Disorder in the Palace, Love Blossoms

Chapter 45 - A Figure from the Past

Xun Yu sat upright in bed and moved the hair out of his face. His nightmare was almost too realistic, and he fought to control his breathing as he remembered the face of the ghost that attacked him. Although the sun was starting to rise, it did little to comfort and reassure him that everything was okay, and his mind raced with countless thoughts on what the dream could have meant.

That was too close for comfort. I hoped that I would never see that face again, but it was just as vivid in my dreams as the day when I last saw it. I hope that my dreams are just trying to torment me. I don't know if I could ever face it again...

A loud knocking resounded from the door and startled Xun Yu, causing him to jump slightly.

"Xun Yu! Are you okay in there?!" A familiar voice exclaimed. "You better not be doing anything weird! I'm coming in!"

The door flew open to reveal a teary eyed Xun You, who rushed over to the bed and hugged the man.

"I was so worried about you yesterday! Xiahou Dun told me everything, and then said that it was best not to bother you. Are you okay?" Xun You asked frantically.

Xun Yu gave him a polite smile as the life was squeezed out of him, and Xun You let go of the man to give him space.

"Sorry, I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I forgot how much you hated being touched by others." Xun You stated nervously.

Xun Yu frowned. He was disappointed that Xun You thought he was upset about being touched when he was actually flattered by how concerned he was, but he chose not to say too much about it. After all, he wasn't sure how to word what he was thinking without it sounding weird.

"It's fine, you don't need to apologize, but I am fine. May I ask why you are here so early in the morning?" Xun Yu inquired.

"Well, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay, and I wanted to ask if you were interested in playing a game of Go." Xun You replied excitedly.

Xun Yu smiled at him.

"Thank you for your concern, and I would love to play a game with you." Xun Yu replied sincerely.

Xun You grabbed his hand and pulled him out of bed.

"Come on, let's go!" He exclaimed happily as he dragged Xun Yu along.

Shortly before they arrived at their destination, they ran into Jia Xu, who acted strangely normal around Xun You for once. The two smiled at each other, and Xun You asked Jia Xu if he wanted to join them for a game of Go. Jia Xu agreed to go with them, but he said that he would be content with watching them play.

The group of three walked until they made it to a relatively small room that had the proper equipment for playing games. Xun Yu and Xun You sat down at the Go table and Jia Xu sat down off to the side so he could watch. The window to their left featured an excellent view of outside, and a breeze blew the pink petals of a plum tree into the room.

As a petal floated by his face, Xun Yu became paralyzed with fear when the shape of the ghost from his nightmare took shape. It appeared between him and Xun You, turning to stare at him with hollow eye sockets covered by long inky black hair. Her skin was gray with chunks missing in places, and the white gown that she wore was splattered with blood and riddled with rips and tears. Two extra arms ripped through a section of the dress, and the specter lunged forward to try and grab Xun Yu. He backed away in terror as he remembered what happened long ago, and he shivered as a familiar chill filled his body.

"Xun Yu!" Jia Xu exclaimed as he stood over the man who cowered in fear on the floor. Xun Yu looked up at him with fear in his eyes. "I know Xun You is pretty good, but there's no need to cower in fear before the game even starts. You're acting like you just saw a ghost!"