Snow and wind stretched endlessly across the sky. Flakes as large as goose feathers drifted down, and Xu Fu lay peacefully on the snowy ground, a smile lingering on his lips.
Entity 001 and I watched him. Xu Fu, at this moment, seemed like an excited child, rolling around in the snow.
"How old are you already!"
Entity 001 couldn't help but mutter. I smiled and shook my head—my health had improved a lot lately. We had found several Emperor God's strongholds, which Entity 001 easily destroyed, but since then, we hadn't been able to locate Emperor God or his followers.
We had no way of knowing what was happening in the Living World now, but I always felt Xu Fu had a way to communicate with it. When asked, though, he claimed he was powerless.
"After so long in the desert, it's only right to be happy in the snow."
I remembered this should be Agent Two's territory, but Entity 001 said the Forsaken were no longer where they used to be. After that incident in the Living World, the world seemed to expand overnight—even places she once knew now only looked similar, not quite the same as before.
We'd been here so long and still hadn't found any Forsaken. It was strange—we should have come across at least one or two, or maybe a Faith-Death from the Living World.
Entity 001 also said that when she woke up, it was already like this—an empty world. If I hadn't come here, she wouldn't have sensed my presence and rushed over.
"Where do we go now?"
Xu Fu turned around and asked, while I gazed at the distant snowfield blanketed in white.
"Let's try searching across the snowfield. Maybe we'll find something."
Xu Fu smiled and got up from the ground, just as a snowball was thrown his way. I dodged it nimbly, but Entity 001 took it right in the face. Instantly, she was furious, raising her hands—the snow on the ground began to form into snowballs. Xu Fu raised his hands in surrender, but Entity 001 didn't let him off, hurling snowball after snowball at him. He dodged many, but still got hit.
"If you're going to play, don't use your powers."
Xu Fu shouted, while I sat helplessly to the side, watching the two of them playing in the snow, still tossing snowballs at each other.
I couldn't figure out what Emperor God and his followers were really after. I knew they were gathering strength, preparing for war, but I vaguely sensed that wasn't it. Emperor God said they weren't trying to resurrect the Wraithlord, but to seal him away for good, and his words didn't seem like a lie.
I got up and saw the two of them had just about finished playing. It was time to move on. Crossing the snowfield would take us into a forest, and we planned to search there. Entity 001 said that forest used to be Agent Seven's place.
My purpose in this world hadn't changed—I had to find a way for the Forsaken to use their powers in the Living World.
"If you're done playing, let's go."
As I spoke, Xu Fu shook the snow off his clothes. The snowfall had stopped, and Entity 001 pouted. I walked over and helped brush the snow from her hair; she giggled.
"Why don't you join in? It might lift your spirits."
I shook my head.
"There's nothing good or bad about it."
After a while, we sat on a car-shaped mound of snow, which Entity 001 controlled to speed across the snowfield. The snowfield wasn't very large; soon, we saw the forest at the far white boundary.
"Actually, there is a way to deal with the Wraithlord."
At that moment, Xu Fu suddenly muttered. I looked at him in confusion—the Immortality Society probably knew far more about the Wraithlord than we did.
"I only know a little more than you. What I learned about the Wraithlord, I found out after I died, in the Bone Realm."
I looked at Xu Fu in confusion. His resurrection depended entirely on Ethan Zhang—without him, Xu Fu couldn't have come back.
Just then, we stopped, because I saw what looked like a city in the distant forest. Entity 001 quickly took us above the city. The place was old and dilapidated, completely deserted. Moss grew over every rooftop, vines had pierced through the walls, and we landed atop one of the buildings, gazing at this modern city—it must have taken centuries for it to become like this.
"This is where Agent Seven used to live."
Entity 001 led us down from the rooftop. On the third floor, we found a room furnished with simple, old pieces. Near the window, flowers and grass grew, and in the center of the room sat a rusty rocking chair. Entity 001 walked over to it, inspecting the chair—on the armrest, the number 7 was carved.
"I'm sure this is where Agent Seven lived. I can sense his presence."
I nodded and looked around. Other than this Forest City, there was nothing alive here—the whole forest was silent, not even the sound of insects or birds.
Then Xu Fu kicked a wall with a bang. Entity 001 and I both looked over, annoyed. The wall was kicked open, but we saw that as soon as it crumbled, it restored itself.
Xu Fu turned and smiled.
"Looks like something's up with this place."
I nodded, and then Entity 001 suddenly used her power—the room instantly shattered. I felt the floor give way beneath me and started to float, Xu Fu staggered and jumped up, but just as quickly, the entire room restored itself, untouched by the force.
We carefully checked the city's edges and various spots. After several hours, we found nothing resembling a ritual array or sensed any strange power.
"How does this work?"
Xu Fu kept poking holes in the wall with his finger, but each time the wall immediately returned to its original state.
"Maybe it's a Forsaken's ability."
Entity 001 said, and I nodded. Someone from the City of the Dead had told us before that a Forsaken once changed the look of their home, turning it into a bizarre city. Entity 001 also has the power to alter the shape of things, but it's different from the ability to stitch objects together at will.
"Why don't we stay here for a few days?"
Xu Fu suggested, and I nodded.
Night fell suddenly. We sat quietly in the room where Agent Seven used to live. Xu Fu was already asleep, and I went up to the rooftop alone. The stars were bright in the night sky, and Entity 001 followed me up.
"Who knows where Earthly Soul's gone."
Entity 001 muttered, and I smiled, placing my hand gently on her head.
"We'll see him. He may act without thinking sometimes, but at heart, he's just like us."
As I spoke, Entity 001 quickly covered her mouth, shook her head, and apologized. I lowered my head, and for a moment, my mood grew heavy again. Lately, I've often wondered what would have happened if I'd entered the Shattered Unreal Realm that day.
Entity 001 and I exchanged glances and nodded. She quietly dragged me down the side of the wall, and sure enough, we saw Xu Fu sneaking around, up to something.