"Where am I...?"
Xie Xie felt as though he was floating in an endless sea of black water.
That sea had no temperature, no sound, no sense of direction. All around him was darkness so profound that it seemed dense enough to devour every last ray of light.
He could not feel his body. He did not know where his limbs were, nor whether he was sinking or rising. He simply floated there without any support, like a fallen leaf cast into the deep sea.
Every second here felt as long as ten thousand years, so long it was enough to drive a person mad.
Yet every year felt as brief as an instant, gone between his fingers before he could even sense the passage of time.
Countless fragmented memories drifted past him, like a reel of film pulled apart and slowly floating through the darkness.
He saw blurry scenes from childhood, from training, from the Spirit Ascension Platform, and many events he could not even remember when they had happened. Every fragment was like a miniature life flashing before his eyes.
"Xie Xie... my child, come here. Come to Mommy."
Then, a beautiful woman of pure gold appeared before him.
Her outline slowly condensed within the dark seawater. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, every strand gleaming with a warm golden light, as though it had been steeped in sunlight.
Her face was gentle and tranquil, a faint smile at the corners of her lips. Her entire being radiated a warm aura that made people want to draw close without even realizing it.
She opened her arms to Xie Xie, the gesture natural and gentle, as though she had done it countless times before.
"Mom... Mom!"
Xie Xie swam toward her almost instinctively, calling out again and again,