Chapter 6, The Crossroads of Destiny
To be precise, the air rippled like water waves, resembling a clumsy projection. A humanoid entity emerged, its specific features obscured by the intertwining of bizarre colors, yet it felt distinctly human.
In today's information society, as long as one does not truly move into the deep mountains or a secluded paradise, thereby completely isolating oneself from the world, it is quite difficult to ensure that the information one receives has been rigorously filtered.
... ... Ha ha ha, why don't you take a guess at what I am?
It has shrunk, as small as a song, as small as a moment of eternal kiss
Xia Ran couldn't help but slightly furrow her brows, as if this monster was capable of communication, and at least for the moment, it seemed to harbor no hostility. Furthermore, it appeared that the words of the other party hinted at some rather subtle information.
When he is browsing the internet, he does not know what kind of pop-up information will appear on the webpage he has opened, it could just be a movie trailer
The world unveiled its vast mask before its beloved
... ...
Xia Ran certainly did not intend to stubbornly resist, as no matter how much he delayed, he still needed rest, which could not fundamentally solve the problem... Moreover, his situation was different; staying up late to cultivate was a major taboo...
The night that Xia Ran despises the most has once again descended, silently and swiftly enveloping the earth. Perhaps it should be said that it is not the night he hates, but rather the routine of having to sleep, which may lead to the possibility of dreaming.
To speak frankly, it is really not a common sight for a high school boy of his age to be engrossed in poetry collections or other literary works all day long, carefully reading and contemplating, cultivating his mind and character...
Yet he cannot avoid being human, so he must rest and cannot remain in a state of prolonged standby; this is a matter that is fundamentally non-negotiable in being human
He did not know how much time had passed as he lay in bed lost in thought, reflecting on the events of the day. Eventually, he drifted into a hazy sleep, and then... he found himself in a state of half-dream, half-wakefulness that felt incredibly familiar.
Welcome, oh my, I am truly moved to tears, finally, new people have come here again
The indistinct figure let out a chilling laugh, its deep voice resonating like that of a demon, accompanied by a suffocating coldness that spread outward.
I am your guide, newcomer
He is just like this
The source of that sound is elusive and completely indeterminate in direction, and even the volume, tone, and timbre of the voice are constantly shifting and changing, more mysterious than 3D surround sound, to the extent that it is impossible to discern whether it is male or female.
Hmph, this is a game. Who created this game is no longer a matter of consideration; perhaps it was the gods, or perhaps it was demons, more likely it was aliens or humans from the future. In any case, you are now a part of this game, or rather, you have already become a part of this game.
Indeed, he knew that nothing good could possibly come of it; it must be, as before, a variety of anomalies and monsters born from nightmares
Therefore, he would not make things difficult for himself at this moment; once the appropriate time arrives, Xia Ran will decisively throw herself onto the bed.
Xia Ran instinctively took half a step back, staring intently at the appearance of the other party, and once again hesitantly asked the previous question.
What are you ... ... ?
His health has never been good, and his foundation is rather weak. He certainly does not wish to ascend to the heavens at such a young age and join the ranks of immortals
Oh? That vague humanoid suddenly froze.
Xia Ran looked around in a somewhat dazed manner, completely unable to comprehend what this dream was all about. He wandered in this pure white world, noticing no changes, and after a strenuous effort to think, he found no inspiration.
There is truly only a pure white, and apart from that, it is completely empty, devoid of anything. The ground is equally flat to the extent that there is not even a hint of curvature...
It seemed as if the ticking sound of a clock resonated; in any case, by the time Xia Ran had completed all her tasks, time had inevitably passed, and the hands of the clock were approaching eleven o'clock
"Guide? What guide?"
Certainly, for him, the best expectation is to not dream at all; simply sleeping soundly until dawn is naturally the best. Secondly, it is to avoid nightmares; no matter what kind of dream it is, as long as it is not a nightmare, that is sufficient.
"Cut! What a boring newcomer, completely unaware of how to cooperate..."
Cooking, eating, washing up, tidying up some household chores, and then writing today's diary and notes
Then, a ... appeared before his eyes. ... a blurred human silhouette.
These things, strictly speaking, are all part of the information he receives from the outside world, which is unavoidable and cannot be chosen
"Give me a moment, do you think I haven't seen 'Infinite Zero Horror'?" Xia Ran's lips curled slightly, then she delivered a piercing remark with remarkable sharpness
... ...
After much contemplation and exhausting his thoughts, he found himself with no results, leading him to doubt whether he had completely forgotten what he had seen. However, it is worth mentioning that in this pure white world, he seemed to experience a peculiar sense of tranquility
As he walked down the street, he was unaware of what kind of advertisements he might encounter, and while in the bookstore, he did not know which book cover titles he might see, thus leading to various associations
Immediately thereafter, a peculiar "disturbance" emerged within this pure white space, which was not only invisible to the naked eye but also did not manifest as sound or shockwaves. However, strangely, Xia Ran was able to sense it.
... ...
It is akin to playing certain tormenting games; although one dies repeatedly under various conspiracies and malice, suffering immensely from different forms of death, it ultimately concerns the experiences of the characters within the game. No matter how much mental anguish the player in reality endures, there is no danger to their life.
Cough, cough, since that is the case, I will stop joking. Welcome to the great white space, which serves as the nexus between worlds...
... ...
As he turned on the television, he was unaware of what kind of advertisements or images he would encounter
The only thing one can do is pray not to have nightmares, after all, the heavens are merciful. Over the course of approximately one year, he has been forced to evolve into the ultimate form of a "true literary youth".
This is a pure white world, very clean, with only a expanse of pure white
... ...
For instance, he has indeed read that novel, but it was in a past dream.
Isn't this what is referred to as a lucid dream? The dreamer maintains a conscious awareness during sleep, possessing the ability to think and remember as they do when awake. Some individuals can even make the sensations in their dreams feel as real as those in the real world, while still knowing that they are in a dream.
After all, he has encountered many dangerous situations and terrifying monsters in his dreams, so it is impossible to say that he has not grown at all. ... Although it is true that one should run when necessary at critical moments, whenever there is an opportunity ... . ... However, panic will not easily arise.
The indistinct figure emitted an ambiguous and elusive sound, which continued to fluctuate in both volume and direction, completely unstable, evoking a peculiar sensation as if the electromagnetic communication were being interfered with
However, he dares not watch movies, anime, or read novels... He is simply afraid of receiving troublesome information, which ultimately leads to the formation of dream scenarios that he is completely unable to cope with or absolutely does not want to see
A day has passed just like that
What is this place...?
Vague humanoid existence
... ...
Just as Xia Ran continued to feel confused and troubled, a somewhat frivolous voice suddenly rang out around him, startling him greatly
This is the source of his confidence
In this state, Xia Ran's mind seemed to exhibit a peculiar split; one part of her consciousness remained hazily immersed in sleep, while another part appeared to have detached from the main self, observing the unfolding events with a strange sense of being a third party.
After all, the definition that Xia Ran gives to her lucid dreams is that they are a highly potent double-edged sword—nightmares being the most terrifying side effect. While other dreams may simply be a powerful tool, they also cause significant chaos and inconvenience in real life.
At that moment, the indistinct figure moderated its tone and said with utmost seriousness
We have been observing you, newcomer. This is neither reality nor illusion, but rather the surreal.
... ...
A mindset similar to suffering while playing games, although one does not genuinely wish to suffer, there is also no real fear of the character's death within the game
Under such circumstances, as long as one slightly concentrates their willpower and forces themselves to start thinking actively, Xia Ran immediately becomes "alert".
"Why don't you take a guess whether I can guess or not?" After a brief silence, Xia Ran said with a hint of sarcasm. He did not panic as a result; instead, he quickly calmed himself down.
It should indeed be a very prominent characteristic, yet no matter how he searches in his mind, he cannot recall the corresponding information
A pure white space
What is more important is that he feels that at worst, it is just being frightened in a dream, being killed once, although that feeling is quite unpleasant, it will not carry over into reality, and that is already enough
But what can he do? He is also very desperate! Even if such a method is adopted, it still cannot completely eliminate the occurrence of nightmares; it can only be said to effectively reduce the frequency of nightmares.
Placing a choice in the city feels bewildering, as if one is in front of decaying individuals. Once they choose this game, they will be sent to various scenes from horror films
... ...
Xia Ran looked around with utmost vigilance, yet was unable to see anyone else in this pure white space apart from herself
Have there been any relevant pieces of information from the external world that you have received recently
... ...
However, this time it seems subtly different, as there appears to be some strange change within the dream.
... ...
It seems that the expected outcome was not achieved, hence the voice appears to be somewhat disappointed
At the same time, his consciousness was rapidly spinning, desperately searching for any possible information, but he just could not recall what strange messages he had received recently, which had led to the bizarre unfolding of his current dream.
The overflowing light illuminated the space, making it appear white
Vaguely, he felt that he was finally close to the truth, perhaps everything could be answered today
Who? What is it?