"Do you know of a world that belongs to not us now but us in the future should we wish to remain?"
"Zuo, what are you talking about?"
The look of Yuxuan, completely carved with disbelief. Sorrowful eyes, as if he had lost something precious to him. Yuxuan took one step towards the latter. "Zuo… Whatever it is, it has to stop." Palms clenched into fist, veins popped as red blushes grew. His teeth grit harder than an unfit puzzle, forced to be pieced together. What trickles down his face was not tears but a symbol of the one he desperately needs. The one he wishes present but it seems that Zuo has spiralled down a hole, never to see the surface ever again.
"Xuan, you are not hearing me, it exists, the-"
Words cut harder than blades. When they say a pen is sharper than a sword, mayhaps it was never just a metaphor. "No, Zuo you've gone mad. You live here, with me. Not this other world you seek." His words laced in desperation, calling for Zuo, his pleas were heard but so were the thousands of shattered pieces of Zuo's heart.
"I've been looking for this my whole life… How dare you…" Zuo's words were left in stutters. Each laced with disappointment to the one standing in front of him.
Scattered on the table Zuo stood beside was his life's work. The theories of a life beyond the living realm. The answer, it's right there in front of them. Tears that streamed down Yuxuan's eyes were replicated by Zuo, accompanied by gentle sobs. He himself knows how difficult it was for the both of them when…
"When Madam died…" Yuxuan, less with confidence but more in a whisper. Hearing the sentence slip out so quietly, Zuo's hand crushed the paper he held, wrinkling it to no repair. His voice grew louder with each word spoken. "You don't get to say, ANYTHING ABOUT HER!" He felt a droplet of tear fall into the palm that crushed a part of his blood, his sweat, his everything. In a gasp, he released the poor piece of paper, stumbling back, clanks of items falling from his erratic movements echoed through the room. His hand touched the chair whom his body slid down the floor with. He held onto the chair, knees on the floor. Sobs grew louder, in between, Zuo muttered, "You gave up…"
Seeing the state Zuo is in, Yuxuan's shoulder fell, untensed along with the rest of his body. "Zuo, it was over a long time ago… Please…" Gentle step, rippling the quiet sobs that shrouds the room, Yuxuan knelt beside Zuo, one as devastated as the other. "Come back to me, it's not worth it. It's not real…"
The moon shone through the only window that illuminates the study of a mad man. But is he truly mad if what he says is true? Shadow of a singular man cascaded down, blended along with the other furniture within the room. Zuo's sobs ended with one sentence. "Then what are you?"
The phantom of what we know as Yuxuan disappeared into the howling wind. Was this argument all in his head? Zuo picks himself up, face flushed, wet with tears. The emotional catastrophe he just had was not uncommon. He in fact has gone through this multiple times. Hysteric he is, these arguments, they all seem to be in his head. The curly blonde that Yuxuan would prance around in, vividly replicated in this make-shift nightmare, contrast to how his glittery black hair would sparkle under the full moon. Does that mean Yuxuan never existed?
Yuxuan, 1975. He is 30 this year, and forever. Remembered by the bright colors of his hair, his fair skin, almost pale, but never blue. Zuo crouched down to pick up items that fell along with his outburst earlier. One of which is a picture of himself with Yuxuan. Both wore dazzling suits, standing in front of the institute where their story began. Smiling into the camera like they have just won the lottery. They in fact, sort of did.
"I remember us graduating. Fate isn't it that your studies were delayed by three years. Only to have met me." Zuo murmured to himself. The sound of wood creaking as he walked, to place the framed photo back to where it belonged, on his desk since they had it taken.
The act of tidying up didn't take long. The 47 year old Zuo, still teary eyed, sighed at the date on the calendar he held in his hand. The clock that ticks quietly on his wall suggests that it is the date circled. A midnight walk shouldn't do any harm.
Sliding into his coat, he did not bother with anything else but the wilting white lilies that sat ornately within the small vase by the windowsill. He trudged down the stairs, through the silent living room that he barely spends any of his time in. The darkness bears no meaning as he clicks open his front door into the streets, shoes barely worn in proper manner.
Patches of light he would walk towards. It was a long walk. Is it really? Every year he would walk this path on this particular date. May 20th. The flower in his hand rustles, his shoes clap gently, singing a soft clicking tune. Not a word came out of his mouth throughout the whole journey. He crossed the road, pitch black in between two street lamps that illuminate the path that the cross road connects. It is a singular lane and during nights, barely any vehicle would pass by.
Easily arriving across the road, Zuo only needed to walk further along the sidewalk before he was greeted with the giant archway. Written above, "Baihe Yin Cemetery." In solemn black in an unbearably basic font. Zuo slid his free hand into his pocket, dry coughing to clear his throat. He walked through the entrance of the cemetery and scanned for the graves he visits every year. His first stop is at an old worn out gravestone, carved on it "Madam Zhi Xian" Unreadable but Madam Zhi Xian passed around 25 years ago. He said nothing and gently placed one singular lily atop the grave before moving once more.
A few steps away is the grave belonging to Yuxuan, his best friend. Approaching Yuxuan's grave, the familiar figure of Yuxuan appeared once more. Zuo sighed. "Did you not just haunt me mere minutes ago?" Undaunted, he stepped closer and Yuxuan with his gentle smile became clearer with each step. "You had your hysterical episodes earlier. Don't blame me, blame your head." Yuxuan's voice chirped, as if he was still alive.
Zuo rolled his eyes and lightly shook his head. He bent down to place the bundle of wilting lilies on top of the grave before turning to face the ghost of his friend. "Yeah yeah, it's always all in my head." His chuckle was lighthearted. Eyes unmoving from the friend in front of him. The visions, the pictures, they assist in clearly recalling how he looked. Zuo doesn't know whether to appreciate it or not.
"Walk with me." Yuxuan gently motioned. "Nothing like a walk with my ghost friend." Zuo mayhaps already accepted the madness. After all, who else would he be conversing with? No other human could compare to the conversations he would have with Yuxuan.
The two walked and Zuo was reliving old conversations, bringing up old arguments. All for a good laugh. The ghost of Yuxuan guided their path, or was it really just Zuo following the sidewalk. The night sky, as per established, was only lit by one large moon, full and round. While the streetlamps did what they do best, it never dimmed the moonlight.
"Remember when you talked about a place where mortals-no-longer walk? A plane that is here but not really? Like me?" Zuo nodded. "As clear as day, I do. Buried the rest of my life looking for it." As they walked, a skyscraper, unbeknownst to him ever existed began to show.
Through the non-existent clouds reveal the flickering bright sign, Vita Solaris. "What a presumptuous name." Zuo commented in a gentle mock. It does indeed sound presumptuous doesn't it. "Well, just don't say that if you ever meet the owner." Yuxuan chuckled.
As they walked closer, it began to dawn on Zuo what was happening. They arrived at what used to be a sketchy motel between this creepy alleyway but now stood a grand entrance, rich beyond your wildest dreams. It's gate plated gold, in the fanciest a font could be, completely opposite of the one for the graveyard.
Yuxuan walked past those gates as if he had been many times while Zuo stood, his feet planted on the ground and his brows furrowed in confusion. "Yuxuan…" Zuo's voice trailed off. "Am I?" From the ground, his feet, to the gates and back to Yuxuan. Zuo's gaze shifted gently.
"Welcome to Vita Solaris Zuo. I've been waiting for you for 20 years now."