BLUE SLIVER LOVE (Soul Land 1) •Rewrite•

•009•

    Chapter Nine: Rivalries and Nightmares II.

Meanwhile, in another dorm room, a stark contrast to that of the crowded quarters of Tang San and his friends, a solitary figure also tossed and turned in his sleep.

The room, illuminated only by the pale glow of moonlight seeping through the window, held an eerie stillness, punctuated by the occasional flicker of red lightning.

Ji Chi, the red-haired boy was groaning and fidgeting in his bed. Beads of sweat running down his body like a river, his normally composed features contorted in anguish.

The red lightning sparks pulsed intermittently. A manifestation of the intense turmoil within him, for he was battling nightmares.

They were like his very shadow,vivid and relentless as they continuously displayed the image of the person who had tormented him throughout his life.

His mother.

The images in his mind were chaotic and merciless. He saw her cold eyes, felt the sting of her cruel words, and endured the physical and emotional pain she constantly inflicted. Each memory was like a fresh wound, raw and unhealed. Ji's breathing became ragged, and his body convulsed with the effort to push the nightmares back.

In his dreams, he was younger, probably around just five or six. He was and is so vulnerable and helpless under his mother's oppressive presence. She loomed over him, her face a mask of disdain and anger. "You're weak!" she hissed, her voice echoing in his mind. " Useless and pathetic child. You will never amount to anything. Can't you do anything right?"

The red lightning around Ji intensified, crackling with his suppressed rage and fear. He clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms as he fought to break free from the nightmare's grip. The torment was suffocating and Ji was struggling to not give in.

Suddenly his face contorted in pain as the mark on glowed brighter, searing into his flesh.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he pleaded, knowing exactly who was causing him such agony. "Please, Mother, it hurts. I'm sorry."

A cold, shrill voice echoed in his mind, a voice that had haunted him for as long as he could remember. "Remember, Tang Ji, you are not in that school to show weakness. You have a task to accomplish, and dreams are not a part of that."

The voice faded, leaving behind a chilling silence. Just as abruptly as the pain had started, it ceased.

As the intensity of the nightmare reached its peak, his body began to suspend in mid-air, the electricity crackling more violently around him. A mark on the left side of his chest shone through his translucent skill shirt, pulsating with a sinister red light.

The room was very quiet, the red lightning gone but the glowing mark remaining, leaving a lingering tension in the air.

Suddenly his face contorted in pain as the mark glowed brighter, searing into his flesh. He screamed, hands subconsciously gripping his chest in a futile attempt to relieve himself from the excruciating pain.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." he pleaded with shut eyes, knowing exactly who was causing him such agony. "Please, Mother, it hurts. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

A cold, shrill voice echoed in his mind, a voice that had haunted him for as long as he could remember. "Remember, Tang Ji, you are not in that school to show weakness. You have a task to accomplish, and failure is not a part of that. Disgrace me again and you will know the full force of my wrath."

And just as abruptly as the pain had started, it ceased. The cold voice of his mother faded, leaving behind a chilling silence.

Ji's eyes snapped open, glowing briefly with a fiery red light before fading to their usual ruby hue. He sat up abruptly, gasping for air, his body trembling from the ordeal.