Chapter 104 Picking A Bead

The white line had taken him into the stairway and he continuously climbed the stairs in two's. He hopped up the stairs and turned around the bend. He could see the white line was still going up the stairs. He passed the fifth floor in matter of a minute. The shadows grew thicker as Lee Seng continued upwards.

He watched as the shadows began to follow him. They projected themselves as floating beings that didn't cascade against a wall. Lee Seng flew through the shadows without thinking. He continued to follow the white line upwards. It continued to snake further and further up until he found himself at the top.

Lee Seng let out heavy breaths as he fanned himself with his hand. He glanced at the glass siding. He was a far way from the ground. The uncomfortable feeling of being too way up, made Lee Seng move father away from the window. His heart continued to thump as he forced his eyes to look up at the last flight of stairs leading to the top.

'Why did I have to go climb a building this high?' Lee Seng complained. He casually glanced towards the flight of stairs going down and noticed no light was coming from landing below. His eyes focused onto the landing below and noticed the darkness below was moving.

"What... the hell... is that?" Lee Seng huffed. He watched as the darkness began to creep upwards. Hundreds of shadows began to climb the stairs and the darkness crept closer with each shadow moving. Lee Seng shook his head and bolted up the last flight of stairs. He slammed his hands into the exit, pushing the door open and throwing himself onto the roof.

The wind whipped in his face as he stopped between the edge in front of him and the door behind him. The door blew open and hundreds of shadows poured out of the building. They all began to surround him and Lee Seng turned to watch. The shadows pulsed around him as the white line began to swirl around him. It snaked around his body and between his fingers as he focused on the shadows.

Lee Seng took a step back, glancing behind him to see nothing but darkness. The monochrome filter of Limbo made the light feel pointless. The door slammed open, pulling Lee Seng's attention back to the door. The shadows began to separate.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

The shadows pulled away and the familiar sight of a fedora hat popped out. The pale featureless face of the Hat man appeared. He spun a black cane in his right hand as the shadows pulled back together. With a step into view, he spun the black cane and slammed it onto the ground. The shadows stilled and the Hat man tilted his head to look at Lee Seng. Red lips sprouted in an instant and the Hat man licked his lips before taking another step forward.

"Well, well, well... You've returned, foxling." The Hat Man motioned at Lee Seng. His lips curled into a smile and Lee Seng couldn't help but keep his eyes on the Hat Man. The shadows were quickly moving to the bottom of 'things he should be worried about.'

"I'm not sure how I should react to that." Lee Seng spoke. The Hat Man clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"You're not here to chat, are you? Seems like you were following something and ended up here at the top."

"I was just following the white line. I ended up here." Lee Seng moved his hand to show the Hat Man. The Hat Man nodded and began to slowly pace off to Lee Seng's right. Lee Seng watched the Hat Man stay near the shadows, lifting his cane and moving it to his left hand and poking at the shadows.

"Judging from all the shadows here and down there," the Hat Man pointed below him with his crooked finger. "It seems like they're thinking you'll actually save them!" The Hat Man stopped in his place and turned to look at Lee Seng. He began to chuckle and laugh. His perfectly white teeth glimmered.

"What're you trying to say?" Lee Seng asked. The Hat Man raised his cane into the air and it turned into a puff of black smoke. The shadows started to move forward and with a simple hand gesture, Lee Seng watched as the shadows began to fade around the Hat Man.

"These souls think that if they offer themselves to you, they'll actually be fine." The Hat Man answered. He began to chuckled again and shook his head. "A baby foxling isn't going to do anything to you, lost souls!" The shadows moved backwards, giving more space and Lee Seng could feel the Hat Man's anger rushing out.

"Did I not tell you, you aren't welcomed here, foxling?" The Hat Man sneered. His lips turned purple as the rest of his facial features popped up. The Hat Man's red eyes glared at him. Lee Seng scooted backwards and the Hat Man watched. He clicked his tongue and shook his head as he moved forward towards Lee Seng.

"Are you trying to disrupt the way I do things, foxling?" The Hat Man grabbed at Lee Seng's collar. He pulled Lee Seng, easily, and Lee Seng and the Hat Man's faces were inches away from each other. "Why are you here? Who told you to follow the white line?"

"I didn't come here on purpose," Lee Seng stuttered. He didn't feel any breathing from the Hat Man. "I was actually in the middle of something and was pulled in here."

"In the middle of something? This is the second time you've 'accidentally' meddled within my realm!" The Hat Man barked. He pushed Lee Seng away. Lee Seng stumbled backwards and watched the Hat Man turn away for a moment and mutter something under his breath before looking back at Lee Seng. "Who told you to follow that?" The Hat Man pointed at the white line circling Lee Seng.

Lee Seng looked at the white line and looked back at the Hat Man.

"She told me if I followed this, I could get out." Lee Seng answered.

"Her?" The Hat Man's voice raised. He spat and sneered.

'Do I tell him everything or...?' Lee Seng wondered.

"That Realmwalker. I give her a chance to stay alive and she decides to meddle in the affairs of Limbo when she specifically said she has no interest in 'politics.' Tch. A Crow will always go where it doesn't belong." The Hat Man rubbed his eyes and his eyes and eyebrows disappeared. "Crow is the only one who would help a Realmwalker especially a foxling. It's my fault for trusting that Realmwalker. She must've been curious about a foxling especially since you only have one tail and you're in here."

The Hat Man pointed at Lee Seng with his bony finger and sighed. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small case.

"Come here." The Hat Man commanded. Lee Seng slowly moved forward, stopping after a couple of steps. The Hat Man motioned and Lee Seng was instantly pulled forward. He came to a stop a foot away from the Hat Man as the Hat Man opened the small case. He showed it to Lee Seng.

Five small beads sat in the case. They were all different colors. Black, white, red, purple, gold.

"Choose one of the five beads, wisely. Once you pick it, you must swallow it. Only then can you freely go between Limbo and your realm." The Hat Man explained. Lee Seng's eyes went back and forth between gold and white. He didn't know which one he should choose, but something told him to pick gold. Lee Seng grabbed the small gold bead and moved it towards his lips. He stopped before he opened his mouth.

"Why did I have to make a bet with that old timer?" The Hat Man whispered. Lee Seng let out a breath and threw the gold bead into his mouth. He felt the gold bead melt as it touched his tongue. A strange feeling overcame him. He felt the Dark Matter all throughout his body begin to shake. Lee Seng's body shook and everything around him began to shake. The skyscraper shook beneath his feet and the Hat Man simply sighed.

"What the hell's going on?" Lee Seng asked. The Hat Man shut the case and slipped it back into its place.

"The gods must think I'm pathetic. To think I have to keep that promise with the old timer..." The Hat Man complained. He rubbed his forehead and sighed. He looked up at Lee Seng who was glowing a golden hue. The Hat Man watched Lee Seng for awhile. "Why did you pick gold?"

"I just... I don't know, it was the most different color from all the colors in this realm."

"Because the color is different from this realm? With that logic, you could've picked red."

"Red is like blood. Red is like your eyes. Red is like your lips. Do I want to be reminded of you? Not really." Lee Seng brushed it off. The Hat Man tightened his lips and let out a breath before continuing.

"A foxlings intention can be set to a color," the Hat Man started. "You picked it because it differed from the rest of the colors in Limbo, right?" Lee Seng nodded. "You're different from the rest of the foxlings I've dealt with in the past."