CDG International Airport, VIP Lounge
Lin Mingyue sat quietly in the VIP lounge with his laptop resting on his lap. His fingers moved across the keyboard as he checked the presentation he would be giving at the International Medical Exchange Seminar in Beijing.
The seminar was held once every three years, and doctors from different countries would gather to exchange research and medical breakthroughs.
As one of the invited speakers, Mingyue wanted everything to be perfect.
After reading through the last slide, he smiled in satisfaction and saved the file.
Medicine had always been a part of his life.
He was abandoned as a baby and left at an orphanage. Not long after, he was adopted by a couple who were both well-known doctors.
Many people assumed children of doctors grew up with nannies because their parents were always busy.
That was never the case for him.
No matter how busy they were, they always made time for him.
When he was little, they would often bring him to the hospital after school. He would sit quietly outside their offices doing homework while waiting for them to finish work. Sometimes they came out late at night, exhausted after hours in the operating room, but they never forgot to ask how his day went.
Those memories stayed with him.
They were also the reason he became a doctor.
"Attention, passengers of Flight 372 to Beijing."
"Boarding has now begun at Gate 14."
The announcement echoed through the lounge.
Mingyue packed his laptop into his bag and stood up. After checking that he hadn't left anything behind, he made his way toward the boarding gate.
A few minutes later, he was already seated in business class.
He fastened his seatbelt, placed his bag under the seat, and looked out the window as the plane slowly left the runway.
Everything was normal.
About an hour into the flight, the plane suddenly shook.
The passengers looked around, but nobody seemed too worried.
Turbulence during a flight wasn't unusual.
Then the plane shook again.
This time, it was much stronger.
A few people screamed as the overhead compartments rattled.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened," the captain said over the intercom. "We're passing through an area of turbulence."
Mingyue frowned.
Something didn't feel right.
Just as he was about to unfasten his seatbelt, a sharp pain shot through his head.
He pressed a hand against his temple.
"...What the..."
A cold mechanical voice suddenly echoed inside his mind.
[Soul Compatibility Confirmed.]
His body froze.
[Beginning Soul Binding.]
"What?"
Nobody around him reacted.
It was as if he was the only one who could hear it.
The pain became worse.
His vision slowly blurred.
The passengers' voices became distant.
The only thing he could hear was the strange voice inside his head.
[Soul Binding Complete.]
Everything went black.
...
When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer on the plane.
He was standing in an endless darkness.
There was no sky.
No ground.
No sound.
Only a small blue flame floating a few steps away from him.
"What is this place?"
The flame floated closer before suddenly darting upward, avoiding the finger he reached out to poke it.
"..."
"It can move?"
The tiny flame began to grow bigger.
In the next second, it twisted into a dark swirling vortex.
Before Mingyue could react, a powerful force pulled him forward.
He couldn't even scream before he was swallowed whole.
When everything became still again, he found himself standing in another empty space.
This time, someone was waiting for him.
Or rather...
Something.
A small black cat sat in front of him with its tail swaying from side to side.
Its blue eyes met his.
"Hello, Host."
"My name is Cub."
"Welcome to the Interdimensional Salvation System."