THE gushing Yangzi waters disappear into the East, their billows washing away heroes of mighty feats.
Triumphs and failures all turned instantly into nothingness with great speed.
Yet, the green hills still exist, the sun sets in red and repeats.
…
Kingdom of the Setting Sun
…
The most annoying part of Alex's new life in the countryside wasn't the insects or the power outages during severe storms (he always kept a fully charged e‑reader for such occasions), but the times when he had no choice except to go to the city.
The journey was long and difficult, especially in early spring, when the snow had partly melted but ice still covered sections of the road. Each trip was a real ordeal. Still, it made coming home afterwards all the more pleasant.
Alex pushed open the door of his house with his leg and carried a freshly groomed Michael into the hallway. He set the dog down on the floor and watched as it immediately trotted to its favorite spot by the radiator, where it lay down, wagging its tail.
Michael was an aging and therefore not particularly active dog; however, he always grew excited after getting a haircut. His cheerfulness was contagious, and Alex still wore a smile on his face as he climbed up to the attic and stepped onto the silver plate.
As usual, the first thing he did upon stepping into the dark space was check on Purple. The fleshy jellyfish floated peacefully in the still waters of its world. Its umbrella glittered in the sunlight—just like those of its children. There were about twenty of them, much smaller than their mother and attached to her by thin, silvery tendrils. Like Purple, they were absorbing the artificial sunlight.
When Alex first witnessed this new stage in the creature's development, he seriously considered slowing S1's speed of evolution. Ultimately, he decided against it and continued to monitor its changes every day. This, however, was only a side project. After a thoughtful glance at the aquarium, Alex turned his attention to the World of Elves (working title).
He glanced at a vast continent and then zoomed in on a large, clear lake at its northwestern edge. In the middle of it lay a small island, so tiny that Alex found his first creations almost immediately on its surface.
The moment his gaze fell on them, he froze.
Two elves, a man with golden hair and a woman with silver hair, were lying atop one another and moving rhythmically.
They were engaged in procreation.
Again.
Alex smiled bitterly and leaned back in his chair. There wasn't much to do on the island, so it was understandable that elves had limited ways to occupy themselves and stave off boredom. He activated time acceleration, and soon after watched the duo finish their business and disappear into the thicket.
The forest covering the island was not dense, and the island itself was fairly small. Before long, the elves reached a sandy shore, where they were immediately greeted by their fellow pointy‑eared humanoids.
Some of them were tall and fully grown, while others were still children. The children pounced on the basket of berries the couple had brought to camp, eagerly stuffing themselves.
The adults looked at them and laughed. A thin old man, seated by the water near a fire ringed with stones, chuckled as well. His laugh was rough and hoarse, and at one point he had to restrain himself as it turned into a cough. Then he glanced at his descendants, both young and old, and began to reminisce…
Many suns ago, he too had run, leapt, and climbed through the forest with his Sister. They raced when the sky was blue and walked when it grew dark, guided by the light of a great white circle. They waded into the water and caressed each other in its silvery pools, then dried together on the sand. Life seemed sweet and carefree in those days, and even when the first cold wind began to blow from the water, they did not worry. They did not yet know how.
But the frost grew ever stronger, and soon white flakes began to fall from the sky.
Brother and Sister were amazed by their beauty; they could have stared at them for days, if not for the shiver that seeped into their skin as the flakes made contact.
After that, life grew harder. though not unbearably so. They dug hollows in the earth and curled within them, sharing the warmth of their bodies.
But the worst was still to come.
At some point, the berries they had feasted upon disappeared, and the animals they had once caught so easily with their keen senses vanished. The whole world turned white. Frozen. Silent, save for the ruthless, mocking wind.
Survival itself became a trial, and the future grew clouded with worry. These dark days lasted for what felt like an eternity—far longer than the sweet days once spent beneath the warm sun. At times Brother dreamed of a warm green forest; then he would wake to the cold, rouse his Sister, and together they would go hunting in the world of white.
When winter finally ended, it felt like a homecoming after a long and treacherous journey. The world returned to what it had been, yet Brother and Sister were forever changed, like tools honed by the cold winter wind.
It was around this time that Sister's belly began to swell.