Chapter 18 Rui
Rui
Xingshan Academy was nestled on an island near the southern tip of the mainland. An old mountain range, weathered with time,
rose in the distance behind the campus, and the remnants of an old village lay at the base of it. Detached from the city and
connected only by a bridge and shuttle train, the Academy felt like another world.
Rui liked it that way.
She’d left the Simulator facility and shut herself in her room. The image of Yiran on the verge of burning out, looking like
he was dying, rattled her mind. Soon her own room grew too claustrophobic, and she decided to go to her favorite spot by the
water to clear her mind.
The boardwalk stretched far across the edge of the campus where a small park was. Rui sagged onto the wooden bench and shivered
in the light breeze. Even though she wore a thick puffer coat and an extra sweater over her athletic gear, her hands still
had a bluish hue. Was it a sign that her recovery was going badly?
So far, no one at the Academy suspected the extent of her injuries. It seemed like the blow to her spirit core hadn’t taken
away her martial arts skills; she didn’t have problems sparring with Yiran earlier. But the real problem plaguing her was
unfixed. It was wretched to appear totally fine when, inside, she’d been broken apart and left to rust. She dug her hands into her coat pockets, sighing to
the sea, her thoughts once again going to Yiran.
At first, she’d been surprised to discover that the Academy had bent the rules for him—the one-on-one lectures and tutorials,
the observations of the senior class. But in hindsight, it should’ve been expected. Rui had long understood that privilege
and power went hand in hand. She might be the prodigy, but Yiran had the pedigree. She had beaten him fair and square during the sparring session, but somehow it felt like she was the one who’d lost. No matter what, the Song name carried weight.
She was miffed at her classmates too. It wasn’t that they didn’t like her or respect her abilities; it was that they’d accepted
Yiran as one of their own too quickly, as if it was his rightful place to be at the Academy. Would they do the same if they
knew how he had gotten his magic?
She pulled out a small vial. The tonic inside was colorless and warm on her tongue. Zizi had given it to her to help with
her healing. It did restore her strength, but the medicine couldn’t hide the fact that she couldn’t conduct her spiritual
energy with her weapons.
Her pocket buzzed.
“Speak of the devil,” she murmured. It was a text from Zizi.
Been hearing some chatter about missing mages. Disappearances in my circles.
Rui texted back quickly. What do you mean?
Unsure. I’m asking around. Anyway, are you feeling better? I’ll fix it—promise!
“I’m holding you to it,” she said to her phone.
“Holding whom to what?”
Ada had found her.
Rui smiled. “Nothing.”
“You look like you’re freezing.” Ada wrapped her bright pink scarf around Rui’s neck.
“Thanks,” said Rui, her voice muffled by the soft wool. It smelled of green apples and citrus, the perfume Ada always wore.
“How is he?”
“Yiran? I left him in his room an hour ago. He said he was going to nap. He’ll be all right. I think it’s just first-day nerves,
plus he doesn’t know the fundamentals. Mai really shouldn’t have switched the program on him.”
Rui was surprised by her own relief. Maybe she was more worried about Yiran than she cared to admit.
“By the way,” Ada said with a broad smile, “we’re going for karaoke when there’s no curfew to celebrate the new president of the Student Council. Your lovely presence is mandatory.”
“Right! I haven’t congratulated you yet.” Rui hugged her. “I told you it was going to be you. There’s no one better for president.”
“I did run a good campaign.”
“A flawless one.”
“If you insist.” Ada patted herself on her back. “Good job, me.”
“Good job, you,” Rui agreed.
“So, karaoke?”
Rui couldn’t hold a tune to save her life. “I don’t have a choice, do I?”
“Nope.” Ada laughed. “I feel like we haven’t been hanging out much recently because of your injuries. I’m glad you’re feeling
like yourself again.”
But I’m not myself. Rui wanted to tell the truth, but instead, she rested her head on Ada’s shoulder.
“It was amazing to see you kicking that poor little rich boy’s butt,” Ada remarked.
Rui knew she wasn’t being mean. “Why do you call him a poor little rich boy?”
“Because he is one. It’s obvious he’s been living in Ash’s shadow. Having a famous and accomplished older sibling messes with
your self-esteem.”
Ada had the ability to empathize with everyone. Sometimes, Rui wished she had it too. “You, my friend,” she said, “are way
too kind.”
Ada pointed at a tall figure jogging toward them. “Speaking of Song er shaoye, is that him?”
Rui thought briefly of running away, but it was too late. Yiran was already in front of them.
“Shouldn’t you be resting?” Ada said.
“I couldn’t nap. Thought I’d take a walk for some fresh air.” He looked around. “This is a nice little park.”
“You should still get some rest,” Ada nagged. She glanced at her watch. “Crap. I’m about to be late for my first Council meeting as president. I’ll see you later, Rui.”
She ran off, leaving an uncomfortable space between Rui and Yiran.
Rui wanted to leave, but this was her spot. She didn’t want to lose it to him too.
“I’ve something to tell you,” Yiran began.
“Shut up and sit down.”
She closed her eyes, listening to the sound of the sea for a few long moments. When she opened them again, Yiran was next
to her on the bench. Long legs stretched out, he gazed at the water, his lips an angry line. But the lapping waves seemed
to soothe him the way they soothed her. The angles of his shoulders softened and his expression turned meditative.
Rui felt a palpable link between them. A kind of weird emotional connection. Like she could feel what he was feeling. It was
awful and she hated it. She had felt his frustration when they sparred, his terror when the program switched and the Revenants
came after him. She didn’t know if it was because they’d shared a near-death experience together, or because his body contained
something of hers. But it was there, undeniably so.
She was afraid he might feel it too.
“Okay,” she finally said. “You may speak.”
Yiran exhaled through his mouth. “I know it’s awkward to see me in school and in your class. Don’t worry, I’ll stay out of
your way.” Lines rippled between his brows. “I know you hate me.”
“Hate is a strong word. An intense repulsive feeling of dislike would be a more accurate description,” she said. “But it was too troublesome to say in that moment, so I stuck with hate.”
Yiran’s mouth formed something between a smile and a grimace.
Rui looked away, picking at the raw skin around her thumbnail. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled.
“For what?”
“For getting you involved in this mess. I’m sorry I didn’t give you a choice when I cast that spell.
I’m sorry I planted a time bomb inside you.
” It was a relief to say it out loud. She hadn’t asked him before she held his hand and changed both their lives forever.
Her guilt had festered, and she wanted to heal the rot. “You should be the one hating me.”
“Why would I hate you?”
“Because you could d—”
“I don’t hate you, Rui—I could never hate you.” Yiran spoke quickly, like he was afraid if he took a breath, the words would
never come out. “I never knew my father, and I can’t say I know much about my mother either. I think she loved him, but they
couldn’t be together. When I was six, she brought me to Song Mansion. I never saw her again. I found out who my father was
that day—some great Exorcist who died protecting the city. It’s weird, sharing your father with the world. It’s like everyone
knows him, or they claim to, anyway. I know who he was supposed to be, but I don’t know who he really was. I also found out what being a Song meant. Sadly, I didn’t meet expectations, and
it’s something I’m reminded of every day.”
Not knowing what to say, Rui fiddled with the tassels of Ada’s scarf.
“You know what else?” Yiran continued. The tips of his ears were pink. “My grandfather was going to send me away. I was supposed
to leave my home like some exile. But now, I get to stay because of what you did. You may think you made a mistake, but it’s
because of you that I’m still here, that I get to try again. It feels like a second chance, even if it’s just for a while.”
If Rui had her way, she’d snatch her magic back from him right this moment. But as she sat, feeling the churn of emotions
flowing from him, she wondered if, just for a few more days, she could let Yiran feel like he was enough.
But it’s not fair. He’s always had everything. You’ve had to fight for your place. She tried to silence that voice, tried not to think about how even if her mother’s murderer were standing in front of her,
there’d be nothing she could do now.
“I’m glad your grandfather was happy when you told him the news,” she said, trying hard not to sound bitter.
“Is that what you think happened?” Yiran looked at his shoes, shaking his head. “The old man didn’t care. He seemed upset,
like I’d gotten into trouble again. Maybe he’s afraid I’ll embarrass him even more if I suck at this school.”
The boy next to her wasn’t the Song Yiran who had charmed her schoolmates, but the other boy, the poor little rich one Ada
saw. The one who had so little to lose that he would throw his life away so easily.
Everyone dies sooner or later.
His smile had hurt her.
“Your core was burning up earlier, wasn’t it?” Rui put her feet on the bench and drew her knees to her chest. “You didn’t
know what to do, and you were scared, and everything spilled out of control.”
“I was afraid,” he admitted quietly. He gave her a strange look, like he knew she was also talking about the young girl she
had been four years ago.
The chilly wind returned with a vengeance, and with it, the turquoise sea turned stormy gray. A light drizzle came down, the
freezing rain prickling their noses and cheeks.
Rui pulled her coat close.
“You should get out of the rain,” Yiran told her.
Rui nodded. But she made no move to leave.
“I’m getting hungry,” Yiran said. “The barley soup Mai got me was kind of . . .” He searched for the right word.
“Mealy? Soggy? Bland?” Rui suggested.
“It was pretty disgusting, but I’m sure there’s proper food at the cafeteria. Why don’t you join me? It’s warmer indoors.”
“What happened to staying out of my way?”
“I’ll start tomorrow. Come on, I’ll buy you dinner. We can get takeout downtown. Don’t you miss riding in my fancy car?”
“We’re not supposed to leave campus whenever we want—” Rui caught his smirk. He was teasing her. “Fine, cafeteria it is. They make their fries and burgers fresh, and they have this blue orangeade drink
that Ada really loves. I’d recommend those and the mint-chocolate ice cream.”
Yiran wrinkled his nose. “Absolutely no on the ice cream. I don’t want to eat toothpaste.”
“Mint-chocolate ice cream does not taste like toothpaste,” Rui protested.
“We can agree to disagree. A flavor of ice cream shouldn’t be a friendship breaker,” he said solemnly, but his eyes were crinkling.
Were they friends? Rui wasn’t sure. He’d revealed something to her, and she didn’t know why she was worthy of this trust.
They hardly knew each other. But maybe this was how friendships started, someone placing a fistful of feelings in your hand
and saying, Keep it safe.
She felt a sudden tickle, like a whisper grazing her skin. A brief sense of vertigo hit her, like the world was warping. She
blinked hard.
And gasped.
Yiran was motionless, eyes glazed, mouth shaped like the last word he’d uttered. The waves in front of them were frozen, just
like the figures in the distance next to the buildings. Rain hung like strands of pearls in the air, and a surreal silence
permeated her surroundings. All she could hear was her own ragged breathing.
Had time stopped? But how?
Suddenly aware of another presence, Rui turned.
A man was walking toward her, his long robes flowing red like blood.
He smiled and her heart turned to ice.