Chapter 106: The City of Darkness
The wind gently tousled her long black hair as they soared above the clouds, the world stretching out endlessly beneath them. A sea of green mountains, lazy rivers, and distant villages passed beneath their feet. The sky was painted with the soft hues of morning, blues fading into blush, and blush fading into gold.
Feng Jiao Xue sat steady upon Yin Xiao’s broad back, her gaze fixed on the horizon. Her hands, gloved and calm, rested lightly on the soft white fur of her winged companion. Behind her, she could feel the warmth of another presence.
Mo Tianze.
His silver ears weren’t twitching like they normally did when excited, nor was his tail lightly swaying behind him like usual. That curious energy, the quiet spark that often danced in his voice and his movements, was missing.
He was quiet. Too quiet.
She glanced behind her.
He wasn’t asleep, but his eyes were unfocused, clouded, distant, as if they were seeing something far away that wasn’t the sky.
She watched him for a moment, then looked away, pretending not to notice.
He was usually more talkative during flights. He liked to point at things, clouds shaped like strange beasts, shimmering lakes, villages nestled into mountain cliffs, and tell her what they reminded him of. Sometimes, he would ask endless questions about the academy, or whether she thought Yin Xiao liked him. He once made a ridiculous claim that Yin Xiao only listened to her because he was smitten. That made her chuckle.
But today, he was still.
Feng Jiao Xue sighed softly and looked ahead once more.