Eternal, Yet Not

On one of the indefinite planets within the Universe, Crimson Petal was a country called Xinye. Within a small city on the outskirts of Xinye was where a nine-year-old boy named Wei Chao lived. He was writing characters on a paper at his table which was handcrafted. That was when his father walked in. He tenderly smiled at his only son and told him that he should come and eat dinner. He was a carpenter who could barely afford Wei Chao's Education. He had raised Wei Chao all by himself. Wei Chao's mom had disappeared only a few months after giving birth to Wei Chao. She never came back. Wei Chao's father was heartbroken after this incident. The pair had lovingly lived together for many years, and when they had their first child, they were separated.

He had given up searching for her after many months of strolling through nearby woods and villages with a baby Wei Chao on his back. He started working as an assistant on some days to make additional money, so he could make sure Wei Chao didn't feel the lack of his mother. His father was a 31-year-old man, but he had white hair on his head and beard.

Wei Chao didn't disappoint his father either. He would help sell furniture at his father's shop when he didn't feel well or was at work as an assistant at the nearby dairy store. He was intelligent and had many friends. Sometimes they would all come over and help make chairs or stools for Wei Chao's father. The father and son pair lived very happily.

It was the seventh day of the twelfth month, Wei Chao was studying for his examinations that would determine if he passed into the next class or not. His father saw how hard he worked, so he decided to give him a chance to have a break. He called Wei Chao over to the dinner table and they sat down together.

Wei Chao asked, "Father, today was the day when mother disappeared."

Hearing this, his father's face seemed blank.

Wei Chao continued, "You said when I grew older, you would tell me more about her. If I pass the test tomorrow, could you tell me then?"

His father slowly nodded and said, "Chao'er, it's time we go to sleep."

With that, they both went off into their rooms. Wei Chao lived in the only room in the house, and his father would sleep in the workshop. He would say that it was better for him to wake up and start working right away. Though Wei Chao knew his father just wanted to give him a more comfortable place to sleep, he couldn't get himself to say anything about it.

Wei Chao started writing again. At this point, he knew that his only purpose in life was to pass the test and find out more about his mother. Although his father didn't let him miss his mother by giving him all his love, Wei Chao would sometimes get curious. He would copy down all the poems until he fully memorized every single one.

He was about to finish his seventh copy when a green light suddenly appeared on his table. It was glowing and swirling like a majestic sea. Wei Chao was frightened when he saw this light, but seeing its beauty he couldn't help but try to touch it. His hand went right past it. The light then entered his body through his chest. His eyes glowed, and he lost consciousness.