Pov Author
Anna folded her arms so tightly it looked like she was trying to hold herself together. Her brows pulled down, eyes sharp, voice sharper.
"How did this even happen?" she demanded.
"How did Shou Feng forget me? How did everyone forget me? And you—"
She pointed at Renji like accusing a criminal in court.
"—you remember. Why?"
Renji, who was lounging like a retired king with absolutely no responsibilities, popped another grape into his mouth. He chewed slowly. Very slowly. Suspiciously slowly.
"Timing," he said casually.
Anna blinked. "Timing?"
"Mhm." Another grape. "Terrible timing. Catastrophic timing. Honestly, if time had a personality, I would punch it."
Anna stared at him. "That is not an explanation."
"It is," he said, raising a finger. "A poetic one."
"I don't want poetry, Renji. I want answers!"
He sighed dramatically, as if her existence itself was exhausting him.
"Fine. Since you insist on ruining my peaceful grape-eating session."
He shifted, sat up slightly straighter, and gestured vaguely in the air.
"The story got messed up."
"What story?"
"Our story. Your story. His story. Everyone's story."
He popped another grape into his mouth.
"You time-traveled, remember? You changed things. And now there's a version of you that doesn't belong here, walking around like an uninvited guest who refuses to leave."
Anna's eye twitched. "I am not an uninvited guest."
"You are exactly that," he said, pointing a grape at her.
"An anomaly. A glitch. A walking, talking mistake in the fabric of time."
"Wow. Thank you. That makes me feel so much better."
"You're welcome."
She took a deep breath. "Explain properly."
Renji leaned back again.
"When you mess with time, time messes with you. You changed events. You interfered. Now the timeline doesn't know what to do with you."
He shrugged.
"So it did the easiest thing. It erased you."
Anna's stomach dropped, but her voice stayed firm. "Then why do you remember?"
Renji smirked. "Because I'm special."
She grabbed a nearby cushion and threw it at his face.
He caught it without effort.
"Violence. Very mature."
"Renji!"
"Fine," he groaned. "I remember because I exist slightly… outside of the rules. Let's just say I don't follow the same script as everyone else."
"That's not comforting."
"It's not supposed to be."
Anna paced, frustration building with every step.
"So what do I do?"
"Nothing."
She stopped. "Nothing?"
"There is nothing you can do."
Anna stared at him like she was deciding whether murder was a reasonable option.
"I can't just do nothing," she said, her voice rising.
"I'm not going to let that—"
She stopped herself, then continued with full force—
"—that bitch marry Shou Feng!"
Renji raised a brow, unimpressed.
"And what exactly are you going to do about it?"
Anna opened her mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
Nothing came out.
Renji popped another grape into his mouth and nodded thoughtfully.
"Ah. I see. A solid plan. Very detailed. Very effective."
Anna glared at him. "You're not helping."
"I am helping," he said. "I'm showing you the reality. Which you are currently losing a fight against."
She threw another cushion.
He caught that one too.
"You're going to run out of cushions before you run out of problems."
Anna groaned and dragged her hands down her face.
"This is insane. This is actually insane."
"Yes," Renji agreed calmly. "Welcome to your life."
She started pacing again.
"There has to be a way. There has to be something. Some spell, some proof, something—"
"Proof?" Renji laughed.
"Proof of what? That you used to exist? Good luck with that. Everyone's memories have already rewritten themselves."
He tilted his head.
"To them, you are a stranger. A very angry, dramatic stranger."
Anna stopped and pointed at him.
"You are enjoying this way too much."
"I am," he admitted. "It's entertaining. You, pacing like a caged animal. Me, eating grapes. It's a good scene."
She looked around for something else to throw.
"Careful," he said, holding up a hand. "If you hit me, I might stop helping you."
"You're not helping me!"
"I'm emotionally supporting you."
"You are emotionally irritating me!"
Renji grinned. "Same thing."
Anna groaned again and collapsed onto a chair.
"I hate this. I hate everything."
He nodded sympathetically. "Understandable."
For a moment, there was silence.
Just the sound of Renji eating grapes like he was in a luxury lounge instead of a crisis.
Then he sighed.
"Fine."
He stood up.
Anna looked at him suspiciously. "What?"
"Come with me."
"Where?"
"You'll see."
She hesitated, then stood up and followed him.
They walked through quiet corridors, the air heavy with something unspoken. Renji didn't joke this time. Didn't tease. He just walked, hands behind his back, expression unreadable.
He led her to a balcony.
The moment they stepped out, the world seemed to open.
The sky was… wrong.
Clouds stretched endlessly, thick and heavy, glowing faintly gold. Not sunlight. Something else. Something unnatural.
Anna stepped forward slowly.
"What is that?"
Renji leaned against the railing and pointed upward.
"You see that?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I do. So?"
"That's not the sun."
Anna frowned. "Then what is it?"
He exhaled.
"It's the hole."
She blinked. "The what?"
"The hole," he repeated. "The one you and your little outsider friend created when you came here."
Anna's stomach tightened. "That's not possible."
"Oh, it's very possible," he said.
"You tore through time. You broke something. And now it's not closing."
She squinted at the sky. "I don't see any crack."
"Of course you don't," he said. "It's hidden behind the clouds. I covered it. Temporarily. Stopped it from sucking everything in."
Anna looked at him. "You did that?"
He shrugged. "A little magic. Nothing impressive."
She turned back to the sky, unease creeping into her bones.
"If it's not closing… then what happens?"
Renji didn't answer immediately.
And that silence said enough.
Anna swallowed.
"Where's the Red Witch? We need her."
Renji's expression shifted slightly, something darker passing through his eyes.
"She's… busy."
Anna frowned. "Busy?"
"Having the time of her life."
"That doesn't make sense."
Renji looked away, lost in thought for a brief moment.
He remembered.
The fall.
The chaos.
The dark portal opening like a mouth ready to devour everything.
Anna and William falling.
And the Dark Lord—
He blinked and pushed the memory away.
Then he shrugged lightly. "Does anything make sense anymore?"
Anna didn't respond.
The wind picked up slightly, brushing against her face as she stared at the sky.
Then her gaze shifted.
To the distance.
The black mountain stood tall, its peak hidden in fog, like a secret no one was allowed to uncover.
Her thoughts twisted and turned—restless, sharp, impossible to quiet.
Renji glanced at her.
"What do you want, Anna?"
She didn't answer immediately.
He turned fully toward her.
"Not the dramatic answer. Not the angry answer. The real one."
A pause.
"What do you want in this world?"
She inhaled slowly.
Her voice, when it came out, was quiet.
"I just want to be prioritized."
Renji didn't interrupt.
"I want to be chosen," she continued.
"I don't want to be replaced. Not again."
Her fingers curled slightly.
"All my life… I've been replaced."
Silence settled between them.
Renji looked at her—really looked at her this time.
And he understood.
Because he had been there.
He knew what it felt like to stand in someone's shadow.
To be second.
To be overlooked.
Lord Kazan had chosen Shou over him.
Not once.
Every time.
He exhaled slowly.
"Anna Brown," he said softly.
"Daughter of Kiyoshi. Mistress of Shou Feng."
"I am not his mistress," she snapped immediately.
"And my father's name is Robert."
Renji made a face.
"Robert? What kind of name is that?"
"A normal one!"
"I prefer Kiyoshi," he said. "Sounds more dramatic."
"Renji."
He rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine."
Then he looked at her again, more serious this time.
"You had the Wind Whisperer, right?"
She hesitated, then nodded.
"Yes. But it's not mine anymore. It's hers."
Renji smiled slightly.
"Power is more loyal than love."
Anna frowned. "What does that mean?"
"It means," he said, "power doesn't forget. People do."
She stared at him, processing that.
Then he tilted his head slightly.
"Why do you choose him?"
She blinked. "What?"
"Shou Feng," he said.
"Why him? Why not someone like you?"
"There is no one like me."
The moment she said it, something felt… off.
Because it wasn't true.
Renji was like her.
Unchosen.
Unloved.
Unclaimed.
They were mirrors in different forms.
He saw it.
And for the first time, he didn't see her as just a problem.
He saw himself.
A faint sigh escaped him.
Renji turned away slightly.
"Let's go."
She raised a brow. "Where?"
He ooked back at him.
This time, his eyes weren't confused.
They weren't angry.
They were steady.
Burning.
"To get back everything You lost."
Anna stared at him for a moment.
Then, slowly, a smile formed on his face.
Not mocking.
Not amused.
Something sharper
He didn't reach for another grapes
---
To be continued...