Chapter 14 The body swap is strange because it's not me; yet it's also familiar...
I entered a deep dream.
A very, very deep dream.
In my dream, I was painting.
The first image shows a dilapidated castle standing on a vast, empty sea. The castle is black, the sea is black, and the birds in the sky are black.
The second image shows a dilapidated, dark, winding corridor and a crumbling corner covered in cobwebs.
The third image shows a massive spiral staircase that resembles a maze, with hundreds of staircases spiraling and encircling the top of the castle.
The fourth image shows a wall stained with blood, a floor covered in blood, and a beautiful silver-haired boy, covered in wounds, bound in mid-air, smiling alluringly and wickedly.
The fifth, the sixth, the seventh... and so on, quietly continued until the ninth.
The ninth image shows a volcanic eruption, with the crimson sky resembling a river of flowing blood, and flocks of crows taking flight.
I continued to draw the tenth, the eleventh... in my dream... There were only nine original drawings.
The tenth image shows a silver-haired boy wielding a sword, piercing the blood-red sky to reveal eerie sunlight.
The eleventh image shows a black tower ship crowded with long-haired women, braided girls, a black princess, and me, with a silver-haired boy standing at the bow.
The twelfth image shows the black tower ship carrying everyone across the burning sea, like Noah's Ark.
The thirteenth image depicts a storm at sea, with strong winds rising, the sky and earth turning upside down, and the entire seawater rushing in.
The fourteenth picture shows the girl, who had miraculously returned, sitting alone at the table, drawing these pictures.
I thought the story was over, but it turned out to be the beginning of another cheesy tale.
It felt like falling into a bottomless black hole, endlessly cycling.
I can't distinguish between reality and dreams; perhaps reality is a dream, and dreams are reality.
***
When I woke up, I thought I was dreaming.
But the pain in my body told me that this was not a dream.
I opened my eyes with difficulty and found myself lying on an incredibly soft bed, with an amazingly soft pillow, unlike the hard beds and pillows in the hotels I had stayed in before.
Achoo!
A gust of wind, seemingly from nowhere, brushed against my nose, causing me to sneeze and making several wounds on my body ache terribly.
After grimacing for a while, I struggled to sit up halfway and found myself on a deep red four-poster bed. Pulling back the deep red bed curtains, I was stunned.
Like a palace room in a classical oil painting, with a silver fireplace, silver walls, silver tables and chairs, as well as a red velvet carpet and red floor-length curtains.
Where am I? Where are Aya and Shaling?
I remembered the explosion I had witnessed on the street, and my heart skipped a beat. Then I looked at the wounds on my body, all of which were tightly bandaged with gauze, as if done by a professional.
Did I get injured in the bomb and end up in a hospital? Is there such a luxurious hospital?
Even private hospitals aren't this luxurious; this looks like the room of a prince on TV.
I forced myself out of bed despite the pain, walked to the window, and pulled back the floor-length curtains. A blinding beam of white light shone in, and I shielded my eyes with my hand before letting go.
Outside the wide French windows, dense snowflakes drifted down, turning the sky and earth into a bright white expanse.
Standing barefoot on the deep plush carpet, watching the snowflakes fall on the pointed castle roof outside the window, I kept marveling, "My God, where am I?"
Looking around the room again, I saw a large silver door. I walked over slowly, took a deep breath, and pushed it open.
After seeing the scene before me, I opened my mouth wide.
Ancient, mottled, dark gray walls, crisscrossing, winding corridors, and grease-covered palace lanterns appeared before me.
Like a mysterious, dark passage in a fairy tale.
The soft, hazy sunlight and the dim, yellow lamplight intertwine and float, as if one has stepped into an ancient palace in a European oil painting.
I suspect I've stumbled upon another ghostly place, similar to Castle Black, though this one is far more luxurious.
It was early morning, and a chilly breeze swept in. My heart was cold, and my body was even colder. I wrapped myself tighter in the black fox fur cloak that I had taken out of the wardrobe.
The corridor was long and wide, with a column every few steps, each column bearing an oil lamp that faintly emitted a fragrance.
After passing by a series of oil lamps, I arrived at a simple stone hall. The main seat on the high steps was empty, and the tables and chairs below were scattered haphazardly.
What... what kind of place is this? I'm also very puzzled. How come there's such a big place and I can't see a single person?
Just then, a petite figure flashed past from behind the stone pillar.
I immediately gave chase. I didn't even know I could run so fast despite being injured. I caught her in no time.
The maid carrying the small bundle was so frightened by me that she collapsed to the ground crying, "Lord, spare me! Spare me!"
"Lord? Spare my life!"
As soon as I said it, I was stunned—what came out was a deep, magnetic, and beautiful male voice, very pleasant to hear, but not my voice.
I forced myself to ignore the sound and asked, "Why are you running?"
The maid secretly watched me, and seeing that I had no intention of killing her, she mustered up her courage and answered, "My lord, it wasn't just me; almost half the people in the castle ran away overnight."
"Why?" I asked in shock.
"Lord, you were injured in the bombing that night and remained unconscious for five days and five nights. The physician said you were beyond saving," the maid replied fearfully. "Later, rumors spread that Lord Rosie was coming for revenge, and the castle was thrown into chaos. Just the day before yesterday, suddenly..."
A series of strange, beast-like roars echoed through the air. The maid screamed and tried to run away, but I grabbed her by the collar and demanded, "What is that?" She cried out, "Zombies! Zombies..."
"Zombies? Where did these zombies come from?" I asked in horror.
Suddenly, several blood-soaked zombies appeared outside the stone hall, baring their teeth and claws as they pounced on us. I had never seen such terrifying creatures before, and I screamed as I ran away with the little maid almost at the same time.
After running a dozen steps, I was so frightened that I fell to the ground, while the little maid scrambled out of the hall.
A zombie with blood flowing from its seven orifices lunged at me. I instinctively took a few steps back, but the zombie pounced again. I don't know where I got the strength, but I grabbed the zombie's neck and snapped it with a crack.
I was stunned. I looked at my hands and couldn't believe I had such strength.
Before I could recover from the shock, several more zombies roared and pounced on me. With a strange intuition, I rushed to the main seat and, without thinking, drew the longsword hidden beneath it. With a few swift movements, I swung the sword at the zombies that were attacking again. Several flashes of blue light appeared, and the heads of several zombies were severed from their bodies, falling into a rain of blood.
I looked at my hands, the sword, and the zombie in horror, still unable to believe it.
A louder roar of wild beasts came from afar. In the distance, more than a hundred blood-soaked zombies surged toward the stone hall like a flood. Each one was ferocious, terrifying, and menacing. I grabbed my sword, jumped over the main seat, and fled in panic...
I never realized I could run so fast. My legs were like wind-up springs, whirring and zipping along. If I had this kind of skill in modern times, I would definitely be the champion at the school sports meet.
Braving the swirling snowflakes, I ran incredibly fast, and the zombies chased after me just as fast.
In a panic, I rushed into a large garden. I was so tired from running that I almost threw up, but the zombies were still chasing after me. When would this end?
Once a feeling of frustration sets in, I unconsciously slow down. Several zombies quickly caught up with me, baring their teeth and roaring at me as they charged forward menacingly.
Terrified, I raised my longsword and slashed, but this time my swordsmanship failed me; unlike before, a few swings wouldn't have been enough to decapitate them. I stabbed their arms, chests, shoulders, and necks, but they showed no reaction. Instead, they fought with increasing ferocity, and with even more zombies surging in, their fighting power grew stronger, surrounding me from all sides.
I was terrified, but I gritted my teeth and wildly swung my sword. I couldn't hurt them, but I couldn't let them get close to me either.
I was starting to struggle, and more zombies were closing in. Just when I was feeling hopeless, a dozen or so flaming arrows flew through the snow and accurately pierced the necks of the zombies. The zombies were engulfed in flames and let out mournful howls.
A group of archers had appeared sometime between me and two or three meters away, shooting arrows at the zombies with a whooshing sound. Several burly men in armor were also bowing respectfully to me.
I was shocked and scared, and had no idea how to deal with it.
Fires raged all around, each zombie a cluster of crimson flames, the nauseating smell of burning flesh spreading through the snowstorm. I bent over and vomited violently…
"My lord, please forgive us for being late—" A series of trembling voices came from behind me. I couldn't respond. I vomited violently, even bringing up bile...
Fifteen minutes later, in a daze, I was surrounded by these snow sculptures and led back to the luxurious bedroom where I had woken up earlier.
"We suddenly discovered that zombies had broken in in the middle of the night yesterday. In a panic, we immediately led the guards to block the door. You were still resting at the time, so I didn't dare to disturb you," the leading general said cautiously. "The main courtyard was originally heavily guarded, but we didn't expect the zombies to dig a hole and crawl in."
"Please punish me." The leading general knelt down before me at the door.
I shook my head, pushed the door open, and slammed it shut.
I feel completely weak and my mind is foggy; I simply can't manage anyone.
After a while, a maid respectfully said outside the door that the bath water had been prepared. I slowly walked to the bathroom in the bedroom, pushed open the door, and was surprised again. The white jade bath was so big that you could swim in it. There were also various bath products and a stack of clean towels on the side of the pool.
I slowly took off my clothes and inadvertently saw a full-length mirror facing the bathtub. My eyes widened in disbelief. I first looked behind me, but there was no one there. Then I looked in the mirror...
I still can't believe it.
A face, both strange and familiar, appeared in the mirror—
Her eyes were strangely clear and blue, her nose was sharply defined and high like that of ancient Greece, her lips had sexy lines, and her chin was elegant and delicate.
Her long, dazzling silver hair cascaded over her shoulders, making her unbelievably beautiful.
I had to cover my mouth tightly to stop myself from screaming—
It was that beautiful young man from the Black Castle!
It's just the mature version, but I still recognized him at first glance.
A terrible thought flooded my mind.
I raised my left hand, and the person in the mirror also raised their left hand; I raised my right hand, and the person in the mirror also raised their right hand.
I fiddled with my hair, and the person in the mirror fiddled with their hair too; I touched my lips, and the person in the mirror touched their lips too.
I stopped abruptly, staring blankly at the person in the mirror, and the person in the mirror stared blankly at me.
I burst into tears, and the person in the mirror was also crying.
A tremendous fear gripped me.
It's not true! It's not true!
Have I become a man?
As I cried, I finally screamed, a heart-wrenching scream.
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