Afterlife Department

Chapter 69 - Soul Fragment

"Huo Ling!" Yi Bing called as he looked around for Huo Ling. He didn\'t see him where he left him earlier. "Huo Ling!" he called as he slashed at the zombies that pounced on him.

"0001!" Qi Shan called as he ran towards him.

Yi Bing turned to him. "Did you see him?" he asked.

Qi Shan turned his head. "No." he answered. "I can\'t sense him, either." He told him.

Yi Bing\'s face sank. He gripped his scythe tight. "It\'s my fault." He said. "If I didn\'t leave him – "

"Hey. It\'s because you saved me. I would\'ve really had died there, earlier." Qi Shan said. "If it\'d been the usual Soul Eater, I could\'ve managed. However, it\'s strange. One, it can cross through the space. Two, it can assimilate in this world by becoming a zombie. Three – " his eyes narrowed. " – it knew my weakness." He said. Seeing the worry in Yi Bing\'s face, he temporarily dropped the topic. "However, since it\'s now gone, your assignment will be safe." He told him.

"But – "

Qi Shan stared at him. When did he last see Yi Bing made a guilty expression? This is the first time. This is the first time he had seen Yi Bing\'s emotion. "That kid is strong. You should believe in him." He patted his shoulder and left. He\'s going to pacify Lei Shan who\'s on a rampage.

Yi Bing stood in the middle of the rain. The bandage wrapped around his body was soaked, making his burns sting. However, it\'s as if he doesn\'t feel it. "Huo Ling…" he muttered. Why do I feel pain? He thought. In my heart. Why am I so attached to him? He\'s just a mere assignment. I can just write a report of his disappearance, and I\'ll be given a new assignment. Yet… why do I feel unwilling? "Huo… Ling…" he whispered.

In the puddle of water on the ground, he saw something shining. He raised his head and followed the light, only to see someone standing in front of him glowing brightly. "Finally… I see a person!" he said and grinned widely.

Yi Bing felt his breathing stopped as he stared at him. Just like the light surrounding him, his smile is dazzling.

"Huh? Could you be a monster, too?" Huo Ling asked as his brows knit and he frowned when Yi Bing didn\'t speak. He raised his hand. "Can you speak? If not, I\'ll incinerate you!" he told him as a ball of fire appeared in his hand.

Yi Bing\'s lips trembled, but he forced himself to speak. "I… am." He said and found his voice hoarse.

"Oh? So you\'re a human, too!" Huo Ling said and lowered his hand. "Geez. When I woke up, I was surrounded by monsters. And these strange clothes!" he said and pulled his shirt up. "My body also looked different… my bodily functions seemed they stopped. And my hair!" he frowned as he pinched the tips of his short hair. "I don\'t remember I had cut my hair. It\'s forbidden in the sect! Ah! Right! My sword!" he said and looked at Yi Bing who was silently staring at him. "Have you seen a sword? Its blade is silver and looked very beautiful – " he said as he described his sword. "Hey. Are you listening?" he asked when he saw Yi Bing not speaking.

"… do you not recognize me?" Yi Bing asked.

"Huh? Should I?" Huo Ling asked as he studied Yi Bing\'s face. "Your clothes looked strange. You also looked unfamiliar. Everything\'s strange." He said and looked around. "Where is this place?"

Yi Bing didn\'t answer and continued to ask. "Do you know who you are?" he asked.

"Me? Of course." Huo Ling answered. "I\'m Huo Ling, the sect master of the Fengshen Sect!" he said.

"What…" Yi Bing muttered as he looked at Huo Ling with a complicated gaze.

"Are… you alright?" Huo Ling asked, concern in his eyes. "Your hands and face were burnt. Where\'s the salve… aaaaah!!! It\'s on my qiankun sleeves! Where are my clothes?! Why am I wearing different clothes?!" he asked as he looked around. "What is this place?!" he added.

Yi Bing stared at Huo Ling, then saw his eyes looked different. They\'re red. What happened to him? Could it be that thing inside his head? He thought. However, Huo Ling seemed to recognize himself. But, what did he say he is? Sect master of the Fengshen Sect? What is that? He held his head when it hurt.

"Hey!" Huo Ling called when he saw Yi Bing\'s face distorted in pain. "You\'re not fine!" he said as he helped Yi Bing sat on the plant box. "Huh?" he turned when he heard footsteps, only to see the zombies have arrived. "Hey!" he called Yi Bing as he threw fireballs at the zombies. Despite the heavy rain, his fire didn\'t weaken. Instead, they burned brighter and stronger. One strike was all it took to turn a zombie to ashes. "This place is really strange… why is my body like these monsters? Do you know?" he asked Yi Bing as he effortlessly made a wall of fire between them and the zombies, burning the grasses and the trees in the surrounding. "Hey. Answer me!" he pulled Yi Bing. "Where is this?" he asked, his face dead serious.

Suddenly, a beep was heard from Yi Bing\'s wristwatch. They turned and saw it automatically opened. A screen floated above the watch. There was a mail that\'s sent.

3257: 0001, you should be grateful! I found something in the Special World you\'re currently in. The reason why the Soul Eater managed to enter the Special World… and your assignment\'s strange behavior… it\'s a Soul Fragment!

Yi Bing\'s pupils shrank and he looked at Huo Ling whose brows knit. He recognized the words, but when put together, he cannot comprehend. "What is this strange thing - ?" Huo Ling asked and tried to touch the floating screen, only for his fingers to pass through. "Amazing…" he muttered.

However, Yi Bing felt his soul had flown away. Soul Fragment… he thought. So that\'s it! He thought as he stared at Huo Ling. Soul Fragment is a fragment of a soul that scattered to pieces. Either the soul suffered a great stimulation and his soul broke, eventually dying, or the soul was killed and was broken.