14 In the Abyss

Morning came, Yao Yun woke up before Chang Xiuying in his bunny form. He jumped around before returning to the girl who is sleeping with a frown.

He raised his front foot and rubbed Chang Xiuying's head to wake her up. But after a few tries, Chang Xiuying is still not awake. There's no sign or anything, it's still the same frowning expression. There's not even a slight movement from her body.

Yao Yun changed into his human form and checked her thoroughly; from her Life Energy into her Mental Energy. Nothing about her condition is peculiar.

He just decided to pass a few hours and wait for her to wake up.

Yao Yun suddenly remembers that he has to hunt for food for his little siblings. He put up a restriction around Chang Xiuying to protect her from a wandering beast. Since their spot is high enough for beasts to not dwell into. There is still a possibility for a wandering beast.

After finishing the final touch for the restriction, he patted his hands with a smug in his face, looking at his masterpiece. He channeled his Life Energy into and left the location.

...

In the same abyss:

Chang Xiuying woke up. She yawned while stretching her short arms. She, then, rubbed her eyes as she became completely sober after seeing the place she was in.

Her body droops and sighed. She still can't escape that feeling when she dreamt of being inside a liquid container. She can't feel her limbs at all and there's a numbing pain from her stomach. She unconsciously rubbed the place where she's stabbed on Earth, as it is in the same place.

She stood up while yawning. "Alright, Xue, what seems to be the problem this time?"

"..."

Chang Xiuying's brows furrowed. She called again, "Xue?"

"Xue!?"

"Xiao Xue?"

"Xue-ssi?"

"Xue-chan?"

"Xue!"

"01!"

"..."

She heavily sighed before trying her best to get out of the space. Instead of finding the exit, hundreds of white screens suddenly popped out. They played all of her memories from Earth but vague, some screens were glitching, while some are broken, some were being played like old films, and some were being played in modern settings.

All of them are a blur, she can't properly sight in any of the screens. However, there are rows of black screens piling atop the playing ones. Like they were turned off.

These strange things keep on confusing Chang Xiuying. She tried to reach one of the screens when she touched one, it instantly played and the surroundings became the place where she's on Earth.

The place was filled with buildings, busy people crossing the streets and one little girl carrying a small grocery bag. A middle-aged woman looked back to her with her hand full of bags and called, "What made you stop, Alicia?"

The little girl looked up and fervently shook her head before trotting over to the middle-aged woman. "I just thought that when people are busy doing things, they tend to ignore all their surroundings."

"Of course. They have to focus to their work to finish it faster."

"But... I was stepped on my foot and that person didn't even notice before walking away with their eyes on their cellphone screens."

"Alicia, we have to keep on understanding people. What if that person is busy reading an important message that made him brisk? There are many circumstances that have to be considered. We may be tired of understanding things," The middle-aged woman inserted her left hand on the handle of the bags to free her right hand and rubbed the little girl's head passionately, "But it will be rewarding to ourselves as it changed our perspective to view things more clearly and widely. We instinctively think of situations that may affect a person, we develop empathy. Isn't it a great deal?"

"Aunt Zoe, it is still tiring if you get into the same situation and people won't understand us. Although people may feel empathy toward us, it won't feel as real since they still didn't understand us."

Aunt Zoe snickered at the child in front of her. "Isn't it enough to receive their empathy? You'll understand it better if you grow up, you're still five, Alicia."

"I'm already grown up." The child pouted as they continue to walk.

"Alright, alright. What would you want for a snack?"

"Curry!"

"Pfft. Curry it is!" Aunt Zoe snickered and shook her head with a smile.

Chang Xiuying looked at the two who converse and proceeded to walk towards the direction of their condominium. She suddenly felt nostalgic when she heard her neighbor, Aunt Zoe, to call her Alicia even though it's not her real name. She said that she won't call her name that is given by Lane, her foster mother on Earth, as it may trigger something inside the girl. Since Alicia can be served as a nickname, why not use it?

She also felt guilty, because the time when she stopped walking, she looked with enmity to those people. Thinking on how to end the world or how to escape reality, but thought that she can't. She lied to the only one who shouldered her wholeheartedly. She kept on a fake positive appearance to the one who loved her unconditionally. Remembering that reason, she practiced many bodily arts to compensate Aunt Zoe and protect her and her family.

When the two figures disappeared from her line of sight, she began to observe the surroundings that she failed to see last time. She can touch people but they won't feel, see or hear her since it's only a simulation.

She walked to the busy street and saw a hooded person on a sunny day. She frowned and decided to follow the guy on the big establishment building he's entering upon.

...

In the Central Marsh, 5 hours has passed and Chang Xiuying still hasn't woken up from her sleep. She is still in the same position as Yao Yun left her to hunt for food.

When Yao Yun finished delivering the hunted beasts to her mother and siblings, he returned and saw the unmoving body of Chang Xiuying. He became so worried that he has to shake her uncontrollably, he even slapped her face with enough to wake her up. Yao Yun suddenly felt that something is incredibly wrong.

"Oy! Wake up! Damn it!!" He carried her but she's heavier than a normal 3-year-old kid. Yao Yun had no choice but to call his mother, he ran as fast as he can and killed the beasts that go in his way, not bothering to pick the corpses up. He arrived at the location where Yao Chen originally lived.

"Mother! Xiuying... something is wrong with Xiuying!" Yao Yun shouted at the tall woman preparing food on their wooden kitchen.

Yao Chen stopped preparing and looked strangely at Yao Yun. "What the heck?"

"Nevermind it! Just come!" Yao Yun pulled his mother but she won't budge. Yao Chen shot a glare to his son and flicked him lightly.

"Show respect to your mother, you dumb*ss of a child!"

Yao Yun cried inwardly and pulled his hair in frustration. "Dear mother, really, something is incredibly wrong with Xiuying. She slept early yesterday but she still hasn't woken up until now. Her body is not moving an inch!"

Yao Chen froze momentarily before asking, "Did you used the one that I thought you about cutting connections to the world?"

"Yes, does it had something to do with Xiuying's condition?"

"You dumb*ss! Why would you use that on a human!" Yao Chen turned off the fire and immediately dashed outside. "What are you waiting for?! Lead the way!"

"Yes, dear mother!"

They both arrived at the spot where Chang Xiuying was previously there.

"Where the f*ck is the brat?! Yao Yun!"

"She was here! She really was here, dear mother! This... ah!"

"What?!"

"I forgot to activate the restriction when I leave! I was agitated and was not able to think-"

"Yun'Er, we have to find her as soon as possible. If it takes longer than 3 hours, it's over." Yao Chen began to channel her Life Energy to the surroundings to find a trace of Chang Xuying.

"It's my fault... I'm sorry." Yao Yun breathed out heavily.

"It is your fault. So you have to compensate her..." Yao Chen suddenly felt a trace south-east to their current location. "At 5 o'clock! Quick!"

"Yes!" They both departed to immediately find Chang Xiuying.

A half-head appeared on the site where the two were previously at. It looked around before emerging completely out of the ground, carrying an unconscious Chang Xiuying in her arms.

She carefully laid Chang Xiuying down and performed hand seals. Intricate runes appeared around the body of Chang Xiuying that slowly invades her mind. Chang Xiuying's eyes suddenly opened but she had no pupils and her eyes glowed gold. Her eyes slowly closed as she continued to sleep.

The girl frowned and contacted someone, saying, "Boss, the miss is wrong in the head."