Darkness. Silence.
In what felt like an eternal fall, Ji Jue saw flames once again.
Within the darkness and deathly silence of the deep sea, that tiny flicker danced soundlessly, rising and swaying amid dead ashes, never ceasing. It drew closer, closer still, until that insignificant flame filled everything and turned into a sea of fire with no visible end...
And so, he gradually grew accustomed to it. And so, he gradually forgot himself.
As though a speck of ash were falling into more ash, as though a spark were returning to the flames.
Amid the deep sea's low echo, Ji Jue closed his eyes and curled up sleepily, as if falling from the deepest part of one dream into another.
A voice in his heart said, "Ji Jue, you belong here."
"No."
Ji Jue opened his eyes.
And so, the deep sea, the flames, the nightmare—all of it receded, never to be seen again.
He saw the familiar Workshop: steel floors, walls, and ceiling; countless pieces of equipment; scattered drafts; even the desk lamp in the distance, dimmed after he had fallen asleep, its faint glow yellow and murky.
He froze for a moment, then slowly climbed out of bed after a long while and rubbed his face.
"Isis, the time."
"Current time in the present world: 6:11 a.m. There are still one hour and forty-nine minutes until the scheduled time, sir." The gentle voice replied, "Your sleep indicators remained stable. No unexpected conditions were detected. I believe you had that dream again."
"That's right."
Ji Jue yawned, washed his face, then raised his head and stared at the haggard face in the Mirror. "And it was closer. Closer than ever before."
In the mirror's reflection, that slightly pale face showed a trace of withering exhaustion—torment and weariness.
He