"What exactly do you mean? Do you know something about Rachel Lan?"
I shouted, but the purple glow before my eyes began to fade away.
"Remember, obey the will of this world. Do not go against it. That's all I can tell you. It seems this world does not welcome me."
The voice gradually faded, and Mona Ouyang disappeared before my eyes.
Thinking back, we've encountered danger many times, but we always escaped. The mimic, though powerful, never fought me—he only warned me not to interfere.
Although Lan Yin is already working on a solution, we can't relax yet. I plan to continue entering Rachel Lan's dreamspace, searching for anything that might exist.
But suddenly, I realized that the bright white wall had vanished.
"What's going on?"
"The passage to the dreamspace is closed now. Except for John Chou, who is already connected to you, no one else can get in, and you can't enter anyone else's dreamspace either."
The Wraithlord's voice drifted from the darkness, but he did not appear. Immediately, I felt a heavy pressure—something was starting to block my communication with the Wraithlord.
"Who are you, really?"
I shouted, and then with a creak, a door opened not far from me. The doorway glowed with the light of a dying sunset, about ten meters away. I drifted slowly toward it. Inside, I could see nothing—only colors like the end of the world.
All sorts of dark colors intertwined, and a force behind me gently pushed me forward, as if inviting me in.
Gritting my teeth, I stepped through the door. Instantly, I felt a towering power, as if I were gazing up at the endless majesty of nature.
"Who are you, really?"
"So you really can hear my voice, Ethan Zhang."
I swallowed hard. In the dazzling, empty space, a deep, oppressive voice sounded.
"Is this the consciousness of the world itself?"
The voice didn't answer. Instead, my body was slowly pushed forward. Suddenly, I felt a wave of sadness. I clutched my chest, surrounded by pale blue currents swirling around me. But the feeling quickly faded, and visible sorrow swept past me.
"What are you really trying to tell me?"
I shouted, and all the colors around me vanished. My eyes widened—I was floating above a desert, looking down at this world and all its strange things.
"Do you know what faith is?"
I nodded, then shook my head.
"Faith can conquer death and fear, pursue the essence of the world, reflect on the meaning of existence, resolve uncertainty, and establish value and purpose..."
As he spoke, I suddenly noticed a glow. I looked over and saw a cluster of water floating quietly above the scorching desert.
Gradually, I saw the water slowly falling toward the ground, landing on the sand. The sand around it became damp, but the water cluster grew smaller and the hot air kept evaporating it. Eventually, the water disappeared.
Absorbed by the burning sand, dried by the scorching air, the damp spot in the sand became dry again, and the moisture in the air vanished.
"What does that mean?"
"This is faith—tangible yet fleeting. Like the world of humans and ghosts, faith is born but quickly disappears. Few ever reach true faith; they are like that cluster of water. Those whose faith has died are like the desert—dry and barren, with nothing above, desolate and lonely. Every thirsty person longs for water, looks up to it, even tries to draw from it, but they don't realize that the water will be evaporated, and faith will die."
I swallowed hard.
Whether human or ghost, all chase after that water. But those who become water—human or ghost—grow fewer and fewer. Faith is inherently intangible; perhaps it's better described as spirit. The people of this world are illuminated by the light that radiates from those of faith, shining into their inner darkness.
I could mostly understand what the voice was saying. Since childhood, I've loved reading biographies. These people had nothing, yet relied on their unwavering inner conviction to accomplish what others called impossible—sometimes even miracles, sometimes even becoming gods.
But those people have long since vanished, though they still influence everything today. Yet truly achieving what they did is rare.
"I think I understand what you're saying, but why destroy this world?"
More and more people, more and more dead faiths, enter this world. Originally, the world would grind those dead faiths into nothingness. But at a certain time, to seal an object, humans cast it into this world, giving the world's emptiness something to bear.
"Are you talking about the Blood Jade?"
I asked in surprise.
"That's the thing. Afterward, the emptiness of this world gave birth to the world itself. The dead faiths gained form, and more and more dead faiths flooded in. It became like a giant landfill—this world has accumulated too much garbage. Now it's time to return to emptiness."
I swallowed hard, then lifted my head and said:
"Even if it's garbage, this world has life. The abandoned ones aren't garbage, are they? They were born and live here."
"They were never meant to exist in this world. Everything here has surpassed its limit, and now it's starting to affect the real world. That's why it must be destroyed."
"Isn't there another way?"
I asked, and suddenly everything around me returned to darkness. I was back in my own dreamspace, staring in surprise at the closed door before me.
(Irrelevant passage, skip translation.)
"The dead faiths have begun to affect people's minds, making them go mad, like wild beasts. Don't interfere anymore. You and I were both born from emptiness—I think you can understand me."
I stared quietly, then shook my head.
"I can't understand!"
Suddenly, I woke up. It was still dark. Qi was sitting quietly on a chair beside me, watching me. Rachel Lan was still asleep. I got up softly, walked to the door, opened it, and stepped out. Qi quickly followed me in.
"How are things?"
I started to tell her what I'd seen and heard. She fell into deep thought, while I could only smile bitterly and look up.
"I don't know if it's right or wrong to interfere in this world's affairs, but no matter what, I've already made a promise. I have to find a solution."
Qi gazed at me in a trance, then walked over with a playful smile.
"You can do it. I believe in you."
"Thank you."
The next morning, after a short rest, I waited for the Abandoned Ones. Everyone gathered together, and I formally recounted what had happened last night. 007 looked thoughtfully at 001, who was crouched under the eaves.
"I've told you before—not to use your powers in the Living World, but you never listen."
I let out a cry and looked at 001. She looked aggrievedly at 007.
"It shouldn't be her fault. Even if we don't use our powers, the destruction of this world is inevitable."
I could see a hint of unwillingness in 004's eyes, but more than that, there was helplessness. Today, although the water outside the city walls kept rising, the surface was calm and still.
"What's wrong with you all?"
Rachel Lan asked a question. The Abandoned Ones looked sorrowful—not just them, I knew it too. The will of this world cannot be defied.
"Keep trying, Ethan."
Rachel Lan glanced at me. She hadn't given up yet. I smiled and nodded, then looked up and laughed.
"Maybe things can't be changed, but as we said before, we'll stick with you until the very last second."
007 let out a long sigh.
"Let's all go out and investigate. There's not much time left."
We looked toward the distant black sun. Today, it was closer than ever; in just a few days, it would reach the edge of the Devouring Forest.
"The depth has increased again. The land of this world is disappearing."
After a while, 004 spoke. We all walked to the edge of the city wall and looked down.
"I'm going back for a bit."
001 floated up, a look of difficulty in his eyes. The other three Forsaken nodded.
"Take care of yourself."
001 gave a brief reply, then looked at 007 and spoke.
"You should be careful too. Your physical condition isn't looking good. Even if this world doesn't collapse, you'll soon fade away, and it will happen quickly."
I glanced at 007. He gave a pale smile, then shook his head.
"You don't need to worry about me. You're not much better off yourself. We're all in the same boat. The other two as well—our time is running out. That's just how it is for us."
"What do you mean?"
I looked at the Forsaken, surprised. Their faces all bore a trace of desolation.
"Maybe this is our last chance to fight against our fate. Only in this world do we have any hope of doing so."
001 muttered, stretching out his hand toward the sky. The other Forsaken silently gazed upward as well.
"Your bodies in the Living World are nearly dead, aren't they?"
At that, Qi suddenly spoke. The Forsaken's smiles froze, as if she'd struck a nerve.
"Hmph. You don't need to say it."
001 shot Qi a glare, clearly annoyed.
"We're all in the same situation. In the Living World, there's nothing left for us but broken bodies slowly dying."