Abnormal Timeline · West Capital—The sky was tearing apart, and the earth was collapsing.
A lone building stood amid the sprawling Ruins, swaying on the verge of collapse in the tremors.
Before that lone building, traces of Purple Radiance gathered together, condensing into a blurry humanoid figure.
Then the blurry figure raised its head, glanced at the towering lone building, turned around, and looked toward a winding river not far away.
Murmuring water flowed slowly along the narrow riverbed. Even though the sky was shattering, at least within this region, the world maintained a simple stability.
He Ao controlled the projection and slowly walked over, stopping at the riverbank.
When he was very young, Grandpa had told him not to play by the river alone. He had told him that rivers were dangerous.
Later, when Grandpa took him fishing by the river, he would repeatedly warn him not to get close to the water.
Grandpa was gentle most of the time, but sometimes he could be fierce, especially when He Ao was disobedient.
He Ao slowly stepped forward, reached the edge of the river, and then walked into the murmuring water.
Only before Grandpa died did he tell He Ao.
Back then, he had found He Ao by this river.
At the time, he had only seen a child lying on the gravel, crying loudly, as though the current had washed him there.
Grandpa had never given up searching for He Ao's parents, but He Ao was like someone who had emerged from the water. There was no trace of his origins to be found.
Until the day Grandpa died.
He Ao lowered his head and gazed at the surface of the murmuring water before him.
He had always had one question. Why was there no him in this timeline?