Prologue
Ever since he was young, he would often see that tree in his dreams. He didn’t know how large nor how tall it was. He wondered just how many years it had lived, as its bark was so thick and its leaves so dense they even covered the sky.
Under this tree, he would always feel especially at ease and warm, as if… he was next to his mother.
However, this dream was different from the rest.
The tree was blooming.
Snow white flowers bloomed, flourishing and brilliant, as if fallen snow were covering the entire tree.
Then, those flowers slowly turned pink. Its redness grew darker and darker, eventually turning crimson, akin to the colour of blood.
A breeze blew. The flowers scattered into the air, dancing and fluttering about, as if a fresh red blizzard had fallen.
Xiaodong suddenly opened his eyes, startled awake in cold sweat.