The afternoon sun bathed the forest in warmth as laughter echoed through the trees. Yang, now eleven, ran barefoot across the grass, her friends chasing after her with playful shouts.
"Catch me if you can!" Yang's voice rang out, full of joy. She darted between the trunks, her long black hair fluttering like a shadow behind her. The others laughed, stumbling after her, but none could match her swiftness.
As she ran, Yang noticed something strange—a faint shimmer between the trees. Slowing her pace, she tilted her head. Hidden behind overgrown vines was a narrow opening in the hillside.
Her friends called out from behind.
"Yang! Where are you going?"
"I'll be right back!" she replied with a grin before curiosity pulled her deeper.
The cave's air was cool, damp, and filled with an eerie silence. The further she walked, the more the walls seemed to glow faintly with embedded crystals, scattering pale light across the stone.
At the very heart of the cavern, she found it—a single orb, floating just above a carved pedestal. Its surface shimmered like water under moonlight, shifting between clear and clouded.
Yang's eyes widened.
"…It's so beautiful."
Drawn as though by invisible threads, she reached out.
The instant her fingers touched the orb, blinding light erupted around her.
Visions poured into her mind—shards of a future she could neither understand nor control.
First, she saw her four sisters, their faces calm but sorrowful. Before her eyes, their skin hardened, their forms turning to unyielding stone. One by one, they became lifeless statues, their eyes frozen in silence.
Yang's heart ached. "No… Sister!" Her voice echoed, but her hands grasped only empty air.
The vision shifted abruptly.
She now sat in a grand hall, surrounded by countless people. The air was heavy with importance, filled with whispers and gazes. Beside her sat a boy—Yin, his long white hair glistening under the lantern light. Though his expression was regal and cold, his silver eyes softened when they turned to her.
Yang's breath caught. For a heartbeat, everything—the crowd, the hall, the banners—faded away. Only the two of them remained.
Then darkness.
The vision shattered, and Yang found herself trembling in the cave once more. The orb's glow had calmed, its pulse steady, eternal, as though waiting for her return.
Yang stepped back, her heart pounding in confusion and fear.
"My sisters… Yin… what does this mean?"
The cavern gave no reply.
Wiping her eyes, Yang whispered to herself, her voice trembling yet firm:
"No matter what happens… I won't let my sisters vanish. And I won't lose him."
The cave fell silent again as she turned to leave, but the faint hum of the orb lingered—an unseen reminder that her destiny had already begun.