Sil

CRACK!

A jagged bolt of lightning tore through the rainy sky, ripping open the clouds with a blinding flash. And from within its brief, blinding light—Sil emerged.

His boots hit the wet rooftop with a splash, sending sprays of water into the air. He staggered slightly, catching himself on a rusted railing, his balance still a bit off from the jump. Steam hissed up from his skin, electricity dancing in faint blue arcs across his soaked coat. The world here was darker—overcast, heavy rain drumming down, the wind slicing past buildings like knives. It was a far cry from the dry, clear skies of the Gobi.

"About two hours," Sil muttered under his breath, his eyes scanning the unfamiliar city block, taking in the blurred lights and shadowy structures.

"Not bad for crossing half the continent… with no passport." He chuckled humorlessly. "Could be better, but my eyes had reached their limit today."

He took a deep breath, rainwater dripping from his hair and running down his face. The jump had worked. The reason he'd gambled on Lightning Jump—and burned 3% of his precious energy on it—was simple: rainy season. From late June through early August, thunderclouds bloomed over northern China like weeds, making lightning a common sight. All he needed was a lightning strike within 5,00 kilometers, and he could make the leap.

It was important to note, Sil had to wait, stuck in the form of pure lightning energy, if there was no lightning strike in the direction he chose. He had been stuck in that state for quite a while, taking some rests along the way, which was why it took him so long.

"Well, you get what you pay for. It's cheap, but kind of a pain to use," he thought, recalling the disorienting waits.

But eventually, one finally struck near the outskirts of Beijing.

The storm had passed over the immediate area now. The rain was only a light drizzle, like the sky hadn't fully decided whether to stop crying or not.

Sil carefully stepped off the rooftop and onto the street below, landing softly.

His hair was still wet, plastered against his forehead. His boots were muddy from the landing, and his jacket—a military-issued one he'd "borrowed" from the Mongolian base—clung to his body, heavy with water. He looked like a half-drowned stray dog walking through the morning after a bad storm.

Nobody gave him much attention. In a city this size, especially now with all the chaos, people were too tired and worried to care about a wet stranger. He passed a brightly lit convenience store and glanced inside.

Fluorescent lights hummed. Cheap, tinny music played softly. Dry clothes hung behind the register—tourist T-shirts, cotton hoodies, plastic umbrellas, knockoff sneakers. All of it overpriced, he noted with a mental scoff. All of it exactly what he needed.

Sil walked in.

The old man behind the counter barely looked up from his stool. He just gave a grunt, his eyes glued to the silent TV playing a news channel behind him.

Sil casually grabbed a set of clothes—a plain black hoodie, simple gray sweatpants, and some socks. He then walked toward the back corner of the store, where a tiny, cramped restroom sat beside the drink cooler. He changed quickly, pulling off the soaked military uniform, wringing out his shirt to drain the excess water, then sliding into the warm, dry fabric like it was a fresh layer of armor.

As he walked out, toweling dry his hair with a small, rough cloth, he paused.

The TV caught his eye again.

It was a muted news broadcast, but the bright red banner screaming "EMERGENCY – BEIJING LOCKDOWN" was impossible to miss. Footage from above showed a cracked city skyline, blurry with smoke and dust. A strange, undeniable glow pulsed at the center of the screen. Purple light was bleeding through the clouds, painting the sky with an unnatural hue.

The news anchor's face was pale, even without sound, her expression a mask of grave concern.

The screen switched again—to footage from earlier. It was grainy, zoomed in, and shaky. A figure stood in the very center of it all. Hair wild. Bare feet on cracked concrete. Her entire body glowing faintly with that same eerie purple light.

Sil froze.

The towel in his hand dropped to the floor with a soft thud.

His mouth went dry. His heartbeat echoed in his ears, a frantic drum against the sudden, shocking realization.

"...Mei," he breathed, the name a raw whisper.

Just then, the audio suddenly kicked in, blaring in startling clarity as another customer, looking panicked, fumbled with the volume knob.

"...The individual codenamed 'Blind Star' has issued a demand for a man named Sil Lan. If not delivered, she claims the city will be destroyed. Civilian casualties already exceed—"

Sil didn't wait to hear the rest. He turned, his mind racing, and walked out of the store. The old man behind the counter, startled by the sudden increase in volume, was now staring directly at him as he reached the entrance. Just as Sil stepped out, the old man found his voice.

"You haven't pay y—!"

Sil didn't wait to hear what the old man was saying. He just ran.

"Joke!" Sil thought to himself, "I'm a guy who single-handedly made an entire multi-nation military base go offline. Someone like me still needs to pay for overpriced goods? Of course not!"

The old man immediately tried to chase him, stumbling over a cardboard box near the entrance and slipping.

"MOTHERFUCKER! You stop there!" the old man yelled, shaking his fist.

"Ain't no way, walking antique! I got no money!" Sil shouted back over his shoulder, laughing as he bolted.

Sil ran until he was out of breath, his legs burning. After sprinting around a corner, he managed to slip away from the old man's chase. He stopped, leaning against a grimy wall, catching his breath.

"It would be really funny if this somehow became my black history after I'm famous," he mused, a dry grin on his face. "Well, I already am, thanks to Mei, though they just don't know my handsome face yet."

"I guess I don't even need to sneak around to meet with Mei now," he thought, shaking his head. "If I show my face, these guys would be eager to send me directly to her, like offering sacrifices to some god." Sil cracked another dry joke to himself. Otherwise, he knew he couldn't calm down from the immense shock he just got.

He had never thought Mei would possess such terrifyingly powerful abilities. Just from the scene alone, even through the blurry screen, he could feel the overflowing, crushing pressure of her power. It was immense.

Sil waved for a taxi and quickly got inside. When he told the taxi driver that he wanted to go to Haidian District, the driver almost kicked him out. So, he had no choice but to tell him to go to a nearby area, as close as possible.

After that, surprisingly, Sil fell asleep. Yes, he fell asleep for real, leaning against the window of the moving taxi, exhausted by the day's events and the psychic strain. Sil wasn't worried that Mei would wipe out the city. He knew her. She wasn't that kind of person. Even the casualties caused by her power were something she didn't know about and had no control over. At least, that's how Sil believed it. Just like Mei believed in Sil, Sil also believed in Mei.

It took quite a while just to get near the general area. So many people had been fleeing from the Haidian District, trying to get away, so the roads were filled with cars and pedestrians, making traffic move painfully slow. Thanks to this, Sil managed to relax a bit, even in his half-asleep state.

"The pain from the eyes is killing me," he complained to himself, his eyes throbbing.

"It's like fire ants biting you every few seconds. The pain makes me want to give up worrying about everything and anything and just fall down and sleep forever."

Still, he slowly opened the car door and stepped out when they were as close as the driver would go. Pay? Ha! Not in this life!

So, the same scene repeated itself. The driver yelled "Thief!" and tried to chase him, and Sil ran until he was a distant blur.

His apartment building was just 700 meters away now. He could already see the "No Entry!" signs around it, the military cordon clearly visible.

"It's showtime, baby!" Sil grinned, a new surge of adrenaline masking the pain.

"LIGHTNING DOMAIN!" Sil activated his ability. Instantly, the dark clouds he'd summoned earlier completely overwhelmed the sky around him, a 100-meter radius centered on his position plunged into a swirling storm.

Sil flashed seven times in total, a series of instant jumps along the summoned lightning bolts, until he reached the very heart of the chaos, directly behind Mei. He didn't care about the news cameras, nor the massive number of military personnel arrayed in front of them. He just embraced Mei from behind.

"Miss me already? My princess?" he whispered, his voice soft, teasing, and full of relief.

Mei was stunned by the sudden embrace from behind. Her formidable power, which had automatically protected her from any threat, didn't react to this sudden, unexpected touch from behind.

"Sil… is that really you…?" Mei whispered quietly, still a bit confused, turning her head slightly.

Sil gently bit her ear, a familiar playful gesture, and then gave a soft, playful slap on her butt.

"I was just away for four days, and you already forgot your knight in white armor? You need to be punished, Mei," he teased, his voice still low.

Hot tears welled up and dropped from the corners of Mei's eyes. She gave little care to the slap and his teasing. She just turned around fully, held his face with her soft hands, and kissed him passionately.

Sil responded instantly, pulling her closer. Their tongues twisted together, and tears, now from Sil's own eyes, fell freely. Finally, a story seemed to find its happy ending.

The reporters filming, and the soldiers nearby, were utterly dumbfounded, blinded by the sudden, overwhelming display of affection the couple was showing.

"We're out here putting our lives on the line—dodging energy blasts, dodging death, dodging our wives' nagging—just to protect the city from that terrifying witch," one soldier probably thought, his jaw slack. "But then this random guy pops up like it's Sunday morning, looks her dead in the eyes, and casually talks like it's just another normal day for him?!"

And then that scary witch kissed him!

KISS!

At that moment, all the elite fighters nearby questioned their very existence.

'Who am I?' 'What am I fighting for?' 'Am I just a background character in their love story?'

Even the commander in front of the main forces paused for a second, a bewildered look on his face, like,

'Wait, should I come back later? I feel like no negotiation is needed anymore.'

Fucker! Stop flexing your relationship! We are preparing a heroic sacrifice here to protect the city, and the atmosphere is serious! F** you!*

Well, they were probably screaming that in their minds, but Sil paid no heed to them. He was too busy savoring the sweet taste of his lovely girlfriend's saliva.

After a good three minutes of straight kissing, they finally separated, breathless but with smile on the face.