“There is no easy way. Not even I know that.” The Lady in White shook her head and sighed: “But I tell you some things that might work, it just depends oher you actually put it in your heart to do them. It also hinges on how prepared you would be, in going against these people who have been ag in your city for decades. Even though they are now a husk of what they once were, they still hold tremendous power and influen your city’s politid funs.”

  “I am - I believe I am ready for that.” Marcus let out a long sigh.

  “The me start with the best solution that I know.” The Lady in White looked up at the night sky: “Since you are one of the official enforcers of the city, you should have entered their soldiers and minions. What have you noticed about them?”

  Marcus fell into his thoughts. The first persohought of was Stitch, the only hen they’ve caught iire prect, one who unfortunately died in a fight. After that the closest ones he came to were those men in bck who gathered around the docks. But they were apprehended by Chef Tang and his crew. And it had been a while, the chef’s crew never tacted him or anyone involved in the operation.

  “They deem what they were doing to be an act for the greater good, and for the fate of the city.” Marcus answered, looking right into the dy’s eyes: “You are saying, if I do what they are doing. I actually stop the curse of the city, like they’re g?”

  “Yes. But ces for you are three out of ten, even if you do it the right way.” The Lady in White looked up at the night: “This is an a ritual. Even during my time, I’ve heard rumors about it being practiced by those malicious on small scales. What it is, is to take the Qiyun from those who have vast and great futures ahead of them, rip their Qiyun of them, and use that Qiyun to build a o the curse. For, as you might know, curses, future, and the pure energy of Qiyun, they are different aspects of the same thing.”

  “So - what about my actual question - what of the other ways?”

  “Patience is a virtue, and a firategy when there was no obvious way out.” The Lady in White spoke with a soft and slightly tired voice, her eyes drifting towards the relief sculpture of the One-armed Knight. “The reason even if you do things perfectly, is because you are literally messing with Qiyun, taking it off others, holding a cut flow of it, shaping it, every step of the way would corrupt your own, your fate and your future. Curses, it would bee.”

  Marcus and Gloria sighed at the same time. Gloria sniffled and wiped the ers of her eyes.

  “For decades during my time, my predecessors have been trying to find a way to trol the power of lightning, and trol the power of fire, and light. We failed. No spell or ritual grant us the level of trol that we desire. But it is a matter of faow, in fact, in your time, it has been a granted aspect of life since decades ago.” The Lady in White sighed and shook her head with a wry smile: “Therefore, I impart this knowledge to oalented young man who walked through the door. He had the right mind, he uood. He created another ritual and p over several major parts of the city. But - he failed. He lost trol of the ritual, along with it, his life, and his visio - wise and cautious as he was, he left ways to restart this ritual using liquid lightning. I know not where he left it. You’ll o find it, and find new pilrs to achieve it. To that end, I believe you already know what o be done. Sacrifice is, as you expect, iable.”

  “... thank you.” Marcus and Gloria exged looks: “My si gratitude, you - you don’t know how much this helps.”

  “What is your final question, young enforcer?”

  “I - I want to know this - the spirits that appear in the night, or wandering iy. They almost always have these s on their backs.” Marcus rubbed his nose bridge, then uttered his question: “I want to know the nature of these s.”

  Gloria nodded and awaited the Lady’s answer with an eager look.

  “Binds. They are binds on the soul, as well as on the curse itself.” The Lady picked two flowers from her side. One decorated by mials with long winding golden patterns, the other came with long, crystal blue sword-like petals: “They pull the residual Qiyun as well as essence from the souls and take advantage of that force to suppress the curse itself. Fwed, shoddy and barbaric attempts to the once promising ritual, ducted by lesser men.”

  The Lady in White spoke the st words with palpable pt. After which, she hahe two flowers to Marcus and Gloria, exhausted: “My gratitude to you as well, for daring to e here. It’s been years since I st spoke this much. And - my wishes that you find what you’re looking for.”

  Marcus and Gloria bowed before taking the flloria wao say something, but not before fog swept around both of them, swallowing them in whole again.

  From Feb 8 to Feb 12, in celebration of the ese New Year, my test novel Lime's Fable will be free on Amazon! Stay tuned!

  Shout outs to my patrons:

  mant06,

  Jonathan

  Thank you for your support!