My panic was no less than Stein's. That eerie feeling paralyzed my limbs, leaving me frozen like a block of wood, yet my mind remained terrifyingly clear.
We had to save ourselves. If we didn't, death would be our only fate. We knew exactly how powerful the ghost in this well was - the two of us might not even be enough to fill the gaps between her teeth.
"What... what do we do, Little Boss? Is... is she behind me?" Stein seemed to sense something.
I didn't answer because I wasn't sure. The bottom of the well was pitch black. Though my eyes had adjusted to the darkness, I could only make out vague shapes.
"Heh..."
Suddenly, a bone-chilling laugh exploded in our ears. Stein's legs gave way in terror, and he collapsed to the ground.
He said it felt like someone was scratching his back with fingernails as cold as ice picks.
"Luís!" I suddenly shouted. Immediately, the well fell silent. The laughter vanished, and I saw the ghost behind Stein freeze motionless.
Just as I thought - even after becoming a vengeful spirit, Aria still remembered the name of her beloved groom.
Not being able to marry Luís was her regret. Luís dying because of her became her resentment. This man was the very reason she had turned into an evil spirit.
Without that love, she wouldn't have gone mad the moment Luís died.
The name had briefly subdued Aria, but I had no idea what to do next.
To my shock, the spirit suddenly bypassed Stein and appeared instantly before me.
Aria stood terrifyingly close, yet I still couldn't see her face. Her thick hair hung like a curtain, completely obscuring her features. Her eerie wedding dress alternately billowed and clung to her body like congealed blood.
Though I hadn't encountered many ghosts, Aria was undoubtedly the most powerful. Her horrific aura crushed me, making it hard to breathe and even stirring strange suicidal urges.
My grandfather once told me this was malignant energy. Ghosts who killed many people carried this energy. Those who inexplicably committed suicide were often said to have depression, when in truth it might be the work of such a ghost.
"Luís, is that you?" The terrifying spirit before me suddenly spoke with gentle longing - though to me, it sounded utterly chilling.
What the hell? Had thirty years in the well made this ghost so lonely? I'd only called out "Luís" - could she actually mistake me for him? Or was she just craving my body?
Fucking hell - was she toying with me before eating me? Is this how ghosts entertained themselves?
"Promise her. You're Luís now. I've cast a spell - she won't recognize you." A woman's voice suddenly whispered in my ear. But at the bottom of this well, there were only Stein, me, and the female ghost. Who else could be here?
The voice sounded familiar, though I couldn't immediately place where I'd heard it before.
Wait - I remembered. It was Luna.
"You're Luna?" I asked.
"Yeah, Roger. Don't look around." Luna's voice came to my ear again. I could even feel her warm breath tickling my ear.
I recalled Master Raul using a similar technique at the Dai family cemetery - being able to hear someone without seeing them. It was incredible.
"This is really bad. Being trapped at the bottom of a well with an evil spirit is life or death!" I said.
"Don't worry. I'm here. Stall for time while I deal with that weasel, then I'll come down to save you. Remember - you're Luís now," Luna said.
Deal with the weasel? Did that mean Luna was up above? When had she arrived here?
With help coming, if I could just buy time, there might be a chance to survive. Though I didn't understand why I was supposed to be Luís or what kind of spell Luna had cast.
"Uh, yes... I am Luís," I said to the terrifying spirit before me.
Never thought I'd actually trick a ghost one day! There's a Cantonese saying - "cheating ghosts to eat tofu" - which fit this situation perfectly.
"I've missed you so much." Suddenly Aria embraced me. An icy aura of death immediately enveloped me, nearly making me gasp.
Damn it! Orwell was completely unreliable. I'd originally planned to summon his second uncle's spirit, but now I'd become his second uncle instead.
"I've missed you too," I continued my ghost-deceiving act.
I prayed she wouldn't see through me - or she'd tear me in half.
"Let's get married!" Aria suddenly declared.
This threw me off. I whispered to Luna for guidance, but got no response.
"Say yes, Little Boss! My life depends on it!" Stein desperately urged, perfectly willing to sacrifice his boss.
"What's wrong? Don't you want to? Do you resent me for marrying that fool? Do you... think I'm dirty?" Aria's voice turned cold and desperate, her deathly aura growing heavier.
"No, no, no!" I hurried to calm her. If she lost control again, I'd be in serious trouble.
"It's just... get married here?" I asked hesitantly.
At that moment, Aria waved her hand, and suddenly the bottom of the well transformed into a grand wedding chamber. She now wore bridal makeup and a wedding dress, sitting on the bed with her long hair cascading down. Her appearance wasn't stunningly beautiful but carried an innocent purity, like the girl next door that anyone would adore.
I couldn't comprehend how such a girl had become a murderous evil spirit. The young woman before me seemed completely disconnected from the terrifying ghost at the bottom of the well - they were like an angel and a demon.
"Luís, I've been waiting for this day for so long," Aria said with tears glistening in her eyes, yet wearing a sweet smile.
Unexpectedly, I felt reluctant to deceive her. Even as a murderous ghost, she must have genuinely longed to marry Luís, fantasizing about this moment even in death. But I wasn't Luís.
"Little Boss, keep going! What are you waiting for?" Stein kicked me from the side.
Turning my head, I finally noticed Stein's presence. He was dressed in women's clothing with a large mole on his face, his makeup as garish as a monkey's rear end. The bright red lipstick smeared across his thick lips looked utterly nauseating.
I nearly vomited. What sin had I committed to deserve seeing Stein cross-dressed as a matchmaker? This wasn't just eye-bleaching material - I wanted to gouge my own eyes out.
"Come here," Aria suddenly extended her hands toward me. I dared not approach, but with a wave of her hand, my body floated toward her automatically.
"Luís, in life I was yours, in death I remain yours," Aria murmured as she fell into my arms.
Hold on - I'm not Luís! Can't you be more reserved about this?
Stein raised an eyebrow at me before automatically walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.
That bastard left? Did that mean he escaped the well? What the hell - was I getting screwed over here?
"Luís!"
Suddenly, a pair of cold red lips pressed against mine, catching me completely off guard and claiming my mouth.