Deviant: No Longer Human

"Are you... alright?" The tiny, innocent voice from his arms tugged at the edges of his concentration.

Zhenxi, nestled closely against him, peered up with eyes clouded with concern, her small brow furrowed as she witnessed Wang Xiao's sudden change.

Gently, Wang Xiao reclined against a sturdy pillar beneath the bridge, the rough concrete a clear opposite to the softness of the creature in his care.

Carefully setting Zhenxi down, he cradled her face in his hands, his touch as gentle as falling petals, yet imbued with a potent healing warmth.

"??" At first, Zhenxi blinked in puzzlement, uncomprehending the magic at play.

But as the warmth seeped deeper, her expression blossomed into one of relief and wonder.

The angry red marks that had marred her delicate features began to fade under the soothing influence of Wang Xiao's powers.

The burns dissolved into nothingness, leaving her skin as pristine and luminous as a jade sculpture bathed in moonlight.

The transformation was not just physical. As the scars of her ordeal disappeared, so too did the shadows of pain and fear that had lingered in her eyes.

Now, looking up at Wang Xiao, her gaze held a new light, one of deep gratitude and trust.

Her tiny hands reached up, tentatively touching the air near his face, as if to confirm the reality of her guardian — her savior in this unexpected chapter of her life.

"Don't move on your own, got it? I just need to take a nap for a few minutes here," Wang Xiao instructed, his voice steady despite the strange blurring of his form, which flickered left and right as if caught in a dimensional lag.

"...mhm~" Zhenxi, though hesitant, nodded in understanding. Carefully, Wang Xiao reached over his shoulders and lifted the two dragon cubs, placing them gently into her waiting hands.

"Keep them," he said softly.

""Squee!"" The dragon cubs spoke their mild protest, turning their heads to look at Wang Xiao with a hint of indignation.

It seemed they too wished to stay by his side.

However, Wang Xiao, ignoring their small rebuke, closed his eyes, and his body stilled, entering a state of rest necessary to stabilize his flickering presence.

"Gasp!" Zhenxi gasped softly, surprised by the sudden stillness of her protector.

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and then tightened her grip on the dragon cubs, drawing them closer into her embrace.

Although she could not see them, she felt their soft scales under her fingertips, surprisingly smooth and not at all prickly as she might have expected.

"Squee! Squee!" The cubs continued to express their mild discontent, wriggling slightly in her grasp.

Zhenxi, misinterpreting their sounds as playful affection, couldn't help but smile.

The warmth of their small bodies and the softness of their scales brought a comforting presence to her side.

Looking down, she imagined their tiny forms, just slightly larger than her little fists, and their big, bright eyes filled with life and curiosity.

In this quiet moment under the bridge, with the cool air swirling around them and the soft murmur of the river nearby, Zhenxi felt a fleeting sense of peace.

Under the quiet shade of the bridge, Zhenxi clutched the dragon cubs to her chest, their tiny bodies a source of warmth and comfort.

Her delicate eyelashes fluttered like the wings of a butterfly as she endured the slow passage of time.

Minutes stretched into what seemed like hours, the soft whisper of the river nearby the only sound amplifying the sound.

"Yawn~~"

Fatigue began to weave its gentle spell over her, pulling her eyelids heavier with each passing moment.

She glanced back at Wang Xiao, who remained as motionless as a statue.

With the innocence of a child seeking comfort, she adjusted his hands to cradle her more securely and nestled closer.

"Squee!"

The dragon cubs chirped, their soft sounds blending into the muted ambiance of their hidden refuge.

As sleep finally overcame her, Zhenxi laid her head against Wang Xiao's chest, finding an unlikely comfort in his unmoving form.

There, in the cool embrace of the underbridge, her small body relaxed fully against him.

His chest provided no heartbeat, no rise and fall of breath—just the cold, unnerving stillness of a figure seemingly carved from stone.

Her vision blurred, and soon, sleep enveloped her, drawing her into its peaceful depths.

Her head rested lightly against him, her breaths slow and even, in stark contrast to the absolute stillness of the figure she leaned upon.

At this moment, Wang Xiao was devoid of all signs of life, presenting the eerie semblance of a corpse preserved in time.

11 July, 8:00 am!

The Magic City!

What was intended to be a brief nap had stretched into hours.

As the early morning light filtered through the city, stirring the daily bustle of life, a distinct groan echoed under the bridge.

"Groan~~"

Wang Xiao's body, which had lain motionless throughout the night, finally began to stir. He pressed a hand to his head, a frown creasing his forehead as he awakened from his enforced rest. His eyes fluttered open, the celestial light within them shining anew, reflecting a depth of ancient wisdom and timeless power.

"This girl really didn't take me seriously at all..." he murmured with a bitter smile. As he sat up, he scanned his surroundings—quiet, with no one nearby, just the shadow of the bridge providing a cool refuge from the bright sun shining just outside.

He wasn't surprised to find that Zhenxi was no longer beside him.

In fact, his expression held a knowing calm, as if he had anticipated her departure.

With the grace of one accustomed to solitary journeys, he stepped out from the shelter of the bridge and climbed the slope of lush green grass that led to the concrete road above.

As he ascended, each step was measured and sure, betraying an awareness that seemed to extend beyond his immediate senses.

It was as though he knew each and every event that had transpired while he had been immobilized, every leaf that had turned in his absence, and every breath the city had taken.

_____

As the morning sun cast its golden veil over the bustling street, a quaint scene appeared by the roadside.

An elderly ice cream vendor, whose gentle demeanor echoed that of a sage from ancient stories, paused his cart laden with sweet treasures.

Before him stood Zhenxi, a small figure holding an ice cream cone in each hand.

The sunlight filtered through the leaves above, dappling Zhenxi's face with patterns of light and shadow. It illuminated her like a celestial being, highlighting her pure, unguarded excitement over the simple joys of vanilla and chocolate swirls.

"Eat one quickly before both are melted," the vendor advised with a chuckle.

Zhenxi, her eyes wide with the serious business of choosing her first taste, finally decided. "Vanilla first," she declared with the solemnity of a sage deciding matters of state, then paused, her expression thoughtful.

"Or maybe chocolate?" Her small face was a canvas of innocent indecision.