The man stopped mid-sentence and suddenly broke into a smile, stepping closer. Zoe clenched his teeth, knowing the situation was dire. His head was bleeding heavily, and the blood made his eyes sting. The dim streetlights made it even harder to see. Zoe quickly wiped the blood from his eyes, clenched his fists in defense, and his face turned grim.
Many spirits hovered around him. Zoe knew he was afraid and weak compared to the man's strength, but at this moment, his only option was to use his powers to save himself. His eyes reddened with anger, and his hands grew cold.
As the man lunged at Zoe, he reacted swiftly, screaming loudly with his mouth wide open. An invisible burst of energy shot out, drawing nearby spirits into his body. The overwhelming force pushed the man away, and he looked at Zoe in pain and surprise.
With newfound strength, Zoe lifted off the ground, extended his hand towards the man, and grabbed his neck tightly. In an instant, with a “crack,” he snapped the man’s neck. Blood poured from the man's mouth, and a transparent, pure spirit emerged from his body. Zoe captured the escaping spirit with one hand while throwing the man’s lifeless body against the wall with the other. Once the man’s spirit was completely drained, Zoe collapsed to the ground. It took him a moment to regain his composure, and he was stunned by what he had done.
The scene before him was dark, and his mind was foggy. Images of himself killing the man flashed through his head. After a moment of panic, he composed himself, quickly got up, and ran to his bike. He mounted it and pedaled swiftly out of the alley without looking back.
In the dimly lit alley, a white figure that had been hiding in the shadows floated over the dead man’s body. It was Jill. Jill had followed Zoe since he left the bar and was horrified to witness Zoe using his powers to kill. Until now, Jill had only used Zoe for its own purposes, but this time Zoe had killed someone with his own hands. Jill couldn’t believe its eyes. Zoe was truly dangerous; not only could he control spirits, but he could also use them to amplify his strength to kill.
Jill watched Zoe’s figure speeding away down the street, feeling confused and fearful. Jill wasn’t sure whether to continue with the plan it had devised or to stop. What if one day Zoe treated Jill like the other spirits, using them as food? But for now, Jill had no choice but to continue; finding Zoe had been incredibly difficult, and it didn’t want to remain a wandering, restless spirit forever. It had to take revenge. All those who had killed it must die. Jill would not spare any of them, making them suffer a thousand times more than what it had endured over the years.
The hatred in Jill’s heart was as powerful as a dark whirlwind, forming a small aura around its transparent form. It seemed as if Jill was betting on its fate. It still wanted to cling to Zoe, using words to enchant his mind and exploit him to become a stronger spirit, a true reaper. By targeting other spirits, Jill would become stronger, eventually surpassing Zoe in power. At that point, Jill would be the one to end Zoe’s life.
The thought of a brighter future made Jill’s ghostly face twist into a grim smile. The eerie smile of the spirit finally faded into the darkness of the empty, cold alley, merging with the lifeless body of the man lying against the dark wall.
As night gave way to dawn, the city sky, once covered in brilliant yet cold white streetlights, was now illuminated by the bright morning sun. When Zoe arrived home, it was almost six in the morning. The floor-to-ceiling glass windows on the balcony allowed a view of the street outside. Neil, stunned, saw Zoe covered in blood from head to toe, including his light blue shirt stained with blood.
Without a word, Neil pulled Zoe inside and closed the door. Once Zoe was seated on the sofa, Neil, with a worried and stern voice, asked him,
“What happened? Why are you covered in blood?”
Before Zoe could answer, Neil stood up abruptly.
“Wait here. I’ll get a towel and some bandages.”
Zoe remained silent. Soon, Neil returned with a damp, warm towel and a first-aid kit. He sat closer and tried to wipe Zoe’s forehead, but before he could finish, Zoe interrupted him,
“I’m fine. Just… just help me clean up.”
“Sit still. How can you clean yourself up?” Neil said, his voice raised out of concern, making Zoe flinch. Realizing he was too harsh, Neil softened his tone, apologizing and gently helping Zoe wipe the blood from his face.
“Tell me, what happened? Are you injured anywhere else?” After bandaging Zoe’s wounds, Neil asked softly.
Zoe shook his head. “No… I… I… was hit by a car, but I’m fine and didn’t want to cause any trouble, so I just rode my bike home.”
Neil stared at him, “That’s not fine! With all this blood, give me the car’s license plate, and I’ll find the owner and talk to them tomorrow.”
“Don’t,” Zoe pulled Neil’s hand. “I’m really fine. It was just a minor collision, and I don’t want to make a fuss… Besides, it was too dark to see the license plate.”
Neil looked at Zoe with a sigh of resignation. “It’s lucky it was just a scratch on your forehead. If something happened to you, I wouldn’t know what to do... I mean, I’d be very lonely without you.”
“Go take a shower and get some sleep,” Neil said, changing the subject awkwardly.
Zoe nodded and went into the bathroom. Neil silently watched his slender figure disappear. He knew Zoe was lying, but he didn’t want to press him. Although Zoe had committed crimes in the past, it was an unfortunate accident, and he had been a victim at that time.
After living together for months, Neil was confident that Zoe was not a troublemaker. He had to investigate this matter thoroughly.