The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 332: Promise

“Huai Wei? Huai Wei?” Gao Yang waved a hand before her. “I’m done.”

Huai Wei slowly looked up and took another can of beer out of the bag, opening it and taking a large gulp.

“Stop drinking.” Gao Yang grabbed the beer from her. “Do you understand me?”

“I do!” Huai Wei lost her composure, raising her voice. “My family, friends, teachers, and classmates are likely all monsters! I’ve been living in a fake world! I’m a human and I wasn’t born between my parents. I don’t know where I came from either! I’ve awakened now, and I have a Time-Space Talent that brought me 78 years into the future, running into you by chance!”

Gao Yang nodded. “That’s it.”

“But I don’t understand why. Why is the world the way it is?” Huai Wei covered her face and her reddened eyes with both hands, losing herself into confusion and dejection again. “What...should I do?”

“I don’t know, either,” Gao Yang said honestly. “But the fact that you’ve come here means that you must be able to go back. Do you know the name of your Talent?”

Huai Wei paused. After a few seconds, she said like she had remembered something, “When I blacked out after touching the Rune Circuit, I heard a voice in my head.”

“What voice?”

“It seems to be saying...three times...space spirit? Yeah, three times space spirit.”

“Three times space spirit,” Gao Yang repeated and tried to decipher it. “Three times...no, three, time space spirit.”

“Ah, it’s serial number 3, Time-Space Spirit!”

So that’s how things work.

Gao Yang had been wondering how awakeners knew of their Talent and serial number without a system before the definite list of Talents was made.

It turned out that they could hear the information when their Talents leveled up.

“Serial number 3?” Huai Wei had heard about the 199 Talents from Gao Yang. “Do you mean my Talent is ranked third? Whoa, am I that good?”

“Yeah, serial number 3. And you just leveled up. Your Talent is Time-Space Spirit, now level 4.”

Gao Yang hid his complicated feelings. Who would’ve thought the girl he ran into would turn out to be such a bigshot?

Still, she had only been forced to use her Talent a few times before, yet her Talent had already reached level 3 before touching the Rune Circuit?

There were ample precedents where humans awakened boundless potential in moments of crisis though, and perhaps there was something special about the top Talents; for example, they might be able to skip levels.

“But why didn’t I feel anything?” Huai Wei stared at her hands.

“Close your eyes and feel the energy inside you.” Gao Yang smiled. “It’s something you have to learn yourself.”

Huai Wei closed her eyes and frowned, looking constipated.

Half a minute later, she opened her eyes and sighed. “I think...I still can’t feel it.”

Gao Yang hesitated before reaching out. “Here, give me your hand.”

Huai Wei nodded and complied.

Gao Yang took her hand. “Close your eyes and focus on the feeling.”

Gao Yang tapped into his energy and sent it to his palm.

Eyes closed, Huai Wei felt Gao Yang’s palm get warmer all of a sudden—not actually increasing in temperature in the physical sense, but a feeling of warmth.

Huai Wei didn’t know that it was the resonation of energy between two awakeners, but she was able to form a concrete idea of the phenomenon when the warmth reached her palm.

And with it, she quickly found the strange energy in her own body. It differed from Gao Yang’s and was uniquely hers.

It didn’t take long for her to recognize the energy. Then slowly but surely, she became aware of the meridians in her body and integrated her body and will.

Two minutes passed in silence.

When Huai Wei slowly opened her eyes, she was effectively a new woman, and even her tone became composed and confident.

She gave Gao Yang a grateful look. “I found it. It’s been in me all this time. I can now control it.”

“Really? That’s good.” Gao Yang let go of Huai Wei’s hand. He hadn’t been sure if it would work, actually; he made the attempt only because there was nothing to lose.

Huai Wei looked at Gao Yang. They were similar in age, but he was much more mature and knew a lot more. After saving her life, he also guided her to gain control over her Talent’s energy.

She suddenly developed a newfound admiration for the young man.

“Qi Ying, you’re my savior and teacher. May I call you teacher?”

Gao Yang was a little surprised. It was his first time being called a teacher, and he wasn’t sure he could live up to the title.

Still, Huai Wei was being too earnest for him to turn her down. “Sure.”

“Thank you.” She smiled at Gao Yang. “Teacher Qi Ying, I think I have to go back.”

“Huh?” Gao Yang paused. He was going to take her to Vermilion Bird.

But thinking back, it made sense for Huai Wei’s time travel to come with restrictions in terms of duration, number of uses, and other aspects. Otherwise, the Talent would be too powerful.

“Yeah, I can sense it now. The energy that brought me here was pulling me back...” Huai Wei smiled faintly, her gaze conflicted. “I’m going back to my time.”

“You must be careful once you’re back. Don’t trust anyone. If you can’t kill your father, you must stay away from him forever and live as a different person.”

Huai Wei nodded. “I will. I know what I have to do.”

After a moment of thinking, she said seriously, “Teacher Qi Ying, may I come back to visit you?”

Gao Yang smiled wryly after a moment of surprise. “I won’t stop you, but it’s better that you don’t.”

“Why?” Huai Wei didn’t understand.

“Because you may not find me in the future.”

“Why?”

“The Crimson Tide is coming in seven days, and all awakeners could die.”

Huai Wei was silent for a few seconds before she looked up at him with determination. “No, you will survive the crisis, Teacher, and we will see each other again.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” Gao Yang smiled. “You too. Stay alive in your time.”

“Yeah, that’s a promise.” Huai Wei extended a hand.

Gao Yang took it, and they shared a smile.

Gradually, Huai Wei turned translucent, and a strange energy field radiated from her.

Gao Yang felt a swoosh of explosive gust, messing up his hair and forcing him to close his eyes for half a second.

The hand he was holding disappeared, so did Huai Wei.

The dim moon hung in the night sky after rain. By the serene ocean, all that was left was the gentle night wind and the sounds of waves. It was as if the eighteen-year-old girl from the previous century had never been here.

After a quiet moment, Gao Yang took out his phone and called Vermilion Bird.

She picked up quickly. “It’s late. What is it?”

“Sister Xia, I have a question for you. Do you know an awakener named Huai Wei?”

“Who?”

“A powerful awakener, but from the last century.”

“I don’t know. I’ve never heard of someone with the name.”

“Is that so?” Gao Yang sighed, feeling a pang in his heart. Could it be that Huai Wei hadn’t survived?

But then he realized his mistake. Huai Wei wouldn’t be using her real name after her return. She must have come up with a codename for herself. He wondered what it would be.

He chuckled at his phone. “Sister Xia, a strange thing happened to me earlier. I have to tell you in person.”

...

Green Lotus Park, Shanqing District, Li City.

At midnight, all the street lamps in the park had turned off, making the world seem even quieter. The only spot of warmth in the chilling veil of rain was the orange light coming from the inside of the RV by the lake.

After Alcoholic retold her first experience of time-travel, the inside of the car was silent for close to a minute.

Qilin held onto his cane with both hands and concluded, “So you can travel in time, and an hour ago, the eighteen-year-old you met Elder Seven Shadow from the Guild in Naldives. Touching the Time-Space Rune Circuit by chance, your Talent ended up reaching level 4?”

Qilin pulled his lips into a strange smile. He would rather take that as nonsense Alcoholic spouted in drunken confusion.

“What?” Alcoholic was annoyed. “You don’t believe me?”

Qilin was just about to say something when Surnamed Li interrupted him with a smile. “A call is coming for you. Pick it up first.”

And indeed, his phone rang right after that.

Qilin checked the caller ID. It was Vermilion Bird.

He openly took the call. “What is it?”

“Ah, there’s something I feel like I should report to you immediately. It’s about Seven Shadow. He said that he ran into a girl tonight, and she was from 78 years ago.”