As Lin Xiao lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, his mind began to drift toward tomorrow. School. It had been ages since he'd even thought about school.
The idea of going back to class, sitting at a desk, and pretending everything was normal felt surreal. But here he was, back in the so-called "prime timeline," where things like school, homework, and social life actually mattered.
He let out a long sigh, trying to organize his thoughts. What would tomorrow be like? Would it be like before? He mentally sifted through his memories, trying to find some comfort in the familiar routine of his past life.
Yes, the school was the same as he remembered it. Same brick buildings, same cafeteria, same teachers who droned on about equations and history lessons. But as he dug deeper into his memories, something felt… off. Not with the school itself, but with the people in it.
Chen Manyao, for instance—she existed in this timeline too. Lin Xiao's heart gave a small tug as he thought about her. She was one of the brightest students in his class, always at the top of every exam, always surrounded by friends.
In the previous timeline, he had been too caught up in system missions to pay much attention to her, too focused on fighting through supernatural tasks and surviving one chaotic event after another. He had barely spoken a word to her.
In fact, he realized with a pang of guilt, he hadn't really talked to anyone at school. The system missions had consumed every aspect of his life—forcing him to chase after clues, complete dangerous tasks, and solve riddles to keep himself alive.
He had been so caught up in his bizarre new reality that regular life had slipped through his fingers. And that included relationships, friendships, even casual acquaintances.
"What would Chen Manyao think of me now?" Lin Xiao wondered. Would she even recognize him? Maybe not, since he had become practically invisible at school, thanks to the system.
His days had revolved around missions, his nights spent scouring clues or battling otherworldly forces.
It wasn't that he had wanted to cut ties with his classmates—it was just that, well, things like making friends or talking to someone like Chen Manyao had felt so trivial compared to fighting off ghosts or jumping through time.
And now, lying here in the quiet of his room, with nothing supernatural looming over him, Lin Xiao felt a strange emptiness. In this "prime timeline," he had a chance to live a normal life again, to go back to the way things were before the system took over.
But was that even possible? Could he just pick up where he left off? Could he start talking to Chen Manyao as if the past timelines had never happened?
The more he thought about it, the more he realized how much he had missed out on. It wasn't just Chen Manyao. There were others, too. Classmates whose names he couldn't even remember anymore.
Friends from his childhood who had drifted away because he had been too focused on system quests. People he had once been close to, but had faded into the background as the missions piled up.
He tried to recall some of their faces—faint, blurry images of people laughing in the school courtyard or chatting during lunch breaks. How long had it been since he had a normal conversation with any of them?
Since he had laughed at something stupid in class or joined a group for a class project? Those things seemed so far away now, like they belonged to another lifetime entirely.
Lin Xiao turned his head to the side, looking at Xiao Bai and Lil'Blackie, who were quietly napping beside him. In some strange way, they were the only constants in his life.
They had traveled through time and space with him, followed him from timeline to timeline, and now they were here, in the prime world, by his side once again.
The comfort of their presence was undeniable, but it didn't change the fact that he had lost so much during his journey.
He wondered if this timeline would give him a second chance. Could he rebuild those lost relationships? Could he finally have a normal life, one where missions didn't dictate his every move? But even as the thought crossed his mind, doubt lingered.
The system was still with him. It had updated, sure, but it hadn't gone away. That meant his life might never be truly "normal." There was always the chance it would drag him back into its web of supernatural chaos. And what would that mean for his chances of connecting with people like Chen Manyao or the others at school? Could he really juggle both worlds?
The uncertainty gnawed at him, but Lin Xiao pushed it aside for now. He couldn't afford to get lost in his own head. He needed to focus on tomorrow—on going back to school, on seeing how things played out in this timeline.
Maybe it would be different. Maybe the system wouldn't interfere this time, and he could just… live. At least for a while.
His thoughts drifted back to Chen Manyao. In the memories of this timeline, they had never exchanged more than a few words. She had probably never even noticed him. Yet, a part of him wondered what it would be like to change that. What if he could build a friendship with her? What if he could actually connect with someone at school, for once?
Lin Xiao chuckled softly to himself. It felt strange, thinking about things like this—normal things.
His mind had been so preoccupied with survival, with missions and power-ups, that he had forgotten what it felt like to want something so simple. To just… talk to someone. To make a friend.
"I guess I'll find out tomorrow," he muttered under his breath.
As he lay there, thinking about the day ahead, a wave of exhaustion washed over him. He closed his eyes, letting the stillness of the night lull him into a shallow sleep.
The last thought that passed through his mind was the image of Chen Manyao—smiling, surrounded by friends, completely unaware of the supernatural world Lin Xiao had once lived in.
When the sun rose the next morning, Lin Xiao woke to the sound of birds chirping outside his window. He yawned, stretching his limbs, and glanced at the clock. It was time to get ready for school. The first day back in what felt like an eternity.