Li Wen stirred from her slumber, her brow moist with sweat and her heart racing. The oppressive silence of her small room was broken only by her laboured breaths.

She blinked, banishing the memories that had invaded her dreams once again.

It was as if time had etched the pain of the past into her very being, each scene replaying itself with haunting clarity.

"Again. Why do I keep having this dream? It almost reminds me of the pain I felt back then every day."

The more she thought about the more it hurt. Thinking about her cruel father and his abusive episodes, but that day was one of his worst...

The image of her younger brother, Li Wei, emerged from the shadows of her mind. He had been a fragile soul, lost too soon to the cold embrace of an abandoned shed where he sought refuge from their father's relentless cruelty. His death, a poignant reminder of her inability to protect him, haunted her every waking moment.

Li Wen rose from her bed, the floorboards creaking beneath her weight. She crossed the room with measured steps, a stark contrast to the vibrant and carefree girl she had once been.

Her fiery spirit had been tamed by years of solitude, grief, and the relentless march of time.

Even her interactions with those she once called friends had become distant, her words now carefully chosen and spoken in a manner that belied her youthful exuberance.

Hunger gnawed at her, an unwelcome reminder of her isolation. She prepared a simple meal, her movements graceful and precise. The absence of her mother due to her being in a coma, who had been her anchor, intensified the solitude that had come to define her existence.

With her stomach sated and her heart heavy, Li Wen turned to her one source of solace: her novel.

"This novel is almost finally completed after these years of working on it, I almost don't know what to do."

She had found refuge in the written word, conjuring worlds and characters that provided an escape from her reality. Among her creations was a tale she had never shared, a story entitled 'The Adventures of the Immortal Master Li Wei.'

It was a tale born of a desperate desire to imagine her brother living freely, unburdened by the pain of their past in a world with endless possibilities.

The morning sun cast a golden glow as Li Wen stepped outside, her thoughts momentarily lifted by her time in the sanctuary of her imagination.

The remnants of her fiery spirit flickered as she chatted with a childhood friend, the words flowing effortlessly as she recounted her latest creation.

"You know," she began, her voice tinged with nostalgia and melancholy, "I've almost finished the story that has yet to see the light of day. 'The Adventures of the Immortal Master Li Wei'... It's a tale that brought me a sense of closure, a way to imagine him free from the chains of our world in a different world where he was... happier."

Her friend listened earnestly hoping one day that her dear friend would be able to forget the burdening pains of her past.

"Lili, this novel is so good and detailed! I almost wish that this was real... I'm sure if your brother saw this, he would be proud," She exclaimed.

"I'm not finished yet; currently, I'm at the part where he has won the fight and has become a legendary martial master, but I'm unsure how to conclude the novel since I'm in the last chapter," she explained to her friend.

Honestly, as her mind wandered it even made Li Wen entertain the thought of entering the world she had created, which reminded her of the many transmigration novels she had read over those past years. 

It was actually so utterly and unbearably painful how much she wished for it to be real, how she put her sadness and hopes in another world. To imagine seeing her brother again no one would ever know the emptiness of not having your twin beside you. 

Despite the challenges, she persevered in life for her brother's sake and the fact that she was among the living, not the dead. She was determined to live wisely and well in honour of those in heaven who were no longer here.

As the conversation continued, Li Wen's gaze shifted to the heavens. A devout believer, she had attended church earlier that day, seeking solace and guidance.

After her friend departed, she felt a surge of inspiration and started writing the final chapter of her novel right then and there.

But it felt the end of her brother's life, his journey and adventures. It pierced her heart like a sword, yet upon typing the concluding words, she exhaled a sigh of relief, unburdening herself of the weight she had carried, ready at last to truly let go of her past which clung onto her.

On her way home, whispers had spread of a celestial phenomenon: a meteor that had streaked across the sky, its fiery descent leaving a trail of wonder and speculation in its wake.

A distant rumble caught her attention, causing her to look upward once more.

"What's going on-"

Her heart quickened as the heavens seemed to split open, a brilliant cascade of light was descending towards her at an unimaginable speed.

Panic set in, but it was too late to react. Pain engulfed her senses, a searing agony that gradually faded into darkness.

In her final moments of consciousness, Li Wen's mind raced. "I long for a chance... a chance." As a final cry escaped her mouth. "A chance to reunite with my twin!"

"I long for a better life, or a chance to rewrite the past, or perhaps, a reunion with Li Wei in the realm beyond... or just peace..."

Her whispered prayers hung in the air as her world dissolved into oblivion.

| —————|

When consciousness returned, Li Wen found herself in an unfamiliar landscape. She fell on the ground almost still screaming from the brief yet excruciating pain she had felt before dying, as the meteor hit her. However, why was she alive? Confusion and disorientation gripped her as she took in her surroundings. She seemed to be in the middle of a field; she saw a lake nearby as thirst hung around her mouth, her tongue dry, and her patched lips had several cracks.

"Where am I?"

If I go to the lake, the reflection can tell me what exactly is going on and who I am possibly... because my body feels smaller and more fragile, my skin looks as pale as paper, and my hair is darker than it's ever been!" She thought.

So she quickly ran to the lake with her thin legs barely handling all the exercise as she felt far too tired already. She drank water, washed her face, and then stared at the surface of the water.

A childlike form stared back at her in the lake's peaceful waters, her hands grazing over her face, her body feeling foreign and diminished.

"I look like I'm 12 or even 10 years old I look far too young... what happened!"

She recalled all the events bringing her to head the horrific meteor as it descended on her taking her life with it.

"I can't believe it I... I died. That was it," I breathed shakily in disbelief, still recovering from the shock of the memories of the pain she felt flooding back in.

" I guess this was the death that lay at the end of that miserable life. But to think Iany never seen my mom, or my friend or watch TB and go to church and all the things I did before makes me sad."

But to face such a gruesome death, but wait I'm still alive."

A deep sadness seeking in after the realisation that she may never see that world again. "

After finally calming down, she stopped sniffing and stopped staring down at the unfamiliar reflection of herself.

Taking in her surreal surroundings, it's like she is living in a world of art, a setting of saturated colours. It was like watching a movie through a VR headset.

"It's like I have almost transmigrated into another place because, at the looks of it, this... is not Earth..." She thought curiously looking above. Her eyes glimmered as she swallowed the almost unrealistic view of her settings.

She slowly realised her eyesight seemed better, almost like this was a game being played in ultra HD.

The sky above was a riot of colour, an array of suns casting an otherworldly glow upon a red expanse that stretched out before her.

Bewildered and apprehensive, Li Wen's eyes settled on a traditional Chinese dwelling in the distance. Her analytical gaze absorbed every detail, from the ornate architecture to the intricate carvings that adorned its facade.

"What? That doesn't look like something that possibly could exist in my world; nothing here did... I mean several suns it's almost like I'm in a novel!" Li Wen felt ecstatic at the very thought of it, something that almost every novel reader wished had been brought to her though she had experienced a terrible death to be here.

"Am I a main character?" She thought excitedly.

"Or maybe the villain...I hope not to be..hm. Maybe a supporting character." She had to know what character she was.

"Normally, something like a notification pops up. I wonder if that's going to happen..."

Then, as if conjured by the enigmatic forces that governed this new reality, a luminous system materialized before her almost reading her thoughts.

Its presence was simultaneously awe-inspiring and unsettling, its words resonating within her very being.

["Greetings, esteemed author,"]

The system's voice intoned, addressing her with a familiarity that sent a shiver down her spine. With a dawning realization, Li Wen understood, "There's no way... if I'm the author, then this must be my story..." She thought meticulously.

She was no longer just a spectator of her story – she was now an integral part of it.

As the echoes of the system's words reverberated in her mind, Li Wen felt a profound sense of curiosity.

"What awaits me in this world of cultivation, where my creation had come to life? All the knowledge I have will aid me beyond measure ..."

But With Li Wei's memory etched upon her heart and the power of her words at her disposal, she knew she had to find her twin, her lost other half.

"I've been given the chance to finally reunite with him... I must find him."

She yearned to reunite with him, even if it meant navigating the depths of a reality she had once only imagined.