WangXian Forever 4

Chapter 33 Coma

Wei Ying called again.

"Hui Gai?"

The demon appeared, smiling with all his pointy teeth.

"Twice in one day, Master?"

"Let us address that right now. I hate it when you call me that." But his eyes were warm with affection. "Why can't you use my name?"

Hui Gai visibly shuddered.

"I cannot." He looked too serious for Wei Ying to argue.

"Part of my name? My sister used to call me XianXian." He remembered, sadly.

"No."

"Pengyou*?" XiChen suggested.

Wei Ying brightened immediately. The demon considered it.

"Acceptable." He agreed.

"Then, my friend, I have a request to make of you." Wei Ying smiled at him. "Remember, you can always say no."

Hui Gai bowed low. "Pengyou." As if he was testing it out. And then he added, "I would never."

"I wouldn't mind if you didn't want to do something I asked of you. This is another of those tasks." Wei Ying looked at him fondly. "You have never let me down, my friend. I want you to know that I appreciate everything you've done for us, whether by choice or no."

"Rest assured, there is no need for thanks. I see every task as an opportunity to redeem myself. What would you like me to do?" He licked his lips in anticipation.

"My brother is in a coma. Has been for nearly four days, and it doesn't look as if he can wake up on his own. Can you help?" Wei Ying turned to the bed and held his hand. "My brother has never been this sick. It's so strange to see him lying down, like this."

"You want me to enter his mind?" Then he smiled dangerously. "Do you want me to leave anything behind?"

"What? NO! Don't meddle with him! Just wake him up." Wei Ying tried not to scowl. Every time he thought he was getting somewhere with him, the demon had to make a bad suggestion and throw water all over his efforts.

"Fine, fine." Hui Gai replied, disappointedly, but behind his back, he had crossed his fingers.

He turned and stared at the man lying on the bed. This was a prime opportunity, and he wasn't about to let it go. His friend was too nice a person, and the demon decided to be discreet. He chuckled to himself at the idea slowly forming in his mind, then he winked at Wei Ying and vanished.

It was a dark place.
How was he supposed to find the owner of the body in here? He called out repeatedly but there was no answer. He walked forward, or tried to, because while he'd been standing still, the ground had moved, a thick sludge crawling over his feet and keeping him there. It was growing fast, spreading to his knees, and if he didn't do something soon, it was going to take over.

He blasted it with fire and it retreated, but loud moaning echoed in his ears. He heard a voice faintly.

"Whatever you did, don't do it again. He's bleeding!" Wei Ying's voice echoed all around him.

It was a big space; he'd seen it in the flash of light. Too bad there wasn't much in here, he thought with a smirk. This was his mind, after all. If he couldn't blast the black sludge, he had to keep moving. Far, far away, there seemed to be a bright light.

He kept moving towards it, the tiny pinnacle of light becoming his entire focus. Progress was slow as he walked. The tiny light grew as he approached, and suddenly, he found himself in a room filled with white light.