SilverFeathers
Ruler of the Sky
Song = 宋
Mei = 美 = "beautiful."
Xue = 雪 = "snow."
Ru = 儒 = "scholar."
An = 安 = "peace, quiet."
Song Meixue (Xue)
Xue breathed. The air filling her lungs felt foreign and detached, as if she had never breathed in such a thing at all.
Just for good measure, she breathed again. And this time, she couldn't help but let the tears fragilely pooling in the depths of her eyes, fall.
"You're free now." A pair of large, warm arms gently enveloped her, trembling, as if she was still that same girl made of porcelain.
"Yeah." Was all she could mutter, quietly trembling as her chest heaved up and down. "I'm free now." She repeated as a whisper, looking past his shoulder towards that endless white prison she had been detained in all her life.
---
"Xue'er, do you like this?" That same gentle voice probed, clear and soft, warming her with its familiarity. A feast of dishes was laid before her, from a variety of cuisines, even. All home cooked, it was clear a great effort had gone into the meal. Seeing her nod towards the sautéed tiger fish, sprinkled with fried moonpetal seeds, he pinched out another portion with his chopsticks and placed it in her bowl. Afterwards, as if unsatisfied, his chopsticks roamed around the table, putting a little bit of all the dishes she seemed to have enjoyed prior in as well.
Just as he was about to turn back to his own food, he suddenly took a double take toward her bowl, finally realizing he had somehow turned half a bowl of rice into a towering mountain.
"Ah, wait, sorry, my bad." The man scratched his head in embarrassment, quickly helping scoop some of her food into his bowl instead.
Resting her chin on her hand, Xue watched the whole series of events with an amused smile, finally unable to suppress a peal of laughter by the end of it.
"Ruan, you don't need to stay with me all the time." She mentioned with a light-hearted and carefree tone, slowly picking up her chopsticks again with a little 'clack' against the table. "I'm not a baby. And don't you have that job interview to prepare for?" She couldn't help but chuckle, gently chiding him to boot.
The man sat across from her fidgeted in place, scratching his head again as he struggled to find the words to respond. Every move of his radiated a cautious anxiousness, in a way that only made him sillier and clumsier than usual, but it made Xue smile warmer all the same.
"I'm sure it'll be fine..." He muttered quietly, barely audible amidst his mumbling.
"Ruan." It was a mere word from her, but an impactful one, causing him to relent almost immediately.
"Alright, alright... but you have to let me know if you need anything, or feel unwell, okay?" He couldn't help but bargain anxiously, reaching for her hand and staring her solemnly in the eye.
"I will, don't worry." Xue merely smiled, her tone nonchalant but comforting, patting his hand before gesturing for them both to continue eating.
---
Time seemed to fly by in that world. Every day, she did things she only ever dreamed of doing.
Going to school, eating whatever she liked, going to the cinema with friends, having a picnic, visiting an amusement park... everything she once could only ever imagine became a reality. Her life was so lively, it seemed unimaginable. Every day felt like a dream.
But perhaps, more than anything, what she appreciated most during those days was not all that excited exploration.
Rather, throughout her adventures, she was always stabilized by the presence of someone. Someone that would warmly welcome her home with open arms, and excitedly help her plan out her little ventures into the outside world. His smile was permanently etched into her memory, there to comfort her during all the good times and the bad.
But, although she never told him, every now and then, his bright face would overlap with another's. One with tears streaming down his cheeks as her vision grew oddly hazy.
It was only when she woke up again, facing the reality of her new life in a new world, that she realized. The face that haunted her when she first came here, and the one that ended her first life. It was him.
The one that unplugged her life support, and her beloved brother, were one and the same.
Mei = 美 = "beautiful."
Xue = 雪 = "snow."
Ru = 儒 = "scholar."
An = 安 = "peace, quiet."
Song Meixue (Xue)
Xue breathed. The air filling her lungs felt foreign and detached, as if she had never breathed in such a thing at all.
Just for good measure, she breathed again. And this time, she couldn't help but let the tears fragilely pooling in the depths of her eyes, fall.
"You're free now." A pair of large, warm arms gently enveloped her, trembling, as if she was still that same girl made of porcelain.
"Yeah." Was all she could mutter, quietly trembling as her chest heaved up and down. "I'm free now." She repeated as a whisper, looking past his shoulder towards that endless white prison she had been detained in all her life.
---
"Xue'er, do you like this?" That same gentle voice probed, clear and soft, warming her with its familiarity. A feast of dishes was laid before her, from a variety of cuisines, even. All home cooked, it was clear a great effort had gone into the meal. Seeing her nod towards the sautéed tiger fish, sprinkled with fried moonpetal seeds, he pinched out another portion with his chopsticks and placed it in her bowl. Afterwards, as if unsatisfied, his chopsticks roamed around the table, putting a little bit of all the dishes she seemed to have enjoyed prior in as well.
Just as he was about to turn back to his own food, he suddenly took a double take toward her bowl, finally realizing he had somehow turned half a bowl of rice into a towering mountain.
"Ah, wait, sorry, my bad." The man scratched his head in embarrassment, quickly helping scoop some of her food into his bowl instead.
Resting her chin on her hand, Xue watched the whole series of events with an amused smile, finally unable to suppress a peal of laughter by the end of it.
"Ruan, you don't need to stay with me all the time." She mentioned with a light-hearted and carefree tone, slowly picking up her chopsticks again with a little 'clack' against the table. "I'm not a baby. And don't you have that job interview to prepare for?" She couldn't help but chuckle, gently chiding him to boot.
The man sat across from her fidgeted in place, scratching his head again as he struggled to find the words to respond. Every move of his radiated a cautious anxiousness, in a way that only made him sillier and clumsier than usual, but it made Xue smile warmer all the same.
"I'm sure it'll be fine..." He muttered quietly, barely audible amidst his mumbling.
"Ruan." It was a mere word from her, but an impactful one, causing him to relent almost immediately.
"Alright, alright... but you have to let me know if you need anything, or feel unwell, okay?" He couldn't help but bargain anxiously, reaching for her hand and staring her solemnly in the eye.
"I will, don't worry." Xue merely smiled, her tone nonchalant but comforting, patting his hand before gesturing for them both to continue eating.
---
Time seemed to fly by in that world. Every day, she did things she only ever dreamed of doing.
Going to school, eating whatever she liked, going to the cinema with friends, having a picnic, visiting an amusement park... everything she once could only ever imagine became a reality. Her life was so lively, it seemed unimaginable. Every day felt like a dream.
But perhaps, more than anything, what she appreciated most during those days was not all that excited exploration.
Rather, throughout her adventures, she was always stabilized by the presence of someone. Someone that would warmly welcome her home with open arms, and excitedly help her plan out her little ventures into the outside world. His smile was permanently etched into her memory, there to comfort her during all the good times and the bad.
But, although she never told him, every now and then, his bright face would overlap with another's. One with tears streaming down his cheeks as her vision grew oddly hazy.
It was only when she woke up again, facing the reality of her new life in a new world, that she realized. The face that haunted her when she first came here, and the one that ended her first life. It was him.
The one that unplugged her life support, and her beloved brother, were one and the same.
