"Hey! What are you spacing out for? Pass the ball, Zhang San!"
A tall boy—easily over 1.9 ters—ca sprinting toward the hoop, waving his arms and shouting.
"Zhang San?"
Edward's mind went blank for a mont.
I'm…Zhang San? A second-year engineering student at XX University. It's four in the afternoon, and I'm playing basketball with my classmates…
Fragnts of mory—unfamiliar yet vividly detailed—flooded into his mind, clashing with his own. The new mories pushed and twisted against his real ones, trying to overwrite them, until he could no longer tell which was truth and which was illusion.
Then—
A sharp, stabbing pain pierced his temple.
His spirituality reacted instinctively, lashing out to protect his consciousness.
Edward gasped and snapped back to himself, his expression darkening.
"What the hell is this nonsense?" he muttered under his breath. "If you're going to fabricate an identity for , at least give a proper na! Zhang San? That's the definition of a random ass, generic na!"
"Pass the ball!"
The tall boy shouted again. Two defenders rushed in—one moving to intercept the pass, the other stretching out to steal.
Edward sighed softly.
"It's been ages since I last touched a basketball. I know this is all fake, but for so reason…"
A faint grin crept across his face.
"The thought of using Beyonder abilities to show off on the court…feels really tempting."
He clutched the ball, bent his knees, and leapt—throwing the basketball with a sharp, fluid motion.
"Go in!"
For that brief mont, he felt like Kobe Bryant incarnate—the stadium lights bright, all eyes on him, and destiny balanced on his fingertips.
Whoosh!
The ball sailed through the air—and missed the backboard completely, sailing clean over the fence and out of the court.
"…"
Edward stared wordlessly at the trajectory.
"Welp. I'm out."
"Damn it, Zhang San! What was that?" the tall boy groaned, hands on his hips. "That was a perfect opportunity! You didn't even pass! You know the rules—loser buys everyone drinks later!"
He squinted. "Also, dude—why did you suddenly throw that hard? What are you, on sothing?"
"Accident. Total accident."
Edward reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled bill, handing it over.
"Here. Drinks on ."
"Huh?"
"Anyway, I've got sothing to take care of."
He turned to leave, then paused and looked back.
"Oh, by the way—have you ever heard of a girl nad Lilith?"
The tall boy frowned.
"Lilith? Sounds foreign. You should ask the exchange students—I don't really know them."
Before Edward could reply, one of the other players—the one who'd tried to steal the ball—laughed.
"Lilith? Of course I've heard of Lilith! You an the ga company in Shanghai, right? I play AFK Arena and Soul Hunters—both theirs!"
"…"
Edward blinked, caught off guard.
"So this…entire place—is built from my own mories?"
But it was a warped, scrambled version of them.
The school wasn't his real university.
His na wasn't his real na.
Everything was slightly…off.
He left the basketball court quickly, picking up a stray stick along the path and performing another dowsing ritual.
"Lilith…are you here?"
This ti, the stick quivered and pointed straight ahead—hovering in place as though locked onto sothing.
Edward followed imdiately, striding down the quiet path.
Soon, he had left the campus-like area behind and arrived at the edge of a tranquil lake, lined with swaying willow trees.
As he drew closer to the water, a reflection caught his eye—his reflection.
He froze.
The face staring back at him was his own from before crossing worlds—the face of his younger self.
The season felt like the transition between spring and sumr—warm sunlight, soft breeze, the air carrying a faint fragrance of grass and water. Couples strolled hand-in-hand along the lakeside, their laughter mingling with the rustling of willow leaves.
"Feels…just like my college days," Edward murmured.
A wry smile touched his lips.
"Though I wasn't as lucky as these kids. Four years single, every night either grinding Genshin, parachuting into Pochinki, or smashing controllers in Smash Bros.…"
He sighed nostalgically.
"Yeah. Wasted youth—but damn, it was fun."
His thoughts drifted—until sothing caught his attention.
Up ahead, near the edge of the lake, lay a patch of black in the grass.
Edward's heart skipped a beat.
He broke into a run.
As he approached, the shape ca into focus—a small black cat, fur sleek and glossy, belly up to the sun, tiny paws twitching as it basked lazily. Its golden eyes were half-closed to thin slits, the very picture of indolent bliss.
Edward froze mid-step.
"Lilith!"
He shouted the na aloud, the sound echoing across the still waters.
The black cat's ears twitched. It cracked open one eye, giving him a languid, half-hearted glance—
Then promptly closed it again, curling its tail and continuing its nap.
"Lilith."
Edward took another cautious step forward, voice lowering—half exasperated, half relieved.
Edward crouched down in front of the little black cat, his voice soft but trembling slightly with emotion as he reached out.
"Lilith…it's . Edward."
But the instant his fingertips were about to touch her fur, the cat's body tensed with a sudden jolt.
She leapt backwards, landing gracefully on all fours, her sleek back arching into a defensive curve as she hissed lazily but warily:
"Mrrrow! (*~︿~)!"
Edward froze mid-motion.
"Lilith, what's wrong? Don't you rember ?"
Then, realisation struck him like lightning.
Back when he first entered this strange "world," it had tried to rewrite his identity—implanting false mories of being Zhang San.
Could it be that the sa had happened to Lilith? That her mories had been altered—and she'd reverted to her cat form?
If so, that would explain why she was trapped here…unable to leave.
Without hesitation, Edward flipped a coin into the air.
It spun once, landed on its head—affirmative.
"So you really are Lilith…"
He exhaled softly and tried to calm his tone.
"Don't be afraid, Lilith."
He extended his hand again, inch by inch, toward her small head.
Sensing no hostility, the cat didn't bolt this ti. Instead, she sniffed suspiciously at his fingers, her tiny pink nose twitching as she hesitated, drawing closer.
"Good girl…co on, Lilith. Let's go ho."
Chomp!
Without warning, the cat bit down on his finger—hard.
As Edward lifted his hand in reflex, the small black creature dangled from it like a furry pancake, paws dangling helplessly.
"…"
A bitter smile crossed Edward's face.
"Well, this feels familiar."
He couldn't help but rember their very first eting—when he'd been an ordinary human, and Lilith had sunk her teeth into his hand the exact sa way.
Grabbing her gently by the scruff of her neck, he lifted her up. The little cat imdiately began to protest, owing in outrage and flailing her paws in indignation.
"Alright, alright, I get it! You're angry. But calm down first. Once we leave this place, you'll understand everything."
"Mrrrrow! (｀へ´)! Mrrrow!!"
"Really, it's fine. Trust ."
"Mrrrow! (ノω
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