Back in his room, Lin Qiye closed the door behind him.
He didn't turn on the light.
It was already late at night. Outside, the scattered starlight spilled onto the floor. In the dark room, Lin Qiye sat at his desk and slowly took off the black satin blindfold covering his eyes.
In the mirror on the desk, reflected was the face of a handsome young boy.
Lin Qiye was very good-looking. If he took off the blindfold and tidied himself up a bit, combined with his inexplicably cold and deep aura, he would definitely be the school heartthrob.
Unfortunately, the years of wearing the black blindfold and his disability completely masked his brilliance.
In the mirror, Lin Qiye's eyes were closed.
His brows furrowed slightly, and the eyelids over his eyes twitched as if he was struggling to open them. Even his hands clenched into fists with effort.
One second, two seconds, three seconds…
His body trembled for a long while before suddenly relaxing, breathing heavily.
A few drops of sweat rolled down Lin Qiye's cheeks, and a trace of anger appeared between his brows.
So close… just so close!
Why was it always just that little bit short?
When would he finally open his eyes and see the world with his own eyes again?
He said he could see now — he lied.
His eyes couldn't open at all, not even a slit.
But he didn't lie either.
Because even with his eyes closed, he could clearly "see" everything around him.
It was a strange feeling, like his entire body had grown eyes and could sense everything around him without any blind spots. What he "saw" was clearer and farther than with normal eyes.
At first, he couldn't do this. During the first five years after he went blind, he was no different from other blind people, sensing the world only by sounds and his white cane.
But somehow, starting five years ago, his eyes began to change, and he gradually started to perceive his surroundings.
At first, only a few centimeters in front of him. Over time, he "saw" farther and clearer. Now, five years later, he could "see" up to ten meters.
For a normal person, ten meters of vision was nothing, and his eyes were basically useless. But for a boy who had lost sight, those ten meters meant everything.
Most importantly, his ten meters of "vision" ignored obstacles.
In other words, within ten meters of Lin Qiye, he had absolute vision. To put it crudely, he could see through things. More elegantly said, he could see every dust particle floating in the air, every mechanical part inside machines, and every slight trick a magician did under the table.
This ability seemed to come from the eyes that had been tightly shut beneath the black satin for ten years.
Despite this near-supernatural power, Lin Qiye was still not satisfied.
Having an absolute vision of ten meters was good, but he wanted to use his own eyes to truly see the world.
This was the obsession of a boy.
Though he failed to open his eyes tonight, he could clearly feel that…
The moment of truly opening his eyes was not far away.
After washing up, Lin Qiye went to bed early as usual.
Blind life wasn't all bad; at least it taught him to keep a good habit of going to bed early.
But as he lay down, the image resurfaced in his mind.
Under the dark cosmic sky, the dead, silent lunar surface, the gray-white land reflecting dim starlight, standing in the largest and highest crater was a figure like a statue.
The figure stood silently as if existing since ancient times. A sacred golden light radiated from him, a divine power that made all living beings prostrate before him.
Behind him, six absurdly large wings spread wide, blocking the sunlight from behind and casting a huge shadow on the silvery-gray land.
What truly etched itself into Lin Qiye's mind and refused to fade were His eyes.
Those divine, furnace-like burning eyes, as dazzling as a nearby sun!
He saw those eyes for only a moment, and his world plunged into darkness.
Ten years ago, he spoke the truth but was diagnosed as mentally ill.
Yet he knew best what was real and what was delusion.
Since seeing the Archangel on the moon, he knew this world was far from as simple as it appeared.
Slowly, Lin Qiye fell asleep.
He didn't know that the moment he entered his dream, two brilliant golden lights shot out from the slits of his eyes in the dark room, flickering and disappearing.
…
Tap, tap, tap…
In a misty world, Lin Qiye walked alone.
The fog rolled endlessly around him. Though he walked in nothingness, every step made a crisp knocking sound, as if there was an invisible ground beneath his feet.
Lin Qiye looked down at his body and sighed.
"Again this dream… knocking every night, it's tiring, you know?" Lin Qiye shook his head helplessly and stepped forward.
The next moment, the fog swirled back, and a strange modern building appeared before him.
Strange because although it was modern in style, some details gave off a mysterious vibe:
A large iron gate carved with countless gods, lamps burning like fireballs, and floating patterned tiles underfoot…
It looked like a blend of modern architecture and ancient mythological temple elements, neither fully one nor the other, yet strangely beautiful.
Lin Qiye recognized the building; it looked very familiar.
It was extremely similar to the Sunshine Mental Hospital where he had stayed for a year. The strongest proof was the original words "Sunshine Mental Hospital" above the gate had been replaced by another phrase:
— The Gods Mental Hospital.
"A weird place," Lin Qiye muttered, shaking his head as he stepped forward to stand before the iron gate.
Starting five years ago, not only his body changed suddenly, but also his dreams.
Every night for five years, he had the same dream, and the star of those dreams was this mysterious Gods Mental Hospital.
But the great iron gate to this hospital was always tightly shut and could not be opened no matter what.
Lin Qiye had walked around the hospital countless times. There was only one entrance, the big iron gate in front. The surrounding walls weren't high, but ridiculously, every time Lin Qiye jumped, the wall's height would increase accordingly.
As for brute force... even if Lin Qiye smashed himself to pieces, the iron gate wouldn't budge.
There seemed to be only one way to enter.
Knock on the door.
Lin Qiye grabbed the iron ring on the gate and took a deep breath, then knocked heavily on the iron surface.
Dong—!
The sound echoed like a deep bell ringing through the mental hospital. The iron gate shook and wobbled but did not open.
Dong—!
Another knock, still no opening.
Lin Qiye didn't seem surprised or angry and patiently kept knocking.
In these five years, he had deeply realized the rules of this dream: no method but knocking could open the gate, and in this dream, besides knocking, he could do nothing else.
Fortunately, in dreams, he didn't get tired, or his body would have long collapsed.
So, like a hardworking worker, Lin Qiye diligently knocked all night again…