Whispers of the Blind

***

Lin Yi froze under Yun Guo's touch, her heart aching as his fingers brushed against her cheek. His expression was one of confusion, his brows furrowing as if he was trying to piece together a puzzle just out of reach.

"Who are you?" Yun asked again, his voice softer now, almost pleading. "Why does your presence feel so familiar?"

Tears welled in Lin Yi's eyes. She opened her mouth, willing words to come, but no sound escaped. The price she had paid—her voice—had stolen this moment from her. The one thing she wanted most was to tell Yun who she was, but she couldn't.

Her hand trembled as she stepped back, pulling away from his touch.

"Wait," Yun said, sensing her retreat. "Don't go."

But Lin Yi couldn't stay. She turned and ran, her bare feet crunching against the forest floor as she fled. Her tears blurred her vision, and her chest tightened with frustration and grief.

As she ran, something slipped from her wrist—a small, delicate bead from the bracelet Yun Guo had given her years ago. The bracelet had been a simple gift, a token of their friendship. She'd never taken it off, not even in this strange new world.

The bead bounced once on the ground before coming to rest in the soft grass.

Yun Guo heard it fall, the faint sound sharp in the quiet forest. He turned his head toward it, his senses heightened.

"What was that?" he murmured, kneeling down and feeling along the ground. His fingers brushed against the bead—a smooth, round object that sent a rush of familiarity through him.

It can't be…

His hand closed around the bead, and his mind flooded with a memory:

Flashback:The bracelet

Years ago, Yun Guo and Lin Yi sat on a park bench beneath a cherry blossom tree. It was spring, and petals floated down like snowflakes, covering the ground in soft pink.

Lin Yi had been complaining about a rough day at work, and Yun, ever the optimist, had pulled a small bracelet from his pocket.

"It's nothing fancy," he said with a sheepish grin. "Just something I saw at the market. Thought it might cheer you up."

Lin Yi had laughed, the sound bright and warm. "A bracelet? Really? You think this will solve all my problems?"

"It won't solve anything," Yun admitted, fastening it around her wrist. "But maybe it'll remind you that you're not alone. No matter what happens, I'm here, okay?"

Lin Yi had looked at him then, her laughter fading into something softer, more vulnerable. She'd wanted to tell him how much those words meant to her, how much he meant to her, but she hadn't.

"Thanks, Yun," she'd said instead, smiling at him.

Back in the Present...

Yun Guo clutched the bead tightly, his chest tightening. He knew this bead. He remembered the bracelet.

"Lin Yi…" he whispered, his voice trembling.

The realization hit him like a thunderbolt. The presence he had felt, the hand that had touched his arm—it wasn't a stranger. It was her.

He shot to his feet, his heart pounding. "Lin Yi!" he called, his voice echoing through the forest. "Come back!"

But the only answer was the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Lin Yi stopped running only when she reached the edge of the forest, her breaths coming in ragged gasps. She leaned against a tree, clutching her bracelet, now missing a bead.

She had heard him call her name, his voice raw with emotion, and it had nearly stopped her in her tracks. But fear and regret pushed her forward.

How could she face him without her voice? How could she explain why she was here, why she had followed him, why she had never told him how she felt?

Tears streamed down her face as she looked back toward the forest. "I'm sorry, Yun," she thought, the words trapped in her mind. "I'm not ready yet."

The Next Morning

Yun Guo didn't sleep that night. He sat by the stream, the bead in his hand, turning it over and over as he replayed the moment in his mind.

He knew now that the woman had been Lin Yi. He couldn't explain how or why she was here, but he was certain it was her.

"I thought I was alone in this world," he murmured. "But you're here too… aren't you?"

The thought gave him both comfort and unease. If Lin Yi was in this world, then she must have paid a price to get here—just like he had.

"Why did you run?" he whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of the stream. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He didn't have the answers yet, but he made a silent vow: the next time he saw her, he wouldn't let her slip away.

***