Cold Rain, Key, Poem

"Hey... wanna try?" A hazy figure stood before me, speaking in a girl’s voice.

"What?" I hadn’t understood her words just then.

"Come with me..." Her voice grew distant, her form shrinking as if truly drifting away.

"What is it?" As she dwindled, my heart tightened. Anxiety coiled in my chest—*I don’t want her to leave*.

"Follow me..." Her whisper faded like an echo from the end of a long road.

"Hey! Wait! Wait!" I finally shouted, sprinting blindly through the blinding white void.

"Hurry... hurry... Yan-shi..." Her voice was nearly gone.

I froze. *Who am I? Who’s Yan-shi? Why follow her? Who is she?*

A tremor shook the ground beneath my feet. I glanced down—the luminous white world was peeling away, revealing darkness beneath.

The ground vanished. I plummeted into an abyss, limbs flailing uselessly. No handhold. No her. Just the fall... until I struck the bottom.

Darkness.

I opened my eyes.

Still darkness.

*Am I blind?* The thought was cut short by a chill.

Raindrops stung my skin—*cold rain* falling from an unseen sky.

I groped blindly in the dark, fingers closing around something—a gnarled branch, perhaps. Pushing myself up, I traced the branch’s length.

Stone. Or rock wall.

"So this is truly..." I recalled the white-masked abyss, the ghostly girl who lured me down.

"The bottom of the abyss," I murmured, lifting my face. No light answered.

"Another stray?" A human voice cut through the dark.

"W-what?" I stammered, startled.

"Thought so." Footsteps approached. I pressed against the rock wall, straining to locate him.

"Come." Rough, wide hands seized my arm from behind. "Quickly. The rain erodes you."

His words startled me, yet I felt no erosion on my skin.

He strode fast, dragging me along a smooth, obstacle-free path. *This creature seems human... but no human has such sight or strength.* Curiosity flickered.

"We’re here." He pushed open a door. Light spilled out—light my eyes couldn’t bear.

"Follow." In that glare, I glimpsed him: a figure shrouded head-to-toe in a black cloak.

Seeing me frozen, his eyes—visible beneath the hood—flickered with urgency. He grabbed my hand and pulled me inside.

Light seared my vision. I collapsed, howling in pain, a raw, inhuman sound tearing from my throat.

No one stopped me. Or perhaps *he* simply didn’t.

Gradually, the burning eased. I tried to sit. Hands guided me to a chair.

"Th-thank you..." I whispered, eyes still shut tight.

"Don’t mention it." A gentle female voice replied.

I... I cracked my eyes open just a slit. Her blurred form came into view.

"Don’t force it," she said. "I was like this too."

"B-before?" I echoed, confused.

"Mm. I was brought here too. Just earlier than you."

"I see... Did you also fall into the abyss?"

"Abyss? I don’t know. I woke outside, then *he* brought me here."

"Tch..." I shook my head. My eyes felt steadier now. I pushed harder, finally taking in the room.

We were inside something like a tree trunk—a cylindrical wooden chamber, windowless, with only one unassuming door. Five torches burned evenly along the walls, casting the light.

Then I saw *her*: long black hair, delicate features, a slender frame... and a pure white dress? *Is she dressed for a funeral?*

"He’ll be here soon," she said.

"*He*?"

"The one who brought us back." As if summoned, the cloaked figure emerged from a back door. He’d lowered his mask halfway, hood thrown back. His face was an unsettling blend of human and beast—strange, yet radiating quiet authority rather than fear.

He checked each torch meticulously before turning to face us. He pulled up a chair and sat, his gaze settling on the girl and me.

"When he returns, snow will fall from the sky." His first words were cryptic.

"It’s like a prayer," the girl whispered to me.

I nodded.

He paused, then continued: "One stray stands among you two. I thought it was this girl... until I found you." He pointed at me. "I asked the door. It granted only one place." He fell silent, waiting.

"What does ‘place’ mean?" I asked.

"The one who truly holds the *Key*. The *only* Key this time."

"I don’t understand."

"Qualification to pass through the Parasol Tree Gate. Only one may pass."

"And what’s beyond it?"

Silence.

*He won’t say,* I thought.

"Is the Parasol Tree... this tree?" the girl asked suddenly.

"Yes."

"Is it still alive?"

"Hovering between life and death. It will revive if *he* returns. If not... it will linger near death, never reaching it." He paused. "I still don’t know if he’ll come back."

"I see..." She sighed.

*Why does she care about a tree?* I wondered. *Shouldn’t survival matter more? Like—*

"Who is *he*?" I pressed.

"An existence beyond your understanding."

"Why is everything dark here? And why does rain fall without a sky?"

"Long ago, this place was bright—like your spring. Darkness deepened after he left." His voice grew heavy. "The rain is punishment. All living things weep for him. This cold rain... is their tears."

No more questions felt safe. Asking about *him* or the tree would yield nothing.

*Wait—he said "your spring." "Your"? Why can’t I remember...?* My mind went blank.

"Time to go." He stood. "Eyes recovered? Follow me. Both of you." He pushed the back door open, gesturing us forward.

The girl nodded. I abandoned my thoughts and trailed after her.

Beyond the door lay a stone walkway spiraling around a colossal cylindrical shape. Torches lit the path at intervals. I studied the surface—weathered bark etched with time. *The Parasol Tree.*

Suddenly, an ethereal song filled the air. Unseen voices chanted a haunting *poem* in a constructed language, its melody weaving through the dark.

"Cover your ears," the cloaked figure ordered. "The restless spirits stir again."

"Spirits?" the girl asked.

"Mm. Souls bound by regret." He shook his head, a note of sorrow in the motion.

We walked for what felt like an hour before he stopped.

By torchlight, I saw the impossible.

Atop the Parasol Tree’s crown stood a black stone archway. Where doors should be, a swirling vortex of murky crimson pulsed.

In that haze, I saw *her* again—the blurred girl dancing before me, laughing: "Hurry, Yan-shi! Hurry..."

*Yan-shi? Me? Is that my name? Am I not alone?*

My heart hammered. Panic and longing surged—*I need to reach her. I need her. I can’t lose her...*

The world narrowed to that vortex. His voice faded. All I saw was a pale hand waving from within the crimson swirl.

"I’m coming..." I whispered, stepping forward.

A hand yanked me back. I turned—it was the girl. Her grip was iron despite her frail frame.

"Let go..." I trembled. *If I lose her now, I’ll shatter.*

"Did you... hear him?" Her voice was tight. "Only a stray may enter that gate. Others... die."

My desperation froze solid. "So... only one of us survives after passing through?"

Her eyes confirmed it.

"Is it... just fate’s choice?" I murmured.

"Farewell." The cloaked figure spoke the chilling word and descended the walkway.

She met my gaze. "Together."

I nodded. The girl’s hand had vanished from the vortex.

We moved toward the black arch.

I wanted to run—to reach *her*—but forced myself to match the girl’s slow, fearful steps. Anger flared: *You stopped me. You told me only one lives. You’ve been useless from the start. Now you drag me down with this ‘together’ nonsense. Why are you so... in the way?*

"Do you... fear death that much?"

I quickened my pace. She gasped in confusion behind me. I ignored it, striding ahead. Her footsteps hurried to catch up. I glanced back—and my breath caught.

Tears streamed down her face, crystal trails soaking into her white dress.

"I..." Guilt stabbed me. I raised a hand to apologize—

She walked *through* me.

"Hey!" I whirled, shouting after her.

She halted before the vortex. Relief washed over me. Then—

She turned. Her tear-streaked face was calm now, eyes red-rimmed but dry. I froze, rooted to the spot.

She smiled. A bright, tearful smile.

Seeing it, I felt an icy dragon’s claw clamp around my heart.

"Don't..." I murmured, then, as if guided by instinct, it surged into a shout: "Don't go! Stop!"

Her name! Her name! What was her name? Shout it out, shout it out now! You know her name, right?

"Come back! Yilin!"

Her eyes widened. She covered her mouth, a tear sliding down the corner of her eye. I hurriedly quickened my pace, chasing after her. When she lowered her hand, I froze.

It was a sweet smile I'd never seen before. As if all the world's beauty had gathered on her.

"Did I... call her name?" I asked myself, disbelieving.

No time to think. She turned and walked into the vortex.

It felt like losing everything. My heart turned hollow—no trace of longing for that figure, just pure emptiness. Nothing left. Nothing existed.

Yet I stumbled to the door. Why did this short path feel like a lifetime?

I stood before the black stone door, lingering.

Too many doubts in my heart. Too many riddles in my mind. I didn't know how to solve them. Or face them.

Only one can survive? If it's her... she must be happy there.

The pressure eased. Step by step, I stepped inside.

"Yan..."

Someone called my name.

"Yan..."

That voice belonged to the one I knew best.

"Yan... are you there?"

I opened my eyes. Not far away, the figure I longed for day and night called to me.

Ashes reignited in my chest. My heart pounded fiercely. I remembered!

"I'm here! I'm here! I am Yan! My name is Yan!" I ran toward her, breathless.

She stood still, softly calling my name. Not moving. Not leaving.

"I found you..." I didn't stop even when I reached her. Ignoring the impact, I pulled her tightly into my embrace. "I'm here..." Then I saw her face—Yilin.

"Yilin... is it you?" She tilted her head in my arms, a hint of a smile on her lips. Then she scattered into fragments of light.

Outside, Asadros stepped through the door. A warm breeze swept over him. He stared uneasily at the sky. The cold rain ceased. Colors seeped back into the world. The wutong tree burst with life, blooming countless flowers—only to fall instantly like goose-feather snow, weeping softly.

"Is it you?" he whispered.

"Where am I... so cold... Yan, where are you... I'm freezing... What is this place? So dark. So scary. I miss you..." I opened my eyes dazedly. Faint shouts reached my ears—someone calling for Yilin's family? Don't joke. My family... has only ever been Yan.

In the darkness, I saw it again.

Yan, Yan, do you love me?

Love you, love you, Yilin. I love you.

Hehe~ Yan, are you just humoring me?

How could I? I love Yilin the most.

Hehehehe, then shout it loud!

I! LOVE! YI! LIN! THE! MOST!

On a mountaintop highway, Yan pedaled a bicycle, Yilin clinging to his back. They savored their rare freedom, sweet and warm.

Then a truck driven by a drunkard appeared before them.

No one knew how many times she called Yan's name in her dreams.

Yilin opened her eyes. Her parents—long estranged—stood by her hospital bed, tears streaming down their aged faces.

"Silly child! We told you not to follow that fool Yan. Look what happened!" Yilin's mother sobbed, wiping her eyes.

It's not his fault.

"Good daughter, Mom and Dad were wrong before. Please, come home with us," her father pleaded.

No. I need to find Yan. Go home with him.

Fresh from her coma, Yilin rasped her first words: "Yan... where is he?"

I just want to see you again.

Yilin leaned on an IV pole, stumbling through the hospital corridors.

I need to see you now. Right here.

"That bastard?! Hmph. His heart's shattered. He'll die soon. Serves him ri—"

Yilin's father shot her mother a fierce glare. She fell silent, grudgingly.

"That young man's critical. He could die any second. Only a heart transplant might save him—but we know that's impossible. Hey! Xiaolin, stop! What are you doing? Do this, and we won't forgive you. Not ever!"

Your name is carved into my heart like a tattoo. I want to see you. I want to scream. The pain is unbearable.

"Yan..." Yilin pressed her palm against the observation room glass. Inside, Yan lay covered in tubes.

You're my only family, Yan.

"I love you! I love Yilin the most!"

Love doesn't guarantee happiness. That's a lie.

She cried, slumped against the wall, collapsed to the floor. For a long time.

"Really?" The doctor's sharp gaze pierced through his glasses.

"Yes." Yilin kept her head down.

"Think carefully. If you do this, neither of you will have a good ending."

"Can you guarantee he'll live?" She lifted her head slightly.

"On this, you have my word." His voice brimmed with confidence.

"Good." She sighed, her body going limp. "If he lives... how can there be no good ending?"

The doctor watched her quietly. Her tension had all been about the surgery. She'd decided from the start.

"Understood." He handed her the papers, adjusting his glasses with his left hand. "You're a remarkable girl."

Asadros sat on a withered log before the door, watching the abyss bloom back to life. He looked up. A man descended the plank path, cradling a fragile glow.

"Tell me everything. About this girl."

"She came here once. I guided her out through that door quickly."

"Why she returned, I don't know. But the wanderer's scent on her was faint—yet unmistakable."

"Just now, that scent vanished."

"You had no wanderer's scent at first. I should've taken you elsewhere. But when I found you... it suddenly appeared. Faint. Real."

Snow began to fall. White sprites drifted through the branches. Yan gazed at the brightening world. Understanding dawned.

"You idiot." He watched Yilin dissolve into specks of light in his arms.

"But my favorite idiot."

I am Yan. Spirit of Winter's Arrival. The Broken Key. The one the departed souls sing of.

Why did she walk so slowly back then?

"You... afraid of death?"

No. She was savoring her last moment with you. That scant minute she earned by giving everything.

They loved each other, always.

The departed souls began a dirge. A mournful melody rose.

Yan softly echoed Yilin's poem—

"Long ago, that day was cold.

I stayed home, missing my love.

A breeze carried peach blossom scent—sweet, happy.

So wonderful, so wonderful.

For you, the skies cleared.

Shy girls hid their faces seeing you—all for you.

Earth spins, never stopping.

Snowflakes drift in dreams.

I beg you, world.

Thank you, world.

Please stay...

gentle..."

By the last line, Yan sobbed uncontrollably, grasping Yilin's final speck of light...

"Where is this? So beautiful." A man woke in the abyss, marveling at the scenery.

"This is the abyss, young man." A figure appeared behind him, cradling a maiden-like glow. "You're a wanderer. Go to the wutong tree crown. Return to reality."