Where Everything Started

The cherry blossoms accompanied by their elegance and delicacy, were carried by the wind that was rising at that moment: it was a unique sensation, especially for those who loved nature; the cool breeze was their testimony, managing to drag away the pain and sadness that they had to feel and which is still imprinted on their petals, carrying them here and there, in that very warm and familiar place. Even though that spring season would disappear in a few days, it was one of those special moments in which Hong Kong could stand out in all its beauty.

An innocent petal of them landed on the head of a shy-looking young boy, perhaps due to his nerdiness but, in reality, it was just what he wanted to show others.

Never judge a book by its cover, they said. And it was right.

When he felt that harmless presence, he brought a hand over him so as to take it delicately in his hands and place it on the book he held open in his hands, as a kind of decoration. He had been sitting on those gray and cold stairs for a while, without having any kind of company. Beside him he had one of those bowls that were in the shops and that guaranteed you a quick lunch, beef noodles to be exact, long gone.

The university time was now over but he had decided to stay a little longer in front of the entrance doors, as he usually does. The next day he would have a test and preferred to stay in that early spring landscape for studying. Besides, he was undecided about what gift to bring to his younger sister: in addition to that written quiz, it would be the sweet and envied girl's twenty-one birthday. They went to the same university, they were only three years apart in that regard!

Peng Xuan was a popular girl, beautiful, excellent in every subject and full of friends. She had a strong, rebellious and also very stubborn character but, despite that, a lot of people liked her. As for Peng Xiao, our lonely young boy, he was considered the so-called school geek. He didn't have many friends, maybe two in number. From an early age he had always been bullied and, not only that: in addition to these events, he had to endure the anger of his father, who every time vented on him.

No, he would never touch his sweet and only daughter, if not the one person who made him proud.

She was the star of the family.

Peng Xiao? Compared to her, it was just a disgrace. He never admitted it but, he cared a lot about his sister even when he shouldn't have: they had always been inseparable and the girl was always the first person to protect him from every single individual that made him feel bad. It was truly a relief when their parents got divorced.

He sighed as he closed the book he had previously started studying. He had made up his mind and, now, he just had to go to the bookstore.

He took the empty container of noodles and stood up, stretching afterwards, adjusting the straps of the backpack he was carrying on his shoulders. His sister had told him about the latest book of his favorite author: the author of the book was a normal man in his fifties, who moved to the United States at a young age to study literature and, now, he was one of the most acclaimed Chinese authors of the last times!

Peng Xiao didn't know what the girl found in those damn books! He had tried to read some of his works but he always found the same plot over and over again, with the usual vomiting love story between the two protagonists... Surely, he would have come up with a better plot!

Peng Xiao's dream, in fact, was to become a writer. This desire was born out of pure fun ten years earlier, when he managed to write articles for the school newspaper he attended. When he started walking he laughed at the very thought of him: he remembered when for the first time, he offended this so-called writer. Peng Xuan glared at him, puffing up her funny red cheeks: he was almost afraid she would explode like a firecracker!

There it was, a big billboard for the new book by Mr. Cho, the renowned author of the period, it was outside the library. He snorted.

Just seeing that cover made him pass the desire to enter, turn his heels and leave but, he couldn't do it: it was worth the happiness of his younger sister!

Upon entering the venue, Peng Xiao's sense of smell was immediately struck by the smell of the thousands of new books that came upon his sight: a good perfume after all. It was like becoming part of the book itself, something far too unreal. Many times the boy found himself traveling with his mind while reading any novel he liked him: he enjoyed impersonating one of his favorite characters, other times he created a real role-playing game for them. It was a real inspiration for him, both for the present and for the future he was working on.

He knew that place perfectly, one of his favorites! There wasn't only a large space for the shelves that made the written works clearly visible to the human eye but, on a small side, there was also a small bar where you could stop and rest. He walked to the shelf dedicated to Xianxia works, the so-called Chinese fantasy genre influenced by all kinds of mythology and religion of his own nation, ranging from simple martial arts to traditional medicine. It was also the genre with which Peng Xiao would treat his works: a favorite of him, along with the Wuxia genre, centered on what we call "martial heroes".

He searched every corner, even moving a few books to see if what he was looking for was hidden behind them. He smiled when he found it, immediately taking it in his hands and looking at every part of it. He frowned as he read only the plot: there it was, the childish love story between a man and a woman.

Peng Xiao: «only the title is beautiful, tsk»

The title of it was: "Mingyun", which was literally the Chinese translation of "Destiny".

And, who knows if that novel was worthy of that name!

He opened it at random, leafing through a few pages and shaking his head: among all the scenes he could spy on, he had just checked out the one of the first kiss of the two.

Peng Xiao: «...disgusting».

A man in a suit and tie came up beside him, crossing his arms over his chest: «the title or the content?».

The boy jumped immediately closing what he was reading scared, glaring at him. Peng Xiao looked him up and down and then snorted.

Peng Xiao: «the content. It's trivial and too obvious! I don't know what people find in this author»

The man laughed slightly, shaking his head slightly. Apparently, that young boy wasn't a fan of him... Perhaps, also for this reason he hadn't recognized him.

«If you had to choose one character from this book, which one would it be?»

Peng Xiao: «and what do I know! I have never followed any novel by this insignificant author! It's just a birthday present for my sister since she loves him»

Another small laugh escaped his lips. When Peng Xiao beckoned to leave, the still unidentified man passed him and stood in front of him: «ah, wait, young boy. Let me ask another question: if you ever meet this author, what would you tell him for a future improvement?»

Peng Xiao twisted his lips.

From his looks and behavior he didn't seem like a bad person but, he wasn't calm in his presence anyway. He shrugged his shoulders looking here and there in the hope of answering with a meaningful sentence: «I don't- I don't know... Ah, maybe change the love story. In short, a true love story is made up of disappointments and for the most part also of difficulties. I know it's just a book and true love is only in fairy tales but, if I had to give this man some advice then, I'd tell him to take reality into consideration: what surrounds it and what it represents in his characters. And now excuse me, but I have to go and pay for this disgrace».

The man, if not the much admired Mr. Cho, smiled at that answer, finally letting the boy go to the cashier. He remained several seconds staring at an empty spot, turning to the boy struggling with his payment: «aish, kid: you haven't changed at all».

Something extremely bright took shape in the man's pocket, who covered it with his hand so as not to give suspicion. He had always followed every little step of the young boy he had just met, right from birth. That was his duty, he had done it for more than a thousand years and, at this point, he could no longer do anything to protect him: he had followed his every slightest reincarnation, he had kept him hidden from the eyes of evil but, now, he was shown to be helpless.

At this point, he would have to do something he never expected to have to do.

It really had been a damn boring day for poor Peng Xiao. His mother wouldn't be home until late at night because of her job; in fact she worked hard from morning to evening to be able to give the best to live for her children, since she was left alone she could only do this. As for their father, after the divorce, he hadn't been seen or heard anymore and maybe it was better that way, certainly for Peng Xiao. For this he had decided to take a hamburger in hand, something that he would surely have enjoyed in the total silence of the house with his sister but, he only remembered after leaving the fast food restaurant that she would arrive after dinner, since she was at a party at which she had been invited that same morning.

He started walking to the bus stop before he felt the phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it in his hand only after bringing the envelopes that he held with his right hand in his left hand, so as to be free to respond. He smiled noticing the name on the call.

Peng Xiao: «ah, what is it? Does my little sister miss me?»

Peng Xuan: «miss my ass! I just called you to find out how you were»

Peng Xiao: «Don't worry about me, A-Xuan, have fun. I'll wait for you at home, be careful when you come back»

The girl smiled at that concern, nodding slightly. She had come out of that big white house where it was booming with party music, only to be able to call her older brother undisturbed: «Okay, be careful too, stupid brother!»

Peng Xiao: «mh. I'll write to you as soon as I'm home»

She closed the call like this, smiling faintly. Though she was smaller, when it came to him, she acted like a mom struggling with her teenage son.

The stop where he should have stopped to wait was a few kilometers from the fast food restaurant where he had gone out a few moments before. He didn't even realize what time it was, on the contrary, he didn't even think about it. He sat on the bench under the window of the bus stop, sighing and looking ahead at the cars going back and forth.

Peng Xiao: «I should have taken my driver's license»

It was a simple personal thought that he had said aloud, but still audible to his ears alone. There were only three people waiting for his own route, which would come shortly thereafter. He took the book he had bought for her sister from his backpack: it was the only pastime he could have used. He had forgotten, for the umpteenth time, his headphones at home, so he couldn't even listen to his beloved music!

He opened the first page with all the courage he had at the moment and what he read on that snow-white sheet made his eyes widen: "change the history".

Somehow seeing that sentence written slowly made him lose his breath. He tried to leaf through but... the pages were all blank, nothing was written there. As far as he was concerned, his health was paying the price. He put a hand to his chest, feeling it slowly get more and more painful. At that moment, all he remembered, like a joke of memory, there were only scenes that disagreed with each other that, to him, made no sense. So unknown and never lived in that world, faces he couldn't remember ever seeing and, above all, a warmth that he had never been able to feel: love.

A farewell, perhaps, the one that was born at the last... The squeeze of two hands that didn't want to leave, and the strangled scream of someone who would never see the person he loved again.

"Liuyuan!"

...

There was only a thud. Something heavy that fell on the cold hard floor of that house, or so it seemed.

«Young sir... are you okay?».