Kaleidoscope of Death

CHAPTER 38: LEAVING

The creatures that ran out of the temple soon returned, lugging along someone they knew very well. It was as Ruan Nanzhu had figured; Xu Jin was stealthily trailing after them in the jungle.

Cutting a sorry figure, she was captured by several monsters and dragged out of the jungle against her will. A mix of pure horror and panic colored her features, and plaintive cries for help spilled endlessly from her mouth. If it weren't for him witnessing the disturbing sight of her peeling her own skin in the middle of the night, Lin Qiushi might've tried to save her. But now, he didn't move a single muscle; he merely watched on as the monsters hauled Xu Jin all the way to the top of the wooden platform and shoved her before the skinless young girl covered in blood.

"Save me! S-save me, ahh—" Having caught sight of Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu standing beside her, her first response was to beg for help. Snot and tears messily streaked her face, and she looked to be seconds away from fainting.

Ruan Nanzhu stared at her indifferently, not even moved in the slightest.

Xu Jin desperately wanted to escape from the monsters' clutches, but her hands and feet were bound. The little girl on the platform supported her body with her palms, sluggishly crawling towards Xu Jin. She then extended her arms and pressed her blood-stained hands on the other's face, her fingers curling into claws, "Give it back to me—Give it back—"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" A mournful shriek ripped out from her throat. Like a rabid animal, Xu Jin struggled like crazy when she saw the girl paste her palms onto her skin. The girl's fingers dug deep into her flesh; soon after, the girl separated her hands, pulling outwards with force, and a crisp ripping sound reverberated in the air—just like that, Xu Jin's skin was torn apart.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Nononono—Big sister, stop it, ahhhhh!!!" Any ordinary person would've long been dead after this, but Xu Jin was still resisting, fighting back with all her might. In fact, she seemed to be regaining strength with each passing second, and the deep fear in her eyes gradually began to subside, soon replaced by another intense emotion Lin Qiushi clearly recognized—extreme reluctance.

At long last, Xu Jin's skin was completely ripped off. Caressing the skin in her arms as though it was a precious treasure, the little girl tittered gleefully; her piercing laughter oozed with sheer delight.

Xu Jin's gaze fell on the broken drum, and the burning resentment in her eyes grew ever stronger, "Why are you doing this? Didn't you already agree to give it to me?! You promised me—"

"Shut up, you liar!" The skinless girl viciously roared, murderous wrath engulfing her. The drum beneath her thrummed violently, issuing a thunderous bang. She was incredibly furious, seemingly wanting to eat the person before her alive until nothing was left. "Oh, my little sister. My dearest, most beloved little sister. Have you any idea how much I've suffered searching for you far and wide? Just where have you been? Where were you?!"

Xu Jin, who had also become a skinless creature like her sister, couldn't seem to answer her older sister's questions. Even now, she looked so much older than the little girl; no one would've guessed they were twins from their appearance.

"Fortunately, you've returned. You're finally back now." As she spoke, she carefully straightened out the flimsy skin she had peeled from Xu Jin, and gingerly put in on her own skinless body. Pure bliss overcame her features, as if she finally got to wear a long-awaited wedding dress. "My dear little sister. Have you ever, even for a brief second, missed me after you left me like that?"

As soon as that strip of flesh came in contact with the girl's body, it began transforming and merging with her, gradually being fitted to her figure. The shape of her body began to change, and from a gory, skinless monster, she soon became a lovely young girl. Now, the little girl looked exactly like the twins Lin Qiushi had seen on the photograph Xu Jin had taken from the diary.