Character side story: An Mingyu · Setting forth

[Special Trial (Cencha [Time]) has begun...]

On the Isle of Hope, near the Abyssal Volcano, Door of Falling.

Although this was a Trials of [Time], at the beginning of the Trials, no one noticed that the so-called Cencha was happening to the players.

Until An Mingyu, after countless misplacements, bumped into him!

Qin Xin, the creator of the Fire Keeper.

She could tell at a glance that this was a different Qin Xin. Although the other person had a smile on their face, she could clearly feel the bitterness in their heart.

What's even stranger is the other person's attitude towards me. What did he just say?

"Mingyu, are you still An Mingyu, the Fire Keeper?"

An Mingyu was shocked because she was never a true Fire Keeper. She had only established a closer working relationship with the Fire Keeper than ordinary collaborators, and even though she also served as Fire Keeper's Fire Seeker, she was only an unofficial member.

Both of them understood this unspoken understanding, so the Qin Xin she knew would never ask such an ambiguous and difficult-to-answer question.

But if the person standing in front of him isn't Qin Xin, then who is he!?

An Mingyu frowned, his expression turning somewhat cold.

Out of wariness of the warriors, she took a small step back, then held a few Dice in her palm and quietly performed a divination.

Before the divination results were even available, Qin Xin laughed loudly:

"Don't be nervous, I'm not a bad person."

"Whether something is good or bad is not for you to define. You are not Qin Xin, so who are you?"

To be honest, when faced with the "collapse of a persona," An Mingyu's first thought was not the unbelievable "Cencha," but rather the possibility of Cheng Shi playing Qin Xin.

Would that eccentric Fate Weaver really deceive herself like that?

Of course he would, otherwise Xin Xin wouldn't have complained so much about him, since he was someone who had caused Zhen Yi to suffer.

Thinking of this, her cold expression softened slightly, but the next second, upon hearing Qin Xin's response, her expression turned serious again.

"I am Qin Xin, but I am not the Qin Xin from the world you came from."

"!!!"

Ignoring An Mingyu's shock, Qin Xin gazed into the distance and said to himself:

"There's something wrong with this Trials. The real Cencha in [Time] doesn't lie with the NPCs, but with you and me. Every player is probably experiencing an exchange that originates from [Time]."

At first I wasn't sure, until I met two different versions of you. Now I can tell you with absolute certainty that you... are not the Mingyu I'm looking for.

Hope is still etched on your face; it's not the lingering wounds of perseverance, but the unbroken innocence.

You are different from her; the flame in your heart has not yet burned brightly, while in my world, she has already become a true Fire Keeper!

"!!!"

Hearing these words, An Mingyu was somewhat at a loss, but she quickly regained her composure and carefully sorted out everything she had experienced. Before long, countless details confirmed Qin Xin's words.

So this is Cencha; so this is what [Time] is concerned with—not the oversight of a particular individual, but the exchange between different worlds.

So... we are experiencing a displacement between different parallel worlds?

Looking at that confused face, Qin Xin wanted to nod and tell the other person "yes," and then let it go. Those unsubstantiated speculations were too frightening. Perhaps the other person shouldn't have to accept fear from her, and the misfortune of her own world shouldn't be spread to other worlds in this way.

But it's really hard to fool a Believer in [Destiny], and his pause was already a response in An Mingyu's eyes.

An Mingyu was very perceptive and intelligent. She immediately realized that everything that happened in the Trials was far more complicated than she had imagined, and the individuals who were exchanged were very likely not from a simple parallel world. Otherwise, Qin Xin would not have remained so silent.

She understood the other person's good intentions and stopped talking about it.

Whatever the true nature of the Cencha, whatever Cencha spacetime it represents, is unimportant. At this moment, facing the Fire Keeper from another spacetime, An Mingyu desperately wants to know what exactly happened in that world.

What kind of timeline made this resolute and decisive creator of the Passing the Flame so cautious?

She didn't know how to begin, so she could only offer a word of comfort first:

"You... have suffered."

Qin Xin's smile froze for a moment, then turned into a bitter smile.

When facing others, the Fire Keeper will not let his guard down, but when facing his own "own people" who are also Fire Keeper, Qin Xin also needs to confide in them.

Especially in this world where even one's own people don't belong to oneself, this is simply the perfect person to confide in.

Suffering is not terrible.

What's frightening is that everyone is suffering, but there seems to be no end in sight.

Passing the Flame is no easy task.

I have known this principle since the very beginning of the creation of the Fire Keeper, but I never imagined that Passing the Flame would be so difficult.

We've been through so much, it's hard to explain in a short time... In short, being able to vent a few complaints to you is the biggest gain from this Trials.

Mingyu, don't mention these things to anyone else. Just consider it a little indulgence on my part.

"[Filth and Decay] is the greatest enemy of the Passing the Flame; we must be constantly vigilant."

An Mingyu's expression was solemn, and he did not respond.

Not long after, Qin Xin, who had made the Passing the Flame difficult, left. An Mingyu continued on his journey and encountered another Cheng Shi.

That was a very mature Cheng Shi; you could tell he was different from the previous Cheng Shi just by looking at his eyes.

His first words to An Mingyu were spoken with a smile:

"It seems An the Chosen already knows?"

An Mingyu nodded coldly and asked, "You and him, are you from the same world?"

"Who?" Cheng Shi smiled. "Qin Xin?"

If you're talking about Qin Xin, the one who's always grinning like an idiot, then let me tell you, yes, we're from the same world.

Life is too bitter and needs some relief; even someone as resolute as Qin Xin is not immune to some emotions.

But what can be done about it?

That's life, that's Destiny. Not every world is as lucky as yours.

Okay, I might have said something harsh, so please don't take my complaints to heart.

I know what you're thinking, but I advise you not to think about it or do anything about it.

An the Chosen, if you die here, I might not be able to bring you back. I don't have that much energy, and you shouldn't cause trouble for others... Don't be like Zhen Yi."

An Mingyu paused, then quietly withdrew the Dice from his palm.

"Zhen Yi... no, Xin Xin alright?"

"When the world sinks into the Abyss, how can an individual escape unscathed?" Cheng Shi sighed softly, briefly describing Zhen Xin's recent situation. He was afraid that An Shenxuan from Another World An the Chosen worry, so he held back as much as possible.

However, An Mingyu had already discerned Zhen Xin's suffering in that world from the smallest details. She felt a pang of sadness and asked, head bowed:

"Isn't there any other way?"

"If you're talking about a way to save the world..." Cheng Shi gazed into the distance and let out a long sigh, "There probably is, but that method isn't here with us."

I suspect it might exist in your world, but that's just a guess.

The Predestination path is exceptionally difficult; until the very end, no one knows what lies ahead. I only vaguely sense that there is still hope in your world, but as for where that hope lies...

We'll probably have to wait for a Change that breaks the Predestination pattern.

Sigh, don't tell him about these upsetting things when you get back. I am me, and he is him. We have different backgrounds and different understandings of the world.

I can't influence him, I just want to give him a reminder: if your world also comes to an end, and you can no longer see the road ahead, then you should say one thing to him:

Seek Change; Change is the shortcut to the future.

"Change..." An Mingyu slowly savored the word, and after a moment, his eyes suddenly became firm.

She slowly raised her head, looked at Cheng Shi with utmost seriousness, and said, word by word:

I'm not going back.

"?" Cheng Shi's gaze sharpened. As intelligent as he was, he instantly understood An Mingyu's thoughts, but without hesitation, he refused, "No way."

"OK.

I am Believer in [Destiny]. The intertwining of Destiny may represent Change, and my staying may bring new Change to this world.

"Fate Weaver, I am not a person of great benevolence, but there is also Xin Xin in that world. She has suffered enough, and I want to bring her a little hope."

"..."

Cheng Shi fell silent.

This time he didn't refuse.

He knew that An Mingyu's choice was indeed for Zhen Xin, but he also knew that this choice was not entirely for the Zhen Xin he had never met.

It's important to understand that Change is never unidirectional.

If replacing Prophet can bring about Change to one's own world, then it means that replacing the previous Prophet can also bring about Change to her original world!

Therefore, An Mingyu's choice was not only to "save" the world, but also to gain an extra Chip and an extra glimmer of hope for her original world.

She wasn't doing this for just one Zhen Xin, but for all the Zhen Xin in all the worlds caught up in this [Time] Cencha!

Cheng Shi had no choice but to accept this.

Every world desperately needs this "Change".

Even if no one is sure whether this Change will be effective.

"Have you made up your mind?"

An Mingyu changed his Indifference expression and nodded with a light laugh.

Yes, I've made up my mind.

I will go and say goodbye to her. I believe Xin Xin will forgive me.

She always will.

An Mingyu, "The Fire Keeper," Prophet, [Destiny]

Birthday: December 15th

Age: 25

Zhen Xin, older sister, Magician, [Chaos]

Birthday: March 23

Age: 24

Zhen Yi, younger sister, Master of Trickery, [Deception]

Birthday: April 28

Age: 24