RIN

Chapter 162

The night slowly passed and the sun, climbing toward midmorning, stretched Rin's shadow. Before the sun rose that morning, while everyone slept, Rin snuck out and walked down the mountain to the village.

Looking around at the rest of the village, her eyes were empty. The walls of the homes and shops had long since crumbled. In their place stood thick beams of wood, blackened and charred from where the flames had burned them.

The ruins were still smoking and she could see the faintest glow of embers as she shifted around the creaking threshold of buildings. Black dust hung in the air and invaded her lungs as she walked around the old path. Nothing had escaped the fire.

Rin's eyes swept to the bloodied bodies sprawled around.

Hearts that used to beat were still. Minds that felt so many emotions were blank. They were all dead now.

Rin's eyes lowered without a hint of emotion and she stepped forward to the familiar mountain pathway. The closer she moved to the house, the more her heart felt it was about to break. She had even been unaware that her entire body was trembling as she made her way to the front of the house.

The three bandits still lay in the snow while the house's front door was wide open. Rin quietly stepped forward and felt her heart stop. Under the wintry morning light, the girl was utterly still.

The girl on the floor was lifeless. Lifeless.

At that moment, all pretense of quiet coping was lost and Rin sank onto the wet floor, not caring about the dark, cold blood that quickly soaked into her clothing.

Rin's pale, slender fingers stretched forward.

"At the very least, you passed with him by your side." Rin's voice was soft as she stroked her fingers across the cold cheek.

"But what about me?"

Who will she pass alongside?

The grief surged with every expelled breath, and tears began to spill from her helpless eyes and onto the floor.

"Why won't you let me join alongside any of you?"

Her mother, Governor Tao, Madam Tao, the Guando soldiers, and Jia. All had died from her inability to protect them.

Why won't fate allow her to die alongside them? Was the Rin she was now, not worthy enough?

The emptiness in her heart, the numbness pounding her brain, the sheer nothingness that now took hold of her soul threatened to engulf her entirely. At that moment, Rin pulled out a shimmering object from her pocket, her dull eyes never leaving Jia's body.

"The one who has always protected me from harm. The one who has always shielded me from evil. The one who has always loved me for who I am. The one who has always held me safely. I thank you, and one day will meet you again, Rin."

She raised the stainless steel blade to her neck and closed her eyes.

...

Aiguo sat alone in the fiery night, bright colors dancing, tattooing then changing before his eyes. He observed the flames leap and hiss, always reaching feverishly out for him, trying desperately to grab and hold onto his fleeting shadow.

"Are you warm enough?" Mister Qiu walked over with a cup of warm tea.

Aiguo silently nodded and took the cup of tea into his small hands. The room was silent except for the crackling sound of the burning fire. The old monk sat uncomfortably in his chair as he shifted his gaze to the silent boy.

He cleared his throat. "Your sister...she was a kind girl. Lively, but still a good kid. I know she wanted the best for you. That's why she wouldn't want to see you looking so glum right now."