Dance of the blades

Chapter 55 Ghost!

In a secluded village detached from the main roads, a thick mist engulfs the surrounding areas, obscuring the view of any wanders too faraway to notice the village's presence and hindering the rest who wish to step foot on its lands. The eerie ambience of the night coupled with the uncanniness of the atmosphere created an almost ghostly spectacle.

On the lone road a small flicker of light swayed along the midnight breeze, it floated through the dimly lit path lighting up a small distance along the way. The hand holding onto the lantern's handle began to tremble, the howling of the blowing winds became louder in turn. 

 In the silence of night, the slowed rustling footsteps rapidly began to pick up speed, with heavy breathing accompanying it. The deeper into the lantern light wandered, the more harder it was to see in the dense fog. 

 Not long after, more lights emerged from the darkness trailing after the initial flame in its frantic run. Loud thuds! were heard followed by the extinguish of flames. The small flickering lights that shining in small patches disappeared among the darkness, leaving a great sense of panic infiltrating the heart.

Soon under the glaze of the midnight moon, a loud shriek pierced through the silence of the night and the sound of limps flailing around resonated through the dense fog. 

"Ouch...ouch!  Could you stop it already!" a loud voiced boomed, seizing the flailing youth by the arm. His free hand wiped away the spattered dirt on his face caused by the youth's panicked fumble.

The body squirming beside him a moment ago ceased, finally registering the state the two of them were both in. They were sprawled on the ground, limps dangled and dirtied by mud. Standing up the youth lightly patted on his dirtied robes and awkwardly lend out a hand to his friend.

The recipient on the ground glared glared at the out stretched hand with an irate scowl. Huffing he reluctantly gasped onto the hand for support and hastily lifted himself up.

Seeing the ugly expression on his friend's face, the youth had turn his glaze to the ground in embarrassment remembering his earlier mad dash from the state of panic he was in, causing his friend to crash against him.

"Sorry...I...uh" he stuttered out incomprehensibly, not knowing what to say.

Sliding up on his two feet, the scowling boy moved to the side his expression livid as he searched through his robes before realizing something. 

Sighing the boy schooled his scowl, he turned to the stuttering youth with his hands stretched out, " Give me your match"

"Huh?" the youth looked perplexed and stared at the boy in front of him dumbly.  He blinked eyes dazed in a trance and stared on. The boy seemingly losing his patience had bulging veins began to form on his round youthful face followed by faint red tainting his rosy cheeks.

"Your match" the boy in front of the youth said louder, the expression on his face growing darker by the second. Seeing the confusion on the youth's face the boy steady exhaled to calm himself and proceeded to point at the extinguished lantern in his hand.

"My lantern got blown out... I need your match to light it..." the boy paused momentarily at each sentence to emphasize his point, making clear what he wanted. 

"Ah right the match! A match!" breaking from his stupor, the youth repeated the words out aloud and frantically searched through his robes. Taken out from his sleeves a tattered matchbox laid on his out stretched hand.

The boy with a scowling face resisted the tempting urge to roll his eyes, he hastily snatched the box of matches without a second thought. Removing the small slender wooden sticks from the strained confines of the rectangular box he swiped the tip against the surface of the box and lit his lantern.

The kindle flames burned within paper walls of the lantern illuminated their surroundings, dimly shining on their faces. Shadows danced in a silent rhythm following the sway of the moving lantern. They walked cautiously along the grimed road, squeezing closer and closer against together with each passing time. The expanse of trees around them stilled leaving only the howling of winds and the occasional chirping of crickets as signs of life shown. 

"What's the matter?" the youth asked confused on why they suddenly stopped, bumping into the person in front on accident. The boy ahead of him did not look good, his face pale and sweat dripped from his forehead. 

"Did you hear that?" the boy anxiously asked, his eyes scanning their surroundings. The youth felt his shoulders tense, he gulped down a load of his saliva and raise the lantern in his hand slightly. The dense fog severely obscured their view making it increasing harder to discern the shadows of the trees against anything else. 

Suddenly a cold chill went down the youth's spine, above them shone upon by the dim moonlight a shadowy figure descended from the sky. The sound of swooshing could be heard as razor sharp claws headed in the youth's direction!

"Ahh-" a piercing shriek cried in the desolate night breaking the last bit of confidence the two boys desperately held onto.

"Ghost!" they both screamed and jumped into each other, embracing tightly with shaking arms. Terrified the youth delayed no longer and reached for sword to swing it at ghost's direction.

"Jingyi stop its not a ghost!" a voiced called out from the fog, the faint glow from a sword's light rushed forward.

Clang!

Two swords collided at each other in the center, counteracting the blow. The ragged breathing of the sword's owner approached closer as he held faint glowing lantern in his other hand.

"Caw!?" the combined lanterns' light revealed the form of the startled 'ghost' in full view. It twist and turned around in the air before landing on the sword owner's shoulder. Black feathers danced around the air where it just was.

"See it was just Yuandao" the aforementioned 'ghost' cawed excitingly as if hearing a praise.

The two looked on the feathered bird in complete silence.