Tabas

As Sen Lijiu watched the scene, his heart ached a little. It felt familiar, as though... as though he had seen it before. Just as he tried to think back, a sharp pain struck his head, forcing him to give up.

Drawn by that sense of familiarity, he beat his wings and descended toward the spot, flying over to the little boy being bullied. With a slight movement of his fingers, a shield formed around the boy in red.

When the children saw someone protecting this person they and their parents considered ill-omened, they shouted angrily at Sen Lijiu, "Who do you think you are? How dare you spoil our fun! Believe it or not, we'll beat you up too!"

They moved to hit Sen Lijiu, but he did not argue with them. He picked up Tabas and flew away. Before leaving, Bieyun also made sure to lay down a Spatial Array, leaving the children wandering endlessly through that space, unable to escape.

So warm... Who is it?

In his daze, Tabas felt as though someone had rescued him. Was it my brother? No, that couldn't be. My brother never knew about any of this. Then who was it?

An hour later...

"Are you all right?"

His voice was lovely, like a clear spring flowing over stone, ethereal yet tinged with languor.

"I... I'm fine."

Tabas's ears reddened slightly, and his gaze darted away.

The little boy wore red-and-white clothes and had a pair of small antennae. His eyes were covered, and a blush colored his face. ๑_๑

"Th... thank you."

Sen Lijiu looked at Tabas curiously and asked:

"Why is your face so red? Can I poke your cheek? It looks like it would feel nice to poke."

Tabas blushed even harder. He lowered his head, his little hands clasped together, and his voice trembled a little:

"Yes, you can touch it."

Tabas felt around for Sen Lijiu's hand, took hold of it, and placed it against his own cheek.

Sen Lijiu went along with him and poked his cheek. Just as he had imagined, it was soft—and a little warm, too.

Beneath the black cloth, Tabas's hidden eyelashes fluttered softly.

Big brother, I'm willing to stake my last little bit of trust on you being truly kind...

Sen Lijiu spread his wings fully, and light gathered into a star.

On it was a Nine-Tailed Fox, a beautiful fox whose eyes curved as though it were smiling, its nine tails fluffy.

Sen Lijiu compressed the star and made it into a necklace, using spiritual energy as the cord.

"Don't be sad. This necklace can protect you, and it can also let you see the world outside. The world outside is wonderful, too, and... I'm here as well... It can help you find me. As for its other functions, you'll have to see whether you can discover them yourself."

After putting on the necklace, Tabas finally saw what Sen Lijiu looked like. He stared at him intently, as though trying to etch his appearance into his heart.

Seeing him like that, Sen Lijiu chuckled softly:

"Don't worry, I won't be leaving anytime soon. But remember, you absolutely must not let anyone else get hold of this necklace. If someone else gets it, you'll be in danger, and the necklace will disappear too."

He took Tabas by the hand and showed him sights he had never seen in all his years, but to the young Tabas, he was the most beautiful sight of all.

As they walked, Sen Lijiu said to Tabas, "You can't go on like this. Let me teach you some spells. They'll be a little difficult, though. Are you willing to learn from me?"

"Yes."

(Note: Tabas was still young at this point. Simon did not yet know he was being bullied, nor had Simon obtained the object that could let Tabas see—secret.)