Lin Xiao leaned back on his hospital bed, trying to process the surge of memories that flooded his mind. As the newly restored memories settled, a strange feeling of dissonance washed over him. This Prime Timeline—the real world—was vastly different from what he had expected. The world he knew wasn't anything like this.
This planet was still called Earth, but everything else seemed off. As he delved deeper into his restored memories, Lin Xiao realized that the names of the countries in this timeline were... strange.
They weren't named after historical figures or geographical locations like the world he thought he came from. Instead, each country had an animal-related name—names like Dragon Country, Bear Country, and Eagle Country stood out vividly.
"Dragon Country?" Lin Xiao thought, mentally sifting through his memories of the Prime Timeline. As odd as it seemed, the more he thought about it, the more familiar it became.
Yes, this was how the world always had been, but in the other timelines, everything had been different—so vastly different that now he realized the extent of the dissonance between this reality and the ones he had lived through.
But that wasn't the only strange thing.
This world had no supernatural powers. None of the magical or mysterious forces that had shaped his life existed here. The people here lived ordinary lives—there were no demons, no portals, no time loops, no strange boys with reality-warping powers.
He glanced at his hands and flexed his fingers, half-expecting to summon some kind of ability or skill. But nothing happened. The sense of power that he had grown accustomed to was gone.
Lin Xiao frowned as he tried to make sense of how he had ended up in those bizarre alternate worlds in the first place. As he rifled through his newly restored memories, something clicked.
"Why did I leave the Prime Timeline?" he asked himself aloud.
The answer hit him like a bolt of lightning as a particular memory surfaced—a moment he had almost forgotten. It was an ordinary day when he had received a new mission from the system.
He had thought nothing of it at the time, simply another quest in his ongoing journey. The system had given him a reward for completing the mission—a skill called Temporal Resonance. It had seemed innocuous at first, just another power among many.
But as soon as he had activated it, something unexpected had happened.
He closed his eyes and focused, replaying the event in his mind. He could see himself standing in his old room, staring at the skill screen. The description of Temporal Resonance had promised him the ability to interact with different timelines, allowing him to influence or travel between them.
Lin Xiao had been intrigued, naturally, and without a second thought, he had activated the skill, eager to see what it could do. But the moment he did, he felt an overwhelming force pull at him. It was as if his very soul had been yanked out of his body.
He remembered the sensation vividly—the way his vision had blurred, the way the world around him had distorted and faded into darkness.
And then, without warning, he had been thrust into another timeline. The first of many.
The memory sent a shiver down his spine. He hadn't realized it at the time, but Temporal Resonance had done far more than simply let him interact with other timelines. It had flung him into an endless spiral of alternate realities, each one more surreal and dangerous than the last.
He had been jumping from one broken timeline to another, desperately trying to make sense of it all, unaware that he was straying further and further from the Prime Timeline—the real timeline.
Lin Xiao opened his eyes, his heart pounding. "So that's it… It was the skill," he muttered to himself. "I activated Temporal Resonance, and that's what sent me spiraling through those other worlds."
Now, the question was: why had he been given such a dangerous skill in the first place? Was it a mistake, or had there been a purpose behind it? He couldn't shake the feeling that something—or someone—had orchestrated this.
The system had always seemed to guide him in mysterious ways, but this felt different. This felt like a test, or maybe even a trap.
But why? Lin Xiao wondered. Why had the system thrown him into those alternate timelines? Was it part of some greater plan, or was it something else entirely?
The system had brought him back to the Prime Timeline now, but that only raised more questions. If this was the true timeline, then why had he been taken away from it? And now that he was back, what was he supposed to do next?
Lin Xiao sat up in the hospital bed, his mind racing. He still didn't have all the answers, but at least now he knew where it had all begun. The skill, Temporal Resonance, had been the catalyst. But what had he been doing in those other worlds? And why was he meant to return here?
One thing was certain—he couldn't stay idle. There had to be more to this than just random chance. The system had given him that skill for a reason, and he intended to find out what that reason was.
With a deep breath, Lin Xiao glanced out of the window once more, at the peaceful world beyond. It looked so normal, so tranquil, yet beneath that surface, he sensed there was more going on. He had to figure out why he had returned to this world, and what his next steps would be.
Lin Xiao's heart raced as the realization hit him. Where are Xiao Bai and Little Blackie? He felt a sharp pang of worry as he searched his mind, recalling every detail of the past few timelines. His loyal companions—cats with abilities far beyond normal—had been by his side through so many bizarre and dangerous moments. But what about now?
Suddenly, a rush of relief washed over him. His memories, freshly restored from the Prime Timeline, confirmed that in this world too, he had adopted Xiao Bai and Little Blackie.
"Phew," Lin Xiao exhaled, running a hand through his hair. At least they're still here.
He looked out of the hospital window again, watching the ordinary sky and the bustling city outside. Everything seemed so normal—too normal. And that thought brought another wave of questions flooding his mind.
"Does that mean Li Jing and the others don't exist here?" he murmured to himself, his gaze distant. "Or… do they exist, but just without the superpowers?"
In the other timelines, Li Jing had been a powerful figure—someone deeply involved in the supernatural events that shaped Lin Xiao's journey. But here, in this mundane reality, would she still be the same person? Could she be living an ordinary life, oblivious to the fantastical worlds they had both once navigated?
Lin Xiao's curiosity burned, but so did his sense of caution. If this truly was the real world—the Prime Timeline—then maybe it was better to leave things as they were. No red moons. No strange rituals. Just a peaceful life.
But that nagging thought wouldn't let go. What if? He couldn't help but wonder. What if the people he had known still existed here? What if there was a part of them that still remembered, even if they didn't have powers anymore?
Lin Xiao sat on the edge of the bed, his mind racing with possibilities. He didn't want to disturb this peace, but he also couldn't ignore the burning questions inside him.