"Sigh… No matter how many times I check, these are just textbook definitions for sleeplessness. Are you certain she's sleeping well, Mister Xuan?"
The town doctor, Mister Xue, spoke helplessly after thoroughly examining Marlene for the fourth time that week.
"Yes, Mister Xue. Are you sure it isn't some hidden illness? Could you please check again, just to be sure?"
Xuan Zhen's brow was furrowed with concern.
He had been visiting the town doctor every day with Xuan Mei.
For some unknown reason, she had been showing signs of illness ever since the day after her birth, and her parents were growing increasingly worried.
The doctor pondered for a few moments before replying.
"Mister Xuan, you should return home and let your little girl rest. In the meantime, I'll read up on any sicknesses that exhibit similar symptoms."
"…If you say so, Mister Xue."
Mister Xue had once studied medicine in the City of Wind. He had returned to his hometown only a few months ago to care for his aging parents.
He was well liked by the townspeople. The young appreciated his agreeable nature, while the elderly respected his filial piety.
As the only reputable doctor in town, Xuan Zhen had no choice but to trust his judgment.
After the father and daughter left, Mister Xue remained in his office, deep in thought.
'I've never seen anything like this. Sleep-deprived babies are usually easy to spot—fussiness, crying in the middle of the night, irritability… But he's saying Xuan Mei isn't showing any of those signs.'
'Interesting…'
Back at home, Xuan Zhen began preparing dinner after comforting his wife about their daughter's condition.
"Are you still refusing to tell me why you won't sleep at night, Marlene?"
Marlene heard her brother's voice in her head.
She wasn't actually having trouble sleeping. She was only pretending to sleep most nights and staying awake on purpose.
"It's a secret~ I'll tell you if you share your theory about the reason behind this telepathy of ours."
She replied playfully, looking at him from inside their shared crib.
Their parents hadn't expected twins, so they were placed together in a single crib. It wasn't an issue yet, since they were still small, but that would change soon enough.
After a moment of hesitation, Xuan Feng responded.
"…Fine. Take this as my attempt at building trust."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"I'm not certain of the details, but when you inhabited this body, you were aware of your surroundings, right?"
"Correct."
"Then I assume you've seen the chains around your heart?"
Marlene's heart skipped a beat.
She had been wondering about the mysterious chains for days now—and it seemed her enigmatic brother knew something about them.
"…Correct again. Care to explain?"
"I had a suspicion this was the case since I couldn't find the second chain around my heart."
He then followed up.
"That chain is actually a relic of the Soul Goddess, its original form used to be an earring, but it has the ability to change forms so I had made it a chain previously for convenience's sake. In fact, it's one of two relics."
"So the other one is with you, then?"
"Indeed. I'm assuming that since the two relics originate from the same source, they've allowed our souls to partially connect. Though I can't be certain, this is the first time something like this has happened."
"First time? Why?"
A look of realization flickered across baby Xuan Feng's face before he chuckled and replied.
"Right. I forgot you're new to this world. Now… where should I start…"
He fell silent for a few seconds, thinking carefully.
"I can't give you too many details about the Gods. If they're spoken about directly, they can become aware of it."
He continued, his tone slightly more cautious.
"What I can tell you is this. Each God possesses something called Lifeblood."
"This Lifeblood is the essence of their existence. If it were destroyed, the God would cease to exist—until another being ascended and took their mantle."
He paused, giving her time to absorb the information.
"Now, about relics. Relics are created by Gods using a portion of their Lifeblood. Each relic must contain exactly 50% of the God's total Lifeblood. Why that amount specifically? Only the Gods know. Even I don't."
"And 50% is also the minimum required for the Gods to maintain their own existence. So at most, each God can only create one relic."
A small smirk tugged at Xuan Feng's lips.
"Of course, the Soul Goddess is the exception. Her existence isn't tied to Lifeblood. Instead, she draws power from something called Soulblood."
"That's why she alone can create two relics, and that's likely the reason our souls are partially connected."
Marlene took a moment to digest all of this, mentally analyzing and calculating the implications.
Finally, she responded.
"I see."
Xuan Feng promptly reminded her:
"So, what about the reason you refuse to sleep?"
Marlene hesitated for just a moment—then smiled.
"It's because…"