CHAPTER 12
723 Words
Chapter 12
The village was quiet when the old man returned.
Evening had begun to settle over the narrow roads, and the sky was painted in soft shades of orange and fading gold. Smoke drifted lazily from a few chimneys as families prepared their evening meals.
Lin Yue was sitting in the courtyard when she heard the familiar sound of footsteps approaching the gate.
She stood quickly.
“You’re back,” she said.
The old man gave a tired smile as he stepped inside, dusting his hands lightly against his trousers.
“Yes… I’m back.”
The old woman appeared from the kitchen doorway, wiping her hands on a cloth.
“Well?” she asked.
The old man sighed gently and shook his head.
“They checked the records. There are many people with the name Lin Yue, but none reported missing nearby.”
The words settled quietly in the courtyard.
Lin Yue lowered her gaze slightly, though she had not expected a different answer.
Still… hearing it made the hollow feeling in her chest return.
The old man quickly added, “But they took a photo and my contact number. If anything shows up, they’ll inform us.”
The old woman nodded thoughtfully.
“That’s something at least.”
She looked toward Lin Yue, her expression softening again.
“Come inside. Dinner is almost ready.”
Later that night, the house was calm.
The three of them had eaten together quietly. The old couple tried to keep the conversation light, speaking about ordinary village matters so Lin Yue would not feel discouraged.
But once the lights were turned off and everyone retreated to their rooms, the silence returned.
Lin Yue lay awake on the small bed, staring into the darkness.
Her name echoed faintly in her mind again.
Lin Yue.
The more she repeated it, the more it felt like a key — one that could open a door if only she could remember where the door was.
She closed her eyes.
At first, there was nothing.
Just darkness.
Then slowly…
The faintest flicker.
Wind.
Cold wind brushing against her face.
The sensation was so vivid that her breathing faltered.
A distant sound followed.
Metal striking stone.
Clang.
Clang.
Her heart began to race.
Shapes began forming in the darkness of her mind — tall shadows, towering walls made of dark stone.
For a brief moment, she felt as if she were standing somewhere far away.
A place that was not this village.
A place that did not belong to this quiet, peaceful world.
Her chest tightened suddenly.
The familiar pain returned.
This time sharper.
Lin Yue gasped softly and sat up, pressing a hand against her chest.
The vision shattered instantly.
The small room rushed back into focus around her.
Her breathing came fast and uneven.
“What… was that…?”
She whispered the words into the empty room.
The memory had not been clear enough to understand.
But one thing was certain.
The place she had seen did not resemble anything in this world.
Not the village.
Not the town.
Not even the distant mountains.
It had felt… older.
Stranger.
And far more dangerous.
Outside the house, the night deepened.
The moon hung high above the quiet village, bathing the rooftops in pale silver light.
Everything appeared peaceful.
Yet somewhere far away — beyond mountains, cities, and ordinary human lives — something had quietly begun to move.
A man stood beside the dark window of a high-rise office building.
Below him, the city lights stretched endlessly into the distance.
In his hand was a tablet displaying a single image.
A photograph.
The face of a young woman sitting beneath a tree in a small courtyard.
Her expression calm.
Her eyes distant.
The name beneath the photo read:
Lin Yue
The man’s gaze hardened slightly.
“So… you’re alive after all.”
His voice was low, almost thoughtful.
For a long moment he said nothing more.
Then he turned toward the window, the reflection of the city lights glimmering faintly in his eyes.
“Interesting.”
Far away in the quiet village, Lin Yue lay back down slowly, unaware that the fragile peace around her was already beginning to unravel.
Because the moment her name had resurfaced…
Someone had noticed.
And sooner or later…
That someone would come looking for her.
- Writer
