The Tale of A Villainess ✔️

Ch 58: Kun Xiao's Story, Disappearance

"Words are like keys. If you choose them right, they can open any heart and shut any mouth." - Unknown

**

"Oh, how long has it been since I heard those titles?" He grins with a hint of sadness, "Thank you for reminding me who I am. You're Zi Yan, right? I heard them call you by that name."

I nod, "Yes. What do you mean when you said that I reminded you who you were?"

He sighs, "Well.. In the 21st century, I was a chemist, mega BTS fan, and a writer like you are. After having a big argument with my mom, I got drunk. My co-worker called me up to ask me to finish up a new experiment of his that afternoon. And so, we experimented with a hazardous and poisonous substance in his private lab. We even had a drink fest near the lab and we accidentally swapped the poisonous substance in the flask with one of our drinks."

Wow. How- What-

He glances at me, "I know.. We were pathetic. But anyways, when we woke up, we transmigrated to my book, 'Brotherhood of Blades.'"

I gasp, "That is crazy! I have never heard of two people transmigrating. Where is your lab partner now?"

"He..." He exhales a heavy breath, "..Did not make it."

"W-What do you mean?"

"Well," He begins, "Let me give you a little background of my book. My book is about a detective who transmigrates into the Yuan Dynasty and becomes a Minister's son. After saving a little boy's life in the streets, the man encounters Xu Kai, the infamous Co-Commander of the Imperial Military Guards and the son of the Commander in Chief, Xu Zhan. Soon, fate brought the detective and Xu Kai together. Along with Xu Kai's team, the 21st century scientist will help Xu Kai solve the hidden mysteries behind the Yuan Dynasty."

Strange. The description of his story sounds exactly like my entrance to the story.

"Uh.." I utter, "May I ask how that relates to your partner's death?"

"The thing is," A cloud of thought seems to overwhelm his head, "In my story, the only way to return to the 21st century is to died however you did in the present. In my case, I died due to a poisonous chemical. Til' this day, however, I have not discovered that same poisonous substance."

I frown, "Is that why you were experimenting with all sorts of poison? Also, what happens if we cannot die the way that we did in the present? After all, I don't remember dying in the present. I only indulged in a deep sleep."

"Yes. That was precisely why I experimented with poison." He thinks to himself, "I presume you are in a deep coma in the present. This means the only way you can get back is to be in a coma again. Do you remember how you ended up in a coma?"

I scratch my head, "To be honest... No. I only remember holding something in my hand before feeling exhausted and falling asleep."

"Zi Yan," He sits up, "You are not emotionally attached to this world, are you?"

I open my mouth to say something but I stop and reconsider, "No.." I continue, "..I am not."

"Good. That will make everything simple."

"Make everything simple?"

He nods, "The only way for you to be in a coma during this time period is a medicinal herb. If you overdose on the herb, you will be in a coma again. Do you understand my logic? Basically, you can never stay here forever. That is why it is good that you do not have lasting emotions in this world. It will blossom into nothing."

My heart sinks.

"I.. I understand. It's just so sudden.."

"Listen to me carefully. You have a limited amount of time here; I discovered that the time limit is different for everyone. To return to the 21st century, you need to be in a coma as soon as possible. If not, you will end up like my lab partner."

"What happened to your lab partner, Kun Xiao?"

He seems to lose his enthusiasm and hope, "The first clue was his hands. Out of nowhere, for a mere second, his hands disappeared and returned back to normal again. It happened so quick you may even miss it. Next: his feet. If the same happens with your feet, you must find a way to return back home immediately. Because the next day, your whole body will begin to fade away, until nothing is left of you."

I cover my mouth in shock, "And.. You witnessed all of this with your lab partner? Heavens, I am so sorry for your loss."

"He is a good friend of mine. He will always rest within my memories.." I can tell Kun Xiao is dispirited: "You know, the reason why I am telling you this is because.. Yesterday night.. For a mere second, I saw my feet disappear. I thought, this is it. My time is over."

He proceeds, "I have a small favor. If you do return to the present.. Can you tell my mom that I am sorry for what I said? I'll give you her phone number."

"..Can you also tell her that I apologize for arguing with her and telling her what's best for me?" He tries to combat his tears, "I thought about it through. I was naïve back then to understand her sacrifices. She worked full time as a single mother to raise me as a child even after my dad left us."

He sniffs, "Can you tell her that I am glad to be raised by a strong woman like her? That I miss her smiling face and her delicious meals. That I wish I could spend such a delightful childhood with her again?"

"Yes, I can." I wipe my tears away.

Don't forget your purpose, Zi Yan.

I say, "I only have one condition: Tell me who is behind of all this."