The heat in the wasteland is getting stronger and stronger, and all the way through it is all yellow sand and rubble except for the huge abandoned buildings, and there is no sign of life. In contrast, the airship is very pleasant, and the people in the boat can't feel the scorching heat outside. Although the remnants were all anxious, they had no choice but to accept their fate, and several homeless people fell asleep with heavy eyelids. And the boy named Xia Yan had already fallen into a deep dream.

From time to time, there are brilliant explosions in the dream, and the fierce alternation of light and shadow is intertwined, like a net spread out.

It was the night to celebrate the founding of the "Glass and Cat" guild, and the people of the city gathered in the Knights' Square in the center of the city to set off fireworks. It's been a long time since the city of glass has been so lively, and even if it's a formal festival celebration, it's never been a fireworks. The burning soldiers are coming to the city, and people have been tired of running for their lives, so how can they have the leisure to set off fireworks. But today is different, after the grief of losing the king and the long struggle of life and death, the front finally came with good news. They have a hero they can rely on: Xia Weiyang. Maybe it's because of the forbearance and suppression for too long, and people's emotions have exploded at this moment. The square was full of people, as if they had already won the victory, and they sang and cheered and blessed their heroes and warriors.

In a relatively quiet corner of the square stood a little boy of seven or eight years old. He has black fluffy hair, and his big dark brown eyes reflect one brilliant fireworks after another like the surface of a lake. The boy's face looked anxious, looking left and right, as if searching for something. But he couldn't resist the temptation of the fireworks that bloomed in the night sky. It was the first time in his life that he had seen such a strange thing, and when it rose up with only a faint point of light, it could explode into such a brilliant color in an instant.

A tall figure squeezed through the crowd, holding several delicate small boxes in his hands. Although the person who came was wearing a black cloak, he could not see his face clearly. But the boy recognized him at a glance.

"Brother," the boy eagerly greeted, "I lost Xiaolan......"

"It's okay, I've found her. She's waiting for us in the open space behind. The man called "Brother" took off the hood of his cloak, revealing dark brown flowing hair and a handsome face, with an amber wolf tooth pendant around his neck. The people in the square didn't notice that their hero Xia Weiyang had quietly slipped out of the crowd at this time. He promised his brother to take him and his neighbor's little sister to set off fireworks. After all, he has been fighting outside for many years, and he has really little time to accompany his younger brother. Weiyang looked at his tiger-headed brother and smiled softly, and handed him a box of fireworks, "Na, let's go find her, and then let's set off fireworks together." This is a fireworks specially developed by Mr. Nishizawa! ”

When he took the fireworks, the boy noticed that his brother's left hand was wrapped in a white bandage, so he couldn't help but ask, "Brother, is your hand hurt?" ”

"Well, a little injury," the brother said to the boy with a smile as he looked at his left hand, "don't worry, it's fine." ”

"Hmm." The boy nodded, since his brother said it was okay, then it must be okay. A habit developed since childhood, no matter what his brother says, the boy does not hesitate to believe it. Because for him, who lost his parents at a young age, his brother is his only support, and it is also all his faith.

"You've been practicing swords lately, right?" The elder brother asked as he led the boy into a quiet meadow. The cheers and the sound of fireworks in the square swayed in the evening breeze, suddenly as flashy as fireflies looming in the meadow.

"Hmm," the boy nodded, gesturing with a sword-swinging motion. "I can now defeat the Junior Burners above level E in the imaginary space. In a little while, I'll be able to go into battle with my brother - right? After speaking, he eagerly raised his head, wanting to get his brother's affirmation.

Weiyang stopped, and he slowly crouched down, staring at his brother's stubborn and determined eyes.

"No, little martyr." He gently rubbed the boy's fluffy hair and said gently, "Brother believes that you are strong and will surpass me one day." But if you want to go into battle, you have to grow to my height. ”

"Huh-?" The boy lowered his head in disappointment, "My brother is so cunning, he always uses my height as an excuse. ”

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Weiyang scratched his head embarrassedly and laughed, "Who told you to always be fifteen years younger than me?" ”

"Sister Alice didn't come?" The boy asked, looking around.

"Thanks to her helping me hold back the people at the party, I was able to get out of my way to join you." Weiyang told him.

"Death! Brother Weiyang! A childish voice came, accompanied by the sound of running footsteps.

The boy looked up and saw a little girl about his age running towards him. The girl wore a dark green dress embroidered with stars, and her short ear-length hair danced happily when she ran, exuding a soft light like the moon.

"Where have you been, Arashi?" The boy waved at her and said, "I can't find you anywhere......"

"You're embarrassed," the girl said, pouting, "and you didn't know you lost me just by watching the fireworks." ”

"How can I ......," the boy argued unconvinced.

"Yes!" The girl blinked her big eyes and made a mischievous grimace at the boy.

"Alright," Weiyang raised his hands with a headache to stop the two little ones who were still arguing, "Now that everyone is here, it's time to set off fireworks!" ”

"Bang!" followed by the exclamations of boys and girls.

"Wow, that's beautiful!" The girl sighed as she looked at the pink light that exploded in the night sky.

"Hmm!" The boy nodded, forgetting for a moment the quarrel. The pink dots of light drifted away like fireflies, slowly turning orange, and then each dot split into four different colored forms. Some resemble gorgeous butterflies, flashing with huge blue wings; Some resemble colorful tropical fish, carefully spitting bubbles; Others are mischievous humanoid elves that weave back and forth among the other fireworks, occasionally covering the mouth of the tropical fish to prevent it from spitting bubbles. It made the two children laugh.

"I see!" The girl suddenly raised her hand and said.

"What?" Weiyang and her brother looked at her inexplicably.

"I've seen it on TV, it's on the news every day!" The girl pointed to the scattered fireworks and said, "Isn't that similar to a flowing soul?" ”

"Wandering souls?" The boy asked, puzzled, "Is it the kind of light that the Burners conjured up after their death?" ”

"Well," the girl nodded, "it's not just the Burners, it's said in the news that humans become Wandering Souls when they die." ”

"Really?" The boy turned his head to look at his brother in question.

"Yes......" Weiyang replied lightly as he looked at the scattered light and fire, his eyes dimmed in the various flickering lusters. The Burners, and the humans killed by the Burners, will turn into Wandering Souls, dazzling and ephemeral points of light. But—" he continued, resuming his usual kind and gentle smile, "I still think fireworks are more beautiful than spirits." ”

"Because fireworks are reassuring. And the Flowing Souls, whether they are human or Burner, carry too much death in those colorful points of light......"

The starlight of that night all faded into the depths of memory, and Xia Yan only remembered the fireworks wandering in the sky, and the bright and lonely smile on his brother's face. The dream changed in this flash, transforming into the scene when Weiyang was about to board the airship bound for the glacier. Weiyang, dressed in a black uniform, as unreal as a shadow in the hot air jets of the airship, waved his hand at his younger brother who came to see him off, and shouted with a smile: "When I come back from the glacier, let's set off fireworks together, Xiao Yan!" ”

However, this promise has never been fulfilled, because the fireworks of this agreement eventually became a wandering spirit in the boy's eyes. The war has stained the otherwise crystal clear glaciers a bloody red. The air was filled with the smoke of gunpowder and the smell of death, and every explosion and roar would rise up countless fleeing spirits. They hovered over the glacier like a beautiful but rain-soaked cloud.

That's why my brother won't let me go to war. The boy sat down on the cold, hard ice in a state of distraction, and Asa-lan hid behind him in fear. The picture became fragmented at this moment, and no matter how hard Xia Yan tried, he couldn't find the complete plot. He remembered that he saw the dark battlefield, the incomparably tragic battles, and the nightmare of mankind - endword. The demonic eyes were full of murderous aura. I also saw my brother's glowing left hand, as well as the surprised and anxious expression on his face. He heard his brother shouting his name, his voice was indistinct and deep, as if he was from another world, and finally a blue-purple bright light flashed in front of him, a rapidly coming figure, and a violent explosion.

The world fell silent, and the blue-purple light slowly weakened, and at last only the infinite darkness remained. The boy slowly sank into the darkness and woke up to find himself in a hospital bed. It was raining outside the window, and the sky was overcast. The corridor outside the ward was crowded with people, all with anxiety and pathos on their faces, blocked by the guards. There are two other people in the ward besides the boy, the Queen of Glass and her attendants. The queen wore a long white dress, her long red hair was not worn with too many ornaments, and her dignified and beautiful face was slightly pale.

Although the boy vaguely sensed what was happening, when the news of his brother's death was confirmed from the queen's mouth, he still felt a suffocating pain in his heart as if it had suddenly been grabbed by a sharp claw, and the world seemed to be tilting and collapsing a little bit. Deceptive, right? The boy shook his head and thought that his brother would not die. A brother who is as powerful as a god to him...... However, the boy recalled that the explosion at that time was so powerful that it was enough to destroy everything...... The boy curled up and buried his head between his knees. He didn't want others to see him cry, and his brother taught him from a young age to face whatever he encountered. But this time, my brother is gone...... Thinking of this, the boy couldn't help but sob, and then the sobbing turned into a big cry.

"Good boy, cry, it will be better to cry." The queen patted the boy's head with relief, tears glistening in her eyes. "Your brother is the hero of the City of Glass, the hero of all mankind! All will remember him, son, and I am willing to take you to the palace and raise you as my own son......"

But the boy didn't care what the queen was saying, he knew the queen meant well, but what she said was like an old fairy tale that had nothing to do with him.

All he knew was that his brother would never be by his side again; I will never accompany him to practice swords or make food for him again; will no longer help him or guide him in times of trouble and doubt; I'll never tell him stories or take him to set off fireworks again...... If none of this is gone, then what is left of the world? It doesn't matter, except-

"These are the relics of Weiyang, only they have survived intact in the explosion." The queen took out Xia Weiyang's close-fitting pendant and a pitch-black knife handle more than a foot long and said in a trembling voice.

The boy looked up at the only remaining relic that the queen had handed to his brother, and the original amber pendant was now a pale blue. The hilt was his brother's weapon, and when held in his hand, he could summon an incredibly sharp blade, called the "Green Demon". It was something he had always dreamed of, and his brother promised to give him a gift on the day he attended the bar mitzvah. I didn't expect this gift to come so quickly and so painfully. When the boy reached for the pendant and the hilt, he suddenly felt that the palm of his right hand was not the same as before. He blinked vigorously, and found that the three parallel palm prints were now crossed together to form a peculiar pattern that resembled a star.

"Your palm prints will be like this when you come back from the glacier, but don't worry," the queen said to the boy with some surprise on his face, "Although the doctors can't explain why, I am sure that you are in good health now and have not been adversely affected by the change in your palm prints." ”

"Hmm." The boy nodded, holding his brother's relic. He hugged them silently, as if he could still feel a little bit of his brother's breath from them.

After a while, he wiped away the tears from his face and asked the queen, "What about Xiaolan?" Sister Alice - Others ......"

The queen looked at him in amazement, she did not expect that this little boy would be so strong, even if he was immersed in the pain of losing his loved ones, he would not forget the safety of his companions.

"Xiaolan is fine," the queen comforted him, "you have been in a coma for days, and she is in the next hospital room, where her aunt takes care of her. Alice and the other wounded warriors were sent to first aid as soon as possible, and Master Sinan was more seriously injured, and they were all out of danger yesterday......" Before she could finish her words, she found that the little boy lifted the sheet and wanted to get out of bed. The attendant on the side hurriedly came over and held him down, and said softly, "You are still very weak and can't get out of bed." ”

"I want to go see Xiaolan." The boy pleaded with the Queen.

The queen could not bear to make him sad any longer, so she nodded to the attendant, who understood, walked outside the ward, and said to the people waiting in the corridor, "The hero's brother is in good health, and now he needs to recuperate, please go back first." ”

Those who had been isolated breathed a sigh of relief, prayed for a while, and slowly dispersed. Subsequently, the guards also withdrew to the entrance of the hospital. Xia Yan staggered out of the ward, he declined the attendant who wanted to come to support him, and slowly walked outside the ward of Qianlan by holding on to the wall. The door was slightly open, and only the back of a woman sobbing quietly could be seen. He pushed the door open a little and said to the back, "Aunt Gu Lian, Xiaolan ...... she"

The woman turned around, and Qianlan's aunt was always quite stern in Xia Yan's eyes, and her long silver-gray hair was pulled up high and tied behind her head. Xia Yan saw that her eyes were red and her lips were pursed, thinking that she was going to be angry with him. Who knew that she suddenly reached out and hugged him in her arms, and said in a trembling voice: "Thank God, you are all okay......" There were warm water droplets spreading in her neck, Xia Yan knew that she was crying, but patted her back very sensibly to comfort her. He crossed Gu Lian's shoulder to look at Qian Lan who was lying on the hospital bed and fell asleep, looking at her evenly beating pulse on the medical instrument, a clenched heart finally relaxed, and a feeling of weakness followed.

And now, Qianlan was lying beside him, still sleeping peacefully, but the original immature face was now delicate and beautiful, her eyes were closed, her long eyelashes were slightly raised, and her beautiful body was originally wrapped in a blanket, but when she encountered a bump in the air, the hood on her head slipped down, revealing a long silver hair. Seeing the remnants around him, he couldn't help but widen his eyes in amazement.

The man with the scar on his face was unmoved, he was more interested in the boy next to her than the beautiful girl in the corner. The remnants of them, knowing the situation they would face later, were all in fear and fear. Only there was no wave on his face, as if the increasingly sinister environment outside had nothing to do with him. This man seems to be reckless, but his mind is very thoughtful, and he knows that there must be something wrong with this young man. It is impossible for a person of his age to see through life and death, and he may have the means to live.

Thinking like this, he smiled at Xia Yan and said, "This little brother doesn't look like a relic, I don't know why he is locked up with us, I'm afraid the government army made a mistake, right?" ”

"yes, he doesn't even have a ring!" The thief on the side pointed to Xia Yan's bare hands and agreed.

Xia Yan glanced at them first, and seemed to hear the thief's words before realizing that he was not wearing a ring, and he also had a little surprised expression. But he was not in a hurry to answer them, but put the slippery hood back on for Asaara.

"As far as I know, there are only two kinds of people who can go without rings, one is the age protected, and the other is the royalty." Scarface said reluctantly, "No matter what kind of person you belong to, little brother, they shouldn't have thrown you to bury you. We should ask to go back to the city. ”

The other remnants nodded their heads, they didn't want to be abandoned to the Bone Plain, and they were worried that they couldn't find a reason to be agitated by Scarface. A few people stood up and tried to knock on the front cab door.

"Is this the ring you're talking about?" Xia Yan said to those who stood up, he took out a black ring studded with blue crystal from the pocket of his clothes and held it up to everyone, "I thought to myself that I would be abandoned anyway, and there was no need to wear it again." He smiled and said, put on the ring, pointed the sapphire crystal to the floor, and a line of red text appeared: Cumulative Contribution: 0.

"May I ask you what you have sinned?" The scarface seemed a little surprised, but he still refused to stop there, and said to Xia Yan, "At your age, you shouldn't be guilty of any serious crimes to classify your contribution as 0, right?" ”

Xia Yan looked at his suspicious eyes and said lightly: "My sister and I were originally gardeners in the palace, managing the gardens for Her Majesty the Queen. The other day I used the wrong fertilizer and burned all the roses in the palace to ashes. My sister was also punished for covering up my crimes. ”

"It turned out that he had offended the royal family...... and the remnants of the people talked about it, and although they couldn't hear why, they all understood that burning the queen's garden must be a great sin.

"I have heard that the queen of the Glass City is quite merciful, how could she betray you to death because of a garden." Scarface refused to believe it, but he couldn't see any hint of lying on the boy's face.

"Dealing with such a trivial matter as one or two gardeners will not alarm Her Majesty. A deacon can decide. Xia Yan took off the ring again and stuffed it back into his pocket indifferently.

There was no flaw in his words, but Scarface was always suspicious. The other party is just a teenager, and with his experience, he can't see his details, which makes him secretly frightened.

The airship shook violently again, and the girl next to Xia Yan finally woke up, she seemed to be a little hazy when she first woke up, and her clear eyes stared at the top of her head motionlessly for a while, and then turned her head and whispered to Xia Yan: "The foehn is coming." ”