“As expected of an S-rank freshman, he can remain calm and answer questions even when surrounded by public opinion,” someone whispered in Lu Mingfei’s ear.
No, first of all, I had already anticipated yesterday’s public opinion, and secondly, the only reason I can answer so calmly is because I’ve already memorized the answers.
Lu Mingfei retorted in his heart, his expression unchanged, ignoring the words of others.
He had a deep impression of the rule that one could not speak freely in the examination hall.
“I know that the Lionheart Society and the Student Union are both trying to win you over, but I still hope you can join our Freshman Association. We freshmen need a leader like Caesar or Chu Zihang!” The person continued to babble.
Lu Mingfei had already silently written down the seventh answer. He kept his mind taut, not daring to relax.
At the same time, he hoped that Professor Manstein would hurry up and make this student sit back down, or even kick him out, just to stop bothering him.
Perhaps sincerity truly worked, as Lu Mingfei didn't hear anyone disturb him again until he had finished silently writing the last answer.
He looked up and around.
The atmosphere in the classroom was bizarre.
Some people sat blankly, as if their entire families had just died;
Some people shuffled through the aisle, their eyes empty, as if they were Qu Yuan walking by the Miluo River or some other walking dead;
A girl jumped onto the podium and ceaselessly drew and wrote on the whiteboard, with broad, sweeping strokes, but she didn't realize the ink had long run out.
Lu Mingfei broke out in a cold sweat watching this. He understood that these people were experiencing a Rune, but he hadn't expected it to be so chaotic.
Only one person in the room seemed as normal as Lu Mingfei.
It was that ice-sculpture-like girl. Amidst the chaos, only she remained quiet, holding a fountain pen, silently sketching on the copy paper.
A boy sat in the seat behind the girl, looking at Lu Mingfei.
He was a well-behaved-looking boy, swinging his legs, wearing white square-toed leather shoes, a black suit, a white silk cravat, and a pair of light-colored Golden Eyes.
Lu Mingze?
Lu Mingfei was startled. Was this child also a hybrid? Why hadn't he seen him when he entered the examination hall? Was there something special about him?
Fingel said that hybrids all possessed a Rune. Lu Mingfei couldn't help but wonder if this child had some passive Rune that weakened his presence.
The boy slowly waved at Lu Mingfei, with a faint, angelic smile.
The afternoon sun shone behind him, casting a long shadow that stretched all the way to Lu Mingfei.
Lu Mingfei instinctively pushed his desk aside and walked towards Lu Mingze, finally taking Lu Mingze's hand.
“Brother, we meet again,” Lu Mingze said lightly, flipping onto the windowsill and sitting down, thoughtfully leaving a space for Lu Mingfei.
Lu Mingfei sat down beside him, puzzled.
Suddenly, he realized the window had opened at some point, and he had violated exam rules, yet no one had stopped him.
A flash of understanding appeared in Lu Mingfei's mind. So Lu Mingze wasn't a hybrid; this was his own Rune. He was currently deeply immersed in it.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Being able to produce a Rune meant he truly was a hybrid, and a huge weight was finally lifted from his heart, making him feel much more at ease.
He now had the presence of mind to observe Lu Mingze before him. Compared to the cube version, this version of Lu Mingze carried a childlike innocence that was somewhere between a boy and a girl.
Every movement was light and elegant, as if he had never stepped on dust since birth.
Lu Mingze leaned against the ivy-covered window frame, gazing into the distance, his Golden Eyes tinged with a soft, gentle reddish hue in the sunset.
“Are you really my younger brother?” After much thought, Lu Mingfei still asked the question that lingered in his mind.
Could it be that Mom and Dad had a new child, exceptionally gifted at such a young age, capable of resonating with his spirit through bloodline?
Lu Mingfei’s imagination ran wild. After all, when it came to hybrids, who could truly explain anything?
“Sunset, we finally meet,” Lu Mingze turned his head to look at Lu Mingfei.
Lu Mingfei was so startled he almost jumped. The cube Lu Mingze absolutely could not have known about this, but the child Lu Mingze before him seemed to know it perfectly.
He seemed to have been waiting for this moment for a long time.
As if destiny was anchored here, he knew you would surely come, so he waited for you, here, at this moment.
“I, Mingming, have never seen you, so why is my Rune, you?” Looking into Lu Mingze’s eyes, Lu Mingfei’s voice trembled, his heart uneasy.
A wave of sadness washed over his throat, spreading into the air amidst Lu Mingfei’s uneasy words.
“Brother, this time you summoned me,” Lu Mingze’s voice was gentle, slightly dispelling the sadness in the air, “I am honored that your Rune is me.”
“Why do I feel sad?” Lu Mingfei found it hard to believe. The moment he saw Lu Mingze, an uncontrollable emotion emerged.
“Because the deepest things in your heart, the things you care about most, are what make people sad,” Lu Mingze extended a finger and poked Lu Mingfei’s chest.
“Brother, I’m so glad to see you sad,” Lu Mingze leaned closer to Lu Mingfei, “It’s been many years, and I finally see sorrow in your eyes.”
He smiled faintly at Lu Mingfei, radiantly bright in the sunlight.
It was like someone seeing pear blossoms bloom after a night of snow.
Lu Mingfei couldn't feel his joy; he only felt that the smile was filled with empathetic sorrow.
Chaotic memories erupted in his mind.
The boy restrained by binding straps;
The boy fleeing in a sea of fire;
The boy laughing on a black snake;
The boy hanging on a cross...
“Have we met somewhere before?” he asked aloud.
Lu Mingze’s pupils suddenly constricted. He held Lu Mingfei’s face with both hands, his Golden Eyes slowly becoming vertical, staring directly at him.
The sun was setting. In the last light, two pairs of Golden Eyes stared indifferently at each other, four lines of tears falling, dripping onto the windowsill.
Lu Mingfei felt his heart suddenly squeezed by a hand.
At this moment, he felt the surging sadness on that child, like a gushing, icy current, about to engulf him.
To bury him, along with himself, beneath the glacier of sorrow.
The boy’s sadness was intense, fierce, and domineering, inspiring awe.
“You’ve changed, Brother,” Lu Mingze reached out and wiped away the tear stains on Lu Mingfei’s cheeks, “The World Tree has grown new branches.”
For a moment, it was as if lightning flashed through Lu Mingfei’s brain, a terrifyingly clear image flickering.
He had indeed seen this boy.
On a cold, stormy night, on a cold stone flowerbed, raindrops falling from the leaves above their heads, he and that boy, his younger brother, sat in the darkness, embracing tightly.
“Little Brother!”
Lu Mingfei cried out, embracing forward with force, as if to melt the sadness frozen like a glacier.
But Lu Mingze had already left the windowsill.
The surrounding scene had completely changed.
He was still sitting in a seat, but in the distance were obelisk tops pointing to the sky like spears. Lu Mingze stood there, with a giant setting sun behind him, waving goodbye, his beautiful face devoid of any expression.
Lu Mingfei wanted to grab that hand, so he suddenly stood up.
From the cold bronze throne.