Morning arrived earlier at Kami's Lookout than it did at the foot of the mountain. The sky had not fully brightened yet, but the light outside the window had already taken on a faint silvery gray hue, seeping into the room along the edges of the frame and leaving an ever-lengthening streak of light across the wall. When Lin Chen woke up, he found the wooden box still beside his pillow, exactly where he had placed it before going to sleep. He reached out and touched its outer surface. The stone fragment's temperature passed through the wood, slightly lower than before he slept, as though it had naturally cooled during the windy night.
He lifted the lid and glanced at the stone fragment. Its surface was still smooth, without any cracks or discoloration. He closed the box, set it by the bed, got dressed, and stepped outside. The air on the platform was crisper than it had been yesterday afternoon. The wind was not strong, but it continuously blew in from the platform's edge, leaving a thin layer of fine dust across the ground and pushing it slowly along like a drifting mist. The distant mountain ridges were clearly visible, their edges sharp as though carved into the sky with a blade.
Son Gohan was already standing in the center of the platform. He wore a dark training uniform, his hands clasped behind his back as he faced east. He did not turn around, but when Lin Chen approached, he said, "The wind here blows in different directions in the morning and afternoon. Stand for a while and feel how it changes."
Lin Chen stopped beside him. The wind blew straight at him, not forcefully, but steadily. About five minutes later, it began to shift, moving from the front to