After the tense meeting between the two Japanese heroes and a notable Chinese nobleman...
The library was eventually filled with a warm, smiling atmosphere.
Wang Wei's wife opened the door, bringing drinks and snacks to the circular center of the library.
Wang Wei, Nanao, and Swan sat relaxed, leaning back into the large golden sofa. Their mouths hung open slightly, exchanging warm glances from across the sofas, sharing quiet chuckles.
. . .
"Alright—" The wife's hair fell over her eyes as she spoke. "Here are some snacks and drinks. I hope you're comfortable here." She smiled warmly at Nanao and Swan, who sat frozen. "Thank you..." Nanao said, her pupils widening at the sight of the refreshments.
Wang Wei leaned forward, folding his palms together, his expression turning serious. "Let's begin now." Nanao froze. Swan swallowed elegantly.
"What are you looking for?" Wang Wei asked, his voice firm and resonant.
Swan averted his gaze, then leaned toward the table. "Do you know about... wanderers who can write history?" His mouth clamped shut tightly, as if the topic itself was dangerous.
Wang Wei looked down, leaning back—his broad chest visible beneath his black shirt. "Ah... Sorry, I don't understand Japanese... Hehe." Swan felt like he'd been stabbed in the throat from embarrassment.
Swan elbowed Nanao's waist. He whispered through a forced smile. "Hey..." Nanao jolted as if zapped by electricity. "I don't know..." Nanao tried to speak but the words felt heavy.
Wang Wei, watching the awkward language barrier play out, chuckled softly. "Hahaha..." He played with the food on the table. "How about we just speak English?" He took half a cookie and ate it.
Swan and Nanao glanced at each other, then nodded in agreement. "Alright," Swan said, his expression warm with relief.
Wang Wei opened his mouth, making Swan and Nanao feel suddenly guilty. "So earlier, you were pretending to understand what I was saying, huh~"
The two of them blushed with embarrassment.
"But... I feel like I've seen you before..." Wang Wei said, staring at Swan with a pounding sense of familiarity.
Swan choked on his cookie upon hearing that. "Cough!!" He took a sip of tea.
"I'll... take that as a compliment," he said, taking another cookie.
Wang Wei opened his mouth again. "There was another kid with you... but not this young woman..." He furrowed his brow.
Swan let out a sigh. "Let's... just move on." He sipped his tea from the cup.
Wang Wei raised and lowered his eyebrows, then asked, "So. What do you want to find?" Swan relaxed back into his seat. "Do you know about shepherds who can write histo—"
But Nanao cut in. "A group... yes, they're a group!" She leaned forward.
Wang Wei went silent... leaning back slowly, carefully. He raised a hand to stroke his chin. "About that, I don't know. If they can write history, what can't they write?" He stood up, placing his arms behind his back.
"Thousands of books I've read... none mention such a thing." He stepped away from them, approaching a towering stack of books.
Swan stood up quickly, whispering sharply, "But—" Wang Wei cut him off. "We are fighting against divine will within a single reality." His gaze was sharp as it scanned the books.
Swan sneered, saying something dismissive.
"Come on... We don't believe in that kind of thing! We're here just to survive!" He stepped forward with slight irritation.
Nanao stopped his arm from reaching out to Swan, choosing instead to hold her ground.
Swan spoke again, a bit louder, glaring at Wang Wei, who stood silently facing the books. "Don't you realize? There are crises everywhere!"
"Global warming—as if nature itself didn't want it... but humans!" He tried to step closer but felt something strange coming from Wang Wei.
"We're just heroes who don't even know why we were given these powers..." His voice trembled, an unusual sensation coursing through his body.
Calmly, Wang Wei replied, "All of us... are being aided by divine will." His chest felt heavy, yet his face appeared utterly calm. "Do you know about the incident in 2007?" He turned around.
Staring at the irritated Swan. "When the quantum world stopped... That wasn't normal." He frowned, glancing toward a dusty computer at the far end of the staircase.
"That's it! Hey, you two... follow me." Quickly, he strode toward the computer, his face lit with triumph.
The two were surprised, but out of curiosity—they followed Wang Wei.
As Wang Wei tried to boot up the computer, a loud screeching sound came from inside. Wang Wei muttered in annoyance. "Come on, you little piece of..." The computer showed no sign of hope.
Swan sighed, touching the computer. "Is it broken?" He kept stroking it.
Nanao grew frustrated, raising her voice slightly. "Swan, didn't you—" Swan whispered back. "Yeah, be quiet."
He stepped back, as if preparing to do something. Wang Wei looked on, tilting his head in confusion.
Then, as Swan rotated his arm, it looked like he was twisting time itself from his perspective.
"ZEP..." A large portal opened behind the computer. It showed the same place, but with a significantly different era.
. . .
Ace jolted as he walked toward Reiko's apartment. His eyes widened as if something had just disturbed his mind.
Reiko was startled but kept walking away from Ace, his voice firm. "Can an ant stop you, kid?"
Ace was stunned. "What the hell?" As he wiped his mouth with his arm, blood stained his sleeve.
On the street, Ace stared up at the beautiful night sky in frustration.
. . .
Wang Wei jolted—for the first time in his life, his face filled with pride. "Not bad, young man." He stared at the portal, then walked right into it.
Swan smirked, full of pride. "Let's go in." He motioned to Nanao, who held her chest.
"What for?" Nanao asked softly, watching Swan step through the portal.
. . .
Once inside the past dimension, Swan looked around. The atmosphere was completely different from the library in Wang Wei's present-day home.
In the past, it truly felt like a home for scientists and professors who preferred solitude to live with science.
Books were carved everywhere and easily accessible, and windows let in moonlight that made the setting feel exclusive.
As Swan walked further, searching for Wang Wei... while climbing the stairs...
He saw Wang Wei hiding behind a bookshelf. Watching his younger self writing alone in the darkened, silent library.
How diligent Wang Wei was in his youth. Writing in the darkness, searching for truth through science, piles of books stacked on the desk.
"Oi," whispered Swan, cursing quietly behind Wang Wei's back.
Wang Wei looked back, asking Swan, "What about the portal..." He gaped.
"Ah, it closed already..."
THUD!!! A loud crashing sound came from the neatly arranged bookshelves, echoing loudly in the silence.
Swan, Wang Wei—especially the younger Wang Wei from the past... He was terrified. "WHO'S THERE?!" His voice shook with fear.
The older Wang Wei from the future whispered softly. "Good grief... I really was a coward back then." He shook his head.
But the whisper was too loud for the dark, silent room. So the young Wang Wei from the past shouted, "WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE... WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"
But then... from below, they heard a young voice calling out. "I'm not a bad guy, damn it... I just fell from above." Then the young man stepped out from behind the bookshelves.
"Ace?!" Swan was stunned.
End.