The wind had never truly stopped—144Please respect copyright.PENANAn8LcseI6wU
he had simply never noticed how it passed through his fingers,144Please respect copyright.PENANATV9jvn2av1
like a calling from the future: soft, slow, and irreversible.144Please respect copyright.PENANAcr6HPYZPme
144Please respect copyright.PENANAKnXIzXDvKT
He rose, leaving the shard behind.144Please respect copyright.PENANAnoj2bqrnMz
Not as an act of remembrance,144Please respect copyright.PENANApcQYzYLMcq
but as a silent mark—144Please respect copyright.PENANAcEotrNBnEW
a trace that it had once existed.144Please respect copyright.PENANAICnkvrHbBI
144Please respect copyright.PENANAk9bolHZnpw
Not to memorialize,144Please respect copyright.PENANA5OiBq1rxos
but to remind himself—144Please respect copyright.PENANAmhLK8OGQEB
that fracture would never open again,144Please respect copyright.PENANA9y7HzwbpPX
because he had chosen144Please respect copyright.PENANALqy9YKj2Bk
not to stand at the edge.144Please respect copyright.PENANA6XypBQVzJI
144Please respect copyright.PENANAtPtWlGrxPK
He stepped out of the dim room,144Please respect copyright.PENANA30KI2DuNRU
the door closing on its own,144Please respect copyright.PENANA2JmNJtW2ZK
like a chapter time itself had sealed.144Please respect copyright.PENANA7ivNyrzP19
No farewell needed—144Please respect copyright.PENANAxIp9ik4NxJ
for the truest goodbyes144Please respect copyright.PENANAbJZeGRcTaW
are the ones where no glance is cast back.144Please respect copyright.PENANAdxkyycCSjf
144Please respect copyright.PENANAarpBSJQU8X
The street was lit by a faint glow,144Please respect copyright.PENANA0sPZXLyfkN
not quite dawn, not quite night—144Please respect copyright.PENANACtqsW0APuD
a hue suspended in-between,144Please respect copyright.PENANAlCptYCOs5v
like a dawn that had yet to be named.144Please respect copyright.PENANAXINbSekejO
144Please respect copyright.PENANATxwiMVa9cj
He no longer asked who he was.144Please respect copyright.PENANAvieOGmekWZ
Because at last, he understood—144Please respect copyright.PENANAdbwKtMnT7h
he was not someone's lingering shadow,144Please respect copyright.PENANA4lHxwx1A32
nor a solution waiting in the future,144Please respect copyright.PENANAPPdRhkO8FT
but the journey itself—144Please respect copyright.PENANAIBXU8xtH6j
a presence born from every crossing.144Please respect copyright.PENANATqlc5VSv31
144Please respect copyright.PENANAerFcWzhkuz
He walked across the remnants of restructured time,144Please respect copyright.PENANA3QW67GN7u2
each step no longer a repeat;144Please respect copyright.PENANArW61JdQN9N
each breath, the first breath of being alive.144Please respect copyright.PENANANrGNtTsf8m
144Please respect copyright.PENANAZzHzYMhPCT
"I remember them," he said to himself.144Please respect copyright.PENANAmfbZYabagX
"But this time, I'll walk for me."144Please respect copyright.PENANAlnqxsQFj8p
144Please respect copyright.PENANAwdE58i3x8X
Not to mend the past,144Please respect copyright.PENANAeXgifpdHcl
nor to flee from fate,144Please respect copyright.PENANAm6goBKleNm
but to let living144Please respect copyright.PENANAnNAf2ixJoq
be something more144Please respect copyright.PENANAaBK4pxVlQo
than an extension of others.144Please respect copyright.PENANAYJ07ndMFLm
144Please respect copyright.PENANAo9Yd1Q7t1O
In the distance,144Please respect copyright.PENANA8QfGDiU0R1
the hum of traffic,144Please respect copyright.PENANACIWlUEHf1p
a faint melody,144Please respect copyright.PENANAMXezmkzQuO
and a silhouette—144Please respect copyright.PENANANutEqfVqpd
strange yet familiar—stood silently at the corner.144Please respect copyright.PENANAaCZ9txnB0E
144Please respect copyright.PENANALD9t7LURRQ
He didn't run after it.144Please respect copyright.PENANAbRdHUomDkt
It could've been a fading memory,144Please respect copyright.PENANAtf1RLSA5xb
or a meeting not yet written.144Please respect copyright.PENANAzCgqp20jho
But this time—144Please respect copyright.PENANAbRsopDpiAl
he chose to wait for the future to arrive,144Please respect copyright.PENANAvJP3FAUjhb
rather than chase the past.144Please respect copyright.PENANAadEYwkN9Aw
144Please respect copyright.PENANA7cG9QmordY
He looked up.144Please respect copyright.PENANAjHLkCzoMQx
A line of birds crossed the sky,144Please respect copyright.PENANAC7AXVvlzEd
like a soul finally in motion—144Please respect copyright.PENANAmhI0WhFnxa
one that no longer needed a name.144Please respect copyright.PENANAMmA1cqienI
144Please respect copyright.PENANA70A5Mw4FJ6
144Please respect copyright.PENANAwRuZ9FMz7D
---144Please respect copyright.PENANAzlnQjeSkg4
144Please respect copyright.PENANA0nkRhtZK3F
Sunday: A Room That Isn't His, and Yet Is144Please respect copyright.PENANAPK3KL0OBt0
144Please respect copyright.PENANAfZ4Jmtu9qc
It wasn't dusk in a dream,144Please respect copyright.PENANAZm4KQFUDsL
nor the hollow pause of broken time—144Please respect copyright.PENANA2TVJqBUSNN
but something wedged144Please respect copyright.PENANAX7soeuFpa2
between yesterday and tomorrow.144Please respect copyright.PENANATyLi3hPfSi
The air familiar,144Please respect copyright.PENANAoaL0fvnDkN
the rhythm of breath unfamiliar.144Please respect copyright.PENANA4HAk5jTDsk
144Please respect copyright.PENANA0uOAIZB22V
He lay on a minimal bed.144Please respect copyright.PENANAgVe8xoZRdt
Silence surrounded him.144Please respect copyright.PENANASaUFyfLxd4
Only a dim wall lamp flickered,144Please respect copyright.PENANAyumD9vvXhQ
casting shadows across the white wall,144Please respect copyright.PENANA4bERVdVAqX
like pieces of memory he could never restore.144Please respect copyright.PENANAfIPai0Kr3X
144Please respect copyright.PENANAYWaqSVQMRD
His phone buzzed. He glanced at it.144Please respect copyright.PENANA4tASEvsFGO
144Please respect copyright.PENANA3cgBjn2oqI
Date: February 23, 2025 (Sunday)144Please respect copyright.PENANAWTqv5bx8mG
Time: 05:42 AM144Please respect copyright.PENANAg0XHsgmZnZ
Location: Qiyang District, Linzi Precinct Dormitory B, Room 303144Please respect copyright.PENANAnl9wRuyDFr
144Please respect copyright.PENANAFR7ZOv0TZQ
He stared at the digits,144Please respect copyright.PENANACN1vsf81KY
as if each one concealed144Please respect copyright.PENANAtZdUwo6cuD
a truth trying to deceive him.144Please respect copyright.PENANA8srlfvglxn
144Please respect copyright.PENANAco78B74qJx
This wasn't where he first awoke.144Please respect copyright.PENANAFw0uCO4dYM
But this was where he was meant to awaken.144Please respect copyright.PENANA9vzcCe9s8w
144Please respect copyright.PENANAxHzaeiG9yC
He sat up. No headache—144Please respect copyright.PENANAMwfqke6LqW
just a hollow in his chest,144Please respect copyright.PENANAAF6BaP3Dib
as if something had been set down,144Please respect copyright.PENANA5jS1J6xIwp
or was waiting to be picked up again.144Please respect copyright.PENANAyEu85g3wIu
144Please respect copyright.PENANAt2u5Tu0ZOk
A uniform hung by the iron frame.144Please respect copyright.PENANA6jExzbZ8Hn
The name tag read:144Please respect copyright.PENANAIcAgPLxID9
Yu Yong-An. Inspector. Prevention Unit.144Please respect copyright.PENANAZWapdPeHCI
144Please respect copyright.PENANA2GGwpXaz6G
He touched the name tag,144Please respect copyright.PENANAV2Ge1TtqJv
a complex feeling swelling within—144Please respect copyright.PENANAIfFlGHg8Ia
both familiar and foreign,144Please respect copyright.PENANAMuUaeDnR6f
both identity and burden.144Please respect copyright.PENANANzOqVXGw8v
144Please respect copyright.PENANAc0gqki29q3
"So this is… my new life?"144Please respect copyright.PENANAhJw1nfEAJi
he whispered.144Please respect copyright.PENANAM0dPFkT4Ne
No one replied.144Please respect copyright.PENANAoEG3X8YTZf
144Please respect copyright.PENANA2bPpy4C1zM
Outside, the world had awakened.144Please respect copyright.PENANAtBXa8NWW93
Morning calls echoed,144Please respect copyright.PENANADAnp80oiPw
a garbage truck rattled by.144Please respect copyright.PENANABwX6TQvyYv
Everything was ordinary,144Please respect copyright.PENANA9mJkfR1SSl
neatly staged—144Please respect copyright.PENANAqsyrdCWKBa
yet it all felt like a scene144Please respect copyright.PENANAyYoAmxKARD
rearranged for a script.144Please respect copyright.PENANAv5nBeXnxyg
144Please respect copyright.PENANAXQaDaJrs2z
He stood, walked into the bathroom.144Please respect copyright.PENANAWWxpF97NQP
The sound of running water filled the space.144Please respect copyright.PENANAVhmTcCXGFW
144Please respect copyright.PENANARxRazj7tSr
The mirror reflected his face—144Please respect copyright.PENANAwNMkpBz3rQ
no longer fractured,144Please respect copyright.PENANAFqh7ollQqv
no longer a crumbling shadow.144Please respect copyright.PENANAD7Eq0hIUaZ
But not someone easily named, either.144Please respect copyright.PENANA4PqOxB65oK
144Please respect copyright.PENANA8rlVGqmmqt
He took a deep breath,144Please respect copyright.PENANAnFN5dHNxe4
and said to the mirror:144Please respect copyright.PENANAzZChbZi5LP
144Please respect copyright.PENANAk7SZx9iqMP
"Then live—144Please respect copyright.PENANAqn9HatCyab
not for someone,144Please respect copyright.PENANAiCpf643JM7
not for something—144Please respect copyright.PENANAd34xUiKl9H
but for this morning144Please respect copyright.PENANAZm3kUGCvEz
the world hasn't yet closed."144Please respect copyright.PENANAREpjWByta6
144Please respect copyright.PENANAWJaTu4PPV5
144Please respect copyright.PENANATszoNMiVYQ
---144Please respect copyright.PENANAais7fMqSUK
144Please respect copyright.PENANAIJu1S6p8Th
Three Stations After Waking144Please respect copyright.PENANA2GfX2L2llh
144Please respect copyright.PENANATyBQYS09xN
When he left the dorm,144Please respect copyright.PENANA1J3cGfjYQY
the sky was just beginning to lighten.144Please respect copyright.PENANAT69CxFoyuE
The city remained suspended in a shade of grey.144Please respect copyright.PENANAwZw36If8iO
144Please respect copyright.PENANAdytpGwaWKC
He didn't check in.144Please respect copyright.PENANAZw5caXiQFt
Didn't open his memo.144Please respect copyright.PENANAcV5z3NILWW
Unread messages filled his screen—he didn't reply.144Please respect copyright.PENANAvyqMH4QBDF
He knew where to go—144Please respect copyright.PENANABegrad4FlX
not from duty,144Please respect copyright.PENANApNbD7ELCfP
not from orders,144Please respect copyright.PENANA5yRD56z1ic
but something deeper calling him forth.144Please respect copyright.PENANAYDiQNKdtIr
144Please respect copyright.PENANA2O1ZXGIngb
He boarded a bus bound for Qiyang's heart.144Please respect copyright.PENANAukF6g8FrIE
In the window,144Please respect copyright.PENANAxUKsGjTHxV
half his face was reflected—144Please respect copyright.PENANADWCafes8tj
a residue of the mirror that refused to fade.144Please respect copyright.PENANA4HGNzX8zBc
144Please respect copyright.PENANAdSD7ZfltYl
First station: Lin Yao-Qian.144Please respect copyright.PENANAduHmfIlEVr
144Please respect copyright.PENANAoQdhbO3ezn
They had worked together once,144Please respect copyright.PENANAGTNGSDdneo
shared silent glances over tea.144Please respect copyright.PENANA56u2N4ogM9
Yao-Qian had always been quiet,144Please respect copyright.PENANApHsGVGvvER
but quicker than anyone to sense the strange.144Please respect copyright.PENANAfejjggwFka
144Please respect copyright.PENANA3rcB9D7IJP
When he knocked,144Please respect copyright.PENANA63pGfXgaUU
Yao-Qian paused only a second, then smiled softly.144Please respect copyright.PENANA69L7OrpvKt
144Please respect copyright.PENANASvanT5Vehf
"You're back."144Please respect copyright.PENANAoXa97THE0u
144Please respect copyright.PENANA65getNr12n
Four words—144Please respect copyright.PENANArDig4Jh4NB
like a signal sent from a diverging timeline.144Please respect copyright.PENANAZXjk0X7wLl
144Please respect copyright.PENANAlDJBAa85jl
"How long was I gone?"144Please respect copyright.PENANAUzKe4Jw1IO
"281 days. Minus one."144Please respect copyright.PENANA4gBNPrBt1J
144Please respect copyright.PENANADF7CVbiSqJ
There was no questioning,144Please respect copyright.PENANA2vlXAnM7nR
no surprise at his exact memory.144Please respect copyright.PENANAvUYNlvRTtl
Yao-Qian merely brewed two cups of tea, as always—144Please respect copyright.PENANAyb0b5hQMqO
but within the steam144Please respect copyright.PENANAwTaI3gDXK5
lingered an unspoken understanding:144Please respect copyright.PENANA2VGXOV2D1Q
Can memory ever be real?144Please respect copyright.PENANA5r6OxmWTOj
144Please respect copyright.PENANAheXs9bCyqr
"You know who I'll go to next, don't you?"144Please respect copyright.PENANAkTsfrcAACx
"Yes. You'll seek out Chen Lu-Ping."144Please respect copyright.PENANA7s26LShU3L
"…How do you know?"144Please respect copyright.PENANAUol7vyRNVg
144Please respect copyright.PENANACHRqNj6ItY
Yao-Qian looked up, voice calm as still water:144Please respect copyright.PENANAQtY9vVbmX6
144Please respect copyright.PENANAbKj6CSoCcG
"Because if it were me—144Please respect copyright.PENANA0fnwuuCSZd
I would've done the same."144Please respect copyright.PENANARKKb2LNQAv
144Please respect copyright.PENANAWsK0gtslwt
A pause.144Please respect copyright.PENANAn81Lik8sb0
144Please respect copyright.PENANAIrI5lL9jAz
"But be careful.144Please respect copyright.PENANADVqHPyxoPI
Not everyone wants you to remember144Please respect copyright.PENANAX2o4StAE2x
what you've forgotten."144Please respect copyright.PENANAq5RxihbwoD
144Please respect copyright.PENANACkXjEnh5fr
144Please respect copyright.PENANAkJ2mxVpgvB
---144Please respect copyright.PENANAzxu0PGrEkP
144Please respect copyright.PENANAvmrbe55Whf
Second station: Chen Lu-Ping.144Please respect copyright.PENANAQ5JtKFG9Gp
144Please respect copyright.PENANABcBjlUPZPS
The newsstand behind the precinct had long closed.144Please respect copyright.PENANAtCjfBls0qH
The old man, as usual, organized his notes in the afternoon.144Please respect copyright.PENANAhM4jVpzYr7
That was Lu-Ping's ritual—144Please respect copyright.PENANAAVyUMmOnAi
to hide what he never made public144Please respect copyright.PENANAm14d1ZtS8o
in the silence of this quieter corner.144Please respect copyright.PENANArqmCRlWToi
144Please respect copyright.PENANAPxGbXw8u8L
"Lu-Ping," he said from the doorway.144Please respect copyright.PENANAJWqOSBNmJN
144Please respect copyright.PENANAi2NUTLuFP9
The old figure slowly turned.144Please respect copyright.PENANAMUOwYquA4T
His eyes didn't recognize him at first.144Please respect copyright.PENANAEwhIkjQcIs
But after half a second, he spoke, voice low:144Please respect copyright.PENANAT7ane8Pqi3
144Please respect copyright.PENANA0BR2cLsO3J
"You didn't die, after all."144Please respect copyright.PENANAseOrEELLt3
144Please respect copyright.PENANAGpYbA3uAlI
Strange words,144Please respect copyright.PENANAsz6VxPW9u1
yet utterly real—144Please respect copyright.PENANAUriwj0NmGI
not a greeting,144Please respect copyright.PENANAMcIYpKrVc3
but a confirmation144Please respect copyright.PENANA2SiSXyN2Ro
of a prophecy buried in time.144Please respect copyright.PENANARIo4MIPkdE
144Please respect copyright.PENANAhNMqjaYEy4
"You're here for the cross?"144Please respect copyright.PENANA5pPtK9Dira
"No… or maybe not just for that."144Please respect copyright.PENANAVunYhXQdvz
"You're here to find out144Please respect copyright.PENANAGq4WrQnLrw
why you're still alive, aren't you?"144Please respect copyright.PENANA69iZZtEMCv
144Please respect copyright.PENANAVPOYGkiokX
He said nothing,144Please respect copyright.PENANAApH4DntQx1
only watched Lu-Ping's hand—144Please respect copyright.PENANA1MW5pdKgHD
the one that once penned reports,144Please respect copyright.PENANAkt5WV1fNlZ
now trembling slightly.144Please respect copyright.PENANAFz4jw090K2
144Please respect copyright.PENANAc6SdRoAxvq
"Go to Bai Zi-Ming.144Please respect copyright.PENANADsooI69U9z
He'll say what you don't want to hear."144Please respect copyright.PENANAnBvKkiAwoI
144Please respect copyright.PENANAVAlRUhqPHa
"But if you don't,"144Please respect copyright.PENANAVspix3jsWS
"those things will cling to you144Please respect copyright.PENANAeSd4w0I8La
for the rest of your life."144Please respect copyright.PENANAMjoIsALS61
144Please respect copyright.PENANA0zq9FDd6Cp
144Please respect copyright.PENANAr9hCwlHinJ
---144Please respect copyright.PENANAiFqAoHOCBW
144Please respect copyright.PENANAOFcCDYijki
Third station: Bai Zi-Ming.144Please respect copyright.PENANApEFMFIyawE
144Please respect copyright.PENANA9DFX3U7w4M
The LUOYEH base still hid144Please respect copyright.PENANAT5zpw9FsGL
beneath Qiyang's old city.144Please respect copyright.PENANAkiXZSgOZxg
The entrance had changed three times—144Please respect copyright.PENANAOJDBmcIvDD
yet he remembered the way.144Please respect copyright.PENANAdMwUB1ipiw
144Please respect copyright.PENANAkW0kE5Yxdz
It wasn't memory.144Please respect copyright.PENANAfXS6VWh89P
It was a compass from another self.144Please respect copyright.PENANAdE7Ql17Zep
144Please respect copyright.PENANAg5iQ40LjIB
When he stepped into the corridor's dim glow,144Please respect copyright.PENANAodNABJ2OMe
Bai Zi-Ming stood at the far end—144Please respect copyright.PENANAGh3EW5HIz9
as if waiting all along.144Please respect copyright.PENANAz8MLanXGMs
144Please respect copyright.PENANAGUkEbQZeBn
"I thought you'd come later," he said,144Please respect copyright.PENANAYBpV26lrgD
his tone calm as ever.144Please respect copyright.PENANASOXMEO9bSn
"Last time you left,144Please respect copyright.PENANAqO0cYtOCFm
you said you'd never return."144Please respect copyright.PENANAaTH2OxYauC
144Please respect copyright.PENANAunFWbvWN8c
He didn't reply.144Please respect copyright.PENANAfwdYYDWDT7
He only stared into Bai's eyes—144Please respect copyright.PENANAJMxkDTxBfu
no surprise in them.144Please respect copyright.PENANAvILIIQyoXp
Only shadows long expected.144Please respect copyright.PENANAaur1HPeevj
144Please respect copyright.PENANAx0kaADgSwS
"What do you want to ask?"144Please respect copyright.PENANASf5h6tudTn
"Do you know what I've lost?"144Please respect copyright.PENANAcmF2t8kz5q
"No.144Please respect copyright.PENANAmMEpmN1FAL
What you don't understand is—144Please respect copyright.PENANApVPUIvfbtG
what you now possess144Please respect copyright.PENANADcIUV531xq
doesn't all belong to you."144Please respect copyright.PENANAwMQMLT0rrG
144Please respect copyright.PENANAshgI7V68Gh
Like a nail hammered into his mind.144Please respect copyright.PENANA41bRAfyYfK
144Please respect copyright.PENANA94OUeBn0Ty
"You didn't come here to retrieve anything,"144Please respect copyright.PENANAuwJg73F2Do
Bai's voice sliced through the silence.144Please respect copyright.PENANAIXBoq29BaS
"You came—144Please respect copyright.PENANAZ1BhaxKfsh
to decide where it goes."144Please respect copyright.PENANAhW9DsqKWPa
144Please respect copyright.PENANAjnGr8wUOBA
The air froze.144Please respect copyright.PENANAsJbKeLBjbo
144Please respect copyright.PENANA94PLxUlOFv
This wasn't a reunion.144Please respect copyright.PENANAMgAHkxEvL5
144Please respect copyright.PENANA5ipjWWd9k0
It was a silent trial.