Countless springs and autumns had passed.

The sun and moon cycled as ever. Humanity still dwelled upon the earth, yet these were no longer the same people as before.

Civilization had regressed and rebuilt—everything felt like an endless cycle.

This was a feudal dynasty, its era name unimportant. It stood at its zenith: commoners lived in peace, and the land radiated tranquil harmony.

On a deserted hilltop beneath a peach blossom tree, the earth shifted. A pale, slender hand emerged from the soil.

Gloomy skies drizzled softly. The damp world felt suffocating, stirring quiet irritation.

That hand reaching from the mud seemed eerie beneath the overcast heavens.

Soon, its owner crawled out.

She gave a light shake—and every speck of dirt vanished from her body as if washed away.

Raindrops never touched her skin. At one millimeter from her flesh, they evaporated instantly.

A spring rain had shattered her slumber.

The little girl who’d slept for millennia, for eons, even for countless ages, now scanned her surroundings.

She was Lunar Shadow.

Barefoot, the crimson-and-white clad maiden walked through the mountains until she reached a secluded villa.

Low earthen walls kept wild beasts at bay. Inside bubbled a diverted hot spring, *gurgle-gurgle*, steaming gently.

For ten miles around, this was the only dwelling.

Truthfully, it wasn’t yet time for Lunar Shadow to awaken.

But since she was awake… she might as well wander.

The solemn girl stepped alone into the courtyard.

Rain *pattered* against bamboo eaves.

The house stood half a meter above ground to avoid dampness.

Yet a faint, musty scent still lingered inside—mild, blending oddly well with the flower-scented, humid air.

A middle-aged man sat before a tea table, sketching a figure on rice paper.

A beauty.

But he seemed dissatisfied with his work.

After sketching briefly, he tore the unfinished piece and tossed it aside, pulling out fresh paper to begin again.

“Who’s there?” he snapped, turning his head. Seeing Lunar Shadow, he froze like a statue.

“No… impossible? Lu—Lunar Shadow…?”

Lunar Shadow stared blankly, giving a slight nod. They locked eyes in silence until she spoke his name—

“Autumn Ease.”

“What a nostalgic name… But I’m not Autumn Ease anymore. Since I’ve awakened, let the past stay buried.”

Lunar Shadow shook her head gently.

“Hm…?” Autumn Ease frowned, puzzled.

“Time… not yet.”

“No need…” Autumn Ease sighed. “I think ending my days naturally is fine. Living too long is dull. Trapped in dreams… sleeping yet never knowing if I’m awake or asleep… I’m weary.”

Ignoring him, Lunar Shadow glided behind him and stood motionless.

“Ah… watching me paint? Well… I’m drawing Leaf Grace.” Autumn Ease scratched his head. “But it never feels right. These past dozen years since waking, I’ve only drawn her.”

“Essence,” Lunar Shadow commented.

“Yes! It lacks her essence…”

Lunar Shadow studied Autumn Ease’s profile, then lightly took the brush from his hand.

“You’ll paint?”

“Mm.”

Autumn Ease yielded his seat.

With deft, practiced strokes, Lunar Shadow brought Leaf Grace to life on the paper.

Yet she left the eyes unfinished, returning the brush to him.

“You’ll paint the eyes?”

“Mm.”

“Alright… I’ll try… though her eyes always elude me…” Autumn Ease pondered hard, then almost recklessly drew two dashes where the eyes should be.

He paused, adding lashes and subtle contours.

Strangely, the eyeless portrait now radiated Leaf Grace’s very essence.

“How odd…” he muttered, stroking his chin.

“Time to go.”

“Let it be…” Autumn Ease sighed. “She won’t wake. And even if she did… the past is past. Too much time has passed. Could we truly reunite as before?”

Lunar Shadow didn’t answer. A light tap on his neck sent him slumping unconscious.

She carried him back to the hill where she’d emerged, dug a shallow grave, and climbed in once more.

At first, a narrow earthen tunnel. Then it widened into a hemispherical underground chamber.

Faint light glowed even in this deep vault.

It resembled a tiny island once above ground.

How it became buried remained unknown—some invisible force held the earth aloft like an unseen dome.

Here lay a tarnished metal case.

Actually, an elevator descending deeper.

Technology far beyond this era.

Beside it stood an artificial tree. Once, it bloomed with fragrant flowers. Now, it lay dormant, bark peeling to reveal metallic layers beneath.

Next to the tree sat a grave mound.

The tombstone bore clear characters: *Leaf Grace*.

Lunar Shadow pressed a button. A small drawer slid out, holding a carefully preserved letter.

She took the envelope, then reached deeper inside the drawer, pressing a hidden switch. A tinier compartment clicked open.

This time, a micro-chip no larger than a fingernail.

She returned the letter, carrying Autumn Ease and the chip into the elevator.

*Clunk—click.* The elevator still functioned, though noisier now. Its movement had lost its former smoothness.

Exiting the lift, she walked down long stone steps, past empty corridors and countless vacant rooms.

She entered a chamber lined with metallic “coffins.”

Only here did the lights burn brightest.

Lunar Shadow placed Autumn Ease into one coffin and sealed the lid.

Then she approached a cylindrical container.

Metal panels slid aside, revealing transparent glass.

Filled with liquid, it would resemble a lab-grown human incubator.

Inside the glass column floated a 3D hologram—clearly Leaf Grace’s likeness.

Beside it, an archaic monitor displayed a progress bar filling the screen.

Stuck at 60%. No sign of advancing. Its purpose unknown.

Lunar Shadow let the metal panels cover the cylinder again, hiding its secret.

She walked to a nearby wall, standing flush against it. After seconds, the wall rotated, admitting her into a three-square-meter space.

Her bare feet settled into recessed slots. She closed her eyes.

The vast underground complex now held no waking “person.”

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A computerized voice echoed meaninglessly.

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Instantly, all lights died. Only green emergency lamps flickered weakly in the dark.

The ancient underground palace sank once more into slumber.

The surface world’s civilizations remained forever distant.

“Autumn Ease, you fool… Are you truly another me? Or were we always two separate souls?” Leaf Grace traced the carved letters on the tombstone, feeling the weight of time.

Only three or four years had passed. If decades slipped by… would she still remember him?

“Huh?” Leaf Grace gasped softly, turning to Water Poem. “Why’s the concrete slab bulging?”

“Hmm… thermal expansion? Poor materials, maybe…” Water Poem began, then froze like Leaf Grace.

From the cracked concrete, a rough, adult hand reached out.

Impossible.

Autumn Ease had been cremated.

How could a hand emerge from his grave?

Leaf Grace felt no joy—only dread.

This defied reason.

“Ugh… mmph…” A young man clawed his way out of the earth.

Had this happened at night, it would have terrified anyone to death.

Bright sunlight bathed Leaf Grace, yet a chill crept up her spine.

“Are… are you Autumn Ease?” she whispered.

“Yeah. It’s me.” Autumn Ease grinned warmly. “Miss me?”

“How… how did you come back? Did… Lunar Shadow…?”

“Ah, maybe. I came to explain what I never could before. You just blamed me for running away without explaining, right? I… never ran.”

“Are you… really Autumn Ease?” Leaf Grace’s eyes widened, mist clouding her vision…