《Infinite Flow: She Is Death in the Judgment Grounds》玊尘

1、TEAMMATE nothi

　　The smell of blood and scorching filled the air, thick smoke devouring her sight. Xiao He curled up with her knees hugged in the scorching heatwave; sparks splashed onto her clothes, yet she felt no pain.

　　Why? Why didn't so many methods work? She stared blankly as the fire engulfed the magnificent old mansion. Just a glint of starlight... once gathered, she could atone. Soon, soon.

　　A figure rushed out of the black smoke, gentle in feature, bearing scorch marks. "Brother," she murmured. In an instant, flames licked the boy's sleeves, and half his face was swallowed by the fire.

　　"No—" In her terror, her temple felt struck; warm liquid dripped down her hair. Pain pierced the illusion, and Xiao He opened her eyes.

　　No scorching heat, no light. Only a dead, gray darkness. She lay on a hardened rag, beneath which were cold, rough gravel. Her clothes were half-dry, sticky to the touch. The air reeked of long-unseen mildew mixed with the sweet rawness of rust—this was the smell of the Land of Judgment, a cage without sunrise or sunset, where even time stood still.

　　From not far away, faint footsteps approached. Xiao He's nerves instantly tightened; her fingers instinctively gripped the cold pocket watch at her cuff. Her weapon was not a blade, hypnosis required distance, and if attacked now, she was powerless.

　　"Awake?"

　　The boy stood three steps away, his expression complex. He seemed to want to approach, yet feared something, his fingers clutching the silver pocket watch in his palm, knuckles white. Xiao He sized him up: a black sleeveless hoodie, making his skin strikingly pale, overlaid with a jarringly clean red vest. His curly short hair was meticulously neat. Amidst this filthy ruin, he was as clean as a painting forcibly stuffed in.

　　"Newbie, easy to fool," Xiao He sneered inwardly. Her face remained impassive as she propped herself up, pulling at the wound on her shoulder, her brow furrowing imperceptibly.

　　"Who are you?" Her voice was hoarse, carrying the floatiness of just waking.

　　"My name is Ouyang Shuo." The boy indeed let his guard down, even stepping half a pace closer, his smile carrying a... cunning unbecoming of his age. "From Yunqi."

　　"You're quite young, aren't you?"

　　"Yeah, 16."

　　"Oh, then I'm older than you." Xiao He casually made up a name, her gaze falling on the pocket watch she tightly held. The ticking of its second hand was amplified in the silence, deep and low, like a death knell.

　　"Sister, what's your name?"

　　"Han Xin, from Shanxi."

　　A flicker of undetectable fluctuation passed through Ouyang Shuo's eyes. Something was off. The girl before him bore overlapping old and new scars; the dark brown hard scab on her shoulder couldn't have formed in just a month or two. Yet a voice not belonging to him whispered gently and seductively in his heart, urging him to believe: "I have no reason to lie to you, what good would deceiving you do?"

　　Tick-tock, tick-tock. Each sound struck her nerves.

　　"Sister, are you familiar with this place?" Ouyang Shuo smiled again, a smile too clean...

　　...making Han Xin—Xiao He—feel an inexplicable chill.

　　"Team up?" He touched the unsheathed short sword at his waist. "My Tarot is the Three of Swords. It's too dangerous alone; I can protect you."

　　Xiao He looked at him. This boy was too clean, clean enough to be sent in as her scapegoat. Not strong, but useful. In this Land of Judgment, going alone meant death, and so did companionship; the only difference was whether someone could take a hit for you before you died.

　　Her fingertips traced the gears of the pocket watch; the icy touch sobered her muddled mind. She smiled faintly, a smile as light as a ripple on dead water.

　　"Sure."

　　Ouyang Shuo seemed to exhale in relief, smiling too, revealing two sharp canine teeth. What he didn't see was the cold calculation flashing through Xiao He's eyes the moment he smiled.

　　"Teammate."

　　Xiao He repeated softly, her gaze passing over him toward the deeper darkness ahead. On the damp walls, dark red moss seemed to writhe faintly.