Smoke and black dust still drifted through the silent forest after the Thread figure finished speaking.The distorted silhouette made entirely from living threads continued staring directly at xu yang for several long seconds after whispering softly, "Why are you leaving? Don't you miss me?" Xu yang's entire body remained frozen beneath that gaze.Then suddenly the figure's body began unraveling. Threads loosened one by one from its shape before dissolving back into drifting darkness. Its outline collapsed slowly into smoke-like strands that scattered through the trees beneath the light and within seconds nothing remained.
Then behind them the old house suddenly trembled once. The walls distorted unnaturally and indows twisted inward like reflections breaking across water. And before anyone could react the entire structure vanished.Zhao ming slowly looked around the empty clearing with visible disbelief. "What?!" His voice sounded weaker now beneath genuine shock. "What the hell was that thing?" No one answered. Yan luo's gaze stayed fixed on the empty space where the house had disappeared. His hand still rested tightly around his weapon although there was nothing left to fight anymore. "That wasn't a spirit." he said quietly after several seconds. "Spirits don't react like that."
Chen yu's eyes remained narrowed slightly as though mentally trying to understand something. "The threads recognized xu yang." he muttered. "No!" he continued, "Not recognized."pause followed, "Remembered."
Lin chen instinctively looked toward xu yang beside him. Xu yang still stood still while staring silently at the place where the figure had vanished.Zhao ming looked visibly disturbed now. "Who was that?" he asked while looking between the others. "And why was it talking to you like that?" Xu yang blinked slowly as though returning from somewhere far away. "I…" His voice sounded faint beneath lingering shock. "I don't know."
He pressed one trembling hand lightly against his head. Lin chen noticed. "Xu Yang?" Concern appeared across his face again instantly. "Are you alright?" Xu yang lowered his hand slowly afterward. "I heard that voice before." he whispered. Everyone looked toward him.Yan luo's eyes sharpened. "Where?" Xu yang shook his head weakly. "I don't remember." His expression tightened slightly,"But it felt…" He stopped speaking halfway through.
Chen yu stared toward the empty clearing silently for several long seconds before quietly saying: "This is getting worse faster than I expected." Zhao ming frowned. "What does that mean?" Chen yu did not answer his gaze lowered briefly toward the faint black marks still remaining across the forest ground where the threads had moved moments earlier. "It means the correction is becoming unstable." Lin chen's expression darkened instantly. "Speak clearly." Chen yu looked toward Xu Yang again. "The more he remembers… the more the erased things begin returning too."
Evryone looked at each other with confused face cause no one what's happening. Xu y ang still stood silently his face looked pale.Lin chen kept watching him carefully from beside him the entire time. The more he looked at him now the more unsettled he became because he genuinely looked different after leaving that place.Yan luo broke the silence first. "What should we do now?"Zhao ming let out a frustrated breath afterward while running one hand through his hair roughly. "What can we even do?" he muttered. "That house disappeared into thin air. We still don't know what those threads are and now apparently they're obsessed with xu yang specifically."
Lin chen's expression tightened instantly hearing that. "Stop talking about him like he's the problem." Zhao ming frowned, "I'm not saying he caused this." Small pause. "I'm saying everything keeps leading back to him." Xu yang lowered his gaze slightly at those words. His fingers tightened faintly beside him. Chen yu noticed, "Enough!" he said quietly then he looked toward the empty clearing one last time before speaking again. "For now we separate." Yan luo glanced toward him. "You found something inside that house, didn't you?" Chen yu remained silent briefly before answering, "Not enough." His gaze shifted slowly toward xu yang afterward. "But I know one thing now." Small pause. "The Fourth Day was never fully erased."
Lin chen stepped directly in front of him afterward. "Xiao Ye!" Xu yang slowly looked up. The concern visible across lin chen's face now felt unusually genuine. "You need rest." His voice softened slightly afterward. "You're not going anywhere." Xu yang shook his head weakly. "I'm fine." "No, you're not." Lin chen answered instantly. "You can barely stand properly." Xu yang opened his mouth slightly like he wanted to argue but another wave of dizziness hit him suddenly.
The forest blurred briefly around him and for a second he saw festival lanterns hanging between the trees instead, children laughing somewhere nearby then reality snapped back. Xu yang visibly staggered. Lin chen immediately caught his arm before he could lose balance completely. "See?" Lin chen's voice sounded tighter now beneath visible worry. "You're coming home with me." Xu yang frowned faintly. "Lin Chen!" "No." Lin chen interrupted. "We'll decide later what to do." His grip tightened slightly around xu yang's wrist. "Right now you need to rest before you collapse completely." Xu yang stared at him silently for several seconds afterward.
Yan luo watched them quietly from nearby before speaking again."Can you all stop arguing for one minute?"he continued,"We're still standing in the middle of whatever that place was." Zhao ming exhaled afterward but stepped back without continuing. Lin chen's grip around xu yang's arm loosened slightly though the worry on his face remained obvious. Xu yang closed his eyes briefly before letting out a slow breath.His head still hurt badly beneath the fragmented memories tearing through his thoughts. "He's right." Xu yang said quietly afterward. His voice sounded weaker than usual now. "Let's leave this place first." He looked once toward the empty clearing again where the house had vanished completely before continuing more softly, "Before we go… we should organize what we're doing next." Yan luo nodded slightly hearing that. The group's attention shifted toward him afterward. "I'll investigate the drawing."
Everyone looked toward him.Yan luo's expression remained serious now."If those were connected to Heaven corrections, there will be records somewhere." Zhao ming frowned slightly. "You think heaven kept documents about erased memories?" Yan luo gave a faint humorless laugh beneath his breath. "Heaven records everything." His gaze shifted toward xu yang afterward. "Even the things they pretend never existed."
Chen yu folded his arms quietly beside them while listening.
Yan luo continued,"It won't be easy to access directly. Corrections involving memory seals are classified under restricted archive divisions." Zhao ming muttered, "Of course they are." Yan luo ignored him and continued calmly, "But if heaven really erased something connected to the fourth day… traces should still remain somewhere inside the archives."
Chen yu's face darkened slightly hearing that. "Be careful." Yan luo gave humorless smile afterward. "When has anything involving Heaven ever been safe?" Lin chen glanced toward vhen yu afterward. "And you?" Chen yu remained silent before answering. "I'll investigate the threads separately." he continued,"There are things about them that don't match known correction records." Yan luo understood the implication. "You think they existed before the Fourth Day." Chen yu did not deny it. "I think the Fourth Day was only the moment they resurfaced."
Xu yang lowered his gaze quietly while listening. Lin chen noticed that he drifting deeper into thought again and he immediately nudged his shoulder lightly. "Enough thinking for now." His voice softened slightly afterward. "You seriously look like you're about to collapse." Xu yang gave a faint tired exhale through his nose but did not argue this time. Yan luo stepped back while adjusting the sleeve around his wrist calmly. "We split up here then." Zhao ming glanced once toward the empty clearing uneasily before muttering, "I still hate this entire situation." "Good!" Chen yu answered quietly. "That means your survival instincts still work." Zhao ming stared at him flatly afterward. "You really don't know how normal conversations work, do you?" Chen yu ignored him completely then group slowly began preparing to leave afterward.
Back to Demon clan territory where Qing li keep seeing my memory fragments and the outside palace windows threads crawled slowly across the distant walls while spiritual fire flickered through the unstable corridors beyond. Wang xio stood there and said nothing. Qing li slowly lifted his head toward him again. Frustration and confusion were becoming increasingly visible beneath his expression now. "How long are you going to stay silent?" he demanded quietly. "Every time I ask you about the past you look at me like you already know the answer."
Wang xio's jaw tightened faintly but he still did not respond immediately. Qing li laughed once beneath his breath bitterly afterward before turning away slightly. "You know what the worst part is?" His voice lowered now. "I don't even fully remember these people." His fingers tightened harder against the edge of the table. "But every time another fragment comes back…" He swallowed once visibly. "…it hurts like I lost them yesterday."
Wang xio closed his eyes briefly hearing that. Qing li continued more quietly afterward. "Every time I try remembering… it feels like something inside me is missing." The chamber fell silent again except for the distant crackling sounds of unstable spiritual fire outside. Then Qing li asked, "Did we really forget people we cared about that easily?" Wang xio's expression shifted instantly. "What happened on the Fourth Day?" Wang xio stared silently toward the unstable reflections beyond the window for several seconds before finally speaking quietly. "Are you sure you want to know?" Qing li frowned faintly at him. Wang xio slowly looked back toward him fully now."Once the seal fully breaks…" His voice lowered slightly afterward. "none of us will be able to go back."
Qing li remained silent while listening. Wang xio continued quietly, "The memories returning now aren't accidental anymore." Small pause. "And you may regret remembering." Qing li stared at him for several seconds afterward before answering immediately. "I already regret forgetting." The words hit Wang xio visibly harder than Qing li expected. His gaze lowered slightly afterward while something painful flickered across his controlled expression he noticed, "So it's true." He continued "There really was someone else."
Wang xio stayed silent and qing li stepped closer slowly. "That child holding flowers…" His voice softened slightly with confusion and grief. "Why does seeing him feel worse than fear?" Wang xio answered very quietly afterward. "Because he stayed." Qing li frowned slightly. "Stayed where?" Wang xio lifted his eyes toward him again. "Where the rest of us couldn't." "You keep talking like we left someone behind." Qing li whispered. Wang xio looked at him silently for a long moment afterward before saying ,"We did."
For several seconds qing li could not answer at all.
He slowly lowered his gaze afterward while trying to steady his breathing. "Who?" he asked quietly. "Who did we leave behind?" Wang xio's expression tightened but he didn't say anything. Qing li let out a short laugh beneath his breath afterward. "You know," he muttered quietly, "I'm starting to hate when you go quiet like this." Wang xio still did not answer unstead he walked slowly toward the open chamber window while looking out toward the distant black sky beyond the palace walls.
The Threads moving there reflected faintly across his eyes."There are some truths," he said quietly afterward, "that only become dangerous once spoken aloud." Qing li frowned,"Dangerous to who?" Wang xio looked back toward him. "To everyone who survived." "Stop speaking in riddles." Qing li said his voice sharpened slightly beneath emotion. "Xu yang is falling apart ,threads are appearing everywhere and Fourth Day is returning whether we want it to or not." He stepped closer again afterward. "And every time I remember even a fragment…" His hand unconsciously pressed harder against his chest again. "it feels like something inside me is breaking."
Wang xio watched him silently. Qing li's eyes lowered afterward before he asked much more softly, "Did we really care about them that much?" wang xio's gaze shifted away almost. "Yes." he answered quietly. "More than you remember." "Why does it feel like every memory ends right before something terrible happens?" Wang xio closed his eyes briefly hearing that. "Because that's exactly what happened." Qing ki looked toward him sharply. "Then tell me!" His voice cracked slightly beneath rising emotion for the first time. "How long are you planning to protect dead memories while everyone keeps suffering because of them?" Wang xio went still afterward.
Then after few seconds he spoke. "Because someone asked me to." Qing li froze faintly hearing the unexpected answer. Wang xio's gaze lowered afterward while his voice became quieter still. "On the Fourth Day…" Small pause. "Xu Yang asked me not to let the others remember." Qing li's eyes widened faintly. "What?" Wang xio turned fully toward him again now. "He knew what heaven was going to do." Qing li got shocked ,"No!" Wang xio nodded once very slowly afterward. "And even then…" His voice nearly softened into grief now. "he still tried protecting everyone first."
Qing li looked away afterward while trying to suppress the unfamiliar ache rising deeper inside his chest now. "This is insane!" he whispered. "None of this makes sense anymore." Wang xio remained silent briefly before speaking again. "Come with me." Qing li frowned slightly and looked back toward him, "Where?" Wang xio's gaze remained unreadable."To find the answer you keep asking for." Qing li's chest tightened hearing that. "And suddenly you're willing to explain things now?" Wang Xlxio lowered his eyes afterward. "No!" he answered quietly. "I'm running out of ways to hide them."
Qing li stared at himfor several seconds before speaking more ,"If I follow you…" Small pause. "will I understand why it hurts this much to remember people I can't even properly see?" Wang xio's expression shifted faintly then."Maybe!" he answered softly. "Or maybe it will hurt even more." Qing li let out a short humorless laugh beneath his breath afterward. "At this point I don't think that's possible anymore."
Wang xio looked toward him carefully for a moment before saying quietly, "Don't say that too confidently."The seriousness in his voice unsettled qing li instantly then he said, "There's something you need to see." Without waiting for a response he turned and began walking toward the deeper corridors leading beneath the palace toward the oldest part of the Demon Clan territory. They continued walked then Qing li muttred "Why do I suddenly feel like everything changes after this?" Wang xio did not stop walking but his voice echoed back through the corridor anyway. "Because it does."
Elsewhere By the time they reached Lin chen's home xu yang already looked exhausted. Lin chen place little wood chair and said "Sit down first." while shutting the door behind them. "You need rest." Xu yang barely made it several steps into the room before suddenly stopping again.The walls flickered into old shrine wood covered beneath lantern shadows. He heard festival music echoed somewhere nearby then reality snapped back instantly. Xu yang physically staggered hard enough to nearly lose balance. "Xu Yang!"Lin chen grabbed his arm before he could fall. Xu yang's breathing became visibly unstable now. His hand suddenly flew toward the rose mark beneath his sleeve as violent burning pain shot through his arm. "Ah!" He doubled over sharply while gripping his wrist tightly. Lin chen's expression changed. "What's wrong?!" Xu yang could barely answer.The pain spreading from the mark suddenly became unbearable.
Then the memories hit him all at once. He saw child xu yang screaming beneath collapsing heaven seals,threads swallowing the shrine sky whole and someone trapped beneath broken stone rubble reaching weakly upward. Hei long crying while struggling against threads wrapped around his body. Wang xio shouting somewhere nearby: "Xu Yang, stop!" Xu yang physically collapsed from the overwhelming flood of memories. Lin chen caught him before he could hit the floor hard. "Xu Yang!"
Xu yang gripped tightly onto lin chen's sleeve while trembling violently now. "It hurts." His voice sounded broken,"Something's wrong."
Xu yang pressed both hands hard against his head afterward like trying to physically stop the memories tearing through him. "Make it stop…" Lin chen's panic became visible now. He dropped down beside xu yang while grabbing his shoulders carefully. "Hey...hey, look at me." Xu yang barely seemed able to hear him his tears had begun forming uncontrollably at the corners of his eyes now beneath the pain and confusion. "Someone was trapped…" he whispered weakly. "Under the shrine…"
Another flash hit him instantly afterward. He saw Hei long reaching toward him through collapsing darkness. Wang xio screaming something he could no longer fully hear then endless threads swallowing everything whole. Xu Yang cried out,sudden pain and nearly collapsed again if Lin chen had not been holding him upright already. "Xu Yang!" Lin chen's own voice shook now beneath rising fear. "Stay with me!" Xu Yang's breathing became dangerously uneven afterward. "I can't…" he whispered faintly. "I can't separate what's real anymore…"
Lin chen tightened his grip around him"Listen to me." His voice became firmer despite the panic visible across his face now. "You're here. You're home. Look at me."Xu yang tried focusing on him but another distortion suddenly ripped through the room. The entire room transformed for half a second into the old shrine interior from the memories. There were lantern light replaced the apartment ceiling lamps.Lin chen visibly froze because this time he saw it too. The illusion lasted only a second before reality snapped back again. Lin chen's face paled instantly afterward. "What the hell…" Xu Yang slowly lifted his head hearing that reaction. "You saw it too?"
Lin chen stared toward the room for several long seconds before answering quietly, "Yeah." His voice sounded visibly unsettled now. "The shrine." Xu yang's chest tightened. "So I'm not imagining it." Lin chen looked toward him. "No." Small pause. "Or we're both losing our minds together."Xu yang lowered his gaze slightly afterward while pressing one trembling hand harder against the burning rose mark beneath his sleeve. "Why is this happening?" he whispered faintly. "Why now?" Lin Chen exhaled slowly before crouching beside him again. "I don't know." "But right now you need to stop forcing yourself to think about it."
Xu Yang laughed weakly beneath his breath. "Kind of hard when memories keep attacking me every five minutes." Lin vhen's face tightened slightly hearing that. Then more quietly he said, "Xu Yang!" Xu yang slowly looked toward him again. Lin Chen hesitated before speaking ."When you said earlier you couldn't separate what's real anymore…" Small pause. "how bad is it?"Xu Yang lowered his eyes again before answering honestly for the first time. "Sometimes," he whispered, "I feel like I already lived another life before this one." he continued afterward, "And every time another memory returns…" His fingers curled against his sleeve. "it feels less like remembering something." Small pause. "And more like becoming someone else again."
Lin chen looked at him silently for several seconds before standing slowly. "Okay." His voice remained calm. "We're not thinking about any of this tonight." Xu yang blinked faintly. Lin chen walked toward the kitchen briefly before returning with water and setting it down beside him. "Go sleep." Xu yang frowned slightly. "Lin Chen!" "No." Lin chen interrupted though his voice remained softer now. "You're exhausted." He forced out a tired breath afterward. "If we keep talking about haunted memories and disappearing houses any longer I'm probably going to lose my sanity too."
Lin chen rubbed one hand tiredly through his hair before heading toward his room. "Try sleeping for a few hours at least." He paused briefly near the doorway afterward before glancing back once more. "And Xu Yang…" Xu yang slowly looked toward him again. Lin chen's expression softened faintly beneath lingering worry. "If something feels wrong again… wake me up immediately." Xu yang nodded weakly. "Okay."Lin chen disappeared into his room afterward.
Xu yang remained sitting silently while staring toward the floor. His mind still felt unstable beneath the lingering fragments of memory drifting through him.He slowly leaned back afterward while closing his eyes then suddenly something moved. Xu yang's eyes opened instantly. He slowly sat upright again.Then he saw on wall threads were moving beneath darkness like living veins. Then words slowly appeared across the wall. It was carved like something scratching directly into reality itself. *YOU REMEMBERED TOO EARLY.* Xu yang's eyes widened then underneath those words another sentence slowly carved itself across the screen. *HE IS LOOKING FOR YOU AGAIN.*