A breathtakingly beautiful face appeared before me. Her sapphire-blue eyes gleamed like dazzling gems, and her white hair danced in the breeze, carrying a faint, haunting fragrance.
"What you saw was probably someone else. That wasn't me."
I remembered what the Earthly Soul told me. In the pharmaceutical factory, he saw a test subject sent to the wilderness lab—a woman who single-handedly destroyed the Immortality Society's elite. There was a string of numbers on her arm: 003. But now it had changed to 002. Just now, she killed Agent Two, the one with glasses.
Her bangs fell across her forehead, hiding half her face. She kept smiling at me as I pulled her up from the ground. My body was starting to recover, but I'd lost too much strength and was still stuck in the form of a giant panda.
"Let's go—leave this Devouring Forest and head outside."
As Agent Two spoke, I slowly began to float up. It felt surreal, but judging by her demeanor, she didn't seem hostile at all.
I drifted through the air while the woman darted swiftly between tree trunks, her movements agile and precise. I had no idea where she was taking me—the direction wasn’t toward the Junkyard.
Gradually, a wasteland appeared ahead—it was the frozen tundra I’d seen before. Soon, we landed on its hard, icy ground, and I slowly touched down.
"Who are you, really?"
"Just call me Sylvia."
Sylvia's smile was warm, and I looked at her, thoroughly confused.
"I owe you a huge favor!"
I let out a surprised sound. Sylvia bent slightly, her left foot planted while her right foot lightly touched the ground. One hand reached out to me, the other rested at her waist, every movement graceful. Her silver hair cascaded down.
I reached out my furry paw to take her hand, growing even more puzzled.
"Sylvia, the person you met before probably wasn't really me, right? You should know, my situation..."
"Yes, I'm very clear about that. But it was definitely you—Ethan Zhang, Human Soul. You're talking about your Earth Soul, right? I have no connection to him, and I didn't mistake you for someone else. I just didn't expect you'd arrive in this world so soon. Let me send you back to the Four Sacred Realm."
I responded with an "Oh," then looked at Sylvia and thanked her.
Her long hair swayed as Sylvia turned her head toward me, smiling and shaking her head.
"No need to thank me, Ethan Zhang."
Confusion filled my mind. I followed behind Sylvia, but she gave no explanation—especially about the reason for her help. Why would she assist me? And the favor I supposedly did for her... I had no memory of it at all.
"Sylvia, before... what exactly..."
"I've told you before, just call me Sylvia. We've known each other for so long..."
Sylvia spoke, gazing up at the sky, her expression full of longing. Yet beneath her beautiful face, I saw a trace of sorrow. I didn't press further, just quietly followed behind her. She walked slowly, matching my pace.
It was noon when I looked up in surprise. The amusement park was still there. I rushed over and found it unchanged, except for the things destroyed in my fight with 016—they were gone, but everything else remained. I let out a sigh of relief.
"Let's rest here tonight. Your body is wounded and needs recovery. I'll go get you something to eat."
I muttered an 'Oh.' Sylvia's ticket floated up and quickly vanished. I crawled into the underground room with the fruit tree—now withered, its light gone.
Back in the amusement park, I felt a chill. Thankfully, my thick fur kept out the cold. I thought carefully about where Sylvia had met me before, and why she said I'd helped her. I had no memory of it.
I recalled that time at the start of middle school—a beautiful girl bullied by others. But the image in my mind was not her. Maybe it was a memory of someone who'd died, and her appearance had changed.
After a while, Sylvia returned as dusk approached, carrying a handful of fruit. I ate one and felt much better, but the sun was already setting. Sylvia leaned against a wall nearby, not planning to leave.
"Sylvia..."
Sylvia answered softly, "I've already told you. Just call me Sylvia."
There was a hint of dissatisfaction in Sylvia's voice. She moved closer, and I pointed at the sun about to set behind the mountains.
"The sun is about to set, isn't it? Shouldn't you..."
Suddenly, Sylvia grabbed one of my paws and pressed it against her heart. I gasped, blinking at her, but instantly felt her heartbeat and warmth.
"Are you... human?"
I stared at her in shock. Sylvia brushed aside her falling hair, nodded gently, and let go of my hand. Suddenly, I remembered that Forsaken powers couldn't help me, only the Four Sacred Realm could. But Sylvia's powers could help—yet she was a Forsaken.
Sylvia smiled and nodded. The last rays of sunlight faded behind her, but her body showed no change.
"Let's go inside. Rest well tonight. Tomorrow, I'll send you back to the Four Sacred Realm."
We found a room and went in. I lay down near the door, while Sylvia chose a chair and sat down. Under the starry night, her sapphire-blue eyes looked like a sea of stars—beautiful and mesmerizing.
Then I noticed something—Sylvia's aura felt familiar, a bit like Lan Ruoxuan, but she was a different kind of woman. I realized Sylvia had been watching me closely all this time.
"Sylvia, can you tell me—were you that girl I helped in middle school after she was bullied?"
Sylvia looked at me blankly, then as if thinking deeply.
"How come I've never heard you mention that before?"
But Sylvia just closed her mouth, smiled gently, and shook her head.
"Who was she? Can you tell me her story?"
Sylvia spoke with interest, her eyes sparkling like a child's. My confusion deepened.
"Tell me, will you? Ethan Zhang."
She sounded like a child pleading. I sighed and began to tell the story. After I finished, Sylvia looked at me thoughtfully. She smiled, reached out a hand toward my face, her eyes shining with tears. Her fingers came close, as if she wanted to touch me, but she drew them back at the last moment.
"What's wrong?"
Sylvia turned away, her bangs falling to cover half her face. But I saw a glimmer of tears in her sapphire-blue eyes—she seemed to recall something painful.
Sylvia pursed her lips and shook her head in a way that was both pitiful and endearing.
"Can you tell me, Sylvia, what exactly are we...?"
"Let's not talk about that now. Let me tell you something about this world."
Sylvia started to explain: Forsaken only need to kill any other Forsaken before them, and the numbers engraved on their bodies will change. Later Forsaken numbers never change, but when a powerful Forsaken appears, they fill in the gap.
A shadow of gloom passed over Sylvia's face. In my memory, only someone like Yue Ming could match her beauty.
"Why did you kill that Forsaken?"
I asked. Sylvia shook her head and stayed silent. I thought about it but didn't press further. Night deepened around us. Sylvia got up and walked to the door. In the moonlight, she seemed mysterious but familiar. No matter how I looked at her, I felt I should know her, yet her attitude toward me was strange and hard to understand.
"Is this world heading toward destruction?"
Sylvia shook her head.
"Not for now. Because of certain reasons."
I finally relaxed a little.
Seeing the Earthly Soul so anxious made my mind race too, especially now. I stared at Sylvia, wide-eyed.
"Can you change the quality of my soul and turn me back?"
Sylvia shook her head, her profile shadowed with worry as she gazed at the stars on the horizon.
"Rest early. We have a long journey tomorrow."
I muttered 'okay,' found a corner and lay down. Sylvia glanced around, then walked to the bed and lay down, hugging her arms, her body curving gracefully.
Such a beautiful, captivating girl—who was she, really? My curiosity grew. Soon, exhaustion overtook me. I hadn't slept all night.
A wave of drowsiness, along with a faint scent, surrounded me. I forced my eyes open, feeling something pressing down. Sylvia curled up in my embrace, her hands pressed to my chest. I slept leaning against the wall, while she slept sweetly and peacefully. I felt safe, even though I was confused—I didn't want to wake her.
After a while, Sylvia finally opened her eyes. A flash of surprise crossed her gaze. She climbed off me, nearly stumbling, and I reached out to catch her. Her sapphire-blue eyes looked at me, so full of emotion—not romantic love, but something I couldn't quite understand.
"Let's go."
After Sylvia got off me, her demeanor returned to a slight coldness. I followed her out of the amusement park, looking out at the endless tundra. We started walking.
"Do you know? Destruction..."
I let out a surprised sound. Sylvia turned to look at me. Just as I was about to say something, she suddenly sped up and darted past me. There was a loud crash behind me, and the ground shook violently.
"Sylvia..."
I turned around and saw the ground behind me collapsing. Cracks spread beneath my feet, and the earth shook fiercely. Sylvia's eyes grew cold as she raised her hand and caught a punch thrown by 001.
"Wretched woman, you still dare to show up here? That belongs to me."
Sylvia sneered and shook her head.
"He doesn't belong to anyone. He is Ethan Zhang."
Sylvia's cold smile remained as she shook her head.