I'm Not a Flame-Chaser

Hearing Lin mutter to himself, Night Owl asked without thinking, not realizing that something was wrong. But when Lin didn't respond and stood still for a long time, Night Owl suddenly realized something.

The black-haired man turned his head, his unusual iridescent eyes, the same as Yan Luo's, filled with a cold light.

"You..."

Before Night Owl could speak, the color in Lin's eyes had vanished, returning to its deep, dark state.

"... What's wrong?" Lin asked the stunned Night Owl, frowning.

Night Owl felt a chill run down his spine. In that instant, he clearly sensed that the soul inside the man named Lin was no longer his own, but something that instilled a physiological fear in him.

He was certain that those were not human eyes. Even Yan Luo, who had the same pupils, never had eyes that made him want to stay away from them so deeply.

What resides within Lin's body?

He swallowed hard, quietly took a step back, and then forced a smile at Lin: "Your eyes... changed just now."

"Eyes?" A change in pupil color was a dangerous sign. Lin vividly remembered what had happened to him before, and he immediately asked seriously, "Is it the color of a CD?"

"Yes..."

Before they could ask any more questions, Lin and Night Owl's expressions changed drastically. The other's figure vanished without a trace in an instant, and Lin couldn't even grab Night Owl when he reached out.

What... is going on?

Lin stared at the rapidly changing space, his hand covering his head, and the rainbow color deep in his eyes began to surge uncontrollably.

Soon, a conjecture came to mind.

... Sky City.

He knew why, after coming into close contact with Honkai energy in Sky City — Honkai Energy enough to cause massive Honkai —his body was fine, yet he was unable to use Honkai Energy.

Because there was something else interfering with the flow of Honkai Energy within him, it absorbed all the Honkai Energy, like an insatiable water tank, taking away the Honkai Energy that Lin was trying to control, leaving him with not a single trace.

That "person," like a ghost crawling out of hell, a lingering monster, has returned.

"Only in a place close enough to the Imaginary Tree can there be enough Imaginary Energy and Honkai Energy to recreate a Herrscher Core."

Lin's mouth was talking to himself uncontrollably, but the rainbow in his eyes quickly disappeared.

Before him, a humanoid figure, exactly the same height and build as him, was slowly taking shape as imaginary matter frantically gathered together.

The eerie Prismatic Eyes, which had been seen countless times in the sea of blood and appeared countless times in nightmares, but which had never been truly faced in reality, finally came into view of Yu Lin under his gaze.

"... and a body that allows me to move freely."

Her snow-white hair, as stark and desolate as snow, moved erratically in this empty space, even without wind.

"What exactly is that?"

After Lin Cong disappeared from sight, Night Owl clenched his fists nervously. This journey through the imaginary gap was far more complicated than he had imagined.

They will die.

The fear of death took root in his heart, then grew wildly, completely taking over his heart and dragging him into the abyss.

No matter what, Night Owl must survive. For this, he can join the Thousand Fist Society or the World Serpent, kill for the World Serpent, and do things for the Jackal. Although the memory Lin had helped him, it doesn't mean that Night Owl is willing to repay Lin at all costs. For him, Lin is nothing.

There is only one person for whom he is willing to give his life, and in order to fulfill his promise, he, Chen Tianwu, must survive.

After making up his mind, Night Owl began to think of a way to leave. He remembered the direction that Yan Luo had led him in. As long as he could get out of the rift he was in, he would be able to find his way back.

As for the other three people, he completely forgot about them; he himself was the most important person to him.

The problem is, how do we leave?

The Night Owl has no concept of the spatial structure of the Imaginary Tree. All the anomalies that have appeared so far are related to time. Perhaps the Jackal will have some clues.

Staying where he was probably not going to help, so after calming himself down, Night Owl started walking in the direction his intuition told him, even though he knew it was just a psychological comfort and suggestion, but there was no better way to confirm the way ahead at the moment.

When people lose their reference points of time and space, they can easily fall into a state of nihilistic panic, unable to determine whether they are moving, whether time is flowing, or even whether their thoughts are real.

Night Owl couldn't help but feel grateful that his cybernetic modifications made him less sensitive to his own body than a normal person, preventing him from falling into self-doubt.

One hundred meters... five hundred meters...

Night Owl silently counted the distance he had traveled. Even though he had walked a long way without anything happening, he still tried his best to remain calm. In an unfamiliar environment, not being able to think calmly was tantamount to a death sentence.

"Clatter."

When he counted to one thousand, a bright light blinded him. He squinted, raised his hand to block the light, and only after his eyes adjusted did he see that the scenery in front of him had changed again.

It's still ruins, and it's still the aftermath of the Manila Honkai.

You're back?

Before the owl could form any doubts, he was drawn by the sound of footsteps in the distance. His pupils dilated as he saw a chestnut-haired girl wearing a beret running wildly.

"Anna?"

In the dim twilight, the girl's pretty face was filled with tension as she ran alone through the ruins, rushing past the night owl.

Strange, Anna seems a bit different now...

"Huff... huff..."

The girl stopped at a fork in the road, looking around as if searching for a direction. Just as she was about to continue running after confirming that she had found the way, she heard a cry for help and froze.

"... Anna." Night Owl couldn't understand the emotions in the girl's eyes. He still remembered that when the girl rescued him from the collapsed ruins, the golden sunset shone on half of her dusty face. The relief and joy of saving someone made her look like an angel who had come to earth, something Night Owl would never forget.

But now, the last rays of the setting sun, about to be swallowed by darkness, are so dim that they cannot even illuminate the girl's cheeks.

Her eyes showed no joy at hearing the cries for help, but were filled with... panic?

Why panic?

The perfect picture in Night Owl's mind of Anna handing him the necklace in the twilight quietly developed a crack he himself didn't even notice. His heart pounded, and he instantly forgot his plan to escape, staring intently at the girl who was hesitating about something.

Tick-tock.

A little while passed.

The girl made up her mind, took a step forward, and rushed towards the direction of the cries for help.

But Night Owl felt no relief, nor was he happy that the girl was acting in the same way he had imagined. He took numb steps and followed her.

The "Rebirth" of the Sky: Chapter Twenty-Three - Chen Tianwu and Chen Tianwen

Everyone's deepest fears are different, whether they are concrete images or abstract concepts.

Lin has no real fears, but there is one "person" who has left an extremely deep impression on him and whom he still cannot forget.

Born from his body, yet standing unhesitatingly on the opposite side as a "human".

They never had a proper conversation. The "person" was born to destroy humanity, and that "person" steadfastly carried out its mission until it was completely annihilated by Lin in the Quantum Sea.

The white-haired man watched Lin silently. They fought in the space of consciousness, they were at odds in the sea of blood, but they had never met in the real world. In a sense, this was their first meeting.

"..."

"..."

After the white-haired man appeared, he raised his hand and examined it. The inhuman Prismatic Eyes in his eye sockets were particularly eerie and terrifying.

"Bang!"

"..."

Lin's fist, which he threw without warning, was caught effortlessly. The white-haired man's eyes and expression remained unchanged as he held Lin's fist firmly, neither retaliating nor letting go.

The Herrscher has completely separated from his body; perhaps Lin should be happy about that?

No.

He felt the hairs on his back stand on end, and waves of chills ran through his body.

If this terrifying being were to leave this place and go to the Intrinsic World, the disaster it could cause would far exceed any large-scale Honkai that the current civilization has ever experienced. Lin had no doubt about the white-haired man's abilities and his utterly inhuman cruelty.

We can't let him leave here!

Before he could throw a second punch, the space around him shifted again, and he could only watch helplessly as the calm-faced white-haired man disappeared before his eyes, his punch hitting nothing but air.

"Brother... where are you... brother..."

Chen Tianwu's life in the first half was just that of an ordinary person. Thoughts about life and death only occasionally and casually appeared in his mind when he was starving or had nothing to do after eating.

As a Shenzhou man who values family and relatives, Chen Tianwu cherishes his younger sister, Chen Tianwen, who is his only family.

"Awen, look what this is!"

The boy sneaked around to the back of the gray-haired girl who was searching for him everywhere, and then took out the pink doll he had hidden behind him.

The gray-haired girl froze for a moment, then hugged the pink plush toy with delight, jumping up and down happily. "Houmei!"

"Hehe." Seeing his sister's joyful and innocent smile, Chen Tianwu smiled, even his slightly gloomy face. "Your birthday is coming up soon, this is a gift for you."

As outsiders in Manila, Chen Tianwu and Chen Tianwen's lives were not very good. Chen Tianwu worked to support the two siblings. Although he was efficient at his job, the money he earned was still only enough for them to pay their monthly rent and have food every day.

He searched every toy store before finding this Houmei doll, and it wasn't cheap. For Chen Tianwu, buying such a doll was a wasteful luxury, and he shouldn't have done it given his frugal nature.

But one should be rational and strict with oneself; family members are not objects to be measured by rationality.

Chen Tianwu gently placed his hand on his sister's head, his dark blue eyes gazing tenderly at her. She didn't understand why her brother had taken a large sum of money from his hard-earned savings just to make her happy, all for the sake of the Houmei doll. Chen Tianwu didn't plan to tell her now or in the future, hoping she could live a happy and carefree life.

"Brother, that big-nosed uncle came again today." The little sister sat in Chen Tianwu's lap, swinging her legs. She lovingly stroked Houmei's soft skin, tugged at its ears, and smiled broadly.

But what she said made Chen Tianwu lose his smile.

"Here we go again? Didn't we just pay the rent?" Chen Tianwu frowned. He didn't dislike the landlord; to be honest, he was already very grateful to the Chen Tianwu for providing a place for him and his sister to live. "Could it be about the rent increase?"

"I don't know, he just came to ask if you were there and then left."

"He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"No, after Uncle Big Nose told me you weren't here, he just patted my head and said he'd come find you tonight."

Chen Tianwen wasn't completely clueless; she knew how hard Chen Tianwu worked and how much effort he had put in to make their lives normal. But there was nothing she could do to help him at that moment, so all Chen Tianwen could do was put on her brightest smile, hoping that at least her brother would feel a little better after seeing her.

Even knowing that the Houmei dolls were expensive, Chen Tianwen would still happily accept them, because it was his brother's kindness, something that money couldn't buy.

"Okay, I understand."

It was probably just about the rent. The landlord was a nice person and never made things difficult for the siblings. But kindness can't fill an empty stomach. Chen Tianwu knew better than anyone that even the kindest person has to think of themselves first, so he never complained to the landlord and always paid the rent on time every month.

Thinking of this, Chen Tianwu decided to go find the landlord himself, so after giving a few instructions, he went out.

The sky over Manila is always gloomy. Chen Tianwu sometimes recalls the time when he was still living in Shenzhou. He would lie on the rooftop, and the azure sky seemed to press down on him, as if he could reach out and pluck the cotton candy-like clouds.

Chen Tianwu wanted to go back, to bring his sister back to their hometown.

A bird with broken wings can only stagger on the ground, but unlike him, Awen's wings are not yet fully grown. Sooner or later, she will surely be able to fly to the homeland where they once laughed together, riding the warm monsoon.

No matter what Chen Tianwu needs to do, he will make sure Chen Tianwen lives a happy life.

Strangely, Chen Tianwu couldn't find the landlord. He knocked on the door for a long time but no one answered, probably because the landlord had gone out. Helpless, Chen Tianwu could only wait for the landlord to come to him. On his way back, he saw someone selling candied hawthorns. He was surprised that someone was selling Shenzhou snacks in this foreign land. After thinking about it, he bought a skewer to take back to Awen.

Just thinking about Chen Tianwen's surprise and joy when he saw the candied hawthorns made Chen Tianwu smile slightly.

"Give it to me! Give it to me!"

"No! This was given to me by my brother!"

"..."

Awen?

Hearing Chen Tianwen's voice, Chen Tianwu, wondering why she had gone out, went to the corner and peeked out. What he saw made his eyes widen in horror.

The gray-haired girl was pushed into a mud pit, and several children, a head taller than her, surrounded her and mocked her, swaggering around the dolls they had snatched from her.

"Haha! What ugly doll? It looks almost exactly like you, you ugly outsider, hahaha..."

A shrill laugh echoed through the deserted alley.

The rude child threw the Houmei doll into the mud puddle, then picked it up and smeared the mud on the gray-haired girl's terrified face. Seeing her face covered in mud, the child's mockery became even sharper.

"Don't you dare tell your brother! Do you understand? Otherwise, I'll have my dad kick you both out!"

The boy in the lead was the landlord's son. Chen Tianwu would occasionally see him, and he would respectfully call Chen Tianwu" brother." However, Chen Tianwen seemed a little afraid of him, which puzzled Chen Tianwu.

Now, Chen Tianwu knows why.

A chilling, bone-deep coldness filled the boy's dark blue pupils.