Chapter One

Chapter One

Countless meteors with slender silver tails streaked across the night sky, dazzling and splendid, fleeting in the heavens. Among them were many fire meteors, like dragons falling from the sky, brilliantly bright, stunning to behold.

This meteor shower came unexpectedly, without any warning, like a mysterious gift, causing everyone who saw it to stop and watch in awe.

Lin An, who spent most of his days reading on the balcony, noticed this magnificent and brilliant gift from the moment the first meteor fell, and had been watching from the balcony for several hours.

Only when he felt his trouser leg being tugged did he look down at his feet.

A light yellow puppy was playing with his trouser leg. Noticing its owner's gaze, the puppy's tail wagged as if it could fly.

Lin An bent down and gently stroked the little dog's head: "Xiao Fu, are you tired? Let's go back to sleep then."

After closing the window, Lin An reluctantly looked back at the still falling meteors in the sky. It was now one in the morning, too late, and even if he wasn't sleepy, Xiao Fu should be.

In the bathroom, the six-month-old dog smartly jumped onto its little stool, then looked up at its owner with its shiny, big, black eyes, tame and obedient.

After the owner helped it brush its teeth and clean its mouth and eyes, the puppy scampered back to its bedroom, standing in a watermelon-shaped dog bed.

"Goodnight, Xiao Fu," Lin An said, waving at the puppy from the doorway.

Xiao Fu wagged its tail at its owner and then immediately lay down and closed its eyes, pretending to be asleep.

Lin An smiled, gently closing the bedroom door.

He usually slept around ten o'clock, but today he stayed up late watching the meteor shower. Yawning, Lin An walked into the bathroom, his bangs covering his eyes, obstructing his vision. Not daring to go to the barbershop, he decided to trim them himself tomorrow.

Flipping his overgrown bangs upwards, the moment he looked up into the mirror, his distinct black and white eyes seemed to contain stars, clear and pure.

As he lowered his head, a few unruly strands of his bangs slipped down, making him look almost like a different person compared to just a moment ago.

Unfortunately, after brushing his teeth, Lin An let his bangs fall back down, covering his star-like eyes.

Just as he was about to undress for a shower, he noticed a dog hair on his pants.

He gently picked up the dog hair and stared at it intently for a long time. Although he had mentally prepared himself before getting Xiao Fu and brushed the dog three times a day, this was still inevitable.

Xiao Fu was shedding.

After changing clothes and carefully checking, Lin An found two more dog hairs on his pants and then one each on the balcony and sofa.

He sighed, threw the dog hairs into the trash, and rolled up his sleeves.

Sweeping, mopping, wiping tables, changing and washing the sofa covers, doing the laundry...

After cleaning the entire house, Lin An was utterly exhausted. His constitution had always been weak, and every time he did a major clean-up, it nearly wore him out.

He had planned to comb Xiao Fu and wash the dog bed, but when he checked the time, it was already 3 a.m.

Better wait till tomorrow.

Pushing through his fatigue, Lin An took a bath and then realized he was starting to get a headache. He had left the window open while watching the meteor shower, perhaps he had caught a cold.

He could never seem to avoid it.

Expertly selecting a few cold medicine tablets, Lin An took them before going to bed.

The next morning, Xiao Fu sat squatting in front of its bowl, staring thoughtfully at the bowl, which was cleaner than its face.

Where's the food?

Where's the food?

Why is it empty?

Lin An usually woke up early, and the first thing he did was to refill Xiao Fu's food.

Xiao Fu, a stray, was found a few months ago, emaciated to just a small strip, barely alive. Therefore, no matter how much food Lin An gave, Xiao Fu would eat it all up in one go, afraid it would overeat, Lin An could only feed it at regular times and in set amounts.

But today, Xiao Fu had woken up, yet Lin An had not come to refill its food.

Puzzled, Xiao Fu carried its bowl and nudged open the bedroom door, only to find its owner still curled up in bed asleep.

Putting down the bowl and lying on the floor, Xiao Fu quietly waited for its owner to wake up.

By noon, Lin An still hadn't woken up, and Xiao Fu was so hungry it couldn't stand it. Now accustomed to eating on time and in large quantities, missing a meal was unbearable.

"Woof, woof," Xiao Fu cried anxiously.

Hungry! Food!

There was still no movement from Lin An in the bed. If Xiao Fu were taller, it could have seen its owner's pale face, rapid breathing, and pained expression, curled up in the blankets and occasionally twitching.

But it couldn't see, and unable to wake its owner, all it could do was sadly knock over its bowl.

Picking up the stainless steel food bowl with his mouth, he let go.

With a loud clang, the bowl wobbled and made a huge noise.

But the owner didn't wake up.

Continuing to pick it up with a clang.

Lin An's brows furrowed tightly, his eyelashes trembling as if trapped in a nightmare.

He saw his parents' backs, chatting and laughing as they walked ahead. The dazzling light around him was so blinding he couldn't open his eyes. He tried to catch up, but no matter what, he couldn't match their pace, only able to watch helplessly as they walked farther and farther away.

Don't go!

He desperately reached out, wanting to shout for his parents not to leave, but no sound came out. He could only watch them disappear into the blinding light.

Then, the blinding light vanished, and his world plunged back into darkness.

Lin An retracted his hand, bewildered, not knowing why he was here.

Laughter suddenly echoed in the darkness, from far to near, mocking, jeering, sneering... each sound filled with endless malice and contemptuous mockery.

Looking around, he found no one; wherever he ran, the laughter would ring in his ears, audible even when he covered them.

He didn't want to listen!

Unable to run, Lin An could only crouch helplessly on the ground, covering his ears tightly, closing his eyes, pretending to hear nothing.

After what felt like a long time, the sounds around him seemed to grow quieter.

Lin An shivered, his eyes wide with alert and unease as he scanned the darkness and silence around him, the disturbing noises gone.

Slowly standing up, he tried to leave this strange darkness, but found his feet as if anchored, unable to move a step.

Looking down, he saw his feet sinking into a pitch-black, thick liquid. This inky fluid moved like a tide from under his feet, climbing up his ankles, spreading to his calves, gradually rising.

He struggled incessantly, but the black liquid dragged him unyieldingly, seeking to drown him in this pitch-black tide.

Lin An smelled a foul stench, emanating from the liquid, reminiscent of a mix of countless garbage, disgustingly nauseating.

And he seemed to be merging with this refuse.

Lin An cried and struggled, but his strength was too feeble, like a dying fly that could be snuffed out with a mere pinch, turning to ash.

Someone, please, is there no one to save me?

As he was about to be engulfed by the black liquid, a tear-blurred Lin An saw many people.

He saw everyone he knew before, each standing safely above, looking down at him, sneering and pointing, yet none stretched out a hand to pull him to safety.

No one came to rescue him.

No one.

Lin An ceased to struggle, quietly consumed by the darkness.

In the final moment, he heard a voice.

A grating, yet familiar voice.

Lin An listened intently, trying to remember, but it was too late; the darkness had completely devoured him.

Accompanied by the clanging of a dog bowl hitting the floor, the person on the bed abruptly opened their eyes.

Those distinct black and white eyes turned the color of rubies, the icy gaze devoid of emotion, the originally fair skin now tinged with a pale grey, like fine white jade stained with grey impurities, giving off an eerie appearance.

Dressed in a light yellow pajama set, Lin An expressionlessly sat up from the bed, slowly surveying the entire bedroom in what seemed like slow motion, detached and serene.

“Awoo~”

Master~

Xiao Fu was overjoyed, hurriedly picking up the food bowl to show its master, its tail wagging so fast it almost left an afterimage.

Lin An's attention was drawn by the wagging tail, slowly lowering his gaze to the cheerful creature on the floor, his crimson eyes lacking the usual warmth and indulgence, only a stranger's scrutiny.

His brain throbbed as if it had been pried open, the pain unbearable. His mind had turned to mush, unable to recall who he was or what he was meant to do. All he felt was an overwhelming emptiness that seemed to sweep through his very soul.

So hungry.

Lin An gazed at the creature on the ground, his mouth opening instinctively. His neatly aligned canine teeth had inexplicably grown longer overnight, revealing pointed, ivory tips.

I'm so hungry! Master!

Xiao Fu, the little fortune, paced back and forth at the bedside with the food bowl, frantically signaling.

Red eyes locked onto Xiao Fu with the intensity of a hunter eyeing its prey. Lin An moved slowly to the edge of the bed and stood up with equal deliberation. Like a toddler learning to walk, he couldn't control his limbs, maintaining balance through slow movements.

His bare feet touched the cold, hard ground, hesitated, then shuffled aside to slip into slippers.

Seeing the master finally standing, Xiao Fu dashed to its room with the food bowl. Most of the dog food was kept there, but Xiao Fu never tore into the bag itself, always waiting eagerly for the master to do so.

Lin An watched expressionlessly as the food made its escape, then clumsily gave chase, step by step, like a rusted robot, staggering and slow.

Xiao Fu set down the bowl and looked back to see the master hadn't followed, hurriedly running out three times to check and circling the master twice, as if wishing to nudge him faster with its head.

And Lin An, eyeing the prey scurrying at his feet, reached out to grab it, but his movements were too slow; the impatient dog had already run off by the time his hand was halfway extended.

Lin An could only continue the chase.

The master finally entered its bedroom, and Xiao Fu quickly placed the bowl in front of the dog food bag.

“Whine~” The clever dog immediately gestured with its paw that the food was here; it was time to eat.

Lin An's eyes saw only the lively creature; he approached Xiao Fu slowly, crouched down, and looked at the food that had finally ceased its escape.

He could hear the hot blood rushing through its veins, the scent of succulent flesh so tantalizing, his saliva began to secrete incessantly.

"Gulp."

Lin An swallowed, the indifference in his gaze replaced by a ravenous drool.

He was so hungry; it was time to feast.

He opened his mouth slowly, inching closer to the dog's head.

Xiao Fu had never faced such a slight before; the bag of dog food was right at the master's side, yet he wasn't being fed!

"Humph~"

The wronged dog cast a pleading look towards Lin An.

Lin An, with his mouth agape, suddenly froze.

"Humph~ Humph~"

Xiao Fu, seeking solace, rested its head on Lin An's knee, its glossy, moist eyes looking as if it was on the verge of crying from injustice.

Lin An blinked slowly and then followed the direction of the dog’s paw to the bag of dog food.

Minutes later, the food bowl was brimming with dog food. Xiao Fu immediately forgot its earlier grievances and joyously wagged its tail while eating, taking big bites as if it had been reincarnated from a starved dog.

Lin An crouched beside Xiao Fu, tilting his head this way and that.

Finally, he found the right angle and, baring his ivory-sharp canines, slowly approached the nape of Xiao Fu's neck.

Then he bit down!