TLS BACKSTORIES.

Wèi's backstory.

On an ordinary day, a bug was brought into a world of corruption, born into the country of China. The bug opened his eyes to a rainy day. He shivered and the droplets fell. Walking along the bare streets devoid of life, he moved across the columns of houses that were laid out in a row like a group of pansies. He soon found a house hospitable looking. Shaking from the cold, he gently knocked on the door. Very soon, a young girl opened his door. She loomed over him, her height tall, her body slim. She didn't see anything at first, but then she saw the bug, all helpless. Horrified by the state of him, the girl took him inside and immediately rushed up the stairs and into the bathroom. The bug was brought into a sink filled with water.
"Are you okay?" the girl asked, "My name's Arii, raised into a Chinese Korean family. Do you have a name, little one?"
"No.." the bug replied. He was surprised by Arii's gesture of kindness.
"Do you know what? I'll name you Wèi. You look fierce to have survived the freezing! To guard!" Arii cried.
Arii laid a towel on her bed with Wèi wrapped up inside it. "Wait here, don't move a wing."
Arii hurried downstairs and into their father's garage.
Her father was squeamish with bugs and did anything in his heart to get rid of any sentient insects in his house. Arii had to be careful, because if he caught Wèi she'd be in serious trouble. She found a cage and dashed valiantly upstairs. "Wèi!" she exclaimed. "I found a home of your own."
Wèi just sat there. And did nothing.
"You okay Wèi?"
She saw there was lightning on Wèi's antennae. He was trying to stay warm. But he went anyway.
"I must warn you of something." Arii said. "My father is squeamish with bugs and if he catches you... he'll get rid of you... understand?"
"Understood..." Wèi replied.
Arii noticed he looked upset. But then, a light bulb lit up in her head. She had an idea.
"Okay, how about I give you lessons of Mandarin? That might cheer you up."
Wèi's face instantly lit up with the light bulb she had. "YES PLEASE!" he exclaimed.
Every day now, Arii would teach Wèi Mandarin. He soon knew by now everything of the language, in both Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. He beamed a grin, and Arii did the same. "I'm proud of you." she said.
Wèi spent a long time thriving in his cage, but soon he got really bored. He didn't want to be cooped up in there all day. He wanted to explore, to be out in the open world, and find the inner beauty of China. He tried to figure out when to escape but couldn't. It was risky, but he would try.
Soon it was a dull September morning, and Arii had to go to school. "Be careful!" she called out and left. Boom.
Wèi knew this was the best time to escape. Keeping out of the way of Arii's father was vital though. It would be consequential.

Wèi used his rollerblades and zoomed down the railings and felt amazed. This house was not just a house, a mansion! He looked around and got too comfortable and distracted. Every room looked like a luxury in his eyes. Arii deserves this, he thought. He knew how kind Arii was and hesitated for a moment. He'd miss her. He rummaged through the boxes in the storage room and played with them.
His heart soon churned in horror. Something was up.
This would be his worst moments of his life.
Arii's father came in, causing Wèi to stare at in. Arii's father changed mood quickly, instinctively and became angry.
"YOU! OUT OF THE HOUSE!" he bellowed. He held Wèi, who was struggling now.
"LET ME GO!" Wèi flashed. Arii's father threw him out of the window! The glass block simply cracked, injuring Wèi, and leaving him in excruciating agony, paralyzed. Wèi screamed, the blood dripping off his face. Glass shards flew into every direction. Wèi fell into the pockets of the impenetrable blackness, falling into unconsciousness. Arii's father was narcissistic about himself, praising himself even. "At least that idiot won't hurt my dear child." Good.

Wèi fell headlong into the wastepaper bin, only to stumble into a dumpster truck.

Wèi finally opened his eyes to the open world again after being unconscious and found himself in a dumpsite. The smell of rubbish filled his nose. Disgusting.
"A-Arii?" Wèi called out. No reply.
He knew this was HIS fault. He knew that this was consequential for what HE'D done, being careless and escaping at the WORST time. He could've asked Arii if he could adventure into the open. But no. I was being an idiot, he thought.
Then the memories came flooding back before him. How she cared so much for him, like her own child. And now, he had just left the only person with a kind heart that he ever knew.
Wèi sunk his shoulders and let out a cry of pain, of despondency. He knew only of hostility and unwelcomeness.
"Well... I must've been a burden for Arii to look after... This was my fault." he said. He wiped his tears. Wèi, calm down, he thought. Remember, your name is to guard. To become stronger. Don't give in to sadness. Run away.
Wèi got up and whizzed down the impenetrable darkness of the alley. Billowed blankets of pearly tendrils blanketed the star-struck sky, as an envelope sealing the substratosphere of the overtone semblance; diaphanous nebulae- a residue blocking the greyish, circular enigma of a white aura- the moon. The celestial planet shone like a coin of sliver as it silvered the turf of the cloudy territory that had built up in its velvet eternity of mist; giving a glare of sinister awakening to gaze upon the unfortunate souls of the dead; to perish to the underworld. He dithered with the sight of this peculiar feeling. People gave him weird looks, and gazed upon him, making him uncomfortable. Then the rain came back, so he decided to stay in another alley. It was numbing in there, but he would fight for his life. Arii would find him here. She had to know he was missing, right?
But her mansion was big. Maybe she'd search in there, and it would take even longer!
He waited many days, and Arii never arrived. He sobbed. "I wish I was dead." he muttered under his breath. His face was covered in scars, his body bruised, his legs numb. Shards were present. He didn't care though.

Every day he wandered the empty columns along China, and realised that this country didn’t have a good impression of itself in terms of reputation and politics. He trodded along, slowly dying, day and night, and was always on an empty stomach. He cried out everyday in hopes of somebody finding him. He was in so much agony and distress, and his mental health gradually accumulated itself- a raincloud gradually contributing into a thunderstorm. This cloud rained on him every day. For 4 years he walked and walked and walked.
He was a brave warrior, escaping for his life, having endured so much as a young child. One day he found a drain near a house and decided to sit next to it. Tiny waterfalls dropped from his eyes into the drain water. How unfortunate was he?
“Maybe... No-one will find me...” he cried. He wept bitterly with his head cupped into his hands.
That one moment was marked when a bright spark shot up and lit the way for Wèi. A saviour.
A bug in the back flew into the same alley as he was in. They sniffed the damp bins in there, then Wèi was soon their centre of attention. They flew towards him. The anonymous bug introduced themself.
"You poor thing... Don't worry, you're in my care now."
Wèi got defensive, clenching his hands in a fist. He was filled with hatred, for nobody had helped him for 4 years.  "Who ARE YOU?" Wèi shouted.
"I'm Lingo. I will look after you and give you a home where no one will attack you." Lingo replied.
Lingo sang a song. Wèi could feel himself drifting into a deep slumber and out of the outside world. He closed his eyes.