274 The Beast Inside

-The Death Valley-

Rich velvet blanket of black swallowed up the day, draining the colors of grey and then into nothing at all as midnight came around. Only a smattering of luminous stars could be seen in the absolute darkness of midnight sky. Even the moon had waned into nothing at this time.

Through a small window, the waned moonlight fell inside the dark, slightly damp and cold cell. The cell wasn't made of concrete, rather it seemed to be carved inside the mountain. The metal bars were really thick and it wasn't very spacious either.

The moonlight seemed to be dancing in the myriad of shadows until it slowly fell on a figure curled up on the cold floor, shivering. Fair, tender but frail hands were hugging the small frame. Hair drenched in sweat stuck to the small face of the young girl who was suffering from immense pain.

\"Lily!\"

In the silence, she heard someone calling her name in a hushed tone. As if someone was trying to shake her awake from her semi-unconscious state.

\"Lily! Wake up!\"

The demons wreaking havoc in her mind slowly seemed to fade as the voice got clearer. Her brows knotted together as she tried to recognize that voice. The name sounded really familiar and yet it seemed unfamiliar. But she was certain she had heard that name.

'Who was Lily?' The young girl wondered to herself.

\"Lily, if you really gave up here, how are you gonna face your master Rong? You still have to repay your master for saving you!\"

The girl's eyes opened instantly as if the name had brought her sense of rationality back. She used her wounded hands to support her body to sit up. Slowly, she pushed back her sticky hair to look back at the person calling her name.

\"Xiao Han?\"

Her voice was hoarse and really weak as she stared at the teenager in the cell right opposite her. He looked exhausted and disheveled. Not even one bit of him looked like he was the same young master of the Ji family who loved cause trouble for everyone. He didn't look like his lively self.

\"Are you okay?\" he asked in a concerned voice, holding the metal bars he had been constantly looking at her condition which seemed to have worsened after they were moved to this new prison.

Even though Zhang Han didn't know where this group of kidnappers brought them, he was certain that it was a faraway land with no one to help them around.

Meanwhile, making sense of his question, Lily finally recalled what happened. After they were kidnapped, they were kept together in a room. But yesterday when they were brought here, she was separated from the other two. And when they brought her back to that familiar-looking laboratory, she knew what was to come.

But her only regret was that she got the other two teenagers in trouble. They had nothing to do with it and yet they were stuck here with her.

\"Master, I'm sorry for failing to keep them safe. Instead, I brought this calamity,\" she whispered with remorse but she couldn't do anything at all now. Her whole body was as heavy as a boulder. And her brain... It was a wonder that she could still keep some of her sense of thinking intact. \"Xiao Han, I'm really sorry,\" she breathed out to the other teenager.

Zhang Han leaned against the metal bars and finally relaxed a little, seeing that she was awake. He was really scared when she didn't respond to his calls for the past five hours. However, he was also stubborn who kept calling her name in desperation. He didn't know what those people did to her after they brought them here, but when they threw her in the cell opposite of his, she looked lifeless.

\"What are you sorry for? It's okay as long as you're alive,\" he replied before licking his dry lips. He was thirsty, really thirsty after calling her name so many times. It was surprising that he hadn't lost his voice until now.

Lily looked up at him and choked out, \"This is all my fault. If I had not joined you guys on this trip, this wouldn't have happened. These people are after me. Because master tried to set me free from their shackles, they must be getting back their subject product now.\"

\"Aiyo, you're really innocent,\" said Zhang Han as he tilted his head sideways and sighed, \"You might be their test subject before. But this time their target wasn't you.\" Lily frowned at his words while he pointed around in the cell and asked, \"Do you see anyone else in here?\"

Even though it was really dark, her eyes were already accustomed to the darkness and she could tell that Zhang Han was alone in the cell. So, she shook her head in reply.

\"Don't you think someone's missing?\" Lily raised her brow at his question. \"We came as a group of three. You're here, I'm here...\"

Her eyes widened at the realization as she screamed out, \"Where is Yuan? What did they do to him?\"

Zhang Han stayed quiet for a moment as if thinking of something. \"I don't know where they took my little uncle but I'm certain that he is fine.\"

\"How can you be so sure?\"

He shrugged his shoulders, \"Call it intuition or whatever. But I assure you that this whole charade of kidnapping wasn't for you. Their target from the beginning was my little uncle, Yuan.\" It was the only hope he had at this moment and he wasn't willing to let it go.

His voice had just fallen when he heard a loud shriek from Lily and turned to look at her. She was clutching her head in both her hands with an agonizing pain visible on her pale face. But more than pain, he found that she seemed scared.

With her hand, she pulled out a hairpin from her hair and pierced her own flesh right on her thigh. The pointed tip along with her killing skills, it wasn't a surprise that a simple hairpin turned into a weapon that slashed her thigh and blood gushed out.

Her nails scratched on the floor making even Zhang Han feel pity for her. \"What did they do to you?' he questioned calmly. He looked rather calm for a young master who had never come across this kind of bloody scene before in his life.

With her teeth clanking together, she replied, \"They are trying to awaken the beast inside of me.\"