The Record of Unusual Creatures

Hao Ren did not know what had happened to this town, but one thing was sure, it was not something good.     

The lurking spirits in the town suggested the residents' final destiny. They were dead at least hundreds of years ago, and these spirits were just a heap of "memories." These vague memories reverberating in the space contained no traces of the souls. So, where were souls?     

Meanwhile, Nangong Sanba became the only wraithologist in the team. He might not be a capable fighter, but what he had was a century of experience in dealing with spirits and ghosts. "Human souls could vanish quickly. They are impossible to remain in existence for hundreds of years. But the spiritual body in this dimension is more stable; maybe the souls could linger on for a while longer. Thus, there are two explanations for the 'reverberation' in the surroundings. The souls of the residents are trapped, their leaked energy is creating an illusion of phantoms, or the residents might have suffered great torture before they died or a wraith spell has been controlling them after their death, and forcibly extracting their memories and turning it into phantoms in this land."     

Hao Ren sensed a chill ran up his spine, as he looked at a house closest to him. The rotting old house stood quietly in the narrow street with its dark windows and doors looking like the eyes of the devil that peered at the shadow of the other houses. The dark, dusty sky was dropping down behind the roof; it felt suffocating. It was the same in the other buildings—empty, lifeless as if the houses were a curse that imprisoned the people who used to live in this land.     

Nangong Sanba pulled his wind coat tighter to himself. He said in a low voice, "It's full of evil. Something horrible had happened in here."     

An old house had attracted Lily's eyeballs. Coming before the dark old house, she gently pushed the rotten, wooden door. The door swung open with an ugly-sounding squeak. The dust fell from the beam choked Lily's nose. She coughed and waved away the dust frantically. She held up a 'torch' to light up the surroundings before stepping into the haunted house.     

Hao Ren followed her curiously from behind.     

It was pitch-dark. An unknown grayish-black substance covering the surfaces seemed to be light absorbent; no matter how close Lily carried her 'torch' at, it could not illuminate the place. Hao Ren stepped his foot onto the floorboard, and it squeaked loudly under his foot. Despite the darkness, he could see the simple layout and furnishings.     

It looked like a commoner's home but slightly better than those houses on the riverbank. The owner was indeed not wealthy. Inside had only a few simple wooden types of furniture. Ironware of various shapes and sizes were hanging on a massive column in the center of the house. One of them was an oil lamp, but there was no oil in it. Lily smelled a strange odor in her nostrils. She could not help coughing because of the unbearable air. "What is that smell?" she asked and frowned.     

Hessiana followed. Her eyes glittered with a soft red glow in the dark. "What have you found?"     

"Just like the previous houses; dark and weird. Dust everywhere. The air stank. I couldn't tell what the owner was doing before he abandoned the house." Pointing at the ironware hanging on the column, Hao Ren said, "Sickle, ax, and other stuff were left untouched. They could use these things to defend themselves, but they did not. There is no sign of struggle. It seems they left unhurriedly."     

"Was it?" Hessiana mumbled as she rubbed her hand across the table near the wall. "Ashes... a lot of ashes. I don't like the atmosphere here."     

Vivian's voice came from the door. "In those days, the flame was a symbol of evil purification. So did the ashes."     

"As in the trial of witches?" Hao Ren said casually. Just as his voice trailed off, the room suddenly lit up!     

But the fire did not come from Lily's claws. Her 'torch' would not be able to do that. It was the oil lamp on the central column.     

But the light did not seem to be warm and calm. Shocked, Lily drew her Frostfire Claws while Hessiana unleashed her vampire whip. But there was no enemy. Except for the oil lamp that lit up suddenly, nothing had changed.     

Hao Ren stepped up to check out the oil lamp. It was empty. The flame was floating directly above the holder. The light would switch on at the pre-set hour like an automatic lighting system.     

At this time, Kassandra, who was standing guard outside, suddenly called out. "Ma'am! There's a situation out here!"     

Everyone rushed out and saw the entire town began to light up.     

Light leaked through the gaps in the windows and doors. It was almost as if someone in the empty houses had lit up their lamps as did the oil lamps on the wooden poles in the streets.     

Now the town had come alive much to the amazement of everyone.     

"Looks like this is not simply a mysterious realm, some kind illusion is shrouding this dimension, it is between reality and illusion," Vivian said as she gazed out at the end of the road, looking thoughtfully. "That house has a light too."     

It was a magnificent mansion at the end of the town, where they would be going. If they had not guessed it wrong, the seigneur must have lived in the house.     

Hao Ren and his team headed towards the big house. Lily was keeping up with them. As she left, voices began to drift into her ears again.     

"...people are sick again, and this time, it's not only children but adults too."     

"...the witch...has been burned to death... the seigneur must think of something, a solution. The curse that the witch left behind is still here."     

"The seigneur has not appeared in public for two months already. I heard that he is locking himself in a room. Only scholars could see him occasionally..."     

"Since the seigneur's wife... now it's getting harder..."     

"Shhh, stop mentioning about the seigneur's wife, the guards might hear us."     

Lily blinked and then jumped up to Hao Ren. "Mr. Landlord! I just heard something again!"     

Lily recounted what he heard to Hao Ren as they slowly came in front of the big house at the end of the town.     

This house was bigger than the others, the kind where people would envy back then. But it was still not as large as mansion though there were a grand rectangular main building and a tall, bell tower-like entrance. Hao Ren picked up a piece of plaque on the ground near the main entrance. The writing was illegible except one: Heimerwin.     

It could be the name of the house owner.     

"The world is bound to no man."     

Vivian shook her head and looked past the oak plaque, which she didn't show interest. She pushed open the front door of the mansion.     

As expected, the house was brightly lit, just like the rest of the town. The house owner had plenty of money for more oil lamps and a brighter home.     

Hao Ren took the lead while Lily was on his heels, guarding him. She was a competent bodyguard. But only when she was not freaking out. They entered one after another into the house.     

There was a fire pit in the center of the main house. There was a fire in the hole, but no firewood. Hao Ren placed his hand above the fire, but he could not feel any heat.     

He pulled his hand back. "It's fake."     

"Since we're already here," Nangong Sanba looked at Hessiana, "where is the thing that the wizard left behind?"     

Hessiana pursed her lips. "Search slowly; this is a big house. That wizard was a weirdo; God knows what the weirdo had done to the town—"     

She suddenly paused and turned to look in the direction of the stairs with a puzzled look on her face.     

Nangong Sanba also looked into where she was watching. "What is it?"     

"Maybe it's just an illusion, but I sense the breath of a living person."