The night felt endless.
Lin Xiaoyu didn't remember when the candle burned out.
She didn't remember when the cold crept deeper into her bones.
All she knew was that she hadn't moved.
Not once.
Her fingers still clutched the letter tightly, now wrinkled from the pressure of her grip, as if letting go of it would mean losing her brother forever.
Outside, the wind howled like a warning.
Inside, silence suffocated her.
By the time the first light of dawn slipped through the broken roof, Xiaoyu's eyes were still open.
Dry.
Red.
Empty.
She had cried so much… there were no tears left.
Only a dull ache remained.
"Xiaoyu…"
Her mother's weak voice broke through the stillness.
Xiaoyu blinked slowly, as if waking from a nightmare that refused to end.
"Yes, Mama…"
Her voice came out hoarse.
Her mother turned her head slightly, her pale face filled with quiet worry.
"Did your brother come back…?"
The question pierced through Xiaoyu like a blade.
For a moment—
She couldn't speak.
Her throat tightened.
Her hands trembled.
But she forced herself to stand, quickly wiping her face.
"He… he hasn't come back yet," she said softly.
A lie.
Not completely—
But enough to hide the truth.
Because she couldn't say it.
Not yet.
Not when her mother looked so fragile… like even a small truth could shatter her completely.
Their father was already awake, sitting near the door, staring outside as if willing Lin Wei to appear.
"You didn't hear anything last night?" he asked without turning.
Xiaoyu hesitated.
Then slowly…
She walked toward him.
Each step felt heavy.
As if she was walking toward something she couldn't escape.
"…Father," she said quietly.
He turned slightly.
And that was when he saw it.
The letter in her hand.
His expression changed instantly.
"Where did you get that?"
Xiaoyu swallowed hard.
"It was hidden… in his room."
The air in the house shifted.
Something invisible—
But crushing.
Her father took the letter with trembling hands.
His eyes scanned the words once.
Twice.
Then—
His fingers tightened.
And for the first time in a long while—
Xiaoyu saw something break inside him.
"He left…"
The words came out barely above a whisper.
Her mother froze.
"What do you mean… left?"
No one answered.
Because the answer was already there.
In the silence.
In the letter.
In the emptiness of the house.
"No…" her mother shook her head weakly. "No… my son wouldn't leave like that…"
Her breathing became uneven.
Panicked.
"He wouldn't leave us… he wouldn't…"
Xiaoyu rushed to her side.
"Mama, please calm down—"
But her mother grabbed her wrist tightly.
"Go find him!"
Her voice cracked.
"Bring him back!"
Tears filled her eyes instantly.
"I'll go," Xiaoyu said quickly.
"I'll go find him."
Even if she didn't know where to start.
Even if she had no idea what she would face.
Because she couldn't just sit there—
And do nothing.
The cold air hit her face the moment she stepped outside.
But she didn't hesitate.
Didn't stop.
Didn't think.
She ran.
From one end of the village to the other.
Asking everyone.
"Have you seen my brother?"
"Lin Wei… have you seen him?"
Some shook their heads.
Some avoided her gaze.
Some whispered behind her back.
But no one gave her an answer.
By midday, her legs were shaking.
Her breath uneven.
But she didn't stop.
She couldn't.
Because every second she wasted—
Felt like she was losing him more.
Finally—
An old man sitting near the edge of the village spoke.
"I saw him," he said slowly.
Xiaoyu's heart jumped.
"You did?! Where?!"
The man looked at her carefully.
"…He left before sunrise."
"Left… where?"
He hesitated.
Then said quietly—
"Toward the city."
The world seemed to tilt.
"The city…"
Xiaoyu whispered the words like they didn't belong to her.
Because she knew what that meant.
The city wasn't a place for people like them.
It was a place where people either rose…
Or disappeared.
"Was he alone?" she asked.
The old man's expression darkened slightly.
"…No."
Her heart dropped.
"There were others with him."
"Men I didn't recognize."
"They didn't look like good people."
That was it.
The final piece.
The truth she had been trying to deny.
Lin Wei hadn't just left.
He had been taken—
Or worse…
He had chosen them.
Her legs gave out.
She fell to her knees in the snow.
The cold didn't matter.
Nothing mattered.
"…Brother…"
Her voice trembled.
"Why…?"
Why choose this path?
Why leave them behind?
Why walk into danger willingly?
Tears fell again.
Hot against the freezing air.
But this time—
They weren't just tears of sadness.
They carried fear.
Real fear.
Because she knew—
The moment someone stepped into that world…
Coming back wasn't easy.
Sometimes—
It was impossible.
The sun began to set.
Painting the sky in shades of orange and gray.
But Xiaoyu remained there.
Kneeling.
Broken.
Back at home, her parents waited.
Hoping.
Praying.
But Xiaoyu returned with nothing.
That night—
The house felt emptier than ever before.
Not just because Lin Wei was gone.
But because hope…
Was beginning to fade.
Her mother cried until her voice gave out.
Her father sat in silence, staring at the floor like a man who had lost something he could never recover.
And Xiaoyu—
Sat in the darkness.
Holding onto the letter.
Again.
But this time—
Her tears stopped.
Slowly.
Gradually.
Until nothing was left.
In their place—
Something else began to grow.
Something quiet.
But powerful.
Determination.
"…I'll find you," she whispered into the silence.
Her voice was no longer trembling.
No longer weak.
"I don't care how far you've gone…"
"I don't care what you've become…"
"You're still my brother."
Her fingers tightened around the letter.
Her eyes, though red and tired—
Began to harden.
Just slightly.
"But if you've chosen darkness…"
Her voice dropped.
"…then I'll be the one who stands in the light."
Outside—
The wind roared louder.
As if responding to her words.
As if warning her.
Because the path ahead—
Would not be easy.
It would be filled with pain.
Loss.
And choices that would test her in ways she couldn't imagine.
And far away—
In the heart of the city—
Lin Wei took another step deeper into the world he had chosen.
A world of crime.
Blood.
And no return.
While in a small broken house—
A girl made a silent vow.
To never follow him.
To never break.
No matter what.
But fate—
Had already begun to weave their stories together.
In ways neither of them could escape.