1

The smell of charcoal lingers at the restaurant’s front door as the eight arrive. Silhouettes packed behind the door’s leaded glass with the illuminated yellow shine through the door.

“Smells smokey.” Kilian sniffed the tingly aroma stimulating his nostrils.

“Liking it?” Vivien glances over at him, smiling as she expects the reaction.

“Feels new to me. If that’s the right phrase.”

Kilian enters the restaurant first pulling the door open, revealing the gathering around the lobby and more flavors of the aroma lingering around the entryway. Others followed in and sat at the benches, waiting for a table.

As Kilian and the siblings wait, He glances around at every food on each table. The joy expressed on the customer’s faces, the vibrant gathering, and the positivity between everyone at the table is very noted in his mind, recalling when he ate at the North Jinsu Eatery. Nearly losing focus, he grabbed a stash of menus placed in a basket from behind, passing it to the siblings.

Kilian slowly opens the thick booklet revealing a vast selection of cuisines offered. He scrambles for the rice category on the menu, offering twenty dishes.

“What’s the best in the rice category here?” Kilian showed the section to the siblings. Markus glanced up and immediately pointed to the number twelve before Vivien.

Char siu? Hmm. Looks appetizing with the combination of other foods on the plate. He reads the whole line which reads: [Rice with Char Siu, Pig Roast, Scallions, and Bok Choy.]

“Not bad for three silvers,” Kilian said.

“Not bad?!” Vivien was dazed by the remark. “Three silvers is a hundred fifty coppers. Ten silver is monthly earnings around this town.”

“You guys split the bill or something? You said this isn’t your first time eating here.” Kilian pointed at her. She glares intently at Markus. He shrugged it off insisting to enjoy the rare time they get.

“I mean, he helped us. Standing up against the members. I don’t see why he deserves a treat.”

Money problem. No harm in using a gold coin. Kilian pulls out a gold coin from his bag through his inner pockets. The two exchange quarrels disturbing the customers, giving a look at them.

“Can you please stop arguing over food, here!” Kilian de-escalates the quarrel, thrusting a gold coin in front of their faces. Vivien reacted by pushing the gold coin back to him, not accepting the offer. Not like that guy from the street. He was reminded of that man he asked for directions, who rejected his friendly gesture. Immediately they forced back onto one of their hands of the gold coin. “If you don’t accept my generosity, I’m leaving.” His purple eyes startled everyone and the whole floor went silent.

Vivien’s noticeable goosebumps form her arms as Kilian continuously stares at her and Markus simultaneously. “Ok…ok. Get those eyes away,” she muttered. He stood back while looking around the whole area and was witnessed by everyone. The waitress was ready to lead the whole group in, stunned at the purple eyes. His eyes slowly dim before he blinks momentarily.

You didn’t like that either, didn’t you?

<< Not one bit. I would take that offer of yours for a stash of wine to drink. >>

Being drunk out of my benefits, that’s cold.

<< It’s true. Nothing to deny of the good drinks they serve in this town. Try it you’ll see. >>

“A table for eight is ready, please follow me,” The waitress said slowly while her eyes slightly focused on Kilian before leading the way. Kilian being the tallest of all, his head nearly misses every ceiling as he follows the waitress. The group headed to the large rectangular table and sat down. Kilian is at the outermost of the table with his right arm facing towards the wall.

“Can I get you guys a drink?”

All suggested baijiu. The waitress nodded and included the complimentary water. Vivien sat quietly while the rest of the siblings started conversing.

“You like Baijiu huh?” Ronja is revealed to be a drinker.

“Maybe. Who knows," he replied.

“Then we will find out what you are.”

As the siblings sit back on their armchairs relaxing from all the labor cleaning up the church, Kilian pulls all the drawing emblems of the [five groups] and places them at one side of the table to his right.

“That’s the one Yin is in,” Hugh said, being next to Kilian, and glanced over.

Kilian nodded, “The Hong An Sect, yes. I know who they are.”

“How do you know them?” Hugh asked.

“A mutual friend has some unfinished business and I took the offer.”

While waiting for the drinks, the siblings shared their thoughts about the [five groups] and explained what the emblems belonged to the five. All emblems correspondingly shared the basic shapes that outline their emblems. Kilian skips the Hong An sect, with his eyes focused on the first emblem he placed down.

Hugo leans up to the sketch. “Jianke, meaning swordsman. Swordsmanship is the main factor of this sect. The emblem is recognizable everywhere thanks to that sword.” He points to the diamond shape.

“I’ve noticed how these four all share the straightforwardness of their emblems. Would that apply to the remaining three?”

“Good-eye. Yes, you are right. However the simplification is much lesser degree on the last two,” Hugo said

“So, the Tiequan Sect is melee combat. And what, the Lang clan is into wolves? Khong clan into the clouds.”

“There’s a reason. What does it relate to clouds?”

“The weather.”

“Be a little more specific than that,” Hugo said, placing his leather journal on the table.

“Well, the clouds come along with rain, lightning, and snow just to name a few…oh. Right.” He shook his head, being a little slow.

“There you go, that sums it up of the four.”

Ronja added on specifically about the Lang Clan, unhesitantly willing to share the story. Kilian listened as the waitress arrived with bottles of baijiu and cups of complimentary water. “Please, enlighten me,” he said while pouring a portion of baijiu into everyone’s glass. “But first, have a toast.”

Cling

All toasted their glass and one gulp of the baijiu. Kilian poured another shot to the siblings’ surprise. “Anyways, lead on,” he said, now taking a sip.

“There’s this one girl I was close with during school years. She was born in the Lang Clan with a long family history to its founder. Nice girl and compassionate. Always present with no absences.”

“What year was this, when it occurred?”

“Around the tenth year, like seven years ago. The class went into disarray trying to figure out what happened to her because all of us in the class stayed together since first year, knowing her very well this is abnormal…” Ronja took hold of the baijiu bottle, pouring her second shot. “Where was I? Ah, well I almost forgot to mention first that the expectations within the Lang Clan are bizarrely insane.”

Oh, lord. I have a bad feeling about where this is heading. Fucking bastards.

Kilian leans up while putting his conical hat towards his side on the table. “Let me guess, troubling parenting, stacks of unachievable expectations that lead to her tragic fate.”

Ronja leans back in her chair, taking a deep sigh. “Very spot on,” she nodded.

“My condolences. These [five groups] are just like that huh? The fact they ruled this town with such ignorance is bizarre. Makes me wonder if everyone else here being happy is a coping mechanism, hiding the opinions of the atrocious acts these five do in Jinsu.”

“Someone like her was able to do this and I found her on the Lang’s palace lawn, deceased, just means how much worse can it be from here. If there is, I don’t want to know.” Small tears drip from her eyes.

“Again, sorry for your loss of a close friend. I’m not gonna ask anymore,” Kilian said.

Ronja wipes the tears off with her napkin insisting it’s fine. “You are an anti-group, so I trust you need this information.”

“I see. What’s her name?”

“Ma Lang.”

“Beautiful name,” he replied.

He leans back in the chair when the waitress arrives and takes all their orders.

“I think I have enough of the [five groups] for now.”

As everyone is starving, Hugo picks up the conical hat and tries it on while Kilian is looking in the other direction.

“Dude, wait…DON’T!” Kilian leaped up to withdraw the hat. It was too late as dark shadows loomed over Hugo. Pushing everyone at the table away. Kilian draws his katana, bracing himself up, witnessing the phenomenon.

Mei? Can you still hear me?

Mei?!

“Shit!” Kilian ran towards Hugo who was covered completely black as a silhouette with tiny rays of light emitted from under the hat. He went right up to him, lifting the hat from his head. As he thought it would be swift, the situation turned south, and the hat was unwilling to depart, holding tight on top of Hugh.

“Mei! What on earth are you doing?” Kilian sheathed his sword and used both hands attempting to lift the hat off.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Who’s Mei?” Konstantin grunted herself up from the ground.

Save the explanation for later.

Kilian directed her attention towards the hat. “Her,” he said, suggesting little help.

Markus, Vivien, and Konstantin sprinted towards Hugo, each grabbing part of the hat. The three are in disbelief at what they are experiencing, especially the conical hat with that much strength where minimal progress without much effort.

Trying again, Kilian called out to Mei. The silhouette begins to dissipate from above. The darkness sheds like paper, falling to the floor. Hugo’s face slowly becomes visible as it sheds more.

“Keep doing what you were doing,” Markus said.

“Mei, you making this harder for all of us,” Kilian said, unsheathing his katana as he used his left hand, holding firm on the conical hat, to pivot in the opposite direction, away from the three siblings. Turning back, with his sword in grip, pointing at the conical hat, his eyes went blue.

Kilian told the siblings to step back while ready to cut off the conical hat. With enough space, he braced his legs, giving an upward slice.

The piece flew upward. All looked at the conical hat, now ragged at the front with an opening diagonally towards near the pinnacle. The rays abruptly flashed off and the shadows beneath his face ultimately shattered, and Kilian using his hilt flipped the conical hat away from Hugh, catching it within his grasp.

Hugh breathes heavily with eyes blinked momentarily as if he was spooked or suddenly woke up. He looks at everyone, wondering why they are staring at him. “Did I do something?”

“You don’t remember?” Kilian asked.

Hugh partially shook his head, recalling the conical hat, pointing at it. Then all went black. Kilian pulled the table back and all sat down. Others in the eatery didn’t even budge and their faces turned away. Just as they are seated again, the waitress arrives with the meals and notices the shot glasses shattered across the floor.

Kilian handed out a couple of silvers to her and for the cleaners, which she accepted handily, and a group of cleaners came cleaning the floor as she served the meals. The conversation continued once they left.

“Remind me to never allow anyone else to wear the hat.”

“I saw glasses splattered all over the floor, did something violent happen?”

“This was a first for me, when you put that hat on, your whole body turned silhouette black, covered. Then one gust blasted us along with the table, tumbling to the floor,” Kilian said, about to take a bite. “Please eat. We don’t want to talk on an empty stomach.”

“No, I want to know,” Hugo replied affirmatively.

Kilian sighed as he pretty much said the main points of the matter. “I already told you. That was the whole scenario. One crucial minute to get you out of this disaster. Just end this and don’t do that again.”

The whole table eats their dinner, filling their starving stomachs, and the remaining time in the restaurant is chill without any abnormalities occurring after that.

Hour later

2

Kilian and the siblings all stood at the front of the restaurant.

Vivien smiled, “Hey. Thanks for coming. We all have an interesting time. The food was the perfect conclusion to all that has happened today.”

“Wouldn’t agree more,” Kilian replied.

“Well, see you then?”

“Yea. See you all sometime later. Get home quick before you get too thrown.” All exchanged farewells, and the siblings headed out first, leaving Kilian at the front of Jinsu Shaokao.

He turned to the left, admiring the moonlight illuminating the night’s reflection on the Jinsu’s shores. First time seeing the clear night sky since his awakening from the coffin.

<> Mei asked lowly tone.

Yes, we do because what the fuck was all of that scene.

<< That’s why I want to talk because I don’t know myself. >>

Then you have to take time to wait because we are not even at home.

Observing the empty main street, contrasted with the crowded traffic during the day, he glances at the moonlight for a moment before heading back north, dashing towards his home. The whole street was empty, illuminated by the street lights from both sides.

He can’t stop as his feet are picking up too fast to grip. He simultaneously squats as he runs, forcing friction across the street and drifting into the walkway of his neighborhood. Nearly missed the concrete of a building at the corner of the intersection. “Holy,” he muttered in surprise and headed out back to the edge of the pathway, viewing the main street, now covered in fresh trail tracks. Looking beneath his shoes, the soles are torn and smell smokey from the friction he generated during the squat.

When in the world was I able to do this? He thought when looking back downhill which is very far as it would have been nearly half an hour's walk to get back to his home. Checking around the scene, hoping no one witnessed it before heading back into the pathway and arriving home.

Unfatigued, but his legs needed rest, so he headed upstairs into a different spare bedroom. Smaller but cleaner and untouched. He opens the nightstand's upper drawer, finding an unloaded pistol in an ammo box. Then opening the bottom drawer I found an empty leather-bound journal with a pen alongside.

Why does a spare bedroom have a gun? On the uppermost drawer to begin with. He closes the upper drawer and focuses on the empty journal, grabbing it out of the bottom drawer, and placing it on the nightstand's surface.

He wore his conical hat. As he was about to lean up on the bed with a spare journal, he went back into the dark void. Something was different. This isn’t as dark a void as the last visit. The room he is in is still visible. The dark remains is the door which transformed into a pitch black entryway.

Mei Zhan appears from the entryway walking into his room. Flattering change. Very contradictory to her theme of darkness. She went into white clothing with purple vinyl over her torso and arms.

“Why the change?”

“The more you expose me to the world, it fills itself in the void. In a way, it makes me less unfulfilled.”

“Hey you do you as long as you are happy about it,” Kilian said straightforwardly. “I’ll insert that you're more vivid now.”

Mei Zhan pulled the nightstand chair towards the bedside next to Kilian and sat down. “You are too nice and too mean.”

“Aw, come on. I think that’s normal for someone like myself. It leads to where I’m at now, so I'll take it as it is."

"You didn't even have that much knowledge of yourself many years ago."

"I don't think it would change my perspective as much unless necessary," Kilian said, opening the journal to the first page.

"You write now?"

Kilian shrugs as he puts the date for the heading of the entry. "I saw how Hugo puts his thoughts down during the dinner. He writes every day during spare time so I was like why not try it."

"Much noted. I don't really write or any of that." Mei leans back, arms crossed. "On a serious note, what happened there during the dinner? What was all of that?"

Kilian stops his pen at the end of the first sentence. "Were you conscious during Hugo's situation?"

"I can't say frankly. It doesn't make sense."

"Like what?"

"I'm well aware when Hugo puts the hat on but when you said he went black, it's when the dark void around me went chaos and berserk. The rumbling wasn’t pleasant. The rest is unexplainable.”

“Meaning uncontrollable?”

Mei Zhan nodded, comparing her minute experience with Kilian’s, puzzling it together to gather a conclusion. What a nightmare. Either way, as long as she is fine, that’s what matters. She brings up his appearance, noticing the transitions. “Do you still have that sketch of Klaus?”

“Yeah, I do,” he said, opening his inner pockets. He took out a few papers, including the emblem sketches. He finds the sketch below the stack. “Here. Why do you need it?” He handed it to her.

Mei looks up at Kilian and the paper simultaneously without saying a word for a while. Kilian felt his face as if something was on him. “Is there something on me?”

“Shush, give me a second,” Mei said.

One last cycle of looks before she explains, “I wasn’t mistaken.”

She showed him the sketch, “Your face starting to change,” she said, summoning a flying mirror, hovering above Kilian. He observes his reflection and Mei shoves the sketch beside the mirror, pointing to the changes she recognizes.

“My jaw and the nose…what on earth?”

“It’s getting more prominent along your jawline. It’s impacting your neck too,” Mei said pointing at the areas of the neck on the sketch.

“I don’t mind but it makes me wonder if it’s transitioning to my original face.”

“Do you have any memory of it?”

Kilian shook his head, no recollection of any moment looking at the mirror or himself. So he is blank. “Is it good or bad as of the changes?”

“More dangerous is the nicest way to do it, you might need to grow a beard to settle it.”

“I don’t know no offense to Klaus but his beard is not as good as the sketch.” Kilian sighed.

“Be optimistic it might change with the new transformations,” she said, handing back the sketch and dissipating the mirror.

Mei leans back on her seat, insisting Kilian stay for the remaining night.

“You are lonely, can’t blame you though.”

Mei silently nods, and Kilian warns her he is gonna be writing his entries in the journal if she can bear it. She doesn't mind leaning up closer to the bedside, interested, and observes his writing time.

He wrote continuously for a couple of hours, finishing up to the seventh page before concluding his first entry. Mei yawns slightly, surprising Kilian, weirded out by a spirit yawning. “Are you bored or sleepy? I feel it’s the latter.”

“No, sometimes I react like that,” she replied before asking for his left arm. “Pull out your arm.”

“Why?”

She grunts, putting her hand out, willing to grasp his arm by force. Kilian not willing, grabs and straightens out his left arm. “What are you pulling off?”

“Making a mark of our agreement. Like me. You want a second chance.” Kilian spreads his legs out further onto the bed. “We together find a solution to both of our situations relating to the [Five groups]. You help me and if we succeed then we can go on our path to what we desire. Fair?”

Kilian let it her way and Mei pulled up his robe's sleeves and pressed her finger onto his forearm with such pressure, generating heat as smoke emitted from the contact. Kilian’s left arm flexes in reaction to the heat, pushing his veins towards the surface. Oh lord. Mei reacts to his arms as the forearm muscles enlarge, making it feel a little heavier as she holds firm to his arm.

She eventually lets go of her finger, leaving a two-character imprint on his forearm. [紫色]

“Violet,” Kilian muttered and sat up.

“Violet matches the theme from me. As I slowly become myself again, the violet returns. The vinyl, purple eyes, and the katana are all connected.”

“Thanks, I guess.” He swipes his thumb over it. Very smooth. No ridges or bumps in the slightest. He pulled down his sleeves and lay back down.

The two talked for longer periods till Kilian eventually drifted onto the bed much to his dismay, but his eyes were too heavy, and went off to sleep.

Six Hours Later.

3

It was soothing as Kilian woke up from his bed to the sunlight illuminating into the room’s window. Rubbing his eyes, grabbing his conical hat and katana, and walking downstairs. Feeling filthy recalling the conversation with the siblings at the church when Vivien mentions bathhouses, he goes outside, sees the neighbor, and greets the middle-aged lady before asking her about any bathhouses nearby. She told him it’s pretty common around the whole town there will be large entrance signs with, [ 澡堂 ].

He thanked her and headed off, merging into the crowded main street. Felt like yesterday. Kilian observes the hill as he heads up looking for the two characters as described by the neighbor. A large brown sign appeared in the distance and nudged through the crowd. He lifted his conical hat and immediately people started to move. The ones behind him would stop and direct themselves around and away from him. He was able to walk freely for the last block and arrived at the bathhouse withdrawing his conical hat, greeting the front desk.

“Hi, Welcome to Jinsu’s Bathhouse Main Campus. How may I help?” The lady at the front desk greeted Kilian.

“I’m here for a bath.” Kilian requested after looking at the list of options.

“Sure, three bronze coins please,” the front desk lady said, placing the deposit tray on the counter.

Kilian puts the three bronze coins on the deposit tray, and the lady directs him to the private bath, he then thanks her. She headed back to the front desk, and he entered the private room.

He took off his clothes, placed them along with his sword next to the bathtub, and dived in. Letting the hair absorb in the bath water, Kilian scrubs his hair of debris. The cold water was soothing as it was fairly warm in Jinsu, so he laid back in the batt and remained for the remainder of the thirty-minute session.