Black-and-crimson wings beat behind her, drumming up a storm; the novelty tingled through her veins. "System, can I fly?" Xiao Qianxue asked, curiosity pawing like a cat. She pumped harder.
"Yes, but please control your force, Host." The words had barely fallen when—bang—the wings slung her into the ceiling like a kite yanked by a rogue gust. "Ow, ow, ow..." She dropped onto the bed, clutching her head, tears welling in eyes already red as embers.
"Why didn’t you say so sooner? How was I supposed to know these wings hit this hard..." She stroked along her back; the feathers looked edged like blades, yet felt soft as new leaves. "Ah—" A shiver snuck from wing to spine, then shot to her head; a breathy gasp slipped out before she could stop it.
A few more tries, and she found they weren’t that sensitive; being smoothed felt like petting fur the right way, only better. "Besides flying, what else can these wings do?" As she got the rhythm, their beat lifted her toes from the floor; she floated up like a leaf on a breeze.
"Yes, Host. Current wing skills: Hardened Wings—Defense Lv.1; skill undeveloped; skill undeveloped." The system replied swift as a struck bell.
"Defense!" A red blood-crystal shield bloomed and orbited her like a ruby moon. "Hey, not you—I meant wings, defense!"
Ding. On the black-crimson wings, sharp feathers drew tight in ranked lines like scales down a dragon’s spine; their hardness climbed. The sheen brightened, the color deepened like dusk soaking into water; to any onlooker, she was a fallen angel made flesh.
"How strong is the defense?" Xiao Qianxue stroked the reinforced wings, palm smoothing like silk. "Weaker than the Bloodgod Claw’s coverage, but it will perfectly stop large-caliber bullets." The system’s voice sounded warmer, frost thawing at dawn.
"That’s great!" Joy bubbled up like spring water; she could roam the sky now, no longer tied to earth. She raised her right hand, and the Bloodgod Claw’s shut eye opened again. "Bloodgod Claw!"
She whispered to her right hand, and it answered at once. Her arm shifted fast, becoming that huge, feral claw—so sharp it carved fear like ice.
Just then, the door banged open. "Xue’er, you okay? I just heard—" Lu Ke had heard her hit the ceiling and, after a long hesitation, stepped in. The sight froze his words like a pond in winter.
"Th-this is..." A blonde girl hovered with black-red wings, feathers scattered over the floor like fallen leaves. Her pretty golden irises had flushed bloodier than before; neat little fangs peeked beneath her lip. But all eyes would snag on the black, savage claw that was her right hand—on the fist-sized red eye set in its back, its pupil a black cross.
"Big bro... didn’t I tell you not to come in?" She frowned at her wide-eyed brother, then let it go like a cloud parting. He’d helped her become this again, and she was leaving soon anyway.
"This, um, is how I looked before you found me that day—except the wings are new." She drifted down like a feather. "Exit combat mode!" All armaments vanished from Xiao Qianxue, and even the wings sank into her body like fish into deep water.
"Bro? What’s wrong?" Seeing Lu Ke still glassy-eyed, the blonde girl gave him a gentle shake. He suddenly hugged her and felt along her back. "Hey! You perv!" The sudden grab hit like a splash of cold rain.
"You really grew wings!" Lu Ke let her go and held her by the shoulders. "Xue’er, I didn’t expect you to look this badass!"
"Huh?" Xiao Qianxue had expected a flinch at her strangeness, but curiosity lit him instead, bright as a lantern. "Xue’er, bring those wings out—let me touch them!" Excitement sparked across Lu Ke’s face.
"Alright, alright—don’t make such a fuss..." Feeling her wings sprout again, the blonde girl pouted in helplessness. The black-red wings beat in a slow rhythm, like fans stirring summer air.
"So cool!" Lu Ke’s hands trembled as he touched the wings, fingertips brushing like wind through reeds.
"Mm!" The sudden touch drew an unguarded sound from her; the wings flinched, folding like startled birds.
"What is it?" Lu Ke pulled back, rubbing his nape, confusion flickering like a moth.
"It’s nothing. The wings are a bit sensitive, that’s all..." Xiao Qianxue lowered her head, cheeks blooming like peach petals. "It’s fine... bro, go on..."
They fooled around for a while, laughter chiming like bells in a breeze. "Right, Xue’er, where are you headed tomorrow?" Lu Ke asked.
"Seems like SH City." She recalled the address on the screen; SH was one of the nation’s brightest hives, a river of lights.
"SH? My family’s got a delegation flying there tomorrow on a charter. Want me to get you on board?" Lu Ke thought for a beat, then checked his phone.
"If you can, that’d be perfect." At the good news, the blonde girl’s smile opened like sunlight.
—
Perspective shifts—to our Young Master Lin Fan.
"Young Master, back from the mission?" The butler opened the door to a black-haired youth in black stepping from the car, night stepping from night. "That tiny mess needed me in person?" Lin Fan’s voice carried impatience like grit between teeth. Days kept passing with no trace of Xiao Qianxue; the silence gnawed at him.
"Speaking of which, Young Master, the Ouyang Clan is stirring again." The old butler’s voice had a weathered rasp that soothed like old pine. His face was plain, but his eyes ran deep—deep enough to see through a man in one look.
"Oh? Tell me. What tricks are those rats trying now?" He strode inside, peeling off his black coat and dropping it into the butler’s hands like shedding a shadow.
"The details are murky, like silted water, but it may tie to that girl."
"Really?"
