The Creatures that We Are

The light in the waiting lobby was dim. All sorts of posters for horror films and games covered the dark red walls, along with the introduction posters of a few escape rooms.

Sitting on the long bench against the wall was a man wearing a black cape. On the back of the cape was a ray of light, symbolizing the break of dawn cutting into the darkness.

He took off the hood. It was Gao Yang.

Ke Yo paused. She only remembered meeting the young man once. They had a brief conversation not long after she lost her memory—actually, it seemed more like an interrogation.

He was a member of the Qilin Guild, right? But she had never seen him again after that.

Vermilion Bird had kept Ke Yo too well protected. She wanted Ke Yo to be able to lead a normal life for a while after her rebirth. Then she would ease her into the truths of the world and the situations in the world of awakeners.

Thus, Ke Yo didn’t know about Seven Shadow’s betrayal.

“You’re…” Ke Yo didn’t know his name.

“Allow me to introduce myself,” Gao Yang said in a friendly manner. “I’m Gao Yang, former Elder Seven Shadow of the Qilin Guild. After defecting from the Guild, I started my own organization. I’m now the leader of the Nine Scions.”

“Difficult to explain in a few words.” Gao Yang smiled bitterly. “If you want to know, I’ll have to start from the beginning, telling you about the Mist World, the three organizations, the Godbearer Cult, and also who you were before. I’m guessing that Vermilion Bird hasn’t told you much.”

Ke Yo didn’t say anything to that.

“Don’t just stand around. Have a seat.” Cosplaying as a duchess, Liu Qingying came over with two cups of coffee. She lifted a hand and conjured a luxurious retro red dining table and a brass candlestand with burning candles. Then three high back chairs emerged.

Gao Yang stood up to sit at one end of the table, accepting her offer of coffee. “Thank you.”

After a moment of hesitation, Ke Yo sat down across from Gao Yang.

Liu Qingying lifted her long dress and took the seat between them gracefully.

“If you want to ask something, just ask.” Gao Yang took a sip of coffee.

Ke Yo asked what she was most curious about. “Can you pull me into a dream at any time, Miss Liu?”

“Of course not.” Liu Qingying smiled. “You need to touch or eat something I marked with my Talent. It seems that Elder Vermilion Bird was wary of me, though.”

Ke Yo thought for a moment and realized, “The lotus seed and lily bulb soup?”

Liu Qingying chuckled. “When Miss One Stone was arranging the scene, I already tampered with your tea. The soup was only a red herring to draw Elder Vermilion Bird’s suspicion. Only through her suspicion of me would she relax her guard about me.”

Ke Yo fell silent. Is this how an awakener works? No one is what meets the eye.

Gao Yang lowered his cup of coffee. “Here, whatever you think deeply can be vaguely caught by Miss Liu, so don’t let any thought stay in your head for too long.”

Ke Yo started and whispered, “Thanks for the tip.”

“You’re a bad man, Seven Shadow.” Liu Qingying chuckled while covering her mouth. “Revealing my secret like that.”

Ke Yo looked at the coffee before her. Driven by curiosity, she took a sip. She marveled, “Amazing. I can’t tell it’s a dream.”

“Haha, you flatter me.” Liu Qingying smiled. “Someone with keen senses will still be able to tell the difference.”

Liu Qingying waved a hand and conjured some candies and snacks.

“Mr. Gao…”

“Just call me Gao Yang.”

“Gao Yang, why did you arrange the meeting?”

“Well.” Gao Yang didn’t beat around the bush. “I want to invite you to join the Nine Scions.”

Ke Yo paused. “You’re recruiting me?”

Gao Yang nodded.

“Why?”

“Again, I’ll have to start from the beginning if you want to know. I’ll have to tell you everything about the Mist World.”

Gao Yang held her gaze. “You may say no if you don’t want the truth. I won’t seek you out again after this dream. You can pretend that nothing happened.”

Ke Yo lowered her head in bemusement.

After more than ten seconds, she looked up and met Gao Yang’s eyes. “I want to know everything, including the kind of person I was before. Still, I might not join you.”

Gao Yang smiled like he had expected as much. “Okay, but you have to make up your mind. There are things you’ll be better off not knowing.”

“I’ve made up my mind.” Ke Yo nodded. She wanted to know her past.

Gao Yang spent half an hour telling her about what he knew about the Mist World with the company of coffee and snacks. He included the identities of his family members and himself, the Divine Scion.

Of course, he also talked about the three organizations, the Godbearer Cult, the Spectres, elite monsters, and even the Elusive Sect from the past century. Then he talked about the Nine Scions, too.

When he explained what the Godbearer Cult was, he had to mention the Tails, including the person Ke Yo had been the closest to before losing her memory—Edmond.

Liu Qingying chimed in every once in a while for additional information or support. And she admitted that she had entered Ke Yo’s dream at Vermilion Bird’s request, thus learning about her terrible childhood.

Organizing this meeting posed a certain risk to Liu Qingying.

She didn’t do it out of the goodness of her heart, of course. She was returning the favor by arranging the meeting and encouraging Ke Yo to join the Nine Scions at Gao Yang’s request.

Ke Yo asked questions in the beginning, but in the end, she simply listened silently.

It took her a few minutes to digest the information. She said dejectedly, “Vermilion Bird didn’t tell me any of that. I thought that just like the other awakeners, I was almost killed by a monster after awakening, and that was what led to my loss of memory…”

Gao Yang smiled openly. “Although I’m now an enemy of the Qilin Guild, Vermilion Bird is a good person. I think she will tell you the truth sooner or later. She may simply believe that it isn’t yet time. You should be able to sense the kind of person she is.”

Ke Yo nodded.

Liu Qingying discreetly glanced at Gao Yang. Good work, Seven Shadow. Being earnest is the best policy here.

Sensing Gao Yang’s earnestness, Ke Yo asked bluntly, “Did you ask me to join for my Talent?”

“Yeah, having you with us will give us a better chance of winning. That is if we share the same goal.”

Gao Yang paused. “There’s another thing. I hope that you’ll help me root out the spy planted in the Hundred Rivers Union, Dust. You were once a member of the Tails. You will be a big help once your memory returns.”

Ke Yo’s eyes glinted. “You want me to go after my friends in the past.”

“Are you really friends with them?” Gao Yang asked instead.

Ke Yo didn’t respond.

“There’s another personal reason,” Gao Yang said. “I’ll tell you if you want to know.”

Ke Yo looked at him and blinked.

Gao Yang said, “I promised Edmond that I would take care of you.”

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