Light and shadow lingered as dawn slowly broke.
In the wind, he gently supported the girl's hand, signaling her to stand.
"Your name?" he asked.
"My name is Xu Xingwei," the girl replied.
"Starlight eternal, never dim. From now on, I'll call you Xiao Wei. How does that sound?"
"Okay." The girl nodded.
"Xiao Wei, I am Mu."
"Lord Mu, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Mm. From now on, I'll lead you in conquering billions of—"
Bang!
A soft sound cut him off.
The man called Mu vanished from before the girl.
Immediately afterward, a black dog appeared at her feet.
Black Dog: "..."
The girl: "..."
The girl panicked, looking around wildly as she shouted, "Lord Mu, did you leave? Why did you leave me with only this dog?"
The black dog forced himself to speak. "Um... Xiao Wei, I'm Mu."
The girl was startled. She hurriedly crouched and said, "I'm sorry, my lord. I didn't know your true form was a black dog."
She carefully examined the black dog before her, then couldn't resist reaching out to stroke its head.
"Hmm?" The black dog glared at her. "Mind your manners!"
The girl quickly withdrew her hand, looking apologetic. "I'm so sorry! My family used to have a black dog too, so I couldn't help myself."
"Your family had a black dog too? That's quite a coincidence," the black dog said with interest.
"Yes. Later, that dog went off chasing a mate and never came back," the girl said wistfully.
"..." The black dog.
The air fell silent.
The black dog cleared his throat and said, "Actually, my true form isn't a canine. Some things happened recently, so I'm temporarily trapped in this body. I'll need a little time before I can break free."
"I see," the girl