As if blessed by heaven, the strange pattern Chu Jin brought back from the old mansion matched perfectly with one in a soul-summoning book that Luo’s parents had unexpectedly acquired.
Using investment as a pretext, the Luo family finally managed to acquire the old mansion after much twists and turns.
“Luo An” showed no interest in the Luo family’s business affairs, and the acquisition of the mansion was carried out discreetly. Thus, the intruder remained unaware of this development.
The intruder could influence the memories of those around him. This influence was gradual; generally, the less acquainted one was with Luo An, the easier it was to forget the real Luo An.
At first, many of Luo An’s friends vaguely sensed the change in him. Alarmingly, they also found their memories of Luo An growing hazier by the day. The image of the impulsive, straightforward youth in their minds was slowly replaced by that of a calm, composed figure.
So, they set up a secret phone in the old mansion. As long as they still remembered Luo An, they would call the mansion.
At the beginning, Luo An’s mother received numerous calls daily, but as time passed, the frequency of calls dwindled.
Forgetting is often much simpler than remembering.
Like a small boat drifting on a river, it’s far easier to go with the current than against it.
Yet even in a raging torrent, there are always some vessels that sail upstream.
For four years, Chu Jin repeatedly attempted to summon the soul using the ancient pattern he had copied. Each attempt ended in failure; every try resulted in defeat.
Chu Jin had lost count of how many times he’d tried, but with each attempt, his health deteriorated further.
This soul-summoning ritual was esoteric to begin with. Success would be a blessing, but failure or summoning the wrong soul would rebound on Chu Jin.
Two months ago, Chu Jin coughed up blood for the first time.
Half-supporting himself against the sink to barely stand, his head felt unbearably heavy. He wanted to cough, to cough out all his internal organs.
After a while, Chu Jin turned on the faucet. He used cold water; its low temperature trickled down his long fingers, spreading a crimson stain at the bottom of the semi-recessed sink.
Only after rinsing the bloody foam from his palm did Chu Jin raise his head, expressionless.
The next day, Chu Jin went to the hospital for a check-up.
The results were both expected and unexpected. While Chu Jin had no external injuries or illnesses, and even a review of his medical history revealed nothing unusual, his internal organs showed varying degrees of damage and had begun to fail.
Chu Jin had tried various treatments, but the results were evident – his condition showed no improvement.
Most records related to “soul summoning” mentioned the need for something belonging to the soul being summoned. Chu Jin had tried nearly everything Luo An had left behind.
A month ago, Chu Jin had a bold idea.
If Luo An’s body was occupied by another soul, if that soul could be summoned out of Luo An’s body, could the real Luo An… take this chance to return to his own body?
But how could he obtain something related to the intruder?
Moreover, this intruder was likely merely a soul without a physical form.
After much deliberation, Chu Jin decided to take a risk.
As he had anticipated, the intruder indeed targeted him, but Chu Jin was prepared for this attempt.
The note in the photo frame was a clue Chu Jin left for himself. He knew himself well; he had caressed that frame countless times. Even if he forgot the real Luo An, his body’s habit would remember for him.
— And indeed, it did.
“…Xiao Chu.” In the old mansion, by the cleared circular stone platform, Luo’s parents’ eyes reddened as they looked at the man standing ramrod straight before them.
They had just learned of Chu Jin’s physical condition.
Chu Jin was staking all his remaining vitality on this final attempt.
“Uncle, Auntie.” Chu Jin smiled at the elderly couple. The memory interference was still in effect; at this point, Chu Jin’s understanding of the past was limited to the letter he had written to himself.
Yet Chu Jin showed not a hint of hesitation.
“Big Brother.” Chu Jin then looked at Luo’s eldest brother.
The eldest brother nodded silently.
“Second Brother, Third Brother.” Chu Jin addressed everyone present as if bidding farewell.
The ancient pattern lit up from the center, a faint glow encircling the man in the middle of the platform.
Something began to move slowly at Chu Jin’s temple. The glowing points quickly swarmed up, enveloping whatever emerged from Chu Jin’s temple.
The interfered memories began to loosen, familiar scenes flashing through Chu Jin’s mind.
A tear slid down the corner of Chu Jin’s eye. He kept his eyes tightly shut, allowing the tiny points of light to consume him.
Meanwhile, far away at the Luo residence, the intruder stumbled, barely managing to stay upright by leaning against the wall.
A tearing sensation emanated from deep within his soul. Veins bulged on the intruder’s temples, his hand gripping the stair railing tightly as he gasped for breath.
What… was happening?
Luo An, not far behind the intruder, felt an enormous pulling force in that instant, though he didn’t know why.
Luo An had felt such a force a few times before, but back then, he couldn’t even leave his own body. This pulling force had meant nothing to him.
But this time was clearly different.
Luo An looked in the direction of the force, coincidentally seeing his own body.
Before Luo An could react, the next second, the pulling force suddenly intensified. Luo An found himself hurtling straight towards his own body!
Leave a Reply