Alternate World · December 28, 2026 · Boundary of District X43Please respect copyright.PENANADXAswRvXFA
Wind drifted through the cracks of ruined buildings, gently brushing sand across Yu Yong-An's face. He stood at the edge of District X, a faded, forgotten warning sign swaying in the breeze, its blurred letters barely reading, "Unknown Risk / Do Not Enter."43Please respect copyright.PENANAJWmWWMuwku
Beneath his feet, the cracked concrete released twisting trails of dust with each step. District X lay beyond city surveillance, belonging to no administrative area. As Bai Zi-Ming had said—it was a place "that should not exist."43Please respect copyright.PENANA4DCYDxfuIi
Yu tightly gripped the cross in his pocket, left behind by Zhang Yi-An and passed by Li An-Qing before her death. Its cold, heavy weight felt as if it would pull him into an unseen abyss.43Please respect copyright.PENANAIgZdEEcaly
Temporal Boundary · Entering the Core43Please respect copyright.PENANAhuBoBA9Ssx
At the heart of District X, time had lost its usual order.43Please respect copyright.PENANAYoIHocuOR3
Walls varied from ancient moss-covered surfaces to unnaturally pristine textures; shadows and cracks clashed as though from different eras. His devices failed—no GPS, no network—only the cross remained, suddenly warm in his palm.43Please respect copyright.PENANAiErowk8htY
He halted abruptly. A glowing countdown appeared upon the cross:43Please respect copyright.PENANALDMfrip7wj
—543Please respect copyright.PENANAmQ8hRDWgwj
—443Please respect copyright.PENANAyrkxjxdJ3q
—3…43Please respect copyright.PENANAHWtAC1gRV8
Recurrence of Temporal Distortion43Please respect copyright.PENANAtL1sBidGBZ
When "1" appeared, silence consumed everything, even the wind vanished. His vision blurred briefly as the surroundings trembled, damaged pipes reformed, glass fragments floated back into place, as though time reversed.43Please respect copyright.PENANAMRBFmF0GmU
Then he saw—two figures appearing at the abandoned corridor's intersection:43Please respect copyright.PENANAqX3Zbf5wPO
Zhang Yi-An and Li An-Qing.43Please respect copyright.PENANABfKrd8aPtO
Yu stood motionless, watching. This wasn't an image, but a residual reality. He heard nothing, felt nothing, but knew—this was the truth of that day.43Please respect copyright.PENANAKERVPwNthx
Fragments of Truth43Please respect copyright.PENANABeKu31kqBl
Li An-Qing's lips moved silently. This time, Yu wasn't merely an observer; the cross vibrated gently, resonating with unheard words.43Please respect copyright.PENANAU71uslxDMX
Then a voice emerged, source unknown: "It's not your fault... but you must remember everything."43Please respect copyright.PENANAi9SQkLyk3t
Li's form fractured into multiple overlapping images, each from different timelines forcibly merging.43Please respect copyright.PENANAsNU28Rhonv
Temporal distortion surged violently. Yu involuntarily stepped back, surroundings stretching and collapsing like a dream.43Please respect copyright.PENANA8VPLaERr36
Zhang Yi-An looked directly at him—just for a brief moment, unmistakably real.43Please respect copyright.PENANAwkk0yJTZzO
Awakening43Please respect copyright.PENANAirDyClzdWA
Yu Yong-An awoke sharply, lying on a cold, abandoned floor as dusk approached. Uncertain of how long he'd been unconscious, the cross was cold again, the countdown gone—as if nothing had occurred.43Please respect copyright.PENANAjQhOXbOFW7
He sat up slowly, the voice and gaze lingering vividly.43Please respect copyright.PENANAXqedvxYZh2
Zhang Yi-An awaited him in another time, and Yu had just glimpsed the edge of truth.43Please respect copyright.PENANAzknEap0z6J
The Promise of Four Fallen Leaves – Alternate World, December 28, 2026 · Depths of District X43Please respect copyright.PENANABmqQVt6m4P
After Temporal Distortion · Awakening43Please respect copyright.PENANAUtw2kXelAC
The icy concrete numbed Yu's back as he struggled awake, his vision foggy, mind chaotic.43Please respect copyright.PENANAAKDIVUkMdH
The words echoed: "You must remember everything."43Please respect copyright.PENANAIKHHSRNl7A
He trembled, retrieving the cross from his jacket, now ordinary yet undeniably real.43Please respect copyright.PENANAk4e8mPzR6o
This wasn't a dream.43Please respect copyright.PENANArIEJK24lJL
Physical Anomalies43Please respect copyright.PENANAgqcPqorb5o
Standing up, his body ached as if torn between dreams and reality. Dizziness forced him to steady himself. Memory fragments overlapped or vanished inexplicably—he knew this phenomenon: memory displacement.43Please respect copyright.PENANAQrX7D1sLA2
Residual Phenomena43Please respect copyright.PENANABxfyRzu26z
Examining the surroundings, small details revealed anomalies—tiles mysteriously cracked, rust colored differently across timelines. Near a window, reflections briefly showed Zhang Yi-An and Li An-Qing.43Please respect copyright.PENANAeHEBduGHKW
Approaching, the figures vanished—a residual memory overlapping with reality.43Please respect copyright.PENANARJFvaZTRKV
Residual Signal in the Cross43Please respect copyright.PENANAK2wLPV8ptp
Yu inspected the cross, noticing a newly formed gap. Carefully prying it open, a thin nano-chip emerged, inscribed:43Please respect copyright.PENANA6jQicnzWcN
"Tuesday 04:11 / Reverse Axis"43Please respect copyright.PENANAYnVhaggqQp
He inhaled sharply. This confirmed cyclical distortions—Zhang Yi-An knew it. But what was "Reverse Axis"—reversed time or another coordinate?43Please respect copyright.PENANAOW1wn200m9
He looked into District X's shadows, sensing an unnamed force still active.43Please respect copyright.PENANA6CRoRkbVeA
Internal Shift and Psychological Displacement43Please respect copyright.PENANAT3CMJc83jK
Before leaving, he revisited the distortion's origin, hearing a whisper—not hallucination, but his future self:43Please respect copyright.PENANAldjLNorcH8
"You've activated the first point. The next lies where you thought you'd left. Remember Friday."43Please respect copyright.PENANA5MRfdJj6NN
His heart skipped. His last memory before entering this world was Friday, May 17, 2024. The distortion alternated between Tuesdays and Fridays.43Please respect copyright.PENANAkxoKWmmB42
He pocketed the cross and chip, resolve solidified.43Please respect copyright.PENANAupumriBbf3
43Please respect copyright.PENANAhyA3R62ctv
Outside the Base: The Fated Moment43Please respect copyright.PENANAkHOhPxsRVk
Alternate World, December 28, 2026, late night · Outside LUOYEH Base43Please respect copyright.PENANAVcNjat9zlf
District X faded behind him, a silent shadow extending deeper through temporal fissures. Yu's steps were steady yet heavier. He carried only the cross, chip, and memories foreign to his past.43Please respect copyright.PENANApFhZuK134t
Cycle Calculation and Self-Assessment43Please respect copyright.PENANA0ia7j8ZVSo
At a small inn beyond AI surveillance, Yu secured himself inside, logging observations offline:43Please respect copyright.PENANAwpmtjAquhQ
First distortion: May 17, 2024 (Friday) / Tamsui exploration.43Please respect copyright.PENANAxtu0x0tRIZ
Second distortion: December 22, 2026 (Tuesday) / Triggered at District X.43Please respect copyright.PENANAAtm6oqDbLX
Cycle interval: mirrored Tuesdays and Fridays.43Please respect copyright.PENANAkpMM34stk2
Inserting the chip into a modified terminal, decoding succeeded on the third attempt:43Please respect copyright.PENANAEmDNeo0Apx
Countdown: 3 days, 6 hours, 12 minutes.43Please respect copyright.PENANASbmdKWmIfX
This wasn't a fixed event countdown—it marked the next distortion.43Please respect copyright.PENANAmfPkF1GYBK
Reverse Axis Thought and Displacement43Please respect copyright.PENANANoIpw8zym7
The chip revealed: "Observation: Reverse Axis0004 / Partial Time Rewrite"43Please respect copyright.PENANAfcHvhOXj7z
After pondering all night, Yu concluded "Reverse Axis" could mean reversed temporal coordinates or forced identity replacement.
As dusk descended in utter silence, a forgotten audio recorder beneath the railway began to activate.
It was an old recording, long since converted into a digital wave format. But one fragment remained intact—perfectly preserved:
"I'm not you. But I know who you are."
At that exact moment, a crystal buried under the rail began to glow faintly. Its spiral light pattern didn't conform to anything known in this world.
An unexpected signal.A voice without a source.And a scene that shattered the moment the audio stopped playing.
As though, in another time and another self, someone was softly saying:
"There is still another you, already walking this path.
He noted:43Please respect copyright.PENANAGcJs46YmpX
"If memories repeat, don't resist."43Please respect copyright.PENANAZ6oe6v9oSM
"On Friday, I will face that unfamiliar temporal fracture again."43Please respect copyright.PENANAsk0YUzpPU5
Self-Monitoring Amidst Displacement43Please respect copyright.PENANAESKwvbRRrY
Yu started "time status monitoring," recording: "December 22, 03:05 am. Memory intact. Identity: Yu Yong-An. No overlapping visuals or auditory disturbances."43Please respect copyright.PENANA1htmFDL0qY
Logs scheduled every six hours with questions:43Please respect copyright.PENANAHaQPs1peQK
Who am I?43Please respect copyright.PENANAC0QK1oP289
What am I remembering?43Please respect copyright.PENANAP0OwZTUFFO
Am I seeing inconsistencies with reality?43Please respect copyright.PENANADrEIi6exwG
This protected the existence of "which version" of himself.43Please respect copyright.PENANAzYpnehn9IZ
Silent Determination · Preparation for Friday43Please respect copyright.PENANAu7VmPYEYnC
In the modest room, he gazed at a worn mirror until dawn.43Please respect copyright.PENANAILojwLJdC5
If Zhang Yi-An vanished through time and Yu was chosen as "another him," this wasn't merely seeking truth—but a full replacement.43Please respect copyright.PENANAMBTT6rquXq
The chip's words echoed:43Please respect copyright.PENANA2JzbxObZal
"You must remember everything."43Please respect copyright.PENANAEKOvfmpW6D
Countdown: 2 days, 23 hours, 55 minutes.
Friday approached again.43Please respect copyright.PENANALVYzLIt2ea
This time, he was ready.
January 1, 2027 (Friday)
At that moment, all the light rain stopped.
Raindrops hung frozen in midair. Light stood still, suspended in vertical silence.
Local time-space coordinates had ceased functioning. Every visible display read the same line:
2027.01.01 // 00:00:00
The timestamp appeared across mirrors, skylights, phone screens.In several places, people stood immobile.In others—they were simply gone.
But one figure remained.He stood before a mirror.And in his eyes, that same timecode appeared:
00:00:00
It was you.
A silver arc of time suddenly unfolded before them.
Li An-Qing stood at the edge of that unstable rail. Her eyes no longer seemed like physical organs but flickered like layered code—scrolling between systems, ages, and archives.
"Do you still remember me?"
There was no space between them, and yet, they could not reach each other.
"When he discovered Reverse Axis, did he still remember you—the version of you that looked into his eyes?"
Yang An-Ting took a step forward.That single step lit up the edge of time.
Li An-Qing's outline blurred and bent. She became a prism of overlapping timelines, her presence glitching softly like corrupted memory.
"But you're still here."
"And I still remember you."
"Then that's enough."
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