Xu Yang regained consciousness slowly beneath warm light. For several long seconds he did not move at all. His mind still expected darkness, distorted corridors, broken lanterns, endless doors, and that suffocating pressure pressing against his chest inside the abandoned house. But none of that existed here.lantern light flickered gently overhead instead, casting warm shadows across polished wooden floors so clean they reflected faint traces of gold beneath his feet.
Somewhere nearby people were talking naturally. Someone laughed. Dishes clinked softly together. The faint smell of food drifted through the air mixed with burning incense and cold mountain wind slipping through partially opened windows. Xu Yang's breathing slowly tightened. "What?" he whispered quietly to himself before looking around again. The room looked nothing like the ruined house they had entered before. The walls were repaired perfectly without cracks or water stains. Red festival ribbons hung along wooden beams overhead while small paper lanterns swayed gently beside the windows. Even the furniture looked untouched by time. Xu yang slowly pushed himself upright, confusion spreading deeper across his face with every passing second. "No…" His voice sounded quieter now. "This isn't possible."
He turned sharply toward the doorway behind him instinctively as panic slowly began settling into his chest. "Lin Chen?" No answer came. Xu Yang stepped backward once while scanning the unfamiliar room again. "Chen Yu?" Silence. Only distant laughter echoed faintly somewhere deeper inside the house. "Where is everyone?" he muttered quietly while moving toward the door cautiously. "What happened?"
Xu Yang lowered his gaze slowly toward his own hands as though checking whether he himself still existed properly.Somewhere farther away outside the room, children suddenly burst into laughter. Running footsteps echoed rapidly through the hallway before several children rushed past the doorway at full speed carrying small lanterns in their hands. One nearly slipped while another laughed loudly behind him. "You're too slow!" one child shouted happily. "Shut up! You dropped yours first!" another immediately argued back.
Xu yang instinctively stepped backward slightly as they ran toward him then suddenly one child slammed directly into his shoulder before stumbling back with visible annoyance. "Ow!" the boy complained while rubbing his forehead before immediately glaring upward. "Xu Yang! Hurry up!" Xu Yang froze completely. Every thought inside his head stopped instantly. The child was looking directly at him.
The boy frowned impatiently when Xu Yang did not respond. "What are you doing just standing there?" he asked while holding a small glowing lantern awkwardly in both hands. "If we're late again Qing li going to blame you first." Another child farther down the hallway yelled loudly, "Xu Yang! Come on already!" Xu Yang stared at them silently, unable to breathe properly for a moment. His heart was pounding now hard enough to hurt.
Confusion crashed through his thoughts while cold unease settled beneath his skin. Who were these children? How did they know his name? Why were they speaking to him like they had known him forever? Xu Yang's mind spiraled rapidly while staring at the boy in front of him.
This should not have been possible none of this should have been possible.
(...)
I had entered the abandoned house only moments ago. The ruined house filled with distortions and black threads. So why did this place feel real enough to touch? Why did these children feel alive?
(....)
The boy called him again. Xu yang's fingers twitched slightly at his side. "You can see me?" he asked quietly before he could stop himself. The boy blinked once in confusion. "What kind of stupid question is that?" Then another child laughed loudly nearby. "He probably fell asleep again." "I did not!" the first boy snapped back immediately before looking toward Xu yang once more. "Are you coming or not?" Xu yang still could not answer properly.
The hallway behind the children glowed warmly beneath rows of hanging lanterns while distant music drifted faintly from outside somewhere deeper in the village. Laughter echoed through open windows. Someone downstairs called for more tea.
second. He looked around slowly while trying to steady his breathing. "This place…" he whispered almost to himself. "Why does it feel so real?" The boy holding the lantern glanced back at him strangely. "What are you talking about now?"
Xu Yang opened his mouth slightly before stopping himself. How was he supposed to explain any of this? That he remembered this house as abandoned and rotting? That everyone he entered with had disappeared? That the people here should not even exist anymore? Xu Yang's gaze shifted toward the glowing lanterns hanging above the corridor. "What year is this?" he suddenly asked quietly. The two children stared at him for several seconds. Then one burst into laughter immediately. "He really hit his head!" "I'm serious." Xu yang insisted quickly, though even he sounded uncertain now. The lantern boy frowned slightly. "It's festival night obviously." "That doesn't answer anything." Xu Yang muttered under his breath. The children exchanged confused looks before one shrugged carelessly. "You've been acting strange all day." " we are leaving! suit your self!"
Xu Yang followed the children outside almost unconsciously, his steps slower than theirs while unease pressed heavier and heavier against his chest with every passing second. The moment he stepped beyond the doorway, warm night air brushed softly across his face carrying the scent of incense, mountain wind, and sweet festival smoke drifting through the village streets. His eyes widened faintly.
The entire mountain village was alive. Lanterns glowed everywhere beneath the dark sky, hanging from rooftops, wooden stalls, trees, and shrine gates in long rivers of warm golden light. Villagers walked peacefully along crowded stone roads while distant music echoed softly somewhere farther away mixed with laughter and conversation.Children ran between the festival stalls carrying sweets and paper lanterns while older villagers sat together drinking tea beneath glowing windows. The mountains surrounding the village stood dark and calm beneath the night sky.
Xu yang stopped walking completely for a moment, staring silently at the lively streets around him while his breathing slowly grew uneven again. "What is this place?" he whispered quietly to himself. The children ahead barely listened. "Stop standing there!" one shouted impatiently while waving his lantern around recklessly. "The ceremony's about to start!" Another immediately complained, "If we're late again Wang xio going to blame us." "He blames everyone anyway." someone laughed loudly. Xu yang followed after them slowly.
At first he thought the lantern light was distorting their appearances strangely but then he realized nobody had a face. Every adult villager looked incomplete somehow. Their bodies moved naturally,voices sounded clear and clothes shifted in the wind but their faces remained blurred no matter how directly he looked at them, like unfinished figures painted without details.Xu Yang's steps slowed.One villager passed directly beside him laughing softly with someone else, yet the face beneath the lantern light remained completely indistinct. Another turned toward him briefly while carrying food trays through the crowd, but Xu yang could not recognize a single feature. His heartbeat suddenly quickened painfully. "No!" he whispered beneath his breath.
while staring around the festival streets. "Why can't I see them?"Xu yang pressed a hand lightly against his forehead as panic slowly crept deeper into his thoughts. "Am I inside a memory?" he whispered faintly. "Or…" The thought stopped halfway because another terrifying possibility had already begun forming inside his mind. What if this place was trying to remember him too?
Then his gaze slowly lifted toward the shrine standing at the center of the village. And froze completely. Four children stood near the shrine steps beneath rows of glowing lanterns.This time their faces were perfectly clear. One of them was him.Beside child Xu yang stood child Qing li leaning lazily against the shrine railing while arguing about something. Nearby stood child Wang xio with arms folded neatly, looking calmer and more serious than the others even at that age. And slightly behind them stood another quiet boy holding several white flowers carefully against his chest while listening silently to the others speak.
What…? His thoughts became completely unstable while staring at the children near the shrine. Am I dreaming? No… this feels too real. Then who are the other three? Why am I with them? Why does this scene feel familiar when I know I've never seen it before?His fingers tightened unconsciously at his side. "What is this…?" he whispered faintly. "Why am I here?" Child Qing li laughed loudly about something before nudging child Xu yang's shoulder carelessly. "I told you he got lost again." he complained dramatically. "One day we're seriously leaving you behind." Child Xu Yang immediately pushed him back. "You're the one who walks too fast." "Excuses!" child Qing Li shot back smugly. The flower-holding boy laughed softly under his breath while Wang xio sighed beside them looking visibly tired already. "Can you two stop fighting for five minutes?" child Wang xio asked flatly. "The ceremony hasn't even started yet." Child Qing Li pointed immediately. "See? Even Wang Xio's annoyed now." "I'm always like this!" Wang xio replied without hesitation.
Xu yang stared at them silently then child Xu yang slowly turned and looked directly at him. The noise of the festival suddenly felt quieter. Xu yang could not move.Child Xu yang stared into his eyes for several long seconds beneath the lantern light before finally speaking softly. "You came back late."
Meanwhile Qing li arrived at the Demon Clan territory. The moment he crossed the outer boundary, several demon guards turned toward him warily, hands instinctively moving toward their weapons before abruptly hesitating. Qing li's spiritual energy felt wrong tonight.Black Threads flickered faintly around his sleeves for half a second before vanishing again into the cold air. One guard frowned immediately."Young Lord Qing li" "Move!" Qing Li interrupted flatly without slowing down. The guards exchanged uneasy looks but stepped aside anyway after noticing the expression on his face. Because for once Qing li did not look sarcastic or amused or carelessly dramatic but he looked angry.
Qing li moved quickly through the dark stone corridors of the Demon Clan palace while fragmented memories continued flashing violently inside his head without warning. Lantern light,children laughing,someone running through grass.Theb voice calling his name softly somewhere far away. His breathing grew more uneven the farther he walked. "What is wrong with me…" he muttered quietly under his breath while pressing one hand briefly against his temple again. The headache had not stopped since entering the mountain distortion earlier.
He finally reached a quiet inner chamber at the far end of the palace. Warm lantern light glowed faintly beneath the half-open doors. Qing li pushed them open without waiting for permission. Wang xio stood alone near the window inside, loose scrolls spread across the table beside him.He looked up the moment Qing li entered and understood something was wrong.Qing Li stared at him for several long seconds before speaking through clenched teeth. "What are you hiding from me?" Wang xio's expression shifted faintly though his voice remained calm. "You should not be here right now." That answer snapped the last thread of Qing Li's patience instantly. "Stop saying things like that!" His voice echoed sharply through the chamber.
Qing li stepped forward abruptly."Something is wrong with me!" Wang xio remained silent. Qing li laughed once harshly in disbelief before dragging a hand violently through his hair. "No seriously, explain this to me because I think I'm losing my mind." His breathing had become visibly uneven now. "I keep seeing things I don't remember!" His voice lowered slightly afterward though somehow sounded even more unstable. "Children… lanterns… blood…" His fingers tightened slowly at his side. "Someone keeps calling my name like I'm supposed to know them."
Wang xio's gaze darkened faintly but he still did not answer immediately. That silence only made Qing li angrier. "You knew, didn't you?" Wang xio finally looked toward him fully now. Qing li stepped closer. "You knew this whole time." "Not everything." Wang xio answered quietly. Qing li stared at him in disbelief for half a second before laughing bitterly again. "That's supposed to make me feel better?" Wang xio's voice remained calm despite the tension filling the room. "Qing Li!" "No." Qing li cut him off sharply. "Don't do that." His eyes were visibly unsettled now beneath the anger. "Don't stand there acting calm while everyone else apparently knows something except me." Wang xio's fingers tightened faintly against the edge of the table beside him. Qing li noticed immediately. "So there is something."
Qing li's expression slowly darkened further. "What happened to us?" Wang xio did not answer. "What did Heaven erase?" wang xio didn't say anything. Qing li suddenly slammed one hand hard against the wooden table between them causing several scrolls to fall violently onto the floor. "Why do I feel like I forgot everything important?!" The room fell completely silent afterward except for Qing li's uneven breathing.Wang xio watched him quietly for several seconds before finally speaking. "Because you did." Qing li froze instantly. The words settled heavily inside the room. "What?" Wang xio's gaze lowered briefly. "If I tell you everything now…" Small pause. "…the correction will accelerate." Qing Li frowned immediately. "What correction?"
Wang Xio looked toward him directly again, calmness cracking faintly beneath visible tension for the first time. "The one trying to erase us again." Before Qing li could respond, the entire Demon Clan territory suddenly shook violently beneath them.Qing li turned sharply toward the window. Black Threads were spreading across the night sky outside like living cracks tearing through reality itself. Wang xio's expression hardened immediately. "It started."
Back to shirne Child Xu yang tilted his head slightly before speaking again, quieter this time. "You really forgot everything." Xu yang's throat tightened faintly. "What…?" he whispered instinctively. Child Qing li looked between them with visible confusion. "Who are you talking to?" Child Wang xio's expression changed unlike the others, he slowly turned toward adult Xu yang too. And his calm face showed actual shock. The flower-holding boy froze quietly beside them while tightening his grip around the white flowers. Child Wang xio took one careful step forward. "That's…"
Child Xu xang slowly stood from the shrine steps while lantern light flickered softly across his face. "You weren't supposed to come back yet." he said quietly. Xu yang's mind spiraled instantly. Back? What did that mean? Before he could speak again without warning the sky glitched violently. The entire world suddenly distorted sideways with a deafening cracking sound. Warm festival light flickered black,music cut off unnaturally mid-note. Above the village, enormous black threads suddenly spread across the heavens like cracks splitting reality itself apart. The night sky twisted violently beneath them.
Child Qing li grabbed child Xu yang's arm hard. "What's happening?!" Then the festival atmosphere collapsed instantly. Lanterns burst into flames overhead and began crashing into the crowded streets below. Fire spread wildly between buildings while villagers screamed in confusion and terror. Some people disappeared mid-movement before even touching the ground, their bodies dissolving silently into black fragments swallowed by the spreading Threads overhead. The faceless crowd started screaming everywhere at once.
Adult Xu yang staggered backward as spiritual pressure slammed violently across the village. Then massive golden Heaven seals appeared above the collapsing mountain settlement. Their light covered the entire sky like judgment descending from above. Somewhere unseen, a voice echoed across the heavens "Begin correction!" Buildings distorted sideways unnaturally. The shrine cracked beneath violent spreading fractures. Stone pillars split apart while the ground itself shook violently under everyone's feet.
Child Wang xio's face paled instantly. "Run!" he shouted.Child Qing li grabbed child Xu yang's wrist tightly without hesitation and pulled him backward away from the collapsing shrine. Someone nearby was crying loudly. The flower-holding boy stumbled while trying to keep up, white flowers falling from his hands onto the broken stone ground.
Then suddenly black threads burst upward from beneath the shrine itself. They wrapped violently around the flower-holding boy's body before dragging him backward across the shattered floor. He cried out in panic while desperately trying to grab onto the stone. "No!" child Xu yang lunged toward him instantly. Child Qing Li grabbed him harder. "Xu Yang don't!" But the threads tightened violently. The flower-holding boy reached toward them helplessly while being dragged deeper into the darkness splitting open beneath the shrine. Child Xu Yang screamed his name but the sound cut out completely. Silence slammed across the world for half a second.
Adult Xu yang stood frozen in horror while everything around him continued collapsing beneath fire, screaming villagers, Heaven seals, and black threads consuming the sky itself. Because this no longer felt like witnessing a memory. It felt like witnessing the exact moment reality itself had been erased.Adult Xu yang stumbled backward across the collapsing shrine grounds while the world around him continued breaking apart violently beneath black threads and burning lantern light.Fire spread across wooden buildings as Heaven seals glowed coldly overhead like judgment descending upon the village.
Child Qing li pulling child Xu yang away in panic,wang xio shouting something lost beneath the collapsing sound of reality itself.while Xu yang failed to save him. Every piece of it felt too real. Then suddenly Xu yang froze. He saw someone was standing nearby not far from the collapsing shrine. Calmly watching everything burn apart around them. White robes moved softly beneath unstable wind while black hair drifted slowly across a cold unreadable face.
The figure stood completely motionless despite the destruction consuming the world around him. And the moment the figure slowly turned toward him Xu yang's entire body went cold because the face looking back at him was his own. The Xu yang he saw was not child Xu yang and it was not reflections but another Xu yang.He didn't moved. He rubbed his eyes and checked again but he the person he saw was Xu yang.
Xu yang stared at him silently for several long seconds."What…" The words barely left his throat. The other Xu yang watched him quietly while threads spread endlessly behind him across the fractured sky. Firelight reflected faintly in his eyes yet his expression never changed. Xu yang took an unsteady step backward instinctively. "Who are you?" The other Xu yang remained silent at first.
Around him shrine cracked louder beneath spreading fractures while entire sections of the village disappeared into darkness beyond the festival streets. Somewhere nearby someone was still crying. Then the other Xu Yang spoke quietly. "You were never supposed to remember this."