Most students at Sunlight Rage Academy knew two things about Xie Luan:
He was the quietest in their year.
He was also the most terrifying.
No one knew his real past.
Not even Jin.
Nine Years Ago – Hanxian Hollow
In the cold underground city where rain never reached, Xie Luan was born to a noble mother—a mistress cast away in shame.
He was never given a proper name.
Only a number: Unit Eleven.
A tool in the hands of the Silent Garden, the deadliest assassin organization beneath the capital.
But unlike the others, Xie didn't like killing.
He liked sewing.
He'd secretly stitch intricate flower patterns into the hem of his training robes—cherry blossoms, peonies, and lotuses. Each thread was a wish.
A life he couldn't have.
The master caught him once.
> "Flowers are for the weak. Boys like you are weapons."
They beat him, but he didn't cry.
He stitched anyway—this time, under the collar where no one would see.
At 10 years old, he was sent to execute a rebel scholar and his daughter.
But the daughter gave him a peach and asked, "Do you ever wish to be saved?"
Xie Luan couldn't swing the blade.
That night, he fled the Silent Garden.
Six Years Ago – The Academy Gates
Bleeding, frostbitten, hunted, Xie collapsed at the entrance of Sunlight Rage Academy.
The guards mocked him, until one girl stepped forward.
Shen Yooha.
She saw the weapon in his eyes.
The kind she once was.
> "Take him in," she told the guards. "Or deal with me."
They obeyed.
From that day, Xie Luan and Yooha shared a silent bond
They'd sit together without words, side by side, like shadows born of the same night.
She once stitched a lotus on his sleeve.
He never told her, but it made him cry.
Present Day – Garden Corner
Bo Lang plopped beside him with a loud yawn. "Bro! You never smile. You gonna die from seriousness before the next test."
Xie glanced at him, emotionless. "You're loud."
"Thanks. I try."
Bo paused. "Hey… if things went down, and you had to pick between saving Yooha or Jin… who'd you save?"
Xie answered without blinking:
> "Both. I don't lose what I treasure."
End of episode 4( continue)