The wind had never truly stopped—140Please respect copyright.PENANAtS5HsSglkC
he had simply never noticed how it passed through his fingers,140Please respect copyright.PENANAbJztedIrvl
like a calling from the future: soft, slow, and irreversible.140Please respect copyright.PENANAvKKrNQmRCS
140Please respect copyright.PENANAuxxGEHTxw0
He rose, leaving the shard behind.140Please respect copyright.PENANABo43h8Xtrj
Not as an act of remembrance,140Please respect copyright.PENANAjrPyJ0Kz88
but as a silent mark—140Please respect copyright.PENANAiM1E56dq1v
a trace that it had once existed.140Please respect copyright.PENANA5g9IQNjB5A
140Please respect copyright.PENANACTNAAfFnhS
Not to memorialize,140Please respect copyright.PENANAZm7uUITdaL
but to remind himself—140Please respect copyright.PENANAa3OtxmXon4
that fracture would never open again,140Please respect copyright.PENANAfndgxVl3j3
because he had chosen140Please respect copyright.PENANA7Bq8Dw2rvW
not to stand at the edge.140Please respect copyright.PENANAIlHwLWwxbk
140Please respect copyright.PENANAhUtNBT1FCK
He stepped out of the dim room,140Please respect copyright.PENANAsVx7bGpiHM
the door closing on its own,140Please respect copyright.PENANA5KIRNLV4nT
like a chapter time itself had sealed.140Please respect copyright.PENANArhWMOGDDci
No farewell needed—140Please respect copyright.PENANAR2aGUQpy7Z
for the truest goodbyes140Please respect copyright.PENANAKEXCkZsgsE
are the ones where no glance is cast back.140Please respect copyright.PENANAK7t1hxCkZO
140Please respect copyright.PENANA1dRwKJofpQ
The street was lit by a faint glow,140Please respect copyright.PENANAS0xzyKJZGV
not quite dawn, not quite night—140Please respect copyright.PENANArXHfGThsga
a hue suspended in-between,140Please respect copyright.PENANAKwWMLVJldK
like a dawn that had yet to be named.140Please respect copyright.PENANA6X9ehtOtL1
140Please respect copyright.PENANATCf1zZmzSv
He no longer asked who he was.140Please respect copyright.PENANAv1Ru5xdhWl
Because at last, he understood—140Please respect copyright.PENANA3XE0Vvtp3s
he was not someone's lingering shadow,140Please respect copyright.PENANAinzpaIktff
nor a solution waiting in the future,140Please respect copyright.PENANAZ386BD11rP
but the journey itself—140Please respect copyright.PENANAyemeXh8B19
a presence born from every crossing.140Please respect copyright.PENANAjVYKZwyNWj
140Please respect copyright.PENANAsbjMJA9JqX
He walked across the remnants of restructured time,140Please respect copyright.PENANA8Mt4uzCCfm
each step no longer a repeat;140Please respect copyright.PENANAuT8z1Ho4Gw
each breath, the first breath of being alive.140Please respect copyright.PENANAhbZ7scs06T
140Please respect copyright.PENANAYecdEQGJT7
"I remember them," he said to himself.140Please respect copyright.PENANAKHvfpfJQY9
"But this time, I'll walk for me."140Please respect copyright.PENANADYO8LFY2wb
140Please respect copyright.PENANACwhmdwEUJ5
Not to mend the past,140Please respect copyright.PENANADQ6OnQYVhM
nor to flee from fate,140Please respect copyright.PENANAeUYOBxRbK5
but to let living140Please respect copyright.PENANAJ8GCrQ3YEL
be something more140Please respect copyright.PENANAR0kWmvxqQO
than an extension of others.140Please respect copyright.PENANACT3CeFfSlx
140Please respect copyright.PENANAo7ygtQ9rqP
In the distance,140Please respect copyright.PENANA13XGpVWoHw
the hum of traffic,140Please respect copyright.PENANAkLpNfAU08r
a faint melody,140Please respect copyright.PENANALrYm2ZbhXH
and a silhouette—140Please respect copyright.PENANAWsS2Z8qfx9
strange yet familiar—stood silently at the corner.140Please respect copyright.PENANAkFvoxMJmfM
140Please respect copyright.PENANAqh3yK2rZbx
He didn't run after it.140Please respect copyright.PENANAl2Z88DHozI
It could've been a fading memory,140Please respect copyright.PENANAMGlLbTosE2
or a meeting not yet written.140Please respect copyright.PENANA3lgc2M2oh9
But this time—140Please respect copyright.PENANAcaNXp4Lizo
he chose to wait for the future to arrive,140Please respect copyright.PENANA4oWtAlkraK
rather than chase the past.140Please respect copyright.PENANAYjykEGMVN5
140Please respect copyright.PENANAmyjJePd4i7
He looked up.140Please respect copyright.PENANAtSK5CLTCeu
A line of birds crossed the sky,140Please respect copyright.PENANAoKDysmFpUe
like a soul finally in motion—140Please respect copyright.PENANAr4ZF99TciO
one that no longer needed a name.140Please respect copyright.PENANAX3lACqS2ZZ
140Please respect copyright.PENANAYPdLc8jbjs
140Please respect copyright.PENANAfsfSdhY2uJ
---140Please respect copyright.PENANAVoSmcGQL2B
140Please respect copyright.PENANAtAr8AM5mFK
Sunday: A Room That Isn't His, and Yet Is140Please respect copyright.PENANAtnhxGr8SUj
140Please respect copyright.PENANAZd4mLdpdzE
It wasn't dusk in a dream,140Please respect copyright.PENANAaeHzi4E8YH
nor the hollow pause of broken time—140Please respect copyright.PENANAn8i06ALzcb
but something wedged140Please respect copyright.PENANA7Z62PeWlIa
between yesterday and tomorrow.140Please respect copyright.PENANAWxYc2pepg0
The air familiar,140Please respect copyright.PENANAWBx9HVgTWg
the rhythm of breath unfamiliar.140Please respect copyright.PENANAss5cLHhFH1
140Please respect copyright.PENANA99yLADt5Fp
He lay on a minimal bed.140Please respect copyright.PENANASdbfaXdiDc
Silence surrounded him.140Please respect copyright.PENANAc9X7XlosJU
Only a dim wall lamp flickered,140Please respect copyright.PENANABIO4tEZGyq
casting shadows across the white wall,140Please respect copyright.PENANADnvugUIRSy
like pieces of memory he could never restore.140Please respect copyright.PENANAu2DmVG5ocW
140Please respect copyright.PENANAH4GjQCAT7M
His phone buzzed. He glanced at it.140Please respect copyright.PENANALZS0MvEOph
140Please respect copyright.PENANANzwvFqKmfk
Date: February 23, 2025 (Sunday)140Please respect copyright.PENANA0BCftS7gZb
Time: 05:42 AM140Please respect copyright.PENANAKgiprR601N
Location: Qiyang District, Linzi Precinct Dormitory B, Room 303140Please respect copyright.PENANAZDkzLc5Uy0
140Please respect copyright.PENANAU41doH2aAn
He stared at the digits,140Please respect copyright.PENANAMlITBXNILc
as if each one concealed140Please respect copyright.PENANACy2VkcRAs4
a truth trying to deceive him.140Please respect copyright.PENANAvVSu5o6102
140Please respect copyright.PENANArTVty8Bdu2
This wasn't where he first awoke.140Please respect copyright.PENANAtiZqkw15gR
But this was where he was meant to awaken.140Please respect copyright.PENANAqtN6RA27Kl
140Please respect copyright.PENANAYjucjn09Bp
He sat up. No headache—140Please respect copyright.PENANAsIHN2XCY5V
just a hollow in his chest,140Please respect copyright.PENANABdmtfrW7lg
as if something had been set down,140Please respect copyright.PENANA8ey06xgWvV
or was waiting to be picked up again.140Please respect copyright.PENANAukvD3XVNsY
140Please respect copyright.PENANA81V7kJMFYw
A uniform hung by the iron frame.140Please respect copyright.PENANA31CkideDjA
The name tag read:140Please respect copyright.PENANA72IiLpb23a
Yu Yong-An. Inspector. Prevention Unit.140Please respect copyright.PENANAMZXIo3tQct
140Please respect copyright.PENANASlf6cJy0hB
He touched the name tag,140Please respect copyright.PENANAWR2VGizo9G
a complex feeling swelling within—140Please respect copyright.PENANAPsj5YoZtDV
both familiar and foreign,140Please respect copyright.PENANA9I5dvoSFpW
both identity and burden.140Please respect copyright.PENANA3OGPKdW271
140Please respect copyright.PENANAJTGiSQCo5c
"So this is… my new life?"140Please respect copyright.PENANAEHjF4TsWlQ
he whispered.140Please respect copyright.PENANAmrx7Pbn9ge
No one replied.140Please respect copyright.PENANAfvkNm51oOz
140Please respect copyright.PENANAnlS5kjkUkc
Outside, the world had awakened.140Please respect copyright.PENANAhR7RJziq0J
Morning calls echoed,140Please respect copyright.PENANA3wfM6hD6GK
a garbage truck rattled by.140Please respect copyright.PENANAwiMDHFGwmX
Everything was ordinary,140Please respect copyright.PENANA0OMZtzirGA
neatly staged—140Please respect copyright.PENANAsMaIriReNN
yet it all felt like a scene140Please respect copyright.PENANAYbg1C2ypCh
rearranged for a script.140Please respect copyright.PENANAtWxagzEskd
140Please respect copyright.PENANAOkBeO7WeiH
He stood, walked into the bathroom.140Please respect copyright.PENANAydZ3hyF38F
The sound of running water filled the space.140Please respect copyright.PENANAOgkQlY5C0t
140Please respect copyright.PENANADcGoSIifDL
The mirror reflected his face—140Please respect copyright.PENANA169THwRXRQ
no longer fractured,140Please respect copyright.PENANAkSz0MSyOT4
no longer a crumbling shadow.140Please respect copyright.PENANAWY0rKDYFjO
But not someone easily named, either.140Please respect copyright.PENANALRkPoYWYD2
140Please respect copyright.PENANAZUatjnQU9y
He took a deep breath,140Please respect copyright.PENANAtd3FZFBYZV
and said to the mirror:140Please respect copyright.PENANARuoPmiXfde
140Please respect copyright.PENANAkxCo9HJjBb
"Then live—140Please respect copyright.PENANAQaSkjiMHF1
not for someone,140Please respect copyright.PENANAzSkHvLvVzj
not for something—140Please respect copyright.PENANAkZeq4zVCDa
but for this morning140Please respect copyright.PENANAH5f8dDB8xK
the world hasn't yet closed."140Please respect copyright.PENANACHIVBknrE7
140Please respect copyright.PENANAgXJRDE3nEs
140Please respect copyright.PENANAVvAJjW4ZA7
---140Please respect copyright.PENANAfZLtUh25Dk
140Please respect copyright.PENANAIy4Q6u8MSt
Three Stations After Waking140Please respect copyright.PENANAlhFV9I9hVo
140Please respect copyright.PENANATwv60YNiQ2
When he left the dorm,140Please respect copyright.PENANAeWVqDbNGbC
the sky was just beginning to lighten.140Please respect copyright.PENANAHN23CA4ASL
The city remained suspended in a shade of grey.140Please respect copyright.PENANAWwbtNOhv0Z
140Please respect copyright.PENANAgos6m3PEHU
He didn't check in.140Please respect copyright.PENANA57v70uWl10
Didn't open his memo.140Please respect copyright.PENANAH7Q1xDqjhZ
Unread messages filled his screen—he didn't reply.140Please respect copyright.PENANAdbb5f12kFS
He knew where to go—140Please respect copyright.PENANAMduTqSSqTW
not from duty,140Please respect copyright.PENANAipYfzvVDgo
not from orders,140Please respect copyright.PENANAaAn6lFmdVn
but something deeper calling him forth.140Please respect copyright.PENANAM4COjdz0WX
140Please respect copyright.PENANAgRCy5Iu4aJ
He boarded a bus bound for Qiyang's heart.140Please respect copyright.PENANAKCxZGwoFxG
In the window,140Please respect copyright.PENANAoHgY5vIvTk
half his face was reflected—140Please respect copyright.PENANAjCDFijI1ur
a residue of the mirror that refused to fade.140Please respect copyright.PENANAX30jJrDPGB
140Please respect copyright.PENANAHjOoyElMh2
First station: Lin Yao-Qian.140Please respect copyright.PENANAmMmHHMuW6j
140Please respect copyright.PENANAeArsylZL0X
They had worked together once,140Please respect copyright.PENANA8jzkLVcWas
shared silent glances over tea.140Please respect copyright.PENANAzP1MZyJpfL
Yao-Qian had always been quiet,140Please respect copyright.PENANAlITvMPEvy3
but quicker than anyone to sense the strange.140Please respect copyright.PENANAHjzDJaxpoD
140Please respect copyright.PENANAdPWuZLUeTJ
When he knocked,140Please respect copyright.PENANAUofeZ6536I
Yao-Qian paused only a second, then smiled softly.140Please respect copyright.PENANAaUET5lWu1N
140Please respect copyright.PENANAagc4Vr3ewF
"You're back."140Please respect copyright.PENANA4ezSjhm9Zz
140Please respect copyright.PENANAYAosG7Ehtl
Four words—140Please respect copyright.PENANAEHm4Fz6Www
like a signal sent from a diverging timeline.140Please respect copyright.PENANAxcgkSodPPu
140Please respect copyright.PENANAcHJsaCTie2
"How long was I gone?"140Please respect copyright.PENANAFy89WES0JR
"281 days. Minus one."140Please respect copyright.PENANAJpMkbnUnMQ
140Please respect copyright.PENANAyy50p8Rp6P
There was no questioning,140Please respect copyright.PENANA6QLpPbXZqh
no surprise at his exact memory.140Please respect copyright.PENANA0wn0VjXg1l
Yao-Qian merely brewed two cups of tea, as always—140Please respect copyright.PENANAmRY2uBz2ds
but within the steam140Please respect copyright.PENANAQmt3OVu2vc
lingered an unspoken understanding:140Please respect copyright.PENANAE1CKSJmObd
Can memory ever be real?140Please respect copyright.PENANAHso5eNfmi2
140Please respect copyright.PENANAib5A9BliGU
"You know who I'll go to next, don't you?"140Please respect copyright.PENANAgXKBdQffhS
"Yes. You'll seek out Chen Lu-Ping."140Please respect copyright.PENANAA8xLk3vDVB
"…How do you know?"140Please respect copyright.PENANAW6q5mJmbX7
140Please respect copyright.PENANAfmQLdFQDqy
Yao-Qian looked up, voice calm as still water:140Please respect copyright.PENANAIcSCnNgxfZ
140Please respect copyright.PENANAB4yNSrl7UH
"Because if it were me—140Please respect copyright.PENANAO0zdY9LwbL
I would've done the same."140Please respect copyright.PENANAOtL8KuvAFM
140Please respect copyright.PENANAGaZC64JuCv
A pause.140Please respect copyright.PENANAMxikqZTiZM
140Please respect copyright.PENANAyjt2t9GApq
"But be careful.140Please respect copyright.PENANAvS5pkJCMbf
Not everyone wants you to remember140Please respect copyright.PENANAwXNE8eWVc1
what you've forgotten."140Please respect copyright.PENANAtpafTHhE12
140Please respect copyright.PENANAjs6p8nZmEW
140Please respect copyright.PENANAAGCsIjJ2JU
---140Please respect copyright.PENANAgjMdWiAejD
140Please respect copyright.PENANAX9ZmxvL66n
Second station: Chen Lu-Ping.140Please respect copyright.PENANAPbybezcL0j
140Please respect copyright.PENANAtxSIYPdlEy
The newsstand behind the precinct had long closed.140Please respect copyright.PENANA4LRtdMvmx1
The old man, as usual, organized his notes in the afternoon.140Please respect copyright.PENANAnqozvNyMXX
That was Lu-Ping's ritual—140Please respect copyright.PENANA4GKlqUdsEh
to hide what he never made public140Please respect copyright.PENANABGZuLYtHgO
in the silence of this quieter corner.140Please respect copyright.PENANA5frYE2l6ck
140Please respect copyright.PENANAo2XldSpnWu
"Lu-Ping," he said from the doorway.140Please respect copyright.PENANABVQbSFnd0T
140Please respect copyright.PENANA5uN6UP6yX3
The old figure slowly turned.140Please respect copyright.PENANAyqWujakarG
His eyes didn't recognize him at first.140Please respect copyright.PENANAhyHXQpcchK
But after half a second, he spoke, voice low:140Please respect copyright.PENANAm9QoCSzLxS
140Please respect copyright.PENANAHVM5fzqLOh
"You didn't die, after all."140Please respect copyright.PENANAeD9pv8cAPZ
140Please respect copyright.PENANAmqM9A2if1E
Strange words,140Please respect copyright.PENANAonRA1ymrL5
yet utterly real—140Please respect copyright.PENANAkpdOsBvu6M
not a greeting,140Please respect copyright.PENANA1pZqDoLNTl
but a confirmation140Please respect copyright.PENANAl2v7sGhKJV
of a prophecy buried in time.140Please respect copyright.PENANAN3CogVQ7Cw
140Please respect copyright.PENANA2FkmEPbK5V
"You're here for the cross?"140Please respect copyright.PENANAF7GMz3WijT
"No… or maybe not just for that."140Please respect copyright.PENANAfprXb8nHHB
"You're here to find out140Please respect copyright.PENANAOTBEhDQseu
why you're still alive, aren't you?"140Please respect copyright.PENANA8DuYfOGjlU
140Please respect copyright.PENANALzMnJRwZlV
He said nothing,140Please respect copyright.PENANAL7PGoy7aaM
only watched Lu-Ping's hand—140Please respect copyright.PENANAD035E0EbFf
the one that once penned reports,140Please respect copyright.PENANAGBlidbmkTt
now trembling slightly.140Please respect copyright.PENANAica6zw6ruf
140Please respect copyright.PENANAV6RyvmlhP5
"Go to Bai Zi-Ming.140Please respect copyright.PENANAS505DS7XvI
He'll say what you don't want to hear."140Please respect copyright.PENANAVhO2K4ckrL
140Please respect copyright.PENANAN0vVFeqGDk
"But if you don't,"140Please respect copyright.PENANAgYqjc9CEi1
"those things will cling to you140Please respect copyright.PENANAvzB72SraBv
for the rest of your life."140Please respect copyright.PENANAFEBlLYpKZA
140Please respect copyright.PENANAGolKgKfwEp
140Please respect copyright.PENANA1W3sVhbrHZ
---140Please respect copyright.PENANAQKaS3COQvn
140Please respect copyright.PENANAFBmHu1MEce
Third station: Bai Zi-Ming.140Please respect copyright.PENANAUI6RHtCuXJ
140Please respect copyright.PENANAIk7CMqK4np
The LUOYEH base still hid140Please respect copyright.PENANAfAYyTPqzkC
beneath Qiyang's old city.140Please respect copyright.PENANA1DR27HRivQ
The entrance had changed three times—140Please respect copyright.PENANAjPokxbKGcX
yet he remembered the way.140Please respect copyright.PENANA28agEJca1k
140Please respect copyright.PENANAEqx7mz2TWv
It wasn't memory.140Please respect copyright.PENANAlxAncczJds
It was a compass from another self.140Please respect copyright.PENANAiDBCEtTnfD
140Please respect copyright.PENANABfgjIs3t2c
When he stepped into the corridor's dim glow,140Please respect copyright.PENANAAZTLFQGTKR
Bai Zi-Ming stood at the far end—140Please respect copyright.PENANAoHnTSPDj8T
as if waiting all along.140Please respect copyright.PENANAi7vv8FTMCD
140Please respect copyright.PENANAM0957PdSWM
"I thought you'd come later," he said,140Please respect copyright.PENANAvbYXAYXIvO
his tone calm as ever.140Please respect copyright.PENANArBl8lxxQTE
"Last time you left,140Please respect copyright.PENANAoUwLRUPjOO
you said you'd never return."140Please respect copyright.PENANAWy9a1t43KJ
140Please respect copyright.PENANAZAv1BSn4jn
He didn't reply.140Please respect copyright.PENANAb113hEOFzB
He only stared into Bai's eyes—140Please respect copyright.PENANAzwPdthMqfF
no surprise in them.140Please respect copyright.PENANAdVGwZM7YMQ
Only shadows long expected.140Please respect copyright.PENANAXEdlfggOen
140Please respect copyright.PENANAYLedWnn0MI
"What do you want to ask?"140Please respect copyright.PENANAV68C7vcsTD
"Do you know what I've lost?"140Please respect copyright.PENANAIKiSMyFZ7G
"No.140Please respect copyright.PENANAsG8Vf5EmVE
What you don't understand is—140Please respect copyright.PENANArBQtNwUJx1
what you now possess140Please respect copyright.PENANAEdK1HKi76O
doesn't all belong to you."140Please respect copyright.PENANAod5EzTmCke
140Please respect copyright.PENANAgMeOphTCaZ
Like a nail hammered into his mind.140Please respect copyright.PENANAuSuf2hHpdf
140Please respect copyright.PENANAtKNtTHd1J1
"You didn't come here to retrieve anything,"140Please respect copyright.PENANAyASXgxkR3O
Bai's voice sliced through the silence.140Please respect copyright.PENANAwO39sGyVsQ
"You came—140Please respect copyright.PENANALKnt2ZlXwy
to decide where it goes."140Please respect copyright.PENANAQgFoCZVssY
140Please respect copyright.PENANAICWZRJ7fr5
The air froze.140Please respect copyright.PENANAR6v6Wijp7Z
140Please respect copyright.PENANAAAEzERFihH
This wasn't a reunion.140Please respect copyright.PENANAmdTP9eqCvE
140Please respect copyright.PENANAX8Sd3SqIUy
It was a silent trial.