Shocked by the sudden inquiry, Mo Yu turned around and found himself standing below a sheltered walkway, not far from a void deck where a funeral is being held. Though he does not know where he is, he felt compelled to walk towards the funeral that was bustling with weeps, chants and cheers.
Reaching the void deck, Mo Yu paid his respect towards the group which seemed like the deceased family as he lights up 3 sticks of incense. Just as he was about the place the incense, he noticed something, something eerie. There was no face on the portrait, only an umbrella, red and ominous.
Creeped out by what he saw, Mo Yu wanted to leave instantly. And so he tried to turn, but he couldn't, not because he felt that it was rude. He physically couldn't.
Chants which once were an unfamiliar dialect to him, started to getting louder and louder. " *** **** Name ", " Say **** Name ", " SAY YOUR NAME ".
Eventually, Mo Yu could make sense of the chant but not what was around him. Ghastly creature started to creep towards him. Scared shitless and the scene unfolding around him, he almost blurted his name when he remembered the mission's advice. Mo Yu shut his eyes and with all that he could muster, attempted to move his heavy body, but alas, statues can't move.
Mo Yu stood frozen, his breath shallow. The twisted, ghostlike figures encircled him—bodies translucent, hollow eyes staring through him. One by one, they reached out as icy hands grazed his skin. Shoulders. Arms. Face.
A voice echoed, soft and chilling, unmistakably feminine.
"Say your name."
Mo Yu's lips twitched. He felt it—the unnatural compulsion tightening in his chest, dragging syllables from his throat.
"Lee… Mo…"
* Slash.
A blade tore through the air—metal meeting mist.
A sudden flash of light split the darkness, searing the specters. One screamed, its form twisting violently before erupting into ash.
From the shadows emerged a figure cloaked in a long, tattered coat. In their hand, a blade gleamed with unearthly glow, clearly something not forged in this world. They moved like they'd done this before.
Without turning, the stranger barked:
"We need to move. Now."
Mo Yu staggered upright, the remnants of the curse still weighing down his limbs. He followed wordlessly, his mind buzzing with questions he dared not ask.
They passed through narrow alleyways shrouded in fog. The silence between them was suffocating.
Eventually, the stranger slowed and stopped. They were alone, tucked deep into a dead-end alley that buzzed with the hum of broken street lamps.
The figure finally turned, pushing their hood back, revealing their sharp eyes, heavy with something Mo Yu couldn't quite read.
" Why did you stand there like an idiot!? Is this your first time in the game realm?"
Flustered with the sudden questions, Mo Yu's face was plastered with confusion
"Listen carefully. This isn't a game. You need to stop being a deadweight, or next time, I won't be there to save you."
Irked by the unwarranted chastise, Mo Yu wanted to rebuke when a laugh rang out. Soft, girlish, and utterly wrong. They both turned.
A schoolgirl stepped into view, walking barefoot. Her uniform was water-stained, the hem splattered in old, dark patches. An umbrella rested on her shoulder—dark maroon, completely open despite the dry air.
Blood dripped from under her skirt, marking her steps like petals. She stopped in front of them and as the light hit her face. They saw…
There was no face.
Only a blurred patch of skin, like someone had smeared her out of memory. She tilted her umbrella slightly, her head turning with it, beckoning them to follow along towards the dark alleyway.
As they walked along the pathway, Mo Yu found the umbrella unsettlingly familiar, it then hit him. The funeral, it was the same umbrella in the portrait. The schoolgirl in front of him had passed. Stricken with fear, Mo Yu wanted to warn the stranger and run away from the ghost when -
The alley around them blurred, melting into a new scene—dim, damp, echoing with voices not their own.
A schoolgirl surrounded by older students—both boys and girls—was being pushed into the corner of a back alley. Her white umbrella fell as she begged them to stop, her voice trembling. But their laughter only grew. Hands grabbing her bare body, defiled and marred by these hideous beasts, with blood visibly dripping, as demeaning cackles sound off not far from her. Where high-pitched screams became hoarse, to white noise scattering like atoms.
What Mo Yu thought was the end was only the beginning. Laying still as rain fell over her broken body, her voice cracked with pleas for help when she saw red. Steam rose as the hot iron branded her skin and she screamed every time she was burned.
Mo Yu looked away, heart pounding, while the stranger's jaw tensed.
Soon silent scattered the area. They didn't need to see more. They understood what happened.
The scene soon evaporated and they were back in the dark alleyway
The ghost girl stood before them. Her face no longer blurred. She spoke, voice quiet and clear:
"You've seen my end. Now, will you help me make it right?"
The weight of her words filled the space between them.
Mo Yu hesitated while the stranger's expression hardened.
> A card has been drawn for you.
> ★★★ card used – 殯雨之追問 (The Funeral Rain's Inquiry)
> Mission: Accept the spirit's plea for justice. Guide her to resolution.
> Reward: 800 Wen
> Failure: Your Soul Will Be Devoured
> Time Limit: 90:00:00:00
> ( ACCEPT / DECLINE ) ( * Declining is strongly discouraged )
As the system window appeared in front of the duo, the same static radio voice ranged out.
"★★★ card used – 殯雨之追問 (The Funeral Rain's Inquiry), Mission: Accept the spirit's plea for justice. Guide her to resolution.... strongly discouraged. "
A palpable tension filled the air. The players knew the gravity of their choice. Accepting meant delving deeper into a world of vengeful spirits and unresolved tragedies. Declining could pit them against a powerful ghost seeking retribution. Even the system dissuades them to decline. But, they both knew that the living should never mess with the dead.
The stranger crossed his arms, his expression stern. "We're not your errand boys."
"It's not our place," Mo Yu added quietly.
The girl did not blink. She stood in silence as her presence began to warp. Light dimmed around her. The air turned thick.
"You… refuse?"
"You dare … REFUSE me?"
Soundwaves blasting towards the dup as the ground cracked open.
From beneath, tendrils of shadow exploded upward, wrapping around their legs like snakes. They struggled, but the darkness moved like liquid iron. The stranger growled, freeing one arm and slashing furiously. "I won't be trapped here!" and he broke free. Turning away and about to speed ahead, out of the alley.
"Wait!" Mo Yu shouted. "Don't leave me!"
The stranger paused. His face twisted, visible frustration, maybe guilt, could be seen. With a "tsk" and a loud curse, he doubled back, cutting at the tendrils binding Mo Yu. But by then, it was-
"Too late"
The darkness surged, pulling Mo Yu inward. Suddenly he was face-to-face with the girl. Her expression was hollow. Her cheek pressed near his as her claw-like fingers brushed his neck. The ghost girl's breathless whisper echoed near Mo Yu's ear, but there was no warmth to it, only mockery.
"You should've said yes."