Ju Qiongqiong suddenly woke up. The morning sunlight that had seeped through the window fell directly on his face, warm and clear, like undeniable proof of reality. He lay still for a few moments, feeling his own breathing and heartbeat. There was no strange pressure in his chest, no darkness, no weight of the night—everything was so normal that he was sure that everything before was just a strange dream.
He breathed a small sigh of relief at this conclusion. The goddess, the mental hospital, the sealed ward—all must be a perverted game of the subconscious. Opening his eyes, he took a good look at the room; the ceiling, the walls, the windows—all were familiar, all real. At that moment, the foundation of his thoughts was shattered, because right above his head, Olivia was floating silently, a few feet above the ground, shadowless and unusually still.
Ju Qiongqiong's eyes slowly widened, and his brain seemed to forget to think for a moment. His body wanted to move, but it didn't, his breath caught in his throat. Olivia looked down and said in that calm, indifferent voice, "Oh, you're awake." That single sentence ended all doubts.
Slowly sitting up, Ju Qiongqiong felt that the world around him was going on as before—the sun was rising, the light was falling, everything was normal. But he knew that he had been transferred to another world.
He slowly sat up, then stood up from the bed. As he walked towards the old wooden cupboard in front, Erwin's memories flashed through his mind—he had to go to university today, he couldn't be late. Reality sat on his shoulders like a burden, even though the dream had been cut, the responsibility remained. The air in the room was silent, but something had changed imperceptibly in that silence.
Olivia, who was floating in the air behind him, suddenly spoke, her voice soft and calm. "Master, don't worry. No one can see or hear me except you." Erwin didn't answer, just opened the closet door. Olivia said again with a sweet smile, "When you were sleeping, you looked like an innocent child."
Erwin took out the clothes from the closet, arranged them, and placed them on the bed. His expression was calm, but there was caution hidden deep in his eyes. He started walking towards the bathroom, and Olivia also started talking right behind him, floating in the air, as if the walls and doors didn't exist. This unusual companionship was bothering him, but he didn't say anything.
Erwin suddenly stopped and looked back. "Will you also come with me to wash your hands and face...?" There was a tired sarcasm in his voice. Olivia placed the finger of her right hand in front of her mouth, and said with a light smile, "No need. Besides, I'm a spirit. I don't need to wash my hands and face." Erwin quickly closed the door without listening to Olivia.
Olivia was floating alone in the void on this side of the door, silently looking at her dress. The long purple silk dress she was wearing was billowy, loose from the waist down, with delicate folds on the sleeves—as if carrying memories of a royal era. But the reality of this room, the rhythm of this time, did not quite adapt to it. A shadow of hesitation flashed in her eyes for a moment.
Just then, Erwin's sister Cherry walked past her. She was wearing women's home clothes—a long gown with a high waist, made of light fabric, with simple folds at the bottom, and a comfortable skirt. Olivia looked, and her own dress silently changed; the purple silk disappeared and she was wearing a simple yellow gown suitable for that era.
Olivia's gaze turned in that direction at the soft sound coming from the kitchen. She floated silently to where Mrs. Rose and Cherry were busy making breakfast. The pot was rattling on the stove, and the morning light was pouring through the window, casting soft shadows on the kitchen floor.
"Mom, it would be even better if you flavored the cake with strawberries," Cherry said excitedly. Mrs. Rose smiled and asked her to bring strawberry juice, swirling a wooden spoon in her hand. The room was filled with a strange warmth as they chatted.
Breakfast was ready in no time, and the smell of food filled the entire room. The soft aroma of butter, the sweet scent of cake—all in all, a quiet, family morning. Olivia watched silently, an unknown emotion in her eyes.
She muttered to herself, "Ah… the food looks really delicious." In an instant, her voice was filled with silent disappointment, "But I can't eat it." His words disappeared into thin air, just as his existence disappeared into the warmth of this room.
Erwin dressed and slowly walked to the dining table. He caught sight of Olivia—she was floating in the air with her arms folded across her chest, a look on her face as if she couldn't ask for anything. The sight stirred a strange, raw feeling in Erwin's mind for a moment, but he said nothing.
He finished his breakfast in silence, his heart still heavy even though the warmth of the food spread through his body.
After eating, he looked at his family and nodded lightly as he said goodbye. Mrs. Rose and Cherry's voices sounded natural good wishes, just like they did every day. Olivia floated by, but no one noticed her presence.
The difference between the warmth of this room and his invisible existence became even clearer to him.
Erwin opened the door and walked out, his goal was one and only—the university. The morning light washed over the street, and the familiar sounds of the house slowly faded behind it. Olivia floated silently beside him.
"Everyone who went to the party at the Welsen mansion last night is dead."
"Everyone had blood coming out of their ears and noses, and the terrible thing is—no one had a heart."
"Everyone died the same way… Oh God."
These words came to Erwin's ears like broken whispers. The people gathered on both sides of the street were telling the same story over and over again in panic and curiosity, as if the words would ease their fear. The invisible coldness hidden under the city covered in the morning light was slowly building up in Erwin's chest.
"But no bodies of the Welsen family were found in the mansion"—the words suddenly came from the crowd and rang in Erwin's ears. His feet stopped for a moment, an uncomfortable shadow gathered in his eyes. He wondered to himself, if everyone was dead, what did this absence indicate? Was it a mere coincidence, or was some deep conspiracy lurking behind the scenes slowly rearing its head.
As soon as Erwin stepped onto the university grounds, he felt an unusual commotion—the air was heavy with whispers, panic, and suppressed excitement. The sudden deaths of several students who had gone to the palace party were the cause of this chaos. Just then, a voice suddenly came from behind, "Didn't you go to the party yesterday?" Erwin was startled by the unprepared question, his heart rate increasing for an instant. He quickly turned around and saw—his classmate Adlof Mayer, curiosity on his face and a glint of suspicion in his eyes.
Adlof Mayer was the son of a noble family in the city, with a name that naturally carried the glory of his lineage. Although he was about 184 cm tall, he was slightly shorter than Erwin, but his presence was striking. His fiery red hair and deep blue eyes—the familiar features of the Mayer family—were also evident, as if that pride ran in his blood. Yet he was different from the others; it was not the arrogance of the nobility, but his gentleness and sincere demeanor that made him acceptable to everyone.
Erwin shrugged his shoulders in a casual manner, "I went out to a party, but after walking halfway, I suddenly sprained my leg. So I didn't take any more risks and returned home." There was a deliberate calm in his voice, as if the incident was something very insignificant.
"You are very lucky," Adlof said slowly, placing his hand on his shoulder, a look of sincere concern in his eyes. At that moment, Olivia, who was floating in the air, whispered in the same tone, "Really."
But no one but Erwin heard the voice.
Erwin paused and looked at Adlof and asked, "Then why didn't you go to the party?" His voice was natural, but the curiosity hidden in his eyes remained suppressed.
Adlof answered with a light sigh, "Our family and the Wilson family don't have a good relationship. That's why they didn't invite us." There was no anger on his face as he said that, just a familiar kind of distance—like the invisible walls of aristocratic families.
Adlof slowly removed his hand from Erwin's shoulder. The two of them began to climb the stairs side by side, the sound of their footsteps echoing on the wooden steps in the empty corridor. Even though the conversation had stopped, an invisible unease hung in the air, as if both of them were feeling the same thought even though no one was saying it.
Just then, Olivia's voice drifted past Erwin's ear—soft, almost like the wind. "Master, I'll take a look around." Before he could finish speaking, her presence faded, as if she had taken a step away from reality. Erwin realized that Olivia was gone, but strangely her absence was all the more noticeable.
After climbing the stairs to the top floor, Erwin and Adlof headed straight for the library. The air was heavy, dusty—as if some part of time was still intact here. Erwin's mind was telling him that he should read a newspaper; This is very important to him, because it was the late 18th century—a time when newspapers were not readily available to the common people. Paper was scarce, expensive, and priceless.
Erwin still doesn't know why Adolf is going to the library.
Erwin slowly browsed the shelves in the cool room of the library. He couldn't find any newspapers for today. Today is Sunday, September 14, 2210—according to this world's time. The year seemed strange to him. On the one hand, he knew that a future like 2210, where science and technology would be beyond his imagination; on the other hand, the world he saw seemed to be bound by the culture, clothing, and social norms of the late 18th century.
-
In this world, a year has 13 months, and each month has exactly 28 days. Time is measured according to the lunar cycle. A complex puzzle formed in Erwin's mind—time and reality seemed to be colliding together, bending his experience and knowledge in unfamiliar ways. He realized that the rules of time here were completely different from the world he knew.