Knocking on the Door

Returning to his room, Mu Yiyang closed the door behind him.

He didn't turn on the light.

It was late at night, with faint starlight spilling in through the window, casting the room into darkness. Sitting at his desk, Mu Yiyang slowly removed the black blindfold from his eyes.

A mirror on the desk reflected the handsome face of a young man.

Mu Yiyang was good-looking. If he were to remove the blindfold and tidy up a bit, coupled with his inexplicable air of aloofness and depth, he would definitely be considered a campus heartthrob.

Unfortunately, his constant use of the blindfold, coupled with his identity as a disabled person, completely obscured his radiance.

In the mirror, Mu Yiyang's eyes were closed.

His brows furrowed slightly, and the lids covering his eyes trembled, as if struggling to open. Even his fists clenched with effort.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

His body trembled for a long time, unable to bear it any longer, and suddenly relaxed, gasping for breath.

A few drops of sweat trickled down Mu Yiyang's cheeks, a hint of anger flashing between his brows.

Just a little bit more... just a little bit more!

Why was it always just a little bit short each time?

When would he be able to open his eyes again and see the world for himself?

He said he could see now, but he lied.

His eyes couldn't open at all, not even a crack.

Yet, he wasn't lying.

Because even with his eyes closed, he could "see" everything around him clearly.

It was a strange feeling, as if eyes had sprouted all over his body, perceiving everything in all directions without blind spots, and even clearer and farther than his original eyes.

At first, he couldn't do it. In the five years after losing his sight, he was no different from other blind people, relying only on sound and a cane to navigate the world.

But for some reason, starting five years ago, his eyes seemed to undergo some changes, and he could begin to sense his surroundings.

At first, it was only a few centimeters in front of him. With time, he could "see" farther and clearer. Now, five years later, the range he could "see" had reached ten meters.

For a normal person, ten meters of vision would mean their eyes were basically useless, but for a young man who had lost his sight before, these ten meters meant everything.

Most importantly, the ten meters he could "see" were obstacle-free.

In other words, within a radius of ten meters, Mu Yiyang had absolute vision. To put it bluntly, he could see through things. But to put it in a fancier way, he could see every speck of dust floating in the air, every component inside a machine, every subtle movement of a magician under the table...

And the source of this ability seemed to be the eyes that had been tightly closed under the black blindfold for ten years.

Despite having such near-superhuman power, Mu Yiyang was still not satisfied. While having a ten-meter absolute vision was good, he wanted more than anything to see the world with his own eyes.

It was a young man's persistence.

Although he failed to open his eyes today, he could feel clearly...

The moment to truly open his eyes was not far away.

After washing up, Mu Yiyang, as usual, prepared for bed early, a habit he had developed over the years of being blind. Yet, lying in bed, his mind involuntarily conjured up that scene again.

Under the dark cosmic sky, the desolate surface of the moon, the pale gray earth reflecting dim starlight, at the center of the highest and largest crater on the moon, stood a figure like a sculpture.

That figure stood silently there, as if it had existed since ancient times, radiating a sacred golden light, its aura enough to make all creatures bow down.

Behind it, wings spread extravagantly, blocking the sunlight shining from behind, casting a huge shadow on the silvery-gray earth.

But what remained etched in Mu Yiyang's mind, unforgettable, were its eyes.

Those eyes, full of divine power, burning like a furnace, dazzling like the sun up close!

He saw those eyes, just for an instant, and his world was plunged into darkness.

Ten years ago, he spoke the truth, only to be diagnosed with a mental illness.

But he knew best in his heart what was real and what was delusional.

Ever since he saw the archangel on the moon, he knew that this world... was by no means as simple as it seemed.

Slowly, Mu Yiyang fell into a deep sleep.

Unbeknownst to him, at the moment he entered the realm of dreams, two brilliant golden rays shot out from the slits of his eyes in the dark room, fleeting.

...

Tap, tap, tap...

In a world of mist, Mu Yiyang walked alone.

The mist around him rolled endlessly, seemingly infinite. Though he walked in nothingness, every time Mu Yiyang stepped, a crisp collision sounded as if there was an invisible ground beneath his feet.

Mu Yiyang glanced down at his body, sighing.

"It's this dream again... knocking on the door every night, it's exhausting, isn't it?" Mu Yiyang shook his head helplessly, taking a step forward.

The next moment, the mist around him rolled back, revealing a strange modern building in front of Mu Yiyang.

It was strange because although it was a modern-style building, some details were handled in a mysterious way.

Like the big iron gate carved with countless gods, like the electric lights burning like fireballs, like the floating carved tiles underfoot...

It was like a mix of modern architectural style and the temple elements of ancient mythology, neither fish nor fowl, yet it possessed an indescribable beauty.

Mu Yiyang recognized this building, and it looked very familiar.

It was remarkably similar to the Sunshine Mental Hospital where he had lived for a year before. The most compelling evidence was that where the words "Sunshine Mental Hospital" used to be written at the entrance, there was now another line of text.

—Pantheon Mental Hospital.

"Such a strange place." Mu Yiyang shook his head, stepping forward to stand directly in front of the large iron gate.

Five years ago, not only did his body suddenly start to change, but so did his dreams.

For five years, every night he dreamed the same dream, and the protagonist of these dreams was this mysterious Pantheon Mental Hospital.

However, the gate of this mental hospital has always been tightly closed, and no matter what, it cannot be opened.

Mu Yiyang circled the mental hospital countless times. There was only one entrance, the large iron gate in front, and the surrounding walls, although not high, had the most absurd feature: every time Mu Yiyang jumped, the height of the wall would increase accordingly.

As for brute force... even if Mu Yiyang threw his entire body at it, the big iron gate wouldn't budge an inch.

There seemed to be only one way to enter.

Knocking on the door.

Mu Yiyang grabbed the ring on the big iron gate, took a deep breath, and heavily knocked on the surface of the iron

 gate.

Clang—!

Like the buzzing of an ancient clock, the sound echoed in the mental hospital, and the body of the big iron gate trembled, swaying, but it didn't open.

Clang—!

Another knock, and the iron gate remained closed.

Mu Yiyang didn't seem surprised or annoyed by this. With great patience, he continued to knock.

In the five years since, he had deeply understood the rules of this dream. Except for knocking on the door, nothing else could open the big iron gate, and in this dream, it seemed that he couldn't do anything else besides knocking on the door.

Fortunately, in the dream, he never grew tired, otherwise, his body would have collapsed long ago.

So, Mu Yiyang, like a diligent laborer, knocked on the door all night...