Behind the Hyperion, the white fog still lingered, never dispersing.
Everywhere was dense fog where one couldn't see their hand in front of their face. You could only hear whispers seeming to come from the edge of the sky within this layer of mist, along with some scattered and slow footsteps.
A lone white soul wandered through the white fog, walking aimlessly, searching, thinking...
Who was he? Where was this?
What was he supposed to do?
He remembered none of these. The white water vapor condensed into droplets all over his body, washing away the miscellaneous dust, then clinging to him again.
The fog gently churned around him, embracing him softly, then dispersed beside him due to its instability.
"Remember... you... me... remember..."
Each embrace carried a satisfied yet deeply longing voice. It came from a very, very distant place, like the cry of a child, or the dream-talk of an old man.
This figure impatiently waved his hand. He subconsciously wanted to open his mouth to say something, but his throat, as if malfunctioning, couldn't produce sound, forcing him to give up.
He looked up, ahead, but there was nothing, only a vast expanse of white, fog obscuring everything...
What was he supposed to do...
Forgotten... Seemed like he was supposed to leave here?
But... why leave... Did something happen here? Was there something dangerous here? Was there something that made it hard for him to accept this place?
How to leave... Why leave...
...What is [leaving]?
He didn't know...
He forgot...
But he still remembered how to walk, remembered how to breathe, remembered to blink to relieve fatigue, and remembered to keep his ability active at all times... which was...
...
...Never mind, what it's called isn't important, as long as he kept it active...
These were the only things he could still remember. He regarded them as golden rules, treasured them like jewels.
He continued walking forward aimlessly, completely unaware that his route had long started circling, tracing a crooked path through the fog.
Where was he?
Didn't know... Forgot that too...
How did he get here... Why did he come here... Would he leave after coming here? Should he leave?
Forgotten... Forgotten along with other insignificant things...
So, gradually, he even wanted to forget how to walk... Because he didn't know where he should go, or where he came from...
What would he encounter if he kept walking?
Who cares?
All trivial, unimportant matters...
Just like a person's name, nothing worth paying attention to...
...
Then... there's one more question...
Who am I?
---||---
This faded figure bumped into something in the fog. The sudden resistance sparked a long-absent trace of doubt in his stagnant brain.
He still had emotions... For the first time, he felt his "possessions" were so abundant!
But... what was this?
The fog seemed a bit thinner... Maybe because the sun came out, its rays piercing the fog, making it less dense.
He could see the ground now when looking down. He could see his fingers when stretching out his hand.
Shu could even see the sides of the road, the places he had passed on his way here.
He felt his brain recovering somewhat. Inspired, his thoughts finally began to turn.
"I..." Shu tried to speak, but couldn't. He frowned, looking ahead.
"What... am I doing... here?" Finally, a hoarse voice emerged from the mouth of this long-wandering lost soul. The ever-active [Hope], taking advantage of the "enemy's" temporary respite, began attempting to reclaim its territory.
Fragment after fragment of memory started surfacing from deep, deep within, flashing rapidly before Shu's eyes, then quickly disappearing again.
["Congratulations to little Shu for winning the special prize in this 'Sunshine Toddler' piano competition!!"
"Mom, I won!"
"Well done, my precious son..."
"Then... the game... can you... help me... top up six yuan...?"
"What game top-up? What else can you do besides wasting money?! Is six yuan very little, very easy to earn?
"Let me tell you, someone like you wouldn't earn a single cent out there! Still topping up games? Can't you be considerate of Mom and Dad? Lazy good-for-nothing..."
"We'll sign you up for piano lessons again next year!!"]
["598 points?!!! How dare you only score 598?!! How dare you?!"
"I did my best..."
"Best! You mean playing on your phone, playing games?!! If you did your best, you couldn't possibly score so little!! You really... you're really going to anger me to death!!"
"My score already beat many people! The cutoff score here isn't high..."
"Why do you only compare yourself to those worse than you?! Why don't you compare yourself to those who scored over six hundred, over seven hundred?!
"Did I deprive you of food or clothes?! I signed you up for so many tutoring classes, and you, you, you... you really..."]
No... these...
Veins bulged on Shu's forehead, his breathing involuntarily growing heavy.
These are...
He leaned one hand on the object in front of him, panting heavily.
But the memory flashbacks continued.
["What's this? You still have the mood to draw?! You scored so poorly and you still have the mood to draw?! If I were you, I'd wish I could study all day long!!"
"..."
"I really want to tear it up, you know! Drawing, drawing, can drawing this stuff feed you?!
"Plenty of people draw better than you! Your kind will just starve to death!
"Give them all to me! Come ask me for them after your exams!"]
These...
Shu felt his head aching, the pain growing increasingly intense.
No... not these...
He panted, thinking heavily...
Not these... what he wanted to remember... was not these...
Gradually, the flashing images changed, shifting to a peculiar style.
["Mmm... Because... promised... ...to go see the sea together..."]
["...Sweet pepper curry... how can it be spicy?"]
["This is... the end..."]
["When a person wants to save the world..."]
["When you feel tired, just stop..."]
[...]
These...
Shu froze. He watched the small fragments flashing back, watched that small mobile phone screen.
They are on the screen, they aren't real...
He told himself...
But...
But I... I...
...
["You... aren't you afraid of what I'll do to you after I break free?"
"I think... you don't seem like a bad person. You should be a good person, right?"]
Shu's breathing stopped.
She... Who is she?