The Black Gate

Midnight. Pouring rain.

Footsteps drew closer to the bed, one step at a time. The person lying there kept their eyes shut, pretending to sleep, jaw clenched, fingers gripping and wrinkling the bedsheet beneath the covers.

The footsteps stopped right beside the bed. A pale, bluish hand reached toward it.

"Ring, ring!"

A phone suddenly rang. Duan Liu abruptly sat up, gasping as he raised his hands defensively. The dim bedroom was empty beside the bed.

Once he'd caught his breath, he checked his phone. The number on the newly arrived text was a jumble of symbols. The message contained just three words: Look outside.

A strange chill prickled Duan Liu's scalp. Hesitantly, he walked to the window and yanked open the curtains.

His breath caught. He saw it, pressed against the outside of the window... a black door.

In the world behind the black door, Duan Liu had a young, adorable little brother. Turned into a ten-year-old child, he had to deal with his murderous adoptive father while fighting with all his might to protect his even younger brother. The two depended on and protected each other, but in the end, they still met a devastating fate.

After that, Duan Liu suffered night after night of insomnia, unable to sleep.

It wasn't until the next mission world, when Duan Liu met a tall, older man in a wheelchair, that he was finally able to sleep.

But his little brother's face kept appearing in his dreams: delicate, beautiful, pale, rigid.

With empty, lovely eyes, he spoke softly in a child's voice: "Big brother, you or me. You choose who dies."

When Duan Liu learned that Bi Bonian was his little brother, he was so grateful to the heavens that he took care of him meticulously, wanting to give him the very best of everything he had.

On missions, the other participants had gotten used to seeing their powerful teammate look after the other, even more mysterious and powerful partner, who couldn't walk, as if he were a child.

Someone teased him, "Why are you so good to him? Are you two secretly dating? Is he your boyfriend?"

Duan Liu snapped, "Get lost! Bi Bonian isn't my boyfriend. We have a purely familial relationship!"

Bi Bonian glanced at him and murmured, "Mm."

Reading note:

An older, beautiful, powerful top (uses a wheelchair for part of the story) x A frail, youthful, pretty bottom (healthy, strong, and incredibly powerful for part of the story)

The top and bottom are not blood-related and are not registered in the same household. The top is seven years older than the bottom.

An infinite-world story with horror and supernatural elements. Not a power fantasy; the romance is the main focus.

Theme: Leave the past behind, rediscover yourself, and embrace a new life.