There was still nothing I could do about any of this. When I regained consciousness again, I found myself back in that familiar forest, with both Past Ethan Justice and Future Ethan Zhang by my side. Together, we had already experienced three cycles of this loop, and in this endlessly repeating world, there was simply no way out.
"This is actually pretty interesting. Now even we're trapped here."
Past Ethan Justice teased, while Future Ethan Zhang sat down with a helpless expression, leaning against a tree and gazing up at everything in the sky.
During the second cycle, we searched Specter Hollow again, but now, every day in this loop remained exactly the same, as if frozen in time. I was desperate to sleep and dream, but I'd slept too much lately, and my body felt off. It had been days since I last dreamed. The things my father and Mona Ouyang told me, I'd already shared with both Ethans.
Yet neither Ethan seemed the least bit helpless or irritable. Instead, it was my own agitation that surged again. To be honest, I've had enough of all this.
The only reason my condition hasn't worsened is because the powers of the Buddhist Order and the Exorcist Order are sustaining me. This truly surprised me—I have no idea who intervened, but judging by the Ethans' expressions, they know.
"Let's go. To the village."
I got up and walked quickly, not caring about anything else. Past Ethan Justice and I reached the hillside, while Future Ethan Zhang went off to get me some clothes.
Past Ethan Justice was still crouched in the grass, fiddling with that pile of bones as always, and eventually buried the remains just like before.
"You don't really need to bother. By tomorrow night, we'll just be back at the starting point again."
Past Ethan Justice smiled and shook his head.
"It's always the same, no matter how many times."
Soon, Future Ethan Zhang returned and brought us each some clothes. His appearance changed, turning into a sturdy young man. The three of us quickly descended the mountain. As usual, we pretended to be herbalists in the mountains, gave Lee Hsing a little money, and he prepared two rooms for us.
Everything in Specter Hollow was unchanged—exactly the same, with no variation at all. We knew every word the villagers would say and everything they would do next.
Unable to sit still, I went to play with the village children after lunch, while the two Ethans kept searching for any clue, no matter how small.
Everything was at a complete standstill, with absolutely no breakthrough. Future Ethan Zhang even said that time here was utterly frozen. That shocked me, and now I couldn't reach Juchen at all.
I was exhausted all day. After bathing in a big wooden tub, I felt much better. I hoped maybe tonight I'd have a good dream, so I could see my father again in the dream. He should've already asked John Chou about our situation—maybe there's a solution.
Once everything was ready, I lay down on the soft hay bed, preparing to sleep. Drowsiness came quickly, and I soon fell into a deep, steady sleep. Before long, I started dreaming.
The instant I opened my eyes, I was back in that sea of flowers, sitting under the big tree. Sure enough, Mona Ouyang and my father were already in front of me, along with one more person: John Chou. My eyes widened, and just as I tried to get up, I felt the world spinning.
"Take it easy, Roxie."
My father rushed over to steady me, and I gasped, pressing a hand to my forehead. For some reason, my body felt weak. John Chou seemed to understand the situation and had personally entered the dream.
"Tell me everything you saw, Rachel Lan—every last detail. Don't leave anything out."
I nodded and began recounting everything from the past few days, telling John Chou all of it. A long time passed. John Chou fell into deep thought, wisdom glinting in his eyes, a half-smile playing on his lips as he pondered. We didn't disturb him, just waited for him to come up with a solution.
"No, just telling me isn't enough. You must have memories, right? Mona Ouyang, figure out a way to let me see those memories."
Mona Ouyang shook her head.
"I can't do that. After all, this is a dream, and Rachel Lan's memories seem very chaotic. If I recklessly use my powers, it might actually harm her body."
After a moment, Mona Ouyang took out a small white sphere and handed it to me.
"When you wake up and return to the beginning of the cycle, let your Coexistence Instinct recall everything that happened."
"At least ten cycles."
Before Mona Ouyang could finish, John Chou interrupted. We all turned to look at him.
"Isn't this a bit too torturous, John Chou? If we do that, it might..."
My father spoke, but I'd already nodded. If John Chou said so, he must have his reasons. Besides, at this point, we couldn't find any breakthrough.
"Since you said the cycle never changes, then record ten cycles. I'll find something in them."
"Be careful, Roxie."
My father looked at me with worry. I smiled and shook my head. They knew my condition had completely stabilized.
Seeing my father's anxious expression, I tried to reassure him.
"Don't worry, Dad, it's fine. At least those two are with me—they're terrifyingly strong!"
John Chou smiled and said,
"Being strong isn't always a good thing. All right, let's end things here for tonight..."
Before I could finish speaking, Mona Ouyang raised a hand. A stream of purple energy flowed into my nostrils, and I quickly lost consciousness.
When I woke up, it was already broad daylight. Both Past Ethan Justice and Future Ethan Zhang were at my bedside, startling me.
"How are you feeling?"
Past Ethan Justice immediately asked, and I smiled and nodded.
"John Chou personally entered the dream."
"A memory dream."
Just as I said that, Future Ethan Zhang took the small white sphere Mona Ouyang had given me in the dream from my hand. He looked at it nostalgically.
"It's been a long time since I've seen one of these."
I soon understood how to use the white sphere. When the cycle ends tonight, we'll enter the next loop. I just need to break the sphere, and after recording ten cycles, I'll return to the dream. The sphere will have recorded everything.
Once everything was decided, we began a long and tedious process.
Cycle after cycle, endlessly repeating everything within those two days. I was getting tired of it, but could only endure. To pass the time, I played chess with Past Ethan Justice, or the three of us played cards together.
The days were basically counted one by one. Ten cycles meant almost twenty days. Even though I did different things each day, I kept seeing the same scenes and hearing the same words. Nothing changed much. I couldn't take it anymore.
Finally, the tenth cycle's night arrived. We returned to the forest, and I was both excited and exhausted. When I woke up, it should be midday in the woods. I planned to keep myself tired, then go to the village, eat a good meal, take a bath, and sleep comfortably.
A gentle breeze brushed my cheek, and I quickly came to. The moment my body could move, I started running through the woods. Both Ethans had already left for other places, planning to bring me food I liked as I'd asked.
It was dusk by the time we entered the village. Using the food Past Ethan Justice and Future Ethan Zhang brought back, I had a great meal, drank some wine, and after a bath, went to sleep.
In a daze, I woke up. When I opened my eyes, John Chou was squatting in front of me, startling me. Suddenly, a multicolored sphere rolled out of my palm, and Mona Ouyang picked it up.
"It's all recorded now."
I sighed helplessly. This time, my father didn't come. I was a little puzzled, but could only look at John Chou in resignation.
"How long are you going to watch?"
Just as I finished speaking, John Chou's body split into nine copies of himself.
"It won't take long. When I review these memories, everything in this dream is actually frozen."
I replied, and soon, with Mona Ouyang's power, the sphere split into ten smaller ones. Ten identical John Chous took the spheres to different places, sat down, and closed their eyes.
I quietly waited for John Chou to finish reviewing all the memories from the ten cycles. Mona Ouyang smiled nearby.
"By the way, Roxie, it seems Future Ethan Zhang really understands the purpose of my memory dream!"
I let out a sound of surprise, then nodded. Suddenly, the ten John Chous gathered together and appeared before me, smiling.
"Didn't any of you notice anything strange at all?"
I stared at John Chou in surprise as he stood up.
"You found something strange so quickly?"
John Chou nodded in confirmation.
"Roxie, did you really not notice anything about those three people gathering herbs on the mountain?"
I looked at John Chou in astonishment as he continued speaking.
"Two men and one woman, just like you three. And in this cycle, there are only a beginning and an end. Did you not notice? The villagers know nothing about these three people. If you like, you can ask every household—those three herb gatherers don't exist in the village at all."
I was completely stunned. Suddenly, all the memories from the cycles flooded back—those three people really did seem out of place in the cycle.