"Hey! What are you spacing out for? Pass the ball, Zhang San!"
A tall boy—easily over 1.9 meters—came sprinting toward the hoop, waving his arms and shouting.
"Zhang San?"
Edward's mind went blank for a moment.
I'm…Zhang San? A second-year engineering student at XX University. It's four in the afternoon, and I'm playing basketball with my classmates…
Fragments of memory—unfamiliar yet vividly detailed—flooded into his mind, clashing with his own. The new memories pushed and twisted against his real ones, trying to overwrite them, until he could no longer tell which was truth and which was illusion.
Then—
A sharp, stabbing pain pierced his temple.
His spirituality reacted instinctively, lashing out to protect his consciousness.
Edward gasped and snapped back to himself, his expression darkening.
"What the hell is this nonsense?" he muttered under his breath. "If you're going to fabricate an identity for me, at least give me a proper name! Zhang San? That's the definition of a random ass, generic name!"
"Pass the ball!"
The tall boy shouted again. Two defenders rushed in—one moving to intercept the pass, the other stretching out to steal.
Edward sighed softly.
"It's been ages since I last touched a basketball. I know this is all fake, but for some reason…"
A faint grin crept across his face.
"The thought of using Beyonder abilities to show off on the court…feels really tempting."
He clutched the ball, bent his knees, and leapt—throwing the basketball with a sharp, fluid motion.
"Go in!"
For that brief moment, he felt like Kobe Bryant incarnate—the stadium lights bright, all eyes on him, and destiny balanced on his fingertips.
Whoosh!
The ball sailed through the air—and missed the backboard completely, sailing clean over the fence and out of the court.
"…"
Edward stared wordlessly at the trajectory.
"Welp. I'm out."
"Damn it, Zhang San! What was that?" the tall boy groaned, hands on his hips. "That was a perfect opportunity! You didn't even pass! You know the rules—loser buys everyone drinks later!"
He squinted. "Also, dude—why did you suddenly throw that hard? What are you, on something?"
"Accident. Total accident."
Edward reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled bill, handing it over.
"Here. Drinks on me."
"Huh?"
"Anyway, I've got something to take care of."
He turned to leave, then paused and looked back.
"Oh, by the way—have you ever heard of a girl named Lilith?"
The tall boy frowned.
"Lilith? Sounds foreign. You should ask the exchange students—I don't really know them."
Before Edward could reply, one of the other players—the one who'd tried to steal the ball—laughed.
"Lilith? Of course I've heard of Lilith! You mean the game company in Shanghai, right? I play AFK Arena and Soul Hunters—both theirs!"
"…"
Edward blinked, caught off guard.
"So this…entire place—is built from my own memories?"
But it was a warped, scrambled version of them.
The school wasn't his real university.
His name wasn't his real name.
Everything was slightly…off.
He left the basketball court quickly, picking up a stray stick along the path and performing another dowsing ritual.
"Lilith…are you here?"
This time, the stick quivered and pointed straight ahead—hovering in place as though locked onto something.
Edward followed immediately, striding down the quiet path.
Soon, he had left the campus-like area behind and arrived at the edge of a tranquil lake, lined with swaying willow trees.
As he drew closer to the water, a reflection caught his eye—his reflection.
He froze.
The face staring back at him was his own from before crossing worlds—the face of his younger self.
The season felt like the transition between spring and summer—warm sunlight, soft breeze, the air carrying a faint fragrance of grass and water. Couples strolled hand-in-hand along the lakeside, their laughter mingling with the rustling of willow leaves.
"Feels…just like my college days," Edward murmured.
A wry smile touched his lips.
"Though I wasn't as lucky as these kids. Four years single, every night either grinding Genshin, parachuting into Pochinki, or smashing controllers in Smash Bros.…"
He sighed nostalgically.
"Yeah. Wasted youth—but damn, it was fun."
His thoughts drifted—until something caught his attention.
Up ahead, near the edge of the lake, lay a patch of black in the grass.
Edward's heart skipped a beat.
He broke into a run.
As he approached, the shape came into focus—a small black cat, fur sleek and glossy, belly up to the sun, tiny paws twitching as it basked lazily. Its golden eyes were half-closed to thin slits, the very picture of indolent bliss.
Edward froze mid-step.
"Lilith!"
He shouted the name aloud, the sound echoing across the still waters.
The black cat's ears twitched. It cracked open one eye, giving him a languid, half-hearted glance—
Then promptly closed it again, curling its tail and continuing its nap.
"Lilith."
Edward took another cautious step forward, voice lowering—half exasperated, half relieved.
Edward crouched down in front of the little black cat, his voice soft but trembling slightly with emotion as he reached out.
"Lilith…it's me. Edward."
But the instant his fingertips were about to touch her fur, the cat's body tensed with a sudden jolt.
She leapt backwards, landing gracefully on all fours, her sleek back arching into a defensive curve as she hissed lazily but warily:
"Mrrrow! (*~︿~)!"
Edward froze mid-motion.
"Lilith, what's wrong? Don't you remember me?"
Then, realisation struck him like lightning.
Back when he first entered this strange "world," it had tried to rewrite his identity—implanting false memories of being Zhang San.
Could it be that the same had happened to Lilith? That her memories had been altered—and she'd reverted to her cat form?
If so, that would explain why she was trapped here…unable to leave.
Without hesitation, Edward flipped a coin into the air.
It spun once, landed on its head—affirmative.
"So you really are Lilith…"
He exhaled softly and tried to calm his tone.
"Don't be afraid, Lilith."
He extended his hand again, inch by inch, toward her small head.
Sensing no hostility, the cat didn't bolt this time. Instead, she sniffed suspiciously at his fingers, her tiny pink nose twitching as she hesitated, drawing closer.
"Good girl…come on, Lilith. Let's go home."
Chomp!
Without warning, the cat bit down on his finger—hard.
As Edward lifted his hand in reflex, the small black creature dangled from it like a furry pancake, paws dangling helplessly.
"…"
A bitter smile crossed Edward's face.
"Well, this feels familiar."
He couldn't help but remember their very first meeting—when he'd been an ordinary human, and Lilith had sunk her teeth into his hand the exact same way.
Grabbing her gently by the scruff of her neck, he lifted her up. The little cat immediately began to protest, meowing in outrage and flailing her paws in indignation.
"Alright, alright, I get it! You're angry. But calm down first. Once we leave this place, you'll understand everything."
"Mrrrrow! (｀へ´)! Mrrrow!!"
"Really, it's fine. Trust me."
"Mrrrow! (ノω<.)ノ))!"
Seeing that she was struggling more violently, Edward sighed and tapped her lightly between the shoulders, casting a minor Force Dispersal Charm.
Her body instantly went limp, tail drooping as she hung there powerless in his grasp.
"Hey!"
A furious shout cut through the calm air.
Edward turned to see a blonde girl standing a few meters away. One hand held up a smartphone, recording him; the other clutched a rock, as she shouted in fairly fluent Mandarin, "I'm warning you! Put that cat down right now—or I'll post this video online and expose you for animal abuse!"
"…"
Edward blinked, utterly speechless for a moment. Then, carefully cradling the now-limp black cat in his arms, he tried to explain.
"You misunderstand. I'm not abusing her. She's my cat—I'm just taking her home."
"Nonsense!" the blonde snapped. "We've been taking care of this cat for months—our dorm adopted her! We call her 'Lil Blackie.' How is she yours?"
"I—"
Edward stopped himself.
What am I even doing? Explaining to a bunch of illusions?
He sighed inwardly. Forget it. He'd just leave.
He turned to step away—but before he could, hurried footsteps sounded behind him.
Two Chinese girls came running up. One also had her phone raised, recording him, while the other called out in alarm:
"Amanises! What's going on? Did that guy hurt you?"
"I—I was taking Lil Blackie to visit Lily," the blonde stammered angrily, pointing at Edward, "and then he tried to take her away! He even hurt her!"
"What?!"
The girl holding the phone rounded on Edward, glaring.
"Put the cat down! Everyone's watching—you'd better run now before someone calls the police!"
But Edward's focus wasn't on their words anymore.
His gaze had locked on the blonde girl.
"Amanises?" he repeated slowly.
The name hit him like thunder.
Perhaps in any ordinary world, the name Amanises wouldn't mean much.
But in the World of Mysteries—it was anything but ordinary.
It was the true name of the Evernight Goddess.
"W-What's wrong?" the blonde stammered, shrinking back under the weight of his stare.
The two Chinese girls immediately stepped in front of her protectively, raising their voices in anger.
"You hurt her and now you want to fight?!"
"Help! Someone call the police!"
"…"
Edward snapped his fingers.
Both girls went silent—their mouths literally vanishing from their faces.
He looked back at the trembling blonde and murmured, almost to himself: "This is the Eight-legged Demonic Wolf?"
Her eyes went wide with horror.
If "animal abuse" had made him a bad guy before, then this—snapping his fingers to erase mouths from existence—made him something else entirely.
She tried to scream, but no sound came out.
Edward's expression softened slightly. He met her green eyes, and invoked Legilimency—the reading of thoughts.
Amanises: exchange student, from Western Europe. Came here during her freshman year. Shares a dorm with three Chinese girls…
He finished reading quickly. There was nothing divine in her memories—nothing connected to the Evernight Goddess.
"So…just a coincidence?"
But then again, in the Mysteries World—coincidences were rarely coincidences.
A realisation struck him.
"The Evernight Goddess is currently in slumber…could this girl's appearance be connected somehow?"
He looked down at the black cat in his arms, murmuring softly, "Lilith…what in the world is happening?"
"Y-you…"
Edward looked up. The blonde girl had regained her voice, trembling but trying to be brave.
"Are you…a magician? Or—"
Her two friends flinched at her question, but she took a hesitant step forward. She'd clearly decided that whatever he was, he didn't mean harm.
Edward arched an eyebrow.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because…" She clutched her phone nervously. "If you really are one, could you help us save someone?"
"Oh?" Edward's tone lightened a little. "A side quest?"
He chuckled under his breath.
"Alright. I can try."
"Thank you!" the girl said hurriedly. "It's my friend—Lily. She was in a car accident not long ago and suffered a head injury. She's been in a coma for weeks…no sign of waking. Please, can you help her?"
Edward's brows furrowed.
"Lily?"
He remembered the name immediately—from Amanises' memories. One of her three roommates. Her real name was Li Li, and when choosing an English name, she had lazily picked the common and easy-to-pronounce "Lily."
A thought formed, sharp and uneasy.
"Lily…and Lilith."
He looked down again at the small black cat nestled weakly in his arms.
"Could there be…a connection?"
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.