Flower Phoenix

You're standing in the middle of a crowded city. There are hundreds of people all around you, either walking or running or whizzing by in those cars both fancy and second hand. Lights flash everywhere, on the tall buildings touching the sky, in the hands of these hundreds of people as their phones connect to form a virtual connection invisible to us…the internet.

Every one of us emit a divine radiation. All living things have souls that connect and merge with nature, blending into a beautiful harmony. In the ancient times, our ancestors used this knowledge well and prospered by doing things we thought were impossible just by the power of their mind.

As seasons changed and the planet shifted, technology overcome this serene balance and hit it with a raging wave. It tilted the connection humans had with nature. The radio signals, EMF radiations, radioactivity all destroyed and completely covered the divine human connection with the world around them.

And what humans thought would make them better was actually the very thing that made them powerless. If you're thinking that the world is developing with the more number of inventions that pop up, you're wrong!

Close your eyes and try to feel the air around you. Try to feel the innate magic it holds, the blazing touch of nature breaking into your heart and spreading warmth, making you feel like you're floating and truly free.

You can't feel it can you? No, you can't. That's what you have to understand. Nature doesn't hear you anymore, because humans have started to only take from nature and give nothing back.

The Doctor got into the black car as swift as a fox and shut the door close. He patted his gray hair down and looked at the nurse in the driver's seat, "Afternoon."

She looked at the rear mirror and nodded before accelerating again.

"Do you know the address?" the doctor asked, just to confirm and the nurse nodded and rolled her eyes. Did he think that she was actually that irresponsible?

"We have to find a place where they can Dream together…" he mused out loud staring out into the sky. He had high hopes in this experiment. He had started this 8 years ago…but every adult test subject had proven to be futile to dive into The Cultivation Dream System together.

Then he had found little kids from orphanages in exchange for giving funds to the establishments. But they mostly came out of the dive shell shocked, like they had gone through a nightmare. That's when the doctor concluded that any child under the age of 15 couldn't Dream as it would kill them slowly.

And if any person above 15 Dreamed, they could only stay in the game for an average of 15 minutes before they disconnect automatically.

"It's all because of these technological advancements, WiFi and Bluetooth," the doctor mumbled to himself, "Their interference in the atmosphere is destructing the divine Qi of every human, rendering them weak even to walk into an another dimension using his invention.

He closed his eyes and the nurse felt the tension in the car. She coughed, "Don't worry doctor, I have a feeling this will be a successful experiment. The test subjects are very different this time. We finally have a capable Yin and Yang pair. One was in coma, the other has a rare degenerative brain disease. And both are above 15 years. Doctor…this is our first step to immortality for everyone. I can feel it."

The doctor laughed lightly. He was 43 years old now but he still sounded like a young person. "I just hope those two feel something too. But them Connecting is only the first step. There are countless other challenges we'll have to face."

She nodded and rolled into a huge driveway surrounded by marble pillars which sparkled under the bright sun. The drive way opened into a three storied house that spread across a field the size of a football field. Little garden surrounded the structure and the Doctor stepped out to breath in the fresh air.

"Now this is something close to divinity," he smiled and bent down when he spotted a wilted flower in between the bushes. He caressed it and closed his eyes.

Taking in a breath he folded the fingers of his two hands except the forefingers and middle fingers. Those two fingers of each hand was pointed upwards. He twisted his wrists and cut across the air, breathing accordingly.

Seeing what the doctor was doing the nurse gasped, "Doctor, are you crazy? There might be people watching."

He didn't listen and in the same hand gesture, he ran the tips of the forefingers down from his chest to his navel.

With a little more concentration he focused at a point inside his body, right behind the navel and he felt it…the place where a human's Qi originated. Drawing it out through his arms and onto his forearms, he let it travel to the tips of its fingers.

With immense control he touched the wilted flower and it glowed a dim golden before the color slowly rushed into its petal and opened up wide, re-blooming. The Doctor repeated his actions but in reverse and called the Qi back to himself before opening his eyes slowly and at his work.

He smiled satisfyingly and raised an eyebrow and turned around to meet the nurse's frozen gaze at the flower. She was surprised to the moon and back, "I knew you could do it but…but seeing it happen in front of me…oh my god." She placed a hand on her heart to calm it. So much concentration was needed to bring back one flower. How much did their two test subjects have to work hard to fulfil the Doctor's wishes? She couldn't imagine.

"Tch," he walked towards the huge rich looking house, "This is supposed to be nothing back in my day. Back then, everything was so peaceful that even a 4 year old can bring a flower back to life."

The door opened only after 3 minutes after ringing the door-bell.

It opened to reveal a very beautiful maiden with platinum blonde colored hair. Seeing the doctor, she smiled amicably and opened the door wider to invite them in, "Welcome, uncle."

He nodded at her before entering, "Where's your father?"

She bowed a bit before going back into the hallways to call her father from his study. Not before long a tall, quite good looking man walked out in a business suit, a crystal glass with a shiny brown liquid swirling in his hand. He smiled wide at the sight of the doctor and raised his glass. "Dr Zha Huang! It's so nice to finally meet you!" He came to hug him but the other man politely declined by bowing in greeting.

The father coughed awkwardly and smiled, "Would you like some oolong tea?"

Zha Huang smiled sadly, "I would love to, Mr Stanly, but the matters need to be started quickly. I have come to collect your son only."

"Oh, I see…" he put the glass down and beckoned the doctor. "Come with me then."

He led the doctor up the stairs into the third floor were there were about 4 to 5 rooms. He stopped at the room on the far end. It was locked and a few words were scribbled on the otherwise pretty door.

'KEEP OUT, OR I'LL BITE.'

Zha Huang chuckled, "Kids these days…"

"I'm afraid I can only take you till here. He has been refusing to come along ever since I suggested the idea."

The doctor frowned. "You didn't tell him about my offer of 20,000 dollars per month for one year?"

"Oh I did. He is still stubborn."

The doctor smiled. He liked this boy already, unexpected as that sounded. Now here was a person who didn't do everything for money. He had dignity. "You can leave, Mr Stanly. I'll try to persuade him."

Mr Stanly nodded and strode away to pour another glass for himself.

Taking a deep breath, Huang knocked on the door. It didn't open for a while. But not before long, a deep voice was heard from within.

"Who is it?"

"Your benefactor," the doctor said, "I'm here to take you."

"Try again later."

Smiling, the doctor tried to turn the knob to see if it was unlocked after all. And to his surprise, it was. He stumbled into the room in surprise. If it had been unlocked then why hadn't he just come in? He stared at the door knob and pointed to it in surprise.

"It was unlocked…"

The boy inside the room stood up and clapped his hands slowly, "Awesome, you managed to enter my room. You're the first."

The doctor frowned and looked at him, "If it was always unlocked, anyone should be able to enter easily."

The boy smirked and dug his hands into his pockets. He was just like his dad in some aspects. Tall and fair topped with swirling black hair and a thin smile. "Everyone is just too scared to even try. I don't blame them, I made the maid that came in here and spilled juice on my bed bleed to unconsciousness. And I-"

"I'm not here to hear your achievements, boy," the doctor cut him off, getting into business, "Are you coming with me or not?"

The boy halted in surprise. No one had ever cut him off like that before and now that someone did, he didn't know what to say. "Fine. But I don't want the money."

"Huh? Then why would you want to come?"

The boy grabbed his suitcase from under his bed, "I have been planning to run away from here. But now you come along and do the hard work for me. I don't need money for saving my life from insanity."

The doctor was happy that he didn't have to do much persuading and lead him out of the house. Seeing them go, Mr Stanly grinned, "You're depositing the payment to my account or his? It would be safer if you-"

The doctor and the boy turned around at the same time to look at the man.

"The boy has rejected the offer and is willing to come voluntarily," the doctor said.

The wide smile on the man's face fell and turned into something horrifying. He shook his head, "Hey, hey, you're playing dirty now, huh?" He shook his finger at the doctor and looked at his son, "Revoke your words now, son."

The boy smiled and shook his head, "Bye, dad."

And they both walked out of the house and got into the black car where the nurse was waiting. It was followed by the frustrated screams of his father. The doctor confirmed it now. All those smiles and offer for tea was based on the fact that he might get the money. Huang couldn't help but shake his head.

They both sat in the back seats. When the car rolled into motion the boy leaned over and extended a fist towards the doctor for a fist bump.

Zha Huang first looked at in confusion but then remembered some cartoons from these western channels and it dawned upon him. He grinned and fist bumped the boy like a cool dad.

"Looking forward to work with you, Percy."

He smirked and rested his head on the headrest. "So I heard my partner is a girl. What's she like?" Sensing the doctor's mischievous smile, Percy rephrased, "I mean, it's not like I'm interested anyway. I hate girls."