Arcane Guardians: Season 1

Chapter 11: Clash of Fates

The next day, as Xiangzhi walked into her classroom, Liu Mei approached her, her expression a mix of curiosity and concern.

"Hey, Xiangzhi, how's our project coming along?" Liu Mei asked, her voice tinged with a hint of distraction.

"Yeah, it's all good. I just finished the design," Xiangzhi replied, though her attention was quickly drawn to the fresh wound on Liu Mei's cheek, a dark, jagged line that seemed out of place.

Xiangzhi's brow furrowed. "What happened to your face?" she asked, her skepticism evident.

Liu Mei hesitated, her eyes flickering with something like fear before she forced a smile. "Oh, uh, my cat scratched me while I was sleeping," she said, her voice a little too casual.

Before Xiangzhi could press further, Siyue entered the room, her eyes scanning Xiangzhi with worry. "Are you okay? What happened to you the other day?" she asked, lowering her voice as they sat down together.

Xiangzhi sighed, her fingers brushing the bandage on her neck. "Apparently, Bai'he managed to follow me home, disguised as my dad," she admitted, her voice laced with frustration. "Luckily, I found out before things got too far, but... we had a little fight."

Siyue's eyes widened in alarm, her gaze dropping to the wound on Xiangzhi's neck. "A little fight? Xiangzhi, this could’ve been much worse! Did your parents find out?"

"No, they didn't. I just told them she was a burglar who happened to look like my dad," Xiangzhi replied, her tone weary. "I didn’t want to scare them more than necessary."

Siyue frowned, her concern deepening. "We really need to stop her before she can completely hurt one of us."

Unbeknownst to them, "Liu Mei" was listening intently to their conversation, her expression unreadable.

Later in the cafeteria, the group gathered, their expressions tense as they remained standing, exchanging wary glances to ensure Bai'he hadn't copied one of them.

When it was clear, they finally sat down, but the tension lingered in the air like a heavy fog.

"Xiangzhi, what happened to your neck?" Yiren asked, her voice trembling with worry as she noticed the bandage.

Xiangzhi hesitated, glancing around the table before speaking. "Bai'he followed me home, so we had to move out," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Youshu clenched his fists, a mix of anger and fear flashing in his eyes. "She really won't stop until the crystals are in her hands, will she?"

Xiangzhi nodded, her gaze distant. "During our fight, I managed to nick her cheek, so it should be easier to figure out where and who she is."

Siyue's eyes widened as she connected the dots. "Liu Mei has a nick on her face... do you think that..."

"I asked her about it, and she said her cat scratched her, but something about it felt... off," Xiangzhi said, her voice tinged with doubt.

Their conversation was abruptly cut short by a student bursting into the cafeteria, his face pale with terror.

"Liu Mei is dead! Her body was found behind the library building!" the student screamed, his voice echoing through the stunned silence of the cafeteria.

Shock rippled through the room like a physical force, leaving everyone, including Xiangzhi and her friends, reeling.

"What? We were just talking to her this morning!" Siyue gasped, her voice shaking with disbelief.

"Let's go check it out," Youshu said, his voice grim as they hurried out of the cafeteria, their hearts pounding with dread.

When they arrived behind the library building, the scene was already cordoned off by police. They approached cautiously, their eyes widening as they saw Liu Mei's lifeless body, her face pale and still.