The Boy

Chen Nian‌​​​​‌‌‍⁠​‌​‍‌‌⁠​‌⁠⁠‍​‌​ got up from the ground, brushed off the snow on his body, and stared at An Yu. “I’ve seen you before—December 22, 2130. The nameless abandoned baby. Your eyes are hard to forget.”

He paused, then added softly, “Back then, I was a few years older than you. Now it’s the other way around.”

According to the records, Chen Nian entered the orphanage in 2137, meaning his and An Yu’s time did overlap for about a year. However, An Yu had no recollection of him.

Chen Nian smiled as he explained, “Once during a medical check-up, you were right before me. While waiting for our names to be called, someone warned me that you were the ‘monster who slept ten months a year’ and told me to stay away from you.”

In his earpiece, Qin Zhilu commented, “I think that’s why no one bothered you back then.”

An Yu: “…”

Chen Nian continued reminiscing, “That day, there were lots of names on the list, and the staff were overwhelmed. They accidentally used the gauze from your check-up to wipe the blood off me. They kept assuring me your test results were fine, but I was so worried I barely slept for several days.”

An Yu was surprised. “We had blood contact?”

“Yeah. But you were perfectly normal—at least back then.” Chen Nian rubbed his injured shoulder and gazed at him. “Now, though, I’m not so sure.”

An Yu asked, “You said you could sense my presence?”

Chen Nian nodded. “You’re from outside the Main City, from that Spire, right?”

He reached out to catch the falling snowflakes and sighed softly. “This snow has been falling for ten years. Finally, someone has taken notice.”

They walked quietly through the snowy night, with Chen Nian keeping a few steps’ distance from An Yu.

“When the Mirror first descended on this orphanage, it was in the middle of a chaotic battle after a large-scale mutation event. People were dying every day,” Chen Nian said as they walked. “Including me, three children were given special attention by it. The Mirror doesn’t speak, and I had to witness several deaths before I figured out how it protected me. But you understood its protective mechanism immediately. You’re smart. By the way, did you know I was one of the ‘special’ ones?”

An Yu nodded. “I overheard in the reading room.”

Chen Nian stopped in his tracks. “You were in the reading room too?”

“I was just outside the door. We were separated by a single door,” An Yu said, pausing as well. “Didn’t you say you could sense me?”

Chen Nian looked confused. “I only knew you were near the Nest Tower earlier. In the reading room, I didn’t sense anything.”

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An Yu glanced at Slade, who lowered his head. “Sorry, even though I have intelligence-based abilities, I’ve never experienced the type of perception he’s describing.”

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The third path Slade mentioned indeed led underground. The entrance was narrow, and the area below was littered with cables. After landing, Chen Nian pulled a candle from somewhere, lighting a small flicker of flame in the pitch-black tunnel.

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Chen Nian shook his head. “After the Mirror descended, the orphanage was split into four layers. Even I can’t enter the next layer. It’s a protective mechanism.”

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He paused, murmuring, “No one has ever reached the fourth layer, but I suspect someone who fused with it is sleeping there.”

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They finally reached the innermost part of the tunnel. The candle’s flame dimmed significantly, leaving only a faint glimmer of light.

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Chen Nian briefly explained, then walked forward to touch her hand. The faint candlelight reflected in her gentle eyes.

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In the cramped space, only Chen Nian moved. Apart from him, the only sound An Yu could hear was the feedback of his own heartbeat in his earpiece.

The girl looked to be about the same age as Chen Nian. Her features were delicate, but her complexion, under the interplay of light and shadow, was as pale as paper.

“Life is still slipping away…” Chen Nian’s gaze turned distant for a moment before he offered a faint, bitter smile. “It’s fine. We can hold on a little longer.”

As he finished speaking, the flame of the candle in his hand suddenly stopped flickering. From the center of the flame, a thin wisp of white smoke began to rise, spiraling gently upward.

The burning scent filled the enclosed space. Chen Nian cupped the candle in his palms, closed his eyes, and let the white smoke encircle him, one loop after another. His silhouette became increasingly hazy, as though he might dissipate at any moment.

The scene reminded An Yu of something he had witnessed in District 84—when An Ning activated his abilities, the glowing butterflies would circle around him. But unlike him, there were no living creatures surrounding Chen Nian, just the small candle in his hand. The tiny flame seemed to have fused with his body. Gradually, it became impossible to tell whether the swirling smoke came from the flame or from Chen Nian himself.

A single strand of white smoke separated from his body and drifted into the sleeping girl. A faint flush of color returned to her pale face.

In An Yu’s earpiece, Qin Zhilu hesitated before saying, “Something with a very low probability has happened.”

The chance of an aberrant retaining human consciousness after a mutation is one in a thousand.
Among those, the probability of awakening healing abilities is even rarer—hundredfold lower.
And among healers, cases of material type mutations are almost unheard of. Not long ago, the Black Tower and Brain Division had been thrown into chaos over Codex’s appearance.
—Yet in this orphanage, neglected for a decade, there stood a boy embodying all these rare anomalies combined.
Or rather, a precious healing-oriented Protector.

An Yu was stunned. “A material type aberrant… fused with a candle?”

Qin Zhilu considered. “Codex’s material type mutation still falls within human genetic entropy limits, but Chen Nian’s entropy surpasses ten thousand. Maybe he’s an exception, shaped by the highly mutated environment here. Or maybe Codex is the exception. There’s too little known about material type aberrants to draw conclusions.”

The faint smoke dissipated, but the candle had not shrunk at all, as though it wasn’t the one burning.

Chen Nian’s complexion turned even paler. He leaned against the wall, eyes closed, and rested for a long moment before saying hoarsely, “As you can see, my mutation is with the candle. My ability is… healing.”

He paused. “Unlike the Protectors in the Spire, my healing isn’t based on energy consumption. It’s life replacement. Every bit of life I give to someone comes directly from my own body.”

An Yu immediately thought of Jiang Xiao.
The Ladder described Jiang Xiao’s ability as an “unprecedented exchange-type healing ability.” But Jiang Xiao’s power used the mental strength of the healed person to replenish lost health. Chen Nian, by contrast, was purely trading his own life for another’s.

Chen Nian looked at the girl sleeping in the corner. “I’ve kept her alive for ten years, but her condition is worsening. We’re both nearing our limits.”

He turned back, and watched his own reflection through An Yu’s bright golden eyes, murmuring to himself, “This might be our only chance. I have to take it…”

As he spoke, An Yu’s consciousness froze for a brief moment.

He seized the opportunity, catching a glimpse of Chen Nian’s self-reflection, and accessed his memories.