刘

"What's buried in a name or a title? Can we learn all we need from such a cursory summation?" Liu scribbled into his journal, absently tapping the pen and looking up to where Guoran would have rested. His heart skipped, and his voice stammered, "I miss you terribly, old friend," Liu said as he closed the journal and stood up.

He adjusted his tunic and ensured his topknot was perfectly centered. Then, he slipped the journal into a satchel and draped it across his shoulder. Liu glanced at his reflection.

"It'll have to do," he thought.

Today he was going to end the torment finally. He would stand before his students and the few remaining peers and say goodbye. It wasn't his fault, but these past few years hadn't helped clear his name. The rumors only continued to grow. To feed on the lies and whispers.

A hum crept into his ear as he touched his door handle. Closing his eyes, Liu took a moment before turning around.

There, resting on the weathered wooden table, was a large handbell. It shimmered and moaned, and with unmistakable dismay, it dialed up the red in its handle and around the rim. If an object could look angry and annoyed, this bell would unmistakably be putting off those vibes.

"Yes, of course, I couldn't forget you." He grabbed the bell, not by the handle but by the lip, bringing silence to his head and halting the hum. He stared at it for a while longer in a trance. Then he blinked and left his home for the last time.

And very soon, with the ringing of the bell, he would leave the only world he has ever known.

Entered by: 0xAFF3…fAb3 and preserved on chain (see transaction)