《Flute Immortal》 Chapter 1 – Wait Youre Female! Chapter 1 ¨C Wait You''re Female! "Shut the fuck up and stay away from me!" Standing at the subway Nicholas couldn¡¯t help but think of what the girl had said to him in the middle of class yesterday. All he asked was a question about math. Thinking of it he couldn¡¯t help but sigh in distress. He might be the unluckiest guy in the world. When he had been in middle school he was framed for being a sexual deviant causing the girls to avoid him. As he graduated middle school to go to high school he vowed to at least get a girlfriend but as destiny would have it some of the girls who had a grudge against him spread around the school of him being a "sexual deviant". And to make it worse he had no parents. His parents had apparently died when he was a year old. He had been adopted by a nice old man but somehow the man had died leaving him alone in the world. Left into the custody of the old man''s son he was bullied by his kids. After he couldn''t take it anymore he left home to live by himself, leaving himself alone with no family nor friends. At the same time a feeling of despair flooded into his head. All he wanted was a normal life. Why was life so unfair? Only fate would tell you. To make it worse if having the rumors of him being a sexual deviant wasn¡¯t bad enough somebody had spread a rumor that he was bisexual. Even the guys avoided him! Am I fated to be lonely my whole life! All I want is a friend! Please heaven! I just want to live normally! As if answering his call the train came roaring through the tunnels shocking him out of his thoughts. Taking a step back from the scare he bumped into a bald man. "You little shit! You fucking want to die!" Damn such bad luck I bumped into the gangsters so early in the morning. The bald man had a tattoo on his neck revealing he was with the White Snake Gang. Just as the bald man shouted at him the doors opened showing the crowded subway. All of the people rushed forward trying to find a spot shoved Nicholas of to the side. Trying to get through to get a spot in the train the doors closed in his face shutting him out with the unlucky few which didn¡¯t make I it inside. Shit! Does Heaven fucking hate me! I''m so damn late! Now to make this day worst he was even going to be late for school on the second day. It couldn¡¯t get worse now? Right? Fifteen minutes later the next train pulled in but this time there were fewer people getting on and it was less crowded than before. Getting on he couldn¡¯t find a seat so he had to stand. Leaning against a pole he shook with the train as it moved forward. Closing his eyes he listened to the gentle hum of the train mixed with the sounds of some people talking. "Did you see on the news? There was a whole street of people strangled to death." "I heard that the killer was a escapee from the maximum security prison in Winchester." "I heard the same thing. On the news they said he had killed 300 people before." "That¡¯s horrifying. I hope I never meet him on the streets." Opening his eyes Nicholas looked towards the map in the subway showing them where they were. The map showed a map of the whole city covered in lines indicating the subway stops. As he looked towards the map on the wall the train jerkily stopped causing Nicholas and a few others who couldn¡¯t find a seat to fall on the ground. Then a huge explosion could be heard from the cart in front of theirs. Fuck! It got worst! What are the chances in that? Getting up he looked toward the front of the train only to see that the front was covered with fire and smoke which flooded into their cart. Seeing the fire some of the more faint hearted couldn¡¯t help but faint onto the ground. Seeing this one of the men in the cart looked incomparably calm as if nothing would happen to him even if the cart burst into flames right there and then. He even took out a knife and stabbed the person right next him who was screaming. "Damn," calmly said the man with a loud sigh, "Your loud. Shut up." Hearing what the man said the other occupants of the train all quieted down and looked towards the man sitting there calmly. "Just stay quiet and wait to die," said the man as he toke out a book and started to read disregarding everything that is happening around him. How the hell did I get stuck in the same train with this psycho! Does fate actually want me to die! Looking at the man Nicholas slowly got up trying to not make any noise as the fire spread closer and closer to him. Without a word the man lifted a knife from his hand and threw it forward pinning Nicholas''s uniform onto the wall. Nicholas looked at the knife pinned to his uniform and felt a sharp pain where the knife had nicked him. Feeling the pain Nicholas broke into a cold sweat. The man even reached out his hand causing the knife to fly back into his hands. "Please stop moving. It''s annoying." "Why are you doing this?" Asked one of the women who were talking about the killer. The man didn''t answer but he threw the knife again and with a thump she fell over. When she landed the knife can be seen between her eyes. Seeing this the woman beside her couldn''t help but release a shriek. Hearing the scream the man waved his arm again which caused the knife to cut the woman''s head in half with a horrifying spelch before swiftly flying through the necks of the women who had screamed. As the knife flew forward each of the women''s necks exploded into a bloody mess causing blood to cover the area around them in blood. "Are there anymore questions?" Asked the man as the knife flew back towards him. Hearing his words none of the people alive in the train said a word. Seeing none of them speak the man took out his phone and started playing a game. The sound of the happy game music echoed towards the people around the train as if a funeral song from hell. Nicholas looked at the fire as it spread forward inching closer and closer to him almost touching him. But he was too scared to move seeing the fire on one side and the man with the knife on the other side. Is this what they meant by getting in a hard place? Should I die from the fire or the man? Wait. What am I thinking there''s got to be a way to get out of this. As if answering his thoughts the roof exploded into pieces revealing a woman who fell down into the ground. The woman wouldn¡¯t be what you would call a heavenly beauty. Nor would you say she looked special in any way. She looked just like any average woman you would find on the streets. But as she landed the train cart shuddered and groaned as if it couldn¡¯t hold any longer. As she stood up the cart shook more side to side and a audible screeching sound could be heard as the cart shifted toward one side and broke off the tracks. With a crash the people riding in the train fell forward out of their seats. As Nicholas Fell back onto the ground another person fell on top of him. Pushing the person off of him the man slide down the cart screaming. Sliding down the cart he landed right next to the man who was throwing knives before. As the man stopped sliding a hammer the size of the man fell onto him. With a sickening thump blood ozzed out of the edges of where the hammer had fallen onto the man. Standing back up the woman reached forwards toward the hammer lifting it with ease. As she lifted the hammer blood dripped from the hammer making the woman seem like a bloodthirsty monster. The place where the man had been smashed all that was left was a bloody pulp of what was a man. Not even the bones were left intact pulverized to pieces. Seeing what used to be a man next to the knife throwing person the woman said," Look at what you made me do Rudy." "It''s not like I told you to use a damn hammer that size," Rudy muttered sending the knife flying forwards toward the woman. Seeing the knife fly towards her the woman swiftly jumped to the side barely avoiding the knife. As she jumped the cart moved more grinding into the subway tunnel causing the tunnel walls to shake and crumble. As the woman got her balance back Rudy had already disappeared disappearing from the roof of the train. Just as he disappeared from the cart he said,"Oh that wasn''t a knife by the way." Hearing his words the woman''s face changed as the knife started to beep. "You fucking bastard!" Screamed the woman as she ran away from the knife towards Nicholas. Shit! Why is she running towards me! Running forward the woman burst forward as the knife exploded making her fly forward towards Nicholas. Looking in fear Nicholas felt a thundering impact as the woman flew into him pinning him against the wall. Sliding down the wall onto the ground Nicholas felt his bones crack as the woman fell down with him. Just as he lost consciousness he saw that the explosion had killed off the rest of passengers leaving limbs and body parts without owners all over the subway cart. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3 hours later "Hey kid wake up!" Yelled a voice. What the heck is happening. "Fucking Get Up!" Yelled the voice again with a hint of impatience. Opening his eyes he looked up to see darkness. As his eyes adjusted to the light he saw that he was still in the subway and a horrifying stench wafted towards him. "Aye, your finally awake." Said the voice in a relieved voice. Hearing the voice again Nicholas looked around the train cabin expecting another person to be alive in the cart with him. "Stop looking you won''t see me." Said the voice in a commanding tone. After seeing nothing around him confirming that the voice was correct he closed his eyes and put his hands together in a praying motion before saying, "Please don''t haunt me spirit and find rest on the other side." "You fucking idiot! I''m not a spirit!" Yelled the voice in annoyance. "Sir I know it''s hard to accept but please go to the light,¡± said Nicholas. ¡°You¡¯re actually pissing me off! Hey! Hey! Do I sound like a guy!¡± yelled the voice in a exasperated manner. "Sir. Please don''t bother me and leave," said Nicholas as he clapped his hands twice in satisfaction as if he did a good deed. "You fucking idiot.." Mumbled the voice in a almost incoherent voice. Ignoring the voice he searched his pockets to find his phone. Taking out his phone he turned it on only to see that he had no cell phone signal. Panicking a little he threw the phone deeper into the cart. When the phone landed it landed into a pool of blood splashing all over him. "Don''t even bother calling for help the rescue crew are about to get here." Said the voice in a arrogant manner. Ignoring the voice again he picked up his phone covered in blood and tried to turn it back on. But the phone had actually died from being in the blood. "FUCK!" Yelled Nicholas as he threw the phone again this time with more force causing the phone to crack and break when it crashed into the side of the train. "Hey! Hey! Kid I told you to stop worrying the rescue crews almost here." Said the voice in a commanding voice. "I''m not worrying about that anymore. I forgot to backup my game on the phone," answering the voice he looked at the phone in pity. "Are you a idiot?" Asked the voice in wonder. "I don''t think I am," answered Nicholas again while looking around the dark train, "By the way how long until the rescue crew get here." "Why are you so calm? Aren''t humans supposed to panic a lot?" Asked the voice in confusion of his actions. Still looking at the phone he answered the voice, "Well this isn''t really that bad." "What do you mean by that? This is the probably the worst that can ever happen to you humans." Said the voice. "Well it''s not like I''m dead, " said Nicholas as he gave up on his broken phone, " Besides I know there would be someone to come get me eventually." "Very Interesting.¡± said the voice in deep thought. "What do you mean by you humans?" Asked Nicholas as he blankly stared into the train waiting, "Aren''t you human to?" Just as Nicholas asked the question a shout could be heard from the other side of the train. "Is there anybody in there?" "I''m right here!" Shouted Nicholas as he got up to head towards the voice. "Blood or Bloodless?" Asked the person. "Sorry What Did you say?" Asked Nicholas as he reached for his broken phone on the ground. "I said are you Blood or Bloodless," said the man. "Fuck! Kid! Don''t answer him!" Yelled the voice in desperation. "I don''t think I understand?" Asked Nicholas in his confusion. Looking up after picking up his phone he looked down the train to see a blob of darkness floating in the air. "Kid! Don''t say a word and back up slowly away from it!" Stated the voice. Heeding the voices words he slowly backed up away from the darkness back to where he had been lying on the ground unconscious. "Hey why aren''t you talking anymore?" Asked the thing, "Did you get hurt?" "Whatever you do don''t answer it. It can''t see so as long as you don''t make a noise we should be fine." Putting his hands over his mouth Nicholas sat in the corner of the train trying to calm down his breathing as flashes of fear can be seen in his eyes. "Kid unless light shines onto the thing it won''t disappear." Said the voice. As the voice talked the dark blob moved forward a little covering the train more. "But as you can see we are in a dark train so this isn''t very ideal." Said the voice in a cold laugh. Flinching when he saw the darkness move Nicholas hit the side of the wall creating a resounding sharp noise. "You Fucking Idiot! What did I tell you!" Yelled the voice in annoyance. "So that was where you were," said the thing as it rolled forward like a storm cloud engulfing the train. "Fuck!" Yelled the voice weakly. As the voice spoke a golden light flashed in front of Nicholas. When the light disappeared the darkness had also disappeared with it. Just as Nicholas woke up from his stupor a crack sound could be heard as another flash of light shone throughout the train. "Is there anybody in there?" Said a man''s voice as the light shone around the train illuminating the gore and blood. Not answering the man Nicholas cautiously looked towards the light as if it were an unknown enemy. "Hey guys I don''t think anybody survived the collapsing," said the man on the other side. "C''mon Tom. Do you think anybody could survive,"said another man as the sounds of metal striking rock could be heard again, "Just look at the track when we came here the tunnels destroyed and collapsed. "Can''t hurt to try Joe," said Tom. Listening to the two men''s conversation Nicholas stood up from his hiding spot. As he stood up a feeling of weakness went across his body as he collapsed. "Hey Joe! Did you hear that?" Asked Tom again. "What?" Asked Joe. "Joe. I think somebody''s in there," said Tom. "You''re just imagining it Tom," said Joe. "I''m Positive, " said Tom as more light flooded through the train, "Help me make the hole bigger Joe." Listening to the noise of metal striking metal Nicholas felt his body getting heavier and heavier as his mind started to become cloudy. Just as he blanked out he saw a short stubby man lifting him up. "See I told ya Joe," said Tom as he lifted Nicholas up with one hand. "Somethings wrong here Tom," said Joe in warning as he walked into the interior of the train. "Whatcha mean Joe," said Tom as he walked towards Joe with Nicholas in his hands, " We have a survivor and that¡¯s what matters right?" "Don''t you notice there''s no qi inside this kid Tom," said Joe as he helped Tom put Nicholas in a better position in his arms, " It''s like he''s a mortal." "He might just be Beast Tamer," said Tom. "What kind of idiot would cultivate to be a Beast Tamer," said Joe as he looked at Tom in disbelief, "You gain no benefits from it." "Who knows Joe," said Tom. "Besides even if he was a Beast Tamer, " said Joe leading the way out of the train, " He doesn''t have a Spirit Medallion on him." "Maybe he forgot it Joe, " said Tom as he followed Joe out, "Besides it''s not a secret that all cultivators hide their techniques even in death." "We aren''t even sure if he''s a cultivator of any kind, "said Joe. "Sure we do Joe, "said Tom, "Can''t you feel the qi fluctuations around us?" "Tom we should just kill the kid and pretend we didn''t find anything, " said Joe looking back towards Tom in a frown, "The Elder''s won''t find out." "C''mon Joe don''t talk like that, " said Tom with a warm smile, " I''ll just take responsibility for the kid, Okay." "Tom your gonna mess up bad if this kids a mortal, " said Joe in a grim voice, " You might even lose your job. " "It''ll be fine Joe, "said Tom, "I''m positive the kids a Immortal, How else would he survive this wreck. " "Tom, You can''t take this risk, " said Joe stopping in his steps, " I know you have a wife and kids. " "Joe nothing would happen, "said Tom stopping behind Joe. "Tom you could die for this! " yelled Joe, "What would happen to your family if you died!" "Joe, please stop trying to convince me, "said Tom in a somber tone, " The kids about the age of my son, I can''t just leave him here. " "He''s not your son!" Yelled Joe, " For all we know he could even end your life." "Joe, Do you have a family?" Asked Tom. "Tom, You should know more than anybody that I don''t, "said Joe calming down. "Then you won''t understand," said Tom shoving Joe forward, "We should just get going." "Hmph." Muttered Joe, "It''s your death." "Yeah. Yeah." Said Tom shoving Joe forward again, "Let''s go." Taking Nicholas out of the train Tom and Joe sprinted forward disappearing from the area leaving behind a puff of dust. After they disappeared the blood in the train flew through the air congealing into a red ball which slowly shrank. The blood shrank till it became a red ball the size of a grain of rice before dropping into the hands of man. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inside a room three men sit at a table. Two of the men are Tom and Joe the third had horns growing out of his head. Towards the man with horns Tom and Joe looked to be helpless as if they were staring at Hell itself. "Sir, I was the one who had found him," said Joe, "He should be a immortal." "You fucking idiot!" Yelled the man with horns, "I can''t believe you made such a rookie mistake!" "Sir, It''s my fault, " said Joe as he looked at Tom indicating him to not talk, " I believe he should be a immortal." "Hmph so you do know your mistake, "said the man with a quieter voice. "Sir I take full responsibility for this, "said Joe. "You did good Joe," said the man. "What?" Asked Joe in a stupor. "You brought back a Pure Yin Constitution Immortal, "said the horn with a amused tone, "It''s a perfect Yin Body only seen in millions of years, You did good to bring him back." Realizing that they weren''t being punished for making a mistake and instead were being rewarded Tom and Joe made a face of realization before looking at each other in joy over there good fortune. Seeing the two men look at each other in joy the man with a horn looked at them ambiguously wondering if they had a "secret" relationship. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "It''s such a pity that the Yin body hasn''t started to cultivate," said the man with a horn with a sigh, "He could''ve been our Sect''s genius if he was a couple years younger." Pushing their luck a little, Tom said, " The kid should be a Beast Tamer, Right Joe." "Yeah he should be," answered Joe looking at Tom in a questioning gaze. "Such a waste,"said the man as he sighed hearing the two, "But we''ll take what we can get I guess." With a wave of his hand the man made a gold medallion appear in his hand. The medallion looked to be smooth all around but a word can be seen marked onto the medal. Looking at the medallion a hint of viciousness appeared in his eyes making his body aura become one of a Devils. Putting the medallion on the table he said, "Give this to the boy and try to convince him to join the sect, If you cannot convince him, kill him." Without another word the man disappeared from his seat like a ghost. Seeing the man gone Tom and Joe released the feelings of despair before shouting in joy and celebrating over their luck. "Joe, Thanks, "said Tom with a wavering voice, "I thought I was gonna die." "It''s fine," said Joe, "Now don''t get all sentimental with me." "But seriously thanks Joe," said Tom as he wiped his face of the tears that were about to appear. "Whatever, "said Joe Picking up the medallion," Let''s just get the job done before the Elder changes his mind. Taking the medallion they both disappeared from the room just like the Elder had. Reappearing in a room a few miles away from where they had met the elder, Nicholas could be seen sleeping in a bed. Where am I? Inside a dark space nothing could be seen all there was darkness. Eh..What''s happening.. Inside the space a white light flashed throughout the space creating a halo of white light around him. After the halo appeared more and more halos appeared around him in a circular fashion until there was no more black space and everything became a blinding white. Within seconds the light disappeared again enveloping his vision in darkness. What''s happening to me.. Trying to move Nicholas moved what felt to be his limbs but nothing seemed to move inside the dark space. Waiting for hours Nicholas kept trying to move his body or even any part of his body if possible but to no avail. "Hey kid, You awake yet?" Said the voice. What? Trying to move around again Nicholas tried to move his head but like before he still couldn''t move. "How''s it going?" Asked the voice in a nonchalant manner. Fuck I can''t even answer "That isn''t a really good answer now is it. Just use your thoughts I can hear them." Said the voice. You can hear me? Thinking in surprise Nicholas tried even harder to look around without avail. "Sure I can. Cause I am you after all." Said the voice with a joking manner. Seriously. Are you like another part of me or something. Thought Nicholas in his excitement of a fantasy inner power. "Well it''s something like that.." said the voice as it thought, He know''s I''m joking right." Really! Your not lying right now right! Thought Nicholas as images of himself flying through the air flashed through his mind. "Everything is possible.." Said the voice as it thought, Is this guy a idiot. That''s fucking awesome! Thought Nicholas as he thought of the Light Novel''s and Manga''s he had read when he was alone. "It sure is..." Said the voice as it thought, Yep this guy is an idiot. So what do I do to get the power. Thought Nicholas expecting a easy cheat like power. "Well looks like this is all the time we have to talk with each other for now." Said the voice. Eh What do you mean by that? Thought Nicholas. "When you wake up just accept whatever they tell you. They won''t harm you. We will talk again if we have the chance." Said the voice. Opening his eyes Nicholas stared at the ceiling for a moment adjusting his eyes to the bright surroundings around him. Turning his head to the right he stared straight at a wall covered with exquisite pieces of art depicting mythological beast and men fighting. Taking in the picture Nicholas studied the picture in deep thought of what he had just dreamed. Was that real? Thought Nicholas. If it was real then doesn''t that mean I''m special. "You''re awake, "said Tom taking Nicholas out of his deep thought. "Huh?" Turning his head to the left he saw two men standing looking at him across the room, "Who are you?" "I''m Tom and this guy here is Joe," said Tom pointing his finger towards Joe, "And we have a proposition for you." "...Are you kidding me," said Nicholas in disbelief as he thought, Is this guy joking.." "Why would I be joking, "said Tom waving his hands in disbelief. "Tom just shut up, "said Joe with a glare towards Tom. "I accept, "said Nicholas remembering in his dream the voice that told him to accept. ""Eh"" said both of the men who had started arguing who would talk to Nicholas. "Not like I would have a choice, "said Nicholas sitting up. "Whatcha mean by that," said Joe looking at Nicholas in surprise. "Nothing , "said Nicholas looking at the sword around their waist, "This isn''t a hospital right?" "Hehe, You¡¯re a pretty smart kid," said Joe rubbing the hilt of his sword looking embarrassed. "So what did I agree to, "said Nicholas pulling himself out of the bed to stand up. "Just sign this and take this my good sir, "said Tom taking out a piece of paper and the golden medallion that they had just received. Taking the contract and medallion Nicholas played around with the medallion flipping it from side to side before reading the contract. Blood Demon Sect Liability Welcome to the Blood Demon Sect. We of the Blood Demon Sect accept all members be they Holy or Evil. Caution: We are not liable for: Death Injury Mental Issues Etc. Rules: No Killing fellow Sect Members No Stealing from fellow Sect Members I ____________________________will accept all of these conditions. X____________________________ Seeing the lax amount of information Nicholas looked through it again making sure he wasn''t reading it wrong before asking Tom, " This is it?" "You expected more..."said Tom in a exasperated manner. "Well I guess this works," said Nicholas writing and signing his name before returning it to Tom. "Oh and that spirit medallion is a gift from one of the elders," said Joe taking the contract from Tom and rolling it up before putting it inside a tube made of wood. "Joe, I''ll take the kid home, "said Tom grabbing Nicholas by his arm, "You take the Contract back to the Depository''s. "Sure thing Tom, "said Joe disappearing in front of their eyes," I''ll meet you at the Pub. Feeling a pulling sensation on his arm Nicholas vision blurred as they went faster and faster disappearing from the room that they had just been in. Closing his eyes till the moving stopped he opened them up to find himself in front of his dorm in the dead of night alone. Feeling the medallion in his hand he knew all that had happened was real. Playing around with the medallion in his hand he walked into his dormitory heading towards the second floor to his room. When he reached his room the medallion flashed into a bright blood red light enveloping him making him disappear in front of his door. Closing his eyes from the glare of the light he felt a pulling force on his whole body being sucked toward something around him like a magnet. Feeling the pulling stop he heard the sound of water flowing in the background and the feeling of a strong wind on his back as leaves rustled. Opening his eyes what greeted him wasn''t a bright beautiful land of heaven but a literal hell. The sky was dark with no stars nor light with even darker clouds of smoke covering the horizon. With shudders visible cracks could be seen from the sky opening and closing depositing more of the smoke across the sky. The ground he stepped on was littered with bones of animals and humans mixed together making a white powdered earth. Pieces of vegetation covered the ground but so sparse they covered none of the blood curdling scene. The water that had sounded like a beautiful scene before was a pool of blood swirling around in a pond with blood mist and killing intent emitting from it. Bright red blood lotus floating on top of the blood absorbed the blood creating a intense atmosphere. What he had thought to be leaves were a myriad of poisonous grass coming in different colors which only had one thing in common, the poisonous death curdling aura they omitted. The feeling of wind on his back was no wind but the spirits around him passing through creating a deathly gale of air. With each of their steps they make the world around him darker and more bleak killing the world around him. What the hell is this? Thought Nicholas staring at the hell-like world in shock and wonder. "Well it looks like a Demon Raising Pen to me, "said the voice. "A Demon Raising Pen, "asked Nicholas into the empty space, " What''s that?" "It''s a space made from Space Cultivators that stores living things inside unlike storage rings, "explained the voice, "It''s actually quite useful." "So What am I supposed to do with this? " Asked Nicholas. "Well it''s not very useful towards a beginner like you, "said the voice, "But we can do some useful things with this for now." "Like What?" Asked Nicholas. "See those ghost around us, "said the voice, " They used to be demons that had lived in here, We can raise them into something stronger for now since we don''t have any animals or demons." "Raise them, "said Nicholas putting his hand through one of the ghost feeling the coldness enveloping his hand, "I don''t think I can even touch them, how am I supposed to raise them?" "I''ll give you this book I guess, "said the voice. In the middle of the air in front of Nicholas a book the size of a pamphlet appeared in front of him. The book had a very illustrious title of "How to Raise Your Own Ghost in 7 Steps". With the book a wooden box the size of a small table appeared underneath it with a label "Ghost Care Kit". Reaching for the book Nicholas touched the book to feel that it was a brand new book that seemed to have been just bought from the bookstore. "This is it?" Asked Nicholas in confusion while holding the book in front of him. "Yeah, "said the voice, "It also has pictures and a ghost care kit, I got it for so cheap that time." "It has pictures, " mumbled Nicholas trying to digest all that had just been said. "I''m gonna go back to sleep," yawned the voice, "Don''t bother me. "Does this even work?" Asked Nicholas expecting a answer but nobody answered him. Opening the book he read through the whole thing before putting it down thinking of the contents before reading the book again. Holding the book in his left hand while using his right hand to make the hand motions that are shown in the book he felt a hot sensation traveling throughout his body focusing onto his hand. "I should be able to hold a ghost now right," said Nicholas reaching out towards the closest ghost from him. Instead of passing through with a cold sensation like the other times he had when he reached forward he felt a solid furry creature in his hands after touching the ghost. Feeling excited from his unexpected success Nicholas lost concentration causing his hand to pass through the ghost again. Going to the next step in the book he opened the box to reveal several tools including a refining furnace, empty glass bottles, and bottles with white liquid which swirled around like it was alive. Doing the first step again he grabbed one of the ghost that had flew close to him opening one of the jars with liquid inside. Putting the ghost into the liquid a audible screech of a banshee could be heard. Closing the jar with the lid the screech disappeared but a round ball the size of a marble flew around inside of the jar hitting the sides. "This is a soul, huh, "contemplated Nicholas while shaking the jar, "Now onto the third step I guess. Flipping to another page in the book a picture of the ghost inside the liquid jar was being poured into the furnace and lit on fire. Shaking the jar until the soul stopped moving he opened the jar again pouring the soul and liquid into the furnace. Putting in some wood that was inside of the box he inserted it into the furnace causing it to light itself unexpectedly. "So I just wait until the furnace stops burning and I get a refined ghost, "said Nicholas flipping to the next page of the book, "Now all I need to do is make this guy become stronger." Picking up the empty jar that had been used to store the white liquid he stored the refined ghost into the jar shutting it. Flipping through the rest of the book to make sure he didn''t miss anything he put the book into the wooden chest removing everything else out of it. "What do I do with you now, "said Nicholas lifting the jar to his eye level to look at the ghost inside it. After refining the ghost instead of the blob of ghostly light it had been, a see through human-like creature could be seen tottering inside of the jar. The ghost looked thin and tall but no facial features can be seen a long hair can be seen covering its face. But long slender brownish arms and legs could be seen peaking out of the mess of long hair. "Hey Kid you done yet,"said the voice groggily. "Yeah I''m done, "said Nicholas staring intently at the ghost, " But what do I do with this little guy." "That little guy''s quite good,"said the voice, "It already has the strength of a Rank 3 Ghost Student. Not to bad but could be better." "What can I do with this guy? "asked Nicholas putting down the jar on top of the furnace. "Just think of it as a pet, "said the voice, "It''s pretty useless otherwise, but it can probably take a few hits from the martial cultivators saving your life if needed." "What kind of demon is inside of that jar? "asked Nicholas, "It kinda looks human but doesn''t seem like one either." "I believe that it¡¯s a Ciguapa, "said the voice, " It''s something like a mermaid that lives in the mountains, I think." "Is there a way to make the ghost stronger?" asked Nicholas. "Hmm, You can make it stronger by having it cultivate the Yellow Springs Sutra," said the voice, "That reminds me you need to start cultivating before its to late." Seemingly deep in thought the voice stopped talking leaving Nicholas to his own thoughts. "Then can you give me the Yellow Springs Sutra? "asked Nicholas. "Sure, "said the voice still deep in thought. Appearing in front of Nicholas another book twice the thickness of the "How to Raise Your Own Ghost in 7 Steps" called "Nether World Cultivation Volume 0". Taking a look through the book there were no pictures but only words like a dictionary throughout the whole book. Opening the lid of the jar where the ghost presided in he toke it out leaving it next to the book pointing at it. Seeming to understand the ghost opened the book and stared at the pages. "Hey Kid, "said the voice solemnly, " What''s the most important thing in the world to you? Make sure to think very hard on it there''s no going back once you start." Answering immediately Nicholas only said one word, " Friends." "No hesitation, "said the voice, " I like that. But since this is such a important decision you have to be really sure about this." "I''m sure, "said Nicholas after thinking about it for a while, "I''ve always been alone so what I really want is friends." "Humph, It''s your choice kid, "said the voice, "Here you can keep these since you surprised me." In front of Nicholas a stack of books appeared. Each looked to be very worn out and old but each had the same bold letters for a title "Blood Lotus Heavenly Star Flute Technique" written in a elegant and feminine manner. "If by chance you learn this technique it can help your allies cultivate faster and can also be used to attack others, "said the voice, " It will also make you have a friendly aura making it easier to talk to people." "Why are you giving this to me?" Asked Nicholas, " I know you aren''t a part of me like you said when I was sleeping. I don''t know who you are and you don''t know who I am. So why are you helping me out." "You''ll know why when your stronger, "said the voice laughing coldly, "You can''t help me with anything now but in the future I will be using you. Until then you are not allowed to die." "That sounds interesting, "said Nicholas smiling coldly. "Damn Kid, you got me all agitated now, " said the voice, " Take what you need from here and hold onto it. I''ll send you out of here back to your dorm." Taking the books and the ghost he had refined, a flashing red light went across his vision causing him to close his eyes. When he opened them again he found that he was where he had been before, in front of the door to his room. Entering his room the little ghost followed after him with its "Yellow Springs Sutra". Placing down the books to confirm that all of it as happening and wasn''t a dream he looked at the ghost which stood not to far from him reading the "Yellow Springs Sutra". "Can you speak?" Asked Nicholas in hopes of the ghost explaining everything that had happened to him in the last few hours. The ghost looked up from the book indicating with its hands as if drawing a picture through the air. "So you can''t speak?" Asked Nicholas in utter confusion over the way the ghost waving its arms all over the place. The part where the head would be if the ghost even had a head shook back and forth in agreement. "Is there a way to communicate then?"asked Nicholas. Hearing his question the ghost seemed to go into deep thought but with nothing showing but its limbs showing it looked to be just staring blankly at him. "I''m guessing not?" Asked Nicholas in confusion over the ghost he had refined. Pausing a few moments the ghost reached forward with its hand touching his face. Feeling the warm semi-transparent hand on his face he stared at the ghost in horror as a sharp pain passed through his head and paralyzed his body . "What''re you doing, "asked Nicholas in utter shock of what the ghost had done to him. Hearing him speak the ghost let go of his head leaving a black skull imprinted on his forehead. Staring at him a little longer the ghost walked back towards the place where it had been before. "What did you do to me?" Asked Nicholas slumped on the floor disoriented. "Doth not want to communicate" Hearing the voice in his head the disorganized thoughts disappeared immediately causing him to look at the ghost in surprise. "My humble self is known as the Dark One, Thee can call me Adriana" Staring at its book the ghost showed no signs of it communicating but the voices in his head confirmed that the ghost was communicating with him. "Adriana, "murmured Nicholas deep in thought before saying, "Wait you''re female!" _____________________________________________________________________________________________ If any questions about the characters that need to be clarified please ask in the comments (I know I suck at describing characters and stuff so yeah) Please leave a Rating and a Favorite if you have the chance Chapter 2 - I guess Ill just not use force! Chapter 2 - I guess I''ll just not use force! "Adriana, "murmured Nicholas deep in thought before saying, "Wait you''re female!" "Art thou a idiot" Looking at him like he was a idiot Adriana motioned towards her limbs while saying, "Doth thee see thy skin, No mere man have skin as beautiful nor supple as thy." Hearing the arrogant reply from the ghost he looked at her in wonder before saying, "You really are something." "Humph. It is thy fault for not realizing." Said Adriana with contempt. "Besides that," said Nicholas coughing embarrassedly, " How is the Yellow Springs Sutra?" "It is quite powerful. Increasing thy ghostly aura to thy peak to pierce thee seven heavens and nine circles of hell." Said Adriana as if mesmerized by the thought of power forgetting about their conversation before. "Sounds pretty interesting," said Nicholas reaching for the stack of books containing the "Blood Lotus Heavenly Star Technique". "It is quite interesting. If thy possible I shall need to go to a cemetery to cultivate to thy max potential, "said Adriana, "There thy souls of suffering shall be thee best." "I don''t think there''s any cemeteries nearby but we can probably find one somewhere, "said Nicholas opening the book. Seeing Nicholas reading the book Adriana turned towards her own book, staring intently as if it were her own child. No wonder the voice said this would help me make friends, thought Nicholas reading the book, It creates a blood thirsty but mild temperament just like a Blood Lotus. Gentle but Fierce, Weak but Strong, and Elegant but Savage. The Blood Lotus. Elegance in hell. Flipping through the book Nicholas read as if a demon had possessed him flipping through the book at a record pace. Throughout this he had not done anything but read through each of the volumes of "Blood Lotus Heavenly Star Technique". For hours he had not moved from his spot except for picking up another volume to continue reading. From night to day he read through the morning, afternoon all the way till night appeared again before stopping after reading the last words on the last book. ''To Seal the heavens with my power I have failed, I wish you better luck my little friend." Contemplating about the volumes of the technique he closed his eyes as if asleep. Putting aside the books instinctively he got into the Lotus Position. Like a Blood Lotus the aura around him started to change slightly creating a glow of killing intent but not killing intent. As if answering his killing intent Adriana exerted a aura of blue coldness enveloping Nicholas with cold ghost qi. Moving slightly Adriana''s hair moved apart to show a beautiful face. Her face had a warm expression unlike her cold aura which surged throughout the room enveloping the both of them. Not noticing what had happened around him, inside Nicholas in front of him all was black and nothing surrounded him expect for red and blue lines showing his blood vessels. Right in the middle of his body like a pond the red and blue intermixed creating a round space unlike the straight lines moving through his limbs and body. Slowly the pond grew bigger but smaller at the same time condensing into two jewels the size of a grain of dust, one red and one blue With the pond disappearing the two jewels each thumped like a heart as the energy from his blood vessels pumped into it. Opening his eyes from the mental state he had been in he felt more energetic then ever as the energy flowed throughout his body. "Thy finally awake, "said Adriana floating beside him holding one of the volumes of "Blood Lotus Heavenly Star Technique" reading from it. Looking around Nicholas noticed a layer of dust over all of the furniture and floor around him. "What happened in here?" Asked Nicholas. "Nothing, " answered Adriana floating around the room. "Why is there so much dust?" Asked Nicholas wiping his finger over the side of his desk leaving a mark without any dust on his table. "Thus been a week," said Adriana settling down in a chair and putting the book down. "A week, "muttered Nicholas deep in thought. "Very boring, "said Adriana, " Thy have sat here like a cicisbeo with naught to do." "So I''ve been here for a week?" Asked Nicholas in confusion of if he was hearing things wrong. "Aye sweeting, "said Adriana. "Adriana is it just me or are you speaking harder words to understand, "asked Nicholas in confusion over her answer. "Thee is very rude saying I a strumpet," said Adriana. "What the hell is a strumpet!" Exploded Nicholas in confusion and anger of not knowing what was being said to him. "Thus thy say I a rapscallion, "said Adriana. Not answering her Nicholas glared at her for speaking in such a archaic way. "Then a quidnunc, "said Adriana merrily. Hearing the word that he didn''t understand his glare became stronger and stronger as if trying to kill her with his stare. "Aye, "said Adriana noticing his glare, "I joke, I joke." Still not answering her he looked away to find his computer. "It hath been one week," said Adriana confirming what he had asked, "Aye ye like a swain fresh out of thee country side." Ignoring the ghost rambling in archaic words Nicholas turned on his computer to see the date. Confirming that the date had fast forwarded a week he reached to turn of his computer. Right before he pressed the button a ding sounded out as mail arrived into his email. Taking his hand off the power button he instinctively opened up his mail box. Inside the empty mail box the newly arrived mail stood out like a beacon in the middle of nowhere. Clicking on the mail it opened up into a relatively empty mail except for a application labeled XXXXX.exe. Opening the application the screen went dark for a few seconds before a hourglass started to turn in the middle of the screen. After turning about ten times the screen revealed a title "Martial World Auction" with blanking text underneath saying "Press any Button to Start" just like a game. Tapping the spacebar the screen went dark again before loading into a online store. Swords, Armor, and what looked to be pills flashed across the screen . Just like a online store website tabs with different categories of items were shown with a searching bar. Right beside the tabs, a logo of "Martial World Auction with a explosive background showcased the screen. In each of the tabs different categories such as Tools, Weapons, Armors, Talismans, Spells, Techniques, Pets, Medicine, Misc., and even Slaves were labeled cascading through the page. "Hey Kid, You started to cultivate the technique, "said the Voice. Hearing the voice Nicholas answered, "It was to easy." "Oh now was it, "said the voice in surprise. Not paying attention to his computer anymore Nicholas stared into space listening to the voice. "Well I guess it is to easy, "said the voice, " it did take me a day to learn and master the whole technique. "Your joking, "said Nicholas realizing bragging to this voice he would get nowhere. To make it worst the voice actually answered, " Why should I joke to you a mortal human. Unknown to Nicholas the voice was not joking but had in fact learned and mastered the technique in one day. But one day can be different measures on different worlds and universes. "Ha-ha.. Your joking," said Nicholas, "If that were true. Why would such a powerful person like you even be talking to puny mortal like me." "That''s true, "said the voice, "Why would I talk to a measly human like you." "See I told you so, " said Nicholas feeling smug. "Damn you kid!" Yelled the voice, "I''m a nice guy alright!" "So you are a guy, "said Nicholas in joy over his victory." "Fuck you!"Screamed the voice before disappearing again. Smug over angering the voice Nicholas smiled before turning back to his computer monitor. "Aye Boy, "said Adriana behind him, "I know I anger thee but thus no need to become crazy." Realizing that to on lookers he looked like he was talking to himself he blushed in embarrassment staring at the monitor not daring to turn his head. "I apologize if it make''s thee happier, "said Adriana Pretending to not hear what the ghost said Nicholas kept staring at his computer. Drowning out the ghost into the background Nicholas went through the categories to see the items. Seeing through some out of the billions of items a fire of want echoed through his head like a demon. Without another look he closed out of the program to stop his greed from overtaking his mind. Turning away from his computer he covered his face with his hands to calm himself down from the unexpected emotion of greed going through his head. ¡°You alright?¡± asked Adriana, ¡° You seem to be overwhelmed.¡± Hearing the unexpected kind words that were understandable from the ghost, Nicholas failed to answer. "Hmm you alright?" Asked Adriana. "Well," said Nicholas uncovering his face to see the ghost, "I can actually understand you." "Hmph, There isn''t anything special understanding a person, "said Adriana. "It was really archaic a few moments ago though, "said Nicholas. "Whatcha talking about. There isn''t anything weird the way I talk. See I''m talking normally, "said Adriana pointing towards her mouth. "Are you sure?" Asked Nicholas, "It was pretty different before." "Tsk. Just forget everything that has been said before, "said Adriana. Not bothering to answer her anymore he looked at his calendar before realizing that he had forgotten the one important thing in his life. School. If it hadn''t been bad that he had missed the second day of school. He had also now missed a whole week. Truthfully speaking if Nicholas had a chance to keep skipping school he would''ve but the old man''s son was still paying for his school fees and expected him to go to class. Grabbing his bag he sprinted out of his dorm like a mad man. "Eh. Where are you going?,"asked Adriana following behind the madly running Nicholas. Arriving at the school Nicholas kept running not noticing that he was not even out of breath after running for two miles from his dorm. Following closely behind him the ghost stuck to him like glue floating through the air. "Nobody can see you right?" Asked Nicholas Running across the empty courtyard to the school. "Nobody should be able to see me unless I want to, "said Adriana following closely behind, "Unless they have a special psyche. "That''s good enough for me," said Nicholas sprinting through the doors to enter the school. "So this is a school?" Asked Adriana looking around at the modernized building. "What else can it be? Asked back Nicholas while sprinting up the stairs all the way to the third floor of the building. Stolen story; please report. "Very different from the old schools, "said Adriana looking at the walls and windows. "And when was that?" Asked Nicholas arriving at his classroom 306. "Probably 10,000 years ago," said Adriana contemplating over the times. Before entering the classroom Nicholas smoothed out his uniform which got wrinkled and dirty when he had run from his dorm After taking a few moments to smooth out his clothes he took a deep breath before opening the door. The classroom was the size of a college classroom filled with seats and students to the brim and right at the front a old man clearly the teacher was going through a PowerPoint answering the questions the students had. Disrupting the teacher in his teaching when he opened the door the classroom went silent as one of the students had been asking a question. With some discontent stares he walked toward the teacher in front of the students at the podium. Following right behind the ghost looked at the size of the classroom before gasping in amazement that one building could have a room this size. "Professor Char," said Nicholas stopping in front of the teacher, "I''m very sorry for being late today and not showing up these past few days." "It is fine," said the old man good humorously, "Just take a seat and talk to me after class." "Thank you, "said Nicholas walking down the aisle and climbing up the stairs to get to his seat all the way in the back. Sitting down on his seat the girl that had yelled at him on the first day of school glared him down not paying attention to the class at all. The girl was quite the beauty. With lovely fair skin and a beautiful face with a voluptous body she would be what you could call a dream girl. Apparently she also had a calm and nice temper and was a perfect cook. If anybody said she as number two in the school no girl would say they are number one. They could even say she was a flawless woman. But to the unlucky Nicholas it was like Hell. As the girl had heard of his past "misdeeds" she had treated him coldly on the first day and even with one question she had flown into a rage. "It''s not like I want to be here either,"thought Nicholas seeing the glare. As if knowing what he was thinking the girls glare became sharper like it could pierce through his soul. "Is she always like that?" Asked Adriana floating close to him. "I don''t know," thought Nicholas trying to ignore the glare. "Do you want me to do something about it? Asked Adriana. Not taking into thought what the ghost would do he thought, "Please if you could." "Hehe. My pleasure," said Adriana with a cold laugh. After Adriana disappeared for a few moments the feeling of the glare on him disappeared. Appearing again behind Nicholas she didn''t say another word. "Did you get rid of her glare, " thought Nicholas staring at the front of the class. "Check for yourself, "said Adriana coldly behind him. Turning his head slightly to the right the girl that had been glaring at him was slumped back on her chair with foam coming out of her mouth. Turning back his head towards the professor he rubbed his eyes a few times before turning his head again towards the unconscious girl to confirm that what he had seen was actually real. "You knocked her out?" Thought Nicholas as calmly as he can. "Well I didn''t just knock her out,"said Adriana as if she was showing a art project she did at school to her parents, " I also wiped her mind so she''s like a vegetable now. (If nobody know what a vegetable is. It''s a person who is in the vegetative state. If you don''t know what that is search on Google.) "Your kidding me," thought Nicholas in disbelief over what had just happened. "Nope, "said Adriana cheerfully as if it was the most honorable deed in the world, " I completely wiped her mind. There''s no way to bring back her memories even if you were a God." "Your serious?" Thought Nicholas staring at the unconscious girl beside him. "Yep,"said Adriana in pride, " It''s one of the skills I learned from that Sutra you gave me." Hearing the confirmation again from the ghost his mind blanked out at the thought of what would happen to him if people found out he had done this to the number one beauty in the school. "Fuck," Thought Nicholas as he cupped his head down on the table covering it with his arms. He wanted to cry but no tears could come out as he thought of the list of "misdeeds" he had just got increased by one. "Hmm. What''s wrong with you?" Asked Adriana in confusion, "Isn''t this what you asked for?" Not being able to refute what the ghost had said he silently wallowed in his self despair of his list of "misdeeds". "Well we can probably make her into a puppet,"said the voice. "A puppet?" Thought Nicholas not paying full attention on the voice. "Just think of it like this kid, "said the voice, "We can''t revive her memories but if we make her into a puppet there would be a lot of uses that her body could offer." "I''m not screwing a dead person," thought Nicholas sobering up from the words uses her body, "I may have a reputation of doing that kind of stuff but I don''t." "I didn''t mean it in that way,"said the voice patiently, "I meant as cultivation puppet." "Oh," thought Nicholas realizing that the puppets on the Martial World Auction were actually this. "We just need time and a place to refine her body into a puppet,"said the voice," I will of course teach you all that is needed to be known after all I am the renown Puppet Master Grey Door." "Seriously!" Thought Nicholas at the thought of a renown master teaching him. "Nah I just always wanted to say that," said the voice, "But Grey Door is a real person in the SunFlower Galaxy. He''s quite a nice guy to." "Oh," Thought Nicholas realizing he got tricked into excitement." "But that doesn''t mean I can''t teach you anything," said the voice, "All you need to know is that I can teach you and all you need to do is learn." "And how long would it take to refine her," thought Nicholas a little doubtful over the voices knowledge. "Hmm. About a year, "said the voice. "A year?" Thought Nicholas, " I don''t have the time for that!" "Well that doesn''t mean there is no way to slow or stop time,"said the voice," And lucky you I know the latter." "Are you serious," Thought Nicholas in disbelief, "If your so powerful why are you even here." "If that damn bastard didn''t injure me," mumbled the voice in hatred," Nevermind that I''ll bring you and the girl into the Demon Pen while I seal off time to it." After the last word the voice said the disorienting feeling of being teleported flew through his whole body before a solid ground was on his feet again. Because he was in the sitting position when he had been teleported he fell backwards as the support was removed from underneath him. Landing on the dead ground a puff of black dirt covered him like coal soot. Just as he thought it couldn''t be any worse the girl appeared out of nowhere on top of him landing on him causing more of the dirt to cover him. Pushing off the lifeless girl he tried to pat off the dirt but failed. Instead of the dirt falling off it clung onto his uniform creating dark spots all over his clothes. "Well isn''t this unfortunate, "said the voice clearly happy, " You''re all dirty now." Appearing beside him the ghost blew a ice cold wind which threw the black dirt off his clothes. "So what now?" Asked Nicholas clearly peeved off by the voice. Without a answer a box exactly like the one he had received but bigger appeared in front of him again creating a thump as it landed. The box opened itself up like a rolled up towel laying flat on the ground with a number of items. After opening up and situating itself onto the ground a resounding thump sounded out as a shelf of books appeared beside the tools. "I would recommend reading from the books in the top left in a zig zag pattern," said the voice with a yawn, "I''ll talk to you in a year." "Wait are you serious!" Yelled Nicholas, "What about food and stuff?" "Figure it out yourself, "mumbled the voice,"Things might not be the way you think they are." "Your kidding right?" Asked Nicholas exasperated over how he was going to survive a year without even food. "Kid you should really stop talking to yourself," said Adriana," It''s not healthy." Feeling embarrassed because he looked like he was talking to himself the thoughts of food disappeared from his head. "Well y''know sometimes you just have to talk to yourself," said Nicholas trying to play it off. Not answering him Adriana stared at him as if looking at a weirdo. "That hurts Adriana," said Nicholas seeing the cold stare. "It wouldn''t hurt if it wasn''t true,"said Adriana bluntly. Wincing form her blunt refute he awkwardly turned away and grabbed one of the books and sat onto the ground to read it. "Why. Oh Why," mumbled Adriana," My last master was a pedophile and now I''m stuck with a lonely talk to himself kid. Hearing the mumbling from the ghost a few tears welled up inside his eyes. "It-It''s not li-like I want to be-be al-alone," mumbled Nicholas trying to suppress his cracking voice. "It''s fine,"said Adriana stiffly before sitting before the blood red pond to cultivate. Not paying attention anymore to the book in his hands after seeing Adriana enter a ethereal state he dragged the girl onto the wooden platform before laying her down flat in a comfortable position. "Man your such a hassle,"said Nicholas looking at the girl. Staring at the girl for a minute or so he looked up into the dark and chaotic sky before saying, "Stop faking being in a coma." "How''d you know?" Asked the girl moving her lips. "The voice doesn''t say a warning without reason,"said Nicholas looking back down at the girl on the ground. "The voice?" Answered the girl sitting up from the spot she had been. "It''s nothing," said Nicholas realizing nobody else can hear the voice. "That doesn''t answer my question,"said the girl standing up. "Why should I tell you? Asked Nicholas, "Not like you can boss me around in here." Twisting her wrist the girls hand flashed a white light before a silver colored spear appeared in her hands. "Well I can''t really force you to say anything,"said the girl moving the spear point towards his neck,"I''ll just not use force I guess." ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sorry for the short chapter If any questions about the characters that need to be clarified please ask in the comments (I know I suck at describing characters and stuff so yeah) Please leave a Rating and a Favorite if you have the chance Announcement To anybody who likes this story, I''m gonna do some revisions for Ch 1-2 and might even combine them so they are higher quality. I''ll leave the 2 unedited Ch. on here if you want to look but I''ll busy myself with editing and maybe combining them into a separate Ch. So I might release Ch 3 on Oct 3rd or a little later. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Sorry for the inconveniences. -Bishop (P.S. It''s been really making me guilty that I write a half a page a day then I don''t edit it later and I just publish it without looking back at it)