I’ve never believed in fate.

  Or rather, I could not.

  Surrounded by the musty scent of old parchment and faint aroma of aged wood, a frail-looking young man with sunken eyes and deep dark circles was staring at a towering shelf filled with ancient books.

  His gaze lay on a particular book in front of him, and he continued to stare at it without taking it out.

  Miser is what I’d call myself. If there’s anyone in the cosmos who’s allowed to use this word, it should be me.

  The young man’s eyelids drooped slightly.

  From having my mother, my sisters, my companions, and my lovers killed, to being poisoned, assaulted, and turned into a eunuch… I’ve come a long way.

  The young man placed his hand on the shelf and breathed heavily. Memories of the past, ones he wanted to forget, flashed in front of his eyes.

  My misfortune was worse than Jinxes. The Will at least pitied them and granted them a fair few benefits, but for me… there was only misfortune waiting to befall upon me.

  Whenever I tried to cling onto some hope, thinking that my life would turn for better, fate would kick me into a pit of no return, shattering me.

  Yet…

  I was being given hope again.

  Thinking so, the young man pulled out what seemed to be an ordinary book from the shelf in front of him.

  He held it in his hands and had a proper look at it.

  The skin was made out of worn-out ivory sheepskin cover. Etched on it was a rather interesting illustration—two mountain peaks with a river coming out of it, surrounded by one tree, a sun, few ‘v’ shaped things near the mountains which seemed to be birds, and a hut, as well as a few green strands near it, depicting grass.

  This looks like something drawn by a toddler. As much as I want to ignore this…

  [A Guide To Time Travel]

  (Illustrated Edition)

  The title is really too eye-catching. If it weren't for it, I would’ve never paid any attention to this book. However…

  The young man flipped the pages of the book.

  The pages inside had faint black outlines,nwhich seemed to be the tracing of the landscape on the cover. There were also color markings present as if it wasn’t obvious that a river should be colored blue.

  This is a drawing book. A children’s drawing book. How in the world did a children’s drawing book end up in this place?

  The young man walked away from the shelf. He headed toward the ledge of the library floor and looked below him. There was a thick mist of pink, but it was see through on his side, allowing him to have a look at the abyss-like bottom.

  The young man then looked up.

  A grand library spiraled its way toward the starry cosmos, giving an ethereal view of the colorful nebulae and galaxies painted on the dark canvas of space, its end unknown.

  The Heaven’s Library is the most sacred sanctum of knowledge in the Nine Realms. For such a place to have such a measly drawing book, above the degradation miasma too, is really sketchy.

  Degradation miasma was a common alternative terminology for the Blossoming Pestilence Miasma for the sake of convenience. As its name suggested, its role was to protect the upper portion of the library from trespassers and also act as a veil. Anyone who dared to barge would have their Rank and lifespan depleted, resulting in their death.

  Sigh… If my life was not coming to an end…

  The young man’s eyelids drooped slightly as he visibly sighed. He felt his thin legs tremble and sighed again.

  I can’t climb the library’s stairs or stand for prolonged periods. My body’s turned so weak. At best, I have a few weeks to live. My soul’s almost thinned out… so reincarnation is not possible either.

  I guess… I should check this out since there’s nothing better to do.

  The young man sat down cross-legged and placed the children’s drawing book on his lap. He looked at it again, its title capturing his attention.

  [A Guide To Time Travel]

  (Illustrated Edition)

  Fate sure knows how to play with me in my lowest times. My life’s coming to an end, no potions work anymore. Even Lanlan has tried her best to help, and is still trying, but there’s no results. The resources are just being wasted.

  By now, I’ve given up on trying to save myself completely. I mean, there’s nothing much I can do in the first place. I can barely move around and even come to this place. Last time I tripped here due to my legs giving up and I found this book. It seems too much of a coincidence, but I can feel it that it’s not.

  Or rather, I want it to not be a coincidence.

  The young man, who didn’t seem a day older than eighteen, had his lips quiver as he thought.

  I don’t want to die. Even though I seem like I’m fine with it, I really do not want to.

  My whole life has been a misery with there not being a single day of happiness. It’s like I’ve always lived in darkness and never seen or felt the warmth of the sun.

  Instead of running through a blooming sunflower field, I’ve been running in the dark, between the gloomy presence of the blood red chrysanthemum.

  I want to see what a happy day looks like. I want to see how my life would be if my loved ones were around. I want to sit down by a waterfall, dip my legs in the cold water, and have a cola.

  Even if it’s a dream…

  The young man’s eyes turned watery, a drop of tear threatening to leak out. His throat felt heavy and even gulping his own saliva pained him.

  He wiped his eyes and continued to stare at the book again.

  Even if it’s a dream, I’ll be really happy to see how my life without misery would look like.

  I really don’t want to die, and this book… it’s evoking a sense of hope within me again.

  I don’t want to hope. I don’t want to be shattered again. I’m not strong enough to handle it anymore. I’m tired. I’m weak. And at the last lap of my life, I don’t want to have another regret and be completely broken when I’m dying.

  Moments passed by and the young man stayed unmoving.

  The tears on his face dried up, forming trails, and his eyelids felt heavy, exhaustion starting to take over him.

  Taking a deep breath, the young man’s tired eyes showed some signs of rejuvenation.

  It’s okay. I’ve decided. I’ll pin no hopes on this book, I’ll try to, and start coloring it as it's instructing.

  It says a Guide To Time Travel, even illustrated edition, but neither a manual nor a picture is available. Well, it is surely helping in lowering my hopes, so there’s that.

  The young man put the book down from his lap and opened the first page that had to be colored.

  He looked at the metallic ring on his right index finger and thought, I bought the colors today, just in case. Who would’ve thought that I would come to a decision so soon. Well, it’s been three weeks since I've been here everyday and staring at it. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Anyway, I should finish it before I accidentally fall asleep or become unconscious.

  Though, tampering with anything here is an offense and could result in severe consequences. However, with how useless this book appears, I should be fine.

  Tampering anything placed within the library was indeed a punishable offense. It could even result in true death. But the young man was somewhat exempted from this rule, so it wouldn’t pose a problem if he started coloring.

  The young man sent out a strand of his Spiritual Essence into the ring with a grunt, and had a metallic rectangular box appear out of it.

  It hurts to even use my own Spiritual Essence. Curses.

  Ignoring the pain, he opened the metallic box, and contained within this box was a little paintbrush and seven small bottles of oil colors made from flower extracts.

  Weeks of staring at the book was the reason he knew he only needed these seven colors, which were nothing but ROYGBIV, a common terminology used to describe the colors of a rainbow.

  Dipping the brush into the paint, the brown oil color rushed between the bristles and clung to it due to the adhesive force. High viscosity provided a cohesive layer, and as the young man took the brush out, surface tension did its magic by providing a film of paint around the bristles, not letting a single drop leak.

  Such a simple action, yet it contains such profound depth. No magic or law attainment is involved, and it’s a beautiful display of nature’s work.

  The young man stared at the brush with bright eyes, despite his dull face.

  I guess the looming death makes you let go of everything that’s keeping you occupied. It makes you feel lighter, and lets you appreciate every little detail of life like this one. Nature, the heavenly laws… they’re all truly amazing. If I ever get a chance, I would definitely look through the Human, Earth, and Heavenly Paths.

  The young man remained lost in thought as he stared at the brush. Eventually, the surface tension was disrupted by the gravitational pull acting on the brown oil paint. With a drip, it broke through and fell to the ground, breaking his trance.

  Welp… there goes nothing…

  He dipped the brush again into the paint and didn’t stare at it this time. His focus now lay in coloring the two mountains on the first page of the book where it was written ‘brown’.

  It took him a few minutes to color them both, and once done, the brush was cleared off the paint with the help of his Spiritual Essence. He then dipped it in blue oil paint and colored the river emerging from the mountain peaks that had the word ‘blue’ written on it.

  It really is a children’s book, given how useless those color texts are. As if I can’t see the front page and copy the colors or simply use my imagination.

  There was some frustration in regards to coloring, but he continued on without stopping. If something wrong was to happen, it should’ve happened by now. Since there’s nothing, he was free to tamper with it further.

  Moments passed by.

  However, half the book was finished being colored and it was quite the progress.

  The young man felt really tired at this point and wanted to take a nap, but rejected the thought as sleeping in the library wasn’t allowed. He would be teleported outside and the book would close itself and return to the shelf. He did not wish for such a thing to happen.

  Dip. Color. Clean. Dip.

  Dip. Color. Clean. Dip.

  Dip. Color. Clean. Dip.

  The young man repeated the monotonous process with his movements appearing like a lifeless golem.

  While he was busy with his task, a soft chime of anklets slowly neared him. It went unnoticed.

  With each passing second, the chime got louder yet retained its gentle tone, seeming to emanate from beneath the miasma. Someone was ascending the spiral stairs.

  Upon reaching the highest point beneath the miasma, the tinkling sound should have ceased as crossing the miasma wasn’t something one should do, but it only intensified, growing louder until…

  Right through the Blossoming Pestilence Miasma—the mist that held the power to even degrade the cultivation of Gods, turning them into mere mortals—a slender leg emerged, its beauty so captivating that all who beheld it would be mesmerized, regardless of gender.

  The lady was barefoot and as she stepped on the stair above the miasma, multiple golden anklets clung together and let out a soft chime.

  As her leg emerged, nearly fully revealed, a golden strip of intricately woven silk encircled the middle of her ample thigh.

  Then, like a gentle breeze, her regal black and red robes crossed the miasma.

  And at last…

  An enchanting celestial figure crossed the pink miasma with not a single scratch on her body or change in her complexion.

  The young lady, who appeared to be in her early twenties—slightly older than the young man—wore a black and red regal daoist robes with subtle gothic tones. The layered robes had swirling cuts waist down. It was full sleeves with cuts at the shoulder and collarbone region. Her robes perfectly fit her upper body and were not flowy like the other half.

  The lady’s sky blue eyes—a stark contrast to her dark robes—gazed around, in search of someone.

  It stopped at the frail youngster sitting in a corner, and a bright twinkle radiated within her eyes.

  Her knitted brows eased, and the corner of her lips curved up into a mischievous smile.

  The young lady hopped on the stairs, and tried to land as softly and quietly as possible.

  Shiing—!

  Her anklets chimed, making her wrinkle her nose in annoyance. She lightly tapped on them and the noise disappeared.

  The young lady nodded in satisfaction and once again hopped like a rabbit and sneaked closer to the young man.

  Her waist-length lush raven hair flowed along with her, but did not become a mess due to a peculiar silver serpent-shaped hairpin attached to her half bun.

  The lady’s stature was tall. She seemed almost twice the size of the frail youngster. Unlike his grim, frustrated, and serious self, she was radiating like a bright lotus.

  Without him noticing, the young lady hopped her way behind him. She looked at him and grinned, her eyes narrowing in response.

  Then, she did another hop and squatted right beside the young man. Quickly spreading out her palms, she softly yelled, “Boo~!”

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  The young man, who was busy coloring, took notice of the young lady beside him. He was not surprised by her actions since his powerful survival instincts—sharpened through years of suffering—were still intact.

  However, noticing the young lady’s cheerful face, he dropped the brush, spread out his hands, and timidly said, “ah… I got scared…”

  “Pfft…” The young lady covered her mouth and suppressed her giggle. “You really got scared this time, didn’t you, Leo?”

  The young man, or rather, Leo, smiled lightly and said, “You got me there, young lady. So… may I ask what brings you here?”

  The young lady gave Leo a knowing smile and placing her palm vertically on one side of her mouth, as if wanting nobody to read her lips, whispered, “This is a safe place. Daddy’s not watching, you can call me Lanlan.”

  Leo blinked in amusement and then shook his head with a smile. “Young lady, you should refrain from wording things like that.”

  Lanlan rolled her eyes. “It’s just you who thinks it’s weird. In any case, he’s really not watching. So call me Lanlan like you always do.”

  Leo nodded lightly. His young lady’s name was Lan Mei, but he affectionately called her Lanlan. They were of the same age, and when in private like now, Lanlan treated him like a friend rather than her aide.

  “Right, so what brings you here, Lanlan? Did you suddenly develop a knack for reading? Well, hopefully you did. It’s a good habit and all of this inheritance anyway belongs to you. You should fully utilize it.”

  The informal words rolled off Leo’s tongue naturally and easily. He was used to the switch between her servant and her friend.

  Lanlan wrinkled her nose and hugged her knees. “Even with such a sickly complexion, you are in the mood to joke. You do know that I dislike reading, right? And also, aren’t you my aide? As far as I know, aides aren’t supposed to taunt their superiors.”

  Leo let out a wry smile and with half droopy eyes, answered, “It’s you who asked me to call you Lanlan, young lady, meaning giving an approval to the informal speech. In any case, I’m trying my best to not fall asleep. I have got something important to do right now and really need to finish it.”

  Lanlan ignored the prior words of Leo and focused on the latter ones. “What’s something more important than serving me?” She raised an eyebrow and asked, not in a haughty tone, but one filled with curiosity and subtle worry.

  “Ah, well…” Leo suddenly turned a little alert as he reflected upon his words. He accidentally gave out information to Lanlan that he had been hiding from her.

  Lanlan’s curious gaze seemed to pierce Leo’s very soul. She probably wouldn’t budge from her place until she got an answer.

  Leo shook his head. It was futile to conceal anything. The book lay open before Lanlan, and there were colors nearby too. He suspected she already knew what he had been up to but remained silent all this while, waiting for him to confess.

  Leo sighed and said, “There’s nothing more important than serving you, young lady, and I am only—“

  Lanlan waved her hand dismissively. “I am not trying to punish you or anything. You don’t have to think all the time about me and speak in a manner that wouldn’t hurt my feelings. You maybe my aide, but you have your life to live too. Plus…”

  ‘…you’re about to die so please-‘

  The words she was about to say further got stuck in her throat. She fell silent, then shook her head, and continued, “All I am saying is don’t worry, I won’t hold you responsible for anything. And with how busy daddy is, I’m sure he doesn’t even notice that you leave my side during your break time.”

  “The question I asked previously was out of curiosity. You don’t have to answer, if you do not wish to. There wouldn’t be any problems, so be at ease.”

  Leo let out his nth sigh as he heard that. Lanlan, it’s not that I don’t wish to tell you. It’s just that…

  Well, chuck it. It doesn’t matter anymore. Leo thought. I’ll just tell her. Whatever happens, happens.

  The paint had dried off during their conversation, so without any qualms, Leo closed the book and showed the cover to Lanlan.

  “Please have a look at the cover. Then flip the pages and see what’s inside it. You’ll understand,” Leo said and handed the book.

  Lanlan took it and looked at the book in every possible angle. She then opened it and began flipping the pages. A slight surprise appeared on her face.

  “You’re trying to cultivate a Time Path martial art? Seriously? At this stage?” Lanlan closed the book and asked with furrowed brows.

  “What?”

  “What do you mean what?” Lanlan blinked and asked back. She opened the book right in front of Leo, then showed the pages he had colored. “Look at this, there are steps and chants available to perform. Does it not say that by the end of these moves, you can draw energy from the River of Time?”

  Lanlan then shook her head disapprovingly and handed the book back to Leo.

  “I do not understand why you’re trying to put such stress on your already weak body. However, if that’s something you seriously wish to do, I won’t stop you.”

  “What!?” This second what contained all the befuddlement Leo was experiencing, and his droopy eyes widened in astonishment.

  A hint of worry flashed in Lanlan’s eyes. She placed her hand on his shoulder and said, “Calm down. Such hyperactive movements are not good for your health.”

  Her words did not ring in Leo’s ears.

  How is this possible? I’ve literally colored the book. How can there be martial stances and not the scenery of a mountain, river, and house?

  The overexertion accelerated the exhaustion. Leo’s body slipped out of his control, falling into a deep slumber.

  Lanlan shook her head and sighed, the corner of her lips curling downward. Her once-blossoming face now appeared like a wilted flower.

  Before the library threw Leo out, she patted the golden strip of silk on her leg, causing it to flow towards him and coil around his waist, forming a makeshift belt.

  The library’s expulsion force vanished and Leo lay curled in place, sound asleep.

  Lanlan remained in her knee-hugging position, her gaze fixed on Leo. Whatever thoughts occupied her mind, they remained a mystery, known only to her.

  …..

  Unbeknownst to her and Leo, a pair of bright crimson eyes were staring at them from a million li away.

  A lofty figure in regal robes leaned against a throne made of swords. His surroundings were dimly lit. Beside his leg, two swords lay inclined upon the throne, each bearing its own tale of power and prowess.

  One gleamed with the brilliance of polished steel, adorned with intricate engravings that spoke of honor and duty. The other, darker and more foreboding, bore traces of ancient runes and fiery crimson flames along its slender blade, a stark contrast to the purity of its counterpart.

  Supporting his face with his fist on the armrest, the figure, possessing a stoic expression, muttered gently, “The reaction was strange.”

  …..

  After who knows how long, Leo woke up, and found himself still surrounded by books. I’m still in the library?

  The thought flashed in his mind, and disappeared just as quickly when he saw his young lady present beside him. She was still hugging her knees while squatting, but also busy applying paint to her toenails.

  Leo raised his eyes in bewilderment and said weakly, “Young lady, don’t—“

  “Oh, you woke up?” Lanlan cut him off and asked. “See this color, doesn’t it look cute on my nails?”

  Lanlan finished applying an indigo color to her nails and proudly showed them off.

  Leo wanted to say that these colors were not meant to be used this way as they had a dirty oily texture, but didn’t do it. His advice would not be paid any attention. If his young lady made up her mind, she wouldn’t listen to even her father!

  “It does look cute,” Leo put out his honest thoughts.

  Lanlan smiled brightly. “Hehe, I knew it. Do you want me to apply it on your nails too?”

  Leo shook his head. “You shouldn’t trouble yourself like that. And anyway, if you’re done using the colors, can you give them back to me?”

  “Are you going to color again?” Lanlan tilted her head and asked. She handed him the color box before getting an answer from him.

  Leo took it and nodded his head.

  Lanlan didn’t talk further. She propped her face on her palms and stared at Leo, who began coloring again, this time with a renewed vigour.

  This book is definitely mysterious. There’s no doubt about it anymore. If it’s a Time Path manual, it’s understandable as to why it’s above the mist and in this particular section.

  Leo’s hands worked swiftly, coloring one page after another with the instructions given.

  With each page colored, the feeling of something major happening was getting stronger.

  His old heart was beating quicker and louder, so much so that Lanlan could hear it from a distance.

  Is he okay? She wondered, but didn’t voice it out to not disrupt his focus.

  As Leo flipped the pages, Lanlan could see him color the various martial stances on the manual.

  The premonition of something major happening made Leo’s scalp tingle. His forehead was covered in sweat and the feeling of exhaustion was starting to take over once again.

  Leo persisted and finally reached the end. Only one spot remained to be colored. With this, his life would either end here or a new chapter would start.

  He took a deep breath and brushed the last spot on the river coming out from the mountains with a blue color.

  Suddenly, not only Leo, but even Lanlan could feel something was odd.

  Not just the two, the lofty figure who was watching them could also feel something was odd. A stir occurred in his consciousness, and his expression darkened.

  Perched on his sword throne, the figure turned his head up to look at the starry cosmos.

  …..

  A strange change occurred throughout the Nine Realms.

  Every single being instinctively felt the change and turned their heads to look up. It didn’t matter which world, dimension, or realm they were in, they all did a similar motion of turning their heads up.

  The twinkling stars did not twinkle anymore.

  The rocketing asteroids suddenly halted with their trail getting frozen along.

  The expansion of the infinite space stopped and the entire cosmos turned into a still picture.

  Light did not move, neither did space nor… time.

  Every being, from the smallest atom to the grandest celestial entity, came to an abrupt standstill. Yet, amidst this universal paralysis, consciousness remained sharp, tinged with a growing sense of panic.

  This panic only worsened after a few moments when something suddenly changed right in front of them.

  The fabric of space contorted, bent, and wrapped even, materializing something transparent and luminous.

  A shiver ran through the fiber of everyone’s soul as they saw this ‘thing’.

  Nobody had to be informed on what ‘this’ was as they instinctively knew.

  The River of Time!

  Manifesting in all its incomprehensible glory; it was the very River of Time!

  …..

  While all of the Nine Realms were in panic, back in the Heaven’s Library, Leo was suffering through a major shock.

  The drawing book had flown out of his lap and right in front of him underwent a tremendous change.

  Its pages flipped swiftly and their color changed to pitch black.

  The book fell back in Leo’s lap and as he looked at the cover again, a chill rang along his spine and made his heart palpitate.

  The bright landscape was totally replaced with ominous things.

  Instead of the sun, there now lay a crimson moon. The mountain peaks showed signs of erosion. Dark thunder clouds took over the white ones. The birds were gone. The house was broken, the tree was cut down, and finally, the grass was wilted and decomposing.

  The only thing that did not change was the blue river. However, there was something on it that made Leo’s scalp tingle and his hair to stand on their ends.

  T-t-this… w-w-what is this…

  Leo’s body trembled as he looked at the landscape, chills never ceasing to stop.

  By the broken house, on the blue river, there was now a brown boat.

  On the boat, clad in all black, there stood a cloaked figure. It held a golden lantern in its hand and was facing in the direction of the crimson moon.

  Leo had never been so horrified by something before. This abrupt change truly took him aback.

  Rubbing his eyes, he thought maybe he was hallucinating. To cross-check, he turned to look at Lanlan, but found there to be nothing but darkness all around him.

  Huh? What!?

  He was in the Heaven’s Library just an instance ago, so why was there darkness all around him now?

  Leo was really confused and terrified. His body began trembling once again, and for some reason, despite being really weak, he didn’t feel exhausted like before and his attention fully peaked.

  He had never been so alive since a hundred years ago!

  Did I die? Is this the afterlife? Leo suddenly had a thought.

  If he did die, then that would explain why he was looking at the cloaked figure holding a lantern.

  If he wasn’t wrong, this was called the Ferryman. It was all a made up and hoax figure, but legend has it that when one dies, a Ferryman would ferry their souls across the River of Time and drop them in a new age.

  It was a made up story as the reincarnation cycle was well known by everybody.

  When one dies, their soul goes to the Underworld, finishing their cycle of life. Then after some progress, they go to Heaven, and are then reborn again. This continues until the soul fully extinguishes.

  My soul is on the verge of extinction, I can’t make it to the next life. Then why…

  Leo was really confused and did not understand a single thing happening to him.

  He sighed and gave up thinking. There was no point brooding over something not in one’s control.

  Leo looked around, walked around, but found himself by the book at all times. He tried to run away from it, but it appeared as if he was running in one place, not moving a single step further from the book.

  Leo gave up and sat down. He took the book and placed it on his lap, gazing at it.

  [A Guide To Time Travel]

  (Illustrated Edition)

  This title had not changed and was still placed in the space between the tree and the river.

  Leo shook his head and tried to open the book to see inside, but was unable to do so.

  What? I can’t open it?

  Leo used force, but it was all for naught.

  He stared at it for a while, then thought of using his Spiritual Essence instead. He could feel the essence in his body, so he thought he might as well test it.

  Leo sent a strand of Spiritual Essence into the book, and right then…

  The book radiated brightly and hovered in midair in front of Leo’s eyes. The pages began flipping, not extremely fast or slow, but swift enough to let him have a proper look at each page.

  The same landscape of the cover was on each page. However…

  With each flipped page, the Ferryman could be seen turning around.

  Leo felt a chill again. He tried to stop the pages from flipping, but was unable to do so.

  The Ferryman turned and turned and turned, until…

  Crack—!

  “Daddy, nooooo!”

  Light seeped through from a crack occurring slightly away from Leo.

  He heard Lanlan’s shout, but couldn’t do anything about it. His consciousness was glued to the book.

  “Daddy, you will not hurt Leo! Not on my watch!”

  His young lady‘s voice resounded in his ears again, making his heart warm.

  But the warmth was replaced by an aura of death as the Ferryman finally turned completely and faced him.

  There was no face beneath the hood, it was completely dark. A skeletal hand held the lantern and the other slowly moved in Leo’s direction.

  Leo gulped nervously and tried to look away, but couldn’t.

  The sound of swords clashing rang in his ears. It seemed that his young lady was fighting with her father. There was no way she would win, and her father might be trying to avoid hurting her and find a way to seep into the crack to hunt Leo.

  I’m sorry Lanlan for placing you in such a situation.

  Right as Leo had this thought, the Ferryman fully pointed his skeleton index finger at him. More correctly, his forehead.

  A beam of light shot out from it and Leo felt his vision turn blurry. The world around him spun and in the next instant, he was on a…

  Boat!?

  Leo’s heart almost leaped out of his chest as he felt a great shock. He didn’t need to look around to know where he was!

  A towering cloaked figure holding a bright golden lantern stood in front of him. It was so tall that even Heaven’s Library would pale in comparison.

  Wait a second….

  It’s not he who’s tall, but me who has gotten shorter!

  That was indeed the case.

  Leo’s figure was as small as a kitten in size as he stood in the wooden dinghy.

  The Ferryman had a look at Leo with his faceless figure, then turned around with the lantern.

  The dinghy didn’t move, but the water from the eroded mountains came rushing down like a tsunami.

  Leo braced for impact, but what he had expected didn’t happen.

  The dinghy did not seem to be moving even with the water rushing at them, but could still be seen going against the currents. It was really stable.

  Soon, Leo suddenly felt a sharp pain in his soul, which was then followed by flashbacks of the past.

  Leo’s life began playing in reverse in front of his eyes. The scene of the day when he met Lanlan appeared. The day prior to that was seen vividly, and then another day behind, and so on and so forth.

  Until…

  “Leo… my ba…by…”

  “Run, Leo! Run far away and don’t look back!”

  “Mumma has something to tell you, listen carefully, okay?”

  “Big sis Lisa…”

  “Little brother… live… save mum…ma…”

  “Little brother, watch out!”

  “Little brother, where are you?”

  “I… I was… sniff… by second and third mother’s sons…”

  “Leya! Leya speak! Who did it!?”

  “Leya, mumma will always be there for you, so don’t be afraid. Tell me mumma what happened, please?”

  “Big sis, what happened to you!?”

  “Hahaha! Look at this pitiful green-haired bastard!”

  “His hair looks like my puke after I vomited the salad yesterday. Hahaha!”

  “Whore’s son, kneel and growl, maybe then I’ll think of sparing you.”

  “Your mother’s a slut. She couldn’t give birth to a single proper Ignis.”

  “You want this? Aw, you want this potion? Spit! Lick that saliva off the ground and then I’ll think about it, hahaha!”

  “He is not an Ignis. Will never be. He should be killed, but somehow this leech is a part of the main family. How pathetic. The higher ups have probably gone senile.”

  Painful memories that were buried deep in his heart appeared out, but in a reverse order.

  Unknowingly, tears streamed down Leo’s face as he watched them and his eyes turned hazy, his mind going totally blank.

  The memories continued to appear one after another and Leo absentmindedly watched them.

  “Hehehe! Can I have your mom’s number? Maybe your sister’s? I heard the older one’s turned into a sexy lesbian? She can get fixed after tasting my…”

  “What was your name again? Leo? Hahaha! What a shitty name!”

  “Leo, are you listening?”

  “Leo?”

  “Leo!”

  “Leo, my dear! What happened to you?”

  “Leo!! Why are you crying!?”

  “My dear, snap out of it! Wake up! Wake up!”

  “Wake… up… wake… u…p…”

  Everything turned blank. All of the noises stopped. It was pitch black.

  A few seconds passed by.

  Right then…

  Slap—!

  “Huwaaaa!” Leo gasped and abruptly opened his eyes as a sharp pain coursed through his entire body.

  A bright light flashed in his vision, and a second later…

  A gentle-looking, beautiful lady with lush green hair appeared in his vision.

  “Leo? My dear, are you alright?”

  Something warm dropped down Leo’s eyes as he noticed her. His throat pained as a lump formed, and his quivering lips were moistened by a salty drop of water as reality descended down on him.

  “Mum…ma…?”