Several villagers had gathered around the old well that morning, waiting for their turn to draw water. A farmer pulled the rope, and the wooden bucket creaked as it rose from the darkness. He caught it with both hands and handed it to an elderly woman beside him. She dipped a small cup into the water, took one sip, and immediately stopped. Her face twisted. "What?" the farmer asked. "Too cold?" She shook her head and handed the cup back. "Taste it." The farmer looked at her suspiciously. "Why? Did you find something inside?" "Just drink." He took a sip. His eyebrows pulled together. "That's strange."
A young man carrying an empty pot stepped closer. "What is it?" "It tastes like iron." the farmer said. The young man grabbed the cup. "Let me see." He drank, paused, and spat lightly to the side. "She's right. It does." Another villager leaned over the bucket. "Maybe the chain rusted again." "It wasn't like this yesterday," the farmer replied. An old woman clicked her tongue. "Then blame the bucket. Everything in this village is old." "Not everything," someone muttered. She turned sharply. "What did you say?" "Nothing." A few villagers laughed, but the sound quickly faded.
The villagers drank again, paused, frowned, then blamed old buckets, rusted chains, careless children dropping tools where they should not. One man even knocked on the side of the well as if that might somehow solve the problem. "Maybe we should get water from the stream today," he suggested. Another villager immediately shook his head. "Too far." "Then what do you suggest?" "Boil it." "Since when do we boil well water?" "Since it started tasting like metal." Nobody had a better answer. But the taste remained.
Xu Yang noticed. He stood still for a moment longer than necessary, watching the villagers argue around the well.His ears twitched at every word. What is new today?.. He blinked slowly. Seriously... His tail flicked once, tired rather than alert. There is never a day where things are just normal...He lowered himself beside the well and watched another bucket disappear into the darkness. No peace. No quiet. No "just water being water."... His ears tilted slightly back. At this point, I should expect problems with breakfast, problems with air, problems with existing near objects...A faint irritation crept in. Just give me all the problems at once. At least then I can schedule my suffering properly... He exhaled softly.
Iron taste in water… that's either contamination or something pretending to be contamination... He stared into the well for another moment. I hate that I can't tell the difference anymore...A drop of water fell from the bucket and landed near his paw. Xu Yang looked down. For a second, the drop looked strangely dark. He blinked. It was clear again. Great. Now I'm imagining things too...He rubbed his paw against the stone and looked back into the well. The surface was completely still.
A woman stepped forward and filled her pail. As she lifted it, the rope suddenly jerked. "Ah!" She stumbled backward, nearly dropping the bucket. The farmer beside her quickly grabbed it. "Are you hurt?" "No." She stared at the well. "Something pulled it." The farmer frowned and looked down. "The rope probably caught on something." "Something below?" "Probably." Xu Yang's ears immediately lifted. Something below?.. His body became still. The villagers started talking again, but he barely heard them.
He crouched beside the well as the woman filled her pail again, his reflection wavering in the disturbed surface—black fur, bright eyes, something watchful beneath the shape of a harmless animal. The water trembled. Not from the bucket but from below. Xu Yang stepped back. No one else reacted. Then a small bubble rose from the center of the well.Xu Yang's ears shot forward. Another bubble appeared.He stared at the water. Nobody else seemed to notice...Of course.Why would they? Apparently, I'm the only one here who gets the privilege of worrying about mysterious things...
A child leaned over the well, peering down. "It's darker today." the boy complained. His mother immediately pulled him away. "Stop imagining things." "But I saw it!" "Enough. Stay away from the well." The boy frowned and pointed toward the water. "It really is darker." His mother refused to look again. But Xu Yang had already turned. The seal was weakening faster.
And Shen Lian was still here. She did not depart at dawn, as travelers usually did. Instead, Shen Lian walked the village paths with measured calm, as though committing every detail to memory—the shrine at the edge of the fields, the cracked stone boundary markers, the banyan tree whose roots split the earth like grasping fingers. Villagers greeted her cautiously. She inclined her head with polite indifference. An old farmer stepped aside when she approached and nearly dropped the basket in his hands. "Miss," he said nervously, "are you looking for something?" Shen Lian stopped and looked at him. "Perhaps." The farmer swallowed. "Is there something wrong with the village?" Her gaze moved toward the old shrine. "Why would you ask that?" He hesitated. "You have been looking around since morning." Shen Lian gave a faint smile. "I'm only curious." The farmer nodded quickly. "Of course." She continued walking, leaving him standing there with an uneasy expression.
Xu Yang watched from behind a wooden fence. Who comes to a village and starts inspecting everything like they're investigating a crime scene?...He waited until she passed the next corner before moving again. Xu Yang followed from the shadows.He moved along fences and rooflines, through tall grass and narrow alleys, always within sight yet never within reach. She knows...His tail flicked once behind a broken wall. She knows I'm not normal...His eyes narrowed slightly. But how?...He tracked her steps as she passed the street corner, people subtly shifting away without understanding why. She doesn't react like the others...
Shen Lian suddenly stopped. Xu Yang stopped too. She didn't turn around. Neither did he. A villager carrying vegetables walked between them and nearly bumped into Shen Lian. "Ah, sorry!" he said quickly. Shen Lian stepped aside without a word. The moment the villager passed, her eyes shifted toward the wooden fence. Xu Yang's heart jumped. She sees me...He immediately lowered his body and tucked his tail closer. Don't move. Don't even breathe too loudly. I'm a cat. Just a cat. A very boring cat...
Shen Lian looked for another second, then continued walking. Xu Yang waited until she was several steps away before slowly raising his head. She was already halfway down the street. He released a silent breath. Okay. Maybe she didn't see me....He followed her again.Apparently,I have no survival instincts... Is she the same as Qing Li? ... No...different. Then what is she?.. He studied her silhouette as she stopped near the well again. She notices things before they fully happen.That's not human perception...His claws pressed lightly into the wood beneath him.If she knows what I am… then why hasn't she acted? ...Or is she waiting for me to become something she already expects? Xu Yang exhaled slowly. She's not guessing... She's confirming....
Shen Lian paused at the shrine. It stood at the edge of the village, half-hidden behind the old banyan tree. The wooden roof was dark with age, and several tiles were broken or missing. The shrine door was covered with faded red marks that had almost turned black. Thin roots had grown around the steps and pushed through cracks in the stone. A few old paper charms hung from the roof, torn and dirty, moving slightly even though there was no wind. The small statue inside was difficult to see through the darkness, but its face looked worn and strangely empty.
Xu Yang stared at it from behind a nearby tree. Something about the place made his fur rise. I don't like this. Not even a little. Why does this village have a shrine that looks like it hasn't been touched in a hundred years?...
Shen Lian stepped onto the first stone step. The old wood beneath her foot gave a quiet creak. She stopped in front of the shrine door and slowly raised her hand. Xu Yang's eyes followed every movement. What is she doing? He lowered his body behind the tree, keeping only his eyes above the roots.
Shen Lian placed her palm against the old wood. For a moment, nothing happened. Then a few tiny pink sparks appeared beneath her fingers. They spread across the door like thin threads of light. Xu Yang's ears shot up.His claws dug into the ground.That's not normal. Definitely not normal...The pink sparks grew brighter.Xu Yang took one careful step backward. No. No, no, no. Whatever you're doing, please finish quickly and leave...
Then soft pulse came from the shrine, and the roots around the steps trembled. Xu Yang froze.He could feel something beneath the ground now.His tail slowly curled around his paws. Why can I feel that? What the hell is inside this place?...The compass appeared in Shen Lian's other hand. The needle spun wildly. Cracks spread further across the glass. Shen Lian looked down at it without surprise. "You're late." she murmured. She wasn't speaking to Xu Yang, but to the seal. A sound answered her. It wasn't audible, yet Xu Yang felt it inside his bones.
The ground thrummed once, like a heartbeat buried beneath layers of soil and stone. His whole body stiffened. His claws dug into the branch where he perched. What was that?... His breathing became shallow. That wasn't just a sound. I felt it. Why did I feel it?...Then the world inside his head suddenly changed. He saw fire and chains around him then sharp sound of metal dragging across stone. Someone standing beyond the flames. A voice came through the smoke. "Erase him." Xu Yang's eyes widened.His claws tightened around the branch until the bark cracked. No. Not again...He shook his head hard. Why am I seeing this?! What the hell is this? I don't remember this. I don't want to remember this....The flames flashed again in his mind, brighter this time, and he squeezed his eyes shut. Stop. Just stop... When he opened them, the shrine was still there.
Shen Lian was still standing in front of it. His breathing was faster than before.Shen Lian's fingers tightened against the shrine door. The pink light crawled farther across the wood, then suddenly stopped.For a moment Xu Yang thought she would open it. His body tensed, ready to run. If that door opens, I'm gone. I don't care where I end up... Instead, Shen Lian stepped back. "Not yet." she said softly. The pressure eased, and the ground stilled.
For several seconds, nothing moved. Then Xu Yang felt something above him. He slowly looked up. High above the village, beyond mortal sight, the sky seemed to thin. A single cloud twisted in place, then slowly unraveled into long strands like torn silk. The daylight around it became strangely pale. Xu Yang froze mid-step. His ears flattened. Every instinct screamed at him to hide. This isn't weather. This is something looking down...
The cloud suddenly stretched wider. For one terrifying moment, Xu Yang felt as if something enormous had noticed the village. The hairs along his back stood up. His paws slipped slightly on the stone as he backed away. No. No, no. Don't look here. I'm not important. I'm not involved. I'm just a cat. A very ordinary cat. Please keep your attention somewhere else...
He slipped beneath the shrine steps, pressing his body into the narrow space between stone and earth. Dust filled his nose. Roots pressed against his flank. He held completely still, barely breathing. For a moment, the village seemed frozen. Then the pressure suddenly withdrew. The sky smoothed. The cloud reformed. The village continued, unaware that it had been weighed and found insignificant Xu Yang remained still. Shen Lian turned away. Interesting...
By afternoon, the whispers began. "The well water tastes wrong." "My chickens won't lay." "The shrine bell rang last night—I heard it." "No one rang it." A woman carrying a basket of vegetables stopped in the middle of the road when she heard that. "You heard it too?" she asked the old man beside her. He quickly looked toward the shrine and lowered his voice. "Don't say that so loudly." The woman swallowed and pulled her shawl tighter. Nearby, a farmer dropped the rope he was holding when his ox suddenly refused to move. "Come on." he muttered, pulling harder. The animal only stared toward the shrine, its ears flat against its head. A little boy pointed in the same direction. "Mama, why is the cow scared?" His mother immediately grabbed his hand. "Don't look there. Come inside."
Xu Yang listened from the shade of the banyan tree. His ears twitched as another group of villagers passed by, whispering about strange noises near the shrine. "Not again." he said in a flustered tone. He let out a long sigh and rested his chin on his paws. "What was I expecting? A quiet afternoon? A peaceful village? Apparently, that's too much to ask." He glanced toward the well, then toward the shrine. "First the water, then the animals, now the bell. Great. What comes next? The whole village starts floating?" His tail flicked with annoyance. "I really should stop asking questions like that. Every time I do, something worse happens."
Shen Lian heard the whispers too. She walked through the village without stopping, her eyes quietly following every frightened face. When two villagers lowered their voices as she passed, she did not react. When an old woman hurried her grandchildren indoors, Shen Lian simply watched for a moment before continuing toward the shrine.The fear is spreading faster than it should... The seal is affecting the village now... Her fingers tightened slightly around the compass hidden beneath her sleeve. If this continues through the night, the boundary may not hold until morning...She looked toward the distant shrine. Something is waking. The question is whether it knows I am here...
Xu Yang stared at the shrine from beneath the banyan tree. Something inside called to him. Not with words, but with recognition. It was a strange feeling, like seeing a place he had never visited and somehow knowing he had stood there before. His ears lowered. "Why do I feel like I know that place?" he muttered. He shook his head and looked away, but the feeling remained. As dusk approached, the village quieted earlier than usual. Doors closed one after another. Lamps were lit, then dimmed as people pulled their shutters tight. Even the usual drunken laughter from the western huts failed to rise. A dog barked once near the well and immediately crawled beneath a wooden cart.
Xu Yang moved along the rooftops, jumping from one old tile to another. The tiles were cold beneath his paws. He stopped when he heard a window slam shut below him. A villager looked up, saw two glowing eyes on the roof, and froze. Xu Yang stared back. The man quickly closed the window. "Okay," Xu Yang muttered. "Apparently, I am not the scariest thing in this village tonight." He continued toward the well, keeping low as the last light disappeared behind the hills.
Shen Lian stood near the well, looking not at the water, but at its reflection of the darkening sky. "You feel it," she said. Xu Yang froze. She was not looking at him. Her gaze remained on the water. But the words were not meant for mortals. "The boundary thins," she continued softly. "Something pushes from the other side." She lowered one hand toward the well without touching the water. The surface trembled around her reflection. "And it has been pushing for longer than I expected." Her voice remained calm, but her eyes hardened. So it has finally reached this point... She glanced toward the shrine. If the seal breaks tonight, there will be no hiding what is beneath it...
The well water rippled. Xu Yang stepped backward. One tile shifted beneath his paw with a soft click. Shen Lian's eyes lifted. Their gazes met again. "You are still here." she said. Xu Yang held her gaze.Why? This is your place?... His tail flicked once, restrained.Since when does standing somewhere require permission from you?... A faint irritation built under his calm exterior. I'll stay wherever I want...His eyes narrowed slightly. Who are you to decide where I belong?... Everyone keeps acting like I'm something that needs to be positioned...His claws flexed once against the stone. I am not a misplaced object...I'm just here. So what?..
Then, he sat. Tail curled neatly around his paws.Shen Lian studied him for several seconds before a small, almost amused breath escaped her. "You really don't like being told what to do." Xu Yang's ears twitched. Shen Lian tilted her head slightly. "Interesting." She looked toward the shrine again. "Most creatures with sense would have left this village by now." Her gaze returned to him. "Yet you keep coming closer." Xu Yang's tail flicked again. Shen Lian's expression softened by the smallest amount. "You are either very brave," she murmured, "or very tired of running."
A sudden gust moved through the village. Several lamps went out at once. A woman screamed from inside one of the houses. "What happened?" someone shouted. A door opened, then slammed shut when a man saw the dark road outside. "Everyone stay inside!" he yelled. "Don't go near the shrine!" An old villager stepped into the street holding a wooden staff. He stared toward the clearing, his face pale. "The bell..." he whispered. "It's going to ring again." A younger man grabbed his arm. "Don't stand there. Come back!" The old man shook his head. "My father heard it when he was young." His voice trembled. "That bell only rings when something underneath wakes up." The younger man's face drained of color. "Then we shouldn't be here." One by one, shutters closed. Even the children stopped crying as their parents pulled them away from the windows.
That night, the shrine bell rang once. The sound was low and hollow, a rusted note that echoed across the sleeping village. Dogs began barking. Chickens flapped wildly inside their cages. A baby started crying somewhere near the eastern houses. Several doors creaked open, and frightened faces appeared in the gaps. "No one goes there…" a woman whispered. A man made a quick hand gesture to ward off bad luck. "Don't even say its name." Another villager stepped into the street, staring toward the shrine. "Who rang it?" No one answered. Then something moved inside the shrine clearing. The man stumbled backward. "I saw someone." His wife pulled him inside. "Get in!" she whispered. "Now!" The door slammed shut. For several moments, no one dared to speak.
Xu Yang stood at the edge of the clearing, staring at the shrine. The door which Shen Lian had not touched, it was open. Behind him, Shen Lian's voice drifted through the darkness. "It has begun."