Solflare: The Painter's Secret-Chapter 131: Colors of Chaos

"Mmom, Mom," Lily cried out, her voice bouncing off the walls of the sunroom as she ran through the entrance, her heart full of joy.

"They said brother sent us money to buy our own house!" she said, halting at the front of Li Mei.

Li Mei’s hands stilled on the needle and the white thread she was turning into a blanket. Her blind eyes tracked the direction of her daughter’s voice.

"Where did you hear that from?"

Lily dropped to her knees before the wheelchair, her chest heaving. She stretched her arms forward, touched Li Mei’s hands, then squeezed them softly.

"While I was out playing with the birds, I saw Uncle Feng and Uncle Darian talking about it behind the big tree near the gate. I also hid behind the second tree." She paused, inhaled deeply.

"Uncle Feng said Leon sent lots of money to buy a new house."

A faint smile formed on Li Mei’s face, followed by two drops of tears. She moved her trembling arms up, waved them until they rested on Lily’s face.

She cupped Lily’s face while thinking about Leon. ’My son.’

The tears doubled, snaking down her cheeks. "Your brother."

Lily leaned into Li Mei’s palm, stared at her with glistening eyes. "He’s going to take care of us like he promised, Mom."

She hid her face in Li Mei’s lap, Leon’s smiling face looping in her mind.

Outside the transparent window, the afternoon sun’s rays caught the dust dancing in the air, turning them into a sparkling golden wind.

...

On the gravel path at the front of the building, Feng walked beside Darian, swinging their arms as if rehearsed.

The mango, graves, and fruitless trees filled their lungs as they inhaled deeply.

"We need to find the best house for them," Feng said, adjusting the collar of his blue shirt. "One that’s comfortable for his mother’s condition."

He tilted his head, scanned the ground to the building, then turned back to Darian. "Ground floor, maybe one that is closer to the medical facilities."

Darian gave a swift nod, his hands clasped behind his back. "Yeah. I was thinking the same." He paused, brushed his chin as he squeezed his eyes shut and focused on the blue sky.

"There are a few secure apartments at the Lieutenant’s Lodge. That place is decent for them. Also, the security is tight, compared to that of the Dusthollow."

"Alright. Send me the details and pictures when you find one that fits," Feng said, stopping beside his BMW.

The black paint of the car gleamed under the sun as he opened the door. "I’ll handle the paperwork."

Darian extended his hand, shook Feng’s once, then smiled. Feng slid into the car, then ignited the engine, sending fallen leaves to gain flight in the air.

Darian watched the car roll down the driveway, disappearing through the main gate, then turned toward the building.

’At least I will get my apartment back,’ he sighed, a strange smile appearing on his face.

He climbed the three steps and pushed the front door open.

Inside, right at the side of the hallway, the maid stood there, her hands clasped behind her back. She tilted her head slightly, a smile appearing at the corner of her lips, then ducked her gaze to the floor, feeling shy.

Darian smiled back, then continued forward, the faint sound of Lily’s mother’s humming filling the entire mansion.

...

Inside the extraction craft, the metallic air stung their lungs as they all fixed their gazes at Hei Yung’s back.

Loud footsteps followed when Hei Yung turned and walked to the side, letting Leon’s body feel the warmth the craft had.

"What happened to him?" he asked, his voice echoing like a stormy wind. He stared at Tiger’s unfazed face for a second, then shifted it to Bao Xiong.

Tiger’s shoulders rose, his blue eyes smiling. But as soon as he tilted his head toward Bao Xiong, the smile transferred to the corner of his mouth.

"The two of you can go," Hei Yung said, gesturing at Tiger and Bao Xiong.

The two walked out of the craft, their boots slamming the asphalt like victors returning from war.

’He should remain in that state forever.’ The thought reeled in Tiger’s eyes as the last reaction Leon portrayed replayed behind them, almost as if time had reversed for him alone.

Behind them, the rushing wind seeped into the bunker where Hei Yung, Wu Ze, and Liu Yan stood, fumbling through their outfits.

"Hhhhhhhuh!" Leon’s eyes flared open as air rushed into his lungs like a drowned person who had just been revived from death.

His vision swarmed for a while, then sharpened, landing on Hei Yung’s calm face. He shifted confused glances at the three, then at the seatbelt wrapped around him.

’What’s going on? Why are they all staring at me like that?’ He tried pushing himself up, but his arms refused him on the first try, causing his back to throb.

He pressed his palms to the spot, expecting to touch a wound, but found it smooth.

"The two of you," Hei Yung said in a flat tone, "help him up and follow me." He turned and strode down the ramp without waiting.

Wu Ze and Liu Yan moved to Leon’s side, slid their arms under his shoulders, then lifted him as if he had no weight.

Leon’s legs buckled once, twice, then became strong.

The chilled wind outside the craft hit him in the face, filled his lungs with the scent of fuel.

The triangular structure of the CODX cut into the dark sky like a blade, thin light flashing at its top.

Liu Yan turned her head toward Leon, staring at his left side, where the dimple was. "You died."

Leon blinked, a short laugh escaping him. "I died? I was just asleep." He shook his head, trying to force the laughter to stop, but it rattled through his throat.

His face stilled when he saw the look on Wu Ze’s face. The lady wasn’t joking. Her stare was like a dull blade staring through your soul.

’Is that really true? I was just swimming in my dreams that whole time.’ He blinked, trying to remember the dream again, but only darkness filled his thoughts.

Wu Ze released Leon’s right arm, moved forward, then pushed the black door open. Beyond it was like something stripped out from a dream.

Metal panels floated and rotated in the air. Tiny black bead-like particles detached themselves from the walls and reshaped into different objects: a glowing flower, a bird, a mobile phone, a gun, and a sword.

The eyes in the images in the wall portraits turned, tracking every movement they made, almost as if alive.

Leon’s body moved forward, but his mind remained locked in the struggle of processing what his eyes were seeing.

After five minutes through the hallway of wonders, they stopped before a wall that rippled like liquid silver.

Wu Ze frowned. "Where did Hei Yung move to?" She turned, scanned the path they had already taken, then looked back at the wall in front of them.

Before anyone could give an answer, a chocolate-colored finger pushed through the silver surface, followed by a full arm, and then a full human body. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The silver slid off him like water separating from oil. A man in a white doctor’s robe emerged, smiling.

Leon’s eyes widened, his mind shifting to take form of the new discovery. ’Did he just... pass through that?’

The doctor’s gaze swept over them, then settled on the jet-black-haired boy and Liu Yan. As for Liu Yan, he knew her, but the boy was new to him.

"The two of you, follow me." His gaze remained on Leon and Liu Yan, then shifted to Wu Ze.

His dark-purple eyes hardened. "You." He whipped his left arm toward the far left side of the hallway, where a black door stood. "Go there."

Then, without another word, he turned and vanished back into the silver wall.

Liu Yan and Leon turned to Wu Ze, then exchanged confused glances. Liu Yan nodded slightly, then stretched her left arm forward, the tip of her middle finger nearing the wall.

She drew her hand back, then tapped Leon’s back. Together, they stepped forward, stretched their arms toward the rippling surface.

The wall sucked them in like stones sinking into mud. The moment half of Leon’s body entered, his head leaned back, staring at the wall. He felt as if every cell in his body was separating from the others.

As soon as he moved his head in, darkness clouded his eyes, and for a minute, no sound, light, or sense of his body crossed his mind.

Slowly, colors began to bleed in. Red came first, followed by orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. All the colors swirled around him like living things, glowing with their own inner light.

The colors danced, then merged into a purple-black hue, then shifted, forming a silver wall before Leon’s eyes.

Massive creatures roamed in the distance, floating.