Saturday night.
A few weeks have passed since school started for Ash.
He was already in 10th grade and decided to take a break until winter.
Opening meridian after meridian, he finally made it.
All 108 meridians were opened tonight before he fell asleep on the ground.
Each meridian connected with an energy tunnel to his Dantian, making a sort of web.
And this web, made out of energy tunnels, would allow Ash to circulate Nature essense throghout his body.
...
Tup. Ash's heart made a beat for the first time in his life. It was as painful as being hit by a truck.
"Ahh..." The pain went throughout his body, making Ash wake up in the middle of the night with a loud scream.
Tup. Another beat followed.
If the pain from before felt like being hit by a truck, this time it was as if all his nerves were being cut open simultaneously.
" AHHH..."Ash screamed even harder as his eyes turned red from pain. Rolling on the ground left and right, Ash hitted the bed with his head, but didn't even notice it due to the suffering.
"WHY....?" Ash didn't understand what was happening.
Tup. His heart made a third beat.
Suddenly, Ash stopped screaming and rolling anynore. His face froze, before his facial muscles relaxed. Ash looked as someone who had died out of a heart attack.
His dark blue iris turned to a colour, black as the night's sky. And although they were blank at the moment, there was a little spark inside them, making them misterious, but also giving a chill capable of scaring the fiercest of creatures.
"Ash, what happened?!" Bai Ling came in the room anxiously after hearing the ear piercing screams.
"Ash?" she asked again with caution and worry, seeing his naked body lying listless on the ground.
After not getting any kind of respose from Ash, Bai Ling sat on her heels right next to him.
There was no time to get embarrased or thinking of other things right now.
When she looked into Ash's eyes, her soul almost escaped her body as she became frightened, not being able to move a muscle.
"Ash, are you alright? ..." at this moment Bai Cheng and Bai Juan came in the room hastily. "... Ling?"
No response... Instead, her curly hair went up and started moving slowly as if she was under water. It changed its color from fiery red to an emerald green.
"What is happening..." Before they could finish their thoughts, Ash's hair started to slowly turn white.
"You are my destiny and the last hope for this old soul..." a calm and clear voice sounded in Ash's head.
He woke up imediately and started screaming again from another wave of pain while Bai Ling woke up from her daze and her parents stood in shock, not knowing what to do.
This was the first time something like this happened infront of them.
"Mom, dad? ... Ugh. My head feels dizzy..." Bai Ling turned her head towards Bai Cheng and Bai Juan while holding her forehead with a hand.
Her hair made her look like a fairy from another world.
Bam. Ash suddenly fell to the ground like a dead man. His hair became grey and the colour of his eyes returned to normal before he closed them slowly.
....
Next day.
'Wake up!' a clear voice sounded out of nowhere.
Ash suddenly opened his eyes.
He was in his bed, staring at the ceiling of his room.
Lifting his head up, he saw through the window that it was already night.
Grrrr... His stomach started growling. He was hungry.
After struggling to stand up and dress, Ash went down to the kitchen to grab something to eat.
One had to go trough the living room first to get to the kitchen and when Ash opened the door to the living room, he saw a young girl with emerald green hair and Bai Ling's parents talking about something.
"Who is that?" Ash thought while entering the living room.
'Your little fiancee.'
"This voice again...." Ash wondered if he started hearing things again. But before he could continue, Bai Cheng noticed him.
"Ash, you're awake!" Bai Cheng exclaimed with joy. He was worried about him and didn't sleep all night, researchimg what happened yesterday. But alas, all he got was nothing.
"Oh, Ash, are you hungry? Come sit over here and I'll go make something for you." Bai Juan smiled at the sight of Ash.
"Hm... Thanks a lot." Ash replied with a slight nod as he sitted across Bai Ling.
"What happened... to you?" He asked her with a tilted head.
As Ash was too busy suffering from the inhumane pain yesterday, he didnt get a chance to pay attention to his surroundings at all.
"I don't know... Dad said that it happened yesterday while I was sitting next to you..." Bai Ling started talking and Ash listened carefully.
Not her father nor her mother knew about her condition.
'This is a gift from me. Accept it. ' suddenly Bai Ling heard a clear voice in her head.
"A gift..." She repeated in her mind. After a few seconds though, she started wondering what was that voice.
"Don't worry honey, the change suits you perfectly, right, Ash?" Bai Juan came with some food in her hands and said after she saw the strange expression on her face.
"You look beautiful, Ling, just like a fairy." playing along with Bai Juan, Ash said sincerely with a slight smile.
The floating emerald green hair made her even more charming than before. It looked as if it was alive and also her ears and smooth neck could be seen, making her alluring to the eye.
"A fairy..." Bai Ling thought while blushing. Looking at the boy infront, smiling gently at her, she smiled sweetly.
Ash was cold and aloof with others, but gentle and caring with her. It made her a little happy.
....
And while the family had fun while Bai Cheng researched something and listening from time to time, a little sparkle could be seen in Ash's eyes.
This sparkle was the will of somebody dead, and he was watching the life it missed... a long time ago.
In this house, only this little sparkle contained the truth about what had happened to both Ash and Bai Ling.
Bounded by fate, they shared the same destiny and thus, a ruined man decided to gift them both with his legacy.
One would take his all seeing eyes while the other- the 'Emerald Flames Of Truth'.
'Cherish every moment.' a whisper traveled trough Ash and Bai Ling's ears. Nobody else could hear it.