A few moments ago, within the blazing heart of the sun, the girl in white sat with her eyes closed, her figure nearly as large as the celestial body itself.
Her presence radiated an ethereal energy, as though she were a part of the very fabric of the sun's existence. The flames danced around her, but she remained still, her focus deep within.
Suddenly, as if sensing a disturbance in the cosmos, her eyes snapped open, wide with shock. The golden light of the river of time stretched across the sky, its shimmering presence unmistakable. The girl's breath hitched as she whispered to herself, "What did you do now?"
Her gaze locked onto the river, her heart pounding with a mixture of fear and frustration. The light of the river reflected in her eyes, casting a silvery glow across her face.
She could feel the river's power, its ancient and unyielding force, and knew that something catastrophic had been set in motion. Her own body began to shimmer in the same golden and silver hues as the river, the connection between them undeniable.
As she watched, the river began to move, its intentions clear. It was about to unleash its wrath, its energy poised to strike.
She could see the boy, now a giant, standing in the sky, vulnerable to the river's might. The realization of what was about to happen filled her with a desperate urgency.
Without a second thought, she began performing a series of complex hand signs, her fingers moving with precision and speed.
Her focus was absolute, her mind racing to find a way to intervene. But she knew that this was not a battle she could win easily. The river was an ancient force, far beyond her control, but she had to try—she had to protect him.
As she completed the final hand sign, she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She knew what she had to do, and the cost it would take. With a deep breath, she spat out a mouthful of blood, the crimson droplets dispersing into the air around her. The act was both a sacrifice and a plea, a way to communicate with the river, to ask for mercy.
The river, as if recognizing her sacrifice, hesitated in its attack. It swirled around the boy, its energy coiling like a serpent, ready to strike but held back by the girl's intervention. The blood she had offered was a powerful symbol, a gesture that the river could not ignore.
Instead of unleashing its full fury upon the boy, the river seemed to reconsider. It moved forward, not to destroy but to swallow.
The girl watched in silent agony as the river enveloped the boy, its golden light wrapping around him like a shroud. She knew this was the best outcome she could have hoped for—it was not an escape, but it was not annihilation either.
The boy disappeared within the river's depths, and with him, the river itself began to recede. It was as if the cosmos had breathed a sigh of relief, the tension that had filled the universe now easing.
The girl, however, remained where she was, her body trembling from the strain of what she had done.
She knew that the boy was gone, taken by the river to a place where she could not follow. But she had bought him time, spared him from the river's wrath, and perhaps given him a chance to survive whatever lay ahead.
Her heart ached with the knowledge of what she had lost, but she also knew that this was not the end—there was still more to come.
As the light of the river faded from the sky, the girl in white closed her eyes once more, her figure blending back into the flames of the sun.
But the sacrifice she had made, the blood she had shed, would not be forgotten. The river had taken the boy, but it had also acknowledged the power of her plea, and that was a victory in itself.
....
....
Back on Earth, Lin Xiao and his family awoke, their hearts racing as they struggled to make sense of the sudden events.
The world outside their window was eerily quiet, but the sky above was anything but normal. Lin Xiao blinked, his vision still hazy from the shockwave, but as he focused, he saw something extraordinary.
A golden river stretched across the sky, shimmering like liquid light, its brilliance outshining even the sun. It was vast, filling the heavens with a luminescence that seemed to pulse with an ancient, otherworldly power.
Lin Xiao's breath caught in his throat as he watched the spectacle, his mind reeling with questions. What was this river? How could something so immense appear out of nowhere?
Beside him, Lil'Blackie stirred, her eyes wide as she gazed at the river. For a brief moment, her fur glowed with the same golden light, as if resonating with the river's energy.
But just as quickly, she suppressed it, the light dimming as she tucked herself closer to Lin Xiao, a quiet tension in her posture.
Xiao Bai, too, was transfixed by the sight, his normally bright and curious eyes reflecting the golden glow. He stared up at the river with a mixture of awe and confusion, his tiny body tensing as if sensing something far beyond his understanding.
Lin Xiao couldn't tear his eyes away from the river. It was the only thing he could see—everything else, the entire world, seemed to fade away in its presence.
The golden light was almost hypnotic, and for a moment, he felt as if he were on the brink of understanding something profound, something that lay at the very heart of existence. But just as quickly as the thought came, it slipped away, leaving only a sense of overwhelming wonder.
"What... is that?" Lin Xiao finally whispered, his voice barely audible over the quiet hum of the river's light. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, none of them making any sense.
This wasn't just an anomaly—it was something far greater, something that defied everything he knew about the world.
But as Lin Xiao watched, the river began to fade, its light dimming as it slowly receded from the sky. In a matter of seconds, the golden glow was gone, leaving behind only the normal, familiar darkness of the night sky.
The silence that followed was deafening, a stark contrast to the overwhelming presence of the river just moments before.
The silence was broken by system notification
[Protecing Host's Mind]
Lin Xiao broke out of the trance.
Lin Xiao's heart pounded in his chest as he looked around, trying to make sense of what he had just witnessed. Beside him, Lil'Blackie and Xiao Bai were still staring up at the sky, their expressions mirroring his own confusion and awe.
But they broke out of the trance too after a second.
Lin Xiao felt a deep sense of unease settle over him. Whatever that golden river was, it was beyond anything he had ever encountered, even in the strange and supernatural experiences he had faced so far.
And the fact that Lil'Blackie and Xiao Bai had reacted to it so strongly only added to his growing sense of dread.
Lin Xiao looked around and then saw his mom and sister were also looking at the river. Lin Xiao saw even after the river receded they were still looking at the sky in confusion.
Lin Xiao gently placed his hands on his mother and sister's shoulders, trying to bring them back from the trance-like state they had fallen into while staring at the sky. Their eyes were wide, filled with confusion and fear, as if they had witnessed something incomprehensible.
"Mom? Sis?" Lin Xiao's voice was soft, laced with concern. "Are you alright?"
His touch seemed to pull them back to reality, but the moment they focused on him, their expressions changed. Fear flickered in their eyes, and they recoiled slightly, as if seeing something in him that terrified them. Lin Xiao felt a chill run down his spine.
"What... what's wrong?" he asked, his voice trembling.