When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 373: Full Circle

Chapter 373: Full Circle

Shen Nianzu felt the urge to retch as an extreme dizziness engulfed his senses. Staggering, he clutched onto the wall as he dry-heaved, his temple throbbing in pain. He tried to recall the previous events that led to his current predicament, and it took him a while to piece together the jumbled pieces of memory.

That’s right, the five of them had succeeded in getting through the ’Reflection of Emotions’, and then...

"Ugh..." a pained groan sounded nearby. "W–What is going on...?"

Shen Nianzu slowly turned to find not only Gu Luoxin, but also Noir, Ying and Qiuqiu close to him, all sporting the same sickly expressions. They looked as if they had just ridden a thrilling roller coaster without a seatbelt.

Qiuqiu was retching in the corner, but because they had not eaten anything for quite some time – they did not actually know how long they had spent here – nothing came out of her throat except for stomach acid.

Ying shook her head to sober herself up and asked in a raspy voice, "Did you all get it?"

Her question managed to draw everyone’s attention.

"Yeah..." Gu Luoxin slowly straightened up and opened his palm, revealing the return ticket there. His expression twisted oddly as he recounted, "It seems like... I met the creator of this labyrinth, Master Khronos? My memory is getting a little fuzzy, though. All I can remember is him congratulating me for coming this far and..." He clutched his head, unable to remember anymore.

It was Noir who continued his sentence, "He said that the labyrinth is falling apart, and he would transport us to the area closest to the exit."

"Right, right!" Gu Luoxin snapped his fingers, his eyes lighting up. "That’s exactly what he said!"

"I... I remember a bit of it too..." Qiuqiu weakly raised her hand.

Ying nodded thoughtfully, "Seems like everyone went through the same." She surveyed the surroundings and noticed that they were really no longer trapped within the endless corridors. The space around them was vast, similar to a hall, with cream colored wallpaper and bare walls. "There is only one way from here on. We— wait a moment," her sharp gaze settled on Shen Nianzu. "You have not spoken at all. Are you okay?"

Shen Nianzu’s complexion was slightly pale just like the others, thus no one realized that he was greatly shaken by what he had just heard. Everyone had met the creator of the labyrinth and received the return ticket? But he... he had been stranded into the Forbidden Area, and...

According to the rule, he should have left a piece of memory behind as a compensation. But he could not, for the love of God, remember which memory he had chosen. He supposed it’s just how things should have been. He trusted himself to choose the least important piece, or at least one that would not affect himself from here on.

He silently tightened his fist around the warm black marble, feeling it pulse against his skin. It was the only thing that proved that everything he had gone through was not just a figment of his imagination.

"I’m okay," he assured, facing everyone’s concerned gazes. "I got the ticket too. It looks like we can really get out of here for real."

Gu Luoxin visibly relaxed. He opened his mouth to say something when all of a sudden, a loud explosion rumbled in the far distance. The space around them trembled, faint dust and debris falling from the ceiling. Everyone exchanged surprised glances before they came to an unanimous decision—

"Run!!!"

The five of them broke into a mad sprint as the approaching explosion sent shockwaves through the air. A deafening crash followed as the ceiling behind them collapsed, revealing the scene of a spectacular nightscape where stars were falling and dying faster than the eye could blink.

In the center of the destruction was none other than the colossal rift created by the Nightmare itself.

The labyrinth of time and space was really falling apart!

Too overwhelmed by the mind-boggling spectacle, Gu Luoxin almost tripped on his feet, but fortunately, Shen Nianzu propped him up in time and pulled him forward. "What are you looking at?!" He shouted in urgency. "Quickly run!"

"O–Oh!" Gu Luoxin shifted his attention to the front, but then he suddenly recalled something and whipped his head to the creature who had been clinging to his back all this while. "Wait a moment, what about you?! This is your home!"

In response, Toki clung onto him tighter, his lips wobbling and eyes brimming with tears, looking just like a child afraid to be abandoned by his only parent. "Chirp..."

Gu Luoxin was torn between laughing and crying upon seeing him like this. "This is not the time for you to act spoiled..."

Shen Nianzu’s eyes flashed and he hollered at Gu Luoxin, "Ask him! Ask if he wants to leave this Cycle and stay with you!"

"Huh?!" Gu Luoxin turned to his leader, shocked and flabbergasted. "How could he possibly..." he trailed off as realization dawned upon him, eyes flying as wide as saucers. To ask a nightmare creature whether they would like to leave the Cycle they were residing on to follow a player... that... that just sounded like...!

Gu Luoxin’s breathing abruptly quickened in pace, and it had nothing to do with all the running he was doing right now. Reaching out to the baby tour guide, he lifted the half-dragon/half-dinosaur creature by his armpits in front of him and stared right into his brilliant sapphire eyes. Gu Luoxin swallowed, his eyes reflected his tension and nervousness. But then he steeled himself and blurted out, almost biting his tongue in the process.

"Would... Would you like to stay with me from now on?!"

Seemingly as if he had been waiting for this question all along, Toki made grabby hands at him and let out a sweet ’chirp!’, a huge smile breaking out on his face. The thick tail behind his butt swayed side to side to show his happiness.

Gu Luoxin almost burst out into tears right there and then, as he hugged the baby he had grown fond of close to his chest. "Okay... okay, let’s go home together!"

The five of them raced ahead as utter destruction chased after them, obliterating everything in its wake. However, they focused solely on the path before them, not looking back even once. It was unknown for how long they had been running when the scenery around them gradually shifted. The bare and cream colored walls transformed into a sight they had become quite familiar with.

This... this was the train platform!

"Look!" Qiuqiu exclaimed as she pointed at something at a distance, her expression was one of disbelief. "The train is here!"

It was the same train they had boarded previously – the one that had carried them to the future! Breathing heavily, Ying wiped the sweat on her chin as she remarked thoughtfully, "We have really come to a full circle..."

Meanwhile, Shen Nianzu was busy looking around for a certain someone, guided by the black marble in his palm that was getting hotter and hotter. And in the end, he truly found Jin Jiuchi sitting on a bench in the platform with his eyes closed, seemingly as though he had fallen into a deep sleep.

Shen Nianzu practically flew toward him. "Jin Jiuchi!"

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A/N: Congratulations xinxin for acquiring his own divine prop! *cheers* *pulls confetti*