Silent Crown

Faint cries and screams emanated from within the heavy smoke.

Ye Qingxuan resisted the hallucinations, and forced himself to ignore the voices that were becoming clearer. He searched through the the smoke, crawling along the abandoned sewage system. Sometimes, he would open a door and find it empty. Sometimes, he would see the twisted faces of those in pain. He opened door after door, but he still could not find Bai Xi.

He pulled himself up the last step, and used the last of his strength to push open the door. He saw her sleeping face. "You’re here," he murmured.

She was still in a deep sleep, unable to sense all that had happened.

"It would be so nice if you’re always this quiet." Ye Qingxuan pinched her cheeks. Only now did he see that she was actually a very cute girl. With delicate features, she was quiet, cute, and pretty, like a little doll.

He bent down to pick her up, but suddenly his expression changed, and he collapsed.

"You…you mutt," said a hoarse voice.

A blade was held against his back. Ye Qingxuan froze. Behind him, the old woman with red eyes gripped the dagger. Her face was still twisted. "Do you know what you did?!"

Kneeling on the ground, Ye Qingxuan reached behind him. His hand came away covered in blood. But looking into her red eyes, he was not scared anymore. He wanted to laugh.

"Didn’t you say that in life, there are always sudden misfortunes…" He repeated the old woman’s fake words staring deep into her. His eyes were decisive yet condescending. "Sometimes, you just have to bear it."

"You d*mned mutt!" Emma muttered angrily. But she bit her tongue, forcing herself to stay level headed. Thinking of her now insane underlings, her heart dripped blood. It had taken years to get a following of that size, and get a foothold downtown. But in one night, everything had been destroyed.

For the first time, she felt regret. She had gotten herself into this, but now she could not get out. She wanted to turn around and flee, but greed was still burning in her heart. There was so much money to be made! Enough to make someone go crazy.

She only needed to get the girl, and then she would never have to live in Avalon anymore. She could go to Burgundy, to the Corsica Islands, or sneak into the East and live a life of wealth.

Those Easterners had even promised to restore her youth, and heal the body ruined by illegal surgeries. Youth, returning to youth—it was an impossible dream. Impossible despite however much blood she injected into herself from young girls.

"Go die!" she screamed and tackled him.

Ye Qingxuan rolled on the ground. He felt his energy slowly leaving him.

The old woman who had seemed so pitiful and lonely finally revealed her true nature as a ferocious and ruthless woman who used others to feed and grow her monsters.

Ye Qingxuan never imagined her to be so fast. He used all his strength to roll on the floor, as the woman stabbed the position which Ye had barely managed to escape. In her hand, the light reflected off of the sharp blade. It was terrifying.

As the undeniable boss of downtown, she had not gotte there just by raising monsters. After all this time people had forgotten that she had elevated her status from a prostitute by using her dagger to get her way. Her technique had been perfected at the cost of many lives. Even if she was being attacked by hallucinations, she could still take care of Ye Qingxuan!

Her eyes were bloodshot as the fantasies have crept into her brain. She ceased the small talk and charged straight at Ye. She stabbed twice in a second—so fast one could not even react. Ye Qingxuan dodged, but he still bled from a new wound.

"Come on, mutt. Come!" Hariti’s steps were clumsy, but her eyes never left Ye Qingxuan. She charged again and in an instant, two wounds appeared on Ye Qingxuan’s arm. But the fatal blow aimed at his heart missed.

Behind her ear, her stringy hair blew crazily, revealing a hidden gill.

"A gill?" Ye Qingxuan gaped at the inhuman body part.

"What are you looking at?" Wildly, Hariti smoothed down her hair. She seemed to be furious, but her hallucinations were so joyous. She caressed the inhuman body part behind her ear. She cackled, the cold sound like singing wind. 𝒇𝔯e𝚎𝘄𝑒𝑏𝙣𝑜𝚟𝗲𝑙.c𝘰𝚖

"It’s the Siren Transformation…" she murmured, trying to remember. "I exchanged thirty years of my life for this power. I have power, and you all have to die! They all died, killed by that white-haired creature. The white-haired creature died too."

She continued muttering. When her gaze focused on the retreating Ye Qingxuan, she suddenly turned savage. "You must die too! Everyone like that creature must die!"

The crazed women stepped onto him and plunged the dagger downwards!

Ye Qingxuan used the last of his strength to roll over and heard the muffled sound of the dagger stabbing the floor.

"Go die, go die, go die, die, die!" Emma screamed. She wrenched her arm back. The dagger that had been in the floor suddenly flew toward Ye Qingxuan!

The floorboard creaked, wood splinters flying in the air. The dagger cut a gaping hole in the floor, going straight towards Ye Qingxuan’s throat. She had really gone crazy. She was willing to do anything to kill him.

But the dagger that would have undoubtedly split his throat, and the floor in half suddenly stopped. It was gripped in Ye Qingxuan’s outstretched hand.

In a daze, Ye Qingxuan was still conscious enough to try to grasp her arm. He grabbed the blade instead. But even if it was the blade, he still had to hold on tight! So he held on for dear life.

The blade cut deeply into his palm, hitting the bone.

The debilitating pain spread. His burning hand shook, but Ye Qingxuan stared at Hariti’s twisted face. He suddenly asked, "Are you scared?"

"You mutt…" Hariti’s breathing fastened. Saliva dripped from her twisted lips and she howled, "I’m going to rip you to shreds!" She scratched at Ye Qingxuan’s face crazily, leaving behind bloody marks, but Ye Qingxuan’s body suddenly went stiff, as if he were frozen.

The trembling pupils gradually dilated.

Hariti stopped, suddenly laughing as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world! "Haha! You’re dragged into it too!" She cackled, overjoyed. "Your nightmare has started too!"

On the ground, Ye Qingxuan was still stiff. His body was curled into a ball, trembling as if dropped in icy water. The formless ghosts had dragged him into a nightmare.

"Then you can suffocate in your nightmare!" Hariti reached out and tightened her hands around his neck. "There’s no place for your naivety in this world!"

--

In the countless cries of the hallucination, Ye Qingxuan could no longer feel the pain from his palm. He was separated from all the pain.

He sensed that he had been stuffed into a black box, surrounded by cries.

There was a sharp stab of pain in his brain. His represses memories had resurfaced.

Countess faces swam in the mist. Those faces that had been pushed to the back of his memories reappeared. They stared at Ye Qingxuan, some with grief and others with ferocity. All of them cried and yelled endlessly.

"He’s the traitor’s kid. Kill him!"

"Get the f*ck out with that mutt. He’s not part of the Lancelot family!"

"Don’t be afraid, little Yezi, don’t be afraid… Dad is just leaving the family temporarily."

"Get out! There’s no place here for beggars!"

"Hey, Eastern mutt…"

"Is your mom a prostitute? I heard that bastards are like that."

The faces surrounded him, appearing in an endless stream. He finally said, "Long time no see." Looking around, he said softly, "I’ve almost forgotten about you all."

The cries and roars dug into his heart, sending him into a daze. He had almost forgotten that Emma was still strangling him. Suffocation pushed him closer to the death bit by bit.

But at the same time, there was an anger growing in his heart. Ignited by the drug, it expanded to a hundred times its size. The fury that had also been repressed came forth from the shadows. It was a spark that would never die out. Once it was ignited, it would rage until all reason was gone.

It was as if a voice in the deepest corner of his heart had awoken—it screamed and howled.

The hidden beast slammed against its cage, trying to rip apart the heavy lock.

Once! Twice! Thrice!

In the end, it was covered in injuries. It howled in despair, close to giving up…But the lock finally showed a hairline crack.

And so the memories locked in his unconscious mind, the pain covered by all the other pain finally reappeared.

In an instant, he traveled through time and returned to the past. He lay there, but he could not feel his own body.

The scalpel and metal bed clacked against each other coldly. Something beeped to the rhythm of his heart.

He watched the light on the ceiling blankly. The light was dazzling but cold, beaming down on the blurry bodies that did not have shadows.

"What are they doing?" He watched them as they swarmed about, holding knives, cutting him open.

They were wearing pure white clothing, and their faces were covered, revealing only cold eyes. Why were their faces covered? Why did everyone choose to cover their faces in this world?

"What are you doing?

"What are you doing…to me?

"Stop it! Stop! Don’t keep going!"

He felt fear, but blood dripped down from his open forehead, blinding him.

There was something being nailed into his bones, inch by inch.

"After this, it’s complete…" The covered faces looked down on him and laughed softly. Overlooking him, their eyes cold and faraway, they sent down the last bit of pity from their high status.

"Are you sure it’s foolproof?" a man with a cane asked from the side.

"The surgery is successful. There are no other possibilities."

"Then get ready for the memory wipe." The man cast down a look, his eyes cold and full of disdain. "When it’s done, give it to that woman and tell them to get the f*ck out of Avalon. I don’t want to ever think of this humiliating mutt."

Ye Qingxuan stared at him, but he could not remember his face.

The covered man lowered his head once again, laughing under the mask, and reached over to cover his eyes.

Ye Qingxuan roared with difficulty, struggling with all his might. But no matter what he did, everything sank into darkness once again.

The nameless fire and coldness exploded in his heart, but in this endless abyss of terror, he howled, reaching for the sliver of light up above.