Eli, come home early.
Eli, don’t wander too far.
Aiden, go keep the young master company.
Aiden, don’t you dare leave Eli’s side, not even for a second! Got it?
Old Man Sai’s words always echo in my ears. I know I’m a kid with crippled legs—I can’t push my chair very far, because Grandpa will worry.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve lived at the bottom of this valley. I’ve never seen the outside world, but at least I have company—his name is Aiden.
Grandpa picked Aiden up on one of his trips outside. Back then, Aiden was filthy and abandoned, and Grandpa, feeling sorry for him—and thinking I needed a friend—brought him home.
Aiden loves the outside world. He’s always pestering Grandpa to buy him picture-story books, and Grandpa tells him to take good care of me—so every time, Aiden gets what he wants.
Me? I’ve read a few picture-story books too when I’m bored, but I never realized the world out there could be so wonderful.
Sometimes I wonder—am I stuck in this valley for life? Am I just going to guard the Imperial Mausoleum forever?
I don’t know, and honestly, I don’t want to know.
‘Craa—’ Suddenly, a pure white crane chick swooped down from the sky and landed right in front of me.
Her name is Little White. She came from the crack in the cliff behind our valley. Back then she was tiny, calling out for days, but her parents never came.
I figured something must’ve happened to her parents. The longer I listened, the weaker her cries sounded. I couldn’t sit still—I wanted to save her, but I couldn’t stand for long.
Still, I thought, if I could just stand up for a moment, maybe I could rescue her. So, for the first time ever, I went against Old Man Sai’s orders—grabbed a bamboo pole, braced myself on my chair, and struggled to my feet. Inch by inch, I stretched the net at the end of the pole toward that snowy little fluffball.
It hurt—a lot. Sweat kept dripping down my face, but I didn’t give up. I just wanted her to live. I don’t know why, I just did. Really, really did.
When I finally caught her, she panicked and tumbled right into my net. The next thing I knew, my whole body pitched toward the gorge below. I thought, well, guess I’m dead now.
But I survived. Yep—Grandpa showed up, saved me, and saved Little White too.
Aiden, meanwhile, had run off somewhere and got locked indoors for three days as punishment for not keeping an eye on me. I felt guilty, but with Grandpa that mad, all I could do was give in.
I begged Grandpa to help Little White, but he was furious. Not only did he refuse, he threatened to turn her into crane soup.
I knew Grandpa was mad. I promised him I’d never do anything like that again. I was just lonely—I wanted Little White to keep me company.
Grandpa stared at me for a long time, then finally gave in. He said I couldn’t wander far from home. As long as he didn’t lock me indoors, I was grateful.
So that’s how Little White and I became friends. What I never expected was that one day, I’d actually get to ride her and fly.
Days passed like that—Aiden and Little White always by my side. But I was still lonely. Grandpa spent all his free time fussing over herbs, hoping to fix my legs. But is that even possible?
Aiden’s younger than me, super lively. He’d always say, ‘Young master, you’re just like the handsome heroes in those picture-story books!’
I just smiled. Handsome hero? That’s for normal people. I’m just a cripple.
Aiden would often frown and say, ‘Young master, why don’t you like talking? Your voice is really nice—way nicer than...’ He’d think for a second, then point at the sky. ‘Way nicer than Little White’s!’
I’d just smile, not answering. I didn’t know what to say. I just didn’t like talking. More and more, I just didn’t.
I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Sometimes I go three days without saying a word. Not because I’m sad—just because I honestly don’t know what to say.
Some days I wonder—am I going to lose my ability to speak altogether?
‘Craa—’ Little White flapped her wings and called out to the sky. I knew she wanted me to come to the cliff.
Whenever I had nothing else to do, I’d ride Little White and fly around the valley. She loved that cliff by the edge—there were tons of red fruits there. I never knew their name, but Little White loved them, and I liked it too. It was quiet, and you could see the waterfall. It always cheered me up.
That day, I was lying on the stone slab on the cliff, eyes closed, soaking in the warm sunlight.
Little White was still happily munching on red fruit. Suddenly, she let out a terrified screech.
I snapped my eyes open—stunned. Someone was falling from above!
I yelled for Little White to catch her. Later, I found out it was a girl—a knife stuck deep in her left chest, the wound looked terrible. I had no idea if she’d survive, but I just wanted to save her.
Maybe it was the same as saving Little White.
Maybe she was just meant to live—Old Man Sai happened to come back right then, so she got treated.
Grandpa said her heart was lucky—it grew on the right side. If not, even a god couldn’t have saved her. I didn’t say anything, just thought: she really wasn’t meant to die.
Soon, she woke up. She couldn’t remember anything, but she was as cheerful as a little bird, always fluttering around me. For the first time, I laughed. She had some kind of magic—she could make me smile, just by being herself.
Aiden really didn’t like her—he was always arguing and nitpicking, but she acted like she couldn’t hear him, doing whatever she wanted.
That kind of personality—I admired it, even envied it. No need to worry about anything; just do whatever you want.
As I spent more time with her, I started talking more and more. I loved watching her.
One day, I invited her to watch the sunrise with me. I didn’t expect her to cry—it was the first time she’d cried since coming here.
I asked, “Do you really not remember?”
She said, “No, I don’t remember. But my heart really hurts.”
[End of chapter. Click next page for more!]
I don’t know why, but I blurted out, “I’ll help you.”
She was stunned.
I was stunned too. I had no idea why I wanted to help her.
So, together, we entered the Imperial Mausoleum—Grandpa had always forbidden it. I knew it was dangerous, but there was medicine inside that could heal her. I thought, if she could get her memories back, her life wouldn’t be incomplete.
No one expected so much to happen in the mausoleum. Each event shook me to my core.
She was brave, she was strong, and she had a kind of power I couldn’t even describe.
But nothing compared to what I saw in the monster cave. That moment was destined to change me—to make me give her my whole heart.
When I fell into the cave, I landed on a ledge. I woke up from unconsciousness and saw her below—covered in blood, sobbing her heart out. Suddenly, I felt a pain so sharp it tore through me. It was something I’d never felt before: shock, compassion, and maybe even joy.
I closed my eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and spoke softly—my voice warm, like the ocean: “Your arrival gave me hope to live again.”
“White Crane…” She looked at me, took a deep breath, and said, “You always asked why I wanted to take you out of the valley, right?”
“Huh?”
“Because I like you. I liked you the very first time I saw you. That’s why I want to take you out of the valley—to travel the world with you.”
“Okay!” I nodded without thinking.