The Soul Traveller

"Lan Zhan, I would rather die in your arms than all alone in my lab," I declare dramatically, handing him a file.

"Whatever," he mutters, "What do you need me to do?"

"Kill me," I demand.

"Excuse me?" He questions, flipping through the pages.

"I don't think I can do it myself. I will be at easy if you do it." I request, and he shakes his head, "Why are you... "

"So smart?"

"..."

"So cool?"

"..."

"So attractive?"

"No! Why are you so inconsiderate?"

"This is my life's work, Lan Zhan. Please."

"What if you stay dead?"

"Trust me, you won't get into touble," I reassure, pressing the iNode on my wrist, and a hologram pops up over my palm.

To the department of international justice,

I, Wei Ying, take full responsibility for my demise.
Please respect my wishes.

Citizen code : CHBk007070Aa12

The hologram disappears.

"That's not what I meant!" Lan Zhan fumes, his eyes glisten with unshed tears, "There is a forty percent chance of it failing."

"I know." I nod.

"If it's so important, let me do it." He offers.

"No. It's not up for discussion, if you don't want to be involved I understand. You may leave." I sneer and turn my back to him, feeling disappointed.

"I will do it." He says resolutely, turning me to face him, "What do you need me to do?" He asks, clenching his jaw.

We get to work and soon, everything is ready. I lie down on my bed, "I am ready. Do it." I inform, and he gives me a most heartbreaking look; A tear rolls down his cheek as he injects me with Soul serum.

I close my eyes; my body goes numb. I feel like my windpipe is being crushed and I start thrashing around. However, the more I try, the worse it hurts; I give up and stop resisting.
*
*
*
I open my eyes and find myself sitting in my favorite cafe with Lan Zhan sipping his café latte next to me.
"So, why did you want me to meet you here?" He asks, putting the cup down and pulling out his phone.

This is from an hour ago!

When I don't answer, Lan Zhan looks at me, "Stop daydreaming."

"What time is it?" I ask, looking at my watch.

"It's 10 am. Why?"

"I did it!" I blurt out, holding his wrist.

"You did what?"

I stand up and gesture him to follow me. He shakes his head condescendingly before paying for us and follows me outside.

As soon as we are outside, I catch his eyes, "I time traveled."

"Mn?"

"This," I point at us and add, "has already happened an hour ago." I explain.

"Wei Ying..." He starts exasperatedly but I interrupt, "Dude, time travel through soul manipulation, remember?"

"Mn."

"I did it. It worked." I announce, and he shakes his head, "Stop messing with me." He dismisses and quickens his pace.

I catch up. "Okay, so you don't believe me. I understand. But if I am right, I have less than an hour to live a different life than I did, before returning to my time." I continue.

Lan Zhan narrows his eyes, "A different life?"

"Yes. And whatever happens for the next hour, will exist in my memories, next to my actual memories."

"Are you serious right now?" Lan Zhan asks, his brows crease.

"Well, yes." I nod, and he purses his lips. He is angry.

"You told me that there is a possibility of losing the soul forever. That there is a possibility of dying!" He yells.

"Shhhhhhh!" I close his mouth and pull him towards a nearby deserted ally, "Why the hell are you yelling!?"

"Are you telling me that you experimented on yourself?" Lan Zhan asks, pushing me against the wall. His brows knit, "Answer me!" He demands, pulling me close by my collar.

I nod.

"Are you telling me that this could be the last time I would be seeing you alive?" He enquires, his voice breaking on the last syllable.

"Yes."

He punches the wall behind me and tears stream down his face, "Fine." He croaks and wipes his face, "What do you want to do?" He enquires emotionessly, like always.

"Let's go catch the latest flick," I suggest, and he nods.

Setting my alarm to go off after thirty-nine minutes, we make our way to the nearest theater.

We buy the tickets and the popcorn, and make ourselves comfortable in our seats.

Unexpectedly, Lan Zhan intertwines our fingers together, "What are you doing?" I question, and he shrugs. "Gathering new data for your experiment. We have never held hands. It's something new."

I nod and compliment his wisdom, "Good thinking."

Lights dim and the movie starts playing.

Lan Zhan drapes his hand over my shoulder, "More data." He whispers and starts feeding me the popcorn, one kernel at a time.

As minutes tick by, I feel more like a high schooler on his first date than a scientist collecting data for his experiment.

Heat rises to my cheek, who knew my usually cold friend was capable of such behavior.

Exactly after thirty-nine minutes, my alarm goes off, and he cups my face, "One last piece of data." He whispers, capturing my lips between his.

I gasp and pull away, "Dude, what are..."

He places a finger over my lips, "I love you. I always have." He states.

What!?

I open my mouth, but once again I feel like my windpipe is being crushed. This time, I don't resist, I give up, willingly.

*
*
*

"Wei Ying?" I hear Lan Zhan's faint voice and turn my head.

"Welcome back." He adds, his eyes swollen and brimming with tears.
He helps me sit up and looks at me questioningly, "Did it work?"

"Depends." I shrug.

"On what?"

"On whether you love me or not," I answer and watch as the tips of his ears turn red.

I smirk, "It was a success."

*****