Chapter 17 Zizi
Zizi
In all the worlds and all lifetimes, our souls are bound together.
Time passes, but Four never forgets.
With the brief light in his existence extinguished, his smiles grow rarer; his laughter is never heard. If the other Kings
notice, none have mentioned it. And because Four no longer visits the mortal realm, none can complain.
Four pours himself into his kingdom, executing his duties with fervor. A distraction, perhaps, from the pain deep inside.
Still, hope does not abandon him.
Standing at the edge of the mist, Four steadies himself. Expending his spiritual essence this way leaves him drained, but
it is the only plausible solution he has come up with. An old pocket watch with gold gears whirs softly in his hand. A relic
he discovered after decades of exploration. He scans the darkness of the Nothing, the liminal space between realms.
Wishing. Hoping.
There is movement.
A figure crawls out from the fog. Unnaturally thin and dressed in rags. Feeble and helpless.
Frantic, Four rushes forward. But when the figure raises their head, he sees a different face from the past.
If you hurt her or bully her or make her sad, I won’t ever forgive you. . . . I have pledged to protect her with my life. . . .
Will you do the same—a life for a life?
How is this possible? Why did this young man’s soul appear instead of Lei Ying’s? Why did she not come when Four called?
Four stares at the young man shivering on the ground. Souls sentenced to the Nothing retain their mortal memories. But for
some reason, the young man does not recognize the immortal.
She is my light, and I will do all in my power to guard her precious flame.
The hole in Four’s chest where his heart should be hurts. He has broken his vow, and he can only offer his penance. This young
man was important to her.
“You are not who I am looking for,” Four says. “But whether by chance or fate, I have found you. If you come with me, I will
make sure you never have to suffer like this again.”
The young man reaches out a trembling arm. Four grasps his hand firmly and pulls him up.
“I am Four. Do you remember your name?”
The young man’s lips move as if searching for his identity, but his confusion only grows. “No,” he finally replies.
Four smiles. “Then I shall call you Nikai.”
And you shall be my family.