The voice echoed softly, almost like an interrogation.144Please respect copyright.PENANA0j1zuqhXS7
144Please respect copyright.PENANAikYwPrKHBT
"But then why… do I still feel like two people trapped in the same body?"144Please respect copyright.PENANAvElwgdi9Ed
144Please respect copyright.PENANAyCx3TqMWZH
A heavy silence followed, stretched and suspended between timelines.144Please respect copyright.PENANAsIYvuWSQjM
Zhang Huan-An—no, perhaps it was Yu Yong-An—stood before the mirror, unable to tell who had spoken.144Please respect copyright.PENANAc2zCZx7whf
Was it himself? A residue?144Please respect copyright.PENANA1R8hsDYEgf
Or a ghost never chosen?144Please respect copyright.PENANAoQi8CBJP3X
144Please respect copyright.PENANAyv4ND5xTrd
"I remember your memories," he whispered, fingertips grazing the cold mirror.144Please respect copyright.PENANArLf3Wci8No
"But they… don't belong to me. Not entirely."144Please respect copyright.PENANA8niH0xkZVs
144Please respect copyright.PENANA0lvpEVLNH1
From deep within, a voice emerged—not in words, but like a pulse echoing through his veins.144Please respect copyright.PENANAHQKli34G9Q
144Please respect copyright.PENANAfDcPY6HOvK
"Then tell me—whose life did you live during those 281 days?"144Please respect copyright.PENANAbneH0aY2EF
144Please respect copyright.PENANAjqxCyNdByf
He gave no answer.144Please respect copyright.PENANArhn5x1CoVK
144Please respect copyright.PENANAaD0tbmhA49
The reflection stared back at him—almost identical, yet not quite.144Please respect copyright.PENANAQySenioeIw
The posture was his, the scars too.144Please respect copyright.PENANAYz0DQLiCB0
But the eyes… they carried a weight he had never known.144Please respect copyright.PENANAcY08qPfr1c
As if from a season of dreams, shattered and reassembled deep within time.144Please respect copyright.PENANAFzPMwdT1WD
144Please respect copyright.PENANAfUw8txJv8f
"Do you remember the rooftop? That rain?"144Please respect copyright.PENANAKGdNneMQmZ
The voice pressed closer.144Please respect copyright.PENANAzCTtOpRgF6
"That was my fear. My ending. And now, it's become yours."144Please respect copyright.PENANAtHl5ZddCAc
144Please respect copyright.PENANAliL8A36lYE
He turned away.144Please respect copyright.PENANARKOhsdSr3Y
Behind him, the room lay dim and still, the air thick with undisturbed dust.144Please respect copyright.PENANAoSU9d0fNBJ
Since his awakening, nothing here had changed—yet the world was no longer the same.144Please respect copyright.PENANAFqyHtAgiHd
144Please respect copyright.PENANAeN59TQfkEC
"They say fusion brings peace," he murmured.144Please respect copyright.PENANAfcnE7XNYk3
"But this feels more like exile. I can't go back… and I can't move forward."144Please respect copyright.PENANAxz5xO876wl
144Please respect copyright.PENANACvCr1b8WLU
"Then—choose."144Please respect copyright.PENANAkRxSJoBAO9
144Please respect copyright.PENANAeeQe2ofKTD
The voice returned. This time, not from within—but behind him.144Please respect copyright.PENANAJpSt55jFkM
He didn't look back.144Please respect copyright.PENANA5lCUBrLCuz
He knew nothing would be there.144Please respect copyright.PENANAiiZTg34aGn
And yet, he heard it.144Please respect copyright.PENANAavYnLyw9J3
144Please respect copyright.PENANAJQNZgWwQFo
"Choose which one of you will remain."144Please respect copyright.PENANAGlEHH8C5NU
144Please respect copyright.PENANAmUhfL1DUVU
He clenched his fists.144Please respect copyright.PENANAbAh45FgRZB
"Zhang Huan-An" and "Yu Yong-An"—names layered like truths,144Please respect copyright.PENANA0Wh1dnkKey
Too real to abandon,144Please respect copyright.PENANAbW9lx6Ykmc
Too entangled to claim.144Please respect copyright.PENANARoov5JvUiD
144Please respect copyright.PENANAhDjG8aSFue
"What if I don't want to be either?"144Please respect copyright.PENANAV0SdKdaTbF
He asked the air, voice hoarse.144Please respect copyright.PENANATLM9QtOiUN
144Please respect copyright.PENANASidjYCqGt9
"Then become—144Please respect copyright.PENANADQMZx9DzB4
the memory that survived the collapse."144Please respect copyright.PENANAWWQgP5GQLR
144Please respect copyright.PENANAhoGyKjPKcv
The mirror cracked.144Please respect copyright.PENANAgkh3Vc6Hvl
144Please respect copyright.PENANAnWEIlmn3BM
Not from pressure.144Please respect copyright.PENANAdsme0GvJKA
Not from sound.144Please respect copyright.PENANATRaDRBRjGN
144Please respect copyright.PENANAIBnlfibbHd
But from time.144Please respect copyright.PENANAqW98X3yEMj
144Please respect copyright.PENANAjnz7ysA82R
As the fissure split the reflection in two, he finally understood:144Please respect copyright.PENANAp50FvJIpZ7
They had never truly been separate.144Please respect copyright.PENANA8q97xg6UKO
And now, they could never fully merge.144Please respect copyright.PENANAeewVnOk9x7
144Please respect copyright.PENANAR8X1bGd4am
They could only—144Please respect copyright.PENANAL7C0OFAFbp
144Please respect copyright.PENANAU7Y3PO08Hv
Overlay.144Please respect copyright.PENANAeFoyAJLqpp
Fracture.144Please respect copyright.PENANATCxbvEQFOI
Echo.144Please respect copyright.PENANA64063uUwYo
144Please respect copyright.PENANATkKoJC5895
144Please respect copyright.PENANA6iCoGYuz9O
---144Please respect copyright.PENANArum5Oo7Jil
144Please respect copyright.PENANAtAzgan93ME
Reflections That Do Not Return144Please respect copyright.PENANAfQ7vvUNY9A
144Please respect copyright.PENANAH5h045cSU8
When the mirror shattered, time broke with it.144Please respect copyright.PENANAWDmZaWDJ3z
144Please respect copyright.PENANAzVrSr4NE2D
Cracks spread like a spider's web, and within each one—144Please respect copyright.PENANAZkfU34O2Z1
A different version of himself emerged:144Please respect copyright.PENANAN8uUZKwr4E
Some young, some aged.144Please respect copyright.PENANA9iAzOtPkD3
Some cold and distant, others brimming with unshed tears.144Please respect copyright.PENANA7vm6Dz4Ldv
144Please respect copyright.PENANAqcIJTD3cXM
"Are these… all me?"144Please respect copyright.PENANAI2V5P70hmw
144Please respect copyright.PENANAlDIveVJaFq
His voice trembled in the still air—was he asking the mirror,144Please respect copyright.PENANAUC3PieSogu
Or questioning the soul splintered before him?144Please respect copyright.PENANA4B3gH5EJj4
144Please respect copyright.PENANA2YbIQS8izT
A shard fell, its chime like a soft wind bell.144Please respect copyright.PENANAn6fHumQHuC
But it reflected not the room—144Please respect copyright.PENANAdBoDXFK1tN
144Please respect copyright.PENANAhSvNQMcmvy
It reflected time:144Please respect copyright.PENANAFM7OwsdHpt
144Please respect copyright.PENANAJ09ZmQH37T
A Friday dusk,144Please respect copyright.PENANAFpLeq69MDl
A Tuesday's echo,144Please respect copyright.PENANAvxBipf4scz
The moment the cross appeared,144Please respect copyright.PENANAU5FYUnM2c8
And the last turn of her figure.144Please respect copyright.PENANAjQkKPPTK4E
144Please respect copyright.PENANARqhtvYHMCv
"You didn't choose an identity,"144Please respect copyright.PENANAGG3D5AZREJ
A voice spoke—gentle, calm.144Please respect copyright.PENANAmldYUAkxAT
Neither Yang An-Ting nor Li An-Qing,144Please respect copyright.PENANAhSGahsDylZ
And yet, it held the luminous tenderness of both.144Please respect copyright.PENANA1mIXocwNZV
144Please respect copyright.PENANA1JUt1A0tYY
"You chose the version of yourself—144Please respect copyright.PENANAf4kVfwL6aS
that could survive."144Please respect copyright.PENANA4Zlu1SkIPe
144Please respect copyright.PENANAMzAbE0ZvkF
He stared at the fragments.144Please respect copyright.PENANAx1tfIbZnfc
Each one, a future with no return.144Please respect copyright.PENANAjNz61KZD4k
144Please respect copyright.PENANAyRWc7EbV7a
"And what if… I choose nothing?"144Please respect copyright.PENANAHG8LdUy42e
He asked, barely audible.144Please respect copyright.PENANAV0JH3f2SoC
144Please respect copyright.PENANAnuCjeUpav1
"Then you'll be trapped—144Please respect copyright.PENANAkVOxiaqO7u
within this fracture,144Please respect copyright.PENANASCKxoQNcOC
until the next cycle calls you back."144Please respect copyright.PENANAb7JdJ4xfbk
144Please respect copyright.PENANAj9AxDOEVad
Silence again.144Please respect copyright.PENANAAsY9Vlrmtb
144Please respect copyright.PENANAbXQQw15dOe
Then he whispered:144Please respect copyright.PENANARVJotUmUGy
144Please respect copyright.PENANARvyG7VVwJz
"I don't want to wake up again…144Please respect copyright.PENANAj5vhFmufNH
if waking means forgetting her."144Please respect copyright.PENANAskptpidN8o
144Please respect copyright.PENANAAo5DYsv8vM
The mirror flickered.144Please respect copyright.PENANAE9Dg3o9WMs
144Please respect copyright.PENANAe0bQmH1XmP
Memories surfaced, playing on their own—144Please respect copyright.PENANAcx6khwPDje
144Please respect copyright.PENANAV9a9PBXvtV
"You'll forget what I said,"144Please respect copyright.PENANAa5WIfu6IFN
"But you'll remember the sky had dimmed…144Please respect copyright.PENANAwZcyvpNFTG
and that I never left."144Please respect copyright.PENANAHvmq9avk2y
144Please respect copyright.PENANAC9wU8Ehti7
It was her voice—Li An-Qing.144Please respect copyright.PENANAIwa4cKzGBj
The eternity hidden within Friday.144Please respect copyright.PENANAzgGKGLDgqi
144Please respect copyright.PENANA0MT51FfRG1
No ticking clock,144Please respect copyright.PENANAoixAQMB9Rl
No urgency.144Please respect copyright.PENANAgGBFa2iawf
144Please respect copyright.PENANAuavc9lfcfu
Only breath—144Please respect copyright.PENANAbsWPrNCqmm
And something deeper still:144Please respect copyright.PENANAQ43niX5GzL
The echo of his own heartbeat,144Please respect copyright.PENANAumb0aDqJH1
splintering across time.144Please respect copyright.PENANAztK4EhzUpQ
144Please respect copyright.PENANAjGeRSVypom
A single crack stretched across the floor,144Please respect copyright.PENANAjBcaWZiBdA
As if time itself could no longer bear its own weight.144Please respect copyright.PENANA1GBmOt86HS
144Please respect copyright.PENANA26a7Uc5PUC
One wrong step,144Please respect copyright.PENANAzWYt7e3pT5
And he'd fall into a past that no longer welcomed him.144Please respect copyright.PENANArJrbvXiYVz
144Please respect copyright.PENANADs4gfrqTKf
He knelt and picked up a shard.144Please respect copyright.PENANA2Hw9JmzvDO
Its surface stirred memory—144Please respect copyright.PENANA4jSGpiG1Mk
Not his own, but sharp enough to wound.144Please respect copyright.PENANABsthnHFyBM
144Please respect copyright.PENANAYDC9Bh4U8d
"He said he'd come back… He promised."144Please respect copyright.PENANAny4BFciilG
144Please respect copyright.PENANAA4mHOoAp6N
It was Yang An-Ting's voice—144Please respect copyright.PENANANsK5RM8QOS
Young, certain, full of hope.144Please respect copyright.PENANAHNRyIdHHg6
144Please respect copyright.PENANAvjY1xhRVFn
Another shard revealed Li An-Qing,144Please respect copyright.PENANANMEA3HYzGi
Standing at the end of an abandoned railway.144Please respect copyright.PENANAvcyGdorzyF
In her eyes, a timestamp flickered:144Please respect copyright.PENANAkLsG1bwSF7
2025.2.19 // 28:01144Please respect copyright.PENANAoTrMkXjznB
144Please respect copyright.PENANAlu1M8eX159
She whispered—144Please respect copyright.PENANAmWH2b0JNhh
144Please respect copyright.PENANAUsODrMxz99
"Memory isn't meant for forgetting.144Please respect copyright.PENANAchEY1VXMe6
It's meant—for choosing."144Please respect copyright.PENANARULjMzdd40
144Please respect copyright.PENANAExpequESbX
Something within him stirred—144Please respect copyright.PENANA4oNS8JBoWI
First gentle,144Please respect copyright.PENANAk4GPutfsIh
Then forceful,144Please respect copyright.PENANARWGVdsIkY3
Almost irresistible.144Please respect copyright.PENANAcOdJlgVy0v
144Please respect copyright.PENANAtlRoy7P3oI
A pull born of her voice,144Please respect copyright.PENANAi1fSfvKxGn
Of her silence,144Please respect copyright.PENANAmNZfSiG9m5
Of every name forgotten by time.144Please respect copyright.PENANANlHkOufvWu
144Please respect copyright.PENANA8qWsrru2eE
"Then… how do I choose?"144Please respect copyright.PENANA4gKxZTp798
He asked not the mirror now,144Please respect copyright.PENANAB9uUsiNinh
But the entire world.144Please respect copyright.PENANA2FtWhhwujE
144Please respect copyright.PENANAaeip1Nfztb
"Choice," the voice replied through the glass,144Please respect copyright.PENANAonhLU5TxQQ
"was never the answer—144Please respect copyright.PENANAZaGHkkizOh
only the cost."144Please respect copyright.PENANA6NNS4SCLzQ
144Please respect copyright.PENANA8R4mHiVlcF
He opened his eyes.144Please respect copyright.PENANAv9ntp5AexA
144Please respect copyright.PENANAVCJMh2kTpx
The fractures now pushed him toward an edge—144Please respect copyright.PENANAEs4Guk61Hg
An ending already written,144Please respect copyright.PENANAgJGpWTG34u
Yet never spoken.144Please respect copyright.PENANAlDkuYIJBDZ
144Please respect copyright.PENANAep2dE7Wehp
144Please respect copyright.PENANAToFdemDzIj
---144Please respect copyright.PENANAJVL4f54Dhw
144Please respect copyright.PENANAqVHxrBUdsC
You Remember Too Much144Please respect copyright.PENANAFHYreVkRGG
144Please respect copyright.PENANAkWa076SiDK
"You remember too much," the voice murmured,144Please respect copyright.PENANANpPVnlVCjB
"And you've forgotten even more than you realize.144Please respect copyright.PENANADUvGHN8oHq
So now, only one question remains:144Please respect copyright.PENANAod765hWhJd
144Please respect copyright.PENANAVA3QQR9Ssp
Who will you remain for?"144Please respect copyright.PENANALnBpoWnksN
144Please respect copyright.PENANAkg5Q1xQ0Z0
"You've always remembered,"144Please respect copyright.PENANAVQws3R7AHY
Yang An-Ting's voice, soft yet unwavering.144Please respect copyright.PENANArWij7e0zga
144Please respect copyright.PENANADcwFkIghHv
"You just didn't want to admit it."144Please respect copyright.PENANAWLnOuHJ2LJ
144Please respect copyright.PENANAfGPjgUws5p
"And you've never truly let go,"144Please respect copyright.PENANAjaGG0wTPDI
Li An-Qing's voice followed,144Please respect copyright.PENANA2y9iUH1WcA
Like light after the rain.144Please respect copyright.PENANApdYEm6EPBY
144Please respect copyright.PENANAut9GfjbE3Q
"Because you know—144Please respect copyright.PENANA7QcojLF2ty
this was never yours to end."144Please respect copyright.PENANA3KmQEAOfuA
144Please respect copyright.PENANAJsinLPsXd0
He stood between the mirror and the fracture.144Please respect copyright.PENANAxkL20LrTpq
144Please respect copyright.PENANAZ2Hn9fHPdT
Behind him—wreckage of the past.144Please respect copyright.PENANAnX2RaDjEoi
Before him—a nameless exit.144Please respect copyright.PENANAyOBaGpDZxv
144Please respect copyright.PENANAwslvpBLrKc
"If I can't become him…144Please respect copyright.PENANAubZDXaxRCW
and I can't just be myself…144Please respect copyright.PENANAVToilt2Jtr
what is left of me?"144Please respect copyright.PENANAsQs9wsHywc
144Please respect copyright.PENANAXy6BCPTypt
"Memory," they said in unison.144Please respect copyright.PENANATbBmiOIalv
144Please respect copyright.PENANAs6iQxVcmPj
Not names.144Please respect copyright.PENANAEYkqrBKszi
Not roles.144Please respect copyright.PENANA3iBEumE2oS
But something heavier—144Please respect copyright.PENANAmDtdxZimtt
A will strong enough to pierce time.144Please respect copyright.PENANAd1pskOPmEi
144Please respect copyright.PENANAGk88nATVeY
If names fade, let them.144Please respect copyright.PENANAtrbeHsok73
If roles collapse, stop defining them.144Please respect copyright.PENANAymyzlyzogq
144Please respect copyright.PENANAWqMDCA721i
"You don't need a name,"144Please respect copyright.PENANANEncha9VI1
Yang An-Ting whispered.144Please respect copyright.PENANAbbvoZDSotD
"Because now—you remember us."144Please respect copyright.PENANAtJ8zwpZ6gy
144Please respect copyright.PENANAL5iPjYWhqw
"You only need to keep walking,"144Please respect copyright.PENANA93l0sA3rOQ
Li An-Qing said next.144Please respect copyright.PENANAU9usv8uths
"Not for anyone. Not even for yourself."144Please respect copyright.PENANAutMhWeRFsv
144Please respect copyright.PENANAqImlYVSAgE
The fractures began to close—144Please respect copyright.PENANAVrxaTFfTqL
Not as an end,144Please respect copyright.PENANAcKEmDhb52X
But as a silent reformation.144Please respect copyright.PENANAvVXLaeJGj6
144Please respect copyright.PENANAgAm3IpvOTw
Shattered timelines intertwined,144Please respect copyright.PENANAvQ78fnApLV
Forming a new path—144Please respect copyright.PENANASeJRZVVpCH
Free of judgment,144Please respect copyright.PENANA2Cwu7oxkc7
Free of labels,144Please respect copyright.PENANApQmy2ifdQW
Free of the need to look back.144Please respect copyright.PENANAHMB0sv7iDw
144Please respect copyright.PENANAerR16ZpepC
It was—144Please respect copyright.PENANA3mANsWnHoz
144Please respect copyright.PENANAxlUuFDPgBh
The third way.144Please respect copyright.PENANA1c2uuWsPiN
144Please respect copyright.PENANAHegnml53wb
Not return.144Please respect copyright.PENANANjTZyukg8I
Not repetition.144Please respect copyright.PENANARXQsrQYVOy
144Please respect copyright.PENANAqOAbh7upNS
But—144Please respect copyright.PENANAGBnJgnAKAc
144Please respect copyright.PENANAz0spK9iO9Q
A future with no name.
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A Promise In Four Fragments
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A Promise In Four Fragments
Author:
烙燁 Luòyèh

ISSUE #41
Fractures That Remember
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