The echo of the shrine bell faded slowly into the distance.Two chimes.Everyone in the village had heard them.That alone was enough to make the morning feel wrong.
The sky above the valley was clear and pale, yet the air carried the strange stillness of a coming storm. Even the birds perched quietly along the tiled rooftops, their usual chatter absent.
At the foot of the hill, Zhao Wei stood unmoving.His eyes drifted between the cemetery gate and the road leading back toward the village. In one memory, his wife rested beneath the soil behind that gate.
In another, she was waiting at home with breakfast growing cold on the table.
Both memories felt solid. Both were real.
He exhaled slowly.
Yan Luo watched him carefully. "Are you steady enough to walk?" he asked.Zhao Wei nodded. "I think so." "Think so?" Qing Li muttered under his breath. "That's not exactly comforting."Zhao Wei gave a weak smile. "In one memory I'm fine." he said quietly. "In the other… I haven't slept in two days."Yan Luo glanced briefly at Xu Yang padding beside them. "The fact that you can speak calmly at all is already unusual."Zhao Wei looked down at the black cat.Xu Yang's golden eyes met his gaze.For a brief moment, the threads swirling faintly around Zhao Wei steadied.
Zhao Wei blinked slowly. "Strange!" he murmured. "What is?" Qing Li asked.
"When I look at this cat… my thoughts feel quieter." Yan Luo nodded once. "That's consistent." "Consistent with what?" Zhao Wei asked.Qing Li crossed his arms. "With the fact that this entire mess seems to orbit around him."Xu Yang flicked his tail but said nothing. Of course, to everyone else, he was still only a cat.
They began walking down the hill path. Behind them, the cemetery gate creaked softly in the wind. Zhao Wei did not look back. His hands remained tucked inside his sleeves, but his fingers slowly tightened around the fabric. The memories inside his head felt heavier with every step. Halfway down the slope, he finally broke the silence. "You said the world is trying to choose one version," he said quietly. Yan Luo walked beside him without slowing. "Yes." Zhao Wei lowered his gaze to the uneven path. "But it hasn't yet." "No."
For a few moments, he said nothing. Then he asked, "So what happens to people like me?" Qing Li answered before Yan Luo could. "You become a problem." Yan Luo shot him a warning look. "Qing Li." Qing Li lifted both hands innocently. "What? It's the truth." His expression softened slightly as he looked at Zhao Wei. "If two pasts continue existing in one person's mind, eventually one of them will collapse." Zhao Wei's steps slowed. "Collapse..." he repeated quietly. "What does that mean?" Yan Luo sighed softly before answering. "It means one set of memories will begin overwhelming the other." Zhao Wei frowned. "Overwhelming?" "At first, small things disappear," Yan Luo explained. "A face. A name. A conversation." His voice remained calm, but his eyes carried unusual seriousness. "Then larger pieces follow. Entire events. Entire years."
Zhao Wei stared ahead, his chest tightening slightly. "And eventually?" Yan Luo was silent for a moment. "Eventually you may no longer know which life truly belongs to you." The wind brushed across the hillside. Zhao Wei looked away.Something painful flashed across his face. "So I could forget them?" he asked quietly. Neither Qing Li nor Yan Luo answered right away. The silence itself became an answer. Zhao Wei laughed softly, but there was no amusement in it. Only bitterness. "That's unfair."
Qing Li glanced at him. "Reality has never cared about fairness." Zhao Wei's gaze drifted toward the distant mountains. His thoughts felt tangled, messy. Faces surfaced in his memories. Conversations. Moments. Some belonged to one life. Some belonged to another. Yet all of them felt real. All of them felt important. "So all this time..." he said slowly. "I've been fighting myself without realizing it." Yan Luo nodded. "Yes." Zhao Wei swallowed hard. "And I didn't even get a choice." His shoulders lowered slightly.
After a long silence, he asked the question that had been lingering in his heart. "And if neither collapses?" Yan Luo's footsteps slowed slightly. His expression became unreadable. Even Qing Li stopped smiling. The wind seemed quieter. The world seemed to hold its breath. Yan Luo looked ahead, his voice softer than before. "Then reality might." Zhao Wei's eyes widened slightly. No one spoke after that. The three continued down the hill
By the time they reached the village, the morning market had begun to open But something felt wrong. The usual sounds of merchants setting up stalls were quieter than normal. Conversations were happening everywhere but in hushed tones.
Two old men stood arguing beside a tea stand. One of them pointed angrily toward the wooden stall while the other folded his arms stubbornly. "I'm telling you, this stall used to belong to Chen the baker!" he said loudly. The second old man scoffed. "You're senile. It's always been a tea stall." The first man's eyes widened in disbelief. "Always? I remember buying bread here every morning!"
The tea vendor stood awkwardly between them, looking completely helpless. He raised both hands and said, "I've only ever sold tea." The first old man frowned deeply and shook his head. "That's impossible. There was fresh bread every morning. Sweet buns too." The second man sighed heavily. "You've mixed up your memories again." Nearby, another argument suddenly erupted. A middle-aged woman pointed toward the road in confusion. "That road wasn't this wide yesterday."
A man beside her immediately answered, "Yes it was." She shook her head stubbornly. "No, it wasn't! There used to be another tree here too." A younger villager joined in nervously. "Actually… I think she's right." Another person frowned. "No, you're both wrong." The entire street had become filled with small disagreements that sounded harmless at first but slowly became unsettling. Yan Luo slowed his steps and quietly observed everyone around him. His expression gradually became more serious. "Listen to them!" he murmured.
Qing Li rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "Great. It's spreading." Zhao Wei stood still, watching the confusion unfold before him. The fear in his eyes slowly deepened as realization settled inside him. His voice lowered almost to a whisper. "They sound like I did this morning." Yan Luo looked at him and nodded grimly. "Exactly." Zhao Wei stared at the arguing villagers again.
Suddenly a sharp voice cut across the square."That's his seat!"Everyone turned. A small girl stood beside a low wooden table near the dumpling stall.She looked no older than six or seven.Her finger pointed stubbornly at a small stool.Her mother looked exasperated.
"Lian'er, stop causing trouble," her mother said, sounding exhausted rather than angry. But the girl shook her head. "But that's where he sits!" she protested loudly while pointing at the empty stool. Her mother frowned. "Who?" The little girl answered without hesitation. "My brother!" Her mother's expression instantly hardened, her face losing all warmth. "You do not have a brother." The girl's eyes widened in disbelief. "Yes I do!" she shouted back. "No, you don't." "He sits there every morning!"
The argument immediately drew attention from nearby villagers. Some slowed their steps while others whispered quietly among themselves. Yan Luo and Qing Li exchanged glances. Qing Li sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Here we go again." he muttered under his breath.Yan Luo walked forward and crouched down until he was at eye level with the little girl. Unlike everyone else, his expression remained gentle and calm. "What's your name?" he asked softly.
The girl blinked at him for a moment before answering. "Lian." Yan Luo nodded once. "And your brother?" Her face brightened a little. "Chen." "Chen what?" Yan Luo asked patiently. She suddenly froze. Her eyes blinked several times as if trying to grab onto something she could no longer fully remember. "Chen…" she murmured quietly. "Just Chen." Her mother sighed awkwardly and bowed her head slightly in embarrassment."I'm sorry. She has an active imagination." Lian stomped her foot. "I do not!" she protested. She pointed toward the stool again. "That's his seat!" Qing Li scratched the back of his head and stepped closer. "And where is he now?" he asked. Lian answered immediately. "He went to chase chickens."
Yan Luo's eyes slowly shifted downward. Something had caught his attention. The ground beneath the stool was covered in dust from the morning breeze. He remained silent for a moment before crouching even lower. There were footprints there. Small footprints. Children's footprints. Three sets leading away from the stool. And then… one more set.His eyes narrowed slightly. He carefully examined the pattern without touching it. Beside him, Qing Li leaned over curiously. "What is it?" Yan Luo didn't answer immediately. His gaze remained fixed on the ground. Then he spoke quietly. "Qing Li." Qing Li crouched beside him. "Hmm?" Yan Luo pointed at the tracks. "Look." Qing Li leaned closer and the relaxed expression on his face disappeared almost instantly. His eyes widened slightly before his brows furrowed together. "...That's not good."
The fourth set of footprints was slightly larger than Lian's. As if belonging to a boy perhaps two years older.They led away from the stool.
Toward the alley beside the square. But there was no child there.Zhao Wei whispered, "You can see it too?" Yan Luo nodded.."Yes."
Lian looked at everyone in confusion, her small brows furrowing together. She pointed at the empty stool again as if the answer should have been obvious to everyone around her. "Of course he's there," she said. "Why are you acting strange?" Her mother grabbed her shoulders, her expression becoming more anxious than angry now. "Because there is no 'Chen'." Lian instantly shook her head. "Yes there is!" "No there isn't!" her mother insisted. "Yes there is!" Lian shouted back, her eyes already becoming red with frustration. "He eats breakfast there every morning!" The argument quickly grew louder, attracting even more villagers. Some whispered among themselves while others simply stared, unsure of who to believe anymore.
A short distance away, Xu Yang sat quietly on the edge of a stone step. His black tail rested beside him as his golden eyes remained fixed on the scene ahead. To ordinary human eyes, the village square looked completely normal. But to him, the air was different. Countless faint silver strands floated through the space around everyone, almost invisible under the sunlight. One particular thread caught his attention immediately. A thin silver strand drifted from Lian's chest. It was new. Unlike Zhao Wei's tangled and unstable memories, this one was smooth and clean, as if it had only just begun forming. Slowly, it stretched outward through the air like a vine searching for something to attach itself to.
Qing Li noticed Xu Yang's unusual focus and followed his gaze toward the little girl. He folded his arms and sighed softly. "You see something again, don't you?" he muttered. Xu Yang remained silent for a moment, his eyes never leaving the thread. Beside him, Yan Luo narrowed his eyes slightly and looked toward the same direction. His expression gradually became serious. "A thread," he said quietly. Xu Yang gave a small nod. "Yes." Qing Li immediately looked between them. "What kind?" Yan Luo exhaled slowly, his gaze lingering on the silver strand floating through the air. "A new one."
At that moment, Shen Lian stepped through the crowd. The villagers instinctively moved aside to make space for him. He glanced at the arguing mother and daughter before looking at the empty stool. "What is happening here?" he asked calmly. Lian immediately pointed toward the stool again, her face brightening as though she had finally found someone who would listen to her. "They won't let Chen sit down!" she complained. Shen Lian crouched down beside her, his voice gentle and patient. "Tell me about Chen." Lian smiled immediately. "He's my brother." Shen Lian nodded once. "Older or younger?" "Older." "How much older?" Lian proudly held up two fingers. "Two years!" Shen Lian smiled softly. "What does he look like?" Lian opened her mouth to answer but for a brief moment, she froze.
Lian answered without hesitation. "He has messy hair and he steals dumplings when mother isn't looking." The dumpling vendor coughed awkwardly. "That… actually has happened."Everyone stared at him.
"Wait," he said slowly. "I remember that."
The square fell silent.Yan Luo's voice was very quiet. "Do you realize what that means?" Qing Li groaned. "The memory is spreading." Zhao Wei looked confused. "Spreading?" Yan Luo gestured toward the vendor. "He just accepted the possibility that the boy exists."
The dumpling vendor blinked. " I did?"
"Yes."Qing Li muttered, "And now the thread gets stronger."
Suddenly, Lian's eyes widened. She quickly turned toward a narrow alley nearby and pointed excitedly. "There!" she shouted. Everyone followed her gaze. For a brief second, nothing seemed unusual. Then the dust on the ground shifted slightly. Two quick footsteps appeared out of nowhere, one after another, before abruptly stopping. Silence fell over the crowd. A collective gasp escaped from several villagers at once. One person stepped backward nervously. "Did you see that?" someone whispered. Another villager blinked repeatedly, uncertain of what they had just witnessed. "No…" A third person immediately interrupted. "Yes!" Another voice joined in. "I think I did!" Murmurs instantly spread through the square as people began questioning themselves and one another.
Not far away, Xu Yang slowly stood up from the stone step. His golden eyes remained fixed on Lian. The silver thread attached to her chest had changed. It wasn't dramatic. It wasn't obvious enough for ordinary people to notice. But it had definitely become thicker. His tail flicked once behind him as his expression grew more serious.Qing Li stared at the crowd, then rubbed a hand through his hair in disbelief. "So let me get this straight," he said, sounding both frustrated and amazed.
Yan Luo folded his arms and sighed quietly. "Go ahead." Qing Li pointed toward Lian. "This girl remembers a brother who never existed." Yan Luo nodded once. "Correct." Qing Li blinked and pointed toward the disturbed dust in the alley. "And now reality is starting to behave like he did exist.""Correct." Qing Li slowly lowered his hand, looking even more disturbed than before. "And the more people believe it…" He didn't finish the sentence.Yan Luo did."...the more real he becomes."Zhao Wei, who had been standing quietly beside them, felt his chest tighten. His gaze shifted between Lian, the alley, and the villagers who were now nervously whispering among themselves."That's terrifying." he whispered.
Lian suddenly waved toward the alley.
"Chen! Come back!" For a brief moment... The shadow of a small boy appeared against the wall. Then vanished. The square erupted in whispers.Shen Lian's expression hardened."The anchor is adapting faster than we thought."Xu Yang stepped forward..The threads in the square reacted instantly. They slowed.The branching strand attached to Lian trembled. Lian looked down at him and smiled. "Chen likes cats." she said.
Yan Luo whispered, "Of course he does."
Far below the earth, the basin of memory light stirred. A new thread dipped into its surface. The anchor watched. Studying and
Testing. Lian suddenly frowned. "Why are you all acting like he isn't real?" she asked.
No one answered. Because the footprints in the dust were still there. And they were slowly becoming clearer.The square did not return to normal.It couldn't. Because the footprints in the dust… did not fade. No one moved for several breaths.
Qing Li was the first to break the stillness. His voice came out lower than usual, almost uncertain. "Tell me I'm seeing things," he said quietly. Yan Luo did not look away from the ground where the faint disturbance had appeared. His expression remained unreadable, but his eyes were focused. "You're not." Zhao Wei swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on the empty alley. "They're still there." Yan Luo nodded once. "Yes." A pause followed before he added, even more quietly, "And they're getting clearer."
Lian frowned at everyone around her, clearly confused by their reaction. "Why are you acting strange?" she asked again, her small voice rising with frustration. "He's right there." She pointed insistently toward the alley once more as if she could drag everyone's attention there by force. The entire crowd turned instinctively, expecting something this time. But there was nothing. Only sunlight touching an empty wall and the quiet shift of dust along the ground. For a brief second, it seemed like nothing had changed. Then the dust moved again not naturally. A soft, distinct step formed in it then another followed.A voice came from the alley.
"Lian?"The entire square froze instantly.
Lian's face lit up with pure relief and joy. "Chen!" she shouted, as if confirming what she had always known. Her mother staggered backward, her lips parting in disbelief. "No…" she whispered, shaking her head. Qing Li's expression darkened instantly, his hand moving straight to the hilt of his sword without hesitation. "You heard that too, right?" he asked sharply. Yan Luo nodded slowly, his gaze still locked on the alley. "Yes." Zhao Wei's voice came out barely above a whisper. "That wasn't memory." Yan Luo's expression tightened slightly as he answered without hesitation. "No." Yan Luo said quietly, "That was presence."
The air near the alley shimmered faintly. Like heat rising from stone. A thin outline began to form. Not solid. Not fully visible. But enough.
A child's height and child's shape. Lian ran forward. "Wait!" her mother shouted.
But it was too late. Lian stopped just in front of the shifting outline. "You took so long!" she complained. The outline flickered. " I got lost," the voice said softly.
Someone screamed. Another villager stumbled backward, nearly falling over his own feet. "This is impossible!" he shouted. Another voice followed immediately, sharper and more frightened. "Is it a ghost?!" A third villager pulled their child back. "Don't let it touch you!" Panic began spreading through the crowd like fire catching dry grass.
Qing Li stepped forward instantly, placing himself between the villagers and the forming outline in the alley. His hand stayed firmly on his weapon as his voice cut through the chaos. "Everyone stay back!" he ordered sharply. "Don't approach it!" Lian turned toward him, her face flushed with anger and confusion. "He's not dangerous!" she shouted back. Qing Li didn't soften. "You don't know that," he snapped. "I do!" she insisted, stepping forward without hesitation. "He's my brother!"
Lian's mother suddenly collapsed to her knees, her hands trembling as she looked at her daughter in disbelief. "There is no brother!" she cried, her voice breaking. "You were my only child!" Lian froze, confusion flickering across her face. "No?" she said uncertainly. Her mother shook her head desperately. "No! I raised you alone!" The outline in the alley flickered at those words, as if something inside it had been struck directly. The faint voice wavered, breaking for a moment. "...Alone?" Lian shook her head stubbornly, tears forming in her eyes. "No, you didn't!" she shouted. She reached forward, grabbing at the empty air where the presence was strongest, as if she could physically pull it into reality. "He's always been here!"
Not far away, Xu Yang narrowed his eyes. The thread attached to Lian had changed again. What had once been a single thin strand had now thickened into multiple layers, weaving together rapidly like something learning how to exist properly. It was no longer chaotic. It was structured. Growing. Stable in a way that felt far more dangerous. Yan Luo felt it too and murmured under his breath, "It's stabilizing." Qing Li turned his head sharply toward him. "That's not a good thing, is it?" Yan Luo didn't hesitate. "No."
Zhao Wei stepped forward slowly, his gaze fixed on the shifting outline in the alley. His voice was cautious but steady. "Can I ask something?" he said. No one stopped him. Even Qing Li remained silent for once. Zhao Wei looked directly at the forming presence. "Do you remember anything?" he asked. The figure paused slightly, as if processing the question. Then came the answer. "...Yes." Zhao Wei's expression tightened. "What do you remember?" The voice replied faintly, "Playing here." A pause. "With Lian." Zhao Wei's eyes narrowed slightly. "And before that?" The figure hesitated longer this time. "...Home." "Where?" Zhao Wei pressed carefully. The outline trembled. "There." It lifted slightly, pointing weakly toward the row of houses behind the crowd. Lian immediately brightened. "See? I told you!" she shouted, as if victory itself had just been proven.
Yan Luo stepped closer now, his expression far more serious than before. "Tell me your name," he said calmly. The figure responded without hesitation. "Chen." A beat passed. Yan Luo continued, "Your full name." Silence fell. The outline flickered again, weaker for a moment, as if the question had hit something missing inside it. Finally, the voice came back softer. "...I don't know."
Yan Luo's gaze sharpened. "And your father's name?" The figure flickered. " I don't know."
Qing Li exhaled slowly. "It's incomplete."
Yan Luo nodded. "Not a full existence."Shen Lian spoke quietly. "The thread is still forming." Zhao Wei frowned. "Forming what?" "A person." The words sent a chill through the square. Qing Li shook his head.
"No!" he said immediately. "No, that's not how this works." Shen Lian looked at him. "That's exactly how it's working."
Lian stepped in front of the flickering figure protectively. "Stop asking him strange questions," she said. "He's just confused!"
Qing Li stared at her. "You're not even surprised." "Why would I be?" she asked.
"He's my brother." Her certainty was absolute. And that certainty fed the thread. Xu Yang could see it clearly. Every word she spoke strengthened the strands.
Slowly, carefully, Lian reached forward again, ignoring everyone's shouting behind her. Her small fingers trembled slightly as they moved into the empty air where the outline was strongest. For a brief moment, there was nothing only wind and silence. Then her fingers met resistance. The air felt heavier, as if something invisible had become real just enough to be touched. The outline solidified for an instant. A small hand formed against hers, matching her size, pressing back gently. The crowd immediately erupted in panic. "It touched her!" someone screamed. "She's going to die!" another shouted, stumbling backward. But Lian didn't pull away. Instead, she smiled brightly through her tears. "See?" she said softly, her voice full of relief. "He's real." "That's enough!"
Qing Li stepped forward quickly and grabbed Lian's arm, pulling her back with force. The contact between her and the presence snapped instantly. The small hand dissolved back into distortion, and the outline flickered again.Qing Li's expression was sharp and tense as he positioned himself between Lian and the alley. "We don't know what that thing is!" he said firmly. Lian struggled against his grip, her voice rising in desperation. "He's not a thing!" Qing Li tightened his hold slightly, his tone becoming more serious. "He might not even be human!" "He is!" she shouted back immediately. "Based on what?!" Qing Li snapped. The question hung in the air, heavy and direct. Lian's breathing turned uneven as her eyes filled with tears. "Because I remember him!" she cried out.
Zhao Wei Understands and Zhao Wei whispered, "That's enough." Everyone turned to him. He looked at the flickering boy.
" I understand." Qing Li frowned. "You understand what?" Zhao Wei's expression was distant. "In one life, my wife is gone."
He gestured toward Lian. "In hers… her brother exists." Yan Luo nodded slowly. "And the system is treating both the same."
Shen Lian's voice dropped. "There is no difference anymore." Qing Li stared at her. "What do you mean?"She met his gaze.
"A remembered past… and an imagined one…" " are now equal."Xu Yang Steps forward and threads reacted instantly. The growing structure around the boy slowed. Not stopping But hesitating. The boy turned his head slightly. " Cat!" he murmured.Lian smiled. "He likes you."The outline became clearer. A small boy, Messy hair and Barefoot Not fully solid But no longer just a shadow. Qing Li exhaled sharply. "…This is bad." Yan Luo nodded. "Yes."
Far below, the anchor pulsed. The new thread had changed. It was no longer testing. It was integrating, Learning and Accepting.Yan Luo looked at the boy. "Chen," he said quietly. The boy looked back. " Yes?"Yan Luo held his gaze. "Do you know what you are?" The boy tilted his head. " I'm… her brother." "No," Yan Luo said softly. "You're something new."
The boy frowned. "…New?"Xu Yang felt it again. That other presence.Neither the anchor nor Heaven. It brushed against the thread surrounding the boy. Gently and Guiding it. Encouraging it to stabilize further.Xu Yang's fur bristled slightly. This was not natural. This was interference.
The boy looked down at his own hands.
For a moment, they became clearer. More solid and More real. Then he looked back at Yan Luo and asked..." If I wasn't here before…" " then where did I come from?"
No one answered. Because at that exact moment....A second, identical thread… appeared in the air..Not connected to Lian..Not connected to Zhao Wei. Floating freely Waiting.As if searching for the next life to become.