Chapter 40 Rui
Rui
An inauspicious chill in the air heralded an early winter. As light receded, an ominous pall fell over the city, and the days
were getting darker by four.
Clusters of Revenants popped up all over town. Even though the Exorcists were dispatching most of them, Rui knew the Hybrids were the real issue. The public was still kept in the dark about their existence, but the news
headlines shifted in tone, questioning the aptitude of the Exorcists, demanding answers for the spike in victims.
Back at the Academy, the old rumor about Hybrids resurfaced, only this time, the whispers in the hallways were taken more
seriously. Whenever Rui was within earshot of a conversation, she’d bite her tongue, turn away, pretending she knew nothing.
The secrets inside her festered, a different kind of infection.
She stared out at the sun setting over the horizon of water now, as she sat on the bench by her favorite spot on campus. Waiting.
Restless, she picked up a pebble and flung it into the sea. It made a sad plop, and she felt worse. She wondered if it was
because this place reminded her of her encounter with Ten.
Her own hubris had resulted in their deal. Thinking she could do anything; thinking she could do everything by herself. But
she was still no closer to finding Four or taking her revenge. And she was still without magic.
Rui stared at her hands, clenching and unclenching them. She’d tried to channel her magic time and again. But no matter how
hard she pushed, she came up with nothing. None of that strange blue fire either. She was still damaged.
Maybe something worse than damaged.
The sound of familiar footsteps turned her head. Rui looked up at the tall boy who was bundled in a thick gray hoodie and leather jacket.
“Hey,” said Yiran, turning his cashmere baseball cap around.
“Heard anything new?” Rui asked immediately. They’d taken to meeting here, sometimes sitting together in silence, sometimes
talking about anything and everything. Maybe the empathic link had something to do with it, or maybe it was because they shared
both history and secrets, but his presence made her feel less alone and their connection felt stronger than ever.
“Nothing much,” Yiran replied. “They’re increasing the frequency of Night Hunts again, and there’s some talk about recruiting
cadets for missions.”
Rui bit her lip. “Anything about him?”
“Only what we already know. He’s been on Hunts, but they’re still mostly having him assist the healers. He hasn’t called you
yet?”
She shook her head. She wasn’t counting on it. “I think they took his phone away,” she said. “The number’s been disconnected.”
Yiran removed his cap, running his fingers over the fabric. “Look, Rui. Zizi made a choice. He decided to protect us. Just . . .
respect that. He wouldn’t want you to worry.”
“No one asked him to protect us,” she said, stubborn.
Yiran shrugged. “I don’t see the point in being angry with him.”
But Rui wasn’t only angry with Zizi for striking the bargain with the Guild Council alone, she was mad at herself for standing
by and letting him make that sacrifice. “You don’t understand how much he hates the Guild,” she said. “He must be miserable
right now, working for them and being ordered around by Exorcists.”
Yiran looked like he was about to argue, but he shrugged again and put his cap back on. “The wizard can take care of himself.”
He took Rui’s hand and pulled her up from the bench. “Come on, I want to show you something—a surprise. But first, I’ll buy
you a mint-chocolate ice cream cone.”
Rui arched an eyebrow. “Are you bribing me to go with you?”
Yiran replied without missing a beat. “No, I’m cheering you up, silly. Friends don’t have to bribe friends.” He smiled.
We really are friends, Rui thought. She smiled back. “In that case, make it a whole pint.”
Located behind the Simulator building, the north field was close to the edge of the campus and less well-lit. It was dark
by the time they arrived after Rui demolished her pint of ice cream. She could see the twinkling stars, wisps of clouds, and
the serene face of the waxing moon. The night breeze from the sea over Xingshan Mountain brought the subtle scent of snow
and a hint of something more. Something that refreshed her senses. She faced the mountain range, thinking about what had happened
there.
“Do you feel it too?” Yiran asked quietly next to her. She nodded, and he said, “Ash told me the mountain was sacred.”
The birthplace of Exorcism. Rui suddenly wished Song Wei had told her more. What had it been like all those years ago? Who were the founders of Exorcism
and the original secret society? Rui realized there was so much she didn’t know.
“We’re here!” a husky voice called out.
Rui turned.
Mai, Ada, and Teshin were strolling over.
“I heard you’re too shy to demonstrate your spiritual weapon in front of everyone, so it’s just us tonight,” Mai said to Yiran.
Rui shot a puzzled look at Yiran, but he didn’t notice. Spiritual weapon? Was this the surprise he was talking about? She
knew he’d made friends with Tesha Mak and she was helping him train on the side. But how was it possible for him to have a
spiritual weapon when it was Rui’s magic that he was using? The only spiritual weapon he could match with was her dual swords.
“Always good to get a boost of confidence from my most ardent fans before I unleash my greatness on the locals,” Yiran quipped.
“Whoo-hoo,” Teshin said monotonously, pretending to wave imaginary pom-poms in the air. “Hang on, Tesha and I need a favor
from all of you.” They pulled out several small velvet pouches from their backpack and distributed them.
“What’s this?” Rui asked, flipping the pouch. Tiny coins rolled out onto her palm. They shimmered with a faint crimson light.
“Qi bombs,” Teshin replied. “Tesha’s new incendiary weapon. Could you test it and give her feedback?”
Ada was rolling one between her fingers. “They look more like qi pennies.”
“Sure, we’ll test it,” Rui said, stuffing the velvet pouch into her pocket.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Mai grumbled at Yiran, pulling her coat tighter. “I’m freezing. Quick, show us.”
“Patience is a virtue.” Yiran smirked. He removed a slinky glove from his pocket. The material shone under the field lights.
It looked metallic, but light and malleable like silk.
“A glove?” Mai exclaimed. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone having a glove for a spiritual weapon.”
“Technically, it isn’t a spiritual weapon,” Teshin revealed.
“What do you mean—” Rui asked.
“True,” Yiran said at the same time, “but it allows me to do this.”
He stuck his hand out and channeled.
A large, glowing crimson circle appeared in front of them, the size of a truck.
“A defensive shield this big?” Ada gushed. “That’s upper-level magic.”
Mai let out a low whistle. “Well done, er shaoye.”
Rui stared at Yiran’s shield, a confusing mix of emotions rioting in her. It was her magic that was doing this, her magic that was impressing her peers.
Seemingly unaware of Rui’s feelings, Yiran kept on grinning. He didn’t seem to mind Mai’s use of the honorific either.
“This shield is stronger than the ones cast from talismans because it doesn’t need a secondary diversion of magic,” Teshin said. “And guess what? He can make even bigger ones.”
“Really?” Ada’s eyes sparkled. “That’s incredible. The Exorcists could use someone like you on their Hunts, Yiran.”
Yiran laughed nervously, but his shield remained bright and strong. “I’m not sure about that. I’ve only done a giant shield
once.”
“Practice makes perfect,” Teshin said. “Think of what else you could do when Tesha gets the second glove ready.”
“You’re not usually this modest, Yiran.” Mai laughed. “You’re sustaining this shield so effortlessly; I can’t believe everyone
thought you were a normie just months ago. How did they miss your potential with that spirit core of yours and all the energy
swirling inside?”
A small, surprised sound escaped Rui as a sudden realization hit her in the gut.
“I—I have to go—remembered something—” she said. Heart pounding, she spun around and ran across the field.
“Rui? Rui!”
She heard Ada calling out, but she ignored her best friend and kept running.
Rui slammed the door to her dorm room shut and locked it. Her pulse was still racing, and she had a stitch in her side. Shakily,
she sat on the floor and pulled out the shard of glass Nikai had given her.
All you need to do is say my name.
Rui had not used the mirror before. Would it work?
“Nikai? Nikai, are you there?” she whispered. “It’s Rui.”
The glass shimmered like liquid mercury, turning black and then clear again.
The Reaper appeared.
Rui was relieved the mirror had worked, but Nikai’s hair was disheveled, his tie crooked, and he seemed out of breath.
“Is everything all right in the underworld?” Never in a million years did Rui think she would ever ask a question like that.
“Hello, Rui. And yes—well, actually no. It’s a mess, everything’s a mess.” Nikai batted at something above him, outside of
the screen. “The Tenth Court’s still standing—thank goddess—but the Nothing appeared in the outskirts of the Third Court yesterday.
We’ve lost two towns to it and hundreds of souls.” He looked at her, suddenly hopeful. “Do you have good news? Is that why
you’re contacting me? How is the search going?”
“It’s not going. They’ve been keeping us on the island ever since the Hybrid ambush, so I can’t leave campus. I’ve been researching
vessels in the library, though, but nothing has come up so far.”
Nikai’s face fell. “I see.”
“I contacted you because I have a question.” Rui hesitated.
With all that spiritual energy, Mochi’s spirit core should’ve burned out, but it didn’t. Look at him, he’s perfectly fine.
How did they miss your potential with that spirit core of yours and all the energy swirling inside?
The only person Rui had ever felt a connection with was Yiran. She’d dismissed it, assumed it was the effect of the spiritual
energy transfer from Zizi’s spell. But that was only because Yiran had told her he was born with an ordinary spirit core.
What if he was wrong?
After all, he’d been training hard, refining the yangqi inside him and using it for magic. An ordinary core wouldn’t allow
for all that, would it? Tonight, she’d seen him cast a high-level defensive shield effortlessly. He’d been doing all this
with his supposedly ordinary spirit core, and it was still intact. It made no sense. But it would make sense if Rui cast aside all assumptions and came to one logical conclusion: Song Yiran always had an extraordinary spirit core.
That was why he could hold Rui’s spiritual energy in the first place, and why he’d absorbed all of hers. That was why, despite
everything, he was still alive. And if Yiran could hold energy that wasn’t his, if he could store it, could he have some kind of ability like that of a vessel?
You will be able to sense him.
What if the connection between them was due to something other than the spiritual energy transfer?
“Rui?”
She startled.
Nikai was looking at her through the mirror, anxious and waiting. “What’s the question?” he asked.
“What’s going to happen to the person who houses Four’s soul?” she said. “What’s Ten going to do with them?”
Nikai frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, sure you’ll get your King back, but what happens to the human he used to contain his soul?” said Rui.
“I assume we would extract Four’s soul and bring him back to the underworld, where he belongs. I’m not familiar with how we
would do it.”
“Will the human’s life be endangered in the process? Will they die?”
“I don’t know. There is no guarantee of anything,” Nikai said. “But you are weighing one human life against the entire underworld,
against the lives of other mortals in your realm. You’re weighing it against what you want, your revenge, your magic.”
Rui felt her jaw tensing. “That sounds like something Ten would say.”
Nikai looked away, shoulders sagging. “You have made a deal with a King, Rui. It is binding.”
Ten is a King, and all Kings are dangerous. “I’m aware of what I did,” she said.
“Do you feel a connection to someone, Rui?” Nikai asked quietly, avoiding her eyes. “Is that the reason for your questions?”
Rui wasn’t sure about her theory of Yiran yet, and Nikai didn’t have the answer she needed. There was no point in giving Nikai
a name. She kept her voice steady. “No. It was just a thought I had.”
She couldn’t tell if he believed her, but he nodded.
“Can you find out what will happen to the human that houses Four’s soul?” she said.
Nikai nodded again. “Is that all?”
“Not quite. Something weird happened to me.” She told him how the blue fire had burst from her hands during the altercation
with the Hybrids. Nikai’s expression grew grimmer and grimmer as she went on. “I haven’t been able to summon the blue fire
since that night,” she finished.
Nikai opened his mouth. Closed it, seemingly rendered speechless by her revelation.
“I wanted to tell you earlier,” she said, “but it didn’t happen again, so I thought maybe it was a weird one-off thing.” I didn’t want to tell you because I was scared, she thought, as Aloysius’s face appeared in her mind. When Nikai stayed silent, she said, “One of the Hybrid Revenants said
the blue fire draws from the darkness. I thought you might know what it means.”
“The darkness?” Nikai seemed paler than usual, but it was hard to tell from the small piece of glass.
“Does it mean anything?”
“I’m not sure, but I think—”
There was a loud knocking on her door.
“Rui? You in there?”
Ada.
“Rui? We have to assemble in the hall now—the Exorcists are here,” Ada said, sounding urgent.
The Exorcists? “I have to go,” Rui told Nikai, scrambling up. “If you discover anything, let me know.”
“Wait, Rui—” Nikai called out.
“Be right out, Ada!” Rui pushed the mirror under her pillow and went to the door.