"A projection from a higher dimension—and also the last Revealer of Truth?"
Or perhaps just a namesake. But Luo Shu doubted coincidences.
Xi Juan had appeared at Site-CN-06, the very location of Project Aeterna's core asset: Anomalous Item-CN-146.
That door.
What was its ability?
He flipped open the Anomalous Item Archive, only to find heavy redactions:
[Page: 93]
[Item No.: Anomalous Item-CN-146]
[Item Name: Parallel Universe Storm (Fake)]
[Item Class: Keter]
[Abilities: ██████. This is ███████.]
[Status: ███]
[Contact History: Click to Play]
[X]
Both Xi Juans were tied to spatial anomalies. The odds of two unrelated entities sharing that name? Negligible.
Which raised the question: If Marion's assessment was correct, Xi Juan had been killed by The God on June 13, 1976.
So who—or what—was the Anomalous Item-116 (The Fragile Boy) currently contained in Site-19?
No.
A higher-dimensional projection couldn't truly die.
The Foundation couldn't even destroy Xi Juan's pet (Anomalous Item-682, the Hard-to-Destroy Reptile), let alone the man himself.
The "death" was merely a discarded avatar.
The entity in Site-19? A second projection.
But why such disparity?
The first had been a Revealer. The second could barely speak.
Luo Shu pieced it together:
After the first projection's death, Xi Juan learned the truth—and tried to re-enter this world for vengeance.
Something stopped him.
The restrictions:
A brittle glass body (Item-116's fragility)—crippling mobility.
Muted cognition—preventing him from passing intel to successors.
This also implied Item-116's 'Stupidity Aura' was a weapon against The God.
A failsafe.
Luo Shu filed the thought away and kept reading.
"December 31, 1999"
"The 20th century ends. I turn 100. The world seems calmer, but currents churn beneath."
"Recently, I found Anomalous Item-2358—anti-memetic 'trees' in Hong Kong's Yau Tsim Mong, Tokyo's Shibuya, NYC's Times Square."
"Harmless at first glance. But they seal a memetic apocalypse. Even through the anti-memetic filter, its lethality radiates."
"A note attached (mimicking Foundation docs) warned of its power. Yet this meme wasn't contained by us—someone else did this."
"Cross-referencing Item-3125's words: This is the memetic war's next phase."
"The current Archive holder must've fought The God—and won."
"I don't know who they are. But I'll wait here to share my findings. Then… I can rest."
"January 23, 2020"
"A global pandemic. Millions dead. The God is hunting the Revealer again."
"Why hasn't he come to me? I'm so tired. Holder after holder, none reach me."
"March 1, 2020"
"The plague ravages the Americas. The God's losing control. Did he kill the current holder? When will this end?"
"He won again—but cheaper this time. No reset needed."
"Archive, must you pick such incompetent holders? The civilians pay the price."
"January 2, 2021"
"At Site-19 today, studying Item-055, I met a fascinating D-class: Luo Shu."
"A century-old woman, outsmarted! He used Item-3329's persuasion to pose as O5-8's envoy."
"I almost believed it—until I remembered: O5-8 never engages with anti-memes. Not since Cuba."
"Luo Shu. A D-class with Item-3329's power, access to Item-055… He's the new Revealer."
"I'll accelerate his training, even force it. I'm exhausted…"
"But if I leave, I'll forget. Pray I don't shoot him on reflex. I can't wait another century."
"O5-8's Fountain of Youth offer? I declined. Let me die. No more solitude."
Epilogue
The diary ended there. Blank pages followed.
Marion had been busy aiding Luo Shu, never returning to document the final acts.
He'd made her ledger. That surprised him.
Even memory-crippled, she'd discerned his significance.
The diary had answered most questions—except two:
The world's true nature.
Luo Shu's own origins.
He was undeniably the Archive's current holder. But what had he been before?
After reading of past holders, the question gnawed at him anew.