Black and White

“Bro, I bought breakfast.”

Xu Xiaoyu pushed the door open and tossed a bag of food onto the table, but no one answered her.

“Whew…” A faint sound of rhythmic breathing drifted over from the sofa.

Xiaoyu turned her head to look. It was Xu Feng, sitting closed-eyed on the sofa; his head was tilted to the side, seemingly dead to the world.

“Bro?”

Xiaoyu called out softly, but Xu Feng remained unmoved.

You’re such a sleepyhead, Bro. Did you pick up this habit from being overworked in high school?

Thinking this, Xiaoyu crept quietly to his side. She peered at his face—he looked as if he’d just drifted off, sleeping with the peacefulness of a baby.

The sun happened to brush aside the clouds, casting a ray of morning light from the dim sky onto the balcony. The dawn glow made Xu Feng’s face shine with a ruddy hue, looking like a ripe, polished red apple.

Looking at him like this… he’s actually pretty handsome.

Xiaoyu gently pinched a strand of Xu Feng’s white hair, rubbing it between her fingers. It felt wonderful—soft, with a faint scent of flowers and grass drifting from it.

What brand of shampoo does he use? It smells so good. I’ll have to ask him when he wakes up.

Xiaoyu stretched out long and slow. Instead of feeling refreshed, a wave of drowsiness surged through her entire body; after all, she hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep herself.

“Ha-ungh…” Xiaoyu rubbed her eyes, barely able to keep them open.

I’ll sit for a bit and wait for Bro to wake up, then we’ll have breakfast together. Yeah… and there’s Weijiu. She was tossing and turning all night, she’s probably sleepy too since she’s so quiet.

Not seeing the usually lively Weijiu and finding the house so silent, Xiaoyu came to a conclusion. She sat down right next to Xu Feng, leaning her head back against the sofa cushions and closing her eyes to catch up on some sleep.

Just let me rest for a second.

Rest for a bit…

Rest…

Time and the five senses rapidly receded from her consciousness, leaving behind only the comfort of deep sleep—like a light, cool breeze blowing over you after sweating on a summer day.

Unable to resist the drowsiness, Xiaoyu’s head tilted slowly to the right, her face resting lightly on Xu Feng’s left shoulder. At the same time, Xu Feng’s head tilted slightly to the left.

Xu Feng did not open his eyes, for she was also fast asleep.

Click.

The door to Xu Feng’s room quietly creaked open. Weijiu poked her head out, with Xiao Hei and the elf Mang Qiu perched atop her head.

“See! I told you! She’s definitely sleepy too. Talking all that big talk about waiting for her sister to return so they could discuss things in detail, only to end up falling asleep on the sofa while waiting.”

As Mang Qiu spoke, she fluttered her wings, actually flying toward the siblings. Seeing this, Weijiu scrambled out to stop her.

“Mang Qiu! Come back! Big Brother said you can’t be seen by his sister.”

“Ah, what’s the big deal?”

Mang Qiu had already flown in front of the pair. She leaned forward, resting her chin in her right hand as she scrutinized them both.

“It’s too dangerous.” Weijiu finally caught up, reaching out to snatch Mang Qiu and hugging her tightly against her chest to keep her from flying off again.

“Ack! You’re going to squash me!” Mang Qiu pushed against Weijiu’s chest with both hands, twisting her head away and struggling as if she were truly about to die.

“Then don’t fly around recklessly.” Weijiu looked down at Mang Qiu, her tone incredibly firm.

Mang Qiu locked eyes with the vampire girl for a moment before ceasing her struggles. She nodded helplessly.

“Fine, fine. I won’t fly around. I’ll just stay by your side. Happy?”

“Promise me.” Weijiu still wouldn’t let go.

“Alright, alright, I promise!” Mang Qiu added, exasperated.

“Then I’m letting go.” Weijiu released her. Mang Qiu regained the freedom of her wings and flew up to eye-level with Weijiu.

“Phew, finally I can breathe. You really listen to Xu Feng, don’t you? You seem to do whatever she tells you to. Don’t you have any will of your own?” Mang Qiu put her hands behind her back, lecturing Weijiu like a little elder.

“I do. But I trust her.”

“How much? Enough that you’d be willing to marry her?” Mang Qiu asked nonchalantly.

Weijiu looked at Xu Feng. Looking at the boy’s sleeping face—cool as a summer noon breeze—Weijiu’s face flushed red.

“Whoa? I was just asking, but looking closely… she really is a handsome lad. Pity about the ‘she’ part.” Mang Qiu shook her head, shrugging with a look of regret.

“She became like this because of me,” Weijiu said softly, her fists clenching at her sides.

“Is that so? You’ve got that kind of power? Then let me see… where do you come from?” As Mang Qiu spoke, she raised both hands, pressing her index fingers to her temples as if she were a signal station searching for a frequency.

“You know where my home is?” Weijiu’s eyes lit up.

“Mhm. I’m contacting the Great Deity right now. Shh, don’t talk, I’ve almost found it.”

Weijiu could only press her lips thin, waiting expectantly for Mang Qiu to give her any clue about her way home.

“You’re from Kalaband? What a dark place…” Mang Qiu murmured. Then, she dropped her searching stance, looking at Weijiu with a gaze full of pity.

“Kalaband? I’ve never heard of that place.” Weijiu searched her memory but found nothing.

“That’s the continent you lived on, so of course you haven’t heard the name. Compared to here, it’s a relatively isolated plane. I can only barely catch a glimpse of it through the Great Deity’s channels.” Mang Qiu lifted her head, looking immensely proud of herself.

“Then how can I go back?” Weijiu understood the “darkness” Mang Qiu spoke of; she had lived through it.

“I reckon it’ll take some time. When the Great Door opens again… I wonder if it will open outward, or inward?”

As Mang Qiu spoke animatedly, a cloud drifted across the sun outside. The room suddenly plunged into darkness, as if a black rainstorm had descended in an instant.

At that moment, Mang Qiu felt a shudder run through her entire body. An indescribable sense of oppression enveloped her, as if it were about to tear her into fragments. The look she gave Weijiu turned to one of pure terror; even her wings froze stiff.

“I’m sorry! I was wrong!”

Mang Qiu apologized toward Weijiu’s direction, then frantically dived into the girl’s bosom, gripping Weijiu’s clothes and refusing to let go.

“Protect me! I don’t want to be killed!” Mang Qiu had never begged for protection so frantically. Weijiu could only hold her with both hands as she looked around at the sudden, shadowy atmosphere.

“Eh?!”

Weijiu witnessed a bizarre sight on the sofa.

A ring of black aura was coiling around Xu Feng’s body. Though he was still fast asleep, a black throne manifested like a warning sign amidst his white hair.

Xu Xiaoyu was different. Her body was traced with a holy, angelic light—a stark contrast to the oppressive feeling coming from Xu Feng. It felt like something that could soothe the unease and pain in people’s hearts.

The two coexisted in perfect peace. The eerie black and white were like the orders of two different worlds intersecting, finding a point of tolerance with the siblings at the center.

Xu Feng had white hair; Xu Xiaoyu had black hair.

Weijiu pondered the connection, but the sky outside gradually began to clear.

The anomaly ended. Sitting before Weijiu was still that same pair of anything-but-ordinary siblings.

I wonder how much longer Xu Feng can keep this hidden from her sister.

Weijiu broke into a cold sweat on Xu Feng’s behalf.