Today, as the wind continued to sweep in from the west, across the barren wilderness, ever since that extraterrestrial object halted at the edge of the solar system, altering the magnetic field in ways unknown, the gales here had become increasingly frequent.
It wasn't yet dawn; the sky hadn't even begun to show the first hints of light. A groggy child stumbled to the window and rubbed his eyes.
They lived on the outermost fringes of the suburbs, their house facing the wilderness. This area was sparsely populated, and only the poor, like them, would reside here.
"Mom! Mom, a flying tree!" the child's tender voice, filled with delight, knocked on his mother Sarain's door.
Sarain turned over, annoyed by the early morning disturbance. It wasn't even dawn yet; what flying tree? The boy must still be half-asleep.
"Mom, Mom! The flying tree is here! The tree is dancing too!" her son's voice persisted, unwavering.
Sarain finally couldn't bear it. She rolled out of bed and pushed open her son's door. Just as she was about to scold the noisy child, she glanced out his window and her eyes froze.
There, at the intersection of the desert and the sky, amidst a vast, all-encompassing gale of pale yellow dust, a large expanse of deadwood, like a forest, was rapidly advancing towards them.
Beneath the shroud of yellow sand, the "trees" were indistinct. They rose from the barren land as if they had legs, twisting their forms, truly dancing as they were driven by the wind. The swirling dust painted everything around them a deathly, withered yellow.
Sarain gasped, stepping back involuntarily and rubbing her eyes to become fully alert.
"A tornado! A tornado is coming!! Oh God!"
The yellow sand swirled in the sky, gathering and separating. The vortex whipped up the dust, tearing everything around it to shreds, leveling everything in its path.
The tornado arrived with extreme speed. The deafening roar of destruction could already be heard. Sarain nervously clutched her son, frantically shutting all the windows. Her face turned ashen as she watched the tornado, which had appeared within minutes, drawing ever closer.
The young boy, nestled in his mother's embrace, heard a series of strange vibrations. It wasn't his mother's heartbeat; it was a deep groan from the earth itself. In an instant, the light vanished, replaced by a dim, omnipresent yellow dust.
The ground trembled, and the continuous crackling of breaking sounds filled the air.
"Crack, snap…"
The roof beams warped, the walls moaned. The sand battered the structure like a frenzied cat desperately scratching a blackboard, a sound that sent shivers down one's spine.
"Boom!"
With a deafening roar, a tremendous suction force surged. The sudden power was so terrifying that Sarain had no time to struggle. She, along with her son in her arms, was pulled to the ground. Her son was swept into the air before her eyes.
"Lick! My son!"
Sarain spun and rose rapidly with the vortex, finding herself over ten feet above the ground in an instant. She frantically flailed her arms, trying to grasp something, but all she could hold was sand in her fingers.
At that moment, a beam of blood-red light shot up from one end of the earth. The light was incredibly faint, hidden within the sand, and Sarain even thought she was mistaken.
The massive tornado paused for a moment, then rapidly shrank by a considerable circumference. Sarain lost control and began to fall, but a slender, long hand grabbed her wrist. The technologically advanced thruster at the person's waist gradually contracted, bringing her and Sarain to the ground.
The hand was cold, possessing the temperature of the dead. The sudden chill made Sarain shiver involuntarily.
The wind and sand were fierce, allowing her to only vaguely make out the figure cloaked in black. Beneath the cloak, the person seemed to be wearing a black, form-fitting suit. Her peach blossom eyes shimmered with moisture; her delicate, fair face belonged to a woman. Her ink-black long hair billowed in the wind. Clad in a cloak, her clothes fluttered in the sandstorm, yet her stance was as steady as a rock.
"Stay here."
Her voice was clear and cold, much like her body temperature, as pure and indifferent as if washed by autumn water. The metal rings on her ankles and waist lit up, and she shot towards the tornado.
In the air, Lick couldn't even call out to his mother. If he opened his mouth, countless grains of sand would flood his throat, nearly suffocating him.
"Go away." Lick suddenly heard a clear voice ring out nearby.
It was a simple word, yet at that moment, whether it was an illusion or not, the fierce wind and sand seemed to genuinely weaken, as if invisible ice shards had instantly frozen everything around them.
No, it wasn't an illusion! Lick was truly falling, but in the midst of this raging gale, the tornado seemed to have let him go!
A pair of slender, powerful hands caught Lick. He could finally breathe. The cold female voice sounded again above his head, with a hint of surprise: "You're already close to A."
The wind paused, then intensified as if provoked. The sand seemed to carry the roars of beasts, and thunderous cracks emanated from beneath the ground, as if intending to swallow the girl holding the child.
"Close your eyes."
The girl's voice still carried a trace of childishness, yet it was concise and to the point. Lick obediently hugged the girl's neck, allowing her soft hair to brush against his cheek.
"So there are two B-ranks," Lick vaguely heard the girl say.
Allowing the child to cling to her like an octopus, Bai Cha deftly cut her finger. Blood seeped out but didn't drip. Instead, it seemed to gain sentience, swirling around them.
She couldn't engage in close-quarters combat while carrying a child, and there wasn't enough time to adjust her equipment, Bai Cha thought.
Her leg thrusters lit up again, and she moved with lightning speed, chasing the wind, streaking across the barren land for dozens of feet. Her gaze was sharp, like an eagle at night, fixed intently on the base of the tornado. The blood in her hand spun wildly, releasing a bloody aura. A red light, thicker than before, plunged into the ground.
The wind and sand ceased instantly. The tornado connecting heaven and earth, in its former location, a monstrous yellow beast glared defiantly at the azure sky.
"Alright, you can come down now." Bai Cha landed and took out her phone to send her location to Gong Yuechen. Only then did Lick lift his head.
Beneath the jet-black cloak, her face was like the brightest moonlight in the night. It was more beautiful than the most exquisite snowdrop Lick had ever seen on the snowy mountains with his mother. Her beauty was elegant and aloof, yet held a hint of charm, softening her entire countenance. Her peach blossom eyes were unfathomably deep, like the most exquisite jade on an ice plain, captivating anyone who gazed upon them.
"Benefactor."
Lick spoke, a little timidly. Although this girl had saved them, she didn't seem much older than him, certainly not older than his mother.
"It's good that you're alright," Bai Cha replied calmly, nodding at Sarain. "I'm leaving."
With that, she pulled her cloak tighter and, with the first light of dawn, headed towards the very center of the capital city.
Even as the sky was just beginning to brighten, Bai Cha, along with all those between the ages of ten and twenty, had arrived at the capital's largest research institute.
"Prophecy! Prophecy! A new prophecy has been born!"
A withered hand slammed open a door on the second floor of the research institute. The person was ancient, with senile hair and beard, the chains on his body clanking loudly. He stumbled towards the crowd below, shouting, startling everyone.
Today was the annual Dragon Blood Resonance Day.
Humans collected various embryos from different regions, nurturing them in the institute's massive incubators, ranked by letter grade. Once a year, there was an opportunity to enter the ranking. Anyone who could become a Dragon Rider would receive exceptional treatment, and their status would undoubtedly rise.
There were always many who hoped for a stroke of luck, regardless of whether they were commoners or high officials and nobles. Every year, during this time, the institute's single annual open day became exceptionally lively.
And at this moment, as everyone gathered in the institute's main hall, the elderly man who rushed out from the second floor captured everyone's attention.
"God! There's no time! No time!! Calamity is coming! Chaos will engulf the world, utter ruin!" The elder's limbs were shackled by thick chains, each as thick as his arm. His long hair was disheveled, falling over his shoulders. His gaunt face, reduced to mere bones, had bloodshot eyes that bulged as if about to pop out. "Calamity descends, chaos reigns! Rivers of blood, devastation for the common people! Devastation for the common people!!"
Looking at the frenzied old man, everyone in the hall was startled. Bai Cha's brow furrowed as she noticed the thick chains on the old man's limbs. She watched as several people in white lab coats escorted the elder into a laboratory. Glancing at Gong Yuechen beside her, she ultimately said nothing.
However, Bai Cha might not have spoken, but Gong Yuechen was not oblivious. He naturally noticed the cold glint in Bai Cha's eyes and stepped closer to explain.
"Ahem, Bai Cha, don't worry about this. His ability is [Evil Prophecy]. He's mentally unstable, deranged, and has harmed many people. He can only be confined," Gong Yuechen whispered to Bai Cha. "However, his sister is [Holy Prophecy]. The siblings, one can foresee all good future possibilities, and the other can foresee all bad future possibilities. Their abilities are uncontrolled, so we suspect this old celestial official might have been driven mad by the visions of tragic prophecies."
So that was it.
Bai Cha nodded, seemingly understanding the deranged old man.
Being able to see only tragic futures might be good for everyone, as everything he said could help people avoid misfortune and save many lives at critical moments. But for a person to have every single tragic possibility laid bare before them, how cruel that must be, an endless cruelty.
Just like her.
Everyone was the same, enduring the cruelty, unable to refuse.
"Let's go take a look."
Bai Cha uttered the words and turned towards the second floor. Gong Yuechen was taken aback and instinctively followed Bai Cha's footsteps.
"Huh? That's not right; we're here for Dragon Resonance. Why are we going to the second floor?" Gong Yuechen followed behind Bai Cha, scratching his head and feeling a bit distressed as he looked at the girl, who was a head shorter than him. "Hey, no, I'm your superior. How come it feels like I'm your subordinate?"
Although his words were assertive, looking at her lean yet straight back, he didn't have the courage to drag back this utterly lawless little ancestor. He could only furiously imagine himself ruffling Bai Cha's face before angrily following her.
Truly, she was so cute when she was little. If not for what happened back then, Bai Cha should still be able to sweetly call him "Ge" (older brother)...
The second floor was very quiet. The first-floor hall had staff managing order, and the excited or disappointed clamor was greatly suppressed. Bai Cha's ears twitched subtly as she looked towards the end of the corridor.
There, despite the excellent soundproofing, Bai Cha could still hear the faint sounds.
There, there were heart-wrenching roars, and the clanging of chains.