Morning came without notice.Sunlight spread in broken room.Inside the room, Xu Yang sat on the edge of his bed with his elbows resting on his knees and his gaze fixed on the floor. His eyes were slightly red, his complexion unusually pale.The remnants of the dream still lingered stubbornly in his mind. The burning shrine, collapsing sky and desperate voice calling his name. No matter how many times he tried to dismiss it as nothing more than a dream, the feeling refused to leave.He pressed a hand against his eyes and exhaled slowly, but it did nothing to ease the ache.
A few moments later, the wooden door slid open and Lin Chen stepped inside carrying a tray of tea and breakfast. At first, he looked completely relaxed, but the moment his eyes landed on Xu Yang, he stopped in place. The casual expression on his face disappeared almost immediately. "You look terrible!" he said bluntly. Xu Yang didn't even bother lifting his head. "Good morning to you too." Lin Chen set the tray down and walked closer, studying him more carefully. The longer he looked, the deeper his frown became. "No, seriously. What happened to you?" Xu Yang rubbed his forehead. "Nothing." Lin Chen pointed at him and said, "That answer alone tells me something happened." Xu Yang let out a tired sigh. "Everything is suspicious to you." "Because you're suspicious." "I'm sitting on a bed." "Exactly." Xu Yang looked up. "That doesn't even make sense."
Lin Chen folded his arms. "You're usually annoying in the morning." Xu Yang blinked. "Excuse me?" "You complain about waking up. You complain about cultivation. You complain about breakfast. Sometimes you complain about the weather." "I do not." "You absolutely do." Lin Chen pointed at him again. "But today you're sitting here staring at the floor like someone stole your soul."
Despite himself, Xu Yang laughed. Almost. Lin Chen noticed the tiny reaction. "There." He pointed dramatically. "That expression." Xu Yang frowned. "What expression?" "The one that says something is wrong." Xu Yang looked away. "I'm fine." Lin Chen groaned and rubbed a hand down his face. "There it is again." "There what is?" "That sentence." He dropped into a chair across from him. "You've said 'I'm fine' so many times that it doesn't mean anything anymore." Xu Yang reached toward the tea, only for Lin Chen to snatch the cup away before he could touch it. Xu Yang stared at him. "Give that back." "No." "Why?" "Inspection." "Inspection?" Lin Chen nodded seriously. "Medical examination." Xu Yang looked unimpressed. "You're not a physician." "I don't need to be." Leaning forward, Lin Chen narrowed his eyes. "Look at me." "No." "Xu Yang." "No." "Xu Yang." "No." "Xu Yang."
After a long moment, Xu Yang lifted his head. The teasing disappeared from Lin Chen's face almost instantly. "Your eyes are red." "I know." "You look pale." "I know." "You look exhausted." "I know." Lin Chen squinted. "You've been crying." Xu Yang nearly choked. "What?!" Lin Chen immediately leaned back. "Aha." Xu Yang pointed at him. "Stop doing that." "Aha." "Lin Chen." "Aha." Xu Yang grabbed a pillow. Lin Chen raised both hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. I'll stop."His smile faded a moment later. The more he looked at Xu Yang, the less amused he felt. Something was genuinely wrong.
Lin Chen's expression softened. "The dreams again?" The humor vanished from Xu Yang's face. Seeing that reaction made Lin Chen's chest tighten. After several moments, Xu Yang answered. "Maybe." Lin Chen frowned. "What do you mean maybe?" Xu Yang lowered his gaze to the untouched tea. "I don't know anymore." That answer worried Lin Chen more than he expected. He leaned forward slightly. "What did you see?" Xu Yang remained silent. Several moments passed before a he laughed again. "That's the problem." Lin Chen's brow furrowed. "What is?" Xu Yang stared at the steam rising from the tea. "I don't know."His fingers tightened against the blanket beneath him. "I see people." His voice grew quieter. "Places I've never been." He hesitated. "Voices."
Lin Chen remained silent. For once, he didn't interrupt. Xu Yang swallowed hard."Someone keeps calling my name." The room grew still. Lin Chen watched him carefully. "And?" Xu Yang looked away. "Every time I wake up..." His throat tightened. "It feels like I've lost something." Silence settled between them again. Lin Chen studied him for several moments before asking quietly,"Something?" Xu y ang shook his head."Someone."Xu Yang regretted saying it because now it sounded real.He lowered his gaze. "I don't even know who."
Lin Chen reached over and smacked him lightly on the shoulder. Xu Yang blinked and looked up. "Why did you hit me?" "Because you're being stupid." Xu Yang stared at him. Lin Chen pointed directly at his chest. "If this is bothering you this much, stop pretending it isn't." Xu Yang opened his mouth, but Lin Chen continued before he could speak. "You walk around acting calm. You tell everyone you're fine. Meanwhile, you look like you're carrying a funeral inside your chest." Xu yang looked away.Lin chen looked at him and asked, "You know what the worst part is?" Xu Yang didn't answer. Lin Chen sighed. "You actually think you're dealing with this alone."
Xu Yang's fingers slowly tightened around the blanket.Then he asked,"What if they're real?" Lin Chen frowned. "What?" Xu Yang stared at the floor. "What if those people are real?" His voice grew quieter. "What if those places existed?" His throat tightened. "What if I'm not dreaming?" For a long moment, Lin Chen said nothing. Then he leaned back and shrugged. "If they're real..." Xu Yang slowly looked up. Lin Chen met his gaze without hesitation. "Then we'll figure it out." Xu Yang blinked. Lin Chen's expression remained completely serious. "As long as you're suffering through this, you're not doing it alone."
Something inside Xu Yang tightened unexpectedly not pain but something warm. Unfortunately, Lin Chen ruined the moment immediately. A grin appeared on his face. "Besides..." Xu Yang narrowed his eyes. "Besides what?" "If some mysterious person managed to break your heart thousands of years ago, I absolutely want to hear that story." Xu Yang stared at him. Lin Chen continued shamelessly. "What if they're beautiful?" Xu Yang grabbed a pillow. "What if they're some ancient immortal?" The pillow flew. "What if..." It struck him directly in the face. Lin Chen burst out laughing. Xu Yang tried very hard not to laugh too but he failed.
For a brief moment, neither spoke. Then Lin Chen smiled softly and said, "There you are." Xu Yang looked away, pretending to be interested in the tea instead."I don't know what you're talking about." "Of course you don't."Lin Chen picked the pillow off the floor and tossed it back onto the bed.
Lin Chen stood up and stretched his arms lazily, then glanced at Xu Yang with a look that mixed helplessness and concern. "Alright." Xu Yang looked up from the edge of the bed, still a little dazed. "Alright what?" Lin Chen tilted his head toward him. "Enough sitting around looking miserable." Xu Yang frowned immediately, pushing himself slightly upright. "I wasn't..." "You were." "I wasn't." "You absolutely were." Xu Yang rolled his eyes, but there was less energy behind it than usual. Lin Chen pointed toward the table. "Eat." Xu Yang glanced at the food and immediately shook his head. "I'm not hungry."
Xu Yang noticed it instantly and sighed. "Why are you looking at me like that?" "Because you've barely eaten since yesterday." Xu Yang lifted his chin slightly. "I ate yesterday." Lin Chen didn't move. "You drank tea." Xu Yang blinked. "Tea counts." "No it doesn't." "It absolutely does." Lin Chen folded his arms. "Tea is not food." Xu Yang raised a finger like he was making a serious argument. "It comes from plants."
Lin Chen stared at him in silence for a moment.Xu Yang stared back just as seriously. Then Lin Chen slowly exhaled, as if he had reached the limits of his patience. "Sometimes I really wonder how you've survived this long." Xu Yang answered without missing a beat. "Natural talent." "Pure stubbornness." "That's also a talent." Lin Chen groaned and turned away, motioning toward the door. "Come outside." Xu Yang didn't move. "Why?" Lin Chen looked back at him. "Because you're not staying in that room all day." Xu Yang stayed seated. Lin Chen paused, then called again, "Xu Yang." "No." "Xu Yang." "No." "Get up." "No." Lin Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. "Do I need to drag you?" A beat of silence. Then Xu Yang stood up with a reluctant sigh. "You're impossible." Lin Chen smiled. "And yet you still follow me."
Together they walked out into the courtyard of the mountain residence.A stone table had already been prepared under a flowering tree, simple but neat, with warm food and tea arranged carefully. Xu Yang sat down reluctantly, still suspicious. Lin Chen pushed a bowl toward him."eat!"Xu Yang looked at the bowl, then at Lin Chen. "You're serious about this." "Very." Xu Yang picked up his chopsticks slowly, still hesitant. "Why are you watching me like this?" Lin Chen didn't even blink. "To make sure you actually eat." Xu Yang frowned. "I'm not a child." Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. "Last month you forgot to eat for a full day."Xu Yang pointed at him immediately. "That happened once." "Three times." "You're exaggerating." "I'm not." Xu Yang muttered under his breath but started eating. Only then did Lin Chen seem satisfied enough to relax slightly. For a while, only the sound of light wind and distant birds filled the courtyard, the tension from earlier slowly fading into something quieter.
Xu Yang's shoulders loosened a little as he ate, and Lin Chen watched him for a moment before speaking again, his tone softer now. "You look better." Xu Yang swallowed and replied, "I look the same." Lin Chen shook his head. "No. You don't." Xu Yang paused slightly. "What's different?" Lin Chen looked away toward the mountains beyond the courtyard. "Your eyes earlier… they looked empty." A brief silence followed. Then he added quietly, "They don't now." Xu Yang didn't respond. His fingers tightened slightly around his chopsticks, as if he didn't quite know what to do with that kind of statement. Then, after a moment, he let out a small, faint smile. "That might be the nicest thing you've ever said."
Lin Chen looked offended. "I say nice things all the time." Xu Yang gave him a look. "You really don't." Lin Chen opened his mouth to argue but before he could, a sharp knocking sound echoed from the entrance gate.Both of them paused instantly.Xu yang's expression shifted first, the faint relaxation disappearing. "Who comes this early?" Lin Chen turned his head toward the gate, his tone losing its casual edge. "Good question." Another knock followed, louder this time. Xu Yang slowly set down his chopsticks. "We're not expecting anyone. Lin Chen's expression turned serious as he stood up from the table. "No. We're not." Without another word, he walked toward the entrance gate.
Elsewhere they awaken inside a childhood landscape reconstruction.At first, everything feels normal.Warm sunlight spills across the shrine courtyard like nothing in the world has ever broken it. Soft wind moves through hanging lanterns tied to old shrine trees, making them sway gently with a quiet rhythm. In the distance, children's laughter echoes light, unburdened, almost careless. For a brief moment, none of them understand what is wrong.
Qing Li looks around slowly. Then he sees himself smaller, barefoot, laughing as he runs across the shrine steps like the world has never taught him fear. The sight hits him so sharply that his breath stops. "No!" he whispers. Wang Xio goes completely still beside him. His eyes don't move, but something in his expression tightens like recognition trying to fight denial. Hei Long stops moving entirely.Qing Li takes a step forward without thinking, eyes locked on his younger self. Child Qing Li is sitting near the shrine steps, laughing with another child as they pass a small lantern back and forth like it's a game. Child Wang Xio sits nearby under the shade, carefully arranging scrolls and saying in a serious tone, even at that age, "If you tilt the seal like that, it won't last till tomorrow." Child Qing Li immediately responds with a grin, "Then we fix it again. We always fix it, don't we?" A third child nearby laughs softly, leaning against the shrine railing. "You both argue like you're already elders." Child Wang Xio doesn't look up. "Preparation is not argument." Child Qing Li leans closer, teasing. "That's exactly what someone who argues says." Their laughter blends with the wind, light and unbroken. For a moment, the world feels too normal.
Then Qing Li...adult Qing Li takes a shaky step backward. His voice comes out quieter than he expects. "That's not possible." Wang Xio finally speaks, but his voice is tight, restrained. "Don't react." Qing Li turns sharply. "Don't react? That's... that's me." His gaze snaps back to his younger self, watching the way that version of him laughs so easily, so freely, like nothing inside him has ever been erased. His chest tightens painfully. "Why does it feel like I lost something I never even knew I had?" he whispers. Hei Long's voice comes low, almost distant. "Because you didn't lose it all at once." Qing Li's breathing grows uneven as he stares at the scene. "Then when did it break?" he asks, voice cracking slightly. "When did I become… this?" No one answers came first.
Child Qing Li suddenly pauses mid-laugh, as if something briefly touched his awareness. His eyes flick in their direction not fully seeing them, but reacting to something unseen. For a split second, his smile falters. Adult Qing Li stiffens instantly. "He saw me!" he whispers. Wang Xio's expression darkens. "No!" he says slowly. "He felt you." The lanterns above sway a little harder now, even though there is no wind. Child Qing Li blinked once more, his smile returning, but slightly uncertain this time. He looked back toward Child Wang Xio and asked casually, "Did you feel that just now?" Child Wang Xio didn't look up from the scrolls. "Feel what?" Child Qing Li tilted his head, still smiling, but slower now. "Like someone was standing too close." Child Wang Xio finally paused. "No." The answer came too quickly. Adult Qing Li's fingers curled slightly at his side. "He's reacting… even if he can't see us," he said.
Hei Long's gaze stayed fixed on the children. "This is why Echo State is unstable," he said quietly. "They're not just memories. They're living moments that refuse to die properly." Qing Li's breath caught. "Refuse to die?" Wang Xio's voice turned lower. "Because something happened here that never finished." Child Qing Li suddenly stood up in the distance. His eyes scanned the courtyard again, slower this time. Less playful now. More alert. Child Qing Li: "Wang Xio… did you hear that?" Child Wang Xio: "Hear what?" Child Qing Li hesitated. "Like footsteps but no one is there." A brief silence fell across the shrine. Even the wind seemed to stop for a second. Adult Qing Li took a step forward without realizing it. "Stop looking." he whispered under his breath, though no one in the past could hear him. "Don't look this way." But Child Qing Li did. His gaze shifted just slightly toward where they stood.A flicker of confusion crossed his younger face. And then Child Qing Li softly said, almost to himself: " Why does it feel like I know someone is there?"
Qing Li's entire body froze. His voice cracked. "No.. don't." Wang Xio's expression changed just slightly, but visibly tense now. "He's breaking alignment." he said. Hei Long's voice dropped. "If he fully recognizes us…" He didn't finish because the lanterns above suddenly dimmed. One by one as if something inside the memory had just started noticing them back.The lanterns dimmed further, and the warmth in the courtyard began to thin like fading ink in water. The laughter of the children didn't stop but it started to feel distant, as if it was coming from somewhere that no longer fully existed. Qing Li took a slow step back, his voice tightening as confusion replaced shock. "What… is this place?" he asked.
For a moment, no one responded. Even Wang Xio looked unsettled now, his eyes scanning the surroundings as if the rules of reality were no longer reliable. The shrine courtyard still looked the same, but something beneath it felt wrong like it was replaying something that had already ended. Wang Xio spoke, his voice low and strained. " This isn't a memory." Qing li turned toward him, alert. "Then what is it?" he asked sharply, tension rising in his tone as his hand instinctively tightened at his side. "If it's not a memory, then why are we seeing it? Why are they seeing us?" Qing Li looked between them, his breathing uneven now. "No…" he whispered, shaking his head slightly. "That doesn't make sense. We're inside something. We entered it. We didn't… we didn't just appear in something that shouldn't exist."
Hei Long moved his gaze away from the children in the distance and spoke, his voice quieter than before, carrying something heavy beneath it. "You didn't enter a memory." he said slowly. "You entered what remains after Heaven failed to erase it completely." Qing Li turned sharply toward him, eyes narrowing. "That still doesn't make sense." he said, frustration breaking through the fear. "If Heaven erased it, then it should be gone. Nothing should still be here."
Hei Long's expression didn't change, but his voice softened slightly, almost like he was speaking to something painful inside himself. "It does here!" he said.
Wang Xio exhaled slowly, almost as if holding something back. "This isn't a preserved memory." he said quietly. "It's a leftover echo. A place where something ended without ever being fully closed." Yan Luo frowned. "A broken timeline?""Worse!" Wang Xio replied. "A timeline Heaven couldn't complete."Qing Li's voice dropped, unsettled now. "So we're standing inside something that was… never finished?"Hei Long nodded faintly. "Yes."
A distant sound of children laughing echoed again but this time, it felt slightly distorted, like it was trying to remember how laughter used to sound.Qing Li stared at the scene, his voice barely audible now. "Then why do I feel like I've been here before?"
The moment Qing Li said that, the courtyard seemed to react.Wang Xio's gaze sharpened instantly. "Don't say things like that," he said quietly, but there was tension underneath it now. "If this place responds to recognition, you might be..." He stopped mid-sentence.
Because Qing Li had already gone still.His eyes were unfocused, staring at something beyond the children.From the courtyard, Child Qing Li suddenly stopped again, this time completely, the laughter fading from him as if it had never belonged there in the first place. He stood still, not confused anymore, but listening like the world itself had whispered something only he was allowed to hear. Child Wang Xio looked up at him, noticing the shift immediately. "Why did you stop?" he asked, his voice careful, no longer playful.
Child Qing Li didn't answer. His head tilted slightly, eyes narrowing toward empty space, as if trying to focus on something just beyond sight. "Someone is here!" he said slowly. In the present, Adult Qing Li's breath caught sharply. "No!" he whispered, voice shaking. "No, don't.." But it was already too late.The courtyard flickered, just for a second, like reality had missed a step, and in that broken frame Child Qing Li's gaze aligned directly with him fully, clearly, as if two versions of the same existence had finally found the fracture between them. Adult Qing Li staggered back slightly, his voice breaking. "He sees me!" he said faintly. "He actually sees me."
Wang Xio stepped forward sharply, eyes tense. "No. That's not seeing," he said tightly. "That's resonance. If he fully locks onto you.." Yan Luo cut in, voice low and urgent. "What happens then?" Hei Long didn't take his eyes off the child as he answered quietly, "The Echo starts correcting itself." Qing Li turned sharply toward him. "Correcting?" he repeated, panic creeping in. Hei Long's voice remained calm, but heavy. "When something shouldn't exist in the same moment twice… the world chooses which one stays."
In the courtyard, Child Qing Li took a slow step forward, still staring directly at the invisible point where Adult Qing Li stood, and softly he spoke, "Why do I feel like I'm about to lose something I haven't even understood yet?" Adult Qing Li froze completely. His lips parted, but no sound came out, because for the first time he didn't know whether the one speaking was the child… or himself.
Then the courtyard fractured again this time not into distortion, but into fragments of something deeper, as if the world was peeling back layers it was never meant to show. The lantern light shifted, and within the shifting glow, a new presence emerged among the children.A boy stood slightly apart from the others, watching quietly, his expression calm. He was neither laughing nor speaking much, but the air around him felt strangely steady, like everything else unconsciously aligned itself to his presence. Qing Li's breath stopped the moment he saw him. His body went still,something inside his chest tightened without explanation. "I…" he whispered, voice breaking before he could even finish the thought, because his heart reacted faster than his mind, recognizing something it had no permission to remember.
Hei Long's expression changed instantly too, his grip tightening slightly at his side as confusion hit him first, then something sharper grief without context. His voice came out uneven, barely controlled. "You..." he stopped, swallowing hard.Wang Xio didn't speak at first. He just stared, completely still, his usual restraint cracking at the edges as something in his eyes darkened with quiet devastation. "Ling Yuan!" he said.
Qing Li turned sharply toward Wang Xio, unsettled by the reaction. "Do you know him?" he asked, searching his face for answers. Wang Xio didn't look away from Ling Yuan as he replied, almost too quietly, "You also know him." Qing Li froze. "What do you mean I know him?" he asked, voice tightening with frustration and confusion. "Who is he?"he finally answered, "You'll know soon." Hei Long, still staring at Ling Yuan, took a slow step forward without realizing it. His voice came out softer now, almost trembling. "How have you been?" he asked, as if speaking to someone he had lost rather than just found. A tear slipped down his face without warning, unexpected even to him. Ling Yuan simply looked at them.
He didn't answer. Instead, the edges of his figure began to blur, as if the world itself was gently erasing him rather than forcing him away, and within a breath, he disappeared completely.