Xu Yang sat outside Lin Chen's doorway, his tail wrapped neatly around his paws. The morning was quiet, but he could feel something moving through the village. The memory threads were no longer simply fraying or snapping. They were loosening, as if someone had begun pulling apart knots that had been tied for hundreds of years. He watched a thin thread pass over the roof and disappear into the distance. Yesterday, people had forgotten what they had done. Today, they were beginning to forget who they were. Wonderful. The village had apparently decided that ordinary memory problems were too boring. Why stop at forgetting yesterday's breakfast when you could question your entire identity?...He lowered his head and licked one paw. I should probably be concerned. Unfortunately, I've reached the point where every new disaster feels like another item on an already endless list...
The door behind him creaked open. Lin Chen stepped outside, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He paused when he saw the black cat sitting in its usual place, and his tired expression softened. "You're here." He crouched and reached out to touch Xu Yang's head. "I was beginning to think you'd found somewhere better to stay." Xu Yang allowed the brief touch, then looked towards the street. Lin Chen followed his gaze and noticed an old villager approaching from across the lane. Old Ren raised a hand with a cheerful smile. "Morning, Li Chen!" Lin Chen froze. His hand stopped halfway through adjusting his sleeve. "Lin Chen," he corrected. "My name is Lin Chen." Old Ren blinked, then laughed awkwardly. "Ah, of course! Lin Chen. Don't know why I said that." He scratched his head and glanced towards the houses. "Must be getting old. Names are becoming difficult these days." He continued down the lane, still smiling to himself.
Lin Chen watched him go, but the smile slowly disappeared from his face. Li Chen? The name sounded familiar, but not in the way an old mistake should. It felt as though someone had once called him that for years. He rubbed his forehead and looked down at Xu Yang. "You heard that, didn't you?" he murmured, his brows drawing together. "Strange. I don't know anyone called Li Chen." Xu Yang's golden eyes followed the old man's retreating figure. Identity nodes. So the distortions have moved from memories of events to names. That's a rather unpleasant development. A person can correct a mistake in their name, but what happens when they begin to believe the wrong one? He rose and walked towards the market square, with Lin Chen following a few steps behind.
The market was already busy, yet the conversations sounded different. People paused in the middle of familiar sentences, sometimes looking at one another as if they had forgotten what they were discussing. A woman stood before a fish stall, examining the merchant's goods. "Have you always sold fish?" she asked, picking up a small basket. The merchant gave her a puzzled look. "Of course. My father sold fish before me." He reached for another basket and placed it on the counter. The woman frowned. "I thought your father was a farmer." The merchant's hand stopped. For a moment, he seemed unable to answer. Then his expression settled. "No. He was a fisherman. Always has been." The woman nodded slowly, though uncertainty remained in her eyes. "Perhaps I remember someone else."
Nearby, two children were arguing beside a wooden cart. "You moved here last winter!" one shouted, pointing accusingly at the other. The second child shook his head. "No, I didn't! I've always lived by the well!" He stamped his foot, then suddenly looked confused. "Wait. Why are we arguing?" The first child lowered his hand. "I don't know." They stared at each other before bursting into uncertain laughter. Xu Yang watched them from beside the stall. Even childhood memories were being rearranged. At this rate, someone might wake up tomorrow and discover that their best friend had been their enemy for ten years. He glanced towards the shrine. I wonder how much of this is happening because of whatever lies beneath it.
Qing Li stood at the edge of the square, his notebook already open. He had been observing the villagers for some time, and the growing number of corrections and contradictions had clearly caught his attention. He turned a page and marked something down. "It's begun," he murmured. Yan Luo approached from behind, stopping beside him. "What has?" Qing Li pointed towards the market. "Names, family histories, places of residence. The distortions are spreading into the things people use to define themselves." Yan Luo watched a woman hesitate before entering her own house. "Identity anchors," he said quietly.
Qing Li nodded and tapped his pen against the notebook. "Exactly. The threads aren't simply erasing memories. They're layering alternatives." Yan Luo glanced at him. "And people are accepting them?" "Not consciously." Qing Li closed the notebook halfway. "They're choosing whichever version feels right enough to continue living." Xu Yang's ears twitched. Choosing whichever version feels right. That was worse than simple forgetting. At least when someone forgot something, there was a chance they could remember it again. But if two different versions of the same life began to feel equally real, how would anyone know which one belonged to them? A neighbour approached Lin Chen carrying a basket of vegetables. She smiled when she saw him. "Thank you for helping repair my roof last month. I don't think I could have managed it alone." Lin Chen looked at her in surprise. "Your roof?" He lowered his eyes, trying to recall the incident.
A memory appeared almost immediately. He remembered climbing a ladder, replacing broken tiles and helping her secure the wooden beams. But another memory followed. In that one, she had asked for help, and he had politely refused because he was busy. Both memories felt real. His fingers tightened around the edge of his sleeve. "You're welcome," he replied slowly. The woman smiled and continued down the street. Lin Chen remained where he was, watching her disappear into the crowd. After a moment, he looked down at Xu Yang. "Did I help her?" he asked quietly. His brows drew together as he searched his memory. "Or did I only think about helping?" Xu Yang blinked once.
The threads around Lin Chen quivered, then settled into a version that allowed him to continue functioning. He looked towards the woman again, but the uncertainty did not disappear. Xu Yang watched him carefully. The threads weren't only changing what people remembered. They were changing the meaning attached to those memories. I don't like this. Forgotten actions might be recovered, and lost paths might be retraced. But if the meaning behind a person, a place or a relationship changes, what comes back might not be the same thing at all. Imagine remembering someone you love and suddenly feeling as though they were always a stranger. He flicked his tail. That would be a particularly cruel way to rewrite a life.
Qing Li flipped through several pages filled with observations. "Look at the pattern," he said, turning the notebook towards Yan Luo. "People remember multiple versions of events. These aren't simple contradictions. They're alternatives." Yan Luo leaned closer, examining the notes. "And they choose whichever version allows them to continue." Qing Li's expression grew serious. "They're not forgetting. They're adapting." Yan Luo slowly lifted his gaze towards Xu Yang. "And he is the only constant." Xu Yang yawned, completely unimpressed by the attention. Constant? That's a big word to use for someone who has no idea what's happening.
A child tugged at her mother's sleeve near the shrine entrance. "Mother, why is the old temple here?" she asked, pointing towards the wooden structure. Her mother frowned and adjusted the basket on her arm. "Old temple? This shrine has always been here." The child looked up at the roof. "I thought it was smaller." Her mother followed her gaze, then looked back at her. "You must be mistaken." She gently pulled the child away from the steps. "Come on. We still have things to do at home." The child glanced back once before following her. The threads near the shrine thickened, looping and crossing in increasingly complex patterns.
Xu Yang felt a faint pull from beneath the stone. It was not forceful or hostile. It felt more like curiosity, as though something had noticed a movement and was trying to understand what had caused it. He lowered his head slightly. So now it is examining the shrine itself? Or perhaps it is trying to remember what the shrine used to be.
From a distant hill, Wang Xio watched the branching threads spread across the village. His dark robes moved gently in the wind, but his attention remained fixed on the shifting patterns. "The identity nodes are becoming unstable," he murmured. He raised one hand, and a faint strand of spiritual energy appeared between his fingers. It trembled before slipping away. "Names, memories, even the places people call home. The changes are reaching deeper than I expected." His gaze moved towards the black cat below. Xu Yang shifted slightly on the shrine steps, and the threads nearest him settled.
Wang Xio watched the movement with quiet interest. "The axis can stabilise a person's presence," he said softly. "But it cannot decide who they are." He lowered his hand. "A thread may remember the shape of a life, yet still forget why that life mattered." His eyes narrowed as the threads beneath the shrine moved again. "The world is not simply forgetting him. It is trying to decide whether he belongs here at all." A faint smile touched his lips, though there was little amusement in it. "And perhaps the more it tries to answer that question, the more it will reveal what it has been hiding."
By afternoon, Lin Chen had begun noticing the changes in himself. He was walking through the market when a traveller carrying a wooden case stopped beside him. "Excuse me, sir. Could you tell me your name?" Lin Chen opened his mouth. Nothing came out. For a brief moment, he could not remember what he was supposed to say. He knew he had a name. He had used it countless times. Yet another name seemed to press against the edges of his thoughts. Li Chen. His fingers tightened around the strap of his sleeve. Then he forced himself to speak. "Lin Chen." The traveller nodded politely and continued on his way.
Lin Chen remained still for a moment, staring at the space where the man had stood. The name was correct. He knew that much. But why had it suddenly felt like a choice? He looked down at Xu Yang, who was walking beside him. "You don't have this problem," he murmured, attempting a small smile. "You're just... you." Xu Yang's ears twitched. Just me? For a moment, his steps slowed. Was that even true anymore? He had a name, a past and memories from another world. He had once been human, yet now he walked on four paws and had become part of a story he was never supposed to enter. Heaven's lattice watched him. The threads reacted to him. And something beneath the shrine seemed to recognise him, though he still had no idea what it wanted. I suppose being called Xu Yang is the least of my problems. At least I still remember who gave me that name. He glanced at Lin Chen. And at least he still has his. Even if it feels uncertain, it's still his. The thought stayed with him longer than he liked.
That evening, Lin Chen returned home and prepared for bed. He sat beside the low table, staring at the cup in front of him. After a long silence, he spoke his name aloud. "Lin Chen." He repeated it more quietly, as though testing how it sounded. "Lin Chen." The syllables lingered in the room. For a fleeting instant, another name pressed against the edges of his mind. It did not replace his own. It simply waited. Lin Chen looked towards the black cat near the doorway, but said nothing.
Outside, the shrine bell swayed without wind. The threads hesitated, and the world, balanced between versions of itself, waited to see which names would endure. The door closed with a soft click. Lin Chen stood in the dim hallway for a long moment, listening to the fading sound of Xu Yang's paws beyond the gate. The night had grown colder, and the silence inside the house felt strangely deep. At his feet, the black cat sat quietly, watching him with steady golden eyes. Lin Chen exhaled and lowered his head. "You came back late," he murmured, crouching in front of the cat. "Do you even know what time it is?" Xu Yang looked at him without moving. Lin Chen gave a small, tired laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Right. I suppose asking you is pointless." Yet he did not stand up. He continued looking into those golden eyes, feeling an odd certainty that he was not simply looking at an animal. It was as though the cat were waiting for him to understand something he could not yet hear.
Lin Chen hesitated before asking, "You were with him again, weren't you?" The question slipped out so naturally that he almost failed to notice it. His expression changed. "With who?" he whispered, looking towards the empty hallway. Xu Yang's tail curled once around his paws. Lin Chen stared at him, then shook his head with a quiet laugh. "Listen to me. I'm interrogating a cat now." He began to rise, but stopped halfway. For a fleeting moment, he had the absurd feeling that if he waited long enough, the cat would answer. Then a voice sounded behind him. "You shouldn't go there."
Lin Chen froze. His head turned sharply towards the doorway. The hallway was empty. He looked towards the courtyard, then back at the cat. "Who said that?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. No one answered. His heart began to beat faster. He pressed a hand against his temple, trying to hold on to the sound, but the memory was already dissolving. Had he imagined it? Was it a fragment of a dream clinging to the edge of waking? He forced out a breath. "I'm tired," he muttered, though he did not sound convinced. He reached towards Xu Yang, hesitated for a second, then rested his fingers on the cat's head.
Xu Yang leaned slightly into his touch. Lin Chen's expression softened, but the unease remained. "Why do I feel like you're the one watching over me?" he whispered, slowly stroking the black fur. Xu Yang's ears twitched. Lin Chen swallowed and looked into his eyes. "You know, if you were human, I think you'd be the stubborn type." A faint smile appeared on his face. "The kind who carries everything alone and refuses to ask for help." The words lingered between them.
Outside, the wind stirred the trees, but the small chimes beside the door remained silent.Lin Chen glanced towards them. Their wooden pieces swayed gently without making a sound. His fingers stopped moving. "That's not normal," he murmured, straightening slightly. When he looked back, Xu Yang seemed closer. Lin Chen frowned. He did not remember the cat moving. Golden eyes held his, and for the briefest moment, he saw something that did not belong to an animal. Not anger. Not fear. Something much older, carrying a loneliness so deep that it made his chest ache. "You..." Lin Chen whispered. His hand slowly withdrew from the cat's head.
Xu Yang's mouth parted slightly. Lin Chen stopped breathing. For one impossible moment, the hallway seemed to grow still around them. If it speaks, he thought, staring at the cat, everything will change. Xu Yang closed his mouth. The moment shattered. A normal, silent animal sat before him once more. Lin Chen let out an unsteady laugh and dragged a hand down his face. "I really need sleep." Yet his hand returned to the cat's head, and this time he did not pull away.
Xu Yang remained still beneath his touch, but confusion stirred inside him. What is wrong with him? Why is he talking as though I'm about to reveal some great secret? I haven't said a single word. I've barely moved. He studied Lin Chen's tired expression. Everything will change? I didn't even do anything.Please don't start understanding things, he thought flatly. I barely understand anything myself.
Part of him almost wanted Lin Chen to go to sleep, wake up tomorrow and dismiss the whole thing as exhaustion. But another thought lingered. Why did it feel like he had almost heard me? Beyond the walls of the house, the village slept. But something beneath it did not. The bell at the abandoned shrine trembled once. There was no sound in the air, only a ripple through the memory threads, like a string pulled too tight. Lin Chen eventually stood, but before leaving the hallway, he glanced down at the cat. "Good night..." He paused, then added softly, "Xu Yang." His own words made him freeze. He looked down at the cat again, his brows drawing together. "How did I know that?"
Xu Yang did not move. Inside, however, his thoughts had become anything but calm. How does he know my name? He stared at Lin Chen, trying to find some explanation in his expression. I never told him. I haven't even spoken in front of him. Did he hear someone else say it? No. That doesn't make sense either. He forced himself to remain still, refusing to reveal his surprise. Lin Chen eventually shook his head and returned to his room. Xu Yang did not follow. He remained in the hallway, staring at the closed door. Xu Yang lowered his head. I need to leave before this gets any worse... He did not sleep that night.He lay at the foot of Lin Chen's bed, his eyes half-lidded as he listened to the man's slow breathing. Good night, Xu Yang. The words echoed in his mind again.Xu Yang shifted his paws beneath his body. I need to find out what is happening beneath the shrine. And I need to do it before Lin Chen becomes involved...
Far beyond the house, at the edge of the forest, the abandoned shrine stood in patient decay. Its wooden pillars were split, its roof had partly collapsed, and the old rope hanging beneath its eaves was worn almost through. The bell had not rung in decades. Tonight, it moved. Once. A dull, hollow tremor passed through its bronze body. Yet the sound did not travel through the air. It travelled through memory, through the unseen threads binding the land to things long buried. Xu Yang's eyes opened. He felt the vibration like a blade drawn across an old scar. His body went still. They found it. He slowly raised his head and looked towards the distant forest. No. Not found. Something has noticed the seal... His claws pressed into the bedding. If it weakens, the presence beneath the shrine may no longer remain contained. And if it crosses over... He stopped the thought before finishing it. He had sworn never to return to that place.
He glanced towards Lin Chen. He was sleeping peacefully, one hand resting near the empty space where Xu Yang had been lying earlier. Xu Yang's chest tightened. This is exactly why I should leave. If I stay, Lin Chen may be dragged into whatever is gathering beneath the shrine. If I leave, he might have a chance to live normally.He might forget the strange black cat that appeared in his life and disappeared without explanation. That would be better. Much better... Xu Yang lowered his eyes. Although, knowing this village, he might simply find another mysterious problem to worry about. He almost let out a sigh. I really should stop getting attached to people. It never makes leaving easier...
He rose silently and leapt onto the windowsill. Moonlight spilled across his black fur, outlining his small body against the dark room. He looked towards the distant forest, where the abandoned shrine stood beneath the trees. One night. I can stay for one more night. After that, I leave... He turned back towards Lin Chen. Lin Chen shifted in his sleep and murmured something unintelligible. His hand moved across the bedding, reaching towards the place where Xu Yang had been. Xu Yang froze. Even asleep, he was still reaching for him. The sight made his decision feel heavier. I should go before dawn, he thought. Before he wakes up. Before he has another chance to look at me like he knows who I am. One more night, he decided.
Lin Chen stood in a field covered in pale mist. There was no moon, no trees and no path beneath his feet. Only endless white fog stretching in every direction. Lin Chen turned slowly, trying to understand where he was. "Xu Yang?" he called.He frowned and looked down at his hands. A shadow appeared in the distance. Lin Chen took one step forward. "Who's there?" he asked, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the thick mist.The figure continued approaching. Slowly, its shape became clearer. It was not a cat. It was a man. Tall, dressed in dark robes that moved gently despite the absence of wind. His long black hair was tied loosely at his back, and his golden eyes were unmistakable.
Lin Chen stopped breathing for a moment. "You shouldn't be here," he said gently. Lin Chen's fingers curled at his sides. "Do I know you?" he asked, taking another step forward. The man did not answer immediately. His gaze moved over Lin Chen's face, lingering there as if searching for something that had been lost. Lin Chen felt an ache in his chest that he could not explain. "Have we met before?" he asked, his voice growing unsteady. The man's lips parted, as though he were finally going to answer.
But before a sound could leave his mouth, a bell rang.Lin Chen woke with a sharp breath, his hand gripping the blanket. He sat up and looked around the dark room. The window was still closed. The lantern had burned out. Xu Yang was nowhere to be seen. Lin Chen stared at the empty place beside the window, his heart beating faster. "Xu Yang?" he whispered.He remained silent for a moment, then frowned and pressed a hand against his forehead. "Wait... who is Xu Yang?" He looked towards the doorway, as though someone might be standing there to answer him. "Why was I calling that name in my dream?" He tried to recall the man's face, but the image had already begun to fade. Only those golden eyes remained clear in his memory.
Lin Chen lowered his hand and looked at the empty space again. "I've never met anyone by that name... have I?" His voice grew quieter. He shook his head, trying to dismiss the strange feeling in his chest. "It was just a dream. I must have heard the name somewhere." Yet even as he said it, the explanation felt wrong. He pulled the blanket aside and looked around the room once more. "Then why does it feel like I've lost someone?"
Far away, at the abandoned shrine, Yan Luo stopped walking. He had been following the faint spiritual disturbance through the forest when the old bell suddenly trembled above him. He raised his head, watching the rope sway on its own. His expression darkened. Beneath the shrine, the seal pulsed like a heartbeat. Yan Luo slowly lowered his hand towards the stone platform, but stopped before touching it. "So..." he murmured, his eyes fixed on the trembling bell. "It's begun."