Hearing her sister’s question, Yan Qi wanted to answer—but she knew time had run out. With an apologetic smile, she said:
“Sorry, Xiaoyu-jie. I don’t have time to explain now. But don’t worry, I’ll find a way to contact you later. I’ll answer your question then.”
With those final words, Yan Qi’s avatar could no longer hold on. Her body dissolved into countless shimmering motes of light, vanishing completely from Yan Yu’s sight.
For a moment, Yan Yu stood frozen, staring blankly at the spot where her sister had disappeared in such an ethereal manner. Only after the last traces of light had faded did she finally stir.
“…She’ll contact me later?”
Yan Yu murmured inwardly, still gazing at the empty space. Then, without another word, she turned and headed for the Abyss Rift, leaving the dark realm behind.
Stepping through the rift back into the real world, Yan Yu was immediately assaulted by blinding sunlight. After spending so long in the Abyss, her eyes struggled to adjust. She squinted, raising a hand to shield her face.
“Um… miss? Are you… Xiaoyu?”
A familiar voice reached her ears. Yan Yu turned toward the speaker—Xu Ziqi, who had lingered near the rift while her classmates fled further down the mountain.
Understanding why Xu Ziqi would ask, Yan Yu showed no surprise. She simply nodded.
“Ziqi, it’s me.”
Relief washed over Xu Ziqi’s face. She hurried forward, her eyes brimming with curiosity.
“Xiaoyu, how did you… become like this?”
“That blue-haired girl—Ji Zige—gave me supernatural powers. This form is the result.”
“Ji Zige?”
“The twin-tailed girl who saved us.”
“Oh! So that was her name!” Xu Ziqi’s expression cleared. “No wonder you transformed and became so strong all of a sudden.”
Then, noticing Yan Yu was alone, she added:
“Where is she? Didn’t she come out with you?”
Yan Yu’s gaze grew distant. “She… left in a way I can’t explain.”
“Oh…” Disappointment tinged Xu Ziqi’s voice. “I wanted to thank her.”
“Ziqi, did you report this to the Anomaly Affairs Bureau after getting out?”
“We called them immediately. They said they’d send people to handle it soon.”
“Good.” Yan Yu glanced around. “Wait—where are the others?”
Xu Ziqi pointed downhill. “They were scared more monsters might come through the rift, so they ran to the foot of the mountain.”
“The foot? Wait—we’re still on Qingxu Mountain?” Yan Yu blinked, surprised.
“Yeah, we’re on the mountainside.”
Finally adjusted to the light, Yan Yu looked toward the base of the mountain, baffled.
“How? We’d already reached the base in the Abyss. Why are we back on the slope?”
Xu Ziqi shrugged helplessly. “I… really don’t know.”
“Never mind. Overthinking won’t help. Let’s regroup with the others.”
As they prepared to leave, Xu Ziqi hesitated, eyeing Yan Yu’s transformed appearance.
“Xiaoyu… can you change back?”
“Of course. Why?”
“It’s just… this look feels weird. I prefer your usual self.”
“Oh. Then I’ll revert now.”
Without further ado, Yan Yu dismissed her transformation, her features shifting back to normal.
“Better?”
Xu Ziqi grinned. “Much!”
“Then let’s go.”
The two quickly left the rift behind, making their way down the mountain to rejoin their classmates—and await the Anomaly Affairs Bureau’s arrival.
Meanwhile, over a thousand miles away in Fengfang City…
In a quiet bedroom, Yan Qi—her true self—slowly opened her eyes.