285: Atonement (Bai Ye's Memory)

Atonement (Bai Ye's Memory)

He went straight for Azure Dragon Palace, the sect most renowned for its art in cycles of rebirth. The mad thought he had came as a surprise even to a sect like that, but he was fortunate in that the masters there didn't judge him. They got into the search immediately, digging deep into their ancient records and forbidden tomes.0

It took them months. Bai Ye waited. He wished he could do something to help, though at the same time, he wondered what he'd be able to help with when he felt like an empty shell moving without a purpose. He couldn't really think straight. He wasn't even sure he was alive. So he simply waited … while praying to the heavens every day that they would find something in time.

He had to wait so long that in the end, he managed to convince himself to return to Mount Hua and help treat the injured disciples. Chu Yang gave him stabbing looks, disapproving of the long period of time when he vanished without warning. Bai Ye didn't care. He prepared concoctions and spells, helped to drive out the demonic power lingering in the surviving disciples' wounds, though all the while his mind wasn't quite there. It was still at Azure Dragon Palace, waiting for his last slim chance of hope.

Three months passed in a haze. After what must've been the hundredth time he set foot in that sect, they finally had an answer for him.

"There might be a way," an old master said. "If you are able to replace a demonic sword's need for soul power with something else, then you might be able to loosen its hold on the souls it consumed and release them from its trap. But you need to be careful … Blood might be the best way to satisfy the sword's hunger, but it's also the best way to make its demonic power grow even stronger. Since the one you want back the most is the spirit of this sword, one misstep and you might end up making her even more bloodthirsty when she returns."

Bai Ye couldn't help but wonder if he heard it wrong. They were saying there really was a way? They were saying it really was possible to bring her back?

"Would anyone's blood suffice?" He almost grabbed the master to beg for an answer. "How much does it need? How does it work?"

"Heart's blood from a willing sacrifice would be the best," the old master said. "If you feed it to the swords every month on the new moon, it will not only satiate the sword's need for power, but also cleanse the soul of its spirit over time. There is a ritual we can show you. But mind you … that this is only what we could find in the legends. There were no records of anyone performing this ritual, or of anyone succeeding in that regard. We don't know if it's effective or how long it will take to work. Maybe months, maybe years. We don't know what it might do to the person performing it—"

"I'll try," Bai Ye didn't need to hear any more. It was a chance … It was the best chance and the closest he had gotten to so far, and it needed nothing but his blood. He couldn't even dream of anything more merciful that fate would bestow on him. "Show me the ritual, please."

~ ~

The wait for the first new moon after that day was excruciating. Bai Ye stared at the sky every night, willing the moon to wane a little faster. But the days dragged on … so slowly that when he finally got to ready everything for the ritual, it felt like centuries had already gone by.

He locked himself in his meditation chamber, sealed the entrance, and drew the symbol they showed him on the ground. Sitting down at its center, he chanted the spell, running a finger across the blades of Twin Stars. Familiar crimson light pulsed at his fingertip. He let out a deep breath of relief. It was a good sign—the swords were responding to the summoning in a way that matched the legends. This might actually work.

His body trembled in expectation. Admittedly, he didn't really know what to expect—even if the ritual did succeed, he still didn't know if he'd be able to bring her back unscathed, or if she'd hate him enough that she wouldn't even accept this fate he arranged for her. But he didn't want to think about those for now. All that mattered to him at the moment was that there WAS a way to save her.

Gripping the sword hilt tight in his hand, he pushed it into his chest. It stung a little, but he didn't feel pain. He wondered if it was because he wanted this. Because he needed this. He needed a way to atone for everything that was his mistake, and there was no better way than using his blood to feed these swords, in exchange for her life cleansed of all the darkness.

A scarlet path trickled down the blade, pooling in his grip. He kept watching the light pulsing along the swords without blinking his eyes. It seemed to still be working … But was he getting close enough to his heart? Was it enough? He pushed the sword forward a little further. He couldn't risk failing again this time.

He felt the pain then. The sting grew into a throbbing ache at first, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. Then it turned into a sharp pain like a demon's claws squeezing his heart. He took a deep breath, trying to force that feeling down. But it spread quickly. Like a fang tearing through his veins, it coursed through his whole body, making him dig his nails deep into the sword hilt.

A groan escaped his throat. But he was only relieved at the change, because that meant he must be doing something right. He fixed his eyes on the blades, and the darkening crimson light confirmed his suspicion. He was getting closer.

He pushed the blade some more. He welcomed the pain, and he welcomed the weakness starting to spread through his body. He pushed it some more …

And then everything in front of him went black.

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