Chapter 317

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Chapter 317: Fate in the Darkness

“Will this really be twenty years later?”

As they made their way down the mountain, Hokusinn Kichyō curiously blurted out the question.

Bai Wei, unsure, replied, “I’m not completely certain. We’ll need to descend the mountain and see for ourselves. The changes in the timeline should be noticeable. The shrine doesn’t have preserved calendars, but the village might have kept some records, at least to some extent.”

Hokusinn Kichyō asked again, “Do you wish this to be twenty years later?”

“Is it important whether it’s true or not?” Bai Wei responded.

“It’s not important, but I would be very curious,” Hokusinn Kichyō said thoughtfully. “If this is really twenty years later, and if we are destined to go back in time, could we return to Edo and see how things are now?”

Bai Wei glanced at her and said, “It would be best not to.”

“Why?”

Bai Wei took a moment to consider how to explain and then asked, “Have you read any science fiction books?”

Hokusinn Kichyō shook her head.

Bai Wei thought for a second and began to tell a science fiction story.

“I’ll tell you a story,” he started.

“There was a person, whose name, gender, or appearance is not important.”

“In short, this person found themselves in a world ten years into the future. Upon opening their eyes, they saw another version of themselves in the room. Immediately recognizing them, they were overjoyed, realizing they had traveled to the future. They shouted to the other version of themselves, but all they heard was a thud, the sound of someone falling to the ground. As they rushed to the room, they discovered they had been murdered.”

“This outcome filled the person with intense worry. Determined to avoid being murdered, they tried everything they could. They moved away from the city and distanced themselves from the place where they had died. They planned to endure until that fated day and figure out how to return to a normal life.”

“Indeed, they never returned to their original city. Using knowledge from the future, they gained wealth, bought a house, and out of fear of being killed, chose to live alone. As they waited, they remained vigilant for that inevitable day.”

“They locked the doors and windows, making sure all security measures were in place! It would take at least twenty minutes for anyone to break in, giving them plenty of time to seek help.”

“They waited until there was only a minute left before the predicted time of death. But there was no sign of anyone entering the room. Gradually, their heart relaxed, and they became ecstatic, thinking they had beaten fate. With only ten seconds remaining, nothing happened.”

“They casually opened a jar and scooped out some peanut butter when suddenly, they heard a call from outside the window.”

“The sound called their name, startling them as though struck by thunder. For a moment, they feared the Grim Reaper had come for them, and in their panic, they lost their judgment. In that moment, they swallowed a metal spoon coated in peanut butter.”

“They didn’t die immediately. They tried to save themselves, attempting to use a sword to cut their throat and dig out the spoon to clear their airway. But the pain was so intense that they couldn’t move. Had they not sealed the doors and windows so tightly, perhaps someone could have come to their aid.”

“They passed away due to their own caution and timidity.”

“Twenty minutes later, a young man struggled to open the door and stumbled in. He saw the middle-aged man lying dead on the floor. Grabbing his hair in shock, he ran out screaming.”

Clap! Bai Wei excitedly exclaimed, “The story comes to an end.”

Hokusinn Kichyō snapped back to reality, pondering, “So, he died from fright?”

“Or perhaps, it was his own fears that led to his demise,” Bai Wei mused. “But let’s not overlook the cause and effect. The appearance of his past self was the key to his death in the present. It’s an endless cycle of consequences.”

“And it’s a never-ending loop,” he added.

“Are you suggesting that by watching me, attempting to glimpse the future, there will inevitably be risks?” Hokusinn asked.

“It’s not always a certainty,” Bai Wei responded, “but those who frequently meddle with time often find themselves manipulated by it. The story I just told is just one example.”

Bai Wei explained slowly, “The future and the past don’t follow a simple, linear path. They branch out like a sprawling tree with countless leaves. The lives of ordinary people are like one-way highways, where turning back is not an option.”

“Once you turn back, you are heading toward disaster. Even without traffic police, death is always lurking. A U-turn on the highway means a collision, either with another person or with your own fate. The consequences are always uncertain.”

“When you travel twenty years into the future and start observing the traces of your own or familiar people, the mystery begins to unfold. The future, once uncertain, begins to take shape. But two things usually happen.”

“The first type of future is the one where ‘you disappeared for twenty years.’ In this version, you’ve been gone for a whole two decades. There is no trace of you here. The twenty years between then and now are erased. If you were to go back twenty years, this current reality would collapse and vanish.”

“The second type is the future of ‘Your Twenty Years of Existence.’ In this future, you haven’t disappeared but have continued to live. However, it assumes that the past version of you can also travel through time. You exist both twenty years ago and at the end of twenty years in the future. Some things may change, but once you see certain events, they become inevitable. They can’t be rewritten.”

Bai Wei paused slightly.

“The first kind of future holds no real meaning, even if you observe it, because we are destined to return to twenty years ago.”

“As for the second kind… I don’t think anyone would want to witness a future that cannot be altered, right?”

Hokusinn Kichyō was persuaded. “You’re right. Okay, I give up.”

She had only mentioned it casually, and given the current situation, it was uncertain whether she could even leave Shikoku Town.

Bai Wei, too, was merely passing the time, chatting as they descended the mountain.

These were thoughts that Hokusinn had also considered, but she hadn’t seriously entertained the idea of peering into the future until she regained more strength.

The timeline was not so strict or flawless. If you couldn’t rewrite history, it just meant you weren’t strong enough.

If, right now, Bai Wei were to face a future version of himself, rambling on about nonsense, he would likely roll up his sleeves and challenge the other version. “After I beat you up,” Bai Wei would say, “you’ll see your words hold no weight. If I can’t defeat you, then where will you go?”

“Was analyzing timelines your past interest, or did you study it as a last-minute lesson?” Hokusinn Kichyō asked curiously.

“Maybe,” Bai Wei replied. “Especially after the last time loop, I realized I needed to brush up on this knowledge to avoid falling into an endless cycle.”

“This time, probably not,” Hokusinn Kichyō paused, “but you never know. I have a feeling some force is interfering with our actions.”

“Let’s take it one step at a time,” Bai Wei said calmly. “It’s definitely not boring being with you. Time travel has already happened twice. The first time was a rewind, and now it involves both the future and the past. I wonder if the next time will involve deletion, fast-forwarding, or time stopping.”

Kichyō didn’t mind the teasing remark. “You can look forward to it.”

Bai Wei sighed. “Please go easy on me.”

Shikoku Town, situated some distance from Edo, was considered remote but not completely cut off from the world. At least, there was electricity here.

In Bai Wei and Hokusinn Kichyō’s memory, the town had substantial tourism potential. It maintained the ambiance of the Taisho era, while incorporating some modern Western-style buildings. The outskirts still had quaint thatched-roof houses, maintaining an authentic style. With improved transportation and concrete roads, an annual festival could attract many tourists and bring in more income than farming.

However, twenty years later, the town’s level of civilization had regressed, rather than advanced.

The sky was overcast, and the land looked lifeless. The gloomy weather seemed to suffuse everything, turning even the garden into a dead wreath.

Hokusinn Kichyō could hardly believe her eyes and asked, “Is this truly Shikoku Town?”

Bai Wei’s memories were sharp, and he thought, “The layout hasn’t changed much, but a large residential area is missing.”

He went around to inspect, and they entered the town, still deserted in the winter. There was no sign of anyone working in the fields.

Every household stayed indoors, and no one was seen outside. The town’s familiar hooligans were gone, as were the patrolling police officers.

Bai Wei realized that the missing residential area hadn’t disappeared, but was buried. A large portion of the mountain had collapsed, and the debris covered the area completely.

Yet, there were no signs of excavation, as if it had been abandoned in a chaotic burial.

A few elderly people knelt before the collapsed peak, bowing and whispering in prayer.

Bai Wei tried to start a conversation, but they remained expressionless, continuing their prayers.

“Look at this ground,” he said. “It’s very dry.”

Hokusinn Kichyō noticed it as well. “I remember the water here used to be abundant, but when we came down the mountain, both the springs and the riverbeds were completely dried up,” she said. “It’s strange. Previously, floods had submerged everything. Now, twenty years later, it’s barren and water-deficient?”

“It’s all related to water,” Bai Wei remarked. “What are you thinking?”

“Hmm… Kamitsumiwoikirihime is the water goddess,” Hokusinn Kichyō speculated. “There’s clearly a living god in the mountains.”

“Perhaps it was the work of that living god?” Bai Wei responded. “Something must have happened twenty years ago.”

…but it couldn’t have been the Feast of Hundred Demons. If it had been, there would be no living beings here, right?

Bai Wei wanted to get to the bottom of the situation and find someone to talk to. But doors were closed, and some villagers even chased them away with pitchforks, urging them to leave.

Reluctantly, they returned to the outskirts of the village.

As they passed by, Bai Wei suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. He approached quickly and saw a figure sitting in front of a dilapidated house. The figure was dried up, with a lifeless gaze, resembling a walking corpse.

“…Rokuro Shimura?”