The fact that Rachel Lan does not exist in any timeline of the past shook me deeply. I sat quietly in the Hall of Judgment, waiting for the underworld enforcer to retrieve the map.
Although Past Ethan Justice had already explained the nature of timelines to me, what occupied my mind most right now was still Rachel Lan.
"First, you need to understand what time actually is."
At this moment, the Emperor of the Dead spoke. I looked over in surprise.
"There is past, present, and future. Both the past and future hold countless possibilities, but the present has only one. Past Ethan Justice has already told me this before."
I quickly responded. The Emperor of the Dead glanced at Past Ethan Justice, nodding thoughtfully.
"But there is one more thing you must know. Only by knowing it can you return to the correct timeline."
Just then, Isabelle Frost walked over.
"Let me explain instead. Your explanations are too rigid. Qingyuan, do you know what an hourglass is?"
I hummed in response, and somehow my mind became even clearer and more straightforward.
"Time is like a hemp rope..."
Isabelle Frost immediately looked at Past Ethan Justice, then sighed.
"Your explanation is too vague. How could he possibly understand?"
Past Ethan Justice smiled.
"Perhaps my explanation lacks some consideration. Let Ms. Yi explain it to you more precisely."
Isabelle Frost then began to speak.
From the moment a person is born, they possess their own time. With every passing second, the past and future are created, but that person's time is called the present, also known as the correct timeline.
The countless pasts and futures generated by the flow of time do not simply disappear—they exist, layered and staggered, like an infinitely spiraling staircase. Each step is a trace left by time's passage, a real existence, and only the step beneath one's feet is the correct timeline.
Whether you look up or down, this endlessly spiraling staircase never changes. It continues along the predetermined correct timeline.
The past is every step behind you, stacked up to support the present, while the future is those steps above that you have yet to climb.
Time moves in such a peculiar way. You can look back and see the footprints of the past, and look ahead to glimpse the trajectory of the future.
"So aren't there multiple timelines? Staircases..."
"Could you not interrupt me?"
Isabelle Frost immediately glared at me in annoyance. I shut my mouth right away, and she continued speaking.
What Isabelle Frost explained earlier was just a simple model of time: with every passing second, a new step forms behind you and another appears ahead. This is something that cannot be changed, no matter what.
Now Isabelle Frost raised a hand, a flash of red gleaming in her palm. I saw a long Hourglass of Fate, its base filled with vivid red sand, clearly visible.
Then Isabelle Frost turned the hourglass over. My eyes widened as I saw that the middle was very narrow, allowing only a single grain of sand to pass through. The flow was slow.
"What does that mean?"
"Time is just like this Hourglass of Fate. The sand at the bottom represents everything a person has, called the past. The first grain that passes through is the correct timeline, called the present. The sand at the top is the future. So both past and future contain countless grains, with unexpected changes possible at any moment. But the present never changes, because only one grain can pass through at a time."
Isabelle Frost continued speaking.
Each grain of sand represents a moment in Ethan Zhang's timeline, but only the grain passing through the narrow center of the Hourglass of Fate is the correct one—the present. The grains of past and future keep flowing, constantly creating new moments as they pass through the center.
"Wait, what do you mean?"
I looked at Isabelle Frost, even more confused.
"You should already know that the timeline or moment you're in right now is incorrect, right?"
I nodded.
"And dreams are signals sent from the countless grains of past and future to the present grain passing through the Hourglass of Fate. Or you could say it's a kind of feeling unique to Ethan Zhang. For example, if you dream of becoming a millionaire, it might be just a dream for the present Ethan Zhang, but it could actually be something that happens in the future—a possibility conveyed to you through the dream."
At that moment, I saw that all the sand at the bottom had finished flowing. Isabelle Frost looked at me gravely, then pointed to the base of the hourglass. I saw a slightly larger red grain of sand stuck in the center, unable to pass through.
"What do you see?"
I made a sound of surprise and scratched my head.
"It's stuck?"
Isabelle Frost nodded and began to speak.
All the sand that could pass through the bottom of the hourglass had moved to the top. Only one grain remained below, unable to pass through—the endpoint of Ethan Zhang's past. Time here still flows, but the end has already been reached.
To put it simply, the flow of time in this world has stopped, frozen at the large grain stuck in the center of the Hourglass of Fate.
At this moment, I saw the grain begin to grow, gradually becoming as large as the base of the hourglass. Isabelle Frost explained.
That is the endpoint of the past. There may still be changes—like what they are doing now, rebuilding the cycle, making the Yin-Yang Realm whole after it shattered—but such a past has already reached its end. It cannot pass through the correct timeline.
Now I noticed that the sand in the top half had disappeared, while the red condensation in the bottom half turned back into grains. Only one grain remained in the upper half, drifting quietly and alone.
"The endpoint of the future?"
I stared in astonishment. Isabelle Frost nodded.
"The future, like the past, also has an endpoint. You said you met the future Ethan Zhang, so what you saw was the endpoint of his future. But that endpoint is determined by the grains passing through the center—the present Ethan Zhang decides it. Both past and future have endpoints, but only the present Ethan Zhang is endless, always moving through the center of the hourglass."
I seemed to understand completely. At that moment, Isabelle Frost put away the hourglass and began to speak again.