"No... no, wake up, Bao!" Zixin's voice trembled as he shook the little snake in his hands. "Bao! Tell me! How do I get to that trial?"
But the small white snake remained completely limp in his hands. Its ruby-red eyes were shut, and no matter how many times Zixin called his name, there was no response. The panic that had briefly disappeared from his face returned again, and he carefully cupped Bao against his palm as though even the slightest rough movement might hurt him. After staring at the unconscious snake for a few seconds, he finally slipped him gently into his pocket, making sure the little body was settled safely inside.
Only then did the system notification he had been ignoring catch his attention.
The green notification screen was still floating in front of him, blinking patiently as if none of the things that had happened mattered. Zixin stared at it for a moment before reaching out and clicking on it.
A small burst of colorful confetti immediately fluttered across the screen.
{Congratulations. You have reached Level 5, one of the select few who have passed the Beginner's Trial with the highest level. System rewards will be calculated upon arrival.}
Zixin's eyes slowly narrowed.
So this was the Beginner's Trial.
The words Bao had said to him over and over again suddenly began running through his mind. The snake had mentioned several times that this was only the beginning, the first stage of something much larger. Zixin had thought he was simply warning him about stronger zombies and future dangers, but now he understood that the entire village had only been the starting point.
If he compared it to a game, this trial was probably nothing more than the novice village, the place where players were taught how to survive before being thrown into the real world.
And yet, even this so-called beginner stage had nearly killed him.
Zixin slowly inhaled and looked around the ruined village.
The place that had once been peaceful was almost impossible to recognize anymore. Houses had collapsed, roads were covered in cracks and debris, and blood and pieces of flesh were scattered across the ground. The gardens that had once been carefully tended were trampled beneath the bodies of monsters and the destruction left behind by the battle.
His hand slowly clenched.
If the Beginner's Trial was already this hard... then how difficult will the next trials be?
He couldn't even imagine it.
But he didn't need to imagine it right now.
He had to survive them.
Because now he knew there was a way to bring Lin Jing back.
The Fifth Trial.
That was the only thing keeping him standing.
Zixin turned and slowly walked back toward the terrace he had thrown himself from multiple times. His footsteps became heavier as he approached, and when he finally saw Lin Jing lying there peacefully, something inside his chest tightened painfully.
His little brother's hair was still wet and tangled, sticking against his pale forehead and cheeks. There was still blood and grime covering his small body, making it difficult to recognize the frightened little boy who had clung to Zixin earlier.
Zixin crouched beside him and gently lifted him into his arms.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, though he wasn't sure what he was apologizing for anymore.
He carried Lin Jing down from the terrace and into one of the less-damaged houses nearby. There was still some clean water inside, and Zixin carefully washed the blood and dirt from his brother's small body. He wiped his face again and again until the pale skin beneath his hands was clean, then found a set of clean clothes inside the house and dressed him properly.
He took his time with every little thing.
He straightened Lin Jing's shirt.
He fixed his hair.
He wiped away the last trace of dirt from his cheek.
It was almost as if he were preparing his brother for sleep rather than preparing him to be buried.
When he was finished, Zixin picked him up again and carried him outside.
His feet naturally took him toward the familiar gardens.
The same gardens where his mother and father had spent so much time caring for flowers and vegetables. He remembered his mother kneeling in the soil, complaining whenever he and Lin Jing stepped on the plants, while his father would laugh and tell her that children couldn't be expected to stay away from the garden.
Those memories hurt more than anything else now.
Zixin's gaze lingered on Lin Jing's peaceful face, and his jaw tightened as he slowly lowered him onto the ground.
Then he began to dig.
He dug with his bare hands because there was nothing else he wanted to use.
The soil pressed beneath his fingernails, dirt covering his palms as he continued digging deeper and deeper. He didn't stop even when his fingers began to sting or when the skin around his nails became raw. He simply kept going, scooping the earth away until he had made a hole deep enough for his brother to rest inside.
When he finally stopped, his hands were trembling from exhaustion.
Zixin looked into the hole.
Lin Jing was so small.
Far too small.
The hole he had dug looked almost ridiculously large compared to his little body, and that sight made Zixin's eyes burn.
He quickly looked away and rubbed at them with the back of his dirty hand.
No.
I can't lose myself now.
I have to stay strong.
He carefully lifted Lin Jing and lowered him into the grave.
For a moment, he simply stared down at him.
Then Zixin reached toward the flowers growing around his mother's garden and gently picked several of them. He placed them one by one over Lin Jing's small body, his fingers lingering over the petals before finally letting go.
"Lin Jing..." His voice was quiet and rough. "Brother will come get you, so wait for me, okay?"
He swallowed hard.
"Don't be scared. Just close your eyes and count until you see me."
Zixin leaned down and kissed his brother's soft cheek.
"I'll come for you."
He straightened slowly and began pushing the soil back into the grave.
Every handful felt heavier than the last.
The dirt fell over Lin Jing's clothes, covering his small body little by little. Zixin's hand paused when the soil reached his chest, his throat tightening as he stared at the tiny face that was still visible.
"I'm sorry..."
He forced himself to continue.
More soil covered his brother's body.
Then his shoulders.
Then his neck.
Finally, the dirt covered his face, hiding the gentle expression that had remained there even in death.
Zixin's hand trembled as he pushed the last handful of soil into place.
Soon, his little brother disappeared completely beneath the earth.
He stared at the mound for a long time before gathering more flowers from the garden and placing them carefully over the grave.
Once he was finished, Zixin lowered himself beside the mound and lay down on the grass.
He turned his head toward the grave and stared at it quietly.
Above them, the strange red lights continued dancing across the night sky.
They were beautiful in a way that felt almost cruel.
Zixin's lips slowly curved into a faint smile.
"You have a great view up there..." he murmured, his voice softening as he looked toward the sky. "I hope you don't get bored."
He reached over and patted the empty patch of grass beside him.
"Wait for me."
For a few moments, everything was quiet.
Then the red lights above suddenly began to intensify.
Zixin's smile slowly disappeared as the glow became brighter and brighter, until the entire sky seemed to be burning crimson.
The light grew so vibrant that he had to raise his arm to shield his eyes.
"What..."
He squinted through his fingers as the red radiance flooded across the village.
It was brighter than before.
Much brighter.
And this time, there was something different about it.
The entire sky seemed to be moving.
The red lights twisted together, spreading across the clouds like something enormous was beginning to awaken above them.
Zixin slowly sat up, his eyes fixed on the sky.
The next second his whole body started to turn into small pixels of some sorts and he watched it get pulled into the red lights. He let himself be pulled..
A big notification hug by his face. {welcome to the system space}