The Fallen's Guide - chapter 10

Success.

Tang Nian snorted coldly and clicked the exit button in the upper left corner without any hesitation.

In the end, after all that trouble, not only did she fail to gain extra Life Value, but she also lost an hour.

Although the Pixel Character looked cute, Tang Nian had already marked a big cross in her heart for that Elf buried in the haystack.

“Ugly thing.”

She turned over, muttering to vent her frustration, “Stupid mosaic game.”

Soon, she drifted into sleep.

Outside the window, clouds gathered, obscuring the moon. Before long, the wind picked up and rain began to fall.

Bean-sized raindrops struck the glass, tracing long lines down its surface.

At the same time, under the tranquil night sky of another world, a gentle milky-white mist like satin enveloped the land.

At the edge of the Gloomy Forest, where hardly any living creature of light could escape, a haystack several people high suddenly rose up, and faint light flickered gently through the gaps in the branches.

The Stream brushed over damp pebbles, and shadowy creatures lingered deep in the forest, revealing pairs of crimson eyes.

The wind grew colder.

The pile of dead leaves rustled faintly.

A pale arm hung out from within, more luminous than moonlight, its lines graceful and fingers slender.

Moments later, more dreamy pale light spilled from the heap of dead leaves. A pair of Wings, thin as cicada wings and semi-transparent, unfurled, dazzling beneath the silent night sky.

The already towering pile of dead leaves became unstable, and the light shining through the gaps grew ever brighter.

At a certain moment, it finally gave way, collapsing with a rush like an avalanche.

When the dust settled, amid the soft glow, a tall and beautiful humanoid figure was revealed.

He slept, his body curled slightly.

His light golden hair, dampened by the Stream, spread across the grass like sunlight shining into an abyss.

Droplets slid from his lashes onto his well-defined chest, his skin translucent and snow-white, countless floating shadows shimmering like starlight. Amid the platinum ocean, a pair of semi-transparent pointed ears peeked out from his hair, as thin as butterfly wings.

Heavy clouds churned with silver-blue lightning, illuminating the earth as if it were daytime.

He opened his eyes.

His lashes half-veiled pure emerald eyes, clear as a lake.

Hazy mist gathered at the bottom of his gaze. He slowly turned his pupils, realizing he was still alive.

How could this be?

Raindrops fell on him, quickly soaking him through.

The humanoid creature slowly pushed aside the haystack and sat up.

Who had saved him?

A faint sense of gentle care lingered on his body, every limb and bone tingling as if gently kneaded.

The night wind rustled, bringing ominous thunder.

The rain grew heavier.

In the darkness, those creatures of Greed in the abyss stared with crimson eyes, restless, as if ready to pounce and tear him apart at any moment.

Suddenly, his pupils contracted, shining with intense green.

He saw his arm, wrapped thickly and clumsily.

He carefully lifted it, sniffing its scent.

His whole body trembled, his hollow chest seemed struck hard, and this race, known for its cold temperament, panted rapidly, his entire body tingling and shaking.

He stumbled and fell, then climbed up again, his tall, slender body stained with mud.

His broken Wings drooped behind him, like shattered cicada wings.

Like an animal suffering from disorder, he clutched his bandaged arm, heading toward self-destruction, searching painfully again and again for someone who did not exist.

“Where are you…”

The heavy rain drowned his voice.

Drowned that broken and sorrowful question.

“You’re still alive, aren’t you?”

…

Tang Nian slept deeply.

Two corridors away from her, a care worker pushed the waste collected from the wards outside.
Suddenly, she saw a white Feather on the surgical gown that a patient had just changed out of.

The orderly picked up the Feather, extremely light and soft, as white as frost.

She had no mind to admire it, and anxiously asked her colleague, “Isn’t the operating room a sterile area? How could there be an animal Feather here?”

“Huh?”

The other person also put down what they were holding, showing a look of astonishment.

Soon, he saw another Feather on that surgical gown.

A pitch-black Feather, as if soaked in ink.

“Could a bird have gotten in?”

The two looked at each other, both with unpleasant expressions.

This was a medical accident.

But what kind of bird had such Feathers?

That jet-black color was like a black vortex, drawing one’s gaze irresistibly.

Staring at the Feather in her hand, the orderly felt the light and sound gradually fade away at that moment.

It was as if her soul was being drowned in this ominous darkness.

“What’s wrong with you?”

It wasn’t until the person beside her patted her shoulder that the orderly snapped back to reality.

“Ah? Oh… I’m fine.”

The two Feathers were thrown into the medical waste bin with lingering unease.

Outside the hospital, an expensive black sedan was parked at the side entrance.

The driver got out and opened the car door. First to emerge was a well-dressed woman, so well-maintained that her age was impossible to guess.

She bent over, her beautiful face showing a flattering expression as she spoke to someone inside the car, “Xiao Zhi, come out, Auntie will take you to see the doctor.”

No one knew what the person inside said, but the woman’s expression stiffened for a moment, then quickly returned to a smile.

“No, Auntie isn’t here to see her, Auntie is worried about your health.”

After a long standoff, the person in the car finally got out.

The boy, Xiao Zhi, was slightly overweight but very short, his round body lacking any sharp edges, his chin protruding outward while his mouth and nose were sunken inward.

He looked like a cookie accidentally squashed by a pastry chef-truly not attractive.

“Xiao Zhi, Auntie has arranged for the best doctor at the hospital…”

“Don’t touch me!”

The boy viciously shook off the woman’s hand, ignoring her ingratiating expression. “Stay away from me.”

The woman forced a smile and withdrew her hand, meekly following behind the boy.

They took the private elevator to the VIP psychiatric clinic.

The regular outpatient area was packed, with patients’ families camping out in the corridors and stairwells with bedding and luggage. Yet just a corridor away, the VIP clinic played soothing music and had fresh-cut flowers in vases.

On one side was life; on the other, survival.

Worlds apart.

……

Tang Nian was awakened from a groggy sleep by someone calling her.

Opening her eyes, she realized her mother had arrived.

Tang Qiuyun looked hurried, frowning as she flipped through Tang Nian’s medical records, muttering, “You really are a handful.”

Seeing Tang Nian awake, she added, “This ward is too crowded. Why are so many people here? It smells. I’ll get you upgraded to a single room.”

This sentence instantly drew hostility from everyone else in the ward.

Tang Nian felt a headache coming on as she watched the woman take out a card from her expensive lizard-skin handbag and place it in her palm.

“Here, take this card. The password is Mom’s birthday. Go back to school as soon as you’re discharged. You’re about to start your third year-don’t fail any classes and risk not graduating.”

“I’m in my second year. I just started and then took a leave of absence.”

Tang Nian’s words stopped Tang Qiuyun in her tracks. Without looking at her mother’s awkward expression, she asked softly,

“Did you come today because Xu Zhi is sick again?”