The wind had never truly stopped—108Please respect copyright.PENANAMtfaZicfxh
he had simply never noticed how it passed through his fingers,108Please respect copyright.PENANAlwM3fBpsg3
like a calling from the future: soft, slow, and irreversible.108Please respect copyright.PENANA1HrW5eIW8n
108Please respect copyright.PENANARI9faoIr3s
He rose, leaving the shard behind.108Please respect copyright.PENANASbrlmaRQ68
Not as an act of remembrance,108Please respect copyright.PENANAHboUZO9V03
but as a silent mark—108Please respect copyright.PENANAXE2AV5Tt33
a trace that it had once existed.108Please respect copyright.PENANAi4fZgId3c9
108Please respect copyright.PENANANh30t40fDZ
Not to memorialize,108Please respect copyright.PENANAaSetX26BK9
but to remind himself—108Please respect copyright.PENANAXyh1zoXpc4
that fracture would never open again,108Please respect copyright.PENANAL3Mz1wq0Ti
because he had chosen108Please respect copyright.PENANAf0xITk6ZeJ
not to stand at the edge.108Please respect copyright.PENANAxdEu71O4bI
108Please respect copyright.PENANA9hhk3LaSon
He stepped out of the dim room,108Please respect copyright.PENANA4DWsRq9i9S
the door closing on its own,108Please respect copyright.PENANAb4p2YaS1AX
like a chapter time itself had sealed.108Please respect copyright.PENANABNZuUjsLKG
No farewell needed—108Please respect copyright.PENANAzhOZZWXcYm
for the truest goodbyes108Please respect copyright.PENANAJikR50emqb
are the ones where no glance is cast back.108Please respect copyright.PENANAzngHXzElNV
108Please respect copyright.PENANACnQjYRze50
The street was lit by a faint glow,108Please respect copyright.PENANAGUMt9oLwuY
not quite dawn, not quite night—108Please respect copyright.PENANAd8ToFBV2Vz
a hue suspended in-between,108Please respect copyright.PENANAF9VfVjpAdL
like a dawn that had yet to be named.108Please respect copyright.PENANAvTj0DVEWXh
108Please respect copyright.PENANA7UBLJ07E4G
He no longer asked who he was.108Please respect copyright.PENANApO8JKfRHQm
Because at last, he understood—108Please respect copyright.PENANAfgsWP9TeWy
he was not someone's lingering shadow,108Please respect copyright.PENANAhKUdWrVSbk
nor a solution waiting in the future,108Please respect copyright.PENANAss307Lj6AE
but the journey itself—108Please respect copyright.PENANAhLagb2L6xD
a presence born from every crossing.108Please respect copyright.PENANAnHlaaN0scx
108Please respect copyright.PENANAwesVsHaEeo
He walked across the remnants of restructured time,108Please respect copyright.PENANA324x572TYV
each step no longer a repeat;108Please respect copyright.PENANAl4eGD5XuVQ
each breath, the first breath of being alive.108Please respect copyright.PENANAEmtQ7PXB0h
108Please respect copyright.PENANAiGHl3SVfDy
"I remember them," he said to himself.108Please respect copyright.PENANAzBaQ9K5zFn
"But this time, I'll walk for me."108Please respect copyright.PENANAFMwLi1cd6D
108Please respect copyright.PENANAoltOv1fU64
Not to mend the past,108Please respect copyright.PENANAFRkOTC74HB
nor to flee from fate,108Please respect copyright.PENANAJ9DGswPfMC
but to let living108Please respect copyright.PENANA1g1v5Xd9La
be something more108Please respect copyright.PENANAlrm3Wgo87Y
than an extension of others.108Please respect copyright.PENANAIczNcVV3ux
108Please respect copyright.PENANAqElchBvZiJ
In the distance,108Please respect copyright.PENANAwbCpNzhALW
the hum of traffic,108Please respect copyright.PENANAjUpXgQec0r
a faint melody,108Please respect copyright.PENANAFlPK1AEhLe
and a silhouette—108Please respect copyright.PENANAJAou989xJa
strange yet familiar—stood silently at the corner.108Please respect copyright.PENANAZPRcBjNunc
108Please respect copyright.PENANArO7Jp9GZ1K
He didn't run after it.108Please respect copyright.PENANAZJr673B3ax
It could've been a fading memory,108Please respect copyright.PENANAaw6dYvNHXR
or a meeting not yet written.108Please respect copyright.PENANAPngzTndID5
But this time—108Please respect copyright.PENANANxNx3T78lS
he chose to wait for the future to arrive,108Please respect copyright.PENANAlZGocRfmLV
rather than chase the past.108Please respect copyright.PENANAkf3FFshOOy
108Please respect copyright.PENANA6AyHThxnXv
He looked up.108Please respect copyright.PENANAkQJkjL74TD
A line of birds crossed the sky,108Please respect copyright.PENANAjKcrG8EAqR
like a soul finally in motion—108Please respect copyright.PENANApXrRl4gBmn
one that no longer needed a name.108Please respect copyright.PENANARjiR00AMlO
108Please respect copyright.PENANAvIjdB8Skkc
108Please respect copyright.PENANAYkVqFWwZF8
---108Please respect copyright.PENANAyRExI4EmpV
108Please respect copyright.PENANAJ5rWPMHYl5
Sunday: A Room That Isn't His, and Yet Is108Please respect copyright.PENANA6DUsvZtMDF
108Please respect copyright.PENANAeQwlG4ItmW
It wasn't dusk in a dream,108Please respect copyright.PENANAakwwLeTfak
nor the hollow pause of broken time—108Please respect copyright.PENANAyg5XyN3rvl
but something wedged108Please respect copyright.PENANA2z0dgUniii
between yesterday and tomorrow.108Please respect copyright.PENANAK0jG5QTc4O
The air familiar,108Please respect copyright.PENANArdBkvyJduv
the rhythm of breath unfamiliar.108Please respect copyright.PENANAtudJNKdFDP
108Please respect copyright.PENANAAWWWOhmafR
He lay on a minimal bed.108Please respect copyright.PENANANqDcBGrBkv
Silence surrounded him.108Please respect copyright.PENANAoUSAVAfmG5
Only a dim wall lamp flickered,108Please respect copyright.PENANAzTLaFPhsiD
casting shadows across the white wall,108Please respect copyright.PENANAZLy1VjVjpv
like pieces of memory he could never restore.108Please respect copyright.PENANAczFqw1aFyO
108Please respect copyright.PENANAx8hJbWkEaT
His phone buzzed. He glanced at it.108Please respect copyright.PENANAa3ITM8BPcw
108Please respect copyright.PENANAZ2Qo3z7gu9
Date: February 23, 2025 (Sunday)108Please respect copyright.PENANAHc09TkLfX7
Time: 05:42 AM108Please respect copyright.PENANAdPptps5vgc
Location: Qiyang District, Linzi Precinct Dormitory B, Room 303108Please respect copyright.PENANAe24ljpmijn
108Please respect copyright.PENANACyeVr9Hqzu
He stared at the digits,108Please respect copyright.PENANAehwFn3TD7T
as if each one concealed108Please respect copyright.PENANAShgFcbyVMj
a truth trying to deceive him.108Please respect copyright.PENANASj7fWOBFCh
108Please respect copyright.PENANAXI1lx2yih7
This wasn't where he first awoke.108Please respect copyright.PENANA7w45N7XSPV
But this was where he was meant to awaken.108Please respect copyright.PENANAC9EqxjvTxC
108Please respect copyright.PENANALTuFohrQmh
He sat up. No headache—108Please respect copyright.PENANAofUerLuPrB
just a hollow in his chest,108Please respect copyright.PENANAgg36iCkZOY
as if something had been set down,108Please respect copyright.PENANAKf38xCzUi0
or was waiting to be picked up again.108Please respect copyright.PENANATEf5uR3wAP
108Please respect copyright.PENANAXJuW6AzcPD
A uniform hung by the iron frame.108Please respect copyright.PENANAtWK7jNYTZ4
The name tag read:108Please respect copyright.PENANASIhvj1rCYT
Yu Yong-An. Inspector. Prevention Unit.108Please respect copyright.PENANAxnwoQbcQSE
108Please respect copyright.PENANAGYUiRMZUFG
He touched the name tag,108Please respect copyright.PENANALCDufdvDnA
a complex feeling swelling within—108Please respect copyright.PENANAXUhk1xo6Ht
both familiar and foreign,108Please respect copyright.PENANAfni3vmdrwU
both identity and burden.108Please respect copyright.PENANAnc5k1qYEwq
108Please respect copyright.PENANAwFwTogQOBK
"So this is… my new life?"108Please respect copyright.PENANAnGzMsGWPCv
he whispered.108Please respect copyright.PENANAcAoM1F6dIM
No one replied.108Please respect copyright.PENANAVkZtBfYBqy
108Please respect copyright.PENANAmt1Icm1STK
Outside, the world had awakened.108Please respect copyright.PENANAlC1ZAGlisL
Morning calls echoed,108Please respect copyright.PENANAMV54I8JGzU
a garbage truck rattled by.108Please respect copyright.PENANA5lSGlnkkRn
Everything was ordinary,108Please respect copyright.PENANALIrRdgkEmL
neatly staged—108Please respect copyright.PENANAhlq4Ys5mko
yet it all felt like a scene108Please respect copyright.PENANA8ghmmpnKQS
rearranged for a script.108Please respect copyright.PENANANG3m8lrBPx
108Please respect copyright.PENANAyo6KqszBmW
He stood, walked into the bathroom.108Please respect copyright.PENANAq9YxzMRgIF
The sound of running water filled the space.108Please respect copyright.PENANAgpgtAm7TJP
108Please respect copyright.PENANAZYOWI9kRJJ
The mirror reflected his face—108Please respect copyright.PENANAJPjEhesHex
no longer fractured,108Please respect copyright.PENANARiYydnTndy
no longer a crumbling shadow.108Please respect copyright.PENANAEqnSjgwWaN
But not someone easily named, either.108Please respect copyright.PENANA7BPS8VSnFN
108Please respect copyright.PENANA3wlGqaooaN
He took a deep breath,108Please respect copyright.PENANAwJf3bJUk9h
and said to the mirror:108Please respect copyright.PENANA4BEA9Nej8L
108Please respect copyright.PENANAVcFsA2p23f
"Then live—108Please respect copyright.PENANAEpzolRxa0O
not for someone,108Please respect copyright.PENANAIIqM40vz7V
not for something—108Please respect copyright.PENANAb99VopWRgF
but for this morning108Please respect copyright.PENANAPTjA0MDcV5
the world hasn't yet closed."108Please respect copyright.PENANA5tNY0xpJuZ
108Please respect copyright.PENANAJ1RvlsqHGo
108Please respect copyright.PENANAqtZTkg5ulI
---108Please respect copyright.PENANA6Pkv8In9Rq
108Please respect copyright.PENANAqCaUii27um
Three Stations After Waking108Please respect copyright.PENANA2hs02wzBMX
108Please respect copyright.PENANAgrHO3YaQiD
When he left the dorm,108Please respect copyright.PENANAtXlBBKw3Yw
the sky was just beginning to lighten.108Please respect copyright.PENANAaKG8Iur56o
The city remained suspended in a shade of grey.108Please respect copyright.PENANAstPq6bGS79
108Please respect copyright.PENANAHDNaMmd5AR
He didn't check in.108Please respect copyright.PENANAZYNh8poJbq
Didn't open his memo.108Please respect copyright.PENANAX3alCSxGLM
Unread messages filled his screen—he didn't reply.108Please respect copyright.PENANAHHAPMLRdZN
He knew where to go—108Please respect copyright.PENANAgvCaMAkcaC
not from duty,108Please respect copyright.PENANAPVTWFnHiMK
not from orders,108Please respect copyright.PENANA1b1QLEcDop
but something deeper calling him forth.108Please respect copyright.PENANAyziNlK7UCV
108Please respect copyright.PENANA4fzbTCHBQA
He boarded a bus bound for Qiyang's heart.108Please respect copyright.PENANAMdpEbWV4Bv
In the window,108Please respect copyright.PENANANlWulM2l18
half his face was reflected—108Please respect copyright.PENANAdLzuSCvkdS
a residue of the mirror that refused to fade.108Please respect copyright.PENANAQduFleb8QW
108Please respect copyright.PENANATTswt2rWnt
First station: Lin Yao-Qian.108Please respect copyright.PENANA8Q8vWrUvuT
108Please respect copyright.PENANANsedTdZA72
They had worked together once,108Please respect copyright.PENANAgyiXL3SAij
shared silent glances over tea.108Please respect copyright.PENANAUET4wBpmON
Yao-Qian had always been quiet,108Please respect copyright.PENANA0wM9IVk0cl
but quicker than anyone to sense the strange.108Please respect copyright.PENANAVDPYIl0wG1
108Please respect copyright.PENANAO6WGZm3LOZ
When he knocked,108Please respect copyright.PENANA3nH8i5YkTg
Yao-Qian paused only a second, then smiled softly.108Please respect copyright.PENANA419HM2a81k
108Please respect copyright.PENANAU5MwRTutul
"You're back."108Please respect copyright.PENANA3wnbAR5uYD
108Please respect copyright.PENANA5pSPSsu7pm
Four words—108Please respect copyright.PENANAoUia7VzDgi
like a signal sent from a diverging timeline.108Please respect copyright.PENANA7in0fkC27X
108Please respect copyright.PENANAkpxxTTE2zt
"How long was I gone?"108Please respect copyright.PENANAVMudhx62bG
"281 days. Minus one."108Please respect copyright.PENANAbYj3SxPykh
108Please respect copyright.PENANAYFWF7nv2HQ
There was no questioning,108Please respect copyright.PENANAOql5ueUsYd
no surprise at his exact memory.108Please respect copyright.PENANAn3LvEh0hZe
Yao-Qian merely brewed two cups of tea, as always—108Please respect copyright.PENANAfJkNqn0mMM
but within the steam108Please respect copyright.PENANAHl1oVlMbji
lingered an unspoken understanding:108Please respect copyright.PENANATT4ZcZOLIG
Can memory ever be real?108Please respect copyright.PENANAtLr5sqdRcj
108Please respect copyright.PENANAb2YPDwZjbY
"You know who I'll go to next, don't you?"108Please respect copyright.PENANAwuskTaAp8t
"Yes. You'll seek out Chen Lu-Ping."108Please respect copyright.PENANAFN80TZreDZ
"…How do you know?"108Please respect copyright.PENANATRcJQrJoEo
108Please respect copyright.PENANAR6hMritUAa
Yao-Qian looked up, voice calm as still water:108Please respect copyright.PENANAN19jwe0oyx
108Please respect copyright.PENANAtcFYQ6IvaU
"Because if it were me—108Please respect copyright.PENANA5R2YXdpOC5
I would've done the same."108Please respect copyright.PENANA4cucjnnYaN
108Please respect copyright.PENANAT3dg6vhsmW
A pause.108Please respect copyright.PENANAMXCu0ZPWX5
108Please respect copyright.PENANAckStFgbqlM
"But be careful.108Please respect copyright.PENANAOKLAktrD5v
Not everyone wants you to remember108Please respect copyright.PENANAdb3PEsL27R
what you've forgotten."108Please respect copyright.PENANARKB5dt0W4g
108Please respect copyright.PENANANCzyjaGbLL
108Please respect copyright.PENANAttPrvaO3T4
---108Please respect copyright.PENANATVYn5pyN4F
108Please respect copyright.PENANAYJTGr9LwwT
Second station: Chen Lu-Ping.108Please respect copyright.PENANAZ4ukt8sN1S
108Please respect copyright.PENANAjQWeNkJCsD
The newsstand behind the precinct had long closed.108Please respect copyright.PENANAPZbTNgJ2st
The old man, as usual, organized his notes in the afternoon.108Please respect copyright.PENANACJMfMEXe4S
That was Lu-Ping's ritual—108Please respect copyright.PENANAQdOk7xl9ez
to hide what he never made public108Please respect copyright.PENANA2fwG3Vc0hB
in the silence of this quieter corner.108Please respect copyright.PENANAlDyu7xeHOH
108Please respect copyright.PENANAqaPpYYeL6x
"Lu-Ping," he said from the doorway.108Please respect copyright.PENANAMuB0EswYmX
108Please respect copyright.PENANAokI22A3AQs
The old figure slowly turned.108Please respect copyright.PENANA88XNTetCH0
His eyes didn't recognize him at first.108Please respect copyright.PENANA38R72q4BOG
But after half a second, he spoke, voice low:108Please respect copyright.PENANAYQL3pX4k4P
108Please respect copyright.PENANAN1MVU4wPyd
"You didn't die, after all."108Please respect copyright.PENANAaBzsVsNyW2
108Please respect copyright.PENANArRArGsXW1D
Strange words,108Please respect copyright.PENANAs9Kn2ZsP3Q
yet utterly real—108Please respect copyright.PENANADUntEMAW3g
not a greeting,108Please respect copyright.PENANA0aFNvArm1W
but a confirmation108Please respect copyright.PENANAYfCUkMoz0E
of a prophecy buried in time.108Please respect copyright.PENANAy74uAswxHK
108Please respect copyright.PENANAG5G8ysAp3u
"You're here for the cross?"108Please respect copyright.PENANAioHrWxD51A
"No… or maybe not just for that."108Please respect copyright.PENANAcwl33BPyE9
"You're here to find out108Please respect copyright.PENANAJis8WowEbC
why you're still alive, aren't you?"108Please respect copyright.PENANAP3AAUHjn8X
108Please respect copyright.PENANAgR3fHXgFwT
He said nothing,108Please respect copyright.PENANA3rVSeSDLAS
only watched Lu-Ping's hand—108Please respect copyright.PENANAUhmifcXUWt
the one that once penned reports,108Please respect copyright.PENANAKECpJkURSw
now trembling slightly.108Please respect copyright.PENANA2mxov22VQZ
108Please respect copyright.PENANAqFzAPMRv1i
"Go to Bai Zi-Ming.108Please respect copyright.PENANAkTmCfOxETH
He'll say what you don't want to hear."108Please respect copyright.PENANAyfsaLse299
108Please respect copyright.PENANAmk4SSxOzWU
"But if you don't,"108Please respect copyright.PENANA0sgU2vkDZU
"those things will cling to you108Please respect copyright.PENANASNMn0misHp
for the rest of your life."108Please respect copyright.PENANAnpXFidhB7g
108Please respect copyright.PENANAahWKgLl9lP
108Please respect copyright.PENANAAo4uJBThtU
---108Please respect copyright.PENANAdVxshZpTTI
108Please respect copyright.PENANABkQnhK4zLo
Third station: Bai Zi-Ming.108Please respect copyright.PENANAbvjX3KMmvu
108Please respect copyright.PENANAaiitIbieMT
The LUOYEH base still hid108Please respect copyright.PENANAjIKvu5xHwI
beneath Qiyang's old city.108Please respect copyright.PENANAnPRm7TatVI
The entrance had changed three times—108Please respect copyright.PENANAwMt1zPVvEl
yet he remembered the way.108Please respect copyright.PENANAou7dQaXBH3
108Please respect copyright.PENANAxDY7kmQK0o
It wasn't memory.108Please respect copyright.PENANAgjwXIgL09c
It was a compass from another self.108Please respect copyright.PENANAvjQQTiXJ8Y
108Please respect copyright.PENANAoy5IGblO8R
When he stepped into the corridor's dim glow,108Please respect copyright.PENANA8VZATYgLZU
Bai Zi-Ming stood at the far end—108Please respect copyright.PENANAAZL1AsYVn6
as if waiting all along.108Please respect copyright.PENANAUjAEUgAPSn
108Please respect copyright.PENANAAIn7w1t51g
"I thought you'd come later," he said,108Please respect copyright.PENANAd3OV6tkqhZ
his tone calm as ever.108Please respect copyright.PENANA1PlBuiyhVh
"Last time you left,108Please respect copyright.PENANAcAYAtN8Sat
you said you'd never return."108Please respect copyright.PENANAdbmCtV0csZ
108Please respect copyright.PENANAOoxJgK5qhQ
He didn't reply.108Please respect copyright.PENANACw8x4J74g0
He only stared into Bai's eyes—108Please respect copyright.PENANA3lZDZ0SqRc
no surprise in them.108Please respect copyright.PENANAskkB7uH8sW
Only shadows long expected.108Please respect copyright.PENANAoFv5qheo9Q
108Please respect copyright.PENANA0QTq5RnRow
"What do you want to ask?"108Please respect copyright.PENANAwJgPU1jhfg
"Do you know what I've lost?"108Please respect copyright.PENANAi5p84i4rz6
"No.108Please respect copyright.PENANAdKqwhWImcG
What you don't understand is—108Please respect copyright.PENANAT9WdwnhOTS
what you now possess108Please respect copyright.PENANAqaBk3d8Dgx
doesn't all belong to you."108Please respect copyright.PENANAzYQ5hcx0xx
108Please respect copyright.PENANAYla1AJFCYY
Like a nail hammered into his mind.108Please respect copyright.PENANA55lyjDL7Fy
108Please respect copyright.PENANAG2FYuABrjZ
"You didn't come here to retrieve anything,"108Please respect copyright.PENANAoFTRcvy4Hh
Bai's voice sliced through the silence.108Please respect copyright.PENANAuyFuaOxHp5
"You came—108Please respect copyright.PENANAVbHknej5kx
to decide where it goes."108Please respect copyright.PENANAYRHKlKNVrw
108Please respect copyright.PENANATbvspPnhY1
The air froze.108Please respect copyright.PENANAxuQP3ebjh6
108Please respect copyright.PENANAFQLUMcX7cJ
This wasn't a reunion.108Please respect copyright.PENANAWtmykfOMra
108Please respect copyright.PENANAhVM6mQH8ku
It was a silent trial.