Chen Zhe stood there looking at the talking skull with his whole body being stiff from fear. The room was dark because of the ominous glow of an eerie symbol glowing on the wall. It would seem that his whole world around him was actually closing in now. His heartbeat accelerated as this hollow-eyed skull burned faintly with flickering light. Is this some joke or has he really stumbled onto something beyond human minds?

"You are a very silent human" the skull said now in a deep and aged voice, rich with the note of impatience from a wisdom that carried an edge. "Planning to run, are we?"

Chen Zhe blinked forcing himself to speak though his throat felt dry. "Who. What is going on? And how are you even speaking now?"

The skull laughed its voice now that of a mischievous teenager. "Oh, come on! I'm a treasure, a companion, a guide and sometimes an entertainer. HEheHEhe You're lucky really really lucky. Not everyone gets to meet me in one piece."

Chen Zhe took a step back carefully. "You're. you're crazy Or I am. Maybe this is all a dream."

"You what?" the skull snapped suddenly sounding like an impatient child. "No nightmares here, Brother. You're real like the mountain wolves No no those beasts drooling outside this chamber waiting for a fresh juicy meal."

The mention of the beasts made Chen Zhe glance nervously at the sealed entrance. He knew there was no going back now, not without risking his life but the idea of staying here with this talking skull felt equally horrifying or even worse than those beasts.

The skull's voice softened and fell once again into the tone of a sage. "Listen well, boy. You are the first human to stumble upon this place in centuries. That makes you the chosen one. Yes, you will be the inheritor of my master's will the legacy of the Scarlet Demon."

"The Scarlet Demon?" Chen Zhe furrowed his brow with his voice growing dubious. "You mean the guy who both the righteous path and demonic path hated? That Scarlet Demon?"

"Exactly." the skull replied now sounding smug. "But nobody gets it. The Scarlet Demon was more than a demon. He was power, rebellion, freedom. a force neither side could take in and that terrified them."

Chen Zhe folded his arms pretending to be confident while his fingers were still shaking. "Sounds like a load of nonsense. If he was so powerful how did he die then?"

The flames in the skull's eyes flickered. "Ah a curious one, aren't you? Fine I’ll indulge you. My master met his end not in battle but through something entirely mysterious. A sudden strike by something abnormal but even in his final moments, he was unstoppable. He fled using a forbidden blood technique to hide himself in this cave."

"And what? Dropped you here to find a guy like me?" Chen Zhe asked his face growing ever so skeptical.

The skull cackled again and its words ran into babble. "Plip-plop-plink! Ah the rain falls but the river is dry. What does it mean, boy? What does anything mean? HaHahaheheHe!"

Chen Zhe let out a sigh rubbing his temples. "What's wrong with you? Are you insane?"

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"Mad? No. Eccentric? Perhaps." The skull's tone turned somber again. "My master entrusted me his most loyal companion to guard his legacy but I wasn't always like this. I was a scholar once, a simple man who dared to observe the world's mysteries."

"Now you're this thing." Chen Zhe said pointing at the skull.

The flames in the skull’s eyes flared. "Yes this. My story begins with the Flame Demon, a beast of unfathomable strength who was said to be equivalent to my master. He attacked me over a phoenix egg I sought to study. My mortal body couldn’t withstand its wrath and I lay dying abandoned by fate but my master, the Scarlet Demon sought vengeance for me. He killed the Flame Demon, a feat impossible by any others."

Chen Zhe raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess then he turned you into this talking skull."

The skull's tone grew reverent. "Indeed. My master took the Flame Demon's skull a vessel of raw power and bound my soul to it using a blood ritual. He combined my essence with the very creature that killed me granting me this form now both a mix of strength and knowledge bound by his will."

Chen Zhe scowled. "So you're telling me this skull wasn't even yours?"

"Yes." the skull said with a sly tone. "But it is mine now so it is me. A fitting irony, don't you think? My master made sure that I would never be weak again. He gave me a second life, one that transcends mortal limitations and then now I pass his legacy to you."

Chen Zhe hesitated. "What happens if I refuse?"

"You think you have a choice?" The skull's tone became menacing with the flames in its eyes shifting to an ominous red. "The legacy is already within your grasp."

Before Chen Zhe could respond the chest in the center of the room began to glow. The tattered book he had tucked into his robes suddenly grew hot igniting with a dark flame.

"Hey! What's happening?" Chen Zhe shouted with panic as the flames engulfed the book and began to seep into his skin.

"It has begun." the skull said with eerie calm. "The legacy of the Scarlet Demon is merging with your body."

"What? Stop it... Make it stop!" Chen Zhe yelled clawing at his robes as the searing energy coursed through him.

Dark, syrupy blood streamed out of the chest squelching across the floor like an animate entity before sinking into Chen Zhe's chest. He shuddered and crashed onto the ground wheezing for breath.

The skull spoke not a word its tone now half worry and half humor. "Survive this? HahaHa. Now that is the real question, isn't it?"

Smoke rose from Chen Zhe's body as he writhed on the ground. His vision blurred and he heard the skull muttering in gibberish once more. "Tick-tock, the wheel turns. Crimson rivers flow. Will the butterfly dance or will the spider feast. Anyway I will live?"

"Shut up." Chen Zhe managed to gasp before losing consciousness.

The chamber fell silent save for the faint crackle of lingering energy. The skull’s flames dimmed and it muttered softly "Will he survive this?"