Na'er

He stepped closer, his voice lowered to a near whisper, yet carrying a metallic, piercing force. Every word struck Bai Lin's soul:

"This world is ruled by the strong devouring the weak!"

"Only strength!"

"Absolute strength!"

"Is the sole truth!"

"It is the foundation for surviving—and living well!"

At last, he threw Bai Lin a mocking look as if he were an idiot, as though staying even one second longer would dirty him.

"Wasting even one more word on trash like you is a waste!"

With that, he spun around sharply and, carrying an indelible air of gloom and savagery, strode several steps to the farthest corner of the Sea of Consciousness. With his back to Bai Lin, he sat cross-legged, completely shutting himself off like an unyielding stone sinking into the deep sea.

The Sea of Consciousness fell into dead silence once more, leaving only Bai Lin's soundless sobs to echo faintly through the empty space of his mind.

After a long while, he finally managed to stop crying and raised a hand to roughly wipe the tears from his face.

An inexplicable pulling sensation came over him, and he realized that he seemed able to control this body more naturally now.

That fierce version of himself was huddled in the corner. For the time being...

He probably would not come out to interfere.

His consciousness returned to his body, and his senses were instantly flooded with information from the outside world.

The desolate scent of the abandoned park filled his nose, but even more intense was the blazing sunset spread across the horizon.

Orange-red, golden-red, deep purple...

Layer upon layer, so vivid it was as though someone had overturned the gods' palette.

Only then did Bai Lin jolt awake to the passage of time.

"Oh no!"

"It's so late!"

He cried out softly, and the last traces of loss in his heart were instantly replaced by anxiety.

His father and mother must be worried sick!

He did not dare delay any longer. He immediately broke into a run toward home.

The evening breeze brushed across his cheeks, carrying a hint of chill and dispersing some of the gloom in his heart.

The road home passed through several relatively quiet streets.

The sky gradually darkened, and the old soul-guided streetlamps on either side lit up one after another, casting dim yet warm halos of light.

Just as he ran past a dark alley piled with discarded building materials, the corner of his eye suddenly caught a small, curled-up figure by the roadside.

His steps slowed of their own accord before finally coming to a stop.

It was a little girl who looked about his age.

Hugging her knees, she had curled herself into a ball on the cold curb. Her tiny body was almost swallowed by the shadow cast by the tall trash bin beside her.

She wore an obviously ill-fitting old garment, washed so many times it had faded white, its hem dragging on the ground.

Most eye-catching was her rare silver hair, as though woven from moonlight. It was somewhat disheveled now, hanging dull and loose around her, covering most of her face.

Only a small section of her fair, almost translucent chin was visible.

An indescribable pang seized Bai Lin's heart without warning.

The feeling was strange. It was not fear, but rather a gentle pull from deep within his bloodline, tinged with faint bitterness and pity.

It was as though, long, long ago, in some forgotten corner, he had once seen such a small, helpless silver moon.

He hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he still walked toward the small figure, his footsteps exceedingly light for fear of startling her.

"You..."

"Hello?"

Bai Lin spoke tentatively, softening his voice.

"Why are you sitting here alone?"

"It's dark already. It's cold."

The little girl's body trembled almost imperceptibly, like a startled little animal.

She seemed to hug her knees tighter and bury her head deeper, her waterfall-like silver hair completely concealing her face.

Silence spread between them like a cold tide.

Bai Lin did not give up.

He simply sat down on the curb some distance away from her, maintaining a safe distance and not moving too close.

After thinking for a moment, he awkwardly began searching for something to talk about.

"My name is Tang Wulin."

"My home is just up ahead."

"Look at those fiery clouds in the sky. They're so red—don't they look like the tail of a phoenix, like in the books?"

He raised a finger and pointed toward the still magnificent sunset in the west.

"Mom says that when the sunset is this beautiful, tomorrow will definitely be a clear day."

He kept talking in a quiet voice, with the natural gentleness and patience unique to a child.

He talked about the fiery clouds, about how lively the martial soul awakening hall had been today, about how delicious his mother's cooking was...

The topics were scattered and made no sense, yet they were like a gentle stream of warmth, trying to melt the solid ice of silence.

Time passed bit by bit.

The streetlamps seemed to grow a little brighter, stretching long shadows across the ground.

Finally, just as Bai Lin was nearly talked dry, he caught from the corner of his eye that the little girl's arms around her knees seemed to...

Loosen slightly.

Then, slowly, incredibly slowly, she raised her head.

Her silver hair slid to either side like spilled mercury, revealing a delicate little face as exquisite as carved jade.

Her skin was as radiant as moonlight, and her long eyelashes trembled gently like butterfly wings. When she fully raised her head and met Bai Lin's gaze—

Bai Lin's breath caught.

What kind of eyes were those?

It was as though the clearest starry sky had been shattered and gathered within them.

They were an exceptionally rare, translucent pale violet, like the finest crystal, yet carrying an inhuman otherworldliness and purity.

But at that moment, those beautiful eyes were filled with a bewilderment and helplessness too deep to dissolve, like a newborn beast opening its eyes for the first time to inspect this unfamiliar world, unable to find any place to belong.

A faint shimmer of tears flickered at the bottoms of her eyes, so fragile that it made one's heart tremble.

"I..."

The little girl's lips moved several times. Her voice was as thin and weak as a thread that could snap at any moment, carrying a strange, halting awkwardness.

"...My name is Na'er."

After saying that name, she seemed to have exhausted a great deal of strength. The bewilderment in her eyes deepened, as though even the name itself was a symbol she had to struggle to remember.

"Na'er?"

"What a lovely name!"

Bai Lin immediately flashed a sincere, warm smile, trying to dispel the mist from her eyes.

"Then..."

"Na'er, where is your home?"

"Where are your father and mother?"

"It's so dark. They must be looking for you."

"Home..." Na'er softly and blankly repeated the word. The mist in her pale violet eyes grew thicker, as if covered by the frost of late autumn. She tilted her head slightly, and the effort she put into thinking was heartbreaking.

"..."

"I don't know..."

Her voice drifted lightly, as though it had no weight.

"Father and mother..."

"I don't remember them either..."

A cool breeze swept past, stirring up the fallen leaves on the ground. Na'er's thin body seemed to shrink in on itself again. Her silver hair glimmered beneath the dim yellow streetlights, making her little face appear even paler and more fragile.