The Price of Desire

A voice, devoid of any inflection yet enough to make one shiver involuntarily, came from the darkness of the eerie room.

“Little girl, if you want to achieve something, you must pay a price.”

Miko’s body stiffened noticeably. Her voice trembled slightly as she struggled to hide it.

“Th-that’s only natural. I’ll pay.”

Miko’s family background was unlike Bai Chen’s. Though not poor, they were far from wealthy enough to act recklessly. As for such inexplicable things—practically sorcery—Miko had never believed in them.

But that day after school, Miko had walked home with Bai Chen. Although Bai Chen had always been cold to her, he had still seen her to her door before leaving. Yet Miko desperately wanted to get closer to him; this short walk was far from enough. She had even complained about how close her home was to the school.

Miko was tailing someone for the first time. In the evening, the sunset bathed Bai Chen in a faint golden light, making him look like a descending god—untouchable.

Hmm? A sound from the side startled Miko. There was a grove of trees beside her. Though it was evening and the sun was still out, the grove seemed eerily dark. Perhaps it was an illusion, but within it, a blue light seemed to flicker. Where did she find the courage? Miko stepped into the grove alone, slowly approaching the blue light.

The figure before her grew clearer. Th-that was?! Miko gasped instinctively but quickly covered her mouth.

Bai… Bai Qiao?

As if sensing something, Bai Qiao turned his head slightly and frowned. After Bai Qiao turned away, Miko fled in panic. Was it an illusion? Had she seen wrong? No, was it real? Blue eyes!

As she escaped the grove, only one word echoed in Miko’s mind: witch!

It was at that moment, walking out in a daze, that Miko encountered a mysterious, rambling person. This little house, everything here—he had told her about it. And Miko… actually… went ahead and tried it.

“Hehe, little girl, we don’t want your money.”

“Huh?” Miko’s eyes lit up, but then flickered—because the unknown was even more frightening.

“Don’t worry, little girl. It’s something you can afford.”

“Ah, okay.”

“Then please give me that boy’s possession and a little of your blood.”

Coming out of the dim little house, the sunlight was suddenly blinding. Miko squinted, clutching a small green bottle in her hand. Inside, a red liquid churned…

“Um… Ah Chen?” Miko tugged at Bai Chen’s sleeve.

“What is it?” Since making up with Bai Qiao, Bai Chen had grown even colder toward Miko. This was precisely why Miko had done these things…

“Can we… have lunch together?” Miko felt her palms go cold. She barely suppressed her trembling as she spoke softly.

“At noon? I was going to eat with Qiao…” Seeing Bai Qiao give him a look, Bai Chen reluctantly agreed. After all, Bai Qiao was also a boy at heart; he didn’t want to make things difficult for a pretty girl over this, especially one he had once liked.

“Th-that’s great!” Miko’s face flushed red. It wasn’t just because Bai Chen had accepted her invitation—it was more the thought that soon Bai Chen would forget Bai Qiao and only love her. The mere thought made her ecstatic! Ahh!

“Ah, Ah Chen, could you… get me a meal?” Bai Chen glanced at her helplessly. Compared to this clingy, fragile girl, he really did prefer someone like Bai Qiao…

After seeing Bai Chen leave, Miko quickly took out the small green bottle. Her hands trembled as she poured it into Bai Chen’s cup.

Though the liquid had been churning red, it dissolved instantly in the cup, colorless and odorless. This reassured Miko and made her believe even more in the potion.

Soon… soon Ah Chen would be hers, only hers, all hers! Miko’s face was burning red as she watched Bai Chen approaching, her body shaking uncontrollably…

****