I was at a loss for words.
Everything had connected, forming a closed circle. That might not be a good sign for reality.
What Liu Che—or rather, Ye Qing—wanted to do was break this unchanging pattern.
But in the end, everything had fallen on me, an outsider.
I began to feel restless again.
Ye Zhengyi seemed not to notice my mood. Continuing from where he had left off, he returned to the point at hand. "What I told you before was the first theory. I don't know whether it was pure speculation or backed by hard evidence, but it's widely accepted. Over the years, it's changed, though only in minor details. There's also a second theory, but fewer people agree with it. That theory is that ghosts are actually ability users."
My attention immediately returned to Ye Zhengyi. This was the first time I'd heard of the second theory he'd mentioned.
"Whether we're talking about ghosts, ability users, or spirits, their power all comes from their own will. You know that much, right?" Ye Zhengyi asked, sounding like a teacher.
I nodded.
I knew all that, but hearing Ye Zhengyi bring it up now made me realize the connection between the three.
"In modern terms, they're all part of the same system. The essence of their power is the same. But before ghosts—a form of life, a form of soul—appeared in this world, along with ability users and spirits, there was another power beyond that of humans: monsters." Ye Zhengyi gave some examples. "Demons, monsters, beasts, mountain spirits, divine beasts, strange beasts... They go by many names, but they all share the same trait: they evolved from animals, and their power is innate, unrelated to will. It's more like sheer physical strength. That's not entirely accurate, either. Legends about those