He didn't answer right away.111Please respect copyright.PENANA1WUx8FEtFn
111Please respect copyright.PENANAQNIHKtaFDy
Because he knew—it wasn't a question one could answer in a single breath.111Please respect copyright.PENANAVSLoOrFPZO
It was a riddle that required the soul to slowly shed its layers,111Please respect copyright.PENANAjUpmXyrlVW
to be rewoven before it could respond.111Please respect copyright.PENANAm17mq5686l
111Please respect copyright.PENANA4VU5i7meUO
"Do you think I still have a choice?" he whispered, as if asking himself.111Please respect copyright.PENANAAppXlohgp8
111Please respect copyright.PENANAyQGOBUGDVK
"You were never given a choice,"111Please respect copyright.PENANAmBhcIumfjS
Bai Zi-Ming replied, his gaze calm like a still river,111Please respect copyright.PENANAmraHRf623S
but with currents hidden deep beneath.111Please respect copyright.PENANAEkKyYWEfTo
"What you've always had—was burden."111Please respect copyright.PENANAHXZ7JIXFqN
111Please respect copyright.PENANAWUCjQ5r0Ve
He tried to speak,111Please respect copyright.PENANA2FgW8J8TZb
but his throat was parched,111Please respect copyright.PENANA0vxE2GEqvv
his voice buried beneath layers of fractured time.111Please respect copyright.PENANAsZIexD9kgM
The ungrasped past, the names too dangerous to recall,111Please respect copyright.PENANAIzq2siLa70
and the cross in his pocket—111Please respect copyright.PENANAndtiluoCjU
all pressed against his breath like a weight.111Please respect copyright.PENANA0ZGvQ2dR8E
111Please respect copyright.PENANAjM4IhI2tYV
"You want the truth behind the 281 days?"111Please respect copyright.PENANAlUjdnroQki
Bai Zi-Ming asked suddenly, his voice nearly a whisper.111Please respect copyright.PENANACbdD8JbvX9
"Then understand this:111Please respect copyright.PENANA8CXlzHgmEG
your memory was never from a single source."111Please respect copyright.PENANAHZ73WHudUK
111Please respect copyright.PENANAIYFpwQ1Bw3
"…Meaning?" He looked up, brow furrowed.111Please respect copyright.PENANAtNU1kCZDv5
111Please respect copyright.PENANAN932qXQxgg
"You've been… adjusted.111Please respect copyright.PENANAYLfNCWsUQt
Or rather, your time has been written, rewritten, and folded again."111Please respect copyright.PENANAAvU5gkdpZ4
111Please respect copyright.PENANAay7AfFnueO
"Each moment you remember—111Please respect copyright.PENANADGC59t9ln7
may come from yourself,111Please respect copyright.PENANAMclzATfwrl
another version of you,111Please respect copyright.PENANAcekOSbhpd0
or a future that hasn't yet occurred."111Please respect copyright.PENANA4FKSMBTPaN
111Please respect copyright.PENANAFnXtVTIjFa
Silence stretched between them,111Please respect copyright.PENANAw3nKIJ6eST
like the broken timeline unraveling inside his mind.111Please respect copyright.PENANAI2Bgikd3Qa
111Please respect copyright.PENANA0m7Mc8lcoB
He suddenly remembered the photo—111Please respect copyright.PENANANTZEqxbF0l
the clock frozen at 28:01.111Please respect copyright.PENANAF3w140I9uW
It wasn't the end of time.111Please respect copyright.PENANA92jBeT6LEQ
It was a new beginning, in another form.111Please respect copyright.PENANA8ORAQpO8Yz
111Please respect copyright.PENANAjvqSZNqMxW
"So who am I now?"111Please respect copyright.PENANAMMNrq617ky
He asked softly. But this time, there was no tremble in his voice.111Please respect copyright.PENANAKzYp2qODYn
111Please respect copyright.PENANAgRKUalPHBI
Bai Zi-Ming didn't answer immediately.111Please respect copyright.PENANAHJFBSWfyqg
Instead, he stepped closer, and said quietly, with clarity:111Please respect copyright.PENANAHfu2PhtTQ8
111Please respect copyright.PENANAzuGOsCCkz9
"You are the one who—across every version—chose to remain."111Please respect copyright.PENANAHzheaWRZQy
111Please respect copyright.PENANAh0CbqYgkKp
The moment those words landed,111Please respect copyright.PENANA3ky6MzGjHs
something inside him stirred—111Please respect copyright.PENANAsGczNUZq0a
not breaking,111Please respect copyright.PENANAhOzfpHDno3
but realigning.111Please respect copyright.PENANAcRxW6fZ6c9
111Please respect copyright.PENANAZsSTOkBGF7
"When you're ready," Bai Zi-Ming said, turning into the shadows,111Please respect copyright.PENANA2nIJQ4YtOR
"come back to me.111Please respect copyright.PENANAMVIDo8wqBh
But remember—don't be late again.111Please respect copyright.PENANAN5YpQHKbKX
One more delay, and you will forget who you are."111Please respect copyright.PENANAflOzV4pV7p
111Please respect copyright.PENANAiAsV9Xb3gX
The lights in the hallway flickered,111Please respect copyright.PENANA9grXURaHa9
like a memory signal about to be severed.111Please respect copyright.PENANA9Vn4WF8ryT
111Please respect copyright.PENANABrZnh7Qlzf
He stood still.111Please respect copyright.PENANAi9fjHnMTUO
Didn't chase,111Please respect copyright.PENANAlxc9dHEcTu
didn't turn back.111Please respect copyright.PENANAuEyIbjsnwD
111Please respect copyright.PENANA9QMJuIIET8
Because he knew—111Please respect copyright.PENANAkvKX3KBf2z
the silence in that moment was already a kind of wordless promise.111Please respect copyright.PENANAFaDiZCYMuW
111Please respect copyright.PENANAU7F0c1OpIs
He lifted a hand and held the cross in his pocket.111Please respect copyright.PENANAjdpHOzwAiq
His fingertips trembled slightly.111Please respect copyright.PENANA7EPrnRK5pF
It wasn't just cold metal—111Please respect copyright.PENANAGvf2qzPyHQ
it was a key to every possibility.111Please respect copyright.PENANA8pK3XtTuke
A key to memory,111Please respect copyright.PENANAUrOMvKIcKj
and to the fate he could no longer avoid.111Please respect copyright.PENANAHnd15ew4Or
111Please respect copyright.PENANAafhAcT2AEu
The door was opening.111Please respect copyright.PENANAs0VbheDU70
111Please respect copyright.PENANAmhjM09p4IO
111Please respect copyright.PENANAxrn8XkoJ5w
---111Please respect copyright.PENANAhyymy1wB1K
111Please respect copyright.PENANAK7iHYTlAox
When he left the LUOYEH base,111Please respect copyright.PENANAtSSdsaoaEJ
the sky outside hung between two extremes—111Please respect copyright.PENANAh46aSiadV9
not day,111Please respect copyright.PENANAVkjjMHZzjA
not night.111Please respect copyright.PENANARSW7mq4SRD
A soft light drifted through the air,111Please respect copyright.PENANAqKxhz05PXa
carrying whispers left unfinished.111Please respect copyright.PENANA6YVjQGs3L7
111Please respect copyright.PENANAEYLsNmwBUU
As he entered the alley,111Please respect copyright.PENANA8HR0MBxQFL
his phone screen lit up on its own.111Please respect copyright.PENANAuqwPZwLLSe
The time flickered for a second, then displayed:111Please respect copyright.PENANAG2np4TnZTi
111Please respect copyright.PENANAJMO5eyQFun
February 23, 2025 (Sunday) — 18:40111Please respect copyright.PENANAt4mVDYBaiE
111Please respect copyright.PENANAQS8KzzmUtR
He froze.111Please respect copyright.PENANAVpHnrbdlmh
111Please respect copyright.PENANAE5jZjDOQOJ
That was impossible.111Please respect copyright.PENANA6j4a4qG1U4
111Please respect copyright.PENANA7bi7TQwj6I
When he entered the base, it was 3:47 PM.111Please respect copyright.PENANAQSTRb9UvxD
The conversation hadn't lasted more than a few minutes.111Please respect copyright.PENANAjimkBsaAM6
There should've been no gap of nearly three hours.111Please respect copyright.PENANAoTZJGRk2kb
111Please respect copyright.PENANAXo3EWL6Mjm
Even stranger—111Please respect copyright.PENANAESVpkoh0oa
he couldn't recall anything from the moment he left the inner room until now.111Please respect copyright.PENANAzXS66m49FX
As if someone had sliced out an entire stretch of memory—111Please respect copyright.PENANAx6hgBzgx9Q
cleanly, surgically, without even ash remaining.111Please respect copyright.PENANAGBPoOzhgTL
111Please respect copyright.PENANAgAnt2rPksE
"How long have I walked again?"111Please respect copyright.PENANAee23s3OyVQ
he asked himself, voice so low not even the wind bothered to reply.111Please respect copyright.PENANA4X5p4iqvLw
111Please respect copyright.PENANAKnffuHTyif
He opened his notes app,111Please respect copyright.PENANAB1gnaNFkAR
intending to record what Bai Zi-Ming had said—111Please respect copyright.PENANAS2u1ZKBOnF
only to find a line he never remembered writing:111Please respect copyright.PENANAaVlsf9KNfH
111Please respect copyright.PENANAP25FRy2T2y
[Tuesday – fracture : 2/25, 03:00 tentative]111Please respect copyright.PENANAWpqWy1aMM8
[Reverse Axis remains unstable.]111Please respect copyright.PENANAYjSQJvmbJ2
[Do not return.]111Please respect copyright.PENANAadc9mvDbYr
111Please respect copyright.PENANAM09KynMbK4
He hadn't written that.111Please respect copyright.PENANA832lF38SpZ
But it was in his voice—111Please respect copyright.PENANAakVMHu4V8Y
his format, his rhythm, his syntax.111Please respect copyright.PENANAFASq7RYROd
Exactly like something he'd write to his future self.111Please respect copyright.PENANAV5Yq6McVDd
111Please respect copyright.PENANAlEIdCZLoHe
He tried deleting it—111Please respect copyright.PENANAUmzlDplXOo
but nothing happened.111Please respect copyright.PENANAgs8PWdJRnu
His finger brushed the screen,111Please respect copyright.PENANAPh6qIc0w9X
and the entire device seemed to chill.111Please respect copyright.PENANAdQhklg7d9P
Tiny static flickers danced across it—111Please respect copyright.PENANAqs2pbcm4E9
like interference.111Please respect copyright.PENANAP6xqFpVTPc
111Please respect copyright.PENANA02xfrC3GLW
Then he knew—111Please respect copyright.PENANArGkEoqUCxw
this wasn't a warning.111Please respect copyright.PENANA64MX15McyC
This was a trace of timeline interference.111Please respect copyright.PENANAO6ks5eJuql
111Please respect copyright.PENANAAyAqe2w1XC
He looked up quickly, scanning the distance.111Please respect copyright.PENANA5S3kocXZCH
111Please respect copyright.PENANAQPJsPEWpuT
At a far corner,111Please respect copyright.PENANAf9aCuGFjw7
a figure flashed past—111Please respect copyright.PENANANshi8UVESs
so like the reflection he'd once seen in a mirror.111Please respect copyright.PENANAnb35DhJ2xh
But the stride was different, the posture foreign,111Please respect copyright.PENANASHsHAN2eC0
the eyes not his.111Please respect copyright.PENANAxWUV91cxfL
111Please respect copyright.PENANAUMrlGaYfJc
Yet—111Please respect copyright.PENANADWvvQRWVCU
not entirely not his.111Please respect copyright.PENANAOpZNuIgMvT
111Please respect copyright.PENANAZuCYpSzbnN
He turned sharply,111Please respect copyright.PENANAVTDGQR7hwo
ready to chase—111Please respect copyright.PENANAIz0XbUHUvB
but stopped.111Please respect copyright.PENANAtmzrFQpx9f
111Please respect copyright.PENANAW6kXC6ywKO
Because he understood:111Please respect copyright.PENANA0RFSFqwhBX
if he approached,111Please respect copyright.PENANAHFEWr6s5g0
he could never come back.111Please respect copyright.PENANAD3MiLcs8AT
111Please respect copyright.PENANAFLcYjQna7X
He whispered,111Please respect copyright.PENANAA9qPLIG9Fl
"28:01… is it beginning?"111Please respect copyright.PENANA5ZLcYQkCca
111Please respect copyright.PENANAr5KbVm8UBv
He drew the cross from his pocket,111Please respect copyright.PENANAEosYvXxVoP
held it in his palm—111Please respect copyright.PENANAfr8BhMNwXv
as if testing whether it would respond again.111Please respect copyright.PENANAckJzVlrFYc
111Please respect copyright.PENANAVw2oWnxL7M
Cold.111Please respect copyright.PENANA6Ik2anR8Zu
Silent.111Please respect copyright.PENANAwSqcefQCrW
111Please respect copyright.PENANA5tmIbr3lHF
But as his gaze settled on the point where the bars intersected,111Please respect copyright.PENANA2EKZxrrVXQ
he saw it—111Please respect copyright.PENANAg7debhuoA9
a fine fracture running along the surface,111Please respect copyright.PENANA7lqDHxKYli
and at a specific angle,111Please respect copyright.PENANA8A1IJSibFF
a hidden reflection emerged:111Please respect copyright.PENANA42cTX0sRxX
111Please respect copyright.PENANAxosXn45UEH
X-Ω Layer // Phase 1 Initiated111Please respect copyright.PENANAlIKjCTMVNZ
First Reversal Expected: 火曜日 28:01111Please respect copyright.PENANAUGvUjXN4ao
111Please respect copyright.PENANA4knKXhKwCf
Not "Tuesday".111Please respect copyright.PENANAEtQy6yFKvr
火曜日.111Please respect copyright.PENANAJ7MpUQELeY
He'd never seen that word in his phone or system—111Please respect copyright.PENANAahTXxRoDTk
an ambiguous name,111Please respect copyright.PENANAn63I2UxIDF
a term that only surfaced111Please respect copyright.PENANAR9rsVvlD96
when events had crossed into irreversibility.111Please respect copyright.PENANAgTT8cu8j5D
111Please respect copyright.PENANAs556aZhyEm
"He really did stay behind," he murmured.111Please respect copyright.PENANAZHWmSUoK2o
111Please respect copyright.PENANAit3Vw5S1IA
"But now…111Please respect copyright.PENANAxiq12rWSVX
can I still leave?"111Please respect copyright.PENANA2vS5NvwtGr
111Please respect copyright.PENANAd9K085Bxy8
No one answered—except the wind.111Please respect copyright.PENANAfN8GELJ1IL
111Please respect copyright.PENANA7oXQ0ml8BU
The wind had never truly stopped.111Please respect copyright.PENANAyie7HqJUIo
111Please respect copyright.PENANAD1oJtA07LN
And now,111Please respect copyright.PENANAyPQocHhoQ9
it was no longer just the movement of air.111Please respect copyright.PENANASS2otlRGXZ
111Please respect copyright.PENANA08OVZjcaAk
It was the echo of memory—111Please respect copyright.PENANA0A8By7K6UU
and of fate.
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A Promise In Four Fragments
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A Promise In Four Fragments
Author:
烙燁 Luòyèh

ISSUE #43
The Cross Between Timelines
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