Evening had settled gently across the forest, bathing the trees in golden hues and casting shimmering reflections over the nearby stream. The earlier excitement was still buzzing in Yu Xuan's bones — and now, a new spark had lit up behind his eyes.
"…Let's build a raft," he declared.
Yu Lingluo raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because it's what heroes do in the second act of an adventure. Also, I want to float."
"You just want to lie down and let the current do all the work."
"Yes. And I want to do it with style."
And so began the construction of history's most chaotic raft.
Yu Xuan quickly got to work gathering fallen branches — not too brittle, not too mossy.
He dragged them into a clearing by the stream and began laying them out in an organized shape, muttering to himself like a visionary architect.
"Four long ones for the base… two for support… one for artistic flair."
Meanwhile, he assigned Yu Lingluo to collect vines for tying it all together.
"Make sure they're bendy but strong," he instructed seriously.
"I'm eight," she replied. "Not a rope artisan."
Still, she skipped off, muttering about how genius ideas always needed a genius assistant.
While waiting for her, Yu Xuan's eyes landed on a large, luminous green leaf nearby. An idea struck — bold and unnecessary.
"A raft needs a flag," he whispered to himself.
This leaf, as it turned out, had an interesting property: when pressure was applied, the touched areas would momentarily dim before slowly returning to their original glow. Perfect for temporary art.
He began carefully etching a symbol into the leaf using his finger.
The glowing surface dimmed beneath each stroke, revealing the outline: a wide-grinning skull with a pair of crossbones behind it… and, most importantly, a lopsided little straw hat perched proudly on top.
It looked slightly deranged.
But also… perfect.
"The emblem of the Leaf Hat Pirates," Yu Xuan declared with pride. "Our legend begins."
When Lingluo returned, arms full of vines and a few bonus twigs 'just in case' — Yu Xuan proudly held up the leaf.
"Sister! Behold — the banner of our voyage!"
Yu Lingluo's eyes sparkled. "Incredible. Truly genius. Not more genius than me, of course, but close."
They tied the raft together with the vines, Yu Xuan focusing on structure while Lingluo worked knots that were either very advanced or complete chaos — no one could tell.
When it was done, they stood back and admired their work.
They carefully pushed the raft into the nearby stream and climbed on, wobbling as it accepted their combined weight.
It rocked dangerously for a moment… then steadied.
They drifted forward with the current, surrounded by golden light filtering through the trees, the stream reflecting the last rays of the setting sun.
Yu Lingluo dangled her fingers in the water.
Yu Xuan leaned back with a deep sigh of satisfaction.
"This is the life," he said. "Floating freely, no chores, no lectures, no sword practice."
"Don't insult sword practice."
"I'd never dare."
They chatted idly — about glowing mushrooms, spirit beasts, and whether peach trees had souls. They laughed when Lingluo suggested naming the raft something intimidating, like 'The Deathboat.'
And so, on a crooked raft with a glowing leaf-flag, two children floated down a gently speeding stream — entirely unaware that their raft was picking up speed.
The trees thinned.
The rocks grew more jagged.
And up above, in the shadow of the treeline, two golden foxy eyes blinked… still watching.
***
The raft began to speed up — subtly at first, then more noticeably.
Yu Xuan sat up. "Is it me… or are we going faster?"
"It's not you."
They both grabbed at the sides of the raft, trying to steer toward the bank, but it was too late — the current had turned rapid and fierce, tugging them forward like a spirit beast on a leash.
Then came the sound.
A growing roar just beyond the rocky bend.
"Waterfall!" Yu Lingluo screamed, throwing her arms around him.
Yu Xuan held her tightly. "Hang on!"
The raft shot over the edge — wind howled, water surged beneath them, and for a split second, they were flying.
Yu Xuan clenched his teeth, his mind racing. Instinctively, he reached inward — grasping at the skill that still felt too new, too raw.
[Telekinesis Activated.]
A soft golden shimmer flared to life.
He pushed. Not on the water… but on the air itself.
The raft slowed mid-fall, its downward force softened just enough to make a difference — but it came at a cost.
Yu Xuan's vision blurred.
His limbs felt impossibly heavy.
His grip loosened.
And before the raft even touched the water, he slumped forward — unconscious.
With a splash, they landed.
The raft shattered on impact, flinging them both into the river — but Lingluo, already in motion, grabbed Yu Xuan mid-fall and swam hard, dragging them to the riverbank.
They reached the shore, soaked and breathless.
Yu Xuan lay still, eyes closed, pale but unharmed.
"Xuan'er…?" she whispered, shaking his shoulder gently. "Hey… say something."
A moment passed.
Then another.
Finally, his eyes fluttered open. Blinking. Groggy.
"Ugh… that was way too much…" he muttered.
'Is this the backlash of using [Telekinesis] excessively?'
He closed his eyes again, just breathing.
Lingluo stared at him, unmoving.
Her fists clenched quietly in her lap.
"I couldn't do anything," she whispered to no one. "You protected me… and I just screamed."
She hated that feeling — helplessness. Being the older sister in name but not in power. She still faintly remembered the day he was born and how she said, "I will protect him."
Tears pricked her eyes, but she refused to cry.
"I swear… I'll get stronger," she said softly. "Next time, I'll protect you."
The air around her shimmered faintly.
Her silver hair stirred even though there was no wind. The streaks of purple threading through it deepened in hue, glowing ever so slightly — like newly-formed veins of amethyst.
Her eyes, when they opened again, held a faint violet tint that hadn't been there before.
It faded quickly.
But something had changed.
Just then, Yu Xuan groaned and sat up slowly. "Did we win…?"
Lingluo smiled — just a little. "You fainted. I dragged your sorry self to shore."
He blinked. "Ah… I see. Sister's strength knows no bounds."
"Now you're just being dramatic."
"Aren't we both?"
They laughed.
Exhausted but alive.
The world had gone quiet around them.
Night had fallen completely, and above them, two celestial moons hung in the sky like twin guardians. One was soft gold — warm, gentle, glowing like a sleeping sun. The other was platinum-silver, sharp and cold like a divine blade in slumber.
Their light spilled across the river, turning ripples into threads of liquid starlight.
"Pretty," Yu Xuan murmured.
"Yeah," Lingluo said, lying back beside him. "Let's stay like this a little longer."
And they did.
Beneath the twin moons of the Eternal Star Heavenly World, with ruined raft fragments floating nearby and soggy clothes clinging to their backs, two siblings stared up at the sky — changed in small ways neither of them fully understood yet.
The forest slept.
They, too, slept.
And the fox watched.
The adventure had just begun.