Building a base was no small feat.

  It would take them longer than just the several months leading up to winter.

  The new Lián base would not be without plenty of hands to help, though.

  City C’s base had lost half its power users and a quarter of its population the day the infected invaded. They left the base in droves, going to live at a base that was yet to be founded but provided more hope than they had since the apocalypse had begun.

  Grandfather Lián Liwei welcomed them with open arms; the infected, the power users, and the normal folk.

  In the end, there were over a hundred new residents of the Lián estate.

  At first, the infected were housed in the back courtyard; they didn’t seem to wish to sleep as the unaffected did, happy it seemed to soak in the nature.

  The uninfected were still wary of them, but it wasn’t until they saw Huáng Mùchén and Huáng Měi Lán join Lián Xīng in speaking with the infected that they started to warm more to the idea of living in close quarters with those they once feared.

  It started with the leader of the infected approaching Lián Xīng.

  “See…young others.” He spoke almost eagerly, a quiet sadness in the tones.

  “I’ll ask if they want to meet you.”

  Only for little Huáng Měi Lán to come out into the courtyard and wave at the infected man, “Hello, mister.” She cocked her head to the side as he looked down at her, his glowing amber eyes widening at seeing her so up close.

  “This is Huáng Měi Lán, my niece.”

  If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  The man raised his hand slowly and went to place it on the girl’s fluffy hair, petting her gently as she giggled.

  Huáng Měi Lán went to grab the hand that was petting her head, and pulled him. “Come, I’ll show you our golden fishies. They look like your eyes.”

  It would be the first of many times that Huáng Měi Lán would spend time out in the courtyard with the leader of the infected. Soon, Huáng Mùchén would join her, showing off his animals to the man and the other infected who began to gather around the children.

  Seeing how gentle the infected were around the children made the others feel more comfortable around them.

  It took Lián Xīng the three months leading up to winter to heal all the infected gathered at the estate. The last one that needed to be healed was their leader.

  Lián Xīng came upon him, soaking in the starlight after a long day and approached him carefully. Her voice came out softly, “I’ve healed the last of the infected here.”

  He tilted his dark head down to her, his eyes glowing in the low light.

  Lián Xīng offered her hand to him, “Will you let me heal you at last?”

  He placed his long-fingered hand, dark with the infection, in her hand. He looked down at her, his gaze cloudy with thoughts she could not imagine.

  “Yes.”

  She stared up into his glowing eyes and smiled.

  She wondered who the man once was before he became a commander and leader.

  Who was beneath those amber eyes?

  She closed her eyes and sought out his light, marveling at how bright it shone in the dark expanse of her mind.

  She reached out with her white gold light, unknowing that as she touched his bright amber, she glowed beneath the starlight. Golden eyes were transfixed upon her as she sparkled like starlight.

  His hand tightened around hers, pulling her closer.

  “Lián… Xīng.”

  She opened her eyes and looked up into amber eyes that slowly turned into deep dark amber, as the galaxy-like infection seeped away from the man’s sharp features and as a smile came upon his lips as the rest of the infection that made his arms dark like the night’s sky faded away.

  “Hello again.”

  A warm chuckle came from the man.

  “Hello.”

  He dropped her hands, and Lián Xīng couldn’t help but feel disappointed, but that was quickly forgotten as he took out a wrinkled photograph from his pocket.

  She looked down at the photograph of two very recognizable children.

  “My name is Huáng Hàoyú, and these are my children.”

  SEASON 1 END