TIMO - Chapter 95

Chapter 95

Shi Nan had lost Fu Zhao once again.

She had originally thought that this time, the Realm of Regret would surely succeed. After all, she believed she had eliminated all dangerous factors, applying all the experience gained from the previous eight attempts.

But it still wasn't enough.

She didn't even get to see Fu Zhao one last time before she died.

Her Fu Zhao had, once again, died all alone in some corner of some planet.

And this time, they had been so close to succeeding.

They had gone to the Flower Throwing Ceremony to pray for blessings, released Kongming Lanterns, ridden a little electric scooter along the coast, watched the sunrises and sunsets by the sea, and then gone to that ownerless open-air cinema to watch all sorts of movies-romantic comedies, war tragedies...

Brilliant and beautiful memories filled every corner of her mind.

Even now, Shi Nan remained in the ninth Realm of Regret, unwilling to return to reality. She knew that the moment she did, she would forget all her memories of the realm, forget her Fu Zhao.

And Fu Zhao would once again lose all breath and heartbeat in her arms.

In this world, no one else would remember any of this.

So she pleaded with Fu Yunqi to let her stay in the Realm of Regret a little longer. She didn't want to go back, didn't want to lose these memories.

But no matter how she tried to hold on, the time came when even Fu Yunqi could do nothing more.

Fu Yunqi had already done too much for them; she couldn't construct a tenth Realm of Regret.

This time, there was truly nothing left to be done.

When a person is in despair, they are capable of anything.

Even knowing it was futile, on the night before the Realm of Regret was to end, Shi Nan repeatedly wrote Fu Zhao's name.

Using the Ancient Nanke Language Fu Zhao had taught her, she performed Nanke Island's most ancient ritual-releasing sky lanterns-to ask for help from the most ancient god worshipped throughout the island's long history.

Hoping, wishing, with the smallest and most desperate glimmer of hope, she yearned for the god to give her one last chance.

She was willing to pay any price.

Whatever the cost, as long as it was something she possessed-even her life-she would give it willingly.

She repeated this sentence over and over in her heart.

But it seemed her voice could not be heard by the god, and her pleas were always ignored.

She could only fight back the mist clouding her vision and write Fu Zhao's name again and again.

Tears and ink mingled, smudging the paper of every lantern.

Then she lit each lantern she had made by hand and released it into the sky, watching the dim, warm light shrink into a tiny dot, illuminating the entire night.

Until the sky was filled with lanterns, gathering on the horizon like scattered starlight, as dreamlike as bubbles.

She stood on high ground, gazing as the Kongming Lanterns she had lit drifted farther and farther away. Her eyes ached, her chest ached, her whole body ached.

Before the sky brightened.

She closed her eyes and jumped from the high place.

In that final moment, she still held on to the greatest hope, making one last wish: that her Fu Zhao could live again.

The sharp pain of impact did not come as expected.

Instead, the fall felt somewhat long.

The roaring wind filled her ears, stinging her face.

Affected by gravity, her tears fell continuously, hurting as they struck her skin.

The feeling of weightlessness did not slow with time; it was as if she had fallen into a bottomless pit, her body endlessly descending.

She slowly opened her eyes, staring dazedly at the unchanging sky above. The countless Kongming Lanterns seemed to still be swaying in the air, drifting gently.

Then, a distant, clear voice reached her, tinged with curiosity, perhaps even a hint of playfulness.

"Shi Nan, are you truly willing to pay any price?"

The ninth Realm of Regret ended.

Shi Nan and that so-called god had struck a deal.

The terms were that if the tenth Realm of Regret also failed, she could truly die in Fu Zhao's place.

This was the outcome she had dreamed of.

The deal with the god was fair.

Since she was being given another chance, it meant she had to pay a price.

And the god seemed more approachable than she had imagined. The price wasn't a limb, but merely her memories.

A god who played among mortals seemed to prefer watching two people in love torture each other.

The condition for the deal was the stripping of all her memories from the previous realms, allowing her original self to re-enter the Realm of Regret.

As for Fu Zhao, she was placed on a different timeline, turned into another person, and then put back into the Realm of Regret.

That worldly-unwise god was more curious to see if the two of them, having lost all their memories and with one of them becoming a different person, would still recognize each other, would still continue to love each other.

Clearly, the difficulty of this Realm of Regret was much greater.

At least, that's what Fu Yunqi thought. But when she saw Shi Nan, her condition seemed much better than she had imagined.

She spent her days on Nanke Island, watching the sea, the sunrises, the sunsets, and moving among the islanders with a gentle curve to her eyes. Even when the islanders looked at her with hatred, she didn't get angry.

It was as if she had become another Fu Zhao.

Shi Nan seemed to have grown very accustomed to life in the ninth Realm of Regret.

Until Fu Zhao returned from the 21st-century timeline, Shi Nan had to remain in the ninth realm, waiting to be stripped of all her memories and thrown into the tenth.

Just before the tenth Realm of Regret was about to begin.

Fu Yunqi went to see Shi Nan one more time. After the ninth chance ended, she hadn't dared to meet with Shi Nan, afraid of seeing that hopeful gaze again.

But now...

Fu Yunqi looked at the Shi Nan before her, fell silent for a moment, then set down her teacup. Her lips moved, her voice a little dry.

"I will also be entering this Realm of Regret," she said, pausing before quickly adding, "Because both of you have lost your memories, I need to go in and keep an eye on things. But I can't tell you what happened before until it's over."

Shi Nan nodded, her expression calm, her tone light. "That's how it should be. Otherwise, the chance of failure would be too high."

Fu Yunqi spoke listlessly, "Even so, the chance of failure is higher than the last few times, and none of those succeeded..."

She didn't finish her sentence.

But Shi Nan picked it up, lowering her lashes with a smile. "Let alone this time, right?"

Fu Yunqi was slightly taken aback. Shi Nan seemed very relaxed, far more so than she had imagined.

She didn't know the specific details of Shi Nan's deal with the god.

She only knew that they suddenly had one more chance.

She had assumed the god had simply grown playful again, wanting to use Shi Nan and Fu Zhao as an experiment.

But looking at it now.

This deal was far more complex than she had imagined.

"But it doesn't matter."

Before she could think it through, Shi Nan spoke, looking up at her. The light in her eyes flickered, as if tears were shimmering there.

"Even if we fail this time, the outcome will be better than it is now."

Hearing this, Fu Yunqi's brow furrowed. She pressed her lips together and asked, "What do you mean?"

"The agreement I made with that being..." Shi Nan lowered her eyes and smiled, her expression unreadable-was it joy or sorrow? "You'll find out when the time comes."

Fu Yunqi wanted to ask more, but in the next second, Shi Nan looked up again, smoothly steering the conversation back to business.

"Since you'll also be entering the Realm of Regret, I have a few things to ask of you. Although you can't remind us directly, you can provide us with some help in certain ways when necessary."

Fu Yunqi paused for a moment, her hands resting on her knees. She spoke softly, "Go on."

Shi Nan looked at her frankly, her tone light.

"First, about annulling the engagement. If I lose the memories of these past realms and Fu Zhao becomes a different person, we will definitely try to annul it right away. I hope you can do your best to stop us. Of course, only by giving reasonable reminders, under the condition that the god permits it."

Fu Yunqi nodded. "Alright, I can speak with Fu Zhao's parent about it."

Shi Nan let out a breath of relief, her lashes trembling slightly. "Second, I bought an open-air cinema as a gift for Fu Zhao, but she probably doesn't know about it yet. You must play this movie often at that cinema."

"This movie?" Fu Yunqi looked at the title Shi Nan had given her. It seemed to be a tragedy. She didn't quite understand and asked, "Why?"

The smile on Shi Nan's lips faded, and her voice grew much softer. "It's just to remind myself... to remember everything Fu Zhao did for me. And not to..."

Her voice caught. She took a long moment to compose herself before continuing, "Not to be like the last few times, still feeling that Fu Zhao was the one who brought me endless guilt."

Fu Yunqi clutched the card Shi Nan had given her, her tone complex. "Alright. Is there anything else?"

"And a third thing..."

Shi Nan looked at her, her gaze wavering slightly, her eyes filled with a sad and helpless emotion.

"Don't let me leave Fu Zhao easily."

After saying this, Shi Nan left. Fu Yunqi was still mulling over Shi Nan's three requests, feeling a strange sense of unease she couldn't place.

Shi Nan's requests didn't seem to be solely for the purpose of making this Realm of Regret succeed, as they had nothing to do with their regrets.

It was more like...

She just wanted to love Fu Zhao properly, just this once, in this Realm of Regret.

It was as if she already knew this was the last time and had prepared for the worst.

But what was the worst-case scenario?

What exactly was the deal between Shi Nan and that being?

After parting with Fu Yunqi, Shi Nan went to the seaside.

She still remembered everything that had happened on this beach, all the glittering memories she shared with her Fu Zhao.

The tenth Realm of Regret was about to begin.

Soon, she would lose all her memories, and Fu Zhao would become a different person and return to her side.

They would have a new beginning.

Or rather, she had designed a brand-new beginning for them.

But before this new start, she wanted to experience again the pain of Fu Zhao's death from the first Realm of Regret.

At least it could serve as a reminder for her memory-less self.

The early summer day was a bit stuffy, but thankfully, the cool sea breeze dispersed some of the heat lingering over Nanke Island.

The waves churned, and the sunlight slanted across the water.

"Must you go on?"

The voice that came from beside her was clear and clean, its tone gentle and exceptionally familiar.

Shi Nan turned her head. It was as if the figure in the white shirt was sitting right beside her, her gaze bright and focused, looking at her softly. The hair at her temple seemed to sway gently with the sea breeze.

Dazed, she raised her hand. Her fingertips were just about to touch those familiar features when, in the next second, the figure flickered and turned transparent.

"I'm almost out of power," the person beside her continued, her voice still soft and even, without much fluctuation.

Shi Nan's fingertips trembled abruptly. She lowered her gaze, drew back her hand, and hugged her knees. Her shoulders shook with an uncontrollable tremor.

It was Number Ten, not Fu Zhao.

Fu Zhao had created a flawlessly perfect substitute and placed it by her side. It was like this every time.

She didn't know whether to feel fortunate or more sorrowful.

Fortunate that she could still see an unchanging "Fu Zhao," sorrowful that she couldn't touch her, couldn't feel her.

"Yes, I have to go," she answered Number Ten's question.

Number Ten nodded and smiled at her. "Alright."

"Can you say your name, Master?"

Shi Nan looked up, her eyes still red. "Why?"

"You'll know once you say it..." Number Ten's gaze flickered slightly, devoid of emotion, or perhaps the emotion didn't reach her eyes.

Shi Nan blinked blankly, staring at the incredibly real figure before her. She gathered her thoughts and softly called out her own name.

"Shi Nan."

The moment she spoke, a flicker of emotion suddenly appeared in Number Ten's eyes. Then, her eyes curved into a smile, and the gaze she directed at Shi Nan became much more real, just like when they first met, her eyes shimmering like a summer morning's rain shower.

A nearly transparent hand slowly rose and moved toward the top of her head.

"You should know by now, I have loved you every single time. I'm so glad that this time, I almost got to say those words. But maybe in a few days, I'll be able to say them to your face."

It was Fu Zhao's voice, the real Fu Zhao's voice.

Shi Nan trembled all over, her heart began to pound violently, and tears streamed from her eyes. She didn't know what to say, only biting her lower lip hard, terrified that the person before her would vanish the moment she made a sound.

"I know this is the ninth time. A few days ago, for some reason, I suddenly dreamed about all this. Maybe my dream was fake, but then I thought, what if it's real? What if I've left you all alone again?"

"So I had Number Ten save this recording, to play for you at the right time."

Fu Zhao's hand rested near the top of her head, patting gently, as if a real, soft pressure was coming from her palm.

Shi Nan met Fu Zhao's gentle, placid gaze, trying hard not to let her tears fall, shaking her head continuously. "No, don't go... Don't go, please."

But Fu Zhao couldn't hear her; this was just a holographic recording.

"If my dream is real, if this time fails too..."

Fu Zhao paused, a moist sheen appearing in her amber eyes, like a tranquil pool illuminated by the sunset, only to suddenly dim.

"Don't continue this anymore, Nannan."

"And don't keep trapping yourself in the same place. Maybe my life was meant to end here, but you can't stay here forever. You have a wonderful future ahead of you, and maybe I was never meant to be in it."

"None of this should be forced any longer. Everything should end here."

Fu Zhao spoke word by word, tears gradually welling in her eyes, her voice tinged with a sob.

"If there is a tenth time, I will definitely, definitely, definitely not fall in love with you again. If you come to Nanke Island, I'll hide. If you don't annul the engagement, I will. If you're on RT Planet, I'll never go there in my life..."

"In short, just give up. Don't continue this anymore."

The gentle voice gradually faded, and along with it, the nearly transparent figure was scattered by the wind.

Shi Nan remained kneeling on the beach, trembling, gasping for breath, yet it felt as if she couldn't get any fresh air. A dense pain spread through her chest.

The soft-hearted Island Master of Nanke Island was so impossibly soft even when trying to be harsh, only able to say things like she wouldn't love her, that she would hide from her.

But still, she wanted to continue. She wouldn't give up.

The seawater rushed in, soaking the soles of her shoes and splashing onto her calves. It was much colder than she had imagined.

She stood up and began to walk into the sea.

The water drew closer and closer, waves lapping at her lips.

She choked. It was salty, bitter-altogether unpleasant.

Was this what Fu Zhao felt when she was thrown into the sea before?

She looked up at the sky. It should be time. Tears silently streamed down her cheeks and into the seawater that had already reached her chin.

Her consciousness began to blur.

She forced herself to stay lucid, wanting to experience more of the pain Fu Zhao felt before death, wanting to remember this pain, even though she knew it was futile.

The sound of the waves and the wind grew louder.

It poured into her ears, beat by beat, drowning out all other sounds.

Just like that, she slowly walked deeper into the sea.

Her consciousness grew dimmer, the pain in her chest more intense, the ringing in her ears louder, and her eyelids became too heavy to lift.

Her body was slowly sinking.

In the second before she lost consciousness.

Vaguely, she felt a pair of slender, strong hands wrap around her, holding her by the waist, as if trying to pull her up and out of the sea.

Even in the bone-chilling water, she felt a familiar, warm embrace.

And the roar of the waves in her ears, and the strands of hair tangling with her own.

A tsunami of emotions washed over her.

Part of it was surprise. She hadn't expected the tenth Realm of Regret to begin by connecting with the ninth, nor that the meeting she had designed for them would be overturned in favor of such a fateful encounter.

Her Fu Zhao had returned once again, in this way.

The rest of her emotions were a delayed panic. She suddenly realized, what if something happened to Fu Zhao while saving her this time?

Would this chance be over just like that?

In a daze, she opened her eyes, wanting to say something more to Fu Zhao, but a few pinkish-white peony petals drifted down onto the sparkling surface of the sea.

A distant voice reached her, carrying a complex mix of emotions that went straight to her heart.

"Shi Nan, this is only the beginning of the tenth Realm of Regret, not the end. When you open your eyes again, everything will start over, and you will have lost all your memories."

"Good luck."

This time, even the god was wishing her good luck.

She closed her eyes in peace, letting her consciousness fade, letting all her memories blur.

Because she knew.

This time, Fu Zhao saving her was just their beginning.

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