"Qingyuan..."
A wave of dizziness swept over me as I jolted awake, my cheeks already wet with tears. I quickly wiped them away. I was still in Granny Meng's little hut. Past Ethan Justice sat quietly at the door, Future Ethan Zhang sat right in front of me. I didn't know what was wrong, but recalling what just happened, I saw an enormous serpent.
"What exactly..."
"It's alright, Rachel Lan. It was just a nightmare. Juchen will be here soon."
I lowered my head, staring dazedly at the floor. The dream just now felt painfully real. Ethan Zhang held me, but something was off—the way he looked at me was as if he didn't recognize me at all. I was in his arms, yet the Ethan Zhang I saw was utterly unfamiliar.
I pressed a hand to my forehead, trying to recall everything I'd seen in the dream. The sense of presence was so vivid, it couldn't have been fake. Yet, there was an indescribable feeling of discord.
"Time's up."
Past Ethan Justice rose and looked outside. Future Ethan Zhang and I walked over. A swirling vortex of black and white appeared before us, and Juchen stepped out from within.
"What on earth just happened?"
As soon as Juchen appeared, Past Ethan Justice demanded an answer, his face tinged with anger.