Return of the 13th Zodiac

7: Cursed Horn

Shu Yue took off her fox mask, letting her horn grow visible on her forehead. Slowly, she touched her fingers to her right temple, where her other horn ought to be. Had once been. Her wound had long since healed. There was no trace, no scar, no indication that another horn existed.

But that didn't mean she'd forgotten. Pain, regret, anger... They never left her.

Leaving the mask on her bed, she sat in front of the dressing table and looked in the mirror. Her gaze lingered on the single horn protruding from the left side of her forehead. Sharp, bestial, and inhuman. Just as the creature behind the gentle illusion staring back at her.

She then pulled a small, carved wooden box from the middle drawer of the dressing table. She just stared at it for a few seconds, her expression blank. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, and then opened them again. Slowly, she lifted the lid from the top of the box, surprised that she even managed to keep her hands steady.

When she peered inside the box, a wave of emotion swept over her, almost knocking her back like an invisible force. Even though she already knew what she'd find inside.

Her horn.

The one she cut off.

Shu Yue tightened her jaw, trying to remain calm as she took the horn from the box--the horn that was once a part of her. Icy cold washed over her as soon as her skin made contact with its rough surface.

If it weren't for me and my stupid dream, she would still be alive.

Her grip on the horn tightened, as if she were trying to crush it.

If it weren't for me, she'd still be here.

Shu Yue's gaze shifted to the mirror. The beast before her was gentle and calm. A tamed beast.

Or was it an illusion?

Because of me, Aunt Wu lost her only and true daughter. But... am I really the only one to blame?

She blinked slowly, and the gentleness that had been clouding her eyes faded, revealing a raging flame burning in it. They were the eyes of the wild beast that dwell within her, the monster that was born after she lost one of her horns.

A monster who was once desperate for acceptance, but was now hungry for revenge.

"Chen Xue," Shu Yue whispered. Her hands began to tremble as she clutched her severed horn.

Because of me... Because of those humans, she's no longer here.

Suddenly, the image in the mirror changed, and she found herself looking at a young girl. Long, dark hair framed her small face. The two silver horns protruding from her forehead were in sharp contrast to her beautiful and delicate features. And her eyes, a lovely pair of deep brown eyes, were empty, lifeless, and dead. She kept muttering, "It's my fault," again and again, her eyes never blinking.

An illusion. No. A memory.

Shu Yue was staring at her six-year-old self.

The girl in the mirror slowly raised her hand, a sharp knife clutched tightly in one small fist. She was shaking, perhaps from fear or anger, or both, but her eyes never wavered. Never blinked. Shu Yue's eyes caught the silver glint of the blade as it shone in the flickering candlelight. She watched as the girl pressed the knife against the lower part of her right horn, where it met her soft skin. Tears streamed down the girl's cheeks, but her eyes remained unblinking.

"It's all because of these horns," the little Shu Yue said in a quiet, flat monotone. "Chen Xue died because I have these ugly horns, because I'm a beastman."