The night sky was scattered with stars, and all around was silent. Occasionally, a gentle breeze would pass by. I quietly leaned against Yorn's body—his feathers looked stiff, yet felt surprisingly soft to the touch.
Mother Goddess Nuwa—this question has been on my mind for hours. I don't know why, but I want to find Nuwa. After I find the Chimera, I intend to seek out Nuwa.
In my memories, Nuwa doesn't seem unfamiliar to me; there's a sense of familiarity, as if something related to her happened in the past.
Memory is something I must reclaim. I gaze up at the stars—the sky here is far more beautiful than the one in the Living World I remember.
In my memories, the sky of the Living World was never this bright, but here, in the Illusory Realm, the stars are stunning. The full moon hangs high above me, as if I could reach out and touch it.
Everything here seems unfamiliar, yet oddly familiar at the same time. Many flowers, plants, and trees from the Living World can be found here. Aside from these supernatural beasts, everything else from the Living World is present.
I quietly watched a patch of land not far from us—it looked as if it had suffered a drought. Just now, after Yorn flapped his wings, I saw air currents sweep across this area, and suddenly, drought appeared. It was unbelievable, and such power is completely foreign to me.
I plan to ask Yorn at dawn if there's a way to reach the upper layers of the Illusory Realm. This place is filled with countless interwoven spaces, each connected by certain points—you must pass through these points to reach other places. I've sensed this forest already: it's boundless, without any edge.
Yorn said he'd take me to the forest's exit. Beyond it lies a vast marshland, where he's seen the Chimera several times. The Chimera is a beast from the upper Illusory Realm, but its temperament is extremely violent. Every time it descends, it brings catastrophic disaster. Most beasts from the middle layers flee at the sight of it.
A faint warmth radiated nearby. I looked at Yorn in disbelief—his body emitted a gentle, soft blue glow. He was sound asleep, and I could sense many wild beasts around us. The closest was about three hundred meters away, but after watching us for a while, they all left.
Feeling a bit bored, I stood up and leapt lightly to the top of a tree. The forest stretched endlessly in every direction, a vast silver-white expanse under the moonlight.
Suddenly, I sensed something and looked up. A black spot appeared on the moon. Gradually, the spot shifted and a shadow formed on the surface, moving and taking the shape of a dog. I watched in confusion, but soon the shadows dissipated.
I sat cross-legged atop the tree, gazing at the starry night. Slowly, the sky turned gray, and in the distance I saw a glimmer of light—the sun was rising. Instantly, the entire forest was bathed in radiant light, brimming with vitality.
"Ethan, why are you up there?"
Yorn had woken up below. I jumped straight down.
"Just had nothing to do, so I went up to check out the forest. By the way, how about we take the shortcut today? I want to reach that big marshland you mentioned as soon as possible."
Yorn nodded.
"Sure. You’re strong enough now, and I’ve evolved too. Let’s take the shortcut. But we’ll pass through the territory of some fierce Chimera Beasts, so you’ll have to deal with them!"
I answered with a hum, jumped down from the tree, and followed Yorn. He seemed very familiar with everything in this forest, and the paths he led me down were much easier to walk.
"By the way, do you know the way to the upper Illusory Realm?"
Yorn turned to look at me in confusion and shook his head.
"It's best not to go. I've heard that the upper Illusory Realm is practically a battlefield. The mighty Chimera Beasts are constantly fighting each other there. Some possess the power to bring about the End of Days Phenomenon—just being nearby could get you caught up in it."
I smiled and shook my head, replying.
"Then who knows the way? How do you get to the upper Illusory Realm?"
Yorn thought for a moment before answering.
"The Chimera, maybe. It comes from the upper Illusory Realm—you could try asking it."
The sun had fully risen. Yorn looked uncomfortable—he didn't seem to be adapting well to the stifling heat of the forest, while I felt nothing at all.
My body hardly registers hot or cold, but I can still sense temperature clearly. My mind is aware of everything in the distance.
"It's so hot, Ethan."
"Let's take a break!"
Just then, I noticed a commotion in the nearby woods—footsteps echoed through the trees. I looked over and saw a small beast, nearly a meter long, dart out. It looked like a cat, but with three tails. It was the Tri-tailed Lynx. I stood up in surprise as the Tri-tailed Lynx let out a series of low growls.
I stared intently at the Tri-tailed Lynx—its sharp claws dug into the soil. Yorn glanced at it out of the corner of his eye.
"What do you want?"
With that, Yorn stood up, spread his wings, and his expression turned fierce.
A vision flashed in my mind—a pitch-black forest, where a striking woman rode a Tri-tailed Lynx much larger than the one before me. I clutched my head, and suddenly, the Tri-tailed Lynx before me spun around and vanished into the woods like a streak of yellow lightning.
"I think I've seen it somewhere else before."
I muttered to myself, and Yorn led me onward.
Gradually, I saw a colossal ancient tree in the distance. Yorn came to a halt.
"We're here, Ethan. There's an exit over there."
After following Yorn through the forest, we reached the base of the giant tree. I saw a massive tree hollow ahead of us.
"Go in here and you'll see the marsh. Thank you, Ethan, for helping me evolve. I won't go with you—ask around in the marsh and see if anyone else has seen the Chimera."
I hummed in response. Yorn spread his wings and slowly took flight. I waved to him and stepped straight into the tree hollow.
In an instant, I was standing on black soil. Strange odors wafted from all around. I covered my nose in disbelief—I could actually smell the stench. All around lay a vast black marshland, with black smoke rising and bubbles surfacing from the swamp pools.
I looked around quietly. Suddenly, I sensed something behind me. As I turned, there was a thunderous crash—the ground caved in.
A massive-headed beast with silvery white fur around its neck, powerful limbs, and light brown diamond-shaped scales appeared. It was the Chimera—the same beast I'd seen in my mind.
"Are you the Chimera?"
I asked, and the beast before me let out a low growl. I swallowed nervously—it looked exactly like the Chimera I'd seen in my mind.
I walked over slowly, then suddenly my eyes widened—the Chimera appeared right in front of me, its powerful forepaws lunging at me.
My eyes widened. Just as the Chimera was about to grab me, I dodged aside and retreated to a safe spot. I watched the Chimera—it held its paws off the ground, pressing into the earth with such force that the ground caved in and mud splattered everywhere. In an instant, I had put nearly a hundred meters between us.
"Can you understand me?"
My gaze grew cold as I raised a hand. The Chimera was clearly hostile, and its hostility was directed at me.
With a thunderous crash, the Chimera lunged at me again. I dodged and landed farther away.
"Wait a second, I just..."
With a roar, darkness fell all around me. I had no idea what happened, but when I saw a glimmer of light, I passed through it and was suddenly gone. In that instant, the Chimera swallowed me whole.
Back in the marshland, I stared at the Chimera in astonishment—how did it do that?
Two beams of red light shot toward me, sharp and fierce, striking my eyes. Instantly, my left eye became a swastika, my right a Taiji. I raised my hand and struck, deflecting the red beams to the left.
With a thunderous boom, a huge section of the marsh exploded, and a powerful air current surged toward me.
"If this fight goes on, I'll get serious."
Clenching my fists, I glared coldly at the Chimera, whose eyes blazed red.
With a roar, the Chimera’s body suddenly swelled. I felt the space around us begin to distort, and soon everything was completely twisted. A powerful gravitational force pulled me in.
Astonished, I watched everything around me vanish into the swirling vortex, and my own body began to twist.
With a crash, I found myself right in front of the Chimera, who suddenly opened its jaws and bit down on me.
In that instant, I lost all connection to my power—I had no idea what happened, but the Chimera had bitten me. Its razor-sharp teeth held me fast, and I couldn’t move. I stared at the Chimera in silence.
"You're no match for me. Don't keep fighting."