Praying for Someone to Save Me

A person's life.

Often hinges on a single trivial matter.

Leading them down entirely different paths.

And now, Xu Xi stands as an observer, traversing layers of temporal bubbles unique to him.

Submerged in obscurity.

Struggling amidst peril.

Those fragmented lives scatter like summer night stars—too shattered to piece together, yet ultimately converging into a river flowing across the boundless night sky.

In this moment.

Xu Xi feels the path beneath his feet transform into a surging river.

Each sweeping current.

Every churning wave.

Splashes forth countless droplets, each one reflecting a distinct version of his life.

Unfamiliar, yet intimately known.

These are not Xu Xi’s true experiences, yet they are still him—possibilities left unrealized.

The chance where he failed to save his sister, the chance where he failed to rescue the witch.

And countless others.

Chaotic and disjointed.

Possibilities of untimely death, or of ascending to the pinnacle.

The temporal bubbles grow ever more surreal, translucent and hazy, shimmering with kaleidoscopic hues, blooming like flowers before Xu Xi’s eyes before dissolving into his body, vanishing without a trace.

"How spectacular."

Xu Xi remarks.

He gazes at those flickering bubbles, watching the myriad lives he could have lived.

Genuinely marveling at them.

Yet if forced to choose, he would unhesitatingly pick the life he has now.

The lives within the temporal bubbles may be dazzling, but to Xu Xi, they carry a peculiar emptiness—like candles burned to their ends, where brilliance gives way to eternal darkness.

The path already walked.

The people already saved.

The seemingly mundane days—these are the true anchors of Xu Xi’s heart.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Streaks of radiant light, stars flickering.

Xu Xi strides deeper along the path, where more and more temporal bubbles emerge, dazzling as celestial bodies, each merging into his being.

Gradually.

Xu Xi feels omnipotent.

Gradually.

Xu Xi feels omniscient.

Gradually.

The path ahead of Xu Xi disappears.

"Is this the end?" Xu Xi lowers his head, peering into the void beneath his feet.

The luminous path, once woven from infinite possibilities, has now been wholly absorbed by Xu Xi.

The Supreme?

Or something beyond?

Xu Xi isn’t certain. He only knows he must press onward.

With the glowing stones of the path gone, darkness reigns. Xu Xi steps forward, his transcendent existence carving a new road through the abyss.

"If Servia and the others were here."

"They’d probably spout something about protecting me, insisting I hide behind them."

Xu Xi walks through the darkness.

Smiling faintly in the solitude.

Advancing steadily.

Steeped in the weight of time.

After an immeasurable journey, even the sea of possibilities nears the edge of nothingness. There, Xu Xi glimpses a faint, hazy glow, illuminating the dim expanse ahead.

What lies beyond?

A final adversary guarding the end? Or a capricious god toying with the world?

Xu Xi approaches with quiet curiosity.

"This... this is..." Xu Xi sees it—recognizes the scene within the light. Shock and disbelief flood him, as if countless memories surge back in an instant.

In the end, all emotions condense into wordless silence.

[Ding—]

[You have returned to Earth]

Within the light lies a sight achingly familiar to Xu Xi—Earth.

More precisely.

Earth before the awakening of spiritual energy.

Countless people hustle through society, crushed beneath the grind of fast-paced living. The essence of billions is vividly reflected in the glow.

But the perspective soon narrows.

From planet to continent, from continent to nation, then to a grimy alleyway.

Rain pours in torrents.

A bolt of lightning tears through the sky.

Its pale glare illuminates the dim alley—and a lone trash bin within.

The wind howls; the rain thrashes.

Amidst the storm, a couple braves the downpour, taking a detour to discard their "garbage" in this secluded bin.

"Burden..."

"Useless..."

Their voices are fragmented, barely audible over the storm.

The "father" scowls; the "mother" sneers.

After one last glance at the bin.

They seal the lid tightly, ensuring no sound escapes.

Their task done, the couple hurries away, wary of prying eyes.

Xu Xi watches on.

His eyes trembling as he watches.

In the glow, the rain falls relentlessly, as if the heavens weep. The gale whips through the city, drenching every corner.

The trash bin sways slightly.

Something stirs inside.

A few ragged wanderers, seeking shelter from the rain, notice the bin’s faint movements.

They pry open the lid—and pull out the discarded "garbage."

A baby boy.

"A child? Why is there a child here?"

"We can’t leave him—he’ll die!"

The wanderers exchange uneasy glances before resolving to take the infant to the nearest orphanage or police station once the rain stops.

Until then.

They do what they can.

Though struggling themselves, they scrounge up scraps of cloth to keep the baby warm.

When the storm passes.

The infant is delivered to the orphanage.

Years later, the boy grows healthy. The wanderers often visit, though too ashamed to enter, lingering outside the orphanage gates.

The boy remembers each of their names.

Every time he calls out.

Their faces light up with pure joy.

"Little Xi, don’t end up like us. You’ve got your whole life ahead."

"Study hard, make something of yourself, alright?"

"I will!" The boy nods eagerly.

If possible, the wanderer's hope is that he’d be adopted. A child’s life changes drastically with parents.

But luck isn’t on his side.

No one ever comes for him.

Year after year.

Determined not to let down his "uncles," the boy throws himself into his studies, desperate to carve out a brighter future.

Toys are a luxury.

Guidance from mentors nonexistent.

Such things are beyond his reach.

Day after day, he memorizes by rote, clinging to the hope that good grades—those "100% marks"—will bring his uncles joy.

Yet.

The boy is no prodigy.

As he grows, he confronts his own mediocrity.

There’s no easy solution.

So he doubles down.

Clumsy as a bird lost in the rain, flailing blindly until its wings bleed, until onlookers laugh.

He just wants to live.

To live like everyone else.

Not playing with hand-me-down toys, not envying others’ happy families, not lying awake at night, staring at the ceiling in silence.

Finally.

His efforts bear fruit.

"An acceptance letter! I got in!" In the vision, the boy clutches the letter, sprinting back to the orphanage.

He runs like the wind.

As if the chains he’s carried since birth have shattered, leaving him light as a bird.

But.

Why?

Why is everything so loud around him?

A puddle on the road reflected the boy's current state—crimson blood oozed from his shattered cheek, and cracks echoed from his body as if something inside had broken.

He turned his head with difficulty.

Finally, he saw the source of the commotion.

A red heavy-duty truck. A panicked truck driver.

A furious crowd—some yelling at the driver, others calling the police.

And.

Not far away, drifting out of reach, an admission letter slipping from his grasp.

The boy finally realized what had happened. His pupils trembled; his throat burned raw, bubbling with blood as he reached out desperately to everyone around him.

Xu Xi saw it.

Saw the terror and helplessness in the boy’s eyes.

Xu Xi heard it.

Heard the blood-choked plea, long faded into obscurity.

"Help... help me..." The broken body, battered and bleeding, the face twisted in fear, the voice quivering with pain—begging for salvation from anyone who would listen.