A massive white snake lay across the area, impossibly wide, though the children around it seemed completely unaffected.
Yushi's heartbeat spiked, her fingers trembled, and her thoughts froze.
Then a boy wearing a watch on his wrist waved at her, approaching slowly.
"You are new?"
She turned her head to him, though she barely noticed anything else—the snake dominated her thoughts.
"It's not dangerous. Come inside," he called, gesturing her forward.
She shook her head immediately, stepping back. Her throat felt blocked; words wouldn't come.
The boy moved faster, grabbing her hand. She struggled, pulling back.
"Leave me!"
He didn't relent, dragging her inside. She kicked her legs behind her in protest.
"Are you a Light or a Darken?" he asked.
She didn't answer. Her mind was fixated on the snake's pale, oppressive skin.
"I'll let you go if you answer," he said.
"A Darken," she blurted immediately.
He released her hand, and her own momentum sent her stumbling back, landing on her hips. He didn't touch her further; instead, he simply walked away.
Yushi was left puzzled and terrified by the snake.
"I'm leaving this place," she muttered, moving toward the door only to bump into an adult Lightlinger coming in.
"Where are you going, little one?" he asked.
She stood, pointing at the snake, silently pleading for help.
"You are new here?" he asked, lowering himself to her level.
She nodded, her mind still trapped in the scenarios her imagination was playing what if the snake woke?
"It's not dangerous."
He placed a palm on her cheek with a small smile.
"Come with me. I'll show you." He lifted her to his chest. She struggled.
"But it'll eat me! It's too big!"
"It won't. Everyone here is moving without a care about the snake." He moved forward.
She closed her eyes tightly, unwilling to look at anyone. Even though the Lightlinger hadn't reached the snake yet, her mind imagined it was dangerously close.
Opening her eyes felt less terrifying. Children moved around them, completely unfazed by the snake, which seemed to gossip with itself.
Why are they all normal?
She clung to the Lightlinger tighter.
As they approached, the snake seemed like a living wall before a two-story building.
The Lightlinger extended his free hand to the snake. White particles erupted from its skin, flowing constantly.
"Touch it."
Cautiously, Yushi placed her palm on the snake.
Suddenly, her fear vanished, replaced by a steady sense of relief.
"What's happening?"
The Lightlinger stepped back. Yushi felt a sudden disconnection, her mind crying out for the sensation to return, silently screaming, Give it back! She tried to reach for it without speaking her desire.
"It was gifted by the Divine of Peace," the Lightlinger said, withholding what she wanted.
"I want to keep touching it," she whispered, the relief morphing into a small addiction.
"No," he denied. "Now be a good girl and go to another room. There, you'll find an uncle or aunt who will teach you how to use the energy inside you."
He lowered her to the floor. She immediately ran forward, but he gripped her shirt's collar.
Then she stopped. The effect had vanished. He let go.
"I don't feel like I want to keep touching it, though it felt good," she said.
"It's temporary. If you keep touching it, it will become permanent." He took her hand, moving her away from the snake. She glanced back before looking forward again.
"Okay…why did the Divine of Peace gift this?"
"Hundreds of years ago," he said as they left the room. Yushi's mind immediately hooked onto the topic.
"When humans prayed for peace, they asked the Divine of Peace also known as the White Spirit for constant peace."
While Yushi stared at him, the other children whispered to each other.
"He's telling her that? He tells everyone that? He got affected by the white sparks," they muttered.
Yushi glanced at them but didn't understand. She turned back to the Lightlinger.
"She appeared and said humans don't need peace. They just want a constant feeling of relief," he explained.
They entered a room where a few children were practicing their abilities; random trees and birds were spawned around them.
"Peace is quietness, and the human mind hates constant quietness."
The moment the instructor saw the Lightlinger holding Yushi's hand, she turned toward them.
"What is he doing with her?" she muttered, then moved swiftly behind them. She struck him in the neck, knocking him down.
"What did you do to him?" Yushi asked, a faint worry showing on her face as his hand slipped from hers.
"He isn't innocent. He's mentally unstable. I don't know why he is here," the Lightlinger explained.
The girl Lightlinger pulled Yushi away, and guards in black outfits with straight lines appeared.
"Sorry for the trouble," their leader apologized as they lifted the unconscious Lightlinger.
"You even know what could have happened?" the tutor complained furiously.
Yushi, still confused, turned to her tutor.
"He was telling me a story; that's why they took him," she said.
"No. It's not about the story. The story is true, but he isn't a good person. Did he make you touch the snake?" The tutor knelt to Yushi's height, concerned.
"Yes," Yushi replied.
"That bastard," the tutor ground her teeth. "From now on, never touch it. Got it?"
"Got it," Yushi said, still slightly confused by everything that had just happened.