The next morning, Yue Yue woke up feeling strangely refreshed.
She didn't know why, but the heavy, tired feeling that usually weighed down her head was gone.
After washing her face and dressing in her simple temple robes, she stepped outside to begin her morning duty.
Her task was easy: she just had to sweep the fallen leaves under a massive, ancient tree.
In this world, real green plants were rare. Most of the earth was toxic and polluted, turning the ground into hard, brittle dust where nothing could grow.
Only the Temple grounds were purified. Here, the soil was soft and dark, and the air didn't smell like acid.
As she swept, Yue Yue looked at a small patch of grass. She felt a sudden urge to touch it.
She knelt down and pressed her small hand against the wet soil. Her eyes widened. It felt amazing. It wasn't hard or sharp like the dirt in the polluted zones. It was cool, damp, and full of life.
"So the rumors were true," she whispered.
