Morning sunlight filtered through a bamboo window, casting soft rays across a thin mattress where a young boy lay dressed in simple linen robes. The chirping of birds beyond the trees gently stirred him from sleep.
"...Where am I...?"
His body still ached with a dull, deep pain, but his mind was unusually clear. The last fragments of memory remained vivid—his mother, a crushing palm, blood... and then, emptiness.
Yet within his mind, something echoed.Not his own voice—But somehow... it felt like it was also him.
"My soul… has merged with yours…""Though little of my strength remains, we shall live anew… together, young one."
The boy's eyes widened. He shook his head violently, trying to cast off what he thought was a dream.
Just then, the wooden door creaked open. An elderly man entered, his face kind and smiling, dressed in a smooth silk robe. Beside him, a gentle middle-aged woman followed, warmth in both her eyes and voice.
"You're awake! Thank the heavens…" she said, tears welling in her eyes.
"I... am...?" the boy spoke slowly, unsure even of his own name.
The old man reached out, placing a soft hand on his.
"We found you near the edge of the forest... alone, barely clinging to life. No one was around. So we gave you a name—Xiao Tian (小天). It means 'little sky'... for you came to us from disaster, like a sky reborn."
The boy's gaze trembled.
"Xiao... Tian…"
At that moment, the sound of light wooden sandals tapping against the ground came from outside the house. A young girl, perhaps nine years old, stepped into the courtyard. She wore a pale blue dress and looked around with curious eyes, as if visiting a family she knew.
It was then—For the first time—That Xiao Tian's eyes met hers.
Clear, bright… like the surface of a calm morning lake.
For a moment, the world seemed to go still.Yet his heart beat with a strange, unfamiliar rhythm.
He didn't know her name.But deep within the recesses of his soul… something whispered:
"We will meet again... and again."