A gust of night wind swept through the deserted city streets. Streetlights cast a pale yellow glow, reflecting off puddles left over from the morning rain. In the narrow, rarely-traveled alleys, the air suddenly vibrated as if responding to something out of this world.
A few seconds later, a silvery white light emerged, so bright it dispelled the surrounding darkness. From the vortex of light, a woman's figure fell gently, yet hard on her own body. Translucent white wings spread out behind her—beautiful, pure, and untouched by the mortal world—but they lasted only a few seconds before they began to crack like glass and fade into shards of light.
The woman lay limp on the cold ground, her long hair sticking to her pale cheeks, while her eyes were half-open, unfocused.
The energy in her body surged uncontrollably.
"My energy... is unstable..." she whispered before her consciousness faded again.
Every breath felt labored. Every movement drained the last vestiges of energy she hadn't even realized she was losing. Slowly, she lifted herself, trying to reach for the nearby brick wall. Her fingers trembled violently, as if she had lost all strength.
She dragged herself up, continuing to hold onto the wall for support. But her strength was short-lived. Her knees gave out, and she fell again, this time harder than before.
The world spun. Her voice was drowned out. Her consciousness faded.
And so the night passed.
-
Two days passed without anyone finding her.
The once-clear sky suddenly darkened, and a soft rumble could be heard in the distance. Not long after, raindrops slowly fell. Within minutes, the downpour turned into a torrent, hitting the sidewalk and rooftops around her like thousands of needles falling relentlessly.
The woman was now completely soaked. Her hair stuck to her face, and her breathing was rapid but weak.
"Help…" her voice was barely audible, a whisper lost in the sound of the rain.
"Someone… help me…"
She tried to get up and reach for the lamppost in front of her.
Her hand rose slightly, then fell again, too weak. She shivered violently as a flash of lightning struck the sky directly above her. A blinding white light illuminated her. entire chilled body.
Her tears mingled with the rain.
She was completely alone.
-
A few hundred meters away, a teenage boy walked briskly, holding a black umbrella. His school uniform was slightly wrinkled, and his shoes were soaked in puddles. He had just returned from high school after attending an extracurricular activity that had kept him home later than usual.
The teenager's name was Yuan Jin.
The rain was falling harder, forcing him to jog. But he suddenly stopped when he saw something—or someone—on the edge of the dark street.
"…Huh?"
Under a lamppost, he saw a woman lying there, shivering. Her hair was long, her clothes strange, and her skin pale, as if she had never been exposed to the sun. Yuan Jin was silent for a few seconds, a mixture of worry and doubt.
But his human instincts were stronger.
He immediately ran over to the woman. "Hey! Can you hear me? Are you okay?"
There was no answer.
He touched the woman's forehead and was shocked. "It's so hot... it's a bad fever!"
He quickly lowered his umbrella and carefully lifted the woman's body. Although he was only a high school student, he struggled to carry her as hard as he could, braving the pouring rain.
"I don't know who you are," he muttered softly as he walked quickly, "but if I leave you here, you'll die."
A few minutes later, Yuan Jin arrived at his home—a simple two-story house. He dried his rain-soaked shoes, then opened the front door while still carrying the woman.
"Hold on..."
He laid the woman down in his own room and grabbed a thick blanket to cover her. The room was simple: white walls, a study desk, a wooden wardrobe, and a single bed now occupied by someone he didn't know at all.
A short time later, the woman blinked slowly. Her voice was barely audible.
"Where... am I...?"
Yuan Jin sat down on a chair near the bed. "This is my house. I found you passed out on the street in the rain. So I brought you here. You had a high fever."
The woman looked at him in confusion, then slowly smiled weakly. "Thank you… for helping me."
"No problem." Yuan Jin nodded. "By the way… what's your name? And where do you live?"
A few seconds of silence.
"…My name is Vaelthanya," she replied softly. "And… I don't have a place to stay."
Yuan Jin was silent for a moment. He was still wet, still tired, and still confused about what had happened. But he wasn't the type to give up.
"Then… just stay here for a while," he finally said. "My name is Yuan Jin. I'm a high school student."
A gentle smile appeared on Vaelthanya's face. "I'm… very lucky to have met someone as kind as you…"
Her stomach suddenly growled loudly.
Yuan Jin sighed with a faint smile. "Are you hungry? Wait a moment."
He went to the kitchen and prepared some warm porridge. After a few minutes, he returned and sat beside the bed.
"Eat. This will help warm your body."
Vaelthanya tried to raise her hand, but it was shaking too much. She lowered her head in shame.
"Sorry… I… don't have the strength. Could… you feed me?"
Yuan Jin paused, staring at her for a moment. The request startled him a little. But seeing her very weak body, he finally nodded.
"Okay… open your mouth."
Slowly and carefully, he fed Vaelthanya until the bowl of porridge was finished. After that, he turned off the bedroom light to let her rest.
"Go to sleep. I'm sleeping in the next room tonight."
But suddenly—
"No way!"
Vaelthanya's voice sounded panicked.
Yuan Jin turned his head, confused. "Why?"
"I… I'm afraid of the dark…" her voice trembled. "Stay with me… at least for tonight."
"What?!" Yuan Jin nearly jumped in surprise. He muttered to himself, "This girl is so troublesome… if I'd known this, maybe it would have been easier if I—"
"What was that?" Vaelthanya eyed him suspiciously.
"Huh?! No! It's nothing!" Yuan Jin immediately stuttered. "Okay, okay… I'll stay with you tonight. Just tonight."
Vaelthanya nodded slowly, then closed her eyes peacefully.
The rain was still falling outside.
And that night was Yuan Jin's first time sleeping with someone.