She glanced at the sky, noting how blue it was. It wasn't going to rain today.

Her footsteps scratching against the town's dusty roads were the only noises she could stomach. The sunlight beating down her face was not welcome, though. It would make her skin sag and wrinkle. Still, she shuffled past the sunny expanse, keeping careful note of the houses, the shops, and the plumes of smoke rising from boiling cauldrons lining the food district.

Since that rainy day where she met the genius inventor of the bbi-deol, she had been going out more and more. Han-Xi started complaining about it, but she managed to placate him every time by coming up with another mundane thing she wanted in town. At this point, she had played every card she possibly could. Was Han-Xi starting to see through her? Maybe. That's why she had to tell Lin-Zhu to move on and forget her.

Strands of dark hair spilled down her face but she swiped them off as she rounded the corner. It led her to the alley she began to hold dear. In fact, the rest of the town below the villa had become dear to her, especially when she would roam its streets and Lin-Zhu would point out which shops sold the best delicacy.

A hand brushed against the thin cord tied around her wrist. A smile pulled at the corners of her lips when the memory accompanying it flashed in her mind. It had been a pleasant day, like this one, and they passed a caravan bearing accessories from all over the provinces. Past the elaborate hairpins and jewelries made from hewn precious stones, a cord made from woven threads caught her eye. It was so simple yet so beautiful. Easier to conceal too.

The reason why she felt the need to hide and lie every time she was with Lin-Zhu flew over her head. Maybe it's her instincts or the darkness she could glimpse creeping into the edges of Han-Xi's smiles, but deep in her heart, she feared him. She's afraid of Han-Xi and the unsaid promise of what he could do.

That's why she took his offer when he found her in the stream. Because he gave her no choice. Because if she refused, she would be passing the hurt to someone else. She wasn't noble—far from it—but she couldn't forget the way Han-Xi looked at her that day. Behind his smile and promises of paradise, he held a threat above her head. A threat he wouldn't hesitate to make true should she start behaving in a way he didn't like.

She wasn't an idiot. What Han-Xi has for her wasn't love. It wasn't even affection. Not the slightest bit.

So, she decided she would play along for now. There must be something Han-Xi was afraid to lose, something that'd make him vulnerable. If she figured it out, that'd bring her one step closer to freedom.

But she didn't expect Lin-Zhu to get in the way of her plan, in ways more than one.

The shoddy workshop crept into view. It was actually a separate room in his family's generational house, and Lin-Zhu had transformed it into his space, complete with the spare sheets of wood propped by the porch and the various tools and materials scattered in the yard, the front steps, and the interior.

Still, despite the disarray, she found it endearing. It's so Lin-Zhu, and it's better than the pristine expanse of Han-Xi's villa. At least in this well-trodden part of town, she wasn't scared to move and make a mess.

"Mei-Ran," a voice called from the room's opening. Confusion marred Lin-Zhu's features as he tramped to the porch to meet her. "I didn't expect you today."

She smiled and tucked her hair behind an ear. "I didn't expect it, either," she said. "May I come in?"

Realization and a bit of shame flickered in Lin-Zhu's face. It's adorable. He stepped aside and ducked his head at her. "Please," he said.

Mei-Ran gave him a little bow as a greeting and removed her walking slippers, leaving them on the front step beside a sack of what could only be powdered white clay. Her eyes landed on Lin-Zhu who ran a hand at the back of his neck, fiddling with a wrench. For a nobleman, he didn't look the part, in a fenhai streaked with dust and ash. His socks sported several burn holes and he didn't seem to care.

"So, what brings you here?" he asked, following her as she perused around the room. There had been a lot more things inside since the last time she was here. Her eyes landed on the bbi-deol which rested against the far corner. Lin-Zhu had shown her what it looked like when it's folded and up until now, she couldn't wrap her head around the mechanisms involved to allow such movement.

And Lin-Zhu thought about this on his own? He must be blessed by the spirits.

That was perhaps why she was drawn to him. He was a thinker, an innovator with a heart for the people. It was frowned upon by the hierarchy, for nobles to have something to do with the common people, but here Lin-Zhu was, making things easier for them. When she asked him about selling his inventions to the nobles, he told her he'd rather hang himself than make his products reserved for the rich.

With Lin-Zhu, she felt an undisputable passion and care she never saw elsewhere. His unique perspective on things, his intellect, and the way he approached his life—these were the things that made her want to witness everything he was bound to do from here on out. He made her want to live as carefree as he did. Somehow, through his relentless seeking for adventure even in the littlest things, he made her feel alive.

And if that's not love, she didn't know what else to call it.

"How are your parents?" she asked. "Your sisters?"

Lin-Zhu knitted his eyebrows. "Why are you suddenly asking about them?" he asked, as intuitive as ever. He wasn't going to miss anything at this point. "They're fine. Mom and Dad are as blithe as their youth. My sisters are preparing for their match-making season. They're going to be of marrying age at the end of the season."

Mei-Ran raised an eyebrow at the mention of marriage. "And you?" she said. "Any plans to engage in it?"

She moved to the worktable littered with spreads upon spreads of parchment with ink scrawled on them. Plans and diagrams—things she would rather see than an embroidery sheet. From the corner of her eye, when Lin-Zhu thought she wasn't watching, she saw him shut a box inlaid with satin from behind him. Good thing she noticed it when she first entered. It's a hairpin, albeit an unfinished one.

"Maybe," Lin-Zhu answered.

She blew a breath and faced him. "You should move to another province," she said. "That way, your inventions will reach more people. It's what you've always wanted right? Don't settle in this small town."

Lin-Zhu frowned. "You know I love this town," he said. "I can't just leave it. My parents, my sisters, you—they're all here."

She tried to ignore it, how casually he just lumped her in the same sentence with the people he loved. It wouldn't work. Not when he probably surmised what was going on, what she was doing behind his back and within the frequent trips she underwent the past few months. If she and Lin-Zhu ran out of time, then it's not only Mei-Ran who would suffer for it.

That's why she needed to do this, despite the growing pit in her gut and the guilt gnawing her heart. She raised her head and locked gazes with Lin-Zhu. "You can start over in another town," she said. "I never asked you for anything. Let this be the one and only favor I will ask of you. Leave this town. Please."

"Why?" He wasn't going to let it go, not when he felt like he was missing something—something that was as important as Mei-Ran was keeping from him. But he didn't need to know that. He'd be better off not knowing. "What's gotten into you, Mei-Ran? You've never been like this."

But she was. That's all she had been. A coiled snake waiting for the right time to strike, except the fangs might be hers but the venom belonged to another. "I'm not going to repeat myself, Lin-Zhu," she said. "Disappear from this town before you regret it."

Before he could get another word in, she trudged out of his workshop. It was when she was on the foot of the steps leading up back to the villa did she let her tears fall and the melancholy devour her.

"Where have you been?" Han-Xi had his arms crossed over his chest, watching her every move as she approached the porch and started removing her slippers. She kept his piercing glare in her periphery, bunching up her skirts in her fingers.

She stepped inside. Smooth fabric rustled against her legs and the floor when she let her skirts go. "I can go wherever I want, Han-Xi," she said, keeping the point in her tone at bay. "It's not your job to supervise me."

"But it's my job to make sure you're fine," Han-Xi answered, letting his arms fall to his sides and stalking after her on her way back to her room. Hopefully, she could shut the door to his face with no repurcussions. "Where have you been?"

"Town," was all she said as she took hold of the sliding door. She yanked it enough to produce a space small enough for her to slip through. Once she made it inside, she tugged it shut.

Han-Xi's hand slammed against the door's side, locking it in place. No matter how hard she pulled, she couldn't get it to click against the frame. It stayed there, unmoving because of his grip.

A manic grin spread from Han-Xi's lips, driving a pike of fear into her heart. She let the door go. It's futile to fight against him anyway. "You're not going there for the goods, are you?" he said.

He wasn't raising his voice, wasn't even yelling at her, but somehow, this hissing whispers sent more shivers down her spine. She stepped back, losing the battle. His eyes narrowed, knowing he'd already won. "I've always believed in you, Mei-Ran," he pushed the door inches further, allowing him enough space to squeeze through her room. "But now, you have let me down."

"I don't need your belief," Mei-Ran snarled. Her gaze wandered to the racks of jewelry on her bedside table. The mattress she used was still tucked near the closet full of dresses Han-Xi gave her. "I went to town because I want to, and that's none of your concern."

Han-Xi smiled. To her, his teeth seemed to have elongated into fangs. Then again, he didn't really try to hide them since they met. She had just convinced herself they weren't real. "But you crave it from another, this belief," he said. "Shall we pay him a visit right now? Your lovely inventor."

Her throat closed up, fists clenching at her sides. Fear gave birth to anger, and anger to despair. "Don't touch him," she said. Her voice might as well come out pleading.

Han-Xi answered by marching out of her room and heading to the porch. Despair had now transformed into desperation. It's what drove her to her feet, scrambling after the yellow-haired man whose eyes had now began flashing with hate. "Please," she cried as she watched him stalk into the yard. "Don't hurt him!"

He didn't appear to have heard her. Instead, a layer of golden energy wrapped around him. When he smiled at her, it wasn't because he's happy. He's looking forward to seeing blood. "This is my world, Mei-Ran," he said, his voice nothing but a whisper but still loud enough to trick her into thinking it came from the trees, the wind, and the lifeless moon shining down on them from the sky. It's everywhere and nowhere at the same time. "And everyone who dares take you from me will be eliminated."

She gritted her teeth and lunged for him. Her fingers closed around his arm just as the golden aura glowed rungs brighter and swallowed them whole. When the light cleared, it left a dull throb at the side of her head, causing her to stumble away from Han-Xi and crash to her knees. Her hands slapped wooden floorboards. Disturbed dust flew in the air as her skirts slapped against the thin layer. This...

"Mei-Ran?" Lin-Zhu's voice speared through her disorientation, snapping her back to reality. "Who is this? How did you enter?"

So many questions. That's so Lin-Zhu.

Han-Xi's shadow fell over her, sending her stumbling to her feet. "Wang Lin-Zhu," he said. "I thought I already dealt with you once but here we are again. It's like Fate wants you to keep messing with me."

"What are you talking about?" Lin-Zhu demanded. Mei-Ran, herself, didn't know what Han-Xi had been going on about for the last few minutes. "Mei, can you run? Let's get away from this dangerous man."

She moved to dash from behind Han-Xi to where Lin-Zhu was. Han-Xi beat her there when his body whizzed in such a speed that shouldn't be possible for a mortal. A loud thud against the wooden walls. Followed by a series of strangled gasps.

"Lin-Zhu!" she screamed, rushing towards them. "Han-Xi, let him go! He's got nothing to do with this!"

Han-Xi flexed his fingers. From the glow of the moonlight streaming past the paper-thin panes, she saw curved claws. "I would like to believe that," he said. "But this vermin is why you and I can't live in our paradise in peace. So...he has to go."

Before anything else came out of her mouth, Han-Xi slammed his fingers deep into Lin-Zhu's throat. Flesh made a deep squelch as Lin-Zhu made one last noise before his hands fell away from Han-Xii's grip and settled by his side.

"No," Mei-Ran said under her breath. Then, much louder, "No!"

She moved to creep towards him, but Han-Xi moved and let the body crumple to the floor. It was void of life before it even hit the ground. Blood formed puddles from a gaping wound in Lin-Zhu's throat, looking like someone had ripped a chunk of flesh out. Well...wasn't that the truth?

Han-Xi's gaze landed back on her. "Well, that's done," he said. "Let's go. I'll serve you a cup of tea."

She didn't move. The corpse's eyes stared back at her, dark and empty. Then, her vision glitched, sending a stabbing pain in the side of her head. Her fingers clawed at her scalp as Lin-Zhu's face morphed into someone she knew but didn't. It's familiar, but at the same time, wasn't. But she remembered the feeling of his hand trailing down her hair, the warmth they shared during the coldest of nights, and the belief he had given her through various trials they lived through.

But it wasn't for her. She was just a soul living on borrowed time in a borrowed world. And now, someone was dead because of her. All because she dared give the heart she shouldn't have thought to be hers in the first place.

With shaking legs and knees threatening to knock together, she rose and gripped the edge of Lin-Zhu's worktable. The plans he would never get to enact, the lives he would never again touch—they all seared their marks at the back of her mind. Her fingers knocked against a rectangular box. A small gasp flitted off her lips.

The hairpin.

Han-Xi was by her side, his hand wrapping around her wrist. "I said, 'let's go'," he began yanking her towards the door. She ground her teeth against each other so hard her jaw hurt. Not this time.

If he wanted her that much, then, the best revenge she could do was to make sure he never gets her. Her fingers twisted the box's lid open and wrapped around the hairpin. Some part of her screamed at her to stop, to let go of it, but a foreign force wrapped around her hand. It plunged the pointed tip into her flesh.

The world slowed. Someone was calling her name, only it wasn't her name. This wasn't even her life. Her legs folded underneath her, sending her body crashing to the floor. Strength bled out of her skin, joined by the thin veil between reality and fantasy.

It was hot, like her throat has been set on fire. Then, once the flames had snuffed out, all that was left was the cold. Ages and ages of cold.

As her fingers stopped twitching and her lungs ceased in trying to get her to breathe, Han-Xi's panicked and indignant voice floated above the roaring in her ears. "This isn't how it's supposed to be!"

She closed her eyes and surrendered to the pull of the shadows hungering for her soul. She couldn't agree more.

This wasn't how it's supposed to be because Xi Mei-Ran was dead.