Everything is the apocalypse!
1012 Words
Finally, Shen Yu let out a long breath, murmuring with a sense of disbelief and joy,
“This... this is unbelievable. Is this... an external incarnation?”
Yes—though the two before him looked entirely different, they were both Shen Yu!
The truth had been revealed to him in the Gray Mist Space. The moment he obtained it, his soul had already split, reincarnating across multiple worlds.
That was the reason they could all exist in this space.
“I thought I was just transmigrated... and without any cheats at that,” the ancient-garbed Shen Yu muttered, eyes filled with turbulent emotion as he looked at another version of himself.
At the beginning of his journey, he had often thought about the life he left behind, his parents, his friends, and loved ones.
Never did he imagine he’d see himself again.
Which meant—he never truly left. Perhaps his family never had to suffer the pain of losing him.
A small comfort, but a comfort nonetheless.
“This place... is called the Gray Mist Space?” the cybernetic Shen Yu finally spoke, calm and analytical. “Our state... our simultaneous existence must originate from this space. Also—I can sense that the original body here holds higher authority. Not just over this space... but in other aspects too.”
“That makes sense,” the ancient Shen Yu nodded thoughtfully, stroking his chin. “It’s like the incarnations from myth and legend—Daoism’s Fivefold Spirit Marshal, each form part of the same being... Buddhism is even more extravagant. There’s that old verse: ‘Countless incarnations, hundreds of thousands in number...’”
“Let’s save the philosophy for later.” The cyber Shen Yu interrupted, more urgently than expected. For the first time, emotion flickered across his usually stoic face. “How are Mom and Dad?”
The ancient Shen Yu also fell silent, wearing the same look.
Though they had families and friends in their new worlds, the childhood memories they carried... were all from that same blue planet.
How many times had they stared into the night, thinking of a home that no longer existed?
“They’re doing okay... for now,” Shen Yu answered, a hint of melancholy in his voice. “But I can’t say for the future.”
And that was what worried him most.
If the apocalypse did come—he could hide within the Gray Mist Space.
But what about everyone else?
They couldn’t enter here.
“What do you mean?”
The two avatars caught the worry in his tone and pressed him for answers.
Shen Yu shared everything currently happening on Earth.
But what he didn’t expect—was just how shocked the other two were.
“This is insane!” The ancient Shen Yu cursed out loud. “This life’s facing the end of the world, and now our past life’s world is too?!”
“Huh?” Shen Yu narrowed his eyes. “You mean... your world’s ending too?”
“Yeah.” The ancient Shen Yu sighed. “Ice age, darkness... the sun’s fading. Worse, it’s a martial arts world—everyone fights, but no one knows how to farm. They can’t even live off energy cultivation alone... Hm?”
He paused, sensing something off, and turned toward the cyber Shen Yu—who now wore a deeply serious expression.
Under their gaze, he gave a heavy nod.
“My world entered the interstellar era two centuries ago... but now humanity is losing to terrifying alien forces. We’re retreating on all fronts. There’s no end in sight.”
“This...” The ancient Shen Yu inhaled sharply.
One world-ending crisis could be coincidence. Two? Bad luck. But three?
That was a pattern.
And who knew how many more “Shen Yus” existed in other worlds, all on the edge of collapse?
“This really is bad,” Shen Yu admitted. “But—since you’re both here now, things have changed. We have three worlds. If we cooperate—and use the Gray Mist Space...”
“There’s hope,” the cyber Shen Yu nodded.
His neural implant had already calculated the possibilities.
The gray mist was akin to “karmic merit” or some transcendent force.
Saving a world would surely return unimaginable rewards.
Three connected worlds… would always be stronger than three isolated ones.
Perhaps, this was fate from the very beginning.
“Looks like it’s time for true cooperation,” Shen Yu looked at them both. “We’re all me—there’s no need for empty words. And our connection… it goes beyond shared memories before the age of eighteen.”
He reached out, and the sensation—of something deeper—intensified.
Not just him. The others felt it too.
When their hands overlapped, the resonance peaked.
This wasn’t just memory—they were connected at the soul.
And Shen Yu—the original—was clearly in command.
The source. The core.
The truth was undeniable.
And all three felt it:
If Shen Yu, the original, fell… the others would follow.
Shared memories, common goals, aligned fates—a bond that could not be broken.
“Oh, right.” Shen Yu suddenly recalled the outsiders beyond the mist. He turned to ancient Shen Yu. “You said your world is martial-based? Just how powerful are you?”
There was genuine curiosity and anticipation in his gaze.
Martial arts? Was it the kind of power he imagined?
“Martial arts, yes,” the ancient Shen Yu smiled, voice tinged with awe. “It’s real transcendence. We train the flesh, refine the soul. I haven’t seen the strongest yet, but... when I was six, I saw someone slice a city in half with a single sword. A city with hundred-meter walls and tens of thousands living inside.”
Even now, the memory left him breathless.
“High fantasy martial world...”
Both Shen Yu and cyber Shen Yu’s eyes lit up.
In their battle against fate, such power...
Was exactly what they needed.
- Writer
