The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 569: Fall into a Dream

“Hah...ack...ack...”

Like a mute person who had just learned to make a sound, Gao Yang bawled.

Sitting by the black abyss, he broke down and wailed, face covered in tears and blood, helpless like a child.

“I lost my mom and dad again...”

“I finally...had a mom and a dad...”

“What do I do...somebody help...someone...help me...”

Qing Ling stumbled forward and knelt down before Gao Yang, reaching out with her right hand to grab Gao Yang’s head, pulling him into her embrace and resting her chin on his head.

She looked up at the night sky filled with sparkling stars, her voice gentle and hoarse with a hint of exhaustion as she stroked Gao Yang’s head and sang a lullaby she remembered from her childhood—it was one of the few pleasant memories she had about her parents.

A tiny cradle, to and fro.

The night sky is so beautiful.

Mom’s the stars, and Dad’s the moon.

Stay with me until I fall into a dream.

La la la, la la la.

Stay with me until I fall into a dream.

...

Time passed. Gao Yang’s wails gradually quieted, and following the pain was a flood of exhaustion. It put Gao Yang to sleep.

He dreamed again.

He became the same white butterfly in his dream, wandering along the magnificently vast, boundless cosmic corridor.

Soon, he reached the giant ancient tree.

The three girls he had seen before were wearing sacred-looking white robes, on the back of which, a circular pattern of a flying white bird was sewn. Barefooted, the three girls walked on a branch wider than an average road, each holding a softly glowing green lantern.

The light gray hair wrapping around the branches parted to the sides, making way for the three girls.

The auburn-haired girl was the most excited. She happily led the way and turned to urge the black-haired girl and blond girl along every few steps. “Hurry, the two of you!”

“What, are you in a rush to your next life?” The blond girl retorted derisively with a human expression.

“Haha, my next life. That’s a good way to put it.” Then the auburn-haired girl thought of something. “By the way, we each need a name when we get there, right?”

The black-haired girl nodded. “Our surname will depend on the family we settle into.”

“Tsk.” The auburn-haired girl seemed a little disappointed, but then her eyes lit up. “What about our first name? We can decide that for ourselves, right? Master won’t care, right?”

“Probably.” The black-haired girl wasn’t entirely certain.

“Master won’t care about something this trivial,” said the blond girl.

“Then I wanna be Mei!” The auburn-haired girl sounded excited. “I like plum blossoms! The flowers represent independence and autonomy amid the noises of the mortal world, perfect for me, haha!”

“Ha, whatever makes you happy.” The blond girl showed pity to her companion for her poor taste.

“You should name yourselves, too!” The auburn-haired girl urged them.

The blond girl’s emerald eyes shifted. She already had a name in mind. “Xi.”

“Hm?” The auburn-haired girl paused.

“It means daylight.” The black-haired girl glanced at the blond girl. “That’s the xi you’re going for, right?”

“Yeah!” The blond girl lifted her chin. “The sunlight in the morning represents hope. I will complete Master’s mission and become everyone’s hope.”

“You sure are confident. Good luck to you then.” The auburn-haired girl humored her before turning to the black-haired girl. “How about you?”

The black-haired girl thought quietly for a few seconds.

“Yue.”

“As in the moon?” asked the auburn-haired girl.

The black-haired girl nodded. “I like the moon.”

The three of them chatted as they walked, and before they realized it, they were already at the tip of the branch.

The giant branch extended into the white wall. Clearly, the three girls were going to enter the world behind the white wall.

They stood before the wall, their expressions turning deferential and pious.

They laid down their lanterns and lowered their heads, putting their hands together in prayer, their faces fair and pure under the light.

—Mom!

—Don’t go, Mom!

Gao Yang flapped his wings as hard as he could, flying toward the black-haired girl, but he couldn’t get any closer. He realized then that it was just like the supernatural barrier at the border of the Mist World. One could never approach the border no matter how hard they ran.

Suddenly, the black-haired girl seemed to have sensed something. She slowly turned around and looked at where Gao Yang was.

“Hey, what are you doing? It’s starting...” The auburn-haired girl opened one eye and whispered a reminder.

The blond girl ignored them, her eyes already closed, devoted.

The black-haired girl broke into a small smile after two seconds.

“Nothing.”

She turned back and put her hands together before her chest, closing her eyes.

Soon, a crack appeared on the white wall before the three girls. It was the portal leading to the other side.

They chanted simultaneously in a devoted tone, and as they prayed, they walked through the crack, quickly overwhelmed by the white light streaming from the other side.

Their prayers lingered and echoed in the empty corridor between the black and white walls.

“Everything has a beginning, and everything has an end.”

“It is unknowable, and there is no need to fear.”

“Fate has a plan for all.”

...

[Congratulations, Lucky has reached level 5!]

[End of Act 4]