The world was silent.
For Ren Tianyu, other than the brilliant golden stream, swirling stars and the energy before him, nothing else mattered or existed at that. This was what he was searching for for years, it wasn't just a theory or hopeless dream anymore, it was real, he could see it, he could feel it right in front of him, calling out to him.
"TIANYU!" A feminine cry barely registered in his mind, at this point, his brain didn't even function properly to make out that it was his sister's voice.
The truck was near, his mind and focus weren't, it's headlights becoming brighter, a sign of getting closer, he didn't care or didn't have the luxury to look, they were like two spears, spears threatening to take him away from reality, from his moment of near transcendence.
Yet, he didn't care. How could he? How could he stop now? How could he give up now? He was close, so close even, to finally achieving the impossible. His hands, still drawing the symbols, felt more and more charged each second, like the energy is pulling him closer, helping him get to his goal, bending reality itself.
But no, life, the world, had other plans, why would it let someone leave so easily?
A force slammed onto him from his side, pushing him forward, breaking his trance, only to tumble on the wet ground. His mind, now getting back to reality, finally heard and saw the truck getting past him, it's speed diverting the water droplets.
He felt a pang of pain from where he was slammed, and from where he fell, his breath stabilizing. Then he saw the culprit, his sister, Ren Yue.
Her golden hair stuck to her face, he breathing ragged, unstable, her heart thumping, her golden eyes filled with fear and worry. She had lunged herself at him with full force, barely even saving him at the last possible second, but her expression didn't show anything except anger.
"WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING?!" Her voice was shakey, she hadn't even had time to catch her breath, but that didn't matter. "YOU ALMOST DIED!! CAN YOU COMPREHEND THAT!"
And that anger was reciprocated, Ren's hand trembled, from the cold weather, from fear, or from the lingering energy, his didn't know or cared to think about that, all he was thinking about was the connection, the feeling, the the world, the answers, that have slipped away from him as easily as the rain droplets falling down.
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT? WHY DID YOU STOP ME??!" he roared back at her, causing her to be surprised as he tried to push her away.
She stumbled, from the weak push, but more so from her shock, she expected him to feel sorry, shaken, or to even realize the danger he was in and the danger of what he was doing. Instead, he was.... furious?!
"You don't know Yue, I was there, I was right where I always dreamed, I was about to make that connection, I FELT IT, I SAW IT! IT WAS THERE!!" His voice, filled with frustration, shouted at her, trying to figure out a way to get that feeling back."WHY? Why did you stop me?!"
She couldn't catch her breath, that maybe from the shock or maybe from the anger. This wasn't her brother, this wasn't her family that she knew, no, this was someone who was crazy, someone obsessed, a mad man.
Her voice, now softer, trying to comprehend. "Tianyu you--you almost died, I saved you."
He smirked and let out a mockering laugh, clenching his fists, he said "Saved me? Saved me from what? From my dream?? From the truth?? From what I've been looking for all my life?? Do you have ANY idea of how close I was, or what you just did?? I was this close Yue, THIS CLOSE!"
She took a cautious step forward, afraid of what that person in front of her had become.
"I don't care about any of that Tianyu, I care about your life more than that, you can't just throw it away, you can't just do that. Didn't you see, didn't you---"
"I CAN SEE, I COULD SEE IT."His voice, frustration visible, cut her off, trembling with emotion. "I saw it, I saw the bridge, I saw the way, IT WAS RIGHT THERE!"
Her heart clenched at his voice, at what he'd become.
Whatever he saw, or believed he did, became his world, his dream, and she shattered it.
The storm raged around them, as if a testament to his loss of connection and their fight. The air felt more charged, lightning kept striking.
"Tianyu....." She hummed, stepping closer.
"No!" He got away from her. "I have to go back, I have to continue, I have to see it again. I have to---"
BOOM!
A deafening roar sounded, and before either could react, a bright white light flashed across her golden eyes, engulfing her beloved brother. It had struck Ren Tianyu.
For a moment, a single agonizing moment, he world turned white, pain humanly impossible to survive overwhelmed his body, every nerve, every muscle, he felt it, burning, convulsing with unimaginable pain. Somehow, amidst the unbearable agony, he heard something, a whisper.
A voice, something not from this world, the his world turned black and silent, the pain gone like it was never there.
The storm continued, but Ren Tianyu wasn't there, his body wasn't, lay there, motionless and turning to dust getting carried by the wind.