The wind had never truly stopped—141Please respect copyright.PENANAyA4JVOUFPB
he had simply never noticed how it passed through his fingers,141Please respect copyright.PENANAmHZ2l6ihyD
like a calling from the future: soft, slow, and irreversible.141Please respect copyright.PENANAR8BlQHUzYt
141Please respect copyright.PENANAhxBQ8QSylx
He rose, leaving the shard behind.141Please respect copyright.PENANAHPIIU6YqEa
Not as an act of remembrance,141Please respect copyright.PENANANhhFzLT0w8
but as a silent mark—141Please respect copyright.PENANAkUpZOdMha3
a trace that it had once existed.141Please respect copyright.PENANAdp9VJNFdhJ
141Please respect copyright.PENANArJpFx7yj5w
Not to memorialize,141Please respect copyright.PENANAyPX5QcSCXS
but to remind himself—141Please respect copyright.PENANArm2SYe0lFH
that fracture would never open again,141Please respect copyright.PENANAJ5ELw5AmbE
because he had chosen141Please respect copyright.PENANAyyEhzRefUu
not to stand at the edge.141Please respect copyright.PENANAxXPVKadY4d
141Please respect copyright.PENANADp3s7geRou
He stepped out of the dim room,141Please respect copyright.PENANAqALtpVxoDP
the door closing on its own,141Please respect copyright.PENANAyB9fzskUpz
like a chapter time itself had sealed.141Please respect copyright.PENANA9YWyv2QYtd
No farewell needed—141Please respect copyright.PENANAoD5q92qU3Q
for the truest goodbyes141Please respect copyright.PENANAasYnWAppMl
are the ones where no glance is cast back.141Please respect copyright.PENANAgYCQeVZE1n
141Please respect copyright.PENANAWMmywh07zF
The street was lit by a faint glow,141Please respect copyright.PENANAiofTJwLZyH
not quite dawn, not quite night—141Please respect copyright.PENANALq5W3bTyMG
a hue suspended in-between,141Please respect copyright.PENANAi7XvsXMIMo
like a dawn that had yet to be named.141Please respect copyright.PENANA04OZU36U9u
141Please respect copyright.PENANANOQteTQxbD
He no longer asked who he was.141Please respect copyright.PENANAxf9ZFqJ0lZ
Because at last, he understood—141Please respect copyright.PENANAyMKkh1nmwe
he was not someone's lingering shadow,141Please respect copyright.PENANAon7b5xNk0Y
nor a solution waiting in the future,141Please respect copyright.PENANA7gLNZDz2L1
but the journey itself—141Please respect copyright.PENANAV4bhrLwp8Y
a presence born from every crossing.141Please respect copyright.PENANAz5WM945LJU
141Please respect copyright.PENANAYB2HrsvyVD
He walked across the remnants of restructured time,141Please respect copyright.PENANAEpq20nD39v
each step no longer a repeat;141Please respect copyright.PENANARaDkgQ7JZL
each breath, the first breath of being alive.141Please respect copyright.PENANAdimN9xeErY
141Please respect copyright.PENANAiwUd7hd0AB
"I remember them," he said to himself.141Please respect copyright.PENANA25HTegGHpG
"But this time, I'll walk for me."141Please respect copyright.PENANA99fJBjOLFJ
141Please respect copyright.PENANATSw4Hq5FrE
Not to mend the past,141Please respect copyright.PENANAmyXc6SKOHY
nor to flee from fate,141Please respect copyright.PENANASbphu5fK9I
but to let living141Please respect copyright.PENANAVhAVve6x3D
be something more141Please respect copyright.PENANAIU7wlkqFrB
than an extension of others.141Please respect copyright.PENANAEa0qSgpjBr
141Please respect copyright.PENANAqo3aC2YEpb
In the distance,141Please respect copyright.PENANANcr7pZZti6
the hum of traffic,141Please respect copyright.PENANAYEyJzxcavB
a faint melody,141Please respect copyright.PENANAre7KLqVwWF
and a silhouette—141Please respect copyright.PENANAGiHxtYze5I
strange yet familiar—stood silently at the corner.141Please respect copyright.PENANAqBHiXOY4Jj
141Please respect copyright.PENANA4294yhjaWO
He didn't run after it.141Please respect copyright.PENANAQZrFSLGeOK
It could've been a fading memory,141Please respect copyright.PENANAjkRNtnlXNn
or a meeting not yet written.141Please respect copyright.PENANAFeC0FK4HOg
But this time—141Please respect copyright.PENANADTLOtvwpKs
he chose to wait for the future to arrive,141Please respect copyright.PENANA92BRnJUZ81
rather than chase the past.141Please respect copyright.PENANASVaINW75uX
141Please respect copyright.PENANActjqx4kNKa
He looked up.141Please respect copyright.PENANADfFHV8h4qk
A line of birds crossed the sky,141Please respect copyright.PENANAUX2CmKBwUR
like a soul finally in motion—141Please respect copyright.PENANAAMTX5t5VP8
one that no longer needed a name.141Please respect copyright.PENANA3MeQaiHz3a
141Please respect copyright.PENANAsJdIw3ZhvL
141Please respect copyright.PENANA8wiijroAPa
---141Please respect copyright.PENANAnt1ymFAn4h
141Please respect copyright.PENANAzEFEh9MEEZ
Sunday: A Room That Isn't His, and Yet Is141Please respect copyright.PENANAPz07XWaENs
141Please respect copyright.PENANARPPTF813uh
It wasn't dusk in a dream,141Please respect copyright.PENANAM3PfjKsEti
nor the hollow pause of broken time—141Please respect copyright.PENANAMLqaS7i4En
but something wedged141Please respect copyright.PENANAuuG1Emky8e
between yesterday and tomorrow.141Please respect copyright.PENANArYbcuh4YnR
The air familiar,141Please respect copyright.PENANAwgXnIA7fWh
the rhythm of breath unfamiliar.141Please respect copyright.PENANACzcY8zHkum
141Please respect copyright.PENANAfCzqSzaXpz
He lay on a minimal bed.141Please respect copyright.PENANAeQg0WNGK8z
Silence surrounded him.141Please respect copyright.PENANAZeNiudcFwk
Only a dim wall lamp flickered,141Please respect copyright.PENANAUdWBCQw0YX
casting shadows across the white wall,141Please respect copyright.PENANAU9zklGUr9D
like pieces of memory he could never restore.141Please respect copyright.PENANAAixnRbzeim
141Please respect copyright.PENANAn5hj5ZVnF2
His phone buzzed. He glanced at it.141Please respect copyright.PENANAg2FodmUihI
141Please respect copyright.PENANAVCYWaobSDR
Date: February 23, 2025 (Sunday)141Please respect copyright.PENANAm57xTamWMW
Time: 05:42 AM141Please respect copyright.PENANACuSe2hMnfu
Location: Qiyang District, Linzi Precinct Dormitory B, Room 303141Please respect copyright.PENANAob6y4FPlri
141Please respect copyright.PENANAilIXpfGMSx
He stared at the digits,141Please respect copyright.PENANA13Z1vDrSdQ
as if each one concealed141Please respect copyright.PENANASX4yTRqZWL
a truth trying to deceive him.141Please respect copyright.PENANACs3jkg19P6
141Please respect copyright.PENANAPXnHC0jVzQ
This wasn't where he first awoke.141Please respect copyright.PENANAwoj2XwKkwF
But this was where he was meant to awaken.141Please respect copyright.PENANAvr3sFagOBA
141Please respect copyright.PENANATlYM1bO9za
He sat up. No headache—141Please respect copyright.PENANA7Adszte7dx
just a hollow in his chest,141Please respect copyright.PENANAtIYEela8gD
as if something had been set down,141Please respect copyright.PENANA9303gF0l64
or was waiting to be picked up again.141Please respect copyright.PENANA8ZwyhHZOu0
141Please respect copyright.PENANA7SIEl6NZOG
A uniform hung by the iron frame.141Please respect copyright.PENANAvlulgI4xPf
The name tag read:141Please respect copyright.PENANAtLnNpe73IC
Yu Yong-An. Inspector. Prevention Unit.141Please respect copyright.PENANAGz1Mn4ruco
141Please respect copyright.PENANA5n1gJUqqbu
He touched the name tag,141Please respect copyright.PENANA0FlVX9XSXO
a complex feeling swelling within—141Please respect copyright.PENANApImkaBdo6R
both familiar and foreign,141Please respect copyright.PENANAF7rCd8HURA
both identity and burden.141Please respect copyright.PENANAWtb6Sh8rsG
141Please respect copyright.PENANAgGx9myk6V7
"So this is… my new life?"141Please respect copyright.PENANAtOPRJ7sitn
he whispered.141Please respect copyright.PENANAQKBBY5mPB2
No one replied.141Please respect copyright.PENANA4ppc9MxSMO
141Please respect copyright.PENANAvTCyD6osQw
Outside, the world had awakened.141Please respect copyright.PENANAGBI9Cvavvg
Morning calls echoed,141Please respect copyright.PENANABgfPlWiwvh
a garbage truck rattled by.141Please respect copyright.PENANApoyJdICob6
Everything was ordinary,141Please respect copyright.PENANAwCHrEBI1Ni
neatly staged—141Please respect copyright.PENANAk8yqy44V4G
yet it all felt like a scene141Please respect copyright.PENANAezVz0QurDl
rearranged for a script.141Please respect copyright.PENANANl1mwo7QuV
141Please respect copyright.PENANAONLd1EqrV9
He stood, walked into the bathroom.141Please respect copyright.PENANAbKGcGfrBcK
The sound of running water filled the space.141Please respect copyright.PENANAQynvGZ6mD7
141Please respect copyright.PENANAz5eBkkPMuF
The mirror reflected his face—141Please respect copyright.PENANA50zp5zKi4Z
no longer fractured,141Please respect copyright.PENANAGKliUn4VXk
no longer a crumbling shadow.141Please respect copyright.PENANAEvzoqA45su
But not someone easily named, either.141Please respect copyright.PENANA6HcUuPDC03
141Please respect copyright.PENANAk3GrERkuCA
He took a deep breath,141Please respect copyright.PENANAm7JixEkdcj
and said to the mirror:141Please respect copyright.PENANAAn02GV0J8H
141Please respect copyright.PENANAKpiohLnY6t
"Then live—141Please respect copyright.PENANAiLlLrvmw2Z
not for someone,141Please respect copyright.PENANAM7kypT5SYG
not for something—141Please respect copyright.PENANAXcGO2QPwTk
but for this morning141Please respect copyright.PENANA66E196K4eN
the world hasn't yet closed."141Please respect copyright.PENANACmN1fKajhH
141Please respect copyright.PENANAzt6JdaU2i4
141Please respect copyright.PENANAgTyyIzFfRk
---141Please respect copyright.PENANA1mOKt3IJ4E
141Please respect copyright.PENANAmds8feDz4y
Three Stations After Waking141Please respect copyright.PENANA7Gaggf6mfV
141Please respect copyright.PENANAbY0ZQRaBsk
When he left the dorm,141Please respect copyright.PENANAhrZ7UR93s7
the sky was just beginning to lighten.141Please respect copyright.PENANAuhMU8xs0fD
The city remained suspended in a shade of grey.141Please respect copyright.PENANAY2gkzhMtbG
141Please respect copyright.PENANAKVDUhS7S0h
He didn't check in.141Please respect copyright.PENANABgy2xR60vg
Didn't open his memo.141Please respect copyright.PENANA9rRRZ6XaDb
Unread messages filled his screen—he didn't reply.141Please respect copyright.PENANAgxFjqZpzja
He knew where to go—141Please respect copyright.PENANAUF3sabtf0S
not from duty,141Please respect copyright.PENANATIcMo1VjNw
not from orders,141Please respect copyright.PENANAjSXgIvswGV
but something deeper calling him forth.141Please respect copyright.PENANA5ekKTw4wT4
141Please respect copyright.PENANAlBq3611ikU
He boarded a bus bound for Qiyang's heart.141Please respect copyright.PENANAoI3NtCAbnD
In the window,141Please respect copyright.PENANAmVVeOsOUfA
half his face was reflected—141Please respect copyright.PENANAo48AGzgJeB
a residue of the mirror that refused to fade.141Please respect copyright.PENANAygN3jDx6ub
141Please respect copyright.PENANAcDV8FM8uS1
First station: Lin Yao-Qian.141Please respect copyright.PENANAECBg0Dsjjb
141Please respect copyright.PENANANzqQOIZvAu
They had worked together once,141Please respect copyright.PENANALQfA5XHh80
shared silent glances over tea.141Please respect copyright.PENANArk784SY5nQ
Yao-Qian had always been quiet,141Please respect copyright.PENANATYBzyh1jYG
but quicker than anyone to sense the strange.141Please respect copyright.PENANAaAfxiKYXei
141Please respect copyright.PENANAux902ljSon
When he knocked,141Please respect copyright.PENANAAya5O4wm8L
Yao-Qian paused only a second, then smiled softly.141Please respect copyright.PENANAq1E99Mv1sE
141Please respect copyright.PENANA247TKS05me
"You're back."141Please respect copyright.PENANAHUmeCJYvLo
141Please respect copyright.PENANA1Qlj442BC2
Four words—141Please respect copyright.PENANAfjz8tZYIhm
like a signal sent from a diverging timeline.141Please respect copyright.PENANAbvBdu7cJsV
141Please respect copyright.PENANAtwcJeEIv8M
"How long was I gone?"141Please respect copyright.PENANApKXnf8FqIw
"281 days. Minus one."141Please respect copyright.PENANAi6QQ94TGR9
141Please respect copyright.PENANA2rXAvumcvS
There was no questioning,141Please respect copyright.PENANAqJ2PJWuEss
no surprise at his exact memory.141Please respect copyright.PENANADBsoKKqdY1
Yao-Qian merely brewed two cups of tea, as always—141Please respect copyright.PENANASHTC6EHf8S
but within the steam141Please respect copyright.PENANANn9AOCSC0q
lingered an unspoken understanding:141Please respect copyright.PENANAT1I8qgajky
Can memory ever be real?141Please respect copyright.PENANAmeRB8X9KFV
141Please respect copyright.PENANA5K6ZhVFm7Y
"You know who I'll go to next, don't you?"141Please respect copyright.PENANAmV6Pc7spjl
"Yes. You'll seek out Chen Lu-Ping."141Please respect copyright.PENANAf3uJDcONrr
"…How do you know?"141Please respect copyright.PENANAUr7uji3WUc
141Please respect copyright.PENANAeY0mYK4Jwu
Yao-Qian looked up, voice calm as still water:141Please respect copyright.PENANATBX1DO1PGT
141Please respect copyright.PENANAB6c309f2VQ
"Because if it were me—141Please respect copyright.PENANA4HtqjgdFyC
I would've done the same."141Please respect copyright.PENANARmRf2e97fo
141Please respect copyright.PENANAdKAFOCQfsR
A pause.141Please respect copyright.PENANAVGzj9SgucX
141Please respect copyright.PENANAnEuWSaiRVa
"But be careful.141Please respect copyright.PENANAiqBLnxM7aA
Not everyone wants you to remember141Please respect copyright.PENANAnzUy5onQJM
what you've forgotten."141Please respect copyright.PENANAowC3qKLJWR
141Please respect copyright.PENANAE5Q65hn7XG
141Please respect copyright.PENANAvWKi6q5doo
---141Please respect copyright.PENANAafQNvTupw4
141Please respect copyright.PENANAlm6cdY9yV0
Second station: Chen Lu-Ping.141Please respect copyright.PENANAdpXDFn5v30
141Please respect copyright.PENANAdz0VETpYp4
The newsstand behind the precinct had long closed.141Please respect copyright.PENANASB38eKEjvm
The old man, as usual, organized his notes in the afternoon.141Please respect copyright.PENANAylqxw32eQ6
That was Lu-Ping's ritual—141Please respect copyright.PENANARxRf85wAdC
to hide what he never made public141Please respect copyright.PENANAUKaIamyH0U
in the silence of this quieter corner.141Please respect copyright.PENANACyPrsFJwap
141Please respect copyright.PENANAKKP5MWAWSQ
"Lu-Ping," he said from the doorway.141Please respect copyright.PENANAys5lPU3wL4
141Please respect copyright.PENANApmiX2GCZQt
The old figure slowly turned.141Please respect copyright.PENANAaJrQOQX7Ud
His eyes didn't recognize him at first.141Please respect copyright.PENANAZPjUmXVuSV
But after half a second, he spoke, voice low:141Please respect copyright.PENANAvjffIUapIY
141Please respect copyright.PENANAkV7Te9b6ik
"You didn't die, after all."141Please respect copyright.PENANAokmfPX5v9h
141Please respect copyright.PENANA09z0gWD1ml
Strange words,141Please respect copyright.PENANAb3EN8S0HFw
yet utterly real—141Please respect copyright.PENANAPv40p1QjZ3
not a greeting,141Please respect copyright.PENANAgjzJHFCkuP
but a confirmation141Please respect copyright.PENANA3BbCkzfYwJ
of a prophecy buried in time.141Please respect copyright.PENANAyBvX3hvmJ7
141Please respect copyright.PENANA4EZuDX5msg
"You're here for the cross?"141Please respect copyright.PENANAwioK1gZHg2
"No… or maybe not just for that."141Please respect copyright.PENANAFOGjvwJyME
"You're here to find out141Please respect copyright.PENANARr51IWt47j
why you're still alive, aren't you?"141Please respect copyright.PENANAx1w9YTPtmY
141Please respect copyright.PENANAbD1OmwaES9
He said nothing,141Please respect copyright.PENANApEXmAAZYzx
only watched Lu-Ping's hand—141Please respect copyright.PENANAbMm6Le4dec
the one that once penned reports,141Please respect copyright.PENANAHU0cg5oOT0
now trembling slightly.141Please respect copyright.PENANAa3LcE8g8XO
141Please respect copyright.PENANAH0dkKOESLw
"Go to Bai Zi-Ming.141Please respect copyright.PENANA6H7zLEnZ7M
He'll say what you don't want to hear."141Please respect copyright.PENANAikK1GfY8Kf
141Please respect copyright.PENANAGAFsg3C7BF
"But if you don't,"141Please respect copyright.PENANAPk23emulbe
"those things will cling to you141Please respect copyright.PENANA8wNLoXIiTl
for the rest of your life."141Please respect copyright.PENANASQAbut4vqS
141Please respect copyright.PENANA6MZklIujEA
141Please respect copyright.PENANAjyVo6VAa82
---141Please respect copyright.PENANAZp05yftLTO
141Please respect copyright.PENANA6zsxJO8hZ4
Third station: Bai Zi-Ming.141Please respect copyright.PENANAdCLxo1ePNy
141Please respect copyright.PENANApUMWCfU7uv
The LUOYEH base still hid141Please respect copyright.PENANAEOhB88tNtq
beneath Qiyang's old city.141Please respect copyright.PENANA1q2oiClGDq
The entrance had changed three times—141Please respect copyright.PENANAVbdrNVFeGR
yet he remembered the way.141Please respect copyright.PENANAl7CYp7Xpxq
141Please respect copyright.PENANAwo4gORLt4C
It wasn't memory.141Please respect copyright.PENANAaIbPakUpB4
It was a compass from another self.141Please respect copyright.PENANA9vffdKdeHB
141Please respect copyright.PENANAbPyMUflFgc
When he stepped into the corridor's dim glow,141Please respect copyright.PENANA7Eq0aH4BiV
Bai Zi-Ming stood at the far end—141Please respect copyright.PENANA1MOLhiEakw
as if waiting all along.141Please respect copyright.PENANAyeD8NN3O8A
141Please respect copyright.PENANAMF5r8s0mMI
"I thought you'd come later," he said,141Please respect copyright.PENANAar3T0W9tbo
his tone calm as ever.141Please respect copyright.PENANAllPaiAffjX
"Last time you left,141Please respect copyright.PENANAP7ZwAVgGOL
you said you'd never return."141Please respect copyright.PENANAog16KEeaUe
141Please respect copyright.PENANA2lqKuNGqTl
He didn't reply.141Please respect copyright.PENANA6HQsVBMYre
He only stared into Bai's eyes—141Please respect copyright.PENANAMktduKmXwB
no surprise in them.141Please respect copyright.PENANAmSk3KbkvAs
Only shadows long expected.141Please respect copyright.PENANAebC8o4IOoN
141Please respect copyright.PENANAGcNv4l8fqK
"What do you want to ask?"141Please respect copyright.PENANAMCYBmHZpOi
"Do you know what I've lost?"141Please respect copyright.PENANABBDz2XPfnn
"No.141Please respect copyright.PENANAl2sklUzZzZ
What you don't understand is—141Please respect copyright.PENANAbcOwtAFU7s
what you now possess141Please respect copyright.PENANAgK9PEwRXJy
doesn't all belong to you."141Please respect copyright.PENANA6zsU3ihxNl
141Please respect copyright.PENANA0EBROVgCrE
Like a nail hammered into his mind.141Please respect copyright.PENANAFsipIcBZIh
141Please respect copyright.PENANAaqQVZ7FfKz
"You didn't come here to retrieve anything,"141Please respect copyright.PENANA2zcuZuB4Eb
Bai's voice sliced through the silence.141Please respect copyright.PENANA5SxeXfURwz
"You came—141Please respect copyright.PENANACNNyHCJ67l
to decide where it goes."141Please respect copyright.PENANATHiyEfsrZp
141Please respect copyright.PENANAYONfYU5pc4
The air froze.141Please respect copyright.PENANAJF3wQQX1LM
141Please respect copyright.PENANA5UGluqWdtZ
This wasn't a reunion.141Please respect copyright.PENANAMvAnDqf8f3
141Please respect copyright.PENANAjCaeOb5FGW
It was a silent trial.