A few moments before the pole was sent hurtling through space, back on Earth, Lin Xiao was sitting with his family, trying to calm his racing thoughts.
The strange noise that had echoed through the house still reverberated in his mind, leaving him unsettled. His mother and sister sat close by, their earlier conversation forgotten in the wake of the unsettling events.
Suddenly, the light from the red moon outside dimmed, and an eerie darkness descended upon the Earth, enveloping everything in its path. The oppressive blackness was so complete that even the ever-present glow of the sun and the twin moon was unable to pierce through it.
It was as if the world had been plunged into a void, where time and space ceased to exist. The atmosphere in the room grew tense, and Lin Xiao could feel the fear radiating from his family.
Lin Xiao's heart pounded in his chest as he stared out the window, trying to make sense of what was happening. His sister, Lin Meiying, was the first to break the silence, her voice trembling with fear. "What was that?" she asked, her wide eyes searching his for answers.
Lin Xiao, still in shock himself, could only manage a quiet murmur. "I... I don't know," he whispered, his voice barely audible. His mind was spinning with possibilities, but none of them made any sense. Was this another supernatural event? Had something catastrophic happened in the world outside? The sheer scale of the darkness, its suddenness and intensity, left him feeling helpless and disoriented.
The family sat in silence for what felt like an eternity, the oppressive darkness hanging over them like a shroud. Lin Xiao's mother, usually so composed, looked pale and frightened, her hands trembling slightly as she held onto the table for support. Lin Xiao wanted to say something, to offer comfort or reassurance, but the words wouldn't come. He felt just as lost and confused as they did.
After what seemed like an eternity, the darkness began to recede as quickly as it had come, leaving behind a faint, lingering unease in its wake. The familiar light of the red sun returned, casting its warm glow over the room, but the damage had been done. The shock and fear lingered in the air, a palpable reminder of how fragile and unpredictable their world had become.
Lin Xiao's sister looked at him, her eyes still filled with worry. "Brother, what's happening to the world?" she asked, her voice small and scared.
Lin Xiao didn't have an answer. He felt overwhelmed by the events of the past few days—the strange occurrences, the twin moons, the inexplicable darkness. It was all too much to process, too surreal to believe. He could only shake his head, his thoughts a tangled mess. "I don't know, Meiying. I don't know."
The uncertainty in his voice only deepened the fear in his sister's eyes, but she didn't press him further. She knew he was doing his best to protect them, even if he didn't have all the answers. The room fell into a heavy silence once more, each of them lost in their own thoughts.
As Lin Xiao sat there, trying to piece together the puzzle that his world had become, he couldn't shake the feeling that something far bigger was at play. Forces beyond his understanding were moving, shaping the reality around him in ways he couldn't begin to comprehend.
And in the midst of it all, he felt small and insignificant, like a pawn in a game he didn't even know he was playing.
But one thing was clear to him: whatever was happening, it wasn't over. This was just the beginning, and Lin Xiao had a sinking feeling that the answers he sought would only lead to more questions, more mysteries.
A few seconds after the unsettling darkness had lifted, a deep rumble resonated through the earth, followed by a massive shockwave that seemed to originate from nowhere.
The shockwave moved with a force that Lin Xiao could only describe as unnatural—it swept across the landscape with a soundless roar, like a tidal wave of raw energy crashing through the air.
Despite its immense power, the shockwave didn't shatter windows or tear down walls; it passed through structures as if they were nothing, leaving them eerily untouched.
But as the wave of energy hit Lin Xiao's mother, sister, and his two cats, the effect was immediate and terrifying.
Lin Xiao watched in horror as his sister's eyes rolled back, her body collapsing to the floor as if all her strength had been instantly drained.
His mother, who had been sitting beside her, slumped forward in her chair, unconscious. Xiao Bai and Little Blackie, who had been nestled in Lin Xiao's lap and by his side, both let out soft meows before going limp, their small bodies falling still.
Lin Xiao barely had time to react, his mind reeling from the shock of seeing his loved ones fall before him. The wave of energy hit him next, and he felt a cold shiver run through his body.
His vision blurred, and a heavy, oppressive weight pressed down on him, forcing him to the ground. He tried to fight it, to stay conscious, but it was as if the very air had turned against him, sapping his strength with every breath.
His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the floor, the world around him spinning into a dark void. The last thing he saw before everything went black was the system notification coming up.
[Map Updating...]
The room fell silent, the shockwave leaving no trace of its presence except for the unconscious bodies it had left in its wake.
....
....
As the shockwave's energy dissipated, the eerie silence that followed was broken by the sudden appearance of a small, ethereal feather drifting down from above. It glowed faintly, a soft, otherworldly light emanating from its delicate structure.
The feather moved with a purpose, as if guided by an unseen hand, until it gently landed on top of Lil'blackie.
The moment the feather touched her, Lil'blackie stirred, her eyes fluttering open. The weight of the feather was minimal, yet it carried an inexplicable energy that jolted her awake. She blinked, still dazed, trying to comprehend what had happened.
As her vision cleared, her gaze fell on the scene before her—Lin Xiao lying on the floor, unconscious, his face pale and still. Nearby, Xiao Bai was similarly motionless, his small body lifeless against the cold ground.