Spring Winds

'Return home. Your brother is ill and wishes to see you.'

Another letter had arrived from home the other day with the same message as before, beckoning me to return home. Crumpling the letter into a little ball, I let the pressed paper dig into my palms. How dare they use my brother to persuade me to return. Had Big Brother not sent a warning letter before the arrival of this one, I would've rushed home immediately, utterly clueless of the latest trap.

But even then, I couldn't help but feel a sense of longing in my chest. I missed my brother. I wonder every day if he is alright and whether Big Brother was eating enough or cared for properly. This feeling only fueled my discontent with my family. They knew that the two of us were weaker divided and then made an excuse for me to leave or face the consequences.

However, if I never left, I wouldn't have met her.

"Sigh," sitting down on the grass; I overlook the sprawling view — lush green mountains surrounded by a sea of pink and white flowers. The air was still sweet with the scent of late summer flowers. Looking down, I see little pink petals nestled along the long soft grass.

Grabbing a fallen blossom, I fiddle with its thin pink petals.

Somehow its reminded me of a moment from times long ago.

---

"Hah, old friend. Have you seen the new flowers at Quan Shui House?" A man sat across from my father. The three of us were seated outside in a gazebo when our garden. The man across from father was one of my father's colleagues in court.

"Em. No. I haven't had time to visit lately," father replied. Father was handsome as he had effeminate features and a rather clean background. Mother tells me that he popular with the ladies for his wit and beauty.

The two men were seated in a game of Go[1] as each one attempted to eat the other's stones. I quietly sat at the side of the table, observing the black and white stones. The black and white pieces mingled together as they surrounded their opponents. It's reminded me of the yin and yang symbol that I saw at the Daoist Temples.

"Why would Father go to a house to see flowers?" I asked innocently, "There are many flowers in the garden to be seen here."

"Haha!" Father's colleague laughed out loud. "You have one clever daughter, Xun Su. ah haha!"

"Hm, yes," Father agreed as he took a sip of his tea. He set down his teacup before turning his attention to me. "Well, you are right, A-Hua. We do indeed have many flowers within these walls." He said as he gestured around the surrounding garden. "However, a man's garden would be bare without any little flowers to adorn his home. Therefore, to further beautify his mansion, a man must go out and seek the finest of flowers."

Father paused and looked at me and continued. "And sometimes other men grow flowers so that the beauty may spread. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Father," I nodded.

"Ehm, good. For one day, you too will grow to be a beautiful flower for a man to adore and enjoy," He reached out and patted my head. "Just like your name entails, 'Hua' the most beautiful flower that grows within this household."

"Yes, Father."

---

"Huh, why did that memory come up?" I mumbled to myself.

The petals within my hands became limp from my movement. I carelessly watched as they swayed back down to the ground as the light of the late afternoon illuminated its fall.

It's been a long time since I've spoken to Father as well. The last time I've ever seen him was when the family had announced that I was to go to the Yun Sect admissions. Even then, he didn't say a word.

Even though I hated him, I couldn't help but think back on those days where he cared, even for a bit.

"Senior Sister!" A ball of energy jumped on me from behind, causing me to lurch forward. "What are you doing here by yourself?"

"Junior Sister?" I asked as I felt the familiar presence of my junior.

"Yep!" She chirped back, and her arms squeezed my neck and shoulders before relaxing their grip. "Why are you just sitting here by yourself?" She asked as she slid down to sit beside me on the grass.

"Well, just to think, I suppose."

"Hmm, I see," she hummed. "Whelp, if there's anything that you wish to talk about, just know I'm here for you."

"Thank you."

"No problem! That's what sisters are for, right?" And flashing her signature smile before turning away to look at the view. Then a gentle breeze came our way and made strands of her hair turn a golden color and dance in the wind. As she brushed the stray strands behind her ear, I couldn't help but think that Zhu Na Ran looked so beautiful in the light.

The two of us didn't say anything more as we watched the sun make its slow progression downwards.

Unbeknownst Zhu Na Ran, our fingers were just mere breaths away from each other. Neither one of us willing to cross the line between us.

I wonder who would be the first to cross.

---

"System 562, it's time." A robotic voice called out.

"..." System 562, did not say anything but obediently followed after the android in front of them. Its name was System 562, God-Maker. Its sole purpose was to turn everyday people into revered gods of their new world. However, for the first time in its long career, it experienced setbacks.

Whether or not the events went smoothly was out of the system's control. However, for it to experience various bugs and crashes, this was a serious offense. It would need to report directly [Them] to see what was wrong.

They had arrived in front of a large door, and System 562, knocked against the wood of the door.

A muffled "come in" could be heard from the other side, and System 562 pushed open the door before it shut itself behind him. System 562 stood inside the darkened room, as the only light that could permeate the darkness was the city lights from outside the window.

"You asked to see me."

A figure sat behind the desk in front of them. [They] had their back to the System 562, as the lounged in their office chair, overlooking the view.

"Yes. Sit." They casually ordered. System 562, obediently sat down in the chair in front of the desk. "I've been hearing some 'complaints" about you and your host.

"..."

"Let's review, shall we?" They pulled out a screen that projected a list of comments about Long Yuan and the system. However, it was mainly focused on Long Yuan as it went on about how useless Long Yuan was behaving and how he had zero brain cells. Another read about how his character was inconsistent.

"Care to explain?"

"..."

"System 562. When you told me that you could turn this everyday joe into a great protagonist, I believed you. Taking into consideration your track record of success, I believed that you would be able to succeed." They paused their speech briefly to let the silence settle. "However, instead, I'm hearing comments about how your host, making an utter fool of themselves."

They turned around to face System 562 and leaned forwards towards them. "Care to explain?"

"System 562 has no comments. We could not identify the cause."

The figure slinked back into their chair before turning around back to the city view. "Honestly, I'm just disappointed."

"..."

"You'd think that if you put in a decent host into a realm, practically set up to succeed from the beginning, that they would be able to follow the script. However," the figure took in a deep breath filled with rage, "All I get is an incel!"

An eerie silence followed after. "Fix your Host. I want you to be back on track the next time I send you into the field. Get your sh*t together."

"Yes. As for the bugs? "

And another silence followed afterward. "Never mind it," [They] dismissed. "Though unexpected, they are not unwelcome."

"System understands."

"Alright. The meeting is over. Dismissed." With a wave of their hand, System 562 vanished from their seat.

The figure looked down at the bustling lights and mused, "Hmm, it seems someone wasn't satisfied with their ending."

[1] Go - is an abstract strategy board game for two players, in which the aim is to surround more territory than the opponent. The playing pieces are called stones; player one gets white, and two get black. Each player takes turns placing the stones on the vacant intersections "points" of the board. Once placed on the board, stones may not be moved, but stones are removed from the board if "captured." Capture happens when opposing stones on all orthogonally-adjacent points surround a stone or group of stones. The game proceeds until neither player wishes to make another move. When a game concludes, the winner is determined by counting each player's surrounded territory along with captured stones and komi (points added to the score of the player with the white stones as compensation for playing second). Games may also be terminated by resignation.