In the broad, muddy clearing at the center of the village at the foot of the mountain, a group of children gathered to play while the adults were off working. The sun had only just risen over the mountains. At this moment, we should have regrouped and then gone with Ethan Zhang to open the door connecting to his world, so he could lead us to Lady Meng and obtain the Soul Mirror.
Moreover, none of the bizarre phenomena I previously encountered have appeared; instead, everything now is so calm it makes me uneasy. I haven't eaten for almost a day and am feeling faint with hunger, but Future Ethan Zhang warned me not to touch anything here if I want to return to the proper timeline.
Thanks to the efforts of both Past Ethan Justice and Future Ethan Zhang, it's been confirmed that the time point I'm currently in is an experimental temporal loop between the past and the future. I will keep jumping back and forth within this loop, and nothing I do will make a difference—at best, it might influence the outcome, but once the result appears, I'll return to the starting point of this time loop.
The Eye of Time used the simplest and most efficient way to deal with me: trapping me in a specific temporal experiment loop. Unless some external force intervenes to break it, it's nearly impossible for anyone inside such a time loop to find a way out.
Normally, if an ordinary ghost or human entered such a loop, all their memories would be wiped clean. But because I possess the Coexistence Instinct, my memories remain intact. The time is almost here—once night falls, Future Ethan Zhang will open the door to Lady Meng, and all we can do is wait.
I've already learned that the starting point of this time loop is the moment I traveled back to the past. Both Future Ethan Zhang and Past Ethan Justice arrived slightly earlier than I did, and as soon as they got here, they began investigating. By the time I arrived, they'd already figured out a lot.
Now, I need to determine exactly when this cycle ends.
Ravenous, I could only keep swallowing my saliva as I stared down at everything below the mountain. Both Past Ethan Justice and Future Ethan Zhang had left to investigate separately, telling me to stay put and behave myself.
Sure enough, by afternoon, I saw someone coming up the mountain. I still remember—I didn't hide at the time, because Future Ethan Zhang was there and could make those from the mountain unable to see me. I glanced around, found a dense patch of vegetation, and hid there, quietly watching as the people from the mountain passed by in front of me.
I'd heard Ethan Zhang mention before that everything in that village, including the Ghost Burial Squad, was trapped there because of a trick by Yvonne May's primal essence, wielded by Juchen Realm. Thirty-one members of the Ghost Burial Squad were caught. Ethan told me he only managed to escape by relying on his own Coexistence Instinct, and after finding Juchen Realm and the Celestial Hound, he was able to get out.
I've tried using Coexistence, but still can't sense anything. Unlike before, now even Juchen Realm finds it almost impossible to help us. The Eye of Time must be watching me closely, refusing to let me escape this loop easily.
The sky gradually darkened, and the mountain people returned to the village. The aroma of food wafted up from below, but I was far past hunger. Starving and thirsty, I could only keep waiting for night to fall.
A gentle breeze swept by, and both Past Ethan Justice and Future Ethan Zhang returned to my side.
"Any luck? Did you find a way out?"
I stared blankly at Future Ethan Zhang, whose expression was heavy. The method he first suggested to break the loop was immediately stopped by Past Ethan Justice, who said it would kill me outright, not just hurt me.
I could guess what Future Ethan Zhang wanted to do—bring about my true death. Because life has its time, death has its time, and the transition between the two might be the only way to break free from this loop. Yet, as Past Ethan Justice said, it would certainly kill me.
My body is too fragile now. The only reason I haven't collapsed is because, in this past world, time inside my body flows extremely slowly. My consciousness has swapped with the body that's already showing signs of decay. This vessel, created for me by the Saints, is compatible with my soul to a degree, but it's far too weak to truly sustain my soul and power.
This state—caught between life and death—might be why I'm trapped in this loop. Time ticks closer, and night finally arrives.
As the village lights began to flicker to life, I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me.
Soon, I regained consciousness. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the forest where I'd arrived before, my clothes in tatters. Now I finally understood when the end of this loop would come—tomorrow night. All I could do was wait for Past Ethan Justice to arrive so I could explain it to him again.
Future Ethan Zhang once told me their true selves are no longer here. What I see are only remnants from my memory, yet these remnants are still able to connect with their originals—after all, both of them have used a bit of their power.
They're trying their best to pinpoint which timeline of the loop I'm in, but it's like searching for a needle in a haystack. Finding the exact loop I'm trapped in among infinite timelines is nearly impossible.
I have to tell their remnants everything, so they can use whatever power remains to contact their true selves. Sure enough, after I scared off the ghost trailing me, Past Ethan Justice appeared.
What shocked me was how Past Ethan Justice's figure had become almost translucent. After putting on the clothes he gave me, I quickly explained everything. As soon as Past Ethan Justice closed his eyes and reopened them, his confusion was gone—he seemed to understand what would happen next.
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"Rachel Lan, you have no choice but to keep waiting. It's very hard for us to find you, but it's not impossible."
I murmured in response. As time passed, Past Ethan Justice's body grew even fainter, turning almost transparent, like the soul of someone newly dead. I had to endure another night of hunger, and Past Ethan Justice kept comforting me. Now, all I can do is keep waiting—other than death, this is the only way.
It wasn't until the afternoon of the next day that Future Ethan Zhang appeared. After I recounted what had happened, Future Ethan Zhang quickly contacted his true self. Now, both versions of Ethan Zhang looked the same—one black, one white—almost blending into the air itself.
I was so weak from hunger that I had no strength left. All I could do was keep waiting for night to fall, reach the endpoint, and begin the loop again.
After nightfall, both Past Ethan Justice and Future Ethan Zhang completely vanished. As soon as I felt a violent mountain wind, I began slipping into unconsciousness.
When I woke up, the lingering hunger in my mind made me dizzy. Again, I sensed ghosts lurking in the dark forest behind me, watching. I didn't have time to deal with them. I looked around and could only keep waiting for Past Ethan Justice to appear. The ghosts just stared, doing nothing. After two cycles, four days had actually passed—I was starving for four days straight. Though I'd returned to the same state, I remembered everything. The deep hunger left me mentally exhausted.
All I wanted was for Past Ethan Justice to show up quickly, so I could explain everything and then find a comfortable spot to sleep and recover.
For four days, hunger kept me from sleeping. Every time I dozed off, my stomach growled and woke me. I planned to take advantage of this brief moment when I wasn't so hungry and get some real rest.
Soon enough, I saw Past Ethan Justice again—his form was now white and transparent, their remaining power here nearly depleted. After explaining everything to him, I found a soft patch of grass to hide and sleep in. Even though it was close to the dark woods, ghosts couldn't come out in broad daylight.
A powerful drowsiness overwhelmed my nerves, and I quickly fell into a deep sleep.
I don't know how much time passed, but I suddenly felt a tug. As soon as I opened my eyes, I was startled—a ghastly pale, skeletal hand with long nails was dragging my leg toward the part of the forest where sunlight couldn't reach. I immediately drew Belle. A breeze swept by, and I saw a ghost with a deathly pale face and rotten cheeks. I didn't hesitate to strike.
With a chorus of wails, I sensed more ghosts rushing toward me. The sun was nearly set. Breaking free, I sprang up, drew my bow, and conjured arrows from my power, firing several shots. Each ghost turned to ash with a wail.
I hurried away, but Past Ethan Justice was nowhere to be seen. I glanced back at the woods and the village below, where smoke was rising. Swallowing and wiping my mouth, I felt a bit more alert—but hunger struck again. This was my greatest challenge.
The ghosts in the forest were far too weak. I could deal with them easily. The hardest part was surviving the first day. Knowing I'd have to hold out until nightfall tomorrow, my feet started moving on their own.
I craved food; the memories of hunger in my mind had become an illness. I had to eat something.