The wind had never truly stopped—157Please respect copyright.PENANAEh3AdWiS1B
he had simply never noticed how it passed through his fingers,157Please respect copyright.PENANAz1vnQCIgsI
like a calling from the future: soft, slow, and irreversible.157Please respect copyright.PENANA3y9MlTnLtk
157Please respect copyright.PENANAMgzE2FWK3w
He rose, leaving the shard behind.157Please respect copyright.PENANAL6CHyM1fgt
Not as an act of remembrance,157Please respect copyright.PENANAxD2yDVkOHS
but as a silent mark—157Please respect copyright.PENANAzxByPzItsV
a trace that it had once existed.157Please respect copyright.PENANA8VSf6EuuML
157Please respect copyright.PENANAEyg5VB2l1i
Not to memorialize,157Please respect copyright.PENANAmKJXztsXaJ
but to remind himself—157Please respect copyright.PENANA7tQtA4COkM
that fracture would never open again,157Please respect copyright.PENANAbbG9r4nwHK
because he had chosen157Please respect copyright.PENANAmHeuk3LXpY
not to stand at the edge.157Please respect copyright.PENANAuolukO2JGQ
157Please respect copyright.PENANAuuACfKKu3s
He stepped out of the dim room,157Please respect copyright.PENANAVbK5AdtxnG
the door closing on its own,157Please respect copyright.PENANARHF4Hlf852
like a chapter time itself had sealed.157Please respect copyright.PENANAXf7F5iUQgk
No farewell needed—157Please respect copyright.PENANAfFZVGLyQdO
for the truest goodbyes157Please respect copyright.PENANA7DnovyUYKf
are the ones where no glance is cast back.157Please respect copyright.PENANAbAOP9ji0I1
157Please respect copyright.PENANAjcwF5rrhwj
The street was lit by a faint glow,157Please respect copyright.PENANATCUwG5QnQM
not quite dawn, not quite night—157Please respect copyright.PENANAJScv6NgHoL
a hue suspended in-between,157Please respect copyright.PENANAOchPPCwKKf
like a dawn that had yet to be named.157Please respect copyright.PENANAzq4hGCri6u
157Please respect copyright.PENANATqv7XpFjYR
He no longer asked who he was.157Please respect copyright.PENANAQYKKBXlPEb
Because at last, he understood—157Please respect copyright.PENANA21OrDRjCov
he was not someone's lingering shadow,157Please respect copyright.PENANAOhtUITrL0D
nor a solution waiting in the future,157Please respect copyright.PENANASXEkzqgIKd
but the journey itself—157Please respect copyright.PENANAVk39ylI5X7
a presence born from every crossing.157Please respect copyright.PENANAyQP14RXdOs
157Please respect copyright.PENANA7g3zoKu6LQ
He walked across the remnants of restructured time,157Please respect copyright.PENANAR9wCikRCcp
each step no longer a repeat;157Please respect copyright.PENANA11ZEQiVFtU
each breath, the first breath of being alive.157Please respect copyright.PENANADy4ukHBAvo
157Please respect copyright.PENANArtoP2IcLwH
"I remember them," he said to himself.157Please respect copyright.PENANA5a3WsbJipU
"But this time, I'll walk for me."157Please respect copyright.PENANAkP3MszjO07
157Please respect copyright.PENANArAnieIICf7
Not to mend the past,157Please respect copyright.PENANAO98UI9fRcD
nor to flee from fate,157Please respect copyright.PENANAu8FQdLmnGR
but to let living157Please respect copyright.PENANA42R6FZpSKm
be something more157Please respect copyright.PENANAFjAZ7PJXmF
than an extension of others.157Please respect copyright.PENANAOo2fTFgbor
157Please respect copyright.PENANAfadWjpcLvN
In the distance,157Please respect copyright.PENANAeFuHZGDEyv
the hum of traffic,157Please respect copyright.PENANAUrH86GHz9T
a faint melody,157Please respect copyright.PENANAC86GIV4sk9
and a silhouette—157Please respect copyright.PENANA8Exr2cPJJg
strange yet familiar—stood silently at the corner.157Please respect copyright.PENANAFL9B49tiGz
157Please respect copyright.PENANAZTa3zLZGDw
He didn't run after it.157Please respect copyright.PENANAs6HkRtny7r
It could've been a fading memory,157Please respect copyright.PENANAfQSVLIBFcg
or a meeting not yet written.157Please respect copyright.PENANAAf7YC5HeJF
But this time—157Please respect copyright.PENANAOetxlx6EAJ
he chose to wait for the future to arrive,157Please respect copyright.PENANA7Eg9LAPr8i
rather than chase the past.157Please respect copyright.PENANAcy73aD03U3
157Please respect copyright.PENANAPVwjEm51rM
He looked up.157Please respect copyright.PENANAzIPWIuahVj
A line of birds crossed the sky,157Please respect copyright.PENANAjsbWxutYoN
like a soul finally in motion—157Please respect copyright.PENANAugFoZdMIUj
one that no longer needed a name.157Please respect copyright.PENANA4wRBZVvPDY
157Please respect copyright.PENANAY4azbRBAla
157Please respect copyright.PENANAM0FuCcZDlg
---157Please respect copyright.PENANAu4zX6vbBiU
157Please respect copyright.PENANAH2ooKbJVcj
Sunday: A Room That Isn't His, and Yet Is157Please respect copyright.PENANAXPWV5MY1gR
157Please respect copyright.PENANAlDINtgUMdt
It wasn't dusk in a dream,157Please respect copyright.PENANAG5xF2i8COd
nor the hollow pause of broken time—157Please respect copyright.PENANAZIE1MfGh4R
but something wedged157Please respect copyright.PENANAlwmYcCWlI5
between yesterday and tomorrow.157Please respect copyright.PENANAPwdh6c00wD
The air familiar,157Please respect copyright.PENANA3YYTk2oHEr
the rhythm of breath unfamiliar.157Please respect copyright.PENANAADi7jjxqU5
157Please respect copyright.PENANARu3NCME6GC
He lay on a minimal bed.157Please respect copyright.PENANAhte4z8Zx0a
Silence surrounded him.157Please respect copyright.PENANAO9F0K9Kb0V
Only a dim wall lamp flickered,157Please respect copyright.PENANAcFdeRtzwl5
casting shadows across the white wall,157Please respect copyright.PENANAu2shxIrVwP
like pieces of memory he could never restore.157Please respect copyright.PENANAeZ8VVouwWM
157Please respect copyright.PENANAxftMBUv3wX
His phone buzzed. He glanced at it.157Please respect copyright.PENANAAV4TXGBj8c
157Please respect copyright.PENANA3C2lFaFY1m
Date: February 23, 2025 (Sunday)157Please respect copyright.PENANA0W65sfqiIB
Time: 05:42 AM157Please respect copyright.PENANA6WdwqO4VuY
Location: Qiyang District, Linzi Precinct Dormitory B, Room 303157Please respect copyright.PENANA8NXGqzsKNo
157Please respect copyright.PENANAWvU3eUIVGu
He stared at the digits,157Please respect copyright.PENANASLB7HAXs01
as if each one concealed157Please respect copyright.PENANAy9725Dui35
a truth trying to deceive him.157Please respect copyright.PENANAvXpxYJ5o1t
157Please respect copyright.PENANAaD2evXnvVV
This wasn't where he first awoke.157Please respect copyright.PENANAQSYBGPJNve
But this was where he was meant to awaken.157Please respect copyright.PENANAUgIolAnwnJ
157Please respect copyright.PENANAw1aifBm0sT
He sat up. No headache—157Please respect copyright.PENANAVCWJyhfUbs
just a hollow in his chest,157Please respect copyright.PENANAvDG2SbBKiN
as if something had been set down,157Please respect copyright.PENANA9dnpGZBXNJ
or was waiting to be picked up again.157Please respect copyright.PENANAvByZsp1ULJ
157Please respect copyright.PENANATYMsNapB5I
A uniform hung by the iron frame.157Please respect copyright.PENANAUmY4poFR0i
The name tag read:157Please respect copyright.PENANAGquslirJLB
Yu Yong-An. Inspector. Prevention Unit.157Please respect copyright.PENANAJHCJD02xCE
157Please respect copyright.PENANAxQFL8fQdw7
He touched the name tag,157Please respect copyright.PENANAvFOxOZBwWh
a complex feeling swelling within—157Please respect copyright.PENANA6QJU2DtiDp
both familiar and foreign,157Please respect copyright.PENANAWcJWYKag6d
both identity and burden.157Please respect copyright.PENANAvCYwLelUGw
157Please respect copyright.PENANAVwlPDzqKAg
"So this is… my new life?"157Please respect copyright.PENANAsBUy00fNhO
he whispered.157Please respect copyright.PENANASxAJ5W82jl
No one replied.157Please respect copyright.PENANAD8dKbbAPjt
157Please respect copyright.PENANADsKDVN5D24
Outside, the world had awakened.157Please respect copyright.PENANAGSh5ACOV6a
Morning calls echoed,157Please respect copyright.PENANAQhKeXzempY
a garbage truck rattled by.157Please respect copyright.PENANAGVdt36Pjga
Everything was ordinary,157Please respect copyright.PENANAdTFhotSNb9
neatly staged—157Please respect copyright.PENANAEOd6V6rdH4
yet it all felt like a scene157Please respect copyright.PENANAZrqRIvFRxh
rearranged for a script.157Please respect copyright.PENANAVojGnOphQT
157Please respect copyright.PENANA7wQnz57jKx
He stood, walked into the bathroom.157Please respect copyright.PENANAB9s9DRMK24
The sound of running water filled the space.157Please respect copyright.PENANAnCZDxQAMAm
157Please respect copyright.PENANAuNEf75G1jv
The mirror reflected his face—157Please respect copyright.PENANADcoErrpMKg
no longer fractured,157Please respect copyright.PENANArhpl6pqHvV
no longer a crumbling shadow.157Please respect copyright.PENANAiosZi9JRFD
But not someone easily named, either.157Please respect copyright.PENANAIupxcguTlD
157Please respect copyright.PENANAY2Cwe8Sjqz
He took a deep breath,157Please respect copyright.PENANAEDqfVIsEYo
and said to the mirror:157Please respect copyright.PENANA7lQBrqIxzX
157Please respect copyright.PENANA7F76WPpTky
"Then live—157Please respect copyright.PENANAmd5cK5WLN5
not for someone,157Please respect copyright.PENANA37RXOWzP5c
not for something—157Please respect copyright.PENANA4vYddvWCGj
but for this morning157Please respect copyright.PENANA3uyINk0B24
the world hasn't yet closed."157Please respect copyright.PENANAfAljQQbXcc
157Please respect copyright.PENANAE3s9abHpZW
157Please respect copyright.PENANAMdoUFRa68B
---157Please respect copyright.PENANATg96thwUz3
157Please respect copyright.PENANA2v4c2yTz1T
Three Stations After Waking157Please respect copyright.PENANAs5LPHYjwUy
157Please respect copyright.PENANA5OdaNdlBVF
When he left the dorm,157Please respect copyright.PENANAQzLopyG8Zb
the sky was just beginning to lighten.157Please respect copyright.PENANA5DcHTkmiBy
The city remained suspended in a shade of grey.157Please respect copyright.PENANAl8ukUiqkJm
157Please respect copyright.PENANAge2Wjqdqxb
He didn't check in.157Please respect copyright.PENANA8BTxwXo7f6
Didn't open his memo.157Please respect copyright.PENANAfCmy8S6sxn
Unread messages filled his screen—he didn't reply.157Please respect copyright.PENANAuqv2QAH1AP
He knew where to go—157Please respect copyright.PENANA4bSWFUwIgt
not from duty,157Please respect copyright.PENANA9drcR1ncL0
not from orders,157Please respect copyright.PENANAKpSHKZwfl8
but something deeper calling him forth.157Please respect copyright.PENANAB0aKe8Kv5Y
157Please respect copyright.PENANAWlboJrTnG8
He boarded a bus bound for Qiyang's heart.157Please respect copyright.PENANAy9Kaz8K2rw
In the window,157Please respect copyright.PENANA4y7ABWcGAP
half his face was reflected—157Please respect copyright.PENANA6OgA0Mzs6u
a residue of the mirror that refused to fade.157Please respect copyright.PENANAjq4wnzkTQp
157Please respect copyright.PENANARHyYXylGRR
First station: Lin Yao-Qian.157Please respect copyright.PENANAfBrIZYfdCB
157Please respect copyright.PENANAM0MaFXvJdL
They had worked together once,157Please respect copyright.PENANAELCmRueAoq
shared silent glances over tea.157Please respect copyright.PENANAzQNIojJce9
Yao-Qian had always been quiet,157Please respect copyright.PENANAPoYXesNvlY
but quicker than anyone to sense the strange.157Please respect copyright.PENANA4beltcviAK
157Please respect copyright.PENANADN0zk6Ji08
When he knocked,157Please respect copyright.PENANABecwhFQRxy
Yao-Qian paused only a second, then smiled softly.157Please respect copyright.PENANAAueUDr9axR
157Please respect copyright.PENANAeebjAppVoe
"You're back."157Please respect copyright.PENANAjKQUXNQf3W
157Please respect copyright.PENANALw74d2rxAD
Four words—157Please respect copyright.PENANAjrLM9BZswt
like a signal sent from a diverging timeline.157Please respect copyright.PENANANyynY7b27k
157Please respect copyright.PENANAWssssXmDmO
"How long was I gone?"157Please respect copyright.PENANAcFibQlYMAw
"281 days. Minus one."157Please respect copyright.PENANAUqyyhy8Ce4
157Please respect copyright.PENANAQglxKejQHE
There was no questioning,157Please respect copyright.PENANAOiUgC5r8w1
no surprise at his exact memory.157Please respect copyright.PENANAIajxwnv3RF
Yao-Qian merely brewed two cups of tea, as always—157Please respect copyright.PENANAEiP9b4eLvf
but within the steam157Please respect copyright.PENANAaYIfKJkdOK
lingered an unspoken understanding:157Please respect copyright.PENANAweujRkHQP9
Can memory ever be real?157Please respect copyright.PENANAWlHAGMiaqS
157Please respect copyright.PENANAVJw2rVzXWH
"You know who I'll go to next, don't you?"157Please respect copyright.PENANAWYp3fe8OdU
"Yes. You'll seek out Chen Lu-Ping."157Please respect copyright.PENANAOs8jIVkiPu
"…How do you know?"157Please respect copyright.PENANAgUdsKdsdPP
157Please respect copyright.PENANA2dlSqaZ8Pr
Yao-Qian looked up, voice calm as still water:157Please respect copyright.PENANAd3OcYPmRQ0
157Please respect copyright.PENANAIK0PzTGiQ9
"Because if it were me—157Please respect copyright.PENANAFEiNBfrQhE
I would've done the same."157Please respect copyright.PENANAttMEfDm8M8
157Please respect copyright.PENANAXA6DjrQLk8
A pause.157Please respect copyright.PENANAQ4GmebZ2Oh
157Please respect copyright.PENANA707oTp83Eq
"But be careful.157Please respect copyright.PENANACJhFnxnf7n
Not everyone wants you to remember157Please respect copyright.PENANA0iOkLfChON
what you've forgotten."157Please respect copyright.PENANAHVUVCJRVru
157Please respect copyright.PENANAUcTqGmH28s
157Please respect copyright.PENANA5ZXmH3Guuq
---157Please respect copyright.PENANAXSnnnnwrQU
157Please respect copyright.PENANAYQkrWracXM
Second station: Chen Lu-Ping.157Please respect copyright.PENANAWkXKcQaSVT
157Please respect copyright.PENANA5KzUVKwWt1
The newsstand behind the precinct had long closed.157Please respect copyright.PENANAkwULFhZ1Ib
The old man, as usual, organized his notes in the afternoon.157Please respect copyright.PENANAk1XBVEySlX
That was Lu-Ping's ritual—157Please respect copyright.PENANAZmEixW8KQO
to hide what he never made public157Please respect copyright.PENANAec6ijTmlmp
in the silence of this quieter corner.157Please respect copyright.PENANARRO6ahXFgl
157Please respect copyright.PENANAFP3ycDyLuU
"Lu-Ping," he said from the doorway.157Please respect copyright.PENANAyts7wIsOTD
157Please respect copyright.PENANAZ0XcQn951n
The old figure slowly turned.157Please respect copyright.PENANAyC94mPHcsh
His eyes didn't recognize him at first.157Please respect copyright.PENANAMVumIqHKLC
But after half a second, he spoke, voice low:157Please respect copyright.PENANAtKSpk38rE8
157Please respect copyright.PENANAiDU0Sm9AVE
"You didn't die, after all."157Please respect copyright.PENANAcHllX27ruw
157Please respect copyright.PENANARsiAZV6g5J
Strange words,157Please respect copyright.PENANAos4xPQjSWB
yet utterly real—157Please respect copyright.PENANA8BVLHw8yad
not a greeting,157Please respect copyright.PENANAKmSlL6MLqT
but a confirmation157Please respect copyright.PENANAQgu8AGFLps
of a prophecy buried in time.157Please respect copyright.PENANA6uwdtY78gK
157Please respect copyright.PENANALaukh8DYKg
"You're here for the cross?"157Please respect copyright.PENANAsebF1xhdYf
"No… or maybe not just for that."157Please respect copyright.PENANAyiPfMebhjf
"You're here to find out157Please respect copyright.PENANATdNrwjqrhN
why you're still alive, aren't you?"157Please respect copyright.PENANAwDYdsFp6OO
157Please respect copyright.PENANAVLscIXgYUa
He said nothing,157Please respect copyright.PENANAuYarcsMTsp
only watched Lu-Ping's hand—157Please respect copyright.PENANAfZjamYBKaS
the one that once penned reports,157Please respect copyright.PENANA0oKAZPhAmc
now trembling slightly.157Please respect copyright.PENANAus0BSyulP1
157Please respect copyright.PENANAzM1jfRkWL5
"Go to Bai Zi-Ming.157Please respect copyright.PENANAFPOCobH6XY
He'll say what you don't want to hear."157Please respect copyright.PENANAbYhT8BLxDH
157Please respect copyright.PENANAefQQ6LQF9t
"But if you don't,"157Please respect copyright.PENANAPcviizMt3T
"those things will cling to you157Please respect copyright.PENANA5pS7iercGE
for the rest of your life."157Please respect copyright.PENANAM6mbuJyp7T
157Please respect copyright.PENANAwEQ6EOoyGH
157Please respect copyright.PENANAPHdftCN3gS
---157Please respect copyright.PENANAVYSihbxd60
157Please respect copyright.PENANAdiNAvflcub
Third station: Bai Zi-Ming.157Please respect copyright.PENANA95KhspXJn5
157Please respect copyright.PENANAbY6BtBu37v
The LUOYEH base still hid157Please respect copyright.PENANASlkONulZYQ
beneath Qiyang's old city.157Please respect copyright.PENANAVe1Niu9UVD
The entrance had changed three times—157Please respect copyright.PENANAzkTYvuevO3
yet he remembered the way.157Please respect copyright.PENANAZU7vPf1a8L
157Please respect copyright.PENANAYcHqSfpttp
It wasn't memory.157Please respect copyright.PENANAvljoZYN9z8
It was a compass from another self.157Please respect copyright.PENANAtBhjT6J350
157Please respect copyright.PENANA4aWLc8Lyqm
When he stepped into the corridor's dim glow,157Please respect copyright.PENANAdv76mOIj5D
Bai Zi-Ming stood at the far end—157Please respect copyright.PENANAs9NwqicZgB
as if waiting all along.157Please respect copyright.PENANAhueK7wa4HO
157Please respect copyright.PENANAl257QLXYV1
"I thought you'd come later," he said,157Please respect copyright.PENANAhCGuDTqs4B
his tone calm as ever.157Please respect copyright.PENANAtBZTpuIpXU
"Last time you left,157Please respect copyright.PENANAbZbevey0OQ
you said you'd never return."157Please respect copyright.PENANAy68LyaH8dy
157Please respect copyright.PENANAuv0uKZQgJx
He didn't reply.157Please respect copyright.PENANALmDCg1AlZa
He only stared into Bai's eyes—157Please respect copyright.PENANAvY2CvvyOxi
no surprise in them.157Please respect copyright.PENANA9tkILl8oE7
Only shadows long expected.157Please respect copyright.PENANA84xr3hVqGn
157Please respect copyright.PENANApzsQL7jpRc
"What do you want to ask?"157Please respect copyright.PENANASQ2FuZYDJa
"Do you know what I've lost?"157Please respect copyright.PENANADSUYgvjorX
"No.157Please respect copyright.PENANAryWSYcRXbW
What you don't understand is—157Please respect copyright.PENANA5nuG3sjaN0
what you now possess157Please respect copyright.PENANAlXS0PEqAW8
doesn't all belong to you."157Please respect copyright.PENANATqZ7yQZMS7
157Please respect copyright.PENANABsgwgl9RQW
Like a nail hammered into his mind.157Please respect copyright.PENANAaUevZBOFq1
157Please respect copyright.PENANAMZ88S1JBZJ
"You didn't come here to retrieve anything,"157Please respect copyright.PENANAhFdcjDTWDy
Bai's voice sliced through the silence.157Please respect copyright.PENANAC1WTt2oL2h
"You came—157Please respect copyright.PENANAVUncCKFqJd
to decide where it goes."157Please respect copyright.PENANAJBeXLKoij1
157Please respect copyright.PENANAG1TOiO75m1
The air froze.157Please respect copyright.PENANAExe1CCioxN
157Please respect copyright.PENANAqGx60VSvV6
This wasn't a reunion.157Please respect copyright.PENANAmhiqRbxJm5
157Please respect copyright.PENANAMjiXhw80q1
It was a silent trial.
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A Promise In Four Fragments
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A Promise In Four Fragments
Author:
烙燁 Luòyèh

ISSUE #42
The Morning Without a Name
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