"Ethan... I..."
Rachel Lan's face was filled with guilt. She sat up, head lowered, her mood suddenly sinking. My voice had been too loud just now, and now I scrambled to my feet, placing both hands on Rachel's shoulders.
"Rachel, listen to me, it's not like Sylvia said. I've never blamed you, not even once. And there's nothing between Sylvia and me. She helped me, and I'm grateful to her. I'm sorry, Rachel, I..."
Rachel smiled, placing one hand gently on my cheek and nodded.
"You’re still the same, Ethan. Go on."
I went up to the third floor. Sylvia was sitting outside on the balcony. I walked out; she was crying. I stared at Sylvia in surprise, crystalline tears drifting through the air, a breeze stirring her bright white hair. I crouched down behind her.
"I'm sorry, I was a bit loud just now."
"You yelled at me."
Sylvia turned her head angrily, as if deeply wronged. Tears kept streaming down her face.
"No, Sylvia, I..."
Sylvia poked my chest with a finger, wiping away her tears.
"You've never yelled at me like that before."
I looked at Sylvia in a panic, about to speak when she suddenly stood up and smiled at me again, lowering her head and bringing her face close to mine.
"As punishment for yelling at me, carry me on your back."
I let out a surprised sound. Without another word, Sylvia slipped behind me, wrapped her arms around my neck, and climbed onto my back.
"Carry me."
I stood up slowly. Sylvia laughed happily, resting her head on my shoulder, her voice bright and cheerful.
"Hurry up, carry me and run for a bit!"
Sylvia was delighted; I could clearly feel her excitement. I sighed, then jumped down, carrying Sylvia as I ran outside the house. Sylvia laughed with exhilaration.
"That's enough, little girl."
A cold voice came from behind. I froze, afraid to look back. Sylvia turned her head to look at Rachel.
"I'm not a little girl. I'm Sylvia, Miss Rachel Lan."
Sylvia finally slid off my back. I turned around; Rachel was standing at the door, her face visibly angry. I hurried over to her.
"Rachel, I can carry you too..."
"No need."
With that, Rachel turned and went inside. I glanced at Sylvia, who jumped over, hands behind her back, grinning and making faces as she nudged me.
"Go comfort her! Women are the easiest to cheer up. Hurry!"
I went up to the second floor, but Rachel wasn't there. I carefully climbed to the third floor and found her lying on the bed, her heart pounding. I walked over.
"Rachel..."
After softly calling her name, Rachel frowned but kept her eyes closed, not responding.
"Rest a little more. I'll stay here with you."
I sat beside Rachel. She reached out and pulled me closer, moving behind me and using my hand as a pillow, curling up.
Soon, Rachel fell asleep. I breathed a sigh of relief and quietly gazed out at the sky. The sun was fully up now, and it was getting hot.
It had been chilly just yesterday, but the temperature was unpredictable, changing so quickly. Seeing Rachel's rosy cheeks, I wanted to get up and block the sunlight, but I didn't want to wake her.
A faint tremor passed through the room; Sylvia walked over. I looked at her in surprise as she cheerfully found a blanket and covered the window, dimming the light inside.
"I'll take a nap too."
Sylvia whispered, naturally climbing onto the bed and lying down behind Rachel. She gently rested her head near Rachel's and closed her eyes.
A look of peace appeared on Sylvia's gentle face, and she soon fell asleep.
Thinking back on Sylvia's every move, it all seemed intentional, like a child acting out. She was deliberately provoking Rachel. I needed to find a chance to talk to Sylvia—if this continued, our journey would hardly be peaceful.
By dusk, we were back in the living room on the second floor. Rachel kept glaring coldly at Sylvia. When she woke up, I didn't know what to say. Rachel forcefully kicked Sylvia off the bed.
Sylvia wasn’t angry at all; she calmly got up.
"Shouldn’t we discuss our next move?"
At that moment, Spirit Snake’s voice sounded from the corner, easing the tense atmosphere. I nodded quickly and spoke up.
"Sylvia, we’re planning to move to the Devouring Woods."
Sylvia’s smile suddenly vanished. She looked at us gravely and shook her head.
"It’s best not to go there. It’s too dangerous."
Coming from Sylvia, those words felt real. Every night, monsters devour each other in that place, but the danger Sylvia spoke of wasn’t just the monsters—there was something else inside.
But staying here wasn’t a solution either—no water, no food. We’d last maybe ten days at most, and who knew how much longer we’d be stuck in this world? Water and food had to be dealt with. I glanced at Rachel.
Today, I noticed Rachel was unsteady on her feet, as if her soul and body still hadn’t fully merged. She’d need more time.
"If we really have to go, let’s head toward Entity 004’s place."
Sylvia’s words made me think of the Forsaken who called himself a celestial being. He really did seem kind and harmless, never wanting to get involved in any conflict. That day, he saved the Earthly Soul only because Entity 002 had asked him to.
"Alright, let’s head there for now."
"What about the direction?"
Spirit Snake asked after I finished speaking. Sylvia rested her chin in her hand, thinking for a moment before replying.
"Let’s find the Devouring Woods first. Once we’re there, we can figure out our bearings, since it’s the only place unaffected by the monthly terrain shifts."
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I looked at Sylvia in surprise—no wonder she could bring me back to the Four Sacred Realm. The realm’s terrain never changes, no matter what happens on the outskirts.
"You still remember the location, right?"
I asked. Spirit Snake nodded; the water and fruit he’d found earlier had come from the Devouring Woods.
I glanced at Rachel beside me. Her cheeks were flushed, her breathing rapid. I hurried over and touched her forehead—it was burning hot. Panic rose in me, but Rachel shook her head.
"I'm fine, Ethan."
I immediately scooped Rachel up and carried her to the third floor, laying her on the bed. There was only a little water left in the metal box nearby. I found a cup and gave Rachel some water to drink. It seemed her fever was due to the strange weather—the sun was setting and the temperature was dropping fast.
"Rest, Rachel. I'll stay by your side."
Rachel smiled and nodded, but then suddenly reached out, pointing at Sylvia, who was leaning against the door.
"Tonight, you sleep with me. Ethan, go downstairs."
I made a sound of agreement. Sylvia giggled and sat down on the bed, saying:
"I don't mind."
I glanced around. Rachel gave me a push, and after getting up, I still looked at her with concern.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of her."
Sylvia flashed me an OK sign. Urged by Rachel, I went downstairs and gently closed the bedroom door.
"It looks like moving in the short term isn’t possible."
As soon as I went downstairs, I was startled—Spirit Snake had grown larger and was coiled up on the sofa.
"Rachel’s body is still very weak."
"The biggest problem with this place is the lack of food. The temperature changes dozens of times a day—sometimes more, sometimes less."
"Is it really that frequent?"
I looked at Spirit Snake in surprise. He flicked his tongue and nodded.
"My senses are much sharper than yours."
At that moment, Spirit Snake stretched out, eyes closed. The sun had already disappeared below the horizon, and the sky was changing. Outside, the wind howled, making a mournful sound. Even with the windows shut, it was easy to feel the chill slowly seeping in.
"There won’t be any problems upstairs, right?"
I muttered, but was immediately met with Spirit Snake’s disdainful look.
"What could go wrong? Now’s the time to think about our next move—or do you want to stay here forever?"
I shook my head.
"To me, this world is actually pretty simple. Think back to the passage we came through."
I started to recall—the passage felt like it instantly transported me from one place to another. The array just let me shift between yin and yang, but the real path was opened by those four markers.
"Lan Yin should find a way—as long as we use the markers to open the path."
Spirit Snake nodded.
"That’s what I thought today too. We’re here in the Four Sacred Realm, and Lan Yin is from the Yellow Springs. He should find the way as soon as Lord Shenyan returns, using the markers to open the path and get us out. But it’s been a whole day and nothing’s happened. Maybe the markers have lost their power, so they can’t open the way to this world anymore."
I swallowed hard. Spirit Snake’s explanation made perfect sense. Azure Luan had said before leaving that the passage to this world was destroyed—it couldn’t help us anymore.
"Our only chance is to find a breakthrough with the Forsaken."
That was the most practical plan I could think of—go ask Entity 004. But then I suddenly remembered Entity 001. She’s strong. Sylvia might be able to defeat her, but killing her would be extremely difficult. And that day, I felt something was off about her body, as if she’d been injured. I could sense her condition wasn’t whole.
"Tomorrow, I’ll ask Sylvia for more details."