As the Court of the False Self collapsed, Xiao Mu fell—not to the ground, but into a gentle suspension within a dim space. Gray-white mist swirled around him, like echoes of thought congealed into vapor. Ahead stood a tall wall, etched with four words:
"Ruins of the Wish."
He approached. The wall cracked open, revealing a solemn corridor—the Museum of Memory. Each gallery had no doors, only an irresistible pull that drew him inward. No guards, no lights—only a gaze, emanating from unseen remnants of consciousness.
🖤Gallery One: Others' Wishes, Forgotten Selves
Inside, old clothes, rotting journals, and jars of dried tears lined the walls. A note read:
"I wished her peace for life,
though I never told her."
Xiao Mu felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if the wish had once been his, abandoned in some forgotten life. Black liquid began to drip from the walls—corrosive memory. He stepped back, only to find his shadow no longer followed. It stood still, staring at one display, slowly changing shape.
🧠Gallery Two: Echoes of Failed Wishes
This room was filled with silent murmurs. Each item whispered:
A torn photo repeated: "I couldn't protect her final dream."A doll swayed without wind, emitting broken breaths.Pebbles on the floor arranged themselves into a sentence:
"A wish is the lie I told the world."
Xiao Mu knelt involuntarily. The phrases surged into his mind like waves. He couldn't tell if he was one of the "failures," or if these artifacts came from his own subconscious. He looked up and saw a mirror—not reflecting himself, but a voiceless figure trying to "speak a wish," only to exhale a mist of blood.
🎭Gallery Three: The Embodiment of the Wish
The final gallery held no objects—only a sense of "waiting." In the center, a silhouette began to form—shaped from all of Xiao Mu's unspoken, unrealized wishes. It had no face, yet seemed to hear every thought.
It reached out—not to invite, but to reclaim. A whisper entered his mind:
"You have released your wish.
You no longer belong to yourself."
Xiao Mu realized: if a wish is not protected, it evolves on its own—and turns against its creator.
The figure approached. Xiao Mu tried to flee, but his steps were bound by "promises." He had once said:
"I wish to abandon fear for the sake of belief."
Now fear had arrived—and he had to accept it.