"In the year 660 of the New Calendar, a superstorm reached the Northern Continent Border..."
"And then what?"
A three or four-year-old girl with a ponytail, her eyes wide like saucers, blinked at the woman in front of her.
"And then... you should go to bed."
The young woman draped in a jet-black cloak stood by the bed, smiling, and said, "It's late, I'll tell you the rest of the story tomorrow."
The little girl groaned, "Sister Xiaoman..."
"Call me Aunt."
Though Gu Xiaoman corrected her, she couldn't hide the smile on her face.
"Don't be like that."
The little girl tugged at Gu Xiaoman's coat, whining in a sweet, childish voice quite unlike that of a child her age: "Tomorrow when my mom and dad come back, there will be a bunch of things... will you still tell me the rest of the story then?"
"Of course, how could I forget?"
Gu Xiaoman smiled as she reached out to gently stroke the girl's smooth, white forehead.
There, a tiny crystalline flame was imprinted.
