Mu Ai was a little timid. She looked up at me with watery eyes, then glanced at her own corpse.
Her corpse didn't look pretty. It wasn't like a princess in a crystal coffin, preserved forever without decaying. Half the skin on her face was missing, and her body had rotted until it was crawling with maggots.
Even knowing it was her own body, she found it hard to get close.
Mu Ai's eyes darted about. She didn't dare look at her corpse for long. She clenched her hands into fists and held them against her chest. After a moment, she turned to look at me again and asked, "I... am I dead?"
"It's all right. I'll bring you back to life. All you need to do now is lie down on your body and close your eyes. It'll be over in a little while." I spoke to Mu Ai as gently as I could, trying to soothe a child.
Mu Ai's eyes were a little red. Her gaze swept over the other corpses, and she asked quietly, "Is Daddy dead too?"
I shook my head. "Don't worry. Once I bring you back to life, we'll go find your dad. No matter how he is right now, I'll bring him back to life too. Don't worry." As I spoke, I gently patted Mu Ai's head.
Mu Ai finally relaxed. In a choked voice, she said, "Thank you, big brother."
I gave her a gentle push.
Mu Ai took a few steps forward, moving to stand in front of her corpse.
She took two deep breaths, squeezed her eyes shut, and sat down on the floor.
Her ghost passed through her corpse and merged with it. Her little hands groped around, but she barely moved, as though she wanted to find