Richie sat in a garden below the Forgers' apartment as the sunlight gradually grew stronger.
A large tree stood directly over the bench where Richie sat. Its leaves rustled as a gentle breeze stirred them.
Little by little, Richie felt that he could draw in less and less air, while more and more escaped with each breath.
This was probably what people meant when they said the dying breathed out more than they breathed in.
He slowly closed his eyes, recalling every moment since he had arrived in this world.
His soul drifted out of his body without him realizing it.
When Richie opened his eyes again, he found himself floating in the air. The little boy lying on the bench had stopped breathing.
Richie knew his life had ended at that moment. His life as Richie was over, and it was time to return to the world where he belonged.
Richie summoned Little Cloud, who floated beside him, now a solid cloud.
"By the way, I've always wanted to ask. Why are you always a cloud?"
Richie folded his arms and watched the cloud flying back and forth before him.
They were now in the middle of the road. Passing vehicles and pedestrians went straight through their bodies, unable to touch them.
Little Cloud answered with a cheerful laugh:
"Zhang Si, I can actually turn into other things, but it doesn't really matter what I turn into.
"No one can see me anyway. Floating around as a cloud is pretty nice, and I'm used to it!"
"Oh." Richie wasn't particularly interested in the cloud.
"By the way, Zhang Si, this world is back to normal now, and my body has recovered too.
"I can feel that all the cracks in this world have been repaired. Thank you. Without you,