I looked at my own feet with lingering fear. Everything that had just happened left me stunned, and the "Eye of Time" mentioned by Future Ethan Zhang made me even more confused.
"What exactly is going on?"
"The reverse correction of time is the Eye of Time. It eliminates all irrational anomalies on the timeline. Right now, you are an irrational anomaly on this world's timeline. It has found you and wants to erase you."
I made a sound of understanding, though I still didn’t quite get it. But I did understand the situation: indeed, Past Ethan Zhang and I had visited the village, and just as Future Ethan Zhang said, our reckless intrusion might have changed the life trajectory of Laozi’s parents. The thought sent a chill down my spine.
"You didn’t do anything, did you?"
Future Ethan Zhang stared at me sharply. I grinned awkwardly, my smile a little stiff. Just before lunch, I’d bragged to the village kids about all the fun things in the county—most of it stuff I’d seen in period dramas. But now that I think about it, things like fireworks, paper windmills, and sugar figurines might not even exist in this era. I’d just said it offhand.
"You need to tell me exactly what you did—don’t leave anything out."
After that, I told Future Ethan Zhang everything that had happened since I woke up yesterday and went to the village with Past Ethan Zhang. He listened for a while, then began to float.
"Stay here and don’t move. I’ll go check the village."
"Didn’t you say you can’t just use your powers at will?"
As soon as I finished speaking, Future Ethan Zhang dissolved into a cloud of black mist before my eyes, vanishing instantly. I stared in shock, unable to sense any power at all—the black mist had already drifted into the village and gradually dispersed. I couldn’t even tell where Past Ethan Zhang was anymore.
But right now, I was more worried about what I had said to the group of children in the village—not just about the fun things in the county, but even some historical events. Yet I wasn’t sure what year it was exactly; what I’d mentioned was something like Duke Ai of Chen hanging himself.
The more I thought about it, the more uncomfortable I felt. But Future Ethan Zhang still hadn’t returned. I stomped my foot, pacing anxiously beside the tree. I wanted to go down but didn’t dare, so I could only keep waiting.
Finally, when the sky began to lighten, Future Ethan Zhang returned to my side. I breathed a sigh of relief. He’d been gone for hours and I had no idea what he’d been doing, but now I noticed that in his left hand, he was clutching a small sphere glowing with rainbow colors. It looked stunning.
“What is that? It’s beautiful!”
I gazed at it in delight. Future Ethan Zhang, however, wore a stern expression as he spoke.
"I’ve already taken away all the villagers’ memories of you and him entering the village yesterday. Not a single detail remains—they won’t remember you were here, nor anything you said to those children."
I stared in shock. Was such a thing really possible? But then I remembered what Ethan Zhang had told me about his ninth Wraith Fragment—the Thought Wraith—and the Heavenly Dog. One could alter a person’s thoughts, the other could devour and rewrite memories.
"What do we do now?"
I asked, and Future Ethan Zhang sat down, closed his eyes, and leaned against the tree trunk.
"Wait here for that guy to come back."
I murmured an acknowledgment and sat beside him, stealing a glance his way. He looked utterly serious, unsmiling, completely different from Ethan Zhang—indifferent to everything around him, as if quietly observing this world from another. There was an air of superiority about him.
I didn’t know much about Future Ethan Zhang. Past Ethan Zhang hadn’t told me anything, only Qi had whispered a little about her father—this Future Ethan Zhang.
Back when I lived with Qi, she would often talk about her father at night when things were quiet. Mostly, she complained that he was always cold and distant, and had been ruthlessly strict with her since childhood—especially during training, never showing mercy. She was always exhausted.
Qi also told me about the thing that hurt her most: when she was very young, she’d wandered alone through a lifeless world, calling out for her father every day in physical and emotional exhaustion, but he never responded. To avoid starving, Qi had to keep searching for something to eat.
But as time passed, Qi missed her father more each day, never knowing where he’d gone. Once she’d adapted and no longer had to exhaust herself just to eat, she began searching the world for him. No matter how hard she tried, she could never find a trace of him.
After Qi had lived alone for three years, Future Ethan Zhang finally appeared. Qi cried out in anguish, seeking comfort and support from her father—but all she got was his icy response. In fact, Future Ethan Zhang had never gone far; he’d secretly followed Qi, always by her side, but never showing himself.
Qi was heartbroken. She couldn’t understand why her father was so cruel. In a world where it was just the two of them, why would he do something so painful to her? After that, Qi began to resist him often—she hated that he had forced her to live alone for three years.
From then on, Future Ethan Zhang was even harsher with Qi, stricter than ever. They argued fiercely many times.
I still remember Qi telling me all this through tears. She said her father’s heartlessness broke her, but after she finished, she smiled.
Qi told me that it wasn’t until she grew up that she finally understood her father’s intentions. In the future, the world was nothing but sand and ruins—no day, no night. The sun, moon, and stars could only be seen in old photos scattered throughout the city, and Qi had no idea what they truly felt like. She only heard fragments of the past from Future Ethan Zhang.
In such a lonely, helpless world, loneliness was Qi’s greatest challenge. Whether she liked it or not, she would eventually experience it. So Past Ethan Zhang made her understand loneliness ahead of time—this kind of lesson was far more real than words, though his methods were harsh and caught her off guard.
After that, Qi was no longer afraid of a world with only her and her father. She began to face and accept it, and her relationship with her father gradually improved.
After a moment of contemplation, I looked at Future Ethan Zhang. He still had his eyes closed as always—I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but it was clear he couldn’t sleep.
"The future world must be awful, huh?"
I muttered, but Future Ethan Zhang didn’t answer, remaining silent. I looked at him awkwardly.
"Qi told me once that her father was a good man. Though he seemed cold, he really loved her. So I think, even in a world like that, at least you two could rely on each other, so..."
"It’s opening again."
As Future Ethan Zhang spoke, he stood up and looked at me, his expression growing serious. I blinked, but soon he said:
"Hold on to this sword. It can protect you for now."
I immediately gripped the sword Past Ethan Zhang had given me, clutching it tightly. Waves of warmth surged into my body. I noticed the world around us was turning black and vanishing, like burning paper—everything rushed toward us, until only the ground beneath our feet remained, and all else was darkness.
Future Ethan Zhang quietly surveyed everything around us. The patch of earth beneath our feet was less than five square meters now, but the encroaching darkness finally stopped. I looked around in panic, unsure what would happen next, but I realized the only reason the ground beneath us wasn’t swallowed by the darkness was because of the sword in my hand.
Powerful energy radiated from the sword, repelling the darkness trying to consume us.
Then I felt a slight tremor beneath my feet. In the distance, a streak of purple-black appeared, and two giant red lanterns began moving toward us.
The tremor grew stronger underfoot. I stared, dumbfounded, as a monstrous creature approached—its massive body, dog-like head but perfectly round, two white fangs jutting from its mouth, and crimson liquid, like lava, dripping from its jaws. Around its neck was a ring of grayish-blue mane, making it look powerful; it stood like a bear, lumbering toward us.
But then I saw the beast suddenly take flight. Only then did I notice a huge purple-red-black vortex slowly spinning on its belly—and two pairs of wings on its back.
"What is that thing?"
I asked in astonishment, but Future Ethan Zhang was already drifting into the darkness.
"It’s the ancient beast Chaos."
I stared wide-eyed. I’d heard of Chaos before, and though it resembled the descriptions in ancient texts, it was still quite different. At that moment, Future Ethan Zhang slowly drifted toward the beast.
"Is it you again, Ethan Zhang?"
Suddenly, the strange beast spoke, as if it recognized Ethan Zhang.
"You’ve got the wrong person. I’m not the Ethan Zhang you know. Can you tell me what the Ethan Zhang you know is like?"