chapter 2: The first glimpse of the loop

Episode 1 – A Familiar Stranger

The scent of rain lingered in the air, mixing with the faint aroma of jasmine tea from a nearby stall. Chun Yu sat at her desk, staring blankly at the open notebook in front of her. The words blurred together, her mind refusing to focus.

It had been two days since she met Song Lu. Two days since he said her name with the certainty of someone who had known her all his life. Two days since she had felt something shift in the fabric of her world—something she couldn't explain, something she wasn't sure she wanted to understand.

"Not yet."

His words haunted her.

She pressed the tip of her pen against the page and wrote his name in small, deliberate strokes. Song Lu. The ink bled slightly, the letters unfamiliar yet strangely comforting.

A gust of wind rattled the window. She sighed, closing the notebook and rubbing her temples. Maybe she was just tired. The competition had taken a toll on her, and her mother's constant reminders of what was at stake didn't help. But no matter how much she tried to convince herself, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

She had lived eighteen years in this world. She should know what was real and what wasn't.

And yet, Song Lu's eyes had looked at her like she was a missing piece of a puzzle he had spent lifetimes trying to complete.

---

The following morning, Chun Yu walked to school in a daze, the world around her moving as if through water. Conversations around her blurred together—words she recognized yet didn't process. She felt disconnected, as if her body was moving on its own while her mind wandered elsewhere.

"Chun Yu!"

A hand grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to reality. She blinked, meeting the concerned gaze of her best friend, Mei Ling.

"You almost walked into traffic," Mei Ling said, her voice laced with worry. "Are you okay?"

Chun Yu glanced at the road. A motorbike sped past, the rider cursing under his breath. Had she really not noticed?

"I'm fine," she muttered, shaking her head.

Mei Ling raised an eyebrow. "You don't look fine. You've been acting weird since the competition. What's going on?"

Chun Yu hesitated. How was she supposed to explain something she didn't understand herself?

"It's just... I met someone," she said finally.

Mei Ling's eyes widened. "Oh? A guy?"

"Not like that." Chun Yu sighed. "I don't know how to explain it. It feels like I've met him before, but I know I haven't. And he—" She paused, searching for the right words. "He looked at me like he was expecting me to remember something. Something important."

Mei Ling's expression turned skeptical. "Sounds like you've been watching too many dramas."

Chun Yu groaned. "I knew you wouldn't get it."

"I'm just saying, déjà vu is a thing. Maybe he just reminded you of someone."

But it wasn't just déjà vu. It was something deeper. Something unsettling.

And the worst part?

It wasn't going away.

---

That evening, Chun Yu took the long way home, walking past the old bookstore where she had first seen Song Lu. She wasn't sure why she stopped in front of the entrance, staring at the worn wooden door as if it held the answers she needed.

The bell above the door chimed softly as she stepped inside. The air smelled of aged paper and ink, the dim lighting casting warm shadows across the shelves.

Her fingers brushed over the spines of the books as she wandered aimlessly, drawn to a quiet corner at the back of the store. There, sitting on an old wooden table, was an open book.

The pages were yellowed with age, the ink faded but still legible. The characters were written in classical Chinese, their strokes elegant yet firm.

"Fate is not a line, but a cycle. Those who defy the heavens are doomed to repeat their mistakes, over and over again, until they understand the lesson written in their souls."

Chun Yu's breath caught in her throat.

A flicker of something flashed in her mind—a temple under moonlight, the sound of bells in the distance, the warmth of a hand slipping into hers. The sensation was so strong that she had to grip the edge of the table to steady herself.

"Chun Yu."

The voice wasn't in her head.

She spun around, her heart pounding.

Song Lu stood a few feet away, watching her with an expression that was both gentle and unbearably sad.

"You're here," she whispered.

He nodded. "I was waiting for you."

Her pulse quickened. "Why?"

Song Lu took a slow step toward her. "Because this is where you always begin to remember."

Chun Yu felt her throat tighten. "What are you talking about?"

Song Lu didn't answer right away. Instead, he reached out, brushing his fingers lightly over the open book. "You were always drawn to stories like this," he murmured. "Stories about fate. About love that defies time."

Something about the way he said it sent shivers down her spine.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

For a moment, Song Lu looked at her like he wanted to tell her everything. Like he wanted to take away her confusion, her fear.

But instead, he simply said, "Someone who remembers you."

Chun Yu felt her heart ache at his words, as if something inside her recognized the truth even when her mind didn't.

"Do you?" Song Lu asked softly. "Remember me?"

She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Because the truth was, she didn't.

And yet, deep down, she felt as if she should.

Song Lu exhaled, his eyes dark with something unreadable. "It's okay," he said, though his voice was heavy with sorrow. "You will."

And before she could ask what he meant, he turned and walked away.

Chun Yu stood frozen, her heart hammering against her ribs.

She wanted to call out to him. To demand answers.

But somehow, she knew.

This wasn't the first time she had watched him walk away.

And it wouldn't be the last

Episode 2 – Unraveling the Mystery

The night was quiet, but Chun Yu's mind was anything but.

She lay awake, staring at the ceiling of her small bedroom, her thoughts tangled like threads in a broken loom. The encounter at the bookstore had unsettled her in ways she couldn't explain. Song Lu's words echoed in her head—You will.

What was she supposed to remember?

She turned onto her side, eyes drifting toward the notebook on her desk. Without thinking, she sat up, reached for it, and flipped to a blank page. The ink in her pen glistened under the dim light as she began to write.

Things that feel strange lately:

1. The sense of déjà vu is getting stronger. I feel like I already know what people will say before they say it.

2. The bookstore. The book. The words about fate and cycles. It felt like I was meant to see them.

3. Song Lu. How does he know me? Why does it feel like I should know him?

4. The way he looked at me. Like he's seen me before. Like he's seen me forget.

She stared at the list, tapping her pen against the page.

A flicker of movement caught her eye in the mirror across the room.

She froze.

Her reflection wasn't moving.

A chill crawled up her spine. She slowly turned her head toward the mirror.

Her reflection stared back at her—except it wasn't her. The girl in the glass wore an old-style hanfu, her long hair pinned back with a delicate silver ornament. Her eyes held a sadness that didn't belong to Chun Yu.

And then—

She spoke.

"You must not forget."

Chun Yu gasped and scrambled back, knocking over her chair. The sound shattered the silence, and in the blink of an eye, the reflection was normal again. Just her, wide-eyed and trembling.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly. She pressed a hand to her heart, trying to steady her breathing.

Had she just imagined that?

She didn't sleep for the rest of the night.

---

Morning came, but Chun Yu barely felt the sun's warmth as she walked to school. Every step felt heavier than usual, as if she were dragging an unseen weight.

"Chun Yu!" Mei Ling's voice snapped her out of her daze.

She turned to see her friend jogging toward her, waving a hand. "Hey, why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"

Chun Yu forced a weak smile. "I didn't sleep well."

Mei Ling pouted. "You need to take better care of yourself. What if you collapse before the competition?"

Competition. Right. The reason she was supposed to be focusing. But how could she concentrate when her entire reality was starting to feel unreal?

They reached the school gates together, and Chun Yu's steps slowed when she spotted someone standing under a tree near the entrance.

Song Lu.

His dark eyes met hers immediately, as if he had been waiting for her.

"Chun Yu," Mei Ling whispered, nudging her. "That's the guy, right? He's staring at you."

Chun Yu's heart pounded. She hesitated only for a moment before turning to Mei Ling. "I'll catch up with you later."

Mei Ling shot her a curious look but nodded and walked off.

Chun Yu took a deep breath and approached Song Lu. "Why are you here?"

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he lifted his hand, fingers barely brushing against the strands of her hair. "The wind is carrying the same scent again."

She blinked. "What?"

His gaze softened. "Jasmine and rain."

A strange shiver ran down her spine.

She stepped back, folding her arms. "I need answers, Song Lu. Who are you? Why do you act like you know me?"

He studied her for a long moment before sighing. "Because I do."

She exhaled sharply. "Then tell me how."

Song Lu glanced away, his expression unreadable. "I can't yet. But you're starting to remember. That means time is running out."

Frustration bubbled inside her. "Running out for what? Why do you keep saying things like that?"

His eyes darkened slightly. "Because if you don't remember in time… we'll be separated again."

Chun Yu clenched her fists. "You're not making any sense!"

A flicker of pain crossed his face, but he only gave a small smile. "I know. But trust me, Chun Yu, this isn't the first time we've had this conversation."

Her breath hitched.

Not the first time?

Her mind spun, images flashing in rapid succession—rain falling against stone steps, the sound of bells ringing in the distance, a hand reaching for hers in the dark.

Then—

Pain.

An unbearable ache in her chest, like she had lost something she could never get back.

She stumbled backward, gripping her head.

Song Lu immediately reached out. "Breathe, Chun Yu. It's just a fragment."

A fragment.

Of what?

She forced herself to look at him, her vision blurring slightly. "Song Lu… What's happening to me?"

He hesitated, then murmured, "You're starting to wake up."

And just like that, the bell rang, signaling the start of class.

Chun Yu looked toward the school building, then back at Song Lu, who had stepped away, his hands tucked into his pockets.

"Go," he said softly. "We'll meet again soon."

Still shaken, Chun Yu turned and walked toward the school, her mind buzzing with unanswered questions.

She didn't know it yet, but this was only the beginning.

The first unraveling thread in a tapestry woven by fate.

Episode 3 – Fractured Memories

The afternoon sun slanted through the classroom windows, casting long golden streaks across the desks. Chun Yu sat in the middle row, hands resting on her open textbook, though she wasn't reading a single word. The teacher's voice faded in and out like a distant echo, drowned beneath the whirlwind of thoughts racing through her mind.

"This isn't the first time we've had this conversation."

Song Lu's words had followed her all day, lingering in the corners of her mind like whispers she couldn't shake.

The moment he spoke those words, something inside her had cracked—something old and fragile, like glass that had already been broken once before. She didn't understand it, but she felt it. Felt it in the way her heart clenched, in the way her hands trembled when she wasn't paying attention, in the way the world seemed to shift around her, as if she was standing on the edge of something vast and terrifying.

What did he mean? Had they truly met before? Was this some elaborate trick, or… was something far more impossible happening?

"You're starting to wake up."

That was the last thing he had said before vanishing. And that was what scared her the most.

What was she waking up from?

Or… what had she been asleep to?

Her grip on her pen tightened, fingers pressing against the cold metal.

The sudden scrape of a chair startled her. Chun Yu blinked, snapping back to reality, only to realize the entire class had gone quiet.

"Miss Chun Yu?"

She turned her head slowly, feeling the weight of countless eyes on her. The teacher was staring at her, one brow arched in mild impatience.

"I asked you a question," the teacher repeated, tapping a piece of chalk against the board.

Chun Yu's stomach dropped.

She hadn't heard a single word.

"I—" she swallowed, eyes darting to the board, but whatever formula was written there might as well have been in another language. "I'm sorry… Can you repeat that?"

A sigh. A shake of the head. A few muffled snickers from the back of the room.

"Pay attention," the teacher said before turning back to the lesson.

Chun Yu exhaled and sank lower in her seat.

"Get it together," she scolded herself.

But how was she supposed to focus when reality itself was beginning to feel like an illusion?

---

Under the Willow Tree

Lunchtime arrived, and Chun Yu found herself sitting alone beneath the large willow tree in the school courtyard.

The courtyard was alive with the usual chatter of students—some sitting on the stone benches, others walking in small groups—but Chun Yu barely noticed them. She had always loved this tree, the way its drooping branches created a soft, shaded canopy that felt like a world of its own. Today, however, the gentle sway of its leaves felt almost… haunting.

She exhaled, flipping open her notebook.

Another blank page.

Another attempt to make sense of the impossible.

She tapped her pen against the paper, then slowly began to write.

Things I remember but don't remember:

1. A temple at night.

2. The sound of bells.

3. Rainfall.

4. A hand reaching for mine.

5. The way my heart aches when Song Lu looks at me.

She stared at the list.

Her fingers hovered over the page, hesitating. She knew these weren't ordinary memories. They felt like something… older. Something buried deep beneath layers of time.

But why?

And why did it hurt so much when she tried to remember?

"You're thinking too hard again."

Chun Yu's breath caught.

She looked up.

Song Lu stood a few steps away, hands tucked into his pockets, watching her with an unreadable expression.

"You—" she started, her heart hammering in her chest. "Why do you always show up when I start writing about you?"

"Maybe because you're meant to," he replied.

She frowned. "Meant to what?"

"Remember."

Chun Yu exhaled sharply, snapping her notebook shut. "You keep saying that, but you never explain anything."

Song Lu sighed, stepping closer. "Because I can't. Not yet."

"Then when?" she demanded, standing up. "How long am I supposed to keep guessing? How long am I supposed to feel like I'm going insane?"

He looked at her for a long moment, and something flickered in his gaze—regret, sorrow, longing.

Then, finally, he said, "Until you choose differently."

Chun Yu felt her breath hitch.

Choose? Choose what?

She stared at him, searching his face for answers, but Song Lu only smiled faintly.

"Until then…" he reached out, brushing a leaf from her shoulder, "we'll meet again."

A strong gust of wind rustled through the courtyard, and for a split second, Chun Yu had the strangest feeling—

Like she had stood here before, with him, under this very tree.

Like he had said these words before.

Like she had lost him before.

She blinked, and suddenly—

Song Lu was gone.

Chun Yu's heartbeat thundered in her chest.

She clutched her notebook with trembling fingers.

The loop.

She was beginning to feel it.

And it terrified her.

---

A Sleepless Night

That night, Chun Yu lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. The moonlight cast pale shadows across her room, but even in the stillness, her thoughts refused to quiet.

She turned onto her side, her gaze falling on the notebook she had left on her desk.

Slowly, she sat up and reached for it.

Her fingers traced the words she had written earlier, and something in her chest tightened.

There was something missing.

Something just out of reach.

She closed her eyes, pressing the notebook against her forehead.

Then, she saw it.

A flash—

A temple bathed in moonlight. The sound of bells. A voice calling her name.

Then, pain—deep, unbearable pain.

Chun Yu gasped and jolted upright, her breathing ragged.

Her hand shot to her chest.

The ache was still there.

It felt like she had lost something. Something important.

But she didn't know what.

Or rather—

She didn't know who.

Episode 4 – The Sound of Bells

The morning mist lingered in the air as Chun Yu made her way to school, her footsteps echoing faintly against the stone pavement. The world felt… different today. The air was thicker, heavier, as if something unseen pressed down on her shoulders.

She adjusted the strap of her bag, trying to shake the unease in her chest.

Her dream last night hadn't been a dream. She was sure of it.

The temple. The bells. The pain.

Something deep inside her had cracked open, and now the memories—or whatever they were—were slipping through the cracks.

But they didn't make sense.

"Was it real?"

She exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples. No. She couldn't let herself spiral. Not again.

"Chun Yu!"

A familiar voice cut through her thoughts.

She looked up.

Mei Ling was jogging toward her, waving one hand while balancing a drink in the other. "You didn't wait for me today," she said, catching her breath. "That's rare."

Chun Yu blinked. "I… I guess I was distracted."

Mei Ling studied her for a moment. "You okay? You look kinda pale."

"I'm fine," Chun Yu lied, forcing a smile.

Her friend didn't seem convinced, but she let it go. "Anyway, I have something interesting to tell you. You know the old temple near the river?"

Chun Yu's breath caught.

She gripped the strap of her bag. "What about it?"

Mei Ling took a sip of her drink before continuing, "It's weird, but I heard some students talking about it this morning. Apparently, someone saw a guy there late last night. Said he was just standing in front of the entrance, looking up at the bells."

Chun Yu felt her heartbeat stutter.

Bells.

The same ones from her dream.

She tried to keep her voice steady. "Did they say who it was?"

"No one recognized him," Mei Ling said, shrugging. "But they said he looked our age. Tall. Wore a school uniform."

Chun Yu's fingers curled into fists.

It couldn't be…

Could it?

---

The Temple at Sunset

By the time school ended, Chun Yu's mind was set.

She had to go to the temple.

She didn't care if it was just a coincidence. She needed to see it, to stand where she had stood in her dream and confirm whether it was real.

The walk to the temple was longer than she remembered. Or maybe she had never actually been here before.

But the moment she reached the worn stone steps leading up to the entrance, her chest tightened.

It was the same.

The towering pillars, the aged wooden doors, the faint scent of burning incense in the air.

And above all—

The bells.

They swayed gently in the breeze, their chimes soft and distant, like whispers from another time.

Chun Yu swallowed hard, stepping forward. The temple grounds were empty, abandoned long ago, yet she felt… watched.

"Is it just my imagination?"

She climbed the steps, her fingers trailing along the cool stone railing. Every step felt familiar and yet foreign, as if her body knew the way even if her mind didn't.

Then—

A shadow moved near the entrance.

Chun Yu froze.

Someone was standing there.

The last rays of sunlight framed him in gold, but she didn't need to see his face to know who he was.

"Song Lu," she whispered.

He turned.

Their eyes met.

And in that moment, time shattered.

A flood of images, of emotions, of memories she couldn't grasp rushed through her.

The temple. The bells. The rain. A promise. A farewell.

Song Lu's eyes widened slightly, as if he could see it too.

Then, he took a slow step toward her.

"You came," he said softly.

Chun Yu's lips parted, but no words came out.

She didn't understand what was happening.

She didn't understand why her heart ached as if she had lost him before.

But she knew, deep down—

This was not the first time she had stood here with him.

And it wouldn't be the last.

Episode 5 – A Promise Lost in Time

The temple stood in eerie silence, the only sound coming from the gentle chime of the bells swaying in the wind. The golden light of the setting sun bathed the stone steps in a soft glow, but to Chun Yu, the warmth of the light did nothing to ease the cold creeping into her bones.

Because standing before her, in the very place she had seen in her dreams, was Song Lu.

He looked exactly as he always did—calm, composed, his school uniform neat despite the wind ruffling his dark hair. But there was something about the way he watched her now, something different.

A quiet sorrow. A knowing gaze.

As if he had seen this before.

As if he had watched her stand here countless times.

"We've been here before."

The thought hit her like a whisper in the back of her mind, but she didn't know where it came from.

Or why it felt true.

Chun Yu swallowed, forcing herself to speak. "Why are you here?"

Song Lu studied her for a long moment before answering. "Why are you here?"

The way he said it—so calm, so certain—sent a shiver down her spine.

"I…" Chun Yu hesitated. How could she explain that she had dreamed of this place? That something inside her had drawn her here, even though she had no memory of ever visiting this temple before?

She clenched her fists. "I don't know. I just… I had to come."

Song Lu's gaze flickered with something unreadable. "Then you're beginning to remember."

Her breath hitched.

"Remember?"

She took a step closer. "Song Lu, tell me the truth. Have we… met here before?"

A pause.

A faint smile ghosted his lips—one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Do you think we have?"

Chun Yu felt something stir inside her. A feeling. A memory that wasn't quite there.

A promise whispered under the moonlight.

A hand reaching for hers in the rain.

A voice calling her name through time.

Her chest tightened. "I… don't know."

Song Lu's expression softened, but there was a sadness there, too. "You will."

His words sent another shiver down her spine.

What did he know?

Before she could ask, a gust of wind rushed past them, setting the bells above into a frantic chime. The sound sent a sharp pain through Chun Yu's head, a piercing ache so sudden she gasped and staggered back.

Flashes.

The temple. The bells. A storm.

A pair of arms around her, holding her close.

A voice—Song Lu's voice—whispering something she couldn't quite hear.

"Run."

Her knees buckled, but before she could collapse, Song Lu was there.

His hands caught her wrists, steadying her. His grip was warm—too familiar.

Chun Yu's breath came in ragged gasps as she clung to him, the pain still throbbing in her skull. But Song Lu…

He wasn't surprised.

He held her with the same patience, the same steadiness, as if this had happened before.

As if he had caught her before.

Her heart pounded as she looked up at him. "What's happening to me?"

Song Lu didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out something small, something silver. He gently pressed it into her palm.

Chun Yu's fingers curled around it instinctively.

It was a pendant.

A delicate silver charm in the shape of a crescent moon.

The moment her skin touched it, another memory slammed into her—

A night sky. Rain pouring down.

Song Lu standing in front of her, holding the pendant between his fingers.

"Keep this with you, no matter what happens."

Her own voice, weak, trembling: "Will we meet again?"

Song Lu's voice, soft but certain: "Always."

Chun Yu gasped, nearly dropping the pendant as she stumbled back.

Her chest was rising and falling rapidly, her heart pounding in her ears.

She looked up at Song Lu in shock.

"You…" Her voice shook. "You gave this to me."

Song Lu's expression remained unreadable, but there was something in his eyes—a quiet, aching truth.

"You remember," he murmured.

Chun Yu's fingers tightened around the pendant. "This isn't the first time we've met, is it?"

Song Lu exhaled, his gaze filled with something almost bittersweet.

"No," he admitted.

Chun Yu felt her breath catch.

"Then tell me," she whispered. "Tell me the truth."

Song Lu looked at her for a long moment, as if weighing the choice before him.

Then he said, softly, almost like a confession—

"We have met before. Again and again."

Chun Yu's entire world tilted.

Her legs felt weak. Her pulse roared in her ears.

Again and again?

This wasn't just déjà vu.

This was real.

The loops. The time slipping through her fingers.

She wasn't imagining it.

"Why don't I remember?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Song Lu's expression darkened. "Because that's part of the curse."

Chun Yu's breath caught.

"Curse?"

Before she could ask anything else, the temple bells rang again—louder this time. Almost angry.

A gust of wind howled through the courtyard, and a sharp pain ripped through her skull.

The world blurred.

And then—

Everything went black.

---