Neither of them spoke again amid the howling wind.
One could not ask the other to stay; the other could not promise to.
Yin Chao raised his hand and rested it on Ois's head, brushing the pale ash from the tips of his hair.
His eyes held a smile, like stars sparkling in the night sky.
He said nothing, but Ois already understood.
After walking in silence for a little longer, they finally reached the foot of the volcano.
It hardly looked like a proper volcano. No natural phenomenon could even explain why an active volcano resembling a small hill had abruptly appeared on the plains.
"We're here. This, this is where... they found me... back, back then."
Ois stopped and explained to him.
As soon as he finished speaking, a tornado rose in the distance.
Volcanic ash churned like an enormous blizzard.
Yin Chao took out the Long-Handled Lamp and lit its candle, enveloping them both in red light.
With one hand in his pocket, he held the Long-Handled Lamp at chest height with the other.
The dancing flame shone on half of Yin Chao's face, throwing his lean profile into sharp relief.
"Who exactly are you?"
Yin Chao asked, his brow furrowing slightly.
In an instant, the wind fell silent.
The ash falling from the sky froze in midair. Through its overlapping layers, they could just make out a white figure at the center.
Ois saw her too, a hint of shock crossing his face.
"So it's you?"
Yin Chao asked.
The ash fell, revealing a white-haired woman standing nearby.
Her eyes were tightly closed, her long white lashes resting gently against them. Her white feathered robe trailed along the ground, and her white hair spilled loose like the Milky Way.
The woman was so thin that she