Nian Beast
Nian Beast
Load Full Story1.25 99/110
Father said that in a few days, the Nian Beast would arrive. The elder kirins in the village were discussing how the usual firecrackers could no longer contain the Taotie. Several kirins had already gone missing in the past few days. The young kirins were in a panic. The village had been almost entirely lit up every night recently, making it impossible for us to sleep.
Some kirins wanted to leave the treacherous mountains, but the ponies had sealed off the area. They were afraid, and they couldn't deal with the ferocious creatures either. This shattered the trust between us and the ponies. Princess Rain Shine, in an attempt to break the seal, had called the elders together for a discussion.
I wondered why the ponies weren't panicking when the Nian Beast was about to arrive. There was nothing more to say to those ponies. My heart had grown cold. Perhaps I should go to the Silent Creek and silence my voice. No, I could still write. I would record their wrongdoings, one by one.
1.26 80/110
I didn't sleep today; I couldn't. This morning, I went to find Autumn Blaze. She had gone out last night, saying she wanted to see if there was any way to break the seal. She thought the ponies didn't want to run away, which was ridiculous. All the kirins wanted to return to the Silent Creek now. The persuasion from the pegasus and earth ponies that day only served as
a precaution. Just a while ago, it seemed that Princess Rain Shine and the elders were spreading rumors about driving Autumn Blaze out of the village. She wouldn't be able to stay much longer.
Before the Nian Beast arrived, I wanted to stay with my family as much as possible. I told Autumn Blaze the same thing. However, after Autumn Blaze came back, she acted very strangely. She said she had gone to the Nian Beast's cave, and there was nothing inside. Although there were kirin bones deep in the cave, they were ancient, millennia-old remains.
No kirin in the village believed her. I could only keep this to myself. To avoid being seen as an outcast, I had no choice. After all, she was already an outcast. Father said that in order to protect the kirins in the last few days, the elders had decided to gather the kirins on the open ground tonight and burn the entire treacherous mountain range, hoping to achieve a clear and unobstructed view. Thirty kirins had already gone missing, and they thought this was necessary. However, Princess Rain Shine seemed to have never taken a stance. Even if there were meetings before, it was Father who told me. He was an elder; he wouldn't lie to me, right?
1.27 Midnight
I was very scared. I didn't know who to trust.
1.27 60/110
Father shook me awake. I saw a glow outside the door, but it wasn't from burning the mountain; it was from a bonfire.
I walked out of the tent, and a group of kirins were gathered at the edge of the forest. As I squeezed in through the door, I saw several vague figures emerging from the darkness of the woods. But everyone was sealed off tightly by the barrier and couldn't get out.
The figures seemed to be ponies. Then Father patted my shoulder and told me to look at the seal. Purple runes floated on the barrier. My eyelids were very heavy. It was the writing of the ponies. "Autumn Fire..." one pony read out loud. Everyone's gaze turned to the kirin standing in the center. The kirin looked very troubled.
No pony sympathized with her, and neither did I. If she hadn't gone out the night before last, this wouldn't have happened, right? What would the ponies do to her after she went out? I didn't know. Some kirins had already turned into Cretes, staring at her fiercely and forcing her. I could see that Autumn Blaze was very upset. When she finally touched the barrier, she looked at me. I was confused. I wasn't a very considerate kirin, and I didn't have much interaction with her.
Autumn Blaze touched the barrier and passed through. She never came back that night.
1.27 Midnight
My chest felt very tight. The bonfire outside the door was still burning fiercely. I wanted to pull out the fur on my chest; it hurt. My mind was in chaos. When I tried to sleep, everyone outside was making a lot of noise. I didn't know what was happening, but I saw that most of the kirins had already turned into Cretes. I was very scared.
1.28 20/110
Autumn Blaze's tent was covered in blood. Many kirins were missing, leaving only the elders and their children... Including me. We were preparing to leave together. Sparkwing and Yu Jin wanted to stay behind. There were four of us kirins in total. Father and the others wanted to burn the mountain. They seemed a bit off. In the early morning, I saw with my own eyes that Father and the others were...
I have to leave.
2. Diary (Supplement)
1.28 Evening
The water in Silent Creek had dried up. We arrived at West Mountain and found a thicket. It was very dark around us. Lingyue and Xueyue went outside to look for food. We had left in a hurry, and each of us only brought three rice cakes. Tonight was the New Year's Eve, and no one was thinking too much. Instead, fear welled up in our hearts.
21:00
The missing kirins are still without a trace. Tomorrow, we have to go to the Nian Beast's cave. Yes, I don't trust Autumn Blaze, and I don't need to believe her. Since ancient times, kirins have been known for their cunning. This time, they didn't outsmart the ponies. Perhaps it was the urgency of the situation, no, it was definitely Autumn Blaze. The ponies, she wouldn't scheme, huh, no wonder she couldn't become an indoor student.
21:10
Mingxi Yueyue just said that she heard from her father that the army from North Mountain would be stationed in the village for a while. But she heard it from the elder's meeting. I asked her if she had seen Princess Rain Shine, but she fell silent. I think there's something wrong.
22:20
Lingyue and Xueyue came back, and they brought back... bones. No, they only brought back bones. They didn't come back.
23:10
It's strange. Father was supposed to burn the mountain, but there's not a single spark so far.
23:59
Happy New Year.
The twisted tree lay crooked in the thicket,
Frowning,
Sucking the blood of the mud,
Feasting on its own roots.
Two kirin ponies,
Feasting on each other's flesh,
Tearing out the marrow of the bones.
No.
In the quiet village,
There is still a group...
There is still a group...
["They are all dead.Don't trust them."]
I survived. Father came to find us the next day. It was Princess Rain Shine who quietly gathered the kirins to celebrate the New Year. I'll leave this diary here. What an exciting and thrilling experience, isn't it? If you wish, you can leave your name here:
