Back to the Future 1999: Raining at the Same Time

"You mean you were drawn here by that last painting?"

Hoffman nodded and didn't say anything more.

"That's such a coincidence! I'm just about to attend an art salon where the original painting will be exhibited. I hope this will be..."

"what--!!!"

A sudden, piercing scream interrupted their conversation.

"what happened?"

Hoffman frowned slightly, while Marcus looked slightly startled.

"—Hmm, I sensed a very strong fluctuation of arcane energy... It's coming from there!"

Marcus looked toward the door of the Separatist House.

"That seems to be...that seems to be..."

"……ghost?"

However, this time their conversation went unnoticed by Kacania. She stared blankly in the direction from which the mournful cry came, murmuring:

“Isolde…”

……

The nectar, whether it was Isolde's painful roar or the energy constantly emanating from Chenxi, was a rare and precious elixir for the ghost that rushed out of the painting.

Countless ghosts, their hollow eye sockets burning with eerie green flames, stared intently at Chenxi beneath the golden "Salvation" sign. Their withered, bluish-black fingers stretched desperately forward, and a bone-chilling coldness engulfed the two of them like a torrent.

However, Chenxi simply covered Isolde's ears quietly.

boom.

The first explosion rang out behind the two men.

The ghost, caught by Youmeng's bare hands, struggled in vain. With its throat being choked, it opened its mouth wide and screamed like a real person, but no sound came out.

"Shh, please keep quiet while eating."

He gripped the ghost's neck, his well-defined fingers tightening slightly, causing the eerie green flame to hiss and shrink like melting wax.

"It seems that none of you have been properly taught table manners."

Youmeng's voice was gentle, yet carried an unyielding coldness. With a slight exertion of her fingertips, the ghost turned into a wisp of black smoke and dissipated into the air, leaving behind scattered golden specks of light.

The remaining ghosts sensed the threat, but were more greedy for the energy. They roared and turned to pounce on Youmeng, their bluish-black claws sweeping towards her with a chilling aura.

But Youmeng simply sidestepped and raised her hand to precisely grab the wrist of another ghost.

His movements were as elegant as adjusting a bow tie. With each raise of his hand and turn of his body, ghosts vanished in his palms. The cold torrents crashed into the invisible barrier around him, just as they crashed into an impenetrable wall of bronze, instantly disintegrating.

"Not only during meals, but also in the presence of the host, any noise is considered impolite."

Youmeng raised his eyes, his golden pupils gleaming coldly in the dim light. He released his grip, and another ghost turned to ashes. Then he straightened his cufflinks, his gaze sweeping over the ghosts that were still stirring. His tone was gentle yet carried a terrifying pressure.

"Now, either leave quietly, or stay here forever."

As soon as the words were spoken, the menacing ghosts seemed to be intimidated by an invisible force, freezing in mid-air. Their eerie green eyes flickered violently, but they dared not take another step forward. The bone-chilling cold seemed to be suppressed by the elegant butler's aura.

“Youmeng, I told you, kill them.”

Chenxi's voice was very calm, and she didn't even turn around. She just kept covering Isolde's ears, her fingertips gently stroking the stray hairs at Isolde's temples, as if the swarm of ghosts behind her were nothing more than annoying mosquitoes.

Upon hearing this, Youmeng bowed slightly, the last trace of gentleness fading from her golden pupils, leaving only a cold and murderous aura.

"I will obey my master's orders."

The moment he finished speaking, a pale golden halo rippled around him. The halo seemed gentle, yet it swept across the stagnant horde of ghosts like a sharp blade.

The ghosts let out shrill screams, but they didn't even have a chance to struggle. The moment they touched the halo, their dark blue bodies shattered inch by inch, and the eerie green flames hissed and went out, turning into ashes everywhere.

In just a few breaths, the surging, chilling torrent dissipated completely, leaving only a faint smell of burning in the air.

Youmeng raised her hand and patted off non-existent dust from her sleeve, then slowly walked to Chenxi's side and bowed slightly.

"Cleaning complete."

Chenxi then released his grip, looked down at the unconscious Isolde in his arms, and ran his fingertips over the other's furrowed brows, his voice still flat.

"Take her to rest. You handle the rest of the situation."

"Yes."

Youmeng responded, raising her hand to condense a soft golden light, carefully supporting Isolde's body with movements as gentle as if she were holding a fragile porcelain.

As she turned, the hem of her dress swept through the air, creating an elegant arc, a stark contrast to her ruthless demeanor just moments before.

However, as soon as Isolde left Chenxi's side, she suddenly woke up, her fingertips gripping Chenxi's clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force, and her body still trembling slightly uncontrollably.

"Huff...huff...woo..."

The woman clenched her teeth, her head bowed low, her shoulders heaving violently as she struggled to squeeze out words, her voice filled with broken panic.

"No...no, don't leave me, doctor..."

She looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, tears mixed with cold sweat streaming down her cheeks. One hand grabbed Chenxi's wrist haphazardly, her fingertips as cold as ice.

"Waaah... Dr. Schwartz taught me! Humans are rational beings... We can completely control ourselves! But I can't... The Dietersdorf family can't have any more lunatics."

Isolde swayed, her voice hoarse and almost inaudible.

"I will be abandoned by the audience—by everyone!"

Chenxi leaned down slightly, raised his hand and gently wiped away the tears on her face with his fingertips. His movements were slow and gentle. He then pried open her fingers that were gripping his clothes one by one and wrapped them back in his warm palm. His voice was extremely soft.

"No, Isolde."

Isolde shook her head violently, tears falling even more fiercely. She struggled to pull her hand back, but Chenxi gently pressed it down. She almost collapsed in front of Chenxi, pleading with a sob in her voice.

"Please don't, please! I'm completely healed... That electrotherapy was very effective, very effective...!"

Her voice suddenly rose, then choked with sobs. She clung tightly to Chenxi's arm, her forehead pressed against his forearm, muttering incoherently.

"No, we can't be like Mother and Theophile anymore... Dietersdorf... we can't... the theater troupe... we can't—"

The poor man finally fell asleep, and his voice gradually faded away.

Isolde's murmurs turned into soft whispers, her grip on Chenxi's arm slowly loosened, her head tilted weakly to one side, tears still clinging to her long eyelashes, and her breathing gradually became steady and long.

But at that moment, the door to the Separatist House was suddenly pushed open.

"Isolde!"

Worried about her friend's condition, Kacania immediately called out her name loudly.

But before she could utter a second word, Heinrich covered her mouth tightly.

The man's strength wasn't light, but it was precise enough to prevent her from hitting her teeth. With his other hand, he wrapped his arm around Kacania's swaying body and pulled her behind him, his brows furrowed as he gave her an apologetic look into the house.

Kacania struggled twice but couldn't break free. She could only stare wide-eyed, her gaze sweeping over Isolde, who was sleeping restlessly in Chenxi's arms, and then landing on the faint black aura left after the ghosts had dissipated. The anxiety in her eyes froze instantly, turning into a hint of fear.

Chenxi looked up at the sound, his eyes flashing coldly for a moment before softening. He carefully picked up Isolde and nodded slightly to the two people at the door, mouthing the word "quiet".

Heinrich understood, released his hand from Kacania's mouth, but still pressed on her shoulder, and said in a low voice.

"Don't disturb her, Miss Tosca was crying quite a bit just now."

Kacania's voice still carried a slightly muffled hoarse quality, but she managed to keep it extremely soft.

"What exactly happened? I felt a chilling aura outside..."

Before she could finish speaking, Isolde, who was in Chenxi's arms, frowned and let out a soft whimper.

Chenxi immediately lowered his eyes, raised his hand to gently pat her back, and walked quietly into the inner room.

Youmeng had been standing at the end of the corridor for some time. When she saw him coming, she silently pushed open the door to a bedroom. Warm yellow light shone out from inside, dispelling some of the lingering chill.

"How could this happen?"

After explaining everything to Kacania, Heinrich patted his chest, still somewhat shaken.

"She should have fully recovered after that electroshock therapy."

Kacania stood frozen in place, her back ramrod straight, her fists clenched tightly at her sides, her knuckles turning bluish-white. Her chest heaved violently, her voice filled with barely suppressed anger and contempt.

"What are you talking about? That's absolutely impossible—Schwartz is a fraud who takes pleasure in the suffering of his patients. He has no ethics whatsoever that a doctor should have!"

She suddenly raised her hand and pointed out the window, her fingertips trembling slightly from the force, her tone almost overflowing with sarcasm.

"I know how he fooled the Integrative Medicine Association..."

"Those aristocrats don't care about the specific suffering of patients."

Kacania's voice suddenly rose and then quickly fell back down. She pulled her hand back sharply, her arm hanging heavily at her sides, her eyes flashing with cold light.

"As soon as you mention 'advanced' or 'scientific,' they rush to pull out their wallets as if they're afraid of being left behind by the times..."

She took a deep breath, her chest churning with resentment and anger, and finally uttered each word slowly and deliberately, as if squeezing it out from between her teeth.

"They were blinded by the glamorous concept of 'progress,' while scoffing at the truly groundbreaking discovery—psychoanalysis!"

Kacania got up and rushed to the door of the Separatist House like the wind.

Heinrich instinctively stood up and reached out to stop her, his fingertips barely brushing against her hem, and called out urgently.

"But what about you, Doctor? Where are you going?"

Kacania flung open the heavy wooden door, letting in a blast of cold air that tore her hair into a frenzy. She turned around, her eyes blazing with fury, her teeth clenched, her voice sharp as ice.

"—I'm going to find that damn Schwartz!"

The green figure quickly disappeared at the entrance.

"...!"

Heinrich's pupils contracted sharply, his gasp caught in his throat, and he reached out to grab the door that was suddenly pulled open again.

—But before the door could close, a hand stopped it.

"Kakani... uh, you are... from the Foundation... and... Angeloti, the lady whose name I don't know?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Over three thousand words, well, that's not too many updates, I guess. I'll leave it at that for now.