My soul hit the ground, landing on my back. It didn't hurt, but the front of my body had taken the full impact. It felt as if my ribs had been broken, and the pain made my vision go black.
I heard a small rustle beside me. When I turned my head, I saw the old man who had turned into a baby lying facedown in the dirt, covered in dust.
My ability had already brought him back to life. One step further, and he would be erased from existence.
I still couldn't see the meatball, so I could only use him as a point of reference.
I pressed on, activating my ability without a care.
In an instant, the scenery before my eyes vanished.
I felt like a kite being tugged by its string, flying straight into the real world.
The bizarre, kaleidoscopic sights didn't appear—or perhaps they did, but only for the blink of an eye.
I was lying on cold tiles, looking up at the ceiling and the light fixture above me.
The light was blinding.
The mist that had shrouded the kitchen was gone. Even without Nangong Yao's ability, I could see everything inside.
I turned my head slightly, trying to get a better look.
It was an old man. An old man I'd seen before.
I widened my eyes and watched helplessly as his figure slowly fell apart.
Time stretched unbearably long.
As the old man's body crumbled, I saw strange scenes.
I saw the first shop where he'd worked. Back then, he was still wearing the uniform of an ancient-era second shop. Not long afterward, he opened a shop of his own. The scene flashed by, and then time moved on to the present.
I saw him sitting in a few small, privately owned