---
Chapter 9 – The Tree Dream
The sound of rain hammered against the rooftops, each droplet drumming a restless rhythm into the grey afternoon.
Vic's shadow loomed over the city long before he made his move. His interest in Wong Lu had grown into something unsettling—something sharp, like the slow tightening of a snare. At his desk, Vic signed the last page of a police report, his lips curling into a thin smile.
> "Illegal claiming of a boy named Wong Lu… let's see how long you can keep him, Nail Waterson."
---
That same day, the sky above Reach for the Stars Academy had grown darker than it should at midday. Clouds swelled with a heavy gloom, and the principal's voice echoed through the school's intercom:
> "Due to worsening weather conditions, classes will be dismissed early. All students, please prepare to go home."
The announcement was met with cheers from most students, but for Saki, Gami, and Wong Lu, the rain was just another strange page in their growing book of odd days.
---
Back home, Elizabeth was surprised to see the three dripping wet at the front door.
"Back so soon?" she asked, folding her arms with a puzzled smile.
"The principal sent everyone home," Gami explained. "Said the rain might get worse."
Elizabeth nodded, motioning them inside. "Alright, get changed. I'll make something warm."
Within minutes, the scent of fresh cookies began to drift from the kitchen, mixing with the faint hum of rain outside. Saki, Gami, and Wong Lu settled into the living room, a blanket of comfortable silence wrapping around them.
Saki broke it first.
"Wong Lu… how many stars do you think there are in the universe?"
Without a pause, Wong Lu replied, his tone oddly calm:
> "Two hundred sextillion, give or take… the rest aren't fixed yet."
The words hung in the air like something unreal—so unreal that, for a moment, the rain outside flickered… twisting, shifting… falling not as droplets, but as tiny glimmers of light. Falling stars.
Saki blinked hard, unsure if she'd imagined it.
Gami frowned but reached for her school bag. "Here… try this." She handed him one of her geography assignments, explaining what an 'assignment' even was.
Wong Lu glanced at it—then, without even seeming to think, filled in the answers. Two seconds. Done.
"You… just…" Gami didn't finish. Saki's mouth was still open.
Elizabeth walked in, balancing a tray of steaming milk and fresh cookies. The warmth seemed to melt the strangeness away for now. They ate quietly, the rain tapping a steady lullaby against the windows.
---
Somewhere between laughter and the last crumbs, the three drifted to sleep on the couch. Elizabeth quietly cleaned the plates, moving about with the soft rhythm of someone who had done it a thousand times.
That's when it happened.
Wong Lu's breathing shifted. His eyelids fluttered.
He was no longer in the living room.
He stood—no, floated—in a space that was not space. It stretched beyond stars, beyond void, beyond the very limits of thought. And in the center… a tree.
Not just any tree. This one was colossal, its roots spiraling into nothingness, its branches carrying galaxies like fruit. Each leaf shimmered with realities, each flower bloomed with impossible light.
Its name struck him all at once, unbidden yet absolute: TBT.
Before he could even breathe the words, his eyes snapped open. His hands shot forward, gripping Elizabeth's arm so tightly she nearly dropped the dish she was holding.
"Wong Lu! What—what's wrong?" she asked, startled.
He released her slowly, his expression unreadable. "...I'll tell you later."
---
The rest of the evening slid by quietly. The rain had softened to a drizzle by the time Nail returned from work, the lines on his face carved deeper than usual.
Elizabeth was already preparing dinner when a knock echoed from the front door.
Nail opened it… and froze.
Standing there, dressed in his usual smugness, was Vic—flanked by two uniformed police officers.
"You," Nail muttered, his voice tightening.
Vic smiled thinly.
> "We need to talk… about the boy."
And just like that, the warmth of the home cracked under the weight of something far heavier than rain.
---