Oh my god. Yucheng! I shook my head and told myself to hurry. Snap out of it and go help him. Please don't be hurt. I got up from my pile of money and stepped on the gas so I could get over to him. He was sat against a rack filled with wooden weapons. His hair, clothes, and shoes were covered in dust. He looked pitiful and pretty startled but relatively unharmed.
I did that?
Tears welled up in my eyes, and I struggled to blink them back. I pursed my lips and blinked fast. Stop that. What is wrong with me? Why am I feeling so…out of touch lately? Where is my self-control? Why am I having all these feelings?
It feels like I'm one mood swing away from biting someone's head off.
Unease and guilt festered inside me. It turned into mucus that built at the back of my throat and made my head feel like it's going to explode. It's so thick and uncomfortable. I hate this. My cheeks burned as blood went straight to my head, and all I could do was try to breathe again. I shuddered.
Focus. Yucheng. I don't understand why this is happening. Not enough time.
I have to do something. What can I even do about this? Erase everyone's memory? I wish I could do that.
Hide. Maybe I should take off into the woods. I could find my way out of here. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
I exhaled a shaky breath and started with that. "I'm sorry." I really am. This is so stupid. I can't believe I hurt him…over money. I was just so focused on it, and all I could think of was my escape fund…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it.
I tried to say all of that, but it came out embarrassingly incoherent and scattered. My teeth grinded together, and one of my incisors wobbled.
Meng Yucheng stared up at me with a blank, confused face. His red eyes narrowed from looking directly at the sun behind me. Whispers circulated on the ground, and I felt like asking Gaia to just start an earthquake. Swallow us all up with a natural disaster.
I should have run. That's what I'm going to do—
Strong, calloused hands reach under my armpits and lift me up. Oh, I'm in trouble. Despite the warm weather, a chill slides down my spine, and I shiver. He turns me around so I can face him, and I close my eyes. Subconsciously, I angled my face away from him so it doesn't hurt as much. Here it comes. I shudder, and it turns into a hiccup.
My chest rises and falls rapidly.
"Miseria, open your eyes." He brought out the full name. He never does that. I'm in so much shit. Come on, just get it over with quickly. Don't drag it out.
I open my mismatched eyes slowly and peek up at his…face. Why is he smiling like that? With his eyes all wrinkled and his teeth on full display. His glowing red eyes stare into my own as a maniacal giggle bubbles out of his throat.
I stare at him, frozen and not quite sure what to do in this situation. Is that an I'm-so-mad-I'm-laughing giggle?
"You have a gift!" He laughs heartily and turns around in a circle with me in his hands. His blonde locks caught the sun in their strands and almost blinded me. He has a bug in his hair. It's probably a butterfly or something. That's not important.
I stare at him, dumbfounded by what's happening. Anyway, back to the urgent matter at hand. "Brother. Shouldn't you be admonishing me? Or calling for help for Yucheng?"
Particularly that last part. He grins boyishly, and I wince. His teeth are so shiny and sharp. Are mine going to be like that? He whistles in my direction, and I tilt my head. What? Oh. I try to turn my head to look behind me. From behind, I can hear wooden staffs clicking together and clothes shifting. Yucheng.
He steps into my line of sight, and I wince again. He looks so dirty. There's little smudges of dirt on his face and pebbles in his hair. He's going to need such a bath later.
He regards me without any malice like Derrick would've, and again I apologize. "Are you ok? I'm so sorry."
He tilted his head a bit, and then a slow smile spread across his face. It was small and didn't really look like a vengeance smile. It was more like…sudden understanding.
Erichean pulled my attention towards him again by lightly shaking me. He said something that sounded like Aw-thorne. Whatever that is, but it didn't really register with me. I have no idea what that word means, if it means anything.
I frowned and repeated. "I don't understand." Why is everyone so cool with this? Why isn't Meng Jialin here to call me a monster? Also, what gift? That's just a system skill that's been glitching. Speaking of that.
Penguin! How do I get rid of this?
…
Penguin. Now is not the time to be petty. Tell me how I can get rid of this.
Non.
Don't you dare. Don't you dare say it.
Non. Refundable. Purchase.
Fuck you!
Learn some self-control.
I growled, and my eyes darkened. I'm really going to strangle him one of these days. It won't hurt him since he's nuts and bolts. But I bet it'll be satisfying.
"Ria? It's time to calm down. Shh." Erichean bounced me up and down in his arms and shushed me. Slowly, I reigned in my ever-growing temper that threatened to wrap itself around him and throw him over ten feet away.
Its shimmery yet transparent tendrils back away from Erichean and retreat towards my hands. I flex them.
Holy. I can feel it now. What is that? It's like not wet water. That I can sort of see and move around. Especially when I'm upset, I've never been able to see it before. Really… what is going on?
"We're taking you to Niathe. She's going to be overjoyed at this news!" Meng Jialin tried to snatch me from Erichean's grip like he did earlier, but he wouldn't budge. After a couple of seconds of trying, she rolled her eyes and sighed before flicking her hand in the direction of the house.
He nodded and walked behind her as they walked away from the field. Um. Hello? Your son? Was injured? By me?
"What about Yucheng?"
She scoffed, and he brushed my hair back. Simultaneously, they replied to my question. "He's fine."
I looked behind me at the triplets, who had all gathered together to talk in their secretive little huddle. Tiny mouths on big heads with no visible necks moved furiously in tandem with their hands.
What did I do?