Main Story Chapter 10-25 (NIGHT END): Ward No.6 (六号病房) | Light and Night 光与夜之恋

 Before reading this chapter, please check Chapter 10-22 over here! 

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My heart suddenly throbbed twice, feeling extremely unsettling.

So I can only leave Charlie's coat to his office after hanging it up, then stood for a while at the hospital hall until the firefighter walked out from the inside.

You: Hello, may I ask about the situation in there?

Firefighter: We have confirmed it, the fire was controlled very much in time, but right now, please do not enter the affected building for the time being.

I let out a sigh of relief, but I still can't help but to still feel a little worried. So I ran my way to Block B of where the autopsy room is at, but only to see barricade tapes already set up by its entrance.

Buzz buzz-- My phone vibrated twice, it's a message from Charlie.

Charlie's Message: There are some problems in the autopsy room, I'll be solving it now. Don't worry, I'm fine.

I quickly replied a message to tell him to stay safe.

The dangers seemed to be solved quietly for once again, but I didn't feel much relieved at all.

Sounds of explosion, autopsy room, fire... are all of these really a mere coincidence?

With accidents happening one after another, can I really return to a normal life just as how I've wished? Why did they happen around me again and again? Is it really a misperception of mine, or are they really related to me?

I kept walking forward mindlessly, and unknowingly I have arrived a small plaza behind the hospital. Right now, there are nobody here.

Although this place is distanced from the scene of fire, but the charred smell with the odor of smokes and dust are still lingering in the air. I can't help but to let out a few coughs.

??: Who is there?!

Jesse stood by the edge of the plaza, turning around, and looking towards my direction with full of alertness.

You: Uh, it's me.

He is now obviously looking much relaxed, but I have instead felt more doubts.

You: Why are you here?

Jesse: Y/N, can you do me a favor?

You: Hm? Of course I can.

Jesse held my hand, then pointed towards a place of absolute emptiness.

Jesse: Actually, I can see things that others can't see. There's an elderly's soul over there, it's Yangyang's grandmother.

Yangyang's grandmother. My heart trembled. Although I can't see a thing, but I can really feel a gaze coming from there.

Jesse: Before someone passes away, the soul will leave the body to say goodbye to those they are close with. She didn't manage to do so, so she has been loitering around here. Her wishes aren't fulfilled, and there are things that she wanted to say, so she wanted to borrow my body.

You: Borrow... body?

Jesse nodded and opened his palm. What lies within the palm is the jade plate I saw in the afternoon earlier. He shook the rope on it open, then gently hung it around my neck.

Jesse: I'll now draw the soul over, and allow her to temporarily control my body. She'll leave in about five minutes. If I have yet to return to my original state by then, you cam place this jade plate back to me. I beg of you.

In my distant memories, it seems like he has never spoken words like "I beg of you". Despite spoken in a casual tone, the tensed lines over his face have betrayed his mood.

You: Will it be very dangerous?

Jesse: It won't, I know my limits.

You: Then I'll keep looking at you, and my gaze will not move away even for a second.

Jesse smiled at me, then took out six yellow talismans from his placket, then bit the fingertip of his index finger*. For each step he took, a talisman is drawn.

*T/N: For this part, I mean biting until it bleeds. A generally depicted way to 'activate' the talisman for exorcism.

The surroundings are calm and windless, even the moonlight looks dim. Yet the six talismans are instead slowly floating midair, outlining a pentagon, and with a whoosh-- they started igniting!

He spreads his right palm open, all fingers spreading outwards flatly, fingertips facing upwards, and with thumb pinching the root of his middle finger.

Jesse: Upon the TaiShang Edict...

*T/N: What Jesse uses is a Taoism mantra for those who have passed, called 往生咒. There is no direct English translation for this.

He muttered the words, and his body suddenly stiffened. I nervously looked at him, and my hand subconsciously clenched onto the jade plate hanging over my chest. The surface is surprisingly warm*.

*T/N: Jades are usually cooling.

A few seconds later, Jesse, or should I say, Jesse's body has finally gotten new movements. It walked a few steps in a blur, even stumbling a little.

You: Watch out!

He seemed like he has finally confirmed the direction he wants to, then very slowly walked towards the side of the marble flowerbed, grabbed onto the paper and pen that Jesse probably have placed there in advance, lowering his body and began writing something.

Each stroke from the handwriting on the paper used great strengths, that they almost pierced through the paper.

"Yangyang, stay safe and happy. Dear son and daughter-in-law, thank you, I'm sorry."

The tip of the pen took a pause, then moved down.

"Doctor, Nurse, thank you."

The thudding sounds of the tip of the pen echoed across the surroundings. My eyes and nose suddenly felt very, very sore.

It's just that for this round, I feel abnormally calm after the soreness. It's as if I've really watched a story to truly walk into its end, and willingly writing its own ending.

A butterfly* suddenly flew towards my side. It's a little green butterfly, looking like it just broke out from its cocoon.

*T/N: Butterflies or moth are sometimes considered as a messenger for spirits in the Chinese culture.

It doesn't seem like it has much strength, only to fly in the low skies very slowly, but surrounded me with its endless yearning. I can feel a type of gentle warmness from it.

I think I saw an elderly woman with white hair, walking into the depths of the night a step after another. She walked very slowly, and she can't help herself but to look back repetitively throughout her journey.

I waved towards her, and watched her silhouette disappearing into the thin air.

Is this the farewell from Yangyang's grandmother towards me? Did she know everything that happened today? But she has always been smiling, seemingly to have forgiven this world that has never treated her kindly.

My tears can't help but to roll down. I suddenly remembered the winter night I grew up in the past. Granny, mommy, are you both living well now? Did you forget me? There will always be a day where we'll meet again, right?

By the time I've returned to my senses, I'm already drawn into a warm embrace, and this embrace is filled with smells of smokes and dust.

Jesse: She left very peacefully.

I sobbed as I nodded. Jesse held my cheeks, and gently wiped off my tears.

Jesse: She said, thank you. Thank you for telling her family, that she wanted to live.

You: Mm... I'm just finding it regretful... I feel really sad.

Jesse: I've heard of a saying. After someone passes away, it will exist in millions of things. So I think, those who have passed actually have never left, we can see their shadows in everywhere of our life.

He looked at me in concerned, in his green eyes gleams an incomparably serious spark. My heart slowly calmed down little by little.

Seeing that my condition have improved, Jesse straightened his waist, but collapsed to a side as if he suddenly lost his sense of balance.

You: Are you okay?

I quickly supported him, slowly lowering our bodies, and allow the two of us to sit on the floor together.

Jesse: I'm fine.

Shoulder to shoulder, I could feel a steady weight. Jesse seems like he has even lost his strength to sit properly, and leaning against me is the only thing he could do. I can't help but to feel worried.

You: Are you really okay?

Remembering that the jade plate is still hanging over my neck, I quickly took it off and put it back on him.

You: How about now?

Jesse: I just happened to have spent a little too much energy. Since it's a mantra like this after all.

You: Then don't use it frequently from now on anymore, with five minutes in this moment then jade plate in another, it's kinda scary.

Jesse only made a soft sound in response.

Jesse: I'm feeling much better now. Whenever I was channeling spirits when I was little, I'd be passed out for the entire day. Do you think it's scary? That I can communicate with the dead.

The two rows of words the elderly wrote resurfaced in my mind, then I shook my head.

You: It's thanks to you that I have understood something very important. I suppose the granny too, have fulfilled her final wish.

Jesse: Is that so...

He spoke, then looked up, as if he has let out of a sigh in relief.

You: But it still feels a little unreal, I have never seen you like this in the past.

Jesse: I only started learning exorcism after I was overseas.

You: Why didn't you learn it when you're in the country?

Jesse: Because back then I felt like there's no need for me to learn it, and I can leave all of my problems to my family. I only got to know later, that there are some destined matters that I can never escape from. They said, this is the mission that I am born with.

For a period of time, neither of us spoke, only leaning against each other. Who are they? What is the mission? And what is the matter that he can never escape from?

I have been absent from his life for far too long, and there are just too many things that I have to make up to, hence there are only very little things I can say at this moment.

I looked at his somewhat disappointed face, and the free, joyful smile of the boy during his childhood filled my mind.

You: You must've spent a long time to finally accept it.

Jesse: Yeah. It's from that point of time that I understood, that the world is comprised with mostly impermanence, and the least with a fulfilled ending. It turns out that in the end, what everyone regrets on, is to have not saying their farewells properly. Including me. I clearly am connecting the souls of the dead with those who are alive, and seen way, way too much of regrets. Yet I'm the one with the least courage, and became a deserter twice.

He calmly mocked his past, but my heart felt sore for him instead.

You: Twice? Isn't it just once?

Jesse: Do you still remember the doomsday?

You: Yeah, I do, the rumors were so widespread back then.

Jesse: On that day, I just finished channeling a spirit, and bought a plane ticket back to the country out of a whim. My thoughts were filled with the idea of seeing you at least for once before doomsday, even if you didn't forgive me.

You: But I don't remember seeing you...

Jesse: There was a rainstorm on that day, the flight was delayed, so I slept a night in the airport, and turns out doomsdays didn't arrive. So then I understood, that the so-called doomsdays is just an excuse I found to go back to see you.

You: It's fine, that is no longer important. Doomsday didn't arrive, so we have to keep walking towards the future together.

What surrounds us is a messy environment, and our faces are filled with dust and exhaustion.

But there was an instant where I felt like I have returned to the attic of my childhood, and returned to each and every little base that we shared.

Back then, we were leaning against each other just like this, shoulder-to-shoulder, head-to-head, as we quietly shared our treasured secrets.

You: Tangyuan, actually there's a secret that I wanted to tell you--

Jesse: Wait a little, okay? I want to listen to your secret when I am fully energetic, and right now...

His eyelashes trembled, as if he had to spend great efforts in order for his eyes to not close.

Jesse: I really can't hold on anymore.

You: Okay, then we'll talk about it next time.

Hearing my response, he seemed like he became relieved, and with a couple of wobbles, his head finally rested by my neck.

You: It'd be better if you go back to sleep.

But then again, I watched his fluffy hair and listened to his even breaths. Let's just keep it this way for now.

You: Have a good sleep, brave little exorcist.