Chapter 121 - The Institute (62)

The gloomy and cold ambience in the room was supported by the strange sense of ritual that shrouded the place in a heavy, humid air. The scent of roses and sea salt seemed to have intertwined to become a overpowering and penetrating fragrance, that cut like sharp blades.

It still retained an old rustic sense from the last century, but the humid and decadent air had been corroded slowly by the bright light that shone faintly in the dark room. The dark red pattern on the beige wallpaper on the walls had at some point disappeared, the painting distorted into long, smiling faces. The huge and brilliant candle-lit chandelier hanging from the ceiling were lit and the previously overturned and smashed desks looked to have been restored to their previous appearance.

A moist water vapor was filling the air, condensing into an almost psychedelic atmosphere that would ease the mind and relax the soul. The light penetrated into cold and blue waters of the undulating pond. The previous murkiness and filth nowhere to be seen.

The sound of rushing undercurrents stirred underneath, the light in the cold pond suddenly sank to a dull blurry color, quite different from the normal brightness of the water, and a dark shadow was quickly rising from the depths of the water.

Like a water ghost, a demonic face floated from below the surface of the water.

Blue eyes sunk deep down into the shadow of his eyebrows, soaking in the darkness of the gloom. But the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, as if ridiculing something, the smiling expression was full of indescribable flirtation and wickedness.

The air seemed to pause quietly, as the merman breached the surface, his upper form had already fully floated up, and with one hand on the shore of the platform, his wet body managed to stand upright. The exposed section that was out of the water formed a shadow that completely swallowed all light, covering the pale glow that seemed to flicker from below. His tail supported his center of gravity from inside the water, water leaving glistening wet trails down the strong muscled lines of his body.

The merman's dark eyes seem to contain traces of ridicule and its ghostly blue pupils never left the entrance of the door.

At this moment, the fluttering gills behind his ears seemed to hear the creak of a heavy wooden door being pushed open. The clear sound of footsteps knocked on the cold and hard floor, coming from far and near, and finally stopped beside the fish pond.

Then there was a long silence.

Time passed by minute by minute, but the entire space was still surrounded by endless silence. No sound came through the flowing water around him, but the smile on the merman's face seemed to be getting bigger and bigger.

Finally, a voice chuckled softly.

The light in the room dimmed like an overcast cloud, and in the reflection the bright and cold waters, only the vague silhouette of a man could be seen. He was tall, with broad shoulders, bright golden hair falling rigidly against his shoulders. Just standing in the dark like that can give people a sense pressure and fear.

The man stared at the similar face glaring coldly back at him, the merman's face was immersed in dark shadows, making it impossible to guess his expression and emotions, let alone his true intentions.

The merman squinted his eyes, his tail swung subconsciously, and the waves were stirred up all around him briefly and then slowly sank.

An irritable and violent mood suddenly rose from the bottom of his heart at that laugh.

He slapped aside heavily with his powerful tail, a rock the size of a fist abruptly spun from water depths, breaking the surface quickly, rushing towards the man's face, before slamming into the man's shoulder! The strong attack did not leave any blood, but it still made a heavy and huge roar accompanied by the vibration of the water!

The man's shoulder was flung back and there was an audible crack as the stone smashed into the man's shoulder!

There was silence.

The blond man, standing coldly in front of the water is tall, with handsome features that are almost evil.

The high brow bones are sharp and dangerous, the eye sockets are deep, and the narrow and tall nasal bones give him a very aggressive and dangerous aura. Those brightly colored aqua eyes deepened in color as if they were carrying the blue agate of the sea, in the bright light they turned into a thick and coquettish purple.

The man, didn't seem to feel pain stared at the merman floating in front of him, and something fierce and playful was revealed in the depths of the eyes. Coming out, like a shark smelling blood, slowly showing its sharp teeth—

The man's voice was low and impetuous, ringing in the air a evil ghost.

"Have you played enough?"

The calm waters flowed around him quietly...

The blond man looked at him with a subtle curvature at the corner of his mouth, "I see that you haven't come out for so long, do you think you are addicted to playing this game?"

There was a flash of red as he moved.

A soft tingling sound caressed his ears and the mermans eyes couldn't help but shift to the side of his head.

The man had at some point, pierced a earrings into one side of his ear, there were four strings in total, swaying and colliding with each other with a soft tingling sound.

The top edge of the earring is a thin golden hook, which was inserted into the earlobe, and the gold thread runs through three beads, two smaller carved white beads, one end and the other, sandwiching the oval, crystal clear red coral in the middle. 

It turned out that this thing was ringing. 

Like a crisp and soft fingers lightly tickling his heart.

The man tilted his head to the left and then to the right, a playful sneer against his lips "It's a little addictive...but I'm tired." He shook his dislocated hand towards the merman, like he was throwing a rubber, "It still hurts the body very much."

The merman didn't care and even seem to want to laugh a little. The dark blue pupil narrowed into sharp slits, dark, hungry and possessive. The water seemed to roil around him and the sweet scent of roses seemed to be stirred up from his movements.

The blond man lifted his slender hand and lightly touched the coral beads on his ears. It felt hot to the touch, a faint glowing red mercury seemed to move about in the coral gem.

The man suddenly walked towards the pond with a smile, exerted some force with his left hand, and took the dislocated right hand back and artificially reset it.

Throughout the process his smile never dropped.

He stopped, stretched out a white gloved forefinger, and wagged it, like teasing a hungry dog, saying with a smile, "Making him so desperate and bloody, the most sought after treasure in this entire Institute? What kind of dark game are you playing."

Even though he was the one asking, the man's voice was cold and dangerous like a bloody snake. The pale skin contrasted sharply with the crimson red lips. Even the bright, golden hair seemed to be covered in a crimson shroud as if the next a hungry beast would tear through the human skin and completely devour him into his stomach.

The feigned childish smile on the merman's face gradually faded, but it was not the embarrassment and unease after being exposed, but a subtle smile, like admiration and also boundless agression.

The low and dull voice, like the beginning cold night sounder strangely in the gorgeous room, the twisted smile on the densely packed portraits seemed to grow broader.

"He–is–he should be complete." The mermans voice was jerky and hoarse.

"Admit it?" The blond man shrugged, stood by the waters edge and seemed to leaned close to the merman's ear, and said softly in a gentle tone.

"Then you should quickly pray to God and let 'him' not find out."

The merman's pupils shrunk sharply.

He was tied to the black altar. Black thorns tightened on him, sinking into every inch of his skin, absorbing his blood, and slowly blooming into coquettish dark red roses. The clamor and condemnation of the crowd seemed gradually faded away, and the poisonous snake that followed the smell of blood climbed up his body, entangled with the blood-watered roses and danced together, piercing his body with fangs and sharing the food in his mouth.

The blond man slowly tilted his head and smirked, "Don't try to get what you shouldn't. We are nothing but a small piece of him, to guide and watch his beloved until he fully wakes up and when its time, we'll disappear."

The gloved finger seemed to point down to the floor, "Our majesty."

The heavy, sticky sweet scent that resembled crushed roses seemed to bloom powerfully.

******

The water flowed around him quietly, caressing his skin like a cold hand, Chu Yi's descent was slow but gradually his movements became more and more proficient as the long, streamlined tail pushed his body forward. 

His mind seemed addled, his thoughts turned slowly and the red eyes seemed to have lost its treacherous and malicious look. The jeweled tail shone brightly, scales glimmering like thin pieces of ruby had been placed carefully on his body.

The box wasn't hard to find, and light pink nails, like soft shells, shone with a sharp metallic glint as they tore the box to pieces.

As expected, a liquor bottle lay there quietly, the liquid inside seemed to flow like golden mercury, voracious and bright.

Chu Yi lightly popped open the bottle and without hesitation lifted it to his head.

Crisp and sweet.

Fruity.

That was his first thought.

Then immediately a burning tingling like a trail of dark fire seemed to originate from his tongue all the way to his stomach, as if a fire had been lit into his soul, penetrating into all his cells and setting them ablaze.

The pale face quickly became flush and heated. 

However this heat was soon, extinguished leaving nothing but a cool and refreshing wave to slowly wrap his body in a crisp cold. 

The feeling left him shuddering.

Chu Yi lifted the bottle again, unable to resist the intoxicating and sweet burn that settled into his stomach.

It's the taste of bitter orange mixed with the burning dryness of malt. The rich, fragrant aroma of wine, resembled vodka of the highest purity, it slipped into his throat, and the extremely aggressive taste instantly penetrated his body and burned into his soul. His body clearly felt as felt as cold as ice but Chu Yi felt as if his was sinking into a burning sulfur pit before being doused in a cool ice.

Strangely numb and addicting.

Unconsciously, Chu Yi had drunk most of the bottle.

The heat in his body slowly rose and the unbearable thirst appeared once more.

Chu Yi's expression became a little blurry, he liked the taste, it was so strong that he could temporarily forget everything, completely immersing himself into the most instinctive appetite, like a greedy ghost.

Another blurry thought seemed to rise into his head.

Want to drink more.

He couldn't help taking another sip, his cheeks showed a slight redness, and he completely indulged in the burning heat, slowly drifting in the aroma of the wine. Perhaps the wine's taste was too strong, and there was a strange taste in it, but he didn't immediately distinguish it. 

But he could taste the light fragrance of roses, quietly lingering at the tip of his tongue and sending his nerves into even more of a frenzy. The pale red tail seemed to bloom into a gorgeous red, like the most dazzling of roses that be wantonly played with and teased at will.

In his frazzled mind, Chu Yi seemed to smell a familiar taste, although light, it still couldn't not hide the dark and sultry breath that seemed to be stamped into the deepest part of his heart.

His head tilted to side, two red covered by a layer of thin mist rolled slightly and landed on the slowly undulating waters above him, his dull mind flickered and with a soft swish of his tail, Chu Yi swam upwards.

The merman stared blankly at the blond man standing before him, The dark hair hung quietly from the sharp lines of his face and faint water droplets dripped onto the bronzed shoulders. The flickering scarlet light in its ghostly blue eyes seemed to pause for a second but in the end, still clung tightly to the dark depths.

The merman opened its mouth to reveal bloody fangs, glinting with a cold, beastly touch. The strange dull voice sounded again, "Are you reconciled?"

The unfazed smile at the corner of the blond man's lips seemed to drop, he was unable to hide the dark and gloomy breath that suddenly surged up in its depth.

Reconciled –

Of course, he was not reconciled. Even knowing he was a part of him, it still couldn't make the heavy jealousy and obsession in his heart disappear. 

He could remember every touch of the soft, silky. The dark fire that burned brightly in those ruby eyes. He should be carefully held in the palm of his hands, soft feet never touching the ground , only able to cling onto his shoulders desperately and cry coquettishly to beg for mercy. Like a sticky milk cat.

The intense desire was like ants biting his heart–

Agate blue eyes narrowed heavily, but he knew it was futile. They were just shards, unable to fight the masters hand. He had sensed briefly that overwhelming and oppressive power, it shook his soul and shattered the power he was so proud of.

For a moment, he felt cowardice and he refrained from appearing in front of the deadly rose.

The merman seemed to know what he was thinking and the soft voice like a sirens call, slowly sounded in his ears. "But what if. As long as he stays, as long as he becomes apart of 'us', then he can never leave."

The heavy obsession in its voice was almost overflowing.

The blond man's eyes squinted slowly, unable to stop the palpitating in its heart, even if it was just false hope.

"What do you mean apart of us–"

The mermans eyes turned strange, under his long and wet eyelashes, there was a sense of evil and aggression that could not be concealed. His gaze had an effect as if a strange sense of crawling numbness, like tiny insects drilling into his blood vessel and rampaging wantonly in his body, sharp and greedy. He seemed to want to speak but just then a soft and tickling voice sounded breaking the solemn air.

"Hungry."

The room seemed to still.

The beautiful light red that clouded the soft cheeks was like a ripped peach, the bright red color steamed by the heat spread from his ears to his neck, in a light dusting of pink powder. Those bright-red eyes were misty, it seemed a little hard to focus, and they looked strangely dull.

He was just floating there, his long hair curled up on his cheeks, his red eyes were quiet and deep, like the feeling of fear, but also the want to indulge in eternal peace. Like a rose that blooms to the point of rottenness. He was beautiful and deadly.

The long hair like the most carefully woven silk shone with an obsidian luster, the bright red fish tail swayed softly in the candle lite pool, and the pearl- like giant tail fin flashed with a shallow white luster. His waist seemed as if it was covered in a light red film, and the other half of his body that was revealed was pure white and flawless, shining in the cold light , covered with brilliant red flush. The red seemed to cover his cheeks spread along the slender neck to the deep collarbone and chest, dazzling.

The coquettish and treacherous beauty made people feel panic and fear instinctively, but it is difficult to control the attraction and temptation that billowed from red eyes. Like the gorgeous patterns of a poisonous snake, or the venomous tentacles of a coral.

Beautiful and deadly, evil and mysterious.

Both hearts palpitated.

Chu Yi tilted his head quietly. He blinked blankly, seemingly unaware of their clamoring emotions. The breath that was like a sharp blade out of its sheath disappeared and Chu Yi's expression was a little clearer, and he seemed to have recovered a bit of his sanity. His eyes were no longer as blurred and hazy as before, but his eyes and nose were red, like a wronged child.

Eyes red like blood, like a sea of ​​​​bright red roses blooming in it, a hell so boundless and beautiful squinted and lips opened slightly.

"....I want to eat candy."