The path seemed incredibly endless they had started to talk at first though it's was just Mao Nu's rambling by herself though they eventually ran out of things to talk about the silence between the two started to become more suffocating their own steps being louder than ever. There wasn't much they could say anyway in his eyes she was just a stranger not even a companion just someone that gave various information in complex situations.
"What was I like before…this". Xiao Huoyan gestured to himself as Mao Nu slowed down her pace a bit to walk just beside him she held little hesitation in her voice.
"Well… you were…different I guess?" She fumbled with a delicate bracelet on her wrist; The reply itself was said with uncertainty she clearly didn't trust her own words to describe him as a whole.
"Was I different in a good way?…" Xiao Huoyan fiddled with the loose fibers of the sleeve silently awaiting her reply while Mao Nu on the other hand tried to find the right words opening and closing her mouth repeatedly.
"I mean…" Mao Nu considered what she could actually say to him."Do you want me to be nice or mean about it."
"As long as the informations true I don't care how you put it." Xiao Huoyan replied instantly but Instead of giving an answer the subject was changed entirely and drifting back to the main thing he wanted to know from her in the first place.
"Hey didn't you want to know what the curse of wandering is let's get back to that now you did complete the task so." Mao Nu kept her expression neutral on the outside but her voice was high pitched even as she shifted her form too a man. She was starting to rethinking everything she had done up to this point on the inside. She wasn't in fact lying it was technically only a half lie she did know what the curse was yes did she have an idea of what it could do.
No.
Mao Nu had no clue of what it could do.
The curse itself was performed by carving the sigils into the dead or unconscious body of a person if the person was dead the soul was immediately dragged back to the body forced to live on or at least that's what she had heard it was like if someone tried to put a whole new skeleton into a body that has one already it would just be forced inside. This was an irreversible curse so even if the caster had died it would still remain forever even if the body was cut into thousands of pieces it would regenerate over and over again but they would still feel every single cut. Mao Nu herself had never experienced such things herself though the curse itself was not known by most humans nor by most Demons or monsters If something specific was to be changed with the sigils but unnoticeable the person it was casted on wouldn't notice the difference until something happened.
"Now let's get on with the story!" She clapped both of her hands together smiling as the sun set the sky getting darker with each step they took she walked with purpose keeping her head held high.
"… a story?" After a while they had walked into a town lively and bright with lanterns the lanterns seemed to fill the town with a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
"Yes a story now." She had basically dragged Xiao Huoyan into a small cramped Alleyway guiding him to a wooden box to sit on she stayed standing clearing her throat like she was about to read to a child as she began the telling the start of the story. Xiao Huoyan had hunched over using both hands to prop his head up as he listened carefully.
" There was a beautiful family of four and they had worshiped a god praying for various things good harvest and such there sons would give there offerings to the god the older son offered the fruits of the land the younger son offered the flesh of the land, or in simpler terms animal meat. And so year after year the god would always pick the younger son that offered the animal praising the offerings and discarding the offerings from the older son the parents would praise there young son over and over letting there oldest stir in envy and jealousy that feeling grew again and again spreading like an infection until the two brothers fought in the fields bruising the fruits and injuring the animals. The older son attacked his brother his envy and jealousy growing leading him to kill his own brother smashing his head against a rock once twice over and over until he stopped breathing the older son looked back at his shaking hands they had been stained with the blood of his own brother he was plagued with the guilt ,grief ,and fear as he ran running as fast as he could to escape punishment from the god but he was not fast enough and when the god found of the younger son's death he chased him across the land and he shackled him in chains so heavy he could only drag his feet when he caught him the god had cursed him to wander the land for eternity to live forever with the guilt ,pain ,and regret. The god would make him feel the pain his brother felt for years on end he wouldn't forget and the god would make sure of. After many years the chains fell from rust leaving behind tight scars that couldn't disappear he could scratch and claw all he wanted but they remained a constant reminder of what he had done and when the god they had worshiped all those years had fallen the curse remained."
"…" The story definitely wasn't short but Xiao Huoyan had still expected more after that but Mao Nu did not continue it was silent between the two for a moment.
"The end so I have told you what you wanted to know what do you plan to do now." It was a straightforward question that actually made Xiao Huoyan think for a minute he didn't really have any plans or anywhere to go.
"…I'm not quite sure." She let out a forced laugh it wasn't with malice or hate it kind of felt like pity he did not enjoy the feeling the two would have too part ways eventually just Xiao Huoyan was just starting to enjoy her company. Mao Nu quickly broke the awkward silence.
"Do you really want to know what you were like before?…." Her expression had become solemn now the air felt thinker making it feel harder to take in.
"Yes." The reply was flat.
"Ha ok I'm really doing this." She sat down on the cold gravelly ground "Well for starters I'm pretty sure you didn't like me very much you said you only tolerated me I gave useful information that is why you kept me around." Mao Nu had laughed it was obviously strained nothing was funny she smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "I was so surprised that you of all could say such arrogant words to me of all things" she laughed this time slightly more real than before.
"Why didn't you get rid of me." Xiao Huoyan asked there was no hesitation in his voice. she let out a long sigh staring up at the sky glancing at the well crafted lanterns but she turned back to Xiao Huoyan before she burn her eyes out from staring so hard.
"That godforsaken instrument you call Ning Yao raising the dead with it bending any demonic or spirit creature to you will, you only thought of yourself if I could would've choked the life right out ya." Xiao Huoyan slouched over remembering the flute and when he held it the spiraling resentful energy that flowed through it all the repressed anger.
"So…I sucked." It felt like a piece was clicked back into place a foggy part of his brain being restored he could see a few bits but nothing else he could see himself and someone else they were…orange?
"Exactly." She pointed a finger at him. "Don't feel to bad this was years ago I don't hold grudges at least not anymore, Now get up your tagging along with me for now." She left no room to argue he had no choice anyway he didn't know who he was or what he did now so he followed her out of the the cramped alleyway the lanterns shined so bright it was almost hard to see when they emerged. They walked through Mao Nu waving at anyone that would look at her there were many stands filled with sweet or savory treats filling the air with a tempting smell. As they continue walking down there seemed to be a small but spaced out crowd forming.