and took a sip before continuing, "He had gotten lost while hunting with his companions and came by seeking water and food because he was thirsty and hungry. Unexpectedly, the Countess, who had never been enamored with any man before, not only offered him water and food but also invited him to stay in her castle."
"A few days later, the Countess realized she had fallen in love with this gentleman. During their conversations, he noticed her distress over her fading beauty and revealed a method to maintain eternal youth. He told her that bathing in the blood of young maidens would allow her to absorb their souls and thus stave off aging."
"After sharing this method with the Countess, he left the castle but not before kissing her goodbye. He expressed his hope that if they met again someday, he would still see her beautiful face."
"After he departed from the castle, the Countess, eager to retain her beauty for their next meeting, followed his advice. She ordered her steward to capture young and beautiful girls and personally slit their throats to bathe in their blood. Sometimes she would even drink fresh blood to achieve both internal and external rejuvenation."
As she spoke, the waiter brought out plates of delicious dishes for us. We ate while listening to Hu Fang. "Over time, the Countess became reeking of blood but showed no signs of shame. Instead of being repulsed by her actions, more nobles became infatuated with her."
"As time passed without seeing her beloved gentleman again, war broke out. The enraged populace captured the Countess and burned her alive. As she was consumed by flames, she caught sight of her own disfigured reflection in a mirror. Before dying, she swore vengeance against all who had seen her face. Later on, thousands of young girls' corpses were discovered buried beneath her castle."
"So is this game Bloody Mary about that Countess?" I asked curiously. Hu Fang nodded in affirmation: "And my friend who told me this story likely tried playing this game after sharing it with me."
Li Zhisheng interjected, "How do you know?" Hu Fang put down her knife and fork, looking at Li Zhisheng with a serious expression. "Before she shared this story with me, she had already mentioned that she wanted to try it. Then one time, after she tried it, she called me in tears. She said when she looked in the mirror, she saw an old woman without skin, her face covered in rotting flesh. After that... I lost contact with her completely..."
She wiped the grease from her mouth and continued, "It wasn't until two months later that I learned from her family that she died in the bathroom. Since she was living alone in a rented place abroad, by the time she was discovered, her body had already decomposed. Her eyes had been brutally gouged out, and the scene was extremely tragic."
Realizing he had asked an inappropriate question, Li Zhisheng quickly closed his mouth. I hurriedly swallowed the food in my mouth and asked Hu Fang, "So what are the rules of the game?"
"The game is simple. At midnight, go into the bathroom alone, then light a red candle between yourself and the mirror. Once that's done, say 'I believe Bloody Mary' three times while looking into the mirror, and you might see the Countess."
"And then what? What do I do afterward?" I asked, puzzled. Hu Fang shrugged her shoulders. "What happens next, I don't know. That's all I know. If you want to try it, you better think it through."
"Well, it sounds dangerous, but I should be fine," I replied. After that, we fell silent and focused on eating.
Before long, everything on the table was consumed; it seemed we were all starving. After settling the bill, it was already late at night, and everyone went straight home without lingering.
I sat on the sofa, contemplating Hu Fang's words: "If I don't try it, it seems there’s no other way. But if I do try it and something really happens, how would I escape…"
Just as I was hesitating, Li Zhisheng came out of the room holding a newspaper-wrapped object. "What's this?" I asked curiously. Li Zhisheng smiled and said, "This is what you used before. I thought it might still be useful, so I brought it back but forgot to give it to you until now."
Upon hearing this, I took the object from his hands and unwrapped it to find that it was the pitch-black Ebony dagger—Jiang Ling! My heart leaped with joy; now that I had it in hand, I felt more confident.
Li Zhisheng looked at me and asked, "Are you planning to try Hu Fang's game?" Holding Jiang Ling in my hand, I replied, "What else can I do? If I'm going to try it anyway, at least now I've got a weapon." With that said, I stood up and rummaged through drawers until I found a candle—though not red; it was a regular white candle.
I called out to Hu Fang in the other room: "Hu Fang! Is a white candle okay?" She had just washed her face and came out with her hair disheveled. "I'm not entirely sure about that either," she said. "My friend specifically asked for a red candle when she tried it. From what I've researched, there's no strict requirement for candle color; any color should work fine. But are you really going to try?"
I nodded. "Well, there isn't a better method right now; I'll just give it a shot." With Jiang Ling in one hand and the candle in the other, I searched for a lighter before heading into the bathroom and locking myself inside.
Seeing light seeping through the gap under the bathroom door, Hu Fang shouted from outside: "You need to turn off the lights; otherwise, it won't work." "I know!" I replied casually.
I lit the candle and placed it on the sink; from the mirror's angle, I could see a flicker of its flame. Then I turned off the bathroom light; instantly everything around me became dim except for the flickering candlelight before me. The flame danced back and forth with my breath.
The candlelight flickered from below, casting an eerie glow on my reflection in the mirror. I tightened my grip on the sword in my hand and stared at the strange version of myself in the glass, reciting, "I believe bldyary." Aside from the flame I had disturbed, there was nothing unusual in the mirror.
"I believe bldyary," I repeated, but still nothing happened. According to Hu Fang, the third repetition would bring trouble.
I gritted my teeth and declared, "I believe bldyary!" My nerves got the better of me, and as I spoke, I accidentally blew out the candle.
Suddenly, darkness enveloped me, and panic set in. I quickly fumbled for my lighter. Just as I was about to ignite it, a thought struck me: "What if Hu Fang didn’t mention what would happen if I didn’t blow out the candle? Would lighting it now cause any issues?"
With that thought racing through my mind, I opened my mouth to shout, "..." To my surprise, I couldn’t hear my own voice. Confused, I tried again: "..." Still no sound. A chill ran down my spine—had I become mute? But there was no time to dwell on that; I needed to see what was happening.
I hurriedly flicked on the lighter. As the flame flared up, my eyes immediately caught something strange about my hand. I tucked the sword under my arm and slowly extended my right hand to take a look.
Now I understood why things felt off! When I faced my palm toward myself, my right thumb was oddly positioned on the left side of my palm. In other words, I had entered the world within the mirror!
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