When Ray Nora shared that an unidentified mass had emerged from his glowing cocoon, momentarily causing her drifting house to veer off course, Zhou Mingâs face subtly changed. He took a moment to think and then guessed that this mass might be the âmiscellaneous itemsâ he had discarded earlier.
His original plan was to use these items as a conduit for initiating contact with an external entity.
However, the method of communication turned out to be rather forceful.
Luckily, Ray Nora seemed to have not faced significant difficulties due to this incidentâand she also failed to notice the brief, telling silence of the âThousand-Faced Bright Starâ before her.
Capitalizing on the opportunity, Zhou Ming steered the conversation in a new direction: âSo, after the momentary loss of control, what occurred? You mentioned you âovershotâ⊠Could you elaborate on that?â
Ray Nora, not suspecting anything amiss, knitted her brows in concentration. After a brief pause, she recounted, âWhen my drifting house momentarily went off course, I found myself in the thickest part of this fog. Eventually, I came to a halt near an unseen⊠âborder.â Describing this border to you is challenging⊠Itâs intangible, invisible to the naked eye, yet the fog abruptly ends at its edge. Beyond this border is a vast emptiness.â ÆrÄenovelkiss.com
She hesitated, sensing that her explanation still lacked precision, her expression one of vexation. Zhou Mingâs demeanor grew more serious: âEmptiness?â
âYes, a true void. Not merely darkness or âemptinessâ as we usually understand it⊠Iâm struggling to convey this accurately. Even in âplaces of emptiness,â thereâs at least some notion of âplace,â but what I encountered defies logical explanation,â Ray Nora said, clearly finding it difficult to articulate and remember her experience, âConsider the perception of the world by individuals born blind, those whoâve never seen light, who lack visual context. Itâs commonly believed their world is dark, but their âvisionâ is actually an extreme âvoidââŠâ
She paused, using her hands to illustrate her point, âThey donât perceive âdarknessâ because, in a strict sense, âdarknessâ is still a part of vision. Having never seen any color or shape, the concept of âa world of darknessâ is too abstract and unfathomable for them. Thus, from their perspective, their âviewâ isnât black but âvoid,â devoid of color and form, making the visual world utterly non-existent. Thatâs how I felt beyond that border. I felt as though I should âseeâ something, yet it was beyond my comprehension and perception to the extent that my mind couldnât even form an âimage.â I recall hearing some sort of sound then and in my memories of it. Still, my mind was blank. I stood at that invisible threshold, fully aware it was a âborder.â A border implies thereâs âanother side,â but it⊠simply didnât exist.â
Ray Nora gestured with her hand, her expression still clouded by the unsettling and unnerving memory she was recalling.
âThereâs no âother sideââŠâ Zhou Mingâs brows furrowed in contemplation as he listened to her abstract and difficult-to-grasp explanations, his mind beginning to draw parallels, âIs it like a sheet of paper that doesnât have a âback sideâ?â
Ray Noraâs eyes widened in astonishment, then she observed the âstellar entityâ before her as it raised its appendages amidst a backdrop of countless eyes and shimmering starlight, a⊠form started to materialize.
Zhou Ming took a piece of paper, twisted it, and joined the ends together.
A rush of insight flooded Ray Noraâs consciousness, and in that instant, she grasped the concept of a M?bius strip.
The immense âvoidâ she had encountered suddenly made sense to her.
âThatâs exactly it!â she exclaimed, snapping out of her reverie, her eyes locked on the structure ensconced in turmoil, illuminated by thousands of eyes, âThis is what I experienced! A boundary without an âother side,â a sheet of paper lacking a âback side!â The ultimate limit, the very âend!'â
The form then discreetly disappeared.
Zhou Ming let go of the M?bius strip, and as the paper loop settled on the table, he pondered, âCould this represent the outer limit?âŠâ
He was aware that the protective barrier erected by the âgodsâ was far from simple. The M?bius strip served merely as an easily digestible âanalogyââthe two concepts werenât exactly identical, but based on Ray Noraâs description of the âboundary scene,â there had to be some similarities.
Ray Nora watched him, her gaze filled with confusion and curiosity.
âYouâve ventured to the very edge of the worldâmaybe even beyond where the ancient monarchs ceased their exploration,â Zhou Ming said to âthe Frost Queen,â his voice carrying a hint of unease, âYou witnessed⊠what lies beyond the boundary, yet it was incomprehensible to youâŠâ
A M?bius strip possesses no âend.â For an entity traversing its surface, no matter how far it travels within its continuous loop, it will never encounter the âedgeâ of the M?bius strip, nor will it be able to discern an âinvisible boundaryâ there, which can invoke a sense of dread and bewilderment at the âvoidâ perceived. Yet, Ray Nora, in her daring journey, had at some point felt the presence of that âend.â
She had undergone an âascension of dimensionsâ. Although unable to âunderstandâ the scene before her and feeling she encountered only âvoid,â she had, for a brief moment, become someone⊠standing outside of the loop.
He painstakingly detailed everything to Ray Nora, elucidating the bizarre occurrences she encountered and the true nature of the âdimensional ascentâ she underwent over time.
Information surged into Ray Noraâs consciousness, transforming her understanding and very being.
Yet, she embraced these revelations with open arms and sheer delight.
This quest for knowledge was precisely why she embarked on her journey, precisely what she yearned for at this juncture.
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She was eager to explore more vistas, to grasp the full meaning of her observations.
âI should leave now,â she abruptly declared, rising to her feet.
Zhou Ming regarded the Frost Queen with a mix of surprise and speechlessness, momentarily unsure of what to say.
âI want to take another look there,â Ray Nora said, turning to him with her gaze ablaze with starlight that seemed to have etched a permanent presence in her eyes, âWith my newfound understanding, I feel⊠this time, I might actually perceive something within that âvoid,â perhaps⊠entities that previously eluded my comprehension but truly exist.â
Zhou Ming remained silent for a beat, then slowly got up from the sofa.
âDo you believe that âsomethingâ exists within that void?â
âYes,â Ray Nora replied instantly, her voice carrying a depth of conviction and determination that might baffle others, âIâve sensed them, heard them, akin to the wind whispering across stones, leaving no imprint on my consciousness as if fingers fail to discern colors or eyes cannot measure warmth. My logic was too limited to grasp the entities beyond that âend,â but now⊠I sense a shift. I can perceive them, even if only faintly.â
Zhou Ming locked eyes with the Frost Queen. âYouâre choosing a path fraught with danger,â he remarked abruptly, âYou nearly got swallowed by that âendâ before, and yet you choose to return.â
âYes, itâs a gamble,â Ray Nora responded, her smile radiant and eyes sparkling with an adventurous gleam, âAdventure inherently carries its risks.â
ââŠAkin to embarking on another âDeep Dive Projectâ?â
ââŠExactly, like launching another âDeep Dive Project,'â Ray Noraâs smile faded as she solemnly nodded, âMy personal Deep Dive Project.â
She averted her gaze, inhaled deeply, and after a brief pause, reflected, âSee, I really wasnât meant to play the role of a âqueen.'â
Zhou Ming remained silent, his steps carrying him towards the window that linked to the âDrifting House.â
After a moment, he spoke again, âIâm bound to this placeâI cannot leave. So, remember to share with me what you discover.â
Ray Nora nodded enthusiastically: âOf course, Iâll be your eyes.â
She then made her way back to the ârift,â poised to return to her drifting house for another expedition, her spirit undiminished by the challenges that lay ahead.
Zhou Ming watched as the determined Frost Queen embarked on her new venture.
For a brief moment, he pondered the propriety of allowing this woman to exit through the window as the commencement of her grand adventure, feeling it lacked the gravitas such a departure deserved.
Yet, he quickly reconsidered⊠perhaps the informality was fitting.
The queen, once confined, now had the liberty to begin her journey in any manner she preferred.
His visitor had departed.
With a soft hum, the window sealed shut, and the view outside was swiftly swallowed by dense fogâZhou Ming barely caught a glimpse of the drifting house before it vanished from sight.
He lingered by the window, lost in thought for an extended period, then diverted his attention back inside, his gaze sweeping across the living room.
The recent events felt surreal as if someone perpetually secluded in a cabin had dreamt of receiving a visitor.
Approaching the sofa, however, the sight of the M?bius strip fashioned from a paper strip, resting on the coffee table with its ends still gently curved, grounded the experience in reality.
Beside it, a piece of paper bore the sketch of an old-fashioned lantern.
There had indeed been a visitor.
Zhou Ming exhaled, a sense of relief washing over him, making him feel a tad lighter. He then smiled, shook his head in amusement, and made his way to the apartmentâs door.
Upon opening the door, the ever-present, shifting black fog greeted him as usualâŠ